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diamonds go AGAIN!! (an oasis reprise) ~ 2.4.2024-2.11.2024 ~ oasis of the seas


asquared17

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3 hours ago, asquared17 said:

also can confirm, portside is open all day today including lunch @Lovetocruise2002 💚💚

Thank you!

2 hours ago, Jax said:

This brings back such great memories. ❤️ Getting on Oasis, Shane 🧞‍♂️ and lunch at Portside BBQ. It remains our best embarkation experience to date.  

This is why I asked @asquared17 to check. I am thinking we will make this our embarkation day lunch. We have done Playmakers a few times now on embarkation day, thinking of switching it up.

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the sun has come out!! it’s gorgeous here. feels a little bit like a september day. 

when we first came in, i remember telling J that we were starboard side this time — honestly our preferred side, so we can watch as we go in and out of port — but that meant we wouldn’t see the other ships departing tonight. 

as it turns out, the captain pulled in this morning instead of backing in, and we are facing the highway after all!! we will see any ship as they depart. 

the captain got on around 3:30 and said everyone did a great job, and all the muster check in has been completed!

this is a first for me!

once that announcement was made, i ran for sailaway champagne at vintages. when i walked in, roman’s eyes got big 😳 and he smiled and exclaimed, “welcome back!!” then he grabbed a brand new bottle of chandon out of the chiller for us 😎

i met our cabin attendant; he is SO nice and kind. his name is hard to pronounce, so when i asked him how to say it properly, he told me to call him “ATM.”

so we will 😊

i am waiting on the duffle. i fear it has been confiscated, you guys. 

however i will say — there is a LOT of missing luggage right now. 

it just makes no sense how we can get our large suitcases and then be missing the duffle, which all came aboard at the same time. 

also — due to the torrential downpouring from before - my luggage got SOAKED inside. it must have come in through the zippers, but the one side of the suitcase was so wet inside that it even got into my toiletry bags. 😳😱🫣

we are letting them air out and i’m airing out some of my pajamas that got soaked. 

i would hang them from my magnetic hooks outside, but…. the hooks are in the duffle. and i fear the duffle is in the belly of the beast. 

alas. 

some pics from our walkabout today below 😎

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10 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Ugh.  I thought she made it to D on the last cruise !  No way.  Next time you guys will be golden for waiting in the CL.

i know. i did the math wrong. i was one point off 😩 because we did the 6-nighter on odyssey in 2022. ugh. i was so chapped. 

6 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

New job ?  How is it that we don’t know about a new job ??

omg. i forgot to tell you!!

new job, it’s mostly good, a little stressful as we are a startup so a lot of running around and needing some extra hands as we grow faster than anticipated 😅😃

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6 hours ago, asquared17 said:

my best friend just texted me that a major storm is headed our way 😅🫠

we are in our lyft to the port. we should be there just before 10. which would be far too late if we were actually the 10:30 boarding time but if royal is to be believed, we aren’t supposed to arrive until 11:30. 

it’s going to be what it’s going to be. 

now some details about our stay. 

we stayed at the holiday inn express on 17th street. we started staying here when J and i first began cruising together. the rate was just about $185-210 a night. and that was good for us. 

but i can say that will be our last stay there. 

the rooms are now close to $400 a night and it feels like the only thing we are paying for is the included breakfast, which we do not even eat. 

when we arrived yesterday, it was a total scene at 3pm. i was checked in by a young man who seemed a bit newer, which was fine, except he announced our room number loudly. so i immediately requested another room. they had us on floor three, which i thought was unusual because i didn’t recall even seeing a floor three in the elevators we usually take. there was no direction from the checkin which elevator to take, they had to call me back to sign off on the registration form but that was it. 

turns out, we went to the wrong elevator. so we had to get off with all our luggage and traipse through the lobby again to go to floor three, in the other elevator, which immediately gave me a bad feeling. the bad feeling turned out to be correct, because we were deposited in the older section of the hotel (HOW ARE THEY CHARGING $400 A NIGHT FOR THIS) and the room was not clean. 

there was paint peeling off and the room was tiny and cramped; nothing like the usual room we stay in times past here.

so we went BACK downstairs and got assigned a third room which was better and ultimately wound up being where we stayed. i will say the in-room AC unit is rough because it goes off at the worst of times and then we melt of heat at night. also i feel slightly like it’s just blowing moldy air into the room. (we know i am a germphobe, guys 😂)

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there was also almost no water pressure to speak of, and the water got lukewarm at best in the shower. 

i never thought i’d look forward to a hot space tube shower so much in my entire life 😆

the good news is, we slept. we got up the morning and acquired some supplies 😂 and now we are heading to the ship.

anyway, enough negativity!! 

our lyft came promptly and seems to be a sane and safe driver. i think i am done with uber and their shenanigans!!!!

also. we have SO much luggage, guys.

