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My week on the Oasis. 13th -20th

retnuh281

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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I am unable to find you on Face Book, approx. 500 John Hunter's to view your photos.

maria:(

Hmmm not too good at the FB thing does Texas help? Sugar Land? Really cool guy?

Ah I know, go to a page called "LERTS" I am the one that started that group.

"Be alert, the world needs more lerts"

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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Our dinner tonight isn't until 9:30 at Chops!!!!! What to do, what to do?

Back to the Cantilevered hot tub, so nice to just relax after that driving. FYI......... driving a stick shift up a mountain, in bumper to bumper traffic is stressfull as hell. Don't know if thats tip #9 or not, just an FYI. The days are all running into one another at this point, coupled with all the imbibing, it's hard to put things in exact chronological order, but you people don't know what I did, so I'll let it fly. There was/is a couple in "the group" that visited the Rising Tide Bar nightly. Mostly because we found one of the nicest, friendly bartenders on the ship. ( I met more than my share). His last name is Patel and thats what we called him. I told you there were two names I remembered and this is the second. First we went for the bar, after that we went back for him. This bar is fun and believe it or not it's not crowded most the time. Great to people watch in the Schooner bar as you pass by, as well as the Promenade. It stops on decks 8 to load and unload as well as deck 5. 12 minute between each running. So if you have to go potty you should have ample time.:eek:

I've not mentioned our room steward, and this guy was great, there were times he needed to "do" the room for the evenings and there were 4 girls napping in MY bed. He would come back and do it after he finished his other rooms, his name is worth mentioning and I will in a formal review. Be nice to these people and you'll get the same in return, a little extra incentive doesn't hurt either.

It was a late dinner, and Chops was excellent as usual. Funny thing is, everyone ordered the 7 bottle wine package and we are one behind at this point, thinking Chops would be the perfect night to "catch up" . Didn't happen. We couldn't even talk to one another through all the yawning that was going on. I may exaggerate some but not about this, we were tired. It was about 11:15 when we finished, stepped onto the Rising tide bar which is right outside Chops for a night cap, then off to bed for everyone.

Tomorrow is a sea day.

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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The M&M was on the second day at 10:30 in Dazzles. There were more people show than I expected, they had danishes (sp)?, coffee, juice, etc. I had only been to one M&M and I actually mingled at this one and put faces with the CC names I had been chatting with for so long. Wonderful people, let me tell you. We had a slot pull 30 minutes after the M&M in the casino (obviously). I organized this, and I was actually late, but it gave everyone more time to meet. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

We picked two machines, everyone put in $21.00 which equates to 7 spins apiece on the "WHEEL OF FORTUNE". Now try and get that out of your head for the rest of the day. After all was said and done, we walked away with $24.00 each. Hey, we didn't lose and it was a lot of fun. 21 people actually participated, not too shabby huh? I met some really great people and will stay in touch with them for ever more due to technology. Facebook and CC.

Shout out to Karen..........Thanks for all you did organizing our meeting and the cabin crawl. You and Bill are great. :);)

If any of the rest of you are reading this, it was truly a pleasure meeting and chatting about our day during the cruise. I hope you all made it home safely and God Bless.

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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One thing I failed to mention was the breakfast before St. Martin. Me and the other driver had to pick up the vans to meet everyone to load up. It was my first trip to the Windjammer. We sat at a window table/bar enjoying breakfast while most were still sleeping. Don't care for buffets and the total disregard for manners and other passengers..........normally. Today was an exception, and it was really nice watching the other ships arrive with my buddy with very few people in the WJ. We got off the ship together, and there was NO ONE on the pier except the people that worked it. We took a pic with everything on the pier, a ships wheel doing our pirate impersonation, the dolphin and something else I don't recall. Kind of funny, we took a pic with the dolphin that didn't show up in our picture package. Guess we should'nt have been grabbing the dorsel fin or something crazy like that. In addition, we both had on matching shamrock t-shirts we bought at Walmart for 4 bucks, and Oasis caps that we had won previously. Hey, I'm very comfortable with my masculinity.

 

Back to the last sea day.

