For all those who have booked or are going to book the AOS - read this!

[cruislovin]

Just got of the May 17th sailing.

 

Main dinning @ 6 & 8:30, the 1st seating was 6:30 on sail away day.

 

We left Aruba at 8PM

 

I think there was a show every night in the theater; can't remember what was on Tue when we had the ice tickets (9:00 show)

 

 

Thanks, DCwom! Was the 2nd seating at 9 on sail away? What time was the parade? Did they have another parade later in the week?

 

If you don't mind answering a few more questions... Did you go to the beach in any of the ports? Where?

 

I am glad to hear that Aurba is 8 pm. Hope that's on every sailing! The itinerary has 6 pm but others have said they were staying until 8.

[DCwom]

Thanks, DCwom! Was the 2nd seating at 9 on sail away? What time was the parade? Did they have another parade later in the week?

 

If you don't mind answering a few more questions... Did you go to the beach in any of the ports? Where?

 

I am glad to hear that Aurba is 8 pm. Hope that's on every sailing! The itinerary has 6 pm but others have said they were staying until 8.

 

Not sure about the second seating time on sail away day, we were in 1st seating.

 

There were 2 parades I think, missed them both...

 

Went to Palm beach in Aruba, use the bus, its cheap, and easy, the best way to go for sure.

 

Went to Cabana/Konti in Curacao, used taxi, $20 each way, look for someone to share the ride on the pier, there will be a bunch of folks going there.

 

I think as long as the ship can stay in port without costing them extra they will stay til 8PM. In the case of St Thomas, they leave at 5Pm to avoid paying expensive overtime to the port. We basically stopped after leaving St. Thomas, might have dropped anchor, not sure.

[roe2ship]

Was the 2nd seating at 9 on sail away?

Yes, seatings are different on sailaway day....second seating is at 9:00pm. Enjoy your cruise!

[jefarl]

Thanks, DCwom! Was the 2nd seating at 9 on sail away? What time was the parade? Did they have another parade later in the week?

 

If you don't mind answering a few more questions... Did you go to the beach in any of the ports? Where?

 

I am glad to hear that Aurba is 8 pm. Hope that's on every sailing! The itinerary has 6 pm but others have said they were staying until 8.

 

yes there were two parades but I don't recall which night the 2nd was on.. missed that one.

[Mercy]

Hey Mercy..........Long time no talk. Hope you all are fine. The boys must be geez......getting old. Say hi to Mike for me. We're still doing Mixed Nutz cruises. Next one is July next year. Our group is off to a good start, got 8 cabins so far. Take care. John

 

Ps. Come check out my Blog.......link is below. You are in it.

 

Hey John...

I didn't get the link to the blog..send it to me...

[MillbrookMom]

I wish they did too!

The airfare from Toronto to San Juan kills me every year!!! :D Oh well...the AOS is worth it!

 

In Aug. AOS to Aruba, Curacao, Dominica and St. Thomas. I've got it on Courtesy hold right now and am doing the flights from YYZ through RCI. That's the way to go, right? Since we'd be flying in the same day, they make sure they get you to the ship on time. Right?

[dudaze11]

In Aug. AOS to Aruba, Curacao, Dominica and St. Thomas. I've got it on Courtesy hold right now and am doing the flights from YYZ through RCI. That's the way to go, right? Since we'd be flying in the same day, they make sure they get you to the ship on time. Right?

 

No, they do not hold the boat for anyone and that includes people for whom they have arranged travel. It is always in your best interest to arrange your own flights and to fly in the day before if possible. We nearly had a heart attack last year as our flight got us there 1 hour before final boarding and we were told that we would have had to fly to the next port to meet the ship had we missed it.

[ckrobyn]

In Aug. AOS to Aruba, Curacao, Dominica and St. Thomas. I've got it on Courtesy hold right now and am doing the flights from YYZ through RCI. That's the way to go, right? Since we'd be flying in the same day, they make sure they get you to the ship on time. Right?

