Oasis of the Sea – Day 2
Day 2 was a sea day. I had thoroughly planned on exploring the ship and finding every nook and cranny. Considering the ship’s magnitude, this did not happen.
Since we stayed in a Loft Suite, we had access to the Coastal Kitchen (a suite-only restaurant), and since it was right around the corner, we opted to go there for breakfast. It was very peaceful and a great bonus after dinner the night before. Coastal Kitchen is a sit-down restaurant with a traditional lunch and breakfast menu; you can also make reservations to have dinner there. The portions are very generous, with a nice variety each night.
There is also room service for breakfast; the continental breakfast is included in the cost of the cruise. But if you would like something beyond that then there would be a charge.
If we didn’t have the hospital bed in our suite or if it wasn’t an accessible cabin then we would have had a table on the balcony. But since we need a ramp for balcony access we lost a bit of room on the balcony so we did not order room service.
I spent the morning looking around the ship and learning what I could. People are always willing to give their options and offer advice when they discover you are new to something. 
There were a few things that I had in mind that I knew for sure I wanted to find out.. On the top of that list was the suite sun deck…is it or is it not wheelchair accessible? I had asked on my Facebook page and could not get a definite answer. So after much questioning and talking to crew members, I finally asked for the head of housekeeping. Jerry was so friendly and wanted to help us out, but because the only access to the sun deck was via stairs, he could not think of a way we could do it. But he said he would go check it out and be back. A few minutes later, Jerry was back, letting Daniel know to follow him, they took the crew elevator, and Daniel met us up on the sun deck. It was amazing that he could do this; he let us know that this was the first time he had ever run into this situation, and it was a great learning experience for him. I did discover this with the RC crew; for the most part, they were willing to work with us and help us figure out a way to improve things. Instead of herring “no,” they said, “Let me see what we can do!”
After all that work, we decided to enjoy the sun deck for a while. Then we were off again. Daniel went to get pizza from Sorrento’s Pizza, the included pizza restaurant that stays open until late at night.
We checked out the Soularium, the adult (16+) area at the front of the ship. There is a cafe, a couple of hot tubs, a pool (more splash pad style), and many lounge chairs. It was packed, so I decided I would have to try this area out on a day I could get there earlier.
For lunch, I had signed my husband and me up for a Sushi-making class. Knowing that we would not be eating in any of the specialty restaurants for dinner, I wanted to sample a few of them.
Plus, I have always wanted to try making sushi, so this class was a win-win. Not only did I get to see the inside of Izumi and learn how to make sushi, but we also had a great time and left with our bellies full from a great meal.
With full bellies, we headed out to relax and take advantage of the Wifi offered on board. I was impressed with the coverage and how easy it was to set up and use. I never had to wait for lag when accessing the internet and could post on social media throughout the cruise. I didn’t try to watch movies or anything, but I know my guys used it for games and to stay in touch with friends and never mentioned having any problems.
On our first night, we discovered that there is cocktail time for cruisers in the suites in Coastal Kitchen. Neither of us is a considerable drinker; we opted out of buying the deluxe beverage package(unlimited drinks, alcohol, and non) and went with the refreshment package (unlimited non-alcholic beverages). This worked out great because we got a couple of cocktails before dinner, and it didn’t cost us anything extra.
The staff was excellent and so much fun. They were always willing to make us up whatever we asked for and even play around with the traditional drinks recipes. One of my favorite cocktails is a “Konk Kooler,” but that is a Disney Cruise Line drink; luckily or server was more than willing to make it for me if I could find him the recipe.
Thank you, Wifi!
It was time to get ready for dinner, and we would give the main dining room another chance. Getting off the elevator was just as busy, and getting into the dining room could have been more organized. Since we had “My Dining Time,” there was not a table ready for us, and they had to find a table that would work for the wheelchair. They found a table in the far back of the dining room, but it was far from an accessible space for the wheelchair to squeeze into. Once seated, we noticed that the wait staff was overwhelmed (again), and the dining room was packed. We were disappointed by the lack of interest in care or attention during our meal and the time between servings. We were never offered drinks, the bread came without butter, and the server never checked in, introduced himself, or even asked about dietary concerns. So after dinner, I went into the Coastal Kitchen and made reservations for dinner for the rest of the week.
