Oasis Trip Report June 19-26, 2010

[BrianAlt]

Or would it be?

 

Dun, dun, dunnnnnnn! :eek:

 

The suspense is killing me.

[cruiser01]

What is Midnight at the Oasis???

[BrianAlt]

What is Midnight at the Oasis???

 

Midnight at the Oasis

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

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"Midnight at the Oasis"Single by Maria MuldaurB-side"Any Old Time"Released1974Format7" 45rpmGenreRockWriter(s)David NichternProducerJoe Boyd

 

"Midnight at the Oasis" is a 1974 song which was performed by singer Maria Muldaur and was her best-known hit, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by David Nichtern, the would-be naughty song is a teasing offer of a desert love affair, in a setting which owes more to Rudolph Valentino sheik movies than to real Middle Eastern deserts. Allmusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald describes the song as "so sensual and evocative that it was probably one of the most replayed records of the era and also may be responsible for the most pregnancies from a record during the mid-'70s".[1] Some of the lyrics are mildly suggestive (i.e., "let's slip off to a sand dune ... and kick up a little dust"), but not sexually explicit.

"Midnight" features an instrumental bridge, which is particularly memorable for the guitar work of Amos Garrett.[2]

The lyric "Cactus is our friend..." is used several times in the song. The droll reference suggests an ersatz Hollywood "oasis", since cacti are New World plants native to North America, South America, and the West Indies; they are not found on the Arabian Peninsula naturally. A variation on the suggestive reference may be the saying "let's go out to the desert and watch the cactus grow".

Edited July 6, 2010 by BrianAlt

[Jan_In_Maine]

Thanks for the info on the song, I would neve have thought to look it up....drat ... its been years and now the song is going through my head (it never was one of my favorite songs!). Jan

[cruiser01]

Midnight at the Oasis

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Jump to: navigation, search

"Midnight at the Oasis"Single by Maria MuldaurB-side"Any Old Time"Released1974Format7" 45rpmGenreRockWriter(s)David NichternProducerJoe Boyd

 

"Midnight at the Oasis" is a 1974 song which was performed by singer Maria Muldaur and was her best-known hit, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by David Nichtern, the would-be naughty song is a teasing offer of a desert love affair, in a setting which owes more to Rudolph Valentino sheik movies than to real Middle Eastern deserts. Allmusic reviewer Matthew Greenwald describes the song as "so sensual and evocative that it was probably one of the most replayed records of the era and also may be responsible for the most pregnancies from a record during the mid-'70s".[1] Some of the lyrics are mildly suggestive (i.e., "let's slip off to a sand dune ... and kick up a little dust"), but not sexually explicit.

"Midnight" features an instrumental bridge, which is particularly memorable for the guitar work of Amos Garrett.[2]

The lyric "Cactus is our friend..." is used several times in the song. The droll reference suggests an ersatz Hollywood "oasis", since cacti are New World plants native to North America, South America, and the West Indies; they are not found on the Arabian Peninsula naturally. A variation on the suggestive reference may be the saying "let's go out to the desert and watch the cactus grow".

 

I guess I was just confused as to why they put 'Midnight at the Oasis' on the Compass if it's just a song. Do they just sing it? Or is there some sort of special activity that goes along with it?

[swwake]

I guess I was just confused as to why they put 'Midnight at the Oasis' on the Compass if it's just a song. Do they just sing it? Or is there some sort of special activity that goes along with it?

I don't have my Compasses here, but I believe it was Day 6 they had "Midnight on the Oasis" - All Ship. I think it's a play on the song, and there is a blurb in the Compass that says, no matter where you are, at Midnight tonight, take some time to reflect on your cruise, the ship, and the experiences you've had with your travelmates. I was somewhere at Midnight (I think the "twenty" party in the Solarium) and they didn't stop the action or play the song or anything. So I think it was just a trigger to help people reflect.

[IBookHePays]

Susan,

Don't stop now...really enjoying your review!:)

[OnlineMom]

Here is a link to a video I put together.

Flow Rider Video (I think you have to be a Facebook member to see it.)

 

LOVE it! Great job!

[swwake]

Monday morning I woke up before Chris and checked the Cruise Compass for the Flowrider times. We hadn't been worried about getting up early for the Advanced session because:

1) I was intimidated and afraid I couldn't get up on my own

2) We knew we'd have all day (9-6) to ride, based on looking at Compasses from previous sailings.

