Oasis 11/7 trip report, Periscope?, and 12203 photos

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your report.

 

Keith

[jigger]

Nice Oasis review !

[h20skibum]

Did the screwup of the shows ruin our vacation? No. As it turned out, we ended up skipping the Cats show anyhow. But if Royal was going to make such massive changes, they could have done better at rescheduling times so there were not so many conflicts. This is one area I gave low scores in the survey. I didn't talk to anyone onboard who didn't have their show schedules screwed up.

 

So with no luggage in the room yet, and a little time to kill before muster drill, it was up to the sports deck. We had signed our activity waivers online, so we got in line for the zip line. Not many people there then. I had to hold all the things that DW had on that they thought would somehow fly off and injure someone on the Boardwalk, so I walked to the landing zone for a picture or five:).

 

 

I walk back to the line for my turn, only to have them close it in preparation for the muster drill. On Oasis, they send you to different muster stations on the ship. Ours was in Studio B on Deck 4. For first time cruisers, don't look for life vests in your cabin. There are none there. We trust Royal when they say they have life vests for everyone, and you will get one if you need it:).

 

But there is just something wrong with sitting in cushioned seats and watching wash your hands videos and demonstrations on how to put your life vest on without that old hands on experience. I mean, back when you had to demonstrate you could put one on, at least you had to set your drink down. Plus, everyone misses out on this type of fun experience.

 

 

With the muster drill out of the way, and everyone confident they could survive a catastrophe at sea, we head off to the MDR to check out our table. (Yes, we did spend time in the MDR). I had emailed Royal when they had started to do table assignments and requested a large table by the window. We found our table, but it was a two top right beside the bussing station. Not a good location at all. We requested a table change to a larger table, because we enjoy meeting new people on the cruise. No problem. They will make the change, but could we stay at that table for the evening and they will give us our new table on Sunday. Okay, we are almost set for the week. But what about luggage?

 

Back to the cabin, and the luggage has magically appeared. Everything is unpacked and put in place when I say "Hey, we should go up on deck for sail away". Off we go to the Deck 7 only to find out we are already out to sea. The one thing about the big ships is that you can barely feel them move.

 

By now, it is dinner time. We had the early seating. I had looked at the menus online before leaving for the cruise and had them on my iPad. Mmmmm, I saw prime rib on night one and was all set to order it. We get our menus only to find they had removed the prime rib choice! Argggg. They do have the menus for the week on the TV, so check those for the latest changes. Instead of prime rib, my choice was this

 

 

Okay, enough food porn. Plus need to get ready for work.

[h20skibum]

Okay, maybe not work yet.

 

Since they had taken away our Oasis of Dreams show for the night, we checked the planner and decided to go to the family friendly comedy show (no reservations required) in Studio B. We throughly enjoyed both comedians. The comedians preforming were Joe Yannetty and Collin Moulton. Sorry Collin, but Joe came in number one in our book. Someone always has to be number one. And Joe, if you are reading this, don't get a bigger head than you already have:).

 

Like an almost live, here are the cruise compasses for day 1.

[h20skibum]

And the activities times

 

 

Fitbit steps for the day = 21,875

Fitbit miles for the day = 11.69

Fitbit floors for the day = 57

 

Did I say this was a big ship?

 

Next - sleep and Day 2

[h20skibum]

Day 2, our first sea day. What a great night's sleep. There is something about being on a cruise ship with the gentle rocking motion, although it is not that noticeable on the Oasis. It seems I always sleep well when on a cruise. Maybe it has something to do with being away from work and reducing stress. I wish I could figure out a way to do this all the time. Maybe Super Mario could adopt me. Hey Mario, if you are reading this, I am putting myself up for adoption.

 

Usually I have really crappy sleep habits at home. I quit wearing the Fitbit to bed, since it tracks your sleep and tells you how crappy it was. Thanks, but I already knew that. My monthly sleep average was something like 5 hours and 39 minutes of sleep with two times awake and 10 times restless. Fitbit users will know what this means. I think it means my life span is shortened, my memory will be impaired, and I will start repeating myself. I think it means my life span is shortened, my memory will be impaired, and I will start repeating myself. Okay, enough with that old joke:)

 

So our day starts at 5 a.m. With a 5k on the track on Deck five. I know, there are some who will say, "What, 5 a.m., this is a vacation. Who gets up then?" We walk out the door to the track and DW sees this painted on the track.

 

 

She says "Is it really five miles around the ship?" No dear, it just seems that way. But for all you fitness freaks, here are the lap conversions.

