sunshine0009

Thank you so much for all the excellent suggestions. My mouth is watering thinking of all the options.

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We love Scomas and because we love Dungeness Crab so much, will pay for the sandwich. My DH is from the area but this is my cruise because I am from N.J. I will consider the meal a bargain compared to an overpriced excursion.

Is there any transportation between the pier and restaurant? My husband has problems walking distances. Do they always dock at the same pier? Thanks.

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Another option?

Has anyone taken the Celebrity tour with an airport drop off? We are flying to Seattle to visit family. My DH is not able to walk far so we thought this would be the best way to see a little of Vancouver before we leave. Would this be an international flight? Is customs at disembarkation?

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My DH uses a heating pad for back problems. When I contacted Special Needs on Royal, we were told it had to have an automatic shut off and to pack it in the original box so this can be verified. We now keep a traveling heating pad with box for cruising.

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Agree, the ride back is very boring. I would go back by bus if I do it again.

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I have done 5 cruises with Celebrity but when I am looking for lots of things to do...I look to Royal. Fabulous time on Oasis and Freedom, for a smaller ship experience.

I know the newer ships have much more. That said, I am booked on the Eclipse because I need to see family on the West Coast. For this trip, I will back my Chromebook and iPad with movies. Wherever you go, relax and enjoy!

Oh, I am 70 and my DH is 75....we are older than their demographics and find it boring.

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I'm in route now to oasis!! Finally! See some of y'all on the boat!

 

 

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Please keep us posted as to the situation on the roads. We are driving down 95 S on Saturday to Oasis. Checking my hotel now.

Thanks.

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For much better dining experience try the Eurodam or Nieuw Amsterdam (note that I'm not saying "try HAL"!) on their Eastern itinerary. The ships are most comfortable in the Caribbean, relaxing, romantic, not for those needed to be entertained. Itineraries include fantastic resort spots. These two ships deliver the best value for money in the cruise industry.

More expensive (even better food, some drinks included, service charge included) are TUI Cruises ships Mein Schiff 3, 4, 5, 6. They do more "exotic" 14-day itineraries (Lesser Antilles). TUI is a German brand affiliated with RCI.

Keep these 6 ships on your radar for the future to get the best cruising experience in the Caribbean.[/size]

Not if you have a 23 year old son cruising, IMHO.... [emoji41]

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In addition it appears that the governor has arranged for National Guard escorts for gasoline trucks coming to resupply gas stations in the affected area to help them move through traffic more expeditiously.

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

I am just outside of Savannah, no gas here.

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Day 1- Boarding/Embarkation Day

 

 

 

I woke up around 4am, I was soooooooooooo excited. I ended up watching the Oasis come into port on the webcam. That only heightened my excitement. Finally actually got up and showered and got dressed around 7. Went down and ate breakfast in the lobby and came back up to grab our luggage. So at this point, I started to regret my decision of waking up so early......

 

 

 

Anyway, we headed out to port around 8:30am/9am. There is nothing like getting that first look of the ship for the first time. I was truly amazed of the Oasis size. We parked right on site in the parking garage. (We actually prepaid for that as well, it was $128 for the week). We pulled up and it was super busy. It was probably about 9:15 or so, we dropped our bags with the porters. Quick heads up, my husband slapped a luggage tag on a case of water. It was a no go. I"m not sure if it was the porter we had or what. They wouldn't take it, it was worth a shot. However, I saw other cases of water in the hallways later that day when luggage was delivered. Some of them were in large bags, so I don't know if that made a difference and others were just like ours with the luggage tags taped to the top. Anyway, once we dropped the luggage off, we were off to park. I assumed since we were there and it wasn't 9:30 yet, we'd be the only ones waiting in line. WRONG! There was quite a line at that point.

 

 

 

Around 9:45, they opened the doors to the terminal. We had our set sail pass and passports ready for inspection. Then we went thru security. We did have two carry on bottles of wine. They didn't even check them, maybe they did via the security machine. I was prepared to have to take them out, but nope. We then headed up the escalator to check in. They check you in by what floor your cabin is on and I assume there is a line if you are a frequent cruiser. There was quite a line, but only a few agents working. Then all the sudden, it was like the clock struck 10 and a whole bunch of agents came out of a side door and we were at the front of the line. We signed our forms promising we didn't have diarrhea and had our pictures taken for our seapass cards and we were given a number to board. We are gold and were given the number 1. We then took a seat and people watched for awhile. I will say they have some aggressive sales people coming around trying to sell the different packages (dining and drinks). I just told them we were all set and they moved on to others.

