sailing into an oasis for diamonds | 12.10.23-12.17.23 ~ oasis of the seas

[Jax]

36 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

how’d i do, @Jax??

Nothing to be embarrassed about there!! 

10 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

You have a lot of stuff, but I feel like @Jax might win with "ridiculous amount of luggage" bet lol

I wouldn’t bet against that.  

[asquared17]

YOU GUYS I HAVE GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(no, this is not about the RUB.)

 

i am pretty sure we will be at PDCC the same day as @WAAAYTOOO and dan!!!!!!!!!!!!

i was just stalking your signature, raye and thought the double freedom sailing looked vaguely familiar.

[SweetPea]

Hey, I'm so sorry! Please call off the search party! OK, you leave the 10th, i haven't missed it! 

I'm 0 for 2 coming home healthy so i hope you have much better luck! 

[asquared17]

it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 

i just found out (after being home for an hour or so) that i have a flat tire. 

the good news is: they will come to assess in the morning and i am home safe and sound.

the bad news: it will be RUB money to replace

alas.

[OCSC Mike]

6 hours ago, asquared17 said:

the bad news: it will be RUB money to replace

I’m by no means a mechanic. Not even a car enthusiast. But my wife used to be a magnet for driving over nails. Unless it’s too close to the sidewall of the tire, they may be able to plug that… which is a cheap fix. *fingers crossed*

[asquared17]

i hope for a plug however i woke up this morning and it has dwindled to a mere 4 psi from 42

she’s F L A T. 

so i think it’ll be a new tire. 

but we will see. 

[ScottD]

46 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

i hope for a plug however i woke up this morning and it has dwindled to a mere 4 psi from 42

she’s F L A T. 

so i think it’ll be a new tire. 

but we will see. 

A plug can still work, they'll plug it then fill it. But it IS pretty close to the edge, so hopefully they can do it. Good luck! 

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, ScottD said:

A plug can still work, they'll plug it then fill it. But it IS pretty close to the edge, so hopefully they can do it.

Thanks for verifying that I actually had a clue about this, lol. I'm as un-handy as it gets and generally know nothing about repairs of any kind... except how to call someone to make them.

[Xaa]

A plug for sure.  Unscrew the screw out of there and put in a plug.  not sure who you have coming, but I wouldn't be shocked if a "tire guy" told you that you need to replace it and that you should probably replace all four.   But this is a plug situation.

Think about it this way, if you buy a new tire, there's no going back, if you plug it and it doesn't hold (it will hold), you can always replace the tire then.

[Xaa]

11 hours ago, asquared17 said:

the bad news: it will be RUB money to replace

Young lady, I don't want to hear you speaking so recklessly about RUB money!  Priorities!

[Neesa]

13 minutes ago, Xaa said:

Young lady, I don't want to hear you speaking so recklessly about RUB money!  Priorities!

I second this! Just STOP! I am doing my RUB dance down here for you! In fact every time you post I start a happy dance. The tire is a bummer for sure, it happens a lot down here with so much construction but speaking about the RUB related to this, blasphemous

[OCSC Mike]

20 minutes ago, Neesa said:

it happens a lot down here with so much construction

Yep, that's when my wife used to get lots of them. Our immediate area is pretty built up as far as homes now though... b/c there's no empty space left.

[asquared17]

the tire will need to be replaced as it is too close to the sidewall, as @ScottD deduced

but they put a loaner tire on for now which is a full tire, not a donut, and they will hopefully bring it back in the next 24 hours. if not, they can pop it on while i am aboard the ship. 

…good thing i bought wifi  and can approve charges + pay through the app.

also thankfully it was just one tire!! (small blessings?)

lastly: i bought some outlet extenders because i just remembered that oasis doesn’t have plugs everywhere. they should arrive today and tomorrow (thanks, bezos!! )

39 minutes ago, Xaa said:

Young lady, I don't want to hear you speaking so recklessly about RUB money!  Priorities!

23 minutes ago, Neesa said:

I second this! Just STOP! I am doing my RUB dance down here for you! In fact every time you post I start a happy dance. The tire is a bummer for sure, it happens a lot down here with so much construction but speaking about the RUB related to this, blasphemous

TRUE TRUE!!

the way i dream of baja eggs in coastal kitchen and a double sink…. help us, RUB beings. we would love a GS

[ScottD]

16 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

the tire will need to be replaced as it is too close to the sidewall, as @ScottD deduced

but they put a loaner tire on for now which is a full tire, not a donut, and they will hopefully bring it back in the next 24 hours. if not, they can pop it on while i am aboard the ship. 

