Oasis- second time is a charm 10\1-10\8 from NJ

[ScottD]

Ok, I'm gonna try this blog thing again. We sailed Oasis in January to PDCC\Cozumel\Roatan\Costa Maya, and I attempted to "live blog". I think I posted about 4 times and it was like two days later every time, which by then I forgot all of the details of my days, so it wasn't a very good report.  SO I will try this again. For one- we will have more than one Wi-Fi plan, so that will make it easier on me not having to fight the kid to use the log in, lol.   This will be the same trio as the last trip, Myself, wife (Lisa) and 11yo Son (Chase). Wife has a Deluxe beverage plan, I have a Refreshment package (I'll be celebrating almost 2 years sober on this trip) and the boy doesn't drink much other than water and some juice, so he's going ala carte. 

This will be our first cruise out of NJ, and really excited to NOT be flying in. We live in South Philadelphia, right near the famous cheesesteak places and the Italian market (you may know this from the famous Rocky running scene-before the run up the steps) We are still going back and forth about getting there, I'm 99% sure I'll just drive but we have weighed the option of the train-but at the end of the cruise, I'm just going to want to get in and go.  As for the cruise itself, we are doing the Port Canaveral\PDCC\Nassau run that seems to be the most common run from Port Liberty. Our last time on Oasis we had a boardwalk balcony and actually really enjoyed it, when I booked this one right after the previous one I picked another BW Balcony, but picked the very last one in the back- hoping for a nice view of the water and the aqua show (noise doesn't bother us). I then transferred the reservation to a TA, my first time using one.  She got in touch with us a few weeks later to inform me that OV Balconies were available and would be about $200 more total for the three us to upgrade, so we jumped on that, moving to Deck 14, port side Aft with an ocean view balcony- we appear to be directly below the mini golf, which I assume won't cause much noise from above.  This will be the first time any of us have had an ocean balcony, so that adds some excitement. Ok, I've laid the ground work and bored you enough, I'll update with excursions and other plans we have made as we get closer to sail time!  Oh- last time we didn't do much on the ship other than Aqua show and Ice show, so this time we will be doing a lot more of the other stuff like comedy shows, headliners, game shows and such...I may even do a little Karaoke!   Excited to bring you all along for our little journey. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

@ScottD, congratulations on your 2 year anniversary.  I know that is a very big accomplishment.  Awesome !

[OCSC Mike]

28 minutes ago, ScottD said:

I think I posted about 4 times and it was like two days later every time, which by then I forgot all of the details of my days, so it wasn't a very good report.

Been there, done that. Once I get behind it becomes a lost cause for me.

33 minutes ago, ScottD said:

This will be our first cruise out of NJ, and really excited to NOT be flying in.

Driving to the port might spoil you, lol. Enjoy the lack of flying!

I can be at PC in an hour... I'll take a couple dozen soft pretzels and a few cheesesteaks (you pick the place, anywhere will be better than what I get here).

[ScottD]

6 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Been there, done that. Once I get behind it becomes a lost cause for me.

Driving to the port might spoil you, lol. Enjoy the lack of flying!

I can be at PC in an hour... I'll take a couple dozen soft pretzels and a few cheesesteaks (you pick the place, anywhere will be better than what I get here).

Yeah, I'm already looking at cruises for next spring or summer from NJ, we have that MSC from Miami this time next year, but other than that- I'm definitely looking at NJ\NY and Baltimore for an in between one.  

And yeah, we tried a cheesesteak in Miami a few months ago and that was rough! 

25 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

@ScottD, congratulations on your 2 year anniversary.  I know that is a very big accomplishment.  Awesome !

Thank you! I was actually worried about my last cruise being a bit of a struggle, but got through it fine so I think I'm good to go on the cruise circuit. 

[asquared17]

my parallel cruise buddy!!

congratulations on your sobriety a real milestone and hard won. well done!!

i think you will LOVE the OV balcony. while the oasis class does something special with the neighborhood balconies — and i love a good central park balcony — there’s nothing quite like seeing the ocean blue sea. 15/10 recommend!!

don’t forget to try portside barbecue!

