Oasis Trip Report June 19-26, 2010

[GoldN1]

Thank you SWWAKE! Fabulous posts we enjoy your comments.

Please keep them coming we sail October and can't wait to share the experience.

[swwake]

Please swwake...we need more.

 

What a great review. Now I'm hoping you are able to finish before we go on our Oasis cruise on August 14th!

 

I plan to post more this weekend. No worries, I'll get it finished. I really don't think there is too much more to post. I'm running out of photos, since we took most pics of the ship in the first couple of days.

 

But I will have some more tips, and I'll try to do a final recap. I'll go back and make sure I've followed up on everything where I said "more on that later".

[sunor]

I plan to post more this weekend. No worries, I'll get it finished. I really don't think there is too much more to post. I'm running out of photos, since we took most pics of the ship in the first couple of days.

 

But I will have some more tips, and I'll try to do a final recap. I'll go back and make sure I've followed up on everything where I said "more on that later".

 

Susan, than you so much for your review. We will be doing a b2b in Oct and so looking forward to it.

 

Can you make changes to your show reservations on the TV?

 

What is the Headliner show?

 

Look forward to the rest of your review and final comments.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

 

Suz

[amethyst365]

great! thanks so much Susan - its really been an insight to what the ship is like for so many people. Id say not just people who have already booked to go - but also others who will now book!!! its been great reading and feels like we were there with you! I hope my review will be as good as yours but im afraid its going to be a bit biased towards seeing my son on board LOL. But i will have so many pics and videos! thanks again:)

[swwake]

Susan, than you so much for your review. We will be doing a b2b in Oct and so looking forward to it.

 

Can you make changes to your show reservations on the TV?

 

What is the Headliner show?

 

Look forward to the rest of your review and final comments.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

 

Suz

Oh I'm jealous of the B2B on Oasis! I don't remember being able to make any changes using the TV remote. I'm pretty sure we couldn't cancel.

 

The Headliner for our week was Texas Tenors. Apparently they won the last season of America's Got Talent. I heard good reviews, but we missed our reservation for them. It wasn't something we just had to do.

 

great! thanks so much Susan - its really been an insight to what the ship is like for so many people. Id say not just people who have already booked to go - but also others who will now book!!! its been great reading and feels like we were there with you! I hope my review will be as good as yours but im afraid its going to be a bit biased towards seeing my son on board LOL. But i will have so many pics and videos! thanks again:)

Thanks so much! Later in our cruise, it becomes a bit biased toward meeting Jesse - haha!

[swwake]

Tuesday was St. Thomas day. We had put the sign out the night before to order a variety of breakfast items from room service this morning. We scheduled breakfast to arrive between 8am and 8:30, and the ship was scheduled to arrive at 9am. Room Service called ahead at about 8:25 telling us it was on its way. Breakfast arrived at about 8:35, and we tipped the server. Then we realized we were without napkins and flatware. Ugh! Chris ran down the hall and caught the guy and got us some silverware.

 

The three girls arrived in our stateroom shortly after. We could tell we were getting close, as we were passing by the beautiful Virgin Islands.

 

Ok, let me tell everyone now. This was the best thing we did on our cruise. Very intimate, very memorable. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND room service breakfast on your balcony while pulling into a port. There was just something magical about it.

 

A photo of the port:

 

By the time we finished our casual, unrushed breakfast, it was time to head down to the pier. We had a tour scheduled with Sunny Liston starting at 10am. I wanted to get down there by 9:30am because I wasn't quite sure how it all worked with him picking us up, since it's not a RCCL-sanctioned excursion.

 

We stopped and took a photo with the pirate as we left the ship.

 

And the girls had their photo made with a ship steering wheel (I guess?).

 

We were definitely early, but I always prefer to be early over being late. So we found a nice bench and rested and just took it all in. Just on time, at 10am, our open-air taxi arrived. Being originally from Memphis, TN, we found it ironic that our driver's name was...(drumroll please)...

 

 

[swwake]

Here are Caitlin and Katie in the taxi, ready for the tour.

