Oasis of the Seas Review: Transatlantic 12 Day Cruise

The gargantuan Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, the world's most massive, was always a ship we wanted to try out, even since its debut back in 2010. We also wanted to check out Europe, so the perfect opportunity came when Royal Caribbean decided to send the Oasis across the ocean for dry-dock in fall of 2014. With 11 sea days, you certainly want the ship need to be a fun destination in itself, and we figured what better way to spend them aboard than on a mega-liner with so many things to do. Our adventure began September 1, 2014, as the Oasis of the Seas left Fort Lauderdale en route to Barcelona with a 12 day transatlantic cruise.

Embarkation

For such a large ship carrying so many passengers, you would think that getting on board the Oasis would take longer than the average cruise ship. The opposite was true. Embarkation was one of the quickest we have experienced. There were 3 or 4 different location of boarding, and guests were herded into the groups at the terminal according to their cabin location by deck.

Including going through security, I believe we only spent a total of half an hour inside the special Port Everglades terminal designed for Oasis-class ships. A little disappointing, however, was the lack of refreshments or snacks offered, like what NCL usually provides before embarkation. But it was not a big deal at all considering the speed at which guests boarded the ship.

See more photos of the Port of Everglades cruise terminal for the Oasis & Allure of the Seas.

Oasis of the Seas Balcony Cabin Impressions

On such a special ship, we had expected the cabin to wow us a bit. When our balcony stateroom on deck 6 was ready, we delightfully went inside with anticipation. Unfortunately it did not provide such a sense of wonderment, but did come off as above-average. The queen-size bed was curved at the end. It was of good firmness, though the pillows provided were too flat. There was a day-bed sofa where our pre-schooler would sleep. As you can see below, that sofa was not exactly the cleanest we have seen.

The desk, on the other hand, was well-designed. There was a trio of 3 prong power plugs on the end of the table near the balcony door, which means that you may not even have to bring a power strip. Though if you have devices with large power bricks, they may obscure the adjacent outlets. The accompanying chair was leather-backed and quite comfortable. A pair of narrow cabinets, one running from the floor to desk-level, and another extending from there to the ceiling, provided plentiful of storage space for smaller items. The TV was a 32" Samsung flat-screen which could be tilted left or right.

Interestingly the thermostat was an old-school analog knob, but it worked just fine.

We did need to call maintenance 4 or 5 times during the cruise because of plumbing problems with the super-suction toilet, which was an annoyance.

Oasis Public Areas

The ship featured several distinctive and memorable areas, classified as "neighborhoods" by Royal Caribbean. The Boardwalk featured a full sized Merry Go Around which our 4 year old son (and myself, I must somewhat reluctantly say) had fun at.

Our cabin was close by, so this was a section of the ship we frequented. The front of the Boardwalk had wooden horse sculptures that were impressively life-sized. There was also a Johnny Rockets which offered enjoyable breakfasts, which we actually preferred than the one served up at the Windjammer Marketplace. The unique AquaTheater at the rear of the Boardwalk was a u-shaped stadium where the action-packed Oasis of Dreams & Splish Splash shows were held by talented performers.

Central Park on Deck 8 was another one of our favorite neighborhoods. It is essentially a garden lined by restaurants, filled with fresh greenery in a scale that we have never witnessed on any other cruise ship before. Park Cafe is a delightful eatery there where you can grab a freshly tossed salad, drink some soup or chomp on some sandwiches and dessert. Most of the fellow passengers seem to think the same as the cafe is often jam packed inside and out, though you would likely be able to find a seat at a nearby park bench.

The Royal Promenade was not as unique since we had experienced a similar setup on the Explorer of the Seas. The one on the Oasis is longer, though the idea is quite similar. It is located on deck 5 and rises 3 decks tall, and is home to the Promenade Cafe plus numerous shops, bars and lounges.

The Oasis Promenade does have a boat-shaped Rising Tide bar that elevates all the way to Deck 8, opening to the Central Park. When the bar is '"risen", underneath it is a refreshing fountain accented by LED lighting.

Like the Promenade Cafe, the pizza restaurant Sorrento's there was so-so. The Welcome Parade and the DreamWorks Parade that went through the Royal Promenade were fantastic, however, and some of the best seats could be had at the in front of the Globe and Atlas Bar or pizza joint.

The Sports facilities on the ship were very good- certainly above average versus what we have seen from other cruises. There was a nice 9 hole miniature golf green, and the sports court was top-notch with excellent basketball backboards. The gym was well-equipped, and did not shutter until 1 AM, which was a plus for those of us who like to exercise off some excess calories acquired during dinner later in the evening.

There were also quite a few ping pong tables with wall partitions to prevent the balls from rolling too far away.

The pair of Flowrider surfing platforms were cool to look at, but in practicality not very applicable to 99% of the cruise passengers, so we came away feeling that they were gimmicky. It was also a bit disappointing that there was no water slide nor ropes walking course offered by some of the newer cruise ships.

The Solarium at the front of the ship is a favorite spot for adults to go and just relax, lay on chairs, and have a great 180 degree view. It could get crowed there, however, but there are alternative, secret locations on the Oasis to chill out that are far less packed.

Ports of the Transatlantic Cruise

Our main dining room waiter mentioned that the cruise was not sold out, and that for this particular trip it only had four thousand some odd passengers. Perhaps the appeal of this particular voyage was lessened by the fact that there were only two ports of call for this 12 day journey, Malaga and the disembarkation port of Barcelona, Spain. Also school has already started, so fewer families could make it.

Malaga was a beautiful port, with plenty of history. We were eager to finally get on land after 10 consecutive sea days, and felt particularly energetic for a DIY walk. We visited the beautiful Muelle Uno/La Farola areas near Port Malaga, then trekked to the Alcazaba fortress, then did the steep climb to the Gibralfaro castle. The 45 minute way up was beautifully scenic, but if you have any sort of mobility issue or are not in top notch shape, you seriously want to consider taking the city bus from Alcazaba to the Gibralfaro. We also got to see the massively grand Malaga Cathedral, strolled through Malaga Park, and visited the Atarazanas Market.

In Barcelona, we did Royal Caribbean City Tour with Transfer to City Center excursion. It was a bit of a disappointment mainly because it did not include the Sagrada Familia. We did not expect to enter obviously since that required waiting in line to buy tickets, but were surprised that the guide only talked about the site- should have at least drop people off at the grounds so they could appreciate it from the outside. We had 2 more days after the cruise to spend in the city, so we did visit the most famous site of Barcelona, but we were counting on visiting it on the tour.

Too bad those were the only two ports of call of this Oasis trans-Atlantic cruise. It certainly would have been nicer to stop at Bermuda or the Azores. Technically the ship did sort of call on Bermuda on Day 4- there was an announcement shortly before noon by the captain that we had diverted towards Bermuda 4 hours ago to have a helicopter evacuate a passenger due to medical emergency.

Entertainment aboard the Oasis

Drew Divine was the cruise director on the ship. He did a solid job MC'ing and introducing entertainers, and really seemed into his elements during "The Quest" show at the Studio B ice skating rink.

The Broadway musical "Hairspray" was very enjoyable. The cast did a great job performing the roles, and the story was a compelling one as well.

Oasis of Dreams was a spectacular diving/trampoline stunts show that we had never experienced before on land or at sea. The AquaTheater was the perfect stage for the talented cast which come from all over the world as former swimming or high-diving competitors.

Later on in the cruise, the same group performed again in a whimsical and funny show called Splish Splash at the same venue which was just as enjoyable.

The comedians Phil Tag and AJ Jamal were both very funny. We found it odd, however, that the venue (called Comedy Live) where the acts were held was a smallish room on deck 4. They both did an admirable job dealing with several members of the audience. One guest decided, on several occasions, to yell out loud a response regarding anything she thought was factually incorrect, and another was a poet (not a mistype!) who actually came up on stage and read a haiku poem. Wow. By the way, be sure to book the tickets to the comedic performances early- if you go standby there is usually very little chance of going in.

