Adventure of the Seas Review

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BEST itinerary ever

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Adventure of the Seas
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Travel723mom
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jun 2016
Cabin: Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

We are experienced cruisers, but this was the first time we cruised the Southern Caribbean. We loved doing five ports and found this itinerary to be our favorite Caribbean itinerary ever. We booked shore excursions through the cruise line and were not disappointed. We read the online reviews before booking any excursions and were careful to only book highly rated excursions; every single one was worth it(4x4 safari on Barbados, snorkeling Barbados and St. Maarten, catamaran St. Kitts and Antigua, Segway-St. Lucia, Railroad on St. Kitts-all great). We had a balcony on deck 6, forward. For the first time we allowed the cruise line to choose our cabin(for a financial discount) and we were happy with our cabin; would let them choose again. The ship is in good condition although showing some wear and tear in minor areas( paint in closets chipping off, etc). The rooms had flat screens and the pool has a big screen which was nice, but we found the offerings on TV to be poor. There were very few movies, they were repeated several times and the foul language had not been edited. Most channels were the cruise line trying to sell you another cruise, or something else, very annoying! In fact we found that an underlying theme of this cruise seemed to hinge on Royal trying to sell you something rather than focusing on allowing you to enjoy the current cruise you spent good money to take. Another item of displeasure for us is the way our tips were handled. We were charged the amount on our account daily, but had NO say over how much went to our service staff. If tipping a certain amount is now mandatory and the cruiser is unable to designate and award those who give great service(or not tip those who don't) then just add it to the overall price of the cruise and don't call it a tip. Our room attendant was very good and efficient, we have no complaints, although we hardly saw her. We are used to getting to know our room attendant and chat with them. But she was so good, we are not complaining. Our waiter was outstanding (Noel) but we never once saw our head waiter, didn't even introduce himself to us(and yet we had to tip him!), and our assistant waiter left so much to be desired-wouldn't have tipped him if we had the choice. He rarely refilled drinks after the second time and seemed to be slow and nonexistent once the first part of the meal was consumed. I believe the new way Royal handles tips discourages the excellent service we have had in the past; if they get the money regardless of the job they do why bother going the extra mile?! We have been loyal to RCL in past but may rethink if this tipping/ service thing is not taken care of. Another item of displeasure: I always buy the soda package, but they have gotten rid of the self-service machines and now you must go to the bar to get a soda. A REAL PAIN, bartenders would rather take care of tipping customers first, and it's a pain for them to have to fill sodas when they are busy mixing drinks. And, at dinner I NEVER got more than two glasses of soda as our assistant waiter would not refill any drinks past that. Not sure the soda package is worth it anymore(and at $8 a day it needs to be somewhat worth it!) debarkation was the best ever. Go ahead and drop the money for a porter(guys with green shirts) and you avoid the customs lines, makes the debarkation the smoothest we've ever experienced. The itinerary and ports saved the day for us. RCL still has good service, but not what it used to be. The activities offered are good and exciting. It would have been nice to know ahead of time there was a 70s theme night, we could have packed some things to wear to fit the theme. Never the less it was a fun night! The booked headliners were awesome, really enjoyed all of them. If you are a crown and anchor member do NOT wait in the long line to get on ship, there is special boarding for you if you will walk towards the front of the line near the terminal you will see it, we missed it and stood in line for 15 minutes before we realized we didn't have to.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E3

Great cabin, great view, loved it! Right above the promenade:)

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