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


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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:)

 

We got our upgrade on the Thursday before we left, so you've still got time. I've got my fingers crossed for you!!

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thanks for sharing your cruise. now you need to visit aruba and curacao.

 

We are really contemplating that route for next year on the Serenade. What did you do in Curacao? That is one island I don't really know much about. I've researched a bit about the others, but not this one yet.

 

I'm workn' on the family for this one! The other option is a land based vacation in Kauai... I'm not sure I could go wrong with either!:)

 

Kim

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Awww,,,this board brings back memories!

 

We were on the AOS last year around this time and we also booked the ROYAL SUITE. I was as excited as your kids in the pictures. I really enjoyed all the closet space in the bedroom..and it was hidden! The hot tub took a long time to fill up but I loved the tv and we had the best room attendant! Did you have Al by any chance. My grandma really enjoyed the balcony and I hope you had a great time! I know I did!

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The ship usually gives you towels to take ashore but just make sure that you bring them back on board. They always have something in the daily printout warning you not to give them to locals etc. We take them into port when we are hitting the beach. Saves on packing.

Rianvi:)

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Awww,,,this board brings back memories!

 

We were on the AOS last year around this time and we also booked the ROYAL SUITE. I was as excited as your kids in the pictures. I really enjoyed all the closet space in the bedroom..and it was hidden! The hot tub took a long time to fill up but I loved the tv and we had the best room attendant! Did you have Al by any chance. My grandma really enjoyed the balcony and I hope you had a great time! I know I did!

 

We really did enjoy the room! On some of our other vacations we have traveled with a couple of neighborhood families... we sure wished they had been with us on this one. We definitely had the place to entertain.

 

No, we didn't have Al, we had Karen, but he could have been her husband. Her husband was on the ship and I believe his name was "Alejandro" (not sure of the spelling on that one!). We did get to meet him as he worked just down the hall and he seemed just as nice as she was. They were from Trinidad.

 

We all loved the balcony too. I really looked forward to sitting out there just around 4:30 after we had returned to the ship. I could hear the steel drum music from the pier and I would relax and drift off for a few minutes. Perfectly peaceful!:) We enjoyed breakfast almost every morning out there too.

 

I'm still working out the Post Vacation Blues!!! I keep reading other cruise and vacation brochures to try to help. Nothing booked yet, but lots of ideas floating around.

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Possibly a silly question, but in my quest to start a packing list...Did you bring beach towels in your luggage...or can you borrow a beach towel from the ship to take on beach/snorkel excursions etc.?

 

The ship usually gives you towels to take ashore but just make sure that you bring them back on board. They always have something in the daily printout warning you not to give them to locals etc. We take them into port when we are hitting the beach. Saves on packing.

Rianvi:)

 

Rianvi is exactly correct! We actually had towels left in our room each evening and Karen (room attendant) just switched them out every day. I had read that when towels are checked out by the pool that you had to sign for them and that they would be charged to your room if you didn't return them. However when we checked out towels by the pool the attendant just asked "How many?" and never asked what room or anything. Very easy and we could have used as many as we needed!:)

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We are really contemplating that route for next year on the Serenade. What did you do in Curacao? That is one island I don't really know much about. I've researched a bit about the others, but not this one yet.

 

I'm workn' on the family for this one! The other option is a land based vacation in Kauai... I'm not sure I could go wrong with either!:)

 

Kim

Have you thought about the Dolphin Excursion? There are two or three options, including swimming with the dolphins or interacting with them from a dock. I believe there's an aquarium also.

Karen in Kentucky

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  • 4 weeks later...
DrmnOfMaui

 

Thank you for taking the time to write such an informative review. We are cruising on the AOS October 4, and even though the itinerary is different it was still great to hear all about your adventures.

 

OceanDreams

 

You're welcome!

 

I got SO excited before our cruise by reading reviews. I read all that I could find and loved them all. You will have a wonderful time! We have nothing on our horizon, so I'm definitely envious of your upcoming cruise. We are considering your itinerary next year, so feel free to pop back in after your trip and post your thoughts!!

 

Kim

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Great review! Thanks for spending so much time and providing us with all the details of your cruise!

