We have sailed on RC before, but not with two kids and not on this itinerary. It turned out to be the perfect week-long getaway, we added a couple days each end in San Juan as well. The ports were awesome--each beach was more beautiful than the next. As for the ship, I too was pleasantly surprised after reading some negative reviews, and when I mentioned these to fellow passengers they were shocked that people complained. But, if you are a foodie/used to a luxury/looking for top-of-the line amenities and service, Adventure may not be for you.

The rooms are showing their age--ours could definitely use some renovations but the overall ship looked to be in good shape. But why would we stay in the room... Given the port-heavy itinerary we did not spend too much time on the ship except the first and last days. My kids loved the Adventure Ocean program as well as the kids' area and mini golf course. There were a lot of families/kids on this ship, probably more because it was Spring Break season. We had a great oceanview cabin location right around the corner from the main dining room and each morning we just wandered down the hall for a good hearty breakfast. We took every dinner at the MDR which overall was very good, with a few notable misses (lobster tail, prime rib), and our waiter/assistant were very attentive, especially to the kiddos. We took advantage of RC's policy allowing two bottles of wine--which we learned too late that you we could have just bought duty free right at the San Juan port upon embarkation--and brought those to dinner. If we were in a hurry we grabbed sandwiches from the 24-hour Promenade Cafe. We didn't try Giovanni's Table or Johnny Rockets (didn't see many people there, ever). We tried the Windjammer twice for lunch and the food was simply AWFUL, service there ranged from enthusiastic to outright bored.

Promenade area was nice, lots of bars to choose from. Hubby went to casino and got ripped off on a Royal Poker tournament (prize is possibly a free cruise, maybe, if you advance to the next level, but that wasn't clear until after buy-in). Ice skating show was AWESOME and by all means get there as early as possible to get a seat. We also saw a dance show and the balancing act show with Luis Dalton--that was truly amazing, as he managed to stand on his head on a champagne bottle on one of the rockiest nights at sea. Everyone raved about that show, unfortunately we also missed a Las Vegas show that I heard was really good. Hope to make more shows on the next cruise. Read more