June May

I'm a little late to this thread, but as a person of Celtic colouring living in Australia, who has travelled through the Caribbean (my sister opined that the "whitest person on the planet" travelling there was nuts!) - here's the Aussie message about sun protection: slip, slop, slap!
Slip on a shirt - long sleeved is good
Slop on sunscreen - SPF50 is good, SPF15 is a waste of time and money
Slap on a hat - not a baseball cap, which will give the back of your neck and your ears zero protection. Go for something with a brim all around. 
Following these rules, I came back from my cruise with a pretty decent fair person tan! And no sunburn!

I'm a little late to this thread, but as a person of Celtic colouring living in Australia, who has travelled through the Caribbean (my sister opined that the "whitest person on the planet" travelling there was nuts!) - here's the Aussie message about sun protection: slip, slop, slap!
Slip on a shirt - long sleeved is good
Slop on sunscreen - SPF50 is good, SPF15 is a waste of time and money
Slap on a hat - not a baseball cap, which will give the back of your neck and your ears zero protection. Go for something with a brim all around. 
Following these rules, I came back from my cruise with a pretty decent fair person tan! And no sunburn!

Props to the family, especially the teen daughter and wife.....we are rolling out of here in about 5 minutes....so only about 15 minutes behind 'schedule'.  GPS says we'll be there at 10:30.

My favorite??  Anything I order and they bring to me. 
As long as I don't have to make it and they bring it to me, that is my favorite. 
 
I....am.....on....vacation!!

Amen to that !

Nice shout out from Royal Caribbean's Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet tonight!

Hey Hey But For PC You Can See The Drone Ship Of Course I Still Love You. And The Rocket Faring Caching Boat Mr. Steven. 

Take a day and go over to Cape Caveral.  Not far from Orlando.  

Solo traveler here, so when I found out Royal was doing the 60% off on the "second person", I had to jump at it. My vacations have been few and far between, so I'm really itching to go!  I like the idea of possibly finding deals and cheaper rates ?  My idea was to just book it and save up for the trip without much worry.  Bought the drink package and an excursion already, love that I'm able to spread out the cost of the trip this way instead of getting the sticker shock at the very end. 

I just did that flight from DC about 6 months ago.  I left at 5 pm on Monday and arrived in Sydney at 8 a.m. Weds.  I flew through San Francisco.  I tried to nap as soon as I arrived, but to no avail.  I decided to explore Sydney during the day and than went out to dinner that night with my hubby and his office.  By the time we came back it was 10 pm.  My head hit the pillow and I was out.  Woke up the next day with no jet lag at all. 
Make sure you go to Queen Victoria's building (mall aka QVB) Go to the top floor so you can see the clock up close.  Also go to the Rocks...it has great restaurants.  The zoo is also a great half day trip, the view from the gondola to get to the zoo is amazing.  You just go down to the docks and you can buy tickets there. You have to take a short ferry ride to the zoo. At the zoo you will have to queue up for the Koalas.  You cannot hold them, but you do go in their pen and they will take photos that you can purchase.  I want to say they don't open their pen area until 11, but don't quote me.   On a scale of 1 to 10 that zoo is a 10 without a doubt.  Like Sydney it is hilly, so wear comfy shoes.
There is also an amazing church by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria's statue.  Finally if you do nothing at all make sue you go through the gardens until you get to Mrs. Macqueries (sp?) chair.  It is a great photo op.(we used it for our xmas cards this yr).  It will loop back around and drop you at the Opera House.  
If you want to get the genie a gift, Sydney is known for their macaroons.  Every flavor under the sun.  You can pick them up at the Queen Victoria Building.  Or you can pick up chocolate from Haighs, they are all over the place in Sydney.  Basically Haighs is like Godiva.  High end, but worth it and you can buy all different types/shapes.
We stayed at the Inter Continental.  It is right by the port.  I remember seeing an RCCL ship docked there the a.m. I arrived.  The Inter Continental is cool to have drinks or high tea at.  This hotel is where the US presidents stay at when in Sydney.  The reason why is it was originally their national treasury in the 19th century.  Due to that fact the walls for the 1st 3 floors are bomb proof.  You will see all of the original brick in the centrum.   The hotel is across the street from the botanical gardens.   Hint you will know if a VIP is entering or exiting the building because where the elevator banks are there is a secret entrance for them to enter without going through the lobby.  They have a hunt board (side table) against the wall that slides out and VOILA a door opens to the elevator banks. 
One last tip I would give is Sydney is a little hilly, not San Francisco hilly, but there is an incline you will feel if you start at the Opera House and travel to QVB.  You will also notice when you are walking the gardens.  We did the gardens, QVB, the church and the rocks all in one day at a leisurely pace.  Probably started @9 a.m. Went to the church 1st on the way to QVB, on the way back we did the garden.  Had a late lunch by the Opera House and headed over to the Rocks.  Shopped around for a while and was back at the hotel by 5.   I did this 4 months after having a full hip replacement and had no pain. I am 54.  
OH also remember that March will be their September to us.  Just saying don't expect to pick up any last minute summer items. The stores will be stocking up with their fall clothing. 
Have a great trip.  Sydney is absolutely amazing.
My tip for a trip like this is to make sure you get up and walk around frequently from a health aspect at our age.  DVT is common when you do a 20+ hr flight.  Also do not, repeat do not take your shoes off unless they are flip flop sandals.  Yes, they offer slippers and there is an urge to put them on, but if you are like me, your feet will swell during the flight and trying to put back on a shoe can be painful as you now have to go through the airport, wait for your luggage, clear customs and get to the taxis.  
Oh also don't go to their currency kiosks.  Right before you exit there will be ATMs.  You get a better rate even if your bank charges you a surcharge.  The taxis will also take credit cards.