 

Well, here's what the Compass said:

FlowRiders (no portside FlowRider today)

Advanced Stand-up Surfing 8am-9am

Stand-up Surfing 9am-11am

Stand-up Surfing 4pm-6pm

Boogie Boarding 11am-4pm

 

It was 9:30 by the time I got my swimsuit on and I was NOT a happy camper. Chris didn't want to get up, but I was on this cruise to ride the FlowRider, and I was going to maximize my time. So I grabbed a quick breakfast somewhere (like a banana) and checked in at the sports desk for my wristband. I asked Stephen (the sports desk staff) why they were only running one FlowRider, and he said "because they are filming a commercial on the other one". Now, I was even madder. Why couldn't they film while we were in port? Or at night? And to top it off, Stephen told me that they planned to film again on Thursday (the next Sea Day), limiting the time yet again.

 

So I rode from about 10 to 11, then I ran a couple of errands. First, I stopped by the On-Air Club, where they were selling the Live the Oasis book from 10:30 to 11:30. I picked up a book and its two accompanying lanyards. This book is only $12.99 and is a really nice keepsake. It has beautiful pictures and lots of trivia about the ship. It's designed to be a scavenger hunt, with six "trails", each trail having four "clues". Once you answer a trail's clues, you bring the book and your answers to the On-Air Club at designated times and receive a button for your lanyard. They also had daily Live the Oasis trivia contests.

 

I carried my book around the ship in my backpack during the day for the rest of the cruise, but we never found the time to do even one trail. I guess I'll have to take another cruise on the Oasis!

 

After this errand, I stopped by Guest Services to express my disappointment about the limited FlowRider time. The lady I spoke to said she understood, but couldn't offer any remedy. She suggested that I might talk to the staff at the sports desk to see if they could offer anything. (We were already committed to and paid for a group lesson session for that night for both Chris and me, but I was wondering if they might throw in another lesson to give us more time.) In the end, I was too shy to ask for this from the sports staff, because we had gotten pretty friendly with them. But we did talk to them about our disappointment, and some of them tried to help us out with a little additional coaching when they saw us on the FlowRider. By the end of the week, I got over it, but I have to say this one one of the three disappointments for us for the week (2 being no Makers Mark on the ship, and 3 being very few clocks onboard).

 

I found Chris back in the cabin, and he and I went to the Business Center on Deck 14 with my computer to try to figure out why we were getting an error trying to access the internet. Being Monday, we both needed to check email for work. We got that worked out and called the girls, who had just woken up, and all decided to meet at the Windjammer for lunch.

 

At 11:30 or 12, we found it really easy to find an open table for 5 at the WJ. Also, the food wasn't so bad. This contradicts what I have heard from others. We all relaxed and enjoyed our lunch, each taking turns checking email and Facebook, and of course Cruise Critic, and planning out the rest of our afternoon.

 

After lunch, Kellye went to the pool to lay out, Chris and I went to run the track for 30 minutes, and I'm not sure where Katie and Caitlin went. After our run, Katie met us at the gym for some weight training, and we finally met up with Kellye again around 3pm.

 

I can't remember what happened after that, but I'm sure Chris and I were on the FlowRider by 4pm and we had a lesson at 6:15pm, so we didn't leave it until 7:15pm.

 

For the 6:15pm lesson, they had two groups. There were 16 registered, but only 10 of us showed up. 6 wanted to boogie board only, 2 wanted to start boogie boarding and learn stand-up, and Chris and I were the only ones wanting all stand-up. So they sent the first 6 over to the other FlowRider and left the last 4 of us to our own. For the first 30 minutes there were just 4 of us, then when none of the original missing 6 showed up, they brought 2 over from the other side, making it an even 6 on each FlowRider. We got LOTS of time in, but by the time the hour was over, we were sooo exhausted!

 

We went back and showered and got ready for Venetian Feast at dinner.

 

This was a fun night in the MDR because the waiters sang and everyone twirled their napkins. Rather than Reggae, Donnel sang O Sole Mio to us. Here he is serenading Katie with the pepper mill microphone.

 

And, serenading Kellye

(sorry, this post is light on pictures, so I'm including some fun ones)

 

And my favorite shot of Donnel with the girls

Italian Gangstas

 

After dinner, the girls wanted to check email and Facebook again. I am posting this shot so you can see a little bit of how the sofa sleeper looks unfolded. It really is quite big and could sleep more than one person. The girls said it was comfortable.

 

I don't remember what we did the rest of the evening - probably visited Paul O'Shea at Schooner Bar and maybe hopped by Blaze. That may have been our casino night too, but I'll save that story for another post.

 

Before bed, Chris suggested that we order room service breakfast for all of us to be delivered to our cabin the next morning, to make sure everyone was up, dressed, and fed before our tour in St Thomas. So we selected a variety of items from the menu and hung it on the door.

 

And, at some point, it was off to sleepville with another new friend.

