I had a good week on the Adventure of the Seas, and it was my first cruise. It was an enjoyable novelty but lacked a lot of aspects I've been led to expect from friends who went on other cruises.

The staff were all great. Really friendly and - seemingly at least! - happy working there. Vasco in the fitness centre, our waiter Chris, and Harry from Mauritius were all excellent. And even on such a large ship, staff were remembering your name, which I thought was very impressive. The food in the main dining hall was also fantastic, although I would say the room service was below hotel standard.

About 2/3s of the passengers were Spanish and clearly their culture is a little different, lacking what I would consider pretty basic manners, queuing for escalators, chatting with other guests or calming children down when they were getting too carried away. It was a shame you couldn't sit down in a public place and chat easily with fellow cruisers. Whilst relaxing in a jazz bar on board around midnight, it was surreal that there were still (Spanish) 5-year olds running around, dancing and making noise. I don't mind children, but there's a time and a place; and midnight in a jazz bar is neither. If you like peace away from children, this is not the cruise for you. Read more