A Peek Inside our Oasis of the Seas Stateroom

January 5, 2017 By Molly 2 Comments

If you’ve cruised before, you know that staterooms are TINY. When we cruised with Disney, our kids were 2 and 3, so we opted for just one room with a queen bed, couch/futon, and brought in a portable crib for our youngest. Saying we were cramped would be the understatement of the century.

When we decided to book a trip on Oasis of the Seas, we opted for two adjoining Ocean View Staterooms with a Balcony. I just want to point out that our TWO staterooms on Royal Caribbean cost the same as ONE on Disney! I would say the rooms on the two ships were comparable.

Since our kids are bigger now, we knew it would be nice to have extra space. We were able to get double the bathrooms, double the storage, double the beds, etc.

Each of our rooms had a king-size bed. Jason and I each slept with a kid every night. The beds were plenty big. I think the couch even folded down if need-be, but we didn’t need to do that.

The desk/vanity area had three drawers plus a mini fridge.

The desk was a great catch-all for trinkets, water bottles, and all the random junk we accumulated. It also had a big TV.

The closet was decent-sized. It had a good amount of hanging space and lots of shelves.

I stored all of Julia’s and my clothes in one room, while we put Jason’s and Mac’s in our other room. We had plenty of storage when we divided it this way.

Here’s a tip- bring extra hangers from home. This was so helpful, as each closet only had a few provided for us. Also- we locked our wallets, keys, and passports in the safe.

The bathrooms are…tiny. But that’s par for the course on a cruise.

There’s not a whole lot of room in there, but it was fine for showering a pottying. There is a bit more storage under the sink and over the counter. And again, we had twice the bathroom space with two rooms. I did my makeup at the vanity each day.

We found the rooms to be perfectly comfortable, especially considering we didn’t spend a huge amount of time in them. The kids lounged on the couches and watched cartoons from time to time. I was a little worried about having balconies with little kids, but they lock up quite safely with the locks high out of our kids’ reach. We all enjoyed going out on the balcony and watching the open sea or the local scenery as we pulled into port.

Maybe one day we’ll leave the kids at home and opt for a Superior Grand Suite. 😉 As for cruising with kids, our stateroom met our needs just perfectly. I think we also lucked out by being on the 6th deck (out of 16). We had pretty rough seas on our cruise and you feel it less on lower decks. The mega suites are up top and I bet those folks were really rocking.

Our Experience on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

January 2, 2017 By Molly 2 Comments

We just returned from cruising on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas and had a wonderful time!

There is so much to say about this boat and our experience that I will break it down into a few posts.

This ship was SO family-friendly! We cruised with Disney two years ago, and I was wondering how RC would stack up when it came to kids. I’d say our experience on Oasis was just as good as Disney, if not BETTER.

First of all, the ship is huge. There are more than 2,000 crew members, 25 dining options (which were delicious!), 16 passenger decks, and seven distinct “neighborhoods.” Our five-night cruise included two days-at-sea but there was always plenty to do.

We checked in early on our embarkation day and were some of the first to board. Since our rooms weren’t ready (this is common when you board early), we put on our swim suits and checked out the pools and the H20 Zone Kids’ water park.

We opted for two adjoining staterooms for this cruise. We were able to have twice the space, storage, and bathrooms! Our two balcony cabins cost the same as one on Disney!

You can read more about the staterooms HERE.

Our kids LOVED the Boardwalk area, which had a carousel, ice cream shop, climbing area, and Johnny Rocket’s. It felt a bit like being at a carnival.

They must have ridden the carousel 20 times during our cruise.

Oasis offers the Dreamworks Experience, where kids (and grown-ups) can meet characters from Dreamworks movies. We met Fiona, Shrek, and Puss in Boots at breakfast one morning.

There were plenty of kid-friendly dining options on board. We only ate in the dining room twice (dinner one night and the Dreamworks breakfast), but there were lots of kid-friendly specialty restaurants and buffet options, as well.

I cannot say enough great things about the Adventure Ocean youth program (FREE for kids 3 and up)! Our kids went four out of five nights. Asked and begged to go, actually!

Both my big kids were grouped together as Aquanauts (3-5 year olds) and they really enjoyed it. Each day included three sessions (9-12, 2-5, 7-10). There were themes each day (pirate, Trolls, dinosaurs, etc) with crafts, games, dancing, prizes, “field trips” around the boat and more. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in their designated room, but it was very clean, had its own bathroom, and the staff members were kind and well-organized. They remembered the kids’ names and made them feel special.

I really credit Adventure Ocean to us all having such a great time. The kids met new friends and tried new activities, and Jason and I had three date nights in a row.

We were able to try three of the specialty dining options on our kid-free evenings.

We had family-style Italian at Giovanni’s Table, awesome steaks at Chops Grill, and eclectic, upscale American at 150 Central Park. We were certainly never hungry.

We ate breakfast at the buffet a few mornings, and even ordered room service on our early port day.

Speaking of ports, we really enjoyed our two stops. Labadee, Haiti is Royal Caribbean’s private beach. The scenery was just breathtaking.

Ahh…take me back!

We found a little family-friendly beach area and the kids enjoyed swimming and finding shells.

