The Genie Is Out of the Bottle – Our First Star Class Cruise – Oasis 9/20/2020

[bossdog421 991]

1 hour ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Congratulations!!! (read:  omg, men are so annoying).

Yeah yeah, my wife says that too

It just drops quick because I was getting really chunky lol... That and this diet is pretty strict. Only thing that really sucks is the weight can come back really fast once you eat "normally" again. Much easier to gain the weight... especially on a cruise.

[bossdog421 991]

With all this dieting all i can think about is food. I know i'll have a genie and they can do all of the meal planning but i'm a bit of a plan freak. I have the entire cruise mapped out for where / when i want to eat already. We enjoy going to the venues so i doubt there will be much in room dining except for breakfast. We'll play that by ear once we see how much room there is for dining in the suite.

 

Food plan -

Day 1 - Leaving Jersey

Lunch - Special Star Class lunch? Chops?

Dinner - CK Filet night? Will move if its a different night

 

Day 2 Sea Day -

Breakfast - CK

Lunch - Playmakers

Dinner - Giovanni's

 

Day 3 - Port Canaveral

Breakfast - In room

Lunch - With inlaws somewhere in FL. Cuban sandwich??? For those that read my last blog i like me a cuban sandwich. lol

Dinner - Izumi Hibachi

 

Day 4 - Coco Cay

Breakfast - Johnny Rockets

Lunch - Snack shack Chicken Sandwich. Maybe Captain Jacks for some wings. Is that included with star class?

Dinner - Chops

 

Day 5 - Nassau

Breakfast - In room or CK

Lunch - Something at Atlantis - Maybe Playmakers

Dinner - 150 Central Park. This is the only one i'm not sure of. The menu doesn't seem great to the 3 of us. Might skip this one and just go to CK.

 

Day 6 - Sea day

Breakfast - CK

Lunch - Johnny Rockets

Dinner - Port Side BBQ (maybe in room)

 

Day 7

Breakfast in room

 

Lets see how well i stick to this in a couple months.

 

Great now i'm hungry.  

[AshleyDillo 3,715]

2 hours ago, bossdog421 said:

Lunch - Special Star Class lunch? Chops?

Chops is usually the only specialty open during lunch.  They don't have any special Star Class lunch.  Portside and Playmakers are open that first day and don't tend to be crowded either if you want options.

2 hours ago, bossdog421 said:

Lunch - Snack shack Chicken Sandwich. Maybe Captain Jacks for some wings. Is that included with star class?

Nope..CJs isn't covered on Coco Cay.  Not sure why..but alas.

[bossdog421 991]

18 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Chops is usually the only specialty open during lunch.  They don't have any special Star Class lunch.  Portside and Playmakers are open that first day and don't tend to be crowded either if you want options.

Nope..CJs isn't covered on Coco Cay.  Not sure why..but alas.

The lunch menu at portside seems to be lacking some key items i like for BBQ. It is an option though, I'd probably side with Chops or picking around the suite lounge offerings.

 

Boy Star Class  magic really doesn't have any powers on Coco Cay huh? CJ not being included seems silly. It's wings and fries.. Snack shack it is then!

 

Thanks for the info!

[WAAAYTOOO 11,558]

Remember...it is unlikely that Chops will be open on Oasis on boarding day.  When we were in a Star Class last December, we had to choose a different restaurant for embarkation lunch b/c Chops was closed.  It worked out fine though as I didn’t want filet twice in 1 day anyway.  I certainly realize there are other menu choices besides the filet at Chops but that’s usually what we order.  Since the CK filet is better (IMO) than at Chops, we just waited and had the CK filet on the first night.  I think we ended up eating lunch at Giovannis on embarkation day.

[bossdog421 991]

Yeah day 1 one I will play by ear.

 

I do plan on trying the filet at both ck and chops. I'm a bigger fan of ribeyes luckily my daughter loves steak so I'll have her get the filet at chops and ill get a ribeye and just try hers.

 

Everyone says the filet is better at ck, so I have to try both to compare for myself!

[Ogilthorpe 943]

14 minutes ago, bossdog421 said:

 

I do plan on trying the filet at both ck and chops. 

I would recommend the Filet at Giovanni's also. In my opinion. It is better than Chops.  I would look forward to a comprehensive review!

