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

[EmpressofPurple]

DAY #7 – FRIDAY, December 13, 2013 – At Sea

(Nice to celebrate Friday the 13th at sea!)

 

7am vitality stretch, 7:30am fab abs… pretty sure I went for a run on the track today, too… longest track at sea, believe I did 3 laps…

 

The day dawned very cloudy:

 

Diamond Lounge: Bran muffin w/butter and jam, Cappucino + MDR Breakfast: Eggs Benedict… ordered two half-grapefruits and made my own grapefruit juice!!... also had prune juice and a mini-apple-turnover

 

9:30am – Took final photos and videos needed for “homeworks” for the Progressive “Trivia”. Here they all are:

 

1) Video saying "Yah Mon!" with someone (not staff) from Jamaica. I received this assignment AFTER we left Jamaica... so I just asked a guy onboard to pose with me! Yah Mon! (We had sat next to each other at the comedy show, and when I saw him at our rescheduled Oasis of Dreams show I asked him if he'd pose with me and he was thrilled -- asked if he could help me do any other "homeworks" too!) (FYI, he is NOT Jamaican!!)

 

2) Video of "fishing" in a pool on the pool deck with deck staff:

 

3) Selfie doing the "Queen's Wave" with CD staff on the Rising Tide Bar.

 

4) Photo drinking from the largest wine bottle on the Oasis. (I guessed this would be some giant jeroboam or nebuchadnezzar in Vintages in Central Park... we wandered around the empty Vintages, trying to figure out how to pretend to drink from the huge wine bottles glued to various surfaces as decoration... until we noticed this massive one under the bar!!

 

I think there were some other "homeworks" like guessing the ages of all the CD staff and adding them together (we got some high and some low, but overall we were very close)...

[EmpressofPurple]

While running around doing our "homeworks" we joined in the Central Park garden tour, so interesting to learn about this amazing garden at sea. Most unusual trivia fact: once a plant enters the Oasis, it never leaves, alive or dead. Gardener cannot give any cuttings, if a plant is removed, it is burned. There is no way to know what diseases these plants may carry, so they cannot take the risk.

 

Pretty Coleus

 

Head Gardener led the tour

 

Amazing living wall

 

Secret tool closet hidden in Central Park

 

 

[EmpressofPurple]

11:15am – Cake decorating with your captain, hotel director, chef, and Cruise Director. Lots of photos, lots of fun. I was sitting on the floor right in front of the show area.

 

 

The captain seeks votes by passing out tastes

 

 

The finished product

 

 

I learned a lot from watching them make these giant oversized “burger” cupcakes… and I made tiny “slider” versions for my daughter’s birthday!! They were amazing. I bought plain white fondant, colored it with food colors, rolled it out to make the cheese (orange), tomatoes (red), and lettuce (green)… made vanilla (buns) and chocolate (burgers) cupcakes and cut them to make the forms… used toothpicks to hold them together, used yellow and red food coloring in white frosting to make ketchup and mustard... put tiny rolled bits of white fondant as sesame seeds on the buns – they were perfect!!

 

[EmpressofPurple]

Then I went to the Tutti Salad Bar in the Park Café and got lunch to take to the final Progressive Trivia at 12:30 (Pretty much the same meal as boarding day: spinach, bean sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, shrimp, olives salad + kimmelweck sandwich + sun chips + flavored water.)

 

And… we came in THIRD in Progressive Trivia… another group won first… our other group of six won second… and Roberta and I were THIRD!!! With just the two of us, after that first day, and me alone on one day!! A nice haul of gifts, hats, pens, bags, travel mugs and more. (I made a lovely Christmas gift out of most of it for my daughter’s boyfriend, who is joining us on the Explorer at the end of March – his first cruise!)

 

 

Tried to go to the Splish Splash comedy dive show at 1:30 and then again at 3:30 – canceled both times due to wavy conditions. Darn! I’m pretty sure I used the extra “free time” to do my packing and prepare for departure tomorrow morning.

