Final Thoughts on the Royal Caribbean Cruise

Having cruised on the Princess Cruise Lines a number of times and on the Viking River Cruises, my comparison is based on these prior cruises.

The Royal Caribbean "Adventure of the Seas" is the largest cruise ship we have been on to date, and it holds over 3000 passengers plus about 1000 crew. The ship is absolutely gorgeous, and the stateroom was the best we have had, so far. We especially liked having a balcony where you can sit, drink wine, and see the islands or ocean. I would definitely choose a balcony on any cruise ship in the future. It costs a bit more, but it is nice. Also, we enjoyed having a couch in the room rather than just sitting on the bed. Our cabin had quite adequate storage space.

This cabin arrangement would be classified as deluxe, ocean view. I also liked that the cabin is pretty soundproof as compared to other ships we have been on.

Food was adequate on this cruise. The breakfast and lunch buffets rapidly became rather routine, and it would have been nicer to have different foods introduced throughout the cruise. The evening dinner had variety in the offerings and the portions were sufficient. I thought the deserts were less imaginative as compared to other cruise ships. Also, there was no midnight buffet or special displays of chocolate deserts presented on the decks. There were no ice carvings, but perhaps it is because of the higher temperatures rather than lack of skilled carvers. If you wanted a soft drink, you had to purchase this separately. They did offer coffee and iced tea with meals but a cappuccino or latte was extra.

Enrichment activities were absent aboard this ship. There were no cultural lectures or cooking demonstrations or lectures about the ports of call. Most of the information presented in the Daily Compass, the newsletter placed on the bed prior to docking in a port dealt with shopping and which shops were recommended by the ship. There was a lot of emphasis on jewelry shopping. Particularly offensive was a tour of the kitchens offered for and addition price of $25 US/pp. There was a towel folding demonstration but it started at the wrong time and was nearly over by the time advertised on the schedule.

Tipping: The cruise charges a mandatory tipping rate per guest per day. This is a way of advertising lower cruise fares for attracting customers rather than allowing the guests to tip according to services provided. It is also a way for the cruise line to pay lower wages to the crew, probably for tax purposes and then letting them pay tax on gratuities, if they ever get them from the package.

Here is what they advertise:  I already mentioned in the blog that our dinner waiter said he received nothing from the envelopes meant for additional tipping. Our mandatory tipping = $224 for the 7 day cruise. When you purchase a drink, there is a mandatory 18% gratuity added to the drink price. You can tip extra is you desire to do so.

Other cruise lines have already instituted this automatic gratuity, so this is becoming the norm.
Norm?

The Adventure of the Seas cruise is listed 25 out of 66 on a scale created by US News Travel.
Ranking. Overall rating by Cruise Critic, says 78% of passengers loved the cruise. My major complaint centered around the septic system smell in the bathroom. This was constant throughout the trip and you needed to keep the door to the bathroom closed to avoid smelling it in the cabin.

Overall, I think the Royal Caribbean presented a mediocre cruise experience. However, for families with active children, it might be a good choice but for older guests with inquiring minds, I would choose a different experience in the future.

June 28, 2015 - Homeward Bound

Check out time from the room was noon, so we left our luggage with the bell captain and then went off to eat lunch, knowing we would not get much food in the airports with out tight connections.  We found a restaurant on Ashford Avenue serving Puerto Rican food that we wanted to try before leaving.

I ordered an empanada, thinking it would be like the kind one gets in Latin America. However, it was quite different in Puerto Rico and looked more like a heavily breaded cube steak.

Puerto Rican Empanada and arroz con gandules (rice and peas)

Argentine Empanada

Earline wanted to try a stuffed plantain banana filled with vegetables. They are called canoas (canoes in English).

Puerto Rican Canoas - Stuffed Plantain

Other Puerto Rican dishes you might like to try are shown here.Earline's mother was born in Puerto Rico so we were familiar with many of the dishes.

Alcapurrias - plantain dough stuffed with beef or crab

Chicken with Rice - Arroz con pollo

Mofongo - plantain, chicharrón and garlic.

After lunch, we headed to the airport via taxi ($22 US - no additional per bag charge this time) and went to the American Airlines desk. I had been unable to check in on line and when I got to the desk, the attendant had difficulty checking us inn as well. She told us we were supposed to have left on the 8:20 am flight. I showed her the computer printout that showed that American had changed our flight from 8:20 am to 4:20 pm. She asked how long I had that printout and I told her for a month. 

