The Arizona Cruisers Invade the Western Caribbean on the Oasis of the Seas, May 9 – 1

[APDMOM]

 

We always enjoy that first glance of our cabin and this was just as exciting as the others. It meant our cruise was about to begin!

 

 

The balcony held promise of a lot of great times ahead. The partition between our balcony and Lisa and Steve’s was already open.

 

We spent a lot of time on our balcony on this cruise. I will be posting more pictures of the ever changing balcony views as this review progresses.

 

Thanks for the pictures of the balcony! We have adjoining balconies with my parents and it is nice to see what it looks like with the partition open.

 

I do have a question about the balcony. I have read some reviews that mentioned the Boardwalk Balconies are hot with no breeze. Is this what you have experienced? Or did you feel a breeze at all?

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Not much breeze but I didn't find it too hot. I actually liked the fact that I could put my swim suit & water shoes out on the balcony to dry without worrying about it blowing away like you would for an ocean view balcony. I spent a lot more balcony time on this trip than I ever have so I really liked the balcony.

Edited May 31, 2015 by AZ Karaoke Girl

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Excellent review -- I'm hanging on every word because we will be on Oasis in November. Thank you.

 

One question: did they have a Chocolate Waffle breakfast in the main dining room? If so, what day?

 

Thank you. November is not that far away!

 

As far as any kind of chocolate breakfast is concerned - I looked at the Breakfast schedule of all 7 Compasses and did not see one. I did see the Dreamworks Experience Breakfast listed on all three sea days.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Awesome review so far! I was on this sailing as well and I love reading other people's experiences, so I will be tuning in often. Great pics too!

Thank you ! I am glad to have you along.:)

 

Hi Ginny...Thanks for the great review & photos, can't wait for our turn aboard Lady "O" next April :D

 

and CONGRATS on the weight loss !!

And a big Thank You to you, too! The cheers keep me going when it all starts to get old.:cool:

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Beautiful pics! Looks like you AZ gals and guys had a great trip! :D

We did have a great time! It is always more fun with friends.:)

 

Loving this review! You're doing a great job of writing and posting awesome pics! I'm so over the food pics. Looking forward to our turn in 3 weeks;)

I am glad you are following along. Yes, the food is fun, but after awhile too much rch food is well, too much.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thanks for the pictures of the balcony! We have adjoining balconies with my parents and it is nice to see what it looks like with the partition open.

 

I do have a question about the balcony. I have read some reviews that mentioned the Boardwalk Balconies are hot with no breeze. Is this what you have experienced? Or did you feel a breeze at all?

I do agree with Lisa here. While I ddn't feel much of an actual breeze I was always quite comfortable sitting on the balcony. And the one thing about this cruise is that each day seemed to be quite windy. I actually felt rather sheltered on the balcony. But then, we are shade seekers and the balcony was perfect for us.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I forgot to menton that in the picture link I posted on the end of the Labadee Day is a selfie video of Steve going down the Zipline!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We woke up in Jamaica! We had our room service breakfast on the balcony and headed out to meet the other Arizona Cruisers. We had to be off the ship and at a designated meeting place for our pre-arranged transportation to the all-inclusive beach resort Hilton Rose Hall, booked through Resort For A Day. This company has an excellent reputation for reliability and it was a lot less expensive than booking the same through the ship. We had to meet in the excursion area in the very back of the port area, with all of the cruise ship excursions. It was hot and crowded, but I found that if I stood at the back of the crowd I was able to get a breeze and it was tolerable. Soon the crowds began to thin out as bus after bus came and left full of passengers going off for the day’s activities. After a while our guide came and took us on about a three block walk to our waiting clean and comfortable transportation. Once we were there she noticed that some of us had canes and knee braces and she said that if we had said something before she could have had the bus come closer. Oh well. As I said before, I can walk quite a distance and do on a daily basis. I carry a cane when walking outside for uneven pavement, curbs and unavoidable steps. So for me, it was ok. But for others having the bus come closer would have been a bonus.

