Natmom

I would love to know this too !

The previous comments address many of your concerns, but I'd like to make a few points about sea sickness.

 

 

 

I have been sailing and racing the Chesapeake Bay and off shore for over 30 years. Im somewhat immune to sea sickness, though I have come close when down below sleeping during heavy weather. Of course these are much more extreme situations than you'll ever experience on a cruise ships. These ships, because of their size are very stable, and as a supplement, use active fin stabilizers that counter the rolling motion in all but the heaviest seas. You'll barely notice any motion under most situations.

 

 

 

That being said, there are many OTC (over the counter) and perscription medications that can help. But be careful about the side effects. One of the safest remedies without any side effects are ginger tablets, or if you can't find them, ginger ale. This is a well know treatment among many sailors again because they have no side effects.., like drowsiness. Also, if you feel a little strange, consider where you are on the ship. If you are say in the theater in rough seas, you might not notice the slight roll, but the stage curtains tend to move left to right and can induce minor discomfort.

 

 

 

If you or your party does encounter sea sickness, first have someone get some ginger ale or tablets, then get on deck or your balcony.., anywhere on the vessel where you can see the horizon. I know this sounds strange, but by looking at the horizon for a while along with some ginger ale or tablets, can help a great deal. The one mistake many make is to head to their bunk and pull the covers over their head. Try not to do that, because it can make you feel worse.

 

 

 

Ofcourse, if you have a known history, consult your doctor for possible medications. Remember to follow the proper usage instruction. But very few people on cruse ships have any problems. As a few days go by...you'll not even notice the gentle motion of the ship. In fact, it's one of the best way to rock yourself to sleep.:)

 

 

 

Enjoy your trip...

My husband suffers from seasickness and he says the exact same thing about looking at the horizon.

Just wondering; how would I know if my drink package covers the drink I want, if there is no price visible?

 

 

 

I mean; there is a certain (was it 12 usd) limit on drinks which are included in the Premium package and for wine maybe 8 usd, if I remember correctly.

 

 

 

Can I just ask for a mohito, margarita, pinacolada or whatever and assume they make it to fit the limit, if I show my stamp on the seapass? How would they do it? Change into cheaper liqueur maybe? What if I had told them to use a specific brand?

 

 

 

I have had the package twice, but then the prices were there so I would know not to order something which was more than the limit.

 

 

 

How about nowadays? Any experience on this?

Good point! I didn't consider this for my upcoming cruise! I like grey goose martinis

Davefromcanada- my husband from Canada would also like to know this ;) we are sailing on May 2nd and he loves to try different kinds of beers

Is solarium Cafe only for adults?

If possible , are you able to take a photo of the d1 balcony? We are in a d1 room in May and I've wondered how big the balconies really are

Were another May 2 cruising couple. Aren't we lucky to have someone be this kind and pave our way for fun!! Thank you Darkwing. I'm not really as computer savvy as you but I'll try to pay it forward!!

 

Enjoy your cruise and THANK YOU!!

Yes!! Scrolling through these trip reports is really adding to the pre cruise excitement!

Hello, I am a virgin cruiser (wow, haven't used THAT word in a long time - lol) and will be on the Oasis on May 2nd.

I really appreciate this post/thread and am eating it up.

 

I assume that the three free drinks you mention are for your Diamond status and not the regular sleps like moi. :D

 

Can you also tell me about other on board activities other than the actual shows.

 

Thanks and btw: your pictures are fantastic.

 

Linda

We will be on the oasis on May 2nd as well :) see you there!

I would just point out that this is still a great value and way more convenient than the alternative. We have taxied/ferried/taxied to St John beaches many time when in port on a cruise ship. The cost of just the transportation to the beach is has been $100 for the two of us AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THAT INCLUDES NO RUM PUNCH!

Because of the ferry schedule, and the unpredicatability of the traffic, we end up getting the 3:00 ferry back to be safe anyway. And not being early risers, we have usually ended up on the 11:00 ferry over. We have always found this to be enough time.

 

So even though there is false advertising, WE'RE IN!

we are too. I'm glad to know it might not be all I thought but I'd still rather do the ships excursion for this one

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Love the pic of your dogs! My Molly is the same, pouting and following me everywhere once the suitcase comes out.

Thanks for the heads up :)

What is quest? I heard something about a scavenger hunt? Does everyone have to participate?

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the information regarding prepaying gratuities. I just called and prepaid for 7 days $82.79 per person CAN if I had waited till onboard it would have been $84 per person USD

The more cruises one has under their belt certainly makes them more of an expert than a rookie as to how cruising used to be. They are the only ones that can testify of the changes that have occurred over the past 20 years. To discredit them as whiners is really sad. Seek their wisdom.

