AOS 7/19-7/26 - 1st time Cruiser Review with pics!

[DrmnOfMaui]

Antigua

 

Thursday brought us to Antigua where once again we enjoyed a lovely breakfast on our balcony.

 

My son with breakfast on the balcony

 

For this island we booked a kayak and snorkeling day with Antigua Paddles. Paddles is run by another husband and wife team, Conrad and Jennie. Jennie is just the sweetest thing you would ever want to meet! They arrange for a bus to pick everyone up from the port and take us about 20 minutes to their dock. The bus driver talked the entire way, giving us information about everything (yes... everything!) that we passed on the way. Turns out he was about 80 years old, but he sure seemed to love his job.

 

When you arrive at Paddles you are escorted to a dock area where you board a motor boat for an exhilarating ride through the mangroves to the kayaks. Conrad gave us a quick lesson before we hopped into our kayaks. My daughter went with my husband and my 13 year old son went with me. We quickly learned that kayaking is a team effort... when one part of the team gets frustrated with the other part of the team, the team falls apart! I think I’m understanding what my dad used to say when we were teenagers... something about teenagers knowing it all?? After working together a bit we got the hang of paddling together, actually paddling on one side and then moving to the other side and really trying hard not to hit mom in the head. We managed to stay with the group as we paddled through the mangroves and had a really fun time once we got the hang of it. Conrad is passionate about his island and the environment and he shared with us some of the things that he and his wife do to help keep the island beautiful and the ecosystem healthy.

 

Motor boat to the sanctuary

 

After kayaking, we were transported to a small island and bird sanctuary. The ride was about 10 minutes on a fairly fast boat. Conrad graciously chose my daughter to drive the speed boat (with some assistance!) and she now considers herself an expert!

 

Conrad and his new skipper

 

 

We saw many birds, including a large pelican nesting area and just offshore of the island we snorkeled along the reefs. It was a great day! The snorkeling was terrific with lots of coral, tons of fish and beautiful waters.

 

 

 

At the end of the tour we motored back to the dock where Jennie had kindly set out delicious banana bread (from home-grown bananas no less) along with a delicate rum punch. I really enjoyed this day!

 

Us in Antigua

 

Back on board the Adventure we caught the early performance of the ice show we had heard so much about. I had read that it was not to be missed. While the show was good and I enjoyed it, if your schedule is busy and doesn’t allow time for viewing, don’t feel terrible.

 

Back to the Adventure

 

 

The highlight of the evening was just ahead. My husband and I were eagerly anticipating our 2nd dinner at Portofino... the Wine Pairing Dinner. Once again we had an absolutely wonderful evening served by our now favorite servers Gordana and Lyndon.

 

The 5 course meal began with Tuna Carpaccio and Tomato Tartare. The wine pairing with the 1st course was a Pinot Grigio from Italy. Very good! With this course Lyndon also brought that wonderful bread basket that we had so enjoyed on our first visit along with all the “toppings” and “dippings”. The next course was Pan Seared Bay Scallops and Lobster served with double whipped mashed potatoes. Along with this antipasto we tasted a Sangiovese, also from Italy. While I loved the appetizer, this wine was not to my taste. My husband disagreed though and was happy to finish off my glass!

 

We then enjoyed a house salad before our main course of Roasted Beef Medallions served with parmesan custard, asparagus, sweet corn puree and a golden shallot reduction. Wonderful!! The beef was cooked absolutely to perfection (I like it between medium and medium rare) and the vegetables were very tasty. The wine served with the beef was a lovely Sangiovese/Merlot blend, again from Italy.

 

While I was looking forward to another dessert sampler, the dessert this evening was Mascarpone and Strawberry Crepes. These were divine! My husband had told me earlier in the dinner that he didn’t think he would really like the dessert as he is not really a fan of crepes. Unfortunately that thought didn’t hold true (I was hoping that I would get his share!) and he polished off the whole thing. Another excellent dessert! This was served with a sweet (dessert) Sauvingnon Blanc from Chile.