There was a kids’ splash area just a few steps away from our spot on the beach. We walked back and forth a few times. There was also a bar nearby that we visited once or twice. 😉

I was a little apprehensive when I saw Haiti on the itinerary, but it was just wonderful. It’s located on the northern coast of Haiti and is only visited by Royal Caribbean ships. You can ride a roller coaster and even zip line over water. There are also excursions and private cabanas available for booking. We just lounged by the water’s edge and had a great time.

That’s one big boat!

Our second port was Nassau, Bahamas. The weather was picture-perfect during our day here.

We booked a dolphin excursion at Blue Lagoon Island. Blue Lagoon provides its own ferry service to the island, and it’s about a 25 minute ride from Nassau. We passed by some mega beachfront mansions and yachts!

We absolutely LOVED Blue Lagoon Island and our dolphin encounter there. I will do a separate post with lots of details.

We didn’t have much time in this port, which was a bit disappointing. After our dolphin encounter we loved hanging out in the shallow lagoon area. We would have stayed all day if the boat wasn’t going to leave us!

I would love to take the kids back there some day.

We really did have the greatest time on our cruise. I’d say five nights was the perfect length of time. We had two days-at-sea and two port days. It was just enough time to relax and get away from it all, but we were ready for our normal routine and beds by the time it was all said and done.

The cruise left out of Port Canaveral, which is about a 40-minute drive east of Orlando. We made the 8-hour drive all the way from Destin, but if you are further away, you could fly into Orlando and drive over.

There is much more to say about our experience, but I tried to hit the highlights. Please let me know any questions you have! I’m working on posts about our stateroom, dining options, Blue Lagoon Island, and general tips.

I really think I prefer Royal Caribbean over Disney. Both are nice and have great service, but I feel like you get so much bang for your buck on RC without sacrificing anything! I’d be interested to hear other opinions from those of you who have done both.

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Ultimate Packing List for Cruising with Kids

December 8, 2016 By Molly Leave a Comment

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We are preparing to set sail on our second family cruise in just under two weeks! We’re taking our two big kids (ages 5 and 3) and leaving the baby home with the grandparents. We are sailing on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas and could not be more excited.

Jason and I are experienced cruisers but cruising with kids is a whole new ballgame. Kids require lots of stuff and those cabins are tiny!

You’ll obviously need all the usual suspects for traveling, but I’m including some things you might not think of that will make your life on the cruise much easier.

Let me start by suggesting you bring a “carry on” bag when you board (separate from any luggage)! The cruise line will check your luggage and deliver it to your room when your room is ready. This is often times a few hours after you board. This is a great time to explore the ship! You can hit up the buffet, check out the kids’ areas, and even take a dip in the pool. Pack swim suits, sunscreen, and an extra pair of dry clothes in your carry on, as well as camera, phone charger, etc. You’ll also want to ensure you have your travel documents and any medications you need on hand. This is a life-saver!

I’ll start by sharing my “extra” suggestions, then get to the necessities.

Extras to pack that are helpful:
Night lights– It’s pitch dark in the cabin at night, especially if you have a room with no window/balcony.
Power strip– There are very limited outlets in the rooms.
Resealable bags and plastic grocery bags– Perfect for wet bathing suits and a million other uses!
Over-the-door hanging organizer– Space is EXTREMELY limited in your stateroom, so this helps keep all your stuff organized and accessible.
WINE!– Check your cruise guidelines, but most allow you to bring one bottle per adult on board. This saves some serious $$ in the specialty restaurants (there will likely be a corkage fee).
Antibacterial wipes– That’s a whole lot of people on one ship. WIPE EVERYTHING DOWN!
Extra clothes hangers– There are a few provided in your cabin, but you may want extras, especially if you are bringing formal attire.

Necessities:
Passports/ birth certificates– check your cruise line’s requirements
First-aid bag (I always include band-aids, neosporin, Pepto Bismol, Tums, Tylenol/ Motrin, Benadryl, and Wet Ones)
Bathing suits
Cover ups
Sunscreen– you can purchase on board but expect to pay a lot!
Shoes– Sandals, tennis shoes, formal shoes for formal night
Sun hats
Toiletries
Plenty of changes of clothes– shorts, t-shirts, underwear, socks, pajamas
Appropriate attire if your ship has a formal night- cocktail dress, shirt and tie, etc.
Your child’s lovey/blanket/whatever they need to sleep
Bottled water and snacks for your stateroom– kids are always hungry!
Long pants and socks if your ship offers ice skating
Jacket/windbreaker– It might be warm in the Caribbean, but you may run into a storm or cool breeze that makes walking around the upper decks a bit chilly.
Wrist watch– you may not be able to rely on your phone if you are out of a service area.
Chargers for electronics
Reusable water bottles to refill and carry around with you.
Dollar bills– every time you turn around you can expect to tip someone or pay a few dollars for a souvenir.

We’re not bringing our 8-month-old, but you’ll obviously need all the baby gear if your baby is coming along.

I’m sure I’ll end up packing plenty of other things, but these are certainly the biggies. Have you ever cruised with your kids? Any tips?

Destin Duchess

A Mom's Guide to the Emerald Coast

A Peek Inside our Oasis of the Seas Stateroom

Our Experience on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

Ultimate Packing List for Cruising with Kids