With the help of her supervisor, we finally got booked for the flight and headed to Dallas/Fortwoth. However, when we arrived there, our connecting flight to San Jose, CA had mechanical problems that delayed departure and when they could not fix the airplane that had a door seal issue, they changed all passengers to a different gate and airplane that departed an hour later.

We finally arrived in San Jose near 12:30 am and we ended our journey to our home at 1:30 am, California time or 6:30 am Puerto Rico time. 

June 27, 2015 - A Day in San Juan, PR

Earline and I needed to spend an extra day in San Juan because originally, our place was scheduled to leave at 8:20 am and there was no way we could have made that flight with the ship docking at 6 am and with us having to depart and collect luggage, etc. However, American airlines made a dramatic flight change before we left California, making the plane leave at 4:30 PM. Of course we could have planned to make that flight on the day the ship arrived, but when you purchase cheap tickets, it would have cost more to change the tickets that to stay another night in the Condado Plaza Hilton. Besides, we wanted to spend the day exploring Old San Juan, or so we thought.

We got off the ship at about 9:30 am and collected our luggage in the cruise terminal, and then went through U.S. Customs where you declare what you are bringing into the USA duty free. You are allowed to bring in $800 each of goods and 2 liters of alcohol, each. If you purchase your goods in a U.S. Virgin Island, you can each bring back $1600 of goods duty free.

Duty Free Limits

Since most of our travels were not US territories, we were restricted to the lower limit. I had purchased a new wrist watch and some perfume for gifts and some jewelry for Earline but none of it exceeded our allowed limits. Because of our planned domestic air travel, we did not want to pack duty free liquor into our suitcases and risk breakage.

The Candado Plaza Hilton was very accommodating by allowing us to check into our room early on the morning we departed the ship. The desk clerk was pleasant and I believe she upgraded us to a large room on the top floor without extra cost to us. Once we got to the room and dropped off our luggage, Earline and I decided to walk into Old San Juan.

It is about a 45 minute walk from the hotel to the Castillo de San Cristobal.

We had time to kill, so we set out walking the 2.2 miles, taking in the sights along the way. However, the sun is quite warm, even early in the day, so we were ready for a beer before planning to visit the old fort. We found a suitable hole-in-the-wall bar to quench our thirst before visiting the Castillo de San Cristobal.

HISTORY OF SAN JUAN

Founded in 1509, San Juan became a walled city protected by multiple forts. It guarded an important entrance into the Spanish Main, and withstood multiple attacks by the British and Dutch (some partially successful). It was considered the Gibraltar of the West Indies. Due to its military significance, the government kept the growing population within the city walls until 1897, when a few bastions were demolished. The forts received some naval bombardment from US naval ships during the Spanish American War (1898). Much of the district's architecturally historic fabric is intact, including the impressive fortifications.

Castillo San Cristobal is one of the largest Spanish fortresses in the new world.It was built mostly using slave labor and was finished in 1783. Most of the fortified walls have sentry boxes at various points. These sentry boxes sheltered the troops watching the sea shore. The fortifications are now part of the National Park Service and the entry fee is $10 US/pp. El Moro is the fortification guarding the entrance to San Juan Harbor. 

It is a large fortification and the days are hot so wear good walking shoes and use sun protection. There are water fountains inside the fort.

The Royal Caribbean Ship as seen from the fort.

Walking around Old San Jose, you will find interesting old Spanish architecture and cobblestone streets, but mostly there are tourist shops.

We took a taxi back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day using the resort of the hotel. Later we wanted to find some authentic Puerto Rican music, but the best we could find in our hotel area was a group singing to pre-recorded music and playing live rhythm to the tracks. This was at the Mariott Hotel on Ashford avenue. Drinks were fairly expensive, about $12 to $14 each but there was no cover charge.

Following a night's sleep, we still had 1/2 day to spend at the hotel because our plane departure is about 4:20 on June 28, 2015

June 26, 2015 - Day #7 (Final Day) Caribbean Cruise - Sea Day Back to San Juan Puerto Rico

Today represented the final leg of the Caribbean cruise journey. It was a sea day from Bridgetown, Barbados to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and there was little reason to get out of bed early. Most of this day was spent listening to the departure talk on the room television, packing luggage to be placed outside the cabin doors by 11 PM, and final relaxation in the hot tubs or pool and going to the extra show that was cancelled earlier in the voyage, due to computer malfunction. In addition, the ice skating show was planned that was cancelled during the rough sea evening, but we did not want to see that show.

