Live from the oasis - 5/1 - 5/15!

[Mack704]

Hope you all are enjoying reading this! Cause I sure am enjoying myself…watching DW type!

 

First, I’d like to comment on a few issues that I read about on these boards.

 

One poster commented about nothing but Indian food everywhere, particularly in the Windjammer. I personally have had trouble locating any Indian food, which is ok ‘cause I don’t care for it anyway.

 

I’ve read a few reviews where the reviewer has had trouble with their air conditioning not being cold enough or the refrigerator not being cold enough. I’m happy to report no problem in this cabin with either one!

 

Now some questions answered.

 

The port side, where my cabin is located, faces AWAY from all three ports when docked. So, if you want to face the ports, book the starboard side.

 

Filomena - DW is typing this on our laptop in our cabin. We believe there is ship-wide Wi-fi connectivity - and we signed up for a package on our laptop in our cabin!

 

From what I’ve seen, the only way to get privacy in your Central Park balcony cabin is inside, with the curtains drawn! If your husband is concerned about the lack of privacy, he’s right!

 

The cruise director, Ken Rush, has been the host of every show that we’ve been to - except the Comedy Club. The shows are scheduled 2 or 3 different days, at 2 or 3 different times, some early, some late, even a couple in the afternoon. We’re on My Time Dining, and when I reserved our show times and our dining times, I made sure they didn’t conflict.

 

We stopped in the liquor store - Grey Goose goes for $32/liter, if you buy 2 it’s $60. Most of the liquor is priced that way - you save a couple bucks if you buy more than one - they also have some mix and match deals.

 

OK…the travelogue continues…

 

This morning, we had intended to go on an early excursion that appeared to be similar to the one we went on yesterday. We were still tired from that one, so we decided to skip it…and we slept in BIG TIME!

 

So, our first meal of the day, and our first stop after leaving the cabin, was the Windjammer. Today was a port day, so we figured the WJ wouldn’t be too busy, and we were right.

 

I’m not sure if I was surprised, but the items I tried and DW tried were pretty tasty! They had a stir fry lo mein noodle with stir fried veggies right next to that, and stir fried beef next to that. The combination was delicious! The turkey cutlets were good, the chef-carved beef was tender, hamburgers and hotdogs were standard cruise ship fare, which is OK. And the sugar-free dessert, blueberry mousse, was very light and delicious.

 

Later in the afternoon, we did two more parts of the Live the Oasis scavenger hunt. It’s fun to look for tiny details on the ship. We haven’t participated in any of the trivia sessions they’re offering based on the book, but we may next week.

 

In our travels, we picked up a couple of snacks, some Sorrento’s pepperoni pizza, which was OK, and I had to have a couple more slices of that Park Café roast beef!

 

Went back to the cabin for some R&R and watched a pay-per-view movie, which we both liked - The Blind Side.

 

We dressed for dinner and went to Dazzles to check out Center Piece. They played soft rock and pop standards. We enjoyed watching some of the couples dancing. The female singer was good, but when the male singer sang lead on two songs in a row, we headed up to the Viking Crown Lounge to see what the City Lights Trio had to offer. Just as we walked in, they took a break! Great view from the Viking Crown Lounge on three sides!

 

It was just about time for dinner. We again went to the MDR and again sat in our favorite waiter’s section. Andung was terrific as usual! For appetizers, we had the duck pate, very tasty. Tasted like chopped liver - and I love chopped liver! DW had Asian chicken soup - it was OK. My Caesar salad was luscious as usual, and DW’s foccacia, spinach, tomato and mozzarella salad was wonderful!

 

Andung suggested I get a double order of lamb rack - he said one wouldn’t be enough. The lamb was delicious - tender and tasty! I’m glad he doubled my order. Sharon ordered the filet from Chops - it’s a $14.95 upcharge - she reported deliciousness as well! It was the same as the one at Chops, except it wasn’t seasoned as much as the one she ate there.

 

We ate dinner late - got there about 9:00 - so dinner kind of ended the night for us.

 

More later,

 

Harvey.

[matt690]

Thanks for the great live updates. I can tell you are really enjoying your cruise, and it's making me want to book a cruise on the Oasis.

 

One quick question. How are the live bands, in particular, the pool reggae/calypso band? How is their quality and how are their hours?

