Oasis Cruise - 5/7-5/14 - with children ages 5 & 7

[2CRUISEIN2011]

HI -- It's early morning here in the Midwest -- we just got back last night from the most AMAZING vacation on the Oasis --- (Eastern Caribbean)

Just wanted to share lots of thoughts -- please remember these are MY thoughts and opinions --

 

 

We are First time cruisers -- we traveled with a 5 and 7 year old --- it was an awesome vacation for our family. I have nothing else to compare it to -- so here we go -this will be a longggg review.....

 

* Embarkation -- easy - easy - easy --- We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Friday -- took a shuttle to the Courtyard by Marriott -- nice hotel, but if you don't have a car (we didn't) -- you have to eat in the hotel -- which was OK -- no real easy places to walk to --

 

We took a Shuttle to the Port on Saturday at 9:45 AM and arrived a bit after 10:00 AM -- The porters took our luggage ... (don't forget to put on your luggage tags) -- we did tip them-- and we entered the building --

 

It was like a ghost town -- no lines what-so-ever ---

We walked through security and then to the line where we picked up our Sea Passes and they looked at our Passports---

 

NO Lines -- the woman helping us was very nice -

After receiving our Sea Pass -- we went around the corner and they were talking some "Welcome Aboard" Family shots and kids pictures ---

Again -- NO lines ---

They are very good about talking the family shot, then taking pictures of just the kids. (which I prefer)

 

A note about luggage -- I tend to pack everything but the kitchen sink--- I am in my mid-forties and I'm not about to change from doing this. We took a 28, 27, 25 and 21 inch suitcase, plus two backpacks.

I LOVE taking lots of clothes, shoes, and other stuff...

 

If you can get by with one small suitcase, - then great-go for it--

 

I can't and won't ---- so I packed a ton -- and for us -- it worked out great -- I was able to unload everything into the cabinets, shelves and closets in our cabin- it was fine. The two smaller suitcases, fit inside the bigger ones and then stored under the bed ---

 

Getting back to embarkation -- once we took our photos -- we took the escalator up to the next level where the kids HAD to receive their "muster Drill station wristband"

 

This is required that they must wear them at ALL times ---In case of an emergency and the kids are in Adventure Ocean club -- then they can get your child to the proper Safety station and get them to you---

 

If I was thinking at the time -- I would have seen if they could wear them on their ankle instead --The only bad thing about these bands are they are NEON colored -- when you take beautiful "formal" pictures -- and your children are dressed up in their "finest" clothes -- these "LOVELY" bands stick out like a sore thumb in the pictures --

So I would ask to see if they could wear them on their ankle -- I'm not sure if they would allow this, but it can't hurt to ask ---

 

Once the kids had their bands, we were told where to sit --

 

One one side of the building, it is reserved for the people with "Status" --

The other side is for us un-statused people (is that a word???) ---

 

Getting on the ship is verrry organized -- it was about 11:15 or so when we were able to get on the ship -- You are told when to leave --they go by sections ---

 

Then we walked on to this most AMAZING ship ---WOW!!!

 

 

We had made ALL of our reservations for shows before arriving on the ship -- I highly recommend you doing this --

 

*We did eat lunch in the Windjammer -- when we got there -- it was not that crowded -- the people working were very kind and helpful towards us --

 

As far as the staff, servers, etc.. on this ship -- we thought they were FABULOUS !!!!! Everyone was kind to us and helpful ---

Again -- this was our experience ---

My children are very social and love to talk . They talk to anyone and everyone -- the staff always talked to them and were very friendly !

 

We did check in at Adventure Ocean Club -- There is a form you have to fill out for each child.

You do not have to do it early, but we did --

There were three staff members in the Adventure Ocean theater waiting to help us.

There were NO other people waiting --

I was able to ask lots of questions about the club and how it worked--

The three people working (especially KARA from England -- LOVED her so much ) were so kind and friendly to my kids.