Instead, Earline and I decided to go to an art auction held on the ship, to learn more about collecting art and the value of some of the pieces. My knowledge of collecting art is nil. This started at 1:30 PM and Champagne is provided to loosen up the bid cards. While we did not bid, I did win a set of Bingo cards worth $32. Once I won them, we were now committed to playing Bingo at 4:15. The grand prize was a free cruise for two and added the impetus to attend.

Held in the large Lyric Theater, this Bingo attracted some serious Bingo players. They sell the card sets for 4 games and a type of electronic Bingo playing device that is equivalent to about 32 more cards, played automatically. Many people purchased the cards and the device at a cost of $110. These are serious players! Unfortunately, we did not win, but then we only played on my free cards. :)

The cancelled show, “Can’t Stop the Rock” was presented at 7 PM, before our dinner time. It was a decent show and very high-tech. The ship’s orchestra continued to amaze me with their skill in a variety of music. There were some great singers and dancers in the cast. 

We had our final dinner with Ron & Nancy and gave some extra tip money to our waiter and assistant waiter, even though we purchased the Royal Caribbean “Tip Package.” Two envelopes were placed in our cabin to provide extra tips to “special” workers. We used one of the envelopes for our cabin steward, and had one for our main waiter. I had to give cash to the assistant waiter.

The envelope says you can write who the money is for, and your cabin number, and to drop it into a box at guest services. However, I handed my envelopes directly to our waiter and steward. According to our waiter, if the envelope is dropped into the box as directed, the intended recipients never see the money. I assume this is because someone in guest services rips off the envelopes. This is just something to be aware of, should you desire to reward your service staff.

Following dinner, Earline and I set out our luggage and then went to a 10:45 show, featuring Ed Regine, a comedian.

Ed, "The Machine", Regine  In this MTV show he is subdued.

 A disclaimer about inappropriate language being in the show was made, and we can attest that it did contain off-color humor and some people got up and left the show. :) Ron & Nancy did not attend the late show.

We returned to our room and rested for ship departure in the morning.

June 25, 2015 Day #6 of Caribbean Cruise - Bridgetown, Barbados

Day #6 - Barbados

HISTORY OF BARBADOS

The colonization of Barbados by the Arawak Indians from Venezuela is similar to what I have already written about. Click this link for more info:

There is a sea channel at the Northeastern part of Venezuela called “the mouth of the dragon” that leads to the Caribbean Islands we have visited on this cruise.

The gentle Arawaks were displaced by the more warlike Carib Indians who used poisoned arrows to paralyze their prey and opponents. The Portuguese came to Barbados en route to Brazil. It was at this time that the island was named Barbados (bearded-ones) by the Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos. It was named presumably from the appearance of the island’s fig trees, which have a beard-like appearance.

The first Europeans landed on the island in 1625, under the command of Captain John Powell who claimed the island on behalf of King James I. In 1627, Captain Powell established a settlement with 80 settlers and 120 slaves known as Jamestown (now Holetown.)

People with wealth were granted land holdings and soon the island was deforested to establish tobacco and cotton plantations. Later, sugar cane was added to the agriculture. Since these crops  needed slave labor, indentured servants, with a labor term of 5-7 years were brought from Europe. With more labor needed, kidnapping was common, and convicted criminals were shipped to Barbados.

From 1644 to 1700, slave trade from Africa was established by the Dutch Merchants to fuel the growing sugar industry. The Barbadians dominated the Caribbean sugar industry in these early years.  By 1720, sugar production in the Leeward Islands and Jamaica eclipsed sugar production from Barbados.

In 1816, there was a slave rebellion that culminated with abolishment of slavery in 1834. The freed slaves were required to serve a 4-year “apprenticeship” which meant they were required to work a 45-hour week in return for living in a small hut provided by the plantation owner. In 1838 at the end of the “apprenticeship”, 70,000 Barbadians of African descent took to the streets singing a Barbados folk song:

“Lick an Lock-up Done Wid, Hurray fuh Jin-Jin (Queen Victoria).

De Queen come from England to set we free

Now Lick an Lock-up Done Wid, Hurray fuh Jin-Jin “

The island gained full independence from Britain in 1966 but maintains ties to the British monarch.

GEOGRAPHY OF BARBADOS

The continental shelf island is 21 miles long and 14 miles wide at the widest point (166 square miles). It is composed of soft coral limestone that accounts for the gentle slopes and the white sand beaches. These limestone soils vary in fertility and are subject to erosion, washouts and landslides. There are few surface streams, however rainwater saturates the soils and forms underground channels such as the famous Coles Cave.

Coles Cave

The population is about 279,000 and the largest city is Bridgetown where the cruise ships docks.

