Day Two on the Oasis of the Seas (Jan.4, 2015)
I hope you received part one of my blog from the Oasis of the Seas. If not, please contact info@cardplayercruises.com. Please note that the itinerary this week is the Western Caribbean. Next week you will be joining me as we cruise to the Eastern Caribbean.
Today was a sea day which meant a chance to sleep in and take it easy. The afternoon was spent answering emails and then competing in an '80s Name That Tune contest. Who knew that "What I Like About You" was written by the Romantics? Apparently one of our competitors did since we only missed one answer and finished in second place. I guess that key chain will have to be ours at a later date.:)
The Oasis has recently been in dry dock for some renovations. Some of the most notable are that the chapel is gone, there are more suites than before, the Viking Crown lounge is no longer open to the general public (it now is for suite guests only), and the cupcake shop has moved to the Boardwalk.
There are some changes in the food menus too: The bad news is that the salad bar at the Park Cafe is not as good as it used to be. Gone are the tuna, turkey, shrimp, and fresh mozarella. It is a boring salad now. Of course, the roast beef sandwiches are still scrumptious, as are the paninis, soup, and desserts. There is good news for those who like lobster but don't want to dress up.Tonight was the first formal night and they served lobster in the buffet. In fact, there were several stations serving lobster tail... no limit!
More bad news (in my opinion): Hairspray is no longer the Broadway play in the Opal Theater. It has been replaced by Cats, which is definitely not in my top 100 theater productions. Since I didn't have poker to keep me busy, I sat through Cats tonight... 2.5 hours worth of it. I think Royal Caribbean made a bad choice of plays and apparently so did the 75% of the audience who left during the intermission. The talent, however, was amazing and though I didn't enjoy the script, I did appreciate the fantastic dancing and the costumes. Jan summed it up best when she remarked, "I would love to see this troupe in a play that I really like."
We also got to see part of the ice skating show. If you don't have time to see the entire hour, go to the second half of the show. It's terrific!
Tomorrow we will be in Labadee, Haiti, a beautiful private island owned by Royal Caribbean. Jan and I will probably get off the ship and enjoy the beach and then have lunch at the barbeque on the island.
Here are today's cruise tips for you:
1. Be sure to wash your hands every chance you get. This is the best way to avoid getting sick during the cruise.
2. Bring a sweater, light jacket, or sweatshirt. It gets cold in some areas inside the ship.
3. Take the port agent's information with you when you leave the ship (it is in the daily program). You never know when an emergency will happen while you are in port
4. Consider bringing a Fitbit or some type of a pedometer on the cruise. Challenge yourself to walk at least 10,000 steps a day on the ship.
5. The Card Player Cruises poker room uses TDA rules in its tournaments. Become familiar with them by going to http://www.pokertda.com/poker-tda-rules/.
6. Bring a tote bag from home to carry around the ship. I carry the daily program, paper and pen, and a magazine in mine. They come in handy for carrying a swimsuit or change of clothing when going ashore.
7. Bring lots of sunscreen. It is very hot in the Caribbean.
8. Sign up for the luggage valet service; an application form will come to your room on day two. This program allows you to send your luggage directly to the airport and get your boarding pass on the ship. You won't need to handle your luggage until you arrive at your final airport destination. You also won't need to check in at the airport. The program is applicable for those with flights on American, United, US Airways, Jet Blue, Delta, or Southwest out of Ft. Lauderdale after 11:30 a.m. The charge for this service is $20 per person. You will get more information when you are on the ship.
9. To distinguish the port side of the ship versus the starboard side, remember that the words port and left each have four letters (the port side is on the left).
10, Bring a good attitude and a sense of adventure and you'll have a wonderful time!
I hope you enjoyed today's blog. Write to me at cardplayercruise@aol.com if you have any cruise questions.
Linda Johnson