 

They told us that on this cruise -- out of almost 6000 passengers -- there were ONLY 400 kids -- half of which were teenagers --

 

It was FABULOUS --- I loved not having a zillion children around -- it meant that MY kids didn't have long lines for activities and the class sizes in the Adventure Ocean were verrry small --

It was Perfect!!!! :)

 

 

Rooms were not ready until a little after 1:00 -- so I did have their swimsuits and sunscreen with me -- so we went into the public bathrooms and changed . They kids had to get into the pools -- they were so very excited to swim --

 

The public bathrooms are quite lovely -- and clean ---

 

Rooms were ready after 1:00 and we were able to unload our carry on bags --

We met our Room attendant - Stefan --

He was FABULOUS _-

I truly think we had the best of the best waiting on us on this trip -- everyone was so great! I can't say enough positive things about them -

So helpful -- I felt so pampered --- it was awesome--

 

 

As far as our room -- we were on Deck 12 -- room 212 -- Port side with a balcony --The bed was near the closet--

 

It was fine --

 

I heard someone complain about how small the rooms are --

Seriously -- Royal Caribbean is very clear on the size of the rooms -- they give the measurements in the description of the rooms on their website.

 

If they are too small for you -- then either -- don't come on the Oasis or reserve a bigger room --

 

(Just my opinion :)

 

We thought the rooms were great -- yes- they are tight -- but that's what we expected --

 

As I mentioned earlier -- I was able to put everything away in the closet, shelves, etc.. It was tight, but it worked --

 

We were only in the room to sleep and to dress, so we didn't spend much time there..

 

Stefan -- ALWAYS made sure we had fresh towels during the day --

We would shower in the morning, he would change the towels and we would have fresh ones by the evening -- If we used those -- he would change them again -- We never had to ask for clean ones -- he always made sure we had them ...

 

He made wonderful towel animals for us each day --

The kids LOVED them so much!!

 

Make sure you take time to ready the Daily Cruise compass - -LOTS of great information and schedules for the day.

 

The TV in your room also gives you lots of info ---It's very easy to order room service from the TV, check your account, etc... You can also see menus for the Main Dining room and other restaurants on the TV .

 

For Sail Away -- we did attend the Family Sail Away party at the Aqua Theater at 5:15 pm ---- It was great - lots of music for the kids to dance to and some of the Dreamworks Characters were at the party --

 

We chose the Early Time Dining at 6:00 pm -- it worked out great for our family. --

We had a table on Opus Dining room Deck 4 -- and had a table by the window, looking out at the water -- It was Perfect!!

 

Our waiter was Sherman and our Assistant Waiter was Alper..

Again -- I am going to rant and rave about the people that served us --

These two men were fabulous, wonderful, caring, joyful, etc...

They were great!! We loved them so much, my kids adored them. Our service was amazing --

After the first day, they knew our names, they knew what we liked to drink, our likes and dislikes -- it was so great--

 

My daughter ordered the fruit bowl every night for an appetizer -- she only likes the cantaoupe and grapes -- It also comes with strawberries and pineapple --

Sherman asked her if she liked the strawberries and pineapple, she said "No"--

The next day -- he made sure that there was ONLY cantaloupe and grapes in the bowl -- We didn't ask him to do this-- he just did it on his own...

 

They always greeted my kids with "high-5's" and called my little girl "princess" --

My daughter would hug them everyday --

 

On the last day -- we had tears in our eyes -- we took pictures with them -- they were so great --

My children wrote little "Thank You" notes to Sherman and Alper -- You could tell that they were so touched by these little notes --

 

Our family will miss these two gentlemen -- they were awesome!!!

 

The food was good --

I am NOT a "foodie" -- I feel very Blessed to be able to go on a cruise like this --

Our family doesn't eat in "five-star" restaurants and we are not picky --

As long as it's not raw -- we are good to go ---

 

I am just grateful that I didn't have to do any cooking for a week ---

 

My son loved the pizza and fries -- my daughter ate mac n cheese, spaghetti, chicken and pizza --

 

My husband and I did not starve --

 

We only ate at one Specialty restaurant - We ate at Giovannis -- It was good and again our waiter - Constatine (spelling??) was great..

