WVHillbilly

Cruise Day 7: Sea Day

Today was bitter sweet, knowing that this was our last sea day and the cruise was coming to an end. Made a visit to Next Cruise, and booked a cruise on Harmony for February 2020. Spent the day enjoying the ship and we had reservations for the afternoon showing of Cats.

I had heard all the reviews about people leaving at intermission, but I was determined to sit thru the entire show for the DW. I must say I found it quite entertaining, it was a very good show and well worth watching. Below are a few photos of the show.

Dinner was in the MDR again tonight, for another enjoyable meal and saying our farewells to our tablemates for the week. We had one last drink in the Schooner Bar before heading back to the room for our last night on the ship. I think the worst part of the cruise was seeing all the suitcases in the hallway. One last picture of the wake.

Cruise Day 6: Cozumel (continued)

After the excursion, the original plan was to grab a cab and head downtown but once we considered the heat and limited time we decided to grab a drink and a bite to eat before heading back to the ship. On the recommendation of Jesus our tour guide we stopped at a restaurant inside the port. I don’t remember the name of it only that they have tables with blue umbrellas. We had some really great chicken quesadillas and a margarita.

Dinner was in the Windjammer tonight, then off to see Come Fly with Me. The show was okay, I enjoyed the dancing but like I said earlier I wasn’t a fan of the singing. The evening was wrapped up listening to the guitar player in the Globe & Atlas.

Cruise Day 6: Cozumel (continued)

Wanted to include a few animal pictures.

Cruise Day 6: Cozumel (continued)

After leaving San Gervasio we headed to a stop at a beach for a short photo op, then it was on to the Mayan Cocoa Company.

Upon arriving at the Mayan Cacao Company, we received a blessing from a Mayan dressed in cultural dress in their native tongue, and then it was off to a demonstration of how cocoa was made.

Cruise Day 6: Cozumel

I was awake as we began our final push into the dock and was able to get a few great sunrise pictures.

After breakfast in the MDR we soon headed off the ship, before our excursion we poked around a few of the shops in port. Our excursion was to San Gervasio ruins and the Mayan Cacao Company. Our tour guide was Jesus, he was informative on the Mayan culture and also very friendly and funny. While the Mayan ruins on Cozumel are not as spectacular as say Tulum, the guide made it much better with the history behind it and we were glad we took this excursion.

Enjoying your take on this cruise as we were also on this sailing.

Cruise Day 5: Sea Day

Today was coffee and a pastry from Café Promenade, then meeting our table mates for a morning around the pool. I will say that we had a great time with our table mates, especially talking around the dining table. Lunch was a couple of sandwiches at Park Café, then exploring the ship and a little shopping.

Tonight was our second formal night, which means lobster. After having our pictures taken we had a pre-dinner drink from the Schooner Bar, then it was off to the dining room. It was another great meal with great service. After dinner it was a perfect night for a stroll thru Central Park, a drink and listening to a string duo in the park. Sea days are so peaceful and relaxing it has me thinking of a repositioning cruise with many sea days.

Sunset at Sea

Central Park at night

CRUISE DAY 4: Falmouth, Jamaica

Ooops, just saw a mistake from yesterday’s review, we actually saw Oasis of Dreams instead of Come Fly with Me. Oasis of Dreams was a great acrobatic, dancing and diving show. I’m not sure what the story line was but it was very entertaining. We actually saw Come Fly with Me on Day 6. Here’s a couple pics from Oasis of Dreams.

Today began with breakfast in the MDR, before heading off the ship. Today was just a port day, we walked around the port visiting several souvenir shops ultimately buy t-shirts for the grandkids, rum cake and coffee. Had a margarita and some appetizers at Margaritaville then it was back to the ship.

After the awful experience with the vendors in Haiti, Jamaica was a complete 180. We found the vendors to be polite and accommodating. It was a pleasure talking to them and doing business with them.

Dinner tonight was back in the MDR for another great meal. After dinner we attended the Prohibition Event in Jazz on 4. The event was a lot of fun, the ships staff put on a good show getting other involved in the festivities. They had finger food available, but we never tried any as we were still full from dinner, the drinks were served in coffee cups and free flowing. We found the drinks to be too sweet for us but others seemed to enjoy them. The night ended enjoying a drink on the balcony, watching the ocean.