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and you know most of it… is mine. 😆

 

I can top that ton of luggage easy. LOL.

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1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

This is why I asked @asquared17 to check. I am thinking we will make this our embarkation day lunch. We have done Playmakers a few times now on embarkation day, thinking of switching it up.

Sounds like a great idea! Any chance there is room for another 🇨🇦 suite snob?? Maybe ask Shane. Lol

 

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1 hour ago, asquared17 said:

due to the torrential downpouring from before - my luggage got SOAKED inside. it must have come in through the zippers, but the one side of the suitcase was so wet inside that it even got into my toiletry bags.

Where is Batman MacGuyver when you need him?! He'd have had all your bags waterproofed!

Sorry to hear, and i hope you can get everything dried out!

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1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

Where is Batman MacGuyver when you need him?! He'd have had all your bags waterproofed!

I NEEDED HIM!!!

i still have one bag MIA. 😱😱😱😱 

we even went down to the bowels of the ship and it was not there. 

we loaded them all together - how could they be split up this way?????

2 hours ago, GregD said:

ELF, portside BBQ, you are saying all of my favorite things......excuse me while I fall into a pit of despair......

bonus points if you catch the reference...

the princess bride!!!

fun fact: it was the first PG movie i watched as a kid and the guilt hit me so hard that i had nightmares about the ROUS. (sp?) for a WHILE.

52 minutes ago, LandstromCruise said:

Yeah you just wouldn’t have had any underwear 😂😂

oh trust me. the underwear never leaves my hand carried luggage for this reason. 😂

 

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1 hour ago, asquared17 said:

I NEEDED HIM!!!

i still have one bag MIA. 😱😱😱😱 

we even went down to the bowels of the ship and it was not there. 

we loaded them all together - how could they be split up this way?????

Do you need muscle? I'm sick and he's not helping. I will gladly send him your way for a few hours! 🤣

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update:

i have recovered the duffle. 

i’m still unclear as to where it had disappeared to. but it had all the necessary cruise things in it. so i am glad it has been found, especially considering… 

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we probably should go duck hunting at some point 😂

i have been looking forward to a hot space tube shower since yesterday. 

we are trying to give our cabin attendant some time to separate the beds and get everything set up. he was really amazing, super friendly and kind. (if im repeating myself, forgive me. i am dragging tired.) 

because he has the ATS at the end of our corridor, i am not surprised he is the cabin attendant for our zone. he’s just great 🤩

i pulled an @Ampurp85 and tipped some up front as thanks for all the random requests i had made. (robes, bed split, putting my air mattress in between the covers, etc)

i have some great shots of the sunset and sailaway but we are killing time in central park and the internet keeps dipping out here. so i’ll wait til we get back to the cabin to post those. 💚

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This is already shaping up to be a better time than December.

I am obsessed with that 80s fighter duck. I keep picturing the Warriors when I scroll through. 

The plug. Oasis was the first time I saw it and then it was also on Allure. Don't forget about the plug behind the bed by the phone. It is a life saver if you need a fan to sleep at night. 

Also, that sucks about your luggage. The rain was insane on our cruises too. I have seen those random columns......it confused me but much of Royal's art is confusing.

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25 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

This is already shaping up to be a better time than December

i wholeheartedly agree!!!

26 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

The plug. Oasis was the first time I saw it and then it was also on Allure. Don't forget about the plug behind the bed by the phone. It

it’s the weirdest thing ever??? and yes i took the plug behind the bed. it’s really on J’s side but i charge my phone at night so i am keeping it. we also separated the beds, and put her nightstand in the middle and then that random table in the center of the room at the other side of her bed. it opened up the space because the room is a little tight. 

i am hanging my toiletry bags now and wondering if i should have left my suitcases open to dry 😱 hopefully they will dry and i don’t need to worry about mold. 😱😱😱😱😱

i’m finally FINALLY laying flat. we have some more interesting air work above our beds and across from it. 

my clothes are laid out for walking in the morning. the cabin is set to rights. all my belongings are unpacked. (packing up is gonna be a nightmare in this space with all these nooks and crannies omg.)

my legs and feet are giving up the ghost. i was wondering why i was so tired and then i checked my apple watch and had clocked over 7.5 miles. 

that’ll do it!!!

i will recap sailaway and beyond in the morning! 

this pre-vintage needs to lay flat and read 🥰💚

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See..I thought that plug thing was the norm because I had it both times on Oasis last year... and that little storage cabinet-there's one up top, next to the balcony door that I found REALLY useless, but it was there). Also, I think that column thingee in the hallway is a doorway that swings closed, it's on a track of sorts, just doesn't seem big enough to block the hall. 

