Jason.H.

My wife and I are finally withing double digits or our next cruise vacation. 99 days until we travel to cocoa beach florida the friday before our sunday september 9 Oasis of the Seas cruise. Time to really crack down on diet and gym time lol. This is our second time on Oasis and have been on Allure once. We went on Oasis last september on the Western cruise and loved it so much we booked it again. Anyone have any things they do any different when cruise time is near or any tips they would like to share? Anyone else going to be on this cruise or in cocoa beach the weekend before?

Oasis and spend the 800 on drink package for 2. No slides means less kids. And I love the champagne bar. Best chocolate and espresso martini in the fleet.

Thank you for your flicker link. Amazing photos! Everyone on here should check them out. The theme park pictures should be purchases by the parks to use on there websites and brochures.

You could always take a "restroom" break. lol

I gotta watch my figure. ???

I am intrigued by the ox tails...I've heard its like pot roast but better. I would definately try it. And I could eat 10 of those perfect looking croissants.

Man, now I want a glass of wine..

Also, my wife and I have left hotel stays in the past. Especially since you will have your own vehicle you should check out an airbnb. Usually a lot cheaper and more fun.

My wife and I stayed at the quality inn and it was fine. Nothing special but not too expensive. The bayside shopping center is a neat place to visit the night before the cruise. It's an outdoor shopping center on the water with a few outdoor restaurants. Mariner is going to be pretty sweet with the major renovation! I hope you have fun. Also, there are land line type phones in your state room and at various places around the ship. If it came down to it you could set up a time frame when you want your daughter to call the room and check in. Kind of inconvenient but only for 10 minutes or so.

12 or 13 dollars on all drinks (except starbucks) depending on ship (quantum and oasis class are $13 cap). The selection is somewhat small on what is under that amount when it comes to wine but we had no issues with it. You can go under the menus tab on the top of the blogs home page and check out the different bar menus for the ship you will be traveling on.

7 bracketed shots hand held and everything lined up?!? You're are a robot.

What's your camera and lens setup for the outdoor night photos? I shoot with a nikon d7200 dx format and am wanting to pick up a wide angle lens before our next cruise. The new nikon 10-20mm is what I have been considering but largest aperature is f/4.5 so not sure I could pull off any decent night shots without a tripod. Thank you for the great live blog!

Also, if there is a drink that is more you can usually ask the bartender if they can alter it to make it included. Example: at the pub on Oasis the bloody marys were $15 and are made with Grey Goose vodka. You can sub out the grey goose for absolute and it will be included in the drink package.

I think everything has been answered but I would like to add that cruise planner purchases, like a drink package, can be canceled and re-purchased if there is a sale that is cheaper than what you paid. We paid for the deluxe drink package for our sept 9 Oasis cruise and on black friday the price dropped from 55 per person per day to 43 so we canceled and re-purchased. It took a few days to get reimbursed on our debit card but it was a 200 dollar savings. We also repriced the cruise booking itself on black friday and saved over 300 dollars. We wait until final payment day to pay off the cruise so if its ever cheaper they just take the difference off the amount owed. I think if you have paid it off then there is nothing they can do. (We book without the refundable deposit).

Table for two in front of the pub on the promenade is always a good spot. On Oasis I really like the wipe-out bar. Its kind of a pain to get to but is the best spot for sail away and never crowded.

We get on as early as possible and start with a champagne for my wife and a rum and coke for me. Walk the main areas then the pool and try to get a few good pictures before there are a million people. Then we head to the windjammer for lunch or park cafe if on Oasis. Then go to our main dining room and find our assigned table (if doing traditional dining). Then drink some more out by the pool or on the top deck (wipe out bar at rear of ship on oasis is my favorite place for sail away).

I don't think the main dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day. I think you meant windjammer. (in your pronunciation of course ?

Drink package is a splurge item. It is well worth it if you drink a lot or like to try drinking different drinks. My wife and I get the drink package because its nice being able to pay for it months in advance then once on the ship not have to keep track of how much we are spending. Nothing is better than not having a sea pass card bill at the end of cruise. Look at some drink menu's to see prices before you go so you can decide if the package is worth the price to you. Free food is everywhere and most is really good. Johnny rockets on the boardwalk has a cover charge for lunch and dinner and shakes are extra. But they are open for breakfast and it is free! The park cafe in central park is free at all times of day and has the coveted kummelwick (sp?) sandwich and great salads. This is our go to spot for a quick lunch. Especially on embarkation day because the Windjammer is crazy busy. Windjammer is all free but can get crazy busy at times. If you go here either go a little early or a little later than typical dining times and it will help. Sorrento's pizza is free and has pizza and a few other items that change daily. Cafe is free and has coffee and pastries and sandwiches. Dog house is free but seems to have wierd hours. I don't think I've ever actually seen it open. Main dining room is free for breakfast lunch and dinner. And there are many more specialty restaurants that have a charge.

I love freedom of the seas. Even if they built a new ship of that size I don't know how they could improve it. It's the perfect layout. I hate there is no stage area near the pool on Oasis class. Who wants to go sit in a stadium seat in the blazing sun at the ocean theater to watch the belly flop contest anyway?

I really like the square photo look. Most new camera's (Nikon d850 and newer iphones at least) offer a 1:1 square image option. A lot of great historic photos by people like Ansel Adams were shot in square format as well. But it is wierd that its adding the black bars to the sides.

They had a spiced ribeye in the MDR on Oasis last september. I've never seen it on any other cruise. It was outstanding. I ate two lol.

Isn't a ceasar salad made from romaine lettuce? It doesn't even grow in a shape to make a wedge out of it. Are they using ice berg lettuce instead?

Not interested. I'll never understand the concept of paying the price for a cruise then having to pay extra for food. That's kind of the price point of booking a cruise over a land vacation.

I would like to buy my wife a massage for our September cruise. We cruise a lot and always with RC but we have never used the spa. We are going to skip excursions for Falmouth Jamaica so that's the day she wants to get her massage. Is it best to book ahead or wait till on board. Currently a 50min Swedish massage on a port day is $99 on the cruise planner. Thank you for anyone's input or tips.

Sexual comments towards the guys wife...beer goggles stage 11