After hearing for several years about what an outstanding cruise line Royal Caribbean is, we decided to cruise on the AOS to the Southern Caribbean on 3/29/09. Except for our suite and the outstanding service by DeDe, our Concierge and Karane, our suite attendant, our head waiter and waiter (I'm sorry, I didn't get their names), we were very disappointed. The staff on the ship truly was all exceptional. That's where the good ends.

We have cruised on the Grand Princess (once to the Eastern Caribbean and once to the Mexican Riviera) and on Orient (no longer in business) to the Mediterranean. Our first Princess cruise to the Eastern Caribbean was exceptional in every way from the mini-suite, to the 24-hour butler service, to the buffet, to the dining room, to the activities. I think we were spoiled because everything was so great. Our next cruise on Princess to the Mexican Riviera was the complete opposite. Our trip to the Mediterranean on Orient was terrible, except the beautiful ports in Italy and Greece made up for everything. So, it was with great excitement that we looked forward to sailing on the AOS and seeing two more islands in the Caribbean which we had not been to...Aruba and Curaçao.

Our trip began when we landed in San Juan on 3/27. We stayed at LeConsulat in Condado, which is advertised on TripAdvisor as a Clarion hotel, but no longer is. It was in a nice neighborhood, and within walking distance of the larger hotels, restaurants, the beach, and of course, Walgreen's and Starbucks. Read more