Would you go BACK on the AOS??

[PH8]

I really appreciate ALL the feedback,whether positive:D or negative:mad: ..........

 

Thanks!

[ckrobyn]

100% without a doubt, absolutely....YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We fell in love with the AOS last year and thought the crew AND the passengers were outstanding.

 

In 67 days we will be on the AOS again for 14 nights :) We are looking forward to another amazing cruise! And then.......Feb 24/08 we do it all over again!

 

I think that answers the question :rolleyes: LOL!

[teachnh]

I went for my tenth wedding anniversary and loved every minute!! I would go again in a heartbeat!

[Trillian]

My vote would have to be NO. We were on the AOS in Nov. 03, and the 11/26/06 sailing. The first trip was wonderful, which is why we booked again.

 

This time the experience was a bit different. I had no problems with the passengers or crew, but when we would go to a show, it would start off in English and Spanish. OK, no problem. Then it would be a little more Spanish, and a little less English. By the time the show was half over, it was mostly Spanish, with very little English. We walked out on more than one show since we couldn't understand a thing, and so did others.

 

Another reason we would not go on the AOS was the fact that so many excursions were cancelled. Out of our original 5 excursions booked, 4 of them were cancelled due to the lack of participants. I heard that this is normal for this ship.

 

Combined with the cost and hassle of flying to San Juan, overnight accommodations, food, taxis, etc.. I think the Adventure is just not the ship for us.

[PH8]

 

This time the experience was a bit different. I had no problems with the passengers or crew, but when we would go to a show, it would start off in English and Spanish. OK, no problem. Then it would be a little more Spanish, and a little less English. By the time the show was half over, it was mostly Spanish, with very little English. We walked out on more than one show since we couldn't understand a thing, and so did others.

 

.

 

Makes you wonder how foreigners feel when they go on ships outta the US and its all in English?? In a case like that,I think you have to go with the flow.........after all, the AOS is sailing outta a spanish speaking country......

[Trillian]

Makes you wonder how foreigners feel when they go on ships outta the US and its all in English?? In a case like that,I think you have to go with the flow.........after all, the AOS is sailing outta a spanish speaking country......

 

I considered that very carefully before I wrote what I did. Had I been sailing out of Spain, France or other countries I know I would expect the native language to be presented more often than English, and I would have no problem with that.

 

Why? I asked myself, did I expect Puerto Rico to be different? Just because it was closer?

 

I think it was a combination of the fact that Puerto Rico IS a US territory, and I consider RCCL a US company (though it may not be true), I expected the main entertainment to be in English. If they want to have shows in other languages, go for it! But let me know so I don't waste my time showing up for something I won't enjoy or understand.

 

The English/Spanish shows were also contrary to what I experienced on my previous Adventure cruise. On that cruise the shows (if not noted as being in Spanish) were in both English and Spanish throughout the entire thing.

[EggDropErin]

Absolutely! We loved AOS! Such a beautiful ship!

[BuyReallyLow]

Maybe I just have not been paying attention, but I have not read many poor reviews on Serenade - it leaves from San Juan, doesn't it? Are there not as many Latinos on board? We returned from Adventure just a few weeks ago, and had a wonderful time. I can say the ship looks wonderful, the staff is the best we've experienced, the food is the equal to other ships.... the only complaints would be the obvious expense to travel there (it is the farthest port from the majority of North America, isn't it?) and the price of the hotels (I agree). The Latinos were not a negative - they actually added an element that we considered a positive!

 

But if you try to find someplace with consistent weather in December, you can't beat the Southern Caribbean. We have had cooler weather out of Miami at times in December/January, which takes a day or more of sun away at times. Looking ahead to 2007, I see even fewer itineraries from San Juan in December, so RCL must be getting everyone's negative message (Adventure sails weekly, but Serenade is only over Christmas and New Years).

[sgttami]

Probably not...

 

I've sailed AOS twice...1/03 and 10/05.

 

The first time was a lot of fun and my first time on a Voyager class ship. Stayed pre-cruise in San Juan and it was also a first for Aruba and Curacao. Other ports I'd been to numerous times. Wasn't crazy about Aruba OR Curacao OR the fact that most of the ship were locals.

