Onboard the Oasis of the Seas (August 21, 2010)

[John Henry on CC]

Thank you for the live thread while you are on vacation. I love reading this and hearing about all the wonderful things on the Oasis. We will be heading out in 10 days and can't wait! A quick question, on this shopping book that you mentioned, are you entitled to one buy one get one free drink a day, or is that unlimited? Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. Don't get sunburned in Labadee!

 

My question is regarding the two for one drinks in the coupon books. Are they for unlimited drinks and can you use them every day?

 

Thanks

 

Barbara

 

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise! I was wondering also if the BOGO on drinks was unlimited? I'm booked at the Embassy in October. I'll have to see if I can get an East view. Have fun!

 

The deal is BUY ONE GET ONE FREE of the DRINK OF THE DAY only. Just on that one drink. And you can get as many "pairs" as you like.

[A Parrothead]

Thank you John Henry for clarifying

[Sunshyn260]

I have to admit that i couldn't wait to check cc tonight just to read your thread daughis! your reviews have been awesome and i know you are getting many thanks, but like everyone elses is saying, thank you for taking the time to let us "cruise" along with you. :)

The coupon book definitely seems like a great deal. Is the lady who sells them available throughout the day on saturday when you board? when did you guys stop by to see her?

[Daghis]

Monday, Day 3

 

Let me start this post with a tease. Dinner was absolutely fabulous, perhaps the best dinner I've ever had!

 

So, anyway, today was Labadee. We got up, got a quick breakfast in Windjammer -- I got to have miso soup for breakfast, something I've missed since sailing on the Liberty of the Seas threenyears ago -- and headed on our way.

 

Labadee is much easier to get to than it used to be, thanks to their new dock. It was wonderfully convenient to be able to walk right off the ship and head straight to the beach.

 

First up for our friend and the kids was the Dragon's Breath Flight line. (I would have gone myself except for that pesky weight limit.) After dropping them off at the Dragon's Breath Pub to get checked in for their ride, DH and I headed down to the shopping area for him to browse for some gifts.

 

(I just got asked about the iPad for the third time on this trip. People certainly are amazed by it.)

 

Anyway, we found the Artisan's market, and then proceeded up the hill behind it, passing by all the local vendors who are more traditional in their selling techniques. They all wanted "to ask me a question" or to invite me over to "look at something special." Fortunately, I was able to say "no" and continue on my way while we quickly browsed from a safe distance.

 

When we were in Labadee last time, this whole stretch for the vendors didn't exist. Instead, they were all cooped up closely in one building. This is a far better setup.

 

After that was done, we walked back toward the Dragon's Breath Pub to wait for our friends. We sat down, and I thought I'd take some pictures or videos of the people coming down the zip-line and maybe try to catch our friend and our kids. I was very lucky in that the first people to come down the line after we got there turned out to be them, so I managed to get a pretty good video of them arriving at the end.*

 

DH and older DS then returned to the ship while the remaining three of us stayed behind to do some swimming.

 

We found a somewhat shady spot near the water, and a Beach Patrol guy offered to get us a couple lounge chairs (for an expected tip, of course :)). The water was wonderful, but I wish it had been deeper where we were, and a lot less rocky. Nonetheless, it was nice to hang out in the water. Despite the overbearing heat while walking around, there was a refreshing breeze coming off the water that made this spot much more comfortable to relax than I had expected.

 

We hung out there for about an hour, and then younger DS and friend wanted to go check out the shopping as well, so back I went with them. It was funny to watch my friend, who's on his first cruise, get completely sucked into the sales pitch by the local vendor. I'm sure it was a wonderful lesson for his future reference. :D

 

With that done, it was time to go back to the ship. I had been invited into a free slot tournament and I wanted to get back soon enough to enter.*

 

Much to my surprise, I found older DS wandering around here. He had left the ship (without either of his parents knowing) to come back to the beach. On top of that, he had lost his SeaPass somewhere after getting off the ship again. I spent a few minutes explaining to him the seriousness of departing the ship, against the ship's rules, and definitely against the family's rules. We went back to the security area where he was able to convince security to let him back on the ship without any ID and then went to Guest Services to get a replacement SeaPass.

 

DH and I chatted with Guest Services to let them know that minors aren't being checked to ensure that they are leaving the ship without an accompanying adult. The gentleman took down the information and said he'd pass it on to the Security and Guest Services management to bring it to their attention. I appreciate that its hard to monitor the flow of thousands of people leaving the ship at the same time, but if they have a certain security policy in place, they should they to enforce it. Anyway, enough about that.

