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

[ckrobyn]

No Big Salad for you! ;):D

 

 

And No Soup for you either!!!!!!!! :p

[Aviator of the Seas]

Thanks so much for your insights. I will pass them along (especially the black white ball on the ice rink ( sound exciting - albeit covered).

 

We have been told that the night club has a nice big dance floor. Unfortunatley ships do not seem to understand the notion of having dancing on the dance floors. Just the point that you said that the Imperial lounge was for dancing and karaoke (shiver) tells me AOS has the same issue.

 

I guess the "should avoid" is up to personal preference.

 

We embark in San Juan and then the stops are

St. Maarten (which we have been to very often)

Madeira

Tenerife

Gran Canaria

Lanzarote

and we disembark in Malaga, Spain.

 

We will be prepared for heavy seas - although hopefully we will not see them. I really felt for the folks on the Brilliance when they got hit in the Med in December. In 2003 we did a springtime EB crossing on Celebrity very similar to this itinerary (southern route from San Juan to Madeira and then up the European coast to England) and it was like glass. The funniest thing was actually the crew that had winter coats on by the time we reached Madeira (and their next cruises were going to be North Sea cruises from England). We did a westbound in November/december in 2009 from Barcelona into New York (on NCL) and it was awful - officially it was 30+ (yes they seemed to not be able to say how much over 30) seas for 6 straight days but on several occasions waves were hitting the windows on the 13th deck while we were trying to do dancing lessons in the afternoons.

 

Of the port calls you mention, ours only did Tenerife and Gran Canaria. For both we did the ship's tours of the interior with plenty of time to look around the cities afterward. Both in the $35.00 - $39.00 range and well worth it.

 

In Tenerife they first do a museum in Santa Cruz, then off to the town of La Laguna for a walking tour, and then drop off back near the pier and the city.

 

In Gran Canaria, the tour went up to Pico Bandama where you could see the volcano caldera and other panoramic views of the island, then to the town of Teror, then Arucas, then drop off near the ship and the city center.

[cruzfiend]

So......my advice to you would be to book a hotel in a busy area with some nightlife which means the streets will be active and busy after dark if you want to be able to walk around!

I hope this helps????

 

We are staying at the Marriott, we stayed here before and thought it was great. (We had a man from Grand Rapids who was just shot in SJ last week while on vacation in a condo, and now he is paralyzed from the chest down. He was staying northeast of where we will be, but it is so sad that you can't be "safe" anywhere.:( )

[Aviator of the Seas]

So......my advice to you would be to book a hotel in a busy area with some nightlife which means the streets will be active and busy after dark if you want to be able to walk around!

I hope this helps????

 

We are staying at the Marriott, we stayed here before and thought it was great. (We had a man from Grand Rapids who was just shot in SJ last week while on vacation in a condo, and now he is paralyzed from the chest down. He was staying northeast of where we will be, but it is so sad that you can't be "safe" anywhere.:( )

 

This is no excuse whatsoever, but that shooting did not happen in San Juan. The Gran Rapids man was staying in the town of Loíza, which is east of the airport, about five miles. It is a beach community but I find it odd that that a tourist would stay there. It is a mostly locals town and outsiders, even from elsewhere in Puerto Rico, only visit there during daylight hours. Crime has been a serious problem in that town, but Loiza does not compare to the main tourist areas of Isla Verde, Condado and Old San Juan.

 

I just thought I'd clarify that.

[ckrobyn]

We are staying at the Marriott, we stayed here before and thought it was great. (We had a man from Grand Rapids who was just shot in SJ last week while on vacation in a condo, and now he is paralyzed from the chest down. He was staying northeast of where we will be, but it is so sad that you can't be "safe" anywhere.:( )

 

This is no excuse whatsoever, but that shooting did not happen in San Juan. The Gran Rapids man was staying in the town of Loíza, which is east of the airport, about five miles. It is a beach community but I find it odd that that a tourist would stay there. It is a mostly locals town and outsiders, even from elsewhere in Puerto Rico, only visit there during daylight hours. Crime has been a serious problem in that town, but Loiza does not compare to the main tourist areas of Isla Verde, Condado and Old San Juan.

 

I just thought I'd clarify that.

