Toonjie's AOS Review

[toonjie]

Thanks ever so much for this review--I think I asked you a day too early on Sapphire Beach (over under Priceline--as that is where I found your messages--being short on time) Question on the sand at Sapphire--is it ground up coral?--I have seen pics that it looks coarse & your pics look like it is fine...should we bring along water shoes? How far out can you get before there is coral in the water? I most likely will just wear the water shoes. The restrooms are they pretty much clean--I know after 2 ships of people arrive that will go down hill FAST.

Love the pics of the iguana's...I downloaded one for my screen saver..:eek: as this will be our 12-13th--not sure cruise--funny that we've only had ONE towel animal & that was on our first cruise for our 25th anniversary. I am hoping they do it in all cabins as our son/dil will be on their 2nd cruise & she'd get a real kick out of it. (our FIRST on RCCL)

thanks again for your great reviews..

 

Thanks! I'm honored my pic will be a screensaver!

 

I don't know the composition, but the sand was very nice, not rocky at all, we went out over our heads and didn't need any footwear. We always have Aquasocks and waterproof sandals (Tevas) for exploring so it's a good idea to bring them.

[Carolyn R]

Big surprise to see your picture with a Stowe, Vermont T-shirt on. That is where I live. Where does your DW's family live?

 

I have enjoyed your travelogue immensely and your photos too, especially the beach, tourquise water, etc.

 

Next time you are in Stowe, look me up.

[toonjie]

Big surprise to see your picture with a Stowe, Vermont T-shirt on. That is where I live. Where does your DW's family live?

 

I have enjoyed your travelogue immensely and your photos too, especially the beach, tourquise water, etc.

 

Next time you are in Stowe, look me up.

 

Thanks! DW grew up in Elmore, we were married at the Old West Church in Calais. We were just up in Stowe last weekend, I surprised her with a stay at Stoweflake on the way home. Had some yummy pizza at Pie in the Sky, breakfast at McCarthy's and the cider donuts from Cold Hollow Cider Mill are a must every time we pass through! We'll be back up in the area for her baby shower in early August. Her family was up in St. Albans for the past few years and just moved to Littleton, NH so we were up getting all the last of her things out of the house.

[perkyblue]

Sad sight, only because a great day is almost over:

 

 

You know you've had a great day when this is a "sad sight!" :D

[kehlx2]

Thanks! I'm honored my pic will be a screensaver!

 

I don't know the composition, but the sand was very nice, not rocky at all, we went out over our heads and didn't need any footwear. We always have Aquasocks and waterproof sandals (Tevas) for exploring so it's a good idea to bring them.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the shoes...I will bring or wear them--have them along "just incase" that large full pic of the iguana--he must be old--even looks like his stuffing is coming out of his back--just the right size for a screen saver--I think they are fascinating to watch.

 

GREAT photo of AOS--that's now a screen saver too---you get 3 THREE pics (iguana-towel animal & AOS) for my screen saver..WOW you rate for sure...LOL

[kehlx2]

they timed me out on my other message...

does the AOS dock at Havensight? It just looked a bit odd at the angle of the ship--so thought perhaps it is docking at that other dock (which we've never been to.) I guess it could be the first ship in the line that often has 4 there...

[toonjie]

they timed me out on my other message...

does the AOS dock at Havensight? It just looked a bit odd at the angle of the ship--so thought perhaps it is docking at that other dock (which we've never been to.) I guess it could be the first ship in the line that often has 4 there...

 

Yes, Havensight. Crown Bay is the other one, but is mostly Princess and other CCL subsidiaries.

[Jem4life]

We're sailing AOS in January, 2009.

Your review and pictures have really gotten me excited to go!

We booked 11 months in advance, and it's hard to "get in the groove" with planning so far in advance. Now I'm anxious to start searching excursions, etc.

 

I admit, I mostly skimmed thru and went right for your beautiful pictures! Amazing!

 

I was so happy you posted so many awesome pictures of the Marriott in SJ. That is where we are staying!

 

This will be our 4th cruise. First on RCCL though. I'm really looking forward to it. And by the looks of things, AOS is a gorgeous ship!

 

I'm going to share your review and pics with DH and our 2 DDs that will be coming with us. We got DDs their own cabin this time! ;) This will be our 1st balcony cabin. And like you mentioned, I hear that once you go balcony, you never go back! Ha ha! Our girls will have a Promanade room right across the hallway from us. I figure they'll love to people watch. (They will be 19 and 23 BTW.)

