TripleU

Bridge tour part 3:

Bridge tour part 2:

Photos from the bridge tour part 1:

Kid friendly beach in Chankanaab

Panorama of the kid friendly beach

Swimming with the manatee

The Carnival Paradise looked like our tugboat. This photo doesn't really do it justice though. Our room was on deck 9 and that was their pool deck.

The port in Falmouth

Opening coconuts

DH and the girls enjoying the coconuts

Mini "golfing"

Mom on the FlowRider

DH on the FlowRider

Apparently I can only upload 6 images at a time. I didn't know that. I'll break this into several posts.

Random photos from around the ship:

Loving this review..

 

We were on the same ship at the same time. The Love and Marriage gameshow is always a fave of ours and this one was hilarious. I was crying laughing. The 57 years married couple made it. On the bigger smaller question and he said 'She will say bigger down there' I nearly wet myself.

 

The acrobatic/aerial was great to watch and the diving was amazing. Couldn't help thinking that being a good diver doesn't make a good dancer though lol...

 

Very brave of you to walk in to Falmouth though. We drove though there on a previous cruise and it's a very grim looking place.

 

What was your impression of formal night BTW? I didn't think it was very formal and having a discussion about it on another thread. I was in a tux but not many were. (early sitting)

My "peppy" - LOL. I almost wet myself when he said that. He was sooo funny!

I saw fewer people in ball gowns and tuxes on this ship than I did on the Majesty last August, which I thought was weird. I hate dressing up, but I did put on a black dress for the 2nd formal night. I was upset with DH though because he didn't bring anything other than jeans. Yes, DH was one of those in jeans and a tie. I was mortified. He did wear a tux on our first cruise though, so I was surprised that he didn't even bring suit pants or khakis for that matter on this cruise. Had I known.....

Day 7 - final sea day

When I got up, DH and my parents were all gone. I know DH was in tons of pain from his gout. He had gone down to the medical facility to sit in line for its 8a opening. We had already discussed this, and I knew just to go have breakfast without him.

By the time I was dressed and had the kids ready, my parents came back. We all went to the MDR for our last breakfast. So sad. I then dropped the kids off at OA and headed back to the room. DH was there. He was feeling better after some steroid shots and some other medicine, but he was having a hard time walking. The total medical bill ended up being $204. My parents had purchased travel insurance (something DH and I never do), and I'm in the process of submitting the claim to them. It appears it will be covered!

Normally, there's a Splish Splash show at 3:30p on Day 5. For some reason it was rescheduled to 11:30a on Day 7. I had DH go save us seats while I went to get the kids from OA.

I really enjoyed the Splish Splash show. It was the same cast as the Oasis of Dreams show, but it was more fun and silly. DH preferred Oasis of Dreams though. There was more diving and acrobatics. It was a fun show, and the kids really liked it.

We then had our last lunch in the MDR.

OA is closed from 12p-2p on sea days, which is a bummer. I took the kids back, but it was still closed. The art room was open though and there was someone helping the kids make flowers out of ribbon. It was hard to do! He basically made all three of ours by himself. The kids enjoyed it though. By the time we were finished OA was open again.

Earlier in the cruise, I had inquired with the concierges about a bridge tour. I had read on CC that sometimes suite guests can get a free bridge tour instead of paying for the All Access Tour ($150). They told me that it was unlikely since there were many more frequent cruisers on the ship. He sent an email directly to the Captain though, and I found out on the evening of Day 6 that we could get our tour at 4pm on day 7. YAY!!! We were so excited. Kids are not allowed, so it worked out that they were at OA, which closed again at 5p.

We were instructed to meet the security officers at the forward elevators at 3:55p. They had a list of names, and we weren't on the list. Suddenly an elevator full of people arrived who were all on the list - I never asked, but I assume they were on the All Access tour. After explaining our situation to the guards, they called in their boss, who still couldn't help us. I kept telling them that the Allen and Israel (the concierges) had set it up. Suddenly one of the senior officers showed up and said it was ok. Later that night, Allen apologized for the confusion. He had emailed the Captain directly, and we had been approved, but we had never been put on a list.

