Va4fam

+200 on hoping your friend is correct. I'm probably booked on the toughest road to a comeback, Oasis out of NJ in October, but ever hopeful it will happen. At least I have Symphony booked for October 2021.

Thought it would be fun to "reflect" or commiserate (depending on your point of view) on how long it's been since your last cruise. Bonus points for how many days away from your next one. ANSWER: 59 Days since our Empress of the Seas cruise. (Western Carib). Why does it feel longer than that? BONUS: 178 days until our Oasis of the Seas (Bahamas cruise). Thinking positively that date will work. Stay safe everyone.

Free PBR?!!!! That sounds like a perk to me.

We have 2 cruises booked out of Cape Liberty coming up: October on Oasis, and January on Anthem. If they are sailing we will be on board. I think it's importatnt to remember how each of us deals with the current health situation is a personal decision. What works for some may not work for all. (We did the NYE Anthem sailing out of Cape Liberty......chilly, but being on deck to go under the bridge was fantastic. )

They are offering the 5 night Dining Package on our January 2021 11 night Sailing on Anthem.

Great info @bossdog421. We use a similar strategy and frequent the same bars/bartenders and get spoiled by the friendly service.

Thanks for the reminder.....just got Coco Beach Club for $10 less pp.

Thanks @KristiZ. Great resource. Looks like we have a fantastic room location.

So I've been thinking about the Wow bands and had another question. If I have drink package, I usually give both seapass cards to bartender, waiter, etc. What do the Wow band users do when ordering drinks for 2? I was mistaken about my cabin being a Guarantee JS....that's actually for my reservation next January on Anthem. I have an actual assigned room number for a JS on deck 7. Does anyone know how to get the maps/deck plans so I can plot the location? Does the JS have a stand alone shower or is it the tub/shower combo? We've done Izumi many times but never Izumi/hibachi. Do they have actual hibachi tables or just serve it hibachi style?

After reading through the Cruise Compasses for the March 1st Oasis sailing (thanks for the link @Matt) I see they used the Aqua Theater for a concert by the Journey tribute band. Is that a better venue than the music hall? What other activities are held at the Aqua Theater?

@SpeedNoodles......so you are a fan of the Wow bands? Did they consistently work or did you have issues? Do you get to choose your color (my wife wants to know)? Speaking of Symphony, we are booked on her for October of '21. She will (hopefully) be our 2nd Oasis class ship and we will (even more hopefully) be Diamond members by then. A lot of things need to improve to make that happen.

Thanks @S0nny for the info about the WOW bands. Thanks @Matt for the link to the Cruise Compass. Very informative. After hearing you rave on the podcast about Oasis Class and the Portside BBQ on Oasis, we can't wait to sail on her. This is totally your fault!

Totally agree with you @WAAAYTOOO on the dining. But who knows, we were not big dining room people at all until our cruise on Empress at end of February. We finally understood the appeal of getting to know your dining room staff and allowing them to get to know you. We were definitely spoiled. Obviously not many choices for dining on Empress! Thanks @TheJones for the Wow Band info. We had them at Disney and they were awesome. Are they waterproof? How does it work with drink packages......do you scan the Wow Band or still have to use a SeaPass card?

Thank you @DandA and @Andrew72681 for your responses. Very helpful. So much to learn...... Are you suggesting that the UDP is a better option than the 3 night? We typically are Windjammer and Dining Room people but enjoy some variety at times. Most likely go with Izumi, Jamie's, and probably CP150 plus we get to try Coastal Kitchen if we are lucky. Dinner is not always a priority for us, We are so busy with relaxing or doing the activities that it can get in the way of a good time. Great suggestion to book the Aqua Theater for early in the trip. Do they do the same show or does it vary? Can you book the Broadway-show in advance? Which one is it? Does anyone know if the JS rooms have a minifridge? Does the bathroom have a tub AND a shower or is it all in one? Does Oasis have WOW bands and are they useful or just a novelty?

