Oasis of the Seas Dec. 2-9 Review

[DoctorWhoGirl]

I have never written a review on CC before but I always enjoy reading them so I figured why not. We are fairly new to cruising Royal Caribbean, so we have more of a neophyte prospective in comparison to many of the reviews I have read from more seasoned cruisers. Keep those reviews coming guys, I love reading about all of your adventures and the Suite life we will probably never spring for. We aspire to make Diamond one day, but as Gold members we have have a long way to go. I know we will have a blast getting to that level one great cruise at a time.

 

Intoduction & some background info:

 

My name is Katrina and my husband is Eric. We are early to mid 40’s, have two preteen boys, and have just re-discovered our love for cruising.

 

 

Some 20 years ago, long before I met and married Eric, I cruised twice on the Disney Magic. Back in the day, she was the largest cruise ship but only offered 3 & 4 days cruises to the Bahamas. Both of my sailings on the Magic were fantastic and very memorable, but shortly thereafter I met Eric and moved from my home in FL to the cold tundra of WI. Taking a cruise vacation went from an easy hour drive to Port Canaveral to a much bigger ordeal, so cruising didn’t really enter our mind.  Shortly after the kids were born, we moved back south - to South Carolina. However, as with most young children, the focus of family vacations was on a famous mouse and the idea of cruising with small children was less than appealing for us.  Step forward to 2018. Royal Caribbean and it’s Oasis Class ships stand out above the rest for us in terms of size, service and variety of activities for the whole family.

 

 

In late June of this year our family of four sailed the Allure of the Seas on an eastern Caribbean itinerary. We sailed with my sister and her family and enjoyed the family vacation of a lifetime. Our boys (ages 10 & 12) have said they never want to go to DisneyWorld again - they would rather go on a cruise. Music to our ears...no more spending $100+ per day per person to stand in line over an hour for a 3 minute ride! While vacationing with the kids on Allure was wonderful, Eric and I discussed how awesome a cruise for just the two of us would be. Not even a week after returning home from our Allure cruise, Eric was informed that due to a change in company vacation policy he could no longer roll over his unused/banked vacation time. He needed to either use it or wait until he left the company to receive payment for it. Can’t let that happen! Now looking at 4 additional weeks of vacation to use before the end of this year, I immediately suggested a cruise without the kids. He quickly jumped on board, much to the dismay of our children. How dare we go on a cruise without them! After talking to our travel agent and looking at dates when grandma could watch the kids, we decided on the Oasis of the Seas for the first week of December. Our itinerary includes Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

 

This would be our first vacation, just the two of us, since our Hawaiian honeymoon 15 years ago. I am not a big drinker at home, but Eric does enjoy the variety of drinks on vacation so we opted to purchase the deluxe beverage package when it went on sale several months before the cruise. Eric had already purchased the Internet package so that we could easily communicate with the kids at home, so when we factored in that cost, buying the DX package made sense. We paid $43+grats per day for my package, and $53+grats per day for his Deluxe plus Surf & Stream. Over the course of the cruise, we drank a lot of specialty coffees and bottled waters in addition to alcohol, so purchasing the drink package worked out in our favor at the price we paid for this cruise. We never felt as if we were getting a drink to “make the drink package worth it”. Instead, we ordered what we wanted, when we wanted it and didn’t factor price point into the equation. I am typically one of those people who will order what is cheapest, not necessarily what I really want. After our experience on this cruise, we will consider the deluxe package on all future cruises if the price is right.

 

Saturday, December 1 : T-minus 1 day until embarkation:

 

We live in extreme upstate South Carolina (ie. the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains) so we opt to drive to FL instead of dealing with the hassle of flying. We decided to made the drive to FL on Saturday, the day before embarkation. After an emotional goodbye with the kids, we began our 8 our drive. It was a very rainy day, but we finally arrived at our hotel, Country Inn and Suites in Port Orange, by 6pm. After checking in and dropping off our stuff into the room we headed to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Eric wanted a nice juicy Prime Rib to kick off our week without kids, and I opted for the bbq chicken. We both enjoyed our meals. However, the highlight of our time at the restaurant was watching my alma mater, UCF, come from behind to win the ACC championship game. This was especially fun while in central Florida surrounded by UCF fans. After dinner it was back to the hotel in time for kick off for our Clemson Tigers - Clemson is just 20 minutes away from home in SC and we have become fans despite the fact that we both graduated from other universities. Such a great way to wrap up the regular college football season for us.

