Day by Day Summary of Oasis Eastern - May 21 thru May 28

[floridaheidi]

Day 1 Arrival day

We used Park on Port CanaveralParking and it was half the price of terminal parking and was a breeze. Arrived there at 10:10am, was walking into terminal by 10:30. Our bagswent straight from the van to the porter at the terminal to arrive in ourstaterooms later. First stop for us security. Our carry on wentthrough scanner and we walked through metal detector. No taking shoesoff. Next stop check-in. No wait at all, and we had our Seapasswithin minutes. Then we were seated in the waiting area. We weretold getting on the ship would be delayed until 11:30 for extra sanitizing dueto Nora virus cruise before us. But we were boarding by 11.

Day 1 is by far the worst day forcrowds and it being hot. Don't let day 1 deter lead you. Aftertoday you won't feel crowded at all. But it's pretty awful today. Since the boat isn't moving it's hot. And everyone is in the AC on promenade. Book your shows, excursions, drinks packages from home the lines to do it onthe ship are soooo long. Due to Nora virus rooms would not be open untilafter 1. Went to Windjammer and had lunch since we skippedbreakfast. Got seated right away.

It was 1:30 before hallway doorsopened up. Our bags were all outside our cabin door when wearrived. As well as Birthday banners since it was my bday the nextday. We had Deck 14, cabin 690. Deluxe balcony. First timewith balcony, I love it. Deck 14 balcony’s are the only ones with anoverhang above that juts out giving more privacy from above and side toside. Spent next hour unpacking and just chilling. Unpackedsuitcases can be stored under your bed. I would advise unpacking and notliving out of suitcases, it's easier. Also, the more organized you can be thebetter. The cabins are tiny, keep things tidy. Make sure to bring alarge laundry bag. Don't put wet items in the laundry bag they will bemoldy by end of cruise. Lay wet items on the back of desk chair tosomewhat dry out before laundry bag. We brought one duffle of shoes andjust left it full under side of bed and pulled it out each night to get ourchoices. Also bring a vibrant color highlighter to highlight your dailyplanner the Cruise Compass. Comes in handy to just look at thehighlighted items since there are so many items to do.

Another important item, if you havea balcony, the sides adjoining dividers actually lock and unlock and can slideopen to make a bigger balcony if you and cabin next to you are family. BUT you also need to check those partitions to make sure they are locked soyour neighbors can't get in. One of ours was unlocked. We askedcabin Stewart and he locked it with a special wrench. Additionally, ifyour balcony door handle is in the open position then your AC doesn't work inyour cabin. Always keep that door handle in the closed positionregardless if you’re inside or outside. You never want your AC off, ittakes forever to cool down your cabin.

Walked around until musterdrill. Our drill station was Silk dining room. After muster we wentback to our room to watch sail away from balcony and skipped sail away party ondeck (we've done that before), plus up top was so crowded and hot. Balcony was much better option. Got ready for dinner. We had early diningin Silk Dining room table 724. A bit of a snafoo with dinner seatingthough. We were assigned to be seatedwith a party of 4 very elderly people. But as luck would have it theymessed up and put them at the table of 4. So when we got there theyseated us at the correct table of 6 by ourselves. We made sure to requesta table for 2 for remainder of cruise, we will hear back from them tomorrowmorning as to our new table assignment. Dinner: mushroom soup, NewYork strip, veggies and baked potatoes.

After dinner we didn't have anyshows planned so we walked around a bit. Signed up for some free rafflestuff. Ended up at Scooner bar for trivia contest. Fun time, camein second. Went back to room and changed into shorts. Speaking ofshorts the dining room on night one almost everyone was in their shorts. So if you don't feel like changing that first night for dinner it's ok.

After changing and we went to casinoand watched for a while then went to the Globe and Atlas bar across fromSorentos pizza place (by far best bar entertainment). Solo female singerand she sang it all. The bar was singing along, swaying to the music,cheering to her funny bar songs too. We enjoyed that a lot. Thenwent just down the way to the Promenade Cafe next to guest services. Don’t be fooled the specialty coffee cost signage, all the goodies andthe croissant sandwiches are free this was our "go to" snackspot. Had a cheesecake pop and two chocolate chip cookies. Yummy. Went back to bar to listen to her second set. Then a pieceof pizza to end the night for me (11:45pm). I went back to cabin hubby wentto casino for a bit. Came back $15 ahead around 12:30.

