crusin gator

Hubby and I were in room #6556 July 2, bed is by balcony.

Quote from stacynray

I'm going to see Adele on Monday night and will do my first periscope from there just to see how it works.

 

 

 

But....WE CRUISE IN 19 DAYS!!!!!

Stacynray!!! I watched your scope. I was so jealous!! My daughter and I were dancing and singing around the kitchen. Lol [emoji126]🏻[emoji126]🏻[emoji126]🏻[emoji126]🏻. It was very fun. Thanks for sharing !!

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I was on the same cruise as Bajadahl, he was in our M&M. Ya'll are going to have so much fun :-) If u go to Labadee, I went on the BEST excursion "A Sandbar Adult Party". This was the Best part of the cruise. Also Hubby &I went to MOHO beach in St. Martin. At the end of the pier we got a taxi to Moho beach and watched the jets come in. That was so cool. We're going back in December. Have fun!!

Don't Forget after your cruise you can go online to the port everglades sail away replays. I took a pink& orange hat that I waved when we were in front of the Web cam for the port. I'm so glad i did. Not only did I sign up for the"wave" but the waving hat caught the camera's attention. The replay was great to add to my PowerPoint.

We had 6 o'clock early dining and the only time we were rushed was for "The Oasis of Dreams" we told our wait or and because the show started at 7:30 we were there at 7:00. Tell the waitor, he'll hurry up your dinner. This show was 1 of the BEST and we saw all the shows.

Ship - Oasis of the Seas

Deck - 6

Stateroom # - 556

Stateroom Category – (D8) Superior Ocean View Balcony

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Was VERY QUIET!!!!! No noise complaints, we were 3 doors down from elevators. Was VERY convenient, the bed was firm very comfortable.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – AMAZING!! Only obstruction was the lifeboats but that was if looking straight down.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal sized, was bigger than I thought it would be.

Was wind a problem? – NO

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - NO

Any other comments? –

* No noise complaints, we were 3 doors down from elevators. Was VERY convenient, the bed was firm very comfortable.

*Wind-only of you have sliding door open the same time front door is open. Caused a vacuum, only happened 1 time.

:D:D

CABIN REVIEW~~~~Hubby and I LOVED this room!!

CLEAN-NEAT-NOT WORN- GREAT BED

First off the room smelled good (through out the cruise), nothing was worn, a lot of storage space.

BATHROOM a lot of storage space (I also brought one of those over the door organizers with the zippered pockets, I organized our toiletries in). BRING SOAP the bathroom only had shampoo, thank goodness I had soap from the hotel. There is a little chip off the bathroom sink, but that's definitely no biggie. Bathroom floor was not coming up, looked like new. The shower is a bit small, but it serves it's purpose.

CLOSETS&DRAWERS- plenty of hangers (Dress hangers and pants hangers) you have the closet cubbies and 2 drawers on the left of the fridge to put stuff, also 2 tall cabinets in the right side of the mirror. We didn't even use all of our storage areas.

LIVINGROOM/BEDROOM- Fold out couch, not very worn. We used it for sitting, the couch is between the closet and the bed. So plenty of room getting dressed, and moving around. It was kind of cramped when walking between bed and wall to balcony. But it works!!! Great lighting also lights are controlled form the bedside. You also have a light for your balcony. We brought a bungee cord thinking we might want to prop open the balcony door, we didn't need it. The door stayed open and when you close it turn the handle and it seals. It was too hot to sleep with the door open though. Maybe in December when we go back.

BED- I have a bad back and the bed was GREAT!!! I slept better than I do in my bed. Soft because it had a foam topper, but yet firm. Pillows were some flat some big. I think whatever kind of pillow you like Benny the room steward will get it for you. He was great, he's there for you!!!

