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Is Bigger Always Better? - Oasis of the Seas March 12 2017 Review


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It's that time again - the crushingly sad day after a cruise, when all you want to do is be back on the ship but reality is staring you in the face.

Some of you may be feeling like I am, cruise-hungover; irritated that there are no groceries in the house and shocked by how much laundry there is to do. Missing a pre-made breakfast even though you swore if you ate one more helping of Windjammer scrambled eggs you were going to scream.

Yes, I am back from our semi-annual March Break trip and ready to tell the tale, in hopes of both reliving it as well as sharing the details with you nice people.

 

If you recognize my name, I'm pretty famous now, having previously written a Freedom trip report, so if you want the detailed background, there it is.

The quick details are that I'm Cathi, single mother to Jenny Jellybean, aka Jelly, now 8 (almost 9!), dual citizens residing just east of Toronto in Whitby, Ontario, but soon to be relocating (finally time to buy a house).

This was Jenny's third cruise and my fourth, and our third time doing the Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Hey, we know what we like.

This is us -

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I'm going to test out typing my review in Notepad and copying it over, since I've noticed some formatting issues with my previous review. Hopefully this will work better and cause less distress.

I have been keeping up with the common questions asked here (yes, I have been voraciously reading reviews the past six months ramping up to my trip, of course) and tried to make note of several of those things that I otherwise wouldn't care about, so if you are wondering why I'm talking about the number of hangers in the closet, it's because some people care VERY DEEPLY about these sorts of things, and I'm trying to be helpful. For once.

Note that I will try to be fair and honest in my commentary, and that my opinions are simply that; not meant to offend, or criticize, and I understand that others may have different experiences, but this is how things happened to go down for me on my trip. I was definitely surprised by several things, both good and bad, and this is just my own interpretation of the events. So don't cry about it or yell at me or get defensive or whatever.

 

Are we ready? I need to finish getting my pics edited and sorted and will be all set. I like to start the review a teensy bit before the trip (not, like, what I did every day the whole year leading up to it, but at least the planning/travel related to the trip).

If you don't know me, I'm a software project manager for a living, as well as the eldest child of four and a bit OCD - so I'm a type-A compulsive planner like nobody's business. Spreadsheets, checklists, calendar reminders, task lists, you name it - this trip I had a folder AND a duotang! Yes, you should feel a little sorry for Jelly right now.

 

Let's get a few quick things out of the way - I don't have 40 extra hours to scan/photograph each page of every compass, so look elsewhere for those. I did, however, bring them all back with me, so will look up 1-2 things if you are desperate and ask nicely and have excellent grammar/punctuation.

I had a kid with me and no babysitter and am too cheap to pay for after-hours care, so didn't do much after 10p; so if you're looking for reviews of the nightclubs and music acts and adult comedy shows and those things, you're going to be disappointed. The seniors on the ship were way more lively than me, and stayed up much later based on what I saw a few times. Ask them.

Also, that ship is freaking massive, so there were a TON of things I missed doing. Mostly the sports-type stuff. I'm not really sporty. Ok, I hate sports, except of course hockey, which as a Canadian I'm required to enjoy by law. But my team is the Carolina Hurricanes because I lived in NC for 18 years, so that makes most of my local friends unhappy.

 

Anyhow, here I am, distracted already and it's just the intro. I promise I will get much more distracted as the review progresses. See, honesty, right?

 

So let's get this thing underway.

This cruise was booked onboard last March 2016, on our Freedom trip. We loved it so much we wanted to do the entire thing all over again, except Freedom was changing ports and we really liked the Radisson at Canaveral. So we decided to try out Oasis.

After waiting an entire year (and lots of planning in between), we were finally ready. Overnight bags were packed for the airport hotel (I don't like to mess around with the 401 here, especially in March), and we left for Florida the morning of Friday, March 10th. We had an easy direct American flight, and because we were arriving a few days early had booked a Thrifty rental car.

(side note here - if you use Thrifty, register for their Blue Chip rewards program - it's free and you can go directly to the parking garage to get your car, the wait inside MCO was CRAZY so I'm glad someone else had shared that tip)

So here we go. You know the drill; get your snacks, because there will be lots of food/drink porn, and get comfortable.

