I cruised on the same Royal Caribbean ship nearly a decade later. Here are the differences I noticed.

I recently cruised on Adventure of the Seas for a seven-day Western Caribbean sailing that visited Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel, and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Back in December 2014, I had cruised on Adventure of the Seas with my family for a seven-day Southern Caribbean New Year sailing out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. This cruise visited Barbados, St. Lucia, Antiqua, St. Maarten, and St. Croix.

My time on Adventure of the Seas was quite different from 2014, but after all these years, I can confidently say I would recommend this ship to others. Whether I was cruising as a teenager with my family or as a young adult, Adventure of the Seas offered an excellent vacation getaway. I would still say I am very much loyal to royal!

Here’s how my experiences on Adventure of the Seas compared in 2014 and in 2023.

Adventure of the Seas refurbishment

Adventure of the Seas debuted in 2001 as the third ship in Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class.

Along with myself maturing, so has Adventure of the Seas. A big reason why my experiences were so different was because the ship went through a $61 million revitalization in 2016 and 2018. Adventure of the Seas was set to be amplified in 2020 and 2021 as well, but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During these upgrades, many venues, staterooms and onboard thrills were added to Adventure of the Seas. These additions included:

• The Flowrider
• Perfect Storm waterslides
• Splashaway Bay
• The Suite Lounge
• Specialty dining, like Chops Grille and Izumi (fun fact: Adventure of the Seas is the only ship with Izumi on the Royal Promenade)
• Boleros
• Over 100 new staterooms

In my opinion, Adventure of the Seas is the perfect size. She’s not too big or too small, with a guest capacity of 3,807 guests. She definitely delivers the fun factor with these new refurbishments.

Then and now, Adventure of the Seas is a great choice for those looking to go on a family or friend vacation. I say this because Adventure is big enough to have fun amenities and great entertainment while not being overwhelmingly large like some of Royal Caribbean’s newer ships. Adventure also offers a variety of itineraries because she is smaller and therefore can fit into smaller ports.

Read more: Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas review: What it’s like to cruise on this ship today

Overall, I believe Adventure of the Seas is in excellent shape for being over 20 years old. Back in 2014, I didn’t think the ship felt old or rundown. Today, I felt the same way.

Of course, there were a few spots where I noticed something that could have been patched or replaced, like the running path on deck 12, but this was very minor.

Cabin differences

In 2014, my parents, sister and I shared a balcony cabin. I had no idea what this cabin cost since my parents took care of the expenses, as it was our yearly family vacation.

This time around, I researched and picked the cruise specifically because it was the cheapest option in the timeframe I was wanting. The sailing I picked was nearly $300 cheaper per person than the following week. I also wanted to save money, so I opted to stay in an inside guarantee cabin. My mom tagged along with me for this sailing.

The majority of the finishes in our cabin were basically the same, so the ship felt familiar in that way.

Read more: I stayed in the cheapest cabin on Adventure of the Seas. It was small and windowless, but for $300 a night, it was a great deal. Take a look inside.

Back in 2014, housekeeping used to clean all the cabins twice a day. However, in 2023, Royal Caribbean changed this to once a day. Much like a hotel, the once-a-day service was just fine.

The one thing I wish this ship had was more outlets in the cabin, as my mom and I were constantly shuffling our numerous devices to get them all charged. Even back in 2014, it would’ve been nice to have more outlets since there were four of us in a cabin. But, the two of us in 2023 probably had twice the number of devices to charge than the four of us in 2014!

Dining differences

The dining experience onboard the Adventure of the Seas has definitely transitioned over the past decade.  

I remember between the six of us, we would order almost the entire menu so we could share and sample all of the dishes. Since I was a somewhat picky eater, I ordered off the Classics menu almost every night so I could order spaghetti or chicken. I also loved to order the chilled soups as an appetizer, whether it was strawberry bisque or peach soup. These were my favorites and I miss them so much!

I am glad Royal Caribbean updated the dining room menus, as it was time for some variety and new dishes. But I have to say, I miss the Classics on the menus where I could order from the same set of options each night. For picky eaters, this provided some flexibility to fall back on when the menu didn’t look appetizing. Some of the old dishes are incorporated into the new menus, which I am happy about.

A decade ago, my family did not prioritize eating in the specialty restaurants. We were normally satisfied with the food and selection in the Main Dining Room. Nowadays, we typically plan a few nights in the specialty restaurants because we find the quality and experience to be top-notch.

