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

ckrobyn

By ckrobyn,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Phillies14

Phillies14

Posted
Posted
Bland itinerary, phenomenal ships.
Have sailed Oasis three times, soon to be four on Allure. And while the price is higher for this ship IMHO its well worth the price of admission! The ship IS the destination for myself. And honestly feel there will never be two other ships quite like these....K.O. Near Philly;):)
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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

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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!

 

 

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.

 

 

Your welcome.;)

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frito58

frito58

Posted
Posted
Have sailed Oasis three times, soon to be four on Allure. And while the price is higher for this ship IMHO its well worth the price of admission! The ship IS the destination for myself. And honestly feel there will never be two other ships quite like these....K.O. Near Philly;):)

 

That may work for some , but to me the cruising is way more than the ship , yes I enjoy the ship , but for what they are charging and the stops they are giving you . They would go broke waitng on people like me. But as long as there are different types of cruisers thats what makes the world go around. :)

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rupertfrog

rupertfrog

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Posted
Your welcome.;)

 

Ocean Boy ... Liked the sounds of "touring" the island, taking in the Ostrich Farm .... On a few islands in the past we've hired a driver to "show us your island" and always got great tours of the island highlights. Any tips on that type of plan on Aruba &/or Curacao?

Seeing lots of notes of concern for personal safety on St Kitts ... any thoughts? I do stay aware of my surroundings & never go off by myself which can be dangerous anywhere, especially if you don't know an area. We were there only once & did a ships excursion catamaran then returned to the port area shops ... our friend did pay the monkey guy for a picture but he wanted it for a special child in the family who LOVES monkeys. Other than the pushy monkey guy we didn't encounter any problems that day.

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joyride21

joyride21

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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.

 

Sorry, I didn't see this until now. Hopefully they have changed things to make the sign actually visible, but I'll do my best to explain. When facing the entry to the terminal, the main line goes to the left. (If it is as long as when we got there, it makes a 90 degrees turn and wraps around the parking lot.) The priority line is on the other side of this line, between the building and the main line, so we couldn't see it from the parking lot when we got out of the cab. If you go to the front of the main line and then walk towards the end of it, count the support posts for the awning. About 5-7 support posts back if you look through the main line you should see the priority sign. Politely cut through the main line to get to the other side where the sign is and then walk to the back of the second, much shorter line. (Depending on how short that line is, you may need to walk back a little further to find the priority luggage checking area, and then go back to the boarding line.) Also, when you get in to the terminal you will be funneled back in with the general boarding group, so be sure to tell the person that asks what deck you are on that you are a whatever level C&A member. The line for our deck was at least 50 people deep, but when I told the woman who was sending people to the appropriate lines that we were Emerald she undid the rope by the 2nd priority sign and sent us to the front of the line.

 

Again, I sincerely hope they have made some adjustments to this whole process and you have a much easier time actually finding the line, but this was how it worked for us in late November. Have a wonderful cruise! :)

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Lorey2007

Lorey2007

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Posted
Sorry, I didn't see this until now. Hopefully they have changed things to make the sign actually visible, but I'll do my best to explain. When facing the entry to the terminal, the main line goes to the left. (If it is as long as when we got there, it makes a 90 degrees turn and wraps around the parking lot.) The priority line is on the other side of this line, between the building and the main line, so we couldn't see it from the parking lot when we got out of the cab. If you go to the front of the main line and then walk towards the end of it, count the support posts for the awning. About 5-7 support posts back if you look through the main line you should see the priority sign. Politely cut through the main line to get to the other side where the sign is and then walk to the back of the second, much shorter line. (Depending on how short that line is, you may need to walk back a little further to find the priority luggage checking area, and then go back to the boarding line.) Also, when you get in to the terminal you will be funneled back in with the general boarding group, so be sure to tell the person that asks what deck you are on that you are a whatever level C&A member. The line for our deck was at least 50 people deep, but when I told the woman who was sending people to the appropriate lines that we were Emerald she undid the rope by the 2nd priority sign and sent us to the front of the line.

 

Again, I sincerely hope they have made some adjustments to this whole process and you have a much easier time actually finding the line, but this was how it worked for us in late November. Have a wonderful cruise! :)

 

Thanks so much for posting this info I'm going to save & print it to take with us so I can read it right before we get there. One last question what time did you arrive at the port?

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DKNE

DKNE

Posted
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We go on AOS next week (jan 22) !!! wooo hooooo ! So excited !!

 

Couple questions.

 

Does a blackberry playbook work on the ship ? It needs wifi?

Can a person go skating on the rink, if so, is there specific times, or do you have to reserve.

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LittleMissMagic "Live from...." Rare

LittleMissMagic

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We go on AOS next week (jan 22) !!! wooo hooooo ! So excited !!

 

Couple questions.

 

Does a blackberry playbook work on the ship ? It needs wifi?

Can a person go skating on the rink, if so, is there specific times, or do you have to reserve.

 

I'm not positive about the blackberry playbook question, but I saw people using ipads and tablets and the like on the ship. There is ship wifi and wifi hotspots within the ship. Go to the Internet lab on the 8th floor for more info on prices.