 

Up First - Florida Braces Itself for Canadian School Break

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I can't wait to read more. Your review sounds perfect. As the parent of a 6yo with a strict self imposed bed time, we also never make it to night clubs and are in bed way before many of those decades older than us.

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Cocoa Beach – Cruise -2 Days

 

Ok, so I always thought that people who recommended booking a rental car instead of a shuttle from MCO to the port were a little crazy; all that paperwork for a rental when you could have the ease and convenience of a service? But oh yeah, after taking 2/3 of the time to get there, I’m onboard (ha ha, get it, ‘onboard’). We had a little zippy red thing and had a blast cruising around the Cocoa Beach area. It was NOT cheaper than a shuttle for only two people, but after looking at how long it would take us to get to places via public transportation for our visit, I was ok with it.

 

So, we landed, we got the zippy rental, and we headed to our favorite port hotel, the Radisson Resort at the Port. We loved this hotel so much after last year’s one-night stay that we promised each other we’d spend two nights there this year for even MORE pre-cruise unwinding, and it was just as great as we’d assumed it would be. We got checked in and had a room very similar to last year’s, and immediately headed to the pool for some sun and drinks. We made several new friends very quickly; because the majority of the people staying at the hotel are cruisers, they’re just a friendly people by nature. A couple from one of our online groups introduced themselves, I ordered a Malibu Pina Colada with a Meyers float, and after liberally applying sunscreen about 17 times we were all set. Ahhhhhh, relaxing already.

 

A few great things about the Radisson;

The pool is amazing. Love the waterfall. The hot tub has a waterfall as well, which is like a free massage. The hotel food isn’t terrific, but the Thai place across the street is, and if you only want a few things from the breakfast buffet you’ll only be charged for what you eat. They have onsite laundry services, $2/load each for the washers and dryers (quarters only, you can get change from the front desk), so on Saturday afternoon I washed the clothes we’d traveled in and we were all set for our trip home. There’s a pool bar that has a menu that is decent, and the beds are RIDICULOUSLY comfortable. Plus there’s a mini fridge in each room, and their clock radios have lightening chargers built in.

 

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After some cautious sun and swimming we got dressed and went for dinner at Thai Thai. We ended up getting sushi as usual, so I can’t comment on the Thai food, but their sushi is terrific.

 

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We were pretty worn out so kept it an early night; we had a quick night swim, one of Jelly’s very favorite things, and then crashed. We had a busy day planned for Saturday, so wanted to be rested up.

 

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Up Next – Julie Payette and Friends

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Ooooh, I've been waiting for your review. I LOVED your FOS review from last year when we were planning our July cruise on the same ship. And we are also sailing on Oasis on 4/2, so will look forward to hearing the good and bad from you.

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Ooooh, I've been waiting for your review. I LOVED your FOS review from last year when we were planning our July cruise on the same ship. And we are also sailing on Oasis on 4/2, so will look forward to hearing the good and bad from you.

 

 

Awesome! Glad the timing works :-).

 

 

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Choosing between the Maple Leafs and the 'Canes, man, you have my sympathies.

 

/Caps fan.

 

 

Well, one is an awesome winning team who are fun and inexpensive to see play, and one is a national embarrassment, so it's not a tough choice. But don't let any Leafs fans hear me say it.

 

 

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I can't wait to read more. Your review sounds perfect. As the parent of a 6yo with a strict self imposed bed time, we also never make it to night clubs and are in bed way before many of those decades older than us.

 

 

I'll get to the kid's club stuff, but if you think of any questions as I'm going along that are kid-specific that I miss, let me know!

 

 

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Subscribing. It's so wonderful that you and your daughter have been on a few cruises now and have these precious bonding times. We were on Allure and the Oasis class is an amazing ship for kids and adults. Looking forward to hearing more. Thanks for sharing.

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Funny how we have parallel cruise lives. We also were on the Freedom last March, and will be on the Oasis next week.

 

What are we doing next?

 

Anyway I loved your FOS review so I'm looking forward to this one. I suspect you may not be done until after we leave, you're indeed very thorough. The Oasis seems really nice, except it's too bad its bow is inaccessible.

 

(How am I doing on grammar?)

