Using the stairs can be a great way to work off some of the wonderful dessert from the night before ...but if you don't have the energy - the Oasis has 24 passenger elevators.
Dinner in The Opus Dining room is formal this evening ... one of two formal nights on this cruise. Most everyone tonight looks extra spiffy!
Monday, December 23rd
Labadee Haiti
This morning we decided to order room service for our breakfast (mainly fruit, toast and coffee). We are docked at Royal Caribbean's own little private resort at Haiti ... they have developed this area to be a well groomed, safe and a clean Caribbean paradise.
Most of the day wasspent on the beach ... enjoying some of the North Atlantic Ocean, the tropical breeze and the Caribbean sunshine.
They set up a BBQ lunch for us ... I had some Greek salad, rice, a turkey burger and some fruit.
At the center of the ship, the innovative design of
Central Park opens to the sky and features lush tropical grounds
spanning more than the length of a football field. Just off Central Park is The Park Cafe ... salads, sandwiches, soups, pastries and desserts.
This Park is the first ever living park at sea, with 12,175 plants, 62 vine plants, 56 trees and bamboo, some over 24 feet (7.3 meters) in length.
Making healthy food choices during the day can be relatively easy. The Windjammer Buffet, The Opus Dining Room, The Park Cafe, The Solarium Bistro Restaurant all have many healthy options to choose from ... but tonight I find myself sleepless and hungry ... it's later in the evening and those restaurants are closed. My options seem to be limited to pizza, burgers and a few other less healthy choices. I could order room service, but Janice is sleeping and I'd like to let her sleep ... so - I will allow myself to sample a slice of pizza from Sorrento's on The Promenade. They had 4 or 5 different kinds to choose from ... I ask for a slice of a combination. The server behind the counter gives me two slices. I remind him that I only wanted one slice (they are huge slices). He takes one
back.
It can be easy to overeat on the ship ... free - all you can eat pizza (or pretty much anything else). Do you like cupcakes? There's a shop for that ...you can create your own if you like. Shrimp cocktail? Order two or three as appetizers before dinner if you want.
I choose to have some self control ... I will enjoy many things on this voyage, but hope to stay true to myself and the person I want to be.
Tuesday, December 24th
Falmouth Jamaica
My morning choices at the dinning room breakfast buffet included figs, melons, peaches, pears, grapes, walnuts, pecans, gluten free toast, gluten free pancakes and coffee.
After meeting our excursion group at the end of the pier, we boarded a bus for a tour of the Jamaican area. Along the way, we stopped for some free coffee and banana bread at Montego Bay. Our group then could went shopping in the downtown area or visited the beach ... we elected to enjoy some beach time at Montego Bay.
Tonight in the dining room was our second formal night ... I chose Lobster for my main course.
After dinner we enjoyed some free Champagne on the Grand Promenade, then made our way to The Opal Theater for "Beetle Mania".
Wednesday, December 25th
Christmas day at sea
After breakfast we saw Santa zip line above the Boardwalk ... then it was off to the Opal Theatre to watch him giving gifts to kids aboard the ship.
Another beautiful sunny warm day in the Caribbean ... So I thought I'd enjoy it on deck 15. The sunshine and whirlpool were enhanced by summery party music playing in the background.
At the solarium; Cous cous, beets, shrimp, chick peas, lentils, fruit, nuts, and seeds made a good lunch.
Aboard most large popular cruise ships, there is often a charity walk to raise money for a worthy cause. This cruise it was The Make A Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. I joined today's Walk for Wishes and did a few laps around the jogging track on deck 5. To walk once around the outside of the ship took about 8 minutes ... It takes about two and a half times around to equal a mile (One and a half laps equals one kilometer).
After the walk we went to see "Oasis of Dreams" ... a Cirque-esqe performance by world class athletes in the Aqua theater. Just before the show, they displayed the biographies of the performers on the two big screens - these performers were accomplished, experienced divers, gymnasts and acrobats with amazing talents.
The Aqua Theater diving pool deepest portion is a total of 21 feet in depth(the largest pool at sea), but this theater is much more than a big swimming pool ... the water fountains create amazing dancing water effects and it has sections that transform the pool into a stage ... amazing innovations for cruisers to enjoy some pretty fantastic athletic performances.
For dinner in the Opus dining room ... I chose turkey - it was Christmas, after all.
After dinner we played some Mini golf at The Oasis Dunes on Deck 15.
At a height of 18 decks, a weight of 225 gross tons, and a width of 208 feet, the Oasis is longer than 3 football fields end to end. Standing upright at 1,187 feet tall, the ship is 124 feet taller than the Eiffel Tower ... Over 5 times longer than a Boeing 747 Jetliner.
Thursday, December 26th
Cozumel, Mexico
The excursion we signed up for today is called "Highlights and Shopping" ... there were several tours to choose from at this Mexican port, but this one sounded like the best fit for us ... not too early in the day, not too high energy and a nice way to sample some local tequila.
We started with a visit to The Discover Mexico Park where, after a video presentation highlighting Mexico's rich cultural heritage, we walked through a garden with many scale reproductions of important Mexican buildings. Then we had an opportunity to sample some Mexican food and we were treated to an amazing performance, the likes of which I have never seen anywhere else.
