Just Returned from AOS

Wow, what an awesome ship. I will admit I was a bit concerned, from what I had read here on this board, reference the staff and food, but evidently some are harder to please than others.

Getting through San Juan Airport upon arrival wasn't too bad, took 40 minutes for luggage to appear in baggage claim. Gave luggage to RCCL representatives then off to the ship. Embarkation was a breeze, were on the ship within 10 minutes. Went directly to our cabin (7288). Room was very nice, ample storage space, balcony was small, but fit our needs. No shower curtain to deal with, that was a treat in itself. Our room steward, Peter, was fantastic, room was kept immaculate. He came by shortly after our arrival to introduce himself.

We did St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. Loved St. Thomas and St. Maarten, great shopping and prices. Would love to do those ports again. The last three ports were so so. Very poor countries; however, resort areas were very pretty and lush.

Every crew member we came across was extremely friendly, always had a smile and hello for everyone, no complaints there. The cruise director, Mike Hunnerup, is number one his field, so outgoing!!

Entertainment was great - The Platters were there one night, great show. Ice show is a must, hard to believe they can do what they do on such a small piece of ice and a moving ship to boot! We did the Adventure Quest (Adult Game) the one evening, what a hoot! Such fun.

Food in the dining room was awesome and only topped by our waitstaff. Our waiter Daniel from Romania and Ercon from Turkey were tops, we wanted for nothing. So nice being pampered.

The only complaint I did have, was on the pool deck, bar personnel weren't as available and personable as on other cruises I have been on. Drink prices have gone up considerably since my last cruise, but that didn't stop us!

Debarkation went smoothly, were off the ship by 10:00 am, had a 2:20 pm flight. Luggage is taken to a warehouse, separated by colored tickets, find your luggage, go through one final check and out the door you go. A truck is there to carry luggage to airport, if air was scheduled through RCCL. Buses transport you to the airport, drop you off, that's when it all starts.

You walk into the airport, there are five to six lines (broken down by flight numbers), about 100 to 150 people in each, you are directed to have one person from your party go stand in the line, the others are advised to stand and watch over your luggage. You are in these lines to get to the ticket counter for boarding passes, we were in line for 2 1/2 hours, the airport had no air conditioning, what a disaster! And it was HOT!!! Finally got to ticket counter at 1:30 pm, only to find out our flight was delayed 1 1/2 hours, lucky for us...now we would have time to grab something to eat. Don't have many choices for food...Subway Subs, McDonalds, a Taco joint and a hotdog stand. Be prepared, a McDonald's Big Mac Combo was $7.29.

Off to the security checkpoint, got through this in no time, then off to the gate to wait for our flight, thinking we could finally sit and regroup, wrong, all seats were taken in the waiting area, stood for another 1 1/2 hours.

I would seriously think twice before using San Juan as a departure point for cruising, but if I did, I believe I would stay an extra day or two just to let all the cruise traffic depart the area.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Debbie

thank you for the report. we sail on aos 5/23--getting close! we are have your iten. and have a jr. suit on dk 9.

a few questions:

did one sea day work or would you have rather had 2 or 3 sea days?

st thomas

1) did you have to do customs?

1) no tendering here, right?

st maarten

1) to get into town you tender and take water taxies?!?!

antigua

1) no tendering, again?

st lucia

1) no tendering?

barbados

1) no tendering?

what seating did you have?

what time were the production shows

what days and times were the ice shows

i think we have the drifters performing on our cruise!

BIG QUESTION

WHAT TIME DID YOU EMBARK AOS??

WHAT SHORE EXCURSIONS DID YOU DO?

we have booked everything through rccl. we are going to san juan 2 days prior to cruise and have trasportation from our hotel to pan american pier as part of our deal HOWEVER WE ARE TO BE PICKED UP AT HOTEL AT 1PM!!! IM THINKING THIS IS TOO LATE AND THAT WE SHOULD TAKE A TAXI ON OUR OWN ND GET TO THE PIER AROUND 11AM...WHAT DO YOU THINK?

again, thanks for the report!!!!!

dean & alice

ALICE & DEAN

ADVENTURE 5/23/04 EXPLORER 9/27/03

time left till adventure of the seas

Alice and Dean,

Would have loved one more day at sea. I love sitting by the pool, sipping the drinks and looking at the BIG world around us and exploring the ship.

