Adventure of the Seas Review

First time cruisers - delighted

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Adventure of the Seas
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mfs1011
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jul 2011
Cabin: Interior Stateroom

We are not flush, but we've wanted to do a cruise for a while. So when I found Royal Caribbean's offer I thought we'd give it a whirl. After all, this was a fraction of the cost of a P&O cruise in a ship that looks on paper or pixel far better than the Thomson vessels.We flew independently to Malaga and found our way from Malaga train station to the Port relatively easily. There's a rail link from the airport to downtown Malaga then a short taxi ride to the new terminal.Check in was quick, easy and efficient.When we got on board we found the ship to be very impressive. It's a massive ship, plenty of space and a lot of amenities. I'd done my homework so I knew where most things were and had an app on my phone with deck plans to help (nerd, I know).We were on a budget and so had taken a chance on an inside cabin. Yes, there is no natural light. But I can think of a lot of things to spend £200-£300 on other than a view of the sea. We found the cabin to be perfectly satisfactory.The ship had a lot of Spanish passengers who have a different culture which required a bit of tolerance from time to time. That said, any crowd requires tolerance in my view.AoS is in the Voyager class which is the third largest in the RCI fleet. It's about 10 years old but is in quite good knick and was clearly built well with quality finishings. The staff were friendly, courteous and efficient.The food was good to excellent. We mostly ate in the main dining room with service to avoid the throngs at the buffet and the temptation to overfill our plates.Booze was expensive. We smuggled a few small containers of wine aboard to use in our cabin. Use your loaf, they scan baggage so wine bottles will be spotted but not *every* container can be checked ;)We only got off in Civitavecchia and Ajaccio. We did an independent trip to Rome which worked out half the price of RCI's excursion. Use the net to but train tickets and then book a Green Bus tour from Rome Termini railway station but leave plenty of time to get back if the chaotic Italian train system goes titsup, as it nearly did on us.Ajaccio was nice. Straight off the ship and into town. Vive le France. A chance to but some more booze and have a dip in the Med on the town beach.Valencia by contrast was nothing much more than a second collect and depart for the ship - we were moored between tow container vessels in front of a car storage depot. Charming.AoS was big enough to cater to a wide variety of tastes, but I suspect the more traditional and upmarket of the cruising community would give it a miss. But then I don't think RCI is aiming at them. See sister line Celebrity if you want really posh.Would we go again? I think we'll stick with Royal Caribbean but probably not do the Western Med circuit again. When I think of some of the ports we could have visited instead of Valencia, for instance, the next cruise will need to go somewhere different.Lastly, do look out out for the cocktail of the day. A half price bargain. And keep an eye on your spending by looking at your account on your cabin TV, it stacks up quickly!!

Cabin Review

Interior Stateroom

Cabin K

Nice location. Quiet and easy access to the pool deck :)

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