 

 

 

We were called to board around 11:15am and walked right on the boat. I'll be honest, they don't really check the cards they give you. I handed mine to the lady, but there were many on the floor and many sitting on tables when we boarded. We didn't stop to have our photo taken, I will say they are a little aggressive on the photo front as well, but I get it, its there job. A quick "no thanks" is all that is needed if you aren't interested. We headed to the specialty dining desk in the Promenade (someone from Guest Services pointed it out to us) to find out about switching to Chops for FNDR. We were told at the desk that FNDR now only includes Sabor and Giovanni's. We could go to Chops or 150 Central Park for half price if we'd rather but would be charged the difference. I didn't fight it, I thought maybe I got some misinformation along the way. It seems that it just changed recently from what I've seen. They also told us our reservation was for Giovanni's at 7pm which was odd because I had signed up for an 8:30pm dining time when we purchased FNDR. I stated that and they stated they changed it to 8:30.

 

 

 

We then noticed my husbands sea pass card did not have a coke sticker for the soda package so we were advised to head to the drink table where they sell packages. They checked and stated it should have been on there as we had the Boardwalk balcony so it was to be included (mine was correct). They also gave him a cup there stating that it only showed up under my name so there would only be one cup in the room waiting for us. We then took fellow Cruise Critic members advice and headed to Park Cafe for the roast beef sandwich (Kummelwick) It did not disappoint! We then just walked around trying to figure out where everything was on the ship.

 

 

 

Around 1, the rooms were ready and we headed there to see if our luggage had arrived. It had not as of yet. We LOVED our room. We had the most aft balcony on the 12th floor, 12329. We enjoyed the balcony so much. We were able to watch whatever was going on in the Aquatheatre from our balcony. They played various movies during the week and that would have been a prime spot to watch as well. As far as the noise, as long as the door was shut and locked you couldn't hear a thing. I would have been worried about that reading others reviews if my kids had been with us. The shows go somewhat late, however we didn't hear a thing as long as the door was shut and locked. Another thing we were worried about was the motion we might feel being so far aft. On our first cruise (on Sovereign), we had the most forward cabin and my husband was very sick the first night and i had even fell in the hallway the boat was rocking so bad. Mind you, this was 11 years ago, but the thought of that made my husband nervous. Anyhow, on sea days, you could definetly feel the boat rocking a bit. Was it bad? No. Was it noticeable? Yes. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to get that cabin again. We met our room steward Ahmad, who was amazing the whole week. We waited on our luggage for awhile as I wanted to unpack and get that out of the way. We waited about an hour with no luck and decided to head out again to explore. As we walked down the hallway, we noticed our luggage was outside another cabin waaaaaaaaay down the hall from our cabin.(Yay for the bright green luggage tags we purchased) So we wheeled them down to our cabin and unpacked. Per suggestion on here I purchased a few things which came in handy throughout the week. First I purchased a shoe organizer to go on the bathroom door. What a space saver! I had pockets for everything imaginable. I also purchased some magnetic hooks which were very helpful for wet bathing suits/clothes.There are a few hooks in the bathroom, but these you could stick anywhere. I also packed a plug with five different USB outlets. We never used it..... my husband left his phone in the car. I had my phone and ipad, but barely used my phone. I charged it overnight before we disembarked the boat on the 20th. Other than that, we used the ipad to keep in touch. We did pre-purchase Voom. It worked well for what we needed. Never had any issue with it. We used it for Facetime to keep in touch with our kids and for Facebook posts. The speed was very fast, no complaints there.

 

 

 

When we booked, RC asked if we were celebating anything special and we stated our anniversary. When we first got to them room, they had delivered a fruit and cheese tray for us, which we thought was nice. Also, at this point we had our proof of onboard credit by the printouts on the desk. I"ve read some places where cruisers don't get it sometimes until the first night or even day 2, ours was there as we entered the room. We became aquainted with the TV system, which showed all our reservations. According to the TV, our FNDR was from 5:30 to 7:30 at Giovanni's. So we called and they stated it was changed to 8:30, but we wanted to be sure.

 

 

 

We then walked around and became aquainted with our home for the next week before Muster Drill. Our Muster Drill was in the Aquatheatre. This was the most painless Muster Drill I've ever expiereinced. Quick and to the point, the video they play is way cheesey but oh well. We noticed a staircase next to the aquatheatre that took you down to the jogging track/back of the boat. We walked to the back of the boat and it looked as if a storm was about to hit. The sky got very dark and then we saw the Carnival Liberty pull out. We followed right after and sailed into the sun, the Carnival Magic followed us out. We all sailed into the sun, which was nice. The weather looked so nasty! The PC webcam was zoomed right in on my husband and I which really delighted our kids. They thought it was hilarious that we were on there, as we watched the Oasis depart every Sunday before we left. We sat on the back of the boat for awhile as we sailed away. That was probably my favorite spot to relax for the week. Honestly, the times we were back there, there might have been one or two other people back there. SO PEACEFUL! Then off to explore again.....This was probably the point where I found out about the Coconut Ranger Cookies. Holy moly are they delicious! Everytime I passed Cafe Promenade I grabbed one or two!

