Oasis, 10/3-10/10... Bayonne or Bust!

[JohnK6404]

Are we really going on a cruise??? It won't settle in for us until we actually step onto the ship tomorrow morning! 

It's been almost 2.5 years since our last cruise (Allure, 5/19/19)! Wow, that almost sounded like a confession, LOL!

Like so many of you, we dealt with cancellation after cancellation due to this horrible pandemic... Harmony... Symphony... Oasis (x3)... I guess the 3rd time is the charm for Oasis!

Unlike my first/last blog, I wanted to start before we boarded! 

My wife and I could not pass up the chance to sail on the amped Oasis out of Cape Liberty. We absolutely LOVED Allure and are sold on the Oasis class! This will be our 3rd sailing out of Bayonne - Explorer (2013) and Liberty (2015). This cruise will also be different, and special, as it will be the first time my wife and I have sailed alone since our 3-night teaser cruise on the Disney Wonder during our honeymoon 17 years ago! We're also planning on relaxing a bit more as the itinerary is not as port-intensive and we are planning on staying onboard in Port Canaveral.

Covid testing: We had originally booked a PCR test with CVS for yesterday morning (24-48 hour turnaround), but we decided the stress of waiting for the results today would be too much to handle! Instead, we went to a local urgent care facility (City MD) and had the rapid antigen test. Results were e-mailed to us within 2 hours and thankfully we were both negative!

OK... enough yapping... here is the brief synopsis...

Cruise Details:

• Oasis of the Seas, 7-night, Perfect Day & Bahamas (Port Canaveral, CocoCay & Nassau)
• Out of Cape Liberty (Bayonne, NJ)
• 10/3/21-10/10/21

Cabin Details & Cruise Planner Stuff:

• Ocean View with Large Balcony (Deck 8, Mid-Ship, Starboard side... across from Giovanni's Table)
• Selected Traditional Dining (5:30PM)
• Purchased the Deluxe Beverage w/ VOOM Package
• Purchased the 3 Night Dining Package
• Purchased the Full Day Pass to Coco Beach Club (CocoCay)
• Purchased the Blue Lagoon Island Dolphin Encounter and Beach Day (Nassau)

Miscellaneous Stuff:

• We're located in Suffolk County, NY (middle of Long Island), so we're just 70 miles or so from the port. We're driving to the port, and for the convenience as in the past, will be parking in the port garage for the week. The cost is currently $25/day (incl tax), but effective 10/15/21, they are raising it to $30/day. Still trying to decide when to leave... should take about 1.5 - 2 hours to get there... probably leaving earlier and will wait in the garage if need be just in case there is traffic or an accident on the way!
• Our first time on Oasis and our first time to CocoCay post renovations!
• We chose the cabin location in part based on a comment @WAAAYTOOO made some time ago on the forum (Thank You!). Since we are on the same deck as Central Park and mid-ship, there are no cabins on the other side of our corridor, just the back of the restaurants (Giovanni's for us). Should be very quiet! We love Central Park and the convenience of being close to the Trellis Bar and all of the specialty dining options!
• We originally purchased the Key, but Royal cancelled it for our sailing. We're OK with the cancellation... sailing at reduced capacity will lessen the overall value of the Key IMO.

 

*** Please let me know if you have any questions or would like me to post pictures of something you are interested in... I'll do my best to keep up! 

 

OK, time to finish packing!

We also have to drop our Goldens (Bella & Jake) off later at my sister's house for the week! Don't tell them we're going away without them! 

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I love the goldies !!  Such sweet souls.  Have a GREAT cruise.  You will love the Oasis....especially since the amp !

[WannaCruise]

Have an amazing cruise.  I know the feeling of booking, then cancelled and repeat a few times.  Excited you will get on her today.  That negative test must be such a "phew"!  

On a different note...what beautiful dogs.  I grew up with a few dogs but goldens are so sweet and gentle.

[SpeedNoodles]

21 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

 

OK, time to finish packing!

We also have to drop our Goldens (Bella & Jake) off later at my sister's house for the week! Don't tell them we're going away without them! 

 

 

They already know, but you know that. 

[Aulayan]

Please do not take over the ship to extend your cruise! I desperately need to get on it on 10/10!

[Ampurp85]

Oooooh I love the doggies. We sail in 3 weeks and my cat is awfully suspicious as she sees luggage.

[JohnK6404]

OK, the wife is snoring… let’s see what I can cover before I’m done for the evening too!

Day 1: Departure from Bayonne!