 

A few photos from around the ship:

 

Cupcake decorating class in the Cupcake Cupboard

 

Items for sale in the store

 

And.... cupcakes for sale, too (nope, I never had one)

 

Price list (at least as of last December)

 

More items for sale

[EmpressofPurple]

View of car on the Promenade

 

Sharing a (nonalcoholic) drink with a new friend on the Rising Tide bar

 

Boardwalk Toy Store

 

Beach-themed Logo Shop on the Boardwalk w/ balconies above

 

Play-in bus and car outside Johnny Rockets

[EmpressofPurple]

(Deleted)

Edited March 31, 2014 by EmpressofPurple

[SeaTeach]

Just finished reading your fantastic review. Now I'm really chomping at the bits for my time on "The Big Girl".

 

Thanks!!

[windjamming]

I love your detailed reviews, EmpressofPurple! What a fun trip - and celebration for an amazing accomplishment in completing the Philly marathon!

[EmpressofPurple]

Yes, best towel animals ever!!! Absolutely! I've seen lots of towel animals, but your pic of "reading in bed" is the best.

 

A reader, a reader! Yes, I love them. Got one on my recent explorer cruise, too, sitting on the sofa with a tiny bell cap made from the paper covers on the glasses on the ice tray. I call then shnoods. What do you think they are, anteaters?

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

[EmpressofPurple]

Just finished reading your fantastic review. Now I'm really chomping at the bits for my time on "The Big Girl".

 

Thanks!!

 

Thanks yeah, you'll have a great time. It's a bit more "impersonal" than small ship cruising, but still great fun with lots to do. I was amazed to see they needed a two-page compass to cover all the activities on offer!

 

I was traveling with a group, so I always had friends to meet up or hang out with... but many of them have traveled oasis and allure solo and had a great trip, so as usual, a cruise is what you make of it. Food and entertainment were exceptional.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

[EmpressofPurple]

I love your detailed reviews, EmpressofPurple! What a fun trip - and celebration for an amazing accomplishment in completing the Philly marathon!

 

Thanks wind jamming, yeah the cruise was quite a reward for that great effort! I truly had a great time, mostly getting to spend time with my friends, enjoy the posts of call and explore this great ship.

 

I'd like to try allure, too... although after my recent explorer cruise, I'm also very happy to sail on "smaller" ships as well. (Who else has been cruising long enough to remember when monarch and majesty were the largest super-ships afloat, with a whole deck of balcony cabins, wow!! Ah, how times have changed...)

 

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

[BeachLover01]

I love your review. Thank you!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Sovereign of the Seas - July 2008

Grandeur of the Seas - July 2010

Oasis of the Seas - May 2014

[At Sea 4Ever]

Thanks wind jamming, yeah the cruise was quite a reward for that great effort! I truly had a great time, mostly getting to spend time with my friends, enjoy the posts of call and explore this great ship.

 

I'd like to try allure, too... although after my recent explorer cruise, I'm also very happy to sail on "smaller" ships as well. (Who else has been cruising long enough to remember when monarch and majesty were the largest super-ships afloat, with a whole deck of balcony cabins, wow!! Ah, how times have changed...)

 

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

 

 

I remember getting on the majesty the first time! Wow it was just so big and innovative at the time. That was way back when when it was doing 7 nighters from Miami. Times have changed...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[travelbuddies]

DAY #6 – THURSDAY, December 12, 2013 – Cozumel, Mexico – 8:30am – 6:15pm

7am stretch, 7:30am fab abs… Solarium Bistro breakfast with Marianne and Becca: Bagel, cream cheese and lox… half grapefruit… grits with salt, pepper, hot sauce, butter… turkey sausage… cappuccino (from the Diamond Club)…

 

Dressed for a beach day, went ashore and met up with those sharing the private cooking class we had booked at Mr. Sancho’s beach club ($45pp plus transportation and tips). We shared a cab ($5 each) and arrived at the beach area early, checked in, and went to the food preparation area.

 

What a great class! This was one of the best tours I have taken… and I love our “food theme” for this cruise, with a food tour in Jamaica and a cooking class in Mexico.

 

(I would have booked the cooking class in Jamaica at the historic house, through the cruise line shore excursion department, but it was more than twice as expensive as booking the food tour privately… ditto, the Mexican cooking class through the ship, held at another beach – which many friends of mine have taken and said was terrific – was also nearly twice as expensive as what we booked on our own.)

