First time on Oasis Class (Oasis of the Seas) - back from 12/5/15 sailing

[birdlord]

Days 3 and 4 we stayed on ship. We have been to all these stops before and only booked this cruise for the ship. Some people don't understand that, but I assume they are mainly non-cruisers! :-)

 

So Day 3 was Labadee. The ship was emptied out pretty quickly and so we took our time with our morning run and breakfast (Solarium again) and we wandered to the beach pool as we figured it was our one chance to get good chairs. We were one of the first ones to arrive, and we got loungers in the first row where a little bit of the water comes underneath. It was quite hot out and so while my DH was sent for a pedicure (his toes were in awful shape) I sat in the shallow part to the one side of the pool so I wasn't totally immersing myself in the water just yet. Talked to some nice people who weren't real thrilled with the cruise - too big, not pleased with the food, etc. They had been on countless cruises and other vacations, so I figure their standards were higher than mine. In any event, I try not to let anyone else influence my experience. DH came back and we lounged in/around the pool for some time. I went to Windjammer for lunch and since most people were ashore, I actually found a place to sit. Still, the food area wasn't crowded and people bumping into each other, etc. DH ended up being in the sun too much and so we sought out some shady areas. We lounged most of the day. Dinner was in MDR again and tonight I asked for a better location and got it. Again, no wait. Both enjoyed our meals and I believe this was the night we watched some karaoke which wound up being very entertaining because a couple of young guys from Italy sang "My Way" and did a fun rendition and mispronounced a lot of words, but it made it fun for the spectators. I had wanted to go watch the Love & Marriage show tonight, but was too tired to try and stay awake after have a drink at the Pub.

 

Day 4 was Jamaica and we also opted to stay aboard. A noticeable amount of people stayed on board as it was much more "crowded" than the previous day. We still managed to get premium seating in the Solarium and spent some time in the pool there. We started wandering more and decided we really ought to try to zipline or try the flowrider, but we'd do it later. Later came and went and we did not bother this day. We played some trivia and some nice people asked us to be a part of their team. I think we may have come in second or something, but no matter - we had a fun time. That's the nice thing about cruising - sometimes you wind up spending time with people you probably would never really spend time with back home -- we were a mix of younger single adults, middle aged married people, retired folks -- I love that everyone is just willing to be friendly and inclusive. Again, I blew off our plans for the night (Headliner Act reservations, but I wasn't really excited about going to it). Dinner was in MDR again and once again they went to seat us at our "original" table and I kindly asked for a better seat and they promptly found us a nice table - although I have no complaints about the dining room service on this cruise, this particular night was EXCELLENT service. It was the first time I ever actually had a female head waiter on a cruise. Not that it makes any difference to me, but I just never had one before.

[birdlord]

We're already on day 5 (Wednesday) and it was an at-sea day. This morning we decided to go the MDR for breakfast. Well, this was the first real line we experienced. However, they asked if anyone was willing to share tables and I immediately raised my hand and they gathered a group of us willing to share (this was odd to me - I never had a dining room on a ship give you the option for private or shared seating for breakfast before). We had a fun couple from Texas on our end of the table to chat with (it's always so fun to learn people's backgrounds) and enjoyed our breakfast. I had the French toast and I must say, they prepared it the exact way I like it from a famous diner back home.

 

I forgot to mention that the previous day, after we did a morning run, since I was already in shorts and sneakers, I did the zip line. My husband watched and took pics. Many people were impressed. I didn't admit it was only a short little zip line. I have to admit I never zip lined before and at the very last second I almost changed my mind. I think just getting rigged up (which takes twice as long as the actual zip line if not longer) gets the anxiety level up if you've never tried before. There was virtually no line that morning.

 

Anyway, we did our normal relaxation in the Solarium with drinks much of the day. Dinner in MDR. Now they knew who I was and I didn't have to ask for a "good" location. Tonight we did the Comedy Show. Both comedians were good, but the second one definitely better. I didn't think we'd have real laughs at the show, but we truly did. It was fun and they are interactive with some audience members. I was surprised how much we enjoyed it. I will definitely reserve this again on our next cruise.

