Adventure of the Seas Cruise Review by Beth Myers

First, we were very disappointed in the food. On the Carnival cruise ship, people admired other people's plates because the food looked so good, and they shared their meals because the food tasted so good. However, on the Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, food was cold at times. For example, people at my table were served cold hamburgers and french fries and cold chicken. In addition, the meats were often too tough and dry. The bread was hard and cold, and the desserts were not that great. As a person who doesn't cook much, I was looking forward to another great food experience on a cruise ship, but this was a total disappointment. The food was worse than what I could get at an average buffet in my home city. We asked if we could be seated in another dining room to see if the food would be any better, but the purser who told me he'd call us never followed up.

Second, the room is too small. We had to squeeze past each other to move in that room. Also, the shower was a narrow cylinder. You had to open the doors to have room to shave your legs.

Third, I called the "1-800" Royal Caribbean phone line before booking the cruise to ask if I could bring seashells home from the islands. One of the main reasons that I chose this cruise was because we enjoy collecting shells, and I had heard that St. Kitts and Aruba have pretty shells. The person on the phone--who works for Royal Caribbean--told me that she didn't know the shell policy. However, it became apparent when our shells were taken away from us and many other people--as we saw boxes of shells under the security tables--that it is Royal Caribbean's policy to not allow shells on the ship. They should have told me the truth about this as it was a key factor in my decision to choose this itinerary and ship, and I find it hard to believe that the woman I spoke to didn't know the shell policy after seeing the number of shells that were taken from people.

Fourth, a lot of the employees on the ship were not friendly, and this surprised me as the Carnival ship was very pleasant consistently. On the Adventure of the Seas, it was hit or miss. I do want to mention a few really nice people, though. Our stateroom attendant, Rafael Soares, was wonderful. He is very welcoming, intelligent, and polite. We really appreciated his outstanding customer service. Also, the woman who greeted people at the Windjammer Cafe was always smiling and friendly. Also, the man in the gym who did the presentation on feet problems was very good. Also, one of the handful of casino people I met (a beautiful brunette with long hair who I think said she was from Romania) was very fun to be around. Otherwise, again, I was mostly disappointed in the customer service of the crew.

Fifth, the shows were just okay, with the exception of the ice-skating show, which was fabulous!

Since the food and the shows should be highlights of a cruise, we were not happy with this ship. Also, since they were not forthcoming about their seashell policy and most of them weren't very friendly, I feel that they just wanted my money and didn't care if I had a good time once they got it.