Adventure of the Seas B2B Part I

[NoVa Mimi]

Week one of our back to back on the Adventure of the Seas, July 6-13, 2008.

 

We had a WONDERFUL time!! We arrived in San Juan the day before and stayed at The Intercontinental, which we booked on Hotwire for about $100 less than the hotel was advertising. Very nice room with a city view. The hotel is now non-smoking.

 

The next day we arrived at the pier at about 10:30. We had our Sea pass card at a little past 11:30 and went right onboard, I was the first one on the ship that day! We were very impressed at the efficiency at this port. We have never been able to get on so quickly and without a hitch at all.

 

Lunch in the Windjammer was delayed, though I am not sure why. The door opened around 12:30-12:45 and there was a rush of people. Lunch was very good, in fact all our meals were very good this trip.

 

We had cabin 1300 on the starboard side. This was our first time not on the port side. Very nice cabin and very nice room steward whose name was Alejandro.

 

We had early seating and had wonderful tablemates; a father, his grown daughter and granddaughter, all very nice and a pleasure to dine with each evening.

 

Our first day was a sea day and then our first formal dinner of the week. The next day we were in Barbados and went on the Silver Moon. We have been to Barbados 3 times now and each time we do this excursion because we love it so much. Well, we had a wonderful time again this year. :) I just cannot say enough about this excursion, the crew is so professional and polite. The boat is beautiful and lunch was delicious. There was an open bar all day as well. Despite sunscreen use, we all managed to get quite a sunburn that day, so that evening we took it easy and turned in early.

 

Our next stop was St. Lucia. We took a ship tour, Land and Sea to Soufriere. The first half was spent on an air-conditioned bus. We really enjoyed seeing the island in cool comfort. The second half we were on a catamaran back to Castries where the shop was docked. We saw the Pitons, which are beautiful and majestic. I have decided that I prefer smaller tours when it comes to the catamaran portion. There were SO many people on the catamaran that I felt we were “herded” on it as if we were cattle. There were 4 buses of people on the boat…too many. We did manage to get a seat in the shade though (remember the sunburns).

 

The next day was Antigua and we were going to go on a lobster lunch cruise. I ended up canceling due to our sunburns. The last thing we needed at that point was a day in the sun! My DH and DS were glowing red and I had developed some blisters :(. We ended up getting off the ship and just looking around in a few shops. I picked up some Lavender oil (essential oil), which our tablemate told us would help our sunburn. Sure enough, shortly after applying the lavender oil, the burning feeling was gone! An added bonus was that the three of us smelled REALLY good! :) I will always take some Lavender oil with us from now on. It does work best (easier to apply) when it is mixed with a “carrier oil”. We skipped the second formal dinner and ate at Johnny Rockets this night. We thought since we were smelling so “pretty” from the Lavender oil and really did not feel like dressing up, it would be a good night for this. It was yummy! :)

 

The next day we were in St. Maarten. I just love St. Maarten and St. Thomas! I could go to those islands over and over again! We did the zip line, treetop adventure here. What a fun time! It was a challenge at certain points and we really enjoyed ourselves. We had done this several years ago, but they have changed some things and added a few things as well. After that, we went downtown and did a bit of shopping. We decided to walk back to the ship from downtown, whew~! It was further than it looked and hotter out than I thought! It felt SO good to be back on the ship.

 

Our last stop was St. Thomas. Immigration was from 7-9am and painless. The line moved very quickly. We took a cab to Red Hook and went on a day sail on Highpockets. We had a lovely, perfect day! We snorkeled at Caneel bay, had a wonderful lunch and relaxed. Kathleen and her first mate Karen were very nice. Both made sure we had a good time and really went out of their way to make us comfortable, etc. I would recommend this excursion to anyone who is interested in taking a day sail while in St. Thomas. We had previously been on the Winifred for a day sail, but the owner, Sharon, has sold the boat and retired.

 

The next morning we ate in the dining room and I must say it felt GREAT knowing that we did not have to leave that day; we were going to be on for another week! After breakfast, we got in our bathing suits and went to pool, after a quick stop at Guest Relations to pick up our new Sea Pass cards. We did not have to get off the ship at all! :) We spent the morning at the pool, which we had to ourselves. It was so nice, quite and relaxing. We could not have asked for a better turn-around day!