 

Once again I can’t say enough about our Portofino dinner! We bid Gordana and Lyndon goodbye, knowing that our cruise was shortly coming to an end. Gordana said that she didn’t want to say goodbye as there were still 2 evenings left on the cruise and she hoped she might see us again. As a parting gesture, she prepared two flourless chocolate cake desserts accompanied by chocolate covered strawberries for us to take back to the stateroom for the kids! Did I mention that I love this place?? (Unfortunately I didn’t take a single picture that evening!)

[DrmnOfMaui]

St. Maarten

 

St. Maarten was the first port where we didn’t have a scheduled tour. We all took the opportunity to sleep in and then headed to the Windjammer for breakfast. Victor was there again and was a nice greeting to our morning.

 

“Aplmac” (his screen name) on the St. Maarten board was really helpful in explaining about the water taxi, so when we got off the ship we knew right where to go and what to expect. Eeezzee Peezzee! (those who know Captian Bjorn will get this!) The water taxi is just off the end of the docking area to the left and there was one waiting when we got there. $6 pp gets you an ticket (unlimited number of rides) for the day!

Water Taxi Entrance

 

Water Taxi

 

My daughter had 3 things that she wanted to do on this trip, zipline, Segway and parasail. According to most of the information I read online, one must be either (or both) 12 years old and over 90 lbs. Well, she was now 10, and even with her repeated trips to the frozen yogurt machine on Deck 11, only about 62 lbs. Comments on some of the boards though, had led me to believe that many vendors will bend the rules when you talk to them. After exiting the Water Taxi (not the Marina stop) we wandered down the boardwalk a short distance and easily located Kevin and his Segways (only ones in St. Maarten.) He chuckled at the weight and age restrictions and said he would take anyone who was over 50 lbs. You can’t imagine how big a smile a 10 year old can make!!

 

Kevin was a really fun Segway instructor and guide... relaxed, patient and funny. He and his co-worker were both great at relaxing and joking with the kids (removing any apprehension of these strange contraptions!) After a quick lesson on how they work, we were off. We had 8 in our group and everyone quickly got the hang of turning, stopping and moving the Segway forward and backward. We took the 1/2 hour tour and enjoyed seeing the entire boardwalk. The kids seemed to have the best control of the machines and were zipping past the moms within minutes! It’s a fun way to see the boardwalk (while keeping cool) and you can scratch another item of your “gotta do before I die” list!

Kevin's helper getting Drew ready to ride

Look! No Hands!! Luckily this picture took a fraction of a second to take... that's all the "no hands" I had in me. Looks like I'm a pro though!

 

Shopping was also on our St. Maarten list and we took the opportunity to wander down Front Street after we refueled with some tasty smoothies from Bamba Juice. Both kids send wholehearted recommendations for either the Strawberry or Mango Smoothies!

 

Mango Smoothie

 

 

We checked out lots of little shops including Boolchands Camera shop and the Guavaberry Emporium. My husband brought an Olympus underwater camera with him that was reviewed as almost indestructible when he purchased it a year ago. He had been very excited to catch some underwater photos and video of the kids and the underwater scenery. Unfortunately, the indestructible camera self-destructed as soon as he jumped into the water in Barbados! Very frustrating... the Boolchands clerk said that he was the 2nd person that day to arrive with a broken indestructible camera.

Front Street

 

The Guavaberry Emporium was another fun shop! Spices, rums, honeys, sauces and a few other odds and ends filled the shelves. Many of the bottles are hand painted and are works of art in themselves. They offer tastes of the Guavaberry rum and it was so good we purchased a bottle to bring home! I also picked up some Blackening Spices and have already enjoyed them on grilled pork tenderloin here in San Diego. (tip: with a minimum purchase you can have your items packaged, delivered to the ship, and eventually delivered to your cabin on the last evening for free. It was handy not lugging more stuff around.)

[DrmnOfMaui]

Not surprising, the kids quickly tired of shopping and wanted to hit the beach. We made our way beachfront, found a deal for 2 chairs, an umbrella and a bucket of Carib beer for $15 and spent the afternoon “resting up” on the beach. That was the life!! My husband and the kids took a turn on one of the jets skis and we enjoyed lounging in front of the crystal blue waters. I felt like I was starring in one of those Corona commercials!

