AOS 7/19-7/26 - 1st time Cruiser Review with pics!

[kristyintx]

I am lovin' your review! We board AOS - same itinerary - THIS SUNDAY! Woot!

 

Your review is getting me SO EXCITED! Keep it coming and thanks so much!

[cookie225]

OK thats it i can't stand it anymore!!! please finish this review, i have an idea, take a day off from work & just type away:D your pictures are amazing, not even the cruise line has the pool area pics you do, beautiful.

I will be on the AOS in november so I'm going to say it for all those on the boards that held it in.....IM SOOOO JEALOUS OF THAT UPGRADE:p..

It will be my first on RCI, taken 8 with Carnival and i think i choose the right ship.....Its so good to read reviews like these, so far it looks like you had a wonderful time....ok please continue...................

[DrmnOfMaui]

This evening my husband and I discovered one of our new all time favorite places, Portofino! I can’t say enough about this restaurant. The service was top notch, the food excellent and the whole dining experience extremely pleasurable. I was surprised that the restaurant was not all that busy.

 

Mom & Dad's Night Out!

 

We were greeted with the smiling Ashmeed and seated at a lovely window seat for two. Our servers Gordana and Lyndon were phenomenal. They worked as a team throughout the meal with everything timed to perfection. First, we enjoyed a glass of delicious Pinot Noir and tasted each and every one of the breads brought in the basket. With the breads they served several “dips”, roasted garlic, balsamic and oil, olive tapenade, bruschetta, and a mushroom spread. Fantastic! Next came our starters. I had the Pear and Gorgonzola Salad while my husband enjoyed his Scallops and Saffron Risotto. Our main dishes for the evening were right up there with some of the best meals we’ve ever had. I had the Beef Fillet (Grilled North American beef tenderloin on creamy truffle mashed potatoes, roasted garlic and seasonal vegetables) and my husband had a stunning Seafood Skewer (skewer of Maine lobster, gamberoni, scallops and salmon grilled and served with Ligurian potatoes, and sun-dried tomatoe burre blanc.)

 

The Portofino menu is on the Royal Caribbean website if you are interested. We ended up eating there 3 times!

 

Portofino

 

Dessert was again out of this world!! They had a special Dessert Sampler available this evening and I ate each and every sample. From the top left we had White Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu (my favorite!), Vanilla Pana Cotta, and Flourless Chocolate Cake. This, in combination with the coffee, was divine!

 

Excellent Dessert!!!

[ANewCruiser]

Your review is great!!

When you had Priority Suite boarding, did you notice Diamond and Platinum boarding also?

Thanks-

Sue

[masonpips]

For My Time Dining, were you able to request your first night seating in advance (because of the suite?). When I called to switch to it, I was told I'd have to go the day we boarded and make a reservation. Thanks!

[DrmnOfMaui]

Your review is great!!

When you had Priority Suite boarding, did you notice Diamond and Platinum boarding also?

Thanks-

Sue

 

Thanks Sue (And everyone else!).

 

I didn't notice much difference in boarding... however after we dropped our luggage there seemed to be a separate line for Diamond + members. We went to a longer line, they had a much shorter line and were probably the first to enter the terminal. Hopefully someone else can clarify that one for you!:)

[DrmnOfMaui]

For My Time Dining, were you able to request your first night seating in advance (because of the suite?). When I called to switch to it, I was told I'd have to go the day we boarded and make a reservation. Thanks!

 

Yes we booked it in advance. I was under the impression that everyone could do that, but I'm not completely sure. I didn't think that was due to the suite booking. Our TA booked it for us and our documents said "My Time Dining" on them. There was quite a line there the 1st day with people securing the MTD and making reservations for certain times. We thought it was a good program. The timing worked well for our family, but we ended up only going to the dining room 3 times. I can see how it would be fun to sit in a regular seating and dine with other tablemates, but the times were off for our family. Seemed we would have to rush for the 1st one, and the 2nd one was just too late. We ate around 7 every night and it worked for us.

[LDR]

I am loving your review! AOS is my favorite RCI ship so far. We sailed the Aruba route in

March 2008. We had a pretty cool cabin, an aft JS:) Congrats on the upgrade, send me some of your luck!

[LovesToTravel47]

awesome review! Will be on AOS September 27 to October 4 with same ports. I am so looking forward to the cruise. :D

[roe2ship]

I LOVE your detailed review with the pictures!