OUR DAY IN BARBADOS

The ship arrived at port at about 8 am and after breakfast, Earline and I were ready to go exploring. Ron & Nancy were still indisposed with a “do not disturb” card in their door.

When leaving the ship, you will encounter the usual line of taxis. However, the fares are regulated by the government, and it costs about $5 US to go from the cruise ship dock to the center of downtown. This distance is less than a mile, so we decided we needed some exercise and planned to walk it. It was an easy stroll and we stopped at a local food market to see what was offered. One thing readily apparent is the poor variety of produce and the small size of things like onions. We are spoiled living in California.

Of interest in the pharmacy section is an array of products that we don’t see often together in the USA. For example you can purchase Gentian Violet, Peppermint Oil and Menthol Crystals, another mint product in small bottles for cheap prices. I purchased the bottles shown below for $7.60 Barbados dollars = $ 3.80 US (2:1). I had never seen menthol crystals before but really haven’t gone looking for them either.

Menthol

After walking down Princess Alice Highway into the downtown center, we were again hustled by people wanting to take us on tours. Instead, we walked away from the downtown center and encountered and interesting old church called St. Mary's. If you look on google maps, this is listed as St. Michael's for some reason.

We then set out to explore other areas of the city and found a street called Swan Street, that had only pedestrian traffic. It was on this street where Earline found a fabric store that sold beautiful cotton fabric for a fraction of the cost in the USA. She bought 6 yards of material for later use.

We then decided to walk towards the water and found Independence Square and the bridge for which Bridgetown is named. Taking a few pictures, we decided it was beer time and found Waterfront Cafe that overlooks a small harbor. The ambience was great, the beer was cold and inexpensive, and I would recommend this stopping point. 

Google Map coordinates: Waterfront Cafe

Earline in Independence Square - Bridgetown, Barbados. The bridge is behind her.

Independence Square Freedom Arch

Earline found a dark beer at the Waterfront Cafe

We then walked back along Wharf Road and walked towards the ship again. While on Hincks Street, we found a store that made beautiful, one-of-a-kind, hand-dyed and hand-painted articles of clothing. It is known as Jenanya’s, and is at the junction of Hincks and the Princess Alice Hwy that takes you back to the ship. I bought a beautiful top for Earline for about $60 US cash. The owner could not process credit cards, as her daughter who knows about such things, was not there. She does have a Facebook page that you can order things from.

 Jenanya's Facebook Page

After returning to the ship, we got ready for dinner that was again another formal night. I did not want to wear my tuxedo, and I know Ron did not want to get dressed up, so I just wore a sport coat. Earline had to wear her new Jenyana top. I  do not have a picture of her wearing it. The evening show was entitled “Jackpot”,  but I really can’t remember if it was good or not. That must say something?

Here is a picture of Jenanya's handpainted fabric taken at a later date in Santa Cruz.

Tomorrow will be a sea-day as we sail back to San Juan, PR on our final cruise day.

June 24, 2015 - Day #5 of Cruise - St. Lucia

THE HISTORY OF SAINT LUCIA

The Arawaks were the first people proven to inhabit St. Lucia as evidenced through their pottery found in archeological sites. They named the island Iouanalao, which meant “Land of the Iguanas”, due to the island’s high number of these lizards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Antillean_Iguana

As on the other islands of the Lesser Antilles, the aggressive Caribs arrived around 800 AD and killed all the men and assimilated the women into their society. They called the island Hewanarau and later Hewanorra, and is the origin of the name of the airport in Vieux Fort.

It is not known when the island was discovered by Europe, but in the 17th century, around 1600, the first European camp was established by the Dutch, at what is now Vieux Fort. In q605, and English vessel was blown off course on its way to Guyana, and the 67 colonists established a settlement. However, at 5 weeks, only 19 survived and were forced off the island by the fierce Caribs.

In 1635, the French officially claimed the island but did not settle it. Instead, it was the English who attempted to settle it in 1639, but they too were wiped out by the Caribs. In 1643, A French expedition from Martinique, established a permanent settlement.

In 1664, Thomas Warner, son of the governor of St. Kitts, claimed Saint Lucia for England. He brought 1000 men to defend it from the French, but after only 2 years, only 89 survived, dying mostly from disease. In 1666, the French West India Company resumed control of the island, which in 1674 was made an official French crown colony.

In the 18th century, both the English and French recognized the importance of growing sugarcane on St. Lucia and the island changed ownership multiple times well into the 18th century.

During the Seven Years’ War, Britain occupied the island for a couple of years but ceded it back to France at the Treat of Paris in 1763. The French began to cultivate sugarcane, using mostly indentured white servants. 