[birdlord]

Cozumel! We actually got off the ship today. I kind of thought I felt a cold brewing the night before, but was hopeful it was just allergies. Wrong. Woke up with sore throat and sinus issues. UGGGHHHH. There were a LOT of people sneezing/coughing (without covering their mouths) on board and I wasn't surprised to have caught something. Anyway, we had reservations at Nachi Cocom. They had been predicting stormy weather all week and I took my chances on not canceling our reservation and I'm glad we didn't. Weather was pretty nice. It got a little cloudy later, but no rain/storms.

Unfortunately, I made a terrible error maybe because my head was not clear... I didn't bring my wallet -- just some cash. I was thinking my credit card was on file/record at Nachi and they would just charge it upon arrival. Suddenly on the way there, I got a sinking feeling that they would want the card in person (not unreasonable, just was not thinking straight). We arrived and they said that they did need the physical credit card (which actually makes me question their policy -- if you are a no-show, they charge your credit card for the balance (minus the deposit already made on said card) so TECHNICALLY they really don't need the physical card). But I couldn't get angry with them, so we had to take a cab all the way back, go back on ship, get my wallet, and then do it all over again. We still were on the beach by 10:30 a.m., so not too bad. Nachi was VERY empty on this particular day. I made sure I tipped our head/asst waiter, as people have suggested, but I can't say we ended up with better than normal service. Oh well, I'm wasting a lot of money on cash tips this vacation :-) So, we enjoyed our drinks and food, but I wasn't feeling my very best, so we headed back to the ship - but decided to go in some shops before reboarding (not in the shops at the pier, but across the street). We did wind up finding a shop that had all sorts of maritime and Greek god type things (I'm sure people will know the name of it) and decided to buy a thermometer/barometer combo thing as a souvenir to bring home. It's pretty, but I have to find the right spot for it. We don't spend tons on souvenirs, but like to buy one thing to remember our vacation by. We went back on ship and I was now feeling REALLY lousy and told DH I did not want to go to dinner. I felt guilty because this was the night they serve filet mignon in MDR. I wish he would have gone on his own, but he's not that type. He went to WJ which was awful he said and of course the main theme was Mexican food which we just had all day at Nachi. No one's fault. Just disappointed. At this point I was annoyed I had caught a cold, but what can you do? Still, I had hard feelings for everyone I saw not covering their mouths or washing their hands. I even had a lady sneeze right on my legs as I walked past her in Central Park. Ugh. Kids you can understand, but adults -- well, there's no good excuse. :-(

[birdlord]

Oh the dreaded final day...... I'm still feeling lousy, so DH went to do his run and I just hung out in room. The night before we had begun packing what we could so tonight wouldn't be a mad rush to get it done on time. This morning we did the Central Park tour which was very entertaining and informative. After 1 hour though, I realized I had to get some food in me if I didn't want to wait until lunch. Since were were in Central Park, went to Park cafe and had great breakfast sandwiches. Afterwards, we tried to find good loungers in Solarium and today was not possible because it was later in the morning. We decided to find another area because the Solarium was just too hot to be on a lounger that wasn't catching a breeze. It was VERY windy on the pool decks and if you were in the shade, it actually was chilly. We moved locations a couple times and finally settled on a location, but frankly it was so windy it wasn't even pleasurable, so we figured we'd just go sit on our own balcony, but on the way through the Solarium, happened upon some nice seating and actually wound up staying there the rest of the day. Before dinner, I decided to "check in" to our flight home. I thought it was odd American Airlines didn't send me a reminder email. Hmm. So I went on and my record locator indicated CANCELED. I panicked. I checked the status of the flight on line, and it did not indicate any sort of cancellation. So I called American and they couldn't find my record locator. To back up, when I checked my flight info before leaving home, American had changed our return flight to leave at 7:50 a.m. (from 11:35 a.m.) and I had to call them and say there was NO WAY that would work. They told me there was a 3:30 p.m. flight and I agreed to take it - even "upgraded" our seats. While I was on the phone with American finding out why I showed as being CANCELED, I glanced at the printout and here when the reservation person changed my time, HE CHANGED THE DATE OF MY FLIGHT FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK EARLIER! I was now having an anxiety attack! I was on hold for 20 minutes while they were getting a supervisor and lost the connection. No cell service. Now I had to go into roam mode and try again. 20 minutes later, they cleared me to fly home on the 12th, but only one seat remained on the 3:30 flight -- so now we had to bump up to the 5:15 flight. Ugh. Knowing we were going to spend all day at the airport was awful. Plus, we lost our "upgraded" seats. But, I was glad to have cleared it up regardless. I am so happy I didn't wait to "check in" at the airport itself. Anyway, dinner was in MDR again and this was the only night I was truly disappointed in the food. I was going to get an entree and changed my mind to the turkey at the last minute and that was not what I should have done. I didn't want to go through the entire process of ordering another dinner, so I just dealt with it. At this point in the cruise, I don't have a huge appetite anyway. I'm a little tired, a little bloated and kind of over not eating my own food at home (odd as it sounds). We went back to room (we had later time for dinner this night) and finished packing so we could set out our bags. That was done and I went to sleep.

