Toonjie's AOS Review

[Buffettfan 225]

toonjie- welcome back- hope your AOS cruise was as good as ours. I am anxiously awaiting more review, however I know it took me a few days to post mine and then a gap.

Still looking for a new camera- mostly because once I purchase will have this one for a while!

Just trying to decide between the canon or Nikon.

p.s. did my reviews live up to your expectations of the ship?

p.s.s for others full review day by day of AOS -search under my screen name- buffetfan

[Mikensusanl]

We have sailed on AOS 5 times and have loved every cruise as much as the first! We too stayed at the Marriot Stellaris our last time and loved it! We have stayed in OSJ too at the Milano on previous trips. OSJ is very romantic especially in the evening! We are considering just staying for an entire week in the city just because we feel so comfortable there and love the area.

Best wishes for you toonjie in your birth of the baby and thanks for sharing the ultrasound and all the great photos!

[toonjie]

I am enjoying your cruise thru your pictures. You have some of the most beautiful pictures I have seen. They are clear and even in lo lighting the color and quality is great. I hope to see more from your cruise. What type of camera do u use?

 

Cheers

 

Thanks! It's a Canon Rebel XTi. We love it. We've had it 2 years now and have had no problems. We had a Nikon Coolpix 8800 before that and had to send it back twice and it broke again after that, but it took great pics as well. When the album is up they'll be some pics from that camera as well.

[toonjie]

toonjie- welcome back- hope your AOS cruise was as good as ours. I am anxiously awaiting more review, however I know it took me a few days to post mine and then a gap.

Still looking for a new camera- mostly because once I purchase will have this one for a while!

Just trying to decide between the canon or Nikon.

p.s. did my reviews live up to your expectations of the ship?

p.s.s for others full review day by day of AOS -search under my screen name- buffetfan

 

Thanks! I loved reading your review and am trying to include that kind of detail where possible. This was our 3rd year in a row going this same week, so we knew what to expect and I found your review to be dead on! My DW is joking that the review is taking longer than the actual cruise! It's amazing how long it takes! We had a Nikon Coolpix 8800, which is an all in one camera, (built-in lens), and we had trouble with it. The Canon has been perfect for 2 years now, so from my experience, I would go with the Canon. My best friend is a big photography buff and also recommends it over the Nikon and I have another good friend who is a top wedding photographer here in NY and uses Canon. You'll find loads of fans of both though.

[cds2423]

We have sailed on AOS 5 times and have loved every cruise as much as the first! We too stayed at the Marriot Stellaris our last time and loved it! We have stayed in OSJ too at the Milano on previous trips. OSJ is very romantic especially in the evening! We are considering just staying for an entire week in the city just because we feel so comfortable there and love the area.

Best wishes for you toonjie in your birth of the baby and thanks for sharing the ultrasound and all the great photos!

 

Sorry, I don't mean to eavesdrop but you mentioned in your posting that on past cruises you've stayed at the Milano in SJ, i'm sailing on the AOS in Oct. we're a party of 5 looking for a hotel that can accomodate us either in 1 room or that won't cost each of us a fortune, in that respect the Milano fits the bill, can you tell me what your thoughts are on the hotel, please and thank you. It is just for 1 night pre cruise but we will have a 4 year old with us.

[Sweetest Sin]

Reading this review is getting me so excited! Two months seems like forever and close all at the same time :D

[TennisLover]

Awesome photos!

[Buffettfan 225]

(The Canon has been perfect for 2 years now, so from my experience, I would go with the Canon. My best friend is a big photography buff and also recommends it over the Nikon and I have another good friend who is a top wedding photographer here in NY and uses Canon. You'll find loads of fans of both though.

Thanks- a bit off cruise topic but--

Looks like my leaning towards Canon is correct. I need also a zoom lens too for next Christmas indoor choir show, does camera take good photos in dark say from 100 yards away? (I read you wanted a zoom too- now you have an excuse-- "the baby bought it for me for .....christmas,father's day etc LOL" Congrats.

