JLMoran

Hi @Melsmice, welcome to the message boards!
On Haiti, you'll be in a secluded private beach owned by Royal called Labadee. This place is the embodiment of a laid back vacation, with lots of beaches, a few activities for those who want them, and tons of beach time.
@Matt wrote a guide to Labadee that will give you a nice overview of the area and what it has to offer. There's also a recent podcast episode that you may find valuable.
Just from my personal experience there last April, I would say that if you just want something fun to do while there that isn't too crazy, the alpine roller coaster they have is probably your best bet. It's not at all intense and the car includes a hand brake that you use to control your speed through the whole ride. If you go there in the morning, before lunch, you'll have the shortest lines and could do just a single-ride ticket or get good use out of an all-day pass; I had the latter when we went there last April, and was able to ride it four times in about an hour. Going in the afternoon means much longer lines and it's also hotter.
I'll also note that out of all the beaches, Columbus Cove is the one with the best sand when you go into the water. The other beaches are rocky and absolutely require water shoes, but Columbus Cove is nice soft sand all around.

Day #4 St. Thomas
I was very much looking forward to the day in St. Thomas.  I have been several times before, but it has been many years ago as we have done more pacific coast, new england and canada, Alaska, and European cruises lately, and the few times we have randomly done the Caribbean, it has been Western Caribbean.   We did not arrive in port until around 10:30 am, and there was also a time change from ship time to port time.   That made it nice to get up and lazily watch us sail into port on the balcony, but it also made the gangway very crowded with everyone wanting to get off the ship at the same time.   In the past, we have always ported at Havensight, but the Oasis class is so large is must port in Crown's bay which is a $4 pp taxi ride away.  We had signed up for a sip and bites walking tour through trip advisor which is now the same company as viator.  I really wanted to to the food tour, but we got into town too late. 
We ventured out through the crowd and caught one of the open air taxi's to downtown and met in front of the Greenhouse restaurant for our Taphus sips and bites tour.  Interestingly, we ended up being the only couple on the tour which was nice.  Our first stop was supposed to be Bones Distillary, but there was a sign on the door that said "come back soon" so we had to venture to the next stop.  The tour guide asked if we were hungry and wanted to get a bit or wanted to move on?  The bite sounded like  good idea, so he got us a meat pie at this famous local establishment on the corner that a lot of the locals went to.  It was tasty.  Next we ventured to one of our favorite stops, Side street pub. At side street pub, he asked the bartenders to just put all the ingredients on the table and we got to mix our own Painkiller!  It was a lot of fun, and we added a floater on top! To make up for not getting to try the bones cocktail, the tour guide took us to a liquor store and we got to try it there.  Next we were off to  Gladys's cafe http://www.gladyscafe.com/  I was even more impressed with this stop after the tour guide told us that after the hurricane, Gladys fed everyone on the island until they ran out of food!  Our tour guide was without electricity for over 5 months after the storm! We sat at the bar and had a pina colada there.  I am not a fan of Pina colada's, but this one was one of the best I had had!   There was a detour at our 3rd intended stop because they were unexpectedly closed for the afternoon so he took as to another bar in one of the alley's.  This stop was enjoyable.  First we ordered a Bushwacker, and we ended the tour with a Cruzan confusion.   I enjoyed the bushwacker.  One of my husband and I's friends was a traveling nurse on St. Thomas so she used to make Bushwackers a lot when we were first dating!  Overall, this was a fun tour.  After the tour, we ended up back at Side street pub and tried a couple of local Virgin Islands beers.  They advertised free wifi, but we were never able to connect to the server.   We made our way back to the ship, to diamond happy hour and then to our 6:30 reservations for the Diving Show, "Oasis of Dreams".  This was definately the show that was the highlight of my week!  We had dinner again in the main dining room with 7:15 reservations for MTD.   We ended up having a laid back night after dinner, venturing back to our room, sitting on the balcony looking at the amazing moon and listening to music!   It was a great port day! 
 
 

Magic Show with Bill Cook

 

How were you not charged $75 and your right kidney for that? Semi-serious question; is Barbados not the same as St. Kitts?
And it looks like it was windy there!

How were you not charged $75 and your right kidney for that? Semi-serious question; is Barbados not the same as St. Kitts?
And it looks like it was windy there!

Highlands in Barbados 

 

Harrison’s Cave and Island Tour

 

@monorailmedic and @CruiseLifeRick are sailing her early next month. Be sure to follow the live blogs on CruiseHabit.com!

I can say with certainty that the entire menu was pig slop. Most of my family ordered the turkey and it was no bueno. Others ordered the prime rib as well as the spaghetti w/ meat sauce. The spaghetti came with cold French fries (odd and seems like it was off a children’s menu) and the prime rib was cold as well and marinating in a bath of blood. Thankfully we only did 2 of 7 nights but my parents did 5 of 7 and deemed it consistently nasty (note: my parents complain about nothing so it was REALLY bad). 