 

Our first stop was downtown St Thomas. We had two hours here on our own for some shopping. Since Katie's handbag shopping had been cut short in Nassau in favor of Senor Frogs, she wanted to head for the market first.

 

We were in the market for about 30 minutes. It was very hot. Prices were comparable to Nassau. We took this time to call home and check into our offices, and the girls to check in with their boyfriends, etc. Since St Thomas is a US territory, cell phone service is "free" without roaming or international charges.

 

We shopped a little in the jewelry stores, but none of us were really in the market for anything special, and I had worn a mean blister between my toes from my flip flops, so we found a little drug store that sold band-aids. Then we decided to find a spot to relax and feel the local vibe. We found a cute little bar & grill (I wish I remembered the name of it. If you walk down the main street that heads from the market to town, then take a right in front of Little Switzerland, you will find it a few yards ahead on the left.)

 

I ordered some conch fritters, thinking maybe everyone would try this local favorite. The girls had been so interested in the big conch shells in the Nassau Straw Market. Well, I couldn't get anyone but Kellye to share them with me. And both of us knew them, so it was nothing new to us - like hush puppies.

 

Katie, being drinking age, ordered a beer. I need to teach her a thing or two about trying to order local food and beverages when you're on vacation. For example, in Jamaica, I drink Red Stripe. This was Katie's choice.

You can see that Foo Ball was also enjoying the Corona with lime.

 

We visited with the bartender, Marty, and some of the locals for awhile. We learned some things about the culture and politics of St Thomas. It was very interesting.

 

Then we decided to walk a little farther and visit more jewelry shops. We found one that sells one of my favorite brands, Roberto Coin. Every piece of his jewelry has a ruby embedded in it. Some of his jewelry is "motion jewelry", which I also love. Very expensive, but I love his stuff.

 

Soon it was about 11:55am and time for us to head back to meet Elvis for the rest of our tour.

 

Next up: Island tour and beach time

[lori450]

Thank you so much for such an informative and enjoyable report! I really appreciate your info on the flowrider. I was afraid that it would be crowded and I guess I was right. Even with 2, there is never enough ride time. We went on a TA last November and brought wetsuits. It was C C C Cold! But I was out there everyday, twice a day! It really is an addiction. I love hearing about the Oasis specific amenities. Did you feel they were worth the extra cost? Did you prefer Oasis to Freedom class? Thanks!!

[swwake]

Thank you so much for such an informative and enjoyable report! I really appreciate your info on the flowrider. I was afraid that it would be crowded and I guess I was right. Even with 2, there is never enough ride time. We went on a TA last November and brought wetsuits. It was C C C Cold! But I was out there everyday, twice a day! It really is an addiction. I love hearing about the Oasis specific amenities. Did you feel they were worth the extra cost? Did you prefer Oasis to Freedom class? Thanks!!

Wow - TA sounds like fun - with lots of FlowRider time! I didn't know until our first private lesson that the FlowRiders were heated. They told us that coming down from Finland, there was steam coming off the FlowRiders!

 

Yes, I feel like the Oasis was worth the extra cost, if not just for the extra FlowRider time. But there is also so much more to see and do on this ship.

 

As for which we prefer - today I'd say Oasis, but that's probably because it's so recent for us. I would really like to sail a Freedom Class ship again. I do feel that it's more intimate and maybe you meet more fellow passengers. Both are stunning ships!

[Windy56]

This is the "Sistine Chapel" of reviews. It's taking you forever to complete, but it's worth the wait. Thanks for your attention to detail! We'll be on the Oasis in three weeks and can't wait!

[swwake]

This is the "Sistine Chapel" of reviews. It's taking you forever to complete, but it's worth the wait. Thanks for your attention to detail! We'll be on the Oasis in three weeks and can't wait!

I'm really trying to speed it up! Thanks for the compliments.

[christinalvt]

I would really like to sail a Freedom Class ship again. I do feel that it's more intimate and maybe you meet more fellow passengers. Both are stunning ships!