 

I had the same meal your husband did at Portofino's......it was delicious!

 

Looking forward to reading more.

[English Jane]

aaarrrggh....

 

please don't stop!!!

 

:D

[Jan_In_Maine]

Thanks for the info on Portofino's - We will be having dinner there for the first time in a little over 3 weeks. Love the looks of all the desserts! Jan

[Cruising89143]

In the master bedroom we found a round, king size (yeah!) bed, a walk in closet walled with drawers, a vanity and another (not flat screen) tv that also disappeared into a cabinet when not in use. The bathroom had double sinks, a full jacuzzi bathtub and a shower that could fit the whole family! It had 3 shower heads and doubled as a steam room. The toilet area was was complete with a sink, bidet and toilet and could be accessed by either the living room or the master bedroom.

 

We were on the Adventure back in April and had this cabin. No upgrade though but it was great. Spoils you for future cruises.:)

[Cruising89143]

This evening was Formal Night and even the kids enjoyed putting on their finest. My husband and I stopped in at the Concierge Lounge for a pre-dinner drink and really enjoyed meeting the Concierge, Dede (she is a blast!) and getting to know other cruise guests. We ended up meeting the same people almost each evening and really looked forward to our evening CL time throughout the trip!

 

My daughter and Dede

 

 

DeDe is the best. She was awesome. A true gem.

[ftsservice]

great pictures, good review.. make me wish holiday came faster

[ftsservice]

oups...double post can be deleted

[ThinkingInPink]

Thanks for your review!!! Probably the best review I have read/seen on this itinerary, which we sail in less than 50 days! wahooo!!! Keep it coming!!!!!!!!!

[LookingForward2]

Your review is GREAT !! It's helping me to relive our week all over again.

I am also loving your pictures - although, with that awesome camera you had, I was sure they'd be great. (giving aplmac a run for the money...lol)

 

Not sure if you remember us or not - we had a great week also.

[DrmnOfMaui]

St. Lucia

 

This day was my daughter’s 10th birthday and she was so excited to spend it in such an exotic locale. My husband and I slept in a bit too late this morning and missed the Adventure passing the Pitons, but our arrival to this island was beautiful nevertheless.

 

For our day in St. Lucia we booked a tour with Cosol Tours. This excursion has been highly recommended over and over again on the St. Lucia board as well as on TripAdvisor. Cosol is an energetic, ultimately organized guy and strives hard to provide a quality product. The day was long... with lots of driving on very curvy roads with limited time at each location (just as the previous reviews said). The great part is you will see a much of the island and sample a number of local foods as well as experiencing a “greatest hits” overview of the most prominent features of the island. I think the stop at Jalousie Beach was the highlight of the trip!

 

Cosol was easy to spot standing at the bottom of the gangway and he organized everyone into different vans. Our driver was Jn Claude... friendly, laid-back, considerate... he couldn’t have been nicer! Our van had another family from the AOS as well as a honeymoon couple who were staying on the island. I was impressed that this couple was brave enough to rent a car and navigate much of the island on their own. They did caution that there are few street signs, the roads narrow, driving is on the “wrong” side and the main highway consists of a narrow, two-lane, windy, hilly road. They were so confident and looked so young!

 

My daughter and Jn Claude

 

The first stop is at a banana plantation, followed by a “drive-in” volcano (you literally drive into the crater with smelly sulphur vents surrounding you), a waterfall, a botanical garden, and water taxi to Jalousie Beach. We also drove through the fishing villages of Anse La-Raye and Canaries and stopped above Soufriere where we had a splendid look at the Pitons.

 

View of one of the fishing villages

 

At the banana plantation Jn Claude provided fresh picked St. Lucia bananas for us to try. Wonderful! I made my not so bright move of accepting an offer from a young local boy to try a piece of coconut (I had seen him talking to one of the guides and thought he was part of the tour....) and just as I bit into the piece he said “That will be one dollar miss.” I had even warned my kids not to accept anything from anyone! They are still giving me a bad time for that one! Jn Claude gave us a quick rundown of how the plantation works, how the bananas grow and how they are transported.

 

Baby Bananas

 

The “breakfast” was a buffet of sorts with an array of locally made foods. We tried Johnny Cakes, fish cakes, chicken with banana ketchup, coconut cake, guava fudge and fresh local fruits... just to name a few. There were 4 tables laden with local fare and all well labeled. The guides were fun as they were roaming the crowds urging everyone to try different items and explaining what they were. I will never forget the fresh picked mango slices! So much better than I’ve ever had here from my local Costco. The coconut cake was a highlight too. Beverages included (all you desired to consume) water, soda, local beer (Piton beer) and tasty rum punch.