 

He did magic tricks for my kids -- while we waited for our food to be served--

 

We chose to eat at the "free" restaurants -- it was good for us -- and we never went away hungry.

 

My son will miss going to Sorrentos at 10:00pm to get his slice of pizza before bed ---LOL

 

As far as beverages -- they only have Apple juice in the morning - just so you know -

 

There are always waiters/servers around at the shows, the pool, the restaurants, etc.. that are more than happy to get you a drink of some sort --

 

 

The shows were great --

We saw the Aqua Show, Come Fly with Me, and Frozen In Time--All were fabulous.

 

My kids loved sitting in the "splash zone" during the Aqua show and during the Fountain show --

 

If you have children -- get to the Frozen in Time show very early --

They have four "special" seats reserved for children --

These kids will get to ride in a SWAN boat during the show -- they are pushed around on the ice --

 

My kids were selected to sit in these seats -- they LOVED riding in that Swan and being pushed around -- it was fun to watch!!!

 

The headliner for our cruise was a ventriliquist (spelling??) -- he was AWESOME and very funny.

 

The comedy show was so very funny!! This is an 18 or older show and they do use bad language.

If you can't handle the bad language - -then I would recommend that you skip this show.

 

That being said -- it was sooooo funny -----It's been a long time since I laughed that hard ---These two comedians are great!!

 

 

My kids really enjoyed going to Adventure Ocean . Each day had a different theme. My kids were in different classes --

The staff was great -- I felt verrry safe leaving my kids with the Adventure Ocean Staff -- Everything is very secure --

I did meet some people that "lied" about their kids age so their kids could be in the same class.

 

I did not do this -- my kids are very social and have no problems in "new" situations -- so they did attend separate classes.

 

I could have lied about my daughters age, so she could be with her brother -- but I did not --

 

My daughter is 5 (six in July ) and was in the Aquanauts group (ages 3-5) and my son is 7 and was in the Explorers group. (ages 6-9)

 

Brandon loved the Pirate day and parade -- (day 3)

Both kids participated in the Adventure Ocean Talent Show - on day 6.

It was cute and they got to perform on the Adventure Ocean Theater stage.

 

 

 

There are lots of kids activities on the Boardwalk on Sea Days --games, little prizes, craft, etc...

It was fun and because there were not a zillion children on the ship -- it wasn't that crowded.

 

The kids loved riding the Carousel -- it's a very pretty one --

 

The kids pool was nice -- my son especially loved that whirlpool and the hot tub for kids....

 

Both kids met little friends that they saw each day --

We even took picture of them together -- it was very cute!!

We met some very nice families from New Jersey, Maryland and New Orleans.

 

They had Face Painting, Balloon creations and Air Tattoos during the week --

 

My daughter and I had matching butterfly Air Tattoos on our legs. They were very pretty. They also added glitter to the tattoo -- it was neat.

 

The Tattoos do cost money --

 

OH -- I forgot to mention -- when in the Main Dining room -- the kids menu is a thing for them to color and draw on --

They give you the menu, but they do NOT have crayons -- so bring either some with you or a pen so your children can color on the menu while they wait for their dinner to arrive. (just a little tip)

 

My hubby did the flowrider and zipline -- he enjoyed both.

 

Both my husband and son did the rock wall -- I was proud of my son -- he got about half way up -- he did a great job ---

 

The line for all of those things was pretty short --they never had to wait that long - maybe 5 minutes at most ---

 

Make sure you get your waivers signed before coming on the trip -- it's just easier to have it done prior to getting on the ship ..

 

You must have tennis shoes for the zipline ---You will also need your Seapass to check in to those places.

 

 

As far as excursions -

 

In the Bahamas -- we just got off the ship for a short while and shopped at the nearby stores -- the got back on the ship and enjoyed it with fewer people.

 

In St. Thomas we did book the Megan's Bay Excursion --

It was rainy that day --

We were not that impressed with Megan's Bay -- I personally would not recommend this excursion -- I was not impressed with the area at all.

