Oasis Trip Report June 19-26, 2010

[swwake]

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.

We would have preferred to have Sunny over Elvis, because he's the original, but we followed his taxi for most of the tour, and he gave us some of the background details about the island.

 

Having done the tour, I wouldn't do it again, but if it were my first time, I would consider it. There is another provider that gives tours of the island for about the same price. I might try him. Or go with a RC-sponsored tour.

 

I didn't like getting back to the ship so late. We would rather have gotten back around 4 or 4:30 as advertised, and had more time for Flowrider or other ship activities (or a nap).

 

I also am not sold on the interactive singing. It is fun, but our group wasn't very into it. I could see it being great if you had a really fun group of tourists, or if people got a little "happy" after the Beacon Point stop. I think it's a marketing ploy, because they crank up the music when you get close to the ships where they drop you back off. This is so that everyone who didn't take the tour will see and hear the action and think this is a better tour to take next time, or to recommend to others.

 

As I mentioned, I'd also opt for Magens Bay next time.

 

When we go back to St Thomas I think we're going to do the RCI America's Cup racing excursion. Now that we feel that we've seen the island and taken in some of the culture, we won't feel we're missing it to do something a little more active.

 

Everyone's using past tense! My report isn't over yet. We still have 3 more days!

[sunor]

Susan, love your review so far and looking forward to more.

 

Question: how do you remember with so much detail what you did, do you take notes? Have a laptop?

 

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to our b2b in Oct.

 

Suz

[swwake]

Susan, love your review so far and looking forward to more.

 

Question: how do you remember with so much detail what you did, do you take notes? Have a laptop?

 

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to our b2b in Oct.

 

Suz

I took a notebook and tried to take notes the first day, but that didn't work out so well, so I ditched the notebook. I think most of what I remember is from the photos and video (I have over 750 photos and 185 Flip videos), the Cruise Compasses, and some of it is just from the amazing time we had!

 

I wish I could do a b2b on Oasis. Have fun on your cruise!

[Susie B.]

Susan (swwake),

 

I've really enjoyed your Oasis review so far and very much looking forward to reading the rest of it. We're cruising on Oasis in November so all your info is helping us know what to expect.

 

Hope you get time to post more of your review tonight! I and many others will be watching and waiting!

 

I really enjoy your writing style!

Edited July 13, 2010 by Susie B.

[jjtt]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! I have really enjoyed your review and photos (I think I said this earlier). ;) Love your style and cliff hangers! I too don't know if I can recall the detail as much as you have. :rolleyes:

 

We are now down to five weeks - and counting!

[swwake]

(For the Royal Loyals, I promise NO spoilers on Quest items in this post! – But I am including one of the tasks. I am not sure anyone could actually prepare for this one, so I don’t think it spoils anything.)

 

We had reservations for the Headliner show at 10:30 tonight, but none of us were really interested in the Texas Tenors. Kellye was the only one who had watched America’s Got Talent last season (which I heard they were on). The rest of us had never heard of them. The show was apparently well-attended though, because we saw lots of people leaving after it. Also, I heard very good things about this show during the week.

 

Before dinner, I advised our group that Quest was that night, and that we all WILL be going to Quest. They asked why and I couldn’t really tell them anything.

 

For those who don’t know, Quest is a game played on Royal Caribbean cruises, once each cruise. It is a scavenger hunt of sorts, and it is very fun. I remember this game (or something similar) on my very first cruise when I was about 15 years old. People were literally running back to their cabins to get items for the game.

 

Quest often fills up quickly, and we missed it on our Liberty cruise, so I insisted that we arrive early. The doors opened at 11:15pm and the game started at 11:45pm. We found seats on the second row and relaxed and enjoyed our beverages while we waited.

 

At about 11:40, the music started and got everyone really pumped up. Then the Cruise Director, Kevin Spacey came out in what looked like track shorts, knee-highs and a headband. The entire Studio B (where the ice rink is) was divided into 12 teams. Four representatives, including a team captain, volunteered or were coerced from each team.

 

We were Team 2, and Kellye was one of our representatives.

 

I can’t tell you how the game went, or what items were included in the scavenger hunt. Many people who have cruised with RCCL before know the game and, let’s just say, they come prepared. This really takes away from the game, and I wish they wouldn’t do this. Not sure how the cruise line could stop it though.

