Podcast Cruise 6.0!!! Official Info

[NitroStitch]

Please add Lisa (NitroStitch) and Dan in Cabin 9577. Can't wait!!

 

[RAD]

We could do MVMCP on the 11th but with the new (hopefully) night time stuff at AK and the new Star Wars fireworks at HS we're going to spend our evenings over there.

 

[Cherinva]

We paid off our balance too....now it feels real. We have all our entertainment reserved and still considering "if" we want to invest in a drink package. BTW, I found out that the formal nights are the 2nd and 6th night. We're not going to them....will find some place else on those nights. Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones !!!

 

[RAD]

We paid off our balance too....now it feels real. We have all our entertainment reserved and still considering "if" we want to invest in a drink package. BTW, I found out that the formal nights are the 2nd and 6th night. We're not going to them....will find some place else on those nights. Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones !!!

We're going, wearing dress slacks, shirt and maybe a tie, if they don't like it they can ask us to leave. This is vacation and for me a tie is pushing it.

 

[Jobie]

We paid off our balance too....now it feels real. We have all our entertainment reserved and still considering "if" we want to invest in a drink package. BTW, I found out that the formal nights are the 2nd and 6th night. We're not going to them....will find some place else on those nights. Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones !!!

One of the formal nights is usually when they do lobster. If you want it, just go to dinner anyways. They will not kick you out.

As for the drink packages, I have found that if you are a soda drinker, then the soda package is worth it. You get a cup that you can refill and also the different bars and restaurants will give you soda.

The other packages seems to be a lot though. I am not a big beer drinker, so I would want to get the next package up that gives you liquor. To make it worth my money, I would have to buy so many drinks a day that my liver would hate me (not too mention my wife, lol).

 

[RAD]

Getting closer, was able to do online checkin today.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

We are officially paid in Full! Flights are booked and paid! CBR for one night before is paid. All thats left is a booze package, and shuttle to and from the port! Does anyone know if there is an area for cigar smoking? Maybe we could organize a mini Dis_meet for cigar lovers?

 

[disneysteve]

Our plans are starting to come together. I think we've decided to drive down, arriving on Thursday. We'll stay at a hotel by the port and do a couple of day trips to Disney from there. Then we can leave our car at the hotel during the cruise and just have to hop the shuttle back there when we leave the ship and get back on the road to home. Much less hassle than flying, renting a car, needing to deal with multiple shuttles, etc.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Here are some pointers I have for this ship and cruise. I have cruised on the Allure of the Seas (same class as the Oasis) and have done this exact itinerary on it.

On the Ship

1. When you first board, most people go to Windjammers (the buffet) for lunch. I recommend going to Park Cafe instead. It is a small eatery in the Central Park neighborhood of the ship. They have great roast beef sandwiches here and is a little less crazy compared to buffet during this time.
2. If you did not make reservations before hand, do not get too worried about it. During boarding day they have a large area where you can get your reservations in order (when we went it was at Studio B, the theater with the ice skating rink). Also, you can make reservations throughout the cruise. The most important thing we found for reservations was for the main show at the Aqua Theater (only took place during first half of the cruise) and the main show in the main theater (which is Cats on the Oasis). Also, reservations for the comedy club seemed like a must, because it is a small venue. However, the comedy club does pretty much the same set every night, so just make sure you get in one night. Everything else you can usually get day of, in the morning.
3. Try the hot dogs at Boardwalk Dog House. They have several different types and it is a great grab-n-go snack while you are walking around the ship.
4. Find the hidden public balconies on the ship and enjoy them! There are a few public balconies in the aft of the ship (back) on the higher decks. You must walk through the long hallway by all of the cabins, but at the end is a door that goes out onto a balcony that has chairs, tables, and wonderful views. Very few people know about these, and they are a great place to relax and hang out. It's my wife's favorite spot on the ship. I think they were on decks 11, 12, and 14, but I might be wrong. Explore!
5. On Air (the sports lounge on Deck 5) turns into a karaoke bar at night. Even if you do not like to sing, check it out. We had a lot of fun there, and it seems like the same groups of people showed up every night. The good singers would get cheered while announced to go on stage due to people seeing them the night before. It was a lot of fun.
6. Go the the Love and Marriage show. It is RCI's version of the Newlywed Game, but with more than just newlyweds. It is always a great time.
7. Do the Quest! Near the end of the cruise, they will have an event one night called The Quest. This is an adult rated scavenger hunt, where the items they are looking for are what you have on you or your body itself. It is a lot of fun, and could be a great way for us Disers to bond, lol.
8. If you like to drink, take one of their cocktail making classes. You will get to make several cocktails (5 in the class I took) and drink them all. You also get a glass to keep and a certificate. It was cheap when I did it (I ant to say $18), and when you figure that you are getting 4 drinks out of it is a deal. At the one I went to, it also turned into an impromptu tequila tasting where the host was pouring shots of all types for whoever wanted some. Best $18 I spent on booze.
9. Make sure you take a ride on the Rising Tide bar. Sure it is just a fancy elevator, but where else can you order a drink while on an elevator? It was a fun experience.