 

Week two will be coming up next. Sorry that this has been so long. If anyone has any questions, ask away! By the way, formal nights were Monday and Thursday and Lobster is on Friday night.

[MariaoftheSeas]

Thanks for the review!!!! I would love to do a b2b!

[laedw]

My sister and I (we are both in our 50s) have a pre-cruise reservation at the Intercontinental in March, 2009. I have several questions if you do not mind.

What is there to do in the area? Is everything within walking distance? We want to visit Old San Juan and I know we have to take a taxi there. Did you have to pay resort fees for your hotel stay? How much was the taxi fare from the hotel to the pier? On your b2b did you have the same itinerary? We are thinking of doing that. Just the thought of not having to get off the ship and having the ship to ourselves sounds like heaven!

 

Sorry if I asked so many questions. Cannot wait to hear about your b2b!

[marshabear]

very nice review!! we are booked on the Barbados route in October...also have Silvermoon booked-with 8 other people in our group so looking forward to this (have done this before but by ourselves)

 

I have been tanning to avoid "the burn"...especially for the southern route...sun is so strong!!

 

glad your 1st week was so wonderful for you...will await your 2nd week review...

 

 

Marsha

[Rancher Dave]

Nice review. Any chance you have the Compass from that week? It is what we are doing starting next Sunday...

 

Nice that on the B2B you will have cleared Immigration in St Thomas so no worries in San Juan.

 

Once we have done this trip, I am hopeful one day we can book a B2B for the two itents that AOS sails...so much to do on several of the stops I can easily see several times there before feeling like I have seen it all.

[ken_nyc]

NoVa Mimi, thank you for taking the time to do your review so far I am enjoying it. Looking forward to your next installment. Will probably be cruising on the AOS next August.

[NoVa Mimi]

Laedw, we enjoyed the Intercontinental very much. We've stayed there before and we're always pleased with the room, service, etc. There are several places within walking distance that you can eat at. There isn't too much to do in the immediate area, so one does have to take a taxi. The fare to the pier was about $25 for three of us and all our baggage. I cannot remember if we paid the resort fee through Hotwire. Our B2B was a different route each week; the first week we went to Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas (very port intensive) and the second week we went to Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and St. Thomas (two sea days that week versus one the previous week).

 

Marshabear, I know you'll have a great time! As you know the Silver Moon is wonderful! We got to meet Ned, the owner, this time. He picked us up from the pier. He is SO nice and a pleasure to talk with! Even though you are tanning ahead of time, be sure to apply and reapply the sunscreen. :)

 

RancherDave, not too much longer and it will be your turn!! :) Have a great time! I'm sorry, I do not have any of the compasses. You are right about going several times and still not having enough time to do it all. Plus there's always the need for a little R&R along with doing things. Have fun!

 

Ken NYC, thanks! I'm sure you would enjoy AOS if you decide to book it. The ship is in such great condition and the staff is wonderful.

 

I forgot to add that the CD, Mike, was very good. He posts here, Hi Mike!, every now and then. DeDe was the concierge and she was wonderful! I must say I think she was the most helpful of all the concierge staff we've had the pleasure of meeting. Anything at all that anyone needed, she'd take care of and always with a smile and a great attitude!

[mattsmom11]

Laedw, we enjoyed the Intercontinental very much. We've stayed there before and we're always pleased with the room, service, etc. There are several places within walking distance that you can eat at. There isn't too much to do in the immediate area, so one does have to take a taxi. The fare to the pier was about $25 for three of us and all our baggage. I cannot remember if we paid the resort fee through Hotwire. Our B2B was a different route each week; the first week we went to Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas (very port intensive) and the second week we went to Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and St. Thomas (two sea days that week versus one the previous week).

 

Marshabear, I know you'll have a great time! As you know the Silver Moon is wonderful! We got to meet Ned, the owner, this time. He picked us up from the pier. He is SO nice and a pleasure to talk with! Even though you are tanning ahead of time, be sure to apply and reapply the sunscreen. :)

 

RancherDave, not too much longer and it will be your turn!! :) Have a great time! I'm sorry, I do not have any of the compasses. You are right about going several times and still not having enough time to do it all. Plus there's always the need for a little R&R along with doing things. Have fun!