[coneyraven 2,060]

21 hours ago, bossdog421 said:

With all this dieting all i can think about is food. I know i'll have a genie and they can do all of the meal planning but i'm a bit of a plan freak. I have the entire cruise mapped out for where / when i want to eat already. We enjoy going to the venues so i doubt there will be much in room dining except for breakfast. We'll play that by ear once we see how much room there is for dining in the suite.

Day 3 - Port Canaveral

Breakfast - In room

Lunch - With inlaws somewhere in FL. Cuban sandwich??? For those that read my last blog i like me a cuban sandwich

 

 

Interesting Day 3 plan .... Ours is somewhat similar ..... my mother & sister will be driving over from St. Cloud and we'll all go and have a nice meal.  One of out favorite places is Squid Lips - Over Water Grill (not to be confused with FishLips) --- it's located on A1A on the south side of Cocoa Beach (below FL 520).  Not sure if they have Cubans, wouldn't surprise me if they do.

[bossdog421 991]

5 minutes ago, coneyraven said:

Interesting Day 3 plan .... Ours is somewhat similar ..... my mother & sister will be driving over from St. Cloud and we'll all go and have a nice meal.  One of out favorite places is Squid Lips - Over Water Grill (not to be confused with FishLips) --- it's located on A1A on the south side of Cocoa Beach (below FL 520).  Not sure if they have Cubans, wouldn't surprise me if they do.

I loath seafood. So I typically avoid places that have names with anything sea related as the entire place usually smells of fish. There was a place in Coco Beach that I was going to try earlier this year but I inlaws brought me a sandwich from one of my favorite places in the Tampa area so we skipped it. I'll probably try and get us to go there this time.

 

The Florida plans are still up in the  air. Not sure if we are just hitting the beach or driving up to the space center just yet. Its probably going to depend how much is open. I'm a huge Disney fan but we already decided we were not going there, just not enough time at the port for us. We like to have a full week when we go to Disney. I do miss the days of having annual passes and just going for a couple hours whenever we wanted.

[coneyraven 2,060]

3 minutes ago, bossdog421 said:

I loath seafood. So I typically avoid places that have names with anything sea related as the entire place usually smells of fish. There was a place in Coco Beach that I was going to try earlier this year but I inlaws brought me a sandwich from one of my favorite places in the Tampa area so we skipped it. I'll probably try and get us to go there this time.

 

The Florida plans are still up in the  air. Not sure if we are just hitting the beach or driving up to the space center just yet. Its probably going to depend how much is open. I'm a huge Disney fan but we already decided we were not going there, just not enough time at the port for us. We like to have a full week when we go to Disney. I do miss the days of having annual passes and just going for a couple hours whenever we wanted.

Yeah, you're like me, we both know the area well enough that, even though we're not locals, tourists we are not.  We really know how far Disney is, how much it costs, etc..... and considering the time we're in port, is it really worth the effort? ..... no matter how bad I want to ride Soarin over in Epcot (still kills me that Illuminations, Reflections of the Earth is gone).

The fact that they refer to the port as Orlando, can be really misleading, plus people have no idea travel time, and what a nightmare I-4 and Fl 417 can be.  One wrong turn and you're on the turnpike headed south, lol.

[bossdog421 991]

1 hour ago, coneyraven said:

Yeah, you're like me, we both know the area well enough that, even though we're not locals, tourists we are not.  We really know how far Disney is, how much it costs, etc..... and considering the time we're in port, is it really worth the effort? ..... no matter how bad I want to ride Soarin over in Epcot (still kills me that Illuminations, Reflections of the Earth is gone).

The fact that they refer to the port as Orlando, can be really misleading, plus people have no idea travel time, and what a nightmare I-4 and Fl 417 can be.  One wrong turn and you're on the turnpike headed south, lol.

Yeah in confident it could be done with out much hassle it just wouldnt be enough and i want to focus on the cruise.

 

I'm pretty sad i havent been to disney in like 4 years. There was a point were we were going at least once a month (before we even had kids lol). Then we moved to jersey and we going once a year for a while... then we started cruising.  I have magic kingdom down to a science. I draw up map routes based off of fast pass times I can do the entire park before 2pm as long as you are there for the rope drop and that's with stops for food and characters.

