0ASIS of the Seas Dec. 7-14 blog and review

[Babyrocko1908]

The start of Oasis of Dreams was very exciting… but alas, it was canceled due to ocean conditions, making it dangerous for the cast to perform these challenging stunts. It was re-scheduled for a daytime show… apparently not as dramatic as seeing it lit up against a night sky… but in any event, as you will hear, the rescheduled show was later canceled for the same reason… so I guess I will have to go on the Oasis again so I can see this show!

 

Logo on the big screen

 

Dramatic nighttime aqua show

 

Amazing aqua dancers

 

 

Misspelled poster on the Boardwalk

 

First towel animal!

 

 

After the show, I watched TV for a while (no notes on what) and then went to bed. Again, I had marked several items on the Compass which I never did: 8am Yoga on the helipad (a pay class – which I was only going to do because the Helipad is not accessible to guests on the Oasis as it is on other ships… but I discovered I would be able to go to a C&A party there later, so I “protested” the costly paid fitness classes and did not take this)… Noon, complimentary ladies pamper hour in the spa…. 3pm explorer academy: napkin artistry… 5pm vitality evening stretch… 8pm dreamworks family meet & greet with kung fu panda and po… the same list of music shows as the night before… amazing I can list nearly as much that I did NOT do as what I did do!!

 

What's the story behind the misspelled poster? I wonder if it'll still be there when I finally take my Oasis cruise?

 

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[Babyrocko1908]

DAY #4 – TUESDAY – December 10, 2013 – Falmouth, Jamaica – 10:30am-6:30pm

Pretty sure I attended the 7am stretch and 7:30am abs class (with a new trainer today)…

 

...had breakfast from the Diamond Club at 9am (Bagel – half with cream cheese and lox, half with butter and blackberry jam; banana; prosciutto w/melon, pineapple; “breakfast dessert” of coffee and pastry…

 

...took another plate back to cabin with a croissant, ham, salami, swiss & cheddar cheese, grapes and an apple, which I put in the fridge for an afternoon snack)…

 

...went to 10am Morning Trivia in Schooner Bar (I have a note in the Compass that we won umbrellas, pens and highlighters!)…

 

Oooh, brought my diamond breakfast out on my balcony!!

 

We met on the pier to attend the (privately booked $45pp plus tips) Falmouth Culinary Tour, a tasting tour which visited several food vendors in Falmouth. Although this was advertised as a “tasting” tour (I was expecting bites of food at each location) we had full servings of many different delicious types of food!

 

Oasis towering over the tiny two-story buildings at the Falmouth Port

 

Fun photo op

 

Welcoming music

 

Tour buses ready to go on the road (we were on a walking tour, no bus for us)

 

Groups meeting out of the hot Jamaican sun

 

The picture of Oasis towering over the tiny buildings is great.

 

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[EmpressofPurple]

And... back to the review!

 

(We're still in Falmouth, doing the food tour, in case you forgot...)

 

Sights around Falmouth:

 

Historic Baptist Church

 

Plaque memorializing William Knibb, honored for emancipation of enslaved Africans, preaching abolition, only European so recognized in Jamaica

 

Knibb & wife grave behind church

 

Yes, parking is indeed $50 per hour (Jamaican dollars, that is... wow, talk about inflation...)

 

As I recall (lo these three months later) this house was in the back of the church, and was a dog-breeding home

[EmpressofPurple]

I really loved this tour! Here are a few more sights along the way to our final food stop.

 

View of Oasis in the distance

 

Lush growth behind a raggedy fence

 

Historic house with plaque

 

Our guides had a stop sign to ensure we could cross streets safely

 

Falmouth Visitor Centre

 

Another peek-a-boo view of the Oasis

[EmpressofPurple]

Finally, we walked to a lovely historic house near the port area (and with a view of Oasis towering above); the owner, dressed in period garb, welcomed us into her private home and garden, where we played with her cats, heard stories about the town (and how it had changed with the arrival of Oasis). Alas, while the people in the neighborhood used to be able to walk down to the waterfront, it's now all closed off and accessible only to those who work in the port area.

