Cruising, We Are Back!

Cruising, we are back!

Just boarded the Oasis of the Seas in Bayonne for a six day cruise to Coco Cay and back. Right now we are sitting in the Schooner Bar with a couple of drinks and making dinner reservations. Good to be back on board. This is probably one of my favorite RCCL’s ships. I really like the Central Park area.

It’s really a shake down cruise to test Royal Caribbean’s Covid protocol. I hope to post each day so you may want to follow along.

The weather could be better. We drove the New Jersey turnpike from the Philadelphia area, about an 80 mile ride, in often heavy rain, as now Tropical Storm (previously Hurricane) Henri was pushing toward the coast of Rhode Island. It could have been worse, a lot worse. Here is the view from our cabin as we looked over the Port of Bayonne.

Travel has been out of the question for more than 1 1/2 years and we are ready; even for a cruise where we need to wear masks and sanitize regularly. It’s little enough if it keeps us and everyone else safe. For this trip, everyone must be vaccinated, although some on board are being treated as if they were not vaccinated in order to test CDC requirements. Masks inside are mandatory except in restaurants and bars. For those unfortunate enough to be “unvaccinated” there are venues where they are not welcome.

We are led to believe that the ship is only about 10 to 12% full. Our cabin, on deck 7, does not have occupants in either of the cabins next to us. Very few passengers are evident as we stroll around. Here is a photo of the promenade.

Here’s another photo taken at the Rising Tide Bar. On past trips this area was packed with passengers. One advantage to limited people is the opportunity to meet the servers and learn about their lives and cultures. We spoke with a Hindu fellow from Bali who told us about wedding customs and even showed us photos of his brother’s recent ceremony. His photos were lovely.

Dinner was at 7pm in Chops. One of our servers at the Rising Tide told us he had some of the best lamb chops ever there along with a glass of Pinot Noir. That sounded just right to me, and to JoAnn also, so we passed up steak in favor of rack of lamb. No Pinot Noir tonight but a bottle of Malbec was the perfect accompaniment.

After dinner we walked around a little. We visited some shops and made our way onto the Boardwalk where I took a couple of shots.

Someone was happy to see us.

Here is the new sports bar.

Looking up at the Ultimate Abyss reminds me of jellyfish.

I took a sunset photo. It’s dark and forbidding. It’s great to be back on the water. Just turn off the lights and look at the sunset and the stars; that’s heaven on earth.

Then we retired for the evening to our little midship cabin. Sleep came quickly as we glided through the Atlantic with the sound of water passing under our hull.

Welcome back!