Oasis LIVE (one month later!) Review

[Familygoboston]

...You Haven't Seen the Flowrider!

Day 6 Thur, Dec 8 Sea Day

If you have done any reading at all about Oasis and Allure you know that each ship has two Flowriders, and that most reviewers share tales of how these powerful wave machines tear the clothing off of women like a sailor on leave. In the short time I watched, I saw a top and a bottom go missing, as well as an earring. Not even a one piece suit will save you, as we saw one woman have a one sided wardrobe malfunction. And both my DC and I can report that it also tore the pedicure right off our toes.

 

Now, when it comes to nudity, scientists have studied this issue and they have learned that there is a logarithmic decrease in interest in seeing a persons unclothed tush with the passing of each decade. So while all 6 or 7 billion of the earths inhabitants think seeing a babies tush is adorable, and a 20 year old's enjoyable, as you add decades any interest wanes markedly until (if you are very lucky) when you hit your 70's, there is just one single person left on the planet who is still interested in seeing your tushy! (Scientists also note that at this point, even you will not be interested in seeing your own tushie, assuming of course you can see at all!) Well, I do think of myself as being in pretty good condition for an old broad, but unfortunately, according to the research (which I made up entirely!), at my age, the odds of even one of the 6000 pax on the Oasis being interested is almost nill.

 

But did that stop me, even though it's been reported far and wide that people and their suits are parted on the Flow Rider?...oh no! So here is the story of how I came to be one of "those" people. One who parted with my suit on the Flow Rider, and the only consolation is that I was in a small private lesson, very early in the morning, so I only ruined the appetites of 4 or 5 people (DH is not talking), and to my everlasting good luck, there was no one in the "stands" to record my shame for Youtube. Given that there were only unreliable witnesses (it was early, and I'm sure they were partying the night before!) and no video evidence, I could have pretended that this never happened. But No...in the spirit of full disclosure, in order to make your cruise vacation better and safe, I am willing to... ahem...bare all and tell my tale.

 

After all my extensive research, I thought I would be safe with a surf bikini with an adjustable tie at the hip and a surf shirt over the sporty top. Very sporty, very secure for real surfing, in a real ocean with real waves. (but clearly no match for ...dramatic pause...the Flow Rider). We got up and headed right to the sports deck in the morning. Our small group consisted of a young woman, 3 men whose lovely ladies took one look and said " yeah, right, you can take a lesson on that thing, I'll be at the Park Cafe", (wise, wise women!) and my DH and myself. The crew members Andy and a fellow from Brazil whose name escapes me (sorta like my suit bottom!) were wonderful, very patient and explained everything, and then they got us trying it out.

 

Most of the guys wanted to try stand up as they had boogie boarded earlier in the week. Only my DH and I were complete newbies. The staff do a nice job of riding along beside you, and helping coach you through the moves, which is to jump into the wave, boogie board for a while and then try to rise up onto your knees. Once you've mastered that they encourage you to try some tricks, like "superman" where you toss the board forward and then catch it, or a barrel roll. I think these are encouraged largely just to get you to wipe out so the next person can have their turn, but that's just speculation on my part!

 

Andy was working with me in the wave when I suddenly felt my bottoms heading south. I reacted quickly and dingtoed my feet, so they caught on my feet rather shooting all the up the wave to the bailout area, where I knew I would have the double shame of having to search for them. (and yet somehow the image of me with my bottom, bare in the air and my bottoms ensnared on my feet gives me very little comfort today.) It took me a second to register that I was still on this board, separated from my suit and giving the rest of the crowd and eyeful of awful! While contemplating what my next possible move could be Andy suggested I go for the kneel up on the board maneuver.

 

At this moment I decided I had better fess up, so over the rush of the water (it's really loud), I yell to Andy "I can't, I've lost my bottoms" (yeah, covering myself in glory here!). At which his face took on a look of terror and he screamed back " bail out!!!". And being a good student and wanting to spare him any more horror, I did immediately. SO now the wave has blown me back to the top, even closer to the mortified group, and the adorable Brazilian (whose name escapes me). The next little thought to pop into this little blond head (natural, BTW) is "Hmmm, how am I going to get these back on without standing up, and revealing even more unwanted views?"

 

Luckily, the terrific staff at RCI is trained for these just these sort of emergencies and immediately goes into full defcon "bottom retrieval and replacement" mode. I have never seen anything so efficient in my life...the boogie board is raised to block the view, the group is asked to avert their eyes, the kind Brazilian gentleman averts his eyes, and with whatever modicum of dignity I have left I reunite with my bottoms, which thankfully, I did not need to search for, or worse, have retrieved and handed to me by the adorable Brazilian gentleman! I sheepishly join the group in line laughing my fool head off because what else are you going to do at this point! Luckily for me, I am not the only one with a wardrobe malfunction this morning, just the first, but I will let the others tell their own tales! A few minutes later we are boarding along, all having a great time, pretending that none of knows more than we should about one another.