 

Thanks so much. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[kmcphee26]

 

We stopped in the liquor store - Grey Goose goes for $32/liter, if you buy 2 it’s $60. Most of the liquor is priced that way - you save a couple bucks if you buy more than one - they also have some mix and match deals.

 

 

 

On St. Thomas I got a liter of Grey Goose for $28, so a few bucks cheaper than on the ship.

[Imasealuvr]

What is the cost of the WIFI package? Is is quick??

[Mack704]

First to address a few questions…

 

As far as the live music, particularly the pool band, as I stated in an earlier post, DW and I are not sun-worshippers, so we spent zero time on a lounge on the pool deck…however, we did hear the pool band while traversing Central Park several times, and they sounded pretty good! They call themselves Mega 4. They seem to be scheduled at times when they would be most listened to…i.e. when people are around the pools. Today is a sea day, and they were scheduled for 12:30 - 3:00, and 3:45 - 5:00.

 

The Oasis of the Seas orchestra sounded pretty good when we heard them. We only heard one of the lounge bands - they were pretty good.

 

The Wi fi is pretty quick - better than on previous ships we've been on. Without a package, it's .65/minute, but there are packages starting with $35 for 60 minutes on up - each larger package is less per minute.

 

Our first activity this morning was lunch in our favorite dining venue, which happens to be the MDR. We made our way there a little before 11:30, only to find that it didn’t open until noon today. So…we went to the Casino. I donated another $40 to my favorite poker machine, DW stuck $10 in, and was going to stop when that was gone, but I offered her another $10. She said no…then yes…and with 5 credits left, she hit the jackpot for $1,430.00 with a Royal Flush, no deuces!!! Wa hoo!!!! I’m rich! Oops…she’s rich!

 

Cashed it in and got out of there…it was a happy lunch, for more reasons than just the food, which, by the way, was the identical menu as Wednesday, which I was hoping! I got another Caesar salad, this time with grilled chicken - ummm boy, good! And…another pulled pork sandwich - fabulous! This time the roll was toasted lighter - delicious sandwich! DW got the soup of the day - cream of mushroom - it was delish! For her main dish, she got panko-crusted shrimp skewers, which was also very good, she reports.

 

We didn’t wait for dessert, cause DW wanted some sugar-free ice cream out on the Boardwalk. We decided to get it after the 2:00 Sunshine Show at the Aqua Theater. It was a cute half-hour of song and dance, with all the songs having some relationship to the sun or shining. At least half of the seats were shaded, and there was a nice breeze, cause we’re doing 20 knots, so it was quite comfortable sitting there.

 

It was fun to watch.

 

DW got her ice cream, and we were on our way to the Consecutive Cruisers’ Meeting. There are 149 back-to-backers on the ship this week! They gave us some info about what our options are for tomorrow. We do have to leave the ship, go through customs, and come right back on the ship. They said they would accompany us throughout whole process. They offered us lunch in the dining room, just for us, at 11:30. Hey, that’s my favorite dining venue! DW and I will be there!

 

At the meeting, they gave us an opportunity to reserve shows and dining - we already had taken care of that - and, they told us the headliner for next week will be Kenny James. Who is Kenny James? Well, they said he won Star Search 13 consecutive weeks - supposed to be a terrific singer. Will report on him after we see him.

 

After some relaxing in the cabin (I took a nap and DW read on the balcony), we headed out for the 7:00 show, Hairspray, running a couple of errands first. Took back the pool towels, and dropped the completed survey at Guest Relations. We gave special mention to our room steward, Hassan, and our waiter, Andung.

 

Hairspray was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! DW had seen the original production on Broadway, and she took me to see the show at the Kennedy Center in D.C. - this production was at least as good as either of those! In my opinion, the BEST show on the ship - don’t miss it!

 

That ran us right up to dinner time!

 

Again in my favorite dining venue, the MDR. The onion soup was delicious, the shrimp cocktail was good, says DW. Mahi mahi and shrimp tempura smelled and looked great - DW assured me it was! My New York strip was tasty, and I love the stuffing that comes with the turkey! The sugar free dessert was key lime pie. DW doesn’t like key lime pie…but she ate her entire piece, even the crumbs. Enough said!

 

It was another late dinner, so we headed back to the room.

 

More later,

 

Harvey

[lizmit]

Thanks Harvey and DW!!!!! I'm booked on Allure on 4/10/11 and am really enjoying your live report. Glad that you're having a great cruise

Happy sails

~ Liz

[bluegirlum]

Thanks again!!! Did you catch any of the light shows at the Aqua Theater?