After being screened with a metal detector wand by the 2 security officers, we were led to the bridge. The Captain greeted us. We were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted, but no video. He was awesome. He told us all about the ship. I'll try to hit on the highlights that I remember:

-because of the placement of the lifeboats, you can't see the side of the ship from the bridge, so he has to use cameras to dock the boat.

-pilots board in most ports, but they are not allowed to touch the controls because they aren't insured and any damage will be on the Captain. They are helpful though because they speak the language and know the ins and outs of each port. The one exception to this is in the Panama Canal. There the pilots are fully insured and take control of the ship.

-they do encounter small boats, sometimes Cubans, from time to time. The Cubans never want help and don't want to be found because they will be sent back. They just want to put their own feet on US soil.

-the fire suppression system is amazing!! It's so sensitive that sometimes even steam from the shower will set off the smoke detectors. All alarms are immediately checked.

-helicopters almost never land on the heliport because they're too heavy for the ship. If there is a medical evacuation by helicopter, they will lower a basket.

-there are over 1300 cameras all over the ship

-there are 2 jail cells on board

I'll post pictures in another post.

What you've all been waiting for - someone asked about being late. Two people actually missed the ship in Cozumel. Captain Per said that they got to the dock when the ship was just a few feet away. It's totally in his discretion to decide what to do. The cost of returning in this case (when we had barely left the port - just a few feet) would have been in excess of $80,000 - fuel, time, port fees and tons of paperwork. He chose not to return. Like I said before, a ship sponsored excursion was late in Jamaica, and they waited. Most of the time they'll wait for those, but no matter what, the ship will incur the cost of getting those people to the next port. I asked what happens if your kids are on board in OA and you're late. He looked at me almost with an angry face and acted like I was giving away a big secret. He never actually answered the question, but it was quite clear the ship will wait for you if you've left your kids. His reaction was funny to me - don't give away the secret because it costs them time and money.

Then someone asked about people going overboard and a overboard detection system. He said the ship doesn't have one primarily because there are WAY too many false reports - waves, birds, etc. He then talked about the man who went overboard in January. Here's the story - as close to verbatim as I can straight from Captain Per. The man was in his early 20s and was VERY drunk. The ship's staff had found his mother and released him into her care and made sure he was tucked away safely in bed. Apparently, he sneaked out of the room. He went to Deck 5 to the track and went over 3 (I think it was 3) security gates and crawled through a manhole (that's the Captain's word) to get on top of a lifeboat. After he was found by the Disney ship, they watched back the video. He stood up on the lifeboat and they think he slipped - they don't think he jumped, but it wasn't completely clear. They found his cell phone on top of the lifeboat. He was very lucky. Captain Per said, "It wasn't his time."

The Captain made it clear that if you talk about jumping or suicide, you'll be very closely watched and followed.

Questions were completed at about 4:50p, and I had to pick the kids up by 5 at OA or be charged. The bridge tour was basically over, but I really needed to go, so I jetted out of there. I don't know if we missed anything else.

I picked up the kids and met DH and my parents at the Frozen in Time show.

The ice show was pretty good. At least 3 skaters fell. My kids were a little bored during it, but I'm not sure if it was because it's definitely not Disney on Ice or if they were just really tired and hungry.

After the show, we had our last dinner in the MDR.

My parents stayed with the kids and packed while DH and I went to the Family Comedy Show. Again, Simian, the host, was my favorite. Ron Josol did an almost identical set. He added a few new, and quite funny, jokes at the end. I was worried about Barry Diamond. I didn't like him at the Comedy Club. He was really funny at this show. He also sang a few songs (not funny), but he has a great voice and was very entertaining. I'm glad we went.

Day 8-

DH, the kids and I had a 9:20a flight out of FLL. We walked off with our luggage at 6:30 (we got in line at 6:10). We were at the gate - through security - by 7:15a. No problem making our flight at all! Our taxi from the port to the airport was $12.90 plus tip - no traffic.

We had an amazing cruise, but the one major thing that bothered me was that I found the ship to be HOT. I was always sweating and hot. I guess it's mostly because there are so many outdoor areas (central park and the boardwalk) and the doors are always opening. On other cruises, I've always been cold in the theater, and that wasn't the case on this ship.