 

 

At 5 a.m. We are the only ones out there, except for the crew that never sleeps. But by 5:30, it starts to get busy on the track. See, the fitness center doesn't open until 6:00 each day. I like that they have little motivational signs along the way around the track. Plus, you get a little view of the water. Then a dash into the fitness center to see if we gained any weight from the previous day indulgences.

 

 

This would pretty much become our morning ritual while onboard. After, we would head to Cafe Promenade to grab a cup of coffee and head to the room to get ready for breakfast. The Wipe Out Cafe would be our go to place for breakfast each morning. Great made to order omelets, and the sweetest pineapple we found on the ship. I would highly recommend this for a breakfast place. And it never seemed crowded.

 

[h20skibum]

This morning was the Meet and Mingle. After Royal telling us over and over that it would be at 10:30 at Dazzles, it was held at 10:00 at Jazz on 4. So some didn't find it until 10:30 after all the swell prizes were gone. This may have cut down a little on the attendance, but not enough for us to win anything. (This would be a recurring theme for us at the casino for the week also)

 

 

After the Meet and Mingle, it was off to the C&A welcome back event at the Aqua theatre. Here is the first free drink of the cruise proudly displayed with the M&M pad and pen set. Since we have, what, 50 of these, we found someone scribbling notes on a napkin and donated to them.

 

[h20skibum]

Periscope. What can I say about this? I think I first heard about this in one of Yorkvillan's posts. For those who don't know what Periscope is, it is kind of like Facetime for the masses. You can broadcast video, and people can watch it live and comment on it while you are broadcasting. The video will then be available for 24 hours before it disappears.

 

So when I read about this and saw that York was going to do a few from the Oasis, I thought I would get the app and catch a few of the scopes. Now I don't do any of the typical social media things like Facebook or Twitter. Since Periscope has something to do with Twitter, I had to sign up for an account and become an official Twit. (Is that the proper term for a Twitter user? It sounds so much like something from Benny Hill or Monte Python). So I followed some of the scopes from York, and they were good. I thought, hey, I may do that while I am onboard.

 

But being social media challenged, I didn't know you actually had to let people know ahead you were doing these. So I had my account, and through some cyber malfunction, some guy named Rich Rod became my only follower. I fired up the Periscope app and did a scope of the C&A event at the Aqua Theatre. And sure enough, 20 second attention span Rich logs on to watch for his obligatory 20 seconds and leaves without leaving a comment. He is probably trying to figure out how to unfollow me. That was my first and last scope onboard. So if you didn't stumble across it by accident, you missed it. It is probably just as well, since it was a short one anyhow. After Rich left, I felt like CNN with no viewers.

 

After the Welcome back event, it was time for lunch at the Park Cafe in Central Park. Yeah, I know, everyone raves about the Roast Beef sandwiches. I had those on the Allure. But I read somewhere they had good Cuban sandwiches. Being on a quest for a good Cuban, I ordered one here. It was crowded at lunch, probably because it was the only thing open around 11:30. So we sat down at a table with a couple who also happened to be from PA, and were soon joined by another couple who we found out lived only about 10 miles from us and enjoyed some good conversation. So finally our sandwiches arrive at the table, and they have brought me a Tuna sandwich. Back to the counter and I say "I wanted a Cuban. That's C U B A N!!!" Finally, the little square that was masquerading as a Cuban sandwich arrived. Needless to say, I would not recommend one from there.

 

The rest of our day was spent relaxing and reading in the Solarium with an occasional venture to the hot tubs and the mini pool. Let me say, we never had a problem finding a place, and this is a great place to spend the day. Not at all like to outdoor pools. Although people say those are crowded, I guess that depends on when you go.

 

 

 

 

[h20skibum]

Formal night.

 

Tonight was formal night, and we were off to meet our new table mates after our change of tables request was granted. I think I was one of three guys on the ship that had a tux on. I always bring mine from home, and can switch up the outfit with a vest one night and the cummerbund the second formal. Not to say there wasn't a lot of nice dress, but not many tuxes. To each their own. Only two of our new table mates showed up for dinner tonight. As it turns out, the husband grew up in a suburb about two miles from where we live. They were a nice couple around our age, and we would eventually make plans to get together next summer when they come up to our area for a high school reunion. Although they felt a little uncomfortable in their non-formal bowling shirts, we told them not to sweat it. We just enjoy getting dressed.

 

Tonight's choice for dinner was the duck. DW and I both ordered it, and each was prepared to perfection. I am always amazed at how they can prepare and serve so many meals, and still have them plated artistically and served hot. I have trouble when I am serving just 20 for Thanksgiving. I did take a galley tour on last year's Princess cruise, and it was certainly interesting. I would guess that Oasis is just double that effort.