BALCONY- Bigger than I thought it would be, came with 2 nice chairs (metal frames and mesh backing). A nice table for your coffee in the morning. When we go back in December, it'll be cooler and we can sit out there longer. There was no where to hang bathing suits on the balcony so we used the bungee cord and some clips, so nothing would blow off. The view was not bad, just if you try to look straight down there are lifeboats. But I can look between the life boats to see straight down. You can still see the waves made from the Oasis. This was our 1st balcony and I just loved it!!!

~~~Your room steward is Benny, he is great :-D He is there for you, anything you need Benny is your man!!!!! He is always so happy!!! BENNY!!

We normally try to avoid using the elevators by booking a cabin on deck 8/9 (Freedom class) so we only have a couple of flights up to the pool or down to the promenade. I have been studying Oasis (dang, it is HUGE!) and I think we will probably use the elevators more often. How busy are they? Do we need to plan on allowing extra time for catching one that is not already full?

 

 

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No, there are so many elevators. The most we had to wait was at the most 5 minutes. The only time we avoided the elevators was when a show let out. Our room was on deck 6 3 cabins down from the elevators and we did not hear anything. I hope this helps.

That was AWESOME! My DH & DS did it before ....I thought no way could I do it but darn, that looks like fun!

GREAT footage! I feel like I did it now too LOL. Thanks for sharing.

1.Sea pass will not work for drinks at the hotel.

2. Don't have to tip the burger King girl.

3. Worst 1- Who's going to make and serve us dinner?

We are sailing the Oasis on July 23 (7 Day Eastern Caribbean). I haven't had any luck finding the compass.

 

Does anyone know what day The Quest usually takes place? I have heard anywhere from the second day, to the next to last day. Reason I am asking is because as I book the shows, I don't want the times to conflict.

 

Thanks in advance

We just went to the Quest, OMG what fun!!!!!! It was after formal night at 11:45pm. We never stay up that late but I am so glad we did. It was hilarious. I thought it's like an adult Let's make a deal when he asks the audience for objects they might have in their purse, or what ever. But only adult version. Wasn't too raunchy either.

Still alive and kicking here in Margaritaville - Hollywood Florida. I might get some time today to work on the review. It's going to be rather long due to my story style so I will probably ( ok definitely) post each day separately as I finish cleaning them up to make in easier to read.

 

Have to say I'm kind of disappointed in Margaritaville! I ordered a margarita while sitting at the pool and when the waitress delivered it I handed her my sea pass card. She happily accepted it but then came back and said it didn't scan. $15 dollars buh buh buh but I have the ultimate package.... Oh the pain of having to pay for every drink again.

 

Ok that didn't happen - I knew better than to try to pay with my sea pass card- but I wanted to!

 

The pain of having to pay again was real!!

 

On the docket today:

Jet skis where no one is trying to sell us something in the middle of the ocean.

 

 

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I feel your pain :( I went through the Burger King drive thru and thought " hey wait a minute... I don't have to tip the girl at the window" ha ha

No one to serve us dinner last night. No one has come to neaten up our bedroom :-( Back to reality!!

Ya'll have fun and it was so nice meeting you and your family on the cruise. Please tell everyone "Hello" for me.

Deanne

MYSELF! I've been dying for a home cooked meal since Wednesday lol

Burger King over here and no one to serve us, the dog wouldn't do it. Ha Ha

I hope everyone got home ok ? I loved the cruise but it sure is nice to come home.:D

Who's going to serve us dinner tonight? LOL :-D

Everyone safe travels. The cruise was wonderful.

Hey I hope y'all are having a great time. Can u tell me when the Meet and Mingle is? I have not gotten an invitation in our stateroom. I hope I haven't missed it. Thank u🍹🍹😁

:D we're here

On board

Thanks for the responses. At least for now, I booked the 9:30pm for the aquatheater show. Cruisin Gator, let me know how that early time works out for you.

ProPro I will definitely let you know. Thank you to all for your helpful tips. I'll tell the waiter so he knows we have places2go and things2do. :-)

I see the Oasis Of Dreams in the Aquatheater is at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Is it possible to make the 7:30pm show with a 6pm traditional dining time in the MDR? I see late traditional is at 8:30pm, so is the assumption that it's going to take 2 hours for dinner?

I want to know too, we have 6pm early dining and booked the Oasis of Dreams show and it starts @ 7:30pm. We're leaving on the cruise Sat. 7/2, if you don't hear i'll let you know :-)

