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Oasis of the Seas Trip Report with Pics from First Time Cruiser! Oct 3-10 2015

Dianka25

By Dianka25,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Dianka25

Dianka25

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Day 2- Night time

 

First timer tip- Get a bottle of water each time you get a drink when you are on the drink package. It’s included and helps you keep hydrated.

 

We ended up napping until about 5PM, and then showered and got dressed for our formal night. I felt like a lot of the ship was dressed up, and it was really nice. It added to the atmosphere. Personally, I felt like the ship is so beautiful and fancy, especially at night, that it felt like we were on the Titanic or something (minus the bad stuff) when everyone got dressed up. We weren’t even doing to the Main Dining Room tonight so I guess we didn’t have to be so formal, but we had fun with it.

 

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My DH is stunned by the food at Sabor.

 

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Casino pic... this is actually from the first day which is why it's so empty.

 

After gambling, we went back to the Globe and Atlas and listened to the live singer for a while. There was a big group of people there from WI (where we’re from) whom we didn’t know, but it was funny to see others from close to home on the ship.

 

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Can you believe this is on a SHIP?!

 

Tonight we had a 10:30 reservation at the Comedy Club, where we headed next. It was a little confusing to figure out how to line up. Apparently there are two lines at the doors, one for those with reservations, and the other for stand by people who get let in last and take any remaining seats. I think this was the set up for all the shows. There was no signage about this that I saw and little help from the crew so you will have to figure it out on your own- it’s not hard. They have drink service before the show as you are getting seated. This venue is really small which I liked a lot. The comedians were pretty funny, but the warm up guy (fluffer, as he called himself LOL), was the BEST. I really loved that all the bars and restaurants were so intimate, and never over crowded. We never felt like we were on a ship with 6000 people. In fact, often we had that feeling of “Where is everyone?”.

 

Now it’s past midnight and we are back in our room. Another shout-out to our room attendant. He had the best timing. He got in and cleaned our room after we left every morning, so that it was all made up by the time we got back for our predinner nap. And then he did an evening turndown service after we left and before we got back at the end of the night. We often saw him when we were leaving in the morning and he greeted us with a smile and knew our names. He also gave us a bucket full of ice every day, which was nice to use even when drinking tap water, because it never seemed very cold coming out of the faucet.

Not too bad for Day 2!

 

Next up… Day 3 and getting sick…

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Dianka25

Dianka25

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I read a lot of reviews and I find a great deal of value and enjoyment out of all of them and I can tell I will feel the same about this one. However, I'll beg to differ on this one point. My first 3 cruises I flew in the day of the cruise and my next 8 I flew in the day before. It is so much more stressful flying in the day of the cruise compared to the day before. Hurricane Jaoquin caused some ships to leave an hour earlier that weekend which would have added to that stress.[/quote

 

Very good point. I could see myself being anxious with a same day flight so who knows what we will do next time. ]

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Pilot53

Pilot53

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I have been on the Oasis twice now. First time one could not feel the ship move at all. The second time there was mostly 3 to 5 foot seas, but very windy. We could feel the ship moving a lot, in every direction. Watching the show in the main theater, you could feel the ship moving up, tilting right, and then coming down. There were people leaving the show. The wind can move the ship around sometimes more than the sea. The ship is a great big wall that the wind pushes. They cannot put the ship into the wind unless the course is into the wind. Also, the hurricane can rough up the ocean for a week or two, depending on its speed out of the area. The hurricane can be 150 miles away, but still affect the seas.

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trihawks1

trihawks1

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Love your review so far. We will be on Oasis for the first time in Dec. so I appreciate all the great info! Can't wait for the rest of the review...because I do tend to get seasick but I take Bonnie, ginger, and have a RX with me of nausea medicine just in case.

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Dianka25

Dianka25

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Day 3 Sea Day

 

First timer tip: Watch TV! Ok, that doesn’t seem like a good tip, but what I mean is, check out the cruise channels on the TV. Our cruise director Drew and activities manager Chris did a hilarious morning show that I listened to every morning as I got ready for the day, and there was a captain’s speech telling us what the following day’s sailing will be like, interviews with different crew members, and other interesting clips we watched as we got ready every day. Hell, you can even watch the “Wash your hands” video 55,000 times if you want. Also, the TV is a on a hinge so you can angle it a bit to watch from bed.

 

So I didn’t mention it before, but one weird thing that happened earlier was that both my DH and I noticed our throats were a little sore when we left the spa. We chalked it up to dry air and thought nothing else of it, but by the morning of day 3 it was very obvious… we had gotten sick. But not seasick! We had a typical sore throat, fatigue, and congestion type cold, and we went through a box of Kleenex a day so I was paranoid that Ketut was going to turn us in and we would be confined to our room. We were even covert about talking about it in public and even tried not to cough a lot for fear of getting busted haha. But luckily this isn’t a very exerting type of vacation, so we didn’t let it bother us even though we were sniffly for the rest of the trip. Hey- I’d rather be sick on vacation than healthy at work!

 

So we slept in a bit this morning and didn’t get down to breakfast until 10:30. Some of the breakfast places were already closed, so we decided to try the Windjammer Buffet. The food was good- I had smoked fish, a roll with cheese, hashbrowns, and an egg and chorizo empanada thing. And I threw some cooked veggies on top to feel less guilty haha. There were also some smoothies so I felt brave and tried the wheatgrass one, but I only had a sip. Compared to an all-inclusive resort, I feel like we had fewer fresh veggie and fruit options in general. Also fewer fresh baked bread options. Makes sense since the ship has to store and replenish their food reserves, so they don’t have the luxury that a land-based resort has.

