Gliding into a Mediterranean Oasis - Oasis of the Seas May 12th - 19th 2024

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

Starting this one EARLY but there is a reason, and the title hints at that. Before my cruise I have a week long figure skating competition coming up and thought it'd be fun to share here - something a little different.

I'm 42 days out from my first Royal Caribbean cruise, and my 3rd ever cruise. Previously I've cruised solo on NCL (very similar itinerary to this one) in 2018, and with P&O Cruises in 2017 around France and Spain. This time though, I'm bringing a friend! He's never cruised before so it's all brand new to him. 

About Us

We're both 34, I've known Jamie since we were 10 and this will be our third holiday together, one of which was a big trip to Orlando for Disney and Universal in 2022. We were tempted by a Bahamas cruise then, but it proved too costly to change hotel reservations, and with the testing requirements still in place we didn't want to risk it. 

We enjoy eating, drinking and exploring new places. 

One other thing to note is I am visually impaired - I have no peripheral vision past my shoulders and very poor depth perception, spatial awareness and pretty non-existent night vision. So this blog will touch on that side of my experiences a lot. 

Our itinerary

May 10th - Fly from MAN to BCN on Jet2, check into the NH Collection Gran Calderon hotel and explore Barcelona

May 11th - A full day in Barcelona. We have tickets for La Sagrada Familia but no other solid plans

May 12th - CRUISE DAY! We've got an 11am boarding time so will be able to check out of the hotel and head straight to the port.

May 13th - Palma: No solid plan here, we've both visited previously so we'll see what we feel like doing on the day.

May 14th - At Sea 

May 15th - La Spezia: Current plan is to rent a car and drive to Pisa, possibly visiting Lucca as well. 

May 16th - Rome: We've booked a tour with Driver In Rome to see the sights. Really looking forward to this, it'll be my 3rd time in Rome but I love the city so was happy to go back.

May 17th - Naples: Another tour booked here with Driver in Rome to Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano 

May 18th - At Sea 

May 19th - I'll have a full on case of Post-Cruise Blues as we disembark back in Barcelona and fly home. 

 

Our Cabin

We're currently booked into a GTY Oceanview Balcony. The barcode trick says we're in 10174. As I'm a complete newbie to Royal I have no idea whether this is a good cabin, but with cabins above and below on the deck plan, I'm happy. However...

I've sent my friend the info about RoyalUp for an Ultra Spacious Ocean View with Large Balcony and a Junior Suite... much as I'd love a Grand Suite for the perks, the budget doesn't stretch that far for this UK cruiser. I'll see what he says and we may put the minimum bid on one or both of those rooms, purely for the space. We're both overpackers and I love dressing up on cruises as my first was with a very traditional line where dressing for dinner was the norm. I enjoy that aspect so will be bringing lots of dresses and shoes. Jamie also dresses smartly even for a casual dinner and has alluded to bringing a tuxedo or 2 for formal nights...

I'll write in more detail about our plans on and off the ship tomorrow, as well as where I'm at with packing, and skating competition stuff. Here's a photo of us in Orlando

Vicki

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

Well, I promised I'd be back with more info about our plans, and here I am! I'm sorry for how long this is, all my travel posts usually are, so please bear with me!

I'm meeting a group of friends that includes Jamie, on Thursday. We'll likely meet earlier, and discuss the last few formalities before we sail. I have the 9th off of work, so I'm hoping he can get that day off too. If he can, we'll head to the airport that afternoon/early evening and be rested for the flight. 

So, 10th May, we fly from Manchester to Barcelona, leaving at 8am UK time, arriving around 11.30am local time. We'll check in to the hotel, but other than that we have no plans or reservations we need to schedule around. The next day, we have tickets for La Sagrada Familia at 1.30, and that includes a guided tour and climbing one of the towers. Other than that, our day is free and we'll wing it a little, taking in whatever sights we feel like, enjoying nice food, and local drinks. 

So, after 2 days in Barcelona, the 12th is cruise day! As I said, we have an 11am check in time, so hopefully should be some of the first to board. We have a short list of admin to do: muster, and a trip to guest services as the special needs team have advised we can arrange reserved seating for shows to accommodate for my visual impairment. They can also provide a ship orientation. We'll also check out our assigned table (we have late seating for dinner) and see if that needs adjusting. I've shared tables before as a solo and enjoyed it, we'll see how Jamie feels about it. Other than dinner and unpacking, the only thing on the calendar is Frozen in Time at 10:15. As a skater, I'm so hyped for this! I know one of our former British champions has worked on RCL before as a skater after he retired from competing, so the caliber of skater is obviously high in these shows.

