7/6-13 AOS review

[filamy]

After two Carnival cruises we’re now experts (joking). Our cruise on AOS was the best so far. The folks from the roll call were all great as well as our new friends from the dining room and our new friends from Texas. Good people around you really make the difference. The CD, Mike Szwajkowski was the best we've experienced. All of the staff were excellent. The only sour note came from a family of cruisers that happened to be on an excursion with us, more on this later.

 

The ship is gorgeous and is kept up beautifully. The ice show was very good and the other shows were good enough with the exception of the second production show Jackpot. I thought that it was very lame and poorly done, though others may strongly disagree. The comedy was very good throughout and again Mike the CD was hilarious. Our dining room staff was very good, especially the waiter Valentine. The food was good not great but the service and good company of those around us more than made up for it. The buffets were good with a few minor exceptions.

 

After two Carnival cruises on Conquest class ships, there were a couple of things that we missed. The outdoor theater on the Liberty and the rest being in the food category. Carnival had 24 hour ice cream / yogurt machines and 24 hour pizza (which was better than RC). The deli, Asian, and fish & chip stations from Carnival were missed and Carnival does the hamburgers and hot dogs much, much better than Royal. I thought breakfast was pretty equal between the two cruise lines though again the service on Royal was much better. As soon as you sat down in the Windjammer or Island Grill a waiter was there with a smile and ready to get you a drink or anything else you wanted.

 

Our excursions were great, thanks to you wonderful folks at Cruise Critic. On Barbados we went with Jason from Sasha Catamaran tour. This is were we met the great group from Texas. Jason takes 12 guests on his 30 foot cat. He supplies the equipment and drinks. First stop was near a reef and a couple of sunken wrecks. The water was clear and the reef was loaded with many different fish. I thought Jason was very very good. Very helpful with newer snorkelers and he knew his island very well. Swimming with the large sea turtles was great. I highly recommend Shasa tours.

 

Next day was Cosol tours in St. Lucia. Another great tour with one exception. We had a family in our van who were rude, obnoxious and an embarrassment. This family was from either PA or NJ. Their comments and questions were very rude and belittling to Adrian (spelling ?) the driver / tour guide. Adrian handled or ignored this family very well, I would have probably left them on the side of the road. In spite of these “Ugly Americans” the tour was very good and is very popular. Different foods to try, plenty of drinks and very interesting places to visit. To us the highlight of this tour was the beach between the Pitons, nice swimming and a decent snorkeling area to the right. Apparently the food was very expensive here (according to the “Whiney family”) but with the limited time at the beach and all the food we tried already on the tour, who cares? All in all the tour was very good.

 

Antigua, since we were here last year and went to Darkwood beach, we decided to enjoy the ship after a quick walk around the port area. We thoroughly enjoyed our extra ship time and spent most of it around the Solarium pool area.

 

In St. Marten, we had planned on just doing it ourselves but as we were leaving the dock area we bumped into part of our CC roll call who were just starting Bernard’s tour and they invited us to join them. Great choice! We were with Joe and it turned out that the great Texas group were with Bernard in his van. First stop was a shoppers dream, and I hate shopping. This place apparently sells to many of the small stores and stalls. The selection and prices were excellent. We bought a few things, one was a tacky (yet very tasteful) bamboo & coconut wind chime for $10. later saw the same thing on the dock for $40. We made a quick stop by some tide pools where Bernard & Joe showed and explained about some of the creatures. We drove around with excellent narration and stopped in Marigot (spell ?) for a little walk about and then went to Orient beach for a few hours. Fun beach with lots to see… including the parasails. Very comfortable water and Bernard & Joe were generous with the beer and soda. After that we stopped at Mullet Beach for just a little while to watch a couple of planes come in. All in all it was a great day with great people.

 

In St. Thomas we decided to try Trunk Bay on St. John’s. Very easy to do. We got of the ship in reasonable time and caught the 9:00 ferry. I had been looking forward to Trunk bay for a long time. Well the beach and area is beautiful, nice bathrooms and showers. Really is a very nice area. In my opinion, the snorkeling at Trunk Bay was a huge disappointment. It could be good for first timers since it is a small protected area with underwater signs and a life guard. The variety and number of fish was very low. We ended up catching the 11:30 ferry to Charlotte Amalie, caught a quick lunch, shopped briefly and made it back to the Solarium pool area on the ship by 2:30. Even with the big snorkeling disappointment it turned out to be another great day.

 

Our last night on board was horrible, it went way too quick and we weren’t ready for the week to end. The show was very good with a comedian and then a juggling comedian. Afterwards the liars game was hilarious, the night went way too quick. Special thanks to the two ladies that won the trivia type game in the Schooner bar and shared the prized Royal hats.

 

In conclusion, the cruise was fantastic. We are now Royal Caribbean fans. A note to our new friends from our roll call, our dining companions and the Great group from Texas, thanks to all and you’re all invited to visit and stay with us in Rhode Island.

[kittymom65]

Excellent review, thanks for sharing, and welcome to Royal Caribbean!:)

[Merion_Mom]

Ah, another convert!

 

;)

 

I am glad that you enjoyed your cruise, and hope that there are many more in your future!

 

:)

[Design Diva]

So just to clarify, are you saying that you PREFER Royal to Carnival?

 

I have never sailed Carnival but have always heard that it's considered a step down from RCL. Would you agree with that? (Are the cabin accommodations equal?)

[mark290]

Thanks for the review.

I might have missed it but what was the name of the "shoppers dream"

in St Maarten ?

[ken_nyc]

Thanks Phil for the review, we are thinking of going on the AOS next summer. Not sure which route yet, it will depend on the dates that we have to go. Heard either route is good.

