Great destinations on a less than average ship

Adventure of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 62

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Adventure of the Seas

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 10, 2016

Ship: Adventure of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8376

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

I have heard about Royal Caribbean all my adult life and this VERY reasonably priced cruise to five dream islands on board RC was like a dream come true.  Your crew's attention to detail and service were impeccable, while the ship itself fell way below my expectations.  Two steps on the starboard side (outside) between decks 11 and 12 actually rocked and caused me to grab the handrail.  Much of the carpet has stains and one hallway actually smelled of mold.  The only meal I've not been able to enjoy in 21 nights of cruising was on day 1 on the Adventure of the Seas.  The steak diane was as tough and grisly as I've experienced in my entire 68 years. Had I realized the lengths that Firman and Samsul would go to satisfy us, I would have tried getting something edible, but with no prior experience on RC, I was afraid this was the norm for this ship. Trying to find a bottle of water on board with which to take our first night's pills was a real job.  A "General Store" on the Promenade with no water- what a lack of thought on everyone's part.  I did locate one at the bar from a very helpful young lady.  Your staff was wonderful and the itinerary was exceptional.

 

Your shining glory is in disembarkation!  This was well-coordinated and went better than I could have imagined.  I do know that this ship is being dry-docked and refitted later this year.  Critical issues (like loose steps and moldy carpet) demand immediate attention before someone is injured.  One million dollar lawsuit because of a critical injury hardly seems worth saving two tack welds that would not take three hours time to repair.  This fact makes me wonder if RC is worth a second chance at a later date

 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
One bad meal on disembarkation night did not spoil the entire experience, but you only get one chance to make a first impression, and you failed there.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Layout (including needing to travel three decks to get to a restroom) fell short.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5

St. John's, Antigua

5 out of 5

Castries, St. Lucia

5 out of 5

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5
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5 Comments

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

Omonty36    8 years ago

Patrick you always keep it real.

Patrick4    8 years ago

I find it fascinating when people go on a really old ship that gets refurbished in a matter of days and you complain. Research and go on a new ship!

champ5522    8 years ago

What time were you able to get off the ship exactly when you returned to San Juan? Just curious as one in my party has an early flight out.

samyers    8 years ago

Was on Adventure last month and had a blast. Wonderful service! The ship is older and in need of some TLC at it's upcoming dry dock.

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