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

[asquared17]

in just 42 days... we go on oasis AGAIN.

let's just hope it's less eventful than the last time.

 

also! check in was this week and i snagged the 10:30 slot!! since we are not in a JS this time around (at least, not yet), i am looking forward to having that spot

[asquared17]

tinerary

MIA > nassau > PDCC > labadee > falmouth > MIA

(same as last time, but hopefully FAR better weather!)

 

some general details

• we will still fly in and out of FLL.
  • guess we will roll the dice on those ubers
• we are in a standard aft oceanview balcony on deck 10, BUT i have submitted RU bids for a JS.
  • and also a grand suite, but again; we have NO business winning that bid.
• a decent amount of OBC this time around but i have prepaid my gratuities so that it doesn't eat into my half of the OBC
• this will be my fifth time on oasis and J's third
  • and probably the closest thing we will ever do to a B2B or S2S sailing. (until we retire???)

 

other interesting things to note

• the new, larger duffel has arrived. it is already stuffed with all my cruise specific gear
• since i have made diamond plus, we will get our BOGO dinner!! i think we will do giovanni's on night two maybe?
• portside BBQ will be night one, as is our custom aboard oasis
• while J did not make diamond (because i can't do math; she's one point off), i did make diamond plus!! so it will be exciting to see what comes of that -- since i will never in my lifetime ever reach pinn. (unless i marry into it????)

 

if i never hear an ALPHA ALPHA ALPHA call, it will be too soon.

also i don't even want to THINK about snow in february for when we leave. let's just.... think of sunny, happier thoughts!

[SweetPea]

I think at this point, you should just have one long continuous blog ....

You and @Lovetocruise2002. It can be 3k pages long with 24.2M views.

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

7 hours ago, SweetPea said:

I think at this point, you should just have one long continuous blog ....

You and @Lovetocruise2002. It can be 3k pages long with 24.2M views.

How I wish I sailed often enough for one continuous blog lol

[asquared17]

On 12/25/2023 at 12:58 AM, SweetPea said:

I think at this point, you should just have one long continuous blog ....

You and @Lovetocruise2002. It can be 3k pages long with 24.2M views.

honestly i feel like i smothered you all in content the past 30+ days so i am trying to keep quiet now

On 12/25/2023 at 8:46 AM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

How I wish I sailed often enough for one continuous blog lol

i am waiting for the NYE blog, my friend.... [looks at watch and calendar] i feel like it should be starting any second now...

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

i am waiting for the NYE blog, my friend.... [looks at watch and calendar] i feel like it should be starting any second now...

Hopefully...

[SweetPea]

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Hopefully...

You cannot let me down! You know I'm waiting for a VERY important piece of info to assuage Batman

[asquared17]

i would just like you all to know that while i am really honestly very capable when it comes to international travel, planning cruises, making decisions — apparently i have some sort of inherent gene that turns me into a calamity jane at home. 

case in point; someone had made brussels sprouts and cauliflower before they departed on their 10 day cruise (hello, mother) and someone else (sadly that would be yours truly) thought it would be a fine idea to put it down the garbage disposal in the sink. 

M I S T A K E. 

i have tried plunging it. i have tried a green gobbler drain type thing. i have tried hot water. i actually got it so the disposal side was totally empty. 

but now i am back to square one. 

you guys. 

how can i survive uber rides from hell, and make a flight AGAINST ALL ODDS — and be taken down by my own actions in the kitchen?!?!

the mind boggles. 

[GregD]

I love Oasis of the seas! This blog will give me something to focus on the week before we leave on Harmony (2/18/24) 

My kids are already telling me that they won’t like the Aqua show since it’s not Aqua80, and that they will be miserable since there is no El Loco Fresh. 
 

maybe make a joke post for me saying that El Loco Fresh is no longer any good that I can show them

[asquared17]

8 hours ago, GregD said:

This blog will give me something to focus on the week before we leave on Harmony (2/18/24) 

if you really want to go down a rabbit hole, there is the sailing in early december that preceded this one and it was a DOOZY expect to go through all the stages of grief if you read it haha

8 hours ago, GregD said:

My kids are already telling me that they won’t like the Aqua show since it’s not Aqua80, and that they will be miserable since there is no El Loco Fresh.

maybe make a joke post for me saying that El Loco Fresh is no longer any good that I can show them

i thought they were doing ELF in the mini bites on harmony???? i will see what i can do

[OCSC Mike]

2 hours ago, asquared17 said:

i thought they were doing ELF in the mini bites on harmony????