Day 2 My birthday and Day at Sea

Woke around 8 and sat out on balconywriting up yesterday's notes and reading my Kindle.

Breakfast at Windjammer had to waitabout 5 minutes to be seated. Ham and cheese on omelet, fruit, sausage,and slice French toast. A word on attire at breakfast. No need toget a shower or do your hair for breakfast, or even put makeup on. Why? You're just going to the pool or to a shore excursion, or back tobed after. Lots of baseball hats, floppy summer hats, or just a ponytail. The only shower we took was before dinner each night. I putmakeup on then and also did my hair. After breakfast went to primidonefor the "everything for $10" sale and got a bathing suit cover upthat I love. Then went to Fragrance store and got Steve a huge bottle ofCalvin Kline Obsession cologne for $29, reg, $60. Then changed into swimsuits and went to Solarium pool area for several hours. At a lite lunchat Wipe Out cafe (hamburger and fries and fruit). Went to cabin and tookan afternoon nap. Got new dinner table assignment. Main dining roomtable 671. A table for two with excellent staff. Had the chefsrecommendation of pork shank, sweet mashed potatoes and veggies. Verygood. Had corn niblets as appetizer delicious. Had chocolate barfor dessert. Wait staff sang happy birthday to me and everyone joinedin.

After dinner went to casino. Found out Cats was cancelled due to lead actors being sick. Decided to goto Bolaros for "Majority Rules" game show. Joined a team with Andrewand Kristine from first night trivia contest team and we came in secondagain. But tons of fun. Back to Globe and Atlas bar for 15minutes of sing along to that same lady bar singer.

Then off to Dazzles disco for "Finishthat Lyric" game show. First seven people that got up on stagecompeted and Steve was one of them. He made it through round 3 but didn'twin. Lots of fun. Then stuck around Dazzles for"Rock-a-Rockie", that's karaoke to a live band. Steve signed upto sing and had a blast. Stayed at Dazzles until it closed at12:30am.

Day 3 At sea today.

Breakfast at Central Park Café (breakfastburrito and fruit). Then the watch lottery drawing. Didn'twin. Look at the art gallery. Went to sports deck and I read in theshade while Steve shot hoops for a while. Lunch at Wipeout Cafe, pretzelhotdog. Back to room for a rest then back to Solarium pool for theafternoon relaxing and swimming. Got ready for dinner. Crab cakes forappetizer. Beef tenderloin with au gratin potatoes and veggies. Chocolate cake dessert. After dinner stopped at casino. After that walkedaround and people watched then went to headliner show. Elvisimpersonator, he was really good. Back to room for a few minutesthen back to Opal Theater for bingo and the “Love and Marriage” show. 11:45 bedtime big day at St. Martin tomorrow.

Day 4 St. Martin

Woke at 7:15 and boat was justdocking. What a beautiful landscape. Mountainous and crystal clearblue water. Had breakfast at Windjammer. Went back room to applysunscreen and get into bathing suits. Was walking off boat by 9am.

We booked an excursion not throughthe cruise ship, but highly rates on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic – Bob’sAdventures. It was amazing. Highly recommend it. Took ten minutes to walk past ports shops andget to street. Another 15 minute walk down the street to marina withBob's Adventures. We we're split into three groups for three boats. Captain Jim Kirk was out captain. We had 11 in our group. What anamazing excursion, would do it again if we ever get back here. Left dockand road in open water for about 20 minutes (8-9 foot swells) it was so muchfun. First stop snorkeling with the sea turtles and stingrays in abeautiful cove with 30 ft deep water that looked like it was 3 ft deep. Saw two sea turtles and two sting rays. Next stop a beautiful smallisland that we hand fed iguanas with lettuce and the water we waded in to getto shore was full of tropical fish. Next stop snorkeling off this bigrock island with a huge bolder reef. The most amazing tropical fisheverywhere. Next stop small village island with a local restaurant. We had the fresh mai mai grilled with rice and beans, yummy. Afterresting there for a bit on the sandy beach we road to an inlet with St. Martinsonly 5 star resort. Got in the water there and floated around, it was socalm and clear in 20 ft waters. Final stop just outside the airport area tohave airplanes fly right over the boat. Back at marina by 4. Back at boatby 4:20. Back to room. Took showers, rested for a bit. AtMain Dining room by 5:45.