 

Tomorrow: St Thomas, and a tour guide from our hometown - sorta

 

[swwake]

Oops! I forgot to mention that once we got online in the Windjammer, I did send an email to Royal Caribbean complaining about the FlowRider time. I got a response back the next day that was really nice, saying that they understand that the FlowRider is a big draw for Oasis class ships and that they will report the concern to management at the Sports Desk. They also thanked me for my loyalty to Royal Caribbean.

 

That was the last I heard, but I was satisfied to receive a personal response. At least I feel like they listened and heard what I had to say.

 

Also, I hate to sound like a complainer, because our family really isn't that type. We typically go with the flow, but we seriously selected this ship because there are two FlowRiders and our time wouldn't be as limited as on a Freedom Class ship. I was thinking at that point that we could have saved over $1000 by just booking Freedom or Liberty for our vacation instead of Oasis. And I mentioned that in my email to RCI.

 

Again, I got over it, and it did not ruin our vacation.

[LDR]

I am really enjoying your review! We just got off Liberty of the Seas for my daughter's graduation, and we are seriously considering this itinerary next year for my son's graduation.

My son is all about the Oasis, I don't think we'll need to plan excursions:)

[jjtt]

I am really enjoying your reports and photos swwake!! Six weeks and counting until we will be on Oasis!! :D

[miae77]

Great review of the ship. I can’t wait to read more. We (my 19 year old niece & I) just paid our deposit today for the December 11 cruise. It will be my first time back to sailing RCCL since 1989.

 

Aunty Pat

 

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCCL - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, Westerdam ‘09 & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ’07

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

Crystal – Serenity ‘09

Future Cruises

Oasis of the Seas - December 11, 2010

 

 

Hi Aunty Pat! My husband and I (both 33), his brother (35), their parents, and a few of our friends will be on the Dec 11 cruise with you! :D It just seems sooo far away.... lol

 

 

Maria

California

[swwake]

BrianAlt - looks like chances are slim that I'll finish my report before you leave. Let me know if you have any questions I might be able to answer. I hope you have a great trip and wish I could go. Can't wait to hear about it!

[BrianAlt]

BrianAlt - looks like chances are slim that I'll finish my report before you leave. Let me know if you have any questions I might be able to answer. I hope you have a great trip and wish I could go. Can't wait to hear about it!

 

I know. I noticed. :(

 

It's alright. I'll be looking forward to finishing reading about it when I get back. :D (Albeit on the regular overcrowded RCI board! :eek:)

[DELAND]

After walking up the zig-zagging gangway, we arrived on the outside of the promenade deck, walking backwards (clockwise) around the jogging track. The first thing we noticed was the lifeboat capacity. We were thinking maybe they would hold 150 or so people. Not so...

 

A few step later, we turned right and arrived on the Royal Promenade. This was an overwhelming feeling. Finally on the Oasis. Finally on vacation. All the bright, shiny, pretty colors. So much to explore and so much to do.

 

First, we found our way to our Oceanview Balcony stateroom #9606 to drop off our carry-ons and change to swimsuits. The cabin is mid-ship, a little forward. It's a D2 category, right behind the first hump. Our balcony was angled and a little oversized. We were on the starboard side, which proved to be wonderful at the ports. We loved the location because it was a few floors up from the Promenade (Deck 5), one floor up from Central Park (Deck 8) - where Park Cafe is, and a few floors down from the Solarium and pool decks 15 and 16. We used the stairs most of the time.

 

A photo of our stateroom:

 

Next, we explored the Promenade a little.

This photo is from the forward part of the ship, near the elevators and Bolero's. That's Mondo Coffee Bar in the foreground, the On-Air Club and The Shop in the background.

 

Then we headed to the Park Cafe for our lunch. We walked right in, no lines. Here we were introduced to the famous roast beef sandwich. The man slicing the roast beef posed for me.

 

The sandwich was very good. I am not a roast beef eater, so I can't say it was the best or worst in the world, but I enjoyed it. Others in our group got a chicken salad (maybe it was build-you-own?) and a ham sandwich. I was pretty excited about the flavored waters.

Although after a couple of days of these, I felt like they were too sweet and I stopped drinking them, in favor of bottled water.

 

Incidentally, before the cruise, I ordered an 8-pack of Evian water for our room. I put Chris, Katie and Caitlin on the coke plan. I think Chris benefitted from this, but Katie and Caitlin averaged about 1 Coke per day, so I overpaid for this. Who knew the teenagers would opt for tea over Coke? The bottled water came in handy. There were two cold bottles in the mini-bar fridge in the room, which we would grab and replace with our purchased waters. By Tuesday we had drunk all of our bottles, so we purchased another 8-pack. It was nice to have the bottles to walk around the ship, and to take ashore.