The trip to Bayonne was stress-free and took about 90 minutes to get to the port. My wife got so excited as we crossed the Verrazano as we caught our first glimpse of Oasis in the distance!

Once at the port, the process was so well organized. Everyone knew what they were doing. For those not familiar, the first thing you do as you enter the port is pull over and drop off your checked baggage. There are employees everywhere directing you where to go next. After we dropped of the baggage, we immediately were directed to the parking garage next door. We were told to please wait until our assigned boarding time before heading to the terminal next door (of course no one is permitted to enter the terminal earlier). We arrived at about 10:30AM and our boarding window was 11:30AM-12:00PM. We just waited in the garage with many other passengers that were waiting their turn to board. I took a few pics why we waited to head down to the terminal.

 

Just before 11:30AM, we headed down to the terminal. People were waiting outside and employees were announcing which time period was currently boarding. It only took about 10-15 minutes to get through the terminal and onto the ship. We briefly walked through the Royal Promenade and headed immediately to Central Park. 

 

We purchased the 3-night specialty dining package for this cruise, so we went to Giovanni’s to change our dining time for this evening and to make the other two dining reservations.

For lunch, we just went to the Windjammer. No line since we boarded early. They just took our cabin number and head count for capacity tracking purposes. Cabins were ready as we were finishing lunch and we went to unpack and settle in. After that, we just walked around a bit…

… and back to Central Park (once again our cabin is on Deck 8 near Central Park - too convenient!)…

 

… and to one of our favorite bars… the Trellis Bar, for our first Lava Flow!

 

I’m going to break this up into 2 posts… getting too long! LOL! 

 

[GKMCruising]

22 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

once again our cabin is on Deck 8 near Central Park - too convenient

That's exactly why we booked deck 8 on our Harmony cruise next September. We originally had deck 8 for Wonder as well, but when we switched weeks so we could do the inaugural, all the deck 8 insides were full, so we wound up on 9. Either way, definitely my favorite neighborhood to stay in on Oasis class ships.

[JohnK6404]

After breaking in the DBP with a couple of drinks we decided to head to the upper decks to walk around and to grab a good spot for sail away.

 

Stacks are lowered now… getting closer to departure!

… not the clearest photo (major digital zoom and haze), but the NCL Breakaway was also departing with us out of New York…

… lining up behind us to go under the Verrazano…

… OK, I apologize! Stupid me shot video approaching and going under the bridge, but I did not take any photos! So cool and soooo close to the bridge decking!

Back on our cabin balcony… now it’s the Breakaway’s turn to go under the Verrazano…

 

After a little more wandering, we headed to Giovanni’s for dinner…

 

For appetizers, we kept it simple… my wife had the Lentil soup (no pic) and I had the Mozzarella di Bufala (tasty). 

For the main course, my wife had the mushroom risotto (Risotto Ai Quattro Funghi) and I tried the Gnocchi (Gnocchi Al Gorgonzola). Sorry about the pics… dimly lit in the restaurant. Her risotto was excellent… my gnocchi was good, but so rich with that cheese sauce!

 

And for dessert, we had the torta and the tiramisu… both excellent!

8

 

Just in case anyone was wondering what was on the menu in the MDR tonight…

 

… and pics of today’s Cruise Compass…

 

We went to see the Headliner show (David Lucas). He does an excellent show (amazing juggler and funny comedian). He comes from a long line of acrobats/jugglers. He shows a bit of his father’s and uncle’s various acts that they performed on the Ed Sullivan show back in the 1950’s. Very impressive. We both had a good time!

We wandered a bit afterward, but my wife was exhausted and we returned to the cabin. Time for me to turn in too as I’m sure we’ll be up early! Sea day tomorrow and our first formal evening of the cruise!

Chat again tomorrow!

Have a great evening/ morning everyone! 
 

 

[Booscruize]

This is amazing and THANK YOU so much for posting the entertainment and Cruise Compass! This helps so much with my planning/scheduling ideas for November!  

[JohnK6404]

44 minutes ago, Booscruize said:

This is amazing and THANK YOU so much for posting the entertainment and Cruise Compass! This helps so much with my planning/scheduling ideas for November!  

Thank you and you are very welcome! 

[JohnK6404]

Good morning! Just a quick post to start the day!

Day 2: Sea Day

We both had a good night sleep last night… batteries recharged and ready for the day!

Waking up to this is something we’ll never get tired of!

 

 

Here is today’s Cruise Compass…

 

Ok, heading down to the MDR for a sit-down breakfast. We try to have one each cruise… prevents us from overdoing it at the Windjammer or Solarium Bistro!

