SOLOasis redubbed YOLOasis Thanksgiving of the Seas Nov24, 2019 - Dec1, 2019

[twangster 25,673]

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

Oopsy..in the app.  Digital key.

In Royal's defense my bluetooth lock and app at home works about the same.  

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

This caught my eye in the casino

Hmmm...

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

Went to the casino cashier to ask about it. He said it wasn't working but he could do it for no charge.  I verified it was no charge and he said yes, no charge.  So sign me up..I want more credit card points.  He game back with gaming vouchers...ughhh.  i guess I was fully expecting them to just charge my credit card and hand me cash with no extra fee.  They had before on other ships, except the slot machine played the middle man.

Good thing I found a slot machine called Redemption Machine that turned these white barcode papers into green paper.  Phew.  Thought I was going to have to do some gambling after all.

[SpeedNoodles 4,524]

8 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Hmm..so where did I leave off last night...last thing I remember was robots taking jobs away from service workers

RIP Champagne Bar.  At least at this bar you don't have to feel shamed for not tipping in cash on top of the 18% gratuity for your drink?  Service is pretty slow anyways.

 

On Ovation the Bionic Bar was the quickest place to get a drink. The wait at the Schooner bar was often 3 people deep all the way around the U-shaped bar.  We tipped the two (human) attendants very well at the end of the cruise for their hard work keeping the area running and clean. So I guess to each their own.

[Jaymac Radio 1,116]

59 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Today's Sorrentos selection.

I Love The Caribbean Dream Pizza. It One Of My Favorite At Sorrento's. 

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

Pretty much the afternoon was napping and avoiding sun.  We have CP150 resverations for 7:30 so now I am partaking in the free Diamond lounge happy hour.  

Surf & turf and some brie..because you can't dinner without pre-dinner.

I also swung by Izumi sushi to grab some snacks for later.

[heffy2 265]

7 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

I attended the Meet & Mingle held in Boleros.  They set out cookies and coffee.

They did some Royal swag giveaways. My mother is now a proud owner of a Royal Bingo 2XL tshirt She lives for this stuff.

The next thing on my agenda was the Top Tier party.  When you don't have a drink package you.take advantage of this always.  Free bloody marys and mimosas and rum punch etc.  But first I had time to kill so I buzzed the Windjammer.  It was busy as expected but I was able to snag some sustenance and take off quickly. 

I live for this stuff..

I LOVED these eggs on Anthem earlier this month! I hope you've had an amazing day, this blog is great.

[JohnK6404 1,166]

55 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

We have CP150 resverations for 7:30 so now I am partaking in the free Diamond lounge happy hour.  

Have a nice dinner. My wife and I are looking forward to trying CP150 for the first time when we're on Oasis next May. 

[RWDW1204 497]

5 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

RFID room key isn't working now for some reason.  Flashes green but doesn't open the door.  Also does that when I tried my neighbor's door.  Ah well, it was entertaining for the 2 seconds it lasted.

Ours hasn't worked either.  Using my phone for the TV is great.  Don't have to keep finding where the remote is. 

[twangster 25,673]

I've got a couple days to think about getting the UDP.  Curious to know your opinion. 

I had it for my last Oasis cruise pre-amp and didn't think I'd do it again because it's too much food.  Now with PM and BBQ I'm thinking about it again.

Any word on JR?  Is it covered by UDP? 

[RWDW1204 497]

Not the best spot for viewing Captain and ship officers introductions.

[Srp431 147]

4 hours ago, Jaymac Radio said:

I Love The Caribbean Dream Pizza. It One Of My Favorite At Sorrento's. 

Agreed. I was surprised how good it was. Now its my favorite

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

I've got a couple days to think about getting the UDP.  Curious to know your opinion. 

I had it for my last Oasis cruise pre-amp and didn't think I'd do it again because it's too much food.  Now with PM and BBQ I'm thinking about it again.

Any word on JR?  Is it covered by UDP? 

I believe JR is.  I haven't tried it yet. 

I would actually do it again on an Oasis class if I was solo in a heartbeat and got.it for the $175 price or less.  You can make multiple ressies on the app once you're onboard.  I was sitting in CP150 at 845 and they have a ressie for 915 for Giovannis tonight.  Totally could walk in there for that and do a 2nd meal for dessert as all I ate was salad and some of my veal tenderloins.

They seem to be amenable to asking for items to go when you are solo.  The being able to pop in for one or two items at any place on board is one of the reasons I loved Star Class.  I'm really not into this full 3 course meal dining thing.  I would rather eat a small plate at 5pm and eat another something small at 9pm.  Just knowing I can appeases me.  I feel like I'm gorging less because I know this isn't my only specialty meal and I have to max out a $39.99 cover or $35 ala carte allocation. I feel better knowing I can go back later in the cruise and try something else I wanted.  It feels more relaxed than Star Class did with scheduled full meals all the time.

I still tip even though the package includes gratuitity, so I also have to take that into consideration when deciding if it is a good value.  Also I would be way more inclined to splurge if I had gotten a bargain cruise fare deal.

I say go for it.  I know what the prices were running for your Oasis sailing, so I know you got in for a good price to begin with.  If you are flexible and not picky about when you eat, you will have absolutely no problem as a solo cruiser getting into pretty much anywhere that you want.  Just because the food is there doesn't mean you have to eat it all.  Especially knowing you cruise frequently and will see these venues again.  The once in a while cruisers I can completely understand wanting to try ALL THE THINGS!

