Not too long after coming back from the siblings Liberty of the Seas trip, I’m going to be leaving again for a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. This one is unique for a few reasons.
The Ship
The Oasis of the Seas was the talk of cruising when she debuted in 2009. She was the World’s largest cruise ship and the first to carry over 5,000 passengers (actual double occupancy is 5,400). Oasis of the Seas had a lot of other firsts including having the first living park and elevating bar at sea.
When I first heard about the size of Oasis it seemed overwhelming and not for me. But after years of hearing how well the passenger flow is handled and with the addition of several more Oasis class ships, I was ready to tackle one.
Points and Solo Cruising
While perusing cruise pricing Labor Day weekend, I found there was no solo supplements on a lot of the Royal Caribbean sailings. The price for a Central Park balcony was less than $700 for one person.
Plus there was a double points promotion so as a solo passenger I would get quadruple points pushing me into Diamond status in the Crown and Anchor Society. (I really want those free drinks!)
These two reasons and the fact that I was still making up for lost vacations during the pandemic made my decision to book it easy.
Ports
Ports for this cruise are Cococay, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas. I love the Eastern Caribbean ports and couldn’t wait to visit Cococay for the first time. My plans for all three involve the beach. Being a solo cruiser I decided to take ship shore excursions in St. Maarten and St. Thomas.
Cococay
For my first visit, I’m just going to scope out the offerings, enjoy the famous chicken sandwich and relax on the beach. I’m looking forward to a private island that doesn’t require a tender ride!
St. Thomas
The ship doesn’t arrive in St. Thomas until noon (leaving at 7 pm) which is also one of the reasons I decided to try a ship’s excursion here. I picked “Secret Sands Beach Exclusive and Skyline Drive”.
I’ve never been to Smith Bay Eco-Park and was looking forward to something new and no crowding.
St. Maarten
I didn’t want to trek over to Orient Beach by myself so decided to go to the beach at Great Bay in Philipsburg. I thought the ship’s excursion would make it easier and wasn’t a huge difference in price from going solo.
Last Thoughts
This will be a unique, and I hope fun, experience with the Oasis of the Seas. I hope it will be the first of many on this class of ship.
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