My family of 8 just finished a recent 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise to St Thomas, Curacao, Aruba and St Kitts. Itinerary, price and ship was my criteria. For my wife and I this was our 17th cruise (not all with RC) and our 3rd on AOS. Our first on AOS since the refurb. Getting the chance to sail again out of San Juan is always a thrill. We always go down a day early and stay at the El Convento.

We spent the day before the cruise reacquainting ourselves with Old San Juan and showing it to the rest of the family. Embarkation day we woke up a mix of clouds and sun so we decided to head to the ship around 1. We got a cab-van for the 8 of us. They say the max is 7 people but I was able to throw a few extra bucks at the cabbie and we all went together. Arriving at the pier there was a long line to get in but our status and not having any bags with us got us in the "fast lane" and we waltzed right in thru security and to get our ship cards. Check in went pretty smooth. My wife booked 3 cabins and mixed and matched people to get the best rate. Having Jr's and Sr's in different rooms confused things but I don't blame the cruise line. After a customary all aboard drink on the promenade it was off to the rooms and food. Our bags came at a reasonable time. The rest of the day was spent exploring and for several of us getting a head start on the drink package.

I will condense the port reviews but glad to answer questions if asked Read more