CRUISE DAY 3: Labadee Haiti

After a great and relaxing sea day we were up early for our first port day. We had breakfast in the MDR, both of us had the eggs benedict, bacon and corned beef hash. Everything was good in fact I think the corned beef hash may have been fresh made and not from a can. Next it was back to our cabin to pack for an exhilarating day on Labadee.

Our first stop was the Zip Line, after being fit for our harnesses and listening to the safety brief we were off to the practice line. After donning our harness we were met by a young local man that took a special interest in us making sure we knew where to go and offered to take our photo several times. He definitely made a good impression on us with his friendliness, courtesy and helpfulness. Next was the ride up the mountain to the main feature. I found the terrain to be especially rocky with large boulders and trees growing between these huge rocks. The view from the top was amazing; the ride down was short but enjoyable. The first half was somewhat slow as we looked around and down, suddenly at mid- point the speed picked up and we rocketed to the landing zone. There was a quick stop at the end but I didn’t find it jolting or jerking. I did prepare for the stop and was expecting the jerk so I didn’t keep myself limp and that may have lessened the impact from the stop. I would definitely do it again and recommend it to everyone.

Next was a stop at the Straw Market and a venture toward the Artesian Village. I had been warned of the aggressive nature of the vendors and found it to be as bad or worse than I expected. We didn’t make it very far into the Artesian Village before we had had enough. We did purchase some artwork and would have liked to venture into the other shops, but the experience was so pushy we were ready to get out of there. I did voice my displeasure with this experience on the post cruise survey. I don’t know if Royal has ever done anything about this or not but I would suggest RCCL conduct training with the vendors, explaining that they may see an increase in sales if they change their tactics. I for one would have spent more if they weren’t so aggressive an intrusive. I will avoid this area in any future visits to Labadee.

The barbeque was pretty good and we were entertained by a few outstanding acrobats. I did manage to slip in a couple Labadoozies between the Zip-Line and Para-Sail. Soon it was time to board the boat for our para-sail excursion. The boat ride was a bit choppy and the para-sailing was great. It was so quiet floating above the water, I think the ride was about 5-6 minutes and it was a great experience.

After walking back to ship, we chilled and cooled off in the room and watched the sail away from our balcony and got cleaned up for dinner and the evening’s festivities. Dinner was in the Windjammer; we had the minute steaks and they were very good. I am not a fan of the Windjammer, the layoutof the food bars made it difficult to find anything with the crowd entering the bars at any and all directions.

We had two shows scheduled this evening: “Come Fly with Me”and “Frozen in Time”. The DW enjoyed them both, while I found the singing in “Come Fly with Me” not as good mainly because I felt they were screaming more than singing. The skaters in “Frozen in Time” were very good and I enjoyed their interpretation of the story lines. They had a guest artist who performed a sand table act that was fantastic. Final show of the evening was the “Love and Marriage Show”; which was funny and entertaining. The evening was completed with a drink in the Schooner Bar listening to the piano player.

Come Fly with Me

Frozen in Time

CRUISE DAY 2: Sea Day

Our first glorious day at sea began with me running down to Café Promenade for a couple of Latte’s to enjoy on our balcony along with our room service breakfast. I had requested room service delivery between 8:00-8:30, the phone rang at 8:15 to say that our breakfast was on the way and it arrived at 8:35. Breakfast was enjoyed on the balcony watching us slip thru a calm sea.

After breakfast it was off to the Meet & Mingle, we were able to meet and talk with 3 of our members and actually won an hour’s worth of internet. It would have been great if they would have had everyone stand and tell everyone their screen name and such.; It would have encouraged more mingling. Other than that it was fun, although it appeared that everyone that had signed up for the Meet &Mingle did not attended the event.

Lunch was at the Dog House on the Boardwalk, we each had a bratwurst with various toppings. It was now time to wander the ship and spend a little time in the solarium. I did see a great number of saved but unused chairs around the pool deck, but we were able to grab two loungers and chill for acouple of hours in the solarium. Before long it was time to shower and get dressed for the first formal night. Pre-dinner photos and a drink were enjoyed on the promenade deck. I didn’t take photos of any food on this trip, but the meal and service was consistently great each evening. Since we had no prior experience, we didn’t mind ordering appetizers, entrée and dessert all at once.

Just a few musings about the dress of the other cruisers; I noticed that most women out dressed their male companions. Guys if your lady friend dresses up at least put in the extra effort for her. I noted quite a few cruisers posing for the photographers when the women were dressed all up and their male partner was casually dressed or less.

