Adventure of the Seas - Bed toppers & muster/dinner conflict?

[cruisegil]

I've read tons of reviews about the AOS, including the beds. Some say they're great and some say they're like rocks. Also seen mention of "bed toppers". I like firm support but a soft top. Should I (or can I) request a topper be put in our cabin? Can this be requested before we get there or do I have to wait until we're onboard? FYI, we have a promenade cabin.

 

Also, I've seen mention where the muster drill is at 5:45pm on Day 1. We have My Time dinner reservations for 6:30. How long does the drill take?

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Clarea]

You should be OK with the 6:30pm dinner. Early traditional dinner is pushed back from 6pm to 6:30pm on the first night to accommodate muster.

[cb at sea]

Try the bed...you can get a topper later, if you need it. The beds were replaced with pillow tops some time ago.

They change the dinner times on embarkation day.

[cruisegil]

You should be OK with the 6:30pm dinner. Early traditional dinner is pushed back from 6pm to 6:30pm on the first night to accommodate muster.

Thanks, Bob. Since we have a My Time reservation vs. the Early Seating at 6:30, I wasn't sure how they would handle it if we were late due to the drill. Guess we'll just show up as soon as we can. Since the whole ship will be involved in the muster, I guess any delays will be affect everyone equally. Thanks again!

[cruisegil]

Try the bed...you can get a topper later, if you need it. The beds were replaced with pillow tops some time ago.

They change the dinner times on embarkation day.

Thanks cb at sea for the good advice. Nice to know they have pillow tops now. :)

[wwallydoc]

Just off adventure. Beds were hard. Was with a group of 19. Everyone agreed beds were too firm. No more egg crates either!

[Clarea]

Thanks, Bob. Since we have a My Time reservation vs. the Early Seating at 6:30, I wasn't sure how they would handle it if we were late due to the drill. Guess we'll just show up as soon as we can. Since the whole ship will be involved in the muster, I guess any delays will be affect everyone equally. Thanks again!

You should not be late. Muster will be over by 6:15pm at the latest.

[cruisegil]

Just off adventure. Beds were hard. Was with a group of 19. Everyone agreed beds were too firm. No more egg crates either!

 

Thanks! I especially appreciate your response since you just got off the AOS. Think I'll try requesting the egg crate toppers ahead of time now. We can always give them back if we don't need them but at least we'll have them before they run out.

 

Since you just returned, I'd like to also pick your brain about a few other things. We'll be on Feb. 6 cruise to St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Johns, St. Lucia, and Grenada.

 

1) Is is possible to (safely!) leave our luggage with the ship's porters and then tour the forts before boarding and checking in on the ship? I know once we're on it we shouldn't (or can't) get off but we'd love to see the forts and have little to no time before boarding.

 

2) How long did your disembarkation take? We need to get to the airport asap so I'll be requesting the earliest possible departure but curious how long that'll now take. I've heard horror stories about the San Juan airport delays.

 

3) What time were the Lyric Theater shows each night? We're trying to plan dinner reservations around them.

 

4) Are there no My Time reservations between 6:45-8pm? We'd love 7:15ish.

 

5) Any specific shore excursions you recommend we do (or definitely avoid)? I've looked at the snorkeling to see sea turtles in St. Thomas and read mostly good reviews but the bad reviews were mostly about overcrowded tours.

 

Sorry for the gush of questions but our cruise is only 10 days away so I'm trying to get as many answered as possible. Thanks in advance for your help!

[Clarea]

... Is is possible to (safely!) leave our luggage with the ship's porters and then tour the forts before boarding and checking in on the ship? I know once we're on it we shouldn't (or can't) get off but we'd love to see the forts and have little to no time before boarding....

This would not be a problem, and would be no less safe than leaving your bags with the porters and immediately going into the terminal.

[gerif]

Thanks cb at sea for the good advice. Nice to know they have pillow tops now. :)

 

Not very good advice since it appears the nice fluffy pillow tops have been replaced by hard bedding. They do run out of toppers so I'd request one now and hope for the best.

[NYOB]

I've read tons of reviews about the AOS, including the beds. Some say they're great and some say they're like rocks. Also seen mention of "bed toppers". I like firm support but a soft top. Should I (or can I) request a topper be put in our cabin? Can this be requested before we get there or do I have to wait until we're onboard? FYI, we have a promenade cabin.

 

Also, I've seen mention where the muster drill is at 5:45pm on Day 1. We have My Time dinner reservations for 6:30. How long does the drill take?

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

I apparently read the same reviews you did about the new hard beds, so I called RCC and requested a bed topper and they included it on my cruise information. I am assuming it will be on the bed when we arrive. I had also read they sometimes run out, so reserving ahead of time might be the way to go - you can always have them taken off if too soft.

Edited January 29, 2016 by NYOB

[pwillmo]

What time does your ship leave?? We are going in April and our ship does not leave port until 8:30pm. We have never had a muster drill that early..

[Havingfun2010]

The ship "shuts down" during muster, so you can't go to dinner during Muster. With that being said, when you are finished with the drill, go to dinner. Everyone with a 6:30 reservation will be coming from the drill. Dinner is not served during drills. So you can't miss anything.

 

A second muster drill is held for those that arrived on the ship later. This is not the main drill. Only for those that arrived late.

[cruisenfever]

What time does your ship leave?? We are going in April and our ship does not leave port until 8:30pm. We have never had a muster drill that early..

Muster drill will be at 8PM with an 8:30 departure. All facilities will close 15 minutes prior to the drill.