 

In between, went on Empress '04 from San Juan. 99.9% locals (I'll say no more!)..we followed this with a 2 week trip to St. John so that was OK.

 

In '05 we went again on AOS..friends were going and we booked last minute. Stayed on the ship in Aruba and Curacao. Stayed pre and post cruise and even though it was OK, we said "never again."

 

Did Voyager '05 and Explorer (twice in '06) from home ports (Bayonne) after that and when all is said and done, we'll probably never do the Voyager class again...too many kids and families...like going to a floating amusement park!!

 

So NO, no more AOS or any Voyager or Freedom class ships...whether they leave from San Juan or Bayonne...they are just too family friendly for our current tastes!!

 

 

You are going to have a good time!! How can you NOT have a good time on a cruise???

 

I do not want to get into a lengthy "thing" on a public board but you can e-mail me and I'll tell you why..no more AOS!!! sgttami@yahoo.com

 

PAM

[The Grumpus]

Ok folks...I voted no. The reason? To fly four people from Baltimore, two rooms for the pre cruise stay, lunch and dinner, cost almost as much as the cruise. All day getting home after the cruise was a drag too.

If the question would have been...would you cruise the AOS again from a more convient (sp) port (Norfolk, Baltimore, NJ) , the answer would be a resounding "yes".

We loved the ports, Aruba, Curacao, etc. and the ship, it's the travel and travel cost that we didn't like.

Agreed Blklabfan, Same as you, plus I didn't like finding out I paid $1100 pp when the locals paid +/- $300 per cabin. Possibly because it was just after 9/11 and lots of people cancelled but it still ticked me off I didn't get offered that price. I voted no for that reason alone. But like you said, bring Adventure to the Mid-Atlantic and I'll see you there!:)

[PH8]

You are going to have a good time!! How can you NOT have a good time on a cruise???

 

I do not want to get into a lengthy "thing" on a public board but you can e-mail me and I'll tell you why..no more AOS!!! sgttami@yahoo.com

 

PAM

 

I know I will have a good time......Im going with a group of CCers that we met on the MA last year..........its a reunion of sorts.........and I really want to go to Aruba and Curacao.

 

We did the SR outta SJ a few years back and had fun..........even though we had the "15 year old girls" on.........bunch of them too!!:eek:

 

But thats ok............its the only Voyager class ship we havent been on..........so this will complete it...........

[Pomperaugrr]

We would definitely sail on AOS again! The ship was amazing and we had a great time as a couple on board. There are areas you learn to avoid if they get crowded, but the size of the ship and the variety it offers makes it a great value. When you sail on a ship with an international crew and one that attracts passengers from all over the world, go with the flow and enjoy the cultural experience. The food, service and crew were awesome.

 

Eric

[Mommy40]

Lately, I have been reading all the pros and cons of the AOS..........I am really looking forward to going to Aruba and Curacao,since we have never been..............

 

 

I was just wondering if you have been on the AOS,would you go again??

 

Why??:confused: Why not??:confused:

YES YES YES, went in April 06. Those two ports were beautiful and safe.

The ship was awesome. I have nothing for the why not because I would go in a heartbeat. I chose this for the itinerary and the larger ship for the kids. We LOVED IT!!

[BillOh]

I said that was the problem that broke the camels back not that it was the only problem. Go on the AOS and you decide that's the best way to find out. They asked the question if we'd do it again and my answer was no.

 

But it is the only one you listed. Since we are considering the southern route for our 3rd, and Aruba sounds inviting, I'm assuming most of your problems were the San Juan originating port, and not the ship itself?

[Sea and Me]

My answer is a definate NO:( We sailed on the AOS in '02. Do they still have the full size aquarium?? When we saw it there was one fish in it clinging to life. As I read the responses and the negative remarks I just thought nothing has changed. Most of the remarks are situations that we also encountered. We have sailed out of PR since '02 and found none of the situations on other cruiselines.

[maggieq]

I would do this cruise again. The only things I don't like about the aos are the balconies (all steel) and the fact that it's sunday to sunday.