 

Aviator:

 

I want to thank you for being such an amazing resource for us on this thread. It is so nice to have someone actually living in San Juan answering some of our questions :)

 

I can't wait to get there!!!! 24 more sleeps!!!!!:D

[cruzfiend]

Thanks Aviator; We'll be careful, but I'm not letting the fear of "something might happen" deter us from having a good time.

[Aviator of the Seas]

Aviator:

 

I want to thank you for being such an amazing resource for us on this thread. It is so nice to have someone actually living in San Juan answering some of our questions :)

 

I can't wait to get there!!!! 24 more sleeps!!!!!:D

 

No problem. I love doing this. I also appreciate you starting and keeping this thread alive. It makes me proud that so many people like my island and "my" boat!

[cgrout78]

Aviator-

We will be staying pre-cruise at the Sheraton by the convention center. We get in at ten that night, and figure it will be 10:30-11 before we get to the hotel. Is there someplace within walking distance to get something to eat? Our bodies will be thinking it's 8:30 and I know we'll be HUNGRY!!

[ccnwater]

Aviator, thanks so much for all the info you give us cruisers!!

 

We are staying at the Intercontinental in April....Do you by any chance know how close/far the Senor Frogs is to the hotel?? Also, is there Liquor stores right near the Hotel? And what is the drinking age in San Juan...Actually, I can google that! Thanks

[Ocean Boy]

no problem. I love doing this. I also appreciate you starting and keeping this thread alive. It makes me proud that so many people like my island and "my" boat!

 

Our.

[Aviator of the Seas]

Aviator-

We will be staying pre-cruise at the Sheraton by the convention center. We get in at ten that night, and figure it will be 10:30-11 before we get to the hotel. Is there someplace within walking distance to get something to eat? Our bodies will be thinking it's 8:30 and I know we'll be HUNGRY!!

 

Unfortunately the Sheraton Convention Center sits in a "in-progress" area and there are no eating facilities in the immediate area that would open at that time. I could be wrong, but the closest is a Sizzler and it closes at 11:00.

 

The other closest area would be in Condado, which although not a very long walk, it crosses a major highway. I would suggest taking a taxi to the San Juan Marriott (& Stellaris Casino) area, and walk west from there along Ashford Avenue where you will find many places to eat. Than, walk to any hotel in the area and grab a taxi back to your hotel.

 

There's another area just south of your hotel called Miramar, which might have open eateries, but I am not sure of any.

 

Your best bet would be the hotel facilities or Domino's Pizza :rolleyes:.

[ckrobyn]

Our.

 

 

Yah, what he said ;)

[cgrout78]

Unfortunately the Sheraton Convention Center sits in a "in-progress" area and there are no eating facilities in the immediate area that would open at that time. I could be wrong, but the closest is a Sizzler and it closes at 11:00.

 

The other closest area would be in Condado, which although not a very long walk, it crosses a major highway. I would suggest taking a taxi to the San Juan Marriott (& Stellaris Casino) area, and walk west from there along Ashford Avenue where you will find many places to eat. Than, walk to any hotel in the area and grab a taxi back to your hotel.

 

There's another area just south of your hotel called Miramar, which might have open eateries, but I am not sure of any.

 

Your best bet would be the hotel facilities or Domino's Pizza :rolleyes:.

 

 

Thanks much. When the TA said Sheraton I figured it was the OSJ one, and then when I got all my confirmations now I see it was the "other one". Oh well, live and learn!

[Aviator of the Seas]

Aviator, thanks so much for all the info you give us cruisers!!

 

We are staying at the Intercontinental in April....Do you by any chance know how close/far the Senor Frogs is to the hotel?? Also, is there Liquor stores right near the Hotel? And what is the drinking age in San Juan...Actually, I can google that! Thanks

 

The drinking age in Puerto Rico is 18.

 

There are several stores which sell liquor near your hotel. We don't have ABC sores here. You can find liquor in Supermarkets (Pueblo, Grande, Supermax) and sometimes even at Walgreens!

 

Your hotel is in Isla Verde, near the airport, and Señor Frog's is in Old san Juan - a 15 minute cab ride away.

 

If you walk out of your hotel and hang a left, you're a few steps away from a local Tex-Mex joint that's much better than Señor Frog's. Sorry, I can't name names because I'm a local.