 

This is for Design Diva, we have been on both cruise lines and Royal Caribbean last summer on the Mariner, both lines are very similar (EXCEPT FOR THE SHIPS, love RCCL's ship was much better, decor and design of public spaces flow better) Royal Caribbean has the edge though. The service was a little better on Royal Caribbean, like the shower door also! I would still cruise on Carnival if the situation arouse, they seem to be cheaper also. PLEASE DO NOT FORGET THAT OPINIONS ARE SUBJECTIVE.

[filamy]

Glad that you enjoyed the review. I am sorry but I didn't notice the name of the store. I do remember that it was either on Front or Back Street, accross the road was a salt lake and slightly away from the main part of town. Also, it was a couple of steps up off of the road. Sorry that's about all I remember.

 

I can't say that Royal is better than Carnival. They are very similar with slight differences. I felt that Carnival had more comfortable beds, slightly better in the food department and the cabins (lowest price balcany, picked location) were slightly larger. By the way, we had cabin 6618 (center hump) and the location was ideal. Royal's staff was a little more polished and friendlier. Mike the CD was much better than we've experienced. The layout of the Voyager class was easier to navigate than the Conquest class. It seems as though Carnival cruises are slightly lower in cost than Royal and the saying "that you get what you pay for" says it best. I wouldn't hesitate to book another Cruise with either line. Lastly, I agree with many previous posts that the decor is nicer on Royal even though the Carnival ships that we were on were newer than the Adventure. I'd hate to say that I like one line over the other, we had great vacations on all three cruises.

 

Ken nyc, One thing to consider is the amount of sea days. I think that I would prefer more sea days but then again I'd hate to give up a great island. Though, it really was nice to come back to the ship early and enjoy the different areas while they were relatively empty. In other words, go with the best dates for your agenda and enjoy the heck out of it all. You can't lose either way.

[mattsmom11]

Glad that you enjoyed the review. I am sorry but I didn't notice the name of the store. I do remember that it was either on Front or Back Street, accross the road was a salt lake and slightly away from the main part of town. Also, it was a couple of steps up off of the road. Sorry that's about all I remember.

 

I can't say that Royal is better than Carnival. They are very similar with slight differences. I felt that Carnival had more comfortable beds, slightly better in the food department and the cabins (lowest price balcany, picked location) were slightly larger. By the way, we had cabin 6618 (center hump) and the location was ideal. Royal's staff was a little more polished and friendlier. Mike the CD was much better than we've experienced. The layout of the Voyager class was easier to navigate than the Conquest class. It seems as though Carnival cruises are slightly lower in cost than Royal and the saying "that you get what you pay for" says it best. I wouldn't hesitate to book another Cruise with either line. Lastly, I agree with many previous posts that the decor is nicer on Royal even though the Carnival ships that we were on were newer than the Adventure. I'd hate to say that I like one line over the other, we had great vacations on all three cruises.

 

Ken nyc, One thing to consider is the amount of sea days. I think that I would prefer more sea days but then again I'd hate to give up a great island. Though, it really was nice to come back to the ship early and enjoy the different areas while they were relatively empty. In other words, go with the best dates for your agenda and enjoy the heck out of it all. You can't lose either way.

 

hey Phil thanks for your review, we will be going on the AOS our first Royal cruise after two previous Carnival cruises on the Triumph and it's nice to read a review from someone that is in a similar boat as us.

I appreciate your comparision to both lines.

Have you been to St Thomas and Trunk Bay before? would you recommend a novice try this? how much was the cost of the transportation to and from the ferry as well as the cost of the ferry?

 

thanks again

[roe2ship]

Phil, nice review, thanks for sharing. We too LOVED this cruise. We felt the staff was absolutely wonderful.

 

We were around the solarium pool also later in the day, it is too bad we never saw you there. Say hello to Amy from us!

[filamy]

Hi Rosann, it was nice meeting you both. Sorry we never saw you around the ship more. Glad to hear you had a great time also.

 

Mattsmom, This was our first time to St. John's or Trunk Bay. The cost for two round trip is approx. $84. this includes 4 taxi rides, 2 ferry rides and the admission cost to trunk bay. Rental of equipment was $10 per person. It's easy to do and ok for a novice, just don't expect the spectacular sights of other places in the Caribbean. If you are going to Barbados, I would highly recommend shasacatamarancruises dot com. There are only 12 people total, the price is very good and includes equipment and he will teach and stay right by you. I really can't say enough good things about him for beginners to advanced divers. If you do go, please tell him Phil & Amy say "HI".

[mattsmom11]

Hi Rosann, it was nice meeting you both. Sorry we never saw you around the ship more. Glad to hear you had a great time also.

 

Mattsmom, This was our first time to St. John's or Trunk Bay. The cost for two round trip is approx. $84. this includes 4 taxi rides, 2 ferry rides and the admission cost to trunk bay. Rental of equipment was $10 per person. It's easy to do and ok for a novice, just don't expect the spectacular sights of other places in the Caribbean. If you are going to Barbados, I would highly recommend shasacatamarancruises dot com. There are only 12 people total, the price is very good and includes equipment and he will teach and stay right by you. I really can't say enough good things about him for beginners to advanced divers. If you do go, please tell him Phil & Amy say "HI".

 

Thanks Phil for the info I have shasa down on my list, I will take a look at it sometime this weekend and will for sure say Hi for you and Amy if we go.

[tyson]

Hi, Phil!

 

I'm Pam from the Texas group. It was great to meet you and Amy, and we enjoyed your company on the Shasa catamaran tour. Hope to meet up with you again on another cruise!

 

The name of the store in St. Maarten is Rima's Beach World.