AOS 10/5-10/12 journal (long)

[ancldaca]

Here it is as submitted on the main review page.

 

Background

I am a 42 y.o. male with a European/South American upbringing and have been living in the U.S. for a total of 28 years. I see myself as a person of refined tastes but do not necessarily live everyday life that way. I consider myself as someone who knows (both by upbringing and then personal experience) what "is good" and what "is not so good". As a consumer, I enjoy and seek out good value which does not mean cheap; there are times when a $50 entree represents better value than a $2.99 fast food meal.

 

My previous cruise resume reads: Renaissance Cruises (1x), Princess (5x), and Royal Caribbean (3x). So, this is my 10th cruise!!! Reviews on cruise critic are as follows: Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas (AOS) on 07/07: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=30616. The Caribbean Princess Western Caribbean on 09/07: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=32829. The Crown Princess Southern Caribbean on 12/07: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=35864. The Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean on 04/08: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=40724. The Caribbean Princess 3 night Coastal Sampler on 5/1/08: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=41545

 

I originally booked this cruise onboard my last cruise on the Adventure of the Seas (AOS) to take advantage of the on-board credit one receives when doing that. However, a few months ago, a very good home port resident offer appeared for a Junior Suite for only about 10% more. This reservation was not allowed to be handled by my original travel agent but the substitute (local) one is of the same network and did adequate job.

I have wondered how much things have changed - or remained the same since my AOS cruise last summer. I hope that this cruise journal will be enjoyed by both cruise veterans and newbies. Reference and comparisons to Princess are made exclusively in relation to the Caribbean and Crown Princess, two ships I feel are reasonably comparable in size and offerings to the AOS.

 

Embarkation & Cabin

I left my house at around 2:30pm, stopped by a pharmacy, and arrived at the Panamerican Pier at 3pm. The line for security stretched about 75 yards long if not a tad longer. As I steeled myself to wait in line, a cruise line agent came walking by indicating that the Crown & Anchor Gods (Royal Caribbean’s frequent cruiser program) and Suite passengers could just walk up to the front of the line.

 

In a tongue in cheek mode I asked whether Junior Suites were covered in that and she said sure and indicated me to move to the front. I dropped off my luggage and went through a separate TSA screening line. Once inside the check-in was very quick as there was only one person in front of me. Here, everybody (except the aforementioned Gods and Suite passengers) line up in one line to be checked in by the first available agent while on Princess, check-in is done per deck. I suppose there’s advantages to both systems.

 

I received my key/charge card noting that I been placed on main seating which is 6pm. Bizarre situation and one that I will note to my agent because I would NEVER eat that early on a cruise. I suppose it doesn’t matter really as I have no intention of eating in the main dining rooms anyway.

 

Once across the gangplank I purchased my obligatory soda sticker which is significantly more expensive than on Princess. The total price was close to $7/day (tip included); going by memory here, but on Princess the price is a much more reasonable $4/day. Guess something has to service the multi-billion dollar debt taken up by RCL to purchase their new Oasis class ships...

 

I got to my Junior Suite (9540) at 3:30pm sharp. Pretty good time considering the number of people and the purchase of the soda sticker (shock!). This stateroom is located forward on the port side of the ship.

As you enter the room, the head is immediately to your right and consists of a full tub/shower combo, the famous nautical vacuum toilets, and plenty of vanity space. To the left as you enter is a walk-in closet which measures about 25 sq ft. which has 18 hangers and six 4 foot shelves.

 

Once past the head/closet the main part of the cabin opens up. To the left is a continuous unit that runs along the length of the cabin which first has the desk, then the TV console, a second desk-like area and finally the mini-fridge. To the right are the beds (in this case configured as queen) which face the desk and then the ‘living’ area which has a sofa, two seats, and a coffee table. The desk has 9 drawers, there’s a 5 shelve closet, 2 two shelve closets, and a large closet underneath the TV. To either side of the desk mirror there are two additional small closets behind mirrored doors. There is also one chair at each desk.

 

Beyond the fridge/living room area is the balcony door (sliding) which leads to the balcony (duh!!!) which measures about 66 sq. ft. It has two plastic chairs, a small table, and a plastic lounger.

 

I mentioned earlier, I have no intention of eating in the main dining rooms this week for dinner. There are two reasons for this: 1) I’m still psychologically scarred from Royal’s generally available food last year (no seasoning!) and 2) I enjoyed eating at Portofino so much all week last time that I wanted to do this again. Yes, it is an extravagance but then, this is my last long vacation this year and so, why not?

 

I had previously reserved four nights already on Royal Caribbean’s web-site but had trouble finding adequate times (i.e. 8pm) for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I hoped to get something on-board for those times and headed to the restaurant to do this in person (plus to start using my $7/day soda card - argh!).

 

It was a terrific surprise for me to see that Jeanette, who took care of me so very nicely last year, was on-board again and at Portofino. She quickly remembered me (how often do you get a solo passenger eating all 7 nights plus also deliver a copy of his cruise review?) and took care of me being able to eat those 3 nights there as well. I’m very happy because when I think back to that cruise, she definitely stood out for me from that trip. Fact is that, of the last 5 cruises I have taken this past year and a quarter, she is honestly the only crew of any line whose name instantly pops into my mind.

 

6:30pm

Promptly at six pm we had our required muster drill. Fortunately, the sun had already gone down or I would have been fried.

 

I don’t think that any cruise line is perfect but there are things they can learn from each other. For example, on Princess, the muster drill is handled significantly better whereby you assemble at your designated public (air-conditioned) area and only then put on your life vest.

Royal still does it the old fashioned way: signal sounds, put on your life vest, and then go to your ‘abandon ship’ area. I noted, again, how many people have trouble walking down the steep stairs because you can’t see the floor with the life vest on. I wonder how many people have already sued because of tripping themselves or being impacted from behind by someone that did. There’s really no reason for doing it like this and just like anytime dining has spread from NCL to the other cruise lines maybe Princess’ muster drill will do the same.

 

Sweat aside, I always get a perverse kick out of the muster drill. It never fails to amaze me how many people try out the whistle without giving it a second thought of how many other people before them had done the same. The gift that keeps on giving... The ONLY way I will ever blow on that thing is if I’m in the water with the cruise ship sinking behind me. Drowning at that point would be a bigger concern than the residues of anonymous lips past.

 

At 7pm my luggage finally arrived. I was getting antsy to be honest as I had come aboard at 3pm. This is the longest it has ever taken me and I had come aboard in shorts without having packed slacks for dinner. What a rookie mistake! One would think I’d never taken a cruise before... I’ll unpack now and get ready for dinner; no need to check the menu, I guess I’ll be having the duck appetizer, the pappardelle, and then the saltimbocca a la romana.... je je. Memories.........

 

10:10pm

My first dinner at Portofino was terrific. It is truly my oasis of sanity within the ‘get out there’ atmosphere aboard the AOS. Apparently, my reputation has preceded me. Turns out that Isabel (who was also on my cruise last summer) asked me if I wrote reviews to which I replied yes. She told me that she had been mentioned and that several customers were soooo happy when they dined at Portofino and that she was her waitress. Hmm, now I have homework to do and re-read it myself. I know I mentioned Jeanette but don’t think that I mentioned Isabel. Well, in any case, I’ll enjoy my 15 minutes of Hemingway-esque fame.