[iceh20]

Hi Harvey, I'm really enjoying your posts. My husband and 2 sons (15 & 18) and I will be on the western June 26th sailing. You haven't mentioned the ship photographs, and I noticed in another thread that there is an album package available. This album is supposed to be 24 pages for $99, but goes on sale mid week (?). Can you confirm? Thanks so much.

[FMcruiser]

Harvey you're the BEST!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I can't believe that next saturday it's our turn to experience this great ship.

Enjoy the next lap of you cruise.

Filomena

[seeship]

Looking forward to all of your posts. We don't sail until Sept, a long time off, it seems!

[stateparent]

Hi Harvey--thank you so much for doing this! Hope the next week is even finer than the first! We will be on the June 19 Eastern--living vicariously through the live posts until then!! Happy sailing!!

[bluegirlum]

What pier do we dock at in Cozumel?

[tarajean1962]

Thank you so much for posting this thread from your vacation!! We are doing a B2B on the Allure in January so I am especially interested to se if you think this is worth it!! I am glad that you are enjoying your journey so far!! :D

 

Tara

[Cruising89143]

What pier do we dock at in Cozumel?

 

She docks at the International pier.

[BrianAlt]

DW stuck $10 in, and was going to stop when that was gone, but I offered her another $10. She said no…then yes…and with 5 credits left, she hit the jackpot for $1,430.00 with a Royal Flush, no deuces!!! Wa hoo!!!! I’m rich! Oops…she’s rich!

 

Congrats!

[Walt fan]

Harvey - your review is wonderful; very descriptive-thanks so much for taking the time to do this; i can't wait to purchase that book! We are on the June 5th sailing right around the corner-woo hoo! It has been such a pleasure reading such a positive review and really feeling how much you and DW are enjoying everything. Happy 60th and many more sailings!

[CruiseLover15]

Looking forward to all of your posts. We don't sail until Sept, a long time off, it seems!

 

I know that feeling :(

[Mack704]

Yesterday morning started our second week! Happened to be on the Promenade watching the people coming in via the gangway - felt like a veteran!

 

The day started with a rude awakening - they wanted to check our mini bar…at 6:30 am…knock, knock, knock. DW told them to come back later! They start disembarkation early, but they should have known we weren’t leaving! Did not, I repeat, did not ruin my cruise! Just couldn’t get back to sleep - neither one of us! It’s so wonderful…I don’t know what could ruin my cruise!

 

We had to meet at 9:30 in the MDR deck 3 with the other consecutive cruisers. They escorted us off the ship, through Customs, and back on the ship. The whole process took about ½ hour. Because there were so many of us, they had a private lunch for us in the MDR at 11:30. Limited choices, but we like MDR food!

 

DW had watermelon gazpacho - we had that once before last week - it was ok. I had orange carpaccio for my app - it was pretty tasty. Let’s see…I also had strip steak and salmon - I ate the veggies from the salmon - I love their veggies. The steak was pretty good. DW had the salmon - she liked it. There was only one dessert choice, and it wasn’t sugar free. But…one of the assistant waiters saved the day - brought us large pieces of sugar-free lime mousse tart - again it was delicious!

 

A few hours later, we strolled to the Aqua Theater to see one of the 10-minute fountain shows to piped in music. I wouldn’t say it was exactly thrilling, but it was OK to watch! On the way back (it started raining a bit so we left), DW stopped and got her cup of sugar-free raspberry ice cream - very good!

 

The second week muster drill was at 4:15 - we made our way to our meeting place, which is in the Blaze disco, a little early so we could sit near the door. We met two nice women from Texas - mother and daughter - and talked to them about the ship and the shows, etc., telling them some of what we had learned about the ship and the shows from last week.

 

Back up at the room, DW decided she wanted to see the Comedy show, so we booked it on the interactive TV. We had scheduled it for Tuesday night late, and we have to get up early Wednesday for our excursion in St. Marten.

 

We had 8:45 dinner reservations, but around 7:00 we decided we were hungry, and went early. At the dinner kiosk, we requested our waiter from last week, Andung. He was in a different area this time, but they set up a table for us. He was happy to see us…and we were happy to see him. Again, he took good care of us!

