Fizzlewicket’s Adventure on Oasis of the Seas

[Fizzlewicket]

After a little bit, we headed back to the tour reps and started our tour. Our main guide was Steve Watson and he was extremely knowledgeable about everything Jamaica included the plant life, the history and the culture. I can only speak for myself, but I was fascinated by the tales of Jamaica history and all that was around us.

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was at a cart within the port area. His cart was full of various local fruits, coconuts and sugarcane. We handed a small plastic container filled with watermelon, papaya (which at that point had never tried), some pineapple and some sugar cane that the gentleman that owned the cart had hacked off using a large knife.

 

 

 

 

 

I tried each piece of fruit and all of them were delicious. When I came to the sugar cane, I really did not know what to do. Steve and the cart owner said to chew the sugar cane and the juice would mix with our saliva and we would taste the sweet flavor. I guess I am just never got the hang of it, but my wife said it was great and said she chewed it like chewing gum. It was hot in Jamaica too and Steve carried a backpack filled with small bottles of water in case we were thirsty. It was very good first impression of the tour.

[Fizzlewicket]

We stopped at a few signs that lined the road out to the main city of Falmouth and Steve revealed bits of information about the countries that rules over Jamaica throughout history, as well some of the past governors, the vast crops that grew there and the beginning of slavery in that island country. It was all very fascinating.

 

 

 

 

As we exited the port area, we came into the main city of Falmouth; it was quite a different world entirely. But we felt quite safe from anyone trying to bother us during the tour. Steve headed our group from the front and his tour partner (Sorry, I do not remember her name) remained in the rear of the group to make sure feel secure.

 

 

 

 

As we came up to different corners of the city, Steve would describe historical, cultural and architectural aspects of each area.

 

 

 

 

[Fizzlewicket]

Our first stop was at a local fruit and vegetable cart. Steve asked us if we could identify different fruits and vegetables and after our attempts, went on to teach us information about each item like how the item originally arrived on the island, how it was grown, and how it is used in local foods or medicines. As someone who enjoys the art of cooking, I was hanging on to Steve’s every word.

 

 

 

Next we arrived at the location where we would have a Beef Patty. To prepare for the cruise and the tastes of Jamaica, I tried a couple of different frozen boxed versions that were available at the Commissary I shop at home. I had been curious about one type since, as I was looking through the frozen food section, a man has opened one of the doors and grabbed about 8 boxes of a certain brand of Beef Patty. I also grabbed a box and tried them that evening. After baking them in the oven for the allotted time, I found them having lots of puff pastry type crispy dough and not a lot of filling. They were actually bland in flavor. I found another brand in another part of the Commissary and tried that one too. While better than the other one, it was really hot and spicy. It was so much so that almost all you experienced was theheat and spice. But, at the same time, it was better than the other one.

 

 

Steve placed the groups in tables near the side of the restaurant and they brought us the Beef Patties wrapped in Coco Bread. These were even better than the ones I had in the store. They on the mild side but had more over flavor than the other two. The Coco bread, which I thought would dilute the taste of the Patty, actually worked very well with it and I enjoyed every bite.

 

 

[Fizzlewicket]

We moved on to another cart located between two buildings. We tried coconut water and learned about the different stages how coconuts grow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, he took a young coconut and scrapped out what looked like a semi-clear jelly. He asked anyone wanted to taste it. No one wanted to offer to try it, but he came to me and put a small amount in my hand. I felt like I was holding on to a slimy jellyfish, but with a bit of courage, took a bite of the gelatin like substance. It was like eating a slimy lightly sweetened coconut Jell-O. I remember him mentioning that this substance was used like V iagra on the island. To which I stated, “More please!”

[Fizzlewicket]

Steve brought us to an old courthouse that was still being used. He described how it was built and how the walls were two feet think because at the time they thought it would not allow the sunlight to pass through stone bricks and therefore keep the inside cooler. Steve invited us from the hot Jamaican sun to the inside the area under the stairs. It was definitely about ten degrees cooler there. He then told us about the history of the courthouse such as how it started out and other functions it served throughout the city’s history.

 

 

 

We then traveled further through Falmouth. Our guides made sure we were safe from traffic and Steve continued to give interesting factoids of different buildings and areas we encountered.

[Fizzlewicket]

Steve brought to an old church where he described the interesting life of the Christian pastor that established it and his fight to have slavery abolished which eventually led to the end of slavery in Jamaica.