What makes KSC so amazing is the building devoted to the Space Shuttle Atlantis --- The entire lead up to it as you see the history of the shuttle program is something, you will NEVER forget.  As you enter the building, you walk under two solid rocket boosters (pictured) ---- plus the section devoted to those lost on the Challenger and Columbia will bring a tear to your eye

I'll be onboard Explorer of the Seas in March this year (a month and a day to go, very excited!). Wouldn't call myself an experienced cruiser, as this is only my second ever cruise, but I'm very keen - it's only been almost 2 years since I made my booking!
Explorer cruises out of Australia in our summer, and we'll be going to the South Pacific.
If there's anything in particular you want to know about, let me know and I'll see what I can find out for you!

I've noted your other questions, but this one I can answer right away - yes, the Mystery Dinner Theatre is on offer. Cruise planner price right now is $109 pp but that's Australian $. It works out to about $80 US.
I thought about booking it, but I'm already booked for the Chef's Table and figured next time on Explorer I could do the Mystery Dinner Theatre - hope that decision doesn't bite me on the behind!

This dates back to 2015, but I'm fairly confident it will hold true to this day.
My first cruise, I was about to settle down in the champagne bar on Independence, and was perusing the menu of champagne based cocktails. Had just spotted one made with elderflower liqueur when my surly (now-ex) other half griped and grumbled and made me leave.
At dinner in the MDR that night, I asked the bartender for "a drink I saw on a menu, I can't remember the name, it had champagne and elderflower liqueur". The ultimate vague drink order!
And that's exactly what she brought me, and it was delicious! (Still don't know the name of it!)  
I think your sister will be fine getting a speciality drink based on champagne/sparkling wine at most of the bars.
 

Oasis returning to Port Canaveral:

Toss in a few night time shots of Adventure.
 

Oh wow , if IT were managing the ships -  here are some of the things that might happened :
You will wake up at the morning and see that half of the ship is missing , they might return after few days Every day you will arrive to a random port. Your room will move every hour to another deck. The ship will look as if someone forgot to send the plan to a designer and it went directly to the shipyard for construct  Every now and then you will not be able to get into your cabin and the cabin attended will advise you to go around the running track 4 times, try another shirt and clean you pockets before trying again , it might work , if not try tomorrow. Many venues that everyone liked will not be there anymore and the crew will try to convince you its better .  I

Its quite simple, the cost for for the UDP for Symphony and Harmony was 29 $ per day ,I guess RC decided that all OASIS ships will be the same so 29*7 is 203 ,but 200 dose not looks good therefore 199 ... Only one hundred and not  two ?
Now , while its very easy to change the price in the system   - change is being made in the product catalog or some pricing reference tables and just waiting for the next automatic update,  the picture change (where you see the 24 $) is much more complicate :
First the marketing need to approach the IT to change it , IT will tell marketing its a design change so it should go to another division, the other division will send it to the graphic department which will reject the request since they just had a downsizing and the person who was in charge on pricing pictures was  fired a  week before.  After some discussion they will decide to take a contractor for this work , it will be the same person that was just fired but now he will be hire as contractor paying him 200% of his previous  salary. He will do his job and change the picture pricing to 29 PP. The picture will be sent to marketing branding group for approval , the person that need to approve it will reject it saying the price Icon is too red which contradict the new brand color pallet which changed  few days ago (actually, no much changed done but its a good for job security for such divisions). The graphic department will get back the picture, they will hold it for three days and send back the same exact picture , this time the brand group will approve it. Next marketing will send it to IT to upload to the site , IT will try to upload it on the next maintenance window just to see they do not have enough disk space as someone forgot to compress the picture , as the maintenance window will already pass it will wait for the next one. On the next window it will be uploaded and everyone will be happy , the only problem will be  once when people go to the site they will still see the 24 $ picture , yes , someone forgot to refresh the cache , oh well it can wait for another window. when it finally it will be fixed , RC will find out a drop in UDP purchasing and ask to rollback the change. 
So now you see , why its 199 in the price and still 24 in the picture ?   