Ditto! Ate them every morning when I'd have breakfast in the MDR on Freedom. Not an option at Cafe Two70 on Anthem or I'd have taken them there as well.

Day 8: Boooooooo!
We woke up early, and sadly packed our last things to carry off the ship. Leaving our bags in the room, we got breakfast at a semi-leisurely pace, and then went down to say goodbye to our cabins. We then did a lap around the pool deck, and started to head for the theater to wait for our disemarkation number to be called. A crew member saw us headed that way, and told us we could wait in the Centrum, and she would come find us when our number was called, which was nice. When our number was called, we walked off the ship for the last time, and into the terminal. We were able to quickly locate our bags and walked on out. A benefit of sailing through the European Union is there are no customs/passport checks while leaving the port (at least for US/EU citizens). Our car service met us right at the exit of the terminal, and whisked us to the airport. Unfortunately, we had to sit in the airport for about 4 hours waiting on our flight, but the girls barely noticed since they all had their iDevices and wifi. I dozed off a little on the short flight home, and before we knew it, we were in the van and driving home.
 
Final Thoughts:
- I really enjoyed our cruise, ship, crew, and port calls. I was concerned about being on one of the oldest ships in the fleet during an off-season cruise, but my fears were nowhere near founded.
- We were keeping a running scorecard of the Disney Magic vs. Rhapsody of the Seas, and I must admit that Rhapsody stacked up favorably. Even in the areas where the Magic won, I kept telling my wife "if we were on a bigger and newer Royal ship...."
- I cannot say enough about how much my girls enjoyed their time in Adventure Ocean. Even though there were not as many kids on this cruise, the staff kept up a high level of programming and gave my girls all kinds of personal attention.
- With the exception of the tender debacle in Kotor, embarking and disembarking the ship was smooth and painless.
- I can't wait to try the other ships and itineraries Royal Caribbean offers. I am fully a "cruise person" now and constantly schemeing for the next one. 
 
Thanks for following along!

You need to be a seafood lover to fully enjoy Wonderland, as about 80% of the menu is some form of seafood dish (lobster, tuna, crab, branzino, etc.). Apart from that, don't be put off by stuff sounding or looking weird. I had some worries about it myself as it sounded like it was some kind of molecular gastronomy place, but honestly the food is normal things you'd have in fancy restaurants that's just made to look a little different or presented in an unusual way.
Do you like deviled eggs? You'll get that as one appetizer, just covered in a glass half-globe that's filled with smoke to impart some extra flavor.
Do you like sushi? One of the apps is just tuna sashimi served inside a hollowed out lime with some cracker-like things on the side to scoop the tuna onto.
If you like lobster, you'll be fine with the "liquid lobster", which is just a lump of tail meat on a really big spoon filled with some nicely flavored beef broth.
And definitely don't worry about leaving hungry. You each get a set of five or six small appetizers, plus an entree (usually one more entree than there are people at your table, as all the entrees are meant to be shared), plus three desserts for the table to share (maybe more if you have a big party). And since you are on Symphony, you'll also be able to enjoy the signature cocktails from the in-restaurant bar.

Day #3 First Sea Day
The first sea day was on Tuesday.  I got up and went to the gym.  This was also the morning of the cruise critic meet and mingle.  Most everyone there won prices in the drawing and you got to pick the prize you wanted.  So of the more popular prizes that went first were free voom minutes, buy one get one free specialty restaurants, johnny rockets, and 4  bottles of wine or champagne.  My name was drawn late in the game.  I got a RCL water bottle.  After that, someone on our facebook group had organized a cabin crawl.  We got to tour one of the loft suites on the crawl which had a great view of the aft and the flow rider area. We were also all able to tour the suite lounge and Coastal kitchen on deck 14.
At 10:45, we had the top tier event in the aqua theatre with the special diving show.  This was one of my favorite top tier events, and since I had no drink package this cruise I grabbed 2 glasses of champagne and 2 mimosa's as I walked in :).  Here were the stats for the cruise: 3000, C&A members, 359 diamond members, 140 diamond plus members, and 24 pinnacle members.   After the event, we went to lunch in the dining room which we like to do at least a couple of sea days during the cruise.  I really love the tutti fruti salad bar that they mix up for you at the bar.  I was planning to get that, but when I walked up to the buffet area in the dining room, they also had a station for custom stir fry that they made for you.  Greg and I both got that!  It was really good.  On oasis they, have a seperate faster line in the main dining room if you are going to just get something off of the buffet vs. ordering from the menu.  This was nice and an express lane option.  We were seated on the opposite side of the dining room from those who were ordering off the menu. 
In the afternoon, we went to the wines around the world tasting in the main dining room.  I enjoy the wine tastings, but have not done any of them in a while because I have had a drink package during many of my recent sailings.   It was nice to get to go to the tasting again for something different.
Before I knew it, it was diamond happy hour again, and we headed to the diamond lounge and then our early seating for dinner.   Overall, it was a perfect sea day.
Random Observations:
They did finally offer a 3 night specialty dining package today for $85.   I was trying to decide whether to do this or do Chef's Table.  I opted for Chef's table on Thanksgiving night.  There were no discounts for this this week, and according the the chef, he does not really discount it anymore on Oasis.  I had a lot of onboard credit this cruise, and was able to easily make the reservation using the app

