AOS and your thoughts?

[cocacola86]

The AOS in Oct /16 is really appealing with ports of call to the ABC islands, Antigua and St Maarten, so all the Dutch islands. My DW is Dutch and loves her Dutch candies and can you get Dutch stuff in those islands? Would you book an OV or balcony since it's so port intense, how is the ship is it well maintained and if you can give your inside of this ship

[ColoradoGurl]

The AOS in Oct /16 is really appealing with ports of call to the ABC islands, Antigua and St Maarten, so all the Dutch islands. My DW is Dutch and loves her Dutch candies and can you get Dutch stuff in those islands? Would you book an OV or balcony since it's so port intense, how is the ship is it well maintained and if you can give your inside of this ship

 

I'll chime in on the room question. I booked this trip for this summer and chose an inside for a couple reasons. I have cruised twice and both times I had D1 balcony room. Last trip I got to peek into an inside cabin and realized that they weren't much different size wise, but there was a huge difference in price. We never used our balcony except one time, when we went out there to show our friends what having a balcony was like. It was nice to have the fresh air and the extra light, but it wasn't "double the price" worth it. So I decided this time to book an inside. For the Southern itinerary and my summer "peak-time" cruise, the prices were much higher that it just didn't seem worth it. Given that there are 5 island days, I don't foresee myself spending anytime in the room besides showering and sleeping. I don't have a young child who will be taking naps and requiring me to be in the room all day (in fact I have a late sleeping teenager who will probably appreciate the darkness). Consider what you want the balcony for, and how often you will be using it for that purpose. Is it worth paying the price difference for those needs/desires? If so, get the balcony. If not, in my opinion, they aren't worth it. But I am also a very social and active person and I don't sit still long. If I were someone who spent more time in my room relaxing by myself I might feel differently. It's a personal choice and your own personal value of how you spend your money.

[cocacola86]

Would you say it's easy to navigate your way around?

[Clarea]

Would you say it's easy to navigate your way around?

Very easy. About the only decks that are blocked from going all the way through are decks 2 and 3, because the ice rink is in the way.

[cocacola86]

What do you like about AOS, never been on any RC ships, we're looking at Oct 8, 2016 and our anniversary is on the 13th is there anything they do for it, or a special restaurant to go to?

[Clarea]

What do you like about AOS, never been on any RC ships, we're looking at Oct 8, 2016 and our anniversary is on the 13th is there anything they do for it, or a special restaurant to go to?

Unless you purchase something, the only thing they might do is sing a sone and give you a small pice of cake at dinner.

 

I'd go to Giovanni's Table, a very nice specialty restuarant. You can book ahead of time using Royal's website (might be too early now), or onboard.

[mikechass]

We were just on AOS (Jan25/Feb1). We had an inside cabin as well and did the same itinerary. Actually we did a B2B so we did both!

There is NOT a lot of down time on these trips.

Lots to see and do.

We loved the lay out of the ship.

There are many places to hang out and see different things.

We never had much issue finding chairs around the pool.

Lots of movies to watch, shows in the theatre and things like rock climbing walls, roller blading, ice skating and stuff.

There were lots of Dutch things offered, especially in Curacao.

We loved the ship and loved the itinerary!!

Safe Travels.

Chass

[cocacola86]

We were on Carnival when the AOS was docked next to us in St Lucia I think I was, and I thought it was massive

[cocacola86]

Oct is hurricane season, have you travelled during those months and would you still travel during those months?

[BonnieSte]

We love the itinerary for this cruise. We need a balcony. We love having coffee on the balcony as the ship is pulling into the new port, love having a drink on the balcony as we pull out of port and get ready for dinner and lastly because it is really nice to go on the balcony at night to just unwind and relax. My guess is that your DW will be able to find the candy she loves but I would google the island with the name of the candy?

[cocacola86]

It's called drupes it's a black licorice with usually double salted

[ColoradoGurl]

Would you say it's easy to navigate your way around?