 

There was one part, though where the tallest and shortest male member of each team had to come out onto the floor. My husband is my height (5’6”), so he got the honor of being the shortest in our section (though he was happy not to be the shortest in Studio B!).

 

There he is in the middle:

These pictures aren’t too great because of the lighting in Studio B.

 

And, here, they were completing their “mission” of skipping together across the floor.

 

Richard replayed the skipping in slow motion and called my husband "Michael Bolton". The funny thing is, later in the cruise, someone called out to my husband "hey, there's Michael Bolton!" That's one of the fun parts of a cruise - you see the same people over and over, and get to know them pretty well. This was one of those "moments" that the Cruise Director actually created for us all to remember.

 

We all really enjoyed Quest, and our team came in 3rd place. It was lots of fun.

 

After Quest, I think Kellye and I went to Blaze for awhile. The girls went off on their own, and Chris enjoyed a cocktail out on our stateroom’s balcony.

 

And soon, our puppy towel animal welcomed us to bed. We called this one “Magic” because she reminded us of our golden retriever back at home.

 

Tomorrow will be St Martin. We have a tour scheduled, similar to the one we took in St Thomas. Kellye told us that she has been to St Martin before, so she’s going to stay on the ship and forgo the tour. I told the girls we would call them in the morning to wake them up. But history shows, it is VERY hard to wake these teens up.

 

So, will I get the girls up and will we make the tour on time tomorrow?

[cruisemommom]

Susan,

Love your review. It has been so informative. We are planning a cruise on the Oasis in July 2011. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your cruise.

[sunor]

I took a notebook and tried to take notes the first day, but that didn't work out so well, so I ditched the notebook. I think most of what I remember is from the photos and video (I have over 750 photos and 185 Flip videos), the Cruise Compasses, and some of it is just from the amazing time we had!

 

I wish I could do a b2b on Oasis. Have fun on your cruise!

 

Hi Susan, I know I will enjoy our b2b especially after reading your review. Will you be posting all your pictures on Webshots?

 

Thanks and looking forward to the rest.

 

Suz

[swwake]

Susan,

Love your review. It has been so informative. We are planning a cruise on the Oasis in July 2011. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your cruise.

Thank you! We are planning to either go back on Oasis or sail Allure in May or June of 2011. I am so excited. Just last night, my husband said "I miss the cruise". Awwww I told him he should read my trip report and re-live the memories!

 

Hi Susan, I know I will enjoy our b2b especially after reading your review. Will you be posting all your pictures on Webshots?

 

Thanks and looking forward to the rest.

 

Suz

Suz - I have posted all of the photos I have used so far on Photobucket. I won't be posting all of them, because some are just silly pictures of the girls acting weird. The best photos are included in the trip report. The only other really good photos are ones like my family members in front of an island or something. I figure people here on CC don't care to see pics of just my family, so I try to limit those :)

[sunor]

Thank you! We are planning to either go back on Oasis or sail Allure in May or June of 2011. I am so excited. Just last night, my husband said "I miss the cruise". Awwww I told him he should read my trip report and re-live the memories!

 

Suz - I have posted all of the photos I have used so far on Photobucket. I won't be posting all of them, because some are just silly pictures of the girls acting weird. The best photos are included in the trip report. The only other really good photos are ones like my family members in front of an island or something. I figure people here on CC don't care to see pics of just my family, so I try to limit those :)

 

Thanks Susan, I understand and you have posted lots of photos and thank you for that. Your DH should read your report. Hopefully you will print it out for yourself as a reminder of your cruise. That is why I do my website it serves as my memory.

 

Suz

[Rocketlady]

Can you tell me if the play on the Oasis is Hairspray?

 

Thankyou for the report and pictures

[swwake]

Can you tell me if the play on the Oasis is Hairspray?

 

Thankyou for the report and pictures

It is indeed Hairspray. We did not go to see it, however, as we had seen the production twice on land.

[pabrett46]

(For the Royal Loyals, I promise NO spoilers on Quest items in this post! – But I am including one of the tasks. I am not sure anyone could actually prepare for this one, so I don’t think it spoils anything.)