 

[ellcee]

I live around the same area you do. The drive is almost pleasant, I say almost due to whatever traffic is around. The last time I left there was none. Love the pups!

[FamilyCruiseFan]

Thanks for all of the updates/photos! It really helps with planning. We are the same sailing next week (10/10). I was just curious if you had heard what the passenger count was for your cruise this week? Thanks!

[thehungrymuppet]

Enjoying the trip report! I have a 4-day Oasis cruise leaving in early November and I am ready to go NOW, lol.

If you run into any interesting/fun drinks, I’d love to see them! It’ll be our first time on the deluxe drink package, and I need to know what to try

[JohnK6404]

I’m going to try to catch up a little bit. Just got back from dinner and have a few moments before our show tonight.

Breakfast was good in the MDR this morning. We both had fresh squeezed OJ (gotta maximize that DBP!), coffee, and granola parfaits. My wife had the Express Breakfast and I had the Classic Benedict. Here is the MDR breakfast menu and a couple of pics from breakfast…

 

Nice decor…

We spent some more time walking around the promenade and then headed up and pool/hot tub hopped around the ship! We especially enjoyed the solarium as there was plenty of room due to the reduced capacity. No problem getting loungers and using the pool and hot tubs in any area of the ship even on a sea day. Just some more random pics…

Gotta run to make the ice show! I’ll be back later!  

 

[JohnK6404]

4 hours ago, FamilyCruiseFan said:

Thanks for all of the updates/photos! It really helps with planning. We are the same sailing next week (10/10). I was just curious if you had heard what the passenger count was for your cruise this week? Thanks!

Unconfirmed, but someone told us that guest services claimed only 30%. I think that may be a little too low of an estimate.

 

[JohnK6404]

I’m back… let’s see if I can wrap up today before I pass out!  Very busy day onboard… my wife is out like a light!

Since we were in our bathing suits, we decided to eat lunch at El Loco Fresh. We appreciated the causal, quick-service restaurant and will likely return before the end of the week. After lunch, we headed back toward the Ultimate Abyss and walked around. Of course my wife wanted to go back into the pool and hot tub, so we headed back to the solarium. Here are a few more pics…

 

 

 

After hours in the water, we dried out and headed back to our cabin to shower and change for the first formal evening in the MDR. Here is tonight’s menu…

For appetizers, I had the calamari (very tender) and French onion soup. My wife chose the pumpkin soup and shrimp cocktail.

 

For the main course, we both had the beef tenderloin… for dessert, we both had the Grand Mariner soufflé.

After dinner, we went to see the ice show (Frozen in Time). We always enjoy the ice shows. I’m always so impressed that they can perform these shows while the ship is rocking! After the ice show…yes, back in the water. Happy wife, happy life!  This time we swam in one of the main pools and hot tubs. For periods of time, we were the only people in the pool or hot tub! Some random pics…

 

Looking down from the pool deck through Central Park into the Royal Promenade…

 

We dried off… changed and headed to the Royal Promenade for some Sorrento's pizza! We then went across the promenade into the Globe & Atlas pub and enjoyed the guitarist/vocalist (Paul Sainsbury) before finally heading back to the cabin for the evening.

Tomorrow is a port day (Port Canaveral), but we will be staying on the ship. Enjoying the opportunity to explore many of the places we skipped on Allure because we had a more port-intensive itinerary.

Question of the day… what towel animal is this? Trying to figure it out! Is it a bear?

… and here is tomorrow’s Cruise Compass (Day 3)…

 

Time to pass out… hope you all have a good night!

 

[JohnK6404]

Good morning!

Day 3: Orlando (Port Canaveral) 

The ship arrives in Port Canaveral early this afternoon at 2:00PM. We had originally planned on meeting up with our good friends from Orlando (cruise buddies from last cruise/blog) for the day, but they had to cancel last week due to a family obligation. So, the plan is to stay onboard today and enjoy the ship! We’ll be seeing our friends in February when we sail on Odyssey with them!

This morning we decided to book the Solarium Bistro for breakfast. I like to think of it as a more relaxing Windjammer lite.

For those that are unfamiliar the reservation requirements in the current climate… 

All sit-down traditional dining venues including the Windjammer and the Solarium Bistro require reservations to control capacity. The Royal app has really, really impressed me! Much more robust now. You can book these reservations through the app very quickly and they will appear in your calendar on the app.

