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

[63galaxie]

Here are some of our Aruba pictures.

[ken_nyc]

I see you have the hump cabin. This was another thing that I changed my mind about. I didn't see what the big deal was about... but after this trip I see it! I LOVED the hump and will look for them in the future.:D

 

Happy Anniversary!

Thank you! Anytime we will cruise RCI we will get a hump cabin. :D

[CaroleSP]

Here's a sample of some pictures from our whale-watch excursion in Dominica. This can be booked through RCI. It was a fantastic day!

 

The catamaran also has a lot of covered seating, plus they serve unlimited beverages. The staff were local people. They were unforgettably great! Take your binoculars!! I'm not in these pictures (I'm taking them), but the one of the cat gives you an idea of what it looks like.

 

We also stopped at a spot that sold t-shirts and caps. Outside, it had a full-size display of a whale skelton suspended from a ceiling. The kids would love this (so did we).

 

This was one of the best excursions we've ever done.

 

Karen in Kentucky

We did the whale watch in Dominica, as well. But, it wasn't on a cat. Here is a picture from ours.

[lilysmom]

DrmnOfMaui, thanks for taking the time to write this wonderful review and for sharing the fantastic vacation that you and your family enjoyed. Your daughter is beautiful and your son is handsome.

 

Reading your thoughtful words and looking at your stunning pictures has made me even more excited for my upcoming cruise on the AOS! Thanks!

[sajeffc]

Hey,

 

We were on AOS with you. Had a blast - my wife, though is really in the post-cruise depression mode.

 

We were amazed at both the embark and disembark process. We got to the ship about 11:00 and were on board in less than thirty minutes. I paid a porter to take the bags and he moved us to the head of the line and through the ropes. $15 well spent.

 

The disembark was amazing. We had breakfast from 7:45 to 8:30, got off the ship at 8:45 and were in the lobby of the hotel we stayed in sunday night by 9:30 a.m.

 

Great ship, great crew, CD Chris Northey and staff are a riot. I thought food and service was even better than our '07 Rhapsody cruise which I though was pretty good. The teen program is second to none. We literally didn't see our 14 yo sons until 1:00 a.m. any night. They really kept the kids busy.

[63galaxie]

Karen... that's a tough one! I've heard that the aft cabins are pretty nice, but I have never seen one. We really enjoyed our balcony, and aren't the aft balconies bigger?

 

However.... we loved the suite and the perks, and the GS balcony would be larger than a regular balcony. We liked being together too. The kids slept on a queen fold out bed, and I had already researched that a rollaway was available for the GS. I didn't sleep on the pull out, but I did lie on it for a while and it was more comfortable than I thought it would be. I'll bet your FIL would enjoy being in the room with all of you. I would probably put your daughter in the rollaway (heard they are not the most comfortalbe) and put your FIL in the fold out.

 

I didn't get to see a GS, but I did talk to Karen, our room attendant, about it. I think a GS would be fine for 4. We only had one bathroom and didn't have any bathroom issues at all. I would say go for it! I think you will like it. If you have done 5 in a hotel room I'll bet the GS would be no problem. Let us know what you decide and how it works!:)

Well, I've talked to my DH and he loves the idea of us all being in a suite together, especially since my my dear father-in-law (and the rest of us) are still grieving over my dear mother-in-law. It will definitely be a bit of a sacrafice (in terms of privacy for the two of us), but I'm certainly willing to sacrafice this one time.

I've called my TA and put a suite on hold until tomorrow a.m. She said that a roll-away won't fit and she implied that RCI said this.

Would you be so kind to share with me the research you found that indicated roll-aways would fit/were allowed. Did you request one in advance?

Thanks for any help you can give me. We have to make our decision tonight as tomorrow I'm having a garage sale (I'll need to to pay the additional funds for the suite).

[DrmnOfMaui]

Well, I've talked to my DH and he loves the idea of us all being in a suite together, especially since my my dear father-in-law (and the rest of us) are still grieving over my dear mother-in-law. It will definitely be a bit of a sacrafice (in terms of privacy for the two of us), but I'm certainly willing to sacrafice this one time.

I've called my TA and put a suite on hold until tomorrow a.m. She said that a roll-away won't fit and she implied that RCI said this.

Would you be so kind to share with me the research you found that indicated roll-aways would fit/were allowed. Did you request one in advance?

Thanks for any help you can give me. We have to make our decision tonight as tomorrow I'm having a garage sale (I'll need to to pay the additional funds for the suite).