Near the end of the century, the French Revolution occurred. The slaves learning of this walked off their jobs to work for themselves. They even brought a guillotine to the islands to execute the Royalists. In 1794, the French governor, no doubt to save his head, declared all slaves free.

A short time later, the British invaded the island in response to the wealthy plantation owners who wanted to keep the sugar production going. On February 21, 1795, a group of rebels led by Victor Hugues, defeated a battalion of British troops. For the next four months, a group of recently freed slaves known as the Brigands, forced out not only the British army, but also the white slave-owners. The slave-owners of blacks were left alone. In 1796, Castries, where the ship docks, was burned as part of the conflict.

In 1803, the British regained control of the island and restored slavery. The British abolished the African slave trade in 1807 and they acquired St. Lucia permanently in 1814. However, it was not until 1834 that slavery was abolished. By this time, the people of African descent greatly outnumbered those of European ethnicity.

In 1924, the island developed a representative government and eventually with the cooperation of Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla, the developed what is known as associated statehood from 1967 to 1979. Full independence was obtained in 1979. Queen Elizabeth II is still recognized as the titular head of state.

GEOGRAPHY OF SAINT LUCIA

St. Lucia is a volcanic island dominated by twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton.) The land mass comprises 238 square miles. The highest point is 3,143 feet and is called Mount Gimie.

The island has a tropical, humid climate with an average annual rainfall of 78 inches, falling mostly from June to December, the “wet season.” 

The island has the only drive-in volcano near Soufriere (French

 for Sulfur). This is a tourist attraction area where one can get mud baths.

ECONOMY OF SAINT LUCIA

The island population is quite poor, with about 16 percent living below the poverty line. There is a large banana plantation on the island, but this was damaged severely by Hurricane Dean in 2007. 

Tourism is the island’s main industry but there is a fledgling computer technology business and financial services operation. With a stable political situation, business investment has been increasing. Hess Oil has a large storage facility on the island.

The currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar with value EC $2.7 = U.S. $1.

OUR DAY ON SAINT LUCIA

Departing the ship after breakfast, we again ran the gauntlet of aggressive taxi drivers looking for our business. As mentioned above, as tourism is the main way of making a living, I can see their motivation. Still, it was annoying.

Where the cars are parked is the gauntlet of taxi drivers

Walking away from the crowd that wanted $180 US to take the four of us on a tour of the island, I eventually negotiated a price of $100 US with a $20 if a good tour was provided. I even got a price of $70 from one man purporting to be a taxi driver. However, you should only get in a vehicle with a T on the license plate. These drivers must pass a certification by the government to become a taxi driver and later seeing the winding nature of the roads, I think it is good to go with a certified driver.

The man I negotiated with called his wife, Maria, who is also a taxi driver. Here is her contact info should you require a good, safe and honest taxi driver on St. Lucia.

We got into the vehicle and started off towards the center of the island, towards Soufriere where many of the tourist attractions are supposed to be. It takes a fairly long time to get to this area and while the view is nice, I am not certain I would recommend traveling to see a small waterfall or to get a view of the island. You can check it out below to see what you think.

We passed through Anse La Reye, a town at sea level that floods periodically and is rebuilt.

We saw more pretty beaches:

and the twin pitons from afar. It is interesting that we stopped for a view of the pitons and a man tried to add value to the stop by describing what we were seeing. I had no paper US dollars and tried to give him a dollar in coins but he said they cannot use US coins on the island. He was out of luck.

We finally arrived at a small waterfall called the Touraille Falls. It costs $3 US to go see it. The usual falls and botanical gardens are called Diamond Falls and Botanical Gardens. It costs $7 US/pp to enter and another $6 US/pp to get in the warm sulfur baths.

Earline enjoying the falls?

Mango tree

No idea what these are called

Nor this.

After viewing the falls, Maria took off on the return trip and travelled around the curves much fast that on the first leg. This made me car sick and by the time we came to a rum factory where you can taste all you want for $4 US/pp, I was feeling bad. However Ron and Earline were not deterred and loved the different flavored wines and the ability to pour as much as you desires...self service.

I did find an interesting explanation of who the Buccaneers were and the next pictures describe their evolution into pirates.

I sat up front after the rum factory but unfortunately, I did not want to prolong our excursion. My travel partners were nice enough to return to the ship with me. I was happy to see the ship in the distance.

 After returning to the ship and resting, I was ready for our dinner with "wearing white" theme. The show this evening was a comedy headliner, Michael James who was quite entertaining.

Michael James

During the evening, the ship sails towards Barbados.