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~Oasis Review with Pictures- Part 2- July 31 to August 6 Sailing

Windy56

By Windy56,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Windy56

Windy56

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Introduction

This will be Part 2 of my review and will include pictures as I go along. In Part 1, I focused on embarkation, the cabin and musicians and venues. I added pictures to that section, as well. If you hate detailed reviews, this one may not be for you. My feelings won't be hurt...honest. Hey wait. I saw that. Get back here! I craved detailed reviews before we left for our cruise two weeks ago, and so I decided, since I have the time and energy this week, that I will deliver one to my fellow cruisers. I am going to do it in a series of separate threads to make it easier for you to access new postings, without having to scroll down through text, photos and pages you have already read. The format is a report, followed by tips/suggestions for RCl and fellow cruisers, followed by photos from our trip. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it for you!

Shows

The shows were the best I have seen, at sea. Again, like the music venues, there was something for everyone. I have listed them below in no particular order.

The Adult Comedy Show made me laugh so hard that my rib cage hurt the next morning. The Comedy Club is an intimate space and as people entered, the host sat in the front corner and covering his mouth with a mic and a menu so he would not be noticed. He did this running commentary on each person who came in thought he door, doing a kind of monologue on what they were saying to their companion or what they were thinking, if they arrived alone. It was hysterical and people were great sports about it. He told me later that he had just started doing that particular gag that week and he was having fun with it. The first comic was Gary Delena and his act included retooling the lyrics of well known songs. His commentary about family life was very, very funny. Cracked me up. He's actually a really good guitar player, too. Eric Lyden, the second act, was delightfully irreverent about pretty much everything and pointed out that when he thought a joke didn't go over well, he would take a long drink of water on stage and if he thought the joke had really bombed, he would stare ruefully at the glass of water. It was a really funny ploy to tie everything together and never got tired. These two guys were so good that we purchased a CD from each one after their show.

Hairspray is a good choice for an afternoon show. I've seen the full production before, in Toronto, and this one was good. Clever sets, fun costumes, great dancing and catchy tunes. Combine that with some good sound advice about life and love and you've got yourself a winner.

Even though we had reservations for the Aqua Show, we decided on the second night to get an aerial view of the show by watching it from the small public deck, accessed at the end of the hall on Deck 14. We were lucky that the mechanical problems did not exist the week before last and the show did go on. I loved the "looking down on it all" perspective. I expected only diving and there was so much more, including trampoline work and aerial stunts. Quite a spectacle. This was the only show, however, where I thought the attempt to weave some kind of vague story around the activities going on was a bit distracting. Having said that, I was in awe over the precision achieved by these highly trained athletes.

Come Fly With Me was one of my favourite shows. I loved the theme of escaping our everyday lives and transcending it all. There was a real whimsical feeling to this production. From the opening scene, which combines real film footage blended with live performance to the fantastic use of a plane on the stage in the final scene, I was completely mesmerized. Although music was important in this show, I found myself focusing on the movements of the performers. For those of you who have been following "America's Got Talent" this summer, I couldn't help but think that the wall climbing couple would have been a graceful addition to the cast of this show.

My husband's favourite show was the headliner, Tony Tillman. This gentleman opened for Billy Cosby for many years and was an associate of Sammy Davis Jr. , while performing in Las Vegas. What I loved about him was his complete and utter confidence. What a seasoned performer! He truly commanded the stage and held the audience in the palm of his hand, through his sheer talent and total comfort on stage. He presents a whole range of music and he is really quite funny. He involves the audience through his song and dance routine. The big band sound of the Oasis of the Seas Orchestra backs him up and the musicians told me later how much they love working with him. It shows with the big grins on their faces and their cool synchronized moves while they are playing. Tony Tillman's version of Mister Bojangles will be one of those moments in theater that I I'll never forget - very sensitive and nuanced. I didn't want to blink for fear I would miss a passing expression on his face or a gesture in his dance. I only hope that I will get the opportunity to see him again. I love being that absorbed in a performance.

The Skating Show was really enjoyable and I don't especially like figure skiing. Go figure, no pun intended. Once again, variety dominated the performance from moving romantic dances to a gaggle of ducks cavorting on blades. A prearranged ride in an ice sled pulled by the skaters delighted the four children who were chosen just about as much as it did the audience, who had the pleasure of watching the sweet little expressions on their faces. There was never a dull moment and the skaters moved with expertise and joy, resulting from the hours of practice they must put in to get to that level of expertise and perfection. The sand artist, who provides a short break in the program, was magical in her ability to tell a story by moving sand with her hands on an illuminated glass plate which projects the images on to an overhead screen. Visit YouTube, if you have never seen this kind of art before. Really, really neat.

The Royal Caribbean Singers, backed up by the orchestra, perform a Summer Breeze Concert in the Aqua Theater on the fifth evening and it is a great show. I love the ambience in the theater with the seaside lounge chairs and the sultry night air. It's a really energetic show, so much so that I was dying to get up and dance. Music for the 40-50 year old crowd and it left me wanting more. Don't miss it!