 

 

I can't remember exactly where I found that the roll-a-way was OK, but I had it booked for the room. When Dede, the concierge, called us I asked about it and her response was "No problem". I'll try to do a bit more checking and see if I can find anything more. I still have Dede's email and will try to email her as well.

 

I think the idea of you all being together at this time is a good one. :) I'll bet your FIL would really enjoy being with everyone all the time.

[DrmnOfMaui]

Check this link!

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cabinclass/cabinTypes/cabinType/cabin/home.do;jsessionid=0000ed5zqp_-Zo-rEX5UyEZI1Do:12h3g0fq2?br=R&cabincls=D&cabinType=DD&shipCode=AD

 

I copied below from the site:

 

This is the detailed description of the Grand Suite for the AOS

 

twin beds (can convert into queen-size), private balcony, sitting area (some with sofa bed), and concierge service. (381 sq. ft., balcony 95 sq. ft.)

Also includes minibar, TV, stereo, DVD player, VCR, larger private bathroom with bathtub and double sink, vanity area, hair-dryer, phone, computer jack, vanity table with an extendable working surface for laptop computers and 110/220 electrical outlets. Sleeps up to four people and can accommodate a rollaway bed or Pack 'n Play.

 

Please Note: Effective January 2008, smoking is not permitted inside any stateroom or on Oasis class Boardwalk or Central Park private balconies, however, it is permitted on private ocean view balconies of balcony/suite staterooms.

[DrmnOfMaui]

Hey,

 

We were on AOS with you. Had a blast - my wife, though is really in the post-cruise depression mode.

We were amazed at both the embark and disembark process. We got to the ship about 11:00 and were on board in less than thirty minutes. I paid a porter to take the bags and he moved us to the head of the line and through the ropes. $15 well spent.

 

The disembark was amazing. We had breakfast from 7:45 to 8:30, got off the ship at 8:45 and were in the lobby of the hotel we stayed in sunday night by 9:30 a.m.

 

Great ship, great crew, CD Chris Northey and staff are a riot. I thought food and service was even better than our '07 Rhapsody cruise which I though was pretty good. The teen program is second to none. We literally didn't see our 14 yo sons until 1:00 a.m. any night. They really kept the kids busy.

 

Me too... it's hard getting back to real life. Writing the review helped!

 

Sorry to hear about your camera in San Juan...

[alexkrn46]

We did have wonderful weather!

 

I think most of the guests in the CL were Suite, but I do know of a few diamonds. Most of the time the CL was fairly empty.

 

We really enjoyed it there! Moses was the server and as it was just us and him a few times we really enjoyed chatting with him as well.

 

Thanks- it makes me pine for my upcoming cruise. Wonderful review.

[63galaxie]

Check this link!

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cabinclass/cabinTypes/cabinType/cabin/home.do;jsessionid=0000ed5zqp_-Zo-rEX5UyEZI1Do:12h3g0fq2?br=R&cabincls=D&cabinType=DD&shipCode=AD

 

I copied below from the site:

 

This is the detailed description of the Grand Suite for the AOS

 

twin beds (can convert into queen-size), private balcony, sitting area (some with sofa bed), and concierge service. (381 sq. ft., balcony 95 sq. ft.)

Also includes minibar, TV, stereo, DVD player, VCR, larger private bathroom with bathtub and double sink, vanity area, hair-dryer, phone, computer jack, vanity table with an extendable working surface for laptop computers and 110/220 electrical outlets. Sleeps up to four people and can accommodate a rollaway bed or Pack 'n Play.

 

Please Note: Effective January 2008, smoking is not permitted inside any stateroom or on Oasis class Boardwalk or Central Park private balconies, however, it is permitted on private ocean view balconies of balcony/suite staterooms.

That was so helpful! Thank you. I feel like sending it to my TA (lol), and then a copy to RCI! But, I won't.

We decided to check with my FIL before we actually booked the suite, and surprisingly, he preferred two separate cabins at this point. He was concerned that sleeping in the GS would be a problem because he snores (very loudly). If we could get the Family Royal Suite which has a separate bedroom, that would work, but when I checked on the cost last month, my TA said is was $8000 for the four of us! So, we'll be content in our two side-by-side aft balconies!

Thanks again!!