I awoke at about 7:15, called my buddy like I said I would, and told him to meet me in the WJ, again. We had breakfast and thought we had to wait until 9:00 for the Flo Riders. They were open at 8:30 for the surfing, this is what I wanted to do any way. I grab my board and ask the girl for some help........."This is for advanced surfers right now, I can't help".

UH OH...........

Let me tell you, when you hit 30,000 gallons of water instantaneously it REALLY is'nt easy. I gave it a go 3 times and managed to stay upright about 30 seconds total. Did I mention we are headed north now and it's in the 60's with the wind blowing about 100 mph? I could have cut glass with my nipples. Straight to the hot tubs for us.

This is my third RCCL cruise and I have never done the rock climbing. So guess what? Here I go.

Waiting in line I'm praying that the guy in the middle of the wall is not the next one off. Thats where it's really hard. Lucky for me I got to go on the side which is a little easier. I'm already tired from the Flo Rider but had to try just to say I did. I made it to the top, rang the bell, and when I turned around and looked down..........oh crap thats a long way up. People asked if I did the hard the part, my reply was no, but no one else did it with only 8 1/2 fingers, so that shut 'em up pretty quick. I win.

Hidden Tip #1 on deck 7, the port side, kind of behind that rockwall there is deck space with a couple chairs, and there is NEVER anyone there. If you really want to get away from 6100 other people and you don't have your own balcony this is it. It is like having a balcony you don't have to pay for. Check it out. They don't have both rock climbing walls open that I ever saw.

Today is March Madness. I didn't watch a whole lot, but enough to have two roast beef sandwhiches from Park Cafe and a Fosters oil can beer. This was in the sports bar where they have karaoke every night. This bar would have been fun except for the guy that hogged the mic ALL WEEK singing Frank Sinatra badly. Not to mention the guy in the Elvis helmet doing the same. Hey guys, give some one else a chance would ya?

If either of you happen across this review...........BOO, BOO!!! :mad::mad:

Long story short, my wife goes to a show this night, I go to the casino and lose back all the money that I won previously. No one is real happy with me at this point. Including me. 2:00 a.m. Nighty night.

Ever notice i say long story short a lot, and this review is the longest you've ever read?

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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Lovin' it. Keep it coming!! Sailing on Apr 24th, so close I can almost taste it, and it tastes like roast beef sandwiches and coconut cupcakes. And the Works at Johnny Rockets.

 

We're doing the flowrider lessons, too, so any tips you can offer will be appreciated. Never been on a surfboard in my life, so it should be interesting. Can't wait to be doing this kind of running diary myself!!!!

 

If you are doing the lessons then you'll be fine. Nothing I can tell you here that you won't learn in a couple minutes. GOD, i wished I had got a cupcake, everyone said they were wonderful. Guess I'll have to go back.

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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nassau.jpg.d71b52a4eb316d14c409f1b5b328a9f5.jpg

 

Now, I have been ALL over the Caribbean, and I have NEVER seen water such as this. A picture is the only way to describe the color.

Last day aboard, we sleep in, well, everyone BUT me. No one even stirs until lunch time and we go to the MDR for lunch. "Sir you'll have to remove your cap". Well, I know this, i've been up for 5 hours already and forgot I had it on. Lunch here is GREAT!!! Get the "salad bar" ! Not just lettuce mind you, tons of different meats to go with the ruffage.

I forgot 2nd formal night, worth mentioning was the food. Normally the lobster are smallish and not real tender, they are serving 1000's so I never thought of complaining. But, these really stood out. Nice size, consistency of a real lobster, and good. I had the prime rib as well, little surf and turf action if you will. Keep in mind I had about a 5-6 lb lobster cooked on the beach in St. Martin, so I'm kinda lobstered out, but this was worth mentioning. Prime Rib was perfect as well.

