This was my 2nd time on the Adventure of the Seas, but my wife's 1st time. I enjoyed the ship so much on the 1st trip that I had to bring my wife on to experience not only the ship, but also Royal Caribbean. We have sailed a handful of times on Carnival and can't say we wouldn't sail on Carnival again, but we want to explore others ships and lines together.

We flew to San Juan the day before our cruise and stayed in the Condado area. It seems alot of other people did this and I would advise this as it made embarkation day very easy. We also stayed an extra day after the cruise to wander the city and to ease the stress of debarkation and then travelling on the same day. San Juan is a good place to visit and we plan on going back for a few days again.

Embarkation was a breeze, especially being there earlier from staying in San Juan the night before. Even though rooms aren't ready until after 2:00, getting on early to avoid crowds and to check on dining was important to us. Overall, the ship was laid out very well and easy to get around. To me, better than Carnival ships. The Gym had plenty of equipment and never was completely full. There is a jacuzzi in the central part of the gym if people want to stay away from the noise/people out on the decks. The locker rooms have a steam and dry sauna to relax in after a workout. Never did the spa, as we have always got the feeling the workers are there to sell the products after they finish the massage. I did get a body analysis done and just as expected, had products offered that I just had to have, or so they thought. Would rather have these people ask if we would like to hear about products before we get the sales speech. I know they want more sales and it probably works, but its a turn off for us. The Windjammer Cafe, where most meals are eaten, was laid out very nice. Easy to get around and very helpful staff to get drinks and the like. Variety was decent and food quality was good, but nothing was exceptional about this. We do think Carnival has more variety, but like the layout of Royal Caribbean. The main dining room was nice, but we didn't get what we had expected before boarding the ship. We had asked and confirmed twice before leaving that we had a 2-person table at the 2nd seating (8:30). We boarded around 12 and had gone straight to the dining room to ensure our choice. When we got there, we found out they put us at a 12-person table. After waiting awhile (seems lots of people had the same idea to check dining arrangements before rooms were available), was told all 2-seat table were full and there wasn't anything they could do. He said we could change to early sitting, but that doesn't work for us. After that, he said the best we could do was leave a request in and just wait, but we should be happy with our current table as its next to the captains table. That wasn't a turn on for us, but nothing more we could do. We then went to the windjammer for some food and I took the time to call our travel agent. She was quick on the phone with Royal Caribbean, but with limited resources due to it being Sunday. We did find out about My Time Dining (MTD). MTD is where people can show up whenever they want and be seated where available. Our agent told us to just set up a standing dinner reservation. After lunch, we went to the MTD area on floor 5. So much more helpful this time around. We were advised that we could set up a standing reservation, but we wouldn't be guaranteed a specific table or specific waiters/assistants and the tables are closer together than the other areas. We would also have to prepay gratuities to use this option. We decided to give it a try. Choosing this option had its pros and cons. Pros, able to actually setup our reservation for 8:00 and great maitre d. Cons, tables were close (but it was alright) and didn't have the same waiter (who should get the tip at the end when multiple people helped us). As for food in the main dining, it was average. Some meals better than others. To give a better idea on this, I can remember specific meals on other cruises, but can't recall anything standing out on this one. The food in the Promenade was also average, but picked up something each night for either a nightcap or for carrying around the next day. Shopping on the Promenade is also limited, but to me, no more so than other ships. The ice show was good, but not something I would stress about seeing if busy doing something else. The shows at night are also something that passes the time, not something you just have to see. If people are set on trying out Johnny Rockets, I can give a suggestion that worked great for us. At sea days when we passed, there was always a line and lots of kids. We decided on the day in St. Thomas since we weren't going to do alot, to have lunch at Johnny Rockets. No lines, plenty of seating (indoor or outside), quick service and hardly any kids. We enjoyed ourselves, even if we didn't think the additional price should have been charged. My wife and I also did the murder mystery dinner. We enjoyed the mystery, but didn't think the price was worth it. The food was good, but not exceptional for paying the premium to eat there. If people like these kind of events, go and enjoy. If you are doing this to try Portofino, I would suggest doing it another night we you can actually choose your own meal than have a set menu. If we tried it another night, we might have something better to say about Portofino. Read more