It didn't help that it did rain --

 

The waters were pretty -- but beach area was not impressive at all.

 

In St. Maartan we went to Orient Beach -- It was so very beautiful and we loved it!!

 

Yes -- they did mention there is a nudist beach down the way, but we didn't go near that area --

 

They do allow topless people to walk down and I did see two women that were topless, but it really was no big deal.

 

My children did NOT even notice, because they were too busy playing in the sand and water.

 

The waters were beautiful. The weather was perfect !

The crowds were very small , which made it very nice.

 

ON this excursion , they had lunch for us (ribs, chicken or fish) -- it was decent. We also were given comfy lounge chairs and you could pay $3.00 for an umbrella --

It was a very nice area --

You could also get drinks -alcohol, etc...

 

We rode their in an air-conditioned bus and our guide Vilma was great!

 

At all the islands, you could have your hair braided.

 

My daughter wanted this done and so she got a few braids.

On St. Maarten it was $2.00 a braid ---

 

These women walk around selling anklets, bracelets, scarves and braids...

They were very friendly, but could be a bit pushy --

I just politely said "no-thank You -- to them if I didn't want to look at their stuff and they were polite and moved on .....

 

 

I would highly recommend the Orient Beach excursion -- !

 

 

Overall, the weather on the trip was really nice, except for the rainy day on St. Thomas --

 

 

Did want to mention that YES -- you can feel motion this this huge boat.

Our last two days at Sea, the boat was rocking and rolling ! :)

 

They had to cancel the "Splish splash" Aqua Show because of the rolling of the ship.

 

I took Ginger Root the entire week -- "just in case" ---

I would highly recommend that you bring some kind of motion sickness tablets pills -- (just in case)

 

 

Ginger Root is a natural remedy -- no side effects --

It works for me -- and I had no problems.

 

My kids were not bothered by the motion -- they thought it was fun-- They would put something on the table and it would roll back and forth --

 

At night -- the closet doors would slide back and forth -- if they had not been shut all the way --

 

 

 

We LOVED sitting out on our balcony watching the sunrise in the morning --It was very beautiful.

 

We also went out to the front of the boat -- Deck 14 - forward -- to stargaze and to watch them guide the ship into port.

 

Make sure to go to all the parades and such --- It could get crowded on the Promenade (Deck 5) -- but they were fun to watch.

 

 

Richard Spacey is a great Cruise Director -- very funny guy!!

 

We enjoyed watching the volleyball and Belly Flop competitions.

 

We did not go to the Quest or Marriage show - but heard they were fabulous and very funny!!

 

 

As far as the Character Meet and Greet -- they have them each day and different times --

They kids met Shrek, Fiona, Po, Stoick, Puss N Boots, King Julien, Gloria and , Alex the Lion.

 

 

We attended (you must make reservations for this) TWO character meals -- both on Sea Days (Monday and Friday)

 

It was so fun -- the kids loved it.

The waiters all danced around when the characters came out --

They had a special menu for the morning -- it was very cute and the breakfast was good.

 

The character interaction was great. --- just like Disney --

We got some good pictures of the characters with the kids.

 

 

Formal nights are on Sunday and Thursday for the Eastern Caribbean cruise --

I highly recommend dressing up -- it's so fun.

We are an busy family and we don't dress up for anything -- so this was special. I enjoyed seeing my 7 year old in a suit/tie/vest and my daughter loves dressing up..

 

There are always people around to take photos -- they turned out so great.

 

You can go up to FOCUS -- Aft -- level 6 to look at them on the screens.

 

I purchased the CD and the Photobook a month prior to leaving on our cruise . You can do it online when you make reservations. I feel it was well worth the money.

 

The Photo book is a nice keepsake -- my son is taking it to school tomorrow to show his class. They only put in 25 of your pictures, but it's a nice -hard bound book.

 

There are tons of photographers around the Promenade & Central Park to take your pictures in different settings --

We loved the pictures.