 

Ken NYC, thanks! I'm sure you would enjoy AOS if you decide to book it. The ship is in such great condition and the staff is wonderful.

 

I forgot to add that the CD, Mike, was very good. He posts here, Hi Mike!, every now and then. DeDe was the concierge and she was wonderful! I must say I think she was the most helpful of all the concierge staff we've had the pleasure of meeting. Anything at all that anyone needed, she'd take care of and always with a smile and a great attitude!

 

Thanks for the wonderful review. Looking forward to the second leg of your trip. I would love to do a 2b2 one of these days. We will be on the AOS in Sept this will be our 3rd cruise but or first with RCCI. I am getting really excited.

[Kikkycat]

Looking forward to reading the rest. We're doing the Aruba leg in January.

[NoVa Mimi]

Week 2 of B2B on AOS

 

Our second week began unbelievably wonderful! After a nice leisurely breakfast in the dining room, we got ready to go to the pool. We wanted to stay out of everyone’s way, as the crew just has a few hours to get ready for the new passengers. I stopped by Guest Relations to pick up our new Sea Pass cards, thinking that there must be a problem somewhere…surely they weren’t going to just let us get new cards and not have to get off the ship, etc. Well, I was wrong. It was SO easy! :) I just signed for the credit card to be carried over for the next week and that was that; off to the pool! It was wonderful at the pool; there were just a few other passengers meandering about. It was a perfect morning! At about 11:40 the new passengers began coming onboard, time to eat again! Dinner that evening brought us new tablemates. We were able to stay at the same table in the Mozart Dining Room. We had been placed with a woman and her two grandchildren (grown) from Yorkshire, England. Most unfortunately, we found it very difficult to understand them. Please understand, I am not saying this in a rude manner, we are from Virginia, so I know we have accents (or so we are told), but we just could not understand these folks, for the most part. We thought it might be a very long week for evening meals, so we requested a change. We were placed at a new table, one that seated just our family of three, upon my request.

 

The next day was a sea day and very relaxing. Again it was Monday, so the first formal night. Our meal that night, and all the others, was very good. We had been planning on eating at Portofino, but decided against it as the meals were great in the dining room.

 

Tuesday we were in Aruba. I had made reservations with Ranch Diamari, for their ATV tour. It was really a lot of fun. We all enjoyed it very much. We rode in the morning and were lucky to do so, before it got too hot. We met a family that lives very near to us (less than 10 miles) on the same tour. It was quite a surprise and shows it really is a small world! After our tour, we shopped some and we each got some items we had wanted. Very good day!

 

The next day we were in Curacao. We had planned on a beach day and decided to go to Kon Tiki. As we got off the ship, we asked the lady at the information booth how much a taxi would be. She said it should run about $16 for 4 people. Well, I thought it would be a bit less for 3. The first driver I asked said $20. Then he began telling me how expensive gas was…hello, I know how expensive gas is. We were 35 miles from Venezuela and I’m being told how expensive gas is. Well, we kept walking. Another driver at the beginning of the pontoon bridge quoted us $17. We walked across it, as I wanted to see a ship that was in the inner port. It was a ship that belong to the Scientologists; a beautiful ship! We got a taxi at the other side for $12. We got to the beach and paid $3 each to get in. They had some really nice “beds” on the beach, some covered from the sun, some were not. They were great to take a quick nap on while enjoying the beach. The beach was nice, but not quite what I was expecting. It was a little rocky and just not as nice as I had imagined. Perhaps we should have gone further down as we were at the beginning of the beach. All in all it was nice…beats being home any day! The taxi back to town was $13. We walked around town a little before going back to the ship. There was a nice breeze all day.

 

The next day was another sea day. We had a few hours of so so weather, then it turned rainy and the wind got quite strong. That kept up all throughout the evening and night. We had 10-12 foot seas and a lot of rain. It was the first time I had trouble with my stomach on a cruise. We missed formal night and just had a very light meal in the Windjammer. It was early to bed for me that night.

