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Just off AOS - Any questions?

LoveMyLifeToday

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ronaldfelder

ronaldfelder

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Got off the AOS yesterday in San Juan. Did the Southern Caribbean cruise. It was fantastic! Anyone have any questions like I did before I went?!!

 

 

i've heard many a negative oipinion about the natives onboard. how were they while you were on board? how were the ports too?

 

ron

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JTJ

JTJ

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Life, what time local (not the ships) does the ship dock at st. thomas & st. martin? I'm going next week (aruba cruise) and am trying to book some morning diving on-line? Also when is the muster drill and the latest you can board on Sunday, we are flying in a day early but would rather mess around in sju than board the ship to soon?

 

JJ

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LoveMyLifeToday

LoveMyLifeToday

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Everyone was great on the ship. I had heard that also, but never ran into ANY cruisers being rude. This was a good time to go because kids were in school so it was quite peaceful!

 

The ports were great: Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, St. Thomas. VERY humid and we're from Florida! We kayaked in Aruba, snorkeled in Curacao, did the America's Cup Regatta (fantastic!) in St. Maarten, and went to Magen's Beach in St. Thomas (breathtaking!). Aruba, of all of them is the most desolate. By the time you get to the "St.s", it is so lush with green!

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giddyup

giddyup

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Welcome back, it's good to hear you had such a nice time ... these negative reviews lately had begun to make me worry, just a little.

 

We will be sailing the same itinerary in a little over a month and are so excited about it. We will be flying in the day before, but want to get on the ship as soon as we can .... what time were you able to board, and approx. how long did the process take?

 

What was your experience with the San Juan airport like? This will be our first time flying here.

 

Of course any other useful info or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks :)

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xranger39@aol.com

xranger39@aol.com

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I too was on this ship and found it anything but peaceful. It was bustling at all times we were not in port!

The ship was at capacity I believe, and I was surprised at the amount of children on this ship. Sailing from San Juan, I expected that there were would be many native Puerto Ricans on the ship. No one was rude, unpleasant, unruly, etc. There was definetely an effort from Royal Caribbean to satisfy these passengers as there was a lot of latin themed music, parades, activities, etc. I thought a little too much. All of the announcements in the lounges, the theaters, the ice rink, the life boat drill all had to be repated in Spanish. There was a definite presence, but not that it hindered the experience.

You will be able to board the ship probably earlier than 2 which is when we got to the ship. There was a very long and hot line outside the ship to go through security and no matter what your Crown and Anchor status is, you will have to wait in this line. Once inside, if you are C&A or if you have your embarkation paperwork (set sail passes) done online and printed, you will sail right on to the ship. The security line was about 30 minutes at that point and then another 10 minutes once inside to get the sea pass cards.

The ship was absolutely beautiful, very innovative, not a lot of movement felt at sea, great bars, atmosphere, and LOADS to do. I thought that the service was okay, not excellent, but I think that was because of the sheer amount of passengers on board. Maybe it was just me, but at the early seating dinner, it was acceptable to walk into dinner 45-50 minutes late.

The ports were terrific, although we had been to St. Maarten/St. Thomas 3 times previous. Aruba's beaches were very beautiful, especially Palm Beach which is where we went. The island itself was very dry. Shopping was excellent in Curacao, but it was so darn hot that we didn't spend much time there. It was very very warm every where we went...bring water on shore with you.

The airport in San Juan was fine, no problems coming from or going to New York. There are not so many places to eat in the airport once you go through security, at least in the Jet Blue terminal, so be prepared to wait on a long line for a sandwich if you are hungry. We disembarked the ship very quickly and we were at the airport coming home by 9 a.m. (we had disembarkation number 3).

If you are able to go to Portofino's for dinner....DO IT! It was absolutely wonderful.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

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xpcdoojk "Live from...." Rare

xpcdoojk

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i've heard many a negative oipinion about the natives onboard. how were they while you were on board? how were the ports too?

 

ron

 

Gee Ron, why would you care? Are these natives aboriginal? O, wait I remember they are US citizens. :rolleyes:

 

jc

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rockyhou

rockyhou

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Well I know why he would care.

 

It has nothing to do with the fact that the marjority are from latin descent, or if you use the word native or locals. The fact is when RCCL fills up the ships empty rooms for cheap cheap prices to the locals of puerto rico, you will end up with two totally different type of clientel.