 

 

I strongly recommend that you fly in the day before. Why are you booking with RCI? You can get the flights cheaper through Expedia - at least that has been my experience. I have sailed out of San Juan 4 times and have always flown from Toronto :) If you plan to arrive the day before, you don't have to worry about missing the ship!!!!

[Ceecee68]

What time do they let you disembark? If the itinerary says that the ship is in port from 9am-5pm, what time do they actually let you get off, and what time must you return to the ship? I seem to remember that you had to be back on at least one hour prior to the listed departure time....

[nanfromatlanta]

I seem to remember that you had to be back on at least one hour prior to the listed departure time....

 

That is correct.

[jefarl]

What time do they let you disembark? If the itinerary says that the ship is in port from 9am-5pm, what time do they actually let you get off, and what time must you return to the ship? I seem to remember that you had to be back on at least one hour prior to the listed departure time....

 

 

1/2 hour on the AOS sailing we came back from in May.

 

As for the using the ship's airfare, I have been on a ship where they did hold up departure when there were a lot of people on delayed arrivals that were using the ship's airfare. I think it may depend on the cost of having to remain in port after whatever hour they are allowed without paying for more docking fees.

 

The only time I used a ship's airfare was to Rome when I was concerned on the timing to and from the pier (1 hr away) and the closenest of the flight times out of Rome upon return. Never again. We were booked out of Philly into Rome with a 3 hours change in Frankfort instead of the direct flight I could have booked and the return was Rome-Paris-Boston-Philly ..., again instead of direct. (and we missed the Paris-Boston connection too boot!)

 

Book the flights yourself, save money and make your own schedule.

[ckrobyn]

 

Book the flights yourself, save money and make your own schedule.

 

 

Good advice! :)

[cookie225]

hey...where is toonjie (the godfather of the aos) lol...

questions for those of you on the AOS in '09..

1) is there a separate lounge for latin/salsa dancing on the AOS now like "boleros"?..

2)can we carry our luggage to our rooms @embarkation...we do this with carnival all the time, we only take one suitcase each and no carry-ons....

thanks...im sailing in november....

[toonjie]

hey...where is toonjie (the godfather of the aos) lol...

questions for those of you on the AOS in '09..

1) is there a separate lounge for latin/salsa dancing on the AOS now like "boleros"?..

2)can we carry our luggage to our rooms @embarkation...we do this with carnival all the time, we only take one suitcase each and no carry-ons....

thanks...im sailing in november....

 

Here I am! :) (Sorry, been working on remodeling the basement, so not much free time lately).

 

1) yes 2) yes. You will hear the lounge for salsa dancing, it's right on deck 5 near the elevators, across from the Purser's desk. You should be able to carry on your luggage, we did, but it was carry-on size, they may have you check it with the porters if it won't fit through the scanners, but I'm pretty sure the scanners can handle large luggage because I put my dive bag through it when returning from the islands and it is a big bag, the same size as a full-size suitcase.

[jefarl]

hey...where is toonjie (the godfather of the aos) lol...

questions for those of you on the AOS in '09..

1) is there a separate lounge for latin/salsa dancing on the AOS now like "boleros"?..

2)can we carry our luggage to our rooms @embarkation...we do this with carnival all the time, we only take one suitcase each and no carry-ons....

thanks...im sailing in november....

on our sailing last month, every night the Blue Moon Bar on Deck 14 was used for Latin Music as well. Not sure if any dancing went on but there was music!

 

and yes on the luggage...

[cookie225]

thanks for the replies...ill just follow the music & find it:p

I've been reading so many reviews on the aos and the thing that concerns me the most is that many people say that there is not enough tables/space in the windjammer for breakfast/lunch...is that true to all sailings or just some?..Im hoping November wont be so crowded.....

