jjbescher

1 minute ago, tonyfsu21 said:

We toyed with the idea of DCL but afraid it’s gonna be Mickey overload. At least when we visit the theme parks when it’s time to go we just exit the park and say goodbye but not sure I would be ok with not escaping the mouse on a cruise ship. Plus no casino!!!!! I think we are better off on Oasis Class ships as there is plenty to do for kids. We can’t keep them off the carousel or kids rock wall. 

Surprisingly enough, Although it is a Disney ship, it is not over Disneyfied.  However, that is coming from someone that goes to Disney a lot, so I may just be used to it.  But although certain themes maybe be Disney, it is not thrown in your face.

However, I definitely understand not having a Casino.  The Oasis Class is also much bigger ships than Disney.

13 hours ago, 2Beeze said:

Thanks!  And I know what you mean by the pools! I grew up in area with a lot of pools (and near beaches too but I liked sea water much less because it made me feel sticky and it tasted awful every time that it got into your mouth). When my parents took us with them on a cruise the first time when I was about 9, my brother and I were so happy at first that the ship had a pool... that is, until we got in.  What the %@*&$!*?!?  It wasn’t a pool at all, but instead it was a big, square, deep, and dark hole full of salt water I may never recover!

Funny Fact - my first Disney Cruise they ship had a casino and allowed smoking.

I was definitely expecting a salt water pool on this cruise.  The first cruise we ever took, I was very surprised it was salt water, until someone explained to my why.  It definitely makes sense on the smaller boats.

14 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

You missed the biggest pro for RCI...Your GS was likely half the cost of a Disney cruise 

We've done 3 on DCL.  It was for our kids when they were younger.  I completely agree with most of your comparisons, especially the entertainment aspect of it.  But I also agree with others that entertainment is way better and more on par with the type of entertainment on DCL.

We gave up on DCL because each time I cruised it, it became harder to justify the cost of it vs. RCI.  

Thanks for sharing!

I did say the Grand Suite was one of the reasons we took the cruise.  That was a definite plus, but I was not trying to compare rooms since I never had, nor can afford a suite on Disney.

As for giving up on DCL, I don't know if I can fully do that, but DCL is making it very hard for those of us that Love it, to be loyal.  I do have an Alaskan cruise on the Disney Wonder in 2020 booked.  The only reason is that it is a DVC Member Cruise, which I have always wanted to do.  So this cruise will knock off 2 things off of my bucket list.  However, the next cruise we take, will all depend on ports/timing, and cost will definitely play a role, which is a huge pro to RC.

16 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Only the one side of the ship should have been smoking (usually the port side).  

That is true, but my room was on the port side, along with the towel station, so we were on the port side when we got up to 11.  It would be nice to not to have to walk through a smoking section at all.

1 minute ago, WannaCruise said:

Totally agree with this comment. We're trying Adventure in December and can't wait...but we know what to expect and it's Voygager class vs Oasis.  SO yes the pools are saltwater (whereas on Oasis only the beach pool is saltwater), the shows are ok...varies by ship and headliner but nothing like the incredible shows on Oasis class.

Also...your comment about downer having to buy sodas.  There was the option of the soda package so you didn't have to think about each drink.  Also...whether you pay by the glass or purchase a package, it's no where near the difference between Disney cruise cost and Royal cruise cost.

I agree with OP as well that they don't tend to vary the food items in the Windjammer at breakfast or at lunch.

Sounds like overall OP had a nice holiday...especially as would sail again (so that's a good sign  ).  The Grand Suite must have been great too.

We did the refreshment package, so on the cruise we didn't have to buy each soda.  None of drink a lot of soda, I have stopped since I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  However, all the little costs add up.  If we hadn't gotten the Grand Suite, every time we would have ordered room service would have been a charge.  We probably wouldn't have ordered room service if it wasn't included with the suite.

The Grand Suite was awesome, and definitely got spoiled by it.

I would love to to try an Oasis or bigger ship, but I like the smaller feel of the Adventure.  Even on the Disney boats, I like the Magic better than Fantasy, and the Fantasy is a great ship.

2 things that others brought up or reminded me about.

Kids Club - there is no easy way for them to contact you, if your child wants to leave.  Also, limited kids clubs hours.  On Disney, they would use your stateroom phone, which works all over the ship to contact you.

Towels - There was only one spot on the boat to get towels, and if you didn't bring them back you got charged.  Disney they had towel stations and drop offs all over the place.

