Adventure Of The Seas

The 2001-built Adventure of the Seas cruise ship is the 3rd Voyager-class Royal Caribbean liner, with sisterships Explorer OTS, Navigator OTS, Mariner OTS, Voyager OTS.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel brand and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Group (RCG/shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All RCI liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 3700-passenger ship Adventure OTS has been bypassed in size and conveniences by the Freedom-class trio and the massive Oasis-class twins. However, it's still between the largest ships in the world, with a range of the most uncruise-like places at sea, like a rollerblading track, ice-skating rink and rock-climbing wall - not to mention the bustling hub Royal Promenade, which is a shopping mall-esque boulevard of retail shops, bars, clubs and cafes.

Cruise itinerary program

Adventure of the Seas itinerary program is based on roundtrip departures from San Juan Puerto Rico and Southern Caribbean cruises to Bridgetown Barbados.

Following the Coronavirus-crisis, for the period June-August 2021, RCI homeported Adventure OTS in Nassau Bahamas. For the ex-Bahamas mini-season were scheduled 7-night roundtrips (not visiting ports in the USA) to Cozumel Mexico, Freeport (Grand Bahama) and CocoCay. The unique for Royal Caribbean out-of-Bahamas voyages were offered as "fly-cruise" deals (flight+cruise packages), open for booking to customers of all nationalities, but with a limited number of shore excursions. The previously planned Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona were canceled.

Decks and Cabins

Adventure Of The Seas staterooms (1691 total, in 33 grades) include 125 Suites, 650 Balcony, 242 OceanView, 138 Promenade View, 536 Inside. Most cabins are sized 150-160 ft2 (14-15 m2). Most cabin balconies are sized 50 ft2 (5 m2). The largest is Royal Suite (1090 ft2 / 101 m2 plus 215 ft2 / 20 m2 terrace with Jacuzzi). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 27.

The boat has 15 decks, of which 14 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

From the meals in the three main dining rooms to the buffet choices in Windjammer Cafe and options available at 24-hour Cafe Promenade, food aboard Adventure of the Seas is well prepared with plentiful choices, especially considering ship's capacity. The main dining rooms offer flexible "My Time Dining" during dinner. Guests can choose between assigned early or late dining, or opt for flexible dining.

Windjammer is the ship's buffet restaurant with an egg station at breakfast and a carving station at lunch. Vegetarians will do better in the MDR at lunch. The Windjammer, however, is an option for the nights when flexibility is expected. The buffet features the items offered on the main dining room menu. The Italian-themed Giovanni’s Table charges a US$20 per-person cover charge (speciality beverages, wine, beer and soda are paid separately), and offers a multi-course meal. Johnny Rockets is another speciality eatery, 1950's-style burger joint, where passengers can indulge in hot dogs, burgers, chilli fries and onion rings.

Follows the complete list of Adventure of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Vivaldi Restaurant (544-seat aft Dining Room with fixed seating for Dinner)
• Strauss Restaurant (502-seat aft, dinner only Dining Room, with two fixed seatings)
• Mozart Restaurant (544-seat aft, dinner only Dining Room, with Club Dining at 6 pm or 8:30 pm. and "Your Time Dining" 6-9:30 pm)
• Windjammer Cafe Lido buffet restaurant (310-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 am, Breakfast between 7-11:30 am, Lunch 11.30-3:30 pm and Dinner 6.30-9 pm)
• Johnny Rockets Restaurant (80-seat burger bar, an extra fee applied)
• Giovanni’s Table (Italian speciality restaurant, reservations recommended)
• Island Grill (454-seat).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Atmosphere diversity is the key aboard Adventure of the Seas. The Lyric Theater has a great Art Nouveau interior; the solarium pool evokes the glories of Venice and the large Casino Royal centers on a Hollywood theme. The Duck and Dog Pub is ideal for Anglophiles, Champagne Bar is very stylish and Jester's Nightclub resonates with a Gothic vibe.

At night, Adventure of the Seas offers two kinds of entertainment - traditional-style productions (singing and dancing shows) presented in The Lyric, and goofy episodes like "Love and Marriage". Bar venues offer various musical performances aimed to please everybody at any time with classical guitar, jazz and country. Beyond the usual, where this cruise vessel excels is the unique, like Studio B ice rink which hosts "Cool Art - Hot Ice" - worth the effort to get a ticket (free of charge but the venue is tiny, so tickets are limited).

