Adventure of the Seas - Our favorite things!

[boingy300]

We just got off the AOS this Sunday! We had a blast. Rather than do a review, we encouraged our M&M group to post with us to tell of their favorite things!

Our favorite things were:

The soldiers (US ARMY) that boarded our plane in Atlanta, coming home from a year in Iraq to their home in Puerto Rico. Names like Ramirez and Martinez defending our country. One soldier explained to us what he missed most about Puert Rico, and what we should visit and avoid! What an ambassador! It was my #1 favorite!

Another favorite was the excursion in Aruba thorugh Jolly Pirates. We booked 9a-1p NOT with the ship, but online. Cheaper and less crowded. We saw schools of fish. It's my 7th cruise or so to the Caribbean and I have never seen so many fish. We also got to see a sea snake- wow!

I loved the floating bridge in Curacao and sitting at the open air pub drinking an Amstel light - or try the Amstel BRIGHT! We also were enchanted with the synagogue . GREAT history there, and we were hesitant to pay the $6 admission fee at first! We also were kissed by sea lions! Very unique stop.

Loterie Farm in St. Martin - finally I found the place to be in St. Martin! I loved IKO the dog. He was part pit bull, part dobermin pincher. He was bred for fighting,but rescued by the staff and is the best guide for the hike! He always spots the critters first and LOVES to chase mangoes, like a ball. A very gentle dog, great host!

In St. Thomas we had the best day of all. We sailed with High Pockets 2 yachts in tandem. We were just ready for some quiet time. I can't say enough good things about our hosts! Best $$ we spent!

Another thing we loved about our cruise was our M&M cruisers! We got to know each other very well and at our M&M brought something from each of our home towns to do a gift exchange..........and we all named ourselves Bob. FUN GROUP!!!!

The Captain , easily the most personable I've ever met!

And the balcony (1690 aft!!!!! The deck was as big as the room!)

Okay- I'll quit!

I hope my other cruisers will join in!

Oh, wait 1 more- the night afterwards we stayed in Courtyard Isla Verde,PR. We fed iguanas lettuce by the pool, and that night I watched an older couple do a salsa which was like a work of art. They looked as though they had been doing it from birth, it was a rhythm I can't duplicate! I also liked watching the family with small children on the "sidelines" learning how to do the salsa. I fell in love with Puerto Rico.............

Karen

[paggerscorvette]

Karen, we were on the AOS 3-31-07 and enjoyed our cruise also. Glad you had such a good time. By the way, we live in Wilmington, small world.

[boingy300]

Karen, we were on the AOS 3-31-07 and enjoyed our cruise also. Glad you had such a good time. By the way, we live in Wilmington, small world.

 

OMG! We heard about you! From someone who thought Wilmington Ohio was near Youngstown!lol.(I cannot remember who- someone in our M&M) I live in Mason! Nice to meet you! We had 5 Ohio families at our M&M and had to coordinate our gifts!lol. What were some of your favorite things?

Karen

[BlueEyz119]

It really sounds like you had an awesome experience on your cruise.

 

You mentioned the Jolly Pirates in Aruba...We were considering this, as well. I was intrigued by the fact that you scheduled your own excursion and not through the ship. Did you feel this was a better way to go? Were there any drawbacks you considered.

 

This is only my second cruise and, I'm afraid, I've been a little scared about making arrangement outside of RCI. :o

 

Also - did you find Loterie Farm worth the cost for the experience? It was another excursion that intrigued me. Was there time to do other things on the island, as well?

 

Thanks!

[boingy300]

It really sounds like you had an awesome experience on your cruise.

 

You mentioned the Jolly Pirates in Aruba...We were considering this, as well. I was intrigued by the fact that you scheduled your own excursion and not through the ship. Did you feel this was a better way to go? Were there any drawbacks you considered.

 

This is only my second cruise and, I'm afraid, I've been a little scared about making arrangement outside of RCI. :o

 

Also - did you find Loterie Farm worth the cost for the experience? It was another excursion that intrigued me. Was there time to do other things on the island, as well?

 

Thanks!