[ScottD]

4 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

my parallel cruise buddy!!

congratulations on your sobriety a real milestone and hard won. well done!!

i think you will LOVE the OV balcony. while the oasis class does something special with the neighborhood balconies — and i love a good central park balcony — there’s nothing quite like seeing the ocean blue sea. 15/10 recommend!!

don’t forget to try portside barbecue!

Thank you!!

portside for lunch is on my schedule for day 2 or 3 (yes I even wrote up a little excel spreadsheet with our shows, and various other activities we want to make sure to do)   And I am very excited about breakfast on the balcony, for sure- staring at the ultimate abyss and playmakers was nice- but I think this may be a bit more relaxing, lol.  Have any of you done deck 14 balcony? I know there is a little over hang, but for my very pale little family, that may actually be a good thing if it blocks the sun a little! 

[USCG Teacher]

10 hours ago, ScottD said:

I'll be celebrating almost 2 years sober on this trip

Huge congrats, man.  That is no small feat.  Glad you're able to celebrate, and happy to be following along!

 

10 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

I'll take a couple dozen soft pretzels and a few cheesesteaks (you pick the place, anywhere will be better than what I get here).

To most central FL restaurants' credit, I've always seen them listed as "Philly-style Cheesesteaks," and not Philly Cheesesteaks.  I view this as an explicit admission that they won't be anything remotely close to the real deal, it's just the best they can do.  Fair play.  All that said:

10 hours ago, ScottD said:

And yeah, we tried a cheesesteak in Miami a few months ago and that was rough! 

Yup.  

[MaryS]

11 hours ago, ScottD said:

This will be our first cruise out of NJ, and really excited to NOT be flying in. We live in South Philadelphia, right near the famous cheesesteak places and the Italian market (you may know this from the famous Rocky running scene-before the run up the steps) We are still going back and forth about getting there, I'm 99% sure I'll just drive but we have weighed the option of the train-but at the end of the cruise, I'm just going to want to get in and go.

It is so easy just to drive.  I live in Bucks County and it usually takes me less then an hour to get there, drop off the luggage and park the car at the garage.  Even less time to get home.  I have done at least 6 cruises from Cape Liberty because of the convenience, ships (can't wait for Symphony) and itineraries (Bermuda my favorite).

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, USCG Teacher said:

To most central FL restaurants' credit, I've always seen them listed as "Philly-style Cheesesteaks," and not Philly Cheesesteaks.  I view this as an explicit admission that they won't be anything remotely close to the real deal, it's just the best they can do.  Fair play. 

Fair point but it's more bizarre than that. I got one from a food truck run by a guy from Philly who went to Temple... terrible. I found a pizza place that imported Amoroso rolls... but their meat was awful.

I don't expect them to be the best I've ever had but when they come out worse than throwing steak-umm meat in a pan and tossing it into a supermarket hoagie roll, something is just wrong, lol.

My wife became friends with a family from Philly that also moved down here after teaching their child. They make their own cheesesteaks on rolls baked by another friend... now THOSE were good. Unfortunately I can't just drive on over and order one.

I have a couple places nearby with acceptable cheesesteaks and a couple I haven't tried yet (one is new), so it's not a total lost cause I guess.

[ScottD]

7 hours ago, MaryS said:

It is so easy just to drive.  I live in Bucks County and it usually takes me less then an hour to get there, drop off the luggage and park the car at the garage.  Even less time to get home.  I have done at least 6 cruises from Cape Liberty because of the convenience, ships (can't wait for Symphony) and itineraries (Bermuda my favorite).

Yeah, pretty sure that's the plan. It's gonna spoil us, for sure- already trying to find a Bermuda cruise for next year since we haven't been there yet! 

