Willdra's Outrageous Oasis OTS October 21-28 Cruise

[willdra]

1st Sea Day 

 

I woke up before my alarm. Just barely. We wanted to eat at Johnny Rockets since we liked their choices. The menu looked promising online.  I peeked outside and it looked like it was raining. I also noticed that it was much cooler in the cabin than the day before. Maybe keeping the cabin door closed all the way is really a thing. It was warm in our cabin all day Sunday, and we just left that door open. We locked the balcony  door before we went to dinner and when we got back it was a little better. I have a small travel fan that is very powerful, which helped out a lot as well. It’s also good as a sound buffer (W snores, chews, breathes, and reads noisily). Pray for me fam.

 

I jumped in the shower tube quickly so that I could get down there before it was too late. W was right behind me and I told him I would meet him down there. I got on the elevator from h.e. double hockey sticks tho. It went all the way back up, and stopped on every floor coming down. I had to become the elevator operator so we could keep it moving. On the upside, I got lots of applause and thanks from the other passengers! Yay me!  Once I made it to Johnny Rockets, it was no surprise that W was there already. He walked down. On his own. He would’ve complained if I was there suggesting it tho. Eyeroll.

 

Our food came out pretty quickly but they gave it to the couple behind us. W was watching and he knew it was ours. I never really remember what I ordered until I see it, so I was no help there. Our server came by a few minutes later and he also realized the mistake. He apologized and put our orders back together. The couple behind us ordered similar to us so there were only a few minor changes. I’m starting to think that we are ordering wrong. It must be us, cuz this keeps happening. Maybe we are the slow low talkers of ordering. Time will tell. We sat out there and ate and talked for a while.

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

The food was ok. I will say that I wasn’t a fan of their coffee at all tho. It tasted like it was great back when there were no other coffee choices onboard, but once there were better options, no one went back to check to make sure it was still doing good. Someone needs to check on that coffee. It's struggling.

 

So when we finished our food, we went to Starbucks. I didn’t see Café Americano on the menu at first. I asked and the barista said yes they had it. Then I asked if I could use my Starbucks card in my Mobile Wallet and he said yes. So I said “all of your answers have been yes so far, I need to think of some better questions to ask you. Like can I have free Starbucks for life?”. He smiled, thought about it for a minute then laughed.

 

 

I got my cup of consciousness and sat down with W. He chose some really comfy seats in the “we are openly judging you section”. Y’all know that’s my favorite. People watching is so entertaining to us. There was so much life in that cup of Americano too. My spirit leapt for joy as soon as it hit my belly. I had to sit there and stare at the cup for a minute to see if it would reveal its secrets to me. Like how are you this wonderful Starbucks??? More importantly how can I be more like u??? As I expected the cup spilled none of its secrets. Darn. Maybe I need another cup. Yes, that's it. Another cup.

 

 

There was a $10 sale going on down there at that time. People were swarming all over the place. The only thing that I really wanted was a black wrap since I couldn’t find mine at home. I waited until there were fewer people over there and I went over to look. I didn’t find one but it was all good. I have my sweater so I will just use that for dinner. Plus, I'm sure my wrap was just hiding from me, and it would turn up as soon as I bought  a replacement. Wraps are funny like that.

 

 

Wow they have trash cans!

 

[willdra]

We sat out maybe an hour, then regrouped and trekked to the Solarium. There really aren’t bad seats up there, and there was a constant breeze. Lunch was being served in the bistro at that time. There was also a salad bar, desserts, water, juice, coffee, and tea station. We found a great spot with good breezes. The way that the overhead windows are positioned with the windows on the sides really works to keep a steady wind blowing up there. Good job Royal Caribbean. Our seats were in a highly trafficked area, where a steady stream of people walked by. We were able to do some quality people watching up there. Later on I went into the bistro to get some juice and when I got back W wanted to go get in the pool. I wasn’t interested in that activity. That pool was packed like a brand new can of Vienna Sausages. Ew. Sorry. Not Sorry. I don’t do crowded pools.

While W was away, I took the opportunity to selfie (yes I can use it as a verb if I want to). He didn’t stay long. He said the water was freezing.

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

When we were both hungry we decided to go to Park Café for a late lunch around 3. W’s food alarm actually went off at 2:45, prompting me to give him the side eye and a heavy sigh. My husband is not going to be late for food. Especially food that he already paid for. He will get his money's worth along with 4 other people’s money's worth too. I admit tho,  I was kinda hungry too, so I didn’t fight him. This time. His food alarm comes in handy from time to time. (Don’t tell him I wrote that.)