 

I'd enourage you to check out the ports of call sections on this forum for various opinions, but here's my opinion since you asked!lol

Loterie farm was the best choice. My DH and 1 son did the zipline, which he felt was a tad strenuous, and i went with our other son (twins-13 yo) into the forst. I was surprised how strenuous our hike was, pretty much straight uphill! That being said- I'd do it again in a heartbeat! I'd also consider the Regatta, but we had a day on the yacht, so we opted for the forest. You get an amazing education there- like did you know there was actually a good thing about a hurricaine? It introduces new species to the various islands.

Oh- another cool thing! The Sahara Desert gets stirred up and hazes up St. Martin/St. Thomas this time of year. They say it protects them from hurricaines, but makes it humid. They said the area is much warmer and usually it doesn't occur until July/Aug. No one knows what this change could mean for the season.

Jolly Pirates was only offered 2-6pm through online via RCCL's site.THEN RCCL added the 9-1 once you boarded. We didn't know they were going to do it, so webooked privately. It was cheaper, less crowded and we stayed out longer. I would do the same thing again - now factor in a taxi ride to and fro into the cost! Meet people in your roll call forum. There is safety in numbers (although I never felt unsafe!) We had plenty of time to get to and from the ship!

Karen

[polodad]

We were on the AOS the week before you. Many of the same highlights including synagogue in Curacao, personable captain and we did Jolly Pirates in aruba (afternoon excursion) and one of best ever.

A tip, I wanted to book Jolly Pirates on our own, but dd wanted ship excursions. Number 1, the markup that RCL charges over outside vendors is small. At Megan's Bay it was $4 pp markup & the ship has to wait for you if there is a problem. On Jolly Pirates you need transportation from the dock to Palm Beach where Jolly leaves from. If you book on your own you have an expensive cab ride ($10 pp) each way to get there. If you book thru RCL the really fun, cool bus ride is included. I can't stress it enough, but we tipped the bus driver. They really make it fun! The music & singing on the bus feels like you're back in college. It really is almost as much fun as the cruise. Going thru the traffic circle....twice... and going in reverse for 1/4 mile while blaring the 70's music is so cool.

Whether thru RCL or on your own do Jolly Pirates & try the swing.

Other highlights, the butterfly farm, bring a good camera. Megan's Bay and the drive to it and from it. The Promenade Cafe and cheese danish. the dessert sampler (especially the white chocolate creme brulee & tirimisu) & mushroom pasta at Portofino are not to be missed. Ask your cabin attendant for bathrobes if you have a balcony & order room service for early morning coffee, enjoy it outside. Later go down to the main dining room for breakfast and enjoy the new found friends at your put together table (some of the most fun times we had on board).

Enjoy. Oh, and don't forget to tour El Morro in SJ.

[paggerscorvette]

OMG! We heard about you! From someone who thought Wilmington Ohio was near Youngstown!lol.(I cannot remember who- someone in our M&M) I live in Mason! Nice to meet you! We had 5 Ohio families at our M&M and had to coordinate our gifts!lol. What were some of your favorite things?

Karen

I would really be interested to know who knew me. But then again maybe I dont want to know, lol. If you remember, please let me know, it is killing me. My favorite things were to meet our new friends at the pool bar, eat at Portofino, and sit on the balcony and relax.

Once again, please let me know who knew me,

Thanks

Patty

[TMarie]

It interesting that you mentioned scheduling the Jolly Pirate for an AM time slot. I was turned off by the middle of the afternoon excursion. I would rather do an AM excursion and then have the rest of the day to putt around. I emailed JP a few minutes before signing in here....ironic!

 

Did your excursion offer lunch as stated on their website?? I noticed this minor difference thru RCCL...

 

Thanks!

 

P.S. - also a cincinnatian! Or cincinnata born and raised! Probably die here too :rolleyes:

[scubapuss]

We were on the AOS the week before you. Many of the same highlights including synagogue in Curacao, personable captain and we did Jolly Pirates in aruba (afternoon excursion) and one of best ever.

A tip, I wanted to book Jolly Pirates on our own, but dd wanted ship excursions. Number 1, the markup that RCL charges over outside vendors is small. At Megan's Bay it was $4 pp markup & the ship has to wait for you if there is a problem. On Jolly Pirates you need transportation from the dock to Palm Beach where Jolly leaves from. If you book on your own you have an expensive cab ride ($10 pp) each way to get there. If you book thru RCL the really fun, cool bus ride is included. I can't stress it enough, but we tipped the bus driver. They really make it fun! The music & singing on the bus feels like you're back in college. It really is almost as much fun as the cruise. Going thru the traffic circle....twice... and going in reverse for 1/4 mile while blaring the 70's music is so cool.