6 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Fair point but it's more bizarre than that. I got one from a food truck run by a guy from Philly who went to Temple... terrible. I found a pizza place that imported Amoroso rolls... but their meat was awful.

I don't expect them to be the best I've ever had but when they come out worse than throwing steak-umm meat in a pan and tossing it into a supermarket hoagie roll, something is just wrong, lol.

My wife became friends with a family from Philly that also moved down here after teaching their child. They make their own cheesesteaks on rolls baked by another friend... now THOSE were good. Unfortunately I can't just drive on over and order one.

I have a couple places nearby with acceptable cheesesteaks and a couple I haven't tried yet (one is new), so it's not a total lost cause I guess.

There are quite a few places down there, my buddy from Philly works at a bar in Jacksonville and does pop up cheesesteaks sales and they always look great, and I guess there are a few places near the Phillies Spring training field that are supposed to be pretty good. When we sailed from Miami we saw a cheesesteak truck outside one of the terminals when we were riding in, but it was like 3 terminals down from where we got dropped off so I never walked over to try it (plus I was getting on a ship and a cheesesteak was the last thing on my mind). I DID try the one on coco cay, just because I had to, lol. 

 

8 hours ago, USCG Teacher said:

Huge congrats, man.  That is no small feat.  Glad you're able to celebrate, and happy to be following along!

 

Thank you so much!!  

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, ScottD said:

I DID try the one on coco cay, just because I had to, lol. 

I think living here has traumatized me. When I see one like that my brain assumes it will be bad, lol. Now I’m too focused on snack shack stuff & tacos. Maybe I’ll try it next time. The taco bar is slightly less important with El Loco Fresh on the ship.

[ScottD]

10 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I think living here has traumatized me. When I see one like that my brain assumes it will be bad, lol. Now I’m too focused on snack shack stuff & tacos. Maybe I’ll try it next time. The taco bar is slightly less important with El Loco Fresh on the ship.

I run a few very large cheesesteak groups on facebook (90,000 people between the two!) so I feel like it's my duty to try a cheesesteak when I see one somewhere out of the ordinary and report back to the groups ,lol. The room service one will be my next one, and maybe if I see one in Nassau I may have to try it. I already know what to expect, it's more for the "experience" and, yes, content.  It's something I've always done, now I just have a bunch of people to show it to. 

[SweetPea]

Wow all you crazy kids start blogging so early!

We'll keep the ship warm for you as we'll be getting off when you get on on the 1st. And is the only way! NJ born and bred here, only 65 miles from the port. Heaven! 

And i agree.... unless you're a Philly transplant to some other part of the country, every other cheesesteak is simply an imposter. I just watched a YouTube video where a lady made her cheesesteak with Steakums. Frozen Steakums. No. Just no right there!

Rocky is also one of the greatest movies ever, but who the hell runs to train in Chuck Taylors?? Batman and i make that comment every single time!

[OCSC Mike]

28 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Steakums

Hey now... if you lived 1000 miles away you'd learn to appreciate them, lol. I'm not chopping my own raw steak like that friend of my wife's does.

(We don't actually make steak-umms very often but we have).

[ScottD]

So I'm still three weeks away, but I'm off to a good start! The person who runs our FB sailing group decided to collect two bucks from anyone interested for a give away. 59 people donated, and they did a live wheel spin last night for the 118 dollar jackpot. Guess who the wheel landed on...This guy. Ten minutes later my Cash App notification went off and boom...half of my parking fee for the week is now covered! Or maybe my kids arcade budget...or that specialty lunch we've been thinking about...or a bunch of keychains for the family in Nassau.    But for real, it's not a ton of money, but it was a nice way to end a Wednesday night.  I actually missed the actual Live spin on Facebook, came back from the kids soccer practice and saw I had been tagged in it, so I watched the video of the spin and was like, OH...ok, I'll take that.   The person who runs our very active FB group is really good, this is the 2nd giveaway she did and the first one was all on her ( I think she gave away a few gift cards of something) So I feel like I should actually use a few of these bucks to get her a little something as a thank you gift.