 

In casual conversation with Jeanette, she informed me that they now offer a special fixed menu on Fridays with each course paired with its proper wine. Cruise nut (and pseudo foodie) that I am, my first thought was “Chef’s Table” (see Princess Cruises). The menu is certainly in that direction except it doesn’t involve the kitchen tour or the tete-a-tete with the Executive Chef, Sous Chef, or Maitre D’Hotel but food wise, it’s right up there.

 

It appears that this dinner option is brand new on board (2 weeks) but has received mixed reviews. Somehow, considering some of the crowd onboard (a man came to Portofino in SHORTS!) it doesn’t surprise me...

 

Once back in the cabin, I of course had to get the tea production rolling as my faithful readers would know I would start sooner or later. However, I have been viciously foiled by room service in my attempt to secure a large hot water bottle for my trip. I asked for the large carafe and heinously received two small ones instead! Let me write this off as a solitary event but I’m not going to walk around with two small carafes to get my hot water......

 

I’m also surprised that I don’t have towel animals. Ok... These silly things are not the main reason for taking a cruise but I have to admit that I enjoyed them last time.

 

Maybe it’s the cabin attendant who has been so-so so far. I paged him twice this afternoon well before muster with no response. After muster, he briefly popped into the cabin to introduce himself and shortly before I went to dinner he came in to place the chocolates on the pillows. Sort of ghost-like which is ok with me, but, well... I don’t know. One major faux pas was that the life preservers was nowhere to be found when I came in this afternoon. I finally found them - under the bed. Something is a bit off here. For now, I’ll write it off as embarkation day overload but still, details such as life preservers under the bed is odd.

 

11:10pm

18 33.25N

66 43.21W

Course: 273

Speed: 13.5 Kts

We are now directly north Arecibo heading west to the Mona Passage and I can see the lit up coast from my balcony. Being forward on the ship also means that the wave formed by the bow is breaking just below us. The balcony is noisy... Good night since I woke up early today.

 

 

Monday October 6, 2008

At sea, Caribbean Sea

16 41.37N

68 11.49W

Course: 205

Speed: 13.6 Kts

10:30am

Woke up at around 8am after a solid eight hours of sleep and then had breakfast at the Windjammer which is the AOS’ buffet located aft on deck 11. It has a main entrance and is then made up of two straight buffet lines on either side of the ship; further aft is the Island Grill. That is a similar physical set-up as Princess’ Horizon/Cafe Caribe concept.

That, however, is where the similarities end. The breakfast on the AOS is the typical American one with fruits, breads, cold cuts, warm meats, eggs, pancakes, yogurts, cereals, and smoked salmon (my apologies if I missed something else in particular). I sort of miss the “odd” items I would see on Princess for its international guests. The layout of the tables is also much more cafeteria style in that there are large areas of tables only broken up by the walking spaces and the occasional service/food stations.

 

I had some fruit, cold cuts, smoked salmon, a croissant and had brought along my own tea (only Lipton - yuck - bags were observed). Finding a table of 4 by the window was quite lucky. The place was packed and normally I would try to find a smaller table to leave the larger ones for families but, well, there’s precious few small tables around so - sorry. In any case, I was soon joined by a single mother with her 6 year old son. She had won her cruise at work in PR and the three of us had terrific breakfast. He was quite excited to be on his first cruise and couldn’t wait to finish breakfast to go to the children’s program.

 

Room Service 2 - My tea habit 0: Ok.. I think someone at Royal Caribbean has read my first cruise review and has black listed me for a large carafe of hot water. Two small carafes delivered again. Looks like if I ever cruise on a 7 day again on RCL, I’ll just have to buy a water heater ashore before the cruise (yes, I know - with automatic shut off!).

 

So, what’s on tap today for me? I think I’ll read a bit now, a light lunch, then go to the Cruisecritic pre-meeting in the Royal Suite, then the official Meet & Mingle at the Blue Moon at 5pm. Dinner at 8pm in Portofino. Nothing to do today - now THAT is the definition of a vacation for me!!!

 

1:26am

13 41.48N

69 37.89W

Course: 204

Speed: 13.1 Kts

What a terrific day today. I just love days at sea because there isn’t that underlying sense of having to “do the port just because you are there”.

 

For lunch I stopped by the Promenade Cafe and had a couple of slices their pizza. As a ying-yang type of arrangement I tried the pepperoni and the vegetarian. So so.

 

At 2pm we had our cruisecritic.com pre Meet & Mingle party in the Royal Suite. It is located midship on the 10th floor and is quite a statement. The living room area is the size of my whole Jr Suite. The foyer area has a baby grand piano, the bathroom is the size of NYC, and there’s also a large jacuzzi on the balcony. Wow!!!

 

Here, we had a present exchange where each of us contributed something from our the city/state/country we lived in to the pool of presents. I brought a pound of good puertorican coffee since it is small and easily transportable. In exchange, I received a Cheers bartenders guide which I found very appropriate because Cheers is still my favorite TV show of all time!!!

 

After the party, everybody went on a cabin crawl to check out all the other type of cabins on-board. I rushed back to mine to straighten mine out a bit before everyone arrived...

 

At 3:15pm I had my afternoon tea, getting a brie sandwich and a fruit tart at the Promenade Cafe. My cabin’s location is dangerous. If I take the elevators (about 10 paces away) to the 5th floor, the Cafe is another 15 paces away. Waistline beware....

 

At 5pm I went to the official RCL-cruisecritic.com Meet & Mingle at the Blue Moon lounge on Deck 14. I remember to get there on time after my fiasco last trip. About 35 people showed up! A member of the cruise director’s staff was the MC and we had a raffle of RCL products, including 6 posters of the new Oasis where a few of the group are booked already. I ended up staying until 6:25pm!

 

For dinner I went ‘light’ tonight: the carpaccio (which has a salad build on top of it), the Ceasar’s salad which is prepared table side (the anchovies are served on the side), and then the seafood skewer where my only complaint could have been that the salmon was a tad overcooked. Giving in to the sweet tooth again, I had the ricotta ‘cheesecake’ and then a cappuccino. Nice thing about RCL is that, unlike Princess, they haven’t charged me for it. I honestly don’t know if that is part of the Portofino charge or if I’m getting it because of the wonderful person that I am... :)

 

Outside, ahead of us, there must be a storm front because I can see lot’s of lightning and can hear the occasional thunder. Funny, the seas are still calm since the ship is completely steady. I feel that I am on land rather than on a ship - for me... that is a NEGATIVE comment. I know, I’m weird.

 

 

Tuesday October 7, 2008

Oranjestad, Aruba

12 31.10N

70 02.51W

Course: ---

Speed: 0.0 Kts

Docked along the port side of the ship

10:15am

Woke up at around 9am because the captain believes that all passengers should be awake by that time and OFF HIS SHIP so that he can run his crew drills... Guess what buddy, I was not the only one looking bleary eyed out of the balcony wondering where the fire was.......

