Adventure of the Seas
Southern Caribbean Cruise
Trip Report September 4 – September 11, 2005

This cruise started out and nearly ended as the cruise from H * **!

I booked our airfare on-line on American Airlines for our cruise. Our tickets were a little over $300 pp. The add-on airfare from the cruise line was well over $500 pp. Because we booked our own airfare, we left Philadelphia a day early. The e-tickets worked out fine, and I was able to check us in and print our boarding passes before we even left the house. The Philadelphia airport was virtually empty Saturday morning, and the plane was far from full.

I had a hard time finding a hotel room in San Juan for September 3. We ended up staying at a Holiday Inn in Carolina. It is only 9 months old and actually pretty nice with 3 good restaurants. As it turned out it was a good thing we had a good nights sleep before boarding the ship.

Day 1 of Cruise
When we got to the port we saw one very long line with everyone dragging suitcases. I happened to spot a stand that had the Royal Caribbean Logo and an "Ask Us" sign. People seemed to be checking their luggage, so we walked over and did indeed check our bags. There was absolutely no one in line ahead of us after doing that. In addition to the airline e-tickets, I set up a "Set Sail Pass" before we left home. All the critical information was taken care of on-line e.g. emergency contact, credit card number for ship purchases, etc.

They had someone in the terminal holding a sign and directing people with the Set Sail Pass to various clerks—no line. Showed the credit card, our passports, and were given our Sea Pass Card (serves as a door key, identification, and for charging for purchases on the ship). We were then seated in a waiting area for the lowest level of the Crown and Anchor Society. It was made very clear that one row at a time would be allowed to enter the gangplank. The embedded photos were added to the Sea Pass Card at this time. You cannot see the photos, but they are scanned every time you leave and every time you re-board the ship. If you don't match the picture you are denied boarding. Cabins were not available until 2 o'clock so we headed for the Windjammer (buffet restaurant) along with everyone else. By the time we finished lunch our cabin was ready.

We had read and heard that since you spend so little time in the cabin that the inside cabins were just fine. We decided to try it. As it turned out—bad advice at least for us. The cabin was 10 ft. x 12 ft. My horse's stall was 12 ft. x 12 ft! When we received our cabin assignment, I looked up its location on the ship. There seemed to be a large empty space beside it. Somehow, we didn't think so. I called Royal Caribbean and was told that nothing was there it was just a blank wall. It wasn't! As we were trying to take a nap we heard a lot of bumping, thumping and grating and concluded that it was simply the luggage being delivered.

Went to the mandatory drill and then walked around the ship. Went up into the Viking Crown Lounge for a before dinner drink, beautiful view of Old San Juan, then headed for dinner. When I booked we were given a choice of a table for 2, 4, 6 or 8. I choose a table for 6 which worked out very well. We had delightful dinner companions. We each took turns buying a bottle of wine for the table and one couple had gone on over 25 cruises with Royal Caribbean. They were given a bottle of champagne which they very generously shared with the table. The food was good, but not outstanding. We felt it was better on our previous cruise on the Navigator of the Seas. The service was outstanding.

We were at the late seating which we had done before, but on this particular ship, if we were to do this cruise again, I think we would opt for the early seating. By the time dinner was over it was often too late to do anything else.

After dinner we went to the first night show and parade. By the time we got back to our cabin it was after midnight. Paul decided he was going to go ahead and unpack anyway. I decided to wait until the next day. We were on deck 10 cabin 1657 directly under the Windjammer. The "blank" wall was clearly marked Service Area. (I did not choose the cabin. It was assigned to us by Royal Caribbean). We would just about fall asleep and the banging, scrapping, bumping would start. At 2 AM we looked at each other and said we have a big problem here. Since there is someone at the customer relations desk 24 hours, we debated calling or waiting until morning. I was really angry so I called and complained about the noise. As it turned out a good move. I was told that they would send someone up to check into it. 4 AM still going on. Called again to complain and requested a cabin change. Was told that we would be put on the list of people requesting a change of cabin, and he would inform his supervisor of our complaint. Told him to tell his supervisor that we were very unhappy. List?! Sinking feeling here! Would we have to go entire week this way? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />

It wasn't too hard to figure out the noise was stuff being brought from the hold up to the Windjammer to prepare breakfast. The last time I looked at the clock--4:30 AM and no sleep. At least the noise had stopped.

