Sailing AOS 10/1/06 need help (merged)

[ace19cihl]

booked a D2 room 9560 anyone have pics.

 

Whats the difference between all of the balcony rooms?

 

Any tips for saving space in the room?

[ace19cihl]

what is there to do in the following islands?

 

Bridgetown,Barbados

Castries,StLucia

St.johns,Antigua

Phillpsburg,St.Maraten

Charlotte Amalie,St.Thomas

 

 

any suggestions please thanks :)

[emen822]

We did the same route on the Serenade this year and had a great time. I would recommend Silvermoon in Barbados. If you check the ports of call forum, you will see plenty of rave reviews. If we go back to Barbados, we would definitely book it again. The other islands we just winged it and went to beaches.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[EggDropErin]

My personal vote for Antigua would be to stay on the ship. We really didn't care for the island.

[Shiba]

I was on the other AOS route (with Aruba), so I can only comment on two of your stops...We did the Jeep tour of St. Martin and loved it - got to see the entire island, we went to 3 different beaches (including Orient Beach - gorgeous!) and had some time to walk around on our own. Of all the places we've been to since, St. Martin is still our favorite port (I hope to go back someday). We shopped and went to Maegan's Bay and Coral World in St. Thomas - great shopping there, the beach was pretty, Coral World was just OK. We booked all our excurions through the ship.

 

This was our first cruise, before I knew of these boards. Go to the ports of call boards and you will find great ideas and vendor recommendations for exursions.

 

Have fun planning!

[cleophus12]

In Barbados we rented a car and drove to Sunbury Plantation and then on to the Folkestone Marine Park. Can't say I'd recommend that--highways are not marked and maps don't help. We spent most of the day lost, but did get to see some of the island.

 

In Antigua we just took a taxi to Dickenson Bay and rented a jet ski. Then it rained so we went back to the ship. Not terribly impressed with Antigua.

 

Rented a car in St. Lucia and drove to Soufriere. A fabulous day. Island is easy to navigate and roads are fairly well marked. Even tho the steering wheel is on the right and the driving is on the left, we had no trouble and had a wonderful time. Went to the drive in volcano (not too great, but interesting just the same) and to Anse Chastenet to snorkle (WOW!). We had a terrific day.

 

Had been to SXM before, so we rented a car there too and drove out to Loterie Farms for the Zip Line, then into Marigot and back to Grand Case for crepes. Stopped at Boo Boo Beach for the afternoon. Another great day.

 

Had been to STT several times so we rented a car and drove into town to shop. Then we went to a hotel we'd stayed at before--Secret Harbour--and hung out on the beach. Then up to Mountain Top for fun and back down to the ship.

 

We prefer doing things on our own rather than shore excursions. Keeps us on our own schedule and saves money. Although I know it's not for everyone, we love it.

[ace19cihl]

Thanks so far great ideas I think we are going to go on our own most of the time my WIFE TO BE omg is a real beach person I am too but I can only take in the sun so much i get board sitting there i need things to do i love beaches with waves keep the great ideas comming.:)

[ace19cihl]

I am going on the AOS on 10/1/06 we are going to stay in san juan 2 days after the cruise the hotel we have booked is the Sheraton in old san juan

has anyone stayed there before is it a safe clean hotel or should i be worried ????:rolleyes:

[superjerryw]

the hotel we have booked is the Sheraton in old san juan. has anyone stayed there before is it a safe clean hotel or should i be worried ????:rolleyes:

 

You should be OK. Just don't pay any attention to those chalk drawings on the floor of the hotel that look like the outlines of bodies.....:eek:

 

Actually, I've never stayed at the hotel, but I have seen it numerous times as it is accross the street from the main pier area. I believe that before it was a Sheraton it belonged to Wyndham. If you are interested in sightseeing in Old San Juan it's a perfect location as you will be around the corner from everything. As is the case everywhere, exercise an adequate amount of caution. Personally, after dark I would take a taxi anywhere that I wanted to go.

[ace19cihl]

how far is the pan american pier from this hotel?

 

any good places to eat?