Let me take a moment and talk aboutdining. First of all attire is all over the plaace. We thought itwas just the first day that shorts were allowed, but we saw shorts on Port daystoo. Also, you don't have to be there at 5:30. We saw people showing upfor the 5:30 seating at 6:15 and they were still seated. So no need torush, you’re on vacation.

Dinner tonight for me was seafoodcake appetizer, ceaser salad, lasagna and the most delicious chocolate"cookie" more like a brownie, heated with vanilla ice cream, soyummy.

After that in the Promenade was thecostume jewelry sale. Everything $19.99. . Back to room for amoment before Adult Comedy show. Omg sooooo funny. Arrive 20minutes early to get in line for people with reservations to get a goodtable. There are huge steel poles in the comedy club that you can't seearound so you want to get there early for a good seat. After comedy backto cabin to change into shorts and off to Studio B for the Battle of the Sexesshow. That was a pretty good time. Didn't participate but encourageyou too. For me back to cabin for bed 12:15am.

Day 5 San Juan, Puerto Rico

Woke up early and sat on balcony totype up yesterday summary and read my Kindle. First impression of SanJuan, dirty. The port and city are smoggy and dingy. Must beleaving the boat by 8:50am. We have a Wave Runner Excursion at 10, needto be there no later than 9:45. And it's a 10 min walk to taxi and a 20 mintaxi ride to marina. Breakfast at Windjammer again for quickness.

Well we completely over estimatedhow long it would take to get off boat, down pier, and get taxi. Leftboat at 8:55, was at taxi by 9:05, and at Mariana by 9:10. Only the twoof us on wave runner excursion. Fredricko was our guide. He is auniversity professor of archeology and history but due to the economy was letgo from university and this was his only employment. Excursion was veryexciting and informative. We road waverunners across the bay (a bitchoppy but fun) to an estuary and then back across bay to the fort. Learned a lot of history about fort and various invasions. Then swam atthe base of the fort. And back to marina, one hour flew by. Taxiback to boat.

Lunch at Windjammer. Nothingimpressive, but it was fine. Hamburger, Waldorf salad, cucumbersalad. Then cholate cake for desert. Then to Solarium to lay in theshade and read Kindle and take a nap. Steve napped next to me allafternoon. Very relaxing getting in and out of Solarium pool and readingkindle. Watched leaving San Juan from Solarium deck. Tonight issecond formal night and lobster night!!!!!!' Boat left San Juan at3pm. San Juan is nothing impressive. I would not come here againand it be ok.

Second formal night is lobster.Appetizer was a sweet Visalia onion tart, to die for. Ordered 2lobster tails with my meal, Steve ordered 3. Dessert was chocolate lavacake with ice cream.

After dinner we were scheduled for “Frozenin Time” show. We walked through promenade on the way and they were having 50%off designer handbags and also semi designer bags were in sale. I found aNine West clutch for $12, reg $39. Then down a level to Studio B for IceSkating show. It was a good ice skating show but the main performers fellmultiple times. Scenery and set design was amazing as well as thecostumes. A must see.

After that went up to Promenade toget a good spot for the 70s show and parade through the promenade. Another must see event. I would suggest getting a spot upstairs at photoarea railing or across the way at the Scooner bar railing. Otherwisestand in front of the antique car. Show was fun and entertaining. After show it was almost 11. Tried going to Karaoke competition in On Air barbut it was a packed house. Decided to call it a night.

Day 6 Labadi, Hati RC Island.

We arescheduled to the 1:30 zipline excursion!!!!

Woke up at 7am and still sailing,not yet at island. Out on balcony finishing up yesterday's notes andreading kindle.