Day 2, we're in Palma with no real plan. We have Chef's Table booked for 5.30, so we'll be back on the ship early to get ready for that. Afterwards, we have reservations for Aqua80. I have heard SO many good things about this show, I'm looking forward to seeing what it's all about. 

Day 3 is our first sea day. Nothing booked here, so a day of enjoying Oasis and all she has to offer awaits - and will probably involve drinking at some point, knowing the two of us! My 2 goals for the cruise, are to be brave enough to try the zipline and the Ultimate Abyss. I am an anxious person, and tend to be wary of new experiences, so we'll see if I manage it. I'm grateful for this sea day as after this we've got 3 big port days ahead. 

Day 4 we hit La Spezia, our first Italian port. We've been debating for months what to do, all the excursions are long, expensive and don't give a great deal of time in the places they visit, particularly those that go to Florence. As Jamie can drive, and really wants to go to Pisa, we're thinking of renting a car locally and doing that. I've also suggested a stop in Lucca. One of my team leaders at work is Italian and actually suggested coming back into La Spezia, returning the car, and showing the town some love: have a nice lunch somewhere, and support the local area as so many people will just pass through on their way to somewhere else. We'll see. Once we're back on board, we've got One Sky at 10:30, but otherwise no plans. 

Day 5 is Rome! I love Rome, it was probably favourite port on my NCL cruise and I'm so excited to go back. We have an excursion booked with Driver in Rome, so it'll be an early start to meet our driver and the rest of the group. I picked this tour as it has a maximum of 8 people, which is far better for me - I find it hard to keep up with a big group using my cane as it naturally slows my walking pace a little. We'll be in a small vehicle so will be driving very close to most of the major sites, and then walking a little to explore further. Reviews of the tour are good, and say that depending on the desires of the group, lunch and gelato stops can be worked in to the schedule, which is nice. No plans for the evening once we're back on board, so we'll see what the evening brings us. 

Day 6 is Naples, and another tour with Driver in Rome. This one will take us to Pompeii, where we'll have a couple of hours to explore independently, then onto Sorrento and Positano. I'm looking forward to this, my last trip to Pompeii was on the NCL cruise, and it was August and like 38 degrees! It was also where I really started feeling like a white cane may be a good idea, as the terrain wasn't the easiest for me to navigate. Hoping this trip will be easier on all fronts. Again reviews are positive so hopefully a good day. Once back on board, we again have no shows booked, so another evening spontaneous fun in store!

Day 7, is a well deserved sea day after those 3 port days! We have dinner at 150 Central Park at 8pm, and currently have reservations for the Cats matinee. I'm SO torn on that - I've heard nothing but bad reviews. I looked it up on YouTube and was bored within the first number, but I reserved it "just in case". I'll talk to Jamie about that one... We'll also have the sad job of packing to disembark the next day  

Day 8 - I don't want to talk about day 8 as we'll be back in Barcelona and will have to leave the ship to fly home and back to reality  

 

So that's our week in a nutshell. A couple of things Jamie and I need to discuss on Thursday, but we're pretty much there with the planning and we've left a nice chunk of time unplanned. Our plans NEVER fully go to plan anyway, something always distracts us and sends us down a path we weren't expecting. It's what makes our trips so much fun. 

So on the cruise front, it's a little quiet in terms of prep. On the skating competition front, things are ramping up. Over the course of the week I'll be packing, and we have our Easter show on Saturday evening too. I'm staying with a friend on Sunday and 3 of us are getting the train on Monday to the town where the competition is - if you're from the UK, you'll know Blackpool. For those not, it's a seaside town in the north of England. Plans for the week include skating (obviously) and a trip to the Blackpool Tower, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach (a theme park with a real eclectic mix of rides - one of their rollercoasters is 100 years old!). 

I'll update more next week, I guess  

[DDaley]

Driver in Rome looks awesome! Italy is on my cruise list (after the Rhine this summer and Japan next summer!) but I am writing it down for future use. 

I’m also so happy to hear RC will arrange for up close seating at shows for you! Cats only gets bad reviews because Andrew Lloyd Webber was on a straight acid trip when he compiled that heap of trash! The actors are always great and the dancing/set/costumes are amazing too, but that show is absolutely ridiculous. The only song anyone knows is Memory and to me it’s the most boring part of the whole thing (but then again, I hate ballads). 

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

19 minutes ago, DDaley said:

Driver in Rome looks awesome! Italy is on my cruise list (after the Rhine this summer and Japan next summer!) but I am writing it down for future use. 

I’m also so happy to hear RC will arrange for up close seating at shows for you! Cats only gets bad reviews because Andrew Lloyd Webber was on a straight acid trip when he compiled that heap of trash! The actors are always great and the dancing/set/costumes are amazing too, but that show is absolutely ridiculous. The only song anyone knows is Memory and to me it’s the most boring part of the whole thing (but then again, I hate ballads). 

