HELP !!1st Cruise !! Lots of questions

[RDH618]

My DH and I are going on AOS in June leaving from San Juan. I have so many questions to ask. Does anyone know how many "formal" nights there are a 7 night cruise ? What is the causal attire for men on the other nights ? Is the Soda card really worth the money ? Did you use your safe in the room to keep your passport etc in.? How far in advance should we book reservations for massagse or dinner ??? How in the world do you get the coupon books or whatever people are talking about all the time. Is it better to sneak on booze in your carry on bag or check in bag ? My husband really wants to bring a bottle of GreyGoose. This will my second cruise ever, but my husband's very 1st, so I'm afraid he might get sick what do you recommend to take ? Also... Which islands are better for shopping for jewerly St.Maartin or St. Thomas ? We also heard that you can ship "bottles of booze" back to the states from the boat ? True or False ? Any suggestions or ideas PLEASE PLEASE tell me. thanks so much

[alexkrn46]

Causal attire is a collared shirt and long pants. We use transcope patches to prevent seasickness, I cut mine in half and that does the trick for me. I have bought Jewelery in both St Marten and St Thomas it depends what you are looking for. We always use the safe to keep our cash secure as well as our passports they are easy to use. I know that the ship will have grey goose for sale. You can purchase liquior over your the amount your entitled to but will have to pay a tax ( about $3/bottle).... I don't know anything about shipping it back. Have a great cruise and enjoy, the AOS is a great ship, Alex

[missybirchfield]

My DH and I are going on AOS in June leaving from San Juan. I have so many questions to ask. Does anyone know how many "formal" nights there are a 7 night cruise ? What is the causal attire for men on the other nights ? Is the Soda card really worth the money ? Did you use your safe in the room to keep your passport etc in.? How far in advance should we book reservations for massagse or dinner ??? How in the world do you get the coupon books or whatever people are talking about all the time. Is it better to sneak on booze in your carry on bag or check in bag ? My husband really wants to bring a bottle of GreyGoose. This will my second cruise ever, but my husband's very 1st, so I'm afraid he might get sick what do you recommend to take ? Also... Which islands are better for shopping for jewerly St.Maartin or St. Thomas ? We also heard that you can ship "bottles of booze" back to the states from the boat ? True or False ? Any suggestions or ideas PLEASE PLEASE tell me. thanks so much

There will be two formal nights on a seven day cruise. We will be going on Adventure in Sept. Someone else will have to answer the question in regards to the other nights. The soda card is worth it, if you drink alot of soda. Yes, we have always used our safe for our valuables. You set the code at the beginning of the cruise and at the end you leave the door open and the steward resets it I think. As for the massages and things, I have been told to book early as possible after boarding the ship. Bookings will be sold out, especially for formal night otherwise. The coupon books are for Crown & Anchor members. If you have cruised previously with RCCL and signed up for the C & A you will find the coupon book waiting in your cabin upon check in. I have heard that in SJ when you check in, there is a liquor store there and you can get your liquor, put in a carry on and there is no problem. Alot of people take Bonine for seasickness or they go to their dr. and get the patch to wear behind the ear. Me, I have never gotten sea sick. I have read the answer to the question in regards to the shopping, but I have forgotten which ports are good for what. Will have to do a little research myself.

 

Missy

[rokcop]

We sailed AOS 03/05-03/12 from San Juan and there were two foraml nights - Monday and Thursday, the "at sea" days. There was one "smart casual" night and the rest were just casual. There are many differing opinions on what is/is not too casual. If you plan to drink more than a few sodas per day per person the card is probably worth it. Don't know about making reservations. The different coupon books are given to Crown & Anchor members depending on their C&A status(gold,platinum,diamond,diamond plus). There is a small store in the port at San Juan where you can purchase liquor - if you discreetly place a bottle in your carry-on, you will most likely be allowed to take it on the ship. Your husband can try ginger tablets available at most health food stores which wont cause drowsiness, or Bonine which my wife and others swear by. We have found better deals for jewelry in St Maarten and have made several purchases at Majesty Jewelers. Don't know about shipping booze.