 

 

 

After more exploring, we decided to go back to the cabin and relax for awhile before dinner. Around 7 our phone rang and it was Giovanni's asking if we'd like to come to dinner at 7:15. We were about to shower and dress for dinner, so we comprimised and said we'd be there around 7:45. I will say Giovanni's was the best meal of the week! It was a great start to the cruise and our vacation. The meat and cheese tray, with the pickled veggies (they just bring it as you are seated) was to die for, as was the bread with the oil/balsamic/parmesan dipper. I had the mushroom risotto and that may have been my favorite of the week. My husband had the Tuna carpaccio (bleh to raw fish) and he raved about it, so if thats your kind of thing, he gave it two thumbs up. I had the Filet for my main course. It was also very good, I ordered it medium, and it was definitely more of a medium rare, which was still fine with me, but if you are a strict medidum/medium well person, you might want to mention how you would like it cooked in detail. It was stated again by the waitress, that the filet is the same filet from Chops. It was very very good. My husband got some type of Pork Belly dish, that he did not care for. He actually cracked a tooth on it as it was so hard. So that was the one drawback of the meal. I had tiramasu for dessert and it was really good, my husband had canolli's which he also enjoyed. I will say at this point, it was probably 8:45-9pm and Giovannis was PACKED. I think they may have had a problem with the reservation system or something or they just had to cram everyone into Giovannis or Sabor.

 

 

 

We then headed to the Casino, and I found my favorite slot, which became my home for a little while each night of the week. We then went to Kareoke (did not participate) in On-Air and watched people sing for an hour or so. We both got the drink of the day (two drinks with the 18% and tip came to around $25), which was pretty good and enjoyed people singing. By then, it was nearing midnight and since id been up since 4am, i decided it was time to turn in. Of course, one quick stop by Cafe Prominade for a few coconut ranger cookies was needed!!!!

 

 

 

Next up: Day 2 (At Sea)

I know there is an ATM in the casino but do you know what the charge is to use it? Also can you get cash from your onboard account for the casino? I hate to carry around too much cash.

Thanks.

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150 Central Park. Unless you are totally "meat and potatoes, All-American food only" people, I think that you will like 150 CP.

Does 150 Park have two different menus? I have only seen one but saw a reference to a second menu last year.

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You don't have to give up your My Time reservations when you book a specialty restaurant. The reservations are in the same system.

Then the problem was in their crazy computer system. Two phone calls later I was able to purchase the package but not able to schedule the Thursday dinner to celebrate my DH's 75th birthday dinner. I hope there are some good open times when I am on board, thus my question about reservation availability.

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Did you have any problem getting reservations at the speciality restaurants? I just purchased the 3 dinner package and they couldn't book for the end of the week. I hope to line up our speciality dining as soon as we get on board. Don't want to give up our My Time reservations until I have a confirmed speciality date and time.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. This is our first time on the Oasis Class ship.

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Another option, if you are looking for adult ONLY is Secrets Aura https://cozumelcruiseexcursions.com/cozumel/adults-only-all-inclusive-day-pass-cozumel/ its a bit more but it is gorgeous resort and no kids. We love Nachi too but did this once and loved it. Different vibe completely but very relaxing and services were excellent

A bit more is double....

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Thank you all for your great information. We booked our room with the shuttle service. Now just waiting for the Oasis reservations to open up!

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We are looking at the Homewood Suites because we are Hilton members and always enjoy the breakfast pre-cruise. But has anyone used their shuttle service? Was it as organized, efficient and reliable as other hotels?

I know they do not have a restaurant but what is the availability of food in the immediate area and at the grab and go in their store?

Thanks for any information. Looking forward to our first time on the Oasis in September.

Yes, plenty of handicapped parking but will it be possible to drive up to the porters and with their help, drop your husband while you then drive around to park and walk back to meet him? Also, there are attendants on duty to show you exactly where to go, etc.

 

The 40% discount offer is no more!

 

Here is a map of the terminal area and the route for drop/pick and park (in yellow):

Thanks so much for the update. The downloadable cruise brochure still talks about the discount.....so back to the drawing board. Cost vs Convenience.

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We will be cruising on the Oasis in September and are considering parking in the garage. My husband has a handicapped hangtag. Is there enough handicapped parking? And I understand there are some area hotels that have discounted coupons to the garage when you stay there or is that a thing of the past?

We stayed in the Raddison twice prior but we would like something easier at this stage of life....

Thanks.