MikeK

My grandmother used to take my sister and I to a place called Happy Land on Siesta Key in Sarasota for lobster night. It was an AYCE which was rare then This was in the late 50s or early 60s. They had this huge revolving salad bar which was unusual then also. The first time I grabbed my salad plate to go to the salad bar my grandmother took the plate from me, tapped me on the back of the head and said "You are here to eat lobster"

You might be a Karen if...........

Voyager of the Seas in 2000. It was the mega ship at the time. We took our 3 teenage daughters and had a great time. Took a Carnival cruise after that because we wanted to do the Panama Canal. Been all RC since then. We have 2 cruises in 2022 with the Harmony in April and another family cruise with the Mariner in July. Would like the try Celebrity.

We were staying at the Radisson near the port and it turned out there were 4 ships leaving that day. The wait for a shuttle turned into a cluster. So we called a Uber to skip the long wait. He was there in less than 10 minutes, loaded baggage for 4 adults and we were at the port 5-10minutes later. The total cost was $12. It was a short trip but worth every dime. This was many moons ago but I think a Uber would be worth it.

Look on your sea pass card and see what deck and table number your assigned. Sometime before sailway when your exploring the ship when you first get on go by the dining room your assigned and find your table (yes you allowed to go in the MDR). This will save you time on the first night so you don't have to wait in line for a server to show you to your table. Just walk past the lines and go right in to your table.

I never got an FCC email for my cancelled August 1st sailing out of Port Canaveral. I got in touch with my TA and he had the info. He told me he thought RC would send me an email. It says my FCC expires 4/22/22, I didn't realize it had such a short life. My April cruise in a GS on the Harmony has gone up $5K for the two of us. Glad I got the reservations when I did.

You will need to get reservations for the different shows. Theater shows usually coincide with the eating times in the MDR so make sure when you are getting reservations it doesn't conflict with your eating times. Same goes for the Aqua Theater times. If I remember correctly the reservations that you make will automatically be put on your card and I believe there will be paperwork in your room showing your times. The different theaters will have lines before show time that are for people with reservations and a stand by line. Give yourself time to make it through the lines because just before the shows they open up the theater to the standby lines for the people that didn't show up for their reservations. The comedy show also requires reservations. It is R-rated so if you get your feelings hurt easily be ready because they pick on everyone. Enough for now I will get back later on some other things. Happy Sailings. Like others have said you will be hooked on Oasis ships.

What kind of cabin will you be in? That alone would help on tips and advice. Welcome to the blog.

Also anyone planning on using birth certificate and drivers license make sure if a married name on birth certificate doesn't match your drivers license then get a certified copy of your marriage certificate.

My last time in CK was a formal night. I was in slacks and a button up shirt (that's the dressiest I have now). We saw coats and ties, Tuxedos, and there was a family sitting next to us with a genie helping them with the next days plans so he had to be a star class. He was dressed in shorts, T-shirt and flip flops and the rest of his family was about the same.

It seems like one of my European cruises had a lobster night. I remember because lobster night didnt seem like there were that many people eating that night. I asked our waiter and he said Europeans don't eat lobster like we do. So he said I could have all I wanted. I think they had to wheel me out of the dining room that night.

DON'T DO IT! Just kidding. We made the jump to JSs years ago and haven't looked back. The extra space, the upgraded bathroom, a walk-in closet and double C+A points is worth the extra money, About 8 or 10 cruises ago we made the jump to the bigger suites. It is an addiction worse than any drug. We now book Grand Suites or above. We can't resist the extra perks especially on Oasis ships. If you make the jump you will know what we are talking about. Good luck and happy sailing

Get reservations for the aqua show, comedy show (it's R rated), and theatre. On embark day instead of going to the Windjammer try the Park Cafe or Solarium Bistro on deck 15. It is much less crowed and has excellent food.

You will have to swipe your card at least twice. It seemed like it never worked the first time.

That's funny! I guess I'm not the only one with their mind in the gutter.

2 cruises right now. April 2022 on the Harmony and July 2022 on the Mariner.

I can see myself bouncing off that pole in the middle of the night on a potty break. Maybe it's for pole dancing.

Years ago we had loft suite room #1756 on the Oasis. We had to go through a separate door that was dedicated to rm #1756 and rm #1758. So we were swiping our card to get in the first door then had to swipe the card to get in our room. Later on we found out that we never had to swipe the first door. Not sure they still have that but we are in room # 1756 again on the Allure this time so I'm wondering if they still have that extra door. We liked that room because of its easy access to the suite lounge and coastal kitchen. Not sure if i'm a heavy sleeper or the bed being on the second floor but we were never disturbed by the lounge or coastal kitchen noise.

Sometimes it's the time you go combined with the ship. If you want an adult typed setting going during spring break time or summer when the kids are out would lessen the adult cruise experience. Most of the ships are big enough to space things out so you don't feel crowded. The largest ships have more passengers but they also have more things to entertain so the areas space things out. The smaller ships don't have as many things to do but they also don't have the volume of passengers. You need to weigh those types of things in your considerations. Good Luck. Whatever you chose I feel you will still have a wonderful time.

We were in a suite on the Harmony and from what I understood the WOW band were suppose to be in the room. There was a dedicated space for them but they weren't there. I ended up getting them a guest services for free. Like Matt said they were good for opening your door. I believe the dealers at the blackjack tables used them to scan instead of room card.

We always carry a large number of $1s $5s and $10s for giving cash tips to waiters and bartenders. The baggage handlers that take your bags when you arrive at the port are not paid by the cruise line. They work off tips so I always give them at least $2 a bag. There are also baggage handlers where you pick up your bags at the end of the cruise to go through customs. These handlers have large carts to take your bags to the customs area. It really makes things easier. We usually have about 5 bags so we pay them about $15 or $20. If you fly in it can be arranged most of the time for the baggage to go directly to the airport.

We are 65 days out and we cant check in yet.

Be careful at the beach! The Caribbean sun is a different sun than the one in Norway even in April. If anyone is fair skinned make sure to bring sun screen or they have it on board (it will be more expensive in the ships store) We went on a Baltic sea cruise in 2016 and spent a day in Oslo. What a beautiful country and people. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Made final payment today for August 1st sailing. It's because we want to cruise!

If you are in a port off the ship the passport doesn't do any good locked in the safe in your cabin. Take your passport with you when go on an excursion or even just shopping. Too many things can happen that keep you from going back to the ship to get it. You have spent the extra money for the security of a passport so keep it with you.