Earl Turner was very entertaining. He was extremely energetic- standing on chairs, climbing on seats, and had a great voice to boot. He certainly was one of the highlights of the overall entertainment presented aboard the Oasis.

What's My Line was an Improv Comedy show starring four talented folks (including several from the Hairspray show) of the entertainment staff. It was certainly reminiscent (perhaps a copy of) an act by NCL's Second City. Still, it was entertaining, and the entire Studio B was jam packed for the show.

The only complaint we do have was that there was not enough main showtime entertainment to last the entire 12 day cruise. The Oasis typically sails 7 night itineraries, so it seemed that the planners dropped the ball a bit in not adding more shows for this particular cruise.

Food on the Oasis

We found the food on at the main dining room of good quality. Food can come out slowly, but usually they were tasty and well-presented. Some of our favorite dishes included Horseradish Crusted Fillet of Atlantic Salmon, Roasted Rack of Lamb, and Singapore Noodles with Prawn Skewer.

http://www.reviewcruises.net/cruise-pics/v/royal-caribbean-food/Roasted+Rack+of+Lamb+with+Parsnip+Mash+Oasis+of+the+Seas.jpg.html

There was one Lobster night, but unfortunately the broiled tail was over-cooked so it came off as a bit dry.

For lunch, if you have about an hour and and half to spend, the Royal Brasserie 30 at one of the main dining rooms had some well-crafted entrees and desserts. There was a small buffet that offered roasted meat, jerk chicken, salmon, curry, and steamed veggies. There was also a menu where you could order tasty dishes such Chicken Sliders and Praline Chocolate Crunch dessert.

The Windjammer Market buffet was a little underwhelming more because of the high expectations we had for the largest ship in the world, but it provided a decent variety of food.

For breakfast, it did have some interesting offerings such as wheat grass beet juice and pineapple smoothie.

There was, however, no made-to-order omelet there- you have to go to the other end of the ship at the Wipeout Cafe to order those. Speaking of the Wipeout Cafe- it was a basic fast-food eatery that offered not-so healthy fare. The Pretzel Dog offered there is pretty tasty, however.

Healthier cuisine was available at the Solarium Bistro. It is free to eat lunch there, but be sure to get there early- maybe 10 minutes before it opens or you will have difficulty getting a table. The Seared Sesame Yellow Fin Tuna Bites dish was one of our favorites there, though we only saw it there one time.

The Park Cafe, open for lunch though closes by 6 PM, can be similarly packed most of the time. It offered enjoyable sandwiches, soups, salad, and desserts. We enjoyed the salad station there mostly, and also liked their Roast Beef Sandwich and Jerk Chicken Wrap.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was yet another enjoyable cruise. The weather, perhaps partly thanks to the guidance of Captain Trym Selvag, was terrific. Every day of this September transatlantic venture was sunny and warm save for Day 10. The quality of entertainment was superb and some of the best we have experienced at sea. The food was good with plenty of eateries to pick from. Dining room service was terrific, though we did have a few issues with our room steward and the cabin toilet. In the end, we highly recommend Oasis of the Seas, and give this cruise a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Oasis of the Seas Pros

• ship is very stable

• uses ceramic cups in the buffet

• extremely quick embarkation

• quiet cabin

• nice water pressure in shower

• top notch entertainment options, especially with the Broadway show Hairspray and diving show Oasis of Dreams

• gym doesn't close until 1 am (vs 10 PM on all other ships we've been on)

• plentiful of Ping Pong Tables in enclosures though tables are not in the best of shape

• abundance of free dance classes/lessons

• Did not get sick thus indicative of high level of hygiene on the ship

Oasis of the Seas Cons

• can't use desk chair if sofa is converted into bed; no bed rail available

• Windjammer buffet does not have as good as a selection as e.g. Explorer of the Seas

• toilet flooded several times

• event (body sculpting) advertised as free but when got there it was for fee

• no water slide

• long wait on the phone to speak to guest services

• repeated shows meant some nights without new main theater entertainment

• no made-to-order omelets for breakfast at buffet

• main dining room food execution was not as good as Explorer of the Seas (e.g. dry sea bass and dry lobster)

Oasis of the Seas Pictures Gallery

• Ship, cabin & public areas

• Food from the Cruise

Videos from the Cruise

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKZWB-uCIzwSbcqLE7GxCXSnbTfV0TojM

First Day on the Oasis

We got to the port around 11:45ish am and the checking process was quick and easy with barely any waiting. After we got checked in, we only had to wait to go on the ship, was fives minutes. The whole check in process and getting on the ship was the easiest and fastest that we have ever express with our cruising experiences (this will be our 17th cruise). We were early at the port (as we always are on our cruise trips) but because of the Oasis of The Seas, well organized check in process that made things went so smoothly and painless which was a great way to start our vacation - I love it!

We got on the ship at round 12:15ish and as we did our research in forehand, the ship also opens for lunch at different places other than the main buffet restaurant, Windjammer Marketplace (deck 16) to avoid to crowd; the madness; stress to find the seats and long waiting in lines to get the food. We went through the Central Park (deck) and saw Park Cafe had long line to get in, so we went to up to Solarium Bistro (deck 15). The place is small and we had to sit outside at the covered patio area and it was hot without any breeze since the ship wasn't moving - it was getting too hot to join our food so we only ate a bit from their small selection of food. Though their salad bar had a good selection of good stuff, where they have grilled, beets etc. We went the to Windjammer Market place since we didn't like much of warm food and it was almost unbearable to eat in the heat even though it was shaded. When we got to the buffet restaurant we noticed that the crews were trying to seating people which I actually like better so it is less chaos. Though the selection of the food was larger but the food wasn't the greatest. I tried their seafood paella and it wasn't good.

We then walked around to check out the ship a little bit, and the Boardwalk is really cool with a festival feel. Overall so far, I really like this Oasis of The Seas ship with all these great places like the Central Park with an amazing garden layout with real plants and trees. The design of the place gives you the feel of on land garden place which is really unique comparing the other 16 cruises that we had been on. The Boardwalk also gives you that feel of on land festival place rather than a feel on a typical cruise ship design. We walked around to take some pictures and then we back to the cabin for some rest. We got a cabin balcony and the cabin is a typical balcony cabin. It is typical cabin with balcony with extra room and good size balcony. They have a good size table with two chairs on the balcony where you can have your meals - all the tables on the other balconies cabin we had in the past were too small and short to eat on there. We took chilled out in our cabin until dinner time.

We went to the Opus restaurant at 6pm (our designated dinner time). We got seated shortly after we got there and our servers, Edgar and Avinash were friendly and helpful, and gave us great service. I had the Fish Rillettes with a jumbo shrimp (too much mayo, only the shrimp was good) and the escargot (too salty) for starters and I had the Seafood spaghetti for main course which was good with good amount of really crab on the top and creamy sauce with scallops and muscles (the portion wasn't big). I ordered a crime brûlée for desert and realized that it was with banana flavor which I didn't like since I preferred the original flavor. Hubby got the shrimp cocktail and Asian coconut seafood soup as starters, and he like them both. He also got salmon dish as his main course and the salmon was a little bit over cooked. He got the Mango pudding desert and it was good. Our 4 year-old boy got his angus beef mini burger which he liked, and we ordered banana split for him but it was just some scoop of ice cream with some cuts of banana and chocolate sauce.

