For all those who have booked or are going to book the AOS - read this!

[familyof4cruising]

Who is the concierge? thanks

[bilyclub]

DeDe should be back on board..

[ckrobyn]

DeDe should be back on board..

 

 

DeDe is back onboard :D she was our fabulous Concierge the week of Feb 22/09. She says she intends to stay on the AOS right through to when she heads to Europe (except when she has vacation of course ;))

[tinybabynurse]

thanks for the internet info - that is what I had expected. We are booked for 2/21 and then 2/28 - a back to back cruise. I will have my Iphone - that worked great for internet on our recent South America cruise. Mixed reviews for AOS are a little concerning - but we are so easy to please. I know will be great.

[familyof4cruising]

DeDe is back onboard :D she was our fabulous Concierge the week of Feb 22/09. She says she intends to stay on the AOS right through to when she heads to Europe (except when she has vacation of course ;))

 

DeDe should be back on board..

 

Thank you!

[over the edge]

Hey there :)

 

What date in Feb 2010? We are booked for the 28th :p

 

You're gonna love the AOS!!!!!:D

Congratulations on booking your next Adventure of the Seas cruise Robyn. That's great!!!

 

Less than a year to go!! :)

[cruiseguy1016]

Can anyone provide his info on cabins 9690 and 9692?

 

Cruislovin - I just came across this post. We just got off AOS on March 8th. We stayed in 9690 and friends of ours were in 9692. If you haven't sailed yet and you're still looking for pictures/comments let me know. I'll post what I can.

[brickhousesm]

Hi Everyone! My group of 5 are sailing on Adventure of the Seas April 25, 2010. The ports are St. Croix, St. Maarten, St John's, St. Lucia and Barbados. I was wondering about excursions. Can any one tell me what excursion through the ship or through a tour operator they took that was well worth every penny and on the other side which excursion they took that you wish you didn't bother and kept your money? Thanks for all responses.

[ckrobyn]

Hi Everyone! My group of 5 are sailing on Adventure of the Seas April 25, 2010. The ports are St. Croix, St. Maarten, St John's, St. Lucia and Barbados. I was wondering about excursions. Can any one tell me what excursion through the ship or through a tour operator they took that was well worth every penny and on the other side which excursion they took that you wish you didn't bother and kept your money? Thanks for all responses.

 

This will be a brand new itinerary for me, so I can't offer up any insight into possible excursions.....having said that, you can check the ports of call boards and I'm sure there will be lots of good info there! :D I can't wait to try this itinerary though!!!

[tinybabynurse]

Robyn - you are obviously a great fan of the AOS! Can you answer some questions for me? Does the AOS have a concierge club? We have been on the Mariner several times. How does the AOS compare to the MOS?

[ckrobyn]

Robyn - you are obviously a great fan of the AOS! Can you answer some questions for me? Does the AOS have a concierge club? We have been on the Mariner several times. How does the AOS compare to the MOS?

 

Hey there :D Yes, I am a huge fan of the AOS....can you tell? ;)

 

I have been on the Mariner twice and loved it! The ships compare quite well because aside from a few things, they are pretty much exactly the same. There are a few differences though.....Mariner has a Chops and a Portofino, and the AOS only has Portofino, and has no Jade. The AOS has a Sports bar on the Promenade and the Mariner has a wine bar in the same place. The pub on the AOS is the Duck and Dog, and it is the Wig and Gavel on Mariner. I'm sure there are some other subtle differences I have forgotten to mention!!!

 

Yes, the AOS has a Concierge Lounge in the same place as it is on the Mariner on deck 9 :) The Concierge is DeDe and she is fabulous!!!!

[toonjie]

Some of the other differences between the AOS and Mariner are the balconies of the two newest Voyager Class ships (Navigator, Mariner), are outside the superstructure of the ship and are glass, where the AOS, (along with Voyager & Explorer) has steel half way up the balcony railings so your view is partially obstructed if you are lying in bed and trying to look out. (RCCL stuck with this design for the Freedom Class.) You actually have more privacy between balconies with the older design since the divider is steel and not whatever kind of plexiglass type stuff it is on the newer ships. The other main difference is the Adventure Ocean area where there is a waterslide and kiddie pool area on the 3 older Voyager Class Ships, Mariner and Navigator don't have them, but have expanded inside areas. My kids like the Mariner's setup better because they got tired of the waterslide very quickly and are too big for the kiddie pool.

I've been on Mariner twice and AOS three times and have loved every cruise! Both ships have top-notch crews and captains and seem to always have some of the best cruise directors. I think if you love one, you will love the other, both ships are maintained really well and don't show much age.

[griffy]

Thanks! Yes, the AOS has a waterslide, the first 3 Voyager Class ships did, Voyager, Explorer and AOS, and for the Navigator and Mariner they expanded the kids and teens sections and eliminated the waterslide and kiddie pool. The island with the cave pictures is Barbados and Harrison's Cave, it is a great site to visit if you will be going to Barbados and Welchman's Gulley is right near it and that is an amazing hike where you will see Green Monkies. You will love the Marriott! :)

 

Is the waterslide just for kids or teens and adults too? We will be on AOS in June.

[ckrobyn]

Is the waterslide just for kids or teens and adults too? We will be on AOS in June.

 

It's just for kids 12 and under.....sorry! :p

[tinybabynurse]

thank you very much for the info. I was feeling a little unsure - but you have totally made me feel very excited about this cruise ship. Thanks!