Whether thru RCL or on your own do Jolly Pirates & try the swing.

Other highlights, the butterfly farm, bring a good camera. Megan's Bay and the drive to it and from it. The Promenade Cafe and cheese danish. the dessert sampler (especially the white chocolate creme brulee & tirimisu) & mushroom pasta at Portofino are not to be missed. Ask your cabin attendant for bathrobes if you have a balcony & order room service for early morning coffee, enjoy it outside. Later go down to the main dining room for breakfast and enjoy the new found friends at your put together table (some of the most fun times we had on board).

Enjoy. Oh, and don't forget to tour El Morro in SJ.

 

The ship dosen't have to wait for you , just get you to the next port.

[Lem]

What were your favorite things about the ship? We'll be boarding her this Sunday!!

[mauimary]

We also got off the ship on Sunday. We will rank this one as one of our most memorable cruises. This was the first time we joined a M&M group and met many wonderful people. We were so glad we did. We enjoyed a great dinner at Portifinos(it was so very relaxing and the dinner & service were really special. This was the first time we had done this. We had great tablemates so we felt a little guilty not joining them for dinner!!

 

We too spent a lot of time on our balcony and ordered room service for breakfast and sometimes lunch while at sea. Since we had a great balcony aft stateroom we wanted to take full advantage of it. We too loved Old San Juan Puerto Rico. The colors of the buildings and the people and the restaurants. We stayed at the El Convento Hotel and can't wait to stay there again. Wonderful hotel in the middle of Old San Juan. It was a close walk down to El Morro Fort.

 

On the ship we loved the Promenade Cafe. We would stop and have a snack after getting back from being in Port. We also enjoyed early am coffee and the quietness of the Promenade before everyone else was up.

 

Karen enjoyed reading your great review. Nice photo of the two of you

[BlueEyz119]

Karen - Thanks for the information!

 

I'm so excited about our cruise, I can't hardly stand it! I'm driving my husband a little bit nuts because he likes to go with the flow. However, I want to get my excursions nailed down!

 

By the way - I'm not too far from you - Evansville, Indiana. In fact, I will be in Cinci tomorrow, passing through on my way to Michigan.

[boingy300]

It interesting that you mentioned scheduling the Jolly Pirate for an AM time slot. I was turned off by the middle of the afternoon excursion. I would rather do an AM excursion and then have the rest of the day to putt around. I emailed JP a few minutes before signing in here....ironic!

 

Did your excursion offer lunch as stated on their website?? I noticed this minor difference thru RCCL...

 

Thanks!

 

P.S. - also a cincinnatian! Or cincinnata born and raised! Probably die here too :rolleyes:

 

Hello Cincinnati! Yes, they did give us lunch, ribs, chicken, cole slaw and other things. It was also a little liberal with the drinks as well, only a few drink too much on the early cruise - another plus for us!

Our taxi fare was $10 per taxi,not per person. But yeah, like I said it factors in to the overall cost of the excursion. Our ship was half as full as the ship's excursion. As we cruise more we get more confidant in booking outside RCCL. The vendors tell me RCCL takes 40% cut in the price if they book the excursion. I always book early am when I go beyond the flubbery folds of Momma RCCL's excursion.

Karen

[boingy300]

What were your favorite things about the ship? We'll be boarding her this Sunday!!

 

Oh, I am holding back!

Thanks for posting Mary!!!!

The herb omelette with mushrooms and cheese in the dining room breakfast- yum! Outshined the eggs benedict. Also the catfish tempura for lunch. My kids took pictures of most of the food we selected and want to start a blog for "cruise food for teens" website. We'll see. I sure do have a lot of pictures of food!Lol.

Karen

[yoful]

Hi,

We'll be boarding on Sunday and am wondering which night was the best night to miss the dining room? I'm figuring Carribean night but I'm not sure when that is?

Any other suggestions?

We can't wait!