No, you do not have to do customs in St. Thomas. You only have do go thru customs when leaving the ship once you return to San Juan.

There are taxis readily available at the pier in St. Thomas. We were able to dock at each port. Took a water taxi in St. Maarten.

Had late dinner seating (8:30 p.m.). On day of departure late dinner seating is 9:00 p.m. due to mandatory muster drill at 8:30 p.m.

Production show times varied, some were before dinner, some after dinner. Ice shows were Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

We did not get out of San Juan Airport until about 2:30 p.m., our documents said boarding would start at 4:00 p.m., but people were already on board when we got there. There is a buffet lunch available in the Windjammer upon arrival.

Shore excursions:

St. Thomas - Kon tiki Party Boat

St. Maarten - Afternoon Beach Bash

Antigua - Antigua Beach Break

St. Lucia - Coastal Cruise to the Pitons

Our favorite was Antigua Beach Break, beautiful water, good food.

Have a great time on your cruise.

Debbie

How refreshing to hear a nice review! Thank you, Debbie, for sharing that. I relived the cruise (we were on it last year) and can't wait to do it again. Karen

 to get me on the ADVENTURE OF THE SEA

Roll call AOS 6/06/04 click here

Debbie,

Thanks for the great review! We're doing the same intenterary on June 20 and can't wait! What airline did you use? I've read that if you fly American Airlines it's not so bad at the San Juan airport...

Happy Sailing!!

Corkle

<img src=http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=000080&cdt=2004;6;20;7;33;00&timezone=GMT-0800> Adventure of the Seas

HI, we are also just back from AOS cruise. I agree with aunt debbie that it was a wonderful cruise! The ship is beautiful, food was great and service exceptional. We had aft corner cabin and asked for 2 lounge chairs and they were delivered the next day. Plenty of room on this balcony, we spent a lot of time there. The only thing we didn't like was the airport in San Juan. It was ok when we arrived, but coming home was a pain. I would cruise this ship again in a heartbeat, however, I would prefer not to fly in & out of San Juan. It makes for a very long day of traveling from the northeast. Hope you all enjoy your cruise! Patty

They flew us down on Delta Airlines, great service and flight. Our flight home was on US Air, what a disaster. Our air arrangements were made thru RCCL.

Thanks so much for the review. Makes the anticipation even higher every time I read these. Not looking forward to the airport mess but I am sure rest of trip will make it well worthwhile. Even though we are sailing the other AOS itinerary, it helps to hear the feedback from recent cruisers.

Roll Call AOS 6/13/04 click here

I just returned from the AOS and we took an early flight--we were onboard by 12:15 our cabin was ready at 1:00 and our luggage delivered about 15 minutes later.

The trick is do not take the RCCL transfer, take a cab from the airport, its cost $17 plus tip. It will save you a lot of time.

I found cruising from San Juan much better then Cruising from Miami

Debbie,

Thank you for a great review. We are sailing the same itinerary in August. I can't wait! Until then, I'll live vicariously thru the reviews of others.

Adventure of the Seas 8/2004

Explorer of the Seas 7/2003

Paradise 7/2002

Til We Set Sail on the Adventure of the Seas!

Melissa

Thanks for the reviews- the anticipation is almost too much to bear.

Roll call AOS 6/13/04 click here

Just a suggestion. If at all possible, fly in a day early and fly out a day late. We have done this and the airport congestion is almost non-existant.

I cannot agree more with the advice on taking the taxi vs. the RCI shuttle. Our next cruise will be on the AOS again, and we are still learning "the ropes" after three prior cruises. The above mentioned suggestions are probably ranked number 1 and 2 as what we would advise for travel into and out of Luis Munoz Airport.

We have done the alternate itinerary (Aruba, Curacao) and really enjoy the sea days. When you do this route, you will have to clear customs before going ashore at St. Thomas, as this is the reverse direction of the St. Lucia itinerary, and the first U.S. territory you encounter.