Are you maybe thinking of Allure where they changed Wipeout Cafe to "Wipeout Cafe featuring ELF"?

[asquared17]

36 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Are you maybe thinking of Allure where they changed Wipeout Cafe to "Wipeout Cafe featuring ELF"?

ugh yes 

why is it not ELF everywhere?! it should be!!!

[GregD]

3 hours ago, asquared17 said:

if you really want to go down a rabbit hole, there is the sailing in early december that preceded this one and it was a DOOZY expect to go through all the stages of grief if you read it haha

I’m a glutton for punishment!!! On it!

[OCSC Mike]

36 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

why is it not ELF everywhere?! it should be!!!

Agreed. As someone who talks about snacking at all the included venues, I was never a fan of whatever was in that spot before ELF on the vrious ships (at least for snacking, breakfast is breakfast)... and I never even got to try ELF until my last 2 cruises. Much nicer on Wonder than the crammed in version on Allure (plus the margarita bar on Wonder) but the food tasted the same on both.

[asquared17]

1 hour ago, GregD said:

I’m a glutton for punishment!!! On it!

buckle up. i feel like i owe you a drink in advance

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

As someone who talks about snacking at all the included venues

snacks are the foundation of main food times. they keep me going

[OCSC Mike]

38 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

snacks are the foundation of main food times. they keep me going

This is pretty much why dinner isn't overly important to me. Unless we have specialty dining planned (not often), I'll have been eating off and on all day starting pretty early, lol. If I have a mediocre MDR dinner (never been a huge fan), no biggie, I probably wasn't starving (especially if I had CL snacks just before) and I can always check out the WJ after and/or grab Sorrento's (which has been surprisingly good lately). And if all else fails... there are always cookies in my cabin (amongst other things at times).

[GregD]

18 hours ago, asquared17 said:

buckle up. i feel like i owe you a drink in advance

 

Made it through!! What a crazy ride.  Between dodging chickens, sudden storms, passengers dropping like flies, and the gauntlet of a disembarkation day, it almost felt like you had your own hunger games going on. It was definitely a cruise to remember. 

I agree with your sentiment that the crew on Oasis are really good. Both of our experiences on that ship have been great, and she holds a special place in our hearts. I may be pre-vintage as well, because I will gladly sail on her again and again and enjoy the routine if I had the opportunity, though my dinner and bed time is still much later

[asquared17]

20 hours ago, GregD said:

Between dodging chickens, sudden storms, passengers dropping like flies, and the gauntlet of a disembarkation day, it almost felt like you had your own hunger games going on. It was definitely a cruise to remember. 

oh my gosh this is the perfect description!

and honestly… may the odds be EVER in our favor next month!!!

 

we are happy to have “do-over” so to speak on the ship that was always our favorite until symphony knocked her out of the running

[She Sails Away]

I am just now catching up on this blog and so excited. And I'm with you, Allure was my favorite ship until Symphony. Symphony is special. So classy, so amazing. Such great memories traveling the Mediterranean with my son on that ship. I hope you have a great cruise! 

[ScottD]

Oh wow, I'm just finding this. You know I love to follow along with a good Oasis blog!  

[asquared17]

15 minutes ago, ScottD said:

You know I love to follow along with a good Oasis blog!  

we will be sure to hit portside for you!!

3 hours ago, She Sails Away said:

I am just now catching up on this blog and so excited. And I'm with you, Allure was my favorite ship until Symphony. Symphony is special. So classy, so amazing.

happy to have you along, although i am MORE excited about your upcoming cruises!!

[asquared17]

you know what time it is….

[WAAAYTOOO]

This is also on my TODO list today even though it's not in prep. for a cruise.  Well....sort of, I guess it is.  This is one of my most hated tasks.  I really HATE sorting through all of those bottles and digging out everything I need.  I prepare 3 weeks at a time.  I now have 3 empty pill boxes.  It's time...