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, kids aqua park, FlowRider (surfing simulator).

Follows the complete list of Adventure of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Lyric Theatre (1362-seat, features two grand productions per night with dance, acrobatics, comedy and game shows)
• Screening Room (58-seat cinema)
• Studio B Lounge (904-seat indoor ice-skating rink; also serves as a spot for ice shows, cooking demos, game parties)
• Jesters Disco and Nightclub (240-seat)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery (art auctions are organized in the 350-seat Imperial Lounge)
• The Centrum (social hub); Next Cruise Lounge; Concierge Club (34-seat; suite and past guests only); Viking Crown Lounge and Bar; Diamond Club Lounge and Bar (past guests only); Blue Moon Lounge and Nightclub (96-seat jazz club); Cloud 9 cocktail lounge (28-seat)
• Schooner Bar (130-seat piano bar); Aquarium Bar (130-seat lobby bar); Connoisseur Cigar Club (28-seat smoking lounge); Ben and Jerry’s ice cream bar; Duck and Dog English pub (75-seat); Champagne Bar; Gravity Bar (93-seat sports bar); Sky Bar
• Casino Royale (409-seat)
• Cafe Promenade (105-seat, 24-hour; serves snacks and drinks, as well as Starbucks speciality coffee)
• Royal Promenade Boutiques (perfumes, jewelry, duty-free alcohol, general store, logo/souvenirs); Sea Trek Dive Shop
• Cupcake Cupboard (bakery)
• Royal Caribbean Online centre (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 7 jacuzzis; 4 pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Park Cafe, pool bar and adults-only pool area)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Challengers Video Games Arcade; Optix Teen Disco club; Living Room teen lounge area; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall;
• Seven Hearts card room (40-seat).
• Skylight Wedding Chapel (40-seat, provides religious services).
• During the ship's 2016 drydock refurbishment, on Deck 13 were installed the waterslides “Cyclone” and “Typhoon”, first introduced on Liberty of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas. Adventure OTS became the first Voyager-class RCI ship with water slides. There were also added the FlowRider (surfing simulator) and a 2-story mini-golf course (replacing the old 1-level Adventure Dunes and the Inline Roller Skating Track).
• On Deck 12 (aft) was added the “Splashaway Bay” (kids aqua park / interactive water play area with cannons and geysers). The new facility replaced Adventure Beach (outdoor kids playground).
• On Deck 5 was added Izumi (Japanese cuisine/sushi restaurant /a la carte priced).
• On Deck 4 were added Chops Grille (steakhouse restaurant offering dry-aged beef steaks) and Boleros Lounge and Bar (Latin-themed, with live entertainment).
• On Deck 14 was added the exclusive Suite Lounge (portside).

Currently, Adventure OTS is RCI's only ship to have a Royal Promenade-located Izumi Restaurant (on deck 5). On the other Voyager-Class liners, Izumi is either on top-deck or on deck 4.

Adventure is one of Royal Caribbean's Voyager-class liners, with sisterships Explorer, Mariner, Navigator, Voyager. The vessel was constructed in 2001 in Finland by Aker Yards Oy, now part of STX Europe (a division of STX Holding / South Korea).

As one of the first passenger ships returning to NYC after the 9-11 attacks, Adventure OTS is in deep connection with New York City. As a tribute to the emergency services risking their lives to save other people, representatives of NYPD and FDNY gave the name of the ship - from FDNY (Kevin Hannafin and Tara Stackpole) and from NYPD (Richard Lucas and Margaret McDonnell). Ship's inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on November 18, 2001, out of San Juan Puerto Rico.

Cruise 2018 itinerary changes due to drydocking

During the ship's 2016-2018 drydock refurbishment (USD 61 million renovation project) were added two waterslides (Cyclone, Typhoon), Splashaway Bay (waterpark), FlowRider, Izumi (Japanese restaurant), Chops Grille (steakhouse), Boleros Lounge, Suite Lounge, 100 new staterooms.

However, due to Hurricane Matthew, ship's drydock in Freeport Bahamas was only partially completed and finished in March 2018. To accommodate the 30-day dry-dock refurbishment in 2018 (January 31-March 1), RCI had to cancel all Adventure OTS 2018 cruises scheduled for the period January 13 - February 10.

