Cruise Spotlight
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Adventure of the Seas vs Hero of the Seas
The Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas was built in 2001. It was renovated in 2024. It's 25 years older than the Hero of the Seas, which was built in 2026. Hero of the Seas will start sailing in August 2027. It'll feature many of the same restaurants and attractions as its sister-ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas plus The Royal Railway, two new pools, and extended adult-only areas. The Hero of the Seas is still under construction and Royal Caribbean hasn't released all the details yet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Adventure of the Seas is considered a medium ship. Coming in at 1,020 feet long and 157 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.8 football fields, as wide as 3 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas, the Adventure of the Seas is 45% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas holds 45% fewer passengers than the Hero of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas holds 50% fewer passengers than the Hero of the Seas.
When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Adventure of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Hero of the Seas. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
The Hero of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Voyager | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 137,276 | 248,663 |
| Length | 1,020 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 157 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,114 | 5,654 |
| Passengers (maximum occupancy) | 3,807 | 7,600 |
| Crew | 1,185 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 36 | 33 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Adventure of the Seas has eight different dining options like Giovanni's Table, Cafe Promenade, and Izumi. Of those options, eight are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.
The Hero of the Seas has fifteen more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, Surfside Eatery, and Izumi in the Park. Fifteen of these restaurants are complimentary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Hero of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 188% more dining options than the Adventure of the Seas.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas & Hero of the Seas
| Restaurant | Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| AquaDome Market | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Basecamp | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cafe Promenade | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| El Loco Fresh | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Park Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Pearl Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sorrento's Pizza | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Bites | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Eatery | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Windjammer | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Ice Cream Parlor | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Izumi Hibachi & Sushi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi in the Park | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Playmakers | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sugar Beach | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| Celebration Table | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chops Grille | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Giovanni's Table | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Hooked Seafood | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Izumi | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Johnny Rockets | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Orleans Parish Supper Club | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Royal Railway - Hero Station | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| Coastal Kitchen | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Grove | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas has 14 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas.
| Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| 1400 Lobby Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquadome Market Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquarium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basecamp Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Blue Moon | ✓ | ✗ |
| Boleros | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bubbles | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cantina Fresca | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Champagne Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Desserted Milkshake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dueling Pianos | ✗ | ✓ |
| English Pub | ✓ | ✓ |
| Giovanni's Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Imperial Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lou's Jazz 'N Blues | ✗ | ✓ |
| Music Hall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Playmakers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rye & Bean | ✗ | ✓ |
| Schooner Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sky Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Solarium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spotlight Karaoke | ✗ | ✓ |
| Suite Lounge* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Swim & Tonic | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Grove Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Hideaway Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Hideaway Swim-up Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lemon Post | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Lime & Coconut: Frozen | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Overlook | ✗ | ✓ |
| Trellis Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Windjammer Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-Cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barq's Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out the recent bar menus for the Adventure of the Seas and the Hero of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Royal Caribbean
Adventure of the Seas
3
pools
6
hot tubs
Royal Caribbean
Hero of the Seas
9
pools
9
hot tubs
| Adventure of the Seas | Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| General-access pools | 2 | 5 |
| Adults-only pools | 1 | 3 |
| Exclusive pools | 0 | 1 |
| General-access hot tubs | 4 | 7 |
| Adults-only hot tubs | 2 | 1 |
| Exclusive hot tubs | 0 | 1 |
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs.
Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas has more pools than the Adventure of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Hero of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Worried about lots of kids onboard? Visit The Solarium, an adult-only area for guests 18 and older only. On Icon Class ships, there isn't a Solarium, but instead, the adult-only area is called The Hideaway.
Both the Adventure of the Seas and the Hero of the Seas have full-depth adult-only pools in The Solarium. The Solarium on both ships is unenclosed and open to the elements. The Adventure of the Seas's adult-only area is in the middle, while the Hero of the Seas's is in the back.
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom-made coloring and activity books. These are the Royal Caribbean editions with places like Studio B and Sorrento's featured.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Royal Caribbean Edition
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. Both ships have about the same share of included activities: 75%
| Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Crown's Edge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically, newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests may also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically, guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.
| Royal Caribbean | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.49 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
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