Attempt at a Semi- LIVE report from the Adventure of the Seas b2b, Feb 17 & 24, 2013!

[Duddy]

Robyn, a question that was just posed in another thread which got me curious as well. They let you board about 10am or 11am right? What time were the cabins actually available? I think folks are concerned with going early to beat the 12-2pm peak but do not want to be toting around their carry-ons for hours. Especially if they want to make MDR reservations, explore or just be at the pool.

 

Thanks!

 

~Bob~

[tjmaher]

Robyn,

 

It was great to meet you at the Sail Away on Feb 17 (your first leg of the trip). I just can not believe how fast the time went. Now to begin the countdown till next Feb!

 

As much as you love the AOS, so do Steve and I. You are so right when you say "the crew takes pride in her" and they are always working hard around the ship. It is our favorite ship in the fleet. Just the right size, not too big, not too small! Also, we love leaving and departing from San Juan as it is very quick and painless, well, painless as in no problem, but painful that I am leaving know that there is no cabin stewart or MDR at home! Can't wait for another adventure on her. BUT after our appearance on the newlywed game, not so sure I want to show our faces!!!!

 

Glad you enjoyed your second week and we will look forward to the pictures.

[nroundlake]

CLL Ranger, Thanks so much for posting the WIFI Hot Spots. It was exactly what I was looking for for our cruise leaving San Juan on the 10th. Only 5 more days!:)

[ckrobyn]

Robyn, was AD's captain Gronhaug? Forgive me if I asked already, I have the flu :(

 

aaaaw!!! Feel better soon! Sending you some virtual chicken soup :)

 

Yes, the Captain was Ole Johan Gronhaug = AKA Groundhog as he was called by the CD :p

[ckrobyn]

Robyn, a question that was just posed in another thread which got me curious as well. They let you board about 10am or 11am right? What time were the cabins actually available? I think folks are concerned with going early to beat the 12-2pm peak but do not want to be toting around their carry-ons for hours. Especially if they want to make MDR reservations, explore or just be at the pool.

 

Thanks!

 

~Bob~

 

Hey Bob :)

We were able to board by about 11:25AM, but the cabins were not available until 2PM.

My vote still goes to arriving early - why not start enjoying "Day 1" as soon as you can??

[ckrobyn]

Robyn,

 

It was great to meet you at the Sail Away on Feb 17 (your first leg of the trip). I just can not believe how fast the time went. Now to begin the countdown till next Feb!

 

As much as you love the AOS, so do Steve and I. You are so right when you say "the crew takes pride in her" and they are always working hard around the ship. It is our favorite ship in the fleet. Just the right size, not too big, not too small! Also, we love leaving and departing from San Juan as it is very quick and painless, well, painless as in no problem, but painful that I am leaving know that there is no cabin stewart or MDR at home! Can't wait for another adventure on her. BUT after our appearance on the newlywed game, not so sure I want to show our faces!!!!

 

Glad you enjoyed your second week and we will look forward to the pictures.

 

LOL @ Nurse Nancy!!!! :p You were absolutely hilarious in the Love and Marriage show!!!! It was a pleasure meeting you and I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness in your married life :)

[ckrobyn]

Hi Robyn

 

Hope you win big in the Casino! Can you tell me what the table limits are on the Craps table? Hoping it's low ;)

 

Bummer about the escargot :( It's one of my favorites. I guess it will make it easier to try something else on the menu.

 

I'm following along with your posts. I'll be making my first trip on AOS in just over 3 weeks.

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but apparently RCI is sourcing a new supplier for escargot and they are not expecting it back on the menu until May :eek:

[ckrobyn]

I have never seen the compass says moderate to rough seas.

Let us know how it goes and be safe!

 

I had never seen this printed on the Compass either......but it appeared on each sea day, on the first page underneath the weather forecast - not sure I liked knowing in advance that the ship was going to be rocking and rolling!!! :eek:

[ckrobyn]

Does Aos have the soda stations to use with the cups with the micro chips in?

 

Also just wondered what time the windjammer stays open to. Hope your having a fab time. Loving reading your blog

 

No, there are no self-serve soda stations as of yet. I believe they may be installed during dry dock next year.

[ckrobyn]

I've been following this thread in advance of our "adventure" on the AOS in a few months but hadn't planned on commenting unless something caught my attention... Which it just did... Mmmmmmm strawberry daiquiri!!