Passengers booked on the affected itineraries were re-accommodated and offered as compensation the following package. USD 200 per cabin onboard credit, USD 400 per suite onboard credit (Junior Suite and above grades), flight change fee (due to airline reservation changes) up to USD 200 per person reimbursement for domestic / USA flights and USD 300 per person reimbursement for international flights.

The list of 2018 itinerary dates offered for rebooking was February 12, March 10, 17, April 7, 14. Substitute/alternative dates of departure were also offered on Jewel of the Seas - itineraries starting on January 14, 21, 28, February 4, 18, 25, March 4, 11.

Adventure Of The Seas refurbishments 2016-2018 review

Ship’s drydock 2016 refurbishment (October 17 – November 13) resulted in the following deckplan changes:

• On Sports Deck 13, the RCI’s signature waterslides “Cyclone” and “Typhoon” were installed. This made Adventure the first Voyager-class Royal Caribbean ship with water slides. Also on deck 13, a FlowRider (surfing simulator) was installed. Also here, a new 2-story mini-golf course was added (replacing the old 1-level Adventure Dunes).
• On Spa Deck 12 (aft), the new “Splashaway Bay” kids aqua park was added. This is a new-design interactive water play area with cannons and geysers. It replaced the old Adventure Beach (outdoor kids playground).
• The new water park and the duo of waterslides were first introduced on the RCI ships Liberty of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas (Oasis-class).
• Izumi (Japanese cuisine / sushi restaurant /a la carte priced) was added on deck 5 (starboard).
• Chops Grille (steakhouse restaurant offering dry-aged beef steaks) was added on deck 4 (portside).
• Boleros Lounge & Bar (Latin-themed entertainment) was added also on deck 4 (portside).
• Over 100 new cabins were added, including spa staterooms (all oceanview) forward on deck 12. All the staterooms were renovated.
• New exclusive Suite Lounge was added on deck 14 (portside).
• RCI's budget for the Adventure OTS drydock refit and refurbishment was the impressive USD 61 million.

RCI scaled back some planned renovations due to damages at Grand Bahamas Shipyard (Freeport) caused by Hurricane Matthew. The ship exited drydock on Nov 14 (2016) as scheduled. Some of the planned changes were implemented - updated design and decor, renovated areas (Boleros, 2-story mini-golf course). However, there were ongoing works during the next 2016 cruises and into 2017-2018. Among those are:

• Waterslides, FlowRider, Splashaway Bay - open on Dec 10, 2016.
• Chops Grille (Deck 4 port side, across Schooner Bar).) and the Suite Lounge both open in March 2018. Also during the ship's 2018 drydock (February) will be added new inside and oceanview cabins.
• Izumi and new staterooms will not be added.
• Giovanni's Table offered select items from the Chops Grille menu until the steakhouse's opening in 2017.
• On Deck 2 were added 5 Studio Interior cabins (category J). These staterooms are for solo travellers and are bookable without single supplement fees.

Passengers booked in the not yet built new staterooms were contacted by RCI Customer Service team representatives for re-accommodating. Passengers booked in Panoramic Oceanview cabins were offered free upgrades to balcony rooms plus USD 100 per cabin in onboard credit. All passengers booked on 2016 cruises (leaving between Nov 14 - Dec 3) were offered 25% Future RCI Cruise Credit based on the paid fares.

Adventure OTS refurbishment 2014 review

The list of deckplan changes after April 2014 drydock refurbishment included:

• Cabin amenities were upgraded – new flat TVs in all cruise staterooms were added.
• Digital signage (wayfinders) on several decks were installed. These touch-screen boards allow you to know your way around the ship.
• Wi-Fi coverage was upgraded (now shipwide).
• On Lido Deck 11 (in the main pool area) a huge movie screen (outdoor theatre) was installed.
• On Spa Deck 12 the Royal Caribbean’s signature Nursery was added.
• On deck 14 the “Diamond Club” lounge was added. This is a signature venue for “Crown & Anchor” (RCI loyalty program) members only.

New dining options (at additional charge) were introduced. These are “Giovanni’s Table” (Italian trattoria restaurant on deck 11) and “The Cupcake Cupboard” (ship bakery shop on Promenade deck 5).