[asquared17]

i've just found out that they are doing IV therapy in the spa onboard oasis, per @She Sails Away

rest assured, i will be checking this out, as i have a metric ton of questions about this (having had IV therapy before) and my skepticism is VAST.

 

meanwhile it's something absurd like 2 degrees here.

please let our weather be gorgeous and WARM.

[She Sails Away]

On 1/17/2024 at 12:04 PM, asquared17 said:

i've just found out that they are doing IV therapy in the spa onboard oasis, per @She Sails Away

rest assured, i will be checking this out, as i have a metric ton of questions about this (having had IV therapy before) and my skepticism is VAST.

 

meanwhile it's something absurd like 2 degrees here.

please let our weather be gorgeous and WARM.

After chatting with you I am totally interested in this myself! I will be so interested to see what you find out. Ask those hard questions!

[asquared17]

we leave a week from today and other than my vitamins/supplements, nothing packed

i haven’t even printed out packing lists. 

there are a few outfits i didn’t wear in december that i left in the dry cleaning covering, and i shoved a bunch of cruise specific gear into the larger, new duffle bag before hauling it away to the attic. 

watching me climb up the stairs into the attic and hauling down my roller bag, my 28 inch suitcase AND the large duffle bag (with the 10lb weighted blanket) must have been a sight

i am encouraged by the pictures on the mods gone wild icon blog; the weather looks promising and i want to get excited about this cruise! 

now, not to be a downer… work has been stressful and @WAAAYTOOO knows from this time last year, but my uncle died very suddenly just before our symphony cruise in february. so we are coming up on that anniversary. 

because of this, and because our family is small but very close, the days/week leading up to the travel and travel day one/before we officially get on the ship, are always the hardest for me.

i think i’ve been putting off packing for this reason, which is super unlike me. 

also after the LAST cruise aboard oasis, my biggest hopes are for good weather and no major medical events.  

[She Sails Away]

It sounds like a difficult time, indeed. Hoping for a stress-free cruise, no medical evacuations, lots of great weather and lots of peace.

[asquared17]

i am 95% packed. 

my suitcase is packed (minus the cold brew) and weighing in at about 44 lbs. 

my gigantic large duffle is packed with all the cruise gear and other things, weighing in at 30 lbs. 

my carryons are mostly packed with a few things left. 

this is a new record even for me. since i had transferred over most of my cruise gear into the new duffle when it arrived, a lot of my stuff was already set up. my toiletries only needed a bit of topping off. 

the longest part of the packing was figuring out what to wear for dinner since i was trying not to repeat everything. (you will see some repeats anyway). 

i packed one extra workout outfit than last time, and other than my one foldable black dress, no shorts/tanks combos at all. 

clearly i am banking on the weather being sun-worthy. 

there are 5 packing cubes in my lineup, the usual shoes, and i didn’t even do more than glance at my beach bag to make sure it had sunscreen. (which i think may be slightly expired )

loaded up 12 ducks for the sailing since we try to place two per day. 

i even carried my bags downstairs so i don’t have to stare at them, open-mouthed, in the hallway all week

now to get through this week. i have a pretrip pedicure, a long overdue haircut, and two other appoints; so something to do almost every night after work. 

if i can get some good sleep, ill be happy. the week we are away looks to be in the low teens here’s hoping it’s sunny in the caribbean!!

[asquared17]

to my florida folks… how’s the weather trending?? we are hoping for sun and warmth!!

i don’t think we’ve seen the sun here in 27 days. (or at least, that’s what it feels like)

i posted about this in the news/rumors channel, but there is a level 3 travel advisory for jamaica.

so far, it looks like RCI plans to continue port visits in falmouth despite it being a level 3 (and in some places a 4) — and we don’t get off in falmouth anymore. but i’d be okay if they gave us the port fees back

makes me glad i bought travel insurance.

glad i packed sunday; this week has been nuts at work.

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

to my florida folks… how’s the weather trending?? we are hoping for sun and warmth!!

You want the truth? Please don’t shoot the messenger.

