My husband and I (51 & 50 yrs. old) departed San Juan on 2/11/07 on Adventure of the Seas. We have been on several cruises in the past, but this is the largest ship we have ever travelled on. We were EXTREMELY PLEASED with the entire experience & would DEFINITELY recommend this ship and itinerary to all of our friends! We have been working in the Caribbean for the last 14 months and have had the opportunity to visit many of the islands (about 20). The itinerary for AOS was excellent. We loved all of the islands we travelled to. We had just booked our trip at the end of January as we were returning to the States through Puerto Rico, so it was a last-minute decision. Even our cabin exceeded our expectations! We did not have any pre-trip hotels as we were flying in from Anguilla that same morning (less than an hour flight). Embarkation was a smooth process. We were able to board the ship at ll:45 a.m. We went to the Windjammer for a nice lunch and then explored the ship (which was great fun!) until 2 p.m. when we were let in to our stateroom. The ship is so beautiful - we were like two kids in a candy shop walking through the Promenade that first day. We didn't know where to look first. The personnel on the ship were extremely helpful and everyone seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. My only minor complaint was that my husband had his teeth whitened onboard. The seminar said it would be only $199.00, but by the time he bought the follow-up products it was over $530.00. I thought this was rather misleading.
I had my hair cut & highlighted in the Beauty Salon by Laura from Spain. She was fantastic - very knowledgeable and kind. The food on board was excellent. We ate dinner on Valentine's Day at Portofino. It was a great dining experience - very relaxing. Well worth the extra charge. On Aruba we rented a moped. The cruise ship highly recommends you NOT do this, but we had rented one in Bermuda and enjoyed it so much, that we went ahead and rented another. It was great fun. We rode to the California Lighthouse, the Natural Bridge, different beaches and basically all around the island. In Curacao, we shopped and enjoyed the beautiful and colorful architecture. When we arrived in St. Thomas, we took a taxi and then the ferry to St. John, which is a gorgeous island. St. Thomas is much more crowded and rather dirty. We liked St. John MUCH better. We went to Trunk Bay and snorkeled and then had a picnic lunch. It was great. As for St. Marten, we had lived next door on Anguilla for about 14 months and so had been to St. Marten many times. We didn't feel the need to explore there, so just did a little shopping and then returned to the ship to relax by the pool. We especially liked the Adult Pool in the Solarium, which was very relaxing.
As for the entertainment, my favorite was the Ice Show. I didn't think the comedians were all that funny.