It is very convenient to live so close to Port Canaveral. It is currently the third most busy passenger port in the world and will move into second this coming year with the new ship Oasis of the Seas making its home here. From my house, it is about a 35-minute drive. My nephew Brandon drove us to the port in my car so we did not have to pay for parking. The plan was for him to pick us up at the end of the cruise too.
Boarding started at noon but I decided to get there a little later. We arrived around 12:40 PM and Brandon let us off. The line into the terminal was long and out the door. After 15 minutes we entered terminal 1 and it took about 15 more minutes to get through the metal detectors and customs (Passport check). Up the escalator and then to ticketing. Being a Gold member of the Anchor Club allowed us to get into a smaller line. Fifteen more minutes and we were on our way to board the Oasis of the Seas. Total time was about 45 minutes.
We were able to get to our room right off but of course, our luggage was not there yet. We took a walk through Central Park, where our balcony looks over.
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| Terris Bar in Central Park on Oasis of the Seas |
Nancy got her first soda and I got my first beer, or some call Mexican water, a Corona...
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| Nancy on a park bench in Central Park on Oasis of the Seas |
The Oasis of the Seas is 1186 feet long, or four football fields long. There are two main areas with elevators and stairwells that are located a third of the way from the bow and the stern. Our room was closer to the forward set but it was still half a football field away. During the week, we made it from deck 2 to deck 16, there is no deck 13. There is artwork at each landing and mid-stairs. I took a photo of one of the over 100 different pieces of art located just in the stairwells...
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| One of the many artworks located in the stairwells on the Oasis of the Seas |
In the old cruising days, the muster station drill included putting on a life jacket and standing next to the lifeboats in the hot outside air. Our muster station was D3, located in Studio B, the ice skating rink located on deck 4. There are no life preservers in the rooms anymore and you do not have to wear them during the drill. No hot air here since the ice was ready for the cruise. We sat in comfortable seats and there was a short film (like on airplanes) and a brief comment from the Captain.
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| Studio B Ice Skating Rink on Oasis of the Seas |
By the time we got from the Muster station to the room to unpack, the ship had set sail. I wanted to get a few pictures of us leaving the port but the ship is fast and deck 16 was a hike. I did manage to get some photos at we passed by the end of the jetty at Jetty Park.
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| Leaving stormy weather behind on the Oasis of the Seas |
I wanted a picture of the fishing pier that has been closed since hurricane Matthew. We were already out in the ocean but I was able to zoom in to see some of the damage...
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| Jetty Park fishing pier from the Oasis of the Seas |
Nancy and many others were taking pictures too. It was very windy on the outside...
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| Nancy and others taking photos from Deck 16 |
There are pools are either side of the boat on Deck 15. This picture is looking to the stern. On the right is the open area down to where our balcony room was located. The area just beyond the pools is the Windjammer Marketplace, where we did a lot of eating.
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| One of the pools on Deck 15 on the Oasis of the Seas |
A carnival ship was following us out of the port on the cloudy Sunday afternoon (about 5 PM).
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| Port Canaveral and Carnival cruise ship from Deck 16 |
Nancy and I went down to Deck 15 and stopped at the pool bar. We ordered two Bahama Mamas, a drink that I had almost every day. Very fruity with just a touch of rum.
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| Our Bahama Mama drinks at the Pool bar on the Oasis of the Seas |
The sun was setting, it looked like it was going to be a great sail.
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| Sun setting over Basketball court and mini-golf course |
Our first stop was Nassau in the Bahamas on Monday morning...
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