…good thing i bought wifi  and can approve charges + pay through the app.

also thankfully it was just one tire!! (small blessings?)

lastly: i bought some outlet extenders because i just remembered that oasis doesn’t have plugs everywhere. they should arrive today and tomorrow (thanks, bezos!! )

TRUE TRUE!!

the way i dream of baja eggs in coastal kitchen and a double sink…. help us, RUB beings. we would love a GS

Dang...sorry. But at least its getting taken care of. 

Also- Don't forget Oasis has the hidden outlet behind the bed! 

[Ampurp85]

@ScottD A+ to the hidden outlet. I found this to be the case on Allure as well.

[WAAAYTOOO]

14 hours ago, asquared17 said:

i am pretty sure we will be at PDCC the same day as @WAAAYTOOO and dan!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Yep.  Verified on my end !  We will definitely have to meet up if we can.  We're not going to the Beach Club but we can figure something out.

[asquared17]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We will definitely have to meet up if we can.  We're not going to the Beach Club but we can figure something out.

i will come find you on the pier if i have to!!!!!

[Neesa]

So I found this for all our December cruisers! I'm living vicariously through you so the live blogs need to be on point, thank you!

[LandstromCruise]

49 minutes ago, Neesa said:

So I found this for all our December cruisers! I'm living vicariously through you so the live blogs need to be on point, thank you!

Glad my cruise was before December. I couldn’t live up to that pressure

[Jax]

1 hour ago, Neesa said:

So I found this for all our December cruisers! I'm living vicariously through you so the live blogs need to be on point, thank you!

I will try not to disappoint. lol Our Christmas cruise is coming Dec 24th.

[asquared17]

tire is fixed!!

i got my pre-trip pedicure done, and tomorrow is my last day of work for a week. i am hoping the day runs smoothly. 

also on the RUB watch: the suites category is sold out (again). 

i guess we could potentially hear by tomorrow?? i would rather just know if we didn’t make it than have that small sliver of hope that will make me not want to unpack.

has anyone actually been upgraded once on board??

[WAAAYTOOO]

16 hours ago, asquared17 said:

has anyone actually been upgraded once on board??

I never have, but we have an abysmal RU record.  I think it’s possible [to get upgraded once onboard] but highly unlikely.  . Still have my fingers crossed for you !

[asquared17]

37 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

 I think it’s possible [to get upgraded once onboard] but highly unlikely.  . Still have my fingers crossed for you !

well @Neesa did get that night before sailing win, so maybe the stars will align!!

if not, it will still be a great trip. we are all checked in for our flights tomorrow; i am just waiting on the last adapter to arrive so i can close up the suitcases/bags and carry them downstairs.

this day, strangely, is dragging.

[asquared17]

good morning/early afternoon, it is pre cruise day!

we are queued up to board, the plane is already here and slated to get in early from what we are told. 

today is looking like a really beautiful day to fly; clear skies, no weather, warm(ish). 

we got through security and checked out the new united club, which was quite nice. i had meant to grab some pictures but i feel like it would have been too conspicuous.

booking online seems to be officially closed so our hopes dwindle for a RUB but i am still happy with our junior suite. hoping it won’t be a big deal to get into CK for dinner this week since it seems we are not sailing at capacity?? we will see!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Oasis is at PDCC with us today.  She sure could use a paint job .  Of course, I’m sure they are saying the same thing about us (Freedom).  

[asquared17]

7 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Oasis is at PDCC with us today.  She sure could use a paint job .  Of course, I’m sure they are saying the same thing about us (Freedom).  

i’m laughing - we did the math and we were on THIS sailing on oasis in 2019!! it will be fascinating to see how she’s changed over five years. 

also raye - i just told J that we will be at PDCC with you next week and we will find you on the pier or wave from our balcony she is so excited

[asquared17]

quick flight update - we are onboard but there are shenanigans. 

(when aren’t there??)

so we are watching folks in the exit row; i guess this one person is of the mind that plane seats are similar to renting apartments; they popped into an exit row seat with their child and even though they are not actually seated there, then informed the flight crew that they will stay there until their friend comes on board.

which could be….. a while. 

so now they are “renting” another seat (not in the exit row, because there is a child) while they wait for their friend. 

i truly have seen it all now. 

[Neesa]

Ugh, I'm old enough to remember when flying was part of the vacation. We dressed in our best and it was so special! 

Now there is no comparison. I dread it, it's mostly disgusting and if I never had to fly ever again I would be happy! 

I wish for you a wonderful vacation this week! Looking forward to your trip report. 

[asquared17]

we have made it safely with all luggage and are in for the night!!

a small recap:

our flight landed a bit earlier than expected, which was nice. the flight itself was mostly smooth; the landing had me phantom braking in my seat but FLL is such a breeze to navigate. our luggage came out pretty quick and then we were off to find our uber. 

quick note for those who haven’t flown into FLL recently; they’ve moved the uber pickup even further down than it was before.  not miles away, mind you, but it’s now at the very end of the little island where you can claim your ride share. you have to be under section H. 

