My husband and I had cruised five times prior to this cruise (on Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Holland America), both as a couple and with groups. Each time has been wonderful. After much anticipation, we flew into Ft. Lauderdale from Milwaukee (via Atlanta) on Friday, May 21st. We settled into the newly-remodeled Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Beach Hotel, where we enjoyed a pool-side lunch at the Baja Grill before heading to Waxy O'Connor's Irish Pub to meet our new Cruise Critic friends. (Good time!)

On Saturday, we made our way to the Port to board the Ohhhhh-asis of the Seas. Check-in was quick and painless, and before we knew it, we were on board. We enjoyed welcome-aboard drinks in the Pool Zone. I surprised my husband by upgrading to an ocean-view balcony cabin, and he was delighted! Our comfortable room was in great shape, thanks to our lovely cabin steward, Marta Ortiz. Throughout the week, we treasured many moments on our balcony communing with the ocean and the sky. We also saw flying fish, which was a real treat. The full moon on Thursday night was magical.

We so enjoyed exploring the ship and people-watching, and the ONLY time all week we really noticed any kind of a crowd was immediately following the mandatory drill. The ship itself is everything you can imagine and more: it is impressive, beautiful, and surprisingly easy to navigate. The experience as a passenger is both exciting (the music, entertainment, casino, and more), and relaxing (Central Park, the Solarium, and many quiet corners throughout the ship). We are big fans of Paul O'Shea (the piano player), the house band, and Carlos and the SP3 Showband (who were on board especially to entertain a large group from Brazil). We participated in a few trivia contests and thoroughly enjoyed the ice show, Hairspray, and the "Oasis of Dreams" aqua show (all without reservations, I might add). You wouldn't catch US zip-lining or rock-climbing, but we certainly had a good time watching other people participating in these activities! Read more