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

[kaydekng]

black sheep, i am also sailing 2/5/12 out of san juan. if you get the comass, please let me know. thank you. this is my first time cruising. how are the wheelchair accessible inside staterooms? anyone know?

 

also, what do people do if they get in earlier in the day? is there a palce to put your bags away and tour san juan??

[71Corvette]

With Adventure sailing at 8:30 p.m. from San Juan, does someone know when Muster Drill is held? Also, is late seating delayed a half hour so passengers can be on deck?

 

On our Dec 11 sailing muster was at about 5:45. The first seating for dinner was pushed back to 6:30 on the first night. All other nights it was at 6 pm.

[71Corvette]

On the Dec.4/11 sailing, our formal nights were Monday and Thursday.....lobster was Friday.

 

Ours was the same.

[NH Cruiser]

71Corvette . . . thank you! One other question. What time did you go to the terminal and how long did it take to board? I read that one recent sailing (December 4 I think) had to wait more than two hours outside before they were allowed to start the boarding process.

[Aviator of the Seas]

black sheep, i am also sailing 2/5/12 out of san juan. if you get the comass, please let me know. thank you. this is my first time cruising. how are the wheelchair accessible inside staterooms? anyone know?

 

also, what do people do if they get in earlier in the day? is there a palce to put your bags away and tour san juan??

 

You can drop off your bags at the ship with nthe porters noonish. You can check in if boarding is not delayed and go back out or just drop the bags, tour, and check in later.

 

Word to the wise: make sure you keep an eye on the time and changes in your ship's departure. Cast off is usually at 8:30 and you should really be back by 6:30.

[ckrobyn]

Of course this thread is relevant!!!

 

I am jealous of all of you sailing on my ship in Feb/Mar :( No AOS for me this year.......b2b on the Freedom, something new for our family (dh and dd have not sailed Freedom class yet)

 

Happy sails!!!! :)

[71Corvette]

71Corvette . . . thank you! One other question. What time did you go to the terminal and how long did it take to board? I read that one recent sailing (December 4 I think) had to wait more than two hours outside before they were allowed to start the boarding process.

 

Our embarkation was very slow, the slowest I've ever experienced. We showed up at about 10:30 expecting to be on board by 11:30 which has been our typical experience. We finally made it into the terminal at about noon, and then sat there until we were able to board at 1:30. FYI - the terminal only holds about 100 people so once the terminal was full, everyone else who was in line had to wait outside. When we got on board we were some of the very first people on the ship

 

Here's an excerpt from another post I made on the subject:

 

-------

 

I'm on adventure right now waiting to debark (dec 11 sailing). Embarkation was slow and a bit chaotic. We arrived at the terminal at about 11:30 expecting to check in and be on the ship by noon which has typically been our experience. We waited outside for about an hour before the even terminal opened. After getting inside we waited another hour and a half to get on the ship. We didn't get on board until shortly after 1:30. We were told not everyone was off yet. after about 30 minutes of letting people in the terminal it was full so they closed the doors and everyone else had to wait outside in the 80 degree plus heat. We felt really bad for those folks -some must have been outside in line for hours.

 

FYI the debarkation schedule shows the last tags off at 12:30. So, if you're sailing in the next few weeks don't expect to be on the shop before noon.

 

I'll try to post a bit more info when we get home. Typing on the phone is slow.

 

------

 

I had a few minutes to speak with the concierge as we left the ship. She said today's debarkation was going better than last weeks, but that they were still having trouble getting PAX off the ship. I didn't ask directly, but she seemed to acknowledge they've been having some issues clearing the ship lately. Apparently the locals don't like to leave so they stay on board as long as possible. There were pretty regular announcements paging people who were supposed to be off the ship but were not - something we haven't heard before.

 

Hopefully embarkation went better for the folks getting on board today.

 

Overall our cruise was great with only a few drawbacks. The service was the best we've ever experienced, we found the food good, and the entertainment was also very good.

