Adventure of the Seas Review
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Ten friends, my wife, and I did a back-to-back cruise on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, January 28 - February 4, 2017. Two weeks. If you can afford it, do it. After awhile the cruise becomes more than a vacation - it's a way of life. We chose a stateroom with a balcony on Deck 8. Wonderful. So relaxing for reading, or just looking at and listening to the ocean.
Dining on Royal Caribbean does leave something to be desired. Food in the cafeteria (the "Windjammer") isn't bad, and the specialty restaurants are quite good, too. But dinner in the main dining room is a gastronomic ordeal. The appetizers aren't too bad, although seafood soups are salty and very fishy tasting. The main entrées, however, just aren't good. Pork and beef dishes are usually tough. Pasta dishes are pasty. Almost nothing tastes the way you'd expect it to. The food is always presented well, but they need to work on preparation, unless Royal Caribbean is making a concerted effort to steer you to the specialty restaurants, which is a distinct possibility.
One last comment on the food - you're not going to go hungry.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony
No major complaints about the stateroom. One of the arm rests is no longer attached to the couch, but I think (hope) this will be corrected when Adventure of the Seas completes its refurbishment. Staterooms are never big, but this worked for us.
Port Reviews
San Juan
Little to say. We flew here on a Friday, and boarded the ship the next day. If you're near Old San Juan, don't miss it. Unfortunately we were not, but we've seen it before.
St. Maarten
Both of our cruises (each 7 days, back-to-back) included St. Maarten. Spent one day at Orient Beach. One of my favorites. Well-organized with chairs and umbrellas all set up. You got to pay, however. The water's a little rougher than most Caribbean beaches, which I enjoy. Be aware - it is a topless beach, although 99% of the folks kept their tops on the day we were there. When we stopped at St. Maarten the following week, we stayed in town and shopped. So many stores. Fun to just go in and out, whether you buy anything or not.
Aruba
Aruba is one of our favorite ports. Find a cab and go to the beach. Aruba is the only island where I've ever found a drink called a Brown Lady - some combination of Kahlua, chocolate, and who knows what else. Beaches are wide, sand is soft. Heaven.