0ASIS of the Seas Dec. 7-14 blog and review

[lisakoivu]

I'm an NCL cruiser, who is thinking of moving... your review is one of my sales pitch reviews, so really looking forward to it. This post has two purposes, one to say take your time, Christmas and family first, and the other to make sure I get the updates when you get time to finish!

[EmpressofPurple]

PRE-CRUISE: FRIDAY, December 6, 2013 – Fort Lauderdale / Hilton Marina

 

I flew down EARLY on Friday morning to enjoy a full day in Fort Lauderdale, leaving Newark at 6am and arriving in FLL at 9am. To accomplish this, I awoke at 3:30am (final packing check the night before), got dressed, brought my (empty) water bottle and travel mug, and awaited my daughter and her BF to pick me up at 4:45 to drive to Newark airport.

 

It was dark, misty and warm – 62 degrees in New York in December!! – and we fortunately missed the total traffic backup in the “express” lanes on the Jersey turnpike since we knew to be in the local lanes (if we’d been there I probably would have missed my flight, traffic was stopped). I slipped them $20 for gas and tolls (less than a third of the cost of a taxi to the airport or parking at an off-airport lot for 7 days) and headed into the terminal.

 

I had managed to pack ALL CARRYON for this cruise, planning to use the mid-week laundry bag (now $30, minus my $10 Diamond coupon made it $20 for me, less than a checked bag fee) so I headed straight to the gate area. For some reason my ticket, which I had printed out the previous day online, said “TSA PRE” so I was able to board through the fast lane – no need to remove shoes, belts, light jackets or laptops. I was in the boarding area by 5:15, and boarding started at 5:30am. I took advantage of a free gate-check for my rollaboard, removing my purse from my other carryon, and boarded the plane feeling very light and easy.

 

The seats on United are TIGHT!! I had no room at the end of my seatbelt, and I had 6 inches left over on my last flight on Delta. Whew! You’d never know I ran the Philadelphia Marathon just two weeks earlier… good thing I had made room for all the amazing food I was about to enjoy onboard the Oasis.

 

 

(Did someone say marathon? I didn’t have a lot of time to plan my cruise, because I was training for and thinking about this, my first-ever full marathon… that’s me in the blue, next to my friend Ruth in black… yes, it did indeed take me over 8 hours to finish the 26.2 miles... DD Ariel is holding the big sign in the background… and that’s MerionMom in stripes on the right, filming us as we cross the finish line! Not only did MM cheer me on… she kindly hosted me and my two kids, AND my teammate Shirley and HER two kids at her house!! Shirley and her daughter Laurie ran the half marathon (that's me with Shirley and Laurie below, on MM's beautiful balcony); Shirley's DS Tom, my DS Jason and DD Ariel were there to provide moral support and encouragement. Okay, back to the cruise!)

 

[EmpressofPurple]

I rested with an inflatable neck pillow during takeoff, until the sun came up at 7am. During the flight I read the entire United “Hemispheres” magazine, and browsed through SkyMall (didn’t watch Percy Jackson & Sea of Monsters which was on the cabin TV screens; Austenland was promised for the return flight next week… although that didn’t happen, as you’ll hear towards the end of this review). I had a cup of coffee, an Isalean protein bar, and a can of Mrs. T’s spicy tomato juice, my in-flight drink of choice.

 

We began our descent to Fort Lauderdale at 9am, I went to baggage claim to pick up my gate-checked bag (so annoyed to hear they're going to start charging for gate-checked bags... although mine wasn't checked because it was too big, but because it was an over-full flight). I then proceeded to the taxi stand. I checked various shared bus services, which claimed to be only $1 less than a cab ($11 vs. 12), so I went with a private cab – but of course, that turned out to be $20 total ($12.70 on meter, $2.50 airport fee, plus tip) –

 

I was staying at the Hilton Marina, and was very excited to be at this upscale, port-view hotel! (I’m a HGVC owner, and thus a Hilton VIP, so I stayed on points and usually get an upgrade, free breakfast, free wifi and other nice perks.)