Karen in Kentucky

[mm50627]

Dreamin - so did the kids sleep on the pull out sofa bed? I know the Royal Suite only has one bedroom plus the sofa bed. You probably covered this somewhere in your thread....

 

We are a family of five currently booked in a Royal Family Suite, but are dreaming of an upgrade. Considering we have four pianists in the family, I keep hoping and keeping my fingers crossed!!!!

[Cruising89143]

That was a really nice review. Makes me want to be back on the Adventure. Thanks for taking the time to put so much work in posting it. The photos were great.

[Smileeface]

Well, a review of this magnitude really takes time--wow! I watched eagerly along with the rest of you for DrmnofMaui's review. She did a SPECTACULAR job of it! I want some of her beautiful pictures for my own album, and she made me so nostalgic for our trip. We were onboard the same cruise and had the pleasure of meeting her and her lovely family. I almost feel like I know them a little better now just from her review. So here is our review, another view into the this wonderful ship and southern caribbean itinerary:

 

Our family of four, husband 53, me 47 and daughters 17 & 13 set out on our fourth cruise vacation together on Saturday, July 18th which happened to be my birthday. We were sooo looking forward to this cruise!

I have to thank all of the wonderful CC people here who just added so much to our experience. All of the advice, pictures, reviews, suggestions, wow! It made all the difference in the world. We were definitely limiting ourselves somewhat to a specific budget, but our beach days and basically all our port days were just perfect for what we were looking to do. My excitement was sky high reading our roll call until we left!

I will tell you now that this entire cruise was wonderful family bonding time! I expected our daughters to be with us, of course, but I thought they would eventually venture out at night on the ship to make friends. Surprisingly, they chose to stay with us most times and even when they took off, they stayed together. It was wonderful seeing my daughters giggling with each other, taking crazy "self" pictures together, whispering and maybe even making fun sometimes of their dear dad and me! There didn't seem to be a four year gap between them, and with no cell phones on them, no computers--it was awesome! They were very social with our dining companions, and truly a joy to be with. My husband was so happy (he's a very doting, affectionate father) saying, "I'm so happy I got to have my girls all to myself."

 

We flew Spirit airlines from Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan. All went smoothly. We found a taxi immediately, paying $19 plus $1 per bag and were taken to the Sheraton Old San Juan about 20 mins away. For the full review of our two half days in OSJ and our stay at the Sheraton OSJ here is the link which is posted on the San Juan, PR forum:

OSJ & the SHERATON--A REVIEW! post # 1

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1031862

 

Day 1 EMBARCATION. We got to the port realitively late at 2:45 because we had spent the morning and early afternoon in OSJ seeing EL MORRO, etc. The line at the Pam Am pier was waaay LONG, and it was hot, hot, hot! Thank goodness there was a man selling bottled water there for $1. We did not walk onto the ship until 4pm! By the time we went to our cabins, Royal Promenade Staterooms 8593 & 8595 (midship), and went down to eat, Windjammer's Buffet was closed--it had closed at 4:30pm. We were redirected to Cafe Promenade Deck 5 on the Royal Promenade (which is the ship's shopping & cafe/bar mall-type strip) where they were serving 2 or 3 different types of pizza and cookies. I should have been disappointed, but I was sooo happy at that point to finally be onboard that I couldn't care less. And the pizza was tasty. The muster drill started at 6:30pm. They close all bars and areas for this mandatory drill. Dinners were delayed by half hours. Our 8:30 slot was moved to 9:00pm. I can't tell you the entire menu, but I had escargot, lobster bisque & sea bass. The escargot & sea bass were very good. I didn't love the lobster bisque which was a little disappointing.

 

The ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS is a beautiful ship! We had been on RCI's Liberty Of the Seas (a freedom class ship) in June 2007, and this ship, which is one of the voyager class ships, started the "Royal Promenade" I believe. When the freedom class came out they basically extended things. The Royal Promenade is longer on Liberty and they have the cool surf pool at the back of the ship. The restaurants seem longer on Liberty too. But most everything is very similar, and I actually enjoyed more that AOS was slightly smaller; it's cozier, easier to travel through, more personal, in my opinion.