Just as an example, say you want to book the Windjammer for lunch. Click on the Dining icon on the bottom of the home page on the app…

 

Find an click on the Windjammer Marketplace…

 

Click “Reserve now” and select the day and time… Finalize the reservation and then it will appear in your Calendar.

… and the reservation appears in your Calendar…

 

I’ll be back later! 

 

[JohnK6404]

OK, back in our cabin taking a breather! Here are some pics of the Solarium Bistro and the upper and lower sections of the solarium.

 

After breakfast, we headed to the Ultimate Abyss and rode it down to the Boardwalk. My wife was iffy as she can be a little claustrophobic, but she survived! Lol! No lines.

We walked around the Boardwalk and even rode the carousel for kicks. Here are some random pics and a bunch from the Boardwalk.

I’ll be back… 

 

[JohnK6404]

So, after exploring the Boardwalk, we changed and went back to the solarium… again… lol! A little more crowded, but still plenty of loungers, chairs and tables. We stayed until we pulled into Port Canaveral…

Only one other ship was currently in port… one of the older Carnival ships. Not sure which one…

We headed to Portside BBQ for lunch since we were still in our bathing suits. The food was excellent, but be careful not to order too much! I have a decent appetite, but I made the mistake of ordering the “3-cuts Signature combo”… I paid for it the rest of the day and partially ruined my appetite for Chops Grille!  Some pics of the restaurant and the 2-cuts and 3-cuts combos that my wife and I ordered.

More exploring, more drinks at the Trellis Bar… fast forward to dinner. Tonight we had booked Chops Grille. Here is the dinner menu… sorry for the glare! Took these from the display case outside. No pics unfortunately… the restaurant was too dark for decent photos this time.

My wife had the shrimp cocktail and wild mushroom soup… she loved them both. I had the lobster bisque and crab cake… the crab cake was OK, but the bisque was not what I expected. She had the petite filet and I had the filet… both excellent! We had the creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms as sides. We skipped the dessert… maximum overload!

Here is this evening’s MDR dinner menu…

 

We made our way down to the Aqua Theater for the Aqua 80 show. Excellent show… dancers, gymnasts, acrobats, synchronized swimmers, and divers all performing to 80’s music. It’s amazing how they can high dive and do acrobatics on a moving ship!

We headed back to the cabin to call it an “early” night as we have a big day in CocoCay tomorrow!

Have a good night!

 

[CravingaCruise]

8 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

I had the lobster bisque and crab cake… the crab cake was OK, but the bisque was not what I expected.

Not what you expected - in a good way or bad way?

[Rags1]

We sailed Oasis last year. Your photos bring back such great memories. Thanks for taking time to do this. 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

I have never been on Oasis and am sailing her in 28 days.  All these photos are building up my excitement even more than I thought it could get!!!!!!  Thanks for such an interesting journey.  Looking forward to the rest of the week’s pics!

[JohnK6404]

19 hours ago, CravingaCruise said:

Not what you expected - in a good way or bad way?

I’m sorry! I thought I responded this morning, but it’s not showing here. I’m just used to a creamer lobster bisque with a little more flavor. Maybe it’s a New England thing. I’m not sure if this is the bisque served throughout the ship, but I would not order it again. Just not my preference.

[JohnK6404]

Hi again, I’m back! Let me try to update what I can before we head out again!

Day 4: Perfect Day, CocoCay

I woke up early this morning to watch us dock…

We decided to just grab a quick breakfast at the Park Cafe this morning. Too much food yesterday and we have a nice lunch coming up at the Coco Beach Club this afternoon. Here are some pics of the Park Cafe…

 

As we were finishing breakfast, they announced that the gangway was open (earlier than expected) and we headed ashore!

We took a tram to Coco Beach Club (we purchased the full day pass for $89 each way back). Thankfully, it was not crowded and we had an amazing time! My wife did not want to leave the club!

We spent the morning going back and forth from the beach to the infinity pool. We had 12:15PM lunch reservations in the restaurant. They bring out the starter appetizer trays while you decide on your main course. My wife had the Coco Lobster Sandwich and I asked for the Surf & Turf (not on menu, but they will make it… filet and lobster tail). Sorry for the pic! I started eating the lobster and I realized I had not taken a pic yet! 
 

 

The food was excellent. The lobster tail was about the same as the tails served in the MDR (tasty, but it’s not Maine lobster of course). However, the filet was the best I’ve had to date (with Royal). Funny story… one of the floating servers that assisted our waiter was our waiter from Chops last evening. I didn’t want to tell him that the filet at the beach club was much better! My wife and I split the Bahamian rum soaked cake and an orange sorbet for dessert.