 

Since it was only 10am, the port-view room I had requested wasn’t ready yet. They offered me a pool view room, but I said I was in no rush, I could hang out by the pool until the room was ready. I left my heavy bags with bell services, taking just a small bag with swimsuit and coverup, some reading material, and my valuables.

 

 

 

 

I changed in the rest room by the pool area, took some photos of the property, and enjoyed relaxing by the pool. This was delightful: free-form (if small) pool, surrounded by palm trees… no whirlpool or hot tub (although there was plenty of room for one on the property)… lovely views of the adjacent marina and waterway… and they served frozen grapes!!!

 

 

 

 

(Ahhh, it's lovely looking at those palm trees and pool views again now, after weeks and weeks of freezing weather here in NYC. It's nice writing up a belated trip review -- I get to relive it all over again!!)

[EmpressofPurple]

I went back to the lobby at noon to meet with the concierge, who arrived at that hour. I asked to sign up for the cruise transfer shuttle, but was told that was first-come, first served at 9am in the morning… and advised to arrive early to do so (i.e., by 8:30am). The concierge said the shuttles didn’t start until 11am (wrong, I discovered the next day, they started at 10:30am), and he also provided me with a water taxi map, since that’s what I planned to do in the afternoon with my cruise travel friends once they arrived.

 

I stopped by the front desk, and was told my port-view room was ready, 3228, and went up to the room, with the bellman following with my bags. When we arrived, someone else’s bags were in the room… that person realized they were in the wrong room and moved out.

 

I asked the bellman where the ships were, and he informed me it was impossible to see them from this room. I called the front desk, and was told that a port-view room was not ready yet. Sigh.

 

I explained that I needed to shower and change in order to meet my friends, and the front desk said I should use this room, leave my bags, and they would transfer them to the correct room as soon as it was ready. I expressed some concern that it was okay for me to (in effect) use two rooms (this one to change and shower, the other one to stay in overnight) and they reassured me that it was, not to worry. I tipped the bellman, who had waited while I worked all this out with the front desk, and started getting ready for my afternoon in Fort Lauderdale.

 

(Forewarning: for those pollyannas who believe that one should never critique anything on vacation, but only be happy and grateful for being out of their homes, please skip the following section! In it, I actually criticize the poor customer service I received at this hotel, describing the events in detail Nothing was a big deal, but it was annoying, and as a regular Gold Hilton Honors VIP member, it is unlikely I will select this hotel as a destination in the future, despite its wonderful location. Staff competence and good service is important. As a business owner myself, customers are NOT doing me a favor by not bringing problems to my attention; if they simply keep their problems to themselves and say that they are happy no matter what, I have no way to manage quality control, attract new business or retain long-term customers. It is important both to be aware of any issues and communicate these to those in charge… not simply accept what happens. Beware; this is my attitude towards cruising as well!)

 

(Second forewarning: because this is indeed kind of nit-picky, it’s also a bit boring! You really have to enjoy minute-by-minute details to be willing to read through this section. For those who do… enjoy!)

 

So, to return to the tale: I showered and changed, closed up my bags and left them by the door, called my friend Shirley’s sister, Joanie (who lived in Fort Lauderdale and would be joining me for lunch) to tell her I was ready to head out, and that we could meet in the lobby.

 

On the way out, I stopped at the front desk to confirm that my bags would be transferred to the new room – and I was told that I couldn’t use the room (which I had just used) and that my bags would not be moved without me being there!!! I explained that I had called the front desk and been assured this was no problem – and they then said oh yes, we’ll take care of it, fine, and your room is ready, it’s on the 5th floor, here’s the key, we’ll transfer the bags while you’re out. Great! (Or so I thought…)

[EmpressofPurple]

(deleted)

Edited March 9, 2014 by EmpressofPurple
(copied in following post)

[EmpressofPurple]

As a Fort Lauderdale resident, Joanie gave me a quick car tour of the beach, mansions, and the Las Olas shopping areas before meeting my cruise friends for lunch. We walked up and down Las Olas boulevard three times; I stopped in a curio shop and bought a small needlepoint case as an activity to enjoy on the cruise; and we met my fellow travelers at Mango’s for lunch – a group of 9 all together.

