perfect match

Thanks again, Kim! I am all caught up and feel like I have been exploring the ship with you. :D

I loved the small drawbridge! Also the Bermuda sailaway. It would be easy to forget about dinner for a while with a view like that. Sure hope there isn't much current running, either while trying to sail through the drawbridge, or while sailing through that narrow channel.

Thanks for the tour of the Dawn. She is a pretty ship. I liked seeing the setup of the sideways cabins.

I have no idea how you manage to get such detailed reviews done. I have all I can do to keep up with reading what you have written and write one quick reply. As for pictures, well, I'm still trying to organize mine from our Disney cruise this past Sept. :eek: I am so impresed with how quickly you get this done.

Well then my camera just must be crap. LOL It's a fuji and I bought it for solely using underwater, but everything is always pretty greenish, even with the underwater setting.

 

I am a huge Disney geek and hope you do write a report about your trip there. I visit the board Nancy mentioned but I also like passporters. There is less people there (Dis has a LOT of people) and nicer. On Dis some people are kind of nasty at times, but not on the TR boards usually.

Jen, my first UW camera was a fuji, too. It shorted out the first time I used it - in 3 feet of water in my neighbor's pool. Ended up getting a refund because they couldn't fix it. I have an Olympus Tough T3 now and I like it very much. I do still get some color distortion sometimes, but overall it is pretty good and I think with proper underwater lighting the pictures would be even better.

Kim, there is so much to do in Orlando you really can't do it all in one trip. You have to find what works best for you and your family, then fit it into the time frame you have. Either that, or do what we did and move here. :eek::D We have been here for 11 years now and are still finding things to do that we haven't tried yet. We have gotten some pretty amazing deals through Groupon.

Aww, I'm so sorry to hear about your hip surgery. I hope you have a speedy recovery and please take it easy. At least I may be able to keep you entertained some. :D

 

We have been to Disney (and the Orlando area) so many times and loved it. We just haven't done it since Sakari was born. I know she'd have a blast. We normally hit up Disney World, Animal Kingdom, Islands of Adventure (<---my absolute favorite. We were there right before it was opened to the public, had special tickets, and all the movie stars were there...Ron Howard, Eddie Murphy, Patrick Swayze, all the cast from the movie Jurassic Park, the popular boy band back then...98 degrees, Rosie O'Donnell, Whitney Houston and her kid(s) and a bunch more...it was an amazing time to have the park to yourself with all of them riding rides and walking around), the other Universal Studios and MGM (which I think it's called something else now?). Those are the ones we have always went to every time we are there. We will probably have to go to Sea World as well since Sakari is an animal freak. :p When my other kids were little, we use to have a Sea World here in Ohio and would just go there. But since they got rid of it, Sakari has never been.

 

It will be a great time. :D Wait, what Disney board? I didn't realize there was one. I've always said I wanted to move to Florida and if I do, I want it to be the Orlando area.

Yes, you're already keeping me well entertained with your Dawn review. However, I'm not going to call it a novel because it is most definitely not fiction! Write as much as you like, I'm in for the long haul. BTW, I do like the font/size/color you've chosen for this one. Much easier for my aging eyes to read.

The hip is doing much better now that it is fixed. 2 hips down, 2 knees to go. Then I will be the bionic women. I am taking it easy because I know I need to heal. I do not want to risk damaging the great work my surgeon has done and have to go through what I understand is a very painful process to repair the damages if I cause it to pop.

With all there is to see and do here in Orlando, you may need more than one trip to get it all in. I know Sakari will love Sea World. I have been to the one you had in Ohio and I think you will find this one here to be a big step up. You may also want to check out their water park, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove. Don't forget about the Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. Oh, Universal is building a water park, and there is a new aquarium open on International Drive that I haven't checked out yet due to my hip issues.

I don't want to break any rules here about posting links, but yes, there's a disney board. I will separate the info here, just take out the spaces and go research away. It's dis boards dot com. Just don't let it slow you down in writing your Dawn review. :eek::D

I'm excited to read this review! I have Bermuda pretty high up on my list of places I'd like to go, and a lot of the activities you choose to do are ones I'd like as well.

That's quite the burn you got on your arm from trying to catch that iron. I sure wish you'd stop getting hurt every time you go on a cruise! This coming from a woman who ripped a toenail off on her last cruise. :rolleyes:

I hope that camera charger turns up somewhere. :eek: I cannot imagine you on a cruise with out a working camera. Besides, it seems like you are always so well organized, I can't imagine you would ever forget something as important as a camera charger.