Our Bucket of beer (we subbed some waters...)

This is the life!

Adventure Jet Skiing

 

Back on board we enjoyed a reception for Suite Guests at the 19th Hole arranged by DeDe. It was a pleasure seeing some of the couples that we had come to know during the trip... almost like an episode of Cheers to walk in and have so many friendly, smiling faces greet you!

 

Dinner was in the dining room with good meals. Once again we had no wait and were seated at our same window seat. We started off with either Sun Ripened Pineapple or Wild Mushroom Puff Pastry starters and either Prime Rib or Thai Chicken mains. The servers remembered that it was Olivia’s birthday the day before and surprised her with a slice of cake and a group of them singing happy birthday before bringing her another plate of the evenings’ Dessert Sampler. She was thrilled with her 2 desserts selections! This evening included a Chef “Parade” through the dining room.

 

We went to bed that night feeling a little sad that the week was coming to a close...

[ThinkingInPink]

Canon XSI, a Christmas present from my wonderful husband! All pictures are taken either with the kit 18-55 IS lens or a Cannon 55-250 IS lens. I love the camera and lenses.

 

 

Edited to say "Oops!!! I posted under my husband's name!!!"

 

 

I have the XT. Looking to upgrade soon but not sure if it will happen before the cruise, but still takes wonderful pictures for times like this! ;) Did you take it on your snorkeling trip? I don't know that I'd trust leaving it on the boat while I was in the water but would love some nice pictures all the same while out on the boat. Something to think about I suppose. Although I'm sure I can make do with a point and shoot.

 

Still loving this review. I hope I can follow in your footsteps with a wonderful review here when I return in Sept!

[ThinkingInPink]

Did your daughter get to zipline? If you did already mention this, i missed it. Even though I'm devouring every tidbit of info you are giving! we have ziplining booked in St. Lucia but I am scared! LOL

 

Also, I have an Olympus underwater camera. Used it in the swimming pool at home to test it out...then too it to Hawaii...used it in their pools at the hotels. And low and behold went on one snorkeling trip in Maui and the next day the camera didn't work. Sent it back and they did replace whatever happened and I was able to get the pictures off the memory stick but I was still so angry that I didn't have the camera to use the rest of the week for snorkeling etc. Talked to another friend that has one and they said the same thing. Apparently the saltwater is supposedly bad for the camera. A lot of good that does me! haha. Now not sure what I will do for an underwater camera on this cruise. The Olympus has since worked but I haven't taken it anywhere in water either since then. hmmmmmmmmmm

[cookie225]

wow ive never seen such great pics in a review...you have us all hooked here waiting for more...thank you for taking the time to post all this information, i was going to do a sandals day pass in st lucia but the tour you took sounds amazing....

Which beach did u go to in st maarten? sorry if it was in your post, i missed it:(

[CruisinManiac]

.We made our way beachfront, found a deal for 2 chairs, an umbrella and a bucket of Carib beer for $15 and spent the afternoon “resting up” on the beach. That was the life!! .

What beach did you go to?

 

Really enjoying this review.

We are going to be back on the AOS in early October...can't wait! :)

[63galaxie]

I am so happy for you and your family! You sound like great folks!!!

We have two balcony cabins booked on AOS for 10/18/09 (it will be the first time for my father-in-law who just lost his wife to cancer, and my 13 y.o. daughter). We're excited to show them the ship. My dh and I sailed on it last summer for the first time and we are "hooked." It's a beautiful ship and a fantastic cruise line!!

I have been dreaming of staying in a suite, and I'm wondering if you think the Grand Suite would be big enough for four? I know you didn't stay in it, but you had booked it for the four of you initially. Our four would be 3 adults and a pre-teen.

Using the senior rate, we can book the Grand Suite for only $300 more than the two E2 aft balconies we have booked now.

We're a very close family, so the privacy issue wouldn't be a big deal. We've shared hotel rooms with five of us before and we did fine.

Thanks for your input!