 

Back on board, I tried my luck at the slot tournament. The best part about it was that it was free. The downside was that the machines used were on the smoking side and several of the players were smoking whaler they were playing. It was a lot of fun, though. I worked my way from about 6th place (out of 11) up to 3rd, then 2nd, and even popping into 1st a couple times, before finally ending up in 3rd place for my round. I even had a cheering section behind me, rooting me on! I didn't end up doing well enough overall to win anything, but I certainly got a good workout with my arms and wrists and had a lot of fun.

 

Speaking of the casino, for those who may be interested in becoming Club Royale members, it seems that the general requirement is to earn at least 2,000 points during the cruise. To put that into perspective, it takes $5 in play on a slot machine to earn one point, so one has to gamble (play through) a total of $10,000 (including what winnings are subsequently played, of course). That's certainly not in my future. Smaller point values can be spent on other prizes, such ad (I think) 250 points for a Johnny Rockets service charge.

 

More in the next post...

[Daghis]

Monday, Day 3, Part 2

 

So, with the slot tournament over, it was soon enough time for dinner! Tonight's choice: Izumi!

 

We got there promptly at 6 and waited for them to open the doors. We were there for a few minutes when someone came over to tell us that we were at the wrong door. Whoops!

 

So, moving around over to the Windjammer area where the proper entrance to Izumi was, we went in and sat down.

 

First off, the menus looked great! I enjoyed considering all of the options. So much looked so great, it was hard to choose! We ended up each getting one of their combo packages. I'll talk about what I got. I chose the hot rock package which included soup, vegetable tempura, one of their house special sushi items, a hot rock item, and dessert. Edamame was also served while we browsed the menu. I love edamame, so that was really good to start.

 

Soup was their shrimp wonton soup. The soup was good, but the wontons were disappointing to me. They reminded me of the shrimp ravioli I'd tried in the Windjammer last night.

 

Next up was the vegetable tempura. Oh. My. God. It was the best tempura I've ever had! The vegetables, a sampling of carrot, bell peppers, onion, asparagus, zucchini, and yellow squash, all tasted great, and the tempura was prepared excellently. I may very well get that again by itself sometime.

 

Then came my sushi. I had chosen an item that had spicy tuna, asparagus, wrapped in sushi rice, breaded with panko crumbs, lightly fried, and then topped with eel sauce and sesame seeds. When they arrived, I thought they were so beautiful that I had our friend take a picture of it. I almost didn't want to eat them because they looked so good. Then I tried one. It was a wonderful flavor and texture, expertly made. Kudos to the sushi chef! I shared them with DH and our friend, and then I eagerly finished the rest.

 

At this point, I was already satisfied, but there was still more to come!

 

I had chosen the beef tenderloin hot rock. It came as a large, square stone, wish five or six pieces of beef and some assorted vegetables (broccoli, bean sprouts, sugar snap peas, and carrots). This was also served with three sauces, one sweet, one savory, and one spicy (a Thai chili sauce). It was fun cooking out food on the hot rock. The beef was super tender and really quite flavorful. I cooked most of it with the savory sauce (I think it might have been the eel sauce again, but I'm not sure), and that made it even better! The vegetables cooked up nicely, to, and it all made for a wonderful entrée. Yum!

 

Lastly, it was time for dessert. I had the Japanese pancakes with red bean paste filling. They were okay, I guess. By this time, I was so stuffed, but at least they were pretty light.

 

What an amazing meal! If you like Asian (Japanese) cuisine, I can wholeheartedly recommend that you try Izumi.

 

So, tomorrow is a sea day, for which I am very thankful because I need the rest! I'm planning on sleeping in some. Then it's off to some late morning bingo, lunch (if I get hungry by then... after that dinner, I might not be yet!), the cupcake decorating class, dinner (not sure what yet), and the comedy show at 7:30.

 

Oh, an update about the Aquatheater. They apparently had some additional issues, and ended up canceling the Oasis of Dreams show. Instead, tomorrow and Friday, the two remaining at-sea days, they will be having an "Aquatheater Showcase", combining elements of both Oasis of Dreams and Splish, Splash.

 

I'm disappointed that we won't be able to have both shows, but this is better than nothing, as the previous two cruises got. We'll see how it goes. We're hoping to catch one of these Showcase shows tomorrow sometime.