Our first cruise on Oasis is a little over 6 months away. Optimistically hoping we are sailing by then....PLUS my birthday and Halloween are the same week as the cruise! Never sailed on an Oasis class ship and need some help. On Quantum class ships, you can prebook certain onboard activities (Ifly, Northstar, etc) in advance. What are some of the Oasis onboard activities that can be prebooked? Nothing is showing up in the cruise planner as of today. What are the activities/reservations that need to be made as soon as we get on board? We definitely want to go to the AquaTheater show, zipline, and waterslides. Can't wait to try Coastal Kitchen. We have a JS which I think means dinner seating only, but explanation of how it works would be helpful. Going with the 3 night dining package. Best 3 choices? What time does Portside BBQ open/close? We have a guarantee Junior Suite but no room assignment. Are there any not-so-great JS rooms on Oasis and are they ocean balconies? What else is there to do on Oasis (Oasis class) that we haven't seen before? Very excited and appreciate any and all suggestions! Stay Safe my friends.

"Watching the news only gives me the blues, there's too much wrong goin' on" Jimmy Buffet song. Seems appropriate right now.

In Costa Maya, we took a cab into town and spent an afternoon at Krazy Lobster. But my wife still had time to hit the jewelry stores in Costa Maya. In Cozumel, we go to Mr. Sancho's. Always super friendly service, food and beverages included, and a great massage spot close to the beach for just a few extra pesos. Have not made it to Roatan yet.

Seems high but no telling what the new "normal" might be like after COVID-19. Most likely the price will not come down until 6 months before embarkation date. It's good to check periodically just in case those interns come up with another crazy sale.

Great first day! Great pictures. So many questions........ What is your secret for what to do or NOT to do on the flowrider? I have tried it at a waterpark but not on a ship yet. How was your dog at the Boardwalk doghouse? You mentioned making dinner reservations when you got on board, did you have the dining package? What other reservations did you make before boarding and which ones did you make once you got onboard? Does that include activities too? We have not been on Oasis (or any Oasis class ships) and I'm the type of planner that likes to get as much "planned" in advance as possible. How does Oasis compare to Freedom?

Following @rshov. We are anxiously awaiting our first Oasis class cruise in October and look forward to your pics and adventures. We live in Northern VA (Go Nationals, Go CAPS!), but big fans of Baltimore too. Thanks for sharing your "live" blog!

I miss everything. The excitement of embarkation day, the first drink by the pool, getting to see our room for the first time, first night in the dining room, and so on. But one thing that particularly stands out for me is watching the sun go down, the stars come out, smelling the clean ocean air, and watching the wake drift lazily behind the ship. Such a calm and peaceful experience (for me anyway).

Hard to pick just one...…..but here goes. Our Western Med cruise on Freedom two and half years ago. First cruise for our two teens. Very port intensive (Marseilles, Villefranche (Nice), La Spezia (Florence & Pisa), Rome, Naples and Barcelona. Summer time and didn't get dark until 10 pm each night. It was like having two vacations in once, the ports each day, the ship at night. The kids loved it and all was well with the world. ro

Our local brewpub had a carryout special today. Filled 2 growlers for $15! Cheers!

@WannaCruise………..we just sailed Anthem for the New Year's Eve Cruise a few months ago. We had a balcony cabin AND a virtual balcony cabin for our teens. The weather was cold in NY/NJ and warmed up but still chilly by the time we got to Port Canaveral 2 days later. Weather improved dramatically for Nassau, Coco Cay, and our first sea day headed back. Rain/cold weather for our last day at sea. I would think you could get worse weather but what we experienced was probably typical for that time of the year. Here's the thing. We were disappointed with the virtual balcony. The room seemed small and dark. The "virtual" was neat but the novelty wore off pretty quickly. One day it didn't work at all. The actual balcony let in lots of light even on the chilly days, was great to look at the stars at night, and very useful for the 3.5 days of nice weather. The room felt significantly larger and the ocean air was refreshing no matter what the outside temps were. I would take half a cruise with decent weather in a balcony cabin even for the extra $$$ vs. the virtual cabin option.