 

My DC's arrive with Starbucks coffee to watch and videotape the end of our lesson (thank goodness for a line at Starbucks, or you would have more photos!) After the lesson, they join us in the Flowrider and we all have a great time, get lots of photos and lose nothing more than toe polish for the rest of the day.

 

(photos of Flowrider action)

 

 

(DH with Andy)

 

 

(here I am with my whole suit)

 

 

Tips for Flowrider use: (skip along if you have no use whatsoever for this!)

 

- Decide if you want to try this at all: I should share that water can be rough. I am in good physical condition, working out and lifting weights regularly, and it requires some strength to maneuver in the wave. If you wipe out, you can end up hitting the wall at odd angles, (although this didn't happen to me because they taught us the bailout position in the lesson and I wasn't standing up, which is where the most spectacular crashes happen) Also the water is moving very hard at you, in addition to losing toe polish, I had significant soreness and bruising on my thighs due to the water pushing against me while on the board. It was a lot like a very hard deep tissue massage. I'm fairly pale and I was mostly boogie boarding for quite a while (well over an hour) so I'm sure this is why. Also, my DH had his toes catch on the bottom and chafe to the point of bleeding, and needed a bandaid, which (and I'm not making this up) required him to fill out an incident report!

 

-If you are timid or uncertain, you can book a lesson, usually offered at 8 AM and 6 PM just before and after Open Flowrider hours. You will be with a small group, and the instructors are good, once you learn the proper techniques you will have less wardrobe and injury issues. The lesson is $30, and really did help us learn how to ride more safely without all the painful mistakes.

 

-If you choose to ride during the open times, try going first thing when it opens, especially if this is the morning. There will be fewer people in line so you will get more time.

 

-Be sure to sign your waivers online before you leave home, or on you tv in your cabin. When you arrive, go to the office and get your arm band and then get in line.

 

-If you go earlier in the week, you will get more time because people are newer to it, and fall sooner, moving the line along. But we chose to go later in the week in case of injury, so we would not "ruin" our cruise with an injury that prevented us from doing our other activities. I was glad we did this, even without major injuries, my thighs were sore for a few days!

 

-Definitely take the advice to wear the most secure bathing suit, with a tee or surf shirt and no jewelry whatsoever.

 

-There is a bleacher to watch the Flowriders (and the earlier you go, the less audience you will have) if you have more than one in your party riding, you can separate yourselves by a few people and take photos of one another. Saner loved ones can sit there and take photos too.

 

-If you have a really big group on board, it is often more economical to "rent" the Flowrider for you party for a set fee. I don't have the details on this because we didn't do it, but it is less than the $30 pp with a big enough group and you have it all to yourselves!

[Familygoboston]

After all the Flowrider excitement we went to the Solarium for breakfast and to relax. (can you tell I love this place?) Since we arrived at 10, most of the front row chairs were taken, so we went up to the balcony area, which was actually a lot less squeezed in and still has a lovely view of the ocean. We preferred this to the more crowded chairs not in the front row downstairs. After about 15 minutes my cousins found front row seats and moved down to those loungers since they had not experienced the Solarium yet.

 

At 1:00, we gave up our loungers ( no chair hogs here!) and headed to the secret deck on 11 starboard to watch the Belly Flop contest. Ordinarily, we don't catch all of these contests and activities on every cruise, but with cruising newbies in our party, you want to show them the "full experience". This was much more produced than on other RCI ships, where the CD rounds up a bunch guys with beer bellies and then hands them the microphone to introduce themselves. There were graphics, there were replays, there are video resumes of each flopper and what a trophy! ! Consistent with the generally "low cruise nuts" quotient on this cruise there were only 4 contestants though! In the end, it was entertaining and our cousins got a kick out of it!

 

It just seemed in general that the folks on this cruise were well behaved to the point of not having a lot of "characters" on board. ( you know the type I mean; the 60 yo guy who captained Quest entirely in only his white BVD'S, the rowdy Patriots fan guy who nearly started fisticuffs with Jets fans in the Viking Crown, the woman who was so soused by dinnertime (ah... love those free drinks in the CL) that she sang "Happy Birthday" to my DH every night when we entered the MDR- we've all laughed at ...err, I mean... with them, heck there are whole threads...but I digress again!) I actually prefer the better behaved bunch and fewer floppers and Quest crazies than a cruise where everyone is over indulging and behaving boorishly! When I read reviews one of the biggest pet peeves most people have is when other people's behavior infringes on their good time (and I'm not talking about what they wear, where they are from or what they look like!!). It seems to be a major factor in the difference between a positive review and a negative one. Luckily, on this cruise everyone I met or encountered (no matter what they wore, where they were from or what they looked liked) were really nice people!