 

Day 1 : Embarkation Day

 

We took our time on Sunday morning knowing we only had a 45 minute drive to Port Canaveral. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then arrived at Port Canaveral at 11am. We were so excited to see our home for the week sitting there waiting for us.

 

We dropped off our bags and proceeded to park the car in the garage. So far so good. Streams of people were walking into the building and all was moving smoothly until the line came to an abrupt halt only two zigzags into the long cue line. We noticed all security screening had stopped, and other than a few shuffles forward every once in a while, it was here that we spent the next 45 minutes or so. When the security screening finally started up again there was a loud round of applause in the building. I can only imagine what the crowds were like outside at this time, as it was nearly 12 noon. Once things were moving again, everything went smoothly. We zipped through check-in, and only had to wait maybe 5 minutes before our boarding number, Gold 12, was called. We made our way up the only gangway they had open and walked onto Oasis around 12:15pm. Knowing the masses were still standing in line inside and outside the terminal, we headed up to Windjammer for lunch. It was then that we caught a glimpse at how long the lines really were. This was our view from Windjammer at 12:30, notice the cue lines at the bottom right between the parking garage and the terminal…

 

 

After lunch we headed down to the pool bar for our first cruise drink. I ordered a Kraken Colada and Eric ordered a Mai Tai. As we were waiting for our drinks the announcement was made that staterooms were open. It was 1pm, so right on time. We had booked this cruise as an ocean balcony guarantee, and our stateroom was not assigned until about four weeks out. We were assigned room 14272. I was initially worried about noise from the pool deck, but we never heard anything disruptive the whole week. It was also a connecting room, but we never heard anything other than the occasional door slam. The only annoying thing about the stateroom was the metal support wall to the left of our balcony that obstructed the view towards the back of the ship. The overhang from the pool deck above also cut our view looking up, especially at night. On the plus side, our balcony remained shaded most of the when others were in full sun. We sit out on our balcony a lot, especially on sea days, so this was nice. Would I book this stateroom on purpose?  No. Did it ruin our cruise? Definitely not. We aren’t people who will let small inconveniences ruin our vacation. Any day on a cruise is better than a regular day at home. For anyone interested, this was our balcony as seen from inside our room and the obstruction I mentioned to the left.

 

 

After enjoying our first drinks out on the balcony we headed down to the Royal Promenade to pick up a beer for Eric, and an iced vanilla latte for me. We then explored the ship a bit and made a visit to the Sun Deck. We watched the dolphins swim in the channel next to the ship and even snapped the ultimate selfie of ourselves from the Port Canaveral webcam. We are those two specs to the left of the center of the ship.

 

By now it was getting close to 3:30 so we decided to wander back to the Aquatheater to grab seats in the shade near the back before the muster drill. We were muster location G02, so we were thankful for the nice weather. When the movie began we were surprised and relieved to see a straightforward emergency information video instead of the ridiculous spy movie we were forced to endure on Allure in June. As soon as Captain Goran released us from muster, we headed downstairs to the running track deck 5 and made our way to the hallway leading into the Royal Promenade. We took the stairs up to Central Park and headed to the Trellis Bar for a glass of wine to enjoy at sail away. We both ordered a Cab, and then headed up to our balcony for sail away. One more quick call home to say goodbye to the boys, and then I put my phone in airplane mode for the duration of the cruise. No texts, no phone calls, no email, no Facebook, no Cruise Critic for one whole week. Just before sail away our luggage arrived and I was able to start unpacking before we headed out onto the balcony.

 

 

 

Wanting to avoid the MDR on the first night, we had booked First Night Done Right for 8pm. We wanted to eat at Giovanni’s and that’s what we got. We had several hours to relax and explore the ship which we took full advantage of. We even headed up to the Solarium for some time in the cantilevered hot tub before we had to get ready for dinner. When we headed down to Central Park for dinner we were definitely getting hungry. For appetizers Eric ordered the Carpaccio del Bosco and I ordered the Mozzarella di Bufalo. For main course we both ordered the Filet Mignon, medium rare. (Is there any other acceptable way to enjoy filet?!) Dessert was Tiramisu for me and Kioki Coffee for Eric. Everything at dinner was wonderful; the food, the service, as well as the atmosphere for our first night on the ship.

 

Thanks for reading this far. Stay tuned for Day 2 coming soon...

[snwbnnyinoz]

Enjoying your review so far, we sail on her in 6 weeks. 

