MattsBigDream

This is a great and very accurate review! I wish I would have found this before I went. But I filmed an in-depth review of it and I'm posting it to youtube now. My channel is Matt's Big Dream.

Hi all, I just returned from our sailing on the Oasis last week. We were in Labadee one week ago, today. I scoured the internet looking for details and info about this excursion, before we left. So I vowed to be helpful to others to provide some info about our experience.

 

I have two boys - 4 and 6 years old. The littlest one is just shy of 4ft (about 46 inches) but we signed up anyways. The height restriction is for the aquapark, but no one is walking around with a tape measure, and there isn't even one of those measuring sticks in sight. We arrived in port at 9am, our excursion started at 10am in Dazzles. Each kid was given a Troll bracelet, and a treasure map. They explained a little, and then we headed off the ship as a group. The safari basically takes you from the pier, to the aquapark, winding your way along and catching stops at 4 Dreamworks character statues. Note: there are NO live, real-person characters on the safari. Don't tell your kids they will meet characters. They will cry and be disappointed. (lesson learned). These statues are fully public and out in the open, so even if you didn't do this excursion, your kids would still be able to take pictures with them. Along the way the Adventure Ocean staff have them stop and do "challenges" like "do a funny dance", "tell a joke", "act like Alex the Lion" and then they earn stickers. You arrive at the Aquapark close to 11am, and parents sign waivers. All kids get a wristband for the Aquapark from 11am to noon. Adults don't need a wristband and can accompany kids into the aquapark. My boys and my husband had a great time playing for the hour. Then you enjoy the rest of your day on Labadee. All aboard is at 4pm. At 4pm, back in Dazzles, there is a dance party. Families arrive, check in and the kids are given a Trolls- themed gift. Each of my boys got a Trolls Art kit and activity book - markers, paints, stickers, etc. I think I read somewhere before I left that it was a backpack, so it may just be any Trolls-related merchandise. Keep this in mind, if you are packing tightly, or have multiple kids. Because now I had to bring two Trolls Art kits home!!! There are balloons, free cupcakes, and fruit punch drinks. A DJ plays and the AO staff get everyone up dancing. Then Poppy and Branch (the real-person-inside) arrive and dance with the kids. They have an opportunity to take pictures with each child - both with the ship's photographer and your own camera. All told the dance party is less than an hour. We had dinner at 5:30 and I remember going back to the cabin to change beforehand.

Bottom Line: the Photo Safari is nothing spectacular. You can visit each of the statues on your own and take pictures on Labadee. The Trolls bracelet and art kit were nice - probably something I wouldn't buy the kids myself, but they sure loved them. The little one wear the bracelet each day. The aquapark was awesome and the kids (and my husband) loved it. The real perk is the (short) private dance party with Branch and Poppy. They appeared twice otherwise during our sailing - once was smack in the middle of dinner and once was at 8:40 (too late for the little one to stay up). Plus, if you are just going to sit at the beach all day with two very active little boys, then for me it was nice to have something focused to fill up that first hour of the day.

I do hope that helps someone a little. Enjoy your upcoming sailings. I will try to pop back into this thread in a couple of days to answer any more questions from my experience.