Day 2
At Sea
We woke up at 8:30 AM. More noise. Since I booked this cruise, I was elected to go to the Guest Relations desk. No shower, no breakfast, pulled on dirty clothes from yesterday and headed for the guest relations desk. I explained the situation to the young lady, Sharon, at the desk. Then asked this question: "Is this what Royal Caribbean does to people that book directly with them—put them in the cabin from H***? I said it very calmly; although, I really wanted to yell a somebody. She spent some time on the computer and the said that she would talk to her supervisor about the problem, and see if she could get our cabin changed if I didn't mind waiting. She also went on to say that they had a log of my calls. Glad we didn't wait until morning to complain. I could see her talking to her supervisor and see him on the computer shaking his head no. Oh Oh! She came back and said they would see what they could do, and that they would call us when something became available. I asked what the probability of this happening was. She repeated that they would call if something became available. She really did bend over backwards to be helpful, and could not possibly have been nicer. Despite that, at this point I am swearing to myself we will never sail with Royal Caribbean again. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />

I had not been back in the cabin 5 minutes when the phone rang. They had a cabin for us. Would we like to see if it was satisfactory? Thank goodness the ship wasn't full so a cabin was available. Went to the guest relations desk and they changed my key for the new cabin and left Paul's key for the old cabin so we would have access to both temporarily. The cabin was on deck 6 as far back in the stern as you could go without actually being in a cabin on the stern. We walked in and said, looks like they upgraded us to an ocean view. Oh my! A balcony cabin! What a relief! They'd given us a complimentary 2 category upgrade. This was a very quiet location. That was our first at sea day, so it was pretty much spent moving into the new cabin, unpacking, napping and making sure to thank Sharon both on the phone and in person.

The Captain's Reception is usually the first day at sea and a formal night. We were really surprised at the number of people walking around during the reception in very casual clothing. Found a good spot to listen to the music and enjoyed our champagne. Had dinner and made a contribution to the casino.

Day 3
Our first port of call was Aruba. Because we've been to Aruba a number of times we did not make any particular plans—with one exception. Ten years ago I'd bought a ring from Touch of Gold in St. Maarten. It was badly damaged in a fall, but I'd hung on to it thinking that the stones that were left could be used for something else. The setting was totaled. Before we left I e-mailed Touch of Gold about the ring knowing about their lifetime upgrade policy and wondering how it would apply to a damaged piece.

I'd also purchased some jewelry in Cozumel on another cruise that was appraised below what I paid for it. The well known, large, many locations chain company in Cozumel did not stand behind its guarantee and refused to accept my appraisal because I'd had it done by a store that sells jewelry. I asked if the appraisal had come from Tiffany's would they accept it and the answer was "no". (If anyone wants to know the name of the company that ripped me off please send a private message and I will tell you). So I inquired about using the Cozumel purchase towards an upgrade as well. The response from Touch of Gold was bring it in, and we will work with you.

We had a very long stop in Aruba and a very short stop in St. Maarten. So once again I contacted Touch of Gold to ask if it would be possible for me to shop at their store in Aruba. No problem, they would send all the necessary information to that store. Just ask for Sanjay when I got to the store. If I didn't find what I wanted in Aruba they would work with me in the St. Maarten store. I really had not spent very much on my original purchase so they really do stand behind their guarantee no matter what you have spent.

When we walked into the store I asked for Sanjay and the man standing at the back of the store says, "Hello, Susan". We'd never met before. We made the requisite small talk, got Paul comfortable, and got down to business. We worked out a satisfactory price and were told the Cozumel pieces would be used for "spare parts." One of the pieces I liked was set in yellow gold and most of my things are white gold. Not a problem if we could come back a little later they would do the rhodium coating. They also needed to size a bracelet which would take some time. I showed Sanjay where the rhodium was wearing off of my wedding band and engagement ring after 38 years of wear. He said that they would clean them and recoat them for me and indicated that they would also do another ring that I was wearing. His next statement surprised us. He said that when ever anyone offers to clean your jewelry—you go with them even if you trust them. So, while Sanjay and company entertained Paul, I went off to their workshop with Heeru's (the owner) nephew. We walked at least ½ block around the buildings then up a very steep flight of very rickety wooden steps at the back of the building. (No direct route for security reasons). Watched the whole process which I found fascinating.

