AOS or Celebrity out of SJU

[cocacola86]

Cruise Ports

 

Departing from:San Juan, Puerto Rico

Sailing to:

Tortola, B.V.I

Fort De France

Roseau, Dominica

Basseterre, St. Kitts

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

For an OV on the continental deck is 1,888.00

 

Adventure of the Seas

Adventure of the Seas

THIS CRUISE VISITS 6 PORTS

San Juan,

Puerto Rico

Charlotte Amalie,

St. Thomas

St. Croix,

U.S.V.I

St. Johns,

Antigua

Castries,

St. Lucia

St. George's,

Grenada

For OV is 2,153.00

 

I know the AOS has ice skating, rock climbing wall, Royal promenade, AOS has more dining options, we sailed in Nov to St Maarten, barbados, St Thomas, St Lucia and St kitts. If you could share your opinions on either ships from dining to entertainment and OV staterooms and anything else

[ColoradoGurl]

Cruise Ports

 

Departing from:San Juan, Puerto Rico

Sailing to:

Tortola, B.V.I

Fort De France

Roseau, Dominica

Basseterre, St. Kitts

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

For an OV on the continental deck is 1,888.00

 

Adventure of the Seas

Adventure of the Seas

THIS CRUISE VISITS 6 PORTS

San Juan,

Puerto Rico

Charlotte Amalie,

St. Thomas

St. Croix,

U.S.V.I

St. Johns,

Antigua

Castries,

St. Lucia

St. George's,

Grenada

For OV is 2,153.00

 

I know the AOS has ice skating, rock climbing wall, Royal promenade, AOS has more dining options, we sailed in Nov to St Maarten, barbados, St Thomas, St Lucia and St kitts. If you could share your opinions on either ships from dining to entertainment and OV staterooms and anything else

 

In your circumstance, since you've visited St Thomas and St. Kitts already, I'd do your second choice because the price difference isn't that much and you'll get to try more islands that you haven't already done vs the other option. Just a thought.

 

Edit: I see you've also done St Lucia so I guess in either case you're only seeing 2 new places. I'd choose the route that gives you the islands you'd like to visit the most. If you're neutral on ports and are going more for the ship then I don't have an opinion because I know nothing about Celebrity :)

Edited April 6, 2015 by ColoradoGurl

[cocacola86]

We've never sailed either RC or Celebrity, did you find AOS more livelier and more things to do? I hear a lot of things lately about RC is that the food is lacking and the cutbacks, did you find that on your cruise

[ColoradoGurl]

We've never sailed either RC or Celebrity, did you find AOS more livelier and more things to do? I hear a lot of things lately about RC is that the food is lacking and the cutbacks, did you find that on your cruise

 

I don't sail her until August, but I sailed Mariner in 2013 and Explorer in 2004. In 2004 I recall being amazed at the food as was everyone else on my trip. They had a midnight buffet and a chocolate fountain etc. In 2013 all that stuff was gone and the food had definitely decreased in extravagance. That being said, I'm not a foodie so it didn't bother me. I thought the food was great and I didn't find anything to complain about. There were some people I talked to during that trip who complained about the food and said it was bad or that other cruise lines were better etc. But I remember thinking they were making a big deal over nothing. Sure, did the buffet offer things like hot dogs? Yes, and I suppose if you're a foodie that would offend you. But I ate them and thought it was great, especially since I don't often eat junk good like that at home. I recall there being plenty of items on the menu as well as in the buffet that were too fancy for my palate as well. So there was a mixture. The food every day was repetitive, but you could still eat something different each day. I personally didn't expect anything more (besides the midnight buffet which I was bummed was gone only because it was a fun luau type party and I like chocolate ��), but I thought they did a great job given they have to prepare and plan for food for thousands of people for 7 days at a time without being able to go to the store.

 

I think it boils down to this: Are you a foodie and are you expecting or wanting a large variety of fancy food that rivals 5 star restaurants? If so, you probably want to find a cruise line that specializes in gormet food. If you are laid back and happy that you're not having to cook and grocery shop and wash dishes, then you'll not only be fine with the food, you'll probably be impressed with it. I'm not very fussy myself so take my opinion for what it's worth; everyone is different and expects different things. I thought it was great and I can't wait to go on our next cruise. PS all the ships I've sailed are in the same class of ship and from what I hear, they all have the same menu, give or take an item or two.

Edited April 6, 2015 by ColoradoGurl

[ColoradoGurl]

We've never sailed either RC or Celebrity, did you find AOS more livelier and more things to do? I hear a lot of things lately about RC is that the food is lacking and the cutbacks, did you find that on your cruise

 

Also, to answer the question about the atmosphere on the ship, I found it to be really fun (the voyager class ships). I think a lot depends on your company because you'll tend to do things that you both enjoy. In my situation, I sailed with a 10 year old so I didn't get to have as much grown up fun as I could have liked, but it was definitely available and I saw and met others who were doing things I didn't even realize we're available. In fact there was so much to do that there was no way I could have gotten to all of it anyway. We spent a lot of time at the pool listening to live music, watching movies on the poolside screen and walking around just looking at stuff. That being said, I still had a lot of fun. I think on port heavy cruises there may be less organized activities on the ship but we'll see.

Edited April 6, 2015 by ColoradoGurl

[cocacola86]

What stateroom do you pick for port intensive, last one my DW picked an Ocean Suite

[ColoradoGurl]

What stateroom do you pick for port intensive, last one my DW picked an Ocean Suite

 

This is another area where I'm probably in the minority on this board, but I chose an inside. The reason is because the last 2 times I chose a balcony and never used it. It was nice to have and I would book one again someday, I just didn't think it was worth it on a cruise where I'd be off the ship every single day (except the last one). We're traveling with friends so even when we're on the ship I foresee us spending a lot of time in common areas, so the room will be for sleeping and showering only. No need to pay extra money for those ammenities since they'll be the same in any room. I saw an inside room last time I cruised because a couple I met let me see theirs and I was surprised that it had almost the same amount of room as our balcony and it was plenty of space for our needs. People have mentioned that the ocean view windows are cloudy and hard to see out of, and also that they're on the bottom 3 decks so I didn't feel that was worth paying extra for. I was ok forgoing the natural light for the few hours I will be in the room. I'm also traveling during a peak (expensive) season this time and a balcony was almost $2,000 more than the inside. I just feel my money is better spent elsewhere (excursions, alcohol, tips, casino, etc) than on a balcony I Will almost never use; certainly not $2,000 worth. But others will have a very different take on this and it just depends on where your priorities are for this particular trip and what "arguments" persuade you one way or the other. My vote is get an inside and save money.

[cocacola86]

What about a promenade interior?

[ColoradoGurl]

What about a promenade interior?

 

The only time I've seen those is from the outside when I was looking into them from the inside of the ship. I actually think these could be a fun room to have, as long as you are ok being on display because everyone is going to be looking up at your room to see what's up there. Otherwise you'll have to close the curtain, in which case, what's the point of paying for a view you can't use. It sounds like a lot of people enjoy these rooms and I wouldn't be against trying them. I've just never tried it and again, didn't think it was worth the extra cost in my case for this trip.

[Susie51]

On Navigator in March, the curtains were pulled 99% of the time. A lot of people had the curtains opened during the Promenade parade.