 

I was able to get 2 wireless internet connections here and signed up on one for a one day use for $9.oo. I’m too addicted to Facebook I guess... There’s also been some 37 messages on my blackberry - gotta love the “delete previous” feature. Looks like the markets have continued to tank; not much I can do about it I guess and I’ll worry about it once I get back home. My ATT cell phone clearly stated that while service was available, international calling rates were in effect. In other words, I turned it off.

 

Ok, it’s rainy outside and I’m now wondering now wether I should head to land or not. I wanted to see the numismatic museum which I missed last time and which was one of the reasons to take this cruise again. I’ll make up my mind after a very very very late breakfast...

 

2:53pm

The weather has cleared up and I just returned to the ship after leaving at around 11am. Although it was drizzling/raining when I left, I made the Numismatic Museum in no time flat. It’s only about a 5 minute walk away.

For a $5.00 automatic donation per person, you get to see about 5 rooms worth of a collection. The current curator is the son-in-law of the original one. The collection is interesting in that it not only shows the Aruban/Netherland Antilles coins but also has about 3 rooms dedicated to coins of the world as well as a room of ancient ones (Roman, Byzantine Empire, etc.)

 

I thought it was a wonderful little labor of love that these people have put up for us to see and recommend that, if you have about 45 minutes to spare in town, that you stop by and take a look. Coming out of the port area, cross the street, cross the bus station’s parking lot, and there it is in front of you - right across the street is the Taj Mahal Restaurant (Havenstraat #36).

 

...which is where I had lunch again just like last time. For starters I had the Hara Bhara Kabab which was a breaded deep fried mixture of spinach, peas, and cottage cheese. Nice. Then as my main dish I had the Lamb Vindaloo (extra spicy but available in various grades of hotness). Oh how good it was again. What a wonderful dish whose various flavors just end up popping on your palate one after the other without end in sight. I guess one can tell that I liked it. What I also liked was that I was the only tourist in there and that is a very good sign if you ask me. Local restaurants tend to cook better than those plying the tourist trade.

 

After lunch I walked around the main street area a bit and was seduced by the Hillfiger store where I promptly bought 3 shirts. Ouch... Now I have to start thinking about that darn duty free exemption we get in the U.S. $600 to go with Curacao and St Martin (and my Hermes tie) still ahead of me. I also purchased some chocolates and postcards which I’ll be writing now to people who will likely never tell me that they received them... Ha ha

 

6:33pm

We just pulled out of Aruba and I must say I just did one of the neatest things things (for me anyway). Since I had purchased the wireless internet access, I started broadcasting our departure to my friends via my Mac camera. First, I took them through a tour of my cabin and then pointed the cam downwards toward the dock for them to see the push off and finally us moving forward. The connection died as the position of my cabin got toward the end of the pier but I was very happy to have been able to share a bit of this cruise with them live (without paying the on-board internet rates)!!!

 

Just like in Fort Lauderdale, many people along the hotel were outside sending us off! Of course, there was also a wise ass screaming “watch out for the iceberg”.... If there’s an iceberg in the Caribbean, then the whole global warming thing is vastly overblown. Frankly, the only ice in the Caribbean is usually found in foo-foo drinks and in coolers chilling down the beers!

 

12:18am

12 13.84N

69 38.33W

Course: 147

Speed: 6.6 Kts

Just a quick note on finishing up the day. After we left, I read a little more of my book and then had a light dinner. First, the Insalata Caprese and then the chicken. Jeanette sent me off with a bowl of fresh berries.

 

I also discovered the answer to the age old question of “when is the midnight buffet”. On the AOS that would be 11:45pm, so please don’t ask...

 

We are slowly moving toward Curacao. At this speed, the Captain must almost have difficulty just keeping us pointed in the right direction. Last night I could see the bow wave breaking below me and it almost seems like waves tonight are breaking perpendicular to the ship... Why not stay in Aruba and do a tender service to Curacao - just kidding!

 

 

Wednesday October 8, 2008

Willemstad, Curacao

12 06.23N

68 56.43W

Course: ---

Speed: 0.0 Kts

Docked along the port side of the ship

9:02am

Woke up at around 8:15am, this time without the help of the Captain. I walked out on the balcony and have Willemstad in front of me. So far, we have the same docking scheme as on my last cruise. Same Captain, so that may have something to do with it. In any case, I have a wonderful view of Otrabanda stretching to the Rif Fort (one of the old forts guarding the entrance to the channel which was converted to a commercial center) and then beyond the channel is Punda, the old section of Willemstad.

 

I think I’ll go ashore at around 11am to hire the taxi for 3 hours. My plan is to go to the Ostrich Farm I visited last time and eat some this time around. After that, I want to be dropped off in Punda to see the Fort Amsterdam which I missed last time.

 

I checked for wireless internet connections and there is something that shows up as “Curacao Wireless” but I am unable to join in. My company’s Blackberry had messages stored (ATT) but I suspect it was hooked to the ship; now I don’t get anything. My personal cel phone (also ATT) didn’t have a signal (at least on the balcony).

 

2:30pm

As always with the best laid plans... Turns out that my trip ashore was completely different than what I had planned. The cab fare to the Ostrich Farm was so high that I just could not reasonably justify the cost for just the lunch. So I walked into Otrabanda and the Rif Fort first.

 

The Fort once guarded one side of the channel inlet (the one closer to the ship’s dock) and has now been converted into a commercial center. There are all manner of stores there, with many of them build into the vaults of the old fort. As I exited the Rif Fort as if to go to the pontoon bridge, I heard organ music of the carnival kind (the fair - not the cruise company). Turns out that a guy had set up shop and an electrical motor fed sheet music through a reader with holes indicating when each note/instrument would play. I thought it was fascinating!!!

 

After that stop I purposely walked toward Fort Amsterdam ...which turned out to be no museum whatsoever but the seat of government. With nothing else in mind here I just started walking around to see if I could find something interesting for lunch at least.

 

And boy did I find it.

 

Just beyond Fort Amsterdam, along the coast, that is - one block away, another section of the old city wall was still standing and had also been commercialized like the Rif Fort. Only here, there were only about 5 oceanfront restaurants. The place is called Waterfront Terrace and although so close, barely any tourists could be seen (at least at first and even as I left, it definitely wasn’t overrun by the Carlos & Charlies/Sr. Frogs type crowd, but, a few cruisers did make it). There was a good mixture of government employees, locals, and a few tourists around.

 

The restaurant I chose was the Grillking. Why? Honestly what intrigued me was a menu item which was grilled conch. I’ve never had that but did see Alton Brown having some in his recent Feasting on Waves special on the Food Network. So, grilled conch it was.

 

First, I had a HUGE house salad and then the conch dish. The conch was sort of a scampi with heavy use of garlic, parsley, and lime. This was served with a side of red cabbage coleslaw and rice. I thought it tasted great and after so many days of eating more heavily, it was a nice break for me. Loved it.

