We spent the night before the cruise in Orlando at the Springhill Suites near the airport. There were restaurants in walking distance so that was nice. We arrived in Port Canaveral at about 10:30am. Once we got all checked in we only had to wait about 20 minutes to board. It wasn't complicated but there were a lot of people. Just pay attention to when your boarding group is called and don't try to go through early, they will stop you. We saw lots of people trying to go early and were sent back to the line. We went to the pool area first and changed in a restroom. We got bar service right away and started our vacation perfectly. Most people headed right for the Windjammer for lunch which was mobbed. We swam first then hit the Windjammer before heading to our cabin at about 1:30pm. Our bags were waiting for us. We had a nice balcony room at the front of the ship. Everything was clean and plenty of space. With that being said, there is lots of obvious wear and tear in the cabin and the balcony. I had heard the Oasis is going to be refurbished next year...that's good because it's time. We aren't over picky about worn carpet or rusted metal so we were happy all the same. Its a big ship but I never really felt like I was on it with 6000 people. They did such a good job with designing the different neighborhoods and areas for activities. We saw all the shows except Cats. Neither my son or husband were interested in it so we skipped that one. We enjoyed all the other shows and I think the ice show was my favorite. Lots of talent! All of the staff were so friendly and happy which was great. The other guests were also! I would suggest some improvement to the teen club. They list an open house on the first day. We went right when it was supposed to start and the door was locked. We checked back later and there were no kids to be seen. I think they need to do a better job of getting them together on the first two days as an organized group. That way they can meet up. My son was stressed that he had missed it somehow and then they would all know each other. It wasn't until the 4th day that he felt comfortable going back. The first night someone had a medical emergency. The captain later announced that he was diverting to Nassau so the person could get medical help (they ended up flying from there to Florida). This set us to be about an hour late arrival in Labadee. I think people understood it was an emergency and it was fine. We were given an extra 30 minutes before all aboard so really we only lost half an hour. We had some crummy weather leaving Florida and then some really windy weather the last night. Both times the captain was very good about communicating to the guests. My husband and I didn't get the drink package. We still had alcohol when we wanted it and it was fine. We both agree that unless you want to be drunk every day, it's a huge savings not to get it. I'd do it on a shorter cruise but not a 7 night. We had specialty dinners two nights. Giovannis and Sabor. The guacamole in Sabor is a MUST have (and tequila)! Gio's food was out of this world. We had my time dining and I booked our reservations before hand. Not all the times were what I wanted but each night worked out with shows schedules. The food in the main dining was very good also. I enjoyed taking a walk through central park after dinner. We did breakfast in the Windjammer each morning and there is so much to choose from. If you get something you don't like, don't worry, just try something else! I liked the lattes and little desserts from Cafe Promenade and the Pizza across the "street" was my son's favorite. We did have the soda cups and never had any issues. Haiti was our favorite stop. We splurged for an over the water cabana and it was so worth the money! We had a golf cart drive us out where we met out waiter. He got us labadoozees and checked on us throughout the day. The lunch buffet was close by so we walked over. Not sure why so many complain, they had plenty of access points to get food (it's NOT just one line!) and the food was fine. Yes, the lunch on the ship is probably better but this is a BBQ style buffet...so expect BBQ buffet food!!! The swimming was perfect and the view was incredibly beautiful. We have so many great pictures. My son and husband decided to check out the vendors...big mistake. Yes all the people saying they are aggressive are spot on. Not just that, but one guy just started shoving things in a bag and demanded $60! My son ended up with a carved wood box which isn't half bad for a souvenir and a few braided bracelets. Final price of $20. In Jamaica we went right to Margaritaville. If you speak to the hostess at the entrance instead of just walking in on our own, you will get a table. We had a couple rounds of drinks and lunch for about a hundred dollars (plus one souvenir glass). Lots of people were swimming...LOTS of people. I guess if that's your plan, get there early. We walked around the port of Falmouth after and I have to say it was disappointing. Very expensive diamond type stores or typical tshirt and junky souvenir shops. There really wasn't anything else to do so we went back on the ship early and hit the pool again. Another great time to go because there were much less people. In Cozumel we booked the Dune Buggy/Snorkel tour. You have to be able to drive stick shift! They were good sized cars and after stalling a couple of times (it had been many years since we had a manual transmission car), we were on our way. We drove around the island which is gorgeous. We stopped at a beach resort. You could choose to do the snorkel tour (which is part of what you pay for) or just chill on the beach and swim at your leisure. The three of us did snorkeling and once getting through the awkward part of getting the fins on, we were set. Saw lots of cool fish including a sting ray and puffer fish. After you have time for a quick shower off and bathroom break before driving to a little restaurant and shopping stop. You can order food and full bar service if you choose but it's not included. We got a couple things and shared but it was just OK food. We went across the road here but this side of the island has much rougher ocean so no swimming. It was so pretty and we took some more great pictures. Drink plenty of bottled water because the last part of driving you have to go through the one residential area on the island which has lots of sitting in traffic and it is very hot. It's not much to look at but it's the only main road to get back to the ship.

We had a great time!