After all the discussion with the condition of the ship, I actually tried to find problems when walking around the ship. I will say she is in great shape, sure it wasn’t like getting in a brand new car or house but nothing I saw affected the enjoyment of the cruise. That being said, I did occasionally see the odd worn carpet or furniture, but I wouldn’t say it was anymore than normal wear and tear that you would expect with 6K+ guest each and every week. We were consistently wowed with the ship and cruising in general and just didn’tunderstand why we never tried it before.

Okay, I apologize for taking so long in completing this review, it appears that grass doesn't stop growing when you go on a cruise and after a long cold winter, things have kicked into high gear and everything is green and growing.

Interesting about the muster fiasco - all crew members should be trained as to where the stations are. Heck, I know the location of every muster station on the Oasis class ships, and I’m not even a crew member! You must have been G1 or G3. Loving the review so far, can’t wait to read more!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes we had G1 muster station. I will say I began to get frustrated with the mis directions, but we finally made it to the right spot and found a seat in the Aqua Theater. The safety movie was somewhat amusing and comparable to other corporate safety briefings I've seen. I would have preferred the facts and shorten the drill, but I guess they feel the need to entertain to have more people watch the video.

CRUISE DAY 1: Embarkation Day (part 2)

After unpacking and checking out our room and just bathing in the feeling that the cruise was really about to start, we headed out to take a slow stroll to our muster station. One point for first time cruisers is that your muster station is listed on the back of your cabin door. A point we did not notice before heading out and after asking several crew members who did not really know where we were to go, one sent us to the wrong deck and the other sent us to the wrong side of the ship. It turned out that our muster station was the Aqua Theater, starboard side. Watched the spy drama movie and were finally released to go about our day.

Grabbing an adult beverage we headed back to our room to watch sail away from our balcony. By the time we reached our room we had already pushed away from the dock and heading out. After clearing the harbor it was off to the pool deck to enjoy the hot tub before dinner.

Sailing out of the harbor

Clearing the harbor the pilot boat heads back

Soon it was time for a shower, get dressed and head of to the MDR (Silk Dining Room) to find our table and meet our table mates. We were seated with six other people, made our introductions and then met our wonderful Head Waiter Manoj and Assistant Waiter Atul. These two gentlemen were fabulous the entire week. Orders for appetizers, main entrees and desert were taken all at once. The food was delivered promptly and with a smooth transition from one course to the next.

After dinner it was off to the adult comedy show, they had two comedians, Phil Tag and Lenny Marcus. Lenny performed first followed by Phil; both were entertaining and funny although we thought Phi Tag was the better of the two. Everyone was warned that it was an adult comedy show, so if you are offended by cursing, sexual humor and off color jokes then this show is not for you. We both enjoyed the show, while adult in nature I was glad that it wasn’t filled with a lot of gratuitous profanity that many modern comedians think is so funny.

After the show it was a stroll thru Central Park then up toour balcony to unwind and enjoy the sounds of the ship slipping thru thewaters, before retiring for the night. Central Park is an absolutely peaceful place to be and we enjoyed itmany times in the coming week.

CRUISE DAY 1: Embarkation Day (part 1)

Up early and eager to check in at the port. After a continental breakfast at the hotel we departed to return the rental car to Cocoa Beach at 8:15 am. We arrived at Port Canaveral at 9:00 am, decided to attempt to drop our luggage with the porters before turning in the rental car. It was a bit chaotic as there were still people departing the ship and waiting on rides. I didn’t see anyone receiving luggage on my first pass, had to ask where to drop the bags, this time I saw the porters taking bags. Bags were handed over to the porters and off we went to return the rental car.

No wait to return the rental car at the Budget office in Cocoa Beach, there was one other gentleman already there waiting to return to the ship. The shuttle driver shows up and tells us we're really early and that we wouldn’t be able to check in as there were still people disembarking. He reluctantly took off and dropped us at Terminal 1. By 9:20 am we were standing in line with about a hundred other eager cruisers. At about 9:45 am the terminal doors were opened and it was show our set sail pass at the door, pass thru security and then upstairs to check-in where we got our Sea Passes. We were seated in the terminal at 10:15 am waiting to board.

