Adventure of the Seas

 

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware”

Martin Buber

The beautiful Adventure of the Seas

Don't shoot.  We love this ship.

The Adventure of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbeans older ships but don’t let that deter you as it is still a great ship. This Voyager-class cruise ship was launched and entered into service in 2001. She was built in Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard in Finland for a cost of $500 million dollars when she was ordered in 1997. This vessel is 1,020 feet 8 inches long, has 15 decks, and can hold can hold 3,807 passengers and 1,185 crew members. There are 1557 staterooms of which 765 are balcony rooms, some on the inside above the Promenade and some on the outside of the ship with great sea views. Some people like the inside balconies as you can view all the activities that happen on the Promenade like the parade, different parties, special events.

Chops Restaurant for lunch.

Chops.  Lunchtime - not crowded

Our cruise on the Adventure started at Port Canaveral with waiting in a long line to get on board. We fortunately found out the line to go through security and to show our tickets and passports went pretty fast. Cruise Tip: The earlier your embarkment time, the lines are shorter and the quicker you get on the ship. We were excited to get on this ship, as we heard so many good things about it. On this cruise, we chose to do something we had never done on any other cruises and that was to go to a specialty dining restaurant for lunch. We chose to go to Chops Steak House and we had reserved our table before the cruise started for 12:45. Cruise Tip: By going to a specialty restaurant as soon as you get on the ship, you avoid the crowds at the Windjammer and other lounges so you can start your cruise out relaxed. If you pay for a specialty restaurant before your cruise, you can save yourself some money and get a nice meal for a discount. By the time we were finished with our delicious meal, we were able to take our carry on, right to our stateroom to get settled. It worked out perfectly.

Leaving Port Canaveral

Crowds watching as we leave

Space X landing platform

We headed up to our stateroom which was on the sixth floor in the middle of the ship. Cruise Tip: If you are nervous about being sea sick this level was great and being in the middle of the ship, you barely can feel that the ship is moving. You will feel the ship much more if you are in the front or back of the ship. Cruise Tip: We had a balcony cabin on this ship but many people like the inside cabins for a more restful sleep since it is pitch black, you don’t plan on spending much time there, and because it is much cheaper so they can spend more money in other places. If you do choose to do an inside cabin, just make sure your ship has plenty of places to sit with windows when you are out and about the ship.

Blue Moon

Diamond Club Lounge

Special treats for Diamond and Above

Now onto exploring the ship. On Deck 14, is where the Blue Moon Lounge and Bar is located. It is a beautiful lounge with large windows and seating all around the windows which faces the front of the ship. You get great views of the ocean and the pool deck. There is also the Diamond Club, and a lounge for suite guests. This was our first cruise being at the Diamond Level so we enjoyed their special coffees, fresh squeezed orange juice, and snack food. On the cruise we were on, they allowed Diamond cruisers to come and eat hors d’oeuvres between 5 and 7. Many cruises, if they are top heavy with Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle status people, they restrict the Diamond level from using the club during this time.

Crazy slides and Flow Rider

On level 13 is the rock climbing wall, sports court, adventure Dunes which is miniature golf course, the perfect storm (a water slide), and the Flow rider at the very back of the ship. We enjoyed watching people trying to surf on the Flow rider, some with some success and some with none. The first night we were cruising a Space X launch took off. We saw it launch and to our joy and amazement, it went right over our ship. The crowd on the ship was so excited and it was fun being with them to view this amazing event. It was spectacular and we felt blessed, we were there to see it.

Johnny Rockets Diner

Deck 12 is where the Vitality Spa is located and some staterooms, the video arcade, Teen club, Adventure Ocean (kids club), another level of Adventure Dunes (miniature golf) and Johnny Rockets a pay restaurant that is designed like an old fashioned diner. It is a pay restaurant that serves great dinner food. Cruise Tip: If you are diamond, you can use your drink points to get a milk shake if you want or use your one, or you can use your one 50 percent off coupon for the cruise. If you are a drinker, use the 50 percent off as a milk shake is normally only $5 and the typical alcoholic drink is about $11. So you get more for your money with buying an alcoholic special drink or even a specialty virgin drink.

Solarium

Windjammer

Washy Washy

Peek - A -Boo feature looking at the Bridge

Deck 11 is the main fun area. This is where the pools and hot tubs are, the outdoor screen where they show movies, the Solarium Bar and pool for adults, 18 and older, Giovanni’s Table, and the Windjammer Cafe. We got to see the movie Barbie and Wonka which were both fun movies to watch out by the pools. The pool area is where they offer dance and exercise classes during the day as well as late night parties like the white party. The Solarium offered water aerobic classes that were fun especially when the ship was rocking some. It ended up being more like a wave pool and we got an even better workout. The bridge is on this level and you can view it with the Peek-a-boo feature.  That was really nice to see.  