 

Sorry, no shot of the duck. Tonight was our adult comedy show in the Comedy Club on Deck 4. Since the theatre was close by, we did duck in to try to see the 15 minutes of the Come Fly With Me show before going to the comedy club, but left before it started. We had front row seats at the comedy show, but got out relatively unscathed by the comedians. They were on everyone around us, but only made one comment about my tux. Good show once again, but some repeat from the family friendly one the night before. After some interaction with the audience, it got much better. DW and I love standup comedy and go to the local comedy club once a week at home.

 

After the show, it was sleep. Labadee tomorrow.

 

Fitbit steps for the day = 19,351

Fitbit miles for the day = 10.27

Fitbit floors for the day = 115

 

Meanwhile, here are the Compasses for Day 2.

 

[h20skibum]

Oh, and the daily schedule and some spa info.

 

[seaprince]

Sorry H20Skibum, my candidate adoption list currently runs the length of the Oasis !!

But thanks for your vote of confidence !

 

Regards,

Super Mario

[h20skibum]

Sorry H20Skibum, my candidate adoption list currently runs the length of the Oasis !!

But thanks for your vote of confidence !

 

Regards,

Super Mario

 

I am very disappointed. I need moved to the top of the list.

:)

[h20skibum]

Day 3 - Labadee.

 

I woke up singing that old Beatles tune (Labadee Labadaa). Or was it Obladi Oblada? Anyhow, today we had the zip line booked and were looking forward to it. We start the day as usual ( 5k, weigh in, coffee at the Promenade, and breakfast omelets at the Wipe Out). Note, coffee at the Promenade was strong every morning. We would always get our cup, then move our sweaty bods over to a table by Sorentos. Didn't want to offend anyone before a shower, but we needed that coffee:).

 

We headed off the ship after breakfast to explore a little before the zip line. Walked around a little taking pictures, the went to sign the forms saying we realize we could be maimed or killed, etc. by doing the line. We rented a locker to store our beach stuff while we did the line. Locker rental was $8, and it used a chip on a wrist band to open the locker. Don't know if it was just me, but we went through three of the bands before we got a working one. One wouldn't open the locker after our stuff was in it, and we had to wait for a supervisor to come and open it. If they ever go to the wow bands and they work like these did, No thanks.

 

Our zip reservation was for 10:00, and after getting in the harnesses, they take everyone to a mini-line for a test run. They show you what are essentially the fast and slow positions. Depending on the winds, you may need to use the fast position to avoid getting stuck part way.

 

The launch platform

 

The end platform

 

The road, if you want to call it that, to the top of the hill for the zip line was horrible. Royal could afford to make a little investment in improving it.

 

The zip line was great, and we would do it again. It would be nice if it was a little less expensive. After we finished with the zip line, we decided to run the Artisan's Village gauntlet.

 

I swear they all go to the same seminar on how to draw tourists into their booths. They all had the same lines. "Come into my booth. I show you something I made myself. Blah. Blah". And they must be copycats, because all their stuff looks alike. Finding nothing of interest to take home, we got some lunch and retrieved our beach stuff.

 

We started out at Adrenaline Beach, but it was not very nice.

 

The not so good beach

 

We left and wandered over to Nellie's Beach, and the water and sand were very nice. We ended up spending most of the afternoon here before getting back on the ship. If you are spending beach time here, I recommend it.

[h20skibum]

We ate again at the MDR, and we were the only ones to show tonight. It was like being back at our two top, but with a better location and more room. We did note that there were many completely empty tables in the MDR most nights, so it appears many are going to try other options on the ship. Or maybe, they do not want to invest a couple hours of their time to dinner each night. But our table was never there longer than 7:30 each night.

 

After dinner, we headed to Deck 7 and caught most of the Oasis of Dreams show from there. Amazed at the shape these kids are in and their skills. Good show, and similar to the one on the Allure if you have ever been on it.

 

Our show reservation for the evening was the headliner show with Mo5aic. They are a great Acapella group. How they can make all the instrumental sounds with just their voices, I just don't understand. These are the only entertainers I ever remember encouraging recordings during the performance. In case you missed them, here is a video clip of their work.

 

HdOe0R29dhk

 

After the show, it was sleep. Falmouth tomorrow.

 

Fitbit steps for the day = 23,479

Fitbit miles for the day = 12.47

Fitbit floors for the day = 97

 

Meanwhile, here are the Planners for Day 3.

 

[h20skibum]

And the Compasses

 

[h20skibum]

Day 4 - Falmouth

 

We had been to Jamaica several times and had seen and done the typical things here before ( Dunn's River Falls, River tubing, etc.). The last time we ported at Falmouth, the new Margarittaville was not built. Having read about it and researching it, spending the day at the swim up bar would be our day.