[cruisegil]

Muster drill will be at 8PM with an 8:30 departure. All facilities will close 15 minutes prior to the drill.

 

Good to know about the 8pm muster time, especially since the only time I had noticed anywhere indicated 5:45pm. Hope it doesn't interfere with the 8:30 Sail Away!

[cruisegil]

What time does your ship leave?? We are going in April and our ship does not leave port until 8:30pm. We have never had a muster drill that early..

 

Our cruise on AOS begins Feb. 6 and departs San Juan at 8:30. Per other posts, apparently the drill is at 8pm, not 5:45pm. Guess I'll find out for sure a week for today!

[cruisegil]

I apparently read the same reviews you did about the new hard beds, so I called RCC and requested a bed topper and they included it on my cruise information. I am assuming it will be on the bed when we arrive. I had also read they sometimes run out, so reserving ahead of time might be the way to go - you can always have them taken off if too soft.

 

I called RCCL and requested toppers be already on the beds in our 3 cabins when we check in. They said they couldn't guarantee one would be available but would put them on our beds if they had them. Figured I'd be safe than sorry. Can always give them back if we don't need them.

[wwallydoc]

muster drill was before early dinner seating. was done around 545pm. we did walk off with out luggage. You could leave by 7am. Very quick. Off ship and in a cab and to the airport in approx. one hr. Show times are variable. First night show time was 1030pm. The main shows on the other nights were usually done twice so that early and late diners could make one of the shows. We did most of our excursions on our own.

[wwallydoc]

you shouldn't have a problem leaving your bags with the porters and going on an excursion. My time dining shouldn't be a problem to get a reservation between 645p and 715p

[mdcoles101]

Our muster this past week was at 530. Dinner was delayed by 1/2 hr.

 

 

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[Haz73]

I just got off the AOS on Saturday. The beds were the hardest I've ever had on a Royal Caribbean ship! I asked my travel agent ahead of time for a mattress topper. When we got on board, our room steward specifically told us they were no longer using foam toppers/egg crates. So she had folded an extra "pillow topper" I guess and put it on top of there. It was really more like a mattress pad & really didn't help a whole lot - although I never compared it to a bed w/o one (just a note, we had our beds separated, so not sure what they do if the beds are together).

As far as the muster drill - the main one is at 5:45. We had 5:30 dinner reservations, so we just went after the drill.

For the shows - here's the schedule:

Day 1 - 10:30pm, Comedian

Day 2 - 9:00 & 10:45, Invitation to Dance w/ Professional dancers. Then there is also a late night adult comedy show at midnight in the theater w/ the same comedian as Day 1.

On the Feb 6 sailing, they will also be showing the Super Bowl on the big screen by the pool. Last year, they moved our formal night to Monday due to the Super Bowl being on Sunday.

Day 3 - 7:00 & 9:00, Two Funny Guys

Day 4 - Ice show at 7:00 & 9:00 in Studio B, Cool Art, Hot Ice. Nothing in the theater. (And they say they open the doors 30 minutes prior, but they opened them 40 minutes prior.)

Day 5 - 7:00 & 9:00, Spectrum, a Tribute to Motown

Day 6 - 7:00 & 9:00, Jackpot w/ the AOS singers & Dancers (This is also the 2nd formal night.)

Day 7 - Another showing of the Ice Show in Studio B @ 3pm. Then 7:45 is the only show in the theater, The Balancing Act of Luis Dalton & they introduced the captains & some of the staff.

At 10:15 there is an Island Frenzy Parade through the Promenade - I thought that was really fun! There's also late night adult comedy in the theater at 11:00.

[Haz73]

One other note about disembarkation - 7:00am is self assist, where you walk off w/ your own luggage. 7:35 is early departure. I checked into my flight & printed out my boarding pass on our sea day (you can get 30 minutes internet access for $10 - $9 if you're a Gold member). We had TSA Pre-Check. My parent waited until they got to SJU to check in & didn't have TSA Pre-Check. We printed our luggage tags at 10:45am and were through security at 11:30. My parents got wheelchair assistance so they didn't have to go through the regular line either, but the employee said the regular TSA line can take 2 hours to get through. So, do what you can to get TSA Pre-Check, like checking in early (I'm assuming anyone w/ a frequent flyer account is eligible, but it's still random who gets it).

Edited February 3, 2016 by Haz73

[Clarea]

Our muster this past week was at 530. Dinner was delayed by 1/2 hr.

Do you recall if late dinner was also delayed by 1/2 hr.?

[brillohead]

So, do what you can to get TSA Pre-Check, like checking in early (I'm assuming anyone w/ a frequent flyer account is eligible, but it's still random who gets it).

 

Here's a website with info about the official TSA Pre-Check program: TSA

 

For an $85 fee, you get a Known Traveler Number that you include in your flight information with the airline ahead of time, and it allows you to go through the express security line. You also don't need to take off your shoes or jacket, or take your liquids out of your bag.

 

The KTN is good for five years... totally worth the $85 and fingerprinting session!

[Haz73]

When you have a Known Traveler Number, you are guaranteed TSA pre- check. But I didn't sign up for that and still had TSA pre- check on both Jet Blue and American. I have a frequent flyer number for both airlines and I checked in for both flights the day before.

My parents don't have a KTN either. They checked in early for their flight down on American and had TSA pre- check (they are also frequent flyers). They didn't check in early for their flight back (also on American) and did not get the TSA pre- check.