Karen in Kentucky

[masonpips]

63galaxie - We've stayed in a GS w/4 before and for that price, I'd probably jump on that again versus the two cabins. That is, as long as the whole bathroom routine, getting ready thing is for sure not an issue. We typically have our kids shower first, then DH and I shower up in the gym area. Actually getting ready isn't an issue as long as the room is cool (for me!) and I get to sit at the vanity for make-up and such. The GS vanity rocks.

 

We had our kids share the sleeper sofa but I think you'd could maybe get a rollaway (you might call and ask)

[minnie00]

great review !!!!

can't wait to hear what you thought looking back at your 1st cruise:D

 

did you book your 2nd cruise yet:p

[alexkrn46]

Thanks for the wonderful review. Did you see many Diamond Plus members in the CL?

 

Looks like you have wonderful weather.

[DrmnOfMaui]

St. Croix

 

The ship docked early into St. Croix and we again had no scheduled plans. I think if I were to do this one over again I would schedule a Buck Island Snorkel Tour, I have heard some good reviews about the snorkeling. I didn’t find much information about this island on the message boards, but found enough to know that there was a bit of shopping and a beach within walking distance of the ship. We tried to parasail that morning and indeed found a company that would work for my daughter’s age and weight, but unfortunately they were booked for the day. She took it in stride, looked at her dad and said, “No big deal Dad... that just means we’ll have to cruise again next year!”

Shopping off to the right of the dock

 

We wandered the vendors along the street, but didn’t see anything that caught our eye. Plan B was more sand time so we hiked our way along the water’s edge to the left of the dock and found an acceptable little beach in front of Coconuts Restaurant (the beach is fine, but access to the water is rocky). They had (free) comfy chairs in the sand and serve a wicked (mostly rum with a splash of coconut) drink called a “Pain Killer”. After one, my husband said his headache had indeed disappeared! The food was OK (typical pub fare), but does the trick if you’re hungry. If you have your snorkel gear bring it along. The snorkeling was not as good as we have seen in other places on the trip, but good enough to spend some time checking it out. The beach and restaurant are close enough to the ship that we easily heard the steel band playing on the dock.

The friendly girls at Coconuts!

 

We walked to the left of the dock in front of the red fort to get to Coconuts

This is a shot from the balcony of where we spent the day... the pink and blue chairs to the left were ours!:)

We didn’t have high hopes for this port, but ended up really enjoying our day on the beach! We met a number of other AOS families and had a good time chatting the afternoon away, swimming in the water, listening to the music, and sipping rum drinks.

 

Lost of sand mixed with some rocks and coral

[DrmnOfMaui]

Back on board we began contemplating our dinner options when my husband looked at me and said, “Portofino?” Without hesitation I agreed and we reserved a table for four at 7 PM. Gordana and Lyndon were waiting for us and made our evening once again extraordinarily pleasurable. The kids enjoyed the food and the atmosphere as much as we did. My daughter had her first taste of excellent Fillet and smiled with pleasure! As for my son, he tasted his first scallop and loved the Saffron Risotto. My husband and I also had the Fillets, once again cooked to perfection. The kids were too full for dessert, but Gordana thoughtfully sent them back to the cabin with platefuls of chocolate cake, chocolate covered strawberries and little cookies. My husband and I saved room though and as I had been thinking of the Tiramisu since the first night I excitedly anticipated its arrival. Again, it was wonderful. We had our same lovely window seat and enjoyed the sunset view as we dined. The dinner was, without a doubt, the perfect way to top off our vacation!

 

Gordana taking care of my boys

 

Our favorite servers! Gordana & Lyndon

 

 

Tiramisu!!!!!!

 

Packing up the cabin was easy and we had our bags out in no time. We awaited our last visit from our room attendant, Karen (from Trinidad), who upon first meeting became another of our favorite people on the trip. Her warm demeanor, beautiful smile and infectious laugh made us look forward to seeing her each night. The kids would even plan our evenings so we could be in the room when she came to turn down the beds. She delighted Olivia with towel animals every night and even taught her how to make a few. We enjoyed getting to know her and hearing about her 2 boys back home and we all left the Adventure with another new friend.