We walked around after the dinner and then we went to the Windjammer Marketplace to check out they had, and they had similar stuff as the Opus restaurant had for the dishes of the day. I tried a few bits of their prime rib and it was good, and their salad bar was good. We then went to Aqua Theater to watch the Oasis of Dreams (we made the reservation online at home days before our cruise, and being their early). The show was a combination of gymnastic and dive per formations and it was amazing with many talented performers with heavy experience in gymnastics and diving - one time there were two guys dived off from the highest point, about 60 feet high.

We went back to the cabin after the show and hubby tugged our little one in bed, and I went to watch the 9pm comedy show at Comedy LIVE, deck 4 starring Phil Tag (9pm comedy show) and AJ Jamal (10:30 pm comedy show). They both were somewhat funny (not the best I have seen out there). Phil was talking more about common matters, and AJ joked more about adult stuff but at many point he went too far that the jokes became unpleasant, especially when he was talking about this cabbage diet joke with his stomach problem (I wished he knew when to shop without farther disgusting details). The comedy show didn't end until 11:30ish which was almost an hour over time, and that was fine with me since overall they both were pretty funny. I got back to our cabin and watched US Open with my hubby until 2am- what I great way to end our day!

Oasis of The Seas - Day 2

We woke at 7:10am and went to the Character Breakfast at the Opus restaurant at 7:45am. They served regular breakfast food but with a special menu with some creatively named dishes. We got to meet and took pictures with the characters from The Madagascar movie - Alex, the lion, Gloria the Hippo and King Julien. The Character Breakfast used to be complimentary but after Sept. 1, 2014, apparently RCCL will start charging people. We got lucky and still got to experience the event for free - not sure why, maybe we our cruise was one of the last ones? During the breakfast we ordered our food from the menu. I have the fried eggs (sunny side up) that came with hash browns, bacon and two roasted tomatoes. Hubby got scramble eggs with the same sides as mine, and our preschooler got Cheerios with milk, and some scramble eggs and bacon. They also have a breakfast buffet in the restaurant where you can get the food yourself. They had a good selection of fresh fruits, Danish, scramble eggs, oatmeal, and more. What got my attention was the chicken congee which was good and I actually ate two small bowls of it (got a bowl for hubby and he liked it too)....yum!

We left the restaurant at around 9:15ish am and went back to our cabin. We went back to sleep a little bit since hubby and I stayed up very late and woke up early, and our boy was watching his shows and playing with his toys. I got up at 10:40 and hubby slowly got up too. We got ready to go for lunch and left our cabin at 11:50am and were debating if we should go eat lunch at the Windjammer Marketplace before we headed down to deck 5 to watch the Rockin' Rhythm Nation Parade which was a street parade that took place on the Royal Promenade. Though we took a quick look to see if people had lined up for the parade yet and sure enough, there were already a lot of people waiting for the parade even though it was 40 minutes before the starting time of 12:30pm. Thus we decide to eat our lunch at the Sorrento's pizzeria to get a good view since the restaurant is right at the Royal Promenade. All the tables with front seats were taken but we got lucky as some people left their tables and we got one table right behind the front row. We had a nice view, plus both hubby and I got tons of good pictures taken and videos recorded of the parade. The parade was pretty neat but we both thought that the parade we saw the other RCCL cruise was better because they had the Brazilian dance going with fancier costumes.

Later we went to the Oasis of The Seas main buffet, Windjammer Marketplace, and got some better food since we didn't eat much from the Sorrento's pizzeria- their pizza weren't very good. Though they did let you 'Create your own pizza' with good choices of topping, like mushroom, asparagus, red opinion, teriyaki chicken, mozzarella cheese, anchovies and few more choices. However, don't have high expectation since they use the pre-made pizza 'bread' (not fresh made pizza dough). The create your own pizza wasn't as bad as I thought - the crust was pretty crunchy & doughy. Keep in mind though you have to wait for about 15 minutes to get your pizza all cooked up. If you don't have time to wait, you could get their pizza that are ready to eat. They have pepperoni, cheese pizza, Hawaiian and veggies pizza.

@ Windjammers we mainly ate salad and I got some baked salmon which was actually better than the one we ate at the Opus restaurant the night before. So far I think the Oasis of The Seas food is ok, nothing amazing yet. More disappointing dishes than good dishes. They seem to focus more on salad choices and less of main warm dishes. Their selection of food @ the buffet was also limited. We have been eating more salad which is only good but at the same time miss some good warm dishes.

We went for a walk around the ship and then ended at the Wipe-Out Cafe, located on Sports deck 15. There we tried out their pretzel hotdogs which we heard that it was good. All three of us (especially our boy) like the pretzel hotdogs - the combination of the light sweetness from the pretzel bread goes well with the salty hotdogs. The little one ate almost a whole one by himself (we had to stop him from finishing eating this junk food). Hubby and I shared one and didn't even finish it since the hotdog was too salty for our taste.

Later on we dropped little buddy at the ship's kids area, Adventures Ocean, while we walked around to have a little free time. Since our little one is too attached to us, by putting him in the Adventures Ocean, we hope that he learns to be more independent from while having fun with other kids.

Hubby and I were walking around the ship and to taking pictures, and we ended at the Central Park, deck 8 and went inside the Park Cafe in Central Park. We came out with an Asian salad with medium sized shrimp and some noodles inside the to-go package, and we also got a fruit cup. The salad was good and the fruits were refreshing. The Park Cafe is pretty small but it actually has a good selection of food like sandwiches & salads- they even have a salad bar where you can create your own salad with a crew member putting the stuff together for you. They also have asoup station, bags of potato chips which were really popular with guests, and desert station. You can buy 'better' coffee there but you can always get regular coffee and other complimentary drinks. After we finished our snack, we went to pick up our boy at 5pm.

We went to our cabin to get ready for dinner, and tonight was formal night/dress up night which was optional but it is always nice to dress up. Most guests dressed up tonight and it was especially crowded in the dinning room at Opus when we got there at 6pm. After waiting to be seated for 10 minutes, we learned that we could have gone straight to our dinning table without signing in like we did on other cruises which was much better.

For dinner, I had lobster bisque and cocktail shrimp for starters and they both were good. I then had the roasted duck with red cabbage fried potatoes sticks as main course and it was also good. Little dude had the duck too but only like the skin and ate some duck meat (he picked the dish himself!) He also got some broccoli and a fruit plate with some grapes this time which was perfect because grapes and watermelon are the only fruits he would eat. As for Hubby, he got smoked chicken which was good, and he also got the lobster bisque as starter as well. He ordered shrimp ravioli and spinach with cream sauce (it is more like cheese ravioli topping with mini shrimps) and another dish with crepe with mascarpone cream and artichokes. He thought the dishes was ok, at least they weren't too salty. Hubby got a chocolate souffle which was ok in his opinion.

We walked around to take pictures of us but the Royal Promenade, deck 5 was so crowded that we could barely go through without bumping into people. We decide to go to the Central Park and the Broadwalk, and we got to take pictures of ourselves in those places. We the went back to our cabin to have our little Darwin ready for bed. Tonight is my turn to tug our boy to bed so hubby can go to watch a late show.

Hubby went to the HairSpray Broadway Musical Comedy Show at Opal Theater which lasted for 1.5 hours. Hubby said it was a really good show and unfortunately that was to be the last show of the cruise- they had one at 2:30pm today but we forgot about it. Hubby said that when he booked the tickets for the show was for at night but when we checked their booking system on TV, we didn't see our name for that time frame. So always keep track on our booking shows (some shows you can book in advance online before you go on board)- one guy was telling my hubby that his show time got changed and he complained to the booking people and all they told him that he was responsible for checking the updates on their schedules which could be changed or even some cancellations(??!)

Oasis of The Seas - Day 3

We left our cabin at 9:50am for breakfast but had to inform our room attendant to have someone to fix our toilet that has been stuck since last night. It overflowed at one point but we didn't want to wake up our son if have someone come to fix it last night.