 

A lot has changed and there is a ton of other new stuff happening so i can't want to get back. Now I need a good 5 days at a resort (poly please!) to fully enjoy myself there. 3-4 park days a resort day and some time at disney springs. Still havent seen the avatar or star wars areas. We are going to need to go in the next year or 2 because a lot of the "magic" is going to fade when our daughter hits teen years. I know she'd still have fun, its just not the same as they get older. I mean look at this... Sword in the Stone. I have been to Disney HUNDREDS of times. This is something i will never forget... Watching the act, I getting called up,  the sword doesn't budge... Oh i tried... I was gonna break that damn latch holding it in for all i cared. Then my daughter gets called up. I about shat myself. The look on her face and how she felt after pulling it out was just pure magic... i cant describe the feeling any other way.

 

 

I view my vacations as a time to build unforgettable memories for my daughter. Disney did a great job of that but cruising seems to be a good transition into less kiddie trips. Hard to give up that stage... but its coming whether i like it or not.

[jagnew 53]

As an Orlandoan who looked at the space center for years with side-eye and scorn, I recommend it highly. 

We went last fall with on a 6th grade field trip, and wow.  As you are someone who is about my age and understands the shuttle era in the 80s, the entry fee is worth it just to walk around and stare at the shuttle Atlantis.  

[Dodiesmom 2]

Hi @bossdog421..I just booked suite 14528 today for August 30,2020. I am so excited!...this is my first sailing with RC and in a suite....

[mk-ultra 300]

If you don't mind me asking, did you get crazy-good pricing on the Ultimate Panoramic Suite?  I booked the exact same suite for an Oasis April 2022 cruise the same day they released it for booking.  The price on this Star Class cabin was ~$100 more than an L1 Sky Class loft, which was insanely good.  Now the price seems comparable to any other Star Class cabin.

[Andrew72681 1,759]

1 hour ago, mk-ultra said:

If you don't mind me asking, did you get crazy-good pricing on the Ultimate Panoramic Suite?  I booked the exact same suite for a Oasis April 2022 cruise the same day they released the it for booking.  The price on this Star Class cabin was ~$100 more than an L1 Sky Class loft, which was insanely good.  Now the price seems comparable to any other Star Class cabin.

Those weird pricing quirks never made sense to me. For our Oasis sailing this November the 1BR grand suites and 2 BR grand suites as the exact same amount. 

[bossdog421 991]

On 6/5/2020 at 12:38 PM, mk-ultra said:

If you don't mind me asking, did you get crazy-good pricing on the Ultimate Panoramic Suite?  I booked the exact same suite for a Oasis April 2022 cruise the same day they released the it for booking.  The price on this Star Class cabin was ~$100 more than an L1 Sky Class loft, which was insanely good.  Now the price seems comparable to any other Star Class cabin.

Yes, very good pricing. Like I didn't want to wait pricing.  With that said this wasn't the only room  priced really well on this sailing.  Tons of sky level suites were insanely low too.

[bossdog421 991]

Double digit day! 99 days to go. Feeling good and worried about the date at the same time. A random post from someone in the FB group saying they called the port and said they will be good to go out of jersey in August gave me a bit of confidence. But still... the world has gone mad, and all that grouping together is likely to drum up more cases. We are on the cusp of reopening and don't think anyone is going to be willing to shut down again. 

 

I've always been a gambling man. My bet is still on things will go!!!

 

Diet update down about 14 pound overall. Had a pretty big plateau for about a week that I finally got passed. Another 16 or so to go.

 

Beautiful day in Jesery. Got out for a hike with the family.

 

 

[coneyraven 2,060]

On 6/13/2020 at 5:21 PM, bossdog421 said:

Double digit day! 99 days to go. Feeling good and worried about the date at the same time. A random post from someone in the FB group saying they called the port and said they will be good to go out of jersey in August gave me a bit of confidence. But still... the world has gone mad, and all that grouping together is likely to drum up more cases. We are on the cusp of reopening and don't think anyone is going to be willing to shut down again. 

 

I've always been a gambling man. My bet is still on things will go!!!