At 11:00 am boarding begin and it was off to the ship, we stopped for the pre-boarding photo op, where I learned that my Sea Pass card didn’t work because I had slipped it in the same pocket as my cell phone. Up the gangway and onto the ship we went, scan the Sea Pass cards and then to Guest Services for a new Sea Passcard. With a new card in hand it was off to the Globe and Atlas for our first drink, a Kraken Lava Flow. Slipped over to Café Promenade for the Kummelweck and we sat in the Globe and Atlas enjoying our first drink and sandwich.

Next was a walk around the Promenade deck then onto Central Park for a Bahama Mamma. After a quick stroll around Central Park we took a seat on the stone wall across from theTrellis Bar. People watching and sipping our drink we stayed there until the announcement came that the rooms were opened up at 1:00 pm.

Walking down the corridor towards our cabin (10684), I spotted two of our bags, grabbing the first one we walked into our cabin. The cabin was amazing and exactly what we expected, a quick look around and it was back into the corridor, the third bag had magically appeared and now we had all of our luggage in the room. Not wanting to take any chances with getting sick during the cruise we wiped down all surfaces with hydrogen peroxide wipes and began unpacking our suitcases. With our clothes hung and put away we stowed the empty suitcases under the bed (a tip we learned here). Now it was time for a few photos and checking out the room and balcony.

We just did this tour last week (except no downtown stop) and really enjoyed it. I hope that you get Oscar as a guide. He was wonderful. So passionate about the history and culture! Could’ve listened to him all day.

 

Enjoy your first cruise. Chances are it won’t be your last [emoji4]

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We never made the downtown stop wasn't enough time to do it properly, we had Jesus and he was very entertaining. Learned a lot about the Mayan culture and history.

:D Certainly won't be our last, we already had another booked for this December and couldn't leave the Oasis without booking the Harmony for February 2020. I think we are addicted.

Had an early morning flight from IAD to MCO with Southwest,the flight went very well took off and landed on time. My only beef was with the TSA, Dullesterminal has two regular security stations one on the east side of the terminaland the other on the west side. NowSouthwest is on the west side of the terminal, guess what security station wasclosed, yep the west. This meant walkingto the east end of the terminal, going thru security and walking back to thewest end to catch the train to the mid-field concourse to board the plane.

Once in Orlando, we picked up our rental car and did a rehearsal run to Port Canaveral. Drove by Terminal 1 to see where we would be checking in and boarding. We also did a tour of the Exploration Tower at the Port which was interesting; learned about the history of the port.

Terminal 1:

Went over to Grills Seafood and Tiki Bar, which is right next to the RCCL Terminal. Ordered their coconut shrimp and bacon wrapped scallop appetizers and a Shark Kabob meal to split. Everything was good, but I must say I like bacon and I like scallops, but not necessarily together. The shark kabobs were fantastic, I highly recommend them.

Grills Seafood and Tiki Bar:

Shark!!:

After a great lunch we headed back to Orlando to check in tothe Comfort Suites MCO. We had originallybooked this hotel for its price and the ease to get back to the airport tocatch a bus transfer to Port Canaveral in the morning of our cruise. Because of being in Orlando the entire day before the cruise we opted to cancel the bus transfer and rent the car, it was a wise decision. In hindsight I would have tried to get a hotel closer to the port.

Using my best 14 yr old voice "OMG" The ship was fantastic and huge. I don't see how others manage to do the live blog it was just amazing to try keep up with the itinerary. Now that we are back and unpacked I will try and provide the review.

We just attended the the Prohibition Party on Oasis of the Seas during the April 29, 2018 sailing. I would say about 75% of the people were dressed for the event, the staff were in the role and very entertaining and they had men and women come up to learn a dance from the era. They did provide some finger foods, although we did not sample any as we had just gotten finished with dinner about an hour before. The drinks were free flowing and served in tea cups. The drinks were supposed to be what you would find during the prohibition era but they were too sweet for my taste. I basically nursed the one drink for the duration, although others seemed to like them. The entertainment was by the band that played in the Jazz Club and they were quite good. I'd say go just to say that you had participated in a Prohibition Party and enjoy the music and entertainment.

Ship - Oasis of the Seas

Deck - 10

Stateroom # - 684

Stateroom Category – D6 Ocean View Balcony

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard Side

Quiet Stateroom? - Room was very quiet, in fact the only noise we heard was an occasional door shutting and did hear people walking in what appeared to be the room above and aft of us. We did not notice any noise coming from the connecting room door.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - This was a connecting stateroom, the door was located opposite the bathroom, so it did not have any impact on the room it's self.

