Familyof4 Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Hello Everyone, We are a family of two adults and two teens (16 and 15) and have booked our first cruise on Adventure of the Seas departing on August 27, 2016. Please share any information that you think we'd find helpful. We have two adjoining balcony cabins on the 7th floor. I am still reading through all information and trying to decide on MTD or 8:30. I also tried finding information on what time the shows start but haven't had any luck with that. All feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Adventure is a great ship for your first cruise. You are going to love it ! Unfortunately, the show times are not published b/c they are so fluid and always subject to change. As a rule, there will be an early show - generally around 8:00 PM and a late show, generally around 10 PM...but each ship maintains its own schedule for such things. If you are planning on going to the evening shows, I would recommend that you choose another dining time other than 8:30. That is going to be right smack dab in the middle of the 2 show cycles and will likely make getting to the shows a little problematic. Personally, I always eat as early as possible so that I can get that out of the way...but that's just me. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 I always prefer traditional dining over MTD because I'm a traditionalist and I like having the same wait staff and tablemates every evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 I always prefer traditional dining over MTD because I'm a traditionalist and I like having the same wait staff and tablemates every evening. If your looking to just a little later that traditional early dining them go with MTD and pre-book your times for 6:30-6:45PM. When we have done this they have always sat us at the same table with the same wait staff. The only thing is if you like to sit at big table with the same tablemates every evening then go traditional. Edited to add: If you tell the wait staff you are trying to get out at a specific time for a show they will usually do their best to accommodate you. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 I'm a big fan of MTD - I like being able to go to dining when I want and often meet people on the cruise that I like to eat with. I still do traditional if we go with a few family groups but overall we like MTD And I do pre-book for dining times a lot before we get on the ship with MTD just so I have something, but the wait staff does very well trying to accommodate changes once on the ship too With Teens I would think MTD would be better than 830 since they may have things going on at night, and will not want to be sitting at dinner until about 10pm, just my thoughts Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerel Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 One tip would be to get to the ship early, even if they ask you to show up later. They tend to send out emails and phone calls assigning you a boarding time. They are just hoping to control the crowds, you can show up when you want. Getting onboard early will give you time to explore the ship before it gets crowded. Plus, for us the more time onboard the better. Also keep in mind you won't get your room or luggage till later, so it's good to bring a change of clothes (swimsuit) in your carry-on. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 MTD has really sold my wife on cruising as she was never a fan of traditional dining, which is why she found NCL so appealing. Plus, cruising has gotten more casual, which has helped foster her reluctant love of this form of travel. I, on the other hand, will do anything to just be on the ship. Require a tux, I'll buy one. Tell me I can only eat dinner at 4, I'll manage. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you everyone for all this extremely useful information; it is very much appreciated. I think we are going to switch to MTD. What are the different seating times for this and how far in advance can this be pre-booked? With regards to day trips at ports, is it better to schedule while on the ship or just join at trip at the docks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 You can precook MTD online somewhere between 60 and 90 days in advance. You'll find an option to book times roughly from 6-9 at your preference. Regarding tours, you're usually better off prebooking especially if it's a tour you want as it could sell out through the ship. It's also worth researching in advance as there may be private tour options that offer something better for less money. If you share your itinerary with us, we can offer suggestions. Of course, there is a convenience and a sense of safety booking directly with Royal. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you. That's great; a 7:30 seating would suit us nicely as 6:30 would be too early and 8:30 much too late. The ports are St. Marteen, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatMe Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you. That's great; a 7:30 seating would suit us nicely as 6:30 would be too early and 8:30 much too late. The ports are St. Marteen, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. What a great trip for a first cruise! We sailed on Adventure from San juan for our 1st cruise in 2009. We loved it so much we chose that ship to get married on this past April. Advantage to MTD is certainly the flexibility for an active family. We are big fans of traditional dining and we request a large table so that we get to meet new people. A big part of our cruise experience is dining g with the same people and wait staff each evening. As for shore excursions, do your research in advance and book in advance either through RCCL or a private vendor. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you FloatMe, if we book MTD does that mean we'll be at a table for only 4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeK Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 There are two things I always tell first time cruisers that a very important! 