Decks 10 down to Deck 6 is all staterooms.

Promenade 

Cafe Promenade

Veterans Tribute

Saint Patty's Day balloon drop

Parade on the Promenade

Deck 5 is where the Promenade is located. That is where the shops are located as well as The Duck and Dog Pub, and the Cafe Promenade. Cruise Tip: The Cafe Promenade is where you can get pizza, small sandwiches, coffee, and fruits any time during the cruise. Some people do not realize that there is no cost for this cafe. Just beware that the specialty coffee shop and ice cream attached to it, is for an extra fee. The Imperial Lounge is towards the front of the ship and is where Karaoke is located and one of the venues that The Flash Band (the party band on this ship) played and were very good. The Royal Caribbean orchestra played there also. At the back of the ship was level three of the main dining room. Cruise Tip: At the very front of the building is the helicopter pad and observation deck. This is a great place to go as the ship is leaving any port.

Show at the Lyrica Theater

Time to ask the Captain questions

One of the greeters to the Casino

Casino Art

Our major winnings at the Casino

Greeter and popcorn girl

Flash Band

Helicopter Pad

Deck four has the Lyric Theater where they had the main shows, and game shows as well as bingo. Cruise Tip: Go see the Love and Marriage Show. It is hilarious especially if the cruise director is good and funny. Chops Grille is on this level. It is a pay restaurant and the food and help are fabulous. Cruise Tip: If you want to try it but don’t have too much money, you can try it for lunch since is is quite a bit cheaper than dinner. The Casino is on this level also and was on the small size but people seemed to really enjoy it as it was always busy. Boleros is a bar where they have bands play during the day. Level two of the Main Dining room is also here. The Schooner Bar is always hoping as there was a piano player who played sing a long songs during the afternoons and evening. They also do crafts there during the day. The helicopter pad is also on this ship.

Studio B

Main Dining Room

Glasses set up for food pairings at Chef's Table

Steven - our waiter and hilarious song writer

Art Gallery - want to buy some art?

Archery - no worries it was a harmless

Deck 3 is where the balcony of Studio B is located. Studio B is the Ice rink where they put on a great ice show and when they are not using it, you can pick a time to skate.  The art studio is also located on this level. The Main floor of the main dining room is on this level and is just gorgeous accented by a huge chandelier and double staircase. Cruise Tip: We did the Chefs Table for the first time and had a great night. If you have never done this before, you have to give it a try. We had 11 people at our table and we enjoyed a six course meal with pairings of wine. Schedule this before your cruise as you get a discount. We met the nicest people and had a fantastic meal. Steve our server was great and we ended our meal with him singing us a couple of hilarious songs. Job well done.

Deck 2 and below were crew quarters.

Towel animals from our room

And here are a few more Cruise Tips: Bring plug in outlets to give you extra plug in’s for your cabin and not the ones with cords as they will take them at the security check in and you can not get them back till you exit the ship. There are never enough plugs in the staterooms. Also bring something to put your dirty clothes in like either a collapsible hamper or trash bag. On Royal Caribbean, there doors are still magnetic so bring something decorate your door and make it easier to know which door is to your stateroom. And if your cabin is an inside room, bring a night light.

Interesting art

I sense a theme going on here

There was some pretty interesting art to view around the ship.  We loved this ship and the crew members were fabulous. We love the Voyager Class ships with Royal as they are a good size and offer plenty to do. There were lots of lounges to sit and watch the water throughout this ship. The Blue Moon Lounge on the fourteenth floor was our favorite place to sit and relax. The ship provided loads of activities all day so there always seemed to be something to do. The itinerary of places we were visiting was excellent. We were able to go to Grand Turk, St. Thomas, St. Croix, and Dominican Republic. The weather was perfect and this was one of our best cruises ever. The only thing, I could say that Royal Caribbean could do better is debarking the ship on the last day. It was a madhouse and the lines were very long for people exiting the ship. Besides that, they get high marks on everything else. We will be sailing this ship again in October for a transatlantic cruise to Lisbon where she will go into dry dock for some upgrades. We are looking forward to it.

Nothing better than a gorgeous sunset on the seas

Till next time. Bye for now.