Labadee, Haiti

1. This is a great beach day! If you did not know, this is RCI's private peninsula and it is a tropical paradise. It is probably not as good as Disney's (never been), but it is really cool.
2. If you like adventure you can zip-line and ride a roller-coaster here for a price. The zip-line does have a weight limit (250 lbs, I think) and I have heard issues for people getting a refund if they bought tickets before hand but were over the limit. Just a heads up.
3. Have lunch on the ship. I just find the food on the "cook out" here is not as good as you can get on the ship.
4. If it is open, take the path to Dragon's Breath Point. It is a really neat area to walk to and if you listen closely, you can hear why the place is called Dragon's Breath.

Falmouth, Jamaica

1. This was are least favorite place, and the only place I have ever felt unsafe at while on a cruise (we had some guys following us while walking outside of the port's gates). I would only advise leaving the port area if you are taking a taxi to a place that you know outside of the area.
2. The port area has a lot of shopping here with several places with free wi-fi. We will probably only go out to this area briefly and then go back to the ship, unless I can talk my wife into doing the Bob Marley House excursion with me.
3. Last time we went back to ship and they had half off cocktails for several hours while in port.

Cozumel, Mexico

1. Best shops seems to be outside of the large port area. Inside they seem to be pretty pricey compared to other places.
2. We rented a car last time and will probably do it again. There are places to rent a car right off of the ship and you can also reserve ahead of time online. The island is really easy to drive around. One side is pretty much just beach, with bars/shops/taco spots scattered about every few miles. The road will cut through the middle of the island, where you can tour ruins. Then the other side is where the city is at. We spent the entire day driving around the island and then exploring the ruins, stopping every now and again at the shops and bars at the side of the road.
3. Tour ruins! The ruins were really cool. Just make sure you have bug spray (lots of mosquitoes when we were there) and water. Its a lot of walking though a humid, jungle like environment. It was worth it though!

Those were just a few tips/suggestions I could think of off of the top of my head. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you so much for this!

I've made reservations for all of the shows and My Time Dining, plus we're going to do the wine tasting and the Prohibition Event. That looks like it will be fun. I need to go back and read the other tips, like bringing wine, etc.

90 Days!!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Also- update to the roster... Cabin 8640
I am still on this cruise, however, my DH John, is not able to join us this time.
My new roomie is Phyllis DeMaio (pal_mickey)! Her first Podcast cruise. And we are both new to RCL.

Woo Hoo! (Sorry John isn't going to be able to make it, though.)

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

When on a cruise, we always like to venture out on our own. Our last cruise stopped in Falmouth, I like the little area by port. But on our last cruise was told by a few people in the know, do not venture past the gates on your own. Everyone agreed, taking an excursion was just fine, but apparently the area just outside the gates is a little less than desirable!

When we went on the last Podcast Cruise & stopped in Falmouth, Lesley & I went on an excursion that took us to the Blue Hole (except it was brown due to the rains that made the river flow faster) and riding on river inner tubes (which was supposed to take 45 minutes, but took 20 minutes because of the rains). We shared the ride with another couple that did the Blue Hole and hike up the Dunns River Falls, so they took longer than us. While we waited, our driver took us up to this place overlooking Ocho Rios - like a cafe/bar area. When we picked up the other couple we then went to a local hangout for jerked chicken, then stopped at a store for souvenirs and rum, then back to the ship. This was a wonderful way to spend the day, and I recommend it. I would definitely use them again. Feel free to PM if you'd like more details.

The company we used: http://www.courtneytaylortours.com/

Some pics of our adventures: Me jumping off the cliff, then we walked to the middle and swung from a rope. Typically, this water is clear, and where the rope is the water is a beautiful blue underneath. We didn't know any better. The next one is the river we tubed down. Again, brown water from the churn because of the rains & fast river. At no time did we ever feel unsafe, and in fact, it was a lot of fun. We had local guides that the touring company pays to make sure we're safe. The next pic is from Oceans on the Ridge, the cafe we went to while we waited for the other couple, and last pics are from Scotchies, where we had the jerked chicken, and then the souvenir shop. It was such a fun day.




