Once again, the AOHs had a great holiday and made some new friends. Funny story...on our day in Jamaica, we met this fun couple from South Dakota. Two nights later, we hung out with them at the Schooner Bar and said we'd meet up with them again the next night. It occured to us as we were heading to the bar our final night to see our new friends, we had absolutely no idea what their names were! As soon as we saw them, all four of us said "what is your name?". Our new friends were Billy and Rebecca from South Dakota. They were so much fun and Andy called us his back up singers as we knew the words to every song he would sing.
So a few tips if you ever take the Oasis of the Seas.
First, go through a travel agent to book the cruise as they can get some great deals for you. Kelly is awesome if you need a reference just let me know.
Second, download Oasis of the Seas app. This is a third party app...RCL really needs to get up with technology! The app has a list of all the bars, entertainment spots, restaurants, etc as well as deck maps. Because it is a third party app, it is not personalized so you still need to keep up with your dinner and show reservations. Again, RCL really needs to get into the 21st century with their website and app.
Third, buy the Deluxe drink package! If you plan to drink a speciality coffee in the morning, at least 3 cocktails during the day, a glass of wine at dinner, a speciality coffee after dinner and a few bottles of water throughout the day (highly recommended as it is so easy to get dehydrated), the package totally pays for itself. Another great feature of the drink package is you can try drinks you might not normally try. There were many drinks I'd try and after a sip or two move on to the next one. Make sure to check to see if they are offering a promo that includes internet.
Fourth, buy at least one internet connection per traveler. The ship is very large and if you and your travel buddy are not with each other all the time, it is great to be able to text. Remember to turn off your roaming on your phone once connected to the wifi to avoid any international charges.
Fifth, pass on the spa. In addition to being about 50% more expensive than land based spas, the spa lacks the amenities to which we are accustom (ie, no robes, slippers or quiet rooms) and the therapists are just average.
Sixth, make sure to reserve your dinner and shows in advance of boarding. While you can show up for the shows 15 minutes before they begin for any open seats, you will not get the best seats. If you don't make dinner reservations, you have to stand in line and wait for a table to become available. Who wants to waste time standing in line or getting bad seats?! Plus if you have that drink package, you can score a great seat and enjoy a couple cocktails before the show begins.
On a separate note. If you send postcards when you travel, check out this app...Touch Note. I always send postcards to my parents, my nieces and a few other friends when I travel. While this is relatively easy in the US, outside the US it is quite challenging. First you have to find a postcard, then you have to find a place to buy a stamp because most places that sell postcards don't sell stamps, next you have to find a place to mail the postcard because most places that sell the stamps don't accept the postcards and finally pray the postcards actually arrive. All of this ends up costing around $6 per postcard.
With this cool app, you buy credits (I buy in 10 credit increments) and the cards end up costing about $1.80 each and this includes postage! You create the cards on you phone and with a few clicks, the postcards are sent and arrive in about 3 days. Here's a few postcards I sent from this trip. This is a total game changer for me when traveling!
Until next time...happy travels!
No comments:
Post a Comment