 

------

 

I suspect that, now that RCI realizes they have this issue, they are being more proactive about getting folks of the ship. As mentioned above, the debarkation process was going better when we got off. We left the ship at 10:30 and, judging by the amount of luggage in the terminal, I'd say about 3/4 of the PAX were off.

 

Overall we had a terrific cruise though. The fellow PAX left something to be desired, but we didn't let it dampen our spirits.

[buddylover]

I read a recent post where people who had done a b2b on the adventure southern carib stated that lobster night (which means formal night) was on friday on both itineraries. If rccl holds true to form, i would expect the 1st formal night to be monday.

 

FYI - We were on the Dec 4, 2011 sailing....lobster nite was NOT formal nite on our sailing. Thursday night was the 2nd formal nite and they served prime rib....lobster was served on Friday nite (to a fairly empty 2nd seating MDR).

[CruisinGerman]

We've been on both Explorer and Adventure several times over the last year.

 

It is natural and understandable that someone who lives right there does not want to wake up at 7 in the morning and run off the ship at 8.

 

This happens on most of the ships that feed from the local area. Adventure was a dream compared to the nightmares at Bayonne.

 

At Bayonne, unless you are cruising a short cruise or over a holiday period, the majority of the passengers are elderly people in wheelchairs and scooters, who are in no hurry to get off the ship. Plus the quirky way they let cars into the complex to pick up passengers delays the process even more.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[CroozeAddict]

Really excited to find this site we are looking at Jan. 2013 have never done a southern route sounds real great. Have only cruised two times and love RICI wanted to sail out of Fla. RICI dont really have a southern route out of Fla. so going to fly to San Juan flight is kinda pricey but cruise price isn't bad. Still thinking but this does look like the cruise wife really wants to see Aruba.

 

First off ... thank you all for such an informative thread!!! :D

 

We booked for Jan 2013 too. We booked as soon as the cruise was available because I just couldn't paas up the the good deal. JS's are less on AOS than OV's are on most Oasis sailings.:eek: Besides, we've never done the Barbados route and it looks very interesting. :)

 

We're going to keep up with this thread daily ... so much good info!

[birdylady]

It's so nice to hear such good things for the AOS. We are scheduled for the 3/25/12 sailing. We have stopped once in SJ but since it was in the afternoon, didn't get as much out of the place as we would have hoped. Since we're flying in the day before, I'm hoping we get to see more of SJ than before. We're staying at the Sheraton Convention Center. Does anyone know if there is much to do around there at night or will we need to take a cab to Downtown or somewhere else? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

Thanx,

Erika

[CruisinGerman]

We stayed at the Sheraton Convention Center hotel last year before boarding Adventure. Very clean, modern, reasonably priced hotel inside the new Convention Center complex.

 

The casino is quite large and there might be activities scheduled next door at the Convention Center that might interest you (last year for the holidays there were many interesting events at the Convention Center).

 

Other than that you will need to take a cab to Old San Juan or Condado. The distances are quite close, but because cab fares are based on what zone you are in, the cabs all seem to cost $13 no matter where you go.

 

We enjoyed the hotel very much.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[joyride21]

Our embarkation was very slow, the slowest I've ever experienced. We showed up at about 10:30 expecting to be on board by 11:30 which has been our typical experience. We finally made it into the terminal at about noon, and then sat there until we were able to board at 1:30...

 

For what it's worth, we were on the 11/27 sailing and I could have written the above post. Slowest embarkation ever! Thank goodness for the priority boarding line (though it took me darn near an hour to find it - I must have asked over a dozen employees) or we might still be waiting to get on the ship a month later! Seriously, even with priority boarding it took almost two hours - but it could have been much worse. Our departure was delayed because at 7:00 there was still a very long line. I talked to several passengers who claimed to have waited in line over four hours!

[Lorey2007]

Thank goodness for the priority boarding line (though it took me darn near an hour to find it - I must have asked over a dozen employees) or we might still be waiting to get on the ship a month later! Seriously, even with priority boarding it took almost two hours - but it could have been much worse. !

 

Can you expain in detail where the priority boarding line is so we can find it. We have sailed out of SJ before but I don't think we were in the right line.