 

That's interesting that they are now offering a second specialty dinner that makes good use of the Vintages space, and for significantly less than Chef's Table. Sounds like it was two fewer courses (no "palate cleanser" before the appetizer, and no pasta course), and no special presentation from the chef, but otherwise very similar to CT. I think this is a smart idea; Vintages was never busy on either of my sailings, and if this can help to make more people aware of the space then maybe it will also help to save that space from being replace during AMPED updates.
Have you done CT before? Any chance of a comparison of food quality / offerings? Also curious to know if the courses offered are simply selections from the on-board specialty restaurant menus / CK menu, or if this was a one-off menu specifically designed for this event.
Oh, and were you allowed to have more than one glass of any wine(s) that you especially enjoyed? Any discount at the time of the event to buy a bottle of any of the wines served with the meal?
Thanks in advance!

DAY 8 - Bridgetown, Barbados
 

70’s Disco Party

Day 7 Dinner at Giovanni’s Table

 
 
 

So its just after 7 am somewhere in the caribbean, first night done, wife found not only her sea legs but also her sea voice sitting in schooner bar signing along to the piano player.
Theres no real words to explain how yesterday went,  most of you will know what mean when i say every step you take you encounter or learn something new.
Wasnt keen on windjammer but thats more down to the fact im not keen on buffet style meals, ok for breakfast but not actual evening meal. 
Room is an oceanview stateroom on 9th deck, cant complain, spacious and clean
Today is St Kitts nothing planned will just see where our feet takes us 

First pic of my home for the next week, i was sitting in the back of uber amazed at the sight before me.
Even my wife was amazed, in fact her exact words were  " ive never seen anything so big" 
Thanks dear!! Even the uber driver is sniggering while looking in her mirror 

Good point! But let’s hope that no one sees me doing all this nose wiggling and headed bobbing with my closed eyes (particularly if I have on a chiffon crop top and a pointy hat) since I am quite sure that I wiil never get released if I am ever locked in (it also would not be good for my career status ??‍♀️??‍♀️??‍♀️
Lynn

Maybe you need to use the "I Dream of Jeanie" move. ? 

Maybe you need to use the "I Dream of Jeanie" move. ? 

I am trying, now sit still... I am trying to remember all those Bewitched moves I saw as a child on Tv ?? 

Hi Joe,  Yes.  that is correct.  We also did Chef's table for Thanksgiving night which was superb.  It was the same menu we had on Grandeur in March, but appreciated having a different chef with a slightly different interpretation on oasis and really enjoyed it being in the suite lounge on the 14th floor.  
I think the food quality was higher at Chef's table, but I still really enjoyed the experience and food at Vintages as well!!!    Yes you are correct about the number of courses, and the dinner at Vintages was more about presentation of the wines vs the food.  The menu was a special menu just for them, although it likely pulled some of the dishes from the specialty restaurants and other locations.   You could definately have more wine if you liked it.    I did not feel limited in anyway and got more of several of them because i esp. love CAVA love Italian wines. The CAVA really served as a palate cleanser as well ( In fact, it was the palate cleanser that is served at Chef's table). :).  I did not ask about a discount on the bottle of wine served with the meal, but that is a really great question!!!!  They have only been offering this dinner for 3-4 weeks.  It started on Oasis and is now spreading fleet wide so I am sure the offerings will evolve.  I enjoyed it so much that I would have done it a second day if they offered a different menu. 