 

Friday we were back to St. Maarten. We did our shopping here, but saved some for St. Thomas. I got my yearly fix of Belgian chocolate! :)

 

Saturday dawned a sad day. It was our last day. We went through immigrations, which went very well again. We had made reservations through Island Marketing for a wave runner excursion. We took a taxi to the Wyndam (beautiful property!) only to find they had gotten the time wrong on the instructions, we were an hour early. They indicated the tour operators ran on Atlantic Standard Time; wrong they were on Eastern Standard Time. After an hour the water sports booth opened and I discovered that we were going to be going snorkeling and would just be on the wave runners 10 minutes to get there and 10 minutes to get back. Well, I decided that $265 was TOO much for a 1 ½ hour snorkel trip for the three of us. Also, I was upset that the tour had been misrepresented, if you will, to indicate it was something that it was not. The young man told me that they had 8 complaints in the last month over the same excursion! I am still attempting to get my deposit back from Island Marketing. We then spent another $30 to get back to town. We shopped some more (by the way, I love shopping in St. Thomas!) and walked back to the ship. It was a beautiful day! I would absolutely love to live there. That afternoon, we began the arduous task of packing. Gosh, when will I learn that we do not need all that we pack?! Next year, we are definitely packing less; no I really mean it, we are! :)

 

Morning came all too quickly. We ate in the dining room as our headwaiter suggested. He told us we would have a long day of traveling and should be sure to eat a nice large breakfast, so we heeded his advice and did just that. We then headed to the Crown and Anchor departure lounge, in the Mozart dining room and waited until about 8:15 at which time we were escorted off. We had paid the $20 per person to have our luggage taken from the port directly to the airport by United (remember, I pack way too much). That was by and far the best money we spent the entire trip! What a breeze it was going to the airport without luggage! We walked right through security, found our gate and waited just a bit. We had a 12:55 flight and had more than enough time. It’s funny…all the airports in the US will not allow passengers to take over 3 ounces of any liquid, but at the airport in San Juan, one can purchase alcohol, perfume, etc. to carry on. I was surprised at that. We arrived back in Washington D.C. at 4:30.

 

Needless to say, I have suffered post cruise depression. I don’t belong here…I belong back on the ship! I tried to help with the depression and booked us on the Freedom next summer.

[pmfan]

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for writing one. :)

[roe2ship]

Thanks for the taking the time to write a review. We were on the first week of your cruise and we LOVED it!

 

DH always says while we are getting off the ship, how sweet it is for those few who are staying on.

 

RancherDave, I have all the compasses. Glad to help if I can.

[Kikkycat]

Thanks for the report! I am so looking forward towards my first cruise, except for that last day part of it!

[danyelle]

Great review! I'd love to do a B2B on her.

I'm going the barbados route in late september.

 

we're staying at the intercontinental as well, do you remember the taxi cost from airport to the hotel?

 

Thanks!

[NoVa Mimi]

I think the cab fare was around $20 for 3 of us with our luggage. I was going to write all the fares down, so I wouldn't forget them for my review, but I forgot!

[sueajp]

Hi Nova,

We spoke briefly before we left on the roll call. We were on the first leg of your trip (Hi Roe!) though I think we never got to meet . We had a small but loyal roll call group! It was fun to see people all week. I loved hearing about your second week on board.What a dream to be able to stay on when everyone else is dejectedly leaving! We were sad and could not believe how fast the week flew by. It was a very port intensive trip. I would love to have had more days at sea. Thanks for posting.

All those ready to go... have a ball!

Sue:cool:

[Daghis]

It’s funny…all the airports in the US will not allow passengers to take over 3 ounces of any liquid, but at the airport in San Juan, one can purchase alcohol, perfume, etc. to carry on. I was surprised at that.

San Juan is part of the US, so the same rules apply there.

 

The 3 ounce rule applies to bringing liquids through security. Once you're in the secure area, you should be able to buy liquids (drinks, perfumes, etc.) and bring them on board without any problems.

[NoVa Mimi]

Sue, I'm sorry that we didn't get to meet in person. Daghis, I understand that San Juan is a part of the US :), it's just that I thought it was a bit odd that security is concerned about more than 3 oz of shampoo, moisturizer and in one case for us, an 8 oz bottle of hot sauce that we bought last minute, but one can bring on large bottles of perfume and alcohol. No big deal really, I just thought it was a bit odd.