Back down the those steps, and off to lunch. Thought about Chez Mathilde which we love, but was more than we wanted to spend for lunch. We had lunch at the Villa restaurant in the Renaissance complex. We had eaten there before and enjoyed it. It is a weird combination of German food and "healthy" foods all of it good. Went back to pick up my purchase. I left the store a happy girl. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> We did a little more shopping/ browsing and headed back to the ship. We had plenty of time to enjoy the just relaxing on the ship before time to get ready for dinner. We decided to go to the show before dinner and then to the cocktail party that was given for Crown and Anchor members. We ended up leaving the show for 2 reasons: 1. We got tired of being climbed over by people changing seats in mid-show and then ordering drinks so that we were climbed over yet again 2. The decibel level. Way too loud. The comedian the first night even told the sound people to turn it down. We were told that it was a wonderful show so later regretted leaving early.

Day 4
Curacao
This stop was one of the reasons we booked this particular cruise. We booked a 3 hour Highlights of Curacao tour with the cruise line. It was an excellent tour giving a nice overview of the island. Our tour guide was warm, knowledgeable and funny. She provided several particularly interesting facts: Most buildings are made from coral stone which holds moisture and requires re-plastering and repainting every 3 years. Once the buildings have been restored they are sold to people that can afford to maintain them. The other may be fact or fiction. Long ago most of the buildings were white. One of the mayors decided that there was too much glare from the buildings and encouraged painting them in the bright fanciful colors we see today. At his death it was discovered that he owned the local paint company. Part of our tour was a stop at the still where Curacao liqueur is produced. Interestingly enough it is not a proprietary name and the Curacao we buy here in the states in not produced in Curacao. The original plant is very small and does not have the capacity to export.

We went back to ship for lunch and then just walked around in the afternoon. The Emma Bridge (pontoon bridge) is down for restoration so we did not get to see that. There are free ferries running to get from one side of the city to the other. We found the island itself very interesting, but in a state of seemingly massive repair to many of the buildings.

Got back to the ship, sat out on the balcony relaxed and enjoyed the view then got ready for dinner. The ice show was this evening. What an amazing show! The costuming was gorgeous, the performance outstanding. How they can skate like that on a moving vessel boggles the mind. If planning to attend only one show on one of Royal Caribbean's large ships this should be the one. Went to the Wine Bar for our before dinner drinks. Discovered a Bellini: Champagne with a hint of peach schnapps. Heaven!

Day 5
At Sea
Slept late. Went for walk around the ship. Had lunch at Johnny Rockets. Thought about playing miniature golf, but it was way too windy. I had to hold on to my glasses when we were walking on outside decks so that they didn't blow off. We also thought about going in the pool, but it was so windy we knew we'd be freezing as soon as we got out of the pool (yep, in the tropics). So we just stretched out on the lounge chairs and read, etc. This was the second formal night. Again there were quite a few people very casually dressed even in the dining room. This was just a nice relaxing day. Darned if I can remember where we went for our predinner drink. This was also one of the formal portrait nights so maybe we did that instead?

Day 6
St. Maarten
Another reason we picked this cruise. We slept in then did another cruise sponsored jaunt to Orient Beach in the afternoon. We'd thought about going to Mullet Bay on our own but decide to do this instead. Unfortunately, because of storms in the Atlantic the surf was very rough with a very strong undertow so we did not go in the water. Apparently this was true for most beaches including Mullet Bay which is usually very calm. It looked very hazy. However it was a phenomenon we've seen before in the fall in the Caribbean. It wasn't haze, but dust blowing across the Atlantic from the Sahara. .
We noted many changes since our last visit 10 years ago. The pier was new as was the shopping area at the foot of pier. One thing we did notice is that the driving hasn't changed at all. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> Everything was very lush and green.

Hadn't had lunch. There was nothing close us in the area of Orient Beach where we camped out. Besides neither of us was hungry. Decided to have a frozen yogurt cone and call that lunch. I think we will have to go back to stay on island once again. It used to be our favorite vacation spot with Aruba a very, very close second. We did attend the show in the theater this evening. The performers were excellent especially the dancers. The decibel level was not as bad, but still way too high. Went to the Schooner Bar for our before dinner drinks.


