2017 Caribbean Cruise on Adventure of the Seas

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We started off in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where we spent three days waiting for our ship, the Adventure of the Seas. On our first time exploring the city, Mikayla discovered one of the many iguanas that were EVERYWHERE. Actually, we just paid a guy a few dollars to let her take the photo.
We also saw some authentic, local Puerto Rican coffee place.

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First, I took a tour of the ship. Everything was amazing.

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Thanks to the help of Open at the Close, I've finally figured out how to post photos from Flickr. So I'm just going to restart this trip report.
Since I will probably be the only one who actually sees this, I guess it won't really matter, anyway. So....
Take TWO!

July of 2017, my mother treated me and my family, and my brother and his family to a Caribbean Cruise on board Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. We sailed out of San Juan, and would hit the ports of St. Thomas, Curacau, Aruba, and St. Kitts.
(I'll just focus on the cruise part, but I posted a couple photos of Puerto Rico, as part of the "experimental preview."

The first thing I noticed was how massive this ship is. It was really amazing. So once on board, and after a quick bite to eat in the buffet, I spent some time exploring.
adventure of the seas.2 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2506 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

Samantha didn't seem too impressed by the ship.
IMG_2507 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

Mikayla liked it more.
IMG_20170709_140353085_HDR by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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Fortunately Samantha abandoned her teenage angst and started enjoying herself.
IMG_2513 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

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The pool area was amazing, and became one of our most frequented places.
IMG_2520 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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Finally it was time for a bit of a rest. The girls shared a cabin with my wife.
IMG_2528 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

And I shared with my son, Nathan.
IMG_2519 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

Then later on it was dinner and a show in the ship's massive theater. Then my wife, Jennifer and I spent time on deck enjoying the night air and loud music.
IMG_2531 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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IMG_2533 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

Early the next morning, we reached our first port: St. Thomas.

IMG_2556 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

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St. Thomas included a full day of activities. We explored the town, including the oldest Synagogue on US soil. shopped, Mikayla had her hair done, and we spent time on a beautiful Caribbean beach.
IMG_2554 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2561 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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IMG_2566 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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Before we sailed away, I got a couple of good shots of the harbor.
IMG_2618 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2616 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

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The next stop was Curacao. This was my favorite island. I found it very picturesque, just like I'd always imagined Caribbean islands to be.
That day included a bus tour of the island, exploring a cave, and more shopping in the village. We also visited the oldest synagogue in the Americas. It was a full day.
IMG_2662 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2673 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2689 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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Since the drinking age there is 18, and so was Nathan, we decided to let him have his first drink at a wine bottling plant.
IMG_2701 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
He didn't much like it, so he's sticking with Sprite.

IMG_2711 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2721 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2726 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

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Aruba was next. It was a nice port, probably the most modern we saw, but I didn't think it was too amazing. The highlight of this port was the submarine ride we took. This was a vehicle about the same size as Disneyland's ride, but it actually went down more than 150 feet, and sailed through a coral reef. No mermaids, though.
IMG_2729 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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Later, we spent time on the ship. Mikayla was able to surf, Samantha found a quiet place to rest (in her cabin's window), Nathan played some video games, and we spent time kicking back in the lounges.
When we returned to our cabins, we found that the cabin stewards had folded the towels into animal shapes. A bat and a monkey.
IMG_2803 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2805 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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IMG_2810 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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IMG_2806 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

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Our final port was St. Kitts. Since 1983, St. Kitts has been a sovereign nation, so I finally got my first stamp in my passport.
Right off the ship, we were greeted by a man who let me and Nathan pay to have our photos taken with a monkey.
IMG_2825 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
IMG_2829 - Copy by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
Then we all took a bus to our final shore excursion, which was swimming (more like wading) with a dolphin. It was exciting, something we'd all wanted to do. He's a bottlenose dolphin named Dante.
SHA_2327 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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After, the girls had a chance for photos with the monkees. Then we were back on the ship, and they went swimming with their cousin.
IMG_20170728_131233799 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr
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That was the last night of the cruise. Dinner featured a lot of commotion, and the wait staff made their final presentation.
IMG_20170728_192311917 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr

This was a great trip. Not really documented was all the fun and entertainment we had on the ship. If you haven't had a chance to cruise, I really recommend it. For me, it's one of the few times I got to be treated like I was somebody.
And Jennifer and I actually got to spend some time together, as well.
IMG_20170728_160556102 by Steven Kosoy, on Flickr