 

It is obvious to all, that the younger generation lives in a world of low prices, poor service, cheap crap, and out of control government spending. And, the young ones are perfectly fine and happy with it. They are foolish and young and don't know any better. A fool and his money are soon parted. And fools are more than willing to give their hard earned money to a cruise line that is decreasing the quality of service. I also noticed that my Charmin bathroom tissue also got 1/4 inch narrower for the same price. Did you?

I wouldn't say the younger generation is happier with poor service and cheap crap but what choice is there?? I think choosing to not sweat the small stuff and have a good vacation is the way to go. everything is throw away these days, I remember when appliances would last 30 years but now 15 years is as long as they last. what choice do we have though??

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Mirage of the Seas or Island of the Seas. Both would go with Oasis theme.

 

 

 

Never did figure out how Allure of the Seas fit with Oasis.:confused:

I had thought 'island of the seas' as well

They list Jewel in May in their signature line.

Okay , thanks! I'm reading this through the cruise critic app and signatures aren't listed for some reason. We are sailing the oasis in May and I didn't see a price drop for my sailing :(

Our Chops experiences have been very positive and the deserts are to die for. "Chops Night" has become a tradition for us and we'll probably pay a little more to continue on. It is priced along the lines of better restaurants in our city.

 

 

 

We usually get a window table and you just can't beat the view! :cool:

Great to hear a positive review!

My TA just found me an $836 usd credit for my upcoming cruise because I am Canadian. Maybe RC is trying not to loose us so they are offering Canada residency discount. better check to see if you can save even more. She was checking for better rates before I needed to pay my final payment. Gotta love those TA's. :D

What ship and which month?

$35 for a nice meal on vacation is fine with me. We rarely go out to eat at home so that is part of vacationing for me. We have booked 5 specialty restaurants for our upcoming cruise. Dh and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary and our first trip away from the kids in 7 years so we are going to enjoy it! Admittedly my expectations for chops is very low but oh well. We have also each purchased the ultimate drink package. You won't find us spending hundreds in the casino though! I'd much rather have a nice meal than blow money on slot machines.

There is no question that there are good and bad experiences on cruises.

 

 

 

There is a far simpler way of looking at threads like this:

 

 

 

If a cruise line makes 99% of all passengers happy, then on an Oasis class ship there will still be 60-63 people unhappy. Those tend to be the threads you read about - often called the "venting threads".

 

 

 

For the other 6200+ folks that had a WOW, great, or satisfactory cruise, only a small number of those folks tend to take the time to share those situations.

 

 

 

This paints a misleading picture of course, as it is impossible to make every single person happy among any large group. It's a goal, not a realistic result.

 

 

 

Nonetheless, it is unfortunate that anyone has a poor experience.

I think you have it bang on. Last year we sailed the fantasy and I kept reading these threads were people complained about the shuddering and shaking in the mid-aft cabins . The claimed their vacations were ruined, they could sleep etc.etc,etc. I was absolutely terrified that we had dumped a large chunk of money on a family vacation and it would be terrible. Well, when I got onboard I could feel the shaking if I was lying completely still on the bed and I completely focused on trying to feel it. My husband and I laughed so hard that we worried about it before our vacation . I really think a lot of people just focus on the negative. Honestly I'm glad because reading the negative reviews keeps me grounded. I'm expecting the worst meal of my life at chops so with expectations that low it is bound to be a little better lol.

Wow! Just checked on my cruise planner for December on the Anthem and it's at $50CDN. $200 for the four of us. Scratch this off the list.

I noticed this yesterday as well! I'm so glad I pre booked before the price jump

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OBC can be used for tips ONLY if you don't have MyTime Dining. Royal doesn't feel it necessary to treat guests equitably in that case.

 

 

 

You can get refundable OBC back as cash at the purser desk at full value.

 

You can get non-refundable OBC back as cash in the casino for a 5% charge.

Really? For some reason I wasn't required to prepaid gratuities even though I chose mtd. I have an obc and would like to use that towards tips. Is it certain that I won't be able to use my obc?

We paid for ours months ago for our may cruise. Assume we won't have pay the difference?

Me too! I hope we don't have to pay the difference !

They are bigger- despite what it might say in the deck plans which never seem to match up with reality! ;) I have photos of the cabin and balcony early in my Oasis Eastern review linked in my signature.

Thank you for the photos of your d1 balcony! DH and I are on the oasis and May and we chose a d1 balcony. It was nice to have an idea of the size. Your review was wonderful!

I have celiac as well, in addition to other allergies. You will do great in specialty as well as MDR. They have everything marked on their regular menu as GF, and if you work with your head waiter (most were great...I think we just got a dud!), they'll prepare it in a different area to avoid cross-contamination. Have filing, relax, and enjoy!

 

 

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Thank you! I'm happy to have some reassurance that I will not starve lol!

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