[rupertfrog]

First off ... thank you all for such an informative thread!!! :D

 

We booked for Jan 2013 too. We booked as soon as the cruise was available because I just couldn't paas up the the good deal. JS's are less on AOS than OV's are on most Oasis sailings.:eek: Besides, we've never done the Barbados route and it looks very interesting. :)

 

We're going to keep up with this thread daily ... so much good info!

 

You are taking the Barbados route ... we liked it so much we did it & then did it the next year with our friends who were first time cruisers .... THEY were hooked! I must say I believe Barbados thus far is my favorite island!!! Point of interest .... each US dollar = 2 in Barbadian money!!

We love the AOS .. this will be our 3rd time on her & first time on the Aruba route. We are doing our 5th Southern Caribbean route cruise from San Juan .... We've been on AOS, Serenade of the Seas & Carnival Victory all from San Juan! We'll continue departing San Juan as we haven't been to every island yet ... plus there are ships we haven't been on!

My personal opinion (remember I'm from upstate NY where we get COLD & snow) .....

Leaving from San Juan we get deeper into the Caribbean & that blue-turquoise water is unbelievable!!

We've also found a nonstop flight so that we leave from cold & questionable weather .... arrive in San Juan & can immediately be experiencing warmth! PLUS, with the nonstop no missed connections due to delays or weather conditions.

Hope you enjoy the trip as much as we have!!! We'll be debarking on 3/25/12!!!

[rupertfrog]

Robyn (& friends) ...

3/18/12 we will be taking the Aruba route for the first time on the AOS. Any particular tips, points of interest, or excursion vendors that are "musts" on Aruba and/or Curacao?

We will be in Aruba (scheduled this is) 8am- 8pm & Curacao 7am-6pm.

I'm thinking we wouldn't do the whole day at the beach on either island .... or we'd be fried so close to the equator.

I've heard alot about Palm Beach on Aruba and just taking a taxi there & back. Looking to "tour" sights, see the island, possibly shop a bit .... would like to eat lunch on the island. Haven't heard much at all about what to do on Curacao ....

All ideas are welcome!

 

[Ocean Boy]

Rupertfrog,

 

It all depends on the type of things that you like to do. Aruba will be very different from most of the Caribbean islands that you have visited. It is a desert where as most of the islands are tropical and green. Taking a tour to the far side of the island from the port is pretty fascinating, at least for us.The topography looks like what you might imagine it would be like to be on the moon. When you get off of the ship there will be many tour companies at the end of the pier that would show you the highlights of the island. If you are really ambitious your could rent a jeep or SUV and drive. We did on one of our visits to the island. Do NOT rent a car. There is no way a car will make it over the roads on the far side of the island.

 

Curacao is also a desert but not as interesting as Aruba. If you are interested in caves, there is Hato cave which we found very interesting. We did it as a morning trip and then stayed around the port area in the afternoon. On another stop on this island we went out to the Aloe plantation and Ostrich farm. We found them both very interesting also. We always spend the afternoon around the port on Curacao. It is a very beautiful area and it is easy and fun to walk around.

 

Keep in mind that we live on the ocean and don't go to the islands to fry on the beach. We like traveling around, walking, and exploring.

 

Any other questions just ask.

[Lorey2007]

Robyn (& friends) ...

3/18/12 we will be taking the Aruba route for the first time on the AOS. Any particular tips, points of interest, or excursion vendors that are "musts" on Aruba and/or Curacao?

 

We will be in Aruba (scheduled this is) 8am- 8pm & Curacao 7am-6pm.

 

I'm thinking we wouldn't do the whole day at the beach on either island .... or we'd be fried so close to the equator.

 

I've heard alot about Palm Beach on Aruba and just taking a taxi there & back. Looking to "tour" sights, see the island, possibly shop a bit .... would like to eat lunch on the island. Haven't heard much at all about what to do on Curacao ....

 

All ideas are welcome!

