Family Adventure on the AOS 12/2/12 with Pics!

[krev]

Thank you for taking the time to write this, we leave on the 27th for a b2b. I loved the pics of around the ship, we sailed on Serenade two years ago and can't wait!

Edited January 15, 2013 by krev

[Debitoo]

Thank you so very much for your review, I had a blast reading it.

 

 

I know how much work these reviews are and I appreciate all the effort that you put into it.

 

 

Hope to see you around :)

Thank you for your wonderful comments gambee! Doing this review made me appreciate even more, all the work that YOU put into your review. I hope our paths cross on a cruise someday!

[Debitoo]

Debi, Love your review, especially the recap of things learned. You will be off to Alaska before you know it and have a fabulous time. Thanks for posting all the fab pictures and commentary. You done yourself proud, girl:D

 

ITA, our dinner the last night in Portofino's was one of the best ever.:D:D No fake tiramisu (inside joke).

Oh Ginnie, Ginnie, Ginnie! You were my ray of sunshine on this cruise. Thank YOU for all your insight, tips and tricks. You made this journey so much nicer, funner, easier.....etc....Hope to see you again someday....:)

[Debitoo]

Thank you for taking the time to write this, we leave on the 27th for a b2b. I loved the pics of around the ship, we sailed on Serenade two years ago and can't wait!

Thank you for all the nice comments you've made while I was writing this. They sure helped me to keep going!

Edited January 15, 2013 by debitoo

[SueBabe]

Thanks again for your detailed narrative from your "neighbor" from Hemet. We are getting excited for our Oasis cruise in April--with BALCONY :) I have read several comments about not trying to see/do everything on the ship. It takes several trips to see it all. I'll try to prioritize what we want to see and do and won't stress if we don't. Having a positive, open attitude helps to make the most of your time--right! We will have 3 1/2 at-sea days; the ports are Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We anticipate our next cruises to be the Alaskan and the Panama Canal :D Happy cruising all!

Sue

[Debitoo]

Thanks again for your detailed narrative from your "neighbor" from Hemet. We are getting excited for our Oasis cruise in April--with BALCONY :) I have read several comments about not trying to see/do everything on the ship. It takes several trips to see it all. I'll try to prioritize what we want to see and do and won't stress if we don't. Having a positive, open attitude helps to make the most of your time--right! We will have 3 1/2 at-sea days; the ports are Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We anticipate our next cruises to be the Alaskan and the Panama Canal :D Happy cruising all!

Sue

Thanks SueBabe...Neighbor from Hemet!;) Please let us know how your Oasis cruise is. I do like the itinerary. I might have to check that one out. We're starting to search for our next cruise after Alaska. Maybe we'll book on board or get a NCC. BTW, how do you like this crazy coldness here? It was 26 the other night!:confused:

[Daycare Provider]

Thank You for the pre-cruise...cruise.....We leave in March and can't wait.

 

Angela

[Aviator of the Seas]

After lunch we parted ways with them and took the kids to the beach at the La Concha. The waves were rough. It was a red flag day there but the kids still had a blast in the surf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMG, that is a very dangerous beach when the red flag is up. Even if you're wading with water just up to your knees, the undertow can carry you out to sea. I'm glad the kids had fun and nothing happened, but I'm surprised that the Police didn't order them out. My office used to be where the Gucci store is across the street and we saw ambulances carrying people off on a weekly basis.

 

For future reference, folks, don't go in the water at the corner of the beach behind La Concha/Ventana al Mar Park where the breakwater is. When there's even a light chop, a swirl forms in that corner that many people can't overcome.

 

If you want to enjoy the surf it is better and safer to do at the beach behind the Marriott, a few yards to the east.

 

And if I may, if you're ever pulled out to sea by an undertow, don't fight the current trying to get back to shore. Swim parallel to the shoreline until the current subsides.

[BonnieSte]

That is THE BEST review I have ever read!! Thank you so much. Hope you don't mind if I ask a couple of questions :D

1) It seems that if you had dinner at 7:00 you could watch the sun set?

2) If you ate at 7:00 would you have missed any shows if you would have been able to make it?

Thank you so much for you time and hard work!!!!

[TPCRUISER2]

Great review with awesome pictures!

 

Could you tell me again how you booked your excursion on the elegance in barbados? thanks in advance!

[Dolby1000]

4. I’ll probably get flamed here, but this cruise was probably a little too port intensive for me. I would have liked at least 1 more at sea day or have it be an 8 or 9 day cruise with the same ports. Maybe then I would have had the time to make it to all the bars!

 

We (DW and I) took the same cruise several years ago (December '08) and we had the same opinion. It was great to see so many islands but it can make for a tiring and not as relaxing as it could have been cruise for us. We did choose to see the shows, so of course, we stayed up too late at night and then tried to get up early for the next port and by the time we hit a sea day we were more tired than when the cruise started. So this was is very good point so that future AOS cruisers can make appropriate plans to balance port time with ship time.

 

Our next cruise is a 7 day on the Allure with only 3 ports which allows us several sea days.

 

This was a great review. You had lots of excellent pictures and it was like we were there. Thank you for sharing.

 

OWD (Ocean Wave Dave)

Edited January 15, 2013 by Dolby1000

[Debitoo]

OMG, that is a very dangerous beach when the red flag is up. Even if you're wading with water just up to your knees, the undertow can carry you out to sea. I'm glad the kids had fun and nothing happened, but I'm surprised that the Police didn't order them out. My office used to be where the Gucci store is across the street and we saw ambulances carrying people off on a weekly basis.

 

For future reference, folks, don't go in the water at the corner of the beach behind La Concha/Ventana al Mar Park where the breakwater is. When there's even a light chop, a swirl forms in that corner that many people can't overcome.