[DoctorWhoGirl]

Day 2: Nassau

 

We are early risers, so we were up and ready for coffee just after 6am. We got dressed and headed down to the Cafe Promenade and were surprised at how many others were already up and wandering around the ship so early. On Allure in June we just about had the ship to ourselves until well after 7am. I guess the fact that the crowd on Oasis was noticeably old than on Allure (so many young families!) makes a difference. We both ordered cappuccinos to go and picked up a few snacks to hold us over until breakfast. We headed back up to our room to watch the sunrise followed by our arrival in Nassau.

 

 

 

 

Having been to Nassau in the past, neither of us had any desire to get off the ship. Why leave the ship that offers us lunch and drinks at no additional cost? Instead we chose to stay on board and enjoy a less crowded ship. As many people streamed off the ship to enjoy a few hours in Nassau, we opted to visit the MDR for a leisurely breakfast. Eric ordered his favorite, Eggs Benedict, and I ordered an omelette with a side of bacon. We both ordered mimosas. We had to wait a bit for our food, but since we were not in any rush, it wasn’t a big deal. When our food did arrive it was hot, fresh and tasty. After breakfast we hit the cantilevered hot tub once again and had it to ourselves, pure heaven. Ready for another coffee, we headed back to the Cafe Promenade where Eric ordered a Captain’s Call and I tried a Caribbean Coconut. Both drinks were delicious and became daily orders. We enjoyed our drinks while exploring various areas of the ship and the sights around Nassau from the comfort of the ship. It was a beautiful day in the Bahamas.

 

 

For lunch we headed to Central Park and the Park Cafe. We both ordered a salad since we had eaten such a big breakfast, and enjoyed our food at a table in Central Park. Next up was relaxing on the pool deck while many others made their way back to the ship before the early afternoon on board time. We passed the Sand Bar and decided it was time for a nice cold frozen drink so we asked the bartender if he could make a Labadoozie. We loved them when we visited Labadee on our previous cruise, and we’re delighted when he said he could make them for us. A big thank you to cruise critic and user advise suggesting we could order Labadoozies on the ship!

 

Not long after we left Nassau there was an Alpha Alpha Alpha call on deck 15. A good hour or so later we noticed the ship appeared to be turning around. Shortly afterwards, Captain Goran announced that due to a medical emergency we needed to return to Nassau so that a passenger could receive medical care at a hospital. I heard rumors it was a heart attack, but I don’t know for sure.

 

Tonight's dinner was in the MDR, and we had My Time Dining reservations for 6pm. It was the first formal night so most people were dressed up a bit. We both dressed up, but not in a tux and evening gown. Eric doesn’t own a tux, and traveling with a formal evening gown can be a bit tricky. We traveled light for this cruise, so a long dressy black skirt and flowy evening top had to suffice for me. I felt we were dressed appropriately and blended well with other clothing we saw in the MDR. Since we had eaten at Giovanni’s the first night, tonight was the first time we met our servers for the week, Jesusely and Jackson. They were both friendly and quickly picked up on what we preferred.

 

By 7pm we were arriving in Nassau for the second time that day. Knowing how beautiful Oasis is all lit up at night, we checked out the port of Nassau webcam.

 

 

We sat at the dock for almost an hour before heading out to sea again. Sailing out of Nassau at night with all the lights in the city was breathtaking. Captain Goran gave us an update stating that we would be delayed arriving in St. Thomas 2 days later, but that he was confident he would be able to make up most of the time we lost when we had to return to Nassau. He also mentioned that the passenger that needed medical care was doing well and was receiving care at the hospital in Nassau. What an awful way to start a vacation, I hope that passenger made a full recovery.

 

Day 3 coming soon….

 

[island lady]

Very nice job for your first review!  🙂 

 

Yes, the medical emergency we turned around for was a elderly man that had a stroke.  His wife was in a scooter, and not able to handle things well for him, so the ship so kindly left an officer behind to help them both with matters on shore.  I am assuming he later joined back up with us at a future port.  

Edited December 17, 2018 by island lady

[Croozin Soozin]

Enjoying your review.  

[DoctorWhoGirl]

18 hours ago, snwbnnyinoz said:

Enjoying your review so far, we sail on her in 6 weeks. 

Thank you for following along. I know you will have a great cruise in 6 weeks!

 

5 hours ago, island lady said:

Very nice job for your first review!  🙂 

 

Yes, the medical emergency we turned around for was a elderly man that had a stroke.  His wife was in a scooter, and not able to handle things well for him, so the ship so kindly left an officer behind to help them both with matters on shore.  I am assuming he later joined back up with us at a future port.  