 

(photos of the Belly Flop Contest- note view is from deck 11)

 

 

 

After The Belly Flop contest, the "where to have lunch" question came up. I was quite happy to go back to the Solarium cafe with DC's, who hadn't been yet. All of us were hankering for healthy after what her husband dubbed 'The week of gluttony". (but you can't always believe him though, he's the guy that told the RCI airport rep, when asked "which ship are you sailng?" that he was on the Carnival Seabass. Luckily, his DW had her cruise documents to set things straight!) My DH decided to go to Sorrento's for a few slices and meet me back at the cabin to change out of bathing suits for the zipline.

 

We met up on the sports deck at about 2:30. (I'm establishing this to give you a good idea of how long the entire process took, not because I need an alibi) We decided to split our group, the gals would zip first while the guys held on to sunglasses and sea passes and took videos and photos. Then we'd switcheroo. This obviously took more time than all four of us getting in line consecutively, but was much easier to document and there are lovely loungers to sit on and watch the proceedings. And it gave DC and I a chance to chit chat without interruption for a change ( "mummy, I'm hungry", "MOM, where are my glasses", "Hey Ma, watch this" and my all time favorite "Mom, where should I put this piece of trash?"- you get the idea!).

 

You can not sign up ahead, so you stand in line, you wait about 2 minutes for every person in line in front of you, we had about 7-10 people in line. Once you get to the head of the line, you sign a credit card machine thingy with your waivers (which should already be signed). Then they begin outfitting you for the zip. This is very controlled, there is a locking gate behind you, you are not allowed to touch the gear (other than putting your helmet on, but they will adjust it). They get you set up and move you down the line where yet another guy (or gal) checks you again.

 

Now, Gentlemen, I will try to be delicate here; I've been told that you may want to make sure that you are... ahem...comfortably arranged (?) before you put the harness on. Ok, that's enough of that! Once the harness is on, you step to the launch platform, where things are checked out again by a third person. When your turn comes up, you step up to the 1, 2, 3 positions on the launch platform, all the while the staff person is connecting you to the zipline in not one, not two, but THREE places. I cannot imagine what kind of catastrophic failures would have to happen to have you actually fall from this zipline! Unfortunately, that did absolutely nothing to quell my terror. When I got to three and got my landing instructions and then the GO!, I was literally terrified. I had this instinctive feeling that I was not strong enough to "hold on" across that whole deck. But then I remembered the harness, and just stepped off...wheeee! It is so much fun and so easy! You do not need to be strong, and you do not need to be athletic. It doesn't even move very quickly, but it is over quickly! We saw folks of every age and fitness level try and love the zipline. On the landing zone the same incredible care is taken to unhook you (the last of which they do not even do till they have locked you outside the landing platform, so that you can't even tumble off in your giddiness after the ride!).

 

(photos of Zipline)

 

 

(photo of DH who looks less terrified than I)

 

 

(photo with slightly wider view, gives those considering a BW Balcony cabin on 14 a sense of how close the action is)

 

 

Tips for Zipline use: (skip along if you have no use whatsoever for this!)

 

-Sign waivers on line at home or on your cabin TV; you don't need a wrist band, they will swipe your Sea Pass and you will be all set.

 

-Be sure to check the rules when you sign - generally, closed toe shoes (they have a little printed sign at the Zipline with all the X'ed out things that are NOT accepted, you can scout it out before you go, but things like surf shoes, and keens are not ok, even though they are technically closed toe. ( look at the sign anyway, it's pretty funny with X'ed out high heels and other silly shoes) You also cannot be in swimwear, and your clothing must be free of anything dangling. It's definitely best to check out the rules on the waivers!

 

-Consider having a spectator or switch off, so someone can hold you Sea Pass for you when you actually get to the head of the line.

 

-Go first thing in the morning when it opens, there was no line there when were at the Flowrider early.

 

-But the wait is not as long as you'd expect at other times and it's entertaining to watch the folks losing their suits on the Flowrider while waiting.

 

Even with the switcheroo, we had all ridden the ride, laughed while reviewing our videos afterwards and were on our way to Splish Splash in the Aquatheater at 3:30- though it had already started when we got back to our deck 11 secret balcony watching spot. This is not a pre reserved show, it just shows up a few times at the end of the week. It's fun and comical, and for us it was drier than Oasis of Dreams.