I also think the Oasis class just isn't for me. My 2 previous cruises were only with DH, so I'm trying to decide if I didn't like this ship as much because my kids and my parents were there or if I'm just not suited for a really big ship. As weird as this sounds, I feel like there wasn't as much to do on this ship. There weren't as many adult activities. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I felt. Most of the stuff on the compass has to do with Meet and Greets for the kids and other kid stuff. It's definitely a family oriented ship, and I really appreciated that. I'm not one to sit by the pool, so I'm always looking for other activities.

Overall I didn't necessarily find the ship to be crowded. We never had to wait any longer for elevators on this ship than we had on other ships.

What I really don't like is that everything has to be pre-planned. One of the reasons I didn't want to do DisneyLand (or World) yet is because of all the pre-planning required. Knowing which park to be in on which day and make dinner reservations 6 months in advance. I feel like cruising should be less planned and more free. Check the compass and make a choice, not make dinner and show reservations months in advance. I guess I'm saying I will not be on an Oasis or Quantum class again unless I have my kids with me. I'm so glad Dynamic Dining was delayed for the Oasis. I wouldn't like that at all!!

I'll post more pics and any updates if I think of them. But if there are any questions, please let me know!!

Great you made it to the comedy show. What did your kids do while you were there?

They slept in the room with my parents. We wouldn't have had quite as much fun if the kids had been there. OA is open until 10p for free, but that's just too late for 5yos. OA is open from 10p-12a at a rate of $7 per kid per hour ($21 per hour for us). No thank you.

Day 6 - Cozumel

I forgot to mention that while we were eating lunch on day 5, there was an Alpha, Alpha, Alpha code announced ship wide. I was pretty sure that was a medical emergency, and I confirmed this with our waiter that evening.

On the morning of Day 6, an ambulance met us at the port. We waited to see who came off, but it was taking too long and we gave up. They did take a stretcher on board. I wish I knew more.

Because we needed a relatively quick breakfast, we headed to the Wipeout Cafe again. I really recommend this on port days as it was not at all crowded - maybe 5 other families there.

We disembarked and took a taxi to Chankanaab park. DH and I had already paid for a manatee swim there. The taxi was $24 for all 7 of us - there was a sign clearly stating all taxi rates, and I made sure to double check it before we got on.

Our prepaid manatee experience meant we didn't have to pay for the park entrance fee. I printed a coupon off the internet, and we got a small discount for the entrance fee for the kids and my parents. $77 total. Before we got into the park, they offered us a deal on the all-you-can eat buffet lunch. They were advertising one price, but it ended up being cheaper. It was $65 for all 7 of us (kids were free). I don't know if this ended up being a better deal than eating at one of the other places in the park and I didn't even want to look at the menus in case we were overcharged. Ignorance is bliss. That's less than $10 per person and we had many choices on the buffet, which is so much easier when you have kids.

The manatee experience was AMAZING! Almost everyone there wants to do the dolphin experience. We had already swam with dolphins on our honeymoon, and I'm obsessed with manatees. There were only 5 of us. We each got to do 5 different behaviors with the manatee, and then we got to just swim with him and feed him for about 20 minutes. The best part was 2 of the people couldn't swim and were too afraid to leave the platform. There were only 3 of us swimming with him. It was an amazing experience and worth every penny. Afterward, they try to sell you photos. We, of course, bought them. I bargained them down, but I have a feeling I could have done better. Oh well. I'm so glad I have photos from my absolute favorite thing I've ever done in my life.

The kids played on the beach with my parents while we did this. There is only one kid friendly beach at the park - meaning a sandy beach with a walk-in entrance. The rest of the park has some pretty decent snorkeling, but there are stairs down to the water and a steep drop off. Later in the day, I found hammocks on the other beach areas, which bummed me out because we were ready to leave.

The lunch buffet was pretty good. Absolutely no one checked our bracelets. I'm wondering if we could have just eaten there for free. There was also a smaller buffet upstairs with nearly all the same items. There was only us and one other couple up there. We basically had a private buffet while it was packed downstairs. Nice!

After lunch we all went to the sea lion show. It was so miserably hot. I feel badly for the sea lions and their terrible life there, but I did enjoy the show. It's no different than sea world. The lady narrating the show did it in both Spanish and English. I couldn't understand either (I speak a little Spanish, and I couldn't even tell which language she was speaking). I think it was just a bad PA system.

