I have commented about our recent cruise adventure in the last few posts, but not much about this incredible cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas. So, I thought it would be worthy to take some space here to describe it and my thoughts as well. In addition, in a chat with the ship’s Captain, he discussed a very recent close miss with a Carnival ship.
The Miami Cruise Terminal
One of the reasons for our month long stay in Cocoa Florida is the close proximity to the easiest and best cruise terminal, IMHO, Port Canaveral. It is a simply breeze to get to, drop off luggage, park and board. Well, that kinda changed with a good deal through our cruise agent named Mindy. She had a deal out of Miami on the Oasis of the Seas. The more she talked, the better it sounded.
So now we drove the three hours south to the humongous city of Miami. The drive was okay on the Florida turnpike (toll road), until we neared Miami then traffic slowed down as it became much heavier. You have to drive right through some of the downtown Miami to get to the terminal. And their signs are very confusing. Even the GPS lady was confused.
Since there is construction underway at the terminal, it got worse as we neared. There were maybe six or more cruise ships loading 5,000 people plus each and everyone arriving at the same time. It took about 45 minutes to work through this and finally get parked.
We made the cruise after many thoughts of still circling the construction as the ship departed. Note to self: never sail out of Miami again or else arrive the night before!
The Oasis of the Seas
As of 2018, the Oasis Class of cruise ships were the largest in the world. Some of the main features of this 5,400 passenger ship includes a 5-deck tall Central Park and Boardwalk. The Central park is just like walking through a perfectly manicured and landscaped park with 12,500 plants, including flowers, shrubs, and trees. The park was on our deck 8, so just around the corner from our stateroom, we could enjoy a coffee or wine in the park.
We opted for the 5:30 dining time with two other couples at our table. We had a great time chatting with them over our dinners together. They were also mostly retired and had done many cruises, so we have lots in common. Both couples are currently living in Florida, but like most people, they are originally from elsewhere.
Our cruise agent got us an upgraded dinner at the ship’s steakhouse, Chops Grill. It was a packed out place, but had some great food and service. We both had steaks of course. Was it better than the main dining room. Probably a little.
Here are some other facts:
- Length of ship is 1,187 feet long (the largest US aircraft carrier – Nimitz Class – is 1,092 feet)
- 226,838 gross tons vs. 100,000 for carrier
- 30 feet draft
- 215 feet wide
- 235 feet high
- Guests: 6,780 vs. 6,012 on the carrier
- Crew: 2,100 – over 75 nationalities
- Main propulsion: 3 Azipods with total of 80,460 HP; this is where the Nimitz Class has an advantage with their 260,000 HP. Something to do with two nuclear reactors
- Top speed of 24 knots vs. 60 knots carrier
One of the many plants in the Central Park 
Central Park guitar player 
Our room, an inside king. Much cheaper than a balcony room. 
The Promenade on level 5 
Our dining room waiter (Peter) and assistant Sunshine along with Pat and Randy (me!)
Close Miss
We attended a Q&A with the captain. Much interesting stuff discussed. One tidbit was the Oasis was within 30 feet of the Carnival ship that struck another Carnival a few weeks ago. You may have seen this in the news.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/carnival-cruise-ships-collide-cozumel-mexico-least-1-injury-n1105821
The photo in the link above was taken from the Oasis.
He said they had 30 knots of wind with 10 knots of current. Current has a 3x factor, so that equals another 30 knots. At 60 knots the Carnival ship trying to dock was over the capability of the ship’s thrusters.
The captain did not want to say anything negative about a competitor’s ship or crew. Just that there could have been technical issues along with some very bad weather.
Look it up on YouTube. Many videos were posted. Most were from the Oasis.
Wrap Up
That’s it for our 7 day cruise. We enjoyed the break to do something different for awhile. After the cruise from Miami, I surprised Pat with another quick trip. See my next update for all the details!
Glad you had a great cruise!!
Robert