Oasis 3/19/11 Eastern – mini review

[anniversay/grad trip]

We went to Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel

 

Labadee – This was the first time we have been to Labadee. When we got there it was overcast and you could see the storm clouds brewing off in the distance. I was looking forward to a day at the beach since I had never been to Labadee before. My boys had Flowrider lessons in the morning and while they were doing those and I was watching, it started to rain…a lot! I was afraid the day would be a washout. But at around 10:30 the skies cleared and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We got off the ship and found a spot on the beach where the zipline goes over the water. It was pretty cool to watch. We were in a spot with some palm trees where you could get some sun and some shade. The lunch on Labadee was quite good. The ribs were yummy and they had little ears of corn. There was also fresh cut fruit and I just love when someone else cuts and cleans the fruit for me!! We spent the day relaxing and enjoying the sun. No one went on the zipline or the dragons tail coaster, so I cannot offer any opinions on that.

Falmouth – Well, this was the OFFICIAL grand opening of the new port in Falmouth. Was it ready? Not really. Lots of construction still going on. But I think it was pretty much put to a stop by the Oasis arrival. Traffic was a bit of a nightmare, but they were doing their best to deal with it. There was a steel drum band playing right as you got off the ship. Some people on stilts were also there (my youngest actually was filmed by the Jamaican TV crew with the stilt walkers). We also each received a free Sling backpack when we got off the ship.

 

Three in our party went to Dunns River Falls and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although my nephew took the “falls” part a bit too literally and slid down part of the falls. I guess you are supposed to form a chain between people and the person on one side of him let him fall. He’s ok and was fine the rest of the trip. But I was glad I had a brand new bottle of Aleve for him!!

 

The rest of us took the free shopping shuttle to Rose Hill (I think that is what it was called). That was pretty much a waste of time. It is a small open air shopping mall but I think I could have gotten most of the stuff at the port even though it is still under construction.

 

The arrival of Oasis was like a holiday on Falmouth. The number of people behind the fences ( and yes they had to stay behind the fences) was enormous. Coming back from the shopping trip I was surprised to see the number of people still gathered in the streets and around the ship area. Then when I got back on the ship I found out that Shaggy (the singer, not from Scooby Doo) was going to be doing a concert.

 

This was my first time in Jamaica and I would like to go back when the port is finally finished. There were a lot of jokes (even from the comedians on board) about being dropped off in a construction zone. But I really do understand why RCCL just finally opened up the port. If you keep putting it off, it will never happen. If RCCL would have postponed again, I don’t really think there would have been much of a difference on the progress. Sometimes you just need to move forward and deal with the issues as they come.

 

Cozumel – We did the Deluxe beach break to Playa Mia beach through the ship. You get free drinks, a lounge chair, a buffet lunch and there is a water trampoline and some other non-motorized activities as well. My husband and son went parasailing which they really enjoyed. While I and my other son soaked up the sun! Buffet lunch was very good. It was pretty American rather than authentic Mexican. I could be wrong but mac and cheese does not sound very Mexican J. They did have Mexican rice, tortilla chips and fajitas among other things. It was a nice day at the beach.

Any port questions let me know. Next up shows and activities.

 

Is there a charge for either using the beach or the buffet lunch in Labadee? I know you can rent a cabana (but for suite quests only)...is the beach right there when you get off the ship? and what else is there? shops etc....thanks for posting...

[cr8z4cruzn]

They took the Dunns River Falls Express ship excursion. They took a small size bus to and from the Falls.

 

We reserved a private tour company, but I'm starting to lean more towards paying the extra to do the ship excursion, because I understand the ship won't wait if there's any delays and you're not on one of their excursions.

[T&Tmom]

Hi- thanks so much for your review! I am wondering how the cruise compass/ schedule compares with the one from posted from last summer. Do you know if the days/show times have changed? And are the Costa Maya / Falmouth day schedules the same? I realize this may be too detailed of a question, but you never know. I am trying to plan our days and entertainment from the older cruise compass (not to mention when/if there are any drink specials).

 

Does the headliner change every week? We are going in June. One last question, who was the cruise directed?

 

Thanks!

 

I meant to bring the compasses home and totally forgot them. I knew people would want to see them. I am not really sure if the schedules are the same or not. I am sure there are differences. Maybe someon else has them, you could do a separate post and ask about the Falmouth Compass.

 

The Cruise director was Richard Spacey. He was very funny. The history of Dance that he did was pretty cool (he did it before the Come Fly with Me show).

 

Not sure how often they change the Headliner, but I had seen Mosaic before and they are very good. If you have not seen them before and they happen to be on your cruise, do not miss them.

[T&Tmom]

Were formal nights still Day 2 and 6?

 

 

I think they were days 2 and 5 because of switching to Falmouth from Costa Maya. I remember the head waiter commenting on the fact that Lobster night was eralier in the cruise for this week.

[T&Tmom]

BTW....your title is wrong....it says eastern but you did western:confused:

 

 

OMG!!! I did not even realize that I did that. We were absolutely on the Western. DUH!

 

So sorry! :o

 

I must have had too many Labadoozees on Labadee ;)

[T&Tmom]

We were on the same cruise! It was my first cruise, and I loved it!! I'm looking at booking another cruise next year already :)

 

To answer a question...the cruise director was Richard Spacey. He was absolutely awesome!

 

Also...I completely agree with your suggestion to try and make one side of the ship non-smoking on the balconies. If anything, that was the most disappointing aspect. The weather was terrific, and I slept out on our balcony twice! Would have more but my neighbours (at least on both sides) were smokers.

 

 

We were lucky to have the balcony in between the other two balconies for our group. But you still get the smoke drifting in. My husband liked sitting on the balcony and would leave the door open. But when there were people smoking, I would just have to close it. I am an admitted "Balcony Snob" ( which is why I went and got my kids one too!). So I would love to see RCCL do a complete non-smoking side of the ship.

[T&Tmom]

Is there a charge for either using the beach or the buffet lunch in Labadee? I know you can rent a cabana (but for suite quests only)...is the beach right there when you get off the ship? and what else is there? shops etc....thanks for posting...

 

 

There is no charge for the beach chairs or buffet, but we did have a guy grab 8 chairs for us and find us a sopt with shade and sun, so we tipped him. I should say my nephew tipped him - I totally forgot to bring any cash with me onto Labadee. :rolleyes:

 

I tried to get a cabana even though we were not in a suite, but I could not get the concierge to call me. So I am not sure if they were all sold or not. If they weren't, that RCCL missed out on some more $$$$, because I was prepared to pay for 2 cabans to get my whole group in!

 

I stayed right on the beach area where the zip line is. So I did not venture out too much to look for any of the shops, but I know there were some. The one thing I wished they would have given us as we got off the boat was a map of Labadee. I have no idea if they have them, if they did we missed them.

[T&Tmom]

We reserved a private tour company, but I'm starting to lean more towards paying the extra to do the ship excursion, because I understand the ship won't wait if there's any delays and you're not on one of their excursions.

 

There are several combo excursions that go to Dunns River Falls and do some other activity (shopping, tour, snorkeling, etc.). But my husband and son did not want to have to be off the boat right when we docked. And they did not want to be on an excursion that lasted 6 hours. That is why they did the one that was only to Dunns River Falls. They were back on the boat plenty of time before we sailed.

 

I would worry way more about making the boat in Cozumel. The security line to get back on the boat is really a nightmare.

[bionicman97]

Thanks for sharing :)

[coloradoSunshine]

Thanks, your posts have been very helpful! :)