Thankfully we were amazed by the ship and had a brilliant time at each port. We only booked our cruise about seven weeks before travelling, after not being able to decide exactly where we wanted to go on holiday. My parents cruised with Princess for the first time in 2008 and they rave about it. Although we'd heard good things about Royal Caribbean, we weren't specifically looking at their cruises - they seemed to have the most attractive itineraries though. We were leaving from Malaga, with a day at sea, Sardinia, Rome, Corsica, Palma de Mallorca, another day at sea and then back to Malaga. We'd never been to any of the ports listed on our trip so it was all to be a great adventure for us. We were a little apprehensive about the procedures and expectations of passengers before we travelled, but we needn't have worried.

The time it took from getting off of the plane and on to the boat was probably our only issue with the cruise - but even that was quickly forgotten. The queue was about two hours long and it just seemed to take forever to get everyone their sea passes and moved onto the ship. Next time we'll probably book our flights separately and stay over night at our departure point so we can arrive at the ship before the hoards of other passengers do! Once we safely had our sea passes though, our holiday began immediately and we couldn't wait to board the ship and look around.

The Adventure of the Seas is impressive from the outside and amazing on the inside. It was exactly how I'd hoped it would be - lots of chandeliers and soft lighting, glass lifts and comfy cabins. People always claim that cruises are for the elderly generation and that the boats are dated and old fashioned. The beauty of modern day cruising is that companies like Royal Caribbean somehow manage to retain the allure of the old-style cruising but successfully team it with activities galore. You can hardly call a James Bond-themed casino, an ice rink, rock climbing wall, mini golf course, gym, outdoor pool & Jacuzzis, spa and indoor solarium, games arcade or a beautiful west-end style theatre old fashioned now can you!! There was also a variety of bars, including an English pub, a champagne bar,a sports bar and a coffee shop on the promenade. The promenade runs through the centre of the ship and houses some of the bars and all of the shops. We don't have anything to make a comparison with but everyone says that the promenades on Royal Caribbean ships are what set them apart from other companies. You could also find bars dotted about the place on most decks - you could relax under the stars on the top deck whilst listening to live jazz, soul or Motown music. You could listen to live drums and singing by the cocktail bar by the casino or catch music up on the promenade - whatever took your fancy of an evening. Read more