We then decided to walk over to the crocodile exhibit. Nothing too exciting there. Just like a zoo. By this time, we realized the girls all had terrible blisters from their brand new water shoes. I really wanted to snorkel a bit, so we tried that, but I only got to go out for a couple minutes. The girls were all crying. Not a good way to end the day. The taxi ride back to the port was the same amount, and very quick.

We had dinner at Coastal Kitchen because the menu had changed and our waiter told us to skip the Basil menu. He made several recommendations throughout the week, and he was always spot on. I know I've had the Basil menu before, but when he said to skip it (and we wanted to try the new menu in CK) we did. The only real change was the appetizers. Everything else was the exact same proteins prepared a different way. Scallops went from a red sauce to a white sauce - things like that. The food was good, but I prefer the MDR.

That evening we saw the Come Fly With Me Show. It's in the Opal Theater, and I believe it's the entire Cats cast. This was the last time they performed the show because their contract was over. It was really good. Lots of aerialists and acrobatics. Good singing and dancing. Again, a cheesy story line, but all of us, kids included, really enjoyed it! I assume the new Cats cast will take over?!?!

While we were at the park, my husband was starting to have a gout attack. Gout is a form of arthritis, and it flares up when you have a high amount of uric acid in your body. Foods high in purines cause it - red meat and scallops in particular. Since DH had pretty much been subsisting on red meat, it was understandable. Of course, we didn't bring his medicine since he hadn't had an attack in more than 3 years. He was in a lot of pain.

Up next: Last sea day with bridge tour

I am in a very similar, very tense boat (no pun intended) myself. I will be coming back on the Oasis in Fort Lauderdale and booked a return flight at 10:45 AM. I am already planning to do self-debark at 6:15 AM or so but, reading the boards, some people say I may be at the airport by 7:15, while others say I could very well miss my flight if even the slightest delay occurs. I looked into changing my flight, but that is not an option as the change fees would almost double the price of each ticket.

 

So, no guidance to offer, just commiserating, and hoping people with recent experiences on either port can chime in to help us both.

 

M

I'm just off the Oasis last Saturday. We walked off with our luggage at 6:15, and we were at the gate (through security) by 7:15. Our flight was at 9:20a. No problem!

Day 5 - sea day and 2nd formal night

Of course we started the day with breakfast in the MDR. We then headed to the pool deck to play some mini golf. My girls still don't understand how to play, but it was fun to watch them try. They just constantly move the ball with the club. So funny. It wasn't crowded at all. There was only one family ahead of us.

We also watched the FlowRider again. DH was on it again, and my mom (71yo) also did it. She loved it, but the last time she wiped out she got a bunch of water up her nose and called it quits.

I dropped the kids off at OA. I had forgotten that they were doing a talent show. I checked them in too late to learn the routine. I left for awhile, but when I came back, they were in the middle of the show, and I did get to see my girls on stage. They enjoyed it even though they didn't get to make guitars or learn the routine. The song was a rock n roll version of the ABCs, so they figured out the "lyrics" pretty quickly. The older kids had the chance to perform individually, but the 3-5yos all did a performance together.

There was a DreamWorks parade in the Royal Promenade at 12:30. We got there early and got good seats. It was a much bigger production than I was expecting. Lots of characters and people riding bikes and acrobats and aerialists and more. It shut down the entire promenade. The captain and the officers and Drew, the cruise director, were all there too - riding the Rising Tides Bar. It was a good time.

Lunch in the MDR again followed by some rides on the carousel. The carousel was probably my girls' favorite part of the ship. We then dropped them off at OA again.

DH and I did another round of trivia and went to the jive lesson. We both already know how to jive, but we enjoy going to the dance lessons. The instructors were 2 of the cast members of Cats. It was fun.

We then got ready for formal night. They have lobster at Coastal Kitchen as well, but we decided to eat in the MDR. I personally am a fan of the MDR. After dinner we took some family photos. My parents ended up buying a few of the prints - they were pretty good.