1...make sure you are on time. The ship will not wait on you. You need to be on board at least an hour and half before sailing time. That also goes for stops at the different ports. I can't tell you how many times standing on my balcony I have seen people running down the pier to make it before the ship leaves. 2....make sure you have the correct ID paperwork to get on the ship. You can almost never go wrong with a passport. If you are using a drivers license and birth certificate make sure its certified copy. If you have a name change ..make sure you have certified copies backing this up ...marriage certificate etc etc. Not trying to scare you but it is important. I know you will have a great time and enjoy yourself...Mike Matt and Familyof4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you MikeK, again very useful info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Mike's advice is spot on. If you do book on your own, you're responsible for getting back to the ship on time. We usually aim for 3-3:30 for a 5 pm sailing from the port. Traffic can be a problem as everyone rushes back to the port. In St. Kitts, we did the Sugar Cane Train. It was fine, but a lot of sitting. If you want to see the island, though, it's s comfortable but pricey trip. If we go back, we'd do Nevis for snorkeling. Many of us our fans of Leo Brown in St. Maarten. He operates a private taxi. Two must for me are the beaches as they're amazing--and I'm not a beach person--and Maho Beach to watch the planes take off and land. We did Bernard's tour the first time, and that was very enjoyable too, but for nearly the same price with Leo you pick the speed at which you move and how long you want to stay at the various sights. In Barbados, we went to a wild life sanctuary, which was fun as there were all kinds of exotic animals you could feed and toured the island. We did this through Royal. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Another question ... is August considered hurricane season? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Yes, August is considered hurricane season (June - Nov.). Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 I was just reading that Adventures had to change course this past Aug. Looking for comments from all you experienced Caribbean summer cruisers. My daughter is turning 16 in August so this trip is to celebrate her big day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 I'd suggest travel insurance and plan to arrive early. Hurricanes rarely interrupt cruises overall, but you need to be aware of the possibility. Also, by arriving early, you're assured of boarding if the ship needs to sail early. Understand that your ports could change, so either book your tours with Royal or make sure that the independent tour providers will give you a refund if the ship misses port. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you FloatMe, if we book MTD does that mean we'll be at a table for only 4? We have always had a table just to ourselves when we pre-booked our reservation times. I think if you just walk up you may be seated at a larger table with others. Since you are going out of San Juan I definitely recommend flying in at least one day early. I don't know from where you are traveling but flights tend to arrive in the afternoon to San Juan and any delay because of weather or aircraft issues may have you missing the ship. I actually recommend this for any cruise but San Juan in particular due to the travel distance and tendency toward connecting flights. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you WhiteSoxFan and yes, we're planning on getting to San Juan (from Toronto) two days prior so we can also explore San Juan a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaitali Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 We were first time cruisers on the Freedom last month. We had MTD and it was great. We pre-booked at 8:15 pm every evening. We would go to the early show and then head straight from there to dinner. We liked our serving team the first day and stopped at the desk on our way out to ask if we could have them every evening. They said they'd put a note on our reservation and we were at the same table every time. We also wanted to move our reservation earlier one day and that was not a problem at all either. There was a hurricane in the Caribbean while we were on the ship and it was fine but it did prevent us from being able to tender to Grand Cayman so that became a sea day instead. They automatically refunded anyone who had booked excursions through the ship but if you booked independent excursions, you'd have to work that out separately. There was rain one day and some rough seas. I had motion sickness medicine and my husband never has problems with that so we were fine, but I would recommend keeping something with you just in case. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigburlyjohn Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Regarding dining times we are early eaters and prefer to me on a schedule so we choose first seating. Each of the three cruises we've been on, our groups have been large enough that we would have our own table. Take a large group if you can, we think it's fun when cruising with others we know. DocLC and Familyof4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeK Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 Thank you WhiteSoxFan and yes, we're planning on getting to San Juan (from Toronto) two days prior so we can also explore San Juan a bit. We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan last May on our Liberty of the Seas cruise and enjoyed exploring San Juan. The hotel was right in front of one of the cruise ports and had a beautiful view of the water. There are free trams that take you around the city that you can get on and off at any of the stops. One of the trams goes around the