With the caveat that I don’t trust the forecast until the day of b/c it’s so frequently wrong here… Sunday is currently supposed to be a rainy mess.

[She Sails Away]

1 hour ago, asquared17 said:

to my florida folks… how’s the weather trending?? we are hoping for sun and warmth!!

i don’t think we’ve seen the sun here in 27 days. (or at least, that’s what it feels like)

i posted about this in the news/rumors channel, but there is a level 3 travel advisory for jamaica.

so far, it looks like RCI plans to continue port visits in falmouth despite it being a level 3 (and in some places a 4) — and we don’t get off in falmouth anymore. but i’d be okay if they gave us the port fees back

makes me glad i bought travel insurance.

glad i packed sunday; this week has been nuts at work.

Jamaica was level 3 when I went on Oasis two weeks ago. We still went, and excursions went as scheduled. We were not warned by anyone (not that I expect to be), and when I mentioned the Level 3 warning in our Facebook group, people were dismissive. No one in the group reported any issues. The main complaint was the short day. (930-330).

 

I stayed on the ship that day.

[Neesa]

I agree with @OCSC Mike the start might not be pretty, but it will slowly improve during the week. I have faith the sun will make an appearance! This is here in Tampa, we are chilly but we can experience 3 seasons in a day!

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

It's very sunny but chillish down here.  I never worry with the weather forecast b/c it's almost always wrong. We somehow live in a weather bubble.  It never rains here when it's supposed to and there comes a deluge when it's supposed to be sunny.

Still....praying for you that it will at LEAST not be pouring rain.

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We somehow live in a weather bubble.

We feel the same way by us. I check the radar and I see tons of rain but it somehow slides by our house. It's also not uncommon for my wife to text me from work (which is only like 5 miles from our house) and tell me it's pouring while I'm home and dry.

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

We feel the same way by us. I check the radar and I see tons of rain but it somehow slides by our house. It's also not uncommon for my wife to text me from work (which is only like 5 miles from our house) and tell me it's pouring while I'm home and dry.

Yep...it will be pouring rain in Port St Lucie and dry as a bone at our house....less than 5 miles south and west.  I attributed it to Lake Okeechobee but that wouldn't explain your "bubble".  Mysterious Florida weather.... 

[asquared17]

44 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Still....praying for you that it will at LEAST not be pouring rain

listen if it pours on embarkation, but we have great weather for the rest of the week, i’m okay with this!!!

4 hours ago, Neesa said:

I agree with @OCSC Mike the start might not be pretty, but it will slowly improve during the week.

improvement is what we want to hear!!

11 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

You want the truth? Please don’t shoot the messenger.

With the caveat that I don’t trust the forecast until the day of b/c it’s so frequently wrong here… Sunday is currently supposed to be a rainy mess.

it’s okay!!! i’ve squared with our embarkation being a wash

10 hours ago, She Sails Away said:

Jamaica was level 3 when I went on Oasis two weeks ago

we will indeed be staying aboard, too. 

[asquared17]

and we have a wrench in the works: 

the issue is that miami is such a wild time anyway that with all those ships in port and the embarkation/disembarkation, you just sit in an uber waiting to get to the curb.

[GregD]

22 hours ago, asquared17 said:

to my florida folks… how’s the weather trending?? we are hoping for sun and warmth!!

i don’t think we’ve seen the sun here in 27 days. (or at least, that’s what it feels like)

 

its been 483 days since we've seen the sun here in gloomy Upstate NY......two more weeks........almost time for the single digit dance.

[asquared17]

14 hours ago, GregD said:

ts been 483 days since we've seen the sun here in gloomy Upstate NY......two more weeks

[insert 'it's been 84 years' titanic gif here]

this time tomorrow, we'll be on a plane to fort lauderdale... PLEASE BRING US SUN!!

[GregD]

47 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

[insert 'it's been 84 years' titanic gif here]

this time tomorrow, we'll be on a plane to fort lauderdale... PLEASE BRING US SUN!!

I keep looking at the weather for Houston/Galveston for when we arrive, and there should be "some sun" I'll take it

I'll keep my fingers crossed that this time on Oasis is.......less spicy....