Breakfast was to be at Johnny Rockets at Boardwalk area on deck 6. The restaurant has 50's decor, and it gives you the feel of the typical breakfast place you at your local restaurant. Johnny Rockets is a small place but pretty neat - their out door tables are on the Board walking are nice and shaded, and you can people watching while you having your meal. The place was pretty busy but we got seated right away. I ordered Eggs 'My Way' which were eggs served fried and came with the choice of 2 sausages and English muffins plus classic country potatoes. I also had green tea and orange juice. Hubby had Patty n' Eggs which came with his choice of soy Boca patty (tasted like vegetarian burger patty but very crispy), English muffins and scrambled eggs, and the dish also had with classic country potatoes. Our four year-old got cheese omelet with toasts and potatoes. Our experience at Johnny Rockets was good and we would come back to eat breakfast here since it is on the same level as our cabin and literally 1 minute from us.

After breakfast we went to the Crown and Anchor party for the repeat cruisers (loyal club) where they offered free drinks/cocktails. They had a little diving show for us and the cruise director came out on stage and it was the first time we saw him since we got on board. The captain and the hotel director came out on stage on circus bikes and they rode for a few minutes and then gave their speech. Then one by one the management staff members introduced themselves. After the party we walked around a bit and went to the Adventures Ocean to get the schedule the little one.

At 11:30 we went to the Solarium Bistro Buffet, deck 15. We were one of the firsts there and the place got so busy few minutes they opened - so much for avoiding the crowd. The place is small with few selection of food but it's at a convenient location surrounded with pools and sunbath areas, and most of these are for adults only. I personally prefer not to go back here for lunch because it's too small and had a small selection of food. Though their salad station is good and warm food items were pretty good but not special. They had Asian noodle miso soup with either chicken or mini shrimp, plus veggies and Japanese dry mushrooms plus tofu. I had the chicken one but the tofu was not good and the whole soup tasted old. Sure enough, once the pre-made noodles bowls were all gone (they would put in the hot miso broth when you want the soup), they no longer put more of the soup bowls out. I ate a salad with lots of mini shrimps and two pieces of tilapia and ate some fruits too.

After lunch, we went to Meet & Greet with Puss in Boots at Opus Dinning lobby, deck 3 at 1pm. We got to take some pictures with the Puss, and we went back to our cabin to chill out and watched US Open. We then left the our cabin at 2:30ish. Hubby took the little dude to the Adventures Ocean for some fun kids time of his own. I went for a walk, and after hubby returned, he went around the ship to take pictures. Then I went to the cabin to pick up his swim clothes so I could take him go swimming right after picking him up. I was getting his swimming stuff when I got a call from the Adventures Ocean saying that our son had asked them to call me to come and pick him up (they gave us a cell phone so they can contact us if needed).

I picked him up and I took him to the kids pool area which is a cool colorful place in great size with large splash pads and colorful artistic statues with sea animals theme. There is a kids 'jacuzzi' that makes water spins around in circle. It was about 3.5 feet deep. They also have a square pool with the depth of 2.9 feet on half of the pool and the other half is at 3.5 feet deep. We were at the pool for an hour and went back to the cabin to give him a shower.

Next, we headed out to watch the Frozen In Time Ice Show in Studio B, deck 4 @ 5pm. We got there at 4:45pm and it was already packaged with people but luckily we were able to get some seats on the 8th row. The ice skating show was good with talented skaters but the show was over all OK in term of the story. The segments didn't have any connection that were related to each other in any way thus the show was not as memorable.

We went to Opus for dinner at 6pm. I ordered Seafood Ceviche (mini shrimp & small bay scallops) for starter, and it wasn't very good because I could taste the bitterness from the lime peel. And as for the maim courses, I had Roasted Racket Lamb served with mashed potatoes with flava beans and wine flavored gravy. The dish was really good, the lamb was so tender and moist. The mashed potatoes was smooth went well with the nutty yet soft beans and the tasty gravy enhanced the everything on the plate. I also ordered the Japanese Gyoza with shrimp dumplings with bok choy and oyster shiitake mushroom and ponzu sauce. The dish came with four soft skinned small dumplings and a few vegetables topped with one single piece of mushroom. The dish is way too small to be a main course and you can't taste any shrimp but its overall flavors were not bad - would have been a nice appetizer! Hubby ordered Seafood Ceviche and Seared Beef Carpaccio that came with whole sticks of asparagus and aged manchego cheese topped with buttermilk and Dijon mustard sauce. For main course, he had the Pan-seared file of Sole with Parmesan potatoes and artichoke gratin with some cherry tomatoes. The fish was well-flavored yet but could need a light sauce to go with it or maybe just some lemon will work too - it was a bit fishy but not too bad. Hubby also ordered the Pork Scalloping Oscar dish that came with crab meat over the pork, the dish also came with fresh asparagus and a grilled tomato and topped with veal sauce. Hubby didn't care so much for the pork dish and I tried a bit of the crab, and I could taste the mayo. Our four year-old little dude ate four pieces of racket lamb with some bread and I chocolate cookie and a tea spoons of ice cream (yes, the dude can eat!) Hubby had Panna Cotta and he thought it was ok, and I had a fruit plate with a few teaspoons of ice cream I shared with my little one.

We finished put meal at 7:30pm and walked around a bit before hubby and the little one went to get ready for bed. I went to watch the 8:30pm Headliner Showtime starring with Gary Williams who is from UK. The guy has a great voice and sounds like Frank Sinatra. He was very entertaining and sang many classic great hits. Based on this life stories that he was telling us, he is in his mid-40s. I enjoyed his show very much - really like his manly romantic voice! The show ended at 9:30 and the cruise director came out to remind us that we need to set our watches to one hour forward at noon tomorrow and he wished a nice evening. After the show I went to walk around to walk of some calories and found out that the gym doesn't close until 1am- which was perfect for the night owl people like hubby and I .

Oasis of the Seas Day 4

I went to the Body Sculpt Boot Camp class at the Fitness Center, deck 6 this morning and found out that there is a fee of $150 for 5 classes and they will have the classes every other day. On the schedule it didn't indicate that there would be a fee for the classes. A lady taking the session told me that the first class was a trial. I was bummed and annoyed by the wrong information, but I decided to stay to work out a bit. The gym was packed and pretty much most of the exercise machine were taken, while most weight equipment were being used as well. I had to wait a bit but not too bad. However, there was this couple who hogged a particular weight machine for over 20 minutes while I was waiting for them to finish. I used other machines while waiting but also stood nearby but they took their sweet time as well as taking turns to take breaks which was very inconsiderable of them! I was at the gym for an hour and got a good work out. It was somewhat inspiring to have lots of people exercise around you but it might be too crowded for me. Maybe anytime after 12pm it wouldn't be as busy because at around 11am there were a few treadmills were available versus at 10.

I left the gym at 11:20 and went to the Park Cafe and ate a Asian noodle salad with shrimp. I also got chicken noodle soup but it was too salty thus I only drank a few spoonful. I got a fruit cup and ate two kiwis as well. After I finished my snack (didn't eat breakfast), I went to pick up the little guy from Adventures Ocean. They close at noon every day but will open again at 2-5pm, though if you want to have them take your kids to dinner (no charge), you can do so. They will bring the kids back to the playroom after dinner which is normally at 7pm. You can have them babysit your kids for free until 10pm - $7 per hour any tome after 10pm.

