Caribbean Cruise Trip Report: Day 2

Day 2:

On Saturday morning I woke up way before my alarm went off, probably because I was so excited to get onboard Oasis and get the cruise started.  I remembered that the ship would be arriving in port right at that time, so I went to the webcam for Port Everglades and was able to watch Oasis come into port.  It was a great way to get even more excited about the cruise!  

A screenshot of the arrival of Oasis into Port Everglades

Once I was dressed and ready to go, I went downstairs for the free breakfast provided by the hotel.  Then I walked to the Publix grocery store near the hotel. Mapquest said it was half a mile away, so I had walked a mile before even getting on the ship!  I went to the Publix to get my two bottles of wine I was allowed to bring on the ship with me. I got the champagne I really liked, not thinking about the fact that I'd have to drink each bottle in a day before it went flat!  

After getting back from the store I took my stuff down to the lobby to wait for my shuttle at 10:30. I got lucky and the shuttle driver for the 10am departure said he had room for me, so I got to leave for the port right away. There was some traffic to get to the port, but we were still there by 10:30.  

My first glimpse of Oasis from the shuttle!

Because we were so early, I was one of the first people to check in at the port. There wasn't anybody in line, so it went really fast. The ship hadn't gotten clearance yet, so we had to wait about an hour before they could let us on. Soon enough it was time to get on the ship!  I will admit that I spent a lot of time before the cruise watching YouTube videos of Oasis, so I think that may have taken away from the "wow factor" when I first boarded. I knew exactly what it would look like and didn't get that surprise like other people probably did. 

I went to the dining room right away and asked them to put a note on my account that I'd like to sit at a table of solo cruisers. After that I wandered around for a short while until it was time for lunch at noon. 

Having decided ahead of time that I wanted to eat lunch at Giovanni's Table on the first day, I made my way there to get a table. They had a $15 cover charge which is cheaper than dinner there. I was the first person to be seated, but a couple other tables came in after me. I used my drink package right away and got Pellegrino water and a Sprite. For lunch I had the margherita flatbread which was just okay and then the mushroom risotto which was amazing. I didn't even have room for dessert, so they boxed up two pieces of their chocolate tart for me. 

The mushroom risotto was amazing, but there was just so much of it!

Very delicious and very rich chocolate tart from Giovanni's

Next it was time to go see my room. I got there right at 1pm when they opened the doors to the staterooms. I found mine easily and was pleasantly surprised by the size. This was my first time not having a Junior Suite so I wasn't sure what to expect. I got another surprise when there was a knock at the door and my luggage had arrived. It was so early, I hadn't expected it until later. Since I was already in my room with my luggage I decided it would be a good time to unpack. I have a system of where to put everything in my stateroom, so packing went fast. I also called my mom to say hi and tell her I had made it onto the ship. 

Cabin 8200, a category D1 Superior Ocean View Stateroom

I thought the bathroom was a good size for being on a cruise ship

I loved my balcony! By being on the "hump" of the ship it was much deeper than the other balconies.

After unpacking I went to the Solarium Bar and got my traditional embarkation wildberry lava flow, although I opted for a virgin drink so it would go towards my pre-paid drink package. Then I went down to deck 4 for the muster drill (which was thankfully inside) and once that was done I went back up to my room for sail away. My room steward hadn't come by to introduce himself yet, so I hadn't been able to request a wine glass.  The only option was to use my Coke cup that came with the drink package, so I made sure to take a picture in order to show how classy I was drinking champagne out of a plastic Coke cup.  Once sail away started I took a bunch of pictures and videos of us leaving port and then got ready for dinner. 

First time drinking my favorite champagne out of a plastic Coke cup!

Crazy Coast Guard maneuvers!

Last glimpse of land for a while!

At dinner I sat with two older couples who were very nice and talkative. After dinner it was time to check out the casino. I sat down to my first machine, hit the spin button three times and won $61 right off that bat. Just like that I had more than doubled my money!  I played until it was time to head to the Aqua Theater for the dive show. It was amazing!  Even better than I ever expected!

Oasis is one of two ships in the world that offers a diving show at sea!

Trampoline stunts in action

Acrobatics

They even had someone come in on a zip line!

The end to a great show!

After the show I went back to the casino until about 11 and then I was ready for bed. It had been a long day!

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Coming up tomorrow is our half day in port at Nassau.  I stayed on the ship and used the time to take pictures of the whole ship from top to bottom, so tomorrow's post will include a picture tour!