 

Vacation had started, and I needed to start working out to prepare for the eating portion of the cruise (!) so my lunch order was hearty: a mango-rita frozen drink (virgin, since I don’t drink alcohol); snow crab bisque (the restaurant specialty, and very yummy), and a seared tuna salad with mango. Yum! I easily could have shared the portions (as many of my tablemates did) but I managed on my own. : ) Total cost: $32.

 

 

Joanie left us after lunch, and the rest of us walked WAY down Las Olas boulevard, looking for the water taxi stop that one of our group remembered from an earlier cruise out of Fort Lauderdale… (I walked down some of the long side streets to the waterfront, looking for water taxi stops, since some of our group members were less mobile than others).. and, of course, it turned out the stop was right next to the restaurant where we eaten lunch!

 

So we walked all the way back, met the two younger members of our crew who had arrived on a later flight (losing one of our party, who had an injured leg from a hotel room fall and was fatigued from the extra walking)… and boarded the water taxi at 4:30 (we received the discounted after-5pm rate of $15, and also tipped our guides).

 

 

 

We rode the entire route twice – hearing the same yacht and mansion stories and jokes from the guides both times! – and enjoyed seeing the sun go down while we were on the water. Once it was darker outside, you could actually see inside the boats and the shoreside houses, making it a more intimate experience.

 

 

We stopped at the water taxi stop for Bahia Cabana for dinner, and met up with another Girls Week Away member (my friend MerionMom who had originally introduced me to this group). I continued to train for the upcoming week of cruise food, consuming a mixed bowl of conch chowder and clam chowder (not a mixture I would repeat or recommend; choose one or the other!) and some delicious fresh fish tacos. (rats, forgot to take pictures there -- too happy to be enjoying time with my friends!)

 

The group would share a taxi back to their hotel; I left early to take the water taxi back to the Hilton Marina (which has its own water taxi stop, another reason I had wanted to stay there). Here's the view walking back to the hotel from the water taxi.

 

 

Well, it was about 8:25, I went to the new room in the tower (525)… to discover NO BAGS and a POOL VIEW!!! I called the front desk… and got NO ANSWER!!! By 8:45, the manager said they would give me a 10th floor room, and send a bellman with my bags and keys for the new room. I anxiously awaited the bellman with my bags, we moved upstairs – and AT LAST, port view!!!

 

I unpacked and repacked my bags in preparation for boarding the Oasis in the morning, laid out my clothes for the morning (running clothes for an early morning jog, swimsuit to enjoy the pool again between checking in for the shuttle at 8:30 and actually boarding at 11, our ORANGE group T shirt for boarding photos), had a cup of decaf coffee from the in-room coffee maker, and went to bed, setting my alarm for 5:55am so I could get up and take picture of Oasis arriving in port in the morning!

 

Here's a picture of the room where I finally ended up:

 

[EmpressofPurple]

DAY #1 - SATURDAY, December 7, 2013 – Embark Oasis, Dep. Fort Lauderdale 5pm

 

I woke three times before the alarm went off, arising at 5:30 to view ships coming into busy Fort Lauderdale port (8 ships in all, Celebrity, Princess and HAL as well as Oasis).

 

 

 

(View from elevator lobby, showing hotel location on the marina side.)

 

 

I took pre-dawn photos, dressed for run and at 7am headed out and over the beautiful curving bridge and back, greeting other runners on this lovely early morning course (taking even more photos, of ships, hotel, yachts, bridge, and even a selfie with the hotel in the background). I even got to see this drawbridge open and close!

 

(Bridge opening)

 

(I'm not very good at selfies, obviously...)

 

As a Hilton Honors member, I had received coupons for two free breakfasts, so I picked up water and breakfast #1 on my way back (4 tiny water bottles, a bacon egg and cheese bagel, and a fruit plate – GREAT service in the quick service restaurant area) and took it up to my room on a tray. I enjoyed my post-run breakfast on my balcony overlooking port and bridge, seeing other runners and bicyclists on the course I had just finished.

 

(View from the balcony)

[EmpressofPurple]

I showered, changed into my swimsuit and coverup, packed my workout gear and travel clothes, made iced coffee and headed down to lobby to get change for the laundry room from front desk, and ask prices of machines. "We don't have any change, go to gift shop. (checks with others for prices) $1.75 for machines, buy soap in gift shop for $2.00.”