 

Our Royal Promenade Staterooms were nice, adequately appointed. We had two bottles of wine waiting in our cabin--one I pre-ordered and one from my travel agent friend (corkscrew & glasses included of course). She also sent a chocolate cake with a Happy Birthday sign and two RCI small fanny pouches for our girls--so thoughtful of her! The shower in these cabins is small! Standing inside I bent my arms out at the elbows, and it was about that wide in circumference. I don't know what a large person would do, especially if the soap bar fell down or if they had to shave their legs. But we were fine with it (I can camp in a tent!), and we were happy to have our own cabin with our girls right next door (although not connecting). I enjoyed having the window-wall looking down on the Royal Promendade. The window has a sheer and also a black-out curtain to use. There were only 3 events held at the Royal Promenade, I think. The captain's address on Day 2 formal night (which was short), the 70's celebration (very fun), and another parade. They ended the last two by 11pm. In my cabin I could hear music but as if from a great distant, very faint, and not past 11pm. We were always so tired that we were in bed around midnight and dead asleep. Janak was our room attendant and he was always around; a very nice man. We ordered breakfast room service 3 times, and it was always on time, even a few minutes early. They call you by phone right before they come with it. The eggs and hash browns were not that great, (I really enjoyed eating breakfast better at Windjammers), but if you needed extra time in your room to get out really early, it worked well. After dinner this first night we went to the Imperial Lounge for Family Karaoke--it was a bit of fun, and our girls enjoyed it.

 

DAY 2--DAY AT SEA / Captains FORMAL NIGHT. Our only day at Sea was a blustery, wildly windy day, but still quite sunny. We had our Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle at 11am in the the Blue Moon Bar Deck 14 and met our fellow CC pals--everyone was so very nice! RCI set out some light appetizers, water, iced tea, orange juice. It's worth going; so nice to put faces & real names to the CC screen names, and the time goes by quickly. We got a few nice photo shots of the pool areas of Deck 11 & 12 from up there too.

 

Day time was all about pool deck time, at least for us that day, and the fun contests like the men's belly flop contest and the men's sexy leg's contest. We laughed hysterically at the men's antics! At the end, the cruise director, Chris Northey got pushed in the pool! I really don't think that was part of the program--he seemed a little surprised. Great island music and tropical drinks were fare for the day. At 7:30pm the Captain's Reception began and he gave a nice little speech in the Royal Promenade; a (one drink per person) free cocktail hour followed (of course more drinks were available for purchase). We had our picture taken with the Captain, nice man, and he made various appearances throughout the week. They forewarn you that the Captain does not shake hands for health/sanitary reasons which makes perfect sense and interesting to know beforehand I think. Formal pictures were taken throughout the night, and of the two formal nights, this is the fanciest. Plenty of long dresses, but also cocktail length; some men in tuxes, most in jackets. It was a shipload of beautiful people that night, and it was fun to participate. When we viewed our pictures later on, it seemed very special. I had read on these boards somewhere that there were 3 different times set up for picures. We took our chances and waited till after our late (8:30) dinner for the 10pm--11pm photo opportunity and THERE WAS NO LINE!!! We followed most of the photographer's areas and got all of our formal pictures in a snap! If you don't have small children to put to bed early, I highly recommend this time. We continued this throughout the cruise, at least for the 2nd formal night, with no long waits :)

 

DAY 3--ST. BARBADOS-- We left the ship about 10:15 am to taxi over to Rockley/Accra Beach, which we thoroughly enjoyed if you only want a beach day. For the full review of that here is the link which is posted in the Barbados forum:

Rockley - Accra beach - Bar Kan'ei? (post # 7)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=20552800#post20552800

Dinner that night was considered caribbean night, but with italian menu. I thought that was very strange. Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I've read this before on another person's review--strange, right?

I had the tiger shrimp, and marsala chicken which were both good. The waiters paraded around the dining room and sang. I can't remember now if this was also the night they presented the chefs-?? But whenever that was, it was a nice moment as well. Earlier at 7pm, I went alone to see the vegas style show "JACKPOT" in the Lyric Theatre and it was excellent. Great singers, great dancers and choreography, and flashy sets. My husband and daughters decided to go to the fitness center instead of the show (WHY???) so I went alone, and I missed them! It was so good I wished they could have seen it. But I made friends with another couple there and enjoyed sharing comments with them. Chris Northey, the cruise director, is fabulous. He shared that he is 28 yrs old, and he definitely has the acting/performing bug in him. He is funny and a very charismatic master of ceremonies. He proved to be alot of fun throughout the cruise! After dinner we went to the Royal Promenade for the 70's Celebration; singers & dancers from the JACKPOT show performed popular disco & 70's pop songs and there was a special guest appearance by "The Village People" (with Chris Northey performing)--very fun & entertaining!