[boingy300]

I would really be interested to know who knew me. But then again maybe I dont want to know, lol. If you remember, please let me know, it is killing me. My favorite things were to meet our new friends at the pool bar, eat at Portofino, and sit on the balcony and relax.

Once again, please let me know who knew me,

Thanks

Patty

 

I think you sent compasses to one of my cruise mates...........does that sound right?

Karen

[boingy300]

Karen - Thanks for the information!

 

I'm so excited about our cruise, I can't hardly stand it! I'm driving my husband a little bit nuts because he likes to go with the flow. However, I want to get my excursions nailed down!

 

By the way - I'm not too far from you - Evansville, Indiana. In fact, I will be in Cinci tomorrow, passing through on my way to Michigan.

 

Oh we were just useless before our cruise. Go to Youtube and start watching Capn' slappy videos, learn to talk like a pirate and sing the pirate song! Check out Calgon's way too detailed packing list (just search exactly that- you'll find it). Are you staying in PR before or after the cruise?

Karen

[paggerscorvette]

I think you sent compasses to one of my cruise mates...........does that sound right?

Karen

 

Yes, I had one person asking me to fax them the compass. Ended up sending to at least 10. Hope I could help just one person.

[boingy300]

Hi,

We'll be boarding on Sunday and am wondering which night was the best night to miss the dining room? I'm figuring Carribean night but I'm not sure when that is?

Any other suggestions?

We can't wait!

 

We ate in the dining room every night. I know midweek there was a night where I thought we could do better at Portofino's but mostly because I was spoiled. The pork chop was truly the best peice of meat I've ever eaten! I don't recall which night (Hey I'll look at the photos!) I am off for yet another load of laundry............so sad..............

Karen

[gibby7072]

I just got back too!

 

I had a blast! Wound up becoming somewhat famous! Between getting crazing applause on Kareoke on night, and then doing The Quest (I had the best catwalk!)... I had people talking to me all week from it. LOL!

 

So fun.

[polodad]

We were on 5/6 sailing and ate at Portofinos Tues night (Aruba), good timing if regularly main dining (catch ice show after or on next formal night) & wed night (Carib night) in main dining rm.

sorry if I was off on cab fare to Palm Beach. We had gone to butterfly farm there earlier & I was remembering it as $20 instead of $10.

[drifting_away]

Keep the great information coming. We are leaving on Sunday as well. How was the pool, was it crowded and hard to find chairs on sea days?

 

I booked the Jolly Pirate independently as well. The RCI excursion person told me that I could get the morning tour once we were on the boat but I didn't feel comfortable waiting. We have had great luck booking outside of the cruiseline. Sometimes those taxi/bus rides that you control let you see and try things that the tour group won't.

 

Tell us more!!!

[BlueEyz119]

Karen -

 

I really hoped to stay an extra day in San Juan; however, our inlaws are keeping the kids for us so that we can celebrate our anniversary with a cruise. However, they live in Michigan, so we will have to spend the Saturday before and the Monday after the cruise driving to and from Michigan. Its hard to be picky with free babysitters! ;-)

 

It sounds as though the JP is quite a reputable establishment. I have heard so many people say they have had a great time. I, guess it will depend on whether my DH wants a morning excursion or afternoon excursion.

 

We have been to St. Thomas before and were thinking about maybe checking out St. Johns. Have you had a chance to go there?

 

Michelle

[boingy300]

Keep the great information coming. We are leaving on Sunday as well. How was the pool, was it crowded and hard to find chairs on sea days?

 

I booked the Jolly Pirate independently as well. The RCI excursion person told me that I could get the morning tour once we were on the boat but I didn't feel comfortable waiting. We have had great luck booking outside of the cruiseline. Sometimes those taxi/bus rides that you control let you see and try things that the tour group won't.

 

Tell us more!!!

 

Pace yourself for the Antilla. The water was much rougher along that stop. The rope swing looked like so much fun, my son tried it. I was chicken. DO NOT attempt to walk from the ship to the Jolly Pirates!

Hey, I'm supposed to be doing laundry, aren't I?lol......bye

Karen

[jimbug]

Also another idea for the Jolly Pirates excursion transportation - you can take the public bus to Palm beach (not far from where Pirates leaves) for $1.10 or so a person roundtrip. The buses are very safe and easy to figure out.