 

I go to gift shop in West Villas (after being given wrong directions and heading to East Villas first)... it's closed, with a sign saying "Back in 10 minutes"-- fortunately proprietor is just returning with a cup of coffee. I explain my mission, only to be told she has no change either. She calls accounting, they promise to give her change later, she gives me quarters and sells me a $1 box of Tide for $1.58.

 

I walk back to East Villas... where I discover the machines take credit cards... except for the soap vending machine, which sells the same box of Tide... for four quarters! I buy a box and return it to the gift shop, getting back my $1.58. Sigh. I ask the front desk for a sewing kit... and the manager's email, to inform them about the true comedy of errors that is plaguing service at this resort. I wash my travel clothes and running outfit, enjoying both the pool area and the marina view while performing this needed chore.

 

(View outside the laundry room)

 

I return to the lobby at 8:40 to wait for the cruise shuttle table to be set up, checking with the concierge that I'm in the right place to be first in line so I can meet up with the group at the terminal on time. I sit there writing notes, until I hear someone walk by me asking if that's the cruise shuttle table-- they set up without my noticing (and without the concierge alerting me, despite the fact that I was three feet from her station)... fortunately I rushed over and was second in line (a good thing, since by the time the first person was done there were a dozen people lined up behind me). The shuttle cost $6; the Hilton Marina offers no free transport to or from airport or cruise port (although it does have a van to take guests to and from the local beaches, apparently… I often saw people waiting for it by the front door).

 

While I was waiting to check in, I chatted with a couple in the lobby who had just gotten off the Independence of the Seas. They said they had stopped at Labadee, and were EATEN ALIVE by mosquitoes! (Demonstrating multiple irritated bites.) They advised we bring bug spray; I texted my cruising pals, whose hotel was right near a Wal-Mart in hopes they had time to pick up some before catching their (free) shuttle to the port.

 

Then I changed over the laundry and went for a swim a few laps around the freeform pool, drying myself in the sun afterwards (and updating my notes for this review). Swimsuit still not dry, I decided to be daring and take it off to dry it in the dryer with the laundry for the last 15 minutes of the cycle, wearing only my coverup. I sat outside the laundry room and looked at the yachts on the intercoastal, then folded my laundry and headed up to my room, walking carefully through the lobby wearing only my coverup...

 

...only to discover that my key didn't work! I asked a room attendant to open it for me, but they said they weren’t allowed. I tried to call the front desk from a hall phone, but they couldn’t send anyone and said I had to go to the lobby. So back again, still wearing only my coverup and carrying my laundry, to the lobby, FILLED with a large group that was there for some weekend event. I went to the front desk (ahead of these lines of people, feeling really embarrassed and self-conscious) and they re-did my room key, as I worried I wouldn’t have time to shower, dress and make my 11:00am shuttle.

 

Oh boy, talk about embarrassed: I realized when I entered the elevator that I had originally tried to open “my” room on the 5th floor… forgetting that in the multiple room reassignments of the day before, my final room was on the 10th floor! It’s a good thing the room attendant hadn’t opened that room for me!!! All that drama completely unnecessary, parading in my coverup ahead of all the lines of people… my door opened to my key (albeit very sticky lock, hinge problems, door doesn’t shut unless you bang it, etc.). Sigh.

[Mouse's Shadow]

I'm enjoying the reading and the pictures. Thanks for taking the time.

[Wildcatfish]

Congrats on the marathon!

 

Enjoying your review, and looking forward to more.