 

As we headed to the resort we were impressed by the huge difference in the homes we passed along the way. We saw evidence of extreme poverty

 

To homes of the very wealthy

 

Soon we entered the lavish grounds of Hilton Rose Hall

 

Into the Grand Foyer where we received wristbands allowing us entry into the grounds and access to food and beverage

 

 

We stepped out onto the patio to see this view

 

[3OhioCruisers]

Subscribed. Can't wait to read the rest of the review

[Sunny AZ Girl]

A resort representative met our group and told us she would be our guide and server for the day. The first manner of business was to figure out where we would land for the day. We told her we wanted to be in shade near the Lazy River as that is where we had planned to spend most of the day. We had read in earlier reviews that the pools, the Lazy River and Water Slides along with the grounds were the highlight of the resort and they were right. The ocean waves are larger here and not as inviting as Labadee, unless you love to body surf. Our guide informed us that since it was almost lunch time there was no more shade available, only loungers in the sun. Now, as I said before we are shade seekers, so that would not do! I had noticed as we walked along a strip of shady loungers with some empty loungers so I mentioned it to our guide. She was able to get a beach attendant to bring enough chairs together into the shade for the 8 of us. It was only a few steps from the Lazy River and we still had the sounds of the waves that I love.

 

Our spot in the shade

 

We wanted to try out the Lazy River, so we decided to delay lunch a bit and be well, lazy! After a couple of false starts and a push from a friendly woman from Great Britain (Note: you must get into the current before you will go anywhere) I was on my way!

 

We all enjoyed the beautiful river as it meandered through this tropical paradise

 

 

 

Lisa, where’s your tube????

Edited May 31, 2015 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Cruisin' Along]

I'm enjoying your TR and all the photos. Many congratulations on your weight loss! My daughter and I are early in our weight loss journey, and I agree that My Fitness Pal and Fitbit are very helpful tools. Wishing you continued success. Looking forward to more of your TR!

[perfect match]

It seems to me like great minds continue to think alike! While our previous cruises have been on Disney and Princess, we did our 1st RCI cruise a few weeks ago on Independence. Our beach spot on Labadee, Nellie's beach, was right in front of your cabanas. We were planning to do the zipline but had to cancel because my bad knees and right hip were really acting up, plus one of the loungers on our balcony went on the attack while I was trying to move it into the shade and ripped one of my toenails off. At that point I had no choice but to surrender and cancel our zipline while we could still get a refund. I can't wait to get back there on our Oasis cruise. I am also considering Rose Hall for our Falmouth stop, probably will book privately like you did.

 

I am absolutely loving your pictures of the Boardwalk as seen from your balcony! I mean, where else but an Oasis class ship would you get those views? We had debated booking a JS for the extra space, but opted for the Boardwalk for the unique views it offers. I really can't wait to try it out. The one advantage to our long wait for our Oasis cruise is that both my hip and knees should be repaired by then.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I'm enjoying your TR and all the photos. Many congratulations on your weight loss! My daughter and I are early in our weight loss journey' date=' and I agree that My Fitness Pal and Fitbit are very helpful tools. Wishing you continued success. Looking forward to more of your TR![/quote']

MFP and my Fitbit are my tools that I cannot do without! Keep at it and you can't help but lose. If you stay within your calories the science will eventually win out. Those tools make it all easy. My DH has been on maintenance for over a year now with MFP. He still logs every day. I know that is what I will have to do, also.

 

It seems to me like great minds continue to think alike! While our previous cruises have been on Disney and Princess, we did our 1st RCI cruise a few weeks ago on Independence. Our beach spot on Labadee, Nellie's beach, was right in front of your cabanas. We were planning to do the zipline but had to cancel because my bad knees and right hip were really acting up, plus one of the loungers on our balcony went on the attack while I was trying to move it into the shade and ripped one of my toenails off. At that point I had no choice but to surrender and cancel our zipline while we could still get a refund. I can't wait to get back there on our Oasis cruise. I am also considering Rose Hall for our Falmouth stop, probably will book privately like you did.