 

Robyn, if you please carry out an experiment and try and find the best daiquiri (frozen if poss!) on the AOL I'd be super grateful! :D;)

 

Hmmmm....there are so many delicious flavours to choose from! My favorite is probably the Strawberry, Mango and Pina Colada....I think it may be called a "Love Connection"?

[ckrobyn]

Ms. Robyn-will there be an cruise director changes in the next two weeks?

 

Thank You,

 

Angela

 

The CD is Anthony Richards for the next few months - he is very good :) He is replacing Drew Devine at the moment.

[ckrobyn]

I think the Valor is in the same port with you somewhere along the way. I was looking up CruiseTT for ours in 4 weeks. The kids would call the Valor "creeping on you" :D LOL

 

Please let us know also how the Jeep rental was and how much it costs. We're in St Maarten in exactly a month with no shore excursions planned. Considering any and all options

 

~Bob~

 

Bob - the Jeep rental for the day was $150 which included insurance. We do have the insurance through our credit card, but we purchased it anyways as ours does not cover 4WD.

[crisndeefromde]

Robyn,

 

It was great to meet you at the Sail Away on Feb 17 (your first leg of the trip). I just can not believe how fast the time went. Now to begin the countdown till next Feb!

 

As much as you love the AOS, so do Steve and I. You are so right when you say "the crew takes pride in her" and they are always working hard around the ship. It is our favorite ship in the fleet. Just the right size, not too big, not too small! Also, we love leaving and departing from San Juan as it is very quick and painless, well, painless as in no problem, but painful that I am leaving know that there is no cabin stewart or MDR at home! Can't wait for another adventure on her. BUT after our appearance on the newlywed game, not so sure I want to show our faces!!!!

 

Glad you enjoyed your second week and we will look forward to the pictures.

 

Oh Nurse Nancy!! come join us back on the Adventure for one or both of our weeks!!!! Showing your face is never a problem girlfriend!!! I have to say it was easier going in and out of san juan then doing Bayonne!!! Getting on and off the ship was easier this time than last time. Talking about service...huh...no steward here and the chef sucked in the kitchen here tonight..lol We sure didn't starve tonight tho..lol

 

Can't wait to see you guys again.

[ckrobyn]

I'm also loving the Robyn/Ocean Boy back and forth- for some reason I'm getting flashbacks to Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon...

 

I feel as if I have known Ocean Boy for a very long time......although we have never met :rolleyes::p

[ckrobyn]

WHAAAAAAAAA. NOOOOOOO! Say is ain't so! You were my lifeline to serenity for the past two weeks and now I don't know what I'll do for the next . . . count them . . . 55 loooooong days.

 

Thanks for the fun and sun (as I sit her is "beautiful" - yeah, sarcasm - OHIO). The tag-along cruise was great. And thanks Oceanboy! Between the two of you, I could picture myself there!

 

Hope it's nice to be home! Can't wait for your next report. . . do you do the same reporting on your land vacations? Think you should!!!!

 

Thanks for your nice comments :) This was my first LIVE and I enjoyed it a lot more than I had anticipated!!!

I have not done any LIVE reports on land vacays......:rolleyes:

[ckrobyn]

Robyn, did you see any of the RC beer coolers around the pool deck? I'd probably buy one if AOS has them next month.

 

YES! At first I didn't realize what they were? I really liked them and was tempted to buy a bucket so I could have one!!!! They are really nice :D

[vince5251]

CKRobin -

 

Can I pick your expert-southern Caribbean cruising brain for some advice? Again, DW and I will be doing an Oasis western Caribbean cruise at the end of April. We have never done a southern cruise out of San Juan, but think that we might want to book one while on-board our upcoming cruise.

 

Never having been to San Juan or on any of the southern routes, I am very leery of booking - just to find out that the route or time frame are not the most optimal/enjoyable.

 

I did not realize that the Adventure would be dry-docked, but have found it sailing up through the dates that I have listed below (After the dates below, it goes to the Jewel of the Seas, which is in the Radiance class - a class we haven't sailed. Although we have sailed Navigator in the Voyager fleet.).

 

Can you please give us some of your personal opinions/recommendations on the itineraries, dates, lodging recommendations, etc? Any advice on the islands for the itineraries would be helpful, as we have no info on any of these - let alone personal experience. Have you ever sailed this route on any other RC ships? Recommendations? Any other lines ships? We prefer RC, but I guess if worse came to worse, we could go on another line if needed to get the route we wanted.