Heading out now… will be back later!

[JohnK6404]

… I’m back… after lunch we headed to the Oasis Lagoon Pool to take a peek. It’s right near the Coco Beach Club and a very short walk. We could not find a lounger that wasn’t claimed. Very surprised… I guess the entire ship decided to go to the Oasis Lagoon pool! Very nice, but we headed back to the club for a little more tranquility, lol!

Here are some pics of the lagoon pool…

 

We finished the day at the club and then headed back to the ship. Excellent experience and well worth it if you get the day pass under $100/person IMO. The attendants were everywhere taking your drink orders around the pool and on the beach. The restaurant was excellent. If you want a more relaxing resort-like experience, then the beach club is the way to go!

 

We showered and changed and headed to dinner in the MDR. We both had the Seafood Puff Pastry. My wife had a Caesar Salad and I had the French Onion Soup once again.

 We both went with the Lasagna Al Forno. It was OK, but it’s tough to impress when you live in an area of the country that has excellent Italian restaurants in every town! For dessert, my wife had the cheesecake and I tried the coconut layer cake. Both very good.

After dinner, we bumped into the Stowaway piano player… he was down on deck 6 near the elevators by the Boardwalk.

We went back to the cabin to hang for a bit. We had reserved the comedy show, but my wife took a nap instead. This guy was waiting for us… I guess it’s a bunny?

We later headed to the Music Hall on deck 8 to listen to a concert by the cover band “Phoenix”. Nice venue! The band played rock songs from the 70’s and 80’s. They played for 90 minutes… we may try to see them again. We were impressed!

 

Back in the cabin wrapping up for the day. Tomorrow, we’re in Nassau. Before I shutdown, here is the Cruise Compass from today:

Have a good night all!

 

[MamaShark]

Thanks for sharing. So much to love.  Soak it up!! 

[Va4fam]

Thanks for the updates for your Oasis cruise.  Keep the pictures and the information coming.

We are on the same cruise/itinerary in 2 1/2 weeks.  

I have lots of questions but will keep it brief:

>did you do anything in Port Canaveral?

>Where is Portside BBQ located on the ship?

>Did you make a reservation for the Music Hall and were there a lot of people in attendance for the show?

 

 

[Johnstewarth]

Thanks so much for this live blog. We're going on Oasis in November, so it's especially fun to see your pictures and read about your experience.

I noticed on the Cruise Compass that the Aqua 80 show indicated vaccinated-only. That surprises me since it is outdoors. Do you know--does vaccinated-only refer only to adults, or to children under 12 as well? 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

2 hours ago, Johnstewarth said:

Thanks so much for this live blog. We're going on Oasis in November, so it's especially fun to see your pictures and read about your experience.

I noticed on the Cruise Compass that the Aqua 80 show indicated vaccinated-only. That surprises me since it is outdoors. Do you know--does vaccinated-only refer only to adults, or to children under 12 as well? 

I do not believe any children currently under 12 can be vaccinated yet.  So I would say vaccinated means all adults and children 12+ who are vaccinated.

[Booscruize]

Thanks for the awesome updates! Can’t wait to see more!! 

[JohnK6404]

5 hours ago, Va4fam said:

(1) did you do anything in Port Canaveral?

(2) Where is Portside BBQ located on the ship?

(3) Did you make a reservation for the Music Hall and were there a lot of people in attendance for the show?

Hi Va4fam! My pleasure!

(1) No, we originally had plans to meet up with friends that live in the Orlando area, but that fell through. We just stayed on the ship and had a great time. 

(2) Portside BBQ is located on deck 15 on the port side of the ship in the rear (aft) of the ship next to the mini-golf course.

 

(3) No reservations were needed at least for our cruise (30% capacity based on others that asked guest services). 

You will have an amazing time!

I’m glad we have only sailed Allure (May 2019) in this class to date so the upgrades to Oasis were very evident and welcome! Only complaint is the entertainment (Cats) needs to be replaced (we are seeing it tomorrow and will attempt to get through it). They need to also introduce a quality second major production like they have on Harmony and Symphony (Columbus and Flight). We just have a couple of different headliner acts in place of any other major production. 

 

[JohnK6404]

Good evening! I guess better late than never!