 

DAY 4--ST. LUCIA--We had reserved an excursion through RCI--the LAND & SEA SOUFRIERE tour which lasted all day / 7hrs. IT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OUR OUR TRIP, AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

For the full review here is the link which is on the St. Lucia forum:

(ST. LUCIA) RCI's LAND & SEA SOUFRIERE Tour-A REVIEW!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1031607 post # 1

Once we walked back to the port area right before getting to the ship we found a very small bar selling St. Lucia's Pitons beers two for $3. There were many, many bottles just sitting in front of this one group of very happy people. They looked like they had done nothing but sit there and drink beer all day, and they were quite funny and rowdy. Afterwards, we had dinner reservations in Portofino which was excellent! We brought in one of the wine bottles that was sent to our cabin and they uncorked and served it (no corkage fee). I had called them earlier in the day to ask, and as expected, I was told "absolutely no problem". My husband & younger daugher had the tenderloin, I had the lobster tail/seafood skewer and my older daugher had the halibut. The jalapeno potatoe soup was very tastey. It was ALL delicious and excellent! Portofino's is absolutely worth a visit, and my girls loved it. At 11pm we went to see the LOVE & MARRIAGE Show which was quite funny. Chris Northy was the MC and there were 3 married couples on stage 'a la' The Newlywed Game. Very funny. At the end Chris Northy kept enticing everyone to stay for a little presentation that he and fellow crew members entitled "FOUNTAINS". I don't want to give it away, but let's just say that they came out dressed as greeks and it was silly and funny. The audience was really cracking up. It was a very full, wonderful day, and I finally went to bed and slept like a baby...

 

DAY 5--ANTIGUA & 2nd FORMAL NIGHT Antigua is a beautiful island, also with alot of mountains. We decided to take a taxi (van) over to Jolly Beach and were dropped off at the open air restaurant/bar called Castaways, right there on the same stretch as Jolly Beach Resort. The water was beautiful and we had a great day--truly loved it there. For the full review of our time at Castaways on Jolly Beach, here is the link:

Which beach is best?

CASTAWAYS vs Jolly Beach Resort on Jolly Beach--REVIEW! post # 14

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1015733

 

Once back on the ship, we went to the 7:30 Cool Art / Hot Ice Iceskating Show. We enjoyed it alot, but I will say that the iceskating show we saw on Liberty Of The Seas in 2007 was even better. Everyone raved about that one, and that certainly influenced my opinion of this show; still, it was entertaining. This was the second formal night although less people dressed it up quite so formal, but still very nice. For dinner the dining room served Lamb Shank, Cheese Stuffed Tortellinis, Porkloin, Cod Fish. Everyone seemed to approve of their meal. Our servers Rosario & Victor & our head waiter Shetty were very nice and made a point of remembering our names and certain preferences. I will say that dinner in the dining room was almost always a 1&1/2 to 2 hour event. I thought we might bow out a night or two, but the food was good enough, our servers so friendly and our dinner companions also so pleasant that we kept coming back the entire week (minus the one night at Portofino's which was superior!) Later that night my husband and I went to the Blue Moon Lounge for some latin & salsa music. The band was great! So many people actually danced, and we sat at the bar with a late night cocktail to end the evening. It was very entertaining!

 

DAY 6-- St. Maarten/St. Martin We decided to try the city bus over to MAHO Beach to watch the airplanes land over us, traveling like the locals (my mom would have thought I was nuts) and we had the best time! It was easy to do; we did not mind it at all and the roundtrip fare was a whopping $16 for the four of us. We then walked through the beautiful boardwalk. For the full review of our trip to MAHO (with directions on how to get the city bus) & the Boardwalk here is the link which is posted on the St. Martin forum:

MAHO BEACH by City Bus & BOARDWALK--REVIEW!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1031489

Dinner time on this Friday, Day 6 was the fanciest menu of the week. They served Lobster Tail & jumbo garlic shrimp with yellow rice & broccoli florets; also on the menu was prime rib, thai chicken with jasmine rice. All very tastey. There was a presentation of the waiters where they all lined the grand staircase in the dining room, and we were all impressed with the statistics of all the meals that are prepared at each cruise.

I later asked our head waiter Shetty why they didn't serve this menu on one of the formal nights, and he explained that they used to, but that many people preferred not to dress up for formal nights and would avoid the main dining rooms those nights. They complained that they should not have to participate in the formal dress to partake of the fanciest menu. So there you go...

