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

[FeelGoodFactor]

we are doing a B2B aug 2 and 9th. What was the procedure on turn around day? We have the same cabin for both legs, so according to other posts we do not have to remove our belongings.

 

Did you get off and tour PR that day? If so was there a seperate entry way to avoid the check in crowd?

 

No you don't have to remove your belongings, the night before we had 'In transit passes' delivered to our cabin, these were to be used if you get off the ship so you can jump the queues when getting back on board. We didn't get off the ship changeover day, we just enjoyed the relaxtion of an empty ship whilst it lasted. You will be asked on changeover day to go to the pursers desk approx 10am to pick up your new seapasses, all account details will be transferred over to the second week if you like or you can settle your first week there and then and start a fresh.

 

There was a special lunch organised for 11.30am for B2B cruisers, or you had the option to wait until 12 for the Windjammer to reopen, if you do the Windjammer for lunch go at 12 to avoid the rush of the new passengers.

 

Could you share what you did on each island? So far we only have the Silver Moon planned on Barbados. We usually do beach visits over tours.

 

In Barbados we took a tour with the ship to swim with the turtles by cat, and we spent a little time at the shops and harbor downtown.

 

Antigua we took a taxi to Runaway beach for the day.

 

St Lucia we went on the Islands delights tour which took us the pitons, marigot bay, throught the rainforest, waterfalls and botanical gardens with a creole buffet. I and others on the tour was expecting to be able to have time to take a dip at the waterfalls, which we were told there would be on the excursions channel in the cabin, but the tour guide told us it was not part of the tour? :mad:

 

St Maarten we took the water taxi to the shops and beach $6 return.

 

St Croix planned nothing so booked the Jolly trolley which takes you to beaches up and down the coast.... not reccomended the beaches we were taken to were not the best. I would definitely reccomend taking a tour in St Croix as there is not much to do around port.

 

2nd week

 

Aruba, we took the Kooku Kunuku bus which was fun, it is an open air bus were fun is the aim, you are given maracas to play along to the music while it take you around the island before a 2hr stop at Palm Beach. My son would have preferred to go straight to Palm Beach, but it was fun.

 

Curacoa, took a walk from port into the town across the pontoon, from the feedback of other passengers the tours the had been on were great, but nothing took our fancy.

 

Dominica we took a waterfall tour to the rainforest which was fantastic and so refreshing, it was very humid. I would reccomend a tour for here as passengers who did not do a tour had said there was very little to do around port and some were back onboard within half hour.

 

St Thomas, our arrival was delayed due to a medical emergency onboard during the night but Captain Bjorn kindly delayed our departure until 8pm, boy did he have a busy and sleepless night that night, he was great.

When we arrived about 12:30 we took skyride to paradise point, then a taxi ride to Magens Bay although not long after we arrived the heavens opened for the rest of the day.

 

How long did it take to disembark the ship. What time was your flight out of San Juan.

We have a 11:00am flight do you think this will be a problem.

 

Not long at all to disembark about 20-25mins by the time our number was called to collecting our cases and going through customs.

 

We had a 12:00 flight at disembarked at 8:30, I think you should be okay, but you can get off earlier if you like to to prevent and worry or rushing. Earliest you can get off is 7:00 - 7:30.

 

Hope this helps!

[richrhon1]

We are going on AOS on the 8/9 cruise and the question I have is what pier is used for AOS. If I stayed at the Sheraton in OSJ, is that far away from the pier that AOS uses?

[PeterPan]

We are going on AOS on the 8/9 cruise and the question I have is what pier is used for AOS. If I stayed at the Sheraton in OSJ, is that far away from the pier that AOS uses?

 

 

The Pan American pier, located South of the main piers in OSJ across the bay.

[nanfromatlanta]

We are going on AOS on the 8/9 cruise and the question I have is what pier is used for AOS. If I stayed at the Sheraton in OSJ, is that far away from the pier that AOS uses?

 

You will need to take a taxi to the Pan Am pier from the Sheraton Old San Juan.

[toonjie]

We are going on AOS on the 8/9 cruise and the question I have is what pier is used for AOS. If I stayed at the Sheraton in OSJ, is that far away from the pier that AOS uses?

 

Here's a map that will show you the distance between the Sheraton and the Pan Am Pier where the AOS docks. It's $10 cab ride.

 

[sunrocket]

Thank you for the information

Sunrocket

[Ramble]

Can anyone tell me how available taxis are after disembarking? I had a terrible time getting a taxi in Ft. Lauderdale after our last cruise.

[Madkitty]

Has AOS got flat screen TVs yet and anyone know the last time all the bedding etc was replaced?

[jefarl]

Can anyone tell me how available taxis are after disembarking? I had a terrible time getting a taxi in Ft. Lauderdale after our last cruise.

The lines were VERY long to get a taxi after collecting your bags...