 

The best room attendant ever, Karen

 

Disembarkation was a breeze! We rose early and grabbed a quick breakfast in the (very crowded) Windjammer. As Suite Guests, we were able to take our plates to Portofino and enjoyed the escape from the commotion in the Windjammer. DeDe escorted us off the ship, joined by our new friends from Scotland, at 8:15 (though you can remain aboard for several more hours if you like.) The luggage valet worked brilliantly and with heavy hearts we were driving away in a taxi before we knew it. This was definitely one of those vacations where we were REALLY sad it was ending!

 

Our Adventure....

 

As our flight didn’t leave until 4:30 that afternoon, we had booked a day room at the Caribe Hilton. What a difference it was to arrive and be told, “Sorry... we don’t have a room for you.” Come to think of it, I don’t think the “sorry” was actually spoken. With a bit of “work” we were able to secure a room and spent the day at the pools and beach. The grounds, pools and beach are beautiful, but we found the staff curt and indifferent, the hotel very crowded/noisy and the prices for food fairly “aggressive” ($17 for a hamburger.) We would not stay here again. We enjoyed the Intercontinental, its location (proximity to restaurants/stores) and magnificent expanse of beach far more. Though we haven’t stayed there, we’ve repeatedly heard great things about the Mariott Resort/Stellaris Casino... so that’s another to give strong consideration to when researching San Juan hotels.

 

Off to the airport... As the day grew longer, we were all ready to be home. Despite the horror stories we read about SJU, we found the airport (at least at this time of day) to be a pleasant breeze! We went from the front curb, through security and to our gate in about 25 minutes. Of course our plane was... d-e-l-a-y-e-d... (sigh)... then the connection was... d-e-l-a-y-e-d...

 

20 hours after leaving the AOS we arrived on our San Diego doorstep with tired heads full of lovely memories! I think we did indeed have the trip of a lifetime... but we’re already reading the Royal Caribbean brochures with dreams of our next Adventure. Looks like we might be Serenading the Seas in the future!

 

Suite Dreams!!

[Eliger]

How wonderful to hear of such positive and happy stories. Your photos of the islands and the ship would make anyone want to be there. And we will in three months. :D Thanks for all your work in sorting out the photos and writing about each island.

 

Gerry

[mex25]

Dreamin once again Kudos for a fantistic cruise report!:D

[DrmnOfMaui]

Post Cruise Wrap-Up

 

If someone told me a year ago that I was going to take a cruise and love it I wouldn’t have believed them. To this point in life, my husband and I had always thought that land vacations were the only way to go and we’ve been fortunate to have experienced some wonderful ones. When we started researching a Caribbean vacation the cruise made a lot of sense (food, lodging, transportation, etc...) We entered the cruise world with a number of pre-conceived ideas and thoughts and lots of questions as to whether we made the right choices. I thought I’d wrap up by addressing some of those pre-conceived ideas and whether they were valid or not having now experienced our first cruise.

 

My first post to CC regarding this cruise was, “Is a Grand Suite Worth it?” I listed the new Suite Perks and received lots of feedback. For us, the main perk (and I know my experience is skewed!) is the additional physical space you gain in a suite. I did have the opportunity to peek into an inside cabin as well as an Owner’s Suite. With our family of 4 desiring to remain together, I really feel that the suite’s extra space is a big deal. We contemplated doing 2 cabins, but we enjoy being with the kids and at this age (10 & 13) the kids mostly feel the same (though they did enjoy the occasional night in the room with room service when we went out!) We do, however, foresee a time in the not too distant future when two cabins will be a must.

 

Secondly, we really enjoyed the Concierge Lounge. It was a nice, quiet place to get away, relax and enjoy conversation with other adults. Of course, the complimentary beverages were a plus. We looked forward to socializing with many of our new cruise friends and it gave a sense of belonging. We enjoyed comparing notes about what they did in port and enjoyed bumping into familiar faces around town and the ship. Dede was also very enjoyable and helpful if we needed anything.

 

We utilized Room Service frequently and really liked the “enhanced menu” that is only available for suites. I would give this high ratings and proved to be a big plus for us. It was handy when the kids were tired from the day’s activities and were not especially keen for the dining room. This option allowed them to choose anything from the normal dining room menu 24/7.

 

The free pressing of formal night clothes was a plus.