Breakfast in the dining room for thefirst time. Very nice omelet was delicious and coffee for was finallygood. We were off the boat and on the beach by 10:30. Note on thebeaches since our last visit 4 years ago. The beaches to the right arereserved for Pinical and Diamond level only. So everyone else had to goto the beaches on the left under the zipline. Lots of rocks in thatarea. We only went halfway down to the first beach not down all the wayto the end which seemed less rocky. There are now several pavilions thatserved lunch and there are bars everywhere serving the island frozen drink"Labadoozy" which was yummy. Lunch was very good. Jerkchicken fell off the bone and had very good flavor. Ribs were alsogood. There are fresh water showers outside all bathrooms. Afterlunch we rinsed in fresh water and relaxed for 30 min before heading tozipline.

Shoes and shirts must be worn forzipline. Boat shoes are fine, in fact so are flip flops but you couldlose those while zip lining. Arrived at 1:20 and was able to get in the1:30 group versus the 2pm group. Word about your valuables while on theisland. Everything is pretty safe in your beach bag by your loungechairs. No need to use lockers, in fact most of the lockers are gone nowsince 4 years ago. Bring towel clips tomake sure people know those are your chairs, everyone uses the clips on theboat and on the island, a recommend purchase beforehand. Veryhelpful. If you booked your zipline online before cruise you will receivethe tickets in your cabin in day 1. So when you arrive at zipline hut allyou need is your tickets you don't need seapass. First step puttingharness on. Next step walk across walkway to the baby dragon to learn howto do things. Then on the SUV to head up the mountain. You are seatbelted in it's a narrow winding road. At the top it's just like the babyrun. The sling is basically a hammock style seat that you hang in andthey release you to go down the zipline. No need to worry about stopping it’sa spring stop. We loved this and would recommend it to everyone.

After zip lining we gathered ourstuff and casually walked into the elite reserved beach area like we belongedthere. The elite beach is sandy, calm, and looks towards the boat. Very nice. I also think the security for this area was relaxed a bit itwas past 3pm at that point, we probably wouldn’t have gotten past the securityat the gate to that beach if it had been earlier in the day. We wadedaround until 4 and made our way back to the boat. Headed up to pool deckto rinse sand off our feet before going to our cabin. Showers and off todinner a bit late.

After dinner was the "Come FlyWith Me" show. A must see show. Kind of like Circ de Solestuff and great songs.

After that we went to Boleros forthe "60 seconds challenge" game. It was supposed to be like thetv show, but it was pretty lame. Maybe with different contestants itmight have been better. We left halfway through it and went to Globe andAtlas bar. I went to photo gallery and with our Gold status got "buyone get one half off" price photos. Bought two large photos for $20and $10, and then one small photo for $15.

The big event of the night was"The Quest" and absolute must see event at Studio B. Doors openat 10:30 and shown begins at 11. I highly suggest getting there at 10:30for good seats. We sat in third row, great seats. It's an adult onlygame show. Very audience interactive. Our section won!

Quest was over around 12:30am. Leftthere and stopped at casino. Off to bed.

Back at cabin room Stewart left ourdisembarkation luggage tickets for tomorrow night and the gratuity envelopesfor extra gratuities you want to give. I prepaid our gratuities but yeswe will be leaving extra tips for cabin steward and Veronica our waiter.

Day 7 - day at sea

Had breakfast at Johnny Rocketsrestaurant. Breakfast there is free. Very good omelet.

Went to Boardwalk shops and they had20% off beach towels. Bought one and also a hat. Then up to thephoto studio to look at last few pics. Really liked the one taken afterzipline in Labadee. So asked if I could swap it out with one I alreadybought? They said yes. So did the swap out. Also lots of RC t-shirtsare 2 for $20. Looked at the designs but decided not to make purchase. Went to casino and won big.

Watched the wave rider area for awhile. Played miniature golf. Watched the dodge balltournament. Ate a snack at Wipe Out Cafe. Then up to Solarium torelax in the sun for an hour.

Ended up back at cabin to shower fordinner, nap, and begin packing. Spent an hour packing and almost gotdone. Went to dinner. Had coconut shrimp for appetizer, turkey andfixings for dinner and chocolate cake for dessert.