 

 

We traveled though the city a bit more and we arrived at Pepper’s Jerk Center.

 

 

 

 

 

We were seated at a table and were brought a sample of Jerk Chicken and a festival (elongated corn bread hush puppy). As you can tell, I was eager to dive right in and devoured some before remember to take a picture. The jerk sauce was excellent and with the extra bottle of it on the table, I smothered my festival with some for every bite. We were offered to buy some before we left and several us handed over $10 ea. for a small bottle. I was determined to learn how to make this on my own after the cruise. I was becoming a Jerk sauce fanatic and was thinking of all the ways I could share this with friends and family at home.

[Fizzlewicket]

Our final stop was a beautiful house near the cruise port. We were offered seats beneath a shady tree and were presented with cucumber water for refreshment and a small plastic bag of coconut based sweets. The ones I remember most were the coconut ginger drop candy. We met Ms. Crick who was the owner of Jamaica Culinary Tours and she told us about the interesting history of the house and a history of the current owner. Ms. Crick asked us how we like the food and the tour. I bought up how I enjoyed the Jerk process and wanted to try it at home with some pork shoulder and my smoker. She stated that jerked pork was even better than jerked chicken. After we sampled the candy and heard the story, we were invited inside to take a look around on the first floor. The owner of the house was a cat lover and so was my wife so when she found two adorable kittens relaxing in the warm sun in a window sill, my wife could not have been happier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the group moved to the kitchen area, Steve tapped my on the shoulder and motioned me to follow him. He brought me away from the main group to the foyer and took out a small tin foil pack. He presented me with two large pieces of jerked pork to sample. Such a fantastic surprise! I savored the delicious morsels slowing as the rest of the group finished their tour.

 

As we left, Steve shared his knowledge of one the plants within the home’s garden.

 

 

 

Our guilds took us back to the cruise port where I offered Steve and his partner well deserved tips and my wife and I headed back to further explore the cruise port.

[Fizzlewicket]

Now, my wife’s favorite drink is a frozen lime margarita, so we had to check out Margaritaville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went up to one of the bars and behind them were several machines that were continuously churning several flavors of margaritas. My wife ordered her lime one and found it very tasty. From then, we browsed a bit more and went back to the ship.

[Fizzlewicket]

In the evening, we watched the ship leave from the pool deck.

 

 

[Fizzlewicket]

So, here we are at the last port of the cruise, Cozumel.

 

 

The ship docked on the starboard side again, so we had to go to the top deck for the views since we had a port side balcony. Nachi Cocum did not open until 10am so we took our time getting ready and headed to the port at 930am. We walked through the port quickly and grabbed a small taxi to Nachi Cocum. The costs of the taxi ride were set on a billboard in from of the taxi area and were dependent on how many people were being taxied to any given location. I think it less than $20 each way for my wife and me. When we arrived a woman greeted us, took our picture and brought us a counter where we paid the rest of our entrance fee of $80. We were then brought to two chairs under a tropical umbrella and introduced to our waiter Carlos. It was a bit overcast that day and some people were speaking of rain, but that did not bother me at all.

 

 

 

 

 

[Fizzlewicket]

Curious to what the rest of the resort had to offer, I took a casual tour.

 

 

 

It had a bar close by (but Carlos brought us all our drinks) …

 

 

 

And a massage center …

 

 

 

Near the entrance of the resort was a pool and a Jacuzzi …

 

 

 

 

And a covered place to dine at instead of at your beach chairs if you choose.

 

 

[Clarea]

Love the Nachi photos, I'll be there in a month!:)

[Fizzlewicket]

Near the opposite side to where we were was a place to rent jet skis, float mats, sign up for banana boat ride and scuba and snorkeling tours.

 

 

 

I also found a concrete pier that allowed other views of the local area.

 

 

 

[Fizzlewicket]

For lunch, my wife ordered the chicken enchiladas and I ordered the rolled chicken tacos. We also ordered a serving of chips and guac and of course the meal came with more chips and a side of salsa. Everything was very delicious.

 

 

 

 

(Do you think we had enough guac for that meal? :p )

 

 

During the afternoon, it rained a bit on and off, but mostly just remained overcast. After lunch, I spent most of my time being a fish and enjoyed the calm ocean water. Later, I met a gentleman in the water and we talked extensively about his experience on the NCL Getaway and cruising in general. Two cruise nerds discussing cruising while swimming in the ocean off a coast of Mexico. What could be better.