I am one of those who has had problems with the color/font on previous reviews. I couldn't read for more than a few minutes at a time. I think this time you've got it right! I have had no problems at all with this one. :D

I am really looking forward to following along as this story unfolds! :cool:

I loved all the views of Bermuda harbor. Thanks for including the one showing the dive boat. :D

How great is it to sit on your balcony and watch other ships entering and leaving the port? I spent far more time than usual doing exactly that on our last cruise, and vowed to do it more in the future. :cool:

Yep, we just got off the Dawn today and definitely had a blast. I can't wait to go back to Bermuda.

 

No, I do not use the flash under water. I have tried that a few times and the flash will pick up every water bubble, micro organism (well, probably not but it sure does look like it in the pictures) and every other thing you can think of. It doesn't work out well for me, so I leave the flash off.

 

We loved Blue Lagoon and would definitely go back just to hang out. We really enjoyed the ride over and back and we thought the time went quickly.

 

The Disney cruises look wonderful, but I doubt we will ever take one. They are just too darn expensive for my taste. We will probably be eliminating a cruise next year and just going to Disney World (and all the other places I love down there like Animal Kingdom and Universal) just to take our little one there (she has never been yet). :)

I thought it was about time for you to be back from your Dawn cruise so I was hoping you would be doing a review. I'm in no rush, I am recovering from hip surgery, I am in cruise withdrawal, and your reviews are always such a great read. I am going to have plenty of time to enjoy this one! :D

Looks like you may be in our area next year if you do an Orlando parks trip. It will be really interesting to see what you plan to do here. Oh wait,, that's not a cruise, so you probably won't be posting here. Disney board maybe? Who knows, we may even run into you in the parks, as we get down there every chance we get. I can tell you for sure that Sakari will love it. :cool:

JackieJ, thank you for sharing your story. I am so glad your husband is OK, but appalled by how you were treated. I'm thinking your taxi driver should have been the port agent and the port agent, well I haven't thought of an appropriate job for him/her yet....

Kudos to you for handling the whole situation so well.

I used Divers Down, both when staying on the island for a week and also from cruise ships with the same port schedule as yours. They had absolutely no problem accommodating our cruise ship schedule. I loved diving with them and would definitely dive with them again. One other advantage is that they are very close to port. Just exit the port area, walk about 300 yards and you're there. They are right between Casanova's and Rackham's, so there is easy access to a good lunch if you are so inclined.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your dives! I can't wait to get back there. :D

Wow , you have Alaska in a couple of weeks ? We'll trade the Caribbean for Alaska ! Look for flash sales in hurricane season , sometimes low prices are very convincing ! WDW tomorrow and surf lessons for the grandsons in Typhoon Lagoon Tuesday morning @ 5 AM :eek: :):D

5AM surf lessons?! :eek: I knew they started those early, but I didn't know it was THAT early!

Have a great time at WDW with the grandsons. :cool:

We have become spoiled in our old age , love the warm , clear water .

Us, too! :D

We Floridian Melbournians don't permit improper temperatures at our beaches . Even in the Wintertime , the Gulf Stream keeps us in the Goldilocks zone ! :cool:

Although I'm not a native Floridian, I seem to have developed that intolerance of improper temperatures in the 11 years I've lived here! I did notice Pat's jacket in the picture next to the bus, so I thought it might be a bit chilly.

While I'm looking at your awesome pictures, I keep thinking you should make them into a calendar. It would be beautiful! :cool:

That beach does look beautiful! I wish there were more options to cruise to Bermuda from central FL. There's not a lot of options I've been able to find, and none that would work with our schedule when I did find them.

We were just in 8712 on Indy April 25 - May 3. We were aft, but not a corner aft. We still had 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a small table. All the other aft balconies I was able to see (3 others on our cabin crawl) had the same furniture as we did. Enjoy your corner aft! :D

I'm all caught up! Pictures are all beautiful, as usual. My favorites while catching up were the 3rd on in the surrise series (even though I'm late to that party) and the storm shot coming in to Bermuda. :D

I'm glad you and the Eclipse didn't become one of the Bermuda shipwrecks, but I'm wondering if you had a chance to dive any of them?

Excellent review, Ginny! While I still have quite a while before it is our turn on Oasis, I have been very busy taking notes so I will be able to go over them again them when our turn to sail does arrive.

I really appreciate all the time you've taken to do this review and all the photos you've shared. I will definitely be reading your previous reviews, and will be looking for your Panama Canal review as well since that is one of the cruises I'm looking to get booked.

Maybe if I'm really lucky we will get to meet you some day. Hopefully on a cruise ship sailing to some beautiful beaches somewhere in the Caribbean. :D

The Eclipse really is a beautiful ship. I'm sure we will find a way to sail her at some point. Funny how my cruise wish list just keeps getting longer...... :D

The Eclipse really is a beautiful ship. I'm sure we will find a way to sail her at some point. Funny how my cruise wish list just keeps getting longer...... :D

Here's what the Fitbit website says about Fitbit One, which is the model I have:

 

The Fitbit One is not waterproof, but it is rain, splash, and sweat proof. It should not be worn while swimming.