After dinner back to room to finishpacking. Walked around promenade area to people watch. Was going togo to karaoke finals at On Air bar but the place was packed. We wereactually supposed to see the rescheduled CATS production but it got cancelleddue to illness again. Went back to room around 10:30 to put bags out inhallway by the 11pm deadline. Finished the night off at the adult comedyshow in the Opal Theater by the same two guys we saw earlier this week and theywere hilarious. Ended the night around 12:30am.

[Gloworm2]

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to Oasis on a few months

 

 

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[jll583]

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing! We go on Oasis in August!

 

 

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[OCSC Mike]

Enjoyed your review, thanks for sharing! You sound a lot like my wife with the constant chocolate cookie/cake for dessert. :) You actually did a lot of similar stuff to what we normally on board with the trivia and game shows. We're going on Oasis this Sunday (been on Allure before so we're familiar with the ship).

 

Hadn't thought of or read about the "duffel bag of shoes" before but I mentioned it to my wife and we both liked the idea and are probably gonna use it. I don't bring many pairs but my shoes take up room and she has sneakers for running along with however many pairs of shoes/sandals/flip fops so it makes sense.

 

You didn't happen to take menu pics you could share, did you? Also, I don't normally gamble much on cruises but I might a little more this time. Was the casino crowded and do you come out of it reeking like smoke like we've experienced in the past?

[easyboy]

Thank you for the review

 

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[Clarea]

Thanks for the review, we're on the same itinerary soon.

[BND]

Just an FYI for anyone new reading this, you have never had to take your shoes off when going through security to board a cruise ship. That's only done at airports (mainly US airports). We'll be on Oasis in October for the first time, although we have been on Allure so not exactly a new experience. I don't think you said (hard to read and catch everything in one post) but did you like Oasis? Everyone I know either loves it or hates it, not much in between.

 

I've never known San Juan to be "smoggy". Hot and humid yes, but not really dirty or polluted. We've been there at least 5 times and usually just walk around town and grab some delicious PR food. DH's family is from PR and his mom can no longer cook it so it's pretty much the only time we get some good PR food.

[oldmom]

THANKS-great review- we love Oasis-sailing for 3rd time on her 2018-great idea for duffel bag for shoes! Going to do that next time,also. Do you remember the price for St. Martin excursion-sounded like fun-thanks-Melinda

[hunan6]

Beaches to the rights at Labadee only for select guests? Have they done something different with Columbus cove? I thought it was open to all.

[gsuoumu]

Do you have contact info for Bob's Adventures? I can't to find a website via google.

[Clarea]

Beaches to the rights at Labadee only for select guests? Have they done something different with Columbus cove? I thought it was open to all.

To my knowledge, only Barefoot Beach is restricted to suite guests and their cabana guests. Nellies and Columbus are still open to all.

[shortstuf1255]

Good review what Dock did you dock at in PR was it Ols San Juan or the other one?

[mchin]

Good review what Dock did you dock at in PR was it Ols San Juan or the other one?

 

Ships that stop for a port of call dock in Old San Juan. Pan Am Pier is for those that embark/disembark from San Juan.

Edited June 3, 2017 by mchin
spelling edit

[floridaheidi]

Do you have contact info for Bob's Adventures? I can't to find a website via google.

 

Here is the contact: http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Most_Popular_Tour.html

 

He is also listed on Trip Advisor as well with fantastic ratings. We will do this excursion again if we are ever in St. Martin.

[floridaheidi]

Do you have contact info for Bob's Adventures? I can't to find a website via google.

 

 

Here is the contact: http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Most_Popular_Tour.html

[floridaheidi]

THANKS-great review- we love Oasis-sailing for 3rd time on her 2018-great idea for duffel bag for shoes! Going to do that next time,also. Do you remember the price for St. Martin excursion-sounded like fun-thanks-Melinda

 

 

Contact: http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Most_Popular_Tour.html

 

I think it's $90 per person, but that includes and entire day of adventure, fresh hot cooked lunch (yummy), and all the drinks onboard (water, beer, soda, etc.)