 

That's about it for tonight. I'll post this, then read whatever else has been going on in the thread, and then off to bed.

 

Good night from the Oasis of the Seas!

[cruisegal415]

I'm sooooo jealous of the Florida residents that can leisurely leave their homes at 10:30 and drive to the pier! No worries about connecting flights, lost baggage, etc. etc. How awesome is that!! :D I'm moving!

 

I know, right? We also live in South Florida, and got to the port in about a half hour. In fact, we were on board the Oasis 45 minutes after closing the front door to our house. Sorry.

 

But it is also torture living so close. I attend lots of functions at the Convention Center right in the port and some of the windows in my office building over look the port, so I am either driving near or seeing the ships in port quite frequently. It is torture knowing that we are so close, yet going to work rather than hopping on a cruise ship! Maybe it's better not to be so close! ;)

[Daghis]

I had been wondering this. Where is her desk? How is it marked? Is there only one desk to be found at the Royal Promenade? I would like to buy this coupon book right away.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do a live report!

You're very welcome! I'm really enjoying doing this!

 

Her desk, if I'm seeing it right from where I'm sitting here at Sorrentos, is at the aft end of the a royal Promenade. I don't recall her being there when she boarded, but she was there in the early evening.

 

My question is regarding the two for one drinks in the coupon books. Are they for unlimited drinks and can you use them every day?

 

Thanks

 

Barbara

John Henry already answered this. It is indeed unlimited buy-1-get-1 drink-of-the-day, so you can get as many pairs of this drink special as you want.

 

I just read from someone who was just got off of the Majesty and they have a beer bucket special. The poster said the first bucket was $35 for 8 beers and it comes with a colapsable cooler and each refill is $25. Can you tell me if they are offering the same thing on the Oasis? If you can't no big deal we will be there soon

 

I'm not a beer drinker, so I don't know the answer to this, but I'll try to find out.

[Daghis]

The coupon book definitely seems like a great deal. Is the lady who sells them available throughout the day on saturday when you board? when did you guys stop by to see her?

I'd have to check the Compass to find out what her hours were. You might be able to find out in the meanwhile by looking at http://www.cruisedocs.com and see whether the June 26 Day 1 Compass says anything.

 

I'm hoping that we'll get a chance to use some of the promotions in the book when we're in Cozumel on Thursday. We have the Royal Swim package with the dolphins at Chankanaab, and I'm hoping to make it to the shopping area for a bit after that before returning to the ship. We'll see how that goes.

[Jobeth66]

Much to my surprise, I found older DS wandering around here. He had left the ship (without either of his parents knowing) to come back to the beach. On top of that, he had lost his SeaPass somewhere after getting off the ship again. I spent a few minutes explaining to him the seriousness of departing the ship, against the ship's rules, and definitely against the family's rules. We went back to the security area where he was able to convince security to let him back on the ship without any ID and then went to Guest Services to get a replacement SeaPass.

 

Oh, no. :(

 

You need to seriously write a letter about this when you get home, sweetie. That's the LAST thing you need to worry about, especially with him. I applaud you for maintaining your calm, I'd have probably been thrown off the ship.

[cantwait2cruize]

Hi Daghis: Can you find out if they have The Newlywed Game on the Oasis? My daughter has convinced her DH to try out for the show.:o. They just got married Aug 14th, 2010. I hope their are having as much fun as your family!

[bibbysnow]

Thank you for all the information you are providing. It's great to read your posts.

 

Barbara

[sailingawaysoon]

Thanks for the latest installment, it makes my day! The webcam has been broken for a couple days (might be fixed now, I haven't checked), but I will take a look and see if we spot you. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time and I'm sure you just want the time to stop so it will last a long time on the ship. Have a wonderful sea day today and I can't wait to read how you spent the day!

[Daghis]

Hi Daghis: Can you find out if they have The Newlywed Game on the Oasis? My daughter has convinced her DH to try out for the show.:o. They just got married Aug 14th, 2010. I hope their are having as much fun as your family!

I believe that they call it the Love & Marriage game, and I think it may have been Sunday night.

[Daghis]

Tuesday, Day 4

 

Well, here we are at the middle of our wonderful cruise vacation. Everything's been going great and this is proving to be one of the best cruises we've had.