Beautiful!!! Don't forget extra memory cards.

Oasis of the Seas - 2 July 2016 Eastern Caribbean Sailing

 

May 11, 2016 -

 

This will be my attempt at a trip report. I was’t sure about doing one but then realized how much I enjoy reading them. We all have different ideas about what’s important to us on our vacation but I hope you find some useful tips and information from this report.

 

First a little about us - We are a family of 4: Me, DW, DD(14), and DD(12)

 

On this trip we will be joined by my Mom and Dad (So I will mention them from time to time)

 

We love traveling. We typically go to a Disney Property at least once a year along with some other more educational or historical vacation such as National Parks or historical destinations. In 2012 we finally discovered cruising. We’ve been on 4 cruises prior to this one.

 

Disney Dream - Summer 2012

Disney Magic - Spring Break 2013

Disney Wonder - Alaska Summer 2014

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas - Summer 2014

 

We still love Disney but we have really felt the pinch of a Disney cruise compared to Royal Caribbean. Prior to booking this cruise we compared it to the Disney Fantasy on a similar itinerary.

 

The Fantasy Cruise was the 18th of June 2016 - 7 Night - Eastern Caribbean with Stops in Tortola, St Thomas, and Castaway Cay. While we have normally cruised with a Deluxe Family Ocean View Room with Veranda, on this cruise we priced a single Deluxe Interior Stateroom (Category 10A Room 9579 204 sq. ft) The Price for this cruise as priced in March of 2015 was $8315.00

 

The Royal Caribbean 2 July 2016 - 7 Night - Eastern Caribbean has stops in - St Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. We booked 2 connecting staterooms over looking Central Park with Balconies. (C1-14211 and C1-14213 182 sq. ft and 50 sq. ft balcony EACH) The Price for this cruise was $5664.36

 

Neither Price included Tips or other incidentals. So just comparing the basic cruise fare the Royal Caribbean was $2650.64 cheaper and gave us quiet a bit more space and comfort with two staterooms and two bathrooms! (Did I mention I have two teen daughters?)

 

This enormous difference in price made it an easy decision. Of course I am very well aware of the fact that Disney is still selling out their ships so I have no answer for when I will ever be able to cruise with them again. Maybe it was a mistake to price shop…. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

 

 

However, After sailing for a buddies wedding cruise on the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas Ship in August of 2014 I do understand there are differences between these cruise lines. There is something about the level of service on a Disney Cruise that I just can’t explain. Maybe it’s the Kool-aid. I may never know. My last comment on this subject at least for now is this — We were on the Disney Wonder in June 2014 and the RCCL Navigator in August 2014 so we were able to compare the two cruise lines pretty fairly and both were fresh in our minds. I felt Disney was hands down the better cruise line…. The question for me was how much better. I guess I got my answer when looking for our Summer 2016 cruise. While Disney was better it was not almost 50% better… maybe 20%… Maybe 25% but not almost 50%!!

 

So that’s how we arrived at this sailing.

 

We booked the cruise on April 3rd 2015 -

 

Oasis of the Seas - Eastern Caribbean 2 July 2016

Let the count down begin - 439 Days…. Ugh that’s going to be a long wait!

 

Please forgive me if I revert to comparing to Disney…It’s what I know. For instance no one can tell you exactly when “Excursions and things” open up for booking on the RCCL website. On Disney there are specific rules.

 

Platinum level can book 120 days prior to sailing, Gold 105 days, *and Silver 90 days. *First time cruisers, who are not yet Castatway Club members, may book 75 days.

 

There has been quite a bit of confusion on our Roll Call for this cruise because Royal opened some onboard reservations while holding back others. This led to the inevitable questions about show changes or cancellations. And since there is apparently a large private group on our sailing some thought they were taking over some of the show areas and blocking the rest of the cruise passengers from a full Royal experience. IE - Letting “CATS” go dark or maybe a private viewing for the large private group… maybe…. Let me cut to the chase… This was all nonsense. Royal just delayed opening different type of reservations. There was not a set release date for anything.

 

Here is a summary of when I was able to book on board shows and excursions:

 

74 days till cruise -

 

19 April - Frozen in Time Ice Show - This is approximately when it became available

19 April - Oasis of Dreams Aqua Show - Again this approximately when it became available

 