 

Tastes of local foods

 

On our way to the volcano site we stopped at an overlook in Soufriere to photograph the Pitons. Absolutely gorgeous!! Also absolutely crowded. It did seem as though all the tour guides were following similar paths and all vying to get the best spot for their group.

 

Sourfiere Overlook of the Pitons

 

The volcano was interesting, and the sulphur smell was very strong (the guide somehow convinced us this was a good thing!). Cosol arranged for a park guide to give a brief talk about the volcanic activity of the island and the Caribbean. I have a bit of a geology background, so that was really fun for me!

 

Volcanic steam vent

[DrmnOfMaui]

After the volcano we made our way to the water taxis that took us on a quick but dazzling trip around the Grand Piton to Jalousie Beach. What a spectacular place!!! Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I truly don’t think that I have ever been to a more beautiful location. We had about an hour and a half there, but I could have stayed all day. My husband and the kids snorkeled (they said it was good... saw the “usual” tropical fish in addition to a jellyfish and squid!) while I wandered around with my camera in hand. If we ever return to St. Lucia I would love to spend the day at Jalousie beach. Put this place on your bucket list for sure!

 

Water Taxi to Jalousie Beach

 

View from the water taxi

 

 

Jalousie Beach!

 

 

Jalousie Beach

 

 

Our water taxi picked us up and took us back to our van where Cosol urged everyone to sample a lethal (180+ proof!) spiced rum concoction that he personally makes. Wow, was it strong! We then began our return trip with a brief stop at a waterfall and botanical garden site. The waterfall was pretty, but not huge. Apparently the rain forests in St. Lucia get about 2 inches of water per day! The gardens were not very large either, but contained specimens of lovely tropical flowers. If only we could all have such lush gardens!

 

Waterfall

 

Flowers from the Botanical Gardens

[DrmnOfMaui]

Next Jn Claude stopped for some wonderful hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread and cheese. The timing was perfect as after the long day we were all starting to get a bit hungry. The return trip included a stop at Marigot Bay where Dr. Dolittle and parts of Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed as well as a spectacular view of the ship. Two lovely vistas!

 

My daughter and her bread

 

Marigot Bay

 

The Adventure!

 

The day was long, getting us back to the ship around 3:30, but it was a good whirlwind tour of the island. Not in-depth at any one location, but if you have only limited time on the island it is an excellent highlight of the best of the island.

 

The St. Lucia port has some nice shops if you are interested in shopping. We popped in and out of a few, but didn’t really buy much.

 

View of shops from the balcony

 

Back on the ship we enjoyed a quick drink on our balcony while listening to the steel drum band down on the pier. This was quickly becoming my favorite part of the afternoons! We had planned this evening for the dining room but ended up with room service instead. All of us were pretty worn out, so dinner on the balcony was just the ticket. Once again the service was prompt, and the food hot.

 

St. Lucia sail away

[DrmnOfMaui]

Your review is GREAT !! It's helping me to relive our week all over again.

I am also loving your pictures - although, with that awesome camera you had, I was sure they'd be great. (giving aplmac a run for the money...lol)

 

Not sure if you remember us or not - we had a great week also.

 

Thanks Laura!! Of course we remember you. I never got to properly thank you for helping my son carry our bags to the water taxi that we almost missed! One of the things that I read to bring on the trip was a watch... didn't bring it though so we lost track of time. Easy to do on that lovely beach.

 

Here's you in St. Lucia!! I'd love to hear how your tour of the day was too.:)

 

[mex25]

Dreamin of Maui-What an awsome cruise report!!!!-we were on the same cruise last month! Consol was awsome as well! We really loved St lucia-reminded of Hawaii -but better! Keep this report going...

 

Here's my trip video i did on St lucia-enjoy;)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ProfileGallery-i19914910.html

[ThinkingInPink]

what camera were you using by the way? pics are lovely.

[B767drvr]

what camera were you using by the way? pics are lovely.

 

Canon XSI, a Christmas present from my wonderful husband! All pictures are taken either with the kit 18-55 IS lens or a Cannon 55-250 IS lens. I love the camera and lenses.

 

 

Edited to say "Oops!!! I posted under my husband's name!!!"