[Fizzlewicket]

After several relaxing hours, we packed up our things and headed back to port to see if there was anything we were interested in buying. While we wanted to spend some time and look around, at every corner and every store of the port, the locals beckoned us to see their shops and wares. When we did stop to look at a item, we were swamped by locals wanting us to look at his this or that. It was high pressure sales to say the least and both of us very uncomfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their behavior of the locals only forced us back to the ship and at a more frantic pace.

 

 

 

 

Thus ended our day at Cozumel.

[Fizzlewicket]

Well, there ends our cruise adventure on Oasis of the Seas. I realize looking back (rereading the review) that I was a little less humorous than in my Liberty of the Seas tour/review and I flourished my tour/review with lots of big words, but there was a lot of cover in a short time and I wanted to present it while still fresh in my memories. I hope you still had a good time and maybe learned something new or were able to better prepare for your Oasis of the Sea adventure. Maybe we will meet sometime on our next Royal Caribbean cruise. And with that … Fizz out. :cool:

 

 

 

P.S. If you have any questions or comments about the material presented, I will do my best to offer any answers or advise that I can.

[svbcjnsn]

Thanks for the great travelogue and photos. We'll be on OAS on 2/13 with the same itinerary. I've been to all 3 ports, and am happy we signed up for the food tour in Labadie (which is its real name). I totally agree with you on Nachi Cocum. I'd just add that they pride themselves on being fairly laid back and quieter than some other beaches. We had a good time snorkeling. Finally, their fish tacos were two thumbs up.

[Shekim]

So, here we are at the last port of the cruise, Cozumel.

 

We were then brought to two chairs under a tropical umbrella and introduced to our waiter Carlos.

Carlos is the best waiter there; we've had him twice. He hustles...and seldom did we have to flag him down. If you get Carlos as your waiter tip big...he deserves it.

[rsgwg1]

This has got to be a Top Ten review of a ship. :)

I may not be on here very much but this review has missed nothing so far.

We will be on the Oasis 4/23/16. This is a great primer for the cruise.

 

Thanks!

We also sail on the 23rd and after watching this great presentation Im more ready than ever. Are you on the roll calls, if not join us, its lots of fun feeling everyones anticipation for our sailing.

[rsgwg1]

The Fizzelwicket review hands down has been the best review I personally have read. The wife and I ( Wilma and Ron ) have been watching for two nights and will be ready for this next installment. I will be on this ship on April 23, 2016 and because of this " Documentary " I will be well prepared as to where I eat and the shows I wish to see. Thank you Fizzelwicket. Im signing off for the night and looking forward to the next installment of Fun with the Fizzelwickets.

Edited February 5, 2016 by rsgwg1

[Fizzlewicket]

I just noticed I forgot to add my pool deck pics of the Cozumel port. I bet some are curious about that.

 

Cozumel Cruise Port

 

 

[sasha96]

This has got to be a Top Ten review of a ship. :)

I may not be on here very much but this review has missed nothing so far.

We will be on the Oasis 4/23/16. This is a great primer for the cruise.

 

Thanks!

 

See you on board then! Are you in any of the groups to talk with others sailing?

[pharaoh]

Does Nachi Cocom sell out, or can you book it the day of? I have been there before (loved it!) but that was 5 or 6 years ago.

[Clarea]

Does Nachi Cocom sell out, or can you book it the day of? I have been there before (loved it!) but that was 5 or 6 years ago.

Yes to both. In other words, if they have not reached capacity, then you can purchase the same day.

[travelingla]

And there is shop for Kate Spade merchandise.

 

 

I’m sorry, but I have to rant a bit here. The concept that placing a certain designer’s name on an item which makes the item more valuable escapes me. If I took a Michael Kor or Kate Spade bag and removed there name and added mine to it (disregard the highly criminal nature of that action), how valuable is it then? Would people still pay $900 for that bag? It makes no sense to me. The same goes with the posters all over the Promenade that show famous people wearing watches. Just because John Travolta endorses a certain brand and model of watch should make me want to buy that one too? I bought my watch at my Base Exchange for $35. Mine tells the time and date just like his. It also has a sports timer and three different wake up alarms. Does his $3,000 watch do that too? Humph ….. Ok, stepping off my soapbox now before I get myself in trouble.

 

 

(Well, I did give everyone a warning about my highly biased personal opinions. :p)

 

soooo totally agree ...... from a female who did not know who/what kate spade is 😱 my lucky hubby 😁