First-time cruisers (& honeymooners!) on AOS

[Sailing the C's]

Hi everyone

 

My finance and I are getting married in 2 weeks and will be cruising in 3 weeks! :) We are on AOS, leaving San Juan on July 26th - and we cannot wait!!

 

I have been doing lots of online searching and have made some notes about activities at the different ports, how to prevent motion sickness (which I am worried about for myself!), etc. I just registered on this site and there is so much to take in! We really want to be sure to make the most of our cruising experience, which is why I started this thread. Any tips/"must-do's" that people can think of for us?? My finance will also be celebrating his 29th on the Monday of the cruise, any ways that we can make this special for him?

 

And last question for all those runners out there- we love to run and are going to try to do a 8-15K (depending on how late we were up the night before!!) at some of our ports of call...Aurba, Dominica, Curaco and St. Thomas. Anyone have any advice for running in these countries? any routes? or links to helpful sites??

 

Thanks!!

[Aquahound]

Congrats on the wedding. DW and I were married in St. Thomas while on an AOS cruise, so the AOS holds a special place in our hearts.

 

On board, do not miss the ice show, or Quest. Book Portofino one night and try the Seafood Skewer.

 

As for running, you may find some good places in Curacao and Aruba, but I caution against St. Thomas. Many do not know that St. Thomas has one of the highest crime rates of tourist islands in the Caribbean. St. John is much safer, but the roads can still be death traps for runners.

 

Either way, just be careful.

[cb at sea]

If you have time, go to the library and get a guidebook on your ports---it can be invaluable in knowing what's on each island, how to get there, what it will cost, any safety issues.....

Doing that can save you not only alot of money, but time wasted doing something that may not thrill you!

Congratulations!

[PrincesScuba]

Hi everyone

 

My finance and I are getting married in 2 weeks and will be cruising in 3 weeks! :) We are on AOS' date=' leaving San Juan on July 26th - and we cannot wait!!

 

I have been doing lots of online searching and have made some notes about activities at the different ports, how to prevent motion sickness (which I am worried about for myself!), etc. I just registered on this site and there is so much to take in! We really want to be sure to make the most of our cruising experience, which is why I started this thread. Any tips/"must-do's" that people can think of for us?? My finance will also be celebrating his 29th on the Monday of the cruise, any ways that we can make this special for him?

 

And last question for all those runners out there- we love to run and are going to try to do a 8-15K (depending on how late we were up the night before!!) at some of our ports of call...Aurba, Dominica, Curaco and St. Thomas. Anyone have any advice for running in these countries? any routes? or links to helpful sites??

 

Thanks!![/quote']

 

That has to be one of the best "Freudian slips" I have seen!

[Sailing the C's]

lol...oops!! guess who's paying for the cruise??!! ;)

[dna1990]

You should find all those answers and more here at CC. Here are some key sections to read if you haven't seen em yet:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=97

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

 

As to running - keep in mind three key facts (factual opinions at least) that pop into my head. 1) it will be VERY HOT, certainly compared to NS. 2) unless you know the port/island well, it could be quite dangerous to jog around (crime, traffic, and general road-path conditions/holes/etc). 3) save all that energy for the honeymoon.

 

There is a jogging track on the ship, work off that jogging fix there. It was just resurfaced and repainted. Deck 12.

 

My personal AOS favorites, in no particular order: peek-a-book bridge, library overhang to the promenade mall, far aft seating in Windjammer, music trivia nights in the Schooner Bar, any railing at sailway (dont miss sailaway times, let's you know you are on the ship and not just some hotel), the whole outside promenade deck (a very quiet place), the helipad (great if the stars are out), taking pictures every night.

[fridaythe13th]

For motion sickness I take Bonine. You might want to experiment at home to see how you react to it. I get it at Walmart. I take one each night before I go to bed starting the day before we sail. I have never had a problem with feeling drowsy even if I drink alcohol.