Today we starting to set our watches forward one hour, and we will set one hour which will be the case for the next six days. We chilled out a bit at our cabin and went for lunch at Windjammer Marketplace. The buffet was busy but we were able to find a table shortly after we got there. I had a big lunch with eating in particular the Chinese BBQ pork rib with five spice flavor, 2 slices of Smoke fish with rye bread, plus a little bit of Indian pork vindaloo with some rice. I also had a tiny bit of beef casserole with veggies, and ate a good size sprout salad and some fresh asparagus. Our little one ate a hamburger with cheese and ketchup plus a few French fries. We went back to our cabin after lunch and I called the front desk to make sure that the Water Aerobics at Sports Pool (deck 15) is complementary as it's indicated on the daily schedule. After I experienced with the boot camp class incident this morning, I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be a repeated mistake on their part. The front desk confirmed with me that the Water Aerobics is free of charge to join. So I will give it a try tomorrow (9am).

We chilled out a bit and watched the US Open. Hubby then took the little guy to the to Meet & Greet the Madagascar Family on Royal Promenade near the Champagne Lounge, deck 5 at 5pm. Afterwards hubby told me that they didn't let him take any picture with the characters unless doing the photo shoots at their studio setting area. They didn't indicate this on the program and that was very tricky of them and annoying too! So the boys for a walk on their jogging track for 2 laps. We were training our son to walk for long distances since we were going on two more cruises (NCL Jade and NCL Spirit) after this one, and there would be a lot of walking on many different ports around Italy, Turkey and Greece. They got back to the cabin at 4:40pm and we all left for dinner at 6pm.

Tonight for dinner, I ordered Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup with rye bread croutons for starter. The soup had a very strong garlic taste that even I thought it was too strong - I love garlic and even love to eat them raw. I had Eggplant Parmigiana (pan-fried, breaded eggplants, pomodoro sauce, fresh basil and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses); & Garlic Tiger Shrimp served with steam rice, seasonal veggies and herb butter. The Eggplant Parmigiana (eggplant lasagna) was pretty good. The tiger shrimps' meat were sweet and delicious and the fresh asparagus were crunchy and yummy!

For starters, hubby ordered Arancini (golden fried rice and portabella mushroom balls, garlic spinach and Romesco sauce), and Chilled Strawberry Bisque with mint foam. The Arancini was crispy on the outside and had chopped sauteed mushroom inside - hubby thought that it was OK. And for the Chilled Strawberry soup, both hubby and I thought it was way too sweet, almost like a smoothie and thus the little dude liked it (haha). Hubby's main courses were Garlic Tiger Shrimp, and Shrimp Insalata Mista (mixed greens, crisp zucchini, sweet red bell peppers, black olives and a grilled garlic shrimp brochette). The Shrimp Insalata Mista was a nice salad with four shrimp on a skew (the shrimps were flavorful and delicious with a wonderful smoky taste) and the salad came with a Thousand Island dressing. The little guy had a fruit plate as always but he actually only eats the grapes and I would finish the rest for him. He had Filetto Di Maiale Arrosto Con Salvia (slow roaded pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto and sage, Provolone potato bake, broccoli, carrots and truffle reduction. The pork was tender and the little dude liked it. As for deserts, I had a fruit plate with pineapples, honeydew, grapes, kiwi and a strawberry - I love their fruit plate here and I get it every night. Hubby got Tiramisu and it was really good with a nice taste of Kahlua liqueur - a nice way to end our lovely meal (our son liked the cake too!)

After the dinner we walked around the ship and went to the Windjammer to get some hot tea and as well to check out what they had up there. I then said 'goodnight' to my little buddy and went to watch the ventriloquist show with Ronn Lucas. They had the show at 8:30pm and again at 10:30 - hubby and I took turns to watch the show while one of us would watch our little guy and tuck him to bed. The show was awesome - one of the best ventriloquist show I had seen! Tomorrow, we once again need to set an hour forward at noon. Maybe that is why the little one wasn't asleep when I got back at 9:30ish as he normally would. He didn't go to sleep until 11pm (he did sleep until 9:30ish this morning)!

Oasis of the Seas Day 5

This morning I went to the Water Aerobics at the Sports pool, deck 15 at 9am. The class was enjoyable and fun though lasted only 30 minutes, and it was too crowded with about 35 people in a medium size pool. It would have been better if the pool were bigger. Most of us couldn't do some of the movements without bump into each other. I did enjoy it but I likely wouldn't go back there again since it's too crowded for me in that pool.

Afterwards I got back to the cabin and showered, then went for breakfast at Windjammer Marketplace with hubby and the little one. They had a good selection of food on breakfast and I love their wheatgrass and beets 'shots' and another sort of smoothie which they change daily. Other cruises will charge you $ for these kinds of drinks. They did not, however, have any omelet station but they did have cheese and tomatoes already made omelet available. After breakfast, we dropped little buddy off at the Adventures Ocean for an hour.

Hubby and I walked around the ship a little bit, and I did some shopping before heading up to the Viking Lounge. The place was quite spacious and had a nice view of the ocean and the pools. Meanwhile, hubby took a walk and picked up our son at 12pm which became 1pm due to the time change of an hour forward. Eventually, we returned the cabin to chill out. I took a nap since I woke up early this morning, and the boys were watching the Puss In Boots movie in the stateroom. We then went for lunch at Opus and they had a small buffet area setting up with a pair of salad bars on both sides of the buffet. There were two long lines at the salad bars when we walked into the restaurant. You would pick the stuff you want for your salad and the staff would mix your salad together with your choice of dressing. There were goodies to go with it such as medium-sized shrimp, mini mozzarella cheese balls, feta cheese, tuna, etc. They also have a lunch menu that you could order from but I didn't see anything on it that stood out to me. So I went to the buffet and got some food for my little dude- Sweet & Sour pork and some baked creamy pasta. He liked them, especially the pork! I also got a little bit each of the food for hubby and I to try, including Rice and Beans, Mexican Beef Stew (tough to chew, and the stew has a strong cinnamon flavor), Jerk chicken, Grilled salmon (a bit dry), Sweet & Sour pork (flavorful and taste and the pork was fried), Pasta with Marinara sauce, Baked pasta (pretty creamy and good), Steam Vegetables. Hubby had Tomato Risotto with mini scallops and medium sized shrimps - it was ok. I got a salad from the salad bar with mini mozzarella cheese balls, feta cheese and shrimps with lettuce - it was good.

Later we got back to our cabin to get our hats and put on some sunscreen to go to the miniature golf. We got there at 4 and it was hot. We played all the 9 wholes within 20 minutes. Oasis of The Seas miniature golf was pretty small and had a boring setting- I have seen and played much better and large ones on smaller ships. We all then went to take a look at the Flowrider surfing area. It was pretty cool but you have to know how to surf to get on it. I didn't feel like trying it because there were always people sitting there and watching. I don't feel like having people watching me falling and look like a goof, plus it certainly did not look easy. I thought I would try the zip line though. Hubby and our four years old 'played' table tennis (his first time play it) for 10 minutes. The ship has 6 ping pong table/table tennis and I like how they have two glass rooms with open tops, and each glass room has three tables.

We then went back to our cabin to get ready for dinner at Opus. I had Crab Cake and Smoked Duck Breast (with orange and fennel salad) for starters. The crab cake wasn't good and it wasn't with real crabmeat but imitate crabmeat but it came with a tiny portion of spicy salad that I liked- it tasted almost like kimchi. The smoked duck breast was ok , nothing special. Hubby's starters were Summer Fruit Medley (pineapple, papaya, mango, kiwi, strawberry, coconut and pistachio), and the Crab Cake. The fruit salad was refreshing. For the main courses, hubby had Orecchiette Pasta, and Cilantro-Crusted Cod Loin that came with vegetable jasmine rice, cognac scented corn-curry lobster sauce. I ordered the cod dish as well and both hubby and I thought the fish were a bit dry, and the Orecchiette Pasta was pretty good. Our son had Braised Beef Duo (short rib, beef shoulder, Carolina yellow stone grits, red wine-beer sauce). Per my request, he only had the beef and steamed broccoli on his dish since I knew that he wouldn't want the other stuff. The beef was tender but the red wine-beer sauce for a bit bitter thus he didn't eat much of it. For dessert, I had the Rum Baba (traditional yeast cake soak in rum served with vanilla ice cream) and it was really good- loved the rum flavor. Hubby had the Jaffa cake (dark chocolate and orange parfait with amaretto-lemon sponge cake) and he like it since it had a nice texture and not too sweet. Our waiter brought out his favorite desert, Cherries Jubilee (warm kirschwasser cherries, vanilla ice cream and toasted almonds). I really liked the warm cherries with a light red wine taste to them went well with the ice cream and the roasted almonds added a nice crunch -delicious!