 

For us, we had an amazing horseback ride in Aruba, and had a nice relaxing lunch over-looking St Thomas at Paradise Point. Other advice, relax and have fun!

[megr1125]

You can't ship liquor back to the states-at least i don't think you can.

 

St. Thomas & St. Maarten have good liquor prices. AH Riise in St. Thomas will deliver your booze to the ship. You will get it on the last night of the cruise.

 

We used Bonine. Works fine. Also, if you look at the horizon, it should help your feelings of nausea. You should be fine!

2 formal nights.....otherwise, we wore khakis and nice tops. Some people got really dressed up every night, and Oscar-red-carpet dressed for formal nights. Not really necessary.

 

We skipped one formal night as I didn't feel good, and the other I wore a short black cocktail dress.

 

I carried on a bottle of champagne in my rolling carryon. No trouble.

 

This is a great ship.

 

Which route are you doing? I have compasses from our 2004 Aruba route. If you email me at cruisermeg@hotmail.com I can copy and mail them to you...I can't understand all this scanning stuff.

 

What other questions can we help you with? You can follow the link in my signature for pix.

[MarilynJeff]

We are also going on AOS in June. What date are you sailing as the ports are different for the different dates. This might affect the formal nights. We were on this ship in 2002 and loved it. Sign up for the meet and mingle and go to the board for your sail date. Have a great time.

[BobbyK]

I like diet soda and I always get a soda card. It costs six dollars a day plus fifteen percent tips added to the cost. With the soda card they give you a rather decent coke container (which you do not have to use). I believe individually the cokes cost $1.50 to $2.50 each. So I think you might want to decide if it would be sensible or a waste of money. However, I like having soda with my dinner. I like having a soda instead of an alcoholic drink at the lounges sometimes. I also have the convenience of just showing the coke sticked on my sea pass card.

Robin :cool:

[rubrrick]

Hi Robin!!

Robin was on our last cruise.........and a very savy cruiser! If she says that the soda deal is good..........trust her!!

It has been years since my DW and I (omg this was before we were married) have been to San Juan...........no....I take that back....we were there once after we were married............we slipped in during the evening to take on bunker fuel, and then out again.........on the Melody.

 

Maybe to OP could take a deep breath...........and know that what you don't pack for your second cruise.........you can either purchase in port.........or it's not needed!!

 

Rick

[syndyj]

Does anyone know how many "formal" nights there are a 7 night cruise ?

On AOS you have two formal nights.

 

What is the causal attire for men on the other nights ?

Check the dress code for the other nights, it ranges from casual, semi formal and smart casual. No jeans are allowed.Long pants and button down shirts are the norm for casual, for the semi formal night some men wear sports coat or shirt and tie.

 

Is the Soda card really worth the money ?

I did not purchase the soda card as I don't drink alot of soda.

Did you use your safe in the room to keep your passport etc in.?

You will not get to keepyourpassports, they are held by the cruiseline until the end of the cruise. But we did use our safe for our money and credit cards.

How far in advance should we book reservations for massagse or dinner ???

For the spa make reservations right away, they normally have specials on port days. If you want to dine at Portofinos on a special night, make your reservations on the first day, if you can't decide on what night you want to eat there you can do it aday before.

 

How in the world do you get the coupon books or whatever people are talking about all the time.

If you have sailed with royal caribbean sign up on their website for Crown and Anchor and you will get the coupon books in your cabin on your cruise.

 

Is it better to sneak on booze in your carry on bag or check in bag ?

We walked with a bottle of wine and we checked it. Make sure and wrap it properly.

Which islands are better for shopping for jewerly St.Maartin or St. Thomas?