19 April - Labadee Dragon’s Breath Flight Line - Zip Line - This had been available for a long time. I was just waiting to book it. I chose the 11:30 AM availability. I felt like 11:30 was a good time but I guess we’ll see how that day goes. As a side note this is the only “excursion” we have booked for the entire trip. We might add another excursion but nothing on the web site jumps out at us. We are going to be happy just to be on island time for the week with no real set schedule.

 

67 Days till cruise -

 

26 April - Headliner Showtime,

26 April - Stand up Comedy Show

26 April - Cats

26 April - Come Fly with Me show

 

So these shows opened up 67 days prior to the cruise. Kind of an odd time. There does’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for when shows become available. Just a tiny bit frustrating but not the end of the world. We booked these shows immediately upon seeing they were available. Also, I learned they were available by someone on our Roll Call. So here’s my plug for joining your Roll Call. It’s great to have a bunch of eye balls watching RCCL’s website since there seems there is no schedule to making shows available.

 

A Little More About Our Summer Vacation

 

This isn’t just a cruise… Oh No. We are a very travel friendly family (This means we like to travel) Plane, Train, Automobile, Hike… Whatever.. Just try to see it all.

This trip will begin bright and EARLY on Tuesday the 28th of June. How Early? Must you ask?

 

Let me preface my next statement by the rule follower in me… We must be at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure.

 

Our Flight leaves Austin at 5:10…………AM - It even hurts to type it. This means our vacation will officially start around 2:30 AM Tuesday Morning the 28th of June.

 

2:30 AM - Leave the house

3:00 AM - Arrive at the Airport

3:00 AM - 4:30 AM Wait patiently waiting and realizing absolutely nothing is open in the airport this early in the morning

4:30 AM - Board my Southwest Airlines Direct flight to Ft Lauderdale that I only paid $64.98 per person for. Whoo-Hoo! By the Way Total Round Trip Austin to Fort Lauderdale for my family of 4 - Drum Roll Please - $519.84 Thank you Mr. Saint Paddies Day Sale!

5:10 AM - And we are on our way

 

Scheduled Arrival in Fort Lauderdale is 8:55 AM (EST)

 

We are then renting a car and driving to Savannah, Georgia. It’s a goal of mine to get my daughters to all 50 states before they finish High School. We’ve got 9 states to go and only 4 more summers to get it done! We will make Savannah Base camp for 3 days and visit sites in Georgia and South Carolina knocking out two more states off our list! On the 1st of July we’ll drive back down to Fort Lauderdale and turn in the rental car.

 

I know what you’re thinking…. Why not just fly into Savannah and rent the car there? Two reasons the air fare sale mentioned above and the ridiculous drop fee when renting a car in one location and dropping at a different location. I don’t mind spending money on vacation but I can’t stand wasting money……ever! Those two reason would have easily added over $1000 to the cost of the trip.

 

Anyway - After dropping the car back at the FT Lauderdale airport I’ll take the free shuttle from the airport to the Hampton Inn (Airport North Cruise Port Location)

 

We will stay 1 night in the Hampton Inn and then Board the Oasis on the 2nd

Then we will cruise, cruise, cruise (yada yada yada)

and disembark on the 9th.

 

Finally, We will spend the last two nights at the Margaritaville Resort on Hollywood Beach. This is our detox time before having to go home. This is a new resort in Hollywood Florida that I think just opened a few months ago. We are really looking forward to this part of the trip!

 

Last but not least we fly home the night of July 11th. This is another painful moment. Yes it’s a direct flight but it’s not scheduled to depart until 10:50pm with an arrival the next day at 12:40am.

 

So that is the basic synopsis of our trip! I hope you’ll join us for the ride.

 

The Drink Package challenge - What’s the square root of 7 * 98 + e4 * pi / 4 bottles of rum

This is the formula for figuring out whether or not the drink package is worth it. At least it seems that way by the way people talk on the boards. It seems like rocket science trying to figure out whether or not a drink package is worth the money.

 

I believe there is some level of value just having the ability to grab a drink and never think about the cost or budget. Kind of like the fact that Disney includes the cost of sodas in the price of the cruise. Of course like everyone else I do a little bit of math to make sure the drink package isn’t just plane foolish. So here is my math for the drink package.

 

For my wife and daughters

Royal Replenish - $156.94 Per Person or $22.42 per day

 

All three drink “foo-foo” coffee drinks (Yes I know Starbucks is not included) and I’ve already caught some or their wrath for this. I do expect each of them to give the Seattle’s Best at the Cafe Promenade a try. (At least I am told it’s Seattle’s Best) I guess we will see.

 

The prices below are the values I have assigned Not the actual on board prices since I don’t have those handy. I will update my review with actual numbers during the cruise.