After dinner my husband and I went to THE QUEST GAME SHOW which is recommended for adults only although alot of young teens were in the audience. They warn the audience that the show's content might offend or be unsuitable for the under 18 crowd. Well it all started out very innocently enough and then went to bawdy and outrageous! Let's just say that cross-dressing and sexual positions became topics, so be forewarned! We laughed our heads off with most everyone else, and it was really a fun time. After that show ended the same Studio B theatre became the host of the 80's Dance Party with 80's music videos being shown as well. It was fun for a little while although most people watched instead of danced. Later on my husband and I went to the adult-only CLUB Dance Party in the Solarium Pool Area, and they checked ID's for this one. Drinking and some dancing, although the majority of people were just swaying and dancing in place. Still, it was nice for a little while; by then we were both pretty tired...

 

DAY 7--ST. CROIX We shuttled over to Christiansted for our own self-walking tour, and then came back to port for small souvenier shopping and a dip in the ocean at the beach in front and to the left as you face the pier from the ship. This is the one port I would do over choosing instead to do the Buck Island Snorkel or visit Cane Bay Beach perhaps. For the full review here is the link which is posted on the St. Croix forum:

Shuttles or buses from the port over to Christiansted and back? Review of our trip into Christiansted post # 9

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=20559708#post20559708

Once on the ship we took that deep breath that said, gosh, that was our last port : ( With heavy hearts and bitter sweetness we watched out on deck as we set sail leaving St. Croix. We sat out on the deck as we departed each and every port since our dinner time was the later 8:30 time, and we really enjoyed that quiet time, just sitting on the deck chairs feeling the breeze, watching people relaxing and taking pictures, sipping a delicious tropical drink and listening to the island sounds played by the band.

At 7pm I went to the Farewell Variety Showtime which was nice, but I wish they'd had another performer besides the juggler--he was quite good, but I've seen that type of performance a few times before so it didn't appeal to me on this, my last night. But they had highlights from other evenings and the Captain made an appearance. I was glad I made it to the show. At dinner time we gave our waiters a big farewell hug and handed them their tip envelopes. They really work so hard to make it special, and everyone was so sweet. Packing took some time as I had overpacked to begin with. We finally made it over to the casino (we're not gamblers at all) and played some slots, and bought our formal pictures. Later my husband and I sat at Schooner's Bar with a nightcap and listened to the guy on piano who was very good. Finally, we decided we should force ourselves to go back to our cabin and call it a night. (Sigh...) I was so sad to finally have to end my last night...

 

DAY 8--DEPARTURE I won't linger here. It went very well off the ship, although I had the misfortune (entirely my fault) that I left one of my carry-on bags on the ship. We had a later 4:15 flight, so it took about two hours of sweating, pleading (and crying on my part) to have them triple check, until--YES!!! they came back down with my suitcase! I was so relieved and happy at that point! It was stressful at the moment, but like actual childbirth, completely a hazy blur in the wake of my FABULOUS cruise vacation!!! Our Spirit flight was also delayed about an hour & a half back to Ft. Lauderdale, but we entertained ourselves with food & drinks & some reading. Some unfortunate people missed their connecting flights which was really terrible for them. Our flights were supposedly booked solid both ways too. WELL, we had the times of our lives, and the best part of all is that we had really wonderful quality time as a family. I can wholeheartedly recommend this ship and this itinerary! Happy sailings to you all, and to us soon again I hope as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[masonpips]

Smileeface - thanks for your added comments and the menus for each night!

[Smileeface]

Hope this helps...CruisinAgain posted this thread on 6/24/09 for menus on RCI's Aruba route, but they are basically the same for the Barbados route which is:

Day 1 Embarcation/Sailaway, Day 2 At Sea, Day 3 Barbados,

Day 4 St. Lucia, Day 5 Antigua, Day 6 St. Martin, Day 7 St. Croix

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1011815&highlight=

"Menu on RCI from cruise of 6/14-6/21/2009"

"We were told these same menus apply to the other RCI ships as well so you can go by the numbered nights on your cruise. "(by CruisinAgain)

[DrmnOfMaui]

Dreamin - so did the kids sleep on the pull out sofa bed? I know the Royal Suite only has one bedroom plus the sofa bed. You probably covered this somewhere in your thread....