 

Exterior view of the home from the street

 

Beautiful garden

 

Another view of garden (with Oasis in the background)

 

Interior view of the house

 

Another interior view

 

Our hostess

[EmpressofPurple]

Here we played with the house owner's friendly cats, and enjoyed three types of sweets, all coconut-based, plus some cooling coconut water. (Amazingly, with no advance notice, at each stop they also managed to provide alternatives for one of our group who was allergic to coconut.) I also purchased a carved gourd bowl, similar to the one we ate the breadfruit out of at Yammy’s street stand.

 

Greetings from house cats

 

 

Coconut delights

 

View of the house from the yard

 

Relaxing under a shade tree with that beautiful Oasis view in background

Edited March 15, 2014 by EmpressofPurple

[EmpressofPurple]

After the tour, we were accompanied back to the port area (where we all tipped our wonderful guide and promised to recommend this tour to others – look for “Jamaica Culinary Tours – Falmouth Food Tour – A Taste of History” – one of the best tours I’ve ever booked!!) – and shopped quickly to get back on board before the skies opened up in a downpour! I purchased some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (expensive, but still cheaper than in NYC), a magnet, and another beach dress (since mine were all dirty and I was still waiting for the midweek laundry bag).

 

Trying to beat the clouds back to the port area

 

Photo op! (the clouds were behind us... but they caught up soon)

 

Historic plaque in the port area

 

Horse and buggy in port area (charabanc? surrey with the fringe on top?)

 

Lovely fountain near entrance to ship

[EmpressofPurple]

Back onboard, I enjoyed the afternoon snack I had laid aside from the morning’s spread in the Diamond Club (can you believe I’m still eating after all that on the tour? With dinner less than two hours away? Ah, cruising…). I don’t see any markings in the Compass, so I doubt I made it to 4:30pm Pub Trivia or 5pm Vitality Evening Stretch…

 

View of Falmouth port building from my balcony

 

View in the other direction

 

Mirror selfie in robe and turban!

 

Mmm, here's my "snack" from the morning Diamond Club spread which I stored in my fridge for the day

 

FYI, don't think I posted these before: the stuffed midweek laundry bag, next to my kindle for size comparison

 

And here's a closeup of the order sheet

[EmpressofPurple]

MDR dinner that night: sh*take menu (yes, the automatic editor in CC will not let me write that word out!). I had Harira soup (delicious middle eastern flavors) and ceviche… lamb chops with mashed potatoes, plus a serving of the gyoza (Japanese dumplings)… a cheese plate with fruit compote, dried fruits and nuts… and warm chocolate cake with coffee ice cream.

 

I think by now we had found our wonderful waiter… egad, now I can’t remember his name!!! And he was WONDERFUL! Truly one of the best I have ever had; we made him our regular waiter for the rest of the cruise, and convinced the rest of our gang to dine at his station on the last night onboard (we had to miss formal night in the MDR because our group organizer was hosting us at Giovanni’s Table… more on that later!)

 

I have no notes on what I did that night… all the musical events are underlined again… We had reservations for the headliner showtime at 10:30pm, with Ronn Lucas, kind of an offbeat ventriloquist show…

 

...and afterwards, I wandered into the Quest, which is held in Studio B on the Oasis (as on Voyager class ships) – I’ve been to quite enough of these, thank you, but with our “Quest Virgins” in our group (both older and younger) I had a blast seeing them experience it for the first time, and participate as well!!!

 

No food photos, but here's a sculpture outside the MTD dining room

 

Charger plates (removed before we are served on white china) - pattern mirrors that of the dining room carpeting!

 

Dessert menu (think it's the only one I photographed)

 

Ooh, and a dessert! Chocolate ice cream, maybe?

 

Another towel, er, creature, when I returned to the stateroom after dinner

 

Just one shot from the Quest... if you've never been, don't look!!!

[EmpressofPurple]

(Good thing cc shows there are 5000+ views of this thread, or I'd thinki was just writing for me and Babyrock!)

 

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[Miamia65]

Great review Denise, please keep going…..

[Lilnat1803]

Please keep going.. I love ur review!