 

 

In Aruba we took a tour with the ship which was a boat ride down the coast to Palm Beach. There for about an hour and then on a open air bus that toured the island and made some stops, lighthouse, church, huge rock, desert area all very enjoyable. In Curacoa we also did a ship tour which was the Trolley tour. A bus took us to meet the trolley which did about an hour tour and then dropped us downtown shopped around and then walked back over the walking bridge to the ship. We also enjoyed that tour. We'll be back on AOS in February but are doing the Barbados route.

[ckrobyn]

Yippppeeee!

Look at my signature! I am once again booked on my favorite ship! The prices are fantastic for Feb 2013 and we booked an Owners Suite :D:D

 

In the mean time, I have 3 cruises scheduled on the Freedom :p

[rupertfrog]

Yippppeeee!

Look at my signature! I am once again booked on my favorite ship! The prices are fantastic for Feb 2013 and we booked an Owners Suite :D:D

 

In the mean time, I have 3 cruises scheduled on the Freedom :p

 

Robyn ... so glad you'll be back on the AOS ... Certain she's missing you too! You've peaked my curiosity I'll have to check the 2013 pricing!

[ckrobyn]

Robyn ... so glad you'll be back on the AOS ... Certain she's missing you too! You've peaked my curiosity I'll have to check the 2013 pricing!

 

The prices for the week we are booked are outstanding! Owners Suite for under 2k per person, and my daughter is only $349!!!! :)

[suezyq50]

Robyn (& friends) ...

3/18/12 we will be taking the Aruba route for the first time on the AOS. Any particular tips, points of interest, or excursion vendors that are "musts" on Aruba and/or Curacao?

 

We will be in Aruba (scheduled this is) 8am- 8pm & Curacao 7am-6pm.

 

I'm thinking we wouldn't do the whole day at the beach on either island .... or we'd be fried so close to the equator.

 

I've heard alot about Palm Beach on Aruba and just taking a taxi there & back. Looking to "tour" sights, see the island, possibly shop a bit .... would like to eat lunch on the island. Haven't heard much at all about what to do on Curacao ....

 

All ideas are welcome!

 

On the same cruise and have the same thoughts. Need to know what to do in Aruba and Curacao.

[Vercat067]

You are taking the Barbados route ... we liked it so much we did it & then did it the next year with our friends who were first time cruisers .... THEY were hooked! I must say I believe Barbados thus far is my favorite island!!! Point of interest .... each US dollar = 2 in Barbadian money!!

We love the AOS .. this will be our 3rd time on her & first time on the Aruba route. We are doing our 5th Southern Caribbean route cruise from San Juan .... We've been on AOS, Serenade of the Seas & Carnival Victory all from San Juan! We'll continue departing San Juan as we haven't been to every island yet ... plus there are ships we haven't been on!

My personal opinion (remember I'm from upstate NY where we get COLD & snow) .....

Leaving from San Juan we get deeper into the Caribbean & that blue-turquoise water is unbelievable!!

We've also found a nonstop flight so that we leave from cold & questionable weather .... arrive in San Juan & can immediately be experiencing warmth! PLUS, with the nonstop no missed connections due to delays or weather conditions.

Hope you enjoy the trip as much as we have!!! We'll be debarking on 3/25/12!!!

 

 

Hi.....I would like to know from which airport is the direct flight to SJU from upstate NY and on which days? Thanks in advance.

 

Janique

[rupertfrog]

Hi.....I would like to know from which airport is the direct flight to SJU from upstate NY and on which days? Thanks in advance.

 

Janique

 

Janique ... Sorry we drive 1.25-1.5 hours over to Hartford, CT (Bradley) for the nonstop to SJU .... 3 hours 45 minutes!!! We are close to Albany Airport although currently nothing fast to SJU from there ... Hoping that will change with the Southwest-Air Tran merger in the future.

[NorbertsNiece]

Will be back on Adventure later this year. So excited!

 

Last time I was in Aruba I did a 4x4 excursion which was amazing. It could have been self drive but we decided not to. If you want me to look out the details let me know.... hopefully it's on an email or in the blog!

 

Linda