Thank you, I’m enjoying reliving the cruise as I write it all out.

How kind that Royal sent an officer to help those passengers out in a time of need, I am sure the family really appreciated that gesture.

Hope your cruise was as wonderful as ours was!

5 hours ago, Croozin Soozin said:

Enjoying your review.  

Thank you for following along.

[island lady]

1 minute ago, DoctorWhoGirl said:

Thank you for following along. I know you will have a great cruise in 6 weeks!

 

Thank you, I’m enjoying reliving the cruise as I write it all out.

How kind that Royal sent an officer to help those passengers out in a time of need, I am sure the family really appreciated that gesture.

Hope your cruise was as wonderful as ours was!

Thank you for following along.

 

Thanks...yes it was!  🙂  One of the best Oasis cruises for us so far.  Looking forward to being back on board next month.  Good to hear you also enjoyed your week!  

[DoctorWhoGirl]

Day 2 : Continued

 

After my last post I realized that I left out the last part of the day. After dinner we had reservations for Frozen In Time, how could I forget that?! We had a bit of time between when we finished dinner and the time we needed to head down to Studio B, so we went back to our stateroom to change into more comfortable clothes for the show. (It was formal night.) Our wonderful stateroom attendant, Sharan, left us this cute little towel animal.

 

We strolled down to Central Park to grab a drink at the Trellis Bar before heading down to find seats for Frozen in Time. We arrived about 25 minutes before show time and were able to get good seats about five rows from the ice without any visual obstructions. It’s crazy that some of the seats in the theater are directly behind structural beams. The show was fantastic, our favorite part being the sand artist. This was one of the times I wished our kids would have been there with us. They would have loved that part of the show. After the show we headed up to the Champagne Bar for dessert martinis. I ordered the Tiramisu Martini which was $2 above the drink package limit, but the extra $2.36 was worth it! Eric stuck to the Chocolate Martini which is within the $13 limit.

 

Day 3: At Sea

 

Our first sea day found us awake and exploring the ship early once again. Fewer people were up and about this morning which allowed me to snap a few pictures of the beautiful Christmas decorations that filled the Royal Promenade.

 

 

With a Vanilla Latte and Cappuccino in hand we enjoyed our balcony until Windjammer opened at 7am for breakfast. Whereas we avoid Windjammer at peak times, we do enjoy eating breakfast there first thing in the morning. The food is always fresh and hot and we can usually find a great table by the window to enjoy the ocean view. Today was no exception. After breakfast it was up to the Solarium for some relaxation in the hot tub.

 

We had no plans for the day other than reservations for lunch at Chop’s. I ordered the petite filet with asparagus and mashed potatoes. My meal was cooked perfectly and I surprised myself by finishing every last bite. For dessert I ordered the Key Lime Pie, which is some of the best I’ve had outside my own kitchen. Eric ordered the Salmon and said he really enjoyed it. As we were finishing our meal we noticed Captain Goran and other officers dining on the opposite side of the restaurant. Throughout the week we saw him all around the ship at different times and places.

 

The afternoon was filled with relaxation on the pool deck as well as our balcony. Having heard people on cruise critic rave about the Lava Flow, I ordered one. Wow! I found my new favorite frozen drink! Those things are addicting and I know what my first cruise drink will be next time. Shortly before 5pm we headed down to the Aquatheater for Oasis of Dreams. We found great seats and people watched until the show began. We really enjoyed the show and were thrilled to see conditions were safe for the high dive from both sides at the end. I guess sea conditions didn’t cooperate the rest of the evening because the third show scheduled for that evening was cancelled.

 

Dinner was at the MDR again tonight. Food was fine and service wonderful. We opted to skip dessert and instead head to Champagne Bar for dessert martinis again. Do you see a pattern developing here? Those Chocolate and Tiramisu Martinis are to die for!

 

 

To be continued...Day 4 coming soon

[otterden]

Following along as we head out on the same itinerary in less than two weeks!  can't wait to read the rest!

[lazydayz]

Thanks for your review.  We sail her on March 17th.  Very excited to get back on the Oasis. 

[molsonschooner]

Good job. I am enjoying reading this. You mentioned the sand artist. We saw her in 2011. Just amazing. I could watch that over and over again.

[DoctorWhoGirl]

15 hours ago, otterden said:

Following along as we head out on the same itinerary in less than two weeks!  can't wait to read the rest!

Thanks for following along. Have a great cruise in 2 weeks!