 

Diet update down about 14 pound overall. Had a pretty big plateau for about a week that I finally got passed. Another 16 or so to go.

 

Beautiful day in Jesery. Got out for a hike with the family.

 

 

That shot of the skyline is insane.  Where is this?

[bossdog421 991]

3 hours ago, coneyraven said:

That shot of the skyline is insane.  Where is this?

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-jersey/wildcat-ridge-hawkwatch-trail

 

Hawkwatch. 5 minute drive from my house then about a 30 minute hike. 

 

Lots of cool stuff on that trail if you are willing to do some more serious hiking.

[coneyraven 2,060]

50 minutes ago, bossdog421 said:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-jersey/wildcat-ridge-hawkwatch-trail

 

Hawkwatch. 5 minute drive from my house then about a 30 minute hike. 

 

Lots of cool stuff on that trail if you are willing to do some more serious hiking.

Hiking has always been one of my loves .... Done many miles on the Appalachian Trail.  One of the true benefits of being in far western Maryland..... hiking trails all around.  Thanks for sharing the link.  Will have to check it out.

[bossdog421 991]

So here we go. Final payment day is coming in quick.

 

Had to have the "what do we do discussion" with the wife.  Lift and switch isn't a viable option, it would put us too close to a cruise we have booked next year.  FCC doesn't interest me too much because i'd still want to do something this year(I. Need. A. Vacation). We are going to make the final payment on friday and hold on for the ride. If the cruise gets canceled we will just take the refund and make other plans.

 

Really hope things still go. This is what i want to do. Not losing hope yet!

 

PS: This diet is officially making me mad. 

 

 

[sk8erguy1978 1,061]

3 minutes ago, bossdog421 said:

So here we go. Final payment day is coming in quick.

 

Had to have the "what do we do discussion" with the wife.  Lift and switch isn't a viable option, it would put us too close to a cruise we have booked next year.  FCC doesn't interest me too much because i'd still want to do something this year(I. Need. A. Vacation). We are going to make the final payment on friday and hold on for the ride. If the cruise gets canceled we will just take the refund and make other plans.

 

Really hope things still go. This is what i want to do. Not losing hope yet!

 

PS: This diet is officially making me mad. 

 

 

If memory serves me correctly, we are on the same sailing. We are doing the same thing, my agent said she'll process on Friday in case of any processing errors and we will ride it out. We will shift it to next year as we are eyeing the September 2021 Oasis anyway to replace our December Harmony sailing (officially going to cancel, supposed to be a friends cruise but no friends can make it). However, if this cruise does get cancelled, I'll probably upgrade us to a Grand Suite in 2021. Looking at current price it's about the same price as September & December so, why not, it'll be our 5 year & a late celebration of her 29th (+11) birthday. Also gets my agent similar commission she would have got this year from me LOL! Win-Wn! 

We too need a vacation, started looking into Wildwood, it's been years and only a 3 hour drive.

[coneyraven 2,060]

59 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

If memory serves me correctly, we are on the same sailing. We are doing the same thing, my agent said she'll process on Friday in case of any processing errors and we will ride it out. We will shift it to next year as we are eyeing the September 2021 Oasis anyway to replace our December Harmony sailing (officially going to cancel, supposed to be a friends cruise but no friends can make it). However, if this cruise does get cancelled, I'll probably upgrade us to a Grand Suite in 2021. Looking at current price it's about the same price as September & December so, why not, it'll be our 5 year & a late celebration of her 29th (+11) birthday. Also gets my agent similar commission she would have got this year from me LOL! Win-Wn! 

We too need a vacation, started looking into Wildwood, it's been years and only a 3 hour drive.

There are several of us in the 9/19/21 Facebook Group that are refugees from this sailing .... in fact, one of the transplants is already getting plans in place to do a get-together for just us. 

[sk8erguy1978 1,061]

1 hour ago, coneyraven said:

There are several of us in the 9/19/21 Facebook Group that are refugees from this sailing .... in fact, one of the transplants is already getting plans in place to do a get-together for just us. 

I'll have to join! 

[WAAAYTOOO 11,558]

3 hours ago, bossdog421 said:

PS: This diet is officially making me mad. 

That’s referred to as being “hangry”, isn’t it ?

Keep up the good work !