Sunday, July 20, 2008

Adventure of the Seas Profile


Adventure of the Seas is one of five Voyager-class cruise ships. These ships are not only some of the largest ships in service today but are recognized as being innovative. Their large space houses a wide variety of facilities and amenities including: the Royal Promenade, an indoor mall with shops, cafes, and bars that runs the center of the ship; the trademark rock climbing wall; an ice rink that is also used as an arena for concerts and activities; as well as more familiar attractions such as pools, a spa, a theater, lounges, an Intenet cafe, library, and a movie screening room.

When a series of ships is built based upon the same design, how can you differentiate one ship from the others? On the one hand, there is the question of do you want to have them be distinct? When people like the experience that they have on one ship in a cruise line’s fleet, they might be disappointed if they try another ship and it does not have the same facilities as their prior ship. In other words, if a ship is sailing under the Royal Caribbean brand, it should have the features that passengers associate with a Royal Caribbean ship. Accordingly, the Voyager ships have the same layout and with no major exceptions, the same facilities and amenities.

But Royal Caribbean has recognized that ships are not like buses or airplanes and that they inevitably develop their own character. This is particularly well known in naval circles where identical ships have their own personalities. Accordingly, there are subtle differences in the décor of the various Voyagers.

The art work on Adventure of the Seas is modern and upbeat. The paintings are abstract with bright colors. There are also quite a few life-like statues of people engaged in various activities around the ship. The passenger hallways are warm and attractive.

Another things that struck me about the ship was that she looked crisp and new. Since the ship entered service in 2001, I can only put this down to good maintenance.

When I was on board, Adventure was on a cruise out of San Juan Puerto Rico and there was also something of a Latin flavor. The crew members I encountered seemed to be able to speak both English and Spanish and the Cruise Compasses were printed in those languages as well as French and German.

I have added a new profile section to my website on Adventure of the Seas. http://beyondships.com/AOS-Profile.htm The photo tour and commentary begins at: http://beyondships.com/AOS-tour.html

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