 

That could be a great thing...but the people who have spent a small forturne getting to San Juan and booking an expensive cabin feel their expeirence is diminished when others no matter what their origin get on board for a margin of the cost, and can easily take over the atmosphere of the ship. Neither type of passenger is any better than the other. But be real when you bring in low end fares you get a larger portion of the population that acts "low-end" on board. That is not to say some of the "high-end" passengers can be equally uncivalized, as you know money does not buy class!

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Wordell1

Wordell1

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I was also on this cruise and we had a great time. I had never cruised on RC before and found the ship and cruise overall to be outstanding. I was surprised by how little I noticed that there were over 3000 passengers on board. I have waited in longers lines on some much smaller ships. Overall, the service and quality of food was a step down from Celebrity (and surprisingly even Norwegian), but this was offset by the number of things to do onboard. I also would highly recommend Portofino's, the food and service were outstanding.

 

There were a lot of cruisers from Puerto Rico. I found them to be every bit as courteous and friendly as everyone else..maybe even more so. I like having lots of different cultures on board. Seeing new places and experiencing new cultures is why I like cruising in the first place.

 

There was a large group from Scandinavia on board also but it is funny that they never seem to get mentioned. I have been on two cruises out of Ft Lauderdale on Celebrity and found lots of people from Florida. My cruise on Norwegian earlier this year from NYC had a whole lot of New Yorkers on (one was me... and yes I got a good last minute deal). I think is actually pretty amusing that people would go to Puerto Rico and leave on a cruise from there and complain that they speak spanish on board.

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LoveMyLifeToday

LoveMyLifeToday

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We arrived at the port around 12:00 p.m. and pretty much went right up to the front of the line to check our bags. We were checked in and sitting in the terminal by 12:30. We were then told we'd be embarking around 2 p.m., so rather than sit in the terminal for all that time, we took a cab ($10 each way) to Chili's in San Juan. When we got back, we walked right onto the ship, a little before 2. There are very few people on the ship at that time, so it's a relaxing time to explore the ship, check on your table seating, and check out your room before your luggage arrives. Ours arrived around 4:30. Enjoy!

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xpcdoojk "Live from...." Rare

xpcdoojk

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Well I know why he would care.

 

It has nothing to do with the fact that the marjority are from latin descent, or if you use the word native or locals. The fact is when RCCL fills up the ships empty rooms for cheap cheap prices to the locals of puerto rico, you will end up with two totally different type of clientel.

 

That could be a great thing...but the people who have spent a small forturne getting to San Juan and booking an expensive cabin feel their expeirence is diminished when others no matter what their origin get on board for a margin of the cost, and can easily take over the atmosphere of the ship. Neither type of passenger is any better than the other. But be real when you bring in low end fares you get a larger portion of the population that acts "low-end" on board. That is not to say some of the "high-end" passengers can be equally uncivalized, as you know money does not buy class!

 

You know this happens all of the time. People do not pay the same prices for cruises. Shocking isn't it. Let me explain it to you so that you can understand why it isn't unfair to you. :rolleyes: You want to know the real tip for getting a great deal on a cruise? Be able to take a cruise at the last minute a couple of weeks out from sailing. Really it is that simple. Who is in position to best do this. Answer those within driving distance to the pier. Planes are expensive the week you want to fly typically. So if you don't live in a port city it is really hard to get the really cheap fares. If you live in Miami for example the people who can take advantage of cheap deals are those who live within an easy days drive. So lets draw a circle around Miami for about 500 miles, pretty big area, right? Unfortunately, the people who can drive to the pier in San Juan is pretty much limited to those on the island. The last time I checked with AAA I didn't see the Florida to Puerto Rico bridge on any maps. ;) So cheap fares occur in all ports of call during low season (ie when kids are in school or hurricane season), so it is not just San Juan so it is not a case of RCI discriminating between those on the Mainland and those on Puerto Rico. Although they often offer specials to locals in Florida, Texas, California, etc that are specific to certain states. It is really easy to take advantage of these super deals all you have to do is move there. Easy legal, and so tempting.:D If you don't want to be on a cruise with those that got a much better deal than you, because they could wait til the last minute. Be sure to travel during high season, and especially holidays like Xmas, because then everyone on the ship is pretty much over paying! :D

 

jc

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