 

It was crowded in Central Park. We know how to divide and conquer, so I found a table while W went inside to order.  The line was long but he was only in there around 10 minutes. I went in after him and got a salad, a Kunmelweck, and Lays Potato Chips. I didn’t see the condiments, but I asked W and he pointed me in the right direction. I knew that he would know. There were packets for mayo and ketchup, but the mustard was in a pump. I didn’t bring my sandwich back in and there weren’t any small cups to put it in. I had to go back outside get my sandwich, then bring it to put one pump of mustard juice on it. The mustard needed to be shaken up, which is also a really good reason not to have it in one big freakin pump. I was careful eating it since I knew it would make a mess. Life is hard.

 

I went back in after I ate to get more drinking water. It was good water, and I was way behind on my water consumption for the day. I also got 2 of their chocolate chip cookies which were scrumptious. While we were finishing up I saw a lady come out with Sun Chips. I really liked those so I went back in a got a bag for later. Can’t ever have too many bags of chips. Don’t judge me. Snacks are my kryptonite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

As we were sitting out, my eyes started glazing over and my eyelids weighed a ton. It was nap time! W wanted to join me and we wasted no time going in. He was snoring before I put down my bag! Cheater. I closed the curtains got my blankie (yes I brought my naptime blankie) then climbed in for a much needed mid-day slumber. Otherwise known as my favorite activity! #YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

I woke up around 5:44 and was shocked that W was still sleeping. He was doing some deep bed napping. Like it was a job. We needed to start the preparations for dinner, you know I couldn’t make him late. I went ahead and dug in the shoe pile early so I would have that out of the way. We spiffed up as best we could then rolled out. I brought a glass of wine and W brought my refill since he's really not a serious wine drinker. We got to dinner at the perfect time. The doors were open and we didn’t have to wait.

We had table mates this time. They were a very nice couple from FL by way of Puerto Rico and New England. The previous night our servers told us to let them know when we had show reservations and they would get us out early. We let them know about our reservations as soon as we sat down, and they went to work. I ordered Lobster Bisque, Shrimp Cocktail, Beef Tenderloin, and Apple Pie A La Mode. I got both of my appetizers maybe 10 minutes later. Right as I finished my last bite, my main course was delivered. I am happy to report that my food was correct that night and it was yummy! W and I ordered exactly the same things. We are such boring eaters! Maybe one day we will be more adventurous. Or not. This works.

 

During dinner we were talking so much with our table mates that the time flew by! Our desserts were delivered and we were out of there in about an hour tops. The previous night took 2 hours. We were also happy that we could talk with our neighbors. W and I are mostly introverts, so silence isn’t awkward and it doesn’t bother us at all. Sometimes we prefer it. We are also Libras who don’t do small talk very well. It’s a pleasant surprise when we click with strangers.

 

 

 

Lobster Bisque

 

Shrimp Cocktail

 

Beef Tenderloin

 

Apple Pie A La Mode

[willdra]

We were finished with dinner so fast that we didn’t know what to do with ourselves. The lines for pictures were long and I didn’t want to wait in heels. We went back to 10699, took a few pictures in there then threw on comfy walking around clothes for the Comedy Show. We had reservations to see Nery Saenz and Cary Long at 10:30. W said he knew where we needed to go, and I followed him right into the Opal Theater. Where Cats was getting ready to start. Yeah. No. He had 1 job.

 

 

 

[willdra]

We did an about face and got the heck outta there. Just being in that theater was putting me to sleep. I couldn’t imagine making it thru the play. I jumped on the app, and we were pointed in the right direction to the Comedy Live Theater which is really across the hall from the Opal. After a few minutes we were asked to stand in the “reservations” line, to get us in first. Both Comedians were very good. We saw Nery before on Carnival, so we knew we would like him. After the show we went to Café Promenade and Sorrento’s. We could hear Dazzles Nightclub from our balcony,  and it sounded like a live party was going on in there. We planned to go there one night before the cruise was over.

 

Before I fell asleep I said a prayer thanking God that the designers of this ship put night lights in the bathrooms! I could actually see what I was doing in there, and I didn’t crack my ankles coming out in the dark. Spectacular!