 

We had reservations for the Headliner show at 10:30 tonight, but none of us were really interested in the Texas Tenors. Kellye was the only one who had watched America’s Got Talent last season (which I heard they were on). The rest of us had never heard of them. The show was apparently well-attended though, because we saw lots of people leaving after it. Also, I heard very good things about this show during the week.

 

 

 

 

Before dinner, I advised our group that Quest was that night, and that we all WILL be going to Quest. They asked why and I couldn’t really tell them anything.

 

For those who don’t know, Quest is a game played on Royal Caribbean cruises, once each cruise. It is a scavenger hunt of sorts, and it is very fun. I remember this game (or something similar) on my very first cruise when I was about 15 years old. People were literally running back to their cabins to get items for the game.

 

Quest often fills up quickly, and we missed it on our Liberty cruise, so I insisted that we arrive early. The doors opened at 11:15pm and the game started at 11:45pm. We found seats on the second row and relaxed and enjoyed our beverages while we waited.

 

At about 11:40, the music started and got everyone really pumped up. Then the Cruise Director, Kevin Spacey came out in what looked like track shorts, knee-highs and a headband. The entire Studio B (where the ice rink is) was divided into 12 teams. Four representatives, including a team captain, volunteered or were coerced from each team.

 

We were Team 2, and Kellye was one of our representatives.

 

I can’t tell you how the game went, or what items were included in the scavenger hunt. Many people who have cruised with RCCL before know the game and, let’s just say, they come prepared. This really takes away from the game, and I wish they wouldn’t do this. Not sure how the cruise line could stop it though.

 

There was one part, though where the tallest and shortest male member of each team had to come out onto the floor. My husband is my height (5’6”), so he got the honor of being the shortest in our section (though he was happy not to be the shortest in Studio B!).

 

There he is in the middle:

These pictures aren’t too great because of the lighting in Studio B.

 

And, here, they were completing their “mission” of skipping together across the floor.

 

Richard replayed the skipping in slow motion and called my husband "Michael Bolton". The funny thing is, later in the cruise, someone called out to my husband "hey, there's Michael Bolton!" That's one of the fun parts of a cruise - you see the same people over and over, and get to know them pretty well. This was one of those "moments" that the Cruise Director actually created for us all to remember.

 

We all really enjoyed Quest, and our team came in 3rd place. It was lots of fun.

 

After Quest, I think Kellye and I went to Blaze for awhile. The girls went off on their own, and Chris enjoyed a cocktail out on our stateroom’s balcony.

 

And soon, our puppy towel animal welcomed us to bed. We called this one “Magic” because she reminded us of our golden retriever back at home.

 

Tomorrow will be St Martin. We have a tour scheduled, similar to the one we took in St Thomas. Kellye told us that she has been to St Martin before, so she’s going to stay on the ship and forgo the tour. I told the girls we would call them in the morning to wake them up. But history shows, it is VERY hard to wake these teens up.

 

So, will I get the girls up and will we make the tour on time tomorrow?

Apparently my mind was in a different place.. I thought this towel animal was umm something entirely different.. :D

[swwake]

Apparently my mind was in a different place.. I thought this towel animal was umm something entirely different.. :D

Haha - yeah, you must have been thinking about something else :) We couldn't get our room attendant to make us THOSE kind of towel "creatures".

[swwake]

We had a tour planned today with a local provider (not a ship’s excursion), and we were to meet the guide at 9am at the pier. But, Tuesday was a very late night for us, and before we went to bed, Chris and I decided that we would pass on the tour the next day and just sleep in.

 

It was about 9am when I woke up, and I went ahead and got ready, then asked Chris to try to reach the girls while I went to find out how to accomplish what I wanted to do that day.

 

I wanted to take the girls to Maho Beach and then just explore the town of Philipsburg. But without the tour, I wasn’t sure how to do this or how much time we needed. I read in the Cruise Compass that the Port & Shopping Guide would be available on the gangway from 8am to 10am, so I rushed down there to talk to someone about the best way to get to Maho.

 

Ok, much to my surprise, this is where the adventure began. The gangway was on Deck 3, and there is a narrow corridor with an escalator going down. There are no stairs, and no elevator that I could find. I went down the escalator and found an island map first, then I looked up and saw a lady in uniform, who I assumed was the “Port & Shopping Guide”.