I read I will need the anti vibration zoom lens to not use a tripod.

Again, how did you get photos into posts?

[toonjie]

Thanks- a bit off cruise topic but--

Looks like my leaning towards Canon is correct. I need also a zoom lens too for next Christmas indoor choir show, does camera take good photos in dark say from 100 yards away? (I read you wanted a zoom too- now you have an excuse-- "the baby bought it for me for .....christmas,father's day etc LOL" Congrats.

I read I will need the anti vibration zoom lens to not use a tripod.

Again, how did you get photos into posts?

 

You need to use a photo hosting site like Photobucket. There are tons of them and you can read reviews on the photo/video board here at CC. You download your photos to that site and from there link them into posts, email, websites, etc.

[toonjie]

Mirrors in the Aft- 1688/1388

 

So much of the cruise experience is determined by cabin type and location. Though I’d rather be in the lowest category inside on a cruise than just about anywhere else, it’s great having a really nice cabin and well, you know what they say, “once you go balcony, you can’t go back!”

 

 

We first discovered 1688 on the Mariner 2 years ago when we got it at the last minute when someone must have cancelled the day before final payment was due. After I got off the phone with the RCCL rep booking that Mariner cruise, I got on CC and discovered what a gem I had actually gotten, the highly coveted and much sought after corner aft on deck 10. We loved it then and I have posted a lot on aft cabin threads ever since. There’s always loads of questions about aft cabins and then there’s the whole aft-hump debate, so I shot loads of pics thought I’d dedicate a whole segment to these great cabins.

 

 

Here’s a shot of the cabin as a whole. What makes 1688/1388 special is that it is in the corner and they must have had some space left over in the design and so for this, a D1, they used a Junior Suite module for the cabin itself. It’s not a Junior Suite because it doesn’t have a bathtub or a walk-in closet, but the cabin module is the same size.

 

 

The balcony is around 5 times bigger than a typical D1 balcony. There are afts that are true Junior Suites and there are afts with much bigger balconies, but 1688/1388 is a great combination of both and at a D1 price! The only structural anomaly is a pole right at the foot of the bed. The pole would block the view of the TV for the person on the left side of the bed, but we slid the beds over so this was not so much of a problem. We also switched out the nightstand on the left side for the one by the couch. There is a full couch that turns into a double bed and on the Mariner cruise we had DS then 10 and DD then 6 in it with no problems. This pole is the subject of much humor since many wives have reported coming up with some creative routines for the delight of their hubbies! I was looking forward to mine, but let DW out of it due to her pregnancy. There was just too many visions of some really seedy strip joint where the girl dancing was knocked up to make DW comfy with employing it in a routine shall we say, so I gave her a pass!

Here’s the balcony. It can hold 3 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs and a table and still has room to spare! On our Mariner cruise we had 6 people out there for breakfast! It has both a sunny and shady area, which makes it very versatile. Whether or not you will get sun back on the aft or how much is dependent on the direction you are cruising and the time of year. On the Mariner, as we sailed South out of Florida and there wasn’t much sun, but when we turned West, there was sun all day long, but there is always an area tucked into the superstructure which affords shade.

 

 

 

There is one structural beam you can see in the picture that many have reported hitting, it’s the kind of thing you do once and then never again! Ouch! It didn’t bother us at all on either cruise. You have the privacy of having no one on one side of you and you can see around the side a little bit if you lean over the rail, but don’t think that you have a full side view. You can be seen from the absolute back tables of the Windjammer only if you are standing at the railing looking out, the rest of the balcony can’t be seen. The only complaint we had on this cruise is that there is a bright spotlight that illuminates the wake and at first I thought it was on only because we were in port, because we didn’t encounter it on the Mariner. There was also one on the other side in 1388. If you lean your had out over the railing to look out at night, the spotlight was in your eyes. I have no idea why these lights were constantly on, maybe others can chime in if they experienced this on over voyager or Freedom Class ships. (These cabins are 1400/1700 on Freedom Class) You had to keep your head behind the railing at night or you were blasted by these spotlights. I missed the dark wake we experienced on the Mariner, the feeling of utter pitch-blackness as the white foam of the wake slipped off into the night.