Another fine time took place at 5:45, just after sailaway. It was the Rockin' Rhythm Nation Parade on the Royal Promenade. They do two parades. The second is the Lollapalooza and we missed it. So much to do... so little time! It was a great start to our cruise - a really colourful swirling line of crew members in costumes, some on stilts, all singing and dancing. Unfortunately, while I did watch the parade and I did take many, many pictures, the fact that I had been awake for 30 hours, had eaten little and had just consumed the strongest Long Island Tea ever mixed, resulted in a spotty memory of the whole vent. At least I didn't try to grab the stilts from some poor kid but I was gently nudged back by friendly security people, at some point during my overly zealous picture taking. I can assure you that the fake moustache and hat that I wore for the rest of the cruise in no way detracted from my enjoyment of my remaining time onboard this glorious vessel. It did reduce the number of kisses I got from my husband, though.

Last but not least - Richard Spacey. What can I say? This is a cruise director who goes beyond directing to acting. What a funny man. How he keeps up that level of enthusiasm, cruise after cruise, I will never know. It must be that he, quite simply, loves his job. His participation in the 70's disco dance party on the Promenade was too funny for words. People were too busy staring and/or laughing with him to actually dance but once it's over you want to see him do it all over, again and again. He does these little acts to warm up the audience before the main venue shows in the theater. His 6 minute montage of all the types of dancing your will see on the cruise ship must be modelled off of the "Evolution of Dance" video that went viral on YouTube a few years ago. Actually, I think Richard Spacey's version is better. His Limey Away video is a hoot and fellow Canucks should notice the Canadian Tire template ad in the last frame of the commercial. Kudos to his Canadian assistant cruise director who is a great match for his antics. I really liked them and enjoyed Spacey's never-ending supply of good humour and child-like merriment in everything he did. What a fantastic representative for RCL, and the industry, in general.

Note to RCL:

1) For the love of God and all that is holy, enforce your rules. This saving of seats, before shows, has got to stop. If a family of six wants to see the show, they should have their collective bottoms firmly planted in the seats, all at one time, Why do I have to sit off to the side and six rows back because Aunt Betsy and Uncle Bob want to enjoy a few more hands of poker in the casino, before the show starts? The rule is posted in the Compass and it is announced before the show starts. There should be security people in obvious places watching for this and your employees should not be afraid to strictly enforce the rule when they see people saving seats. I always get the impression that most are afraid of a scene and that they won't be supported by management if Mr. or Mrs. Cruise Passenger decides that rules are for other people and they want to kick up a fuss. Dare to emerge as a cruise line in the industry which has rules, enforces them and backs up their employees in doing so. I saw this, one night, at the Comedy Club when two people tried to sneak their underage son into the show. Not only did the RCL employee insist that the boy leave but she also pointed out that the father had been seen on camera sneaking the kid in. I wanted to give her a medal. Mother grumbled for ten minutes and father looked and acted sheepish. There's nothing worse than "pretend rules", except for, maybe, stale potato chips or uncomfortable seats on bicycles.

Note to Fellow Cruisers:

1) Make reservations for the Comedy Show, and like all shows, go early and order a drink, so that you get a good seat. Try to catch the comedians again, later in the cruise. They are that good.

2) Have your camera ready for the final bows in the show. You can get some really great shots of the cast then, since you are not allowed to take pictures during the shows, with the exception of the Ice Show. I don't recall them making an announcement to prohibit picture taking.

3) For the parades, try to get a seat in the centre area of the Promenade on the high stools near food or drink outlets. You will have a better view and you will be able to move around more, to position yourself for some good pictures. Avoid drinking a Long island Tea from Bolero's shortly before the parade begins. Tussling with security, when they try to move you over, is not a good idea. Contrary to public belief, the beds in the brig are not comfortable and the view can be beat. They do serve a nice minute steak, though.

4) For the Ice Show, try to get seats as close to the front as you can in the short end of the theater, just as you enter. The skaters will be skating toward you for most of the numbers and it is really the best spot to see the moves.

5) For the 70's Disco Dance Party, try to find a spot along the railing in the area where all the photo books are stored. Get as close to the far end as you can and you will be in the perfect spot to see the crazy antics of Richard Spacey and his gang.

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Windy56

Windy56

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Great pics...thanks for sharing.

 

We love the entertainment on rccl but we have seen Tony Tillman twice already. I would have thought that they would bring new headliners to the Oasis.

You're welcome. Actually, they rotate their headliner acts. Given any week, you could get somebody different.

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sunor

sunor

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Great review of the shows, Windy56, look forward to seeing them all. Love the photos.

 

Are you allowed to take photos with no flash?

 

Look forward to the next installment.

 

Thanks again

Suz

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Windy56

Windy56

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Great review of the shows, Windy56, look forward to seeing them all. Love the photos.

 

Are you allowed to take photos with no flash?

 

Look forward to the next installment.

 

Thanks again

Suz

 

Thanks, Suz. You are very kind.

 

They seemed to discourage picture taking of any kind during the shows. We didn't see too many people doing it.

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Windy56

Windy56

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I couldn't agree more about Richard Spacey. He is awesome! :D I wish I could sail with him on New Years Eve - that would be some wild party :eek:;)

Wouldn't it, though! You must have been on the Western itinerary the week before we went.

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Windy56

Windy56

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I can't wait to read the rest of your review.....

 

one of the best reviews ever.

 

 

Thanks so much! It's been fun writing it and posting the pictures but I may have run out of steam! Check out Part 1 which deals with the embarkation, the cabin and the musicians onboard...some photos there, too.

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