 

What time did the Adventure sail past the Pitons on the way to St. Lucia? We will be in a balcony stateroom on the port side of the ship. Will we be able to see the Pitons from our balcony?

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I am so thankful for the review of your AOS cruise. My 3 good friends and I will be doing the same itinerary in April of next year. It will be the first cruise any of us have taken. As kids we'd always wanted to go on cruises, but our parents never obliged us.

 

We'll for sure have to try Portofino's at least one of the nights! The pictures you'd posted make me salivate just thinking about it.

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Great review! Thanks for spending so much time and providing us with all the details of your cruise!

 

What time did the Adventure sail past the Pitons on the way to St. Lucia? We will be in a balcony stateroom on the port side of the ship. Will we be able to see the Pitons from our balcony?

 

Yes... if you are on the correct side of the ship you will be able to see the Pitons from your balcony. The captain gave us an estimated time that we would be sailing past and my husband and I got up early to get up on deck and take pictures but we had already sailed by :(. I was so bummed! I had been looking forward to that morning for weeks.... but we sailed by early. So set your clock and get up before the recommended time, don't miss it! I believe you will need to be on the starboard side of the ship to see from your balcony.

 

St Lucia was one of my favorite stops... It is up there in my top 3 for most beautiful locations ever!

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I am so thankful for the review of your AOS cruise. My 3 good friends and I will be doing the same itinerary in April of next year. It will be the first cruise any of us have taken. As kids we'd always wanted to go on cruises, but our parents never obliged us.

 

We'll for sure have to try Portofino's at least one of the nights! The pictures you'd posted make me salivate just thinking about it.

 

I still dream of my Portofino dinners:). My kids still talk about their dinner there as well. I brought home the Royal Caribbean Cookbook and while I haven't really cooked anything from it I've read it cover to cover a couple of times!

 

We really, really enjoyed this itinerary. In fact, in our planning discussions for next year we even consider this exact same route. There is so much to do on each island that I really think you could visit numerous times and have a "new vacation" each time.

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DrmnOfMaui~

Traveling on the Adventure of the Sea at the beginning of October., departing San Juan. Staying in San Juan pre cruise, just wondering how the taxi service is from the airport to Mariott Stellaris? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Kate

 

Kate, we didn't stay at the Mariott, but I imagine it was just like the Intercontinental. We found taxis to be very easy everywhere in San Juan, to and from the pier, to and from the airport, and to and from OSJ. I believe the Mariott is actually closer to the pier than the Intercontinental, probably 10 minutes to the pier! I've heard the Mariott is great... that is where we will stay if (when!) we return.:)

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Kate, we didn't stay at the Mariott, but I imagine it was just like the Intercontinental. We found taxis to be very easy everywhere in San Juan, to and from the pier, to and from the airport, and to and from OSJ. I believe the Mariott is actually closer to the pier than the Intercontinental, probably 10 minutes to the pier! I've heard the Mariott is great... that is where we will stay if (when!) we return.:)

We were there for our precruise on August 15th...what a fantastic resort! Will definitely stay there again if given the opportunity. We did not use a taxi, but there are plenty of them.

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DrmnOfMaui~

Traveling on the Adventure of the Sea at the beginning of October., departing San Juan. Staying in San Juan pre cruise, just wondering how the taxi service is from the airport to Mariott Stellaris? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Kate

 

Taxi service in San Juan from the airport is outstanding. When you leave baggage claim there will be a stand where the taxis are coordinated. You tell the person where you want to go. They will then give you a slip of paper with the fare on it, get the taxi for you, and off you go. It is quite stress and hassle free.

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DrmnOfMaui: great review, thank you, we totally enjoyed it and your pictures are great.

 

Moon&Stargazer: completely off track! Your little bird looks exactly like my lovebird, she's a peachface. Where can I get that bird? lol :p

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DrmnOfMaui,

 

Love your photos and your review! Would you recommend a port or starboard balcony for this itinerary?

 

Thanks!

 

Conanc, (love your avatar BTW!)

 

That is a tough one. I talked to my husband about your question, and we agree that the starboard is probably slightly more preferable only because the St. Lucia arrival was on that side. It didn't really matter to us as we just headed up to the deck to check things out if we were on the wrong side!

I'm envious of all of your sailings... hopefully I'll be able to post so many in my signature one day!:D

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