 

Kellye and I shared a mid-level wine package. We ended up having 3 bottles left on Friday, which Kellye was able to take home with her. Not sure if this saved much or not.

 

Also, I ordered a 4-pack of cupcakes to be delivered to the girls' room. They only ate 1 of them. It was a neat thought, but there was so much else available onboard, and they were rarely in their room.

 

Next post, I'll add more details about our stateroom.

Susan, Thank you so much for your day to day reviews.. Its been so much help and FUN:p My son (16) and I will be leaving Saturday!! Can you tell me how the girls liked it? How was the "teen" area they hung out in.. Thanks Delia

[swwake]

Susan, Thank you so much for your day to day reviews.. Its been so much help and FUN:p My son (16) and I will be leaving Saturday!! Can you tell me how the girls liked it? How was the "teen" area they hung out in.. Thanks Delia

The girls really enjoyed the cruise. They didn't spend much time in the Teen area, because my 18-year-old is technically too old and they didn't want to get kicked out. But the area is very nice, and what time they did spend there, they said the staff were awesome.

 

They went to Scratch DJ Academy for one session and really had a good time. If they had gone to "graduation" on Friday, they would have received a T-shirt.

 

Word of warning: there is an on-ship curfew of 1am for everyone under 18. They can't be out without their parent. They wouldn't even let our 17-year-old on the Promenade with my 18-year-old. Must be a parent.

 

Let me know if you have additional questions - and ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!! I wanna go back!

Edited July 8, 2010 by swwake

[Hollile]

Silly question, the package of water that costs $28.00 , what sizes are the bottles?

[swwake]

Silly question, the package of water that costs $28.00 , what sizes are the bottles?

They are pretty big. Maybe 1.5 liter?

[swwake]

Before we move on, a short story and a suggestion for RCCL.

 

One of the nights we were on the ship, we decided to take Katie to the casino for her first gambling experience. On Royal Caribbean, you can gamble in the casino at 18. We've always promised Katie that we'd take her to Vegas for her 21st birthday, so I was looking forward to teaching her a little blackjack.

 

Chris sat down first base at a table, and had Katie sit next to him. He bought in for $100 at a $10 table, and gave Katie some chips to play. She was a little nervous, but she listened carefully and bet her first hand at the beginning of a shoe. Voila! Blackjack! That's my girl!

 

Well, this surprised her, but she was still nervous. I sat down and Chris stood up, and Katie played about 5 more hands. She was winning, but she didn't like the fast pace, and didn't feel comfortable watching "all that money" come and go. She asked a lot of questions and really entertained the table (but if we had been at a serious high roller table, they would have been annoyed - thank goodness we weren't!). At that point, the stress was getting my frugal little Katie and she had to stand up. She was winning, and she just wouldn't play anymore. Her last words as she left the table were "Mom, I don't EVER want to go to Vegas!"

 

We thought it was funny, but it did surprise us. Katie is smart and she knows how to play blackjack. She also knows that we would never bet what we couldn't afford to lose. I think it was just the opportunity cost that was getting to her. (I could spend the same money somewhere else with less stress and KNOW I would get something in return.) Maybe she'll grow into it, but if she doesn't I'm fine with that too.

 

On another note, I made several show reservations and My Time Dining reservations for every night of our cruise. Before we left, I printed out our calendar, so I could keep up with our reservations. But I was surprised that we didn't receive an itinerary at check-in with our reservations for the week. I think that would be a good suggestion for RCCL.

 

I spent the first three days constantly checking my printout that I had brought with me, making sure we weren't missing any shows. About the third day, Katie told me "it's on your TV". Well, we're not really big TV watchers at home, and we REALLY don't watch TV much on vacation. So by Day 3 we hadn't even turned our stateroom TV on.

 

The next time we were in the cabin, we turned on the TV and lo and behold, there is a "personal calendar" for each person in the room. It lists all of your reservations, and keeps track as you add/delete reservations as the week goes on. Wow, it would have been nice to know to look for this!

 

That's it for now. I'll try to do another, longer update tomorrow. I've started P90X in the evenings and it is literally kicking my butt!

[Draka1]

Let's not forget Minnie Ripperton. She also recorded the song.

[IBookHePays]

Thanks again for taking the time to post this wonderful review!

[FloridaOasis]

:cool:swwake, you are awesome. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your tips and info. We sail tommorow and are sooo excited. Following you while on your cruise was priceless. Were going right for the roast beef sandwiches at Park Cafe, hitting the Flow rider, zip line, rock climbing wall, etc. asap. Got all our dinners and shows reserved. Your the bomb!!! :D

[puggylicious]

Please swwake...we need more.

[Kisigi]

What a great review. Now I'm hoping you are able to finish before we go on our Oasis cruise on August 14th!