 

We prepared several dishes: salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips, sopas (small fried breads), refried beans, grilled chicken + frozen margaritas (virgin for me) – regular, strawberry or mango. It was so much fun! We learned hygiene (washing our hands like surgeons before handling the foods), knife handling skills, chopping tomatoes, peppers, onions, avocados…

 

We cut tortillas into triangles and deep-friend them into fresh tortilla chips for our salsa and avocado… we customized the salsas to be spicy or plain depending on our taste… and we filled the sopas with the refried beans (which had been prepared in advance), chicken which we had grilled on the open grill, topped it with a little white cheese, and enjoyed several drinks while we were working.

 

We tipped the chef and his translator/teacher well, and ate the delicious lunch which we had prepared ourselves. I continue to make the guacamole for my appreciative family!

 

Tropical Christmas Tree @ Mr. Sancho's

 

Beautiful fresh ingredients!

 

Diced tomato

 

The gang's all here...

 

...with big knives!!

 

Avocado and onion

 

Looks fun, I went to their webpage and didn't find a cooking class/tour posted how did you book it with them? Thanks

[travelbuddies]

While running around doing our "homeworks" we joined in the Central Park garden tour, so interesting to learn about this amazing garden at sea. Most unusual trivia fact: once a plant enters the Oasis, it never leaves, alive or dead. Gardener cannot give any cuttings, if a plant is removed, it is burned. There is no way to know what diseases these plants may carry, so they cannot take the risk.

 

Pretty Coleus

 

Head Gardener led the tour

 

Amazing living wall

 

Secret tool closet hidden in Central Park

 

 

 

Did you have to sign up for this or was it on the compass for a day activity? Free or fee?

Edited March 31, 2014 by travelbuddies

[EmpressofPurple]

Garden tour is free, listed in the compass.

 

At Mr. Sancho's they said they were discontinuing this class -- I guess it's true!! Call them!! (Free call from US) -- say you read about it on Cruise Critic and you really want to do it!!! Make them bring it back! It was the best.

 

http://www.cozumel-tours.com/cooking-classes.htm

 

This page does indeed say the class is no longer available -- sigh...

[EmpressofPurple]

Thanks for the review, but I have to disagree with the Quantum menu. Have you taken a look at Quantum's website on Dynamic Dining?

 

Yeah, menus are awesome... but if you eat at the Italian restaurant twice, say, do you have the same menu both times, or do they rotate?

 

Also, I'm just a fan of traditional dining -- more on that later -- so I'm hard to convert. I tried MTD on the Oasis, since we had a lot of different show times, etc., plus I thought I'd try other venues and didn't want to leave my dining companions with empty spaces at the table... but in the end, I found a waiter I loved in the MTD restaurant, and went to him every night for the end of the cruise anyway, booking the table with my travel companions, so I had ALMOST a traditional dining experience (without the fun of meeting new people and making new friends).

[Babyrocko1908]

Yeah, menus are awesome... but if you eat at the Italian restaurant twice, say, do you have the same menu both times, or do they rotate?

 

Also, I'm just a fan of traditional dining -- more on that later -- so I'm hard to convert. I tried MTD on the Oasis, since we had a lot of different show times, etc., plus I thought I'd try other venues and didn't want to leave my dining companions with empty spaces at the table... but in the end, I found a waiter I loved in the MTD restaurant, and went to him every night for the end of the cruise anyway, booking the table with my travel companions, so I had ALMOST a traditional dining experience (without the fun of meeting new people and making new friends).

 

Since the Italian restaurant is a specialty, it's likely the menu will change nightly. As far as the other 5 free restaurants, I'm not sure if the menu's change. The reservations system opens 5/14 and it will allow a guest to schedule at the same time everyday up to a group of 16. While you may lose your waiter if you dine at a different restaurant, if you don't change, there is really no reason why you can't keep your same waiter.

[EmpressofPurple]

Garden tour is free, listed in the compass.

 

At Mr. Sancho's they said they were discontinuing this class -- I guess it's true!! Call them!! (Free call from US) -- say you read about it on Cruise Critic and you really want to do it!!! Make them bring it back! It was the best.

 

http://www.cozumel-tours.com/cooking-classes.htm

 

This page does indeed say the class is no longer available -- sigh...

 

Wow, I just emailed Mr. Sanchos, said this tour was one of the highlights of my trip, and sent the link to this review (highlighting that it has had over 10,000 views) -- and here was their response:

 

"We thank you so much for your wonderful and kind comments about our cooking class and for your visit last december.