 

14 hours ago, lazydayz said:

Thanks for your review.  We sail her on March 17th.  Very excited to get back on the Oasis. 

Thanks for following along. Enjoy your cruise in March!

 

9 hours ago, molsonschooner said:

Good job. I am enjoying reading this. You mentioned the sand artist. We saw her in 2011. Just amazing. I could watch that over and over again.

Thank you. I think they could almost make a show out of the sand artists. The one we saw was a man from the Ukraine - amazing. 

[DoctorWhoGirl]

Day 4: St. Thomas

 

When we booked this cruise, this was the port I was most looking forward too. I had never visited St. Thomas, but Eric raved about it after visiting several years before we met. We both enjoy snorkeling and had a private tour that included an island tour and snorkeling set up months in advance. A week before the cruise I received an email from our tour operator apologizing and regretfully informing us that he needed to cancel our tour. The guide he had assigned us to had a family medical emergency stateside and would not be available. His other guides were all booked up and he had no one to drive us around the island. We were understandably disappointed, but completely understood the situation. We decided that we would just wing it and find something to do once we got to port.

 

Due to the medical evacuation that delayed our arrival in St. Thomas, we were now scheduled to arrive at 1pm ship time instead of 11am. This gave us another relaxing morning consisting of a quick trip to Cafe Promenade for coffee followed by some hot tub time. Wanting to try something different, we headed down to Johnny Rockets for breakfast. They were busy, but had a table for two available for immediate seating. We both ordered the french toast and shared an order of “the works” potatoes. It was a great breakfast and nice change in our morning routine on the ship. As we began to get glimpses of St. Thomas in the distance we heaed up to the SunDeck to get a better look - let me just say it felt like a hurricane up there! I’ve experienced winds up there, but nothing like this. We are kicking ourselves for not taking a video like other people were doing. As we got closer the weather improved and we just watched from our balcony.

 

Shortly after returning to the room Eric received a text from the tour operator we had originally booked with. He had just received a cancellation due to a family with a sick child and could offer us the tour we had originally planned. We were both so excited! Due to our late arrival in St. Thomas we knew that we would have a limited amount of daylight to fit everything we wanted to do in before sunset. As soon as Oasis docked, we made it off the ship rather quickly and we met our tour guide representative by the big windmill at Crown Bay. He quickly whisked us away from the crowds where we then met our guide for the day, Web, who is also the owner of the company. We climbed into his Jeep and away we went, leaving the cruise ship crowds behind us. Web was awesome, and his tour of the island was amazing. He took us to two different beaches where we got to swim with turtles as well as see rays, octopus, lobster, crabs, jelly fish, spotted sea hares and tons of beautiful fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands down it was the best afternoon in the water ever. Web guided us to where everything was, identified all the animals and even took all the pictures for us. After our final snorkeling stop we asked about a place to watch the sunset, and Web took us to a great spot where we were the only ones at the pull off. The view down to Oasis from here was gorgeous.

 

After sunset , Web drove us back into town and stopped at a grocery store so that we could pick up a few bottles of Caribbean rum to take home. He then dropped us back off at Crown Bay with plenty of time to spare before all aboard time. I can’t recommend Web and his company, St. Thomas Scuba & Snorkeling Adventures enough. We will definitely book with them for future visits to St. Thomas.

 

Dinner at MDR was great once again, as were the dessert martinis at Champagne Bar afterwards. We had reservations for the 10:30pm headliner show, but after the busy day we were too tired to stay up so we skipped it. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day in St. Maarten so we needed to get our rest.

 

To be continued. Day 5 coming soon...

[kag19]

Amazing pictures!  What an awesome experience!

[island lady]

Did you miss the Meet and Mingle on our first sea day?  It was actually better than usual.  New LA made it fun.  Had a huge turnout.  

[DoctorWhoGirl]

30 minutes ago, island lady said:

Did you miss the Meet and Mingle on our first sea day?  It was actually better than usual.  New LA made it fun.  Had a huge turnout.  

I guess I forgot to mention it in my review, oops! We were there towards the back left when standing on stage. Eric won a bottle of bubbly...he was the guy she called “chicken legs” 😂 It was very well attended, the last one I went to only 5 couples/families showed up and everyone won something. 

[island lady]

12 minutes ago, DoctorWhoGirl said:

I guess I forgot to mention it in my review, oops! We were there towards the back left when standing on stage. Eric won a bottle of bubbly...he was the guy she called “chicken legs” 😂 It was very well attended, the last one I went to only 5 couples/families showed up and everyone won something. 