Problem Number 1 – She was on the OTHER side of the kiosks where you scan your Seapass card on the way out. My problem was that I didn’t want to leave the ship at this time. So I called out to the lady and asked her to come over to me. And she did. And I asked her if we had time to get to Maho Beach and what’s the best and safest way to get there.

 

Problem Number 2 – Miss Port & Shopping Guide didn’t speak much English. So I don’t think she ever really understood exactly what I was asking. She eventually told me (it was close to 10am by now) that we had better hurry if we’re going because we may not make it back to the ship on time. She said it takes 45 minutes to get there and the same back and sometimes the traffic gets bad and someone almost missed the ship a few cruises ago and. And. And. So I turned to head back up to our cabin to round everyone up, and discovered…

 

Problem Number 3 – The only way onto and off of the ship was via the escalator. Yes, THAT escalator. The one in the narrow corridor that was presently only going DOWN. I looked around and assessed my dilemma. The men scanning Seapasses wouldn’t make eye contact with me. Miss P&S Guide was of no assistance. I couldn’t see any other doors that might lead to stairs or an elevator. And I didn’t want to leave the ship, just so I could come back on (assuming there was an entrance gangway somewhere else). There was a kind passenger standing near the stand with all the brochures for discount diamonds at the bottom of the escalator, so I asked her if she saw a way back up. Her reply was “no, and my husband couldn’t find one either, so he just ran backwards up the escalator to get something we forgot. Good luck with your flip flops.”

 

Lovely. I looked down at my feet and thought for a minute – which is less dangerous? Wearing flip flops, or trying this barefoot? Ultimately I decided my cushy flip flops would be more comfortable than bare feet hitting the sharp edges of the brand new escalator. So off I ran – UP the DOWN escalator. It was clicking at a pretty quick pace downward, and in order to make any forward progress, you have to run at least 2x if not 3x as fast up as it is going down. Luckily nobody was trying to come down, or I would have had to knock them over. So I trucked it up those escalators, finally reaching the top.

 

I stopped for a moment and caught my breath, then took the express elevator up to our cabin.

 

At this time, I was done. I had had my St Maarten adventure, and had gotten my workout in for the day. It was time for either a nap or a frosty beverage. But my crew had other plans…

[swwake]

When I got back to the cabin, I filled Chris in on everything and told him I was going to still find a way to do this. I wanted to get more information, so I was headed to Guest Services. I told him to get the girls and meet me at the gangway at 10:30.

 

So I went to Guest Services, stood in line, and asked the best way to get to Maho Beach and whether it was feasible at this hour (the All Aboard time was 4:30pm for a 5pm departure). The lady there said she had no clue and that I should check with the person at the gangway. I told her that Miss P&S Guide was of little help, and I was not interested in running the escalators backwards again. She then directed me to the Explorations! Desk.

 

At that desk, I finally got an answer I felt was reasonable. The crew member told me that a taxi is the best way to get there, it takes about 20 minutes, there will be taxis available at Maho to bring us back at our leisure, and that we should have time to explore Philipsburg on the way back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. That was all good news.

 

I was hungry, and I knew the rest would be as well, so I quickly stopped by the Mondo Coffee Bar and picked up two chocolate éclairs for myself and the girls, and a tuna salad sandwich for Chris. I got to the gangway level at the same time as they did, and we all scarfed down our little snacks before heading down my favorite escalator.

 

Off the ship and ready for St Maarten

 

 

We made our way through the pier shops and out to the taxi stand. It took a few minutes for us to figure out which taxi we needed and how to get on it. There was a guide there, but very little communication. It was an $8 per person trip to Maho Beach. The drive was very nice and quite scenic.

 

 

We thought St Maarten was beautiful. All the colors blend well with the beautiful ocean.

 

As promised by Mr. Explorations!, we arrived at Maho Beach after only about 20 minutes. By this time, we were very hungry and decided to have our lunch at pretty much the only place out there – Sunset Bar and Grill.

 

I didn’t ask.

 

We didn’t take much video or many pictures when we first got there, because I kept thinking there would be more opportunities later, but unfortunately, those opportunities didn’t arise while we were there. More on that later.

 

Back to Sunset Bar and Grill. I had a hot dog and fries, as did Caitlin. I can’t remember what Chris had, but it was likely something overly healthy, like fish, and I don’t remember what Katie had either. All of us agreed that this food was surprisingly good. The food and drinks were overpriced, but when you’re the only game in town, you can do that. The service and atmosphere made up for that, though. The servers were very personable and attentive.