 

 

 

 

;)

[lv2cruisgrl]

We stayed there last October and it was nice. There is a resturant right off the lobby and we ate breakfast and dinner there. The service and food was good. Our room was very nice, the pool is on the 7th floor (I think) and there is a casino right off the lobby. The best part is you can walk to many of the stores to shop. We liked the location very much. We took a cab at 10:30 in the morning to the ship,they assisted us with that and it seemed everyone cruising was doing the same thing. It's not far to the port. We would stay there again.

[wrp96]

We stayed there in March both pre- and post- cruise. We felt completely safe the entire time. The hotel is well maintained. Be sure to check out the roof top pool, where you have a view of the ships. It was a perfect jumping off point to wander around Old San Juan. It was about a 10-15 minute taxi ride to the Pan Am Pier before the cruise.

[cricketgal]

We stayed there before our AOS cruise and it is a very nice hotel and very clean. It was a Whyndam hotel when we stayed there. It is very central to Old San Juan. We had dinner out on the upstairs patio at the hotel and it was very nice. They have a BBQ buffet there too, if that appeals to you.....food smelled great. Lovely ambiance there and very safe. There is also a Senor Frogs just behind the hotel. Old San Juan pier is right across the street and you can see ships coming in to dock there, which is cool. RCCL docks at Pan Am pier and it is a short taxi ride away, about 10 minutes. Prepare yourself for a long wait for an elevator on cruise morning and crowds of people in the lobby waiting for a taxi. Here is a tip, take an elevator up and then back down....it will be shorter than waiting for an empty elevator. When you get to the lobby, immediately ask the porter to put you in for a taxi, as there will likely be a wait.

 

If you prefer a beach setting with beautiful pools and more choices of restaurants, we have also stayed at the Condado Beach Resort (just across the bridge from Old San Juan) and we personally prefer it to the Sheraton OSJ. Both are very nice though, just depends on your preferences.

 

AOS is a great ship by the way, you will love it and fabulous itinerary!

[wrp96]

Barbados - the Silvermoon is absolutely wonderful. My best friend would go back on that route, simply for the Silvermoon.

 

St. Lucia - we did a tour with Cosol (www.cosol-tours.com) which I highly recommend. Very inexpensive, small numbers in his parties, he and his brother Yellowbird, seem to know everybody and everyone. They go everywhere plus provide you with local food and drink. If there is something you want to do that isn't on his regular tour, he will try and arrange it for you.

 

Antigua - we just went to a beach.

 

St. Martin - just went to a beach and shopped.

 

St. Thomas - take the ferry over to St. John and go to Trunk Bay for absolutely gorgeous views, and snorkeling.

[mom kaplan]

We just stayed at the Sheraton in July. Nice, but not spectacular, hotel. I would stay there again. As others have said, it's within walking distance of the stores/shops in Old San Juan.

If you're there Sat. night, I recommend going for a walk to see the street fair/vendor area where you can eat traditional foods, shop for trinkets, and see some of the street entertainers. It's to the right as you leave the hotel and just a few blocks down. I felt very safe walking, even with just my 16 yr. old son with me. He loved seeing it.

There's a relatively new Starbucks not far from the hotel if you like a morning stroll and coffee before you leave for your cruise. My teenage boys took full advantage of the rooftop pool and hot tub.

 

In terms of excursions:

Barbados--we did the Swim with the Sea Turtles and Shipwreck snorkeling through RCI. Liked it a lot.

St. Lucia--we also did the Cosol Tour (on our own) and would highly recommend them. The entire family loved the fact that we were able to see and taste the local treats (fresh coconut water, mangos like you've never had before, Creole bread, Johnny cakes, banana ketchup, etc). Also went to a beautiful resort to use their beach for over an hour.

Antigua--we stayed relatively close to the ship. Nothing interested us. It must be known that this isn't a popular port because that was the only day we were in port that the dining room was open for lunch. Usually it was just the Windjammer.

St. Martin--took a taxi to Marigot and then to Orient Beach

St. Thomas--did RCI's Snorkeling trip to Trunk Bay on St. Johns

 

Whatever you choose to do, hope you have a ball!:)