 

Also interesting at the restaurant was its location. It is built on a deck over the coastline and you have a few tidal pools below you. In the one behind me, there were many crabs walking around, several type of fish, and at least 8 eels of various sizes. I may not be a botanist, but there was no way that such a smaller pool could sustain such a large population of predators. Sure enough, about once an hour, Juan (my waiter) would throw some raw squid tentacles (I guess from their fried squid appetizer - sort of a waste in my opinion because fried tentacles taste great) into the pool and the eels would all come out for the feeding frenzy - much to the delight of all of us eating there.

 

After lunch I crossed the bridge back to Otra Banda and just walked around a bit until finding a local supermarket where I purchased a quart sized Indonesian Sambal Oelek. Anyone who has ever tried sambals know what a special treat those are for us spicy food lovers.

 

Finally, before heading back onboard and writing this entry, I stopped in a nifty handmade chocolate store. It is called Belgian Flavour and is owned and operated by Dieter Doens who grew up in West Flanders.

 

Folks, do yourselves or your significant others a favor and stop into his store and buy a few of his chocolates. They are terrific and he had quite a variety of dark, milk, and white chocolate ones, with and without all sorts of fillings, including marzipan (my personal favorite). Each one was about $1.00 each which is about par for good Belgian type chocolate.

It’s real easy to find. As you are leaving the Rif Fort and get to and are facing the pontoon bridge, it will be right behind you on the other side of the plaza next to the Subway.

 

11:25pm

12 55.76N

67 55.16W

Course: 42

Speed: 12.9 Kts

Looks like another early evening for me. That tends to be the cases for me on cruises and is one of the reasons I like them so much. In that one week, I get so much sleep that I truly come back well rested and ready to tackle work again until the next cruise.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in my cabin (my theory: the nicer the cabin you have, the more time you want to spend inside of it. If I ever get one of those Owner Suites, the only time you’ll ever see me outside is during muster drill!).

Dinner was again light: just the caprese salad and then the specially prepared seafood pasta. The same dish was offered to me last july: it’s the sea food pasta but highly spiced up with tons of pepperoncino. Jeanette said it was the way the Hotel Manager liked the dish. If so, we both have the same taste. It was very well prepared and obviously in stages as each seafood item was cooked to perfection; the squid was perfectly done and tender not hard gummy like one tends to get in restaurants.

 

 

Thursday October 9, 2008

At sea, Caribbean Sea

14 49.73N

66 12.73W

Course: 41

Speed:13.2 Kts

Flat seas

10:55am

After waking up, I finished a book I had picked up at the ship’s library yesterday (woefully short on books - make sure to bring your own!). After finding a mystery compilation in exchange, I had my usual breakfast at the Windjammer, stopped by the Promenade to get some Tortuga Rum Cakes, and now I’m planning - on doing as little as possible. I love days at sea. Let me read a book, go to sleep when I want to, or just look at water idly passing by and I’m a happy man!!! Heck, I’m not even going to write another entry until late tonight!!!

 

Oh, except one thing. I’m dangerously low on tea. While I still have plenty of decaf left, my supply of regular tea is reaching critical levels. I’m using bags twice!!! Must purchase more in St Martin.

 

2:45pm

Well, I just HAD to make an entry here. The moment I had truly dreaded this cruise came to pass: lunch at the Windjammer. I tried for a simple meal to minimize the damage my taste buds would take but even so, I’ve been “royalized”... The blue cheese salad dressing was horrid to say the least, a creamy mess barely reminiscent of blue cheese without a single morsel of that delicious cheese in sight. The rice was ok and I had a burger patty instead of even attempting to try the minute steaks in some brownish sauce or the pasta.

 

If that wasn’t enough, or perhaps it was fate, my culinary nemesis from last time made a return appearance: the dreaded vegetable curry. I half way ate the slimy puke green mess which to this day I still consider the single worst dish I’ve ever eaten on any cruise ship. Oh why do I needlessly punish myself? Am I such a masochist? To make matters worse, some of the horrid goo ended up on my white Hillfiger polo. I tried washing it out just now but fear for the worst. Perhaps I should send a bill for a replacement to the Executive Chef (I shall call him Darth Notaste from now on); one must pay for one’s mistakes!!! What a horrid experience - again... And yet, another validation why one should eat at Portofino’s every night!

 

Just a couple of observations from my travels through the ship today and in general: The AOS is in terrific shape. Sure, one can see some signs of use here and there, but in general, considering her year-long stay in the Caribbean, she really is in a very good condition. All day long you can see maintenance crews touching things up here and there. Crew members also mentioned her dry dock next year (April?).

 

Also, if you get a chance, do walk around the ship especially the other decks. You will be amazed at the amount of art work displayed. I doubt most people even realize that but each deck is “decked out” with different types of art from paintings, to tapestries, to statues, to prints. Even old records and movie posters. Very interesting!

 

9:31pm

16 33.78N

64 38.33W

Course: 41

Speed: 13.3 Kts

What can I say but another terrific dinner tonight. The guys are spoiling me although I have completely cut down on the 4 course dinner. Like yesterday, just salad (Caesar) and this time the Filet Mignon. I indulged with the full portion of the tiramisu which us served in a chocolate bowl.

I also look forward to tomorrow’s dinner. I am part of a test for a high end concept called the “Wine Dinner Series”; it will be the first time aboard the AOS. Very excited about that considering I have done something similar twice already on Princess (Chef’s Table). In fact, I find it sort of ironic that I, who repeatedly points out Royal’s culinary failings, should get a chance to be one of the first to try this new concept out. I will be making extra notations and pictures to prepare a proper review for my fellow cruisers at cruisecritic.com.

 

Tonight was also the Crown & Anchor repeat cruiser party. However, because I have dinner at 8pm I couldn’t make it. Yesterday evening, I got my repeat cruiser’s gift for this trip: an embroidered Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society baseball cap.

 

Upon arrival at the cabin, I contacted my cabin steward to inform him that my elephant has disappeared from my cabin. The guy must be a Democrat..... However, tonight’s animal is a hare, not a donkey.

 

 

Friday October 10, 2008

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

18 00.76N

63 02.75W

Course: ---

Speed: 0.0 Kts

Docked along the starboard side of the ship

8:00am

What a shame that I woke so early. Today was the last day we could sleep in since tomorrow we’ll be in St Thomas (immigration) and Sunday is debarkation. However, I fell asleep so early that it doesn’t really matter I guess.

 

Very interesting. I correctly expected for us to be docked along starboard but we are bow in, so I actually have that great view of Phillipsburg. The land reclamation project that they were working on in April (when I was last here) looks to be mostly finished and half of the new cruise ship pier seems to be finished already.

 

My blackberry had a connection here, but my cel phone didn’t. There’s also no public wireless internet available right now.

 

10:25am

Just returned from breakfast and this is just an entry for those that enjoy the shipboard pools and amenities. The main pool and Solarium were completely deserted on my walk back just now (as they were in Aruba & Curacao and as I expect tomorrow in St Thomas as well). The Solarium was completely empty except two of us that were walking around. The main pool had one person tanning and two in a jacuzzi. Guess no chair hogs today!!! Obviously, port days are indeed the best to enjoy these facilities as everyone else is ashore.

 

My balcony is soaked from the cleaning they are doing outside. Funny, I recall getting a notice the night before when these things are scheduled to happen. Hm, maybe that was on Princess. I have also left a note for my cabin attendant with a series of minor maintenance issues in the cabin (pointing out balcony rust spots, non-working balcony door lock, minor rust in bathroom, etc.).