We have been back from the cruise for a week and I realize that I failed at a "live" blog but I didn't have the internet package so here it goes!
The Trip Down
We loaded up the SUV and headed out of Panama City before 9 A.M to head to Ft. Lauderdale. We were making excellent time and then right before we arrived things changed. Towards the end of the turnpike the vehicle in front us swerved at the last minute and revealed a rather large tire which made contact with our vehicle. Our vehicle was damaged but safe to drive. This is an example of why you should arrive in your port area the night before your cruise. If we were driving in on the day of our cruise we may have missed our cruise.
Pre-Cruise Hotel
We stayed at the Hyatt Place (17th Street Convention Center). The hotel was clean and at 8,000 Hyatt points per night was an excellent value. Parking is $7 per night unless you're a Globalist member. The hotel offers cruise parking for $7 per night. The Hyatt also operates a shuttle service that charges $7 per person each way you use the service. We decided that since our cruise was returning on Sunday we would park in the Port Everglades Midport Parking Garage to save time. Parking is $15 per day but you don't have to use a shuttle which ended up saving my family money.
Embarkation
Royal Caribbean had emailed us and told us that boarding would not start until 12:30 due to a USCG inspection. Thanks to Matt's recommendation and my good friend Brandon (who sailed with us) we arrived at the port and were on board at 11:10. The total curb to ship time including dropping off luggage, parking in the garage, and getting checked in was less than 20 minutes. 
THE CRUISE
Once we got on the cruise all the stress faded away. Adventure is in great shape. Our stateroom was 6665 and I feel like it had been updated which was nice. During the cruise our main hangout spot was the Blue Moon lounge on deck 14.  The lounge offered excellent views and fun dance parties at night. Cafe Promenade was also a frequently visited spot. The dining experience was excellent on Adventure. We ate dinner in the MDR 6 of the 8 nights on our cruise. Our waiter Raj was excellent and the meals were top notch. There was only one appetizer during the cruise that I didn't care for. It was the Asian Pork Tacos. All the steaks I ordered were cooked perfectly, the prime rib was excellent, and lobster on night 7 was the best dinner. The Windjammer was excellent but I wish it was open past 9 P.M. The bar service was always fast in the 'Jammer as we would call it. The entertainment was excellent. We enjoyed the theater productions and the ice skating show. The Farewell Show was top notch. We really enjoyed the activities from cruising on a mid-sized ship. We used the slides (which are fast but a bit rough), Flowrider, played basketball, and went ice skating.
LABADEE
LaBadee was excellent and the weather was great. We had much more fun here than at CocoCay in 2015. We enjoyed the Dragon's Breath Flight Line. I highly recommend that excursion. Its super smooth and you always feel safe. The view of the ship from the launch is amazing. We walked a few trails around LaBadee and settled at Adrenaline Beach. The beach is indeed rocky but we had a good time. We then got our LaBadoozie in souvenir cup and chilled in the hammocks. I fell getting into the hammock and that generated a lot of laughs at my expense which was actually quite funny. 
PUERTO RICO
We arrived into Puerto Rico around 12:30 P.M so we enjoyed the sail into port. Sailing past El Morro during the daytime and taking in the majesty of the fort and Old San Juan was one of the best moments of the cruise. We toured Old San Juan with my friend Brandon's aunt who lives in Puerto Rico and showed us all the spots. We walked a lot that day and were very tired when we made it back the ship in the evening.
ST MAARTEN
We had the SeaTrek helmet diving excursion booked and it was the most anticipated part of our cruise. However, early in the morning our stateroom telephone rang and we were informed that the excursion was cancelled even though the weather was fine. It was quite disappointing. In the afternoon we decided to take the water taxi to downtown Philipsburg. It was a great ride for $3. The water is beautiful in St. Maarten. We then took a 3 hour driving tour for $25 per person to tour the island. We asked to be dropped off at Maho Beach and we ate lunch at the Sunset Bar and Grill and saw a lot of small planes and one large plane land. The food is excellent at the Sunset Bar and Grill and you should go there! The bathrooms aren't free to use though. After visiting Maho Beach we toured the French side of the island. I wasn't impressed with St. Maarten/St Martin as a whole. The island wasn't very clean and reminded me to much of hurricane damage. 
ST KITTS AND NEVIS
St. Kitts and Nevis was the best stop on our cruise and we are dying to go back! We enjoyed the St. Kitts Open Air Adventure tour and its great to see the island as a whole on your first visit. The Romney Manor is beautiful and the Timothy Hill overlook is breathtaking. I think that the next time we visit St. Kitts and Nevis we will rent an ATV and do things at our own pace. The shopping in Port Zante was excellent. We got tons of souvenirs and clothing at the Caribelle Batik and surrounding shops.
OBSERVATIONS
This was the best cruise that we have ever been on.
RCL needs to step up their soda game. There were only 2 reliable locations to get a sufficiently carbonated soda. The Windjammer Bar and the Freestyle machines on the Royal Promenade. The freestyle machines in the Windjammer were always malfunctioning and the bars always had flat sodas. It was very weird.
4 port days in a row will make you tired.
We don't like 2 sea days in a row to end the cruise. The cruise starts to feel over when you leave your last port stop. That feeling lingered through day 7 and 8. One sea day to end the cruise is just about right.
 
So this is my blog. If you have any questions about Adventure of the Seas ask away!