 

Yeah, it was a fun event.  The last few previous M&Ms we have been on Oasis...was pretty lame.  The former LA did the same boring speech all about herself for half an hour.  There was no intermingling...no real humor except her canned speech, and the prizes were given out in a rush at the end.  Happy to see it is a much more fun and involved event now.  It really was a full crowd in there!  🙂

Edited December 18, 2018 by island lady

[otterden]

5 hours ago, DoctorWhoGirl said:

Day 4: St. Thomas

 

When we booked this cruise, this was the port I was most looking forward too. I had never visited St. Thomas, but Eric raved about it after visiting several years before we met. We both enjoy snorkeling and had a private tour that included an island tour and snorkeling set up months in advance. A week before the cruise I received an email from our tour operator apologizing and regretfully informing us that he needed to cancel our tour. The guide he had assigned us to had a family medical emergency stateside and would not be available. His other guides were all booked up and he had no one to drive us around the island. We were understandably disappointed, but completely understood the situation. We decided that we would just wing it and find something to do once we got to port.

 

Due to the medical evacuation that delayed our arrival in St. Thomas, we were now scheduled to arrive at 1pm ship time instead of 11am. This gave us another relaxing morning consisting of a quick trip to Cafe Promenade for coffee followed by some hot tub time. Wanting to try something different, we headed down to Johnny Rockets for breakfast. They were busy, but had a table for two available for immediate seating. We both ordered the french toast and shared an order of “the works” potatoes. It was a great breakfast and nice change in our morning routine on the ship. As we began to get glimpses of St. Thomas in the distance we heaed up to the SunDeck to get a better look - let me just say it felt like a hurricane up there! I’ve experienced winds up there, but nothing like this. We are kicking ourselves for not taking a video like other people were doing. As we got closer the weather improved and we just watched from our balcony.

 

Shortly after returning to the room Eric received a text from the tour operator we had originally booked with. He had just received a cancellation due to a family with a sick child and could offer us the tour we had originally planned. We were both so excited! Due to our late arrival in St. Thomas we knew that we would have a limited amount of daylight to fit everything we wanted to do in before sunset. As soon as Oasis docked, we made it off the ship rather quickly and we met our tour guide representative by the big windmill at Crown Bay. He quickly whisked us away from the crowds where we then met our guide for the day, Web, who is also the owner of the company. We climbed into his Jeep and away we went, leaving the cruise ship crowds behind us. Web was awesome, and his tour of the island was amazing. He took us to two different beaches where we got to swim with turtles as well as see rays, octopus, lobster, crabs, jelly fish, spotted sea hares and tons of beautiful fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands down it was the best afternoon in the water ever. Web guided us to where everything was, identified all the animals and even took all the pictures for us. After our final snorkeling stop we asked about a place to watch the sunset, and Web took us to a great spot where we were the only ones at the pull off. The view down to Oasis from here was gorgeous.

 

After sunset , Web drove us back into town and stopped at a grocery store so that we could pick up a few bottles of Caribbean rum to take home. He then dropped us back off at Crown Bay with plenty of time to spare before all aboard time. I can’t recommend Web and his company, St. Thomas Scuba & Snorkeling Adventures enough. We will definitely book with them for future visits to St. Thomas.

 

Dinner at MDR was great once again, as were the dessert martinis at Champagne Bar afterwards. We had reservations for the 10:30pm headliner show, but after the busy day we were too tired to stay up so we skipped it. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day in St. Maarten so we needed to get our rest.

 

To be continued. Day 5 coming soon...

 

wow, great pics!  noticed your long sleeve rash guards...for sun protection or was the water temp an issue?

thanks,

 

[DoctorWhoGirl]

10 minutes ago, otterden said:

 

wow, great pics!  noticed your long sleeve rash guards...for sun protection or was the water temp an issue?

thanks,

 

 

Water temp was just fine, low 80’s I’m guessing. I wore the rash guard instead of using sunblock - trying to do my part in saving the coral reefs. 

[DoctorWhoGirl]

Day 5: Sint Maarten

 

We visited Sint Maarten earlier this year when we cruised with our children on Allure. On that visit we did a half day snorkeling and beach tour with Coconut Reef. We had such a great experience with them in June that we booked the full day excursion with them for this visit. We didn’t have to be at the marina until 8:30 ship time, so there was no need to rush off the ship when we docked early, before 7am! The day began like all the rest, an early coffee at Cafe Promenade followed by breakfast at Windjammer. We then enjoyed the views of Phillipsburg from the ship, and watched the other cruise ships dock.