Funny note... After we were done, the bus driver (super nice), told me that he was surprised I jumped in the river. I asked him why, and he said that with the rains the river was flowing faster, and so he wouldn't have jumped. I told him, "and you're telling us this now???" lol It was so much fun, and even though at first I really didn't plan to jump, I thought, "Can't come this far and not do it." But when Lesley told me that she thought I wasn't going to jump, I told her that since she didn't die I felt it was safe enough.

 

[shari2137]

We are also PIF, so excited that the trip is nearing. This will be our first DIS event. We will be leaving LAX on Tuesday 11/29 on a redeye flight so that we can spend sometime in WDW before the cruise staying at BLT. We will depart for home early Monday morning December 12th after staying one night at the Polynesian. We will still need to figure out how we will get to the ship and then back to WDW. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

 

[OKW Lover]

Just a suggestion for those cruising. If you book the ship's internet package ahead of time you should be able to find a discount. I bought the 2 device package for our recent Greek Isles cruise which worked out fine for me. Had internet (somewhat slow at times) whenever on the ship. With AT&T's Wifi calling feature I was able to receive and make free phone calls even in Europe.

 

[corky441]

For those of you that haven't purchased a drink/beverage package yet.

Royal Caribbean has changed their offerings starting today.

If you've already purchased the Select package it will still be honored.
If you purchased the Premium package it will be upgraded to the new Deluxe. ( yay me !)
If you purchased the Ultimate package it will be converted to the new Deluxe.

There have also been changes to the non-alcoholic packages and the water package

 

[disneysteve]

Just a suggestion for those cruising. If you book the ship's internet package ahead of time you should be able to find a discount. I bought the 2 device package for our recent Greek Isles cruise which worked out fine for me. Had internet (somewhat slow at times) whenever on the ship. With AT&T's Wifi calling feature I was able to receive and make free phone calls even in Europe.

Thanks, Jeff. I may have asked this before but I don't remember. Have you (and others) found the internet to be decent onboard? The last time we cruised was 5-6 years ago and it was awful. I paid for it and then had to get a refund. It took me 15 minutes just to sign in to my email account. That's how slow the service was. I'd rather be unplugged for a week than deal with that.

 

[Cherinva]

Just a suggestion for those cruising. If you book the ship's internet package ahead of time you should be able to find a discount. I bought the 2 device package for our recent Greek Isles cruise which worked out fine for me. Had internet (somewhat slow at times) whenever on the ship. With AT&T's Wifi calling feature I was able to receive and make free phone calls even in Europe.

I booked mine a couple of months ago....only because my DGD wanted it.

 

[Cherinva]

For those of you that haven't purchased a drink/beverage package yet.

Royal Caribbean has changed their offerings starting today.

If you've already purchased the Select package it will still be honored.
If you purchased the Premium package it will be upgraded to the new Deluxe. ( yay me !)
If you purchased the Ultimate package it will be converted to the new Deluxe.

There have also been changes to the non-alcoholic packages and the water package

I booked the Replenish package (non-alcoholic) for us....we'll make it worth it

 

[Cherinva]

We are also PIF, so excited that the trip is nearing. This will be our first DIS event. We will be leaving LAX on Tuesday 11/29 on a redeye flight so that we can spend sometime in WDW before the cruise staying at BLT. We will depart for home early Monday morning December 12th after staying one night at the Polynesian. We will still need to figure out how we will get to the ship and then back to WDW. Looking forward to meeting everyone.

You are going to have a blast...it's awesome to see so many people wearing the credentials and knowing we are all part of the same group. I've met some wonderful people and made some really nice friends along the way. Looking forward to seeing those I've met before and meeting new folks.

 

[Cherinva]

Getting closer, was able to do online checkin today.

I started to do my check in today, but I'm at work, and don't have our passports handy....will have to finish it later from home.

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks, Jeff. I may have asked this before but I don't remember. Have you (and others) found the internet to be decent onboard?

I used it on our most recent RCL cruise, the Greek Isles on the Rhapsody of the Seas, and it was slow/spotty at times. Not sure how much was because of our geographic location and/or where our cabin was on the ship. However, the Rhapsody is an older ship and I understand that the Oasis has a better system.