 

Well, thank you again for the awesome review and photos.

I'm enjoying them greatly!

 

Jean

[01Sweetpea]

I have really enjoyed reading your report adnyour pictures are wonderful!

[kehlx2]

Yes, Havensight. Crown Bay is the other one, but is mostly Princess and other CCL subsidiaries.

 

 

Thanks--now I know for sure where we'll dock..just a really dumb question here....as we've not been on AOS & it is a BIG ship--we have done the 'southern carribean" but not with a balcony--we have I think it is D3 cabins--I know where son/dil will be (6670)--ours hasn't been picked yet--but will be towards front or back 6th deck....I figure the ship will travel pretty slow..but is there much movement in those areas?--we usually get in the middle--but this cruise was booked by the son--noramlly I have full control & pick my own cabin...I also know it depends on the weather--but on the average is it pretty smooth cruising?

[toonjie]

Thanks--now I know for sure where we'll dock..just a really dumb question here....as we've not been on AOS & it is a BIG ship--we have done the 'southern carribean" but not with a balcony--we have I think it is D3 cabins--I know where son/dil will be (6670)--ours hasn't been picked yet--but will be towards front or back 6th deck....I figure the ship will travel pretty slow..but is there much movement in those areas?--we usually get in the middle--but this cruise was booked by the son--noramlly I have full control & pick my own cabin...I also know it depends on the weather--but on the average is it pretty smooth cruising?

 

Lower and towards midships is always smoother, but it is generally smooth sailing in the Southern Caribbean. The AOS is so big that it really rides very smoothly. Hopefully you'll have no problem.

[kehlx2]

Lower and towards midships is always smoother, but it is generally smooth sailing in the Southern Caribbean. The AOS is so big that it really rides very smoothly. Hopefully you'll have no problem.

 

 

Since the guarentee cabins are only on #6--and towards both ends (no D3 cabins in center)--we have no choice in this..but I thought if no storms we should be fine--as the ship is BIG!! thanks again.

[perkyblue]

Oh, no! I finally got to the end of the thread! :( (I guess I can go to sleep now!) I love your review and pics -- they've gotten me completely excited for my AOS cruise in 11 weeks! :D

 

And thanks for your help on the San Juan board too -- we've finally figured out where to eat! :)

[TonyaJune]

Thanks for a fantastic review, I think it is one of the most enjoyable reviews that I've read. Loved the pictures and the commentary. Photos brought back wonderful memories of our Adventure cruise, one of my favorite itineraries. Most agree with you that sailing out of San Juan at night is the best!

[toonjie]

Thanks for a fantastic review, I think it is one of the most enjoyable reviews that I've read. Loved the pictures and the commentary. Photos brought back wonderful memories of our Adventure cruise, one of my favorite itineraries. Most agree with you that sailing out of San Juan at night is the best!

 

Thanks! Glad to see other San Juan fans! You just can't beat the walls all lit up at night!

[mattsmom11]

Thanks! Glad to see other San Juan fans! You just can't beat the walls all lit up at night!

 

 

Toonjie

Since we don't have a balcony or window in our room do you hve a favorite spot we should head to for great photo opts of the lights as we sail away from San Juan?

Also do you happen to know if Promenade room #8301 is any good? what do you think we are over top of?

 

Thanks again Toonjie

[toonjie]

Here's that story my mom and I told our tablemates on the last night:

 

Another Reminiscence….

 

“Final Countdown on the AOS”

 

The following is a true story that happened on our first AOS cruise which departed San Juan on May 14th, 2006 back when the AOS ran the same itinerary as the Serenade is now, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados, then a day at sea on the way back to Barbados.

 

The captain was Arnolf Remo

The cruise director was Richard Spacey

 

Saturday, May 20, 2006 Day at Sea

 

This cruise was my mom’s first and she had had a blast, as did I and we had done a lot since this was her first time visiting these islands and we were looking forward to a relaxing day at sea….

 

 

We began the day with breakfast on the balcony. After breakfast we went up to the rock climbing wall to catch them when they first opened. I remember I had to wait for them to open. I climbed the wall and made it to the top on each of the three courses, but it was tough since I started on the easy one and then moved to the hardest, should have done it the other way around! As I reached the top of the final course I noted storm clouds off in the distance, the same direction we were traveling, and I was glad we had gotten up and at ‘em early, before it rained. I then went to the fitness center to hit the elliptical machine and my mom went to the solarium and I was to meet her in the hot tub after my workout. My goal for the day was to workout really hard, (I had a 3:00pm spin class as well) and then enjoy the highlight of the cruise, a massage at 4:00pm.