Also, I did notice on your signature that your MSC was later.  We officially got ours backed up from September to December, just wanted to space it out from the Liberty trip a little...and it's easier to get the kid out of school for a week in December rather than a few weeks after school starts! 

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greetings from nassau!!!

we are coming into port now 😊 being on the starboard side, we won’t see the lighthouse on the side as we normally do, unless the captain turns us around for a speedy departure later. 

it is a bit cooler this morning, maybe high 60s, but i am comfortable in my pajamas on the balcony. we are pulling in next to the ascent!

she is really trying to tug me over to the dark side 😂😆 i keep trying to tell her that we will see her a year from this week! 

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4 hours ago, ScottD said:

See..I thought that plug thing was the norm because I had it both times on Oasis last year... and that little storage cabinet-there's one up top, next to the balcony door that I found REALLY useless, but it was there)

i swear we’ve never had this little moon pod outlet holder before 😂 it’s cute but slightly inconvenient when it comes to counter space. 

our little swing open cabinets are set back further, as our beds are configured next to the balcony and not near the bathroom (huzzah!) so thankfully the cabinet doors (and that one below is SO odd) free swing into space and not the balcony slider 😂

4 hours ago, ScottD said:

I think that column thingee in the hallway is a doorway that swings closed, it's on a track of sorts, just doesn't seem big enough to block the hall. 

yes! i saw the track it just seemed so odd. maybe they use it to keep us rowdy pax out of the corridors before they open 😂 (although i was in this corridor at 11:30 yesterday and it was not in place)

4 hours ago, ScottD said:

Also, I did notice on your signature that your MSC was later.  We officially got ours backed up from September to December, just wanted to space it out from the Liberty trip a little

MSC also canceled the private island for our sailing and work was getting a little insane with taking off on my end. my team is very small. i went from having a team of 12+ and unlimited pto to having a team of three and much less pto. so it was easier to shift. 

now i’ll be relying on your review!!!

 

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okay so backtracking a bit while i wait for J to wake up so we can gather ourselves and get up to the pool deck…

for some reason (maybe a blessing in disguise) our suitcases were set at the front end of the hallway when they opened the corridors at 1pm. i can already tell you i am dreading the walk off sunday morning with all this luggage 😂 because it was quite a journey just getting it down to our cabin WITHOUT the million pound duffle.

we got into the room, noticed a slightly funky/stale smell, and wished for the diffuser (which sadly was in the duffle.) i can confirm all the cabin doors were open to the corridor prior to us being released to going in, so i guess everyone’s uniquely scented cabin smell just mingled and swirled like soup. i don’t know that i’ve ever noticed it like this before though. 

in any case, it’s getting better with the diffuser!

we had to unpack one at a time due to space constraints, but my stuff was all pre organized and set into packing cubes so that was fairly straight forward. the hardest part was discovering what had gotten wet and how to attempt to dry it.

after unpacking, we headed to the schooner bar for my traditional embarkation day red stripe. i would have tipped the bartender but once he heard i was using a voucher, he put the can down and walked away. we had to wait another five minutes to catch his eye so i could get a glass  and there was no receipt to sign. 

from there, we meandered. we had done our muster check in, so we went to central park and i got a tuna (not) melt. no weird green stuff this time but heavy on the mayo for the… melting. i deconstructed and ate to have something to soak up the beer. 

then we came back to the cabin and ate snacks (smartfood and chips) until just before sailaway. 

i raced down to vintages to get sailaway champagne and when i walked in, roman’s eyes got really big and he exclaimed, “welcome back!!!” it’s so nice to see the crew you remember and made friends with. 💚

we got our champagne and watched some ships leaving. 

because the captain had pulled in that morning instead of backing in, we had to go down to the end and turn around. even though we were (once again) the last ones to leave, it was pretty cool, and we saw the other ships departing. also we had the benefit of seeing things on both the port and starboard sides because of being reoriented. 

sailaway was fully complete just before 6pm and that is when we went to portside for dinner. 

as promised, pictures and the wreckage! 

after portside, i was craving ice cream so we ALMOST went to sugar beach, but then diverted to the fro-yo instead, where we got this great picture of central park at night. 

wandering back to our room meant we discovered the duffle was due to be delivered!! and i carried that heavy sucker all the way down to our cabin and immediately unpacked the rest of my things. 

i can’t truly relax until it’s all done. 😂

then we had to leave so ATM could split the beds real quick and so we prepped our ducks in central park. 😊

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It's the brisket, cornbread and mac and cheese that does it for me at Portside.😍

But yes, they only do service once on embarkation day and now they leave all the rooms open. Which sort of sucks because that mean anyone can wonder in your room and take amenities........touch your previously clean areas with their filth.......and permeate your room with their funk.