inter part of the city and the other goes around the perimeter of the city. We stayed on the tram the whole route several times just for the free tour. The inter city tram is kinda trolley car and the perimeter one looks like a small bus. The outer one takes you to both forts. Remember to get to the port early as it gets crowded. We got there about 1230 and there were long lines. It will look confusing but there are RC people in uniform the can help direct you to the correct line. The cruise port you will be using is NOT in old San Juan. I believe the cruise port you will be leaving is called the Pan American pier Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 Thank you for this MikeK; I wasn't aware that there are different ports. May I please have some hotels recommendation that are close to the port where the Adventure will be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeK Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 Thank you for this MikeK; I wasn't aware that there are different ports. May I please have some hotels recommendation that are close to the port where the Adventure will be? The Sheraton Old San Juan where we stayed is nice. It would be better to stay in Old San Juan for site seeing and catch a cab to the cruise port where the Adventure is. Its about a $20 cab ride maybe a little more for the four of you. Its about the same $ for the cab ride from the airport to the Old San Juan district One of the luggage handlers at our hotel taught us about the trolley and good places to eat local food. Its about a 30-40 min drive from Old San Juan to the cruise port so I would leave the hotel about 10am Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 We had four of us, me, my wife, my daughter, and her friend when we sailed the Jewel last January. We stayed at Ciqala Suites in a 2 bedroom, 1400SF unit that was more like a condo. Living room, kitchen, 2BR, 2 Bath with a laundry room for around $350/nt as I recall. They have studios, 1 BR, 2BR & 3BR suites. There is no restourant but the have a small rooftop pool that is nice with a bar and appetizers. You get a nice free breakfast made to order in the morning and you are only about 1 mile to the Pan Am pier. It is not near the water but they do run a shuttle to the beach. It is an easy taxi ride to OSJ. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 May I please have some hotels recommendation that are close to the port where the Adventure will be? We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan also. Very nice and perfect location. You still need a taxi to the port, but if you are sight seeing in Old San Juan the day before, it's perfect. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan also. Very nice and perfect location. You still need a taxi to the port, but if you are sight seeing in Old San Juan the day before, it's perfect. I've found, and this may be seasonally dependent, that the Sheraton requires a multi-day stay. I could have booked it for a Thursday & Friday night prior to our cruise last January but not just for Friday. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 I've found, and this may be seasonally dependent, that the Sheraton requires a multi-day stay. I could have booked it for a Thursday & Friday night prior to our cruise last January but not just for Friday. Interesting. We did a stay in September, which was definitely off season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted November 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 Hi, We're planning on staying two nights (Thursday and Friday) so this will be fine. Any suggestions for sight seeing in San Juan that would interest my two teens? How long does it take to disembark? We're now looking into booking flights and wanted to have an idea on this. Will a 11:30 flight be too early and does San Juan requires the 2-3 hours checkin time? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 Checking in at the airport in San Juan is definitely a little more complicated than most US airports. You have to have your bags screened (and stamped) by customs...which doesn't really require that much time but it's still an extra step that we don't have on this end. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 We had an 11:30 am flight and were fine, but make sure that you let Guest Services know onboard so that you get an early luggage number or do self-assist. Also, make sure that the first thing you do at the airport is the agricultural screening; otherwise, you'll be sent there from the check in lines and will end up needing to stand in line all over again. Familyof4 and WhiteSoxFan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 You're right Doc...it's an agricultural screening, not customs. I had that wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 We're planning on staying two nights (Thursday and Friday) so this will be fine. Any suggestions for sight seeing in San Juan that would interest my two teens? The forts (San Cristobal and El Morro) are pretty darn cool. Of course, there's always the beach (and there are plenty in Puerto Rico). I suppose this depends on ages and gender as well. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyof4 Posted November 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 They will be 16 (girl) and 15 (boy). Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 Also, make sure that the first thing you do at the airport is the agricultural screening; otherwise, you'll be sent there from the check in lines and will end up needing to stand in line all over again. Definitely make sure you do this first. The screening locations are right inside the doors. The forts (San Cristobal and El Morro) are pretty darn cool. Of course, there's always the beach (and there are plenty in Puerto Rico). I suppose this depends on ages and gender as well. I agree about the Forts. Familyof4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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