 

I plan on leaving to Marigot at around 11am on my now usual St Martin pilgrimage for a new tie at Hermes.

 

3:53pm

My expeience in Marigot was - again - fantastic!!! It is just so much calmer than the Philipsburg bazaar.

 

From the cruise terminal I got a taxi to the Marina in Marigot ($18). The dispatcher added a passenger who was going to downtown Philipsburg but it didn’t bother me; better for the cabbie. As we got to the marina, she took a right turn and dropped me off - smack in front of the Hermes store. How did she know???

 

I picked out a new one to add to my collection noting that they had gone up in price to $170 each. Pow! There went about a quarter of our legal duty free Caribbean allowance. Oh well, they are worth it!!! At the corner of the street I bought a perfume for myself and one a friend of mine had asked me to purchase for her.

 

With the shopping part done so quickly I headed over to the marina for lunch. The restaurant I usually have lunch at, La Main de la Pate, was closed and locked up. Did they go under???? No, they didn’t. They we’re taking vacations before opening up again October 15th. How nice! I wish more businesses would take the time to completely shut down for a while to give all their employees the proper amount of rest.

 

In any case, I went next door to a restaurant called Le Village. Their motto: Excellent food and lazy waiters. I kid you not. Their waiters actually wear t-shirts with that printed on it!!! But the food was good (and the service wasn’t bad at all). I started off with a salad nicoise that was big enough to share and didn’t even bother with any dressing as so many flavors were in the ingredients themselves.

 

As an entree, I took the waiter’s suggestion of the scallop and shrimp duo. This was served with linguini and a cream sauce which had some green onions and shallots in there as well. Very good! $61.50 before tip, but again, worth it.

 

I then walked toward the main waterfront area to catch a cab back to the ship. Since I was by myself, the dispatcher sent me to a small car instead of a van. What a stroke of luck. The driver, who also spoke Spanish, took ‘the back way’ to the ship. We drove out to Grand Cas and then crossed the island to Philipsburg. During the trip, he did a little tourism speak and I learned a few new things. For example, did you know that cockfighting was legal on the French side but not on the Dutch side? Or that prostitution was vise-versa? He even drove by a ‘night club’ pointing it out to me; I suspected that a good part of the crew that had shore leave might be found there as it was on the Dutch side...... ahem ahem...

 

Once back at the port, I wanted to purchase a JW Blue, but realized that - because I had purchased that extra cologne for my friend - that I didn’t have enough $ left to cover the purchase for US customs... Thank’s MC!!!! Ha ha ha... just kidding!!!

 

Now, I’m having some tea and enjoying some chocolate covered strawberries courtesy of room service. Actually, let me take a moment here and point out that in this area, the little bits of attention and detail, as well as the personal service exhibited by the crew, Royal far outdoes Princess. Give credit where credit is due!!! I give ‘em hell for lousy food but Royal does a great job in servicing their clients!!!

 

For example, this morning I left a note with some minor maintenance observations for the cabin. On it, I specifically wrote that I was NOT complaining, merely pointing things out. As I came back this afternoon, most had been taken care of. I mean it, I wasn’t complaining at all. They were just details that my ex hotel Front Office Manager eye still sees automatically that 95% of the population wouldn’t. And it was taken care of. Good job Royal!

 

We are due to cast off at 5pm and at 7:30pm I am looking forward to the special Wine Dinner Series!!!

 

10:42pm

18 05.17N

63 50.06W

Course: 279

Speed: 8.6 Kts

Wow! What a dinner that was.

 

Ok, let me set this up for you all. Tonight, across 3 ships of the Royal Caribbean fleet (the Mariner, the Liberty, and the AOS) the public at large had its first chance to try out the new Wine Dinner Series at Portofino.

 

So, what is the Wine Dinner Series? It is a fixed 5 course menu dinner with each dish paired with its particular (when possible Italian) wine. The price is $54.50 per person (vs. the usual $20 at Portofino) but do remember that it includes the wines.

 

The appetizer was a Tuna Carpaccio ad Tomato Tartare with Kalamata olives, Crispy lettuce and herb oil. This was paired with a Danzante Pinot Grigio from Veneto. I found that the olive and pesto oil nicely complemented the carpaccio and the basil cut through the tomato tartar very nicely. The pinot grigio paired up nicely and didn’t overpower the dish.

 

Next, was the pan seared Bay Scallops and Lobster in Basil seafood Nage and double whipped mashed potatoes. This was paired with a La Vita Lucente, a sangiovese/merlot blend from Tuscany. The seafood was cooked perfectly and the sauce was terrific. We (me and the other two diners who signed up for this) felt that the wine was fantastic but that it overpowered the dish.

 

Then we had a so called house salad which was a mixture of Radicchio, Arugula, Romaine, Belgium endive, Cherry tomatoes, olives, Fennel, deep fried prosciutto, with a feta cheese and chives dressing. The salad worked for me very well. I loved the deep fried prosciutto adding that smoky flavor and additional crispiness to the dish. If anything, I found the portion pretty big and it could be halved without detracting from the meal.

 

The Main Course was terrific. It was roasted beef tenderloin medallions served with a parmesan custard, asparagus, sweet corn pure and a golden shallot reduction. This dish was paired with a Il Ducale Chianti Classico, also from Tuscany. The tenderloin was cooked to perfection and we all loved the sweet corn puree as well as the parmesan custard. The Chianti was good but we all felt that the first red we had, the La Vita Lucente, would have made a much better pairing - if there were no asparagus which have a very strong taste; maybe with the zucchini they have available at Portofino.

 

Finally, the dessert. It was a pair of mascarpone and strawberry crepes with citrus scented Galliano syrup, candied orange peel and Almond Florentine. The wine was an Errazuriz late harvest sauvignon blanc, from Casablanca Valley, Chile. It was the only non-italian wine on the menu. The dessert was soft, warm, and no one taste overpowered the others. It was a very sublime experience and I’m usually not much of a dessert guy (although I freely recognize that I had my fair share of them on this cruise).

 

All in all, a terrific experience. An excellent menu which, in my opinion, only needs some minor tweaking to be even grander: if a red is to be used for the seafood course it needs to be much lighter so as to not overpower the more delicate seafood, a smaller sized salad course, and maybe moving that wonderful La Vite Lucente to the main course because it could have held its own with the dish.

 

I don’t know how quickly they will roll this out to the fleet, but once they do, I highly encourage you to try this experience. I’m sure they’ll continue running a few more “public” tests first but, in my opinion, this is about 97% ready to go.

 

Time to go to sleep soon. Tomorrow morning is immigration day. It starts at 7:15am until 9am in the Mozart Dining Room for U.S. Citizens and in the Strauss Dining Room for the international guests. I guess I’ll have to look on a ship map where either of those are since I haven’t stepped into one of the AOS’ dining rooms since sometime late July 2007.....