 

Looking up from the railing to the Windjammer:

 

Other than that one complaint, the cabin was just incredible. The aft experience is very relaxing, you have the sound of the wake and the ability to sun on a lounger right on your own balcony, rather than on the pool deck. We didn’t lay out by the pools the entire cruise! One of my favorite parts of an aft cabin is the view at sailaway from a port. You can actually watch the island fade away off on the horizon. A highlight this cruise was sailaway from St. Maarten, where you could see St. Barts off to one side and Anguilla off to the other and then Saba, with it’s huge volcano, appear as if right out of the ocean, to the South.

[toonjie]

Some pics of 1388:

 

 

 

 

 

Some more of 1688:

 

Looking out from 1688:

 

Aft view docked in San Juan:

[toonjie]

A few notes about rocking and vibrations in the aft section of the ship. First of all, I love it when the ship rocks, the more the merrier for me! It makes me feel like I'm back in the womb when I'm in bed and the ship is rolling! So that is my perspective. We noticed more rocking this time than on our Mariner cruise and that was actually due to the fact that we were going slower most nights than on the Mariner due to short distances between ports. I saw a show on the making of the Voyager Class ships before I left and they mentioned that the duck tail on the back was put there after the first tests of the hull design when they were using models. It keeps the ship from rocking back to front. Captain Per was very personable and his briefings went into a fair amount of detail and he stated on 2 occasions that the duck tail on the back causes some rocking when we are going slower than the waves and they hit us from the back, it lifts up the ship a little. We experienced this on 2 nights during this cruise when the rolling was worse when we were going about 3 knots or so and waves were coming in from the Atlantic. You feel this lifting more in the aft than midships. The first night we had some vibration and we had to take all the loose clothes hangers off the pole in the closet and there was no more problem from the increased roll of the ship. So, you will experience more roll and vibration in the back of the ship. If you are prone to sea sickness, you should probably book elsewhere, but if not, it is not that much worse than midships. We also felt some vibration when the pods rotated while maneuvering into a port, but nothing much.

[mattsmom11]

Toonjie

Thanks so much for the wonderful pictures and write up [can't wait to read more] DH & I were looking at it last night, we can't wait to climb aboard this wonderful ship and explore all the fun that awaits us.

September sure is taking long to get here ;)

[jjtt]

toonjie, we are sailing in July on AOS in cabin 1388!!! This will be our first aft balcony and on deck 10 as well!!! I lucked out too!!! Can't wait to be sailing and experience this ship, aft cabin, and all she has to offer. Thanks again for the awesome reviews!!!

[63galaxie]

Okay, I'm green with envy!!!! Thanks for sharing this secret with us, however!!!

If you love big aft balconies, be sure to do a search on the Celebrity boards for cabin 7199 on Millineum. It will blow you away!! It's a 9A category, which is fairly expensive, but, in our estimation, it's worth every penny!

More great pictures and comments too! I keep coming back for more.:o

[jewelinthesand]

We didn't have to ask about waiving the resort charge, one factor might be that I got the internet for $14.95 anyway because I had to enter my mom's final grades. (She's a Professor too.) So that may be why there was no separate resort charge. My only possible complaint about the Marriott is the separate charge for the internet, but with the great prices you can get it for on Priceline, I don't even care! We've gotten it for $110 a night for the last 2 years!

 

 

what room did you book on priceline? i was looking just the other day for next march and the lowest price was about 250 for a city view. i would love to get the 110 view and then upgrade when i get there. but what kind of room was 110???

