ROYAL CARIBBEAN OASIS OF THE SEAS

Since we are among those who enjoy the smaller ships, R-ship types, we were both amazed at how much we absolutely loved Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. WHY NOT??? Oasis is a ship that seemed to have something for everyone. She is not a ship that takes you from one destination to another, she is the DESTINATION! She is fantastic for the very active cruiser who wants to spend the day on the zip line, playing basketball, surfing, swimming, ice skating, boxing, riding the Carousel or climbing the rock wall or the leisure traveler who prefers to relax, read a book and enjoy a show and a good dinner, there was truly an option available for whatever our pleasure. This cruise was an adventure filled with wonderful surprises for us.

Our first surprise was how absolutely easy it was for us to embark. We were expecting long lines with close to 6000 people pushing and shoving, NOT…, instead we were just whisked through check-in and walked right on board. The terminal was as massive as the ship and finding our way to the appropriate check-in counter was a breeze. Even the obligatory boarding photos were made easy and RCI has made the photo selection a piece of cake. The first time we saw a “crowd” was after we boarded the ship and walked into the Royal Promenade. With all of the shops and cafes on deck 5, people were just milling around and soaking up the experience. I must admit that we just loved the promenade – on the Oasis, the Royal Promenade is like that of the Freedom Class ships but on steroids.

We had a balcony cabin overlooking Central Park, an experience that was very different from any cabin that we had ever occupied, though by the end of the cruise we did realize that we missed looking out at the ocean. But, for those who may have a problem with motion sickness as they look out at the horizon, this could be a unique solution to escape from an inside cabin.

We had reservations for the Ice Show, yes Ice Show, which was spectacular, as well as the Broadway like production of “Hairspray”. We had seen Hairspray during it’s first run on Broadway, but we cannot say enough about the wonderful production that we experienced on board the Oasis. Though we waited too late to get reservations for the shows at the Aqua Theatre, we were still able to see the show. We actually had a great view from the Boardwalk but other locations were also available on the ship.

Apart from the shows, dinners were a high point of the trip. We had excellent service and very good meals in the main dining room. With just one week, much to our dismay, we could not visit all of the specialty dining venues. We did have dinner one night in Chops Grille, where the meal was extraordinary and the service excellent. But the biggest surprise was the wonderful lunch we enjoyed at Giovanni’s Table. This restaurant boasts a delicious Italian menu with excellent service and what was probably the very best meal we had on board the ship. It is mostly served “family style” and with Rene and Tony, our daughter and son-in-law, we shared many of the items that were available on Giovanni's menu. Afterwards we all wished that we had made dinner reservations there as well. Oh well, next time. One other treat was for Sushi in Izumi, also a good choice for those, like Yvonne and Rene, who get a craving for Sushi or Sashimi.

As far as entertainment is concerned, there are many venues. We usually don’t spend too much time in the shows and clubs late at night but we had lots of fun in the Rising Tide, a nightclub that rises from the Royal Promenade on deck 5 to Central Park on deck 8 where it rests a while and then returns to the Promenade. Also, it was a treat to find that half of the Casino was designated as non-smoking.

The concierge and his staff go out of their way to provide the best service and extra amenities to Crown and Anchor Diamond or Diamond Plus Club members while on board. This service makes cruising with Royal Caribbean even more worthwhile.

The only negative comments we could find about the experience was that there were many children on this particular sailing and at times the elevators were full or slow in coming. We also suggested that they look at more venues that were for adults only. The Solarium and the late night clubs were the only options we saw. This sentiment was shared by others on the ship.

Disembarking at the ports of call seemed easy enough since you just punched the elevator button marked “gangway” and voila! We only disembarked in St. Thomas and had no problem getting off or back onto the ship. Since we are very familiar with the island, this port was of particular concern for us in terms of disembarking and boarding as well as the traffic going from the Crown Bay dock to the center of town. We must say that this was very well handled by the V.I.