 

Yes, they have open skates several days. However, they only allow so many people onto the ice rink at a time. It's first come/first serve unless you're with a pre-scheduled group (the youth groups and teen groups have several skate times throughout the week). They now require you to wear helmets and elbow pads, which is new since the last time I was on a Voyager class ship (2008).

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skibyrd

skibyrd

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We wre excited - just booked the RFS and will be back for our 2nd sailing on AOS. She was our first cruise! Looking forward to a suite (first time was an inside room). Wondering how is the concierge lounge and the concierge on this ship? Are there reserved spaces at the pool? Any other hints?

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joyride21

joyride21

Posted
Posted
Thanks so much for posting this info I'm going to save & print it to take with us so I can read it right before we get there. One last question what time did you arrive at the port?

 

We arrived at around 2. For our particular sailing (maybe because it was only the 2nd cruise after Adventure returned from Europe) they didn't even start boarding until almost 1:00. (We had some traveling companions that arrived at 10:30 and called us to tell us not to rush to the pier.)

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ARose3787

ARose3787

Posted
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I just snagged 1688 for us :D now I only have a year and 4 months to wait :eek::(

It was open on our upcoming sailing until Thanksgiving, when we booked it! We sail 1/15/12. Popular cabin, this will be our 3rd time in it.

 

 

 

PRIORITY BOARDING QUESTION: What levels can go to priority boarding? We are Emerald.

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paylady

paylady

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For those of you who have previously stayed in a suite on a Voyager class ship, here's a question.

 

Is Portofino open the day of embarkation for suite guests to use during lunch at the Windjammer? I am assuming the answer is "no" but figured I would ask. We were on Navigator last year and the WJ was quite crowded at lunch the day we boarded.

 

We usually like the Radiance class ships so I am unfamiliar with the process for this particular issue. I am so looking forward to having that reserved chair area at the pool!

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Pricetag

Pricetag

Posted
Posted
It was open on our upcoming sailing until Thanksgiving, when we booked it! We sail 1/15/12. Popular cabin, this will be our 3rd time in it.

 

 

 

PRIORITY BOARDING QUESTION: What levels can go to priority boarding? We are Emerald.

 

 

We were Platinum last year and were able to use priority boarding. We are now Emerald as well.

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mommabean

mommabean

Posted
Posted
For those of you who have previously stayed in a suite on a Voyager class ship, here's a question.

 

Is Portofino open the day of embarkation for suite guests to use during lunch at the Windjammer? I am assuming the answer is "no" but figured I would ask. We were on Navigator last year and the WJ was quite crowded at lunch the day we boarded.

 

We usually like the Radiance class ships so I am unfamiliar with the process for this particular issue. I am so looking forward to having that reserved chair area at the pool!

 

Navigator of the Seas Portofino was open for suite guests on boarding day on Dec. 4th. The WJ waiters didn't know it. Apparently no one told them. We walked around the rope - because people were allowed to anyway if they wanted to make dinner reservations - and we found them all set up and welcoming in those with a gold card. So that is where we had our lunch on boarding day.

 

Whichever ship you are on, just go in there and ask. There will be someone there.

 

Gina

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  • 2 weeks later...
mommabean

mommabean

Posted
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Read the description of the cruise now that it is over......

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=32067671&posted=1#post32067671

 

My experience on AD in November was great. The ship was super clean even if it is the old fashioned style in it's class. The Lobby bar could use updating instead of pictures of fish on the walls instead of aquariums. The crew was unusually good. I thought they were in a run for the money to be the top crew ever.

 

Of course we love San Juan. We had no trouble getting off the ship and to our hotel for 2 more nights - unlike last year when it was the disembarkation from.....somewhere else.

 

Demographics vary from cruise to cruise. I suppose for those who cruise on higher priced lines and pay $10,000 pp for a standard room for a week, the demographics are more consistent and predictable. :rolleyes:

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Costafox

Costafox

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We sailed on the Adventure Transatlantic which left Malaga on7th November and I can confirm that one of the two sets of stabilisers was out of action for the whole of our trip too - not that I am saying this had any negative effect on our trip.

 

We found the ship to be very well maintained - only area we found that was in need of urgent TLC was the mini golf which to be honest was in a poor state - the ship was kept perfectly clean in our experience too and the crew in general were great.

 

The food served on this trip was the best we have experienced on RCL without a doubt.

 

Frankly I find it difficult to believe that the standards on the Adventure could have dropped so much in a couple of months.

 

Disembarkation was a nightmare - however I think this is a general drawback with TA cruises - particularly ones arriving in America.

We were shocked at the shambles we encountered at the end of our first TA in Miami and we found San Juan to be slightly better - however we did have some idea of what to expect this time :eek:

 

After our first TA experience we did make a definate decision that whenever we do this typeof trip, we will never plan to leave the port city on the day of disembarkation - it makes for a much less stressful day ;) __________________

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Vercat067

Vercat067

Posted
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Hello all:

 

Since I have over the years learned a lot from of things by browsing this site I thought I would do my share by posting these. I know some folks out there might be interested by this. (I did not scan the inserts. If you have questions, lemme know, I have most of them ;)

 

Hopefully the link works.

 

http://cruisecompassesadventure.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

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