6 minutes ago, AGSLC5 said:

Great Review.. I think you should try an Oasis Class ship next time.. Many of the Cons you found would be fixed with an Oasis Class ship.. Especially entertainment. On an Oasis Class ship they really have the best shows around. I also think oasis class ships have freshwater pools. They definitely did in the Solarium so I am guessing the regular pools probably do too. Also although Adventure did get an upgrade it didn't get its big Amped upgrade like Mariner or Navigator so it is kind of lacking the WOW factor. Again thanks for the review I always like seeing what people think of Royal compared to Disney. 

That is good to know about the pools and the entertainment.  Once again, not a deal breaker, just things that I noticed.

Review of RC Adventure of the Seas and Comparison to DCL.

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long post.  Also, when I say compare, there are a few things I am going to be able to compare, and some things that I am not.  I am not going to compare Staterooms, since I had a suite on RC and never had a suite on DCL.  Also, ports, I will not compare, since I chose this Itinerary based on ports.  Although DCL goes to some of the same ports, it is not fair to compare what happens on the port and compare it to another cruise line   Most of the things that happen outside of the port are totally not in control to the cruise line.  However, I will compare Labadee, Haiti, to Castaway Cay, Bahamas.

To get started, I started to look at cruises for Spring Break about 14 Months before the actual cruise.  I first looked at Disney and the prices were very high, and it would have been on the Disney Fantasy, doing the Western Caribbean, again.  This is a cruise that we have already done, and the only Itinerary that my Daughter has done.  I wanted something different.  So, I started looking at different cruise lines.  RC had an 8-night Eastern Caribbean going to 4 ports, with 3 sea days.  2 of the ports would be totally new to me, 3 for my Wife, and all 4 my Daughter.  Looking at the difference in cost, I would be able to save a boat load of money, and stay in a Grand Suite on RC, compared to a Deluxe Inside Stateroom on Disney.

Adventures of the Seas is in the Voyager class of RC.  I thought the ship was beautiful.  It definitely has a different style than Disney.  Would I stay on this ship again? Definitely yes.  Staying in a Grand Suite gave us some perks that come along with staying in a suite.  Priority Embarkation (Definitely was a nice perk).  We used the saved seats for the shows twice.   We were very happy to have the saved seating for the Ice Show, since it was sold out, and we were able to show up only 15 minutes before it started.

Pros:

Flowrider, Rock Climbing Wall, Ice Skating Rink.  I would have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them being on the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to do the flowrider as much as I would have liked, but that was because of a few things.  1 was the times it was available, the other was just timing of other things we had going on.  The Rock Climbing wall we only did once, and for me, it was very quick, but my Daughter was able to go up at least twice.  My daughter really enjoyed the Ice Skating Rink.  She went at least 3 times.  I know I went once, and that was enough for me.

Cons:

Windjammer Buffett.  Although it was open a lot, the food selection for Breakfast and Lunch really didn’t change that much.  We don’t know about Dinner, since we ate in the main dining room every night.  The service from the staff in the windjammer were very nice, but it was the same menu with many 1 or 2 things different.  Also, no outside seating, except by the pool, which you had to walk through people smoking.

Evening activities – at least to us were so-so.  The Ice Show was awesome, but other than that, nothing really appealed to us.

Pools – The pools being Salt water are always are downer, we love that Disney uses Fresh water.

Drinks – Having to buy sodas during the day, I understand smoothies, milkshakes, and coffees (which is the package we bought)

Smoking – Smoking was allowed in areas of the boat that we would have to walk through, especially on deck 11 by Windjammer.

Comparison between Disney and RC.

As I said earlier, I would definitely do RC again, especially if the time, cost, and ports were what I was looking for.  The cost being a lot cheaper was definitely a plus.  The ability to have more selection of ports, both departure and during the cruise is a benefit to RC, however, Disney is working that way with the 3 new ships coming in the future.

Food – the food was comparable in the Main Dining Room, but the options by the pool on Disney, are much better.  More options to be able to go to in your bathing suit, no shirt on Disney.  On RC, I needed shirt and shoes to go eat at the buffet, or even Café Promenade.  We did miss rotational dining on Disney.  Going to the same restaurant was kind of boring.

Service – I would say the service was very comparable.  Everyone was very nice.

Pools – I liked Disney pools better, mainly because they are fresh, compared to Salt water.

Other entertainment – RC wins this one.  The flowrider, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink were a nice touch.

Evening entertainment – Disney wins this one, other than the ice show, there was nothing that I, or the others wanted to see.  At least on Disney, there are things and shows that the other 2 would like to see.  I am not a huge show person, it is normally nap time for me.