But hopefully you get a good spot on deck and get all the sun

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51 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

we had to wait another five minutes to catch his eye so i could get a glass  and there was no receipt to sign. 

Lately, I've been asking them for a receipt when I redeem my vouchers so that I can tip them. I have noticed too that they are hit and miss with giving one. 

24 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

Which sort of sucks because that mean anyone can wonder in your room and take amenities........touch your previously clean areas with their filth.......and permeate your room with their funk.

🤢

22 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

amazing!!! you’ve just unlocked a new fear for me!!!!! 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃😅

Me too! total germaphobe here lol

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21 hours ago, asquared17 said:

in one of the few points where we are not aligned 😂 unlike @Ampurp85, i consider vintage to be 75-80+

☺️ Thank you so much 😊.  I LOVE your answer!   I finally find someone who thinks my age is appropriately NonVintage!  In fact…I still have almost 8 years left.  🥳 Woohoo 🎉 

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YOU GUYS.

the line for the jammer was OUT TO THE ROAD. 😱😱😱😱😱😱

i literally walked in from the sun deck, went “oh my gOD.” and immediately turned around from WHENCE I CAME.

 gooDBYE FOREVER, inDEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

hoping it might be somewhat less crowded, i ventured down to park cafe. despite severely missing my biscuits, i needed to eat something. alas, i had to wait in a line for my three small vegetarian wraps. 

…which i promptly consumed en route back to our seats, i was apparently so hungry. i was down to my last bites by the time i made it back up to deck 16. 

J had already hit the solarium for coffee around 8:50am and said it was insane in there too.

so i guess this is prime time…

 

in passenger news, this is an interesting crowd. 

i would say we’ve got some more seasoned cruisers aboard, based on the fact that everyone completed their muster well ahead of time, and the lack of traditional “deer in the headlights” glances everywhere. 

also, it seems like no one is getting off here in nassau and they’ve all decided to go to breakfast at the same time. 

i would had taken my phone with me to grab pics but i figured it would be a swift in and out, so i left it with J at the seats. 

the sun is struggling to clear some clouds but i think we will have some sun today!!!! 💚

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53 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

..touch your previously clean areas with their filth.......and permeate your room with their funk.

This sounds like a line from a Dr Seuss book..lol 

1 hour ago, asquared17 said:

MSC also canceled the private island for our sailing

Yes, they are renovating\updating it...looking forward to seeing it since it'll still be somewhat new (it'll ALL be new to us) still... same with the Terminal, if it's actually done on time, looks like it's gonna be REALLY nice. 

That BBQ sure does LOOK good!!  And I think a diffuser or plug in type thing sounds like a great idea, adding that to my list for next time!! 

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1 hour ago, ScottD said:

I think a diffuser or plug in type thing sounds like a great idea, adding that to my list for next time!! 

yes! i started using it after the shut down; the chemicals many places would use to clean/disinfect were so strong that i would get a really bad headache. but the diffuser also puts a little moisture back into the air so the cabins are not so dry, which helps because i always feel it prevents against getting sick with having a dry throat, etc. 

59 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

I love the cards you have attached to your ducks!  Did you have them made or did you do them yourself?

thank you!!! i made them on vista print, and i punch a hole in the corner. then we loop a rubber band for the tag. 

everyone who ties a tag on has my eternal awe. i don’t have that kind of patience 😅😂

i just ordered a new set and they came pretty quickly. i was able to customize the message too. 

i’ll get a close up of our tag later, but i purposely keep them voyage-free so we. an continue to use each sailing 😊

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I am sorry @asquared17 you know I am a germaphobe as well and those were my first thoughts, when I got to my room on Allure and saw the door wide open. I see questionable behavior so much I am always in "did the germ load increase 🤔" mode.

I think the crew at check-in has been reminding people to do eMuster, so even the inexperience cruiser is now getting it done, fairly early. But on our stop in Nassau, nobody hardly got off and breakfast was insane at 9am. 

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4 minutes ago, She Sails Away said:

i'm not a meat eater but that plate of portside barbecue and sides looks delicious!

the mac and cheese was disturbingly good AND the bbq chicken was outstanding. i don’t know why we all sleep on portside. we can definitely do dinner there again. 

also mine (the chicken + mac) was a KIDS PORTION. 

like. c’mon. 😎

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