DH and I had reservations for the 9pm Comedy Live show, so we quickly got the kids ready for bed and headed out. We ended up being 1st in line for the people with reservations and got front row seats. The venue is very, very small, so there aren't any bad seats. Several of the people in the no reservations line got in. Simian is an amazing comedy host. In my opinion, he was funnier than the other 2 comedians. Ron Josol was the first comedian. He's Asian and somehow DH ended up on the stage with him during his act. It was funny. I wasn't fast enough to get a photo though. The headliner was Barry Diamond. I didn't understand his act. To me, he wasn't funny at all. At all. Most of his act was random streams of consciousness in some weird voice (his favorite seemed to be an old black gangster from Brooklyn). I will say that we ended up going to the "family" comedy show on the last night, and he was much funnier! I'm not offended easily, so it wasn't that he was raunchy or anything like that. He just didn't really tell any jokes. He voice recorded the show on his iPhone, so I'm wondering if he was trying new material. One older man in the front row next to us was laughing so hard. I kept looking at him trying to understand what he was laughing at. I was trying so hard to keep a smile on my face since I was RIGHT in front of him and didn't want to seem as bored as I was.

DH met a lady at the jive lesson who really wanted to dance but doesn't have a partner. We made a plan to meet her at Dazzles at 10p. Unfortunately, the music ended there at 10p but would start again at 11p. We headed to the royal promenade where the 70s disco party was going on. They never really found the type of music they wanted to dance to that night and hoped to meet up again the next night.

Up next: Cozumel

Loving your review. We'll be on oasis sister ship and our younger one will be close to your girls ages. Interesting reading your comments on the character breakfast. Which characters did you have? I think it depends on the day?

 

Looking forward to reading more. Sounds great so far.

We had Alex, Julian and Gloria. When we ate in the MDR on other days, I saw Kung Fu Panda and the Penguins (2). We usually got there right at the end and only saw the last character. I never saw a photo opp with the penguins around the ship (I may have just missed it), but we got plenty of photos with the other characters. On the last sea day, our waiter tried to bring our girls over for a photo with Kung Fu Panda (which we already had), and the people running the character breakfast stepped in an said no. I was at the buffet at the time or I would have said no to begin with.

Another thing that I loved is the Dreamworks channel on the TV. It made getting ready in the room much easier because we had something to keep their attention.

Did the pullman beds have railings?

Yes, they have a side railing that goes about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way down the side.

Day 4 - Falmouth

We started the day with breakfast in the MDR followed by a round of trivia - my favorite! The ship didn't dock until about 10:30a.

My original plan was to get off the ship with the kids and walk around the port area and then take them back to OA so DH and I could leave the port area and walk around Falmouth. As we got to the gangway, DH realized he didn't have his seapass card. My parents had already cleared the checkpoint, so we ended up getting separated from them. That was ok because they actually wanted to shop, and I didn't.

We walked around the port area. It was miserably hot. My kids were complaining. We finally got to the exit from the port, and we decided just to take the kids with us. We walked about 4 blocks into town and then back to the port. People describe Falmouth as the armpit of Jamaica. I would agree. DH is from Indonesia, and I have been there and seen 3rd world poverty before. Falmouth wasn't the worst I've seen, but it wasn't a nice place to be. Some people have said they were scared. I had 3 children with me, and I was never scared or uncomfortable. People are constantly asking you to buy things or take a taxi with them, but that is their livelihood. What do you expect? The girls complained constantly about how hot and miserable it was, so we went right back to the port after a few photos.

Once back in the port, we walked around some more. We found a lady selling fresh young coconuts for $3. DH is obsessed with coconut water, and drinks tons and tons of it at home. While not an amazing bargain, I did get her down to 2 for $5. I don't like coconut water, so DH and the girls shared the 2 coconuts. We wish we would have had a spoon to get the meat out. We tried to get some at DQ, but they wouldn't give any out without an order.

We then went back to the ship. I was soaking wet from the heat and humidity and was miserable. We all had lunch in the Windjammer again. This time was better for seating since most people were off the ship.

I took the kids to OA for the afternoon. DH decided to get off the ship again to explore the town. I had no interest. I spent most of the afternoon in the suite lounge and playing any trivia games offered. I went back to the room to discover that DH had returned and was most likely at the FlowRider (his swim trunks were missing). He was really wanting to try it. I found him at the FlowRider, and I watched him for awhile. He only did the boogie board one, not the stand up surfing.

DH said his time walking around Falmouth was interesting. He was offered many taxi rides, hookers and drugs. When we were eating dinner, we talked to our waiter about Falmouth. He said that DH should not have gone into town alone as it's very dangerous. The Jamaican staff on the ship has warned all the other staff to stay in groups while in Falmouth. Interesting. DH said he never felt scared or uncomfortable though.