[Aviator of the Seas]

Yah, what he said ;)

 

 

You betcha!

[Teeara]

And No Soup for you either!!!!!!!! :p

 

HA! So much for my Soup and Big Salad for lunch ;):D

 

Or, perhaps I say, "tanto por mi sopa y ensalada grande para el almuerzo"

[3basenjis]

Oh no. did I make a mistake. We just got off the navigator and had owners suite 1600 and there was a lot of chair noise going on all night long. so when we book Adventure for a December cruise we swithced sides and decided to go for a hump cabin # 1314. I just realized that even though this ship is one year older it has the "old School" balcony railing metal and glass. It seems that the balcony is smaller on the hump compared to the other OS. Will we have limited visibility due to the the metal and glass from the side view?. We spend ALOT of time on the balcony.. should we move back to a regular OS? help!!!!!

 

Thanks..

[ckrobyn]

Oh no. did I make a mistake. We just got off the navigator and had owners suite 1600 and there was a lot of chair noise going on all night long. so when we book Adventure for a December cruise we swithced sides and decided to go for a hump cabin # 1314. I just realized that even though this ship is one year older it has the "old School" balcony railing metal and glass. It seems that the balcony is smaller on the hump compared to the other OS. Will we have limited visibility due to the the metal and glass from the side view?. We spend ALOT of time on the balcony.. should we move back to a regular OS? help!!!!!

 

Thanks..

 

True, there is more metal than glass on the balconies of the AOS, but it has never interfered with my view on the balcony. I have had GS 1324 on the AOS which is a hump balcony and it was just fine. I know that the OS balconies are smaller.....but I think your view will be okay! :)

[Cruzin RN]

this is the longest thread on cc....omg, 3300 posts wow!!!:rolleyes:

 

Ps we love AOS...Sailed on her twice!!!

[ckrobyn]

this is the longest thread on cc....omg, 3300 posts wow!!!:rolleyes:

 

Ps we love AOS...Sailed on her twice!!!

 

This thread has been alive and kickin' since 2008!!!! There are a lot of us AOS fans who keep the thread at the top of the boards so we can answer everyone's questions. I may have started this thread, but there are so many people on here that help me keep it going - thanks guys!!! :D

[nancronin]

this is the longest thread on cc....omg, 3300 posts wow!!!:rolleyes:

 

Ps we love AOS...Sailed on her twice!!!

 

This is a great wealth of info - thanks Robyn - we're hoping to go on Adventure next year so I've been reading this thread.

 

Not to knock it but "All Things Explorer of the Seas" has over 31,000 posts - another great ship!

[ckrobyn]

This is a great wealth of info - thanks Robyn - we're hoping to go on Adventure next year so I've been reading this thread.

 

Not to knock it but "All Things Explorer of the Seas" has over 31,000 posts - another great ship!

 

Yah - we have some catching up to do :rolleyes:;)

[rupertfrog]

I'm off on the AOS on 3/27!! can't wait and don't worry about other's opinions - they will always be there!

 

My question for you experienced ones - our return flight home got delayed by Delta - from 1:00 PM to 6:00 - what should we be doing with the luggage ?? they tell us we can't check bags at airport until 12:00. I have two little kids, and two seniors traveling with us.... we were told to take an excursion - but none really appeal to all of us (walking issues with seniors, etc.) Help!!

 

We did the "valet" program onboard AOS --- we've gone on tour with HAppy Tours (loved Edwardo) took us all over for hours .. to lunch, markets & local interest points -- Our luggage was at the airport (& we routinely fly out at 6PM)

[schmoopie17]

Yah - we have some catching up to do :rolleyes:;)

 

They may have more posts, but this board has more posts about "NOTHING"...;)

[Ocean Boy]

This is a great wealth of info - thanks Robyn - we're hoping to go on Adventure next year so I've been reading this thread.

 

Not to knock it but "All Things Explorer of the Seas" has over 31,000 posts - another great ship!

 

Explorer was my first Voyager class ship and it was also my first RCI cruise. That ship will always be special to me. Take a carbon copy of Explorer, add great itineraries, and you come up with Adventure of the Seas.