 

 

 

[EAZYLIVING]

I'm enjoying another one of your reviews Wildra. I'm glad that you finally crossed over to the dark side/Royal Caribbean:)

[willdra]

47 minutes ago, EAZYLIVING said:

I'm enjoying another one of your reviews Wildra. I'm glad that you finally crossed over to the dark side/Royal Caribbean:)

 

LOL! Thank you!!! 

[Tee & Chilli]

Excellent review. You’re a great writer.

[JamesEM]

Following along, well written and great photos.

[Trinam2]

I love those jellyfish leggings btw.

[willdra]

16 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Excellent review. You’re a great writer.

Thanks! 

[willdra]

15 hours ago, JamesEM said:

Following along, well written and great photos.

Thank you!!! 

[willdra]

10 hours ago, Trinam2 said:

I love those jellyfish leggings btw.

Thank you! I got them on Amazon. 

[willdra]

Labadee 

 

I would like to remind everyone that we are in a Boardwalk Balcony. If you Sail in a neighborhood balcony, please don’t think that the balcony is invisible. Other people can and will see you on your balcony. If there is an activity that you would like to do in private, don’t do it on the neighborhood balcony. Again, people can see you, and they may not look away quickly, so don’t be surprised. Or angry. It’s not like they walked into your bedroom by mistake. When you step out onto your neighborhood balcony, it’s the equivalent of walking onto a stage. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Bows gracefully.

Let’s carry on.

 

W and I got up at 9 to start our day. He wanted to try the Park Café for breakfast. When we got there, he went in while I found a table. He came right back out and said that we should go somewhere else because Park Café was all Continental Style. He didn't have to twist my arm on that one. Johnny Rockets was closed therefor we thought we’d try the Windjammer.

 

We were pleasantly surprised with the Windjammer. It wasn’t overcrowded and there was a good selection and options. I tried the pancakes, French toast, waffles, ham and cheese omelets, and bacon. I also had coffee and water. The coffee tasted better in the Windjammer for some reason. I also liked the setup of the food stations. Being able to get in and get out helps to avoid people lining up. Of course there are always those who will create a line for no reason, but it’s possible to work around them too. When we’d consumed our consumables, we took a couple of pictures out on deck then went down to exit.

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

One of the reasons that we booked this cruise was to visit Labadee. Labadee is absolutely marvelous. The water was very pretty and the sun was out doing its thing. The towel checkout was on the pier as you exit which was different for us. They scan your card and you tell them how many towels you need. The towels are nothing special regular blue towels. There was also a stand selling nicer Royal Caribbean branded towels and hats on the pier. We walked passed all of that and found the tram station.

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

The next tram was driving up when we approached. We got on and rode to the Markets. We wanted to end up at Columbus Beach. Unfortunately we had to walk thru the vendor section to get there. The vendors are loud, and they constantly try to engage you. I do realize that they're selling stuff. If I was interested in buying stuff, I would come over and browse. Now that you have annoyed the heck out of me, even if I wanted to buy something, I won’t. Good day. I said good day.

 

 It was a little crowded in Columbus Beach but not too bad. We found a decent spot in the shade. We took some pictures then W got in the water. I went to the bar for a Labradoozie. It was $9.95 plus gratuity for the one with rum in the souvenir cup. Paul was my server and he was very nice. I asked him how he was doing and he said, “Not bad. I could be worse. I could be in a hospital or a hearse”. I laughed and told him that I was gonna have to borrow that line.

 

I settled in my chair sipping on this drink of plastic cup perfection. The Labradoozie was everything that I read about and it lived up to the hype. I was actually kinda sad when it was gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

Since I didn’t purchase Voom, I used our AT&T International Plan while we were in Port. It’s $10 per day and you are only charged when you use it. We have Mexico for free with our plan, which means I would only spend $20 for internet. The bad part is thatI  can’t really use it at sea. When Cellular At Sea is the carrier, I get a message from AT&T letting me know that our International Plan doesn’t cover it. Wompwomp. 

 

I laid back in my chair, made some notes, checked in on the fam at home, then relaxed while W went to the beach barbecue. I told him to let me know if it was worth me walking over there. He came back and said I didn’t miss anything. I wasn’t hungry yet anyway, and I didn't feel like getting up. Winning! 

 

At around 1:15 we were ready to go back to the ship. We waited at the station for the little shuttle to take us back. I needed the exercise and steps, but I wasn’t trying to walk back thru those annoying vendors again.  When the shuttle pulled up we got on the back row which was great for taking pictures. When we got back to the first stop, we got off and looked around before going back to the ship. It was very beautiful there and I tried to capture it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]