[EmpressofPurple]

I re-organized the bags to board the ship (2 for the porters, 2 small ones to carry with me), took a quick shower and dressed in our group’s bright orange T-shirt with the following inscription: “Girls Week Away 6 – Oasis of the Seas: No watches, no worries, no clock, no cares, no deadlines, no drama.” I headed back to the lobby for second breakfast (didn’t you know that I’m really a Hobbit?) – a green smoothie, cranberry muffin and coffee – I had brought a full cup of ice from the icemaker in the hotel, so I made iced coffee with that! The group in the lobby had swelled, lots of folks all dressed in white. I asked what the gathering was, and was told “a social event for dancing.” Looked like fun! (alas no photos)

 

We were directed to go out through the on-property Chinese restaurant (where they also served a sit-down breakfast, not available with my free coupon, alas) and out the back of the hotel, where the shuttle bus was waiting to take us to the port, which was, after all, within view of the hotel. I arrived at 10:45 for my 11:00am shuttle, but someone didn’t make it in time to leave on the 10:45, so I hopped on in their place. Everyone else on that shuttle was headed to the Princess dock (remember, there were 8 ships in port!) so I was solo onboard the shuttle for the end of the drive to the Oasis berth.

 

(Oasis check-in area, easy to find...)

 

I handed off my two bags to be labeled and stacked in cages by the porter (tipping both the van driver and the porter) and waited to meet all of my friends in front of the terminal entrance – it was easy to spot each other in our bright orange t-shirts!

 

 

(Our wonderful check-in agent, excited to get her first guest photo! Notice the lovely holiday decorations in the background)

 

My roommate Dayna and I checked in together, and we all met up for a group boarding photo (minus one member who arrived later directly from the airport).

 

 

With no waiting time at all, we proceeded in a circuitous route around the waiting area and right in to board the ship. Up and up the large gangway, into the (truly) Royal Promenade, we wasted no time looking around, heading straight up to Central Park.

 

(Gangway!)

 

(sorry about the finger...)

[EmpressofPurple]

Thanks for the feedback, gotta stop for now, but hope to post more soon -- great stories and photos to come!!! :D

[Babyrocko1908]

Enjoying reading thus far. I'm on Oasis next fall after her dry dock.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 using forums app

[Cruisin' Along]

Looking forward to your TR. I am starting to seriously consider a cruise on the Oasis! I'll enjoy reading your TR and seeing photos!

[EmpressofPurple]

Enjoying reading thus far. I'm on Oasis next fall after her dry dock.

 

Looking forward to your TR. I am starting to seriously consider a cruise on the Oasis! I'll enjoy reading your TR and seeing photos!

 

Thanks Baby, Cruisin, glad to have you aboard! There will be a lot of details and photos of the ship and the ports coming up soon.

[EmpressofPurple]

Wow! Just beautiful. Greenery, comfy chairs, warm in the sun (but no seats available inside the Park Café).

 

 

 

I had the (abbreviated) Tutti Salad bar, making mine with spinach, bean sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and shrimp – plus the kimmelweck roast beef sandwich! It was indeed delicious, unlike any other carving board sandwiches I have had onboard: a nice slice of rare roast beef on a soft bun, served with “au jus”. I tried the flavored waters, too, and found them quite tasty.

 

 

 

Our group perched at various small tables, balanced plates on our laps in large chairs, and relaxed to enjoy our lunch. We relaxed and enjoyed the sun in the garden. One of our members had brought a homemade rum cake, which was shared.

 

 

[EmpressofPurple]

The rooms were opened at 1pm, so we went and started putting away our carryon items, leaving a note for the cabin steward (split the beds, extra Diamond amenity, extra toiletries, provide ice twice a day). I nibbled on the lemon cookies which were included in the one Diamond amenity which we had received.

 

(More views of Central Park)

 

 

 

Then we went to have a spa/gym tour and enter the raffle. I was appalled at the over-priced offerings!! As a long-time cruiser, I have often enjoyed the pay services at both of these locales, but I went through this entire cruise without any of them, the prices have simply gone completely out of range. Why would I pay the same on a cruise (where I already pay just to be onboard) as I would at an upscale land salon or spin class on the upper east side of Manhattan?

 

I also hate that they now add an auto-tip to GYM CLASS purchases. To me, the class fee is the tip for those offerings!! When I used to use the gym all day, and staff were available to help with machines, provide workout ideas, etc., and I attended multiple free and paid classes, I would visit at the end of the cruise and give a BIG TIP in cash for their service. No more!!