 

We are a family of five currently booked in a Royal Family Suite, but are dreaming of an upgrade. Considering we have four pianists in the family, I keep hoping and keeping my fingers crossed!!!!

 

None of us play the piano, so it was a bit wasted on us. Still looked beautiful though!

 

Yep, the kids slept on the pull out sofa bed. I didn't sleep on it, but I did lie on it for a bit and was not uncomfortable.

 

I have my fingers crossed for you as well!!!:)

[DrmnOfMaui]

Smileeface! I loved your review!!! I keep telling my husband that there are so many things happening on this ship that we could indeed do this same cruise over again and have a completely different trip and almost new vacation. Your day on St. Maarten is high on my list. I would love to see the airplanes, and it sounds like it all went easy enough.

 

I was wondering if Chris Northerly fell into the pool or was pushed! We had looked away and the next thing we knew he was in the water. Did his microphone go into the pool with him? You had a perfect vantage point for the contest! That must really have been fun.

 

We were all wiped out in the evenings and had early wake up times, so my husband and I ended up spending time with the kids and we missed the Love & Marriage show as well as the Quest... two more things that we really want to see. And it sounds like you have the Formal Night pics worked out. Nice tip!

 

I also loved the cell phone, computer and tv break. One of the biggest benefits of the whole trip was "unplugging" and spending time together!:) My kids also spent some time alone together and even since we have come home they are really getting along well (they are 3 years apart) and still hanging out with each other.

 

Thanks for writing about your trip, I really enjoyed reading it and seeing where our trips overlapped and then where where went different directions. I guess that was one of the things that as a first time cruiser amazed me. There is just SO much to do on these trips that it is indeed impossible to do it all. As my daughter told my husband, it's OK that we didn't get to do everything because that just means we need to go back!:D

[cookie225]

I just read smileeface's review and it was great too, specially about the blue moon lounge...really looking forward to dancing the night away to latin music:)...

drmnofmaui.....i think i enjoyed your review more because your kids had a great time too.......

family time...priceless!!!!

[alexkrn46]

Smileeface excellent review too. You should both post your reviews on the review page, thanks.

[rianvi]

DrmnOfMaui and Smileface...Thank you for the wonderful reviews. In Feb./10 we doing our first B2B and looking forward to 2 weeks on the AOS. Can't wait.

Rianvi:)

[Smileeface]

Smileeface! I loved your review!!! I keep telling my husband that there are so many things happening on this ship that we could indeed do this same cruise over again and have a completely different trip and almost new vacation...

I was wondering if Chris Northerly fell into the pool or was pushed! We had looked away and the next thing we knew he was in the water. Did his microphone go into the pool with him? You had a perfect vantage point for the contest! That must really have been fun...

 

 

Hi DrmnofMaui. After re-reading my whole review I realize HOW MUCH WE REALLY DID! No wonder I was so pooped when I got back! WEll Chris Northey got pushed into the pool, I think one of the italians might have been in on it :rolleyes:. He didn't have his microphone in his hand; he had either set it down or they took it from him right before. My husband is the one who went "Whoaa!" and actually saw it happen. Northey was such a ham on all other occassions that (thinking about it later on) I could tell by his reaction that he wasn't expecting it. I would love to go back and maybe try the Aruba route someday. We've been to Aruba twice before on land vacations--we honeymooned & went back for our 20th. Great little island!

I would love to show my girls.

[63galaxie]

Dreamin - so did the kids sleep on the pull out sofa bed? I know the Royal Suite only has one bedroom plus the sofa bed. You probably covered this somewhere in your thread....

 

We are a family of five currently booked in a Royal Family Suite, but are dreaming of an upgrade. Considering we have four pianists in the family, I keep hoping and keeping my fingers crossed!!!!

Oh, I hope you get an upgrade to the RFS too! And if you're on our 10/18/09 sailing, please invite us over! I'd love to hear them all play!! We love the piano, and hearing a Baby Grand while cruising would be fantastic!

Karen in Kentucky

[mm50627]

63galaxie - we leave this Sunday, August 9th. My odds are probably pretty slim, and I am very content with the RFS, however, the Royal Suite would be way cool! We would definitely take advantage of the piano, send some positive vibes our way:)

[63galaxie]

63galaxie - we leave this Sunday, August 9th. My odds are probably pretty slim, and I am very content with the RFS, however, the Royal Suite would be way cool! We would definitely take advantage of the piano, send some positive vibes our way:)

I'm sending everything I can muster (pun intended):D