BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AN adventure aboard the Adventure of the Seas was experienced on Monday (Aug. 8) by a group of locals who got a taste of what such cruise lines offer their customers and vacationers.
The excursion/ship inspection – which involved members of the media – was organized by Tranquility Vacations through Royal Caribbean Cruises.
The near five-hour experience was far from being enough time for the guests to savor all that the ship boasts but it was more than enough to whet the appetites of those who have not yet cruised and to convince those who had, to engage in at least another.
Royal Caribbean Cruises has several ships in various classes which include its Quantum, Oasis, Freedom, Radiance and Vision classes.
The Adventure of the Seas, however, is in its Voyager class and features a peculiar set of amenities and entertainment activities.
The visitors to the vessel were shown – and were obviously impressed by – the ice skating rink, the full-sized basketball court, a rock wall which stands 200 feet above the ocean, the gym and the Royal Promenade which packed with restaurants, shopping areas and pubs all designed to enhance the experience of its customers.
Lovers of the arts are also catered for with several karaoke sessions per week and a number of headliner shows which are kept in its main theatre.
Tranquility Vacations’ Travel and Cruise Assistant Hasani Pemberton said the ship inspection was organized to convey to the invited guests that a cruise vacation is not as expensive as one may think and that investing in one is an investment in one’s well-being and happiness.
“A random vacation is just a random vacation. You take a flight, you go to some part of Europe and you just go to a hotel and you view a part of the country. Cruising actually gives you the opportunity of going to at least two or three European countries that you can do within a specific timeframe. It benefits you of home and board, meals…everything is included.
“You don’t have anything to worry about once you get on that cruise, unless you chose to do special things…those might be at an extra cost. But outside of those special amenities, the cruise itself has enough that pampers you so that you feel extremely comfortable.”
She described the Adventure of the Seas as one of the “most interesting and fascinating ships by the Royal Caribbean Line”.
Tranquility Vacations’ Logistics and Operations Manager Jason Challenger said the ship inspection was necessary so as to give the guests somewhat of an intimate experience of what is offered on Royal Caribbean Cruise liners.
“We found it necessary to do this because a lot of times persons see these ships that come in and they don’t really have a true understanding of what really goes on in terms of operations and what the services that they have to offer as well as the amenities which are really fabulous.
Based on the response of the guests, Challenger said he believed Tranquility Vacations was successful achieving its goal.
“We really did accomplish what we set out to because we had persons who had never cruised before, had never stepped onboard a cruise ship and giving them this glimpse in terms of what really happens and what they can afford in terms of the packages, dining etc… Giving them that opportunity I think was a good start and it made people see that these things are not out of their reached.”
Tranquility Vacations is the local agent for Royal Caribbean Celebrity and Azamara Club Cruises and several other cruise lines.