Ok we did the private beach break booked through RCCL. It says private beach for Oasis passengers only. NOT. Other cruise lines were there as well, maybe only Oaisis through RCCL, but other cruise passengers were there. No big deal we had a blast. If I recall, it's only $24.00 for the day and an extra $3.00 for the stingray encounter. The sting ray portion is right there by the beach and it's enclosed. LOTS of sting rays, they said the barbs have been removed, still try not to step on one. Got some great under water pics of the rays and a small barracuda. Out in the "regular" water there are rays swimming around too, so if you just want to get pics of those you can. Really don't step on those. I touched and petted them, but they definitely had barbs.

BRING water shoes. It's really rocky, beautiful, but rocky. Another note.... And TIP # 206.5, the line for drinks can get really long and a rum drink is $6.00. In the gift shop she sells 1/2 pint bottles of bacardi gold for $3.75. Coke is $2.00. OK all you mathmaticians help me out here. Which is more cost effective? Bring your own coke, ask for a cup of ice and voila. YOU WIN!! So did we, to the tune of 4 empty bottles. Just not enough time there, it was beautiful.

The straw market was loved by everyone that produces estrogen. My daughter actually said to me, "Dad, this is my alcohol I love to shop". This is after she purchased 3 knock off purses. If I were to guess our group bought more than 20 purses. My head almost exploded just at the sight of this place. We had a blast, back to the ship to pack.

NOT.

How about the hot tub and the Rising Tide bar? The 3 couples that have a great bond due to the driving 20 hours decide we are having dinner on the balcony tonight. We ordered from the Sushi place to go, as well as our 2 remaining bottles of wine...........EACH!!! I told you the balcony of the RFS was big, and we all had dinner of sushi and wine. Edamame, soup, rolls, sashimi, tons of food and sharing amongst friends. Only negative, we are still traveling north, and it's chilly.

UGHHH packing. Everyone else seems to have packed already because the ship is packed with people everywhere, all milling about. We have the Luggage Valet as part of our perks and it worked out great. Set them out by 11:00 and don't see them again until Houston. NICE. Purchase this if your flight isn't right away. Even if it is I would do it again no hassles at all.

We take our one bottle of wine and the bottle of champagne I bought for sail away, that has been on ice for a week, to the Crown and Atlas. Our group grows and grows and the bottles get drained. Then it's one more drink at the Rising Tide before Patel announces this is the last ride for this cruise. Not what you want to hear, but glad I didn't miss it. In bed by 1:30 tonight, the earliest yet.

We're off the ship in record time, go to the Mall to kill time, and get home to freezing weather at about 11:30 CST.

So glad I didn't have to make that drive back.

I will now take questions..... yes? you there in the back with the thong on.

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Merc

Merc

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Thanks for making a day at work so enjoyable, i keep checking back to see if you have written more. I sit here with a grin on my face while reading your great review. You make it seem like we are there with you. Cant wait for next installment.

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NeedforSeas

NeedforSeas

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Loved, loved, loved your review! We leave Apr 9 for our cruise and this has given me some great tips that I hadn't read before.

 

Our return flight isn't until 5:15 pm. When do you purchase the Luggage Valet? This may be the way to go, for us. Do you pay "per bag," per person, or one amount?

 

We are your neighbors, a little further down Hwy 6, toward Galveston! Howdy from Alvin!

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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Thanks for the info on LoLo's I was not familiar with them. Do you know the name of the one you went to? Really enjoyed your review. Thanks a lot for posting.

 

If you are in Grand Case you can't miss them. There are about 5-6 all together. Just follow your nose. I went to the one closest to the beach away from the road, there is an old woman cooking and you can't understand a word she says. Just smile and nod your head. The ribs are really, really good. She puts this garlic sauce on them. Man they were good. Slaw was good as was the mac and chez. All homemade, all good. Rib Shack just came to mind. My mouth is watering.

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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Loved, loved, loved your review! We leave Apr 9 for our cruise and this has given me some great tips that I hadn't read before.

 

Our return flight isn't until 5:15 pm. When do you purchase the Luggage Valet? This may be the way to go, for us. Do you pay "per bag," per person, or one amount?

 

We are your neighbors, a little further down Hwy 6, toward Galveston! Howdy from Alvin!

 

Howdy neighbor!!!