 

 

Saturday October 11, 2008

Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas

18 19.86N

64 55.54W

Course: ---

Speed: 0.0 Kts

Docked along the port side of the ship

8:22am

Well, good morning to all! I tried room service this morning and it worked great. Since immigration was going on, I let the first rush go through (altruistic that I am I ceded my space to those taking St Thomas tours...) and had breakfast delivered in the 7:30-8:00am time-slot instead. Another huge plus point for Royal is that they serve a warm breakfast for room service. Most of the things, except the salmon and omelets, that are available at the Windjammer are available through room service. Don’t know why Princess can’t do the same...

 

In any case, at 8am the captain gave everybody a wake up call through the PA system for the stragglers to wake up and get their butts to immigration. The U.S. line was very long but moved at a quick pace. The International one was quite short and probably even faster.

 

We are docked at Havensight Mall. When I came here last July I was quite nasty describing it. Since then, I’ve been to Crown Bay twice with Princess. Be careful what you wish for... Heavensight is a lot better!!! Interestingly, we are docked at the farthest end of the dock (i.e. furthest from land). Bizarre. I thought we were the only ship in town and one would think they’d leave us “closer”.

 

It is very sultry outside and rain clouds are moving in; the forecast is for 50% chance of rain and if I wouldn’t bet against that... No doubt it will rain. Years of living in PR give one a sense of how the air feels before a downpour. The afternoon heat will undoubtedly produce showers.

There is no publicly available wireless internet service available to me right now. My cel phone works normally (and within my plan). The blackberry had a hic-up and is resetting; don’t know what is going on with it and I could care less if it breaks down altogether. I’m on vacation and will have to deal with the financial meltdown on Monday in any case.

 

Not much planned for today. I’ll probably head the the purser’s to pay in some cash to minimize the credit card damage and then head ashore later to buy my share of booze and a few other things. This afternoon I’ll be packing so that there’s no evening rush. Lunch? Yikes... the thought of another lunch aboard is abhorrent to me and I bet I’ll end up taking a cab somewhere - anywhere - to get away from the non-Portofino “cuisine” aboard... Burger King, at this point, sounds like haute cuisine to me right now.

 

As I was writing the next section of the review, a team of three officers presented themselves to take a look at the maintenance problems I had written down on a list for my cabin steward. Wow! Great response even though they truly were smaller details!!! I absolutely made sure that the comments were just that and not complaints. But it is almost impossible for me not to go into a hotel room or cruise cabin and not see details that the everyday person wouldn’t likely pay attention to; it’s just my past professional career in the hospitality industry rearing its ugly head. My point is that if things are wrong (even just small details) and people don’t tell management, then no one ever really finds out. It’s sort of like being with someone who is dieting. On a daily basis you barely notice the change but a friend that comes by once every six months may really notice a difference. I can only say that whoever gets 9540 tomorrow will find a cabin in better condition than I did (and I found mine fine!!!).

 

2:50pm

I returned from ashore at around 1:30pm and have begun packing and filling out U.S. Customs forms. For what it’s worth, Royal Caribbean’s information on the TV is false!!! They specify the wrong (current) amounts one can bring back into the U.S. at this time. The merchants ashore also provide false information.

 

Before embarking on a trip outside the U.S. always stop by the U.S. Customs website. There’s a link to a pdf brochure called “Know before you go” which lays out exactly how much and from where you can bring in things duty free.

 

Here’s the quick and dirty version:

 

You can potentially bring in $1,200 per person duty free. A maximum of $800 can be “international” which means any non-U.S. port or purchases on the ship itself; this includes 1 carton of cigarettes and 1 liter of alcohol (a second one can be brought in IF it is a locally made liquor like the guavaberry products from St Maarten for example). Then, you can bring in an additional $400 per person from “Insular Territories” (which basically means the U.S. Virgin Islands but also includes Guam and the Marianas I believe). In the USVI you can purchase an additional 4 cartons of cigarettes and an additional 4 liters of alcohol (a 5th one is allowed if it is locally produced; hence the popularity of Cruzan Rum...).

 

The $400 USVI exemption may actually been recently raised to $800 (meaning a total of $1,600 per person). So, check the website and “know before you go”. On my last cruise arriving in Fort Lauderdale in April, U.S. Customs was quite strict about the origin of each purchase... So, it makes little sense to risk Custom’s ire by buying all those multi-liter deals aboard the ship because you can only bring in 1 liter from “international”... Same goes for you smokers out there (1+4). Just because it’s for sale by a merchant or the cruise line doesn’t mean that it conforms to U.S. Customs Regulations!!!

 

Ok... rant and shopping class over for now kids.

 

I ended up having lunch at a pub called The Shipwreck Tavern. It is just outside the Havensight shopping Mall entrance (just cross the street and it’s up there n the second floor all the way to the left). While it does have a limited outside sitting area it is inside where it’s at. A wonderful long bar greets you as you enter and there were several pool tables there as well. A large number of tables and booths were available but I chose to eat at the bar for old times sake (I used to be a happy drunk). There were many TV’s tuned into different U.S. sports events but also a channel showing a soccer game and one a rugby game (yeah!!! Donate Blood - Play Rugby as the bumper sticker used to read during my college years playing this great sport!).

 

Had a wonderful version of a steak & cheese made with skirt steak and brie, topped with sauteed onions and mushrooms, and served in a pretty good hoagie roll. I had a side of cole slaw but fries were also an option.

 

I’ve also called room service for more hot water. I now have enough teas to carry me through since I found my mini-stash in my carry-on (I had 4 bags there for embarkation but never got around to take them out!). And lo and behold I finally - after 6 days - FINALLY got one large carafe instead of two small ones. Argh!!!!! Oh well...

 

3:43pm

Basically done packing except for the carry-on which looks like it’ll be extremely empty. Actually, I’m thinking about opening my luggage again and transfer a few shirts in order to provide some protection for the more delicate things I’ll be packing there. I may not be flying home but our wonderful potholed roads in PR are akin to severe turbulence.

Amazingly, my cruisecritic.com door magnet has survived!!! First time in a long time! Just in case, I packed it away. It’ll be used again in January.

 

The tips are done (I’ve added quite a bit more in cash over the auto-tip for my cabin attendant and the Portofino staff - they really made my cruise go smoothly and deserve more!).

 

I’ll probably also partake in that great tradition of modern cruising which is the “spotting of the runners”. Yes, that wonderful sarcastic applause given to those undertaking the olympic sprint back to the ship after the Captain has blown the “get-your-ass-back-to-the-ship-right-now-or-you-are-staying-behind” horn half an hour earlier. There’s always something fun to do on a cruise!!!

 

5:26pm

Well, we have pulled away from the dock and are entering the sea. For me, it’s always sad to be leaving St Thomas because for most of the cruises I have taken around here, St Thomas is the last port before debarkation. But a ship belongs at sea, not tied to a pier in any case.

 

There were no real runners now. A foursome got a free ride along the pier but, technically, they weren’t really late. I guess the lesson sunk in during the last ports.

 

Interesting note here: there were civilians on the bridge. Clearly they were tourists and I got the pics to prove it. So the whole non-sense by the cruise lines of no bridge tours due to post 9-11 security issues is just a whole lot of BS. No need to sugar coat it. If you got guests (no matter what their possible repeat cruiser status) on the bridge during maneuvers then the security excuse is - well - inexcusable. We want our bridge tours back!!!