 

(photo of synchronized swimmers in Splish Splash)

 

[Familygoboston]

We briefly considered a going to the gym for a workout and rejected it on the basis that the Flowrider might be considered hard work. And we decided that with all there is to do on the ship, we could work out when we got home! Time for a nap, and to get cleaned up for formal night and an early dinner. Our MTD reservation was at 6:00 PM to accommodate our 8:30 Come Fly With Me show. The dinner was excellent tonight, our favorite...lobster night! Though the guys went with turf instead to surf! Everything was excellent.

 

After the dinner we went to the Opal Theater and waited in the line for a few minutes before they opened the doors. We selected mezzanine seats for this show, which is my recommendation, based on how much of the show happens in the airspace above your seats! This was the most crowded show we saw, and when they let in the standby folks they were definitely having to search a bit for a seat. Again, this was the earliest and first one of the week, so that may explain its popularity, but also it is reviewed by everyone as "don't miss". In addition to the superb singers and dancer, the acrobats and some special aerial artists are involved in this show. As a preview to the show, Amy shows her "A Day in the Life of A Cruise Director" video, which I found hysterical! It definitely belongs here near the end of the cruise, so folks are in on all of the jokes having lived aboard most of the week! I think Amy excels at this sort of self deprecating humor, rather than the witty wise cracking you get from other Cruise Directors, and that may be what people are responding to when they criticize, but that's just speculation! In keeping with my strategy of not spoiling the show, I'm only posting one photo.

 

(photo of Come Fly With Me)

 

 

After the show we had enough time to stroll through Central Park to take some group photos. DC and I wanted to do this because during our stay in Nassau they brought aboard poinsettias and added them to the foliage in the park. It looked so Christmassy and the night atmosphere is just beautiful here. Will you indulge me a few personal photos? I think they do show what a lovely setting this is for your photos, so it does have some purpose!

 

(photos in Central Park)

 

 

 

(photo of the bar in Central park at night)

 

[Familygoboston]

After photos, we waited to catch the Rising Tide Bar before Quest. This is another example of where my schedule came in handy. By now, we recognized that there were still a few things we had not done yet! So we penciled in times to do those things on our schedule, so when we had a couple of hours to kill between the Come Fly With Me and Quest, we had a good idea about what we wanted to do.

 

The Rising Tide Bar is a fun elevator bar, but it feels more like a spaceship. There is always a seat available because even though everyone tries it, most only stay till they make a round trip, which is about a 1/2 hour. We boarded at 10 and were back in the park at 10:30, which gave us loads of time to scout out a good Quest seat and team.

 

(photos Rising Tide Bar)

 

 

 

(The fountain on the Promenade that operates when the Rising Tide Bar is up)

 

 

 

Quest is held in Studio B. For those not indoctrinated, it's another show that really is best if it's a surprise! It's an adult only scavenger hunt conducted by the Cruise Director. Because its interactive; you just never know what might happen, and we've been to some pretty wild Quests over the years. But this one was rather sedate. As I mentioned before, this cruise lacked characters, and everyone was kind of waiting for someone else to be the wild and crazy person! Amy and Ken ran a great Quest, and the DJ, Tony Scott added a lot of fun spinning!

 

Here are my seating recommendations for Quest- generally, you need to get there on the early side 40-30 minutes prior, ( there is a fun preshow too, so you are not bored) to sit near the front of Studio B if you want an opportunity to participate. Also, it's not a bad idea to scout out a section that seems to have a pretty lively bunch, because they are more likely to participate instead of just watch. If you'd rather just watch you may want to sit further back or you may find people crawling over you or handing you unmentionables to pass forward. Studio B has several poles, so sit in the rows in front of the poles if you'd like to avoid those. I find it better to sit in the side sections for Quest because most of the "action" takes place as people run up to the front to present things to the Cruise Director, who is facing the front section. SO the folks running up have their backs to the front section...and trust me on this, that's the funny part of the show! Of course, there is nothing wrong with being in the front section and you can catch the action you miss on replay on the big video board.

 

Quest was running late because Amy was doing her thing at the late Come Fly With Me show, so it was very late by the time we finally made it back to the cabin for bed!

We took this goofy photo at Quest, it's not great, but you can see parts of Studio B here.

 

(Photo of us at Quest) (by the way the lady in front of me rocks! She participated in everything...our team got 2nd place, probably thanks to her! If you are out there...thanks!)

 

 

Day 6 Compass

 

Day 7 Tomorrow, our last sea day:(

[BugsyCruiser]

Great photos! I hope my turn out half as good as yours when I sail on Allure :D

[teamdavis]

Awesome review as always! Now I am a little nervous to try the Flowrider. I do not have a surf shirt, but I have a long sleeved Nike dri-fit shirt that I run in sometimes, so I will try that instead. Is the injury risk the same for boogie boarding as surfing on the Flowrider?

