Finally, back on cruising again
Adventure of the Seas Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 85
9 Night Canada & New England (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 29, 2022
Ship: Adventure of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 6244
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
Went to see fall foliage. Too early despite it’s early October. Still it was a wonderful trip visiting different places and getting away from the pandemic for once.Embarkation
Arrived within the designated 30 minutes time slot. The luggage was taken care of by staff at curb side. Went through security check and finished check-in in less than 10 minutes and we were on our way to the Windjammer buffet! The whole process was super efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food in the main dining room was better than the buffet’s in my opinion. We generally had dinners in the dining room at our table, but had breakfast and lunch in the buffet for its flexibility. However, I found myself basically just eating what I usually eat. Did not try many new dishes but there sure were a lot of varieties.
Onboard Activities
Enjoyed the outdoor jogging tracks,lounges, dance lessons, and fitness center. Pretty good equipment selections. Weather was on the chilly side being in October up north, so we didn’t try the pool. Poor life guards had to stand there watching even if no one’s in the water. That’s how dedicated they are, but of course they were all bundled up. There’s an ice rink onboard that we’ve skated on before on a sister ship. This time we didn’t try it but plenty of folks did.
Entertainment
I really liked the Headliner shows. This cruise trip had a very good line up with stand-up comedian, juggler, musician/singer and one multi-skilled magician/musician/martial artist/… from Argentina who said he’s living in the Capital of Cuba now - Miami. That’s what he said, obviously a comedian too! I liked his show the best. The ship’s own performers also did very well with the production shows.
Dance parties on the promenade were the most fun when all the people were dancing YMCA together with the “Village People” - the cruise director being the Sailor and he’s gooood!
Service and Staff
In general, very courteous and will do whatever they can do to help. That’s what we were used to get with RCCL.
We LOVE the towel animals the attendant did from time to time. So, we attended one of the towel folding seminars and learned quite a few techniques!
Ship Quality
It’s not a new ship but it’s very well maintained and cleaned almost nonstop. The fact that we were onboard for 9 days with 5000+ people, visited 5 cities, never wore mask even once, and everyone still came back healthy was a good testament to the crew’s continual effort to maintain a clean and healthy environment. Great job!
Cabin / Stateroom
It’s showing its age a bit but still fully functional and very clean. The balcony door squeaked constantly which was quite annoying, particularly when the waves were higher or wind was stronger. Not very loud but just enough to keep you awake at night.
I endured for two nights then I tried banging it really hard with my fist on the middle T frame, it somehow fixed it. No idea why but no more squeaky doors for the rest of the cruise! It’s a miracle.
Ship tip
In general, there are plenty of excursions or tours offer in port or you can book online that is essentially from the same operator that run the ship’s excursions but at a lower price. Not always, but quite often. Worth taking a look before booking any excursions.
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Ports of call
We did the only excursion through RCCL here. It’s a coastal photography tour with a (retired) pro photographer guide and 19 of us on a mini bus. We visited several places including the famous reversing falls. The purpose of this trip was to learn from the pro how to take good pictures, whether with an SLR camera or an iPhone. I have to say, the scenery was good but there are many better places for photos. It is the tips and lessons that we learned from the pro of 30+ years on this tour that’s priceless.
I would’ve liked this place even more if the weather had been good. It’s a downpour day while in port. We still ventured out to the boardwalks (no one’s there), the Grand Parade, the Citadel and the Public Garden. The Public Garden was so beautiful even in heavy rain. I could only imagine how it would look like in a sunny day. Citadel has an Army museum, where weapons and stories of mostly Canadian military since WWI are on display. I had so much fun in there seeing so many things I’ve only read about in books.
Instead of excursion, we rented bikes to cycle around in the Acadia National Park. We’ve been there several times in the summer but always by car. This was the first time we biked the famous Carriage Road which doesn’t allow motor vehicles. It felt more intimate with the park being able to see places like the beautiful Eagle Lake, that most people visiting Acadia never got to see because they were in cars. We biked over 20 miles up and down. Back on the ship, my legs felt like jelly.
Again we rented bikes just outside the terminal to ride around the town and see the famous lighthouses. We rode around the peninsula to the northwest of the dock first to get used to the bike and terrain, then came the major challenge - visit the 3 lighthouses Bug, Spring Point Ledge and Portland Head cross the Casco Bay bridge in south Portland. Riding wasn’t hard as it’s mostly flat, but there’s not always a bike path and sharing road with cars is always risky. Just be careful. The drivers were very polite so no real danger there. Long rides over 20 miles today.
It’s Boston. The terminal is just a little over 1 mile from Faneuil Hall and the Quincy market area. We didn’t book any excursions. Instead, we gingerly strolled toward the Commons, picked up a map at the info center for the Freedom Trail, and followed it to experience American Independence history in this city. Walked over 8 miles in a day, but well worth it.
Disembarkation
We drove to the port and parked there, so we were one of the last groups to get off ship. Waited till the group number was called, left the ship one last time, and luggage was already waiting under the group’s big number sign. Picked up the bags and walked right out of the terminal to the parking lot, after showing my passport card to the officer, took all of 2 seconds for passport control!
Traveler Photos