(it was fun hauling 100+ lbs of luggage down there )

check in to our hotel was pretty easy and we were on our way fairly quickly EXCEPT. yours truly was staring to fade so we had some elevator shenanigans. there are only two elevators and somehow we picked the wrong one. then we went to the other elevator (as you do, when stuck in traffic and switching lanes) and finally it came. we got on it and hopped off at what we thought (key word being THOUGHT) was our floor. 

we were one floor short. 

then we had to wait for it again, got BACK on… and it was going down. DOWN. 

it was like disembarkation day on the ship except we hadn’t even gotten aboard yet!!

so we took that all the way down (and the folks on the elevator were like… didn’t we JUST see you??) and FINALLY made it to our room. 

at one point, J and i were just staring at each other, laughing, in the elevator.

because honestly what else can you do?

then we took an extremely sketchy uber ride to dinner, which was, as expected, quite delicious. we both had the shrimp tacos. they are sautéed and then popped inside a mini soft taco shell that has melted cheese set in it already (like an open faced quesadilla) with cabbage and crema sauces. 

J and i set a new record for our fastest dinner ever, because we were in and out of there within 45 mins. 

the sun had gone down and i was feeling less than capable of holding it to publix, so i made a publix delivery that — after no small amount of angst on my part — showed up just as we were returning from dinner. 

sometimes convenience fees are worth it. saving my sanity and the fact that we were fading fast. 

now it is 8:27 and we are happy to be done for the night. the beds here are the nicest, softest ever. definitely not this soft onboard the ship

tomorrow the real part of our adventure begins!! i can’t wait to unpack everything

 

ps: our RUB was not selected (for either cabin) but that’s okay!! we can try again in february

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Sorry about you RUB.

Glad you made it safe and sound.  Good luck tomorrow !

See you soon !

[ScottD]

CRUISE DAY!!!!! Hope you have a smooth, uneventful ride to and embarkation onto the ship! 

[asquared17]

ITS CRUISE DAY!!!!!!!

after our slightly sketchy drive from the hotel to dinner, i began to be a bit alarmed about our ride from the hotel to the port this morning. fingers crossed we have a normal driver

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

Excited to cruise along with you and J this week!  Hope everything is perfect from arrival to port…to boarding…and etc,

[Sweety]

Have an awesome cruise,

[asquared17]

yall the uber driver is wild. 

hope to see you on the other side. 

[asquared17]

by the grace of god we are here on solid ground.  

the banner for suites is not even set up yet but hopefully they will get it brought out soon. otherwise we are just chilling at an unmarked door. 

i didn’t have coffee yet because i didn’t want anything in my stomach in case of a wild car ride (thanks, past me!!) so i am looking forward to sitting down in the holding pen and just taking a beat. 

i am so glad we made it in one piece.

[Neesa]

You have weird luck with Uber drivers! Hope your embarkation is uneventful. I'm sad the RUB didn't pan out but you have a great suite and are sailing. Have so much fun! Can't wait to follow along.

As an aside. I guess it's because I'm a great deal older then you but wowza, that's a lot of luggage! Yikes! Impressive! 

[asquared17]

they just set up the banners but they are all over the place. the key, pinnacle and suites are next to each other. then for some reason, the star class banner is farther away, nearly on the curb/street. it’s very confusing. 

we have everyone queued up behind us — thankfully i was that little girl in kindergarten who did not mind being line leader otherwise this would be somewhat harrowing. 

 

[asquared17]

46 minutes ago, Neesa said:

As an aside. I guess it's because I'm a great deal older then you but wowza, that's a lot of luggage! Yikes! Impressive! 

let’s call a spade a spade, here: i overpack

we are now in the cool calmness of the suite pen holding area they had two trays of cookies and some coffee. normally i am a self-proclaimed coffee snob — but desperate times call for desperate measures. i’m sipping gratefully at this weak coffee until i can get on board and break into my cold brew. 

thanks to the recommendations of these boards, i now take my cold brew in my carryon so i don’t have to retrieve my suitcase from the brig

i am hoping they let us on at 10:30. we will go to central park and hit up park cafe for food. i don’t know if i can manage a tuna sandwich yet — would love an egg roll up — before venturing up to make CK resos for dinner tonite. 

also! i believe oasis is the last of her class to still have the library next door to park cafe. IF that is still the case… i will be one happy girl

[ScottD]

The Library IS there.... but there is basically nothing in it. Maybe 1-2 shelves of books and they place the daily puzzles\word search stuff in there each morning