Given the age of the Adventure of the Seas, very reasonable pricing, and feedback heard and read, we went into this Spring Vacation cruise with low expectations, but high hopes. We figured the ports of call would balance any ship deficiencies. Gratefully, we were all very pleasantly surprised and quite satisfied with Adventure of the Seas and this particular cruise. The end result for us, even though we do not like repeat itineraries, is that we would repeat this cruise in a heartbeat.
We are a family of 4 (2 daughters ages 14 & 10) taking our 5th family cruise (third on RCCL, one on Princess, and one on Celebrity). My wife and I took 2 cruises prior to having children so this is our 7th cruise overall. We chose the Adventure of the Seas for its itinerary and pricing, in addition to wanting to try a larger ship. All previous cruises had no more than 2800 passengers while this cruise maxed out at close to 3400.
Pre-Cruise: We were flying out of Boston, non-stop, one day before the cruise so we took advantage of the The Hampton Inn's Park& Fly program ($220 for room and parking). Nice hotel, good service, and free breakfast, along with easy shuttle to airport. I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and for the second time, had trouble with the laundry detergent used by The Hampton Inn, so I will try another hotel the next time. We arrived in San Juan around noon and checked into the Holiday Inn Express shortly after. Small rooms and bathrooms, but service and location are good. One block from the beach and short taxi ride to the cruiseport ($19.00). Slept quite well and enjoyed walking the nearby streets for fun. The girls went to Old San Juan while I starting tanning at the hotel pool. On the day of the cruise, we took our cab to the cruiseport, arriving at 11:45AM. They opened the doors at noon and we were eating lunch by 1:15pm. Make sure you check your luggage in the luggage drop off line before you get in the check-in line.
Pretty typical balcony room layout, though we did not like the enlcosed feeling of the balconies; however, it is like this on all AOS balcony rooms due to design.