CRUISE SHIP INTERVIEW:
 Captain Ole-Johan Gronhaug
The objective on Adventure of the Seas, explained Hotel Director Gary Davies, is “to provide exceptional vacation fun in a family environment to discerning guests.”
“It is pretty much family-oriented. We have all kinds of activities for young ones, middle aged, old ones all kinds of people,” agreed Captain Ole-Johan Gronhaug. On average, 300 to 500 of the 3,200 guests aboard will be children. “We have the whole of Deck 12 aft designated for kids.” This includes an indoor play area, an outdoor play area with pools and a waterslide, a teen club and a video arcade. Each day, the ship offers a full day of supervised activities for children called “Adventure Ocean.” In addition, Guest Services Manager Mpho Ndlovu noted that the ship offers a “baby sitting program [for] parents who want to go and enjoy whatever functions we have for adults.” And Adventure offers a variety of activities for adults (see our daily programs page) in order to appeal to different tastes, moods and interests. “We try to mix it. You find days where it is like party, party, party but then you find other days where we have quiet moments. We try to balance it.” Mr. Ndlovu continued. Adventure of the Seas is rich in features. “The Voyager class ships have the Royal Promenade, which is one of the major attractions,” Captain Gronhaug pointed out. The Royal Promenade is a multi-deck high mall running along the centerline of the ship with shops, bars and dining venues. More than a shopping mall, it is also used as an entertainment venue with parades and theme nigh parties. The ship also features an ice skating arena, a large theater and two open deck pool areas, one of which is adults-only. These are in addition to such standard cruise ship venues as bars, nightclubs and a casino, |
 Mpho Ndlovu
Hardware is only part of the story on Adventure. There is also an emphasis on service and going out of your way to serve the guests. “Royal Caribbean is known for its service. The ships are different. This class if different than the Oasis class where they have more amenities than we have here or on the Vision class. But the priority is still top class service,” Mr. Ndlovu commented. “You come here, we treat you like a king.”
Mr. Davies elaborated: “It is the culture that we have and the training that we give. We do not like to say no. It is something that we promote as part of the Gold Anchor service - - to be as accommodating and to help out as much as possible. The simple requests are the ones that people remember. Sometimes they give the biggest wow in that 'I never expected you to go to all that trouble.' The guest remembers it and it becomes a little talking point. It is the culture that we try and grow and foster.” While the framework is always the Royal Caribbean cruise model, the cruise experience on Adventure is adjusted to some extent depending upon the demographics of the guests. To illustrate, in recent years, Adventure has spent part of each year based in San Juan, Puerto Rico and part based in Southampton, England. “In San Juan, almost 50 percent of our ship are Spanish-speaking guests from San Juan and also Miami. It is the direct opposite when we are in Southampton - - 50 percent are British guests. What the Spanish like is different from what the British like.” Mr. Ndlovu explained.  Gary Davies
“The Latin culture can be quite laid back. If you take the same mentality and serve the British market, you'll come unstuck,” Mr. Davies added. For example, “Brits are a little more formal with the please and the thank yous; not using first names, using surnames. The Latin and the American culture, the way we operate out of Florida, don't mind using somebody's first name.”
“The Brits like to eat quite early whereas the Latins like to come into breakfast late, they like to dine late into the evening There is definitely a difference and we just have to make sure that we adapt to it.” |
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Cruise ship interview - - Royal Caribbean - Adventure of the Seas - Adventure of the Seas 101