The other concern that turned out to be a very pleasant surprise was the disembarkation. Everything was so very well organized by Royal Caribbean that we had no realization of the number of people that had to be taken off of the ship when we arrived back in Fort Lauderdale. We came though quickly with ample porters to handle the luggage and easily found a cab to take us to our destination. We were particularly happy about that since it was raining and southern Florida, like the rest of the Eastern United States, was gripped in an unusual Arctic chill.

So, would we return to the Oasis or an Oasis class ship? WHY NOT??? We’re already booked the Allure of the Seas next January.

UPDATE ON A DOZEN QUICK REMINDERS FOR STRESS FREE TRAVEL

This is an update on a blog originally published on April 9, 2008. There have been significant changes.

1. PLEASE, Please, please purchase Travel Protection Insurance. If you have children or elderly parents, whether they are traveling with you or not, please think twice abut passing up the opportunity to have peace of mind as you pay for all your travel arrangements. We have witnessed too many people who lose all or most of their vacation investment because they skimped on travel protection coverage. These policies typically cover Trip cancellation and Interruption, Trip Delay, Missed Connections, Baggage and Personal effects, Baggage Delay, and very important, especially for travel outside of the United States, Medical expenses for accident or illness and Emergency Medical transportation. It is not only if there are problems arising for those traveling, but also if you need to return home for family emergencies or, if you need to cancel the trip because a member of your immediate family has an accident or becomes seriously ill prior to your travel. Also, don’t forget to ask about insurance that covers pre-existing conditions particularly important for those of us who are a bit more mature. Some insurance policies are also sold as “cancel for any reason”. Ask about those as well.


2. Please be sure you have a valid passport. You really need one now if you want to travel by air or sea outside of the United States. It is also the absolute best way to verify your identity and nationality and we used ours even for travel within the US. Forms are available on line at www.state.gov or from most local post office locations. Passport pictures are easily available from most nationally known drug store chains. Also, be sure that you know the Expiration Date on your passport since many overseas trips or visas require that your passport be valid for up to 6 months after you return.


3. If you are taking a cruise, be sure to log into the cruise line’s website as soon as you have made your final payment and fill in the Immigration and other necessary information. It will save you a lot of time when you are boarding the ship and whatever you do, never pack your passport! We once saw a couple of passengers delayed boarding while the cruise line located their baggage so they could retrieve their passports.


4. Here are a few more items you should never pack – Prescription medications, cameras, jewelry and your trip and/or cruise documents.


5. For Your own Peace of Mind - Make a copy of your passport and credit cards and keep them in a safe place, different from where the original documents are kept. And, when in a hotel or on board a ship, please remember to use the safe for your valuables and important documents.


6. Arrive at the airport early. This will help in a number of ways – you won’t be panicking in long lines as your flight time approaches and you still need to get through another long line in security. And, if you want to change your seat to the emergency exit row or the bulkhead, you at least stand a fighting chance of getting one of the few that are available.


7. Keep a supply of Zip Lock bags in all sizes. They are useful to carry make-up, liquids, gels and creams so that they do no leak all over your clothing. Larger sizes are also great for sorting groups of clothing like underwear, socks, children’s outfits, etc, etc… Other things you need to bring along: Sunglasses and a good sunscreen especially when visiting the Caribbean, Mexico or the Bahamas at any time of year. A good pair of walking shoes, particularly for Europe where there are a lot of cobblestone streets. Always a good idea to bring along a simple first aid/medicine bag with some aspirin/pain relievers, antacids, allergy medications, topical antibacterial (Neosporin type item), band aids, motion sickness preventatives and the like. And… Don’t forget to bring your camera, extra batteries, film, memory card or whatever is needed. These items may not be easy to find while abroad and may be very expensive.


8. Wear comfortable slip-off shoes when flying and wear or carry a pair of short cut socks. When you have to remove your footwear to go through security, they will slip off and back on easily and your feet won’t get cold or dirty as you walk through the screening area.