Japan?! Oh I am jealous - that is on my ever growing list of places I'd love to visit. 

Going to see how Jamie feels about Cats - if he really wants to see it, we will. I could happily skip it as I'm not a huge theatre person on land - I'm more a concerts and comedy show kind of girl. 

[JLMoran]

5 hours ago, Cruising_Figure_Skater said:

I'm sorry for how long this is, all my travel posts usually are, so please bear with me!

@Lovetocruise2002, I think my surrogate has arrived.  

Don't be embarrassed about being lengthy, @Cruising_Figure_Skater! Embrace it! Look at the blog links in my signature and be inspired! We need more novelists in these live blogs! Dozens of photos with no descriptions? To paraphrase Edna Mode, they're just pictures, darling! snap-a-snap-a-snap-a-snap! We need words to truly convey the emotions of the moment.

I will be following along and enjoying every bit of it. Especially since I completely missed out on my Barcelona stop (and three others) when Covid sidelined me for almost the entire second half of my Med cruise in 2022.

[OCSC Mike]

5 hours ago, Cruising_Figure_Skater said:

I'm sorry for how long this is, all my travel posts usually are, so please bear with me!

No worries. That's how my trip reports and live blogs have always been. You do you!

Being long-winded while doing a live blog was bothering me though (started to feel more like work and less like fun) so I forced myself to make a bunch of shorter posts with a few pics instead of long daily recaps for my recent one. The change was for me though, not anyone else.

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

No worries. That's how my trip reports and live blogs have always been. You do you!

Being long-winded while doing a live blog was bothering me though (started to feel more like work and less like fun) so I forced myself to make a bunch of shorter posts with a few pics instead of long daily recaps for my recent one. The change was for me though, not anyone else.

I'm hoping to do similar when it comes to the live blogs - we shall see! I'm only taking my phone and with the smaller screen, that tends to prevent stupidly long posts as I lose patience. 

I'm mentally making a list of stuff I still need to buy (or at least, think I need). I'm contemplating magnetic hooks and possibly one of those super thin magnetic whiteboards for leaving each other notes... but then I'm thinking, the money I spend on stuff like that, I could save and use as casino money. I'm planning on taking the complimentary gaming lessons and trying my luck this cruise - I've never actually played in a casino. Played the occasional slot machine in bars at home though. 

Me? Trying to take my mind off of competition anxiety? Never! 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

On 3/31/2024 at 5:17 PM, Cruising_Figure_Skater said:

The barcode trick says we're in 10174.

You can look on cruisedeckplans.com to check for pictures or videos of rooms on any cruise ship.  Looks like 10174 is more forward, port side.  It is a connecting room.  The bed setup is not near the balcony but close to the bathroom with a sofa near the balcony.

[DDaley]

19 hours ago, Cruising_Figure_Skater said:

I'm only taking my phone and with the smaller screen, that tends to prevent stupidly long posts as I lose patience. 

As someone who also blogs from their phone, let me suggest you write entries in a Notes app and then copy and paste them into the browser when you’re ready to post. I have lost sooo many entries that I then had to hastily rewrite due to the browser failing/reloading itself with shipboard wifi. These posts have an autosave feature but I swear it only saves stuff I’ve already posted and never when I needed it to! 

[OCSC Mike]

23 minutes ago, DDaley said:

a Notes app

Agreed. Exactly what I did for my long-winded live blogs.

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

So I managed to meet up with Jamie last night before our friends arrived and we talked all things cruising. 

Trying to explain daily gratuities to a new cruiser was interesting, but he understands that it's the done thing and is fine with this. We are going to take some cash to tip as well, particularly bartenders as we have the drink package. We are slightly confused as to whether dollars or euros would be best though!

We're not going to bid on an upgrade - as it's our first cruise together and the GTY deities have seemingly smiled on us with our cabin, we're going to see how we handle a standard balcony. If after the week we realise we want more space, well, that's something for the next cruise!

He was looking at The Key. He needs to do some weighing up as with my vision issues I can get things like reserved seating at shows, and potentially assistance through the port on embarkation, so the cost may not be worth it. Having looked at what you get, I don't think it's worth it personally. 

He's really excited, and so am I - we've even said if by day 4 or 5, we've enjoyed it, we're going to NextCruise to see what we can book for 2025. 

Competition packing has completely failed to launch and will be happening Sunday morning before I head to my friend's place. Cruise packing will be attempted after next week, so I have time for Mr Bezos to send me anything I've overlooked! 37 days til cruise day!

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

Well, this bodes well for my live blog!!!