The trick is to get a porter to handle your bags once you are in the terminal. He will then walk you thru customs area and straight to the head of the line of taxi's... Apparently, the porters have a thing worked out with the taxi starter person (whatever he is called) to allow them to get back inside asap. It was well worth the tip to the baggage handler! I was going to tip the usual $5 for 3 bags but when I saw how long a line we jumped with him, I gave him $10- well worth it!!!!!!!!!!

[sealeggs]

Did anyone know that the AOS returns to San Juan in Dec of 2010? I looked andshe is sailing out of San Juan at least until April 17 2011. Will she remain there for good or reposition back to Europe in May? I hope she stays, we love sailing her out of San Juan. Our favorite departure port and ship. You just can't go wrong on her.

[Krickett]

Hi Everyone,

 

Just starting to plan the details of our cruise. Thanks for all the info so far, it has been GREAT!!!

 

Couple more questions for everyone.

Has anyone done the Wine Tasting Dinner at Portofino's? we did it on Liberty and it was fabulous, just wondering how it is on AOS, ours was a lunch and this is dinner?

 

Since most of you stay an extra day or so before or after, where do you like to eat?

We took your advice and booked the Marriott Stellaris, technically are going to book any day now, soon as I have time to call.

 

We have eaten dinner at Aquafinas and this is definately a redo.

ckrobyn mentioned the buffet at the Marriott and this sounds like a good idea for the first night, it is listed as a Seafood Buffet (anyone do this buffet?)

La Bombenere for breakfast one day, loved this place.

 

But where for the rest of our lunches and dinners I'm not sure, any recommendations?

 

How about eating on the islands any recommendations?

Aruba?

Curacao?

St. Thomas?

Dominica?

 

Yes:eek: it's all about the food for us:D:D ; a little wine and a few Mojito's and Martini's thrown in for Good Luck, too!!!

 

Thanks in advance for any replys

Kar

[DrmnOfMaui]

Hi Everyone,

 

Just starting to plan the details of our cruise. Thanks for all the info so far, it has been GREAT!!!

 

Couple more questions for everyone.

Has anyone done the Wine Tasting Dinner at Portofino's? we did it on Liberty and it was fabulous, just wondering how it is on AOS, ours was a lunch and this is dinner?

 

 

 

We did it last Thursday.... it was fantastic! 5 courses and 4 wines. We ate at Portofino's 3 nights during the cruise and absolutely loved it. Excellent food and service. We even took our kids (ages 10 and 13) the last night and they enjoyed it as much as we did.

[sanda]

We sailed on AOS in April of this year. We went a day early and stayed a day after the cruise. We stayed in Old San Juan. On the Saturday night before our cruise we met up with a group of people from our roll call thread at Barrachina restaurant in Old San Juan. It was a very nice restaurant and the food was really good. It is also the birthplace of the Pina Coladas. Also on Friday and Saturday nights they have a flamenco dance show. That was really something to see! There was no charge for the show if you paid more than $20.00 for your meal, drink, etc. Well worth it. We planned it while chatting on the message board and made reservations ahead of time. Just google Barrachina and it will give you all kinds of information.

[Krickett]

Thx Guys!

 

Does anyone know if Barrchina is open for lunch? I haven't had a Pina Colada in a while; been kinda addicted to the Mojito lately, but maybe it's time to revisit an old favorite:D

 

I booked my Wine Tasting dinner at Portofino's as well, can't wait !!!

 

Thx Kar

[cruislovin]

Has AOS got flat screen TVs yet and anyone know the last time all the bedding etc was replaced?

 

No flat screen TV's - still the big old bulky TV's. I found that disappointing as they take up SO much space!

 

The other disappointment was the WiFi Hotspots are few, but with our laptop speed was OK. The RCCL PC's I found to be very slow:(

 

Bedding was changed several years ago fleetwide but not sure of the exact date. I would rate the bedding in the cabin we were in earlier this month as above average but it may vary by cabin...

 

Adventure is still our favorite ship - we have experienced the best service in the fleet on both of our AOS cruises:)

[toonjie]

Thx Guys!

 

Does anyone know if Barrchina is open for lunch? I haven't had a Pina Colada in a while; been kinda addicted to the Mojito lately, but maybe it's time to revisit an old favorite:D

 

I booked my Wine Tasting dinner at Portofino's as well, can't wait !!!

 

Thx Kar

 

Barrachina is open for lunch, here is their website: http://www.barrachina.com/ Enjoy a Pina Colada for me, they are awesome!!! :)

 

AOS bedding was changed sometime in Spring of 2007 I believe. When we went in May 2006 it was the old bedding and in May 2007 it was new. We had new carpet in our stateroom for May 2008, but that was probably on an as need basis, not ship wide.

[cookie225]

ok... questions...

i just got cabin 8574 for my november sailing, but i saw the promenade w/shops on that floor too (according to pics in travelocity) so...is it noisy/busy on that floor? oh yea its the AOS but i guess u guys knew that already:D..