Daily Coffee drink - $4.00

Dailey OJ at breakfast - $3.00

Dailey Soda Drink at Lunch and Dinner at $3 each - $6.00

3 bottles of water per day at $2 each - $6.00

1 Milk Shake or foo-foo drink daily - $5.00

Total for each day - $24.00

 

Again this is a simple estimate of what I think my wife and girls will drink in a typical day on the cruise. Some days they will drink more and some less, but on average I know each of them would spend $20-$25 a day on drinks.

 

For myself I have purchased the Ultimate package - $437.78 ($62.54 per day)

I will drink enough frozen margaritas to make this cost a non-issue.

 

Just in case you didn’t know - Royal Caribbean Margaritas are Not all created equally. I learned this on the Navigator in 2014. Up at the pools the Margaritas were made with a cheap mixer…. At the R Bar they were made with fresh limes, strawberries and a top shelf tequila upon request…. MmmmmTasty.

 

Inter-Webs Package

 

I am not a fan of being connected while on vacation. I’ve spent too many years in IT where I was the only expert on a specific group of systems and always available meant ALWAYS! I could bore you with the true story of getting a call about a server down while standing at Old Faithful and missing the excitement of the initial blast, or the time…… Never-mind - let’s not dwell on those times. I am currently part of a talented IT team where going on vacation for the most part means actually going on vacation.

 

So NO Inter-webs for me this trip!

 

But wait - I have teenage daughters. Their faces will melt if they don’t have inter-webs. It’s true - I’ve seen it happen. And the inter-webs is on sale. Dad we just have to keep our snap chat streaks alive! Dad….Dad…… DADDY!

 

Fine we’ll get the inter-webs package. There goes family time……

 

Voom Surf + Stream - 4 Devices - $274.19

 

Little do they know that with Inter-webs comes the ability for mom and dad to keep closer tabs on them anyway. “I didn’t hear my phone” cannot be used as an excuse when it is common knowledge that teen girls have their phones surgically attached to them at all times!

 

Also due to the fact that we bought the Inter-webs package I will be attempting to periscope from the cruise. I fear I won’t be that interesting but I will give it a try. I have asked my girls to be involved with that… We will see how it goes! You can find us on periscope @bajadahl

 

 

Final Pre-Cruise thoughts -

 

So there you have it. Our basic plan for our family of 4 with grandma and grandpa along for the ride. Feel free to ask me questions along the way and I will do my best, within reason, to find answers.

 

You can ask things like -

 

Do they make you walk the plank if your wife takes a sip of your rum (from the drink package)?

They probably won’t make her walk the plank, but heaven knows I would! Don’t touch my drink, If you wanted some you should have ordered one! Just like french fries at MickeyD’s!!!

 

Can one person really take up space on 6 loungers by the pool?

I don’t know but I’ll give it my best shot!

 

Do they really flog you if you show up at the MDR in shorts and flip flops?

(We might have to draw straws to see who tests this one)

 

 

As you you have probably gathered by now, the further I get into this the saltier I'll get. This should be a fun trip!

 

Enjoy -

Alan

Hey there we will be there too. I love reading your plans. How did your packing go???

Ya'll be safe, it's a 4 1/2 hour drive for us.

7/1- Dropping the dog off at the best kennel here in town

Finish packing, loading the car, setting up GPS.

7/2- Leaving for the Port around 6:00am.

See Ya'll in 10 dayZ :-D :-D

Your show times will not conflict as Quest is held at 10:30 PM and the last show is typically over before 10:00 PM. In our experience it has been on day 5 or 6, depending on ship and as I recall Oasis was day 6. But perhaps someone else can confirm.

What is "the quest"? It sounds like fun. We are going on the Oasis in 10 days. Sorry to ask, but have only been on 2 cruises and I don't want to miss out on the fun :-)

Thank you

I really want to have a mimosa or 4 with breakfast in the morning, but I don't plan on eating breakfast in the MDR. Where else on ship can I get mimosas in the morning?

 

 

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I want to have breakfast on our balcony, can I order mimosas with our room service breakfast?

Thank you :-)

Hey guys,

 

Just wondering if anyone has the menus for Breakfast and Lunch in the MDR?

Since the is the subject of lunch, I was wondering on embarkation day where can I go to get escargot???

Thank you so much

Thank you! That would be great if you could scan them on here. The ones on the blog page are TINY. I can't seem to enlarge them so I thought I'd just zoom in and scroll around, but that's about 2-3 lines at a time !!!

Just read this Compass and you can adjust the print size. Now I am more excited for our cruise. :-D

Yeah!!!! I wish ya'll the BEST vacation ever. :-) I am so happy for u