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We were also on this cruise to the Western Caribbean. Hubby brought his scooter for the first time & it was a fairly easy embarkation. The porters helped empty the car & DH stayed with carry-ons while I parked the car. They took all the luggage to the car in the garage & put it in the car for us when we got back. He got a decent tip for that. We did enjoy the cruise but I think it was too big for us. I am enjoying another viewpoint though. We went south after the cruise & are now in Key West. Won't be home for about another week. The benefits of driving & being retired are endless!

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Funny how we have parallel cruise lives. We also were on the Freedom last March, and will be on the Oasis next week.

 

What are we doing next?

 

Anyway I loved your FOS review so I'm looking forward to this one. I suspect you may not be done until after we leave, you're indeed very thorough. The Oasis seems really nice, except it's too bad its bow is inaccessible.

 

(How am I doing on grammar?)

 

Bwahahahaha good job! I'll do my best to pick up the pace.

Next we're either back to Freedom or trying Harmony for a Christmas cruise December 2018 (we'll see how much sticker shock there is when pricing comes out), and then Symphony for March 2019. Hopefully that works for you guys. :p

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Cocoa Beach – Cruise -1 Day

 

The sun rose on a beautiful Saturday morning at the Radisson, just one day before our cruise. Jelly loves her some IHOP so we were planning to go there for breakfast (not a lot of IHOPs in Ontario, sadly), but the line was out the door and through the parking lot. We ended up at the Waffle House just a block further down, which was my preference anyhow (l love me some scattered/smothered!), so it worked out ok. After stuffing ourselves we stopped briefly at CVS for a few last things, more to shop around than anything, and then headed to the Kennedy Space Center.

 

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Now, the Space Center was NOT something either of us were particularly excited about. Don’t get me wrong, we are ‘doers’ – we love nothing more than a new activity. It’s just that, well, space – not something either of us were interested in. However, my youngest sister is getting married this summer, and her lovely fiancé works on rockets, and, well, I felt kind of guilty that we’d never been, despite like a dozen trips to Florida. So yes, we went to get him off our backs. But, surprise! We had a great time! We are a people who firmly believe in ‘go early, leave early’; neither of us like heat or crowds or waiting for things, so this is a good motto for us. So we got there bright and early, spent exactly three hours enjoying the sights, and then when the heat of the day and the crowd got bad, we left for the cool comfort of he Radisson pool. However, if you can, try to plan for more time; three hours was just the tip of the iceberg.

 

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One of the main reasons we were a teensy bit excited was because Jelly attends Julie Payette Public School, so we were looking forward to seeing her name in a few places. Also, I accidentally learned several things; that Canada helped with the shuttle, the difference between a rocket and a shuttle,that crumbs in space are dangerous but tortillas are good, and also I burst into tears when I saw Atlantis because DAMN IT WAS SO EMOTIONAL. So that was unexpected.

 

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So, as mentioned, we got back to the Radisson around 1:30p and went straight to the pool. We ordered some chicken fingers and fries to share, a few drinkies, and lucked out with pool chairs. Jenny found a friend and we relaaaaaaaaaaaaaaxed.

 

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After that I did my laundry and packed up, then it was time for dinner. We are BIG fans of good Mexican food, one of the few things we can’t get locally but had plenty of in NC, so we miss it desperately. Saturday night was our night. I usually rely heavily on Yelp when I’m in a new town and want to avoid restaurant chains or fast food or food poisoning, so after pouring over reviews we headed to La Fiesta. We were NOT disappointed! Parking was a challenge, but there’s a gas station across the street if you’re stuck,and we were seated very quickly. Jelly got the biggest bowl of queso I’ve ever seen in my life, and she was done, that was all she wanted.

 

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I like to talk to strangers so had a conversation with the guy at the booth beside us about the best tequila for margaritas, which he says is Damiana, but that you could only buy it in Mexico. GREAT! I said, I’ll be there Friday :-).

 

After dinner we went to Target, because we love Target and miss it dearly, and I got a cute top that was very cruise-y, and Jenny got a Pokemon beach towel, so we both left happy. It was a gorgeous night for a drive, with the windows down and waving at the port as we went to-and-fro. We got back to the hotel, finished packing, and that was it – one more sleep til our cruise!

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