 

Hey Toonjie, i followed ur advise and booked the marriott stellaris pre-cruise, is Mi Casita restaurant far from there?

Can I make reservations to Portofinos's prior to boarding?

What the heck is the hump and why is it so popular?

What is the latest i can board?...i dont want to be on the ship before 2pm

oh ok ill with the ?? for now:p

[Krickett]

Thx Toonjie,

 

I wasn't sure about Barrachina, till I visited the web site, it was not what I was expecting for some reason I had a different picture in my head.

It is a definite do, now just were do we fit it in, DH wants to do dinner and not lunch. We may pass on the Marriott buffet the first night and do Barrachina in stead:D

 

Thx Kar!

P.S. Definitely will have a Pina Colada for you! Cheers!

[PeterPan]

ok... questions...

i just got cabin 8574 for my november sailing, but i saw the promenade w/shops on that floor too (according to pics in travelocity) so...is it noisy/busy on that floor? oh yea its the AOS but i guess u guys knew that already:D..

 

Hey Toonjie, i followed ur advise and booked the marriott stellaris pre-cruise, is Mi Casita restaurant far from there?

Can I make reservations to Portofinos's prior to boarding?

What the heck is the hump and why is it so popular?

What is the latest i can board?...i dont want to be on the ship before 2pm

oh ok ill with the ?? for now:p

 

 

Your cabin (8574) is on deck 8. The promenade is NOT on deck 8. It is on deck 5. You will have no problems on deck 8.

 

You can book Portifino ahead of time via the RCCL website.

[cookie225]

thank you peterpan for answering some of my ??

[PeterPan]

you're most certainly welcome! I'm sure Toonjie or others will answer the rest!

[ckrobyn]

ok... questions...

i just got cabin 8574 for my november sailing, but i saw the promenade w/shops on that floor too (according to pics in travelocity) so...is it noisy/busy on that floor? oh yea its the AOS but i guess u guys knew that already:D..

 

Hey Toonjie, i followed ur advise and booked the marriott stellaris pre-cruise, is Mi Casita restaurant far from there?

Can I make reservations to Portofinos's prior to boarding?

What the heck is the hump and why is it so popular?

What is the latest i can board?...i dont want to be on the ship before 2pm

oh ok ill with the ?? for now:p

 

Cookie - I can try and answer a few of your questions....

 

Yes you can make a reservation for Portofino prior to boarding, by using the reservation system on RCI's website, under "my cruises" and then "cruise enhancements". You will need to pay for the reservation at the time of booking.

 

The hump is popular because if your cabin is the middle of the hump, you can see fore and aft, and of course the cabin is situated close to the elevators and stairswhich means less walking up and down long hallways.

 

The latest you can board is 60 minutes before the ship departs. If departure is at 8:30pm, you need to be onboard at 7:30pm. I would recommend you not wait until the last minute to board!:o

 

Have a great cruise!!!!!

[cookie225]

ckrobyn thank you....lol i forgot thats ur second home lol...hey ur almost cruising on the freedom...i think ill try that one next...

ok good about boarding time, i have late check-out at the hotel and plan to have some puerto rican breakfast and them some mojitos while i watch people get on line:D. dont worry i had my scare already in cozumel, the bridges were up and the ship untied when we finally ran down the port with security escorting us, i almost missed it:eek: I didnt know at the time how many people line up to see who gets left behing in cozumel, when i looked up it looked like the whole ship was cheering me on!!!..never again!

[ckrobyn]

ckrobyn thank you....lol i forgot thats ur second home lol...hey ur almost cruising on the freedom...i think ill try that one next...

ok good about boarding time, i have late check-out at the hotel and plan to have some puerto rican breakfast and them some mojitos while i watch people get on line:D. dont worry i had my scare already in cozumel, the bridges were up and the ship untied when we finally ran down the port with security escorting us, i almost missed it:eek: I didnt know at the time how many people line up to see who gets left behing in cozumel, when i looked up it looked like the whole ship was cheering me on!!!..never again!

 

 

Glad I could help :D

Good policy not to be late for the ship!!!! People may be waving and cheering you on, but they are not driving the ship - the Captain is, and he can leave you stranded at the port if you are not onboard at the assigned time!!!

 

You're right, I am on the Freedom in a few weeks and I can't wait....although it kinda feels like I am cheating on the AOS! :eek: No mind, I will be back on my favorite ship in March for 2 weeks!!!!!!:p

[toonjie]

Thx Toonjie,

 

I wasn't sure about Barrachina, till I visited the web site, it was not what I was expecting for some reason I had a different picture in my head.

It is a definite do, now just were do we fit it in, DH wants to do dinner and not lunch. We may pass on the Marriott buffet the first night and do Barrachina in stead:D

 

Thx Kar!

P.S. Definitely will have a Pina Colada for you! Cheers!

 

I would definitely do Barrachina over the Marriott buffet any day, plus you have the atmosphere of Old San Juan.