Casino – a cause to a lot of the smoking on board.  With is being on deck 4, the smoke went through the whole ship.  I didn’t notice it as much, but others did.  I only went once and that was to learn craps.  Otherwise, it was space that Disney uses in other ways.  I think the casino is one of the reasons that RC is cheaper than Disney.

Kids Club – My daughter decided to finally go to the kids club and had a good time.  I think she is starting to open up.  When she went to the kids club on Disney ships she had a good time.  So, I really can’t say which is better, but for her to want to go to kids club means that it was good and kept her entertained.

That is my review and comparison, if you have any questions, please let me know.

You should join our FB Group is you haven't already.

11 hours ago, CGTLH said:

Got off Adventure a few weeks ago.

Sit down breakfast was held in Giovanni's. For lunch they offered private seating, no service provided.

Here is the welcome letter left in the suite: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hHw62j4rScuTm-XF9tKar8u7ItqtSbdn/view?usp=sharing

 

Thank you so much for providing the letter, that helps explain a lot.

Looking at the website, it looks like if you are staying in a Grand Suite on the Adventure, you get Private Lunch Seating in a Specialty Restaurant, since there is no Coastal Kitchen.  Does anyone know which restaurant that is?

"Private Lunch Seating in Specialty Restaurants (On Ships Without Coastal Kitchen) "

"Private Breakfast Seating (On Ships Without Coastal Kitchen)"

Thanks,

jon

I am in a Grand Suite for my first sailing with RC on the Adventure of the Seas.  It looks like the added benefit to the suite perks, is baggage checkin, and priority for Flowrider, and other things on board.  The addition of Voom, for 3 devices and Chops Lunch.  Right now it is $25 pp, and so with 3 people it is $600.  At this point, not worth it. 

However, if it goes down in price, I may consider it.

 

I definitely prefer to do a private tour.  It just seems on my next cruise, the tours we want don't have private companies.  They are all scheduled through RC.

BTW, I am loving your Live Blog.

Nice question, for me it has to do with a few things.

1.  Being able to go to multiple places and not have to drive.

2.  Being able to eat almost 24 hours a day and not have to pay for it or worry about how much it costs, if not doing specialty restaurants.

3.  Being able to relax and hang out at the pool/hot tub.

On 10/14/2018 at 10:04 PM, Hoski said:

Hello everyone, can someone give me an idea of how much the murder mystery dinner is now?

In the cruise planner right now, for my April cruise on Adventure, it is showing $79 Per Person (Adult and Child)

Cruise Compass for the 6 and 8 Night are available.

 

11 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

You can take a short walk to grab dinner at Ale House, TJI Friday’s and a bunch of other chains. If you want to get adventurous get an Uber and head over to Rustic Inn and get some of the best Garlic crabs! It’s casual and normally pretty busy but great food. I would recommend using Uber and Lyft for both your airport to hotel and hotel to port. Call an Uber around 10am and you will be at the Port right at the sweet spot for boarding. 

Thanks for the advice.  I don't leave till April, but I hate doing things last minute.

What about this one.

La Quinta Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport, Hollywood

We don't arrive till 7PM and will be out of the hotel as soon as we can get to the port.  So not needed for much, but will need to get dinner without car.  looks like plenty of restaurants to go eat at and a pool, with a hot tub for morning.

will try to get hotel shuttle, but may still uber/lyft to hotel.

most likely will uber/lyft it to the port that morning.

 

Awesome, would love to see the Cruise Compasses and the MDR menus.  I will be going on this in itinerary in April.

Thanks for the report.

 

Move Stick from directly below the item, either Left or right, so the stick is now at the edge of the bottom stick.  Move the 'Other' stick, that is not touching anything to make the upside down Field Goal.

From my research they are not short.  If you search on youtube, you can find some videos of it.

On 3/19/2018 at 9:45 AM, coneyraven said:

Def. Following --- We love Grandeur ..... We've got a third one booked on her this coming October ....

We did the Sushi Making Class last September ... tons of fun..... My wife was much better at it than I, as in the attached picture to use as comparison.

Which one would YOU rather eat?

I would eat both, no problem.

Does anyone know the minimum age for the Sushi Making class?

1 hour ago, toodle68 said:

A full breakfast via room service will cost you 7.95? a day..

You are likely to have everything you need for a full breakfast until at least 9am in Windjammer.. maybe 9:30.

They are suite level, so there should be no cost.

I am one of the rare ones.  It seems the more I eat, the more I lose weight.  I normally go home from a cruise or a vacation and lose weight.  My wife gets so mad at me.