 

I've never been on the Adventure, but I've been on the Mariner and the Explorer which are similar, if not identical. I think they're great ships; lots to do and yes, very easy to navigate. I didn't realize how much stuff there was to do while onboard and missed out on most shows and activities, mostly because both times I was traveling with a child. I still found myself to be busy the whole trip and other than the couple times I jumped in the hot tib, I was never sitting still. There are classes you can take (like mixology at the bar) and movies you can go see (on the pool deck as well as in the movie theater, which I just recently learned existed). I never made it down to the bottom decks where the ice rink and theater are. I spent most of my time on the promenade deck, the pool deck, the gym/spa and randomly walking up and down stairs to other floors to look around. So I'm not much help I guess, but I found the places that I wanted to go easy to find and I was never bored. I'm looking forward to going this summer and partaking in some of the snows and activities, if I'm on board enough that is. I plan to spend my days hiking and scuba diving on land most days.

[cruisingbajan]

Sailed AOS a few years back and on that cruise I had the best dining room service/server ever!!!

 

We had a server by the name of Vashi and her assistant was Chen. These 2 made the cruise quite enjoyable and felt like family.

 

My wife and I still talk about her up to this day.:D

[LilBlackDress]

We were just on her 2-22-15. We were traveling with my stepson/friend and my DS and BIL. We all had different cabins.

 

We had a GS (our 1st suite) My stepson had a PR and my sister had an OV.

I love the balcony. Sitting there at night or having coffee in the morning just makes the entire vacation for me. But that is my personal preference...

 

If you are looking at costs, the PR was the same size as the OV and honestly I think I liked the PR better. There is a nice window seat so you can look out (but keep in mind people can look in too!! don't dress with the curtains open) it was on a higher deck then the OV, was a nice change. The OV, if I remember correctly, You can't sit and look out the window its more stand up and look out...

 

Whatever you decide, it will be a great time :)

[krev]

We were on AOS two years ago for a Caribbean b2b then we were on her again for 16 nights this past Sept in the Med. We love this ship, very easy to find your way around. Some of the furniture is getting a little long in the tooth in the staterooms but I'd go on her again. We've had the same D2 balcony room both times and I personally wouldn't give up the balcony in a warm climate but that's just me. Giovanni's Table is very good, we ate there many times!

Edited March 13, 2015 by krev

[Justmekaren918]

I traveled last September on Vision and had pretty darn nice weather the whole Western Caribbean route. I am actually working on booking Adventure for 2016 September cruise and what is cool about this Southern Caribbean route is it is almost totally out of the hurricane route. If you like the itinerary than go for it.

[sailor05]

Oct is hurricane season, have you travelled during those months and would you still travel during those months?

 

 

October is indeed during hurricane season but the "peak" season is mid August to mid-September so at least you're a month outside that. The cruise lines are very well up to date and will change itineraries as needed to keep everyone safe. If it were not for my DD being in school I wouldn't hesitate a bit to book in October. Our first few were in Sept and Oct with no issues. And the prices are a LOT cheaper than summer! Plus down that far if something was to brew up they're not as intense on the Southern end of the Caribbean as they haven't gone over the warmer waters yet and they are usually pretty fast moving down there keeping the impact to the cruise at a minimum. Once all the way down to Aruba and Curacao then it really becomes a non issue as they just don't affect them.

Edited March 13, 2015 by sailor05

[hrrsamrovk]

We had a server by the name of Vashi and her assistant was Chen.

[cocacola86]

I noticed yesterday it was 1200 pp is that normal for this cruise or is it because of the sale heard that when RC has a sale they raise the price?

[Clarea]

I noticed yesterday it was 1200 pp is that normal for this cruise or is it because of the sale heard that when RC has a sale they raise the price?

Very hard to say without knowing the stateroom category and date of sailing.

[tsconley19]

I noticed yesterday it was 1200 pp is that normal for this cruise or is it because of the sale heard that when RC has a sale they raise the price?

 

Depends on category of cabin. I can usually book a D2 category balcony for around $1200 pp for a 7 night cruise. For me, that would include tax and gratuities. I've paid that price for many years including the Independance, Allure, Adventure, Silhouette. That's my target price. If less expensive, the better.

Tom

Edited March 13, 2015 by tsconley19

[cocacola86]

So on the 2nd deck idw what category it is but it comes to 3598 for two people

[cocacola86]

It's a large OV

[krev]

I can't believe how much the prices have gone up since we did this two years ago. We paid less than this for two weeks with a D2 balcony on deck 8.

[cruisingbajan]

We had a server by the name of Vashi and her assistant was Chen.

 

Glad to know they are still there and working as a team.:D

 

They were the best. Sorry for the brief hijack OP.