 

 

For us, it was well worth the money to buy the CD to get all the pictures --

Otherwise you can buy individual pictures .

 

For an 8x10 it was $19.95 and the 5x6 pictures were $9.95 -- They are expensive, but again a nice keepsake..

 

If you do order the Photobook, you have to have your order done by Friday at 3:00pm -- I was able to pick it up that night around 10:30pm.

 

Towel stations around around the pool -- you will need your Seapass to get one -

You must turn them in sometime, otherwise you will be charged $25.00.

 

The Solarium is very nice ---My hubby and I enjoyed some time in their without the kids.

 

My hubby did get a massage for his birthday -- He enjoyed it.

 

Oh -- I did have them decorate the cabin for his birthday -- I had ordered the stuff from the Gifts and Gear section online. I also had brought some 40th Birthday stuff from home -- it was all put up in the room on Wednesday while we were at dinner -- The kids loved all the decorations, so did hubby -- it was fun -- .

 

My kids did make a Pet At Sea animal -- It's just like Build a Bear --- This place is located on the Boardwalk, next to the Ice Cream shop .

 

 

Disembarkation -- was easy -- not a problem -- you just had to wait until your number was called --we had no problems.

 

I give our trip 10 stars -- it was the best !

 

I'm sure there will be people that had a different experience, but ours was very Positive !!

 

We were very sad to get off the boat and come back to the Midwest -- we are already talking about booking the Allure next.

 

 

I do have the Cruise Compass for the week, but I don't have a scanner -- so it will be a little tough to post them.

 

If you have any questions -- just ask --:)

 

For those that will be traveling soon -- I wish you a fabulous cruise!!

[bellaphia]

Loved reading your report-great info!!

one question-did the Aventure Ocean staff give you a "DECT" phone? I've been reading a ton about these and some are saying they are free if you have a child in the Adventure Ocean Club?? also if they did did they give you two since you had your children in different clubs?

thanks again for the info-

[2CRUISEIN2011]

I did ask -- they had them there -- but was told that they are only given to the babies and toddler age group --

 

They do have a number that you can use your room phone to call and check up on the kids ---

[OasisFamily2011]

Thanks for the review! We are doing Oasis with a 5 and 7 year old in July. We have cruised before but never with our kids.

 

Were there boogie boards available for rent at Orient Beach?

 

I had to smile at your comment about not having to cook for a week. I think there are a lot of parents on board who are grateful to have somebody else taking care of meals!

[2CRUISEIN2011]

I want to say YES -- I am pretty sure you can rent them -- we didn't, but I think you could --

 

They also had these floating rafts, you could go parasailing, get a massage, etc....

 

Just ask your guide that takes you there --

Ours was Vilma -- and she was fabulous and answered any questions we had--

[ArkieCruisin]

Great review! Thanks for sharing!

[2CRUISEIN2011]

Some other thoughts ---

 

We did play Bingo -- didn't win --but it was fun.

 

Hubby and I played trivia with some nice people from San Francisco and Philly--

 

We (hubby and I) listened to some nice Jazz in Blaze.

 

They also had nice "live" music in Central Park -- again Hubby and I strolled through and stopped to listen & get a drink.

 

The kids would go to Adventure Ocean once a day -- they either picked the morning, afternoon or evening session -- then hubby and I had some time to ourselves.

 

They could have gone more -- but we were on a "family" vacation and wanted to do things together as a family.

 

I did meet a family that had "babysitters" that came to their cabin in the evenings. -- they were very pleased with them -

 

They sent TWO people in the evening and they had the same two people come each time they used the babysitting service --

Not sure what the fee was, but they thought it was worth it --

 

We also enjoyed playing Ping pong/table tennis and played several rounds of Putt Putt golf.

We never felt like it was ever that crowded -- except for the parades and parties on the Promanade.

 

Hubby and I also went in the Casino to play slots -- we are not gamblers -- but it was still fun.

 

One side is smoking (gag-- cough cough ) The other side is non smoking -- The night we went, the smell wasn't bad at all.