 

Maho Beach is famous because it is very close to and perpendicular to the only runway of the island’s only airport. We are talking less than a football field here. I would recommend that you look up Maho Beach on You Tube, then map it out on Google Maps and see the satellite image. It is unbelievable.

 

There are very prominent signs on the beach stating, in both words and pictures, that it is dangerous and you shouldn’t stand in the line of the jet blast. We watched as a jet took off and many people were standing on the beach watching. When the engines got going, the sand was blasted out into the ocean, and bodies were literally rolling down the beach. It is unbelievable that people would stand in this jet blast. I really wish we had gotten video of this. We talked about the fact that no beach like this in the US would ever allow people out on the beach, for fear of lawsuits.

 

While we ate our lunch, a cloud came over and a pretty heavy rainfall was there. We watched as planes on approach were diverted, and eventually there was no flight activity until the storm passed.

 

We did some serious multitasking while waiting for the little storm cell to pass. Foo was along for the ride.

 

As you can see, Foo was enjoying a Cloud 9, watching the rain pass over the beautiful ocean and beach, and watching the US defeat Algeria in the World Cup on the TVs around the restaurant. We didn’t mind the rain – it made for a very relaxing afternoon.

Edited July 15, 2010 by swwake

[swwake]

Once the rain stopped, we went out to the beach to watch some planes land. I do have some video, but have only uploaded one to my Facebook so far. Maybe you can see it if I link it. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=448210136787&saved#!/video/video.php?v=448210136787

Here is a shot of Katie getting a haircut.

They had a nice little gift shop with some pretty creative t-shirts, so we bought a couple before leaving. Then we hailed a taxi and headed to Philipsburg.

Edited July 15, 2010 by swwake

[lilprincess8016]

Hey swwake! Very good report, I check it everyday and get excited when theres more! :]

 

 

random question, where did your daughter get her California shirt she's wearing in the latest post? i love it! hahah thanks.

[swwake]

Hey swwake! Very good report, I check it everyday and get excited when theres more! :]

 

 

random question, where did your daughter get her California shirt she's wearing in the latest post? i love it! hahah thanks.

Thanks for the compliments. I'll try to keep updating daily until I'm done. Katie shops a lot at a store we have called Buffalo Exchange. They are nationwide, so there might be one near you. I am betting that's where she got the shirt. I'll ask her, just to be sure.

[branmea]

Your reports have been fantastic, it makes me feel like I was there too...lol. Thanks for sharing things with us, we are going on that trip in 2012 and can't wait, so it makes a great thread for someone like me to know what to look forward to.

Brandi

[sunor]

Hi Susan,

 

Really enjoying your review, I do have a question about the escalators, how do people on scooters get off the ship?

 

Suz

[QTMichele]

Fun review! Thanks for taking the time to relive your cruise with us.

[swwake]

Hi Susan,

 

Really enjoying your review, I do have a question about the escalators, how do people on scooters get off the ship?

 

Suz

I am not sure about that Suz. There must have been another gangway. I was using the one at the forward part of the ship, so maybe there was one aft that had an elevator? I am positive there are accomodations. I think the Cruise Compass had a 24-hour contact line for those type of accomodations. I saw several scooters, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, etc on the cruise.

 

Also, when returning to the ship at St Maarten, there were 3 gangways (forward, middle and aft), so again, I'm sure there was another option for the scooters.

[sunor]

I am not sure about that Suz. There must have been another gangway. I was using the one at the forward part of the ship, so maybe there was one aft that had an elevator? I am positive there are accomodations. I think the Cruise Compass had a 24-hour contact line for those type of accomodations. I saw several scooters, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, etc on the cruise.

 

Also, when returning to the ship at St Maarten, there were 3 gangways (forward, middle and aft), so again, I'm sure there was another option for the scooters.

 

Thanks Susan, I will ask the question on the Main and Disable Cruise Travel.

 

Suz

[mcfaddensfarm]

LOL, that sign at the Sunset Bar explains the topless woman we saw sitting casually at the bar last time we were there.:D My son (then 14 years old) was trying SO hard to purposely avert his eyes, it was funny!