AOS Southern Caribbean A - Questions!

[HesterMofet]

Since we've gone East and West, this time we are thinking of going South!

 

Has anyone been on this particular cruise? It has two sea days instead of one and goes to Aruba, St. Thomas, St Kitts and Curacao. I like port days and DH likes sea days so this would be a good compromise as the other Southern routes only have one sea day.

 

What about the ship? We heard that it is going into dry dock in 2014, so we are thinking of waiting until March 2015 to go.

 

This is a Voyager class ship and we have only been on FOS so far, so we know it will be smaller.

 

 

Anything you can tell me about the ship would be great! The good, the bad and the ugly are all welcome!

 

Thanks!

[Koohiichan]

We sailed AOS this past Feb on the A route and we absolutely loved it.

 

You are right that the appeal of the Southern route is the ports, not the ship, but the Adventure is a nice ship. I actually preferred it to the Liberty. It seemed less crowded to me. The size is almost the same. It has a shorter promenade and no flowrider. It does have rollerblading, however, which the Liberty didn't have (although, you may not care about this either way, of course.) Another distinct dif. is the pools are saltwater. I like this, but my 12 year-old did not.

 

We found the ship in good condition and staff excellent and friendly. We had a great experience in San Juan and with the bit more latin flavor on this ship. It is just so wonderful to sail out of San Juan, especially in the winter.

 

The ports are great! We especially loved Curacao. It has a great port and town area. We went to the fort in St. Kitts which I recommend. We took it easy in Aruba mostly stayed on the ship to relax. We visited St. John, which I highly recommend if you've already been to St. Thomas. I wrote a review in the members section, Feb. 2013, if you're interested.

 

We are doing the B side January 2014 we loved it so much.

 

Cheers,

 

Koohiichan

[crookedhalo]

W did that route in February of this year and really enjoyed it. Nice mix of Sea and port days :-) . Try to arrive at least a day before and do a bio bay tour - awesome!

 

Sheraton Convention hotel over looks the terminal, has great views of OSJ and is easy cab to anywhere:)

 

We also stayed a day after the cruise because it seemed like the flights were all early or very late. Waiting a day meant early flight out and earlier home:)

 

AOS is in great shape and soul he be in even better shape after drydock. Enjoy!

[cb at sea]

The ship really doesn't seem much smaller.....both classes are actually pretty large!!

[HesterMofet]

Thanks for your answers. It sounds like a fun ship and itinerary!

 

Is the airfare to San Juan a lot more expensive than going to, say, Orlando? I know it's farther (duh!) but I am wondering if it costs a lot more.

[golfer1966]

We like the Southern routes much more. You cant go wrong with either

[crookedhalo]

Thanks for your answers. It sounds like a fun ship and itinerary!

 

Is the airfare to San Juan a lot more expensive than going to, say, Orlando? I know it's farther (duh!) but I am wondering if it costs a lot more.

 

I watched my fares and booked the airfare for our February 2013 trip to PR in March of 2012;) We ended up with about $300 per person round trip. Airfare will really depend on the season - is it break time, high season, shoulder etc. Just use some of the research tools available on line to get a historic price and find a price that you're comfortable with - when you see it - jump:p

[nelblu]

Thanks for your answers. It sounds like a fun ship and itinerary!

 

Is the airfare to San Juan a lot more expensive than going to, say, Orlando? I know it's farther (duh!) but I am wondering if it costs a lot more.

 

It depends on the timeframe that you book it. We usually start as soon as the airfare are advertised and evaluate it. We have paid more to fly to Florida than San Juan--also, the fees and taxes are much lower in the itinerary that you are looking at. We have done some 6 cruises on the AOS--both the Eastern and Western routes. Our favorite was the itinerary that stopped at St. Martin, St. Thomas, Aruba (our favorite island) and Curacao. Don't like St. Kitt's as the beaches are not as beautiful as the other Islands due to the volcanic impact.

[reallyhooked]

Thanks for your answers. It sounds like a fun ship and itinerary!

 

Is the airfare to San Juan a lot more expensive than going to, say, Orlando? I know it's farther (duh!) but I am wondering if it costs a lot more.

 

Round trip for 2. We fly out of DFW. $1328.00

[DonnaK]

On St. Kitts, look into a tour with Thenford Grey. (google him) It was an awesome experience, and a very good value for the money. We got to see the highlights of the island, and then he took us to a lovely beach club. Grey is a very nice gentleman who has a wealth of knowledge!

[crisndeefromde]

We booked our airfare when it was released and got a great deal. Heck it is cheaper to go to sju than it is for us to go on our trip on the serenade out of new orleans.

 

going on our third back 2 back this winter on the Adventure...love the crew love the ship...feels like we are home when we walk thru the entrance to the smiles....