Day 2 - Sea Day
Moving South and West as we somewhat hug the coast of Spain.  Windy today, top decks closed.  The ship is handling great, minimal movement.
After staying up into the wee hours of the morning on my photo shoot last night I slept in today.  Up in time to make the Windjammer for breakfast.  It's a been a while since I've sailed Oasis class and I've got to remember there are other options for breakfast.
Lazy day, just the way I like them.  I didn't take a lot pictures as I am still exploring the ship.  Plenty of sea days to come for me to take pictures when hopefully it won't be as windy.
Random thoughts and observations
As offered before we boarded due to the large numbers on board, the Diamond/Diamond Plus area incorporates the "Entertainment Plaza".  The Diamond Lounge, Jazz on 4 and The Attic.  They have been pretty busy during happy hour times.  The Attic is the only venue with a walk up bar where the other two have wait staff walking around taking drink orders.  Staff at each door check cards.
The latest version of the Royal app incorporates a personal calendar.  It now displays entertainment reservations but not My Time Dining or spa reservations.  
Being so close to the Abyss slide is interesting.  When someone slides down it makes a sound.  Four dongs followed by a whoop sound.  Often people scream.  While the patio door does a good job blocking most sounds, those make it through.  I might make it a ring tone, it's burned into my psyche. 
No water bottles were in my cabin from C&A.  Some sparking wine and a beer based on my preferences.  Today a bottle of Chandon was dropped off in ice with two flutes.  Nice.  
When I boarded one of the letters in my cabin addressed my transfer to Serenade after this cruise.  It will be provided by Royal.  I was planning to use Lyft or Uber so Royal offering to provide the transfer is very much appreciated. Loyalty does pay.
The thermostat in my cabin was on high when I arrived.  I had to turn it down from 'bake' last night so I could sleep.
My account in the Royal app fixed itself overnight.  I can now see my folio and charges to my account in the app.  
I dropped by the loyalty desk.  Based on points I qualify for a glass block on this cruise.  My Adventure points just posted Friday.  He didn't have me down for a block and thanked me for stopping by.  He'll add me to the list.  Over 280 glass blocks being handed out this cruise.  They'll go out for delivery to our cabins day 5 or 6.
I skipped lunch today.  I'm still burning off the calories I picked up on Adventure not long ago.  If my belly gets any bigger I might need to start picking out names.  Well past a baby bump, I've entered the third trimester.  At this rate I'll qualify for and become a rock start in the belly flop contest by the next cruise. Where's that gym?

Day 3 continued
Breakfast in the Solarium Bistro was a bit more organized and a lot less crowded- they of course didn't have EVERYTHING that the Windjammer had, but it was pretty close.
My inlaws decided to stay on the ship today and relax, so just my wife and I were getting off today. We decided to get off of the ship around 12:30 to give ourselves plenty of time to hail a drive share service and get to Kennedy Space Center to meet our friend there between 1:30 and 2.  There was a long line to get off, but it went rather quickly, and before we knew it we were on land!  We looked at both Uber and Lyft, and Lyft was a few dollars cheaper, so that's what we chose!  Once we requested a ride, the gentleman was at the curb at the port in less than 3 minutes.  The ride to Kennedy Space center only took us about 20 minutes, and cost around $32.00.  We arrived just a little past 1:00 PM.

Our friend arrived shortly after, and upon the suggestion of the lady selling the tickets, we opted to take the bus tour first.  This tour takes you through the restricted areas of KSC and some of the highlights are seeing the VAB or Vehicle Assembly Building - a huge 526 foot tall building where they build the rockets and launch towers.
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)

Launch Pad

We also drive by the SpaceX rocket assembly building and the launchpad that they lease from the space port (I believe the guide said that SpaceX has leased that building and launch pad for 20 years).  We also drove by several launch pads including those that sent the Apollo missions to the moon.
The bus tour then concludes at the Apollo/Saturn V exhibit.


Once back at the main visitors center, we ventured into the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit.  This exhibit opened in 2013 and houses the Space Shuttle Atlantis - it's quite a site to take in, and pictures do not do it justice.  It's something you need to experience in person.


Unfortunately we were running out of time as the Space Center closed at 6:00 PM. I had never been to Kennedy Space Center, and would definitely recommend going if you have any sort of interest in space travel - it was very informative, and we all had a great time.  
Our friend was kind enough to drive us to a dinner destination that he suggested - Dixie Crossroads restaurant in Titusville Fl which is a popular seafood destination.  I'm not a big fan of seafood, but I knew they'd have some killer chicken tenders, and they did!
All aboard was at 9:00 PM, and we arrived back at the port shortly after 8:00.  We had 9:00 PM reservations for Spectra's Cabaret.  I thought it was a very well-done show and really showcased what the 270 venue could offer - I would definitely recommend this show over The Gift. 

The cruise director announced after the show that there was an adult comedy show at 11:15 PM, so we decided to take it in.  The comedian did a great job, but I was pretty darn tired afterwards, so with that it was bed time.
 
Today is Coco Cay!  I'm excited.  We have a beach bungalow, and we also booked a last minute excursion that I'm really excited about!  I will blog about it later, but for now I need to get coffee and get ready to tender!

We heard and followed the same advice when we visited KSC on an excursion.

Kennedy Space Centre is brilliant! Hope you have a great time!

We’re making our approach into Cape Canaverel.  I see KSC in the distance! 

Basically a cappuccino made with Kahlua, I think Baileys, and two other liquors. Forgot to take a pic when I bought it, and drinking it made me forget! ?