 

9:58pm

18 33.94N

65 14.00W

Course: 336

Speed: 6.7 Kts

Had another great dinner at Portofino this evening (went for the fried calamari and repeated the pappardelle). You don’t know how much I enjoy the food and the terrific attention given to me by Jeanette, Isabel, and their manager Ashmeed. I also got a chance to talk to Portofino’s Executive Chef who is a German transplant currently living in Australia. I congratulated him on the new wine dinner menu and shared my thoughts about it. It was very sad for me to leave this evening; I really dragged out my dessert and coffee...

 

I also found out about my 2 hot carafes issue. Turns out that they use the small ones only for hot water. Don’t I feel like a fool now, right! Oh well. Now I know!

 

I placed my last room service order for hot water and a couple of turkey sandwiches. At the Promenade Cafe I also just got myself a couple of croissant sandwiches and 2 slices of cherry cake. This, together with the yogurt I stashed this morning in the fridge and the berries I just got “to go” from Portofino will become my breakfast in the morning (after a quick self refill of hot water at the Promenade Cafe). I don’t want to join the masses at the Windjammer. This way, after my hot water refill, I can stay until 8am in the cabin.

 

Unfortunately, I’m in the last group due for debarkation. Oh well, the price one pays for being a homeport cruiser (on the flip side, you get a can get a great deal).

 

As usual, I won’t make another entry for debarkation. As I always say, debarkation is too sad a day to be given the honor of an entry. On the plus side, tomorrow also means that I am a day closer to my next cruise in January.

 

 

 

----- Will post last part below since length exceeded posting size.

[ancldaca]

---- The last part of the review:

 

And so draws near the end. Now, what everybody really wants to read about a cruise review:

Lessons - Comparisons

It would be impossible to write these journal reviews without also taking some time to summarize one’s experiences and I’ll attempt to do this here. It should be noted that I am a huge Princess fan right now and the following should be read with that in mind. Nevertheless, I hope to be as honest as possible.

 

First, I maintain that this cruise itinerary is probably the single best one out there. There is a nice mix of very interesting ports (Aruba & Curacao for “doing things”; St Maarten & St Thomas for shopping) plus two days at sea which I find are necessary for that all important “wind down” required for a vacation to recharge your batteries for work. More importantly, the spacing of the days at sea provide the initial vacation jolt and then a nice “half-time” feel to things. I much prefer this set-up over the more port intensive cruises which, although better for seeing new places/things, do lead to a certain feeling of tiredness (witness my Crown Princess cruise of December ’07).

 

The Adventure of the Seas is a terrific ship. Royal Caribbean really hit the ball out of the park with this class’ design (and by extension, I assume, the Freedom class of ships as well). These are truly ships made for the family market in that all ages will find at least something aboard to their liking. It is, by definition, a fantastic mass market ship. While I may personally enjoy the Grand and Sun class ships from Princess better due to their greater use of compartmentilization of their large spaces, I can’t argue outright against Royal’s designing of its ships. It works very well for the concept they are trying to sell. I found all areas of the ship to be in overall good physical shape, not bad considering the AOS’ long service in the cauldron of heavy use that is the Caribbean cruising market.

 

The crew are well trained and very customer service oriented. I admit that the level of personal service is higher here than what I have noted on my recent Princess cruises. It isn’t just style of service in that Princess’ is more subdued (something I personally happen to like over the more over-friendly approach of Royal) for that would only differentiate the manner how good service is provided. No, rather it is the number of small touches that Royal showers on its guests. For example, I got a few chocolate covered strawberries as a thank you from the room service department. The Crown & Anchor Society places a gift in the stateroom for each repeat cruiser. The whimsical nightly towel animals are a nifty fun little extra which make coming back to the cabin after dinner something to look forward to. These are examples of that little extra that is Royal’s approach. As the #2 cruise company, Royal tries harder and it shows.

 

My Jr. Suite is a fantastic stateroom which I can strongly recommend. It is ‘better’ than the Mini-Suites on Princess’ Grand class ships since it is squarer in design rather than longer. I like that extra space this configuration offers. In fact, and going by memory from last year, the D1 balcony I had last year on the AOS was also more comfortable than the BB/BA balcony rooms on the Grand ships; but nothing beats the double sized balconies Princess has on the Caribe decks. Just the addition of the sofa in the D1 makes it nicer. Decor wise I prefer Princess though, with it’s more subdued cabin color scheme.

 

For family cruising, I also have to give the edge to Royal. While I may have no children of my own, I still have two eyes and a semi-lucid brain to interpret what is going on around me. It looks like both lines have good children’s programs but Royal has “more things to do” with the rock climbing, ice skating ring, etc. Not things I would use, but certainly things I can see families enjoying more, especially for those hopelessly horrible late teen years where one is boxed in with the kids but really isn’t.

Casino: I’m not much of a gambler in the first place, but do occasionally indulge a bit on cruises. That said, I much prefer the Princess casinos which seemed to have a larger amount of gaming tables. Here on the AOS, I’d say that 3/4 of the casino is taken up by slot machines which I normally don’t care much for. Princess also has that card system where you can bank your winnings (or balances on the machine) on your cruise card and then ‘move them’ to another machine you may want to play at. So, I guess, I favor the Princess casinos due to more table games and the banking system.

 

Embarkation: I’m ambivalent of this. I can see the obvious merit of the egalitarian system Royal uses (first come - first serve) but then, it also makes sense to do check-in by deck like Princess does. Call this one a draw.

 

Muster: Here Princess undoubtably does it better hands down. There is no reason for people to be walking down these steeply inclined stairs with the life vest on. It impedes you seeing where you are stepping on. Also, there isn’t a reason not to hold muster in the public areas which are air-conditioned as opposed to the sultry late afternoon weather the Caribbean is known for (or cold weather in other areas of the world). This is one area where Royal should feel free to copy its competitors.

 

Soda Card: On Princess it’s worth it, on Royal the cost-benefit isn’t quite so clear. At $6/day plus 15% tip, you need to average 3 sodas/day (in-room mini-fridge price) to break even. I’ve found myself using it a lot more the first couple of days of the cruise and less toward the end. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I drink so much tea. At dinner I have 2 sodas for sure but I don’t necessarily have a third one during the day. Unfortunately, the restaurants ashore don’t honor it.... Anyway, do your own calculations and see if it works out for you. I’ll take it again on Princess but will likely refuse it on Royal provided that the pricing remains the same.

 

Food (buffets/dining rooms): Ok, here we go and you all know what I will be saying. The generally available food (i.e. buffets and regular dining room) is far superior on Princess. They may have a company culture bias toward seafood but whatever dish you end up getting, at least it is seasoned properly. My thought is that if Princess can do it for 3,000 passengers, then why not Royal? Why the bland baby food? Without a doubt - big advantage Princess and don’t anybody give me that cop out of ‘food taste is subjective’. No it isn’t. Food is either correctly prepared or it isn’t and only then you either like it or not (that is the subjective part I agree with). If you can’t taste the difference, then that is a fault of your own upbringing or lack of proper food education afterwards. With food, I call a spade a spade.