 

How much is the cab to get to the French side of St. Martin?

[Familygoboston]

I will post this in its own thread as well.

 

A note on the parades if you want a unique experience. For several if not all of the parades, they utilized the rising tide bar. I know for the Rockin Rhythm street parade (the first parade of the week I believe) you could get onto the Rising Tide Bar in Central Park with the Cruise Director and her right hand man Ken (talking Oasis here).

 

For the first parade of the week they said to meet them at the rising tide bar at 12:15 as the parade started at 12:30pm. We did and we were the only people there. It was a good chance to meet the cruise director and chat a bit.

As you might know the main action for the parades and street parties was in the middle of the Royal promenade. Rising Tide Bar/Cafe Promenade/Cupcake Cupboard/Globe and Atlas bar area. I believe it was the big globe over the Globe and Atlas bar that opens up and a bridge comes out of it and extends over the royal promenade, where performers can go out over the crowd. This is where they sing and throw stuff to the crowd, etc (as well as on top of the Cupcake Cupboard). So good to be near there but not right under it as it would be hard to see straight up.

I am so glad you shared this! Even though I've sailed this class, I would not have known to do this with my teens when we sail Allure, now I do! Thanks! It's pretty tough to become expert on these ships, there is soooo much to do!

 

Great photos! I hope my turn out half as good as yours when I sail on Allure :D

thanks! My DH is a little peeved with me because I keep putting up some of his " not good" photos to illustrate the story! There is definately a difference between the photos we take for our vacation and what you should for a review. My DH volunteers lots of hours doing photos for non profits, so I wasn't about to make him " work" on his vacation. So he took the photos he enjoys, I used what he had! So some of the photos don't meet his high standards!:D

[Familygoboston]

Awesome review as always! Now I am a little nervous to try the Flowrider. I do not have a surf shirt, but I have a long sleeved Nike dri-fit shirt that I run in sometimes, so I will try that instead. Is the injury risk the same for boogie boarding as surfing on the Flowrider?

 

How much is the cab to get to the French side of St. Martin?

 

Yes, the boogie boarding is much safer! If you wipeout you kind of roll back with the wave to the wall. The standup had far more spectacular wipeouts:eek:

I'm very glad I did it, but it was definately very physical! I think your dry fit shirt would be perfect! It wil not get all stretched out like cotton, but will help keep you all in;)

The Flowrider has rubberized floors and walls, so it's not like it's concrete. If you are in decent shape, you will probably enjoy it!

The cab was $7 per person if full (which should not be a problem) each way. Always plent around when you are ready to leave too! They know where their bread is buttered, and we all need to get back to that ship!

[gelo7]

Outstanding review and pictures.

[Ocean Boy]

Well, I for one, am just a bit disappointed with the Flowrider round of pictures.;););)

[Familygoboston]

Well, I for one, am just a bit disappointed with the Flowrider round of pictures.;););)

 

Based on the scientific research, you are a rare man, indeed!;)

[Familygoboston]

Outstanding review and pictures.

 

Thanks! I see from your signature you haven't tried this class yet. I wonder how Oasis/Allure will compare to Epic...that looks like a big ship too! Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[capecodrn]

im psyched leaving on the oasis jan 28th great info thanks love the flowrider story im trying it this time one piece and t shirt lol

[Familygoboston]

im psyched leaving on the oasis jan 28th great info thanks love the flowrider story im trying it this time one piece and t shirt lol

Thanks! I can laugh now:rolleyes: Good call on the wardrobe choice! Im jealous...just went out and had a 10 mile ride with headwinds BRRR...not quite like my 85 degree Water Island ride! Have a great time!

[Sandy1975]

My husband wants to know how you qualify to get in the CL.

 

I was going to just ride the Flowrider without a lesson but I think I might take a lesson after reading your review. It seems to be a fun experience.

 

My husband sometimes boogie boards in the ocean while we go on vacation. In your opinion, if you know how to boogie board in the ocean, is that enough experience to boogie board in the flowrider?

[Familygoboston]

My husband wants to know how you qualify to get in the CL.

Unfortunately, it's only open to suite guests and those who have achieved a certain status ( which I have not!) with Crown and Anchor. It's a topic of great debate on these boards and I guess those who go enjoy it, but honestly, it has no bearing on what the other 95% of us do on a cruise. If you didn't hear about it on this board, you would never know it existed, I didn't until I came to CC. I promise your DH he will not feel like he's left out with his nose pressed against the glass:p Of course, if he wants to spend the moolah for a suite, he can go there and get the free drinks before dinner, and I think they serve breakfast and specialty coffees, but it's probably far cheaper to just buy them, unless you really have your mind made up to book a suite anyway!