 

 

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[Wildcatfish]

Wow! Great tour of Falmouth! I didn't know such a tour existed. Thanks for the review

[Mrsfabo]

Love love love your details do you have a link to your explorer of the sea cruise? I have been on 7 CCL cruises so this will be my first RCI excited about that! Thanks

 

 

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[Babyrocko1908]

(Good thing cc shows there are 5000+ views of this thread, or I'd thinki was just writing for me and Babyrock!)

 

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Lol!! I got ya back!

 

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[Cruising Bonnie]

Thanks for the great review. I am enjoying following your cruise while I wait and wait......I read wonderful reviews of your food tour on Trip Advisor so I am glad to hear additional raves from you. How far in advance did you book the tour? Did they charge your credit card at that time? Thanks again.

[Mouse's Shadow]

Thanks for the tour information. I hadn't heard of that tour. Would you mind if I used some of your pictures in the next news letter I send out? We are a group of 20 going on Allure in Jan. I think some of our group might be interested in a tour like this.

[BeachLover01]

I love your review and the detail that you are providing. Thank you!

 

 

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Sovereign of the Seas - 2008

Grandeur of the Seas - 2010

Edited March 15, 2014 by BeachLover01

[coloradoSunshine]

Hi - I am just now caught up reading your review and am really enjoying all the details. We leave in a week on Oasis, although it is Eastern itinerary. Thanks for writing such a detailed review, looks like a lot of fun.

 

I have one very silly question, I don't seem to find any recent references to the "beer cooler" on Oasis. Did you happen to notice if they were still selling it? I'm not so interested in the beer, but the RCI cooler would be very nice as a souvenier as well as to bring some drinks for us & kids to the aft balconies. I would love to purchase one if they still sell it on this ship.

 

Thanks again for the lovely review!! I can't wait to bring the kids.

 

Shauna

[Merion_Mom]

Thanks for the great review. I am enjoying following your cruise while I wait and wait......I read wonderful reviews of your food tour on Trip Advisor so I am glad to hear additional raves from you. How far in advance did you book the tour? Did they charge your credit card at that time? Thanks again.

Yes, they charged when we reserved. :)

[EaganCruiser]

We have one from the Nav. of the Sea's last March...it's really nice...holds about 8 or 9 cans with ice over the top...pretty lite with handle to hold onto...we got our last yr with 1/2 doz beer and the cost was 26.00...i'm sure they still sell them but i don't remember seeing it in the logo shop...only at the bar...by the pool...

[travelbuddies]

Enjoying your review & pics. We will be sailing this ship & itinerary this December. I have been to Labadee 3 times and never noticed there is entertainment there. Where is it located? Did you see it posted somewhere? Was it on the compass?

 

Never knew about the beer cooler, thanks for the tip.

 

Look forward to your next post. Thanks

[shelpt]

Just found your review and enjoying it immensely! Looking forward to more. Thanks for taking so much of your time to do this!

[coloradoSunshine]

We have one from the Nav. of the Sea's last March...it's really nice...holds about 8 or 9 cans with ice over the top...pretty lite with handle to hold onto...we got our last yr with 1/2 doz beer and the cost was 26.00...i'm sure they still sell them but i don't remember seeing it in the logo shop...only at the bar...by the pool...

 

Thanks! I'll take a picture if I see one next week!

 

I keep checking back to see if there is more of the review. Sad there is no update :(

 

Shauna

[EmpressofPurple]

Sorry no updates this weekend... packing for my upcoming Explorer cruiser on Friday!! :D

 

I was at a wedding today :)... going to a funeral tomorrow :( ... and I've got lots of work to do on this short week before I'm traveling...

 

I hope to post some more before I ship out... and to get my next review posted sooner!!

 

If you're going to be in Falmouth, I heartily recommend this tour. Well organized, well led, interesting history, delicious food, always felt safe yet still out in the "real Jamaica," not some protected resort enclave.

 

Re: entertainment in labadee, interesting you never encountered this! I've always gone for a walk after lunch to browse the shops... and every time I pass the open air theatre the show is going I and I walk in. No announcement, no entry fee (other than tips), but I think I've seen it every time I've been to labadee...

 

Glad to hear from more folks, and thanks babyrock for having my back!!;)

 

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