I actually had my Fitbit Zip clipped to my swimsuit top in Cozumel when I got out to about waist deep and realized it was there.:eek: Just in time I had to hustle it back to the beach. The rest of the time I was pretty good about pulling it off before getting into the water.

Well, I guess that pretty much guarantees that I'd forget I had a Fitbit on and take it swimming! :eek: Thanks for the info. :D

Lisa, good for you for making it up those stairs to do the water slide!

Enjoying your review. We were on the Oasis for a B2B last January, and this

brings back great memories. This ship is truly amazing.

 

Congrats on your weight loss. You look beautiful and I am sure you feel very

healthy. Keep up the good work.

 

Good luck on the knee surgery when you choose to do it. I am recovering from total hip replacement. Five weeks out and starting to feel great and anxious to get back to my old self and the activities I love.

 

Awesome review as always!!!!!!!!

My second total hip replacement is 1 week from tomorrow. Doing the right one this time, left was done 5 years ago. I can't wait to get it done so, like you, I can get back to doing the things I love. In the meantime, living vicariously through Ginny and the AZ Cruisers is helping me get through until surgery day. Sounds like you are doing great with your recovery. :cool:

Thank you so much! I will keep on truckin' as long as I can. don't want to be in recovery while we are on the Panama Canal cruise in October as we will be doing a lot of touring then. I am glad you are doing better. You should be feeling like a new person soon.

 

 

I am more of a shade seeker than Lisa, but yes, the overhang did provide us wth a lot of shade. It was very comfortable. And there was no blockage of the vew. I imagine the Deck 14 cabins would have had their views blocked due to the overhang.

I am glad to hear there will be some shade on the balcony. Although I am a bit of a sun seeker, I have been afraid that our balcony would be too hot to enjoy, and I know DH is going to practically live out there! OK, I probably will, too. :D

Can your Fitbit be worn in the water? I do spend as much time as possible staying wet, and I can just see me going in with the Fitbit still on. :eek: I was considering taking my old school pedometer on our recent Indy cruise to count my steps, but it never made it into the suitcase. Honestly, on that sailing I probably wouldn't have worn it much anyway with all the hip and knee problems I was having.

It seems to me like great minds continue to think alike! While our previous cruises have been on Disney and Princess, we did our 1st RCI cruise a few weeks ago on Independence. Our beach spot on Labadee, Nellie's beach, was right in front of your cabanas. We were planning to do the zipline but had to cancel because my bad knees and right hip were really acting up, plus one of the loungers on our balcony went on the attack while I was trying to move it into the shade and ripped one of my toenails off. At that point I had no choice but to surrender and cancel our zipline while we could still get a refund. I can't wait to get back there on our Oasis cruise. I am also considering Rose Hall for our Falmouth stop, probably will book privately like you did.

I am absolutely loving your pictures of the Boardwalk as seen from your balcony! I mean, where else but an Oasis class ship would you get those views? We had debated booking a JS for the extra space, but opted for the Boardwalk for the unique views it offers. I really can't wait to try it out. The one advantage to our long wait for our Oasis cruise is that both my hip and knees should be repaired by then.

I'm really enjoying your review. While I have a bit of a long wait until it is our turn on Oasis, I am enjoying learinig as much about her as I can while I wait. I like the direction your review is going as your plans for your cruise sound very much like what ours will be. We even have the same taste in cabins. We are booked in 10327. I can't wait to see the changing views from your balcony! :D

I also want to congratulate you on your 85 lb weight loss! That is a wonderful accomplishment! Keep up the good work!

I will be following along here, and I expect to go read your other reviews when I'm done with this one. I have already added a note to remember to keep the curtains closed when needed for privacy!

another story[/i] .

Wow! Hope that worked out OK. I thought it was scary enough having to go to the ship's Dr on our recent Independence of the Seas cruise when the attack lounger on our balcony decided to rip my toenail off! :eek:

Patty, hope you were able to get back to good health and enjoy the rest of the cruise!

Funny, DH just mentioned yesterday that we should think about another Disney cruise. I have a tendency to hit "book" pretty quickly when he says he wants to go on another trip! :D

Instead of doing this, I'm taking these new Bounty paper towels that has Dawn dish washing liquid fused into them. This way I have the soap and cloth to wash these and whatever else may need it.

I like that idea! I think I'd probably pack some in a ziploc bag so I wouldn't have to pack the whole roll. When I first saw an ad for those paper towels I didn't think very much of the idea, but that just goes to show you can learn something new every day.