 

 

When we did get off the ship, there were no lines, no crowds, and we easily walked the 15 minutes or so to the dock behind Chesterfields, where our boat was scheduled to meet us at 9:30am (8:30am ship time). When our boat, The Garfield Too, arrived we met our tour guides for the day Captain Damian and tour guide Mack. They welcomed us aboard and we waited a few minutes for the other two couples that would be spending the day on the water with us. As soon as everyone was aboard we were off to Creole Rock, a snorkeling spot on the French side of the island. Along the way we enjoyed a ride through the Simpson Bay Lagoon, home to numerous mega yachts during the winter high season. We noticed a big difference here in comparison to our visit in June. Most of the damaged and sunken boats we saw then had been removed and there were numerous mega yachts moored there for winter.

 

Once we arrived at Creole Rock, we found all the moorings were taken. Instead of waiting around for one to open up, we all geared up and jumped out of the boat to swim to the sheltered snorkeling location. Mack warned us that the current was strong and urged everyone to take a noodle for floatation. Boy was he right about that current! We all followed his lead in the swim around some rocks and made our way to the snorkeling location next to Creole Rock. The swim/snorkel there was gorgeous despite the current. In fact, I think the swim to the snorkeling location was the best part of that stop. The coral formations and amount of different fish were amazing. By the time our snorkeling time was over there Damian had snagged a mooring so the swim back to the boat was quick and easy. Our next stop was the quaint vacation enclave of Anse Marcel. Hurricane damage was still quite apparent, but we saw numerous iguanas and several sea turtles. After others in our group swam with the turtles for a bit it was off to Tintamarre Island were we swam with some of the largest sea turtles I’ve ever seen in my life. They were not afraid of people at all and would swim up within 10 feet of us to get a breath before returning to the bottom some 20 feet or so below the surface. The shoreline on this island looked beautiful, everything from amazing rock formations to soft sandy beaches.

 

We then headed over to Pinel Island, just off the coast of Cul-de-Sac. I had seen pictures of this place, but when we arrived they didn’t do it justice. Even after enduring Hurricane Irma this place is one of tropical dreams. Eric and I agreed it was one of the most beautiful tropical places we’ve been and we look forward to going back one day. We explored the island for a while, ate lunch and did a little shopping before it was time to head back toward the cruise ships in Great Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

We did make one quick detour at Maho Beach to try and catch a few planes coming or going from the airport. While we didn’t get to witness a big jet land, we did get to watch one take off from a safe distance offshore. We did see people blowing in the jet blast (they are nuts!) and watched someone’s pizza go flying a couple hundred yards into the water. After watching the plane take off it was time to return to the dock after another great day on the water with Coconut Reef. We highly recommend this small company (only 2 boats) for their great customer service and wonderful tours.

 

 

Once back on land we ducked into the shops at Amsterdam Cheese and Liquor Store. We picked up a few bottles of the famous Guavaberry Liqueur and enjoyed a Guavaberry Colada - yum! Then it was back to the ship with time to spare before the all on board time of 4:30pm.

 

Dinner tonight was at 6pm, followed by martinis at Champagne Bar and a trip to the hot tub. We had reservations for the Comedy Show and made sure to get there early for good seats. We know better than to sit in the front and the poor lady who got picked on continuously by the second comedian did not look impressed. Turns out it was her first comedy show, I wonder if it was also her last! Both comedians were terrific and kept us laughing the whole time.

[DoctorWhoGirl]

Days 6 & 7: At Sea

 

The final two days of our cruise were both sea days. After two busy port days in a row  with excursions, we were looking forward to just relaxing and enjoyed the Oasis. We picked up our early morning Cappuccinos at Cafe Promenade and headed up to the Solarium to enjoy the view while drinking our coffee. It’s especially peaceful up there at 6:30am. I wish I had this view every morning with my coffee.

 

 

Once Windjammer opened for breakfast we headed there to grab some food. We both love crispy bacon and were pleased to find it so easily in the plies of fresh bacon they bring out first thing in the morning. Eric also loved the fresh fried eggs they had, he ate 4 both mornings! Our assistant waiter in the MDR, Jackson, also works breakfast at Windjammer. Both mornings he greeted us by name when we walked by, he was such a hard worker and a really nice guy. After breakfast we put in a few laps on the track down on deck 5 before heading back to the Solarium for some quiet hot tub time.

