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.
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