After dinner, we walked around and then went to the only show with the ventriloquist, Ronn Lusas. He was funny once again but it was very similar to what we saw yesterday thus it wasn't as comical- I thought it'd be a totally different show but wasn't. We returned to the cabin to get the little one ready for bed. I gave him a shower then daddy tugged him to bed. I left for the gym and came back 30 minutes later, and he was still awake and it was already 10:30. He normally goes to at 8:30 but the constant time change was messing up his sleep schedule. Hubby then left at 10:15 to go to the comedy show with Phil Tag & AJ Jamal at 10:30pm at Comedy LIVE, deck 4. He thought both comedians were very funny. They did most of the same jokes they did the other night I was at their show. They are pretty funny but I thought AJ was being too much with his diarrhea story/jokes and as well went a bit too far with some of his sexual jokes. The little dude once again didn't go to bed until 11 ship time. That was all for us for today, and another wonderful fun day ahead of us tomorrow .

Oasis of the Seas Day 6

We woke up at 10am and went for breakfast @ the Windjammer for breakfast. The little one had his cheese omelet and toast with jam - spread the jam on the toast on his own. I then took him to the kids area to have fun time with other kids but he made a fuss about it on our way over there. He still needed to go so he would learn to be more independent -he is way too needy! I got back to the cabin to chill out a bit and then left to Park Cafe in Central Park to get us a table for lunch. Hubby went to get our son and he told me that the little dude had fun and didn't want to leave the place. Eventually he went back with daddy and he made a tall chef hat which looked so cute on him!

The Park Cafe was getting really busy and loud at 1pm and the line for the salad bar was so long. They were fast but I still had to wait in line for 8 minutes to get my salad. I also got one Profiteroles desert which seems to be popular and I know now why. Speaking of popular, a lot of people got the Lays chip bags - the cafe has five different types of those.

We then went back to the cabin and chilled out. About an hour later, hubby and the little guy left for their daily walk for half an hour and came back at 3:40ish pm. I then took him to the kids' pool and he had some much fun. He swam a lot and thus hopefully he would fall asleep better and faster. We swam until 4:50 and stopped at the frozen yogurt machine because he really wanted an ice cream (he saw other kids eating it) and since he was swimming so good, I let him have one. We got back to the cabin and getting ready for dinner. I went out to our balcony to do my nails and I saw some dolphins! Tonight is dress up night so I get to dress up my little dude in suit and bow tie. I have to say, my little monkey looked so cute and got so much attention from everyone... not just because he is little but he sure looked like a mini James Bond with his outfit LOL!

Anyhow, for dinner, hubby got Paupiette of Roast Beef (herb-garlic cream cheese filling with mustard drizzle) and Cream of Potato Soup (bacon pieces and mini crackers) for starters. He liked the Roast Beef but the soup wasn't anything special other than smooth potatoes soup with some small pieces of bacon and we both thought that it was too salty. For starters, I had Manhattan Claim Chowder (tomato based soup w veggies claims and oyster crackers), and Escargots which was bland (unlike the other time, it was salty). As for the main courses, hubby ordered Mexican-inspired Beef Salad (spicy tomato-cilantro dressing and fried corn tortillas), and Pesto Tagliatelle (sun-dried tomatoes, onions, crimini mushrooms, basil pesto). I ordered the Tempura-Fried Mahi Mahi & Tiger shrimp (Asian stir fried vegetables and chili plum glaze). The seafood was battered and fried and was crispy, and the stir fried veggies was flavorful. I ordered the Lemon and Harissa-Spiced Roasted Chicken for Darwin, and he like the chicken, especially its skin -it had a lemony taste and with a nice black pepper flavor. Tonight, we totally pigged put on the deserts. We all shared the Hazelnut Souffle (with Frangelico sauce); Banana Foster (banana and orange butter sauce with vanilla ice cream), and Boston Cream Pie (vanilla-rum custard, chocolate glaze). I ate most of the pie as it was so good. The souffle was really tasty, too...had such a smooth texture that just melt in your mouth and had a nice eggy taste. The banana foster was good too but not as delicious and special as the other two deserts. I don't have sweet tooth bit I just couldn't stop eating them - they weren't too sweet!

After the dinner, we took a walk and stopped at the Central Park to take some pictures since we made an effort to dress up. There was still daylight at 7:40pm and we took some pictures of yourselves in the beautiful garden. We then headed down to Boardwalk to watch the Fountain show at 8 at the Aqua Theater, deck 6 - it was pretty nice. We took a video of it too:

They copied the fountain show in Vegas at Caesar Plaza hotel but of course much smaller. I was only there for 10 minutes and had to leave for tonight show with Earl Turner at 8:30pm. They will have the same show again at 10:30 and hubby will go to that one. Once again, the little dude was still not sleeping when I got back at 9:30pm. He didn't fall asleep until 10:45ish. I went through the programs for tomorrow and planned out things a bit to enjoy another great and relaxing vacation day!

Oasis of the Seas Day 7

I was awake at 8:40 but didn't get up until an hour later since I didn't want to wake up hubby and our son. We all got ready at 10 and went for breakfast at Windjammer. It was busy as always but we got a table pretty quickly. I finished breakfast and left for Sorrento's and got there at 10:50 to get good seats to watch the parade at 11:30. There were already a lot of people and I just got lucky to get the last table for the second row behind the front row tables but I was able to push our table up a bit to get as a good view as the front row tables. At 11, there already tons of people sitting at the surrounding area where the parade took place.

The Move It Move It Parade at Royal Promenade was great (better than the first one). The parade started out with a guy doing the gymnastics performance, then came the characters and some classic parade festival costumes. We saw so many characters from the Madagascar movie and some from Shrek movie, as well Puss in Boots. We then went back to the cabin to chill out and stayed there for too long.

I missed my Latin Dance Workout class at Dazzles, deck 8/at 1:30pm -the time change really messed up a lot of things since the time would change one forward at noon! We didn't go for lunch until 2:30pm. Hubby took little dude to Adventures Ocean and I went up to the Viking Crown Lounge to wait for hubby. When I got to the lounge, I saw people were finishing up the Water Color Workshop. I had been wanting to try it out but still haven't gotten a chance yet. Will try to come to the workshop tomorrow. There were lots of people attending the event, the water painting looked fun.

Hubby came and took some pictures of the lounge and we walked over to the Solarium and that is for adults only. The place is spacious, full of beach chairs but they were all taken. There were lots people there chilling, napping and reading. The place is located in the front of the ship and it's quiet (kids free area) and is mostly shaded, and had great view. It has a large round pool which was very relaxing and of course they have a bar there as well. We went to get the little one and went back and to a walk together to explore the ship some more.

We went to the back of the ship on deck 14 where we read it's a little quiet secret place to check out. Sure enough, it's a nice and calm place where not many people would know but there were some beach chairs and few small side tables. It's a nice get away place if you aren't a fan of the crowd near the pool area. We then got back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.