 

I took some time to sleep in a bit this morning and rest up a bit after last night's indulgences. It really helps, although I'm still a bit sore from Sunday's FlowRider experience, mostly in the neck and abdomen from being so stiff while trying to stand on the board in the appropriate balance-maintaining pose. It's a good pain, though. No pain, no gain, right? :)

 

Breakfast consisted of a couple doughnuts from the Boardwalk and a Diet Coke. Yeah, a funny combination of items for a "breakfast", but I'm on a cruise, so? :p

 

Then it was off to morning Bingo. I really wanted to try the electronic bingo to see what it was about. It was an enjoyable enough session, but it's clear that the main benefit to the electronic games is to raise Royal Caribbean's profits for the game. Each electronic package is $55 and includes the electronic game which plays 30 games, plus you also get a pack of 3 cards to play by hand while the machine does its work. If you buy two electronic packages, you get a third machine for free. That worked well for the two of us to get a little extra bonus play. We didn't win, of course, but I couldn't help but notice that if everyone there is paying $55 (at least), Royal Caribbean would have brought in at least $2,000, yet the prize giveaways for the four games played only totaled about $750. I know this isn't a surprise to anyone who's thought about this, but it crossed my mind. In addition, one other thing that the electronic games do is make the bingo games go faster. People were calling "Bingo!" fairly quickly. With over a thousand cards in play, it's pretty likely that a straight line game could be finished in under ten numbers called.

 

Anyway, on to other stuff...

 

Johnny Rockets was our choice for lunch. It wasn't great. The service was a bit off from what we've had during our previous cruises, and the burgers were overcooked (very well done and a bit crispy).

 

Next up was the casino to play a bit of table games, using both the match play Gold C&A coupon and the $30-for-$20 promotional chips. I turned my $60 investment into $175, so that was a good takeaway from there.

 

Time to make the cupcakes! We headed to the Cupcake Cupboard for our decorating lesson. We made a burger and fries using two vanilla cupcakes and one chocolate cupcake, frosting, fondant, and creative cutting. The class was $19.50 for adults (children are cheaper, but I don't remember how much), and it was about half an hour. It was a lot of fun, and I made a beautiful dish, easily rivaling what was served at Johnny Rockets! :) We also received Cupcake Cupboard aprons as souvenirs.

 

And now I'm back in the cabin for a quick rest. I'm thinking of checking out the spa. They have a 20-20-20 sampler package including a scalp, neck, and shoulders massage, a foot and ankle massage, and a hot stone massage, all for $119. I've never been to a spa or had a massage, so being that today is my birthday, I was thinking that perhaps I should try something new to treat myself. We'll see what kind of availability they have.

 

Oh, our friend who's joining us on his first cruise? He's thinking of booking another cruise with us next year and is meeting with the Loyalty Ambassador this afternoon to discuss things!

 

Off to the spa to see what's availability.

 

Love to everyone!*

[DonnaMarieNJ]

Happy birthday!:)

[Jobeth66]

Ack! Happy Birthday, sweetie!! I have it on my calendar, (but of course no reminder set) and I probably should've checked in at DT, but noooooooo.

 

Tell Barry to give you birthday smacks from me. ;)

 

Enjoy your spa day!!

[bibbysnow]

Happy Birthday!!!

[Miss Dot]

Happy birthday!!!:d

[momneedsrest]

Happy Birthday, Daghis! but I believe it is you giving CC'ers the gift. I am in total cruise envy right now--not to mention being a bit green about your iPad, too!:D I love the the pic of Oasis in the pre-dawn and am anxiously awaiting more. We are sailing Freedom next summer after its renovation and am hoping Cupcakes has classes too! Anyone know about that?

[hazeleyes35]

Happy Birthday!!! I am enjoying reading your posts :)

[SingBill]

Wishing you a very happy birthday onboard the Oasis.

[Cdn Trekkie]

Hi there.....Thanks for the great review.

 

Just wondering what the apron looks like from the cupcake cupboard. Did you not also get a hat and tote bag? I'm sure I read somewhere that they too were included.:confused:

 

Depending on what they look like, I may take the class and pass along the goodies to a little want to be up and coming baker.:p

[MomtoCCC]

Happy Birthday - hope you get the spa treatment :)

[tright]

I am loving reading your review. I have a question. How expensive is Izumi and do they explain all the items on the menu?

[CariBear]

Happy Birthday! Go and enjoy yourself at the spa!!!

 

Thanks again for posting while cruising!