[birdlord]

Since we had all the time they'd let us to debark - we decided to get up in time to have a real breakfast in the MDR. No wait this morning, but I slept TERRIBLE the night before and that always makes me feel kind of sick. I could barely eat my breakfast and service was extremely slow. I'm not complaining because we were in absolutely no rush now that our flight home wasn't until dinnertime. We finally left the MDR and wandered to the Crown & Anchor "lounge" (the Opal Theatre, deck 4) and sat in there. I made the mistake of asking a crew member about the incident the evening before (the person taken off the ship by Coast Guard for a medical emergency that everyone was talking about - which all reports were the passenger passed away) and I was scolded for asking about another passenger's medical condition. Whoops. It really didn't occur to me - and I felt bad I asked. It wasn't coming from a bad place, it was more concern. We saw the whole thing from our balcony and it was bothering me. So I really never got the story and I certainly hope the person is okay. We did decide to leave when our tag number got called and after standing in that very long line, the area where you claim your luggage and stand in line to go through customs was total chaos. My patience was thin at this point and people were cutting the line, or just being generally rude, and I was glad to get through the process. We got outside and took a cab to FLL and waited until we could check our luggage (which isn't until 4 hours max before your flight). Surprisingly, we were very patient all day. I guess the realization of spending the day at the airport with no choice sunk in and we dealt with it. I was still blowing my nose every 5 seconds, so I bought some cold meds and a book and read until it was time to board. Every flight was fully booked (thank goodness I straightened out our flight situation the day before) and many angry passengers wanting upgrades ... it's actually a free floor show to watch all the people come up and ask the gate personnel for special considerations. We had a very smooth and fast flight home and probably the first time I ever remember not being held in a holding pattern landing at PHL. So, all was well. We got home, started the unpacking process. Took our showers and went to bed. Next morning we picked up our darling collies at Camp Bow Wow and life was back to normal again. Knowing we are on Harmony for Dec 10 sailing next year, we know we have time to do those things we missed this time (flow rider, the broadway show - we had no interest in Cats, etc.).

The end.

[birdlord]

The image of this is just so.......:eek:

 

Exactly. Just as you would imagine!

[birdlord]

So for the most part, I don't have much to gripe about. But I have to say, this is the first cruise I was ever on where throughout the ENTIRE night I kept hearing doors slam - not balcony doors. It was as if cabin doors were slamming shut all night -- and in the process, it would shake the decoration on the wall causing it to rattle, in turn that would wake us up. It was every night on the cruise. My DH thought that it was people slamming their bathroom doors rather than the cabin doors, but who knows? It was odd. I honestly don't remember ever having this happen on other ships. I don't know if it's the way the ship is built - with the way the rooms or connected/joined - but it was my biggest problem - being woken 3, 4, 5, 6 times a night by this odd slamming/shaking/rattling. Maybe it was just our particular neighbors, but honestly, it was like it wasn't coming from one direction only. I don't know. When you are groggy, it's hard to know for sure.

 

Second gripe - although the staff is great about cleaning up after people pretty quickly, a lot of the tables were still sticky on on the sides where you might lean an arm or touch with your hand. That skeeves me.

 

Third gripe - no one really monitoring kids in the Solarium. It didn't happen all week, but it certainly happened. And we had fabulous weather, so it wasn't because it was raining.