Day 7
St. Thomas
Mandatory Immigration proceedings from 7:30 to 8:30 AM. Had an early breakfast. I had made arrangements for transportation back to the airport through Royal Caribbean but after we received our tickets. I went to Customer Relations to make sure we were on the roster. There was someone from Guest Relations walking down the line too see if they could answer any questions that did not require speaking with someone at the purser's desk. As I was standing in line the purser that arranged for our cabin change saw me. I thanked him for his help in that. He then asked if he could help us. I said no that I thought we probably needed to stand in line to see if we were on the roster. He pulled me out of line and checked it himself.

We took another ship sponsored trip to Magen's Bay with some wonderful views thrown in along the way. Magen's Bay is really lovely. There were quite a few children there and we were wondering why they were not in school. Then it dawned on us: It was Saturday. <G> There was a jelly fish warning at the entrance to the park but we did not see or encounter any. The water was quite calm, but it was unusually cloudy—again because of the storms in the Atlantic. St. Thomas is very pretty and it too was very lush and green.

When we got back to the ship we were very surprised that the bus driver did not come looking for tips. Everywhere else they sure do. Got cleaned up and had our yogurt cones. Changed for dinner and attended the show. This time a so/so comedian and the very good Royal Caribbean Dancers, singers and musicians. Got sort of sappy at the end. Went to the Schooner Bar for drinks and ended up joining one of the couples from our table.

Royal Caribbean and American Airlines have just started a new program that is wonderful. We were able to check-in on board. We filled out all necessary forms and then airline boarding passes and airline luggage tags were delivered to our cabin. We were missing our exit pass so had to go to the Guest Relations desk once again. They asked if we wanted a departure time just in time to catch our flight or one with some time. Fortunately, we opted for the one with some time.

Day 8
Departure
We were in the first group to leave the ship. As we are walking down the gangplank I realized that escalators are part of the scene, and I do not do well on them. I asked the person standing at the gangplank if we could use the ramp. No problem at all. When we got to the second set of escalators Paul and I were debating the best way to handle the situation when we were pointed to an elevator.

Our luggage had both a colored tag from the cruise line, our airline tags as well as our own ID tags and bright colored luggage straps. When we found our correct color grouping we found Paul's suitcase, but not mine. We walked up and down all the rows in our color group multiple times. I found someone to ask what to do if we could not find a piece of luggage. They sent me to a stand in the middle of terminal manned by Royal Caribbean employees. One of them came over and helped us search in both the tan and brown area. No bag. I asked what to do if we did not find it and was told that I needed to fill out a complaint form, and if they found it would be shipped to us via UPS. In the meantime, Paul walked up and down every row of bags. (Keep in mind this ship holds over 3,000 passengers). He didn't find it, so I did the same thing. I didn't find it either. Filled out the complaint form, and asked if they needed any other information. I was asked to give description of 3 items in the suitcase so they could be sure it was the correct one. Just as we were getting in line to go through Customs, we were told that they had found it. The cruise lines colored tag had somehow been torn off so it had been put away from all of the rest of the luggage except for some other people's who had also lost their tags. In our search we encountered several other people that could not find their bags either. Our next challenge was trying to find our ground transportation. It was mass confusion. We finally did find the right bus. Zipped right through security and headed for the gate. Our flight home was uneventful.

Summary:
I had a recurrent minor problem. Every time I used my Sea Pass to make a purchase it got demagnetized. This required 3 more trips to the Guest Relations desk for a new card. They have the technology to transfer all info from an old card to a new one including the embedded photo.

Royal Caribbean staff on the ship was wonderful. They really made you feel that they cared whether or not you had a good cruise. There were some things that we preferred on the Navigator of the Seas to Adventure of the Seas. The food was better on the Navigator. The art work on the Navigator was better and a higher quality, but it is a much newer ship. The cruise director on the Navigator was more laid back (he may have retired by now). The one on the Adventure was all frantic action. After our experience with Royal Caribbean this time, would we sail with them again? Probably. They certainly provided excellent customer service (except the woman in Miami who told us our cabin backed up to a blank wall). We felt that we were treated as if they would like us to return.

Sue