We both headed back to the room to relax a bit and get ready for dinner. It started to rain really hard, and we enjoyed watching all the people running through the port in the rain. We were on the starboard side of the ship, but we were facing the port at all 3 stops.

Again, dinner was in the MDR, but my parents ate at Coastal Kitchen. Apparently we left the port 30 minutes late due to a ship sponsored excursion arriving late. We were already eating dinner, so I didn't even notice.

The night was capped off with the headliner, Kenny James. He was a 13 time Star Search winner in the 80s - he won $100,000 on the show. He was a great singer, dancer and entertainer. His son is the bass player for his act, and they make a great team. We ended up disembarking right behind them. They were headed to catch the Jewel on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. I don't know who the next headliner will be.

Up next: Day at Sea - 2nd formal night.

Coming up later on my Day 7 review - our amazing bridge tour including detailed information straight from the captain's mouth about missing the ship as well as the 100% true story of the man who went overboard in January and was rescued by the Disney ship.

Regarding the Windjammer, and seating...if only a couple folks are sitting at a large table, just say, "Mind if we join you?" and sit down. Tables are not "private"!

 

If you're not in a cabana that comes with floats, then yes, you have to pay to rent them. Some folks will simply bring their own blow up float!

Very true, but 2 people at a 6 person table doesn't leave room for my family of 5. Maybe they're looking for company, but it makes it hard on larger families. We ended up at a table for 4 with 2 kids sharing a chair.

Did you have to pay for floating mats?

Mats are free in Barefoot Beach, but you have to pay for them elsewhere.

Time for some photos. Unfortunately, 95% of my photos have my kids in them, and I don't want to post those. Here are some, and I'll post more later.

Our first glimpse of the Oasis.

View from the suite lounge leaving the port.

My girls on our balcony.

The boardwalk.

The 20m platforms over the AquaTheater pool.

Docked in Labadee.

Panorama of Barefoot Beach.

Don't you have the cruise compasses available?

There's a link in the 4th post above.

Day 3 - Labadee

I forgot to mention that we had no problem getting our $3 case of water on board. I slapped a luggage tag on it, and it showed up in the room. I asked the porter when we dropped it off if it was ok, and he said yes. It was the last thing to arrive, and I asked the person delivering luggage if it was confiscated. He said it wasn't, but it takes longer because they have to put the water in a different area so it doesn't get crushed by the weight of the luggage.

One of the main reasons I like to bring water on board is to take on shore with me. I want to stay hydrated and not pay for bottled water on the beach.

My absolute favorite thing to eat on a cruise is an omelet from the omelet station. Well, the Oasis has eliminated the omelet station. I guess it makes sense that 6,000 people can't all stand in line for an omelet. The compass said omelets and made-to-order eggs are available at the Wipeout Cafe only. So, that's where we headed for breakfast. I was quite disappointed that you submit an order and they're made behind the scenes AND they no longer have my favorite ingredients as options - spinach and bacon. For the record, the same omelets are available on the menu in the MDR. This was quite disappointing for me. The Wipeout Cafe has a small breakfast buffet with all the expected items, and, most importantly, it wasn't crowded at all.

As suite guests, we headed to Barefoot Beach for the day. For me, the most disappointing thing is that there are not any hammocks in the Barefoot Beach area. DH and I went to Labadee in 2009 (when I was pregnant with the triplets), and I spent the entire day in a hammock. It was the best part of that cruise. I really missed my hammock. I did the same thing on our last cruise in CocoCay. They really need to put some hammocks in Barefoot Beach. I found the drink service to be poor on the beach. You had to flag them down. They seemed more interested in getting orders from the cabanas. There is an upgraded buffet lunch on Barefoot Beach. It was delicious - steak and shrimp. Mmmmm. I also didn't know that towels are provided for the guests on Barefoot Beach. We lugged 8 towels unnecessarily from the ship. I wish I had known.....

This was my girls' first time on the beach. They had a blast!! They spent the whole day making sand castles (I brought sand toys with us) and playing in the water. They even found a friend who was their same age to play with. It was a great day.