[ckrobyn]

thanks for the replies...ill just follow the music & find it:p

I've been reading so many reviews on the aos and the thing that concerns me the most is that many people say that there is not enough tables/space in the windjammer for breakfast/lunch...is that true to all sailings or just some?..Im hoping November wont be so crowded.....

 

There are plenty of tables and chairs available in the WJ for breakfast and lunch. Having said that, you can expect to wait a few minutes for a table if you plan to dine at peak times. I always sail the AOS in Feb/March and never had a problem finding a table within a few minutes :)

[Krickett]

Hey Ckrobyn or anyone else too,

 

Once upon a time I believe you mentioned the buffet at the Marriott was good. Can you give me any details....which night were you there? How much? Many selections?

We are going to be there on Thursday night and they say it is Seafood night, so inquiring minds need much info:D:D

 

Also our flight does not leave until 4:40pm on our return any advice on something to do in San Juan?

 

Thanks for any help:)

[cookie225]

thanks Robyn....Has anyone here booked guarantee cabins in the aos? I booked one for the first time and i am soooo nervous...its a balcony cabin but i hate the front the ship:( ....how soon will i know which is my cabin?

[robmab]

Hey Ckrobyn or anyone else too,

 

 

Also our flight does not leave until 4:40pm on our return any advice on something to do in San Juan?

 

Thanks for any help:)

 

We just returned from the AOS 6/14 sailing and had an extra day afterwards in San Juan. We did the Segway tour of the forts and it was one of the highlights of our entire trip. The segways were so much fun to ride and we learned so much about the city of San Juan that we never knew (even though we've visited twice before on cruises). Highly recommend it. We did the tour at noon and were done by 2pm, so you could still make it to the airport two hours before your flight. www.segwaytourspr.com

[robmab]

thanks Robyn....Has anyone here booked guarantee cabins in the aos? I booked one for the first time and i am soooo nervous...its a balcony cabin but i hate the front the ship:( ....how soon will i know which is my cabin?

 

We booked a balcony guarantee on AOS and had our cabin assignment the following day -- center hump on deck 6. However, we booked after final payment was due, so if you are booking earlier than that, you probably will not get your assignment until after final payment.

 

Incidentally, we switched from that balcony guarantee to a suite guarantee a few weeks later (due to a big price drop) and again, the cabin was assigned the following day (deck 10, between mid-ship and aft). Our old balcony cabin (the center hump) went to someone else on our roll call thread who also took advantage of the price drop.

[cookie225]

thanks robmab...have you written your review yet?....where was the salsa music & dancing on your sailing?.........and do you check for price drops on the RCCL website?...I have my reservation with a TA..do i call her?...sorry im a newbie to RCLL:D

[ckrobyn]

Hey Ckrobyn or anyone else too,

 

Once upon a time I believe you mentioned the buffet at the Marriott was good. Can you give me any details....which night were you there? How much? Many selections?

We are going to be there on Thursday night and they say it is Seafood night, so inquiring minds need much info:D:D

 

Also our flight does not leave until 4:40pm on our return any advice on something to do in San Juan?

 

Thanks for any help:)

 

 

We did the buffet at the Marriott Stellaris this past March and it was very good. There were a lot of seafood choices ( we ate there on the Sunday night post cruise) and there was shrimp and crab legs as well as some other kind of fish. There was a stir fry station and also roast beef. We enjoyed it.

 

If you have a late flight, why not inquire about a possible day pass at the Stellaris? Not sure if they do it - but never hurts to ask.:)

[Snowbuddy]

Hey there--does anyone on here have past versions of the Compass for the AOS-Aruba route that I can see? We are going in October 2009, and I am just trying to figure a few things out beforehand! thanks so much!!

[Aldwyn's Bride]

CKRobyn, I notice you are from Toronto, Canada as well. What are some of the things you've tried to get the best price on air to san juan? We're considering driving to Buffalo but only if the exchange gets better. Do you fly from Toronto and if yes, typically which carrier?