 

I was going to just ride the Flowrider without a lesson but I think I might take a lesson after reading your review. It seems to be a fun experience.

 

My husband sometimes boogie boards in the ocean while we go on vacation. In your opinion, if you know how to boogie board in the ocean, is that enough experience to boogie board in the flowrider?

It is a lot like boogie boarding in the ocean except, it doesn't stop, so while normally you would wash into shore get up and paddle back out, with this you are riding the wave the whole time, and if you lose it, you get pushed backwards by the water. It's fun! I thought it was worth a try and I'm not a dare devil!

[gcuecruise]

I am so glad you shared this! Even though I've sailed this class, I would not have known to do this with my teens when we sail Allure, now I do! Thanks! It's pretty tough to become expert on these ships, there is soooo much to do!

 

Glad I could contribute. It was a unique perspective that was very fun. Now I can't tell you a thing about specialty restaurants, but since we were the only ones on the rising tide for the parade and I never heard of this on CC before, I was kind of like, "I know something they don't know!" during the experience.

[Familygoboston]

Day 7 Fri, Dec 9 Sea Day: We Race Around Trying to See Everything We've Missed, So Far, on This Ship.

 

There is always something a little melancholy about the last day of the cruise, I always know I have a whole 24 hours left, but darn it, if the crew doesn't seem giddy about bringing up disembarkation every chance they get. We wake up determined to enjoy our last Sea Day on this incredible ship. DH and I head to the Solarium cafe again for breakfast and stay there for the better part of the morning, reading and soaking in the pool.

 

We leave reluctantly before noon for an appointment with the Loyalty Ambassador . The LA office (on the Promenade level 6, just above the Guest Services and next to the Schooner Bar) looks like someone kicked over an ant hill. I feel bad, as plenty of walk ins are waiting, but my name is in the book for noon, so we are seen within a few minutes of our noon appointment. My DC books Oasis again during the Thanksgiving week for her kids and her parents, but she's not sure it will fly with the rest of her family, so she wants it completely refundable. It's so busy we just turn in a form for a Next Cruise certificate, because we are pretty certain we will cruise Royal Caribbean again at some point, even if our Allure cruise doesn't come to pass. (With a high school Senior, you just can't predict what will be going on, but it is her vacation week and we hope to do an early graduation cruise!)

 

After returning home, I feel badly that they didn't have more time to spend with us, because I was unaware I could get something called "Friends and Family" to get the $100 OBC for another 1 or 2 cabins (which we will need because of my kids this time). My recommendation for visiting the LA is to try to do it early in the week if you can. All of us Loyal Royal cruisers need to see them because the OBC for booking onboard is the only discount we can combine with the C & A balcony discounts, so most of us book on board, or get the Next Cruise if unsure of dates.

 

We return to the cabin to do a bit of packing; it's early, but the evening is always more enjoyable if we don't have the packing hanging over our heads, and we can get the bags out early and not worry about them. (I have to tell one of the comedians jokes -'cause its always different comedians I'm not giving anything away..."on the first night of the cruise they tell you, make sure you put all your valuables in the safe and on the last night they tell you leave all your stuff in the hall"-)

 

We meet the cousins at the Park Cafe again for one last lunch together. It's busy, but we manage to score a few big comfy chairs and a table before the food arrives. In the afternoon, my DH went around the ship to get photos of he places we wanted photos of, but he hadn't had his camera with him at the time.

 

I went to sit on the secret aft deck on 11, in the shade because our balcony was very sunny again and I had had enough sun at the Solarium. The secret deck was very quiet, I sat for about an hour or so, and only 2 parties came out there, one to smoke on the other side (didn't smell a thing) and another was a mom and her little boy to take some cute photos by the rail and left. Sound of Music was playing in the Aquatheatre, so it wasn't quiet, but I was enjoying the music while I read. After DH returned we went back to the cabin for a nap before the evening activities.

 

Around 4:30 we went up to the secret deck forward on Deck 14 to see the sunset. There was a good crowd out there and a bunch of loungers, so I sat and just enjoyed the sights while husband got these shots!

 

(view from Deck 14 Forward)

 

 

Just because this review is getting a little sad, a little down beat, and I don't want to leave you all like that...for many of you, your vacation is still ahead! This is a great thing...so I'm going to digress and share a story about the Viking Crown Lounge and how it has earned an unusual nickname from us over the years.

 

In the mid nineties (Does that make me sound old? I still had braces, might have been in middle school.) we took a cruise on RCI Song of America to take a romantic break from parenting a toddler and met a wonderful couple on board, who only lived about 40 minutes away from us in Massachusetts.