 

Room service: Big advantage to Royal, especially in the breakfast area. It’s nice to have a warm breakfast in your stateroom instead of a continental only on Princess (write ins not withstanding). But the Ultimate Balcony options are far superior to anything available here on the AOS.

 

Specialty dining: Both lines offer terrific alternative (for pay) restaurants. I like both Portofino’s cooking as well as Princess’ Sabatini’s. However, on Princess, I enjoy the main dining room food sufficiently that a dinner at Sabatini’s becomes a special, one off, treat. Dinner at Portofino is a culinary necessity aboard the AOS.

 

Teas (you just knew I was going to mention this, right?): Both companies suck at this. On one hand they try to present good food and on the other they throw Lipton at its tea drinkers. Both Royal and Princess offer some slightly more upscale teas in their specialty coffee establishments but these are either horribly overpriced or not really that much better. The tea selections are a slap in the face. Fortunately, I always bring my own aboard but why should I? Tea drinkers of the cruising world unite and let your voices be heard on those comment cards!!!!

 

So, Princess or Royal? I still lean toward Princess because I’m a pseudo foodie and for one more personal reason I do not care to go into detail here. However, both offer terrific products to the public and the “perfect mass market cruise line” for me is probably a mix of the two.

 

Whichever one you choose, you will not go wrong. Pick based on ship, itinerary, time frame, and what your budget allows. Happy cruising!!!!!

So, good night for now...

 

 

See you all again on my first full Panama Canal (plus my first 10 day) cruise on the Island Princess in January 2009!

[dachshunddoglover]

Wow! Let me say that one more time ~ Wow! I have never seen such a detailed review of a cruise which I thoroughly enjoyed. Our family will be sailing on Adventure for the first time next April 5th.

Thank you again for taking the time to do that for your fellow AOS passengers and to all Cruise Critic members.

E-Beth

[nanfromatlanta]

I loved reading your long but very detailed review. We will be cruising this itinerary in December, and look forward to having lunch at the Taj Mahal in Aruba. We love Indian food, and this will allow us to get our 'fix'. Based on your review, we will also book the new dinner in Portofino. I hope that they have taken your suggestion about the wines.

 

Thank you for providing all of the in depth details.... :) ;)

[erin1998]

Thank you so much for posting your wonderful review! We will be sailing the Adventure in 2 weeks, the same itinerary as yours. Your review was very helpful with some last minute questions I had.

Thanks again :D

Erin

[Jan_In_Maine]

Thank you for the wonderful review! We have never tried Portofino's and I really think that this time (AOS 8/23/09) we will. Thanks you again. Jan

[toriwc]

Thank you for your review. I recall your reviews from trips past, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. We've sailed AOS 4 times, and you just took me back to her for a few minutes. Thank you.

[Lionesss]

Very impressed by the detailed cruise report. You are one talented writer! Just curious, are you a professional writer?

 

Later

[Rancher Dave]

Very nice review.

 

 

Without checking our exact cabin we were very close to your cabin, a few cruises back...probably had the same Cabin Atdt and he was really not very good we thought. Never made up cabin the last night, once he got his tip we were written off as being guests in a cabin he was to take care of...

[ancldaca]

Thank you all for your kind replies. I enjoy writing these long winded journals and, as a solo cruiser, I also have more time to do so. As I make sure to say, they are more journal than traditional reviews and the idea is to cronicle the whole trip which is why I try to add details like position, etc. I also realize completely that I don't participate, nor use, most things available on board (shows, cruise director activities, sailaway parties, etc.).

 

Lioness: No, I don't write professionally but several travel agents I have used have said I should! Ha ha! I don't know how well travel writing pays, but one thing is for sure, if you write about cruises and get weekly gigs, you won't be a starving artist, right? Hmm, you'd be a rotund artist!!!

 

Rancher Dave: I think his name was Barry (I know it was either Barry or Bernard; nice guy but there wasn't a card in the stateroom with his name on it). Other than that first day, the service was ok; and that first day the only details were the life vests under the beds and not being able to get in touch with him.

[xznwfd]

Having read all of your prior reviews I've been looking forward to this one, and you certainly did not disappoint! I really enjoy your detailed writing style and all the information you include - thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write such an excellent review.

 

I'm not much of a RCI fan, but very much enjoyed my Caribbean Princess cruise last year. I agree completely with your assessment of RCI food - easily the worst I've had on any of the cruise lines I've tried (RCI, Celebrity, Princess and HAL). I also enjoyed Portofinos though, I'm a big Italian food fan.

 

Thanks again, and I'll be watching for your coming Island Princess review in January!

 

Cathy

[ancldaca]

Thank you Cathy!

 

I'm looking forward to that one too! It was so nice to find a full Panama Canal that wasn't a 14/15 day one. We jumped on it with two minis, same deck, but on opposite sides so that we always have one balcony with the 'preferred' view!

[xznwfd]

An excellent plan - especially for going through the canal. That's a cruise I really want to take - can't wait to get your impressions of a smaller Princess ship. I very much enjoyed the smaller Holland America ship I cruised on a couple of years ago - so easy to get around and not nearly as crowded. I work for a huge company so welcome a little peace on vacation!

 

Best,

 

Cathy

[smuniak]

...I think I’ll read a bit now, a light lunch, then go to the Cruisecritic pre-meeting in the Royal Suite, then the official Meet & Mingle at the Blue Moon at 5pm....

 

Sailing on the AOS 11/9, I am signed up for the "official" Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle, how do we get an invite to the Cruise Critic pre-meeting mentioned above?

 

We would love to see the Royal Suite and take the room tour....

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

[ancldaca]

Sailing on the AOS 11/9, I am signed up for the "official" Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle, how do we get an invite to the Cruise Critic pre-meeting mentioned above?

 

We would love to see the Royal Suite and take the room tour....

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

 

Je je. Two of our roll call members had the RS booked for this segment and hosted a pre M&M there. It was AWESOME!!!

[smuniak]

Je je. Two of our roll call members had the RS booked for this segment and hosted a pre M&M there. It was AWESOME!!!

 

Now I've got it I thought this might have been one of those CC things that I wasn''t aware of.

 

Steve

[mrlddst]

I loved your review and I am definitely looking forward to my cruise next year. Quick question, what was your total bill for portofino's? If this question is out of order, I understand.

[megr1125]

Excellent review....and you and I are both in that 5% of people who used to be in the hotel industry who notice things that the other 95% of the world would miss.....!!

 

Thanks for sharing!!

[ancldaca]

mrlddst: No problem. Easy to figure out in any case: 6x$20 = 120 +54.50 = $174.50.

 

Plus the extra tips I always leave in lieu of not ordering wine and traveling solo. You know, to make things up a bit for the staff. They certainly appreciate it and deserve it.

 

Other people do shore excursions daily, play the casino, and have foo-foo drinks; I do a good meal! :D

 

megr1125: Yes, the old "room inspection" routine creeps up from my Front Office Manager and MOD days... I also saw your note on Wilma and your Western cruise. My parents rode out the rest Wilma on a Silver ship in Canada before making a beeline to Fort Lauderdale...