 

Worse still, on other ships they will sometimes give a break on prices for classes if you book multiples – i.e., $10 per class instead of $12 if you book all three spin classes, or all three yoga classes, etc. – these staff members gave no indication that they would be willing to work out any such deals. I ended up taking NO paid classes at all, a first for me on an RCI cruise.)

 

(Wandering the ship: view of Promenade from Diamond Club)

 

(entry to the Diamond Club)

 

(Spa Cafe -- never went there the whole cruise, despite being in fitness center every day)

 

(flying birds in the atrium, visible from the glass elevators)

[EmpressofPurple]

Holiday decor on the Promenade

 

(A little banner for Chanukah...)

 

Some starry-eyed help on line at Guest Services

 

Stateroom Hallway

 

Stateroom Door (notice the little arrow on the left side points towards the bow of the ship)

 

Poorly lit photo of cabin (there will be more later)

[EmpressofPurple]

We also wandered through the Boardwalk area, admiring the posters and carousel horse carvings, riding the carousel, eating a donut (nothing special, alas) and riding the carousel – I took video as I went around and around, getting pictures of the ice cream parlor, candy shop, toy store, seafood shack, Johnny Rockets and Aqua Theatre.

 

(With my roomie at the entrance to the Boardwalk)

 

(Carousel Horse in progress)

 

(Seafood Shack - never ate there in 7 days)

 

(Dancing with balloon boy at Johnny Rockets... ate there for free breakfast once...)

 

(View of the aquatheatre at the back of the Boardwalk area)

[EmpressofPurple]

At 2:30 I ran up to the pool deck to meet-and-greet some of the CC members at our informal get-together at the Sky Bar (many were around the corner at the Pool Bar, out of the blazing sun; we recognized each other by our ubiquitous mardi gras beads).

 

(The CC crew)

 

(Views from the pool deck)

 

(Poolside Band)

 

I then ran down to Schooner Bar at 3:00pm for the first gathering of our GWA group. Many had brought little gifts for each of the cruisers, including a beautiful hand-sewn neck purse with our names embroidered on them; a metalworked fork that was curled into a coat hook; dark chocolate caramels with sea salt; Hershey kisses; a Chinese “lucky cat”, and later (from my roommate) a beautiful notebook and small candle (obviously not to be used until we returned home!!)

 

(Schooner, where we spent many happy hours playing trivia)

 

(drink service for the gang)

 

(sharing gifts with the group -- sorry so blurry!)

[EmpressofPurple]

After this, we went back to our cabin, where our bags had been delivered, so we started unpacking. At 4:30 we headed to the gym for the Muster Drill (so nice to do that indoors now, and not to have to wear or carry our life vests anymore). I watched sailaway from our balcony cabin, enjoyed seeing the flowrider that some mansion has in their backyard (as one of my favorite other reviewers noted, she imagined that they ordered it from the millionaire’s catalog).

 

There were a lot of sailaway events available – by the main pool, in the Viking Crown Lounge, in the Aqua Theatre – but I missed them in order to go to the spa raffle at 5:30 – yeah, Dayna won the hot stones massage, but since she didn’t attend, she lost it! Some of our group suggested I should have pretended to be Dayna – and if they checked my room card, I could have said that she must have picked up “my” card (since we were roommates, we had the same cabin number) – alas, I didn’t think quite that fast on my feet.

 

(At the spa raffle)

 

(Dayna went to the Diamond Club for a pre-dinner drink but found nothing there, not realizing that happy hour was held in a different venue on this cruise, since the Diamond Club was so small.)

 

(Views of the track one flight down from the fitness center)

 

 

 

[niceguy6505]

Great Review going on Oasis in Nov sailed with Royal caribbean 5 times we stayed at Hilton Marina, Beds were very comfy great location Thanks for sharing:)

[Miamia65]

I went back to the lobby at noon to meet with the concierge, who arrived at that hour. I asked to sign up for the cruise transfer shuttle, but was told that was first-come, first served at 9am in the morning… and advised to arrive early to do so (i.e., by 8:30am). The concierge said the shuttles didn’t start until 11am (wrong, I discovered the next day, they started at 10:30am), and he also provided me with a water taxi map, since that’s what I planned to do in the afternoon with my cruise travel friends once they arrived.