Tonight, we didn't want to be late like last night since we were late just by 20 minutes, the food came out significantly slower than usual. We got to the restaurant by 6. Hubby and I ordered the Papaya, Lychee & Water Strawberry Salad with kaffir lime syrup for starter. It was more like a fruit bowl but I really like and had another order. Hubby also ordered Shellfish Saffron Consomme (baby prawns, leeks) for starter as well. It was broth with few mini shrimps and mini scallops, and few leek strings. I ordered the Wild mushroom & Goat Cheese Pizza (balsamic drizzle) which wasn't good since the pizza dough was like the premade 'pizza' bread. Our preschooler didn't like it either. So I had him try my main course- Asian Duck (orange-hoisin sauce, stir-fried Chinese cabbage, steam rice) and he liked so I gave him my dish and order another one. The duck was so tender and the flavor from the stir-fried veggies was pretty good. For the main courses, hubby ordered the Pan-Fried Pork Medallions (sour cream mashed potatoes, caramelized shallots, port wine reduction). He liked the dish- the pork was very tender but the calamari from the Greek salad on the other hand was too chewy and inedible! We both ordered the Greek Calamari Salad (traditional Greek salad with marinated squid) and neither of us could eat it. For dessert, hubby ordered the Warm Chocolate Banana Strudel (crispy phyllo dough, chocolate and banana, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce). He seemed to really like it and he is not really a desert person but he finish the cake. He also ordered the White Chocolate Cheesecake with a hint of lemon. He ordered this more for me since I like white chocolate. It was good but didn't want to eat to much of it. I actually ordered another Papaya Lychee 'salad' - I love it!

After the dinner, we went for a walk for half an hour on the walking trail outside on deck 5. It was pretty windy out there tonight but it was nice at the same time. We finished our walk and I said good night to the little one and went to watch the show at 9. I left the show shortly after since it was the same as last night with Earl Turner. I was hopping that it would be a little bit different. I then just walked around on deck for to take some photos, and did go inside Casino but came out very shortly since I couldn't stand the smell of the smoke. I continued my walk on the Promenade and ended at the Champagne Lounge. I chilled out at the lounge for 20 minutes and then left to check out the Latin Fiesta dance party that started at 10pm at Boleros. I went back to the cabin at 10:15 so hubby can go to the comedy show at 10:30. Once again, our little guy was still not asleep when I got back but he fall asleep half an hour later.

Oasis of the Seas Day 8

We rose at 9:30am and our breakfast room service came at 9:45am. We had our breakfast on our balcony which was wonderful with a nice breeze and shade, plus of course the amazing ocean view made it a perfect start for the day. Afterwards I took the little guy to Adventure Ocean - there were no kids there. I walked around and sat down to watch some tennis at the On-Air sport bar (they have their karaoke events here) but I didn't drink. There was another lady sitting at the bar as I was in front of the big flat screen TV with my delicious fresh cold water. There were a few of couples came to buy drinks. I left the sport bar at 11:50 to pick up little buddy, and he was the only kid at the whole he was there. He seemed to have some great time with his "babysitter" and did some crafts to bring back to the cabin and had it hanging on the wall. We went back to the cabin to meet up with hubby to go for lunch together. We went to Windjammer for lunch and it was busy since it was lunch time for everybody. We had to set the time an hour forward once again. After lunch I went to the Opal Theater to watch the Hair Spray show at 2:30pm and since hubby already watched the show the other night. Hubby liked the show and I thought it was great too. They all were good actors with amazing with strong voices, and had a spectacular dancing crew. The show was funny and had a good story.

I went back to the cabin after the show and went took our 4 year-old to the kids pool and splash pads. There were no kids swimming today, or at least at that time we were out there (it was packed last time we went and it was at the same time). Maybe it was too cold and windy (75 degrees!?), and the kids' pool was very cold. I didn't want to jump in there but the little dude insisted on having me go in the pool with him. Then I saw a Jacuzzi next to the kids pool. I checked the sign and it said that as long the kids are potty trained, they can go in there. Thus I got really excited and went in there with Darwin, and it was heavenly warm and relaxing. Darwin thought it was fun too since it was his first time in a Jacuzzi. He liked the strong bubbles -at first he thought the water was 'hot.' Though we didn't stay there for too long since I realized that he didn't get to swim and that defeat the purpose of having him out to get some exercise and to get the energy out of that little guy he would get a good night sleep. As much as I didn't feel like going into the cold pool, I sucked it up on went in. It was really cold the first few minutes but I did some of the same moves learned from the Water Aerobics class I attended the other day in the morning. I had stop going after the first time since it was way too crowded. Once I got warmed up, we had a great time in the pool. The pool actually felt nice and the pool water seemed very clean- so nice to have the entire pool all for ourselves. We swam for 15 minutes and then stopped by at Wipe Out Cafe where it was near by the pool. We shared a pretzel hotdog on our way back to the cabin (5:15pm). My little dude was a happy camper! We normally don't eat too much of that stuff but we were on vacation and it was second time eating the hotdogs on a 12 days cruise. I have to say though that the pretzel hotdogs were pretty good with a light sweetness from the pretzel bread which went well with the juicy hotdogs (too bad hotdogs were too salty!)

We returned to our stateroom and took a shower, then headed for dinner at 6pm. Tonight's dishes weren't not too good - the menu sounded good but bad execution. Both hubby and I ordered Oakwood-Smoked Trout Filet (horseradish creme fraiche, mustard-dill potato salad) for starters and it was ok. Hubby also had Chilled Golden Delicious Ape Soup (dusted with cinnamon), Roasted Beetroot Salad (mesclum greens, pancetta chips, eggs, shallot vinaigrette). It had literally one single beetroot in the tiny salad but the dressing was good though. For main courses, we both ordered the Scallop Linguini (plum tomatoes, olives, garlic, chopped basil), & the Baked Sea Bass (sauteed potatoes, spinach, cherry tomatoes and crispy onion). Both dishes were disappointing. The sea bass were way over cooked and thus dry, and the linguini dish didn't have enough flavor and there were only two medium size scallops. I ordered the Slow-Roasted Center-Cut Pork Loin (thyme potatoes, braised cabbage, sweet apple chutney) for our son. He didn't like the pork as it was a dry and tough. Hubby did think that the apple chutney was good. The desserts were Gateau Cardinal (white chocolate mouse cake with raspberries), Coffee Cream Mouse (coffee mousse, layered vanilla cream, caramel sauce and crisp biscotti biscuit), and Low-fat Roasted Bosc Pears (spiked cherry glaze).

Oasis of the Seas Day 9

Our son woke up at 10:30ish and I got up at 11. We went for lunch at the Windjammer at about half past 11. We were one of the first ones to be there. After lunch, we went to the cabin afterward and hubby took the little guy to the Adventure Ocean while I took a walk on the walking trail (I did 2.5 laps = 1 mile). I then went to pick up our kiddo but saw that he was in the middle of project in the science lab with other kids. It was so cute so I decided to wait with picking him up, and went for a walk instead, ending up @ the Park Café. I got a fruit cup there- the place is always busy. Afterwards I went to pick him up and he just finished his spider science project.

We returned to the cabin and hubby took the little one to the walking track to train the little dude to be able to walk on our next cruises which involves a lot of walking. Meanwhile, I went to check out the 70's Line Dance Class at Boleros, deck 5 at 3:45pm. Then King Julien came and joined in on the group dancing for a bit. I got some pictures with him right outside Bolero's. The club is a place where they have the Latin live music daily. I then went to the Royal Promenade Cafe and tried out some of their dessert selection. The Pink Lemonade Tartletter was good, though, a bit too sweet for me but creamy good with a nice strong strawberry flavor. The Willy Wonka Pie was pretty good. The ted zeppoles was greasy and fluffy with sugar on the outside - tasted like a donut. The Cheesecake Lollipop was really tasty. After trying out these desserts I was in a sugar coma!