This past week has been a whirlwind, with a less than stellar skate on Wednesday. However, it was a fun week, and a few fun cruise related things happened. 

Our cabin is now confirmed - the barcode trick was correct and we have been assigned cabin 10174. I am very happy about this, as it looks to be in a great location. 

Our cruise documents have also arrived in my inbox. 

I managed to get a photo of the rink I was skating on this week, can anyone with better vision than me give an estimate if the one on Oasis is bigger or smaller?

Cruise prep for the coming week is to do a dummy packing run, and pray that my suitcase is under the weight limit for my airline... 

30 days to go!!!

[AshleyDillo]

19 hours ago, Cruising_Figure_Skater said:

can anyone with better vision than me give an estimate if the one on Oasis is bigger or smaller?

The one on Oasis is definitely smaller...the one in your photo looks comparable to the one on Icon, though..but I think that one is a bit smaller too.

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

My home rink is actually smaller than this too. I'm thinking I'm not going to bring my own skates then - knowing how public sessions at my rink can get, it's likely going to be chaos and the last thing I need is an injury to ruin my cruise and my skating season...

[AshleyDillo]

From what I've observed (my knees and ankles would never allow me to skate) the skating can be pure chaos with the various skill levels and wall huggers.  Don't forget long pants and socks..they won't allow you to skate without them!

[Lovetocruise2002]

An add on comment re: Oasis rink...it's definitely smaller. Back in the days of our first few cruises (20 something years ago), Hubby used to drag his hockey skates on board. He no longer does that. Not only is it pure chaos, but the ice surface is awful for moving around. I know nothing about skating or ice surfaces, but Hubby tells me it's not worth it. He and the kids still go for a skate each time we cruise, but don't expect much. 

[JLMoran]

On 4/12/2024 at 3:26 PM, Cruising_Figure_Skater said:

a less than stellar skate on Wednesday.

A less than stellar skate is still better than no skate at all. And knowing that you are visually impaired, if I had watched it I would likely have been amazed. Can only imagine how much you've fine-tuned your motion senses and balance to be able to do that.

I've never been able to skate, thanks to being born with two club feet and surgeries that straightened them out but left me with zero calf muscles or ankle strength. (and degenerative arthritis in both ankles) Kudos to you, and congratulations!

On 4/12/2024 at 3:26 PM, Cruising_Figure_Skater said:

Our cruise documents have also arrived in my inbox. 

You know what that means. You're that much closer to Cruise Day!

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

21 days til cruise day, 19 days til we leave, and 12 work days left... 

The first hints of packing have begun, I've got some essentials gathered together in the bathroom - sunscreen, aloe gel, a couple of OTC meds. Debating picking up some motion sickness meds, although neither Jamie and I suffer (we rode all the simulator style rides at Universal multiple times with no ill effects) and I've had one day of feeling slightly off in 14 nights at sea. But I'm thinking better to have it and not need it. 

Currently searching Amazon for a few things - including a bag for port days. I need one that will hold a couple of bottles of water, phone and my cane when folded (which is around 30cm long including the rolling ball tip). I'd ideally like one with some anti-theft features too. 

Packing proper will happen next weekend - that way if I'm missing anything major I have time to get it delivered. 

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

Well, this is sure coming up fast now! 13 days until I fly to Barcelona, 15 until I board Oasis. 

My Amazon purchases arrived, I'm contemplating getting the dress I bought in another colour as it's so cute and I think will be perfect for evenings around the ship.

Hoping to get the majority of packing done tomorrow, and then through the week will print all the important stuff. 

I also need to get my cruise cash - something both Jamie and I were wondering is, if we tip on top of the daily gratuities, is it best to do this in dollars or euros? My brain says euros as we're on a European cruise, but I'm not 100% sure. 

I'm going through a lot of change and uncertainty at work, but the thought of being on board a ship again for the first time since 2018 is keeping my spirits up. 

[Cruising_Figure_Skater]

Whew! OK, packing is pretty close to done. Just 2 new dresses arriving from Amazon tomorrow, a pair of shoes I need to finish breaking in, pajamas and t-shirts to go. Oh, and some of it needs moving to my carry on bag, for the 2 nights in Barcelona. 

Perks of living at home - my mum helped me and is going to buy some missing toiletries when she goes to the supermarket tomorrow. She is good at packing so things don't crease. I on the other hand, am not. No pictures of my packing chaos just yet, will grab some when it's completed. 

I do need to reach out to Jamie and confirm the logistics of getting to the airport - airport hotel is booked for the 9th so we just have to get ourselves there (around a 45 minute drive). Normally his family give us a ride so he doesn't have to leave his car in parking. 

Tomorrow is my last Monday at work before the cruise - next week is a Bank Holiday (public holiday) here so my workplace is closed.