 

Fourth gripe - okay, this is nothing that can be easily remedied, but the freestyle machines were ALWAYS broken or out of something. It was aggravating at times. Plus, I felt it was a real skill not to get ice all over the place. We found the machine in the arcade was probably the most dependable.

[Grandma Petania]

It was the first time I ever actually had a female head waiter on a cruise. Not that it makes any difference to me, but I just never had one before.

Was her name Anna? She was head waiter in our dining room this past February. (I think we were in the Grande, but not positive.) She, and our favorite waitress on three cruises now, Maritess, made our dining experiences quite enjoyable.

[birdlord]

Was her name Anna? She was head waiter in our dining room this past February. (I think we were in the Grande, but not positive.) She, and our favorite waitress on three cruises now, Maritess, made our dining experiences quite enjoyable.

 

I'm afraid I cannot remember! Shame on me!

[BillOh]

Real quick - I forgot to mention the Boardwalk - interesting area. Didn't do a ton there, though we came back through time and again. I did ride the carousel - of all my pics on FB for the week, the pics with me and the carousel horse and riding the carousel were the hit. I have a real horse back home and so everyone who knows me knew that if there was a horse on a ship, real or not, I'd find it.

 

 

 

Ooops, there goes your credibility! Horses in New Jersey?

Kidding of course. I use to travel to NJ quite a bit on business, but it was all industrial areas like Passaic, Ramsey, Orange, Patterson, Newark and places like that. Never really made it to the suburban or rural parts.

 

 

Also forgot to mention the fitness center and running track. We are runners and despite some complaints about most of the track being "inside" (covered), we appreciated not having to run in the sun -- in fact, during the heat, the worst part for running was aft where you are exposed to the direct sun! We loved that it was almost a 1/2 mile long (our home gym only has a 1/7 mile track and it can get awful). DH ran 5 miles every morning but for our day in Cozumel and I ran a few times. Fitness center is very well equipped but not to many areas to do my workout that includes needing wall space to use the balance ball (for wall squats, etc.). Once I found a space, everyone else who wanted wall space came flocking. Ugh.

 

I'm looking forward to getting back on that track. I think it 2011 I put more mileage on Allure's track than anyone as I prepared for my first marathon. Most of the problems I had on that track, though they were few, were staff using the track as a shortcut to get around.

 

Anyway, enjoying your review/report.

[birdlord]

Ooops, there goes your credibility! Horses in New Jersey?

Kidding of course. I use to travel to NJ quite a bit on business, but it was all industrial areas like Passaic, Ramsey, Orange, Patterson, Newark and places like that. Never really made it to the suburban or rural parts.

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to getting back on that track. I think it 2011 I put more mileage on Allure's track than anyone as I prepared for my first marathon. Most of the problems I had on that track, though they were few, were staff using the track as a shortcut to get around.

 

Anyway, enjoying your review/report.

 

HA! Yes, most people think of "North" Jersey when they think New Jersey. Southern New Jersey surprisingly has lots of rural areas. Sometimes too rural. There are some interesting places/characters. This is why there is a magazine entitled "Weird NJ" -- it is indeed weird and varied (the entire state)! But, I believe NJ still has the most horses per capita than any other state - even Kentucky! In very tony Hunterdon County, there are many Olympic level riders that call it home for the spring/summer before they flock to So Florida for the winter competitions.

 

As for the track, we really thought it was a major highlight of the ship! I actually was surprised how many people used the track but were very aware of the runners and were polite about moving over when they should. Some even apologizing if they didn't hear someone coming. It was better than our gym where people use the track to casually stroll and to heck with the runners! The worst part was not having a good excuse to take a week off from running :-)

[DonnaK]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!

 

Is there a fee for the Central Park tour?

[birdlord]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!

 

Is there a fee for the Central Park tour?

 

No! that's the beauty of it (no pun intended).. it's no fee. I know they offer it on sea days - I didn't really remember to look for it until the very last day which was a sea day and I'm so glad I didn't miss it. It was listed for 9:30-10 but went well beyond that. The officer that is in charge of Central Park and all things related to the flora and fauna in there is very enthusiastic about his job and he has great stories from when the concept was first developed to the present day park. You'd be surprised to learn all the concepts they first had for the space (first, not a park at all!).

[Grandma Dazzles]

Thanks for the review and taking the time.