 

We got off the ship after doing our normal morning routine, and stopped at a few shops in the port area. I ended up adding to my t-shirt collection with one from Margarittaville. Note that these do shrink up a bit, so consider that if you are looking at one of these.

 

With the Disney Wonder in port with us, I thought it would be crowded here. It really didn't seem that way. Maybe because many were off doing tours. Saw this couple with kids in some kind of backpacks walking around the port. Somehow, it didn't look like anyone was having fun.

 

 

We got there around 11 and found a couple of loungers. Climbed into the pool and headed for the swim up bar. There were a couple of kids surfing the bar stools, so sitting at the bar, we may have interrupted their fun. We enjoyed a few adult beverages here. We were going to get out around lunch time to find a table to eat at, but they brought us our lunch at the pool bar. And they did have a Cuban sandwich on the menu here. It was a large sandwich, and would be the best Cuban on this trip, but not the best I ever had. Prices were pretty reasonable here. We ended up staying till around 2, and by that time, things were thinning out.

 

 

 

 

After getting back on the ship, we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the Solarium. The Disney ship played "When you wish upon a star" with it's horns as it was leaving port, and the Oasis gave them a big blast of their horn so the air pressure of the BIG horn would push the tiny Disney ship away from the dock:).

[h20skibum]

We ate again at the MDR, and the last two of our table mates made their appearance. Thurston and Lovey just talked about the horrid decline in dress on the ship these days, and how they were so shocked to run into a pizza counter person from their hometown on one of their cruises. It was like "How could they possibly be allowed on the same ship as us?" It was the last we would see of them. Maybe we all looked too much like the help.

 

We spent the evening visiting lounges and listening to some karaoke. Let's just say there was a wide variety of talent onboard and leave it at that.

 

Fitbit steps for the day = 20,998

Fitbit miles for the day = 11.22

Fitbit floors for the day = 84

 

Meanwhile, the compasses for the day.

[h20skibum]

And the planners.

 

 

Next - Sea day

[wolfganghowell]

Who are those two creepy looking people at the swim up bar???? ;)

[LuCruise]

Planning for Oasis is not like other ships. I had previously sailed the Allure, so I knew to book all of our shows in advance. As a detail planner, I scoured Cruise Critic for previous Cruise Compass copies of the western itinerary. Studying these, I set up a preliminary schedule in a spreadsheet.

I do not rigidly adhere to a schedule, but setting up one gives me an idea of when I want to book shows when they are available for booking, plus other events I want to attend. If you like to plan things out, just be prepared to change. More on this later.

 

Next - packing tips

 

This is awesome. I have my own table created in a word doc, but love the excell with the color coding. Think I'll trnaslate mine into something like this. Much better.

[h20skibum]

Who are those two creepy looking people at the swim up bar???? ;)

 

Well, at the time, i didn't know. I was expecting brighter red hair, and I guess no one looks tall when they are on a pool bar stool.:). You never know when you will show up in pictures.

 

It was a great day there.

[h20skibum]

This is awesome. I have my own table created in a word doc, but love the excell with the color coding. Think I'll trnaslate mine into something like this. Much better.

 

Thanks. For a while, I thought I was talking to myself until you and Wolf posted. Must be a tough crowd here.

 

Just be prepared for changes. They do not necessarily keep the same show schedule from one cruise to the next. Guess they don't want to be too predictable.

[wolfganghowell]

:D :D Sorry we messed up your pic - see you could have yelled at us to move and you would have had a pristine bar. :)

For a while, I thought I was talking to myself until you and Wolf posted. Must be a tough crowd here.

I noticed the same thing on my review. Not many comments but it had a lot of views. I was thinking no one liked me too. :( usually a lot more comments on reviews - seems to be the norm right now though on Oasis reviews! I'm enjoying your perspective.

[seadog67]

Loving the report H20! Cannot wait to see the next installment. Leaving tomorrow for my own cruise and your report is the perfect read for tonight! Thanks for all the effort.

[johnbob7]

H2O, I am enjoying your review as well, sorry for not posting sooner but lurking is easier when at work. But great job, we're doing an oasis suite in January, and you've mentioned several things that have helped me plan.

 

Speaking of planning, my DW saw yours and thought it was mine. We do very similar sheets, although I don't get down to 30 minute increments, find that 60 minutes is adequate for us (I can always notate the half hour items in the cell). As you said, the key is to lay out a plan, then enjoy deviating as the cruise takes you!

 

Thanks again,

 

Bobj