They really emphasized the multiple restaurants in multiple a night thing when selling it online, so I didn't feel bad when the waiters were perplexed I ordered so little and refused desserts. 

 

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

CP150 bread.  I didn't eat it, but I smelled it throughout the entire meal.  Only food shot I got, though.  Sorry for being a bad blogger.

CP150 was my least favorite of the specialty dining restaurants when we did Star Class on Symphony. My brother was trying to chalk that up to the fact that it was a service that made the experience so poor on Symphony, but I didn't feel that the food was anything special tonight either. I am also not a real foodie and prefer more of a protein and side type of meal than something artistically constructed with 11 ingredients.  I always order sauce on the side..that kind of thing.  Fancy dining is not my forte.

So once again I wasn't really impressed with CP150 but my mom loves it, so we ate there. Of course we had 9pm show reservations for the ice show..but once again CP150 did not let me down in taking entirely too long making pretty food so we missed the show.

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

Swung back by the room and noticed I now have a roommate.  I better still get double points for this cruise, though.  Good thing I have the ability to control the TV with my phone since he's a total remote hog.

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

Never saw people show up so early to shows in here when this was Dazzles...could this be the next thing to require reservations on Oasis?

Band playing is Phoenix from Las Vegas.  They play covers of rock favorites and were the band invited to play the President's Cruise a few weeks ago.

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

I used to go to concerts at small venues all the time in my 20s..Music Hall definitely has that vibe at night.  It's dark like a cave in the back and all the lights are focused on the band and the dance floor.  Upstairs is more of a lounge area.  There's a dedicated bar. There's a balcony to watch the band and a pool table (free use) and couches.  TVs livestream the action downstairs.  I feel like I am at home here.  Folks are singing along and dancing to some Journey, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, etc. covers.  It's a real good time and folks are having a blast.  The sound is decent for the music they're playing so they definitely have a good sound system setup to handle this kind of music. May want to bring earplugs!

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

For those with rooms on Deck 8..I walked aft from the elevator lobby and it was about 8 rooms down the hallway before I completely was unable to hear the music anymore. I have no idea what the rooms can actually hear inside them that back up to the Music Hall. So for anyone with concerns about noise issues I would take a guess that you may want to avoid 8673, 8675, 8677, 8679 on the starboard side and thus whatever corresponds on the port side (read a deck map, Im too lazy to walk that ).  It ends at midnight though.

[twangster 25,673]

Did 150CP still have the salts or are those gone like Symphony?  My last on Oasis was still the Michael Schwartz experience.  

UDP is $199 at the moment or $29 per day.  I don't like WJ on Oasis class so if it was any other ship I'd just go WJ for meals but Oasis WJ is my least favorite so I'm on the fence.

[DublinFC 345]

14 minutes ago, twangster said:

Did 150CP still have the salts or are those gone like Symphony?  My last on Oasis was still the Michael Schwartz experience.  

UDP is $199 at the moment or $29 per day.  I don't like WJ on Oasis class so if it was any other ship I'd just go WJ for meals but Oasis WJ is my least favorite so I'm on the fence.

Why do you not like the WJ on Oasis class?  

[twangster 25,673]

Just now, DublinFC said:

Why do you not like the WJ on Oasis class?  

Awkward layout and too limited seating for the number of passengers on board.  

The fewer food stations always have longer lines.  Then begins the hunt for a table.   Keep in mind I'm often solo so I'm not looking for space for 2 or 4 people.  

It's not the end of the world, I survive it quite well, it's just the best WJ in the fleet.  

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

50 minutes ago, twangster said:

Did 150CP still have the salts or are those gone like Symphony?  My last on Oasis was still the Michael Schwartz experience. 

Nope..salts are gone..tuna app is gone, doughnuts with lemon curd.are gone.  My mom asked and our server said everyone asks about those same items. It's the best caesar salad you can get onboard and you can even get anchovies..mmm.  

Funny how that extra $24 makes all the difference..seems like way more than what I paid..but overall not really that much in the grand scheme of things. 

If you don't get it there's still El Loco Fresh, Solarium Bistro, Park Cafe, MDR to hit up for lunch.  Then shill out to try Portside once at lunch and once at dinner, use your BOGO D+ dinner and come out ahead money-wise.

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

I am on a cruiseship and it has been three and a half hours since I last ate.  That means it's time for bedtime sushi!

This seems like a much, much better option than the Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos that everyone is else stuck with.

This was a brilliant idea and 1am Ashley very much thanks 6pm Ashley for looking out for her.

[ellcee 1,507]

12 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

because you can't dinner without pre-dinner.

 

[AshleyDillo 3,718]

So 7am Ashley wonders WTF 1am Ashley was thinking eating sushi right before bed.

Woke up on my own before the room service scheduled for 8am.  It's 7:49am so they aren't early like yesterday

But good morning Labadee!

On the agenda today is to get off the ship at some point.  Ride the Dragon's Tail Coster with my All Day Access.  Most likely decide all day access means "once" and feel justified in knowing I caught the All Day Access for $25 at one point and later saw they were selling single rides for $34.99.

Then probably a bit of meandering to check Labadee out as I have never been.  I won't lay out in the or go play in the water as those words aren't in my vocabulary outside of social situations. 

Then I will find some shade and sit and contemplate eating for free on Labadee followed by contemplating going back and eating for free on the ship.  Both will require some walking and effort so this will be a dilemma that I will work through in my mind until I get bored.  I will walk somewhere (likely in the wrong direction) and get hot and gross and annoyed with that, curse the sun and go seek air conditioning.