 

It was absolutely the worst cruise we have ever been on. It was an old ship, headed for dry dock or sale or something...no Cruise Critic back then, so no one knows, but the crew had miserable attitudes, it was a cheap cruise and the crowd was rough, and they were probably not tipping well. We had a bar man throw a drink menu at us when we sat in a lounge and didn't order enough drinks for his taste. The food was awful! The assistant waiters were literally swearing at each other in the MDR. We had an insufferable couple at our table who insisted on criticizing everything in front of a lovely couple from Nebraska on a 30th Anniversary Cruise, who had never seen the sea, much less been on a cruise and were loving it. What a downer...but a life lesson for me...no matter what I think of a trip while I'm on it, I keep it to myself, because someone else may be having the trip of a lifetime, and I never want to sound like that couple did! Now, once I'm on CC, well, then I can let loose!

 

Well, because of the other couple to commiserate with, we had a blast! One of our most fun cruises ever. We would meet every evening at sunset for "sundowners" club on the pool deck and have a drink before our late seating, so we could face our dining companions. One day we were sitting down there and we looked up and noticed that because of the angle of the sun, we could see every single person who was having a sunset drink in the Viking Crown Lounge through the windows...but just their lower halves. And I mean everything, we could see straight up ladies skirts. Right then and there, we dubbed it the "Crotch Bar" and vowed not to drink there at sunset. The name has stuck all these years and many cruises later. So if we ever sail with you and you hear us invite you to join us for drinks in the Crotch Bar, don't panic, because we do slip up occasionally!

 

Alas, if you are hoping for a similar view today, no luck, we have noticed in subsequent designs, this was changed and none of us will be subjected to the view again!

 

So given the new, safe design of the Viking Crown Lounges, we broke our vow, got cleaned up and headed out to enjoy a cocktail at the Viking Crown Lounge at sunset. The lounge is beautiful, very large, compared to some others, and the view is phenomenal. You can see the sea from the windows at either end of the lounge, and in the middle you can see out to the pool deck, into the Central park, and through the glass roofs into the Promenade. Another example of how I found it easy to tell where you were because you can see one venue from another.

 

The Night and Day Duo were playing "easy listening", they were very good, with an electric violin. We stayed for a set and then headed to the MDR for a 7:45 reservation.

 

(view on pool deck looking towards the Viking Crown Lounge) (See how you just see the outside reflection on the lower windows? Not into the lounge!)

 

 

(repeat of photo from Viking Crown Lounge to Central Park)

 

 

 

Dinner was the usual whirlwind of passing along envelopes and assurances that "yes, everything was EXCELLENT". We said our goodbyes to Markland and Christopher. I will miss them when I have to cook and serve my own meals but to be honest I will not miss the ships artwork being shown on video monitors in the MDR. I had never seen that mentioned anywhere, but the whole catalog of art work is digitized and keeps playing on an endless loop through out your meal. I know everyone's taste in art is not the same and I could ignore the trite images of little French cafes, but Elizabeth Taylor in a bra and endless still-life images of Chivas and golf tees was a little much.

 

After dinner we went to Johnny Rockets to use our 2 for 1 milkshake coupon that comes in our Emerald C & A booklet. We love to do this and have never been charged a cover fee, just for the single milkshake, and gratuity (which we of course double for 2). We decided to take one last whirl on the carousel and took this extended arm shot of ourselves.

 

(photo on Carousel)

 

We also returned to the Central Park just for a stroll, then made our way to hear Gino Vanelli in concert. Gino had a fan cruise group going on during our cruise, with several private concerts for people who had booked that particular cruise package. We honestly never saw him or anyone who appeared to be his fans, so I had thought maybe the group had not all come together. But then on the last night we saw a note in the Cruise Compass that he would have an "open" concert at 9:30 PM for the rest of the pax on the ship.

 

We don't know much about this artist other than his hit from the 70's..."I Just Want to Stop...". (does that make me sound old? I used to listen while chewing my teething ring) We ducked in and sat in the very last row just to check it out. There were probably 200 people sitting front and center who were very enthusiastic, but it wasn't our thing, so we stayed for a song or two and then snuck out unobtrusively since we were in the very back row.

 

We met our cousins at Studio B to watch the "Throw Me A Line" show at 10:15. There wasn't a big crowd for this, and you definitely want to sit in the center section, so you can enjoy all the facial reactions, these seats shouldn't be hard to find. This was an excellent show and really fun. If you've watched the TV show "Whose Line is it Anyway", this show is very similar. The Comedy host runs it and the cast of Hairspray obviously rotates duties performing, because there were 4 onstage and the rest of the cast watched from the seats. There is plenty of audience participation and the cast is very funny! I was impressed at how very talented these folks are! It was a really fun way to end our last night onboard Oasis.

 

We made the walk back through the luggage strewn hallways to our cabin for bed.