Balcony View - View from the balcony was not obstructed.

Balcony Size? - Normal sized balcony, contained two chairs and a table.

Was wind a problem? - No problems with the wind.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - Room was several cabins aft of the aft elevators but forward of the smoke stacks so we did not have any soot on the balcony.

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None

Any other comments? - Bed was located next to the balcony with a sofa bed between the bed and closet. The room has two dim lights over a picture above the sofa and at the foot of the bed, these were to bright for me to use as a night light as I prefer a near dark room. We did leave the bathroom light on at night and even with the door closed it provided enough light to find the toilet in the middle of the night.

All my bags are packed

I'm ready to go

So kiss me and smile for me

Tell me that you'll wait for me

Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane

Bags are nearly packed, so far my Cozumel excursion has not been canceled. We have an early morning flight to Orlando. :cool:

We will be on with you! Counting down the days... leaving for MCO in < 24 hours... yay!!! Luggage has been packed for days and already with family who is driving and taking it for us. Can't wait!!

 

I just posted on the roll call that our Coz excursion was canceled... so was another. Is yours still intact?

Luggage is about 90% packed, and I can see that we are way overpacked. :D We fly out very early Saturday morning arriving in Orlando mid morning if things go well.

Cruise Day -3:

The DW and I will be sailing on Oasis of the Seas on April29, for a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise. This will be a pre and post cruise review as I opted not to stay connectedduring the cruise. We are a couple inour mid-sixties and this will be our first cruise. RCL was chosen believing that this will be agood fit for us based on our lifestyle, the recommendation of a friend andafter much research on the internet. I am thankful for all the knowledge we havegained from CC and the RC forum that has helped immensely in the planning andprepping for this cruise. I hope to givea first time cruisers perspective of this sailing.

Pre-cruise planning began this past December; and Oasis ofthe Seas was selected for her amenities and entertainment options. This itinerary was chosen as this one had severalexcursions that interested us. InJanuary we spoke to a TA and let her take care of the details such as flights,hotels, etc. We will be flying from WashingtonDulles (IAD) to Orlando International (MCO) the day before sailing, picking upa rental car and staying in Orlando near MCO and driving to Port Canaveral onEmbarkation Day and returning the rental car prior to boarding.

On board entertainment has been reserved, and numerousvideos of the ship have been viewed in hopes that we will not be lost from dayone. We purchased the deluxe refreshmentpackage for $45 +gratuities per day. Iam hoping that with the use of specialty coffees, orange juice, soda, bottledwater and cocktails it will have been a good buy. Wedecided in taking dinners in the MDR “to get the feel of cruising” and the typeof specialty dinning offered onboard is readily available near our home. We are staying in an ocean view balcony toenjoy the views with our morning coffee and chill time in the cabin. After reserving the cabin we wanted, it wasdiscovered that it was a connecting cabin. I am hoping that will not have been a mistake, but am glad to see thatthe location of the connecting door on “Lady O” still allows for a sofa in theroom.

The first port day will be Labadee, were we have zip liningand para sailing planned as well as walking around the vendors for a souveniror two. The second port day will be inFalmouth Jamaica, we had originally planned a non-RCL excursion to severalhistoric sites in Montego Bay. After thetravel advisories were issued we researched the excursion and found that all ofour stops, while not in the neighborhoods that were under the warning they didskirt or were surrounded by them. Whilein my youth I have visited many questionable areas both at home and abroad, Iam now too old to run or fight and didn’t want the DW to be uncomfortable. So Falmouth will just be a port day roamingaround the shops and having extra time on the ship. The last port day will be Cozumel, weoriginally had wanted to visit the Maya ruins in Tulum or Chichen Itza. They were eventually rejected due to the longferry and bus ride and the limited time at the ruins just didn’t seem worth it. Instead we will visit the ruins at SanGervasio and the Maya Chocolate factory along with a visit to “downtown”Cozumel.

Clothing has been gathered, so now it’s time to start thepacking checking and double checking to make sure we have everything we thingwe will need. Tomorrow we drop the dogsat the kennel and pick up any last minute items we had forgotten.

I saw that I can purchase discounted arcade credit on the cruise planner. DW and I used to do the arcades when they became popular in the 80's and DW would like to maybe play a few games not sure if we would use $20-25 worth of credit. Any idea what the cost is for 80's style games?

How do you pay to play the arcade games on the Oasis? Do you just swipe your sea pass card?