Dinner was again in the MDR. We then headed to the AquaTheater for the Oasis of Dreams show. The divers are amazing, but the story line and choreography is incredibly cheesy in my opinion. DH liked that part of the show better than I did. My girls enjoyed it too. One diver dives off a 20m platform. That's 60 feet - 6 stories. Crazy.

After we got the kids in bed, DH and I went to the Love and Marriage Game Show. This is always a favorite of ours. One couple had been married for 57 years. They were hilarious!!! I think this is not to be missed. It does depend on the people who get on stage, but we never been disappointed.

Up next - Falmouth.

Printed your review out to read later and then read that you had 5 year old triplet girls. We have 3 year old triplet grandsons. Where did the girls sleep? If you used the bedroom with the bunks, how did you decide who slept in a bunk. I looked at the new family stateroom on deck 12 forward and it has a bunk room but only for 2.

 

It's a kick and a challenge having 3 (just finding 3 identical or similar shirts in their size is interesting). When they were born, luckily DD & SIL had a great support network for feedings but she still had to feed 2 at a time.

 

Ours are fraternal with two with brown hair looking a little alike and one blonde.

How awesome! The girls slept in the small interior bedroom - 2 on the pullman beds and one on the lower bed. We had the stateroom attendant split the bed so there were basically 2 bunk beds in that room. I slept on the other bottom bunk since I was afraid they'd wake up confused or need something and I wouldn't hear them from the other room. I loved how incredibly dark and quiet the room was. My parents slept in the master bedroom, and DH slept on the pullout couch. It was nice to escape DH's snoring for a week! Although one of my girls in a teeth grinder, and that was pretty unbearable too. Technically kids aren't allowed to sleep on the pullman beds unless they're 6, but our girls sleep on bunk beds at home, so I wasn't worried. I figured if the ship rocked enough to knock them off the bed, we had bigger problems. The stateroom attendant did mention on the first day that they weren't old enough to sleep up there, but I ignored him.

I let them take turns choosing a bed. Most of the time, the first one to choose wanted the bottom bunk.

All three of my girls are fraternal too. I have blonde hair and blue eyes, but my husband is Asian, so his genes won and they all have brown hair and brown eyes.

We were just on the Oasis, and the last ice show of the trip was nearly empty. More than half the seats were available. Also, my 5yos were bored by the show. I'm not saying you shouldn't go, but it's not Disney on Ice.

Day 2 - At Sea

I had scheduled the Dreamworks character breakfast for Day 2, so we had to get up quite early as it was at 7:45am. Luckily, I had scheduled it before September 1st, and we didn't have to pay for it. In my opinion, it's not worth paying for. The breakfast is the same as everyone else in the MDR, and everyone else can see what's going on, if you get there that early. The only thing that's special is that you have a better view and you get to take photos with the characters. There are 3 characters - different ones at each of the 3 breakfasts. Oh, and each child gets a sticker from each character. There are plenty of opportunities to take photos with the characters around the ship. Paying $10 each for breakfast is not worth it. My kids definitely enjoyed it, but I would not pay for it.

After breakfast, we took the kids to Ocean Adventure, and DH and I went to the Meet and Mingle. This was our first meet and mingle. From what the others said, it was not a good one. The prizes weren't that great, and we didn't win anything. They gave away 2 free Johnny Rocket's meals and 2 free 30 minutes of internet certificates and 3 bottles of wine.

After wandering the ship for awhile, we picked the kids up and went to lunch in the Windjammer. Big mistake. It was so crowded, and we couldn't find a table for our family of 5. There were several large tables with only 1 or 2 people at them. Why???? The food wasn't all that good, and it was hard to find things that my kids liked.

The 5 of us went to see Cats at 2pm. So many people complain about it, and I don't get it. In fairness, I had already seen it on Broadway. I truly think the key is sitting close to the stage. We had front row seats. The Cats are on and off the stage and are interactive with the first several rows. The plot is definitely confusing, but I still find the singing and acting entertaining. My three 5 year old kids all sat through the entire performance without a single complaint. They LOVED it!!! In fact, they have been pretending to be Cats ever since. The contract for this particular cast is over, so it's hard to say what's coming next, but the actress who same Memory was AMAZING!!!