Check out my AOS and Caribe Hilton photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/rascalious

NCL Norway 7/2001 E. Caribbean

Carnival Victory 7/2002 W. Caribbean

RCCI AOS Southern Caribbean 9/2003

RCCI AOS Southern Caribbean 9/19/2004

Until Adventure of the Seas - (Aruba/Curacao)

[This message was edited by rascalious on 05-07-04 at 05:58 PM.]

Aunt Debbie-

Thank you for your review. I can't wait for our trip. I even dreamt about being on a ship last night.

Another question - what nights were the formal nights? And did most men have tuxes, black suits or ???

Nordic Empress 3/01

Carnival Triumph 4/02

Fascination 8/03

Adventure of the Seas 7/04

Aunt Debbie

Glen Burnie--what a small world!! I work in Glen Burnie!! I will sail on AOS in November. I also use RCCL air. When I sailed on Serenade in December, like you, had a great flight down (non-stop on AA) but the return was on Delta. I barely made my connection in Atlanta because the San Juan departure was delayed (by a US Air plane blocking the taxi way).

When I have a late flight out of San Juan I always take the city tour and then avoid most of the lines.

Inspiration 6/96, 12/01

Carnival Destiny 7/97, 11/00

Rhapsody of the Seas 11/98

Norwegian Sea 7/00

Norwegian Star 6/02

Paradise 11/02

Sovereign of the Seas 8/03

Serenade of the Seas 12/03

 until Carnival Triumph 8/04

 until Adventure of the Seas 11/04

Thank you for the review. I also would like to know what nights are Formal nights.

Adventure of the Seas 7/18/04

Roll Call AOS 7/18/04 click here

Continental Airlines has a President's Club in San Juan. I'd assume that some of the other airlines also have clubs or reciprocity for their members. It wasn't as nice as some of their clubs in other cities, but at least there were seats, and snacks and drinks....and it was certainly air-conditioned.

I'd recommend going there if you have to wait for your flight.

~Katherine~

Voyager of the Seas 3/05

Adventure of the Seas 4/03

Celebriy Millenium 2/02

Celebrity Zenith 4/00

Is Continental Airline President Club open to all Continental passangers? Or you have to be Elite status or something.

Adventure of the Seas 7/18/04

Roll Call AOS 7/18/04 click here

Thanks for sharing your AOS review. We are doing the Aruba itinerary next April. Can't wait. I noticed you had late seating for dinner. Did you feel that was too late to eat? Some say eating then was too late and after a good meal, sleep calls?! Were the shows before dinner? And do you remember when first seating is? RCCL told me that late seating on AOS was at 9:00 PM? Thanks for your help.

I am glad to see someone else who sailed the AOS recently that had late seating and were seated at 8:30 pm. Seems like RCL is telling passengers second seating is at 9:00 pm. When I posted my thread when got back from my 4/18 sailing, I got so many responses regarding this half hour difference.

Hi everyone!,

What a small world-we are from Pikesville,Md.

So glad to read your review. We just booked the AOS for January 23, 2005. It is so far away--your review makes it seem more bearable. We are doing the aruba itinerary. We booked air thru Royal Caribbean, mainly due to the winter snow factor. Still wondering if we should take the chance and book the air on our own, it would be much less expensive.

Has anyone taken an inside promenade cabin with the bay window? It looks interesting on the web site.

If any of you went a day early do you have any suggestions for a hotel in San Juan? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

4/19 Brilliance of the Seas

We booked the Radisson thru Priceline for two nights at a great price for this July.

Adventure of the Seas 7/18/04

Roll Call AOS 7/18/04 click here

Have you stayed there before? Is it nice? Where is it located in San Juan and what is a good price for one night? Thanks for any help.

4/19 Brilliance of the Seas

Is anyone out there that has done a pre night stay in San Juan?

Until Our Cruise On The Adventure Of The Seas

Ina905,

Let me know if you find air from Baltimore cheaper than RCI's. I have been checking for my November cruise and can find nothing cheaper.

Inspiration 6/96, 12/01

Carnival Destiny 7/97, 11/00

Rhapsody of the Seas 11/98

Norwegian Sea 7/00

Norwegian Star 6/02

Paradise 11/02

Sovereign of the Seas 8/03

Serenade of the Seas 12/03

 until Carnival Triumph 8/04

 until Adventure of the Seas 11/04