 

We ate lunch in the MDR both days and enjoyed good meals. On Friday I ordered a rubbed chicken dish (I cannot remember the name) and it was very tasty . On Saturday I was hungry for beef and ordered the steak and frites. I hadn’t intended on eating it all, but when it come out of the kitchen it was cooked perfectly and was absolutely delicious. So much better than the steak I ordered in the MDR on Allure in June. I can’t remember what Eric ordered both days, but I am pretty sure he ordered lasagne one day and said it was just ok.

 

On Friday afternoon we finally got around to checking out the Schooner Bar. We took seats near the glass and had a nice view of the activities on the Royal Promenade. Eric ordered a Brandy Alexander and I ordered a Tropical Old Fashioned. Both drinks were great, so much so that we made sure to come back on Saturday afternoon.

 

On Friday night we had reservations for Come Fly with Me after dinner. After an afternoon of increasing motion on the ship, by the time the show was scheduled to begin the Oasis was really rocking and rolling. I experienced motion/sea sickness years ago on my second Disney Magic sailing, but despite the movement on Oasis, I was fine this time. I am not sure how normal it is to experience this much motion, but everyone around us in the theater was talking about how dramatic it was. The people behind us said the pools on 15 looked like wave pools it was so bad. After about a 20 minute delay the show did begin and we enjoyed it. It wasn’t our favorite, but we definitely enjoyed it more than Blue Planet on Allure. The ship was still rocking and rolling as we all left the theater and we saw people stumbling into one another at times and it wasn’t due to alcohol! Despite all the motion down on the lower decks, it wasn’t much worse up in our room on deck 14. The rocking lulled us to sleep and by morning it was much more calm again.

 

We purposely didn’t plan anything for our last day at sea before returning to Port Canaveral. It was wonderful just doing what we wanted when we wanted without any plans or schedule. The day brought more relaxing time on the upper decks with Lava Flows and Bloody Mary’s, as well as on the chairs on deck 5. We loved sitting at the back watching the wake of the ship trail behind us.

 

 

Our Saturday afternoon visit to the Schooner Bar was very busy, I think there may have been a group get together going on or something. Seats quickly filled up shortly after we arrived, so it wasn’t surprising when another couple asked if the seats next to us were taken, and if they could sit with us. We offered them the seats and spent the next half hour or so chatting with them. They were very well traveled and had a lot of insight on various cruise ships and destinations and enjoyed our conversations with them.

 

 

After dinner in the MDR we capped off our cruise with one last visit to the Champagne Bar for Tiramisu and Chocolate Martinis. We will miss this venue on future cruises that instead feature the Bionic Bar, which we have no interest in whatsoever. Anyone know where to get dessert martinis on Harmony and Symphony?

 

Day 8: Port Canaveral

 

We were awake by 5:30am and packed and ready to go by 6am. We chose to do self assist to get off the ship early and then sat in our room until passengers began exiting the ship. Around 6:20am we headed down to the Royal Promenade and exited next to the Champagne Bar. The crew had us walk around the exercise track to where the line to disembark had formed. It was long but moved quickly and before we knew it we were back at our car and on the road. It took about an hour from the time we left the room to the time we were pulling out of the parking garage. It was longer than we anticipated, but much shorter than what I’ve heard from others on this cruise. Apparently there was a delay with the customs lines and the lines where out of control not long after our departure.

 

We had originally planned to drive home to SC that day, but an early winter snow/ice storm was affecting our area making driving conditions dangerous. We opted to stay in FL for the day and drive home on Monday. Thankfully my sister and her family live an hour from Port Canaveral, just north of Orlando, so we spent the day/night with them.

 

Overall we had a fabulous cruise on Oasis and can’t wait to do it again. In fact, we decided to surprise the kids and booked a family cruise on Symphony for their spring break in 2020. We cannot wait to see their faces when we tell them on Christmas morning. Not looking forward to the mass of kids I know will be on that sailing with us, but I can’t wait to explore the new ship - she looks incredible!

 

Thanks for following along everyone, hope you enjoyed reading my first review/trip report. I enjoyed reliving my cruise while writing it all down.

 

Merry Christmas and happy sailing !

[kag19]

Thank you for taking the time to write this great review!! Our second trip on Oasis is this March and since our first trip was awhile ago it was nice refreshing my memory and living vicariously through you!  And now I want a tiramisu martini. On the list for our trip!

 

And have a great Christmas!  Let us know how much your kids freak out with the surprise of another cruise on Christmas Day!  Our youngest is 4 so we are hoping we can start cruising with them in a couple years. 

Edited December 21, 2018 by kag19