[Cruzin RN]

I am prone to motion sickness but I never get sea sick on these large ships!!! If you need something, I agree that Bonine Over the counter is a good choice.

 

We just got back last week on AOS....St. Lucia was my favorite port and St. Maarten is a close 2nd!! Have a great cruise, I am in post-cruise depression right now.:(

[long time lurker]

We are sailing out of San Juan on the Sept 20 sailing. Can anyone tell me which pier the AOS sails out of. I am also looking for hotel suggestions. We are flying in one day pre-cruise and my husband has Hilton Honors points. Thanks in advance.

[kas141]

Wow, it's like you're my long lost twin!! DH and I went on the AOS last July for our honeymoon and we celebrated his 29th b-day on the cruise as well! Just let your waiter know ahead of time that it will be his b-day and they will bring him a special dessert and sing to him.

 

There is a great cocktail party for honeymooners on the ship - they serve cake and champagne - and you'll get a chance to meet some of the other honeymooners sailing with you. There were over 100 couples on their honeymoon on last year's July 20th sailing!!! :eek:

 

My husband was a first-time cruiser last year and didn't feel ANY motion. You should be totally fine, but there is some kind of bracelet you can get which apparently helps?? I'm not too familiar with it, but it has something to do with pressure points. I'm sure there's more info on the board somewhere.

 

Have an awesome time on your cruise - we are STILL talking about it almost a year later. It was literally the best trip of my life so far. :D

[cruise wizard]

If you have access to the concierge lounge say hello to DeDe - she is the best at RCCL - tell her Gary & Mary said hello and that we miss her. As for sea sickness - my wife uses the "SeaBands" - not only for on the ship but also flying - they really work for her and no side effects. Suggest that you take a taxi to and from the port - faster and costs less than the RCCL bus.

 

The AOS sails from the Pan-American pier. It IS NOT the downtown pier in Old San Juan.

 

Everyone have a great cruise - the AOS is super and both itineraries are wonderful....our favorite is the one to Aruba though.

[unklez]

That has to be one of the best "Freudian slips" I have seen!

 

lol. Good catch!! I wonder why the words are so similar anyways!

[jeniferlyn]

The sea bands work great!! I just used mine during the first day at sea but did not need them for the rest of the cruise about a month ago. Be careful of the heat, humidity and sun !! Bring lots of sunscreen with a very high SPF and reapply. We had a great time, don't miss the quest, love and marriage game, and Portofinos (get the Tiramisu for dessert). The murder mystery dinner is a lot of fun!!

[butrflynlambie]

These are big ships not little sail boats. I have been very surprised at how little motion you actually feel.

 

Yes bring your medication, but you may not need it.

[WomanRN]

Hey Sailing the C's - come join us on the roll call for this cruise - just follow this link - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=962480

 

There's lots of great info on there along with some other runners/hikers that may be able to answer your questions.

[olemissreb]

We are sailing out of San Juan on the Sept 20 sailing. Can anyone tell me which pier the AOS sails out of. I am also looking for hotel suggestions. We are flying in one day pre-cruise and my husband has Hilton Honors points. Thanks in advance.

 

The AOS sets sail from the Pan Am pier. We are also using my DH's Hilton points, but for our post cruise stay. We are staying at the Embassy Suites in Isla Verde - close to the airport. There is not really anything right at the Pan Am pier. The closest is the Caribe Hilton (I believe - can't remember - search the Hilton website). I know our Embassy stay is 35K points and I believe the Caribe Hilton was 40K points.

 

To the OP - when you arrive in San Juan, go to the taxi stand and book a taxi to take you to the pier. DH and I did this on our last cruise even though we had booked the transfers thru Celebrity. We were on the ship, in our stateroom, sitting on the balcony sipping champagne watching the people that we had been in line with (the ones with the transfers) boarding the ship! We'd been on the ship for a good 45 minutes to an hour by then!:eek:

 

Congratulations on the marriage!!! DH and I will be celebrating 25 years in March, but the cruising to continue the celebration in April!