FEB 16; MAR 02 Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

FEB 23

Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

All of your advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

All of my best !

[ckrobyn]

CKRobin -

 

Can I pick your expert-southern Caribbean cruising brain for some advice? Again, DW and I will be doing an Oasis western Caribbean cruise at the end of April. We have never done a southern cruise out of San Juan, but think that we might want to book one while on-board our upcoming cruise.

 

Never having been to San Juan or on any of the southern routes, I am very leery of booking - just to find out that the route or time frame are not the most optimal/enjoyable.

 

I did not realize that the Adventure would be dry-docked, but have found it sailing up through the dates that I have listed below (After the dates below, it goes to the Jewel of the Seas, which is in the Radiance class - a class we haven't sailed. Although we have sailed Navigator in the Voyager fleet.).

 

Can you please give us some of your personal opinions/recommendations on the itineraries, dates, lodging recommendations, etc? Any advice on the islands for the itineraries would be helpful, as we have no info on any of these - let alone personal experience. Have you ever sailed this route on any other RC ships? Recommendations? Any other lines ships? We prefer RC, but I guess if worse came to worse, we could go on another line if needed to get the route we wanted.

 

FEB 16; MAR 02 Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

FEB 23

Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

All of your advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

All of my best !

 

Well, I can tell you that I will be sailing again on the Adventure the week of February 23rd 2014 :D Who knows - if you end up booking we could be sailing the same week!!!

You ask for recommendations on dates - we love sailing the Caribbean in late February, the seas are usually calm and the weather perfect.

 

As far as lodgings go - we always fly into the port city at least 1 or 2 days ahead and our hotel choice is always the Marriott Stellaris, however many people have stayed in other hotels and have given positive feedback. If you are partial to a particular hotel chain, check Trip Advisor and see what others had to say, or ask on here :)

 

I have not sailed this route on any other ships......in fact, I have never sailed on any line other than RCI.

 

The islands on this itinerary are fantastic - do you have any specific questions?

[Cadiesmom]

Really enjoyed reading this....soon we will be setting sail on our own Adventure! Thanks for all the details!

[vince5251]

 

The islands on this itinerary are fantastic - do you have any specific questions?

 

 

CKRobyn - We have sailed on the Eastern route previously, so we have been to St. Thomas and St. Maaten. We haven't done any others on the Southern routes, but have read that subscribers either love or hate certain islands. I'd love your thoughts on any of the islands listed, and possibly what your deciding factor was in choosing the route that you did on Feb. 23. Thanks again!

 

FEB 16; MAR 02 Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

FEB 23

Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; San Juan, Puerto Rico

[Jules12Wed]

No, there are no self-serve soda stations as of yet. I believe they may be installed during dry dock next year.

 

Thanks Robyn. Loved reading your updates each day,

[MajorDeegan]

No, there are no self-serve soda stations as of yet. I believe they may be installed during dry dock next year.

 

Robyn if you purchase the soda package what do you have to do to get your soda? Is there a special cup or do you just show your sea pass?:rolleyes:

Edited March 6, 2013 by CLL Ranger

[Clarea]

Robyn if you purchase the soda package what do you have to do to get your soda? Is there a special cup or do you just show your sea pass?:rolleyes:

There is a special cup, and you can use that, or just your SeaPass card if you don't have the cup with you at the moment.

[ckrobyn]

Thanks Robyn. Loved reading your updates each day,

 

Thanks Jules - I enjoyed posting every day!!! :)

[ckrobyn]

CKRobyn - We have sailed on the Eastern route previously, so we have been to St. Thomas and St. Maaten. We haven't done any others on the Southern routes, but have read that subscribers either love or hate certain islands. I'd love your thoughts on any of the islands listed, and possibly what your deciding factor was in choosing the route that you did on Feb. 23. Thanks again!

 

FEB 16; MAR 02 Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

FEB 23

Ports of Call:

San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Well - I can say that when it comes to the above 2 itineraries, you can't go wrong with either. If you have never been as far south as Aruba and Curacao, you should definitely get there at some point - they are lovely islands with a strong cultural influence. Lucky for us we have rarely had to decide between the 2 as we generally do B2B's....