 

They do have smoking areas on the ship -- we avoided them like the plague.

 

 

We enjoyed looking at all the art on the ship -- kids weren't into it much -- but hubby and I enjoyed looking at the pieces.

 

 

They have these periscope/binocular thingys that you could look in and see different animals and things --- they are all over the ship -- my kids had to look in them whenever we passed one ---

They are kind of high -- so we always had to lift the kids up or they kind of lifted themselves up and held on with their legs on the pole.

 

Everyday they had some kind of "sale" in the promanade -- I avoided those areas-- really didn't need a watch or a scarf or jewelry that badly-- it got really crowded and crazy around those tables/kiosks.... it kind of reminded me of Black Friday sales in November--- it was nuts.....

 

I'm sure I will have more thoughts later...

[2CRUISEIN2011]

Yep -- I have another thought

 

 

On FRIDAY, the ship has WALK FOR WISHES -- it's their charity for Make a Wish for terminally ill children and their families.

 

 

Sign ups were at 10:30 at the Aqua Theater and the Walk was on the track at 11:00 -- It's only ONE mile --- a couple times around the track - easy-peasy--- There is nothing like walking with that wonderful Sea-Breeze blowing your hair as you walk around the track..

 

 

Our family took time to do this one small act to help others --

We were told that on our cruise there were TWO Make a Wish families on the ship ---

 

It was a blessing for us to be able to donate $10.00 per person -- to walk for such a good charity --- You even get a nice T-shirt for that $10.00.

 

I highly recommend you take some time -- to participate! :)

[funat55]

Thank you for posting your review. It was very thorough and informative. I learned a couple of new things from your review that I did not know. Thanks for the hint about taking the crayons to the dining room. Someone without kids wouldn't have thought about that. My grandson will be 6 next week and I can hardly wait to see the look on his face when we arrive.

 

You folks sound very positive and upbeat. That is how our family is too. We "go with the flow" and don't let trivial glitches get in the way of a good time.

 

I hope there are more families like you when we take our cruise in September.

[2CRUISEIN2011]

OK -- I'm looking through pictures (I should be doing the ton of laundry) -- and keep coming up with some other things to tell you --

 

The kids did the cupcake decorating class -- the gal that was leading it was very nice -- they made a MONKEY cupcake -- it was cute.

 

The kids enjoyed the Arcade -- though the games were $1.00 a piece -- you put the money on your seapass card -- there are machines in the Arcade to do this --

 

Hubby and I rode on the Rising Tide bar -- had to do it once --

 

When you get off in the Bahamas and go through the black gates -- look over to the right on the rocks -- you will see lots and lots of iguanas.

 

Our waiter Sherman told us about them the night before and sure enough - there were lots of them hanging out on the rocks. :)

[Merion_Mom]

2cruisein2011:

 

I have LOVED reading your posts. Your enthusiasm jumps off the screen! I am glad that you and your family had such a wonderful vacation and such a happy introduction to cruising!

 

Welcome to our addiction!

 

:)

[didicruiser]

Thanks for the review. W:)e'll be going on the Oasis in Feb and can't wait

[cruzkitty]

Thanks for your Review-loved it and love your attitude!!:D

[xmasteach]

We will be on the Oasis in June. Even though we are adults I signed us up for a character breakfast. Counting the days.:D

[chris153]

do you know the exact name of the excursion (or number) you did in st. maarten? Was it a ship excursion. It sounds just like something I would like. How long were you at the beach?

[2CRUISEIN2011]

I can't remember the exact name -- but it was the Orient Beach excursion -- booked through Royal Caribbean --

 

When you got off the ship -- you just wait by the ship -- eventually someone will come with a sign that says "Orient Beach excursion " -- you stand in a line until they are ready to walk you to the bus...