 

I had the smoked fish tapenade, the Caesar salad and the prime rib - all were good. The prime rib was just where it was supposed to be. I substituted the lentils that came with the fish for the baked potato - I remembered how good they were last week. Sharon had Vidalia Onion tart, which was melt in your mouth good, the spinach salad, and the pan-seared grouper - same meal she had last week, and again, she liked it - hey Mikey, she liked it!

 

After dinner, did some window shopping in the Promenade, leading up to the comedy show. Two new comedians this week, and they both were HILARIOUS! Dirty, a little racy, a bit tasteless, but REALLY funny - even better than the two from last week! By the way - we thought we had made reservations on the TV for this show…but it didn’t show up when they scanned our cards - they let us in anyway. So…the TV reservations might not be working…

 

The Eastern itinerary for this week changed Nassau to Sunday morning instead of Friday afternoon. We found out yesterday at our consecutive cruisers meeting. We had already established with each other that we were not visiting Nassau, so we slept in, had our coffee wakeup call about 8:30 and got ready for another great day!

 

Restaurant reservations had opened up at 9:00 am this morning, so we changed our plans a bit and made lunch reservations at Giovanni’s for today and dinner reservations at the Solarium Bistro for tonight.

Giovanni’s was no less than wonderful! They accidentally gave me the dinner menu - more on that in a minute.

 

For appetizers we had the caprese salad and a mixed seafood dish. They were both delish! The calamari in particular was amazing! DW had a baked shrimp dish, which had her smiling long after she finished. My veal meatballs and sole filet were both terrific - the fish literally melted in your mouth.

 

We finished lunch about 45 minutes ago - we were so impressed that we made dinner reservations for DW’s birthday tomorrow night! And…we gave the waiter Chasa an extra five spot cash and requested him to be our waiter tomorrow night!

 

Now to address a couple of questions…

 

We saw a water show at the Aqua Theater - it was during the day. I haven’t noticed if they have light shows at night - they have light incorporated in the water show, I don’t recall seeing any mention of an independent light show. I’ll do some further research on the subject.

　

After looking at our pictures, we decided not to buy any of them, so we didn’t investigate prices. We’ll look into it for you.

 

Is back-to-back worth it? We’re on day 2 of the second week, and we’ve already done a couple of things that we didn’t do last week. Plain and simple…it’s wonderful to be here!

 

More later,

 

Harvey

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

[Merc]

Glad to hear your both having an amazing second week, thanks for the updates!!! you both are wonderful for doing this. We get on her Saturday. <cannot wait>

 

Debbie

[tarajean1962]

Harvey, I love living vicariously through you guys! :D I cant wait to do our B2B now in January, which is over my birthday!! Happy early birthday to your wife!! I hope you both have a wonderful 2nd week!

 

 

Tara

[loeytalldog]

They start disembarkation early, but they should have known we weren’t leaving!. 　

 

Hi Harvey,

 

Do you remember what time they announced self-disembarkation? I remember reading somewhere that Oasis gets in very early morning like 2:00 a.m. so was wondering what time they announced self-disembarkation.

 

Thanks .. Lois

[LivetoCruise412]

I just have to say just how nice the two of you are. You try to answer every question that people ask you, you go out of your way to find out thhe price of gin on the ship, find out what's across from another persons room, the list goes on and on, all on YOUR VACATION. I just want you to know how unbelievaly nice that is and I sure do hope that everyone appreciates it. You seem to be having a wonderful time, read how you purchased the bokk and did the scavenger hunt all around the ship so my DD, my sister and I are going to do that now. I hope you enjoy your second week on the cruise just as much, actually even more than the first. You are special people who thrive on being happy, making others happy and finding the good in all so you deserve a WONDERFUL TIME.

[Meet Me In the Windjammer]

Harvey

Thanks so much for the updates....We sail on May 22 and your information is really helping us.....DW and the kids are very excited

[CruiseLover15]

Enjoying your review and I am glad you are enjoying your cruise.

[the plumbers wife]

"LIVETOCRUISE412"

I will second that, very well said :D! It's what you make of it! Truthfully, sometimes when I read the really "bad negative reviews" it does make me wonder, how many people would love to cruise or vacation and just are unable to? Here is an example of two really nice people! Harvey went out of his way to find out what night the second formal night was...and then he had to convience us that it was in fact Wednesday, he did make me laugh! Have a great time!