 

We decide to cancelled this activity as it wasn't very popular and we hardly had any guest for it.

 

But we certainly thank you for your support, we hope to serve you again."

 

Send them more emails!! Let them know you want to do this!

[clochette]

what a great review, and a great group of women, you all make it so much fun, I love the no drama motto.

[EmpressofPurple]

It's a great group, Christine... varied interests and backgrounds, including lawyers, public servants, teachers, business owners and more... we always have a fun time together:) -- and yes, no drama is key!!

[EmpressofPurple]

Well, we're NEARLY done with this wonderful Oasis adventure! Can you believe so much happened on our last day aboard that it's not over yet? (Can't wait till I wrap this one up... then I can start on my Explorer review from last week!)

 

Tried to go to the Splish Splash comedy dive show at 1:30 and then again at 3:30 – canceled both times due to wavy conditions. Darn! I’m pretty sure I used the extra “free time” to do my packing and prepare for departure tomorrow morning.

 

We had reservations for the 5:00pm show of “Come Fly With Me” – I thought this was going to be just another production show… and was stunned to see an original, creative, truly magical aerial theatrical production!! If I had known how amazing it was, I would have seen it several times on this single cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Aha, here's where I wrote about the hot-off, I knew it was somewhere)

I began to joke that on the Oasis, all of the performers had contests backstage about who was the hottest: the divers: “Oh, we jump from 100 feet in our speedos”… the skaters: “We pick up the women and twirl them around while sliding backwards”… the aerialists: “We carry our women in our teeth”… never mind the dancers, the singers, the CD staff and the fitness staff!!! Yikes!!!! How on earth do they all keep their physiques when surrounded by all this food? Maybe they get gruel in the staff canteen? I do see them all working out in the gym, practicing their routines…

[EmpressofPurple]

I did manage to convince our entire group of 12 to join us in the MDR tonight, to experience our wonderful waiter Fatih (I remembered his name!!) and his assistant waiter Mohammed (the most popular name in the world) -- even though most of the Getaway Girls are not MDR folks, and the last night’s menu is never a big favorite… from the Pomodoro menu, my orders were: Starters: French Onion Soup & Fresh Fruit Plate… Entrees: Lamb Shanks & Tom Turkey… (and no record of the dessert, alas, although there do seem to be a few photos)

 

Mmm, looks like a third starter, scallops...

 

Lamb shank

 

Tom Turkey (MUCH better than on past cruises!!)

 

Aha, there are desserts! Looks like the frozen strawberry souffle and Pear Williams Chocolate pudding I just had on the Explorer, yum!

 

Oh, plus apple strudel with vanilla ice cream

 

The amazing Fatih (on the right) and Mohammed.

 

Fatih was very in-demand because he spoke so many languages... I don't remember them all now, but I believe they include: 1) English, 2) French, 3) Spanish, 4) Arabic (plus maybe Italian and German?? I think he spoke 7 languages... I'd love to cruise Oasis again just for the pleasure of being at his table. "With Fatih all things are possible," he would say (and I always wondered if he was aware of the anagram of his name being "Faith") -- and indeed, he always made dinner a delight.

[EmpressofPurple]

I don’t remember what I did in the early part of the evening, though several are marked on my Compass: farewell dance party and farewell event on the Royal Promenade… final comedy show in the Opal Theater (no reservations needed)… farewell dance party with Muzik Xpress in Dazzles…

 

Got a great shot of Puss in Boots on the Promenade

 

Shrek and Fiona leading a line dance

 

 

CD Jimmy Rhodes introduced one group after another on the walkway:

 

RC Singers and Dancers, CD Staff, Ice Skaters, Divers, Aerialists, cast of Hairspray...

 

...even King Julien and the chefs...

[EmpressofPurple]

...and then FOR SURE I was at the inaugural Let’s GLOW! Glow Party in Studio B… great photos, lots of performances by the CD staff, and lots of dancing by guests, dressed in white and wearing light-up jewelry and accessories. I had bought a set with light-up glasses, a necklace, and a ring (I think it was only $7 for the set)… I gave away the glasses to a gentleman who asked for them for his young son after the party… it was great fun, and I hope they roll this event out on all the ships of the fleet.

 

RC Dancers warming up the crowd

 

Everybody gets into the act

 

The party lights up

 

Glow dancers

 

What to wear to a white party if you didn't bring anything white...