OK luggage Valet needs to be taken care of by Thursday. You will get the info. It's a $20.00 per person charge, not per piece of luggage. They will pay the airline for any fees and charge it to your sea pass. Easy !!!

Can't tell you how much I recommend this service. NO luggage when you get off the ship except your carry-on. You guys have the same time flight we did, try to find something to do in FLL. Sitting around the airport sucks.

Google water taxi in FLL.

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Mack704

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quote:

we are having dinner on the balcony tonight. We ordered from the Sushi place to go, as well as our 2 remaining bottles of wine...........EACH!!! I told you the balcony of the RFS was big, and we all had dinner of sushi and wine. Edamame, soup, rolls, sashimi, tons of food and sharing amongst friends.

 

 

Terrific cruise diary. Fun to read. Thanks!

 

DW and I will doing BtoB's on the Oasis in May. DW loves sushi. Can anyone order "take out" from the sushi place (Isumi). Or does one need a reservation just to order to go? If yes can it be called in from the cabin? Also, does one need a reservation to sit at the sushi bar. Or can one just walk-in and snag an empty seat?

 

Harvey

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erries

erries

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I appreciate your sense of humor; it made the review even better. This may sound like a strange question, but... when did you sleep?! You mentioned going to bed between 2:00 and 3:00 each night and then being up and about much earlier than everyone else, sometimes at 7:00. Do you just naturally not sleep more than 4-5 hours a night? On that kind of schedule, I would've been too exhausted to enjoy everything. :eek:

 

Erica

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JeffersonSea

JeffersonSea

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we are having dinner on the balcony tonight. We ordered from the Sushi place to go, as well as our 2 remaining bottles of wine...........EACH!!! I told you the balcony of the RFS was big, and we all had dinner of sushi and wine. Edamame, soup, rolls, sashimi, tons of food and sharing amongst friends.

 

 

Terrific cruise diary. Fun to read. Thanks!

 

DW and I will doing BtoB's on the Oasis in May. DW loves sushi. Can anyone order "take out" from the sushi place (Isumi). Or does one need a reservation just to order to go? If yes can it be called in from the cabin? Also, does one need a reservation to sit at the sushi bar. Or can one just walk-in and snag an empty seat?

 

Harvey

 

I sent that above quote from retnuh's review to my wife, and said "Oh man, this sounds wonderful." We're both going to have dreams tonight of eating sushi on our balcony.

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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quote:

we are having dinner on the balcony tonight. We ordered from the Sushi place to go, as well as our 2 remaining bottles of wine...........EACH!!! I told you the balcony of the RFS was big, and we all had dinner of sushi and wine. Edamame, soup, rolls, sashimi, tons of food and sharing amongst friends.

 

 

Terrific cruise diary. Fun to read. Thanks!

 

DW and I will doing BtoB's on the Oasis in May. DW loves sushi. Can anyone order "take out" from the sushi place (Isumi). Or does one need a reservation just to order to go? If yes can it be called in from the cabin? Also, does one need a reservation to sit at the sushi bar. Or can one just walk-in and snag an empty seat?

 

Harvey

 

BTB, wow you guys should have a blast!!

You do need reservations, or like we did, just show up and they will take your order and you can come back and get it. We left our order, and when it was ready they rang the room. We had trays from WJ and enjoyed it on the chilly balcony. Really good and the rolls are big, so be careful not to over order. If your lips are sun burned, DO NOT get the spicy tuna roll. OUCH.

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retnuh281

retnuh281

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I appreciate your sense of humor; it made the review even better. This may sound like a strange question, but... when did you sleep?! You mentioned going to bed between 2:00 and 3:00 each night and then being up and about much earlier than everyone else, sometimes at 7:00. Do you just naturally not sleep more than 4-5 hours a night? On that kind of schedule, I would've been too exhausted to enjoy everything. :eek:

 

Erica

 

I need my sleep.............usually. I have the type of personality that I don't want to miss anything. So, I can't sleep or nap in fear that someone else is having fun and i'm not there to partake. Honestly, I am just now getting back to "normal" a week later. Last year my body shut down after the 4th day, guess i'm in better shape now. LOL

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