 

We had a great time....great itin (we did the aruba route).

 

Go when the pr schools are in session if too many locals are going to bother you.

 

We have been on 3 cruises out of pr in the last 3 years and we didn't have any problems. We also went twice in April and once the first week of may. Not sure if our timing had anything to do with it.

[swmichigan cruiser]

Little background I know this was at least the 5th time we sailed on a 7 day round trip from San Juan. At least the 3rd time at this time of year and last year was on the Serenade of the Seas. All other cruises were fine and last year we stayed one day before cruise in San Juan and two days after and had a great time. Maybe this was just a bad week for the AOS because RCCL wanted to fill the ship up maybe other times are better. The ship itself was great, ports of call were great and the staff was excellent. A few more things that bothered me and might not bother other people but I believe when the dining room has seating at 8:30 you should expect to be there about that time. I watched as people came in as late as an hour late and expected to be served dinner and not even at their right tables they found friends and family they wanted to sit with and that become interesting almost every night watching the waiters reactions. Another thing was on one of formal nights I watched a group of young people keep asking for more pictures of them in groups and individually then they would ever buy. I especially enjoyed watching one of the nice young lads do gangsters poses as a very pregnant lady waited for them to get done and finally she had to ask them if she could have her picture taken with her husband. There were other things to but thats enough on the subject. Maybe I just expected a better experience. It made for a nice restful trip for the Future cruise consultants as there weren't to many people booking future cruises. Anyhow Bill hope this explains my feelings and like I say maybe this was just a week I shouldn't have been on board. Also anyone that thinks I'm a real complainer I'm only anwsering Bill's questions.

[NoVa Mimi]

Yes, I would go on AOS again. We've been on the Barbados route then the following year a B2B. We love the Southern routes the most and we really enjoyed ourselves and the ship. We must cruise in the summer months for a host of reasons and have never had any problems on AOS. We'll be on Freedom of the Seas for a B2B this summer and I was so tempted to book AOS again instead but DH wanted FOS.

[PH8]

Wow.:eek: its an overwhelming amount of yes replies to the no(s)........

[Ocean Boy]

Wow.:eek: its an overwhelming amount of yes replies to the no(s)........

And most of the no(s) are for reasons unrelated to the ship board experience.

[DonnaK]

We did the Aruba route the last week in August in '04,and look forward to doing the Barbados route sometime in the future. We like the "different" itineraries AOL offers, and we love all the activities and amenities the Voyager-class ships have.

 

We flew into SJU early in the morning of the cruise (risky, I know, but it kept the cost down, and the ship left at 8 or 9 pm so we had more time than usual). At the time, airfare was about the same as to Florida, so that wasn't an issue.

 

"Locals" weren't an issue either. (I put that in quotes because PR is part of USA and the people are American).

 

There were 800 kids aboard and over 60% of the ship were from the New York area, according to the CD's announcement. Surprisingly, we didn't feel crowded or overrun with children at all - the ship has so much public space to spread out, and so much to keep the kids positively occupied. Honestly, it felt a lot roomier than some smaller ships with less passengers aboard feel (like Carnival Miracle) because of the size of the public areas and more activities geered towards older tweens and teens.

[santos-]

I sailed on AOS this past Thanksgiving with my wife and we both had our fill with the "locals". We had a full ship and I would have to say that 80% onboard were locals from puerto rico and about 600+ teens/kids. I have cruised many times before on various lines including twice on AOS. Of all the lines I have traveled on RCCL has and still is my fave. I can also deal with pushy and rude people, but when certain groups go ABOVE AND BEYOND to make certain that their ethnicity is know to all is in my opinion uncalled for. By the end of our cruise if we heard the word "Boriqua" (sp?) one more time being shouted I think we would have cracked.

[PH8]

Well, right now it 77 to 23 %..........in favor of.......I am really looking forward to my cruise in Nov.......:)

[TC Cruiser]

Another vote of Yes from me. AOS is a great ship and I really admired the finishings. I've been on two Voyager class ships so far and AOS really stood out from EOS. I'd love to see AOS deployed to a different itinerary.