9. If you are on a cruise, remember that you will have to put your luggage in the hallway outside of your cabin the night before you disembark. Do not pack everything – you will have to dress the next day for your journey home. People will look at you funny if you're disembarking in you jammies or nightgown. Always keep a small carry-on bag in your cabin to carry your last minute toiletries, medications and the clothing or pajamas that you wore the night before.


10. For Airline flights, invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones. They can be used to watch the movie, listen to music or just give you a chance for a good nap or to read your book and you won’t need to pay for those awful earphones that they give you. Also, your neighbor won’t keep talking to you if they think you are listening to something.
    
11. Put some identifying marking(s) on you luggage so that it can be easily identified. Remember that all black luggage looks the same at first glance. Place identifying information inside each piece in case an external tag gets separated.
    
12. Most important – remember to smile and keep your sense of humor – you’ll need it! A kind word goes a long way!
    

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PASSENGERS

Effective June 1, 2009, all US citizens and residents including children, must have a valid US passport to board their ship and re-enter the country. To ensure speedy embarkation, please be sure to bring a valid US passport for each passenger as well as any cruise line issued documentation, including any documents printed online, with you to the pier.

Because of the US Government requirement for all cruise lines to electronically transmit crew and passenger manifests to US Customs and Border Protection, you must check-in at least two hours prior to sailing time. Cruise line policy is very specific, guests will not be allowed to board after check-in has been closed. Late arriving guests may join the ship at an approved port of call in the scheduled cruise itinerary. Travel to that subsequent port of call will be at the guests' expense.

ONLINE SERVICES WHILE OVERSEAS

Back in November 2007, I wrote about CELL PHONES ON THE HIGH SEAS, this article talked of the universality of using cellular telephones around the world and, specifically, while on board a ship and warned of the roaming charges to be expected when doing so.

In addition to using cell phones to reach out and touch someone, the global communications trend is rapidly moving toward social networking websites such as Facebook, PLAXO, MySpace and the like. Some people we know appear to spend all day on one of these. In no way do we condemn any of these sites. Actually, we both belong to two of them and enjoy them for re-connecting with and keeping up with friends, family etc. Most of us who use these sites are connected to the internet via high-speed broadband services. As such, we do not consider or even think about the volume of data that is interchanged between our computer and the internet.

When we travel, we need internet service as well as telephone service and think nothing of using them. We recently purchased a wireless modem that would enable us to use our netbooks on GPRS based internet services inside and outside of the United States. It does work well in both but when we got home from a recent trip to France, we found out that the overseas cost was astronomical. GPRS based internet Service in the U. S. costs less than $60 for the first five gigabytes of data interchanged. We expected similar costs while travelling. Not so in France where the cost was $15 per megabyte. This may not sound like a lot but one megabyte of transfered data isn’t a lot. 169.4081 megabytes cost us, (you doing the math on this?) $2,541.68. We never thought the roaming charges would be so exorbitant. Never again! You certainly do not want to engage in social networking at these costs.

Here are a few much less costly workarounds:

Shipboard internet services – Most cruise ships have an Internet Café. If you want to use your laptop or netbook, some cruise ships have Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the ship and some of the newer ships provide hardwire and or Wi-Fi service right in your stateroom. The costs for using these are on a sliding scale. The more time you use, the lower the per minute cost. Check before you sign up

Shore side internet cafes and Starbucks – You will find internet cafes located at or near many ports around the world as well as in metropolitan centers. Many of these also can accommodate your laptop or netbook.

Airports – Many airports now provide free or nominally priced Wi-Fi service within their confines. Many of the frequent traveler clubs located within airports offer free Wi-Fi service within the clubs.

Municipality provided services – A new and growing trend in many cities is the provision of Wi-Fi internet services by cities and towns. We have yet to use any of these services and cannot further comment on them.

Universal caution – Be careful what you transmit on unsecured networks or those where you do not know of the security provided. Your data can be intercepted and result in theft of funds or data. This is especially true of open Wi-Fi networks including your own at home.

We hope this has been of help to you!