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 hours ago, ScottD said:

 The person who runs our very active FB group is really good, this is the 2nd giveaway she did

That is so awesome! I have been a part of so many of these FB roll call groups but I have never seen, or heard anything like that! Congrats!

[OCSC Mike]

8 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That is so awesome! I have been a part of so many of these FB roll call groups but I have never seen, or heard anything like that! Congrats!

I join them (with my wife's account, I don't even have one, lol) and I'm actually not a big fan. They seem overly cluttered to me.

You know from here that I love helping people (newbies or otherwise) but the amount of bad info and repetitive questions on FB is too much for me.

I prefer the roll calls here and "across the street" but they are often so dead nowadays as everyone flocks to FB. Oh well.

[Lovetocruise2002]

2 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

You know from here that I love helping people (newbies or otherwise) but the amount of bad info and repetitive questions on FB is too much for me.

I don't disagree with that at all. But I still join them and just scroll on if it's too repetitive, which like you said, it often is. However, there have been a few that stand out in my mind where the vibe was so fun and I still keep in touch with a few people from those sailings.

4 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

here and "across the street"

Hmm...I might have to put you on "ignore" now lol (just kidding)

[OCSC Mike]

39 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I don't disagree with that at all. But I still join them and just scroll on if it's too repetitive, which like you said, it often is. However, there have been a few that stand out in my mind where the vibe was so fun and I still keep in touch with a few people from those sailings.

That's great!

39 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Hmm...I might have to put you on "ignore" now lol (just kidding)

Watch it! Matt lives up the road from me and will be on my March Wonder cruise. Don't make me complain to "the boss" about how mean one of his mods is.

[ScottD]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That is so awesome! I have been a part of so many of these FB roll call groups but I have never seen, or heard anything like that! Congrats!

Yeah, this one is pretty good- like @OCSC Mikesaid, there are one or two people who keep posting memes and countdowns that can get a bit much, but overall it's been pretty good. I've actually used it to reach out to others with kids the same age as my own so I can try to get him some friends this time... I need a break from mini golf every free moment, and we'd like to check out the solarium for more than 10 minutes this time. Last time he lasted 10 minutes in AO and texted me that he was back in the room due to the huge age span (6-12) and him being 11, did not find the large amount of 6 year olds very fun, lol. SO hoping since I told him I already have confirmation on at least 10-15 kids his age going the first night, MAYBE he'll give it another shot! 

[ScottD]

OH and I hit for 20 bucks on a 5 dollar scratch off today!  

[Gilley]

Maybe you should play megamillions or powerball while you are on this winning streak.

[FireFishII]

7 hours ago, Gilley said:

Maybe you should play megamillions or powerball while you are on this winning streak.

Maybe ScottD should buy our MegaMillions and PowerBall tickets since he is on a winning streak. Whenever I purchase those tickets, I am lucky to get 1 number - and it is NEVER the power ball number. 

[ScottD]

Alright the 2 shows I wanted to reserve have been reserved- Comedy show and Aqua 80. I don't need to see the weird ice show again and I'm still not interested in Cats. Oh I did book the "One Sky" show, as well, even though I've seen some mixed reviews, figured we'd check it out for the giant Airplane prop, at least. The kid is obsessed with planes right now.... like to the point where he knows why type of plane is flying over us and likes to sit by the airport watching them come in.  They also just put most of the schedule for the week up on the app, the only thing I don't see is a headliner show and laser tag, which seems to have been missing from the past few weeks, so I'm really hoping it pops up when on board.  We skipped so many shows and activities last time around on Oasis, we made it a point that we are going to as many as we can without over-doing it this time around.  I actually made an excel spreadsheet with all of the days and columns for each hour of the day, and started filling them in so we can kind of map out what we want to do each day. I know my wife too well, so I know this is a VERY tentative working schedule, but it gives me , the over-planner, something to work with!   13 days to go! 