 

Wow, it's funny hearing Freedom class ships being referred to as "more intimate"! We went on Freedom of the Seas last year (our first cruise) and it was HUGE!! I had to walk the length of the ship (2 football fields? or 3?) every day at least 3 times because we had a forward cabin and had to drop off my daughter at Adventure Ocean, which was aft, in the morning, then pick her up for lunch then finally for dinner at the end of the day. All that back-and-forth walking kept the weight off, at least. I didn't lose, but I kept the same even after eating so much great food!

So, if Freedom is more intimate than Oasis, I sure am glad our cabin is mid-ship. Maybe I'll bring a pair of roller blades, lol!

 

Susan, I told everyone in my Oasis roll call about your review, and they agree that it is great! I love the fact that you take different pics than most people, lots of pics of things people want to see, like the interior of the cabin and restaurants, etc. Thanks again!

 

Christina

[bobmacliberty]

Great review! We're thinking about Oasis next year after having been on Liberty a month ago. Your review is helping me justify the added cost.:)

[disnutz]

I am so enjoying your report!!! You are doing a great job and although we are going out on the Freedom, I am using your report for planning!

[swwake]

Wow, it's funny hearing Freedom class ships being referred to as "more intimate"! We went on Freedom of the Seas last year (our first cruise) and it was HUGE!! I had to walk the length of the ship (2 football fields? or 3?) every day at least 3 times because we had a forward cabin and had to drop off my daughter at Adventure Ocean, which was aft, in the morning, then pick her up for lunch then finally for dinner at the end of the day. All that back-and-forth walking kept the weight off, at least. I didn't lose, but I kept the same even after eating so much great food!

So, if Freedom is more intimate than Oasis, I sure am glad our cabin is mid-ship. Maybe I'll bring a pair of roller blades, lol!

 

Susan, I told everyone in my Oasis roll call about your review, and they agree that it is great! I love the fact that you take different pics than most people, lots of pics of things people want to see, like the interior of the cabin and restaurants, etc. Thanks again!

 

Christina

I guess "more intimate" may not have been appropriate. :) But everything is relative. I was on Liberty OTS and it was HUGE. If you read the stats, I don't think Oasis is much longer or wider than Freedom Class, but it is definitely taller with more decks. You will definitely get your work-out with the walking. We liked our mid-ship cabin, but we quickly realized that meant 1/2 of every trip was down a long corridor of rooms. Our girls were forward, near the elevators, and it was nice to walk through Central Park, down the Promenade or down the Pool Deck to get to their room. Lots more to see.

 

Oh boy, more readers. I better step up the speed! haha

 

Great review! We're thinking about Oasis next year after having been on Liberty a month ago. Your review is helping me justify the added cost.:)

Thank you! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Liberty. But I love Oasis equally as well. If the added cost is $300 or less (my ballpark) per person, I would go with Oasis. So much more to offer.

 

I am so enjoying your report!!! You are doing a great job and although we are going out on the Freedom, I am using your report for planning!

Thanks so much! Let me know if I can help with Freedom. Liberty is her sister ship, and as I said above, I love her too!

 

Update coming tonight!!

[willysgrandma]

This is the most thorough review I've ever read. A couple of questions:

 

1. We have MTD and do not plan on making any reservations for dinner. We usually eat early, at the restaurant before 6 PM. Do you have any idea how long the waits to get in the restaurants were?

 

2. Flowrider - did you sign up to schedule as soon as you got on the ship? Where do you go to sign up? (Not the lessons, just to use it).

[swwake]

This is the most thorough review I've ever read. A couple of questions:

 

1. We have MTD and do not plan on making any reservations for dinner. We usually eat early, at the restaurant before 6 PM. Do you have any idea how long the waits to get in the restaurants were?

 

2. Flowrider - did you sign up to schedule as soon as you got on the ship? Where do you go to sign up? (Not the lessons, just to use it).

Thank you, and I can help you!

 

1 - There were always lines when we went at 8pm, but they move quickly and people were seated within 15 minutes. We opted to wait for our same wait staff each night, so our wait was a little longer. I don't think you have to worry about a wait. You should be fine.