 

I stopped by the front desk, and was told my port-view room was ready, 3228, and went up to the room, with the bellman following with my bags. When we arrived, someone else’s bags were in the room… that person realized they were in the wrong room and moved out.

 

I asked the bellman where the ships were, and he informed me it was impossible to see them from this room. I called the front desk, and was told that a port-view room was not ready yet. Sigh.

 

I explained that I needed to shower and change in order to meet my friends, and the front desk said I should use this room, leave my bags, and they would transfer them to the correct room as soon as it was ready. I expressed some concern that it was okay for me to (in effect) use two rooms (this one to change and shower, the other one to stay in overnight) and they reassured me that it was, not to worry. I tipped the bellman, who had waited while I worked all this out with the front desk, and started getting ready for my afternoon in Fort Lauderdale.

 

(Forewarning: for those pollyannas who believe that one should never critique anything on vacation, but only be happy and grateful for being out of their homes, please skip the following section! In it, I actually criticize the poor customer service I received at this hotel, describing the events in detail Nothing was a big deal, but it was annoying, and as a regular Gold Hilton Honors VIP member, it is unlikely I will select this hotel as a destination in the future, despite its wonderful location. Staff competence and good service is important. As a business owner myself, customers are NOT doing me a favor by not bringing problems to my attention; if they simply keep their problems to themselves and say that they are happy no matter what, I have no way to manage quality control, attract new business or retain long-term customers. It is important both to be aware of any issues and communicate these to those in charge… not simply accept what happens. Beware; this is my attitude towards cruising as well!)

 

(Second forewarning: because this is indeed kind of nit-picky, it’s also a bit boring! You really have to enjoy minute-by-minute details to be willing to read through this section. For those who do… enjoy!)

 

So, to return to the tale: I showered and changed, closed up my bags and left them by the door, called my friend Shirley’s sister, Joanie (who lived in Fort Lauderdale and would be joining me for lunch) to tell her I was ready to head out, and that we could meet in the lobby.

 

On the way out, I stopped at the front desk to confirm that my bags would be transferred to the new room – and I was told that I couldn’t use the room (which I had just used) and that my bags would not be moved without me being there!!! I explained that I had called the front desk and been assured this was no problem – and they then said oh yes, we’ll take care of it, fine, and your room is ready, it’s on the 5th floor, here’s the key, we’ll transfer the bags while you’re out. Great! (Or so I thought…)

Hi Denise

I was also on this cruise on 7 December and we stayed at the Hilton Marina in FLL. I have to agree with you it was a very disorganised hotel. My group was 6 people, 4 in one room and 2 in another. I booked and paid for a water view of the inter coastal so I could get up early and watch the ships come into the port. Luckily for us we got the right room the first time but we had a very bad experience with our luggage. The porter walked with us to the elevators and then said he would meet us at the room. After 15 minutes he did not show up - I was getting pretty anxious because some of my jewellery was in one of the bags and I was worried about where the porter was. I rang the front desk they said he was coming, we waited and waited … I went looking for him on the floor that my friend's room was in case he went there first, he wasn't there. Eventually he turned up with all of the bags for 2 rooms, who knows where he was!!! Anyway, all of our possessions were in the bags - thank goodness! Won't being staying at the Hilton again!

 

I remember meeting your group at the many trivia events in the Schooner Bar. Oasis is an awesome ship, thanks so much for doing the review. It brings back great memories.

[EmpressofPurple]

So glad to hear I want the only one who felt Hilton marina was so disorganized! Wish I could stay there again, loved the location, pool, lobby food service and little touches like the grapes by the pool... but the front desk and concierge misinformation really made it difficult...

 

Trivia was great fun... more reports on that to come... I enjoyed all the friendly competition :)

 

Thanks for reading along, I agree, it is fun to remember this great trip.

 

 

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[Miamia65]

I liked it as a location as well and booked it so I could get up early as well and watch the ships come in. I laughed to myself when I read that you work up earlier because I was the same! I was super excited and woke up the rest of the family.

 

It was amazing watching the celebrity ship reverse into what looked like such a tight spot! I will be checking all of your photos to see if we are in any of them as that would be funny!!!1