MY CRUISE ON ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS!

So I returned yesterday from an absolutely fantastic cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas. In this blog I will run through my time on board, day by day and explain what I got up to.

Professional photos are the best…

Day 1: Southampton 29/08/14.

We arrived in a grey Southampton at around 11am, and received a warm welcome from the check in staff at the City Terminal, we waited for around 15 minutes to clear security and found ourselves onboard at around 11:30. Perfect time as we wanted as long as possible on board. 

Of course we headed straight to the Windjammer Cafe for lunch to get our first taste of this ships incredible food, a little busy and we waited a few minutes before being shown to a table, the staff here seemed to be well organised in talking to each other and providing a good turnaround of tables. The food we had was exceptional, burgers, hot dogs, salads, pastas, veg, desserts, pastries, hot dishes like stews and hot pots, it was endless and extremely flavourful.

We then headed to our cabin and were surprised just how well kept it was considering the ship is nearly 15 years old! I had arranged for some red velvet cupcakes to be waiting for us, so of course I dived in straight away, and my goodness were they good! The cabin was a good size with a sofa, bathroom, vanity unit, and we had a balcony. Although the balcony was sheltered it really wasn’t an issue, infact I like the wind being kept out!

Love the ‘Sailing out of Southampton’ feeling!

Enjoying the balcony before dinner, you can just see it’s starting to get rough!

We left Southampton at 4:30pm and headed for the open sea, we enjoyed a fantastic sail-away party dancing with all the entertainment crew who did a fantastic job at getting us in cruise mood, we danced for a good  hour even in the rain and really soaked up a welcoming and exciting atmosphere. No pun intended. 

That evening as we entered the channel the weather did give it’s welcome, infact trying to dine in a Force 10 gale was a very exciting experience, I enjoyed every second.

The main dining room food was even better than the buffet, plenty of choice and some top quality dishes.

French Onion Soup (Middle), Lamb Shank with baby shallots, and red wine Jus (middle), Lemon tart (right).

We headed for the Ice Show at Studio B, the ice rink on board, and watched a sensational show with dancers and some insane lifts and spins, it really did take your breath away I’ve never seen anything like it.

After the show we headed to the casino and I won $50! Of which very promptly went on more gambling but it is about the fun you have, it’s such a thrill. We then headed for the Royal Promenade (an actual high street on board with shops and cafe’s!) and got ready for the Brit Rock Street Party!  It got a little busy at this point but didn’t feel uncomfortable, we enjoyed a good half an hour of dancing and singing (swaying left and right I will add) and had a great time. 

By around midnight we were all tired so had one final midnight snack (pizza!) and retired for the evening. 

Day 2: Le Harve 30/08/14.

After a rough night across the channel (force 10!) we arrived into Le Harve at around 5:50am. Again gray and cold, but we didn’t let that stop us.

Breakfast in the Windjammer this morning, a made to order custom omelette, with all the trimmings of course. You could even have steak, grits, every egg cooked every way under the sun, and of course for the health freaks – fruit, muesli, granola, yoghurts etc (boring) was all available too. 

We headed into Le Harve after some speculation whether to or not,  and explored the town for an hour or so (just to say we’ve been there) and got back on board to enjoy the ships facilities. 

A taxi to the centre cost 8 euros each way which wasn’t too bad as it saves a half hour walk! A lovely cathedral and some great french bars.

Once back on board we had Lunch in Johnny Rockets, the American diner on board which was out of this world and a great experience, even though we did wait a good 20 minutes for the table.  The servers dance at your table every 30 minutes and it really does make the atmosphere electric.

For the rest of the afternoon we relaxed and swam, used the pools, danced again, and went rock climbing. 

This evening we again went for dinner, force 7 this night so not as bad! In-fact I managed 2 starters and 2 desserts! We then headed for this evenings show, Bobby Davro!! He was absolutely hilarious and everyone gave him a fantastic standing ovation. 

We followed this by another hour in the casino and explored the shops. We headed for the nightclub ‘Jesters’ at around midnight and danced the night away. 

We retired for bed after more pizza at around 3am, just as the pilot came aboard to guide us into port.

Day 3: Southampton 31/08/14

A smoother night across the channel last night, and we arrived well ahead of schedule. Joined by Azura, Queen Victoria, and Oceana in Southampton it was a very sunny morning and the water was like a millpond. 

We packed our stuff and headed for breakfast in the windjammer where we had one final delicious breakfast, followed  by a smashing white chocolate mocha from Cafe Promenade. We proceeded to the gangway and reluctantly stepped ashore 🙁 

MSC Magnifica left, and Adventure of the Seas right. 

A fantastic cruise on Adventure of the Seas, my first time with Royal Caribbean but it would certainly not be my last! The ship is 14 years old but she certainly doesn’t show her age, a ship with large open spaces, a great crew, fantastic service, and world class entertainment! I’ll be back.