 

One comment, and please don't take critically, trying to be helpful - you did a great job, and obviously took time, but if you ever do another review please break into more paragraphs! Very hard to read, especially on a phone or tablet. I think that's why there haven't been many comments or questions.

 

Thanks!

[birdlord]

Thanks for the review and taking the time.

 

One comment, and please don't take critically, trying to be helpful - you did a great job, and obviously took time, but if you ever do another review please break into more paragraphs! Very hard to read, especially on a phone or tablet. I think that's why there haven't been many comments or questions.

 

Thanks!

 

Oops thanks! No you are right. Did this on my PC so that is something to remember!

[Grandma Dazzles]

Oops thanks! No you are right. Did this on my PC so that is something to remember!

 

Thanks for not being offended at my comment! Thanks again for the review.

[tampadee]

Really enjoyed your review.

 

My husband and I used to return home from a cruise with one of us catching a cold, then giving it to the other. But, for almost 2 years we have not had one. Except for one very short one my husband caught (and I didn't catch it from him).

 

The solution: Oil of Oregano. It boosts the immune system. It's like a miracle. If anyone is interested in what type & where I get it, e-mail me at ddmontana at gmail.

 

We take it a few days before every trip, then one a day during the trip and for a few days after. Then we stop until the next one. It has to be always taken with food. Not any Oil of Oregano will work, as there are different types out there.

 

Dee Dee Montana

[birdlord]

Thanks for not being offended at my comment! Thanks again for the review.

 

No reason to be offended - when I'm on the PC, I have a wide screen so the text does not look nearly as bad as it does on a smaller screen. Live and learn!

[lahlah57]

What area? I lived in Cali for 3 years when I was 19-21 - in Merced (not the most glamorous town) in the San Joaquin Valley

 

Lori.....we are in san bernardino valley....fontana to be exact. Merced is a way from us.

Sorry took so long to respond but back to work for me. Hope your cruise is wonderful and now I have to go back and catch up to your responses for the last week:)

[lahlah57]

Lori....also pick up a bottle of Airborne vitamin C tabs for your next trip and start on those a few days before you fly. We have been very successful with starting on that regimen before traveling and have fought off any sort of virus. Planes are such nasty carriers of whatever virus is sitting in there. That recirculated nasty air and seats that are never cleaned. I could go on and on with how to protect yourself but it would take too long:p

Pick up airborne tabs at any walgreens or the such.Hope all is well and you enjoyed your holiday overall:D

[birdlord]

Lori....also pick up a bottle of Airborne vitamin C tabs for your next trip and start on those a few days before you fly. We have been very successful with starting on that regimen before traveling and have fought off any sort of virus. Planes are such nasty carriers of whatever virus is sitting in there. That recirculated nasty air and seats that are never cleaned. I could go on and on with how to protect yourself but it would take too long:p

Pick up airborne tabs at any walgreens or the such.Hope all is well and you enjoyed your holiday overall:D

 

Yes, you are right -- and I know I've done this before -- why I didn't this time is probably because, as usual, I'm buying stuff up to the last minute and I completely FORGOT about this. Next time for sure. Thanks - we certainly did enjoy and are looking forward to Harmony next December!

[finfan32744]

We are sailing on the Oasis January 23rd.....silly question, how hard are the beds or are they actually comfortable? We sailed on the Navigator in November and I swear, the floor would have been more comfortable :-(

[birdlord]

We are sailing on the Oasis January 23rd.....silly question, how hard are the beds or are they actually comfortable? We sailed on the Navigator in November and I swear, the floor would have been more comfortable :-(

 

You can email special requests ... Can't think of email right now but I will search for it ... And request an egg crate for the bed. It will be on there when your room is prepared. I did this as a precaution and the bed was fine.... Of course, there's no way for me to know what it would've been like without the egg crate !

[finfan32744]

thanks Lori.....if you can find the email address, I would appreciate it. On the Navigator, we were told that RCL has discontinued providing egg crates, but maybe it was just that ship. By the 3rd day, we had 3 of the comforters underneath the sheets just for a lil cushion....at least it made it somewhat comfortable.

[Betsynh]

Thanks so much for the Airborne suggestion! We are sailing 1/9/16 and I bought some today... better safe than sorry.