 

Bathrobes in the room, again a plus, but not a big deal.

 

We didn’t have any tenders on this trip so we didn’t use that perk, although I could see how that one might be beneficial.

 

Luggage Valet made getting home a breeze. Not lugging the luggage to and from our dayroom and through the airport was very nice.

 

Priority check-in, at least in San Juan, was nonexistent.

 

Priority disembarkation was super easy, but I don’t have anything to compare it to. Not being tied to any specific debarkation time was nice.

 

 

Some of my pre-conceived ideas regarding cruising have changed as well. Before we considered a cruise we were fairly set against it. All the usual thoughts... I won’t have enough time in any one place, I won’t enjoy the ship, the food will be bad, there will be too many people, the rooms will be too small, just to name a few.

 

My first and most important pre-conceived thought of not having enough time on each island proved incorrect. I was concerned that I would not see enough of the island with only a 4-7 hour excursion. While I could definitely have filled up multiple days on each island, the excursions proved sufficient to get a nice highlight of each area. For us it was important to get away from the port and experience a more accurate flavor of each island. In my brief experience, the port areas did not seem representative of the islands. There are so many excursions out there and so many different places to see and things to experience that we could do this exact same itinerary next week and have a completely different trip! I now “get” why so many have multiple same/similar itinerary sailings in their signatures.

 

I really like the “transportation” aspect of the cruise vacation. Packing and unpacking only once was really nice. To duplicate the destinations of the cruise as a land vacation would have been far more expensive and have included far more stress and lost days due to travel. I liked having a “home base” to return to every night and I liked the stress-free dining where it wasn’t incumbent upon me to research and make reservations for dinner each night.

 

Our family did not avail ourselves of many of the “attractions” the ship offers. The kids found the pool area crowded and loud and preferred their time on the beaches and in the ocean. I don’t think that an itinerary with multiple sea days would be so appealing to our family. For us, while we enjoyed the ship, the ship was not our destination. The islands held the allure for us and we eagerly looked forward to our excursions and explorations each day.

 

The food was pretty close to what I anticipated. I did not expect to enjoy the Windjammer (I’m not a buffet girl) and I was pretty close on that one. I did enjoy the French Toast in the morning, though, and the Coconut Cookies from the first day stand out as some of the best treats of the trip. Other than that, I could skip the buffet and be pretty happy about it.

 

The Dining Room proved to be better than expected for me. I have to agree with other reviewers and say that some meals were better than expected, some as expected and some below expectations. Overall it was Good to Okay. Definitely not Bad.

 

Portofino was far better than expected and came away as one of the best memories of the trip! I greatly look forward to returning to Portofino!

 

Coffee... there have been numerous threads on the coffee with comments from delicious to disastrous. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised that I really liked the coffee! I didn’t have it in the Windjammer, so I can’t comment on that one, but I had it in the Dining Room, Room Service and Portofino... and really enjoyed it!

 

My Time Dining worked for us. Although I have to say we only dined in the dining room 3 times, all 3 times were pleasant and prompt. I can see how dining at one of the main seatings would be fun, but the times were either too early or too late to work for us.

 

Formal Night was a real treat! When my husband and kids found out that they were going to have a Formal Night on the cruise I was met with whimpers and groans. They finally came around and we all enjoyed dressing for dinner and seeing the other guests looking fabulous. We were awed by a few guests who really went the distance with long gowns and tuxes. They made the evening especially elegant.

 

No one in our family got seasick!! While my son and I are somewhat more prone to motion sickness, we never felt anything except a little lightheaded on the first day. I do have to say though, that the seas were a bit rough that day with 40+ mph winds and the ship was rocking a bit. We all took Bonine and were fine for the rest of the trip. I actually found myself slightly disappointed when the ship was sailing so smoothly on the last few nights. I found the rocking motion lulling while going to sleep.

 

I enjoyed reading many threads about what is a “must bring” for cruises! Had I included all of the items recommended I would have needed another suitcase! The two items that came in handy were the travel alarm clock and the power strip. We used both items daily. Never had a need for duct tape!