Day 5: Nassau, Bahamas

First, here is the Cruise Compass for today…

 

When we woke up, we headed to the Solarium Bistro for breakfast. I went up to deck 16 and took a few photos of the other ships in port. We were docked next to Virgin’s Scarlet Lady and Mariner of the Seas. Not a fan of the look of the Scarlett Lady. My wife thought it was hideous. I was blinded by the red up top and did not care for the military-like gray paint job. Some of these pics were from the morning and the rest were taken later in the afternoon.

We headed out to the meeting point for our excursion. We booked the Blue Lagoon Island Dolphin Encounter and Beach Day. We took the 30-40 minute ferry ride over to Blue Lagoon Island. Here are a few pics of Paradise Island including Atlantis and many of the mansions owed by athletes and celebrities including Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, etc. 

One of Tiger Wood’s homes… there is a golf course right behind the house!

OK, I’m fading fast! I’ll pick up at Blue Lagoon Island tomorrow!

Have a good night!

 

 

[UNCFanatik]

A couple of questions if I may

 

1. Are they offering messaging through the Royal App for $1.99/day? If so, where would I go to sign up?

2. Wow bands? Do they have them on Oasis? Anyone using them?

3. Laser Tag? Are they running it now? If not, have you heard when it may return?

4. Love and Marriage show?

5. Is it correct that I can only make reservations for shows when I board and not ahead of time? Is this done through the Royal App? 

 

Thoroughly enjoying your trip report! Sailing out of Miami on the Oasis on Nov 21. 

[Aulayan]

The pictures of Oasis at Perfect Cay really capture how *bleeping* huge it is.  Great photos! Thank you!

[JohnK6404]

3 hours ago, UNCFanatik said:

1.  Are they offering messaging through the Royal App for $1.99/day? If so, where would I go to sign up?

2. Wow bands? Do they have them on Oasis? Anyone using them?

3. Laser Tag? Are they running it now? If not, have you heard when it may return?

4. Love and Marriage show?

5. Is it correct that I can only make reservations for shows when I board and not ahead of time? Is this done through the Royal App? 

Hi UNCFanatik!

(1) Yes… you can order it through the app once onboard…

(2) Wow bands… temporarily pulled. Guest services told me that they are modifying them and will roll them out in the future. I believe they are combining the tracelet technology into one band.

(3) Laser tag… not listed on Cruise Compass or app unless I missed it. Not sure when returning. However, the Escape room is open again and we are going today.

(4) I don’t see the Love and Marriage Show anywhere… they may have replaced it with the “Perfect Couple” game show. Today and tomorrow they are hosting it…

(5) Correct, at least for now you must wait until you board to make reservations.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

[UNCFanatik]

12 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

Hi UNCFanatik!

(1) Yes… you can order it through the app once onboard…

(2) Wow bands… temporarily pulled. Guest services told me that they are modifying them and will roll them out in the future. I believe they are combing the tracelet technology into one band.

(3) Laser tag… not listed on Cruise Compass or app unless I missed it. Not sure when returning. However, the Escape room is open again and we are going today.

(4) I don’t see the Love and Marriage Show anywhere… they may have replaced it with the “Perfect Couple” game show. Today and tomorrow they are hosting it…

(5) Correct, at least for now you must wait until you board to make reservations.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

Thank you! I appreciate the info!

[Ampurp85]

You and your wife are adorable. But, yes the Scarlett Lady is very ugly. I understand red is a part of Virgin's brand but....no. I love looking at ships next to other ships, you really get an idea of each one's magnitude. 

On another note, and as a cat lover, Cat's is just the worst no matter which way you cut it. It is too long and dull. 

[FionaMG]

I was on Harmony in the Med last week and it's interesting to see how things differ on either side of the Pond. For example, we did not have "vaccinated-only" and "everyone" areas, like you have over there so there were no indoor spaces that were mask-free with the exception of the gym.

The WJ was not operating a booking system for us, even though it said reservations preferred in the Compass. You just turned up and tapped in/out. That could be down to occupancy, possibly. On our sailing there were only 1,200 passengers on board. Or maybe it was just too complicated to get mostly southern European cruisers to go with the booking system. 

On our cruise, the Solarium Bistro was only open for dinner, and at breakfast in the WJ the cereal was in the little boxes, so you could just help yourself to them, rather than being in the big urns, like in your pic.

The shops on our sailing were operating limited opening hours and the gym was only open from 7 am to 7 pm.

We did not have a second production show either, only 3 performances of Grease, which we were unable to get a booking for, the ice show, the aqua show and the headliners. Maybe the second show will be added once she returns to the US at the end of this month.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Your pics are great.