[long time lurker]

Olemissreb

 

Thanks for the info. It was a couple of days before I could get back to post. We ended up booking the Caribe Hilton, we liked the location better. We do plan on using a cab, I used the transfer the first time we cruised, but never again, I hate waiting for the bus to fill. I appreciate the information. It was a toss up between the Embassy and the Caribe. we went for the closer location.

[Sailing the C's]

Olemissreb - thanks for the advice. Just wondering about the taxi...?? We arrive on Sat early evening- do you mean we should right away book a taxi for the next day to take us to the pier? We are at the Holiday Inn Express, so I'm not sure how far we are from the port.

 

 

The AOS sets sail from the Pan Am pier. We are also using my DH's Hilton points, but for our post cruise stay. We are staying at the Embassy Suites in Isla Verde - close to the airport. There is not really anything right at the Pan Am pier. The closest is the Caribe Hilton (I believe - can't remember - search the Hilton website). I know our Embassy stay is 35K points and I believe the Caribe Hilton was 40K points.

 

To the OP - when you arrive in San Juan, go to the taxi stand and book a taxi to take you to the pier. DH and I did this on our last cruise even though we had booked the transfers thru Celebrity. We were on the ship, in our stateroom, sitting on the balcony sipping champagne watching the people that we had been in line with (the ones with the transfers) boarding the ship! We'd been on the ship for a good 45 minutes to an hour by then!:eek:

 

Congratulations on the marriage!!! DH and I will be celebrating 25 years in March, but the cruising to continue the celebration in April!

[dudaze11]

Sailing the C's

I hope you do come join our roll call at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=962480

In case you do not know, a roll call is a bunch of people who are on cruise critic who are all on the same sailing who discuss things to do, questions, and give a general forum to bounce ideas off of just like this thread but more specific to your sailing. My wife and I went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise for our honeymoon in 2005 and had a blast. We have been cruise addicts ever since. Hope you have a great time!

Jeff and Val

[olemissreb]

Olemissreb - thanks for the advice. Just wondering about the taxi...?? We arrive on Sat early evening- do you mean we should right away book a taxi for the next day to take us to the pier? We are at the Holiday Inn Express' date=' so I'm not sure how far we are from the port.[/quote']

 

No the taxi from the airport to the pier - if you were going straight to the ship. I'm sure getting a taxi at the Holiday Inn Express won't be a problem - only thing I've read about here on CC is to make sure you negotiate a price before you start puting anything in the van.

 

Let me know how the Holiday Inn Express is and what all is around there, how far it is to Old San Juan, etc. Thanks!

[daisysheridan]

...my finance...

 

that has to be one of the best "freudian slips" i have seen!

 

too funny!!!

[daisysheridan]

You might think about ordering some room decorations or even a Romance Package through the RCCL web site.

[gordon fisherman]

welcome and congrats, may God bless your marriage ! we to honeymooned on AOS and we just walked off AOS july 5, celebrating our 3rd anniversary! Let your waiter know about the birthday ASAP, they will make it happen! Jesters night club will also have a "honeymooner's" party for all you honeymooners! Eagle or palm beach in Aruba, take the city bus $4.60 pp round trip! Shopping in Curacao,(that's where the DEALS are!) Dominica, go whale watching ! In ST. Thomas, shopping and either cokie beach or sapphire beach! BEAUTIFUL and not CROWDED, FRANK in the windjammer in the mornigs, you have to meet him! WAYNE the cabin guy is FANTASTIC deck 6, and HAZEL FUNAN, the best waiter ever and her assistant JASON, the best duo since Batman & Robin ! As far as the running, stay on the ship and run early in the mornigs, it's a lot safer than the narrow, busy streets! maybe in ST. Thomas between the ship and the Yacht Club, thats all enclosed away from traffic? Just keep reading the boards and getting info! best wishes and prayers!;)