I was on the elliptical for around 15 or twenty minutes when I saw we were heading into a thunderstorm way off in the distance. It was a very small circle of clouds of in the distance at the time and I remember wondering if we would divert course around it. A few minutes later the ship still was heading on the same course, directly into the clouds. I had a great view of the bow and I remember thinking it was like we were on autopilot lumbering towards rain without concern for the hundreds who by this time were sunning themselves on the pool deck. It was sunny everywhere else and the seas were normal, there was just one big ball of thunderstorm clouds and we were sailing on a direct collision course.

As the ship neared the clouds, they grew more and more ominous, I remember thinking they looked a little reminiscent of the storm in one of my favorite movies as a teen, The Final Countdown. It’s a movie about a freak storm that carries the USS Nimitz along with its carrier attack group and all its planes from 1980 back to December 6, 1941. The captain and crew then have to decide whether or not they should stop the Japanese invasion fleet before they attack Pearl Harbor. As I was thinking of this movie from long ago, the storm was no longer just reminiscent of the one that was in the movie, it was looking more and more exactly like it, more and more so, each minute we got closer and closer to it. By now I was thinking surely the master of the watch was calling the captain for permission to deviate course, but as we got closer, the storm seemed to grow larger and larger and deviation seemed like less and less of an option. If you saw the final Countdown, then you know the kind of storm I am talking about. Lightening was flashing from within the clouds, but it wasn’t the usual color, it had a grayish, bluish metallic color to it and the flashes seemed to glow with almost a fluorescent iridescence that was at once both captivating and spooky. Our bow still plied the waves heading straight into this storm and finally I could see the first drops of rain hit the fitness center window. I was so glad I got all my outside activities done early! Soon after the rain started, I remember hearing an announcement over the loudspeakers and I took my Ipod’s earbuds out and it was Richard Spacey telling everyone that they should all get under cover, that they didn’t know what it was that was falling and that just to make sure everyone should seek shelter inside the ship! Well that peaked my interest, from my vantage point on the elliptical machine looking out onto the bow of the ship, all you could see was rain. There was lightening off in the distance and some driving wind, but you couldn’t see anything falling. A few minutes later, Richard Spacey was again heard on the loudspeakers, this time I took my earbuds right out and could hear him say they believed what was falling with the rain was volcanic ash from a volcano in Southeast Asia. At the time that was the only volcano erupting anywhere on the planet and the first thought. was that the fine grey ash that was falling must have traveled around the world and be falling on us. I remember when I was in High School and Mt. St. Helens in Washington State was erupting and after school, all the way in New York, there was ash on our cars so I thought this theory was certainly plausible.

By this time I ended my workout and went out to explore this phenomenon. There were still loads of people out on the pool deck, but they were all either under cover on the sides or else actually in the pools. As I was exploring, Captain Remo came on over the loudspeakers and repeated the warning to seek cover just in case since they didn’t know of any danger, but just to be safe everyone should head inside. I check the Solarium and mom had obviously heeded the warning and there were just a few young adults in the pool. At the main pool, crews are beginning to clean the ash off as much as possible with their normal high-pressure hoses. They later abandoned this and switched to using the fire fighting hoses, that is how much ash was on the pool deck! The pools had to be closed and completely drained and fire hoses were being used to wash the ash down the drain. I felt so sorry for the crew, here it is the day before they have to turn around the ship and have everything looking perfect for the next sailing and the ship is just absolutely trashed. The hull of the ship looked grey and even the next day it was still not cleaned. I think the crew abandoned the idea of cleaning the whole ship and just got the passenger decks ready for the next sailing. It would be interesting to see if any CCers were on the May 21st 2006 sailing and could tell us how long it took to get everything clean?

We went to the captain’s question and answer time and Captain Remo said this was the first time he had ever seen anything like this in his 30 years at sea! The rest of the day went on quite normal for the passengers and hopefully the crew got loads of overtime! At the closing show, Richard Spacey, who I think is the funniest cruise director I have ever had, opened with the line, I hope everyone had a good day in spite of a little rain. I mean it’s not like it was raining down volcanic ash or anything!”