[OCSC Mike]

34 minutes ago, ScottD said:

I actually made an excel spreadsheet with all of the days and columns for each hour of the day, and started filling them in so we can kind of map out what we want to do each day.

I love it!

I'm not a show guy but I'll see anything once (except Broadway, not my thing and way too long). Now that we saw all the Wonder shows in June, when we go back we'll likely only book adult comedy unless my wife wants to see something again. I'm looking forward to NOT having a show to see every night and just being free to go to a game show or listen to music or eat some more or just chill somewhere. I enjoy both schedules, don't get me wrong, but the freedom is nice.

Looking forward to your blog.

[Xaa]

As you try to figure when Laser Tag might appear, you can cross out any times that there is an ice show going or about to go because it happens in Studio B so that might guide you to identify those possible windows.

Wish I was going to be there, but the blog will certainly do!

[ScottD]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

I love it!

I'm not a show guy but I'll see anything once (except Broadway, not my thing and way too long). Now that we saw all the Wonder shows in June, when we go back we'll likely only book adult comedy unless my wife wants to see something again. I'm looking forward to NOT having a show to see every night and just being free to go to a game show or listen to music or eat some more or just chill somewhere. I enjoy both schedules, don't get me wrong, but the freedom is nice.

Looking forward to your blog.

That's basically what we did last time- no pressure, just check the ship out and relax. This time I'm in "working vacation mode" lol...getting to some darn shows this time around! We tried the adult comedy last time but our kid bailed on AO after the 30 minutes so we didn't want to leave him, BUT this time he already knows we will be leaving him at least an hour or two for 2 nights for the  comedy show and maybe relaxing at the Solarium....so its either try AO again or relax in the room with the tablet and watch some tv.  He knows he's free to take a walk and grab some pizza or go play some mini golf while we are out adulting. 

 

47 minutes ago, Xaa said:

As you try to figure when Laser Tag might appear, you can cross out any times that there is an ice show going or about to go because it happens in Studio B so that might guide you to identify those possible windows.

Wish I was going to be there, but the blog will certainly do!

Yeah, we left plenty of space on most afternoons for that, lunches and maybe trivia, all of which I did not "schedule" for. .. so if it pops up then, we got it all figured in already.

[ScottD]

CruiseSchedule .xlsx - Sheet1.pdf

 

Here's my little schedule if you're interested...lol

[OCSC Mike]

40 minutes ago, ScottD said:

CruiseSchedule .xlsx - Sheet1.pdf 71.93 kB · 2 downloads

 

Here's my little schedule if you're interested...lol

Great job. I knew your embarkation day 1pm plans before I even opened it, lol. I've never sailed on an NFL Sunday but I'm assuming you'll want to get there early.

Just peeked at the schedule... Jets on SNF and Giants on MNF? I'm assuming there will be a good amount of those fans onboard... Playmakers might be crazy those nights.

[ScottD]

39 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Great job. I knew your embarkation day 1pm plans before I even opened it, lol. I've never sailed on an NFL Sunday but I'm assuming you'll want to get there early.

Just peeked at the schedule... Jets on SNF and Giants on MNF? I'm assuming there will be a good amount of those fans onboard... Playmakers might be crazy those nights.

Yeah, I'm hoping the Eagles are even on, but whatever games are being shown will still be fun- we watched the NFC championship game the day we embarked in January and that was A BLAST. We had the boardwalk balcony room and my kid loved starting the E-A-G-L-E-S chant off the balcony after we won!  It'll be a busy sports week, as the baseball wild card and some of the first round games will be starting when we are on, so hoping for a good Eagles\Phillies win filled cruise. 

[ScottD]

@OCSC Mike also...just came across this abomination and came right back over here to shame you... lol. 

[OCSC Mike]

21 minutes ago, ScottD said:

also...just came across this abomination and came right back over here to shame you... lol. 

