First of all, I'd like to say that I had been reading the posts on Cruise Critic after we had booked our cruise on the AOS. My husband and I were on the AOS two years ago and had a great time so I was quite nervous that it had taken a drastic downhill slide. Fortunately, it hasn't. It was a great week. Take all the reviews with a grain of salt. If you are a glass half-full person - you'll enjoy it. If you're looking for the negative, you'll find it too.
I also want to mention the people on the ship. A lot was said about a large amount of people from Puerto Rico on the AOS. We didn't notice anything too terrible at all. We had approximately 300 teenagers from Costa Rica and a few lacked manners. However, that isn't the fault of the ship. That's just bad parenting. We like to cruise to experience different cultures and meet people from different places. I've found that if you are nice to people, they are nice in return. If for some reason they aren't, don't let it ruin your day. Now onto the review.
We flew into San Juan a day early and stayed at the Hilton Caribe. It was a very nice hotel. We stayed in the towers and it's my understanding they have been updated. The bathrooms were huge and the bed was very comfortable. We took a cab to the pier around noon and were on the ship within 10 minutes. I can't say enough about filling out the Set Sail pass online before you go.