This was a formal night, so we decided to go to Coastal Kitchen because we only wanted to dress up on the 2nd one when they serve lobster. Both DH and my father were in shorts, and we were not allowed in until they changed. They do enforce dress codes sometimes! I was in capris and flip flops and my kids were all in shorts, and that was ok. Dinner at Coastal Kitchen was delicious!! They have the same menu for the first 4 nights, and then it changes. But it's not all that different when it changes - just different preparations of the exact same proteins.

DH and I went to the Majority Rules Game Show after we put the kids to bed. It was so nice to have my parents there who were willing to stay in the room and let us go out. The Game show was a lot of fun.

Next up: Labadee

Can't wait for more. We will be there next July for the western route.

 

Don't you have the cruise compasses available?

 

 

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Someone posted them recently.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157103

Background - DH and I are both 37. We cruised with our 5yo triplet girls and my parents. All of us in one royal family suite on deck 9. This was the first cruise for the kids, the first RCL cruise for my parents and the 3rd RCL cruise for DH and me.

We arrived in FLL via Southwest on Friday afternoon. We took the free hotel shuttle to the Hilton Garden Inn. This was a fabulous location for us as there were several restaurants and shops within walking distance. Dinner was at Chipotle, which is right next door. Then DH walked across the street to Big Lots to get a $3 case of water.

We had 2 rooms at the hotel. My family stayed in a "suite". I discovered on Saturday morning that we could see the ships from our room (6th floor). They were far, but I could see them. Such a glorious site. Our room was nice - 2 double beds and a pull out couch that was a twin at best. It worked perfectly for the 5 of us. The room also had a small refrigerator and coffee pot. As a Hilton Honors member, my husband got us each a cold bottle of water. Yay - more water to take with us! All 7 of us walked across the street to McDonald's for a quick breakfast on Saturday morning.

I had asked the front desk to schedule a cab for my family at 9:45am. My parents took the hotel shuttle to the port ($10pp plus tip). There was no way we were going to pay $50 for our family on the shuttle, and we couldn't get a cab big enough for all 7 of us and all of our luggage. Our cab arrived at exactly 9:45. I was very pleased that it all worked out so perfectly. The cab ride was $18.90 plus tip. It would have been cheaper and quicker for my parents to also take a cab, but we weren't sure. Their shuttle also left at 9:45. Luckily they dropped off at the Oasis first or it would have taken an hour for them to arrive. Yikes!

Check in was easy since we were there so early. There was no line. We got the kids their muster station bracelets, and then we sat in the waiting area for the suite guests. They let us board around 11:15.

We headed straight to the Park Cafe for lunch. I had never had one of the infamous roast beef sandwiches. Sadly, I was disappointed. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but with all the hype I guess I was expecting more. They were good, but not that great, in my opinion. We had a run-in with an awful guest there who was so rude and bossy. He even threatened to call security on us and have us thrown out when he was the one waving his arms all around and cutting in line. He even hit my father in the face while waving his arms around. Everyone else who witnessed what happened was on our side. I later learned he's a pinnacle member. I guess he assumes that means he owns the ship and can boss everyone else around. Unfortunately, we saw him often in the suite lounge. Such a rude man.

After lunch, we split from my parents and took the kids to Ocean Adventure to get them signed up. What an amazing place. Needless to say, the kids had an amazing time there throughout the week.

Our room was ready by 12:45. The royal family suite is amazing!! It's on the hump, so the balcony is huge. There are 2 bedrooms (one "master") and 2 bathrooms. Plus the couch folds out into a queen bed. I assumed once the couch was transformed into a bed, the living room would seem small. Not at all true. Absolutely no furniture needs to be moved. The room is huge! There are a total of 4 closets - 1 in the master, 2 in the living room and 1 in the small interior bedroom (which has a king bed and 2 pullmans). There are 3 TVs.

We explored the ship all afternoon, but spent a good amount of time in the suite lounge. It's beautiful up there. One side is Coastal Kitchen, the middle has the bar and Chef's Table and the other side is a sitting area with a small buffet and drinks. It's one big room. Our MTD reservation was for 6:15 in the MDR. MTD is on deck 3 - American Icon Grill. First seating in on deck 4 and late seating is on deck 5.

My parents had reservations for the comedy show at 9pm. My family was tired, so we turned in early. The kids were exhausted.

More to come.