 

Day 7 Compass

 

Tomorrow: Day 8 Sat, Dec 10 Disembarking: and the Sand Chairs Retire to Hollywood Permanently

 

It's not over yet...I plan to post both my before and after schedule, and photos from our RCI excursion "Hollywood Extended Stay" in Hollywood FL. I think those of you with late international flights might be interested in this one!

[aussiegecko]

Thank you again for your review, it has been great fun to read, glad there is a bit more to come. We have a late flight, 10.40pm from Miami to London, so was thinking of booking the Everglades trip, something my dh has always wanted to do. Do you know what appends to your luggage, RCI have booked us a day room before our flight, just wondered how it works if you book the excursion through RC. Also while I am posting on here, we are going 24th March, is the weather going to be hot, have read different things, but coming from the UK anything owner 70f is hot to us

[Familygoboston]

Thank you again for your review, it has been great fun to read, glad there is a bit more to come. We have a late flight, 10.40pm from Miami to London, so was thinking of booking the Everglades trip, something my dh has always wanted to do. Do you know what appends to your luggage, RCI have booked us a day room before our flight, just wondered how it works if you book the excursion through RC. Also while I am posting on here, we are going 24th March, is the weather going to be hot, have read different things, but coming from the UK anything owner 70f is hot to us

 

Tomorrows post has all my details about the excursion...I was impressed with how they manage this for you, there were several international guests on our excursion and I felt it was a safe (as in you won't get lost, have to drive yourself on unfamiliar streets) affordable ( compared to the straight bus transfer or taxi to the airport) way to enjoy the day, if you had language issues or plenty of luggage to manage. We didn't go to the Everglades, this trip, but have been many times. If you haven't been I highly recommend going, it's a unique ecosystem that really is very significant to Florida, and plenty of wildlife to enjoy there! SO more "dets" (that's my teen's speak for details) tomorrow!:D

[gcuecruise]

 

I was unaware I could get something called "Friends and Family" to get the $100 OBC for another 1 or 2 cabins (which we will need because of my kids this time).

 

If I understand correctly you turned in your NC certificate form, right? If so did you get an email response from them that contains a reservation number to be used for a future cruise? When you use that number you can book 2 additional rooms each getting the OBC. That is how it was explained to me on Oasis in December and I have the brochure that I believe explains it that way too. No need for a Friends and Family certificate per se. That is my understanding.

[fred20155]

Thanks very much for your detailed review, and also your comments on Amy, the cruise director. I'm encouraged by them, and we'll see how she is in less than 3 weeks as we're on the January 28 Eastern Caribbean cruise on Oasis!

[Familygoboston]

If I understand correctly you turned in your NC certificate form, right? If so did you get an email response from them that contains a reservation number to be used for a future cruise? When you use that number you can book 2 additional rooms each getting the OBC. That is how it was explained to me on Oasis in December and I have the brochure that I believe explains it that way too. No need for a Friends and Family certificate per se. That is my understanding.

 

Thanks for the info! I did turn it in and I did get the email when I got home. I booked Allure a few days later. Of course the reservation specialist I booked with said we would not see OBC for quite a while, but she made a note that we wanted to get the OBC for both cabins. What you seem to be saying that it should be automatic? They did give us a different reservation number for the kids cabin, but the reservations were obviously made together. So hopefully we will see OBC for both cabins. Also after my Jewel cruise, I will be Diamnond (if they have attributed all the points correctly), so then I will call and have my Diamond Balcony discount applied to both reservations (kids will be Diamond too at that point thanks to my cruises!)

 

"all I want is my fair share, all I want is what I have coming to me"

-Sally;)

 

Thanks very much for your detailed review, and also your comments on Amy, the cruise director. I'm encouraged by them, and we'll see how she is in less than 3 weeks as we're on the January 28 Eastern Caribbean cruise on Oasis!

 

I think a CD can make the trip more fun, but I've never had one ruin a trip... for me Amy was fun and made the trip more fun! Have a great cruise!:D

[Sandy1975]

Thank you again for your review, it has been great fun to read, glad there is a bit more to come. We have a late flight, 10.40pm from Miami to London, so was thinking of booking the Everglades trip, something my dh has always wanted to do. Do you know what appends to your luggage, RCI have booked us a day room before our flight, just wondered how it works if you book the excursion through RC. Also while I am posting on here, we are going 24th March, is the weather going to be hot, have read different things, but coming from the UK anything owner 70f is hot to us

 

We go down to Fort Lauderdale around mid march every year and the weather is really nice. It can get to around 80 in the morning and I think at night goes down between 65 - 70.

[jakesmom04]

Reading this at work....burst out with a laugh regarding the flow rider. Hope to share a laugh or two on the Allure with you!