 

2 - There are no reservations for Flowrider. You need to complete the waiver (easiest to complete online before you go). They will scan your seapass card and apply a black plastic wristband. This is good for the week and proves you've signed the waiver. Then each day, you need to check in and get a colored band for the day. The lines at the sports desk were never more than 5 minutes to get wristbands. Then you simply choose your Flowrider (boogie or stand-up) and wait in line. Simple!

[swwake]

When we met Elvis again, he loaded us up (very tightly) in the taxi. Unfortunately, our party was split with me on the first bench row, Kellye and the girls somewhere in the middle, and Chris on the last row. As we headed up the moutains on the winding roads, Elvis played music, sang along, and taught us some of the songs. We learned “Follow the Leader”, “Who Let the Dogs Out?”, and “Every Day of the Week”. This made the tour fun and interactive.

 

We stopped at a couple of points along the way for photo opportunities and to hear a little about the history and landmarks of the island. From our first vantage point, you could see two Carnival ships (the Dream and maybe Valor?) at port.

 

The next stop gave us a nice view of Magens Bay beach. This is one of National Geographic Magazine’s Ten Most Beautiful Beaches in the world.

 

More vistas:

 

 

We met our first friendly iguana (I think that’s what this was). They like to climb in trees and bushes.

 

And then, another indigenous tree-climbing creature appeared:

Yep, that’s Katie. She said she climbed this tree because “we don’t have these at home”. We said “no more beer for you.” Haha

 

As we continued climbing the mountain in our taxi, we had many beautiful views, but since the day was a little hazy, we couldn’t see as many of the islands as we could have on a clear day.

 

Headed back down the mountain, we stopped at Beacon Point, where they had daiquiri samples and full cocktails, a quaint shop, more beautiful views, and the all-important restrooms. I got a banana daiquiri, which was very good. The Cruzan Rum sits on the counter and you can add your own floater as you wish. We also got some sort of rum punch that was just way too much. None of us drank that one.

 

Next, we had our choice of Coki Beach, Sapphire Beach or Magens Bay, or we could go back to the ship. Which did we choose?

[swwake]

For weeks, Caitlin has been wanting to go to a beach. Any beach. So I knew she’d love our scheduled two hours at the beach in St Thomas. I was excited to get the girls there.

 

At this point, Kellye decided she’d prefer to head back to the ship, so that was the option she took. The rest of us were offered Coki (pronounced “cookie”) or Sapphire Beach. I believe Elvis would also have taken us to Magens Bay, but nobody on our tour opted for that, avoiding the $4 per person entry fee.

 

During my planning, I had read online that Sapphire Beach’s bar and restaurant had not been open for a long time, and that the restrooms are dirty, not maintained and in bad condition. One tour guide says he won’t take tourists there until the problem is solved. So I had it in my head that we would choose Coki Beach.

 

Well, only one couple on our taxi elected Coki Beach, and when we pulled in there (the first beach stop), it looked dirty and run-down from the outside, and there were police officers all around for some reason. I consulted with our crew and we decided to wait for Sapphire.

 

So that’s what we did. We walked in through an older resort, which seems a bit run-down. But when we got to the beach, it was BEAUTIFUL.

 

It was about 2:00 at this time, and we were very hungry. So we asked around and were directed to a little bar and grill on the beach (which was NOT closed, by the way). They offered hamburgers, hot dogs, and wraps, fries and chips, and cold drinks. There were two runners working the beach and 2 workers at the stand and they simply couldn’t keep up. We waited 15 minutes just to place our order, and another 30 minutes for our food. BUT, the food was really good. The burgers were angus.

 

Then we found some lounge chairs on the beach and made ourselves comfortable. The girls went out for a swim.

 

All I can think is there MUST be sand in their suits!

 

They really liked swimming in the ocean, until Katie felt a fish swimming around her legs.

The look on her face is priceless!

 

A little girl named Angelina decided to play with my teens. She was so adorable.

 

I ended up going to the restrooms to change into my suit, and they fully met expectations. Although there was toilet paper, the toilets did not flush well, the restroom was dirty, the doors were unfinished plywood that wouldn’t stay closed, and there was no soap or paper towels. It was pretty disgusting, as reported.

 

In hindsight, I wish we had gone to Magens Bay for $16 total. I bet it would have been a much better experience.