[ckrobyn]

thank you very much for the info. I was feeling a little unsure - but you have totally made me feel very excited about this cruise ship. Thanks!

 

You SHOULD be very excited!!! You are cruising on an amazing ship :D:D

[bilyclub]

This is something to consider when flying in and out of SJU.

 

 

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-woman-puerto-ricomar17,0,5637644.story

[TPKeller]

This is something to consider when flying in and out of SJU.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-woman-puerto-ricomar17,0,5637644.story

In the last 15 years, the couple went on at least 40 cruises. They called themselves "cruisers" and were members of cruise lines' frequent travelers clubs.

This is terrible... are these folks members here on CC? The husband's name is Bob Small.

 

Theron

[houlacruiser]

This is something to consider when flying in and out of SJU.

 

 

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-woman-puerto-ricomar17,0,5637644.story

 

Dear God, what a horrible story... My heart goes out to the family. :(

[ckrobyn]

This is something to consider when flying in and out of SJU.

 

 

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-woman-puerto-ricomar17,0,5637644.story

 

 

How absolutely horrible :(:( Actually brought tears to my eyes....

 

My heart goes out to that family.....

[lynninsc]

We actually witnessed this firsthand. We flew into San Juan March 7 to cruise on AOS. When we were exiting the plane someone ran up to the open door of the plane and asked if there was a defibrillator on the plane that someone in the airport was having a heart attack. I am pretty sure that the flight attendant handed them a AED. After we got off the plane, on the way to baggage claim, we passed the scene. It was very, very sad. There was a huge crowd around, but you could still see the woman and people performing CPR. Paramedics/EMTs arrived just as we were approaching the area where it was all taking place. My heart and my husbands heart completely go out to this family, and especially the husband that had to witness this. One thing that really bothered me was that there was absolutely no one controlling the crowd. A mob of people, I am sure mostly or completely all strangers were just standing around gawking and there were no security personnel or anyone else making them move. I realize that was probably not the first thing on the airport personnel's mind at that time, but it really got to me. We thought that it was probably someone coming in to SJU for a cruise. How sad.

[brandysmommy]

We are crusing on AOS in a few weeks.

 

We are staying at the Intercontinental in the days before the cruise. What time do you recommend getting a cab to go over to the port? What are the pros/cons to going earlier rather than later?

 

When we arrive back we have a 3:30pm flight home. What do you recommend we do for that time considering that we will be lugging luggage (unless you have a recommendation for that)? How is the Old Town NEw Town tour by RCI that ends at the airport?

 

Thanks...

[nanfromatlanta]

We are crusing on AOS in a few weeks.

 

We are staying at the Intercontinental in the days before the cruise. What time do you recommend getting a cab to go over to the port? What are the pros/cons to going earlier rather than later?

 

When we arrive back we have a 3:30pm flight home. What do you recommend we do for that time considering that we will be lugging luggage (unless you have a recommendation for that)? How is the Old Town NEw Town tour by RCI that ends at the airport?

 

Thanks...

 

We usually check out of the hotel between 10:00 & 10:30. You will be allowed to board as soon as the previous passengers have cleared customs & immigration. This past December, we were sitting in the Windjammer at 11:15, waiting for the buffet to open at 11:30. ;)

 

This is the first day of your cruise so you might as well start earlier rather than later. :D

[silvercharmer]

We are crusing on AOS in a few weeks.

 

We are staying at the Intercontinental in the days before the cruise. What time do you recommend getting a cab to go over to the port? What are the pros/cons to going earlier rather than later?

 

When we arrive back we have a 3:30pm flight home. What do you recommend we do for that time considering that we will be lugging luggage (unless you have a recommendation for that)? How is the Old Town NEw Town tour by RCI that ends at the airport?

 

Thanks...

 

We just sailed AOS on 3/7, and we got to the pier around 12:00. They had not started letting passengers on, but there was a pretty good line of people waiting. It moved quickly, and we were in the Windjammer by 12:45, which included quick stops at MTD and Portofinos for reservations. We also didn't get off the ship until after 11:00, and there were still people behind us, so I'm sure they didn't start boarding until around the same time.

 

Beware, if you have not flown out of San Juan before, the airport is a MADHOUSE. Even if you have a 3:30 flight, don't delay much in getting to the airport. We originally did the Luggage Valet program, but when I called American from the ship they told me my flight had already been delayed to the point I would miss my connection. That started a long, horrible travel day that included wasting that valet money, since our flights got rearranged before we left the ship, standing in line for the US Air ticket counter for an hour and a half (the line was so long there was a line for people waiting to get in line. I am so not kidding) only to find out our new flights were running over 2 hours late, which meant we had to go back and stand at American to repeat the same process, for another flight that was 2 hours late. Everything was chaos, it seemed like most all flights were running late (by a couple of hours), and by the time we got to Chicago (where we had to stay overnight), there were quite a few other cruise passengers who also were not able to get home that night.

 

I know a lot of people talk about how awful that airport is on Sundays, but now that I've seen it firsthand I will NEVER fly out of there on a Sunday again.

[ckrobyn]

 

I know a lot of people talk about how awful that airport is on Sundays, but now that I've seen it firsthand I will NEVER fly out of there on a Sunday again.

 

I have said it all along :) SJU is a MadHouse on Sundays!!!!

 

I flew out on the Monday after the cruise a few weeks ago and it was a lovely, civilized experience!

:o