 

It was a total of five hours -- We left at 9:30 and got back by 2:30--

 

We traveled in the air conditioned bus -- Vilma talked the entire trip to the beach giving us info about both the French and Dutch side of the island , history, etc....--

 

It was a 20 minute drive to the beach --

 

It included the cushioned lounge chairs, the beach umbrella -you paid an extra $3.00 for that umbrella -- The lounge chairs were arranged in either groups of two or in groups of four --

 

Then you had lunch and a welcome drink --

 

If you wanted another drink, etc.. -- you paid for it at the bar..

 

ON the way back -- they did drop off people in the shopping district --

However -- if you did that -- YOU had to get your own taxi to get back to the ship --

 

You had to be back on the ship by 4:30 (ship time)

[Doglady]

Wonderful review!!! Glad you had such a good time. We go in September. Any way you could post the compasses? Would love to see them to plan stuff. Thanks in advance.

[cruisebabe50]

What is the rising tide bar? That sounds interesting.:rolleyes:

[2CRUISEIN2011]

The Rising Tide is a bar -- It is an open air BAR that goes UP and down about three levels. It's a slow open-air Elevator -- it's kind of large oval shape bar

 

When the bar is UP -- there is a water fountain display that shoots off water ---

 

You can get drinks on the bar.

It's especially busy right before dinner --

 

It holds about 25 to 30 people -- I'm just guessing here -- it might hold more, it might hold less -- not really sure...

 

You get a great view of the Promenade when you are UP ----

 

My hubby and I enjoyed a drink on it --

I did see a child on it, but we didn't bring our kids on it -- they were in Adventure Ocean club.

 

If you can get on it -- it's a great place to watch the parades and parties ---It's usually verrry crowded during these times ..

[Realtor at Sea]

I really enjoyed your upbeat, energetic review. Can't wait to board on May 28th!

[sherilyn70]

We will be on the Oasis in June. Even though we are adults I signed us up for a character breakfast. Counting the days.:D

 

I was wondering if kidless couples signed up for it. I figured there had to be some... I know I want to! lol

[wendyam76]

Thank you for the great review. And yes my mum and I (and I'll be 42!) have signed up for the character breakfasts - why not is my motto!

Wendy

[2CRUISEIN2011]

Oh - yes -- couples can sign up --

 

On Monday -- it was the Shrek characters -- Shrek, Fiona and PussnBoots.

 

On Friday -- we had Madagascar -- Alex, Gloria and King Julien.

 

There is another character breakfast on Thursday (the other Sea Day) -- I'm not sure who showed up to that one---

 

They reserve a small section of the MDR -for the character breakfast -- in the far left corner --

 

They played fun music and all the waiters in that area -- danced --

Let me tell you -- they can move---- It was fun to watch -- they really got into the music..

 

There was someone there to announce each character -- they came out one at a time ---

 

For breakfast there is a "Character breakfast" menu--

They also served a tray of "chocolate pastries -- yum......

 

It was a nice way to start off those two mornings! :)

[wendyam76]

Now I am even more excited for it!

[chris153]

I can't remember the exact name -- but it was the Orient Beach excursion -- booked through Royal Caribbean --

 

When you got off the ship -- you just wait by the ship -- eventually someone will come with a sign that says "Orient Beach excursion " -- you stand in a line until they are ready to walk you to the bus...

 

It was a total of five hours -- We left at 9:30 and got back by 2:30--

 

We traveled in the air conditioned bus -- Vilma talked the entire trip to the beach giving us info about both the French and Dutch side of the island , history, etc....--

 

It was a 20 minute drive to the beach --

 

It included the cushioned lounge chairs, the beach umbrella -you paid an extra $3.00 for that umbrella -- The lounge chairs were arranged in either groups of two or in groups of four --

 

Then you had lunch and a welcome drink --

 

If you wanted another drink, etc.. -- you paid for it at the bar..

 

ON the way back -- they did drop off people in the shopping district --

However -- if you did that -- YOU had to get your own taxi to get back to the ship --

 

You had to be back on the ship by 4:30 (ship time)

 

Thanks, that is exactly what I am looking for. Wanted a little longer time at the beach, while the hubby and kids are at lotorie farms on the zip line.s