I'm not ashamed b/c I will not apologize for anything that goes on in Florida, lol. I've stated several times that living close to PC is one of the very few things I actually like about it.

I'm a big OC supporter but I haven't actually gone to a game in forever. I'm content to watch at home. Going downtown (which isn't even a far drive for me) is just a pain in the ass (although the atmosphere in the stadium is amazing) and of course costs money I would rather save for cruising.

That thing is a monstrosity... and don't get me started on banana peppers on cheesesteaks and hoagies here. I've had this rant for over 20 years... until Wawa opened, I couldn't find "sweet peppers" anywhere. Places have banana peppers, jalapenos, and green bell peppers. Only Wawa has the little red sweet pepper pieces in vinegar.

[SweetPea]

Wait! There are Wawas in Florida?! Who knew?! (I thought Wawa was only a midAtlantic region thing.)

[OCSC Mike]

10 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Wait! There are Wawas in Florida?! Who knew?! (I thought Wawa was only a midAtlantic region thing.)

It was... until 2012 or so. Now they're all over Florida.

When they first opened we had a hard time explaining them to the locals, lol. "It's, ummm, kind of like 7-11 except with made to order sandwiches you actually want to eat."

We went to one grand opening by us where they gave away t-shirts and shorti's and it was like 2000 people you instantly knew were from up north. Tons of Philly sports jerseys and t-shirts.

[SweetPea]

I can totally see that! Things i will miss once we're able to move out of state: Wawa and Wegmans! 

[OCSC Mike]

5 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

I can totally see that! Things i will miss once we're able to move out of state: Wawa and Wegmans! 

I miss wild animals that have fur instead of scales and look cuddly instead of dangerous.

Philly 'burbs...    

Florida...    

[asquared17]

5 hours ago, SweetPea said:

I can totally see that! Things i will miss once we're able to move out of state: Wawa and Wegmans! 

you…. are not allowed to leave me. 

tbh wawa in florida does not entirely surprise me, given how many NJ transplants are in florida these days

also please no one mention the jets. i am delicate and heartbroken.

[OCSC Mike]

@ScottD That purple cheesesteak became a huge story, lol. From the local news...

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/orlando-city-sc-purple-cheesesteak-kappys-subs

[ScottD]

20 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

@ScottD That purple cheesesteak became a huge story, lol. From the local news...

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/orlando-city-sc-purple-cheesesteak-kappys-subs

Yeah, it's making the rounds everywhere - barstool and a few other national accounts have been posting it now. 

[ScottD]

Two days left... no real packing done. Just a pile of toiletries and OTC meds\random crap for the room all laying in a pile in the middle of the suitcase. I'm at work for my final day for 10 days, so after I leave maybe we'll start getting some stuff together. Most of the clothing won't be packed until Saturday, mostly because I like to do laundry at the last second so we have none laying around except what we produce on vacation when we return. Just went over all of the pre-cruise purchases and realized we bought a lot of stuff for this one: 2 wifi packages, 1 excursion (blue lagoon), a casita, a stuffed octopus (yes our kid is 11, but he still really likes his stuffed animals and the towel animals, so thought he'd enjoy walking into a big octopus laying there), just added 50 bucks to his card for the arcade at the last second before they shut down the planner on us, and although not a purchase, we have a reservation for Solarium bistro on Lobster night because NONE of us wierdos eat any kind of seafood. 

We were planning on going up to North Jersey the night before and checking out a baseball game in NY (Mets play my Phillies so it would have been cool- and tickets for the Mets are a whopping 1 dollar on stubhub right now) But decided we are skipping that and just driving up Sunday morning. Still thinking of having a friend drive us and drop us off to save that giant parking bill, but also would like to be able to jump right in the car after the cruise is over and get out of there.  Until then, let me get back to "work", which will consist of me checking this page, CC, and Reddit over and over again until my day is done.  I actually work at a shipping port, so I'm going to stare at the cargo ships and realize I'll be on a much nicer one in 2 days.