 

If you want to enjoy the surf it is better and safer to do at the beach behind the Marriott, a few yards to the east.

 

And if I may, if you're ever pulled out to sea by an undertow, don't fight the current trying to get back to shore. Swim parallel to the shoreline until the current subsides.

ITA about the surf. There were actually lots of people in the water. The kids swim in the Pacific ocean all the time and are familiar with the tides and how to get out of them. We call them rip tides here. But your warning is a good one. Everyone listen up! :D

[Debitoo]

Thank You for the pre-cruise...cruise.....We leave in March and can't wait.

 

Angela

I know you'll have a blast! Safe travels :)

[Debitoo]

That is THE BEST review I have ever read!! Thank you so much. Hope you don't mind if I ask a couple of questions :D

1) It seems that if you had dinner at 7:00 you could watch the sun set?

2) If you ate at 7:00 would you have missed any shows if you would have been able to make it?

Thank you so much for you time and hard work!!!!

Thanks for the kind words BonnieSte! We were not able to watch the sunset at dinner. We always did that before dinner from our balcony. The sun was down @ 5:30ish on this cruise. As for the shows, we never really checked the times of them. We were usually done with dinner by 8:30. I hope that helps. Next time we will plan our dinners around the shows......either eating later, like 8 to see the early show or eating at 6 or 6:30 to see the late show.

I hope this helped!

[Debitoo]

Great review with awesome pictures!

 

Could you tell me again how you booked your excursion on the elegance in barbados? thanks in advance!

 

I emailed her at: elegancebarbados@aol.com Let her know when you are coming and how many people. She'll send you all the info you need. She was really good about getting back to me. Every time I had a question, she'd answer me back really quick. She'll ask for a CC to hold the reservation but won't charge it till you get on the boat. (We paid her in cash). Here's their website:http://www.elegancebarbados.com/

 

Thanks for the nice comments!

Edited January 15, 2013 by debitoo

[Debitoo]

 

We (DW and I) took the same cruise several years ago (December '08) and we had the same opinion. It was great to see so many islands but it can make for a tiring and not as relaxing as it could have been cruise for us. We did choose to see the shows, so of course, we stayed up too late at night and then tried to get up early for the next port and by the time we hit a sea day we were more tired than when the cruise started. So this was is very good point so that future AOS cruisers can make appropriate plans to balance port time with ship time.

 

Our next cruise is a 7 day on the Allure with only 3 ports which allows us several sea days.

 

This was a great review. You had lots of excellent pictures and it was like we were there. Thank you for sharing.

 

OWD (Ocean Wave Dave)

Thank you for such nice comments. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who felt this way! We did see one show so it was not a complete loss! I am eying an Oasis cruise with only 3 port stops. Heck, with as big as those ships are, they might as well just sail around in a big circle and forget the ports so we can see (almost) everything the ship has to offer. :) My Alaska cruise should have lots of relaxing time on it. There are only 3 port stops on that one too! Happy cruising!

[cctimmom]

Thank you for an amazing review! We are doing Adventure in 3 months. Our ports will be different, but you helped transport me from cold icky weather to partake in your fabulous vacation. Thank you!

[Daycare Provider]

;)Debi-who was the cruise director? What did you think of the activities on board. I have been very spoiled to have sailed with Ken Rush Twice and Drew Once. Both Men were very friendly and outgoing.

 

Angela

[SueBabe]

Thanks SueBabe...Neighbor from Hemet!;) Please let us know how your Oasis cruise is. I do like the itinerary. I might have to check that one out. We're starting to search for our next cruise after Alaska. Maybe we'll book on board or get a NCC. BTW, how do you like this crazy coldness here? It was 26 the other night!:confused:

 

I definitely will review our cruise--of course, not nearly as detailed as yours lol. I don't ever remember a cold front like this; especially with no rain! We walk in the mornings and it has been really cold. Supposed to get back to normal later this week though.

 

It's so amazing how much time you can spend on this forum; it's my evening (and now parts of the day) entertainment :) But I think it really helps you make the most out of your cruise. Again, thanks to people like you who take the time to fill us in with the details, much appreciated.

Edited January 16, 2013 by SueBabe

[Debitoo]

Thank you for an amazing review! We are doing Adventure in 3 months. Our ports will be different, but you helped transport me from cold icky weather to partake in your fabulous vacation. Thank you!

The Adventure will not disappoint! I'd love to visit the ports on your itinerary someday. I've only been to a couple of them. Thank you for reading along!:)

[Debitoo]

;)Debi-who was the cruise director? What did you think of the activities on board. I have been very spoiled to have sailed with Ken Rush Twice and Drew Once. Both Men were very friendly and outgoing.

 

Angela

We had Drew Devine however Anthony Richards just came aboard on Jan 6th. As for the activities, we were so busy with the ports and kids, we didn't engage in too many of the activities. From what I hear, he was terrific!

[crusinbikers]

Debi - Thank you for the wonderful review and pictures. We will be leaving for the Adventure in a couple weeks. Woo-hoo!!!

 

Was your clock radio in the GS the kind that had an I-pod docking station? This would same some room for more shoes. LOL

 

Thanks, Stephanie

[rcprncss]

Debi, thank you for your detailed review. I really enjoyed it. :)

[Debitoo]

Debi - Thank you for the wonderful review and pictures. We will be leaving for the Adventure in a couple weeks. Woo-hoo!!!

 

Was your clock radio in the GS the kind that had an I-pod docking station? This would same some room for more shoes. LOL

 

Thanks, Stephanie

I don't think so....I don't remember seeing one. To be honest, I covered it with a scarf because the light from the clock bothered me at night :o. We don't have iPhones so I really never looked at it! Sorry.

[Debitoo]

Debi, thank you for your detailed review. I really enjoyed it. :)

Thank you so much! :D