And the Fun Just Keeps On Going

 There's Nothing to Do on Allure of the Seas  
(nope, nothing at all)

This is for every potential passenger who has ever told me they don't like cruising because it's "boring".  Here's what I've done in two days:

• zip lined across the ship
• watched a parade
• had one of the best meals ever (and a couple of other meals as well)
• shopped
• was mesmerized by an ice skating show
• saw a 3D first-release movie
• learned to surf
• had a "chair massage"
• strolled through Central Park
• watched a superb theater production "Blue Planet"
• took in a live comedy act
• made a donation in the casino
• explored the sauna
• tried to climb the rock wall
• perused the library
• did a little Wii bowling
• danced some 70's era disco
• enjoyed one helluva parade
• oohed and aahed over a diving exhibition
• saw a fountain show (fountains synchronized to music, light and video
• listened to a little live Calypso music
• walked miles and miles - top to bottom and end to end of one BIG ship
• took a salsa lesson
• attended a lecture by noted artist Peter Max
• shot some hoops
• watched a second ice skating show
• took a yoga class
• got a Coney Island hot dog
• rode a merry-go-round
• had some ice cream

I think I slept a couple of hours and toured a few cabins as well.  Now if there's not something there to amuse just about everyone (did I mention the kids zone, water park and teen disco, not to mention video games and in room movies?) - well you just need to build your own amusement park. 

How could you not have fun on this ship?  They have fairy princesses, dragons and knights in shining armor. Not to mention penguins, pandas, lions, and animals I haven't watched enough cartoon movies to name.

They have manicures, pedicures, saunas, teeth whitening and acupuncture (I'm thinking of having all my medical and dental work done on cruise ships in the future).You can select from 106 flavors of Coca-Cola products from one vending machine or choose either chocolate or vanilla ice cream from another.  Zoltar the Magnificent can tell your fortune. 

So if you can't think of anything thing to do, you're all wet, and I'll meet you at the water park to prove it.

 

Till then ...cowabunga dude, I'm going to learn to hang ten.  Have fun or go home!

Oasis of the Seas Score a Big Hit

Well the reviews are in on Oasis of the Seas and they are almost unanimously enthusiastic for this "new breed" of ship. You might think of it as a cruise ship on steroids based on it's pure size. And yes, size does have something to do with it, but there's so much that Royal Caribbean put in to fill all that new space! Friends just back from the inaugural couldn't say enough good things about this ship - from the Central Park area, to the boardwalk, ice shows, stores, aquatheater, zip line and more. According to my friend Staci (who is also with my parent company, Cruise Planners) it's kind of like a cross between Disney World and Las Vegas, with lots and lots to offer almost every age group.



To get an idea of the magnitude of this vessel, take a look at it coming into Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) . Just its size in comparison to the tow boats saluting it is staggering. Kind of makes you think of King Kong and Fay Ray, huh?


The ship is 220,000 or so tons (twice the tonnage of most modern cruise ships) of innovation, engineering and creativity. Once you get over the sheer size and have been able to pick your jaw up off the floor, then you can spend an entire week just adding in the add ins - ice shows, merry-go-round, rising tide bar (it rises several decks as you sit and stir your mojito), water ballet shows, diving exhibitions, rock climbing wall, flow rider surfing, water park, ultra-chic restaurants (as per Staci "150 Central Park" rivals almost any New York eatery) and let's just say that the only thing it doesn't appear to have is its own zip code!

Pricing on the Oasis of the Seas is high for a mass market cruise line at an average of about $150per night - as it must be considering all that the ship has to offer. The selection of activities to participate in on any given day is enough to fill a combined issue of Martha Stewart and Health & Fitness magazines, the varieties of cuisine rival those of major metropolitan areas and the experience of sailing on the world's biggest ship will leave you searching for superlatives.

If you don't like big ships, this is definitely not the ship for you. If you have mobility issues, this may present an inordinate challenge. And as with anything that caters to thousands of people at one time you can expect that there will be lines at certain times and in certain venues.

But if you want to be absolutely bowled over, get on this ship, it definitely provides the WOW!