Th "Beast", the "Wow"...Just Some of Its Few Nicknames

Back to reality! That's right, we just got home from the most amazing and enjoyable cruise. We have taken so many cruises in the past but the Oasis of the Seas tops them all. We did not want to leave. AJ was crying as we got off the gigantic ship. This is the first cruise where I did not bother signing for internet while cruising. There was just so much to do and see that I did not have time even to check my emails.

Below is the view from our balcony looking to the left. The picture below on the right shows the aqua theater. We could watch the divers rehearse and perform right from our cabin balcony. Do you see the 2 very tall white platforms on each side of the blue Royal Caribbean logo? The divers jumped all the way from there. It was spectacular! The aqua theater was convertible into a stage and very deep water.

Let me share the pink Cupcake Cupboard for Pink Saturday. I thought it was just the cutest shop, like in a doll house. Beverly of http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ also wants us share some Christmas memories with you. I shared my childhood memories when I was small while still living in the Philippines last week. Today, I would like to share what we used to do as a grown up when I lived in Ill.

We used to live in Waukegan, IL and actively belonged to the Fil-Am Association. Weeks before Christmas, we would take everyone in an RV that we used to own, and we would go to different houses to go caroling. I would be playing the guitar and singing with the group and we had so much fun, in spite of the snow and extremely cold weather outside. Of course, we were let in and sang indoors. After we sang, we were given donations for the association and in addition to that, quite a food spread was served for us. After 5 or 6 houses per evening, you can just imagine how our tummies would be bursting from fullness. It was truly a lot of fun and the spirit of Christmas was really felt all throughout the holidays.

For more Christmas memories and wonderful pink and red photos, go visit Beverly and her other participants.

Now, let's go back to the Oasis, which I might say, is a true oasis. There is so much to share that I will post the trip probably on at least 3 different Sightseeing Saturdays. Below are pictures of the cupcake shop, which is located in the Promenade on deck 5. On the left right of the mosaic below, you will see AJ enjoying the ride of the rising bar. Yep, the bar rose all the way from the 5th to the 8th deck, up and down......up and down. It was awesome! You can see the Cupcake Cupboard in the background.

Here is the "Beast" as our bus shuttle driver called it. It is gigantic, 17 floors all in all and very long and deep that we could hardly feel it move while sailing. It is amazing, stunning, extravagant, incredible, beautiful using state of the art electronic advance technologies all throughout. And I swear they took their best personnel and stuck them all in this maiden voyage. The ship smelled so good too since it is brand new. It was very hard to take a whole picture but luckily, while in St, Maarten, it was situated in an angle that it made it possible for me to take a few shots. Isn't she just gorgeous? Just look at the size compared to the 3 other cruise ships, which mind you, are not that small either. The port of calls had to build new ports to be able to accomodate it.
Below is our cabin that John and I shared with AJ. My sister and her hubby also cruised with us and you can see Fe here in our balcony checking out the view. Their cabin was an indoor one but they had a picture window overlooking the Promenade so it was pretty cool checking out the activites going on out there from the cabin. She also celebrated her birthday while we were sailing and you wouldn't believe the best birthday present she could ever receive. Being a Diamond member (meaning they have sailed at least 10 times on Royal Caribbean), she and her hubby were given a complimentary Bingo card each. And would you believe that the husband's card won a cruise for 2 on the maiden Voyage for Allure of the Seas, which is just like the Oasis, and is scheduled to set sail for the first time on Dec. 12, 2010? Lucky, lucky! And to think that he did not even want to go and play, she had to force him, lol.

This is AJ's bed.

Below is the view of the Boardwalk from our balcony looking down and to the right. We were on the 10th floor and the Boardwalk is on 6th. You will see the carousel on the right side which greets you as you enter. There is a Seafood restaurant on the right and Johnny Rockets on the left and many different stores. Every morning, still in my pj's, I would look down from the balcony and it would seem like I was living in a circus. LOL!

At the end of the building, are 2 rock climbing walls on each side. AJ really enjoyed the climb and made it all the way to the top. Do you see her ringing the bell at the very top?

Here you will see the attendant helping her with her gear and the right photo shows her coming down. AJ spotted this Water Park on Deck 14 right away while we were eating lunch in Windjammer Marketplace. Of course, John and she could not wait to put on their swimsuits to swim right after lunch.

Hopefully, this panorama will give you an idea of how the Boardwalk is set up.

Do you see the Peacock seat on the carousel? I had to wait until it was available for John and I to sit on it and ride. They must have made it just for me, lol.

More pictures while exploring the Boardwalk.

Johnny Rockets crew performing to rock and roll music.

AJ built 2 bears and named them "Rocky" for her making it all the way up on the rock wall and "Romina", after the sales girl who helped her build her.

I hope you enjoyed the first tour of the Oasis of the Seas. I cannot wait to show you more next week. I am saving the best for last so stay tuned. Next week, I will show you photos of Central Park and maybe some shows. OMG! I could not believe how lucky I was to see the Nelson Brothers perform. You probably don't know them but I am Ricky Nelson's #1 fan and the Nelsons are his twin sons who did a tribute to him, so they sang mostly Ricky's songs. I told my kids that if we went on the stinkiest ship and the Nelsons were there, it would have been still worth it for me, LOL! I will tell you more next week.

Thanks for coming by. I can't say I missed you a lot cause I was having so much fun but I did miss you somewhat, LOL!