 

I am absolutely loving your pictures of the Boardwalk as seen from your balcony! I mean, where else but an Oasis class ship would you get those views? We had debated booking a JS for the extra space, but opted for the Boardwalk for the unique views it offers. I really can't wait to try it out. The one advantage to our long wait for our Oasis cruise is that both my hip and knees should be repaired by then.

Ah yes, knees and hips. Getting older and it's just patch, patch, patch.:rolleyes: I am trying to put off surgery until next year. By then I should be at a much better weght for the surgery. In the meantime it is steroid injections every four months.

 

And yes, the Boardwalk Balconies are a unque feature of the Oasis Class ships. I am looking forward to my OV balcony in October on the Jewel, but I am really glad I had this cabin on this cruise. It added a whole new aspect to this cruise that we did not have on the Allure when we were in an OV balcony. Plus, that aft location really helped me meet my steps goal every day, LOL!:D

Edited May 31, 2015 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Subscribed. Can't wait to read the rest of the review

 

Thank you for following along!:cool:

[Sunny AZ Girl]

After awhile we decided it was time for lunch. We had a choice of eating at the buffet in the resort or having it brought to our beach chair. While some of our group decided to go to the buffet the lull of the waves beckoned us to stay and enjoy lunch seaside. Here is the Cafe Menu:

 

There were servers for everyone on the beach, but we still had our own private service.

 

The food was good. I had the Jerk Chicken (what else would you eat in Jamaica?) and Steve had a hamburger. Really??? I can't take him anywhere...

 

The views were nice, but the sand churned in the water gave the water near the shoreline more of a tan appearance than the crystal blue water of Labadee the day before.

 

After lunch Steve and decided to check out the grounds a bit more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2015 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Bargeo]

Enjoying your review. We were on the Oasis for a B2B last January, and this

brings back great memories. This ship is truly amazing.

 

Congrats on your weight loss. You look beautiful and I am sure you feel very

healthy. Keep up the good work.

 

Good luck on the knee surgery when you choose to do it. I am recovering from total hip replacement. Five weeks out and starting to feel great and anxious to get back to my old self and the activities I love.

 

Awesome review as always!!!!!!!!

[APDMOM]

Not much breeze but I didn't find it too hot. I actually liked the fact that I could put my swim suit & water shoes out on the balcony to dry without worrying about it blowing away like you would for an ocean view balcony. I spent a lot more balcony time on this trip than I ever have so I really liked the balcony.

 

I do agree with Lisa here. While I ddn't feel much of an actual breeze I was always quite comfortable sitting on the balcony. And the one thing about this cruise is that each day seemed to be quite windy. I actually felt rather sheltered on the balcony. But then, we are shade seekers and the balcony was perfect for us.

 

Thanks to both of you! We are shade seekers also. I was glad to see on the webcam that our balcony is practically always in the shade, thanks to the overhang.

[alocsin]

You said you had a Fitbit? So do I. How many steps were you averaging a day during the cruise?

[Klstaack]

Loving your review. We leave on oasis a week from today.

[MaiseyM]

Thanks for the review. How or where did you book the cabanas in Haiti? I don't see it on the excursion through RCI. thanks

[APDMOM]

Loving your review. We leave on oasis a week from today.

A week from yesterday. Don't miss the ship... :) But then you may just have your days mixed up, as was the case for me this week.

[kwitt703]

This is such a great review! I'll be leaving on the Allure in 1 year, 201 days, 3 hours, 49 mins and 18 seconds. But I'm not counting!!

[Lionesss]

I just got a fitbit for mothers day, and today will be the day to logg on and sinc it to my app on my phone.

 

You motivated me.

 

Gotta lot of reading to do.

 

It so hard to coordinate and learn these new technology the older you get.

 

Thanks

[depplep]

Loving the review. I can't wait for my first trip on Oasis in October!

[Clarea]

Thanks for the review. How or where did you book the cabanas in Haiti? I don't see it on the excursion through RCI. thanks

Visit the Shore Excursion desk after you board.