 

Finally, I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the ship. The entire crew was ALWAYS courteous and friendly. I enjoyed meeting crew members from all over the world and liked learning tidbits about their countries, lives and families. I also found it easier to strike up conversations while onboard with other guests. Maybe it was because we were all on vacation, but talking to perfect strangers seemed more acceptable here than elsewhere.

 

My daughter has asked me to specifically mention her favorite place on the ship... the Frozen Yogurt Machine (poolside) on Deck 11! She quickly learned that the station opened at noon, closed promptly at 6 and that she could attempt to set the world record for volume of yogurt on a cone! She made frequent trips to the machine and we feel that she definitely got her more than the recommended amount of calcium for the week! Her high recommendation goes to either of the swirls (strawberry or chocolate). She said that it will take you a few tries to get the hang of it so she advises all parents to let the kids have ample practice opportunities!

 

Perfect swirls take practice....!

 

 

What a vacation! Cruise Critic was a huge help in planning everything from the choice of cruise line to our choices in excursions to locating the frozen yogurt machine. I really enjoyed writing this post and reliving the week!

 

Me.... dreaming of my next destination!

[DrmnOfMaui]

For those of you that asked questions, I will answer them! My husband is hoping that I make dinner first though....:D Boy, do I miss the ship!

[rogeralan]

Thank you so much for a fantastic review. I feel like I'm right there with you. Every one of your pictures is so crystal clear. What camera are you using?

Thanks again

[ckrobyn]

Your review was absolutely superb and I enjoyed every line, and every picture! Thank you for taking the time to put such a fabulous review together!!!! I will be sailing the AOS again in March for 2 weeks and seeing your pictures of the ship makes me wish it was sooner!!!!:)

[DrmnOfMaui]

I have the XT. Looking to upgrade soon but not sure if it will happen before the cruise, but still takes wonderful pictures for times like this! ;) Did you take it on your snorkeling trip? I don't know that I'd trust leaving it on the boat while I was in the water but would love some nice pictures all the same while out on the boat. Something to think about I suppose. Although I'm sure I can make do with a point and shoot.

 

Still loving this review. I hope I can follow in your footsteps with a wonderful review here when I return in Sept!

 

 

Your pictures will be fantastic! Some of these pictures were taken with my husbands "indestructible" camera before it broke. That was an Olympus Stylus 1030 SW. It really took nice above water photos before it self destructed! Since we have come home we read more Amazon reviews and most of them talk about it not doing well in salt water. He also carried a pocket Canon Elph SD800. We always carry a spare as we don't want to be without a camera.:)

 

I will eagerly look forward to your review in September!

[rogeralan]

Thank you so much for a fantastic review. I feel like I'm right there with you. Every one of your pictures is so crystal clear. What camera are you using?

Thanks again

 

If I had read all the way through I would have had my answer. Thank you again for a fantastic review.

[Snowbird957]

Thanks for sharing your trip report with us. Beautiful pictures! Great review! We really enjoyed reading about your trip.

 

Gretta

[DrmnOfMaui]

If I had read all the way through I would have had my answer. Thank you again for a fantastic review.

 

No problem! I just hadn't gotten to your question yet. I use a Canon XSI... a Christmas gift from my wonderful husband. I really love it! The lenses I use are the kit lens 18-55 IS and a 55-250 IS. I'm always on the lookout for new lenses, but so far I'm pretty happy with what I have!

[mjyanne]

Did your daughter get to zipline? If you did already mention this, i missed it. Even though I'm devouring every tidbit of info you are giving! we have ziplining booked in St. Lucia but I am scared! LOL /quote]

 

If you're doing the ziplining through the ship you will have a great time. It is a nice course (mostly zips) through the rain forest. Guides are at every station to make sure you are hooked properly and to assist if necessary. We had a blast. Unfortunately, the zipline at Loterie Farms in St Maarten was more an obstacle course than zipline and a real workout (glad I did it once but never again).

[mjyanne]

I've been on Adventure 5 times and we are going again in November. This is by far one of the best reviews I have read about any ship/sailing. It brought back memories of previous trips and has me looking forward to the next one. And your pictures were great also.

 

May have to break down and get a suite on one of the sailings :eek:!