The Papantla Flyers ... Five men in traditional outfits made their way up a very tall wooden pole that had four long ropes attached at the top of the pole. At the top of the pole was a small wooden square attached by rope where four of the performers sat balanced, as the fifth man made his way to the very top of the pole. The four sitting on the outside began drumming as the fifth man began a dance at the top of the pole.
I could see that four men drumming were each attached by a rope to the pole, but the man at the top of the very tall pole was dancing freely.
After the first song, the fifth performer sang atop the tall pole, while the other men on the square platform began spinning around the pole counter clockwise ... as they did, their ropes began to unwind and they began to drop down to towards the ground. As they all spun around, the ropes unwound and they all kept spinning until they landed on the ground below. It was a pretty amazing performance...
We boarded the bus again and headed through the Mexican countryside. Our tour guide, Barbara, was very knowledgable and told us much about Mexican history, culture, traditions, her Mayan roots and Mexico's political leaders. Our bus driver Tony, then took us a beach, where we could purchase souvenirs and snacks. Janice sampled some coconut water and tested a hammock...
After stopping at the beach for a while, we continued on to a distillery that specialized in producing various kinds of tequila. We were welcomed in, given plastic shot glasses and shown the distilling process. Who knew there were so many different types of tequila? We were given samples, as we learned about how they were made and what properties they each had. After the little tour, they gave us time to browse through the isles of different products ... each shelf had it's own open dispensing bottle that was available for additional taste tests. We ended up bringing home a couple of bottles (purely for medicinal uses).
After returning to the ship, we had a light lunch in Central Park, then it was time for some more volleyball on the sports deck.
After the volleyball, I wasn't feeling at my best, so I spent the rest of the night taking it easy in bed. One of the great things about cruising on a large ship is that you can be as active or inactive as you choose ... and you will still be pampered. This is like a large floating luxury hotel, where the room service is included for free and if you just want to chill in bed, you can. I watched TV (there are more than a dozen channels to choose from, including 3 or 4 movie channels, news, sports, excursions, daily activities on the ship, various different languages for international travellers).
Friday, December 27th
At sea ... headed back to Port Everglades Florida
We enjoyed another breakfast in the Opus Dining Room ... then Janice went up to the Solarium to find a quiet place to read. I went back to the cabin for more rest ... I was feeling a little weak and had the chills ... since yesterday I have not been myself.
For most of the day, I took it easy in our cabin, but I dragged myself to one thing at noon that I didn't want to miss ... a backstage tour of The Opal Theatre.
This state of the art theatre was incredible, and at this tour we met the lead actors and many of the key people who were responsible for the operation of current production playing - Tony award winning "Hairspray". After a question and answer session, we were brought up on stage, where we could explore the sets, props and backstage of this amazing venue.
This facility was the best of the best according to the actors and technicians ... better than the playhouses on Broadway and after seeing what was involved behind the scenes, I believed it. This state of the art theatre was one of the best in the world, with some of the newest innovative technologies and some of the most talented people producing top notch productions ... here - at sea.
After the tour I went back to the room ... chills, weakness and no appetite -seems like food borne illness has me out of action for a spell. Luckily, it was at the end of our Oasis adventure and with the help of some rest and a little medication, I would be ok.
Early tomorrow morning, we return to Florida and will disembark ... so tonight we packed our suitcases and prepared for a few final hours of warmth before returning to Canada late tomorrow.
The Oasis Of the Seas is so large and carries so many passengers that it required construction of the largest cruise ship terminal in the world, located in Port Everglades / Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Saturday, December 28th
Goodbye Oasis of The Seas ... time to disembark
We have been very lucky with weather on this trip ... every day has been warm and sunny ... just perfect ... but all good things must come to an end, and today we head back to cold Canada.
By mid morning we had left the ship behind, collected our bags, gone through customs, rented a car and were off ... (our flight was later in the evening, so this was a nice way to enjoy just a few final hours in southern Florida). We drove down and stopped in Coconut Grove to have lunch at a trendy sidewalk cafe - Lulu in the Grove. After lunch, we wandered the neighbourhood, browsing the shops. A little later, we drove over and spent some time at Las Olas Boulevard to do some more window shopping.
On the flight home, I watched "Red 6" ... an adventure comedy with Bruce Willis and John Malkovich. Our plane touched down around midnight ... we collected our bags, went through customs, jumped on a taxi and headed home. Despite the snow and the cold, it would be nice to sleep in my own bed again : )
The world's largest cruise ship was pretty cool.
Today was cruise day ... we packed and headed for the port to find our ship. While in line to embark, we met another Canadian couple -David and Karen from Halifax.
One of the crew in The Windjammer restaurant aboard the ship helped track down some gluten free toast for my breakfast this morning ... the cruise line does it's best to try to accommodate passengers requests. 
After a leisurely breakfast, we took a shuttle to wander around town and just browse the shops. It was nice to be able to take our time and enjoy a relaxed pace to the day.
Today we went on an excursion that included a visit to a winery on the Greek island of Santorini. After sampling wine and olives, the tour took us to Oia. It is built on the steep slope of the caldera and the houses and restaurants are built in to niches carved in to the caldera on the seaward side. There are narrow passageways and a central square. We bought some art here at a small shop we came upon.The Aegean Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between the Greek peninsula on the west and Asia Minor on the east.
It's another early excursion today, so once again room service delivers our breakfast to us this morning. This is a huge port ... busy and active with a variety of ships.
Late in the morning, I participated in a charity walk to raise money for the Children's Wish foundation. By afternoon it was time for a little nap.