For dinner appetizers we had Cream Wild Mushrooms (flaky puff pastry, sauteed wild mushrooms, cream and herbs), Royal Seafood Salad (crab, shrimp and lobster sensation with jicama slaw and citrus drizzle), Roasted Pablano Pepper and Corn Soup (cilantro oil drizzle). Main courses were Three-Cheese Tortellini (sauteed mushrooms and mascarpone cream sauce), Fisherman's Plate (broiled lobster tail, garlic shrimp and seasonal vegetables), and Slow-Roasted Prime Rib ( potato croquettes, semi-dried Roma tomatoes, haricots certs and horseradish au jus), plus Snow Crab Salad (assorted lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes and snow crab meat and legs with Thousand Island dressing).

Afterwards we went to the "Come Fly with Me" show which was very chaotic to get in. There were two lines with over 100 people on each line waiting to enter the theater. We thought it that there was only one show, and it was tonight. If we had known that they have had it again twice tomorrow, we would have avoided the madness. We didn't get good seats but were able to enjoyed most parts of the show, especially the gymnastics performance where the couple flying in the air. Next I went to the 'Singers from the Hair Spray' event on Promenade at 9:45pm - two singers came out and sang 3-4 songs (70's music). It wasn't just ok. However, the 70's Disco Inferno Street Party at Promenade which started at 10:30pm was much more fun and entertaining. There were so many people party, I could barely walk through the Promenade!

Oasis of the Seas Day 10

We woke up at 11am and went for lunch at 11:30. I finished lunch and little dude was still working on his since he was picky and I finally gave in and got him a burger. I then went to the Promenade to shop a bit and then watched people participating in a dancing class right there. I then went for 2 laps on the walking track. Then hubby and little buddy came out too and I walked with them a bit more before leaving them for the gym. I worked out in there for 20 minutes and got back to the cabin to meet up with the boys.

We hung out in the cabin for a bit and then I went to the Park to have a snack, I love their Asian shrimp salad with noodles. I also had a bag of chips, fruits cup and lychee mousse which was really good and it was yummy and light, not too sweet.

Next we all went to watch the Splish Splash Comedy Dive Show at Aqua Theater, deck 6 at 3pm. It was raining a bit before the show started and as well during the show. I went to get the towels from our cabin to cover our heads. The show was entertaining and pretty funny.

Tonight we went for dinner at Chops Grill. We had Pan-Roasted Jumbo Scallops (bacon, onion, apple, hot mustard jus); the scallops was cooked medium rare and was super tender and the meat was sweet, and the creamy mustard sauce was good. Grilled Black Pepper Bacon (slow-cooked Berkshire pork, sweet and spicy glaze). We also got the Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Cake with Remoulade sauce, Grilled Branzino/Canadian Sea Bass (garlicky spinach, olive oil, lemon, flake sea salt), and Snapper Veracruz (tomatoes, olives, jalapeño, Carpers, basil, & lime). Our sides were Gruyere cheese tater tots, grilled jumbo asparagus, Truffle corn, Roasted Mushrooms.

Later on I stopped by at the Air-On karaoke bar to check it out since there were a lot of people in there. I stayed to watch people competing in a singing competition. Some had really good voice, some were not so good....

Oasis of the Seas Day 11

We got up early at 7:40am and went for breakfast at Johnny Rockets at 9am, and we got off the ship half an hour later to visit our first port- Malaga, Spain! We walked from the port to Plaza De Toros which took us about an hour easy walk with good views and many things to see on our way over there. We took our time and stopped endless of times and take pictures and even stopped at a cool playscape for our boy to play a bit. We didn't go inside since we read that there isn't anything interesting to see but the outside building looked really cool. We then went to the Malaga Park and other some interest cool looking parks nearby. We continued on to the Alcazaba and then visited the Gibralfaro. Next we visited the city market and ate fried anchovies there.

We got back to the ship at 5pm and I went to Park Cafe to get some snacks for us (salad and fruits cups), and we chilled out in the cabin while munching on our snacks. We then left for dinner at 6pm. For starters, hubby got Baby Shrimp Salad (brandied cocktail sauce), and Lentils & Root Vegetables Soup (crispy Indian pappadams) I had the Cock-a-leekie/chicken broth rice leeks prunes, plus Singapore noodles (shredded pork, sautéed vegetables in a light Asian sauce, prawn skewer), and Sole meunière (lemon butter, horseradish mashed potatoes, and au jus). We also shared the entrée Mustard-crusted roast (beef /au jus, potato gratin, fresh market vegetables), and Broiled fillet of Atlantic salmon served with chefs choice of vegetables.

Oasis of the Seas Day 12

In the morning, Hubby and our son went to the Wipe Out Cafe for breakfast. Hubby ordered an omelet from the omelet station and fried eggs for little buddy. I went to the Windjammer to get some food for tomorrow, and didn't get to eat breakfast since the place closed at 11 AM.

Later we took little one to the kids puppet show at the Adventure Ocean theater at 11:30. The show was cute and lasted for 30 minutes. The only thing was that we didn't like how they sprayed water at the audience without any warning beforehand. The show wasn't as busy as I thought - maybe because most people went to the 11 am. Afterwards, we went for lunch at Opus and there weren't that many people yet. It got really busy when we left the place at 1.

Later we went back to the cabin to chill out for a bit. I dropped the little guy off at the Adventure Ocean at 2pm. I then went to the water color workshop and did some 'painting' for an hour - there were a lot of people. I wished I had attended this activity more often throughout the cruise. It was pretty Zen and enjoyable so no wonder it is so popular. The workshop lasted for an hour but I stayed until 2:15pm to finish my painting.

I then left to pick up the little dude but saw him in the middle of the rehearsal for the Kids Talent show in the Adventure Ocean Theater. I decided to let him stay to perform the show. If I picked him up, he surely wouldn't have done the show. So I went back to the cabin to get hubby we went to watch the little guy performing with other preschool friends. We got the theater at 4pm and there many kids and parents bit not overly crowded. The show started out with the all Adventure Ocean crew members dancing on the stage and the introduce themselves. Next, the bigger kids did their cute performances and then our son's group with five kids between 3-4 years old came out and "danced" to the YMCA song. They looked so cute, and every single kids who went on stage on a gold medal (pretty neat!) They also had a mom and dad to do the hula hoop.

For dinner, we both had starters of Pan-Seared Sea Scallops and Chorizo (cauliflower puree with a crispy pancetta and herb crumble). The scallops dish was good, medium sized scallops but were somewhat meaty and tender. There were two on the plate. We also got the Spanish Tapas Plate (assorted cold cuts, Manchegoncheese and Spanish potato frittata) - that was nothing special. The French Onion Soup didn't have the buttery pastry on the top, so overall not so great. For the main course, we both had Fish, Seafood and Mash (battered cod fillet, sea scallops and shrimp, minted peas, mashed potatoes and a remoulade sauce). The dish was not bad - fried seafood with mashed potatoes. Hubby also ordered the Tandoori Chicken Salad (julienne cucumber, fried pappadams and cilantro with yogurt dress) - he thought the chicken was tender and had a nice flavor. I ordered the Rosemary Lamb Shank (haricots certs, caramelized pearl onions, roasted pumpkin and a Cabernet jus) as well. The lamp was really it that the meat was falling of the bone. I also ordered the Roasted Turkey (apple bread dressing, cider gravy, roasted red bliss, Brussels sprouts, carrot sticks and a tart cranberry sauce) for my little dude and he liked it. We got the strawberry frozen 'soufflé' (it was pretty good but a bit too sweet to our taste), and the Chocolate vanilla mouse (it was nice a lite but nothing amazing). It was the final night, so we gave our servers some extra tips. We then left to dropped little buddy off at the kids area to have him join the kids farewell party for them where they had the piñata for them.