 

We were scheduled for 2 hours at this beach, but Elvis had promised to pick us up at 4:30 (2.5 hours after he dropped us off). This concerned me a little, since our All Aboard time was 5:30pm. It was also interesting, because the website for this tour group says “Your tour ends back at the ship on time between 4:00pm and 4:30 pm.”

 

By about 3:30 we had had enough of the heat and were ready to go back. Katie was sunburned from the taxi tour before we even got to the beach, and she is quite fair, so she didn’t need any more sun. We thought about taking a cab, but I didn’t know how to let our tour director know we were leaving. So we just waited it out.

 

On our way out to meet Elvis, we greeted another native species.

It’s hard to tell how HUGE Miss Charlotte was from the photo!

 

It was 4:25, then 4:30, then 4:40 and no Elvis. Would we make it back to the ship on time? (OK, not much of a cliffhanger – you MUST be able to figure out the answer to that one.)

Edited July 13, 2010 by swwake

[swwake]

Finally, around 4:45 I think, Elvis arrived to pick us up. He said he had waited for the first couple at Coki Beach for 20 minutes and they never showed up. We caravanned with the other taxi from the same tour group. I thought, we have 45 minutes before All Aboard, I’m sure we can make it. But I do prefer to be early, and not just on time.

 

On the way back, the music continued to play, and all the sunburned and overheated guests did their best to sing along. Soon, we pulled up to the pier where the two Carnival ships were docked. Right near the pier was a butterfly farm that I thought was kinda neat.

 

At this point, Chris told me he was worried about us getting back on time. I thought, we still have over 30 minutes, we should be fine. We dropped off the passengers for both ships, and we were the last four on the taxi, the only ones headed to Oasis. I was keeping my chin up, singing in my head that line from “Friends in Low Places” that says “think I’ll slip on down to the OOOOOasis…”

 

And then.

 

It’s 5pm. You know what that means.

 

Rush hour in St Thomas.

 

And, there was all kinds of construction funded by the ARRA, along with about 75 stop lights. It was stop-and-go. I felt a pit in my stomach. I thought to myself, this is why they say NEVER book excursions that aren’t through the cruise ship.

 

I knew we wouldn’t be the last to the ship, but I don’t like being right on time, much less late. It was a horrible feeling. Let’s cut to the chase. We made it to the ship right at 5:30 and were allowed to board with no problem. Whew!

 

Back on board, I needed a tall cool drink like never before. So Chris and I met Kellye at the Mast Bar.

That’s something Kellye ordered, a frozen mojito for Chris and a Midori lemonade for me. The drinks were beautiful (and cold), and the bartender was very personable. I could not drink my Midori lemonade – too tart – so Chris was a good hubby and traded with me. I loved the mojito.

 

We walked around on deck, sadly missing the afternoon Flowrider session in favor of a wind-down cocktail. The ship seemed to never leave. It certainly didn’t leave at 6pm.

 

Some photos I took around the ship:

Sports Pool

 

Oasis Dunes

 

Wipe-Out Bar (between the two Flowriders)

 

And the funnel at the back of the ship, above the Wipe-Out Bar

[swwake]

Finally, sometime after 6, probably closer to 7, we left. Here’s a nice photo leaving St Thomas from the back of Deck 16.

 

Tonight’s theme was Colorful Caribbean, with Calypso music all around the ship. We missed the Battle of the Sexes game show at Dazzles after dinner. I don’t remember exactly what we did – must have either been Schooner Bar or the casino.

 

Then later – Quest!

[IBookHePays]

Thank you for the update! Love your Katie's face when the fish swam by! Glad you made it on board....I'm sure that mojito was awesome!

[loverofpv]

Amazing!!! Loved everything about your report! The pics were fantastic! You sold me on the Oasis, right after we cruise on The Liberty!!:)

[oceanblue33]

Thank you so much for your review is was great. Question about your tour with Elvis. If you had to do it all over again would you go with the same tour guide. And how would you rate sonny tour on a whole. Thank you Susan and your family for sharing your trip with all of us.

[amethyst365]

wonderfull! waiting - waiting - waiting for more:)