I found shopping for alcohol was cheapest on St. Maarten, jewelry prices were similar on both islands, but more specials to be found on St. Maarten, especially on watches.

 

You are going to have a great time on AOS, we did our first cruise on her. Click the link in my signature to view my photos, and you can also check out my blog for the review I wrote of our trip. Have fun plannning.

[TennisLover]

Did you use your safe in the room to keep your passport etc in.?

You will not get to keepyourpassports, they are held by the cruiseline until the end of the cruise. But we did use our safe for our money and credit cards.

 

I've only been on Carnival and we always get to keep our passports (and I always put them in the cabin safe)? They keep your passports when you embark on Royal? When do they give them back? At the end of the cruise? That sounds like it would be a long process. I did not know this....

We're booked on VOS next and I'd like to know what to expect.

[suebear37]

On our 3 cruises, we've never had to surrender our passports. Used them at check-in & going through customs at the end. Oh, and we used them on our Voyager cruise for the US Immigration check when we got to St. Thomas. Just had to take them to the dining room for inspection.

 

The rest of the time they stay in the safe in our cabin. In Mexico 3 weeks ago we needed photo ID to get back on the ship while in port so we used our drivers licenses.

[syndyj]

On our 3 cruises, we've never had to surrender our passports. Used them at check-in & going through customs at the end. Oh, and we used them on our Voyager cruise for the US Immigration check when we got to St. Thomas. Just had to take them to the dining room for inspection.

 

The rest of the time they stay in the safe in our cabin. In Mexico 3 weeks ago we needed photo ID to get back on the ship while in port so we used our drivers licenses.

 

They held our passports, I do not live in the US so maybe that was why.We got them back at the end of the end of the cruise.

[SAS21]

I was told that they hold passports for non us citizens.

[Hypo]

Passports are held for NON-US citizens only.

Hypo

[critterchick]

In my experience:

 

2 formal nights on a 7 night cruise. Casual attire is anything from a short-sleeved shirt w/khakis to a sport coat & tie (you will seldom see ties & coats except on formal night).

 

A can of soda will cost $1.50 plus a 15% gratuity. I think the cost of the soda card is about $6/day, so you'd have to drink 4 cans a day for it to be worth it. And you're not supposed to buy one card & share it, but people do.

 

Yes, we used the safe to store our passports & valuables, but they won't hold a laptop computer. US citizens keep their passports.

 

Book your massage as soon as you get on board. You can cancel w/o penalty up to 24 hours before your treatment. Keep an eye out for daily specials - they'll be posted in the daily Compass (calendar of events). Book the specialty restaurants right away, too. I think the maitre d' can tell you what they'll be serving in the dining room each night so you can decide which night you'd like to skip.

 

Your cabin steward will bring coupon books to your cabin, but you have to already be a Crown & Anchor Society member to get them.

 

Smuggle the Grey Goose in your checked luggage. Although confiscation seems to be rare, why take the chance? Wrap it in bubble wrap & a plastic bag, then make sure it's well padded by clothes. It's illegal and against the rule, but we're all scofflaws at some cruise policy.:D

 

We take ginger for seasickness. I'm partial to ginger Altoids, but ginger ale or capsules also work for me.

 

Can't help you with the last couple of questions.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[GarrenS]

The part about shipping alcohol - the earlier poster was correct, you can't do that BUT the US Virgin Islands have additional Duty-Free alcohol quotas.

Normally, you are allowed 1 liter of spirits when you return from leaving the US, However if you purchase them in St Thomas (or St Croix or St John) you can buy an additional 3 liters produced anywhere and 1 liter produced in the US Virgin islands for a total of 5 bottles per person (over 21 years of age) Just remember that 4 of them have to come from the US Virgin Islands.

 

The biggest problem we have found is figuring out how to carry on 10 liters of alcohol onto a plane....we have a roller bag that holds 6, and the other 4 are in a carry-on carton from the store.

 

Hope that helps - and happy shopping!

Garren