 

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Our spot at the Solarium

 

When we got hungry again around 2PM, we made our way to the hot dog place on the Boardwalk. We both had the Coney Island Dog but there were a lot of good looking options so I planned to go back another time. It was a good ole fashioned hot dog and it hit the spot. We also scoped out the ice cream/cupcake shop and the candy store, but I resisted buying anything... this time.

 

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Nice evening shot of the Boardwalk

 

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Evolution of a carousel horse

 

After lunch we returned to the room to shower and change for the night….

 

Next up… Day 3 Evening and a Dining Debacle

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

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IMG_0774_zpstnj4m2mk.jpg.html]

 

I've been to Nassau 6 times, but the covered walkway is new, I think, or I'm getting senile early? I think the last time I was there was 2013. Am I wrong anyone? Have to check my pictures.

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Club Disney Chandler

Club Disney Chandler

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I've been to Nassau 6 times, but the covered walkway is new, I think, or I'm getting senile early? I think the last time I was there was 2013. Am I wrong anyone? Have to check my pictures.

 

 

I know it wasn't there in 2011 so your probably not senile, I think I remember reading it's new in the last 12 - 18 months.

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Clarea

Clarea

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I've been to Nassau 6 times, but the covered walkway is new, I think, or I'm getting senile early? I think the last time I was there was 2013. Am I wrong anyone? Have to check my pictures.

It may be relatively new, but has been there at least for a couple of years. There are parallel walkways on either side of it, so you don't have to use the covered one.

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birdlord

birdlord

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Day 3 Sea Day

 

After breakfast, we found a spot in the Solarium to relax for the afternoon. Since we got going so late that morning, there were already a ton of people already out and about. We hung out there for a while and then went down one deck to the pool. The pool is saltwater! One thing about the solarium… it is HOT. I couldn’t stand it. There is hardly any breeze up there, so I walked around trying to find another place to sit out. We ended up moving to some chairs on the pool deck near the scuba shop which were shaded.

 

Okay, so question -- you say this was on the pool deck near the scuba shop -- but I don't see a scuba shop on the deck plans -- which is not surprising -- is this on Deck 15? Or it is up on 16? Seems like a nice private/quiet spot. My main fear about the Solarium on Oasis is that it's too hot. When we were on Celebrity Silhouette last year, it was the opposite -- the Solarium always had the A/C cranking and I felt chilly in there. But I also don't want to feel hot! :-)

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Dianka25

Dianka25

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Okay, so question -- you say this was on the pool deck near the scuba shop -- but I don't see a scuba shop on the deck plans -- which is not surprising -- is this on Deck 15? Or it is up on 16? Seems like a nice private/quiet spot. My main fear about the Solarium on Oasis is that it's too hot. When we were on Celebrity Silhouette last year, it was the opposite -- the Solarium always had the A/C cranking and I felt chilly in there. But I also don't want to feel hot! :-)

 

Hmm you're right I don't see it on the deck plan. It's called Sea Trek Dive Shop and it's on deck 15 by the sport pool area. The biggest challenge I had was finding some place shaded that also had a nice breeze near the pools so good luck. I think it's easier if you get there earlier ans then you have your pick of spots. The back of the ship on deck 5 is also awesome for just sitting and reading and it is also covered.

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Dianka25

Dianka25

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Day 3 Part 2

 

First timer tip: The time listed on your show reservation is actually 15 minutes before the actual show start time. Do not wait until the last minute to show up because they will start letting the standby line in around that time, and you want to make sure you get good seats before then!

 

 

We got ready for the night and stopped by the gift shop on deck 5. There were some surprisingly good deals- we got a 2 pack of nice RCCL playing cards for about 3 bucks. Playing rummy is our ultimate vacation relaxation activity and I had forgotten to bring cards! We settled in at the Globe and Atlas and played a few rounds. I was often surprised by how empty the place was (in a good way), and how it felt like a full-fledged bar… not a mini cruise ship bar. The theming was also excellent in all the bars and restaurants- Disney quality, in my opinion, which is saying a lot. The drinks are tasty too- especially El Toro, which apparently isn’t ordered very often but is a nice take on a margarita with beer.

 

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Good example of how empty the bar was at the start of the night.

 

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The dining room.... beautiful and elegant like the rest of the ship.

 

After losing the allotted cash at the casino, we watched both the Headliner show and the Love & Marriage Show in the Opal Theater. The headliner show was Jeff Tracta. I can’t complain too much since it’s a free show, but I would not pay to see him. He did a lot of impressions of old characters I’ve never heard of, and generally seemed a bit past his prime. But the production value of all the shows is very high- great lighting and sound. The Love and Marriage show was hilarious. I would definitely stay up for that one, but it was replayed several times on the in rooms in case you miss it.

 

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Right outside the Globe and Atlas... helping you find your way after a long night.

 

By the end of this day I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I was going to be spending quite a bit of extra money on food. Avoiding the MDR and getting a better quality of food was worth it for us.

 

That wraps up Day 3.

 

Next up Day 4 St. Thomas…and the forgotten shore excursion group…

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