[jewelinthesand]

hi,

i just looked on priceline again and the prices go from city view at 275 to pool/ocean view with balcony at 379. i'm realizing that you just recently went so maybe it's cheaper in May. i'm going the end of march which is probably high season. oh well. we don't arrive till around 1pm and then will be spending time at the pool and then to dinner with our friends from england and going to dinner with them for the husband's 40th birthday. then we get on the AOS the next day! it will be fun. loving your review. thanks so much for taking the time to write it. and the pictures are great!

[toonjie]

what room did you book on priceline? i was looking just the other day for next march and the lowest price was about 250 for a city view. i would love to get the 110 view and then upgrade when i get there. but what kind of room was 110???

 

You have to bid on Priceline to get that great price. Search on my profile for loads of posts on bidding on Priceline. The gist of it is http://www.betterbidding.com and the San Juan board are great resources to learn. Select resort and you will get one of the 5 resorts that Priceline has in San Juan and they are all nicer than anything you could ever get paying rack rate at the price most people win the resorts at, under $150 per night.

[jewelinthesand]

i will definitely go on to that site tomorrow and check it all out.

 

do you know off hand that if i bid on priceline now and book a room - is it cancellable? with all the american airlines issues of them canceling and changing flights, etc. there is a slight chance that they will change me right out of being able to make the ship on time, etc. and if so i want to be able to cancel everything.

 

thanks.

[Daghis]

do you know off hand that if i bid on priceline now and book a room - is it cancellable?

No, Priceline and Hotwire bids are prepaid in full and aren't cancelable. I did see that Priceline offered some extra insurance one could buy that allowed some sort of cancelation due to other circumstances, so that might cover your needs.

 

I used Priceline to get the pre-cruise night for our upcoming cruise at the Marriott for $132. I'm pretty happy about that!

[jewelinthesand]

No, Priceline and Hotwire bids are prepaid in full and aren't cancelable. I did see that Priceline offered some extra insurance one could buy that allowed some sort of cancelation due to other circumstances, so that might cover your needs.

 

I used Priceline to get the pre-cruise night for our upcoming cruise at the Marriott for $132. I'm pretty happy about that!

 

 

thanks. just one quick question. I am on priceline right now and put in my bid for resorts in san juan and then it takes me to a page to enter my info, credit card info, etc. Will i have a choice of resort hotels in san juan or will it arbitrarily just pick a hotel and then i'm stuck. i just want a chance to say yes or no to whatever it picks. thanks!

[jewelinthesand]

yikes, i just read further down on the page and it says that once i click, i'm stuck with whatever they choose for me and i will not see a list of options. how did you all get to choose marriott stelaris? i'm confused. :D

[Nothin' But Sun]

I just did what your are doing the other day and I was very happy with what we got. You will not be able to choose the Marriot or any other hotel/resort. However if you select the box for RESORT that is what you will get. We ended up the Marriot and for post cruise the Intercontinental. Both excellent resorts. Either way you can't loose because by checking resort you will end up with a resort. Good luck, keep us updated.:)

[capecodrealtor]

Take some time and read the "How it Works" under the HELP icon on Priceline. It will take you step by step through the process and even includes a video. You seemed so surprised that you don't get to choose your hotel, that is the inherent risk of using Priceline or Hotwire. You save, but you don't get to choose your hotel, if you choose the "save up to half off on your stay" feature, by bidding. Bidding does not gaurantee the Marriot by choosing the RESORT level!!! The hotels only offer a certain number of rooms/night, so you could end up at another hotel.

 

Please also take the advice and go to biddingfortravel.c** to school yourself on past winning bids and strategies. It just takes a little research to be successful on Priceline. I've had over 50 stays through them with great satisfaction.

 

If you want to choose your own hotel, or the Marriot in particular, you will need to book direct or through a consolidator site such as KAYAK.C**. You will pay more, but the have the peace of mind that it seems you desire.

 

Good luck, and please take time to do your homework. Ignorance of the process can cost you.

[kenteecruisin]

Very nice review. Thank you for sharing!!