 

It wasn’t until the next day that we learned the volcanic ash wasn’t from the eruption in SE Asia, but a crater collapsed on the volcano on Montserrat spewing ash as high as 30,000 feet in the air. That ash, combined with a powerful thunderstorm at sea, created the final countdown on the AOS.

 

To read the story from other perspectives:

 

http://www.nerc.ac.uk/publications/planetearth/2006/autumn/aut06-volcano.pdf

 

http://www.cdera.org/cunews/news//montserrat/article_1652.php

 

http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU2007/11090/EGU2007-J-11090.pdf

 

Check out the posts on this forum, there are satellite pics that show the cloud growing and heading right into the path of the AOS

 

http://www.geographia.com/antiguanews/messages/10/1440.html?1148411586

[maxs mom]

Hey Toonjie!

We just got off the AOS on Sunday and once again, had a fabulous cruise on her. In St Thomas we went out to Megan's Bay. We've been there many times, but after this trip.....we said we wouldn't go back there. Just waaaaayyy too crowded.

I saw where you went to Sapphire Beach. Your pictures look great. Can you elaborate a little more about this beach. It didn't look crowded in your pictures. I was concerned about there being a restaurant/bar there, but you said there was one? Also my husband can't walk very far. Is there a long walk from where the taxi driver lets you out......and is there plenty of shade? What's the cost of renting chairs? Any other advice about this beach would be appreciated! How long of a cab ride from the ship? Thanks, Jane.

[toonjie]

Hey Toonjie!

We just got off the AOS on Sunday and once again' date=' had a fabulous cruise on her. In St Thomas we went out to Megan's Bay. We've been there many times, but after this trip.....we said we wouldn't go back there. Just waaaaayyy too crowded.[/size']

I saw where you went to Sapphire Beach. Your pictures look great. Can you elaborate a little more about this beach. It didn't look crowded in your pictures. I was concerned about there being a restaurant/bar there, but you said there was one? Also my husband can't walk very far. Is there a long walk from where the taxi driver lets you out......and is there plenty of shade? What's the cost of renting chairs? Any other advice about this beach would be appreciated! How long of a cab ride from the ship? Thanks, Jane.

 

Sapphire Beach is about a 5 minute ride from Red Hook, which is where you catch the ferry to St. Johns. There is very little walking from where the taxis drop you off to the beach, maybe 30 yards. There is shade under the Sea Grape trees and we didn't use any chairs so I don't the price, we spent the whole time in the water! There is a bar and restaurant and showers, restrooms, etc.. We picked it because Megan's is just always too crowded and we wanted to try something new. There is also good snorkeling at Sapphire. Glad you had a great time and saw on the AOS thread that you booked 3 cruises while onboard-wow! Congrats on becoming D+ as well! We are diamonds on the next one. :)

[maxs mom]

Thanks for that info, Toonjie! Sounds like that's where we will go on our next stop there which will be at Christmas time. Do you remember what kind of food was offered at the restaurant? Megan's was just unbelieveable. You could hardly move out there. Too bad because we used to love going out there. Sounds like Sapphire might be our new beach of choice! You will love your Diamond status!

[bommarkm]

Toonjie, I will be on this route in October and was wondering if you have the compasses from your cruise?

 

Thanks!, Kerry

[toonjie]

Toonjie, I will be on this route in October and was wondering if you have the compasses from your cruise?

 

Thanks!, Kerry

 

I have all the compasses, but don't have my scanner up and running right now. It will be another project to get them scanned! I could answer any specifics and if you pm me your email I can send you all the menus, which I got from another poster on CC.

[toonjie]

Thanks for that info' date=' Toonjie! Sounds like that's where we will go on our next stop there which will be at Christmas time. Do you remember what kind of food was offered at the restaurant? Megan's was just unbelieveable. You could hardly move out there. Too bad because we used to love going out there. Sounds like Sapphire might be our new beach of choice! You will love your Diamond status![/size']

 

We didn't eat there and I didn't have much time to check the place out. I'm sure if you post on the St. Thomas board, someone will know. Secret Harbor is another choice that is not so well known and is really nice.

[gram1554]

I read on one of your post that you put pictures on bucketlist. I went to the sight but I do I find your picktures. Thanks again for all of your posts. It makes me very excited for our trip in October.

[toonjie]

I read on one of your post that you put pictures on bucketlist. I went to the sight but I do I find your picktures. Thanks again for all of your posts. It makes me very excited for our trip in October.

 

I'm still working on getting all the pics from the past 3 years ready. I'll post when they are up and running.