Read more: 7 reasons to eat at specialty restaurants instead of the Main Dining Room on your cruise

Before the new lobster rule, my mom would go a little crazy with ordering lobster. She would always order two lobsters to start and then it was very typical that our waiter would bring her another one or two more without asking because they saw how much she loved it.

In 2023, our waiter explained how each guest could only order one lobster.  Each additional lobster would cost $16.99. Both my mom and our neighboring dinner table convinced me to try the lobster, so I did (hesitatingly). As I expected, I didn’t enjoy the taste or texture of the lobster, so my mom happily finished it. 

Another huge shift in dining is how much more casual the dress code has become. For one thing, formal night is now typically “Dress to Impress.” This is described as, “a step up from your typical dinner wear, and includes collared shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses, and pantsuits.”

Only a few cruisers actually get out the formal gowns and tuxedos. On my recent cruise, maybe 50% of the people in the Main Dining Room followed the formal theme. A decade ago on formal nights, many tables were empty in the Main Dining Room. We figured those people didn’t want to get all dressed up. In 2023, if you don’t want to get all decked out, you can still come in casual clothes. Back in 2014, I packed prom-type dresses for formal night. This year, I wore a dress from Old Navy and fit right in just fine!

Before the new dining room menu was released, it was not uncommon to be at dinner in the Main Dining Room for about two hours. Today, we were normally done within 75-90 minutes. This may be different for those who dine with My Time Dining because there was always a long line of people waiting to be seated when we exited the Main Dining Room around 7 p.m.

A small thing I noticed and missed from back in 2014 was the self-service ice cream. It was usually fast and easy to make your own cone. Today, there is a staff member that serves up the ice cream. Every time I walked by, there was a line varying from 10 to 30 people. This changed back in 2020 due to the pandemic and seems to have stuck.

Entertainment differences

Some of my favorite things about Adventure of the Seas in 2014 are still my favorites today, especially the outstanding entertainment.

Whether it was the ice skating show in Studio B or the singing and dancing in The Lyric Theatre, the spectacular shows are one of my favorite parts of cruising. The costumes, choreography, and artistry all keep me captivated every time. I have never been disappointed with the entertainment on Adventure of the Seas.

For me, the Love and Marriage game show is a cannot-miss. The 2014 show is truly one I will never forget because my parents participated in it (and left me scarred for life). They were the middle couple, as they were married for 27 years at the time. Because my parents knew a lot of the questions they would ask (since we have cruised so much), they ended up winning! They won a Cariloha king sheet set, his and her watch and wallet set, a bottle of champagne, and a DVD of the show as a keepsake.

Since we were cruising after Christmas and before New Year’s, Adventure of the Seas was decorated so beautifully and festive. We had a special New Year’s Eve dinner menu in the Main Dining Room. They even gave us fun hats and noise makers!

One of the highlights of this trip and something I’ll always remember was ringing in the new year on the pool deck. They provided all the party favors and it was a very memorable evening. If you’re considering cruising during the holidays, I would definitely recommend it!

Internet differences

Access to reliable internet is significantly more important than it was a decade ago. 

Since I work remotely, fast internet is a necessity on my vacations, including cruise ships. Remote work has become prevalent in today’s society, and you will find more and more people working while on a cruise (like me)! The internet on my recent trip was great and I was able to stream videos and send emails with no problems.

Back in the day, I enjoyed being able to disconnect from the internet and “live in the moment.” I still like to do this every once in a while. That way I can truly escape my work and enjoy my vacation.

Excursion differences

Cruising back in 2014, I was with my parents, sister, cousin, and cousin’s wife. In fact, this sailing was the first one for my cousin.

Because it was my cousin’s first cruise, we did a lot of excursions through Royal Caribbean. At every port, we had a full schedule so we could show her the best Caribbean experience we could. We went kayaking, standup paddle boarding for the first time, and visited many beaches, including Maho Beach in St. Maarten. The weather was perfect since it was wintertime.

Visiting the Caribbean in August 2023, my mom and I were met with high humidity and 90+ temperatures every day. Also, we did not look into doing excursions because we had visited all of the ports before. We honestly minimized our outdoor time because it was so hot (Us Midwesterners aren’t used to the humidity)!