Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, or royal Caribbean or the Oasis…
"Welcome My VIP Guest!"
Riding up to the port you notice a few hundred other people are loading and unloading luggage, tips being handed out to some men who helped them, and children running around. Everyone is happy for the vacation to begin soon. You grab the carry-on you have in the seat next to you and turn to open the door, but it's opened for you. She's only a preteen, but she's dressed in the cruise line's colors and logos.
"Welcome My VIP guest, to the Oasis of the Seas! Would you like a first class tour today, with my friends?" She asks.
You are stunned and the only words the fall out of your mouth is, "I'm not VIP…"
She smiles, "Everyone is a VIP on the Oasis of the Seas! You're just one of the lucky ones to get a tour, if you want!"
"Okay, yeah sure! I'll join you!" You decide. After tipping the older man who unloaded your luggage from the trunk, you join the large group who was following the young girl. You are accompanied by a young family with three children, a young black couple, a group of nine young adults, a middle age couple and their teen son, a mother and her twenty-something year old daughter, and an older black woman. The last one is also wearing the Royal Caribbean colors and logos, and her name tag clearly states that her name is Nneka, and she is from Nigeria.
The young girl approaches another large family: three grandparents, five parents, two teenagers, five kids, and a baby. They joined your group and the child seems satisfied with the size of her group, but it seems rather large to you. You all walk in to the port building and get your cruise reservations and passports out. You wait for a customs personnel to come over to your group since you came in through a side entrance. During this time the preteen talks to the group.
"Hello everyone, and again Welcome to the Oasis of the Seas; I am Kaylder from Miami, Florida, but really the Oasis has been my home since it's first voyage three years ago. It has everything you will ever need, and as your tour guide today I will show you it all! First, we will do a speedy check-in, and board the ship, then have a great photo opt. and begin our tour from front to end and so much more! Are you ready?!"
"Yeah!!" Everyone exclaims.
Even though you have been on sixty-two cruises and are considered the highest of the high in the Crown and Anchor Society, you have never gone through a check-in as fast as this one. In the mean time, Kaylder and Nneka are teaching the other children some Hawaiian dances, since that is where you are heading. They are having a blast and you watch them for a moment or two before the tour continues. You go up the escalators and once again show your passports and now also your Sea Passes too.
Finally you walk through a hallway made of large windows and board the ship. There are twenty people in front of you, but one of the employees waves your group forward. Kaylder stays behind for a moment to say hello to the other guests waiting patiently to enter the ship. They smile, enjoying the simple attention a polite and well-mannered young lady is giving them. Who is she?! You wonder.
Your attention is brought back to the front of you, as you get a quick snapshot of yourself (a picture that is tied to your Sea Pass, so they know it is you when you come back on board after a day on the shore). Now there is a short wait for the picture perfect boarding moment. When it is your turn, you strike a fun pose. The last picture, Kaylder insists we all take a picture together and that is when you notice the group of young adults is missing. They took off once they got their speedy check-in and boarding done.
"No worries," Kaylder replies to the revelation. "They're the ones missing out, not you!" We take a few steps past the elevators and everyone gasps. "This is the Royal Promenade!" You have seen many promenades, but this one really tops them all!
The scent of honey and chocolate reaches you and you can't resist, looking off to the left you see a small cafe, with all your favorite pastries. Mindlessly, you walk over to the memorizing smells, and you are not alone. Twenty out of thirty two got something tasty from the cute café, and your group enjoyed a few moments of laughter and fun.
A young man in his late twenties showed up and asked if he could take your carry-on bags. His name was Jerry from Canada, and Kaylder came over sticking a colored tag around the handle of my biggest carry-on. The, you soon learn, twelve year old explains that the tour may take a long time and you may not want to carry your small bags the whole time. The color tags are all different for each room and nothing should get mixed up. You trust them and agree to leave you larger carry-on to be taken to your room while you enjoy the 'first class' tour.
A moment later you gasp. A minute after Jerry and one of the parents from the large family left with the carry-ons, the floor moved and you began to float upward. "We are on the Rising Tide Bar! Every few minutes it rises and lowers three floors. As we pass deck six, you can see the Schooner Bar, the hot spot for daily trivia! And on your right is the Focus Foto Fun Shop! Everyone on the ends look over the sides, please be careful, but look over the sides at an aerial view of the Royal Promenade below. Isn't it great?!"
You glance over the bar's railings and stare at the three pubs, four stores, two bars, two cafes, and the main service desk. Wow, it really is great! You look above you and see… trees? Oh, it's the Central Park, and on the sides there are four restaurants, three stores, and a bar. Behind you toward the back of the ship is the night club, Dazzles. Lame name, but you look in and it's not too bad. The aroma gets to you. The smell new or old will always be the same, a variety of perfume, cleaner, and sweat. But, hey, that is the essence of charming company, dazzling surroundings, and a jazzed up night. You decide you'll definitely have to stop by here one night. The young couple and a few teenagers agreed.
You follow Kaylder into the elevator and it takes two to carry us to our next destination. You are on deck six and you think this is a bit redundant, but realized a part you didn't see before. The Boardwalk has another two restaurants, and four little snack shops. You knew the diet you've had going on for the passed six months was for something and this was it! At the end of the cruise, you estimate you'll gain ten pounds and be back at your target weight. No more belts.
The young family decides to leave your group to spend time at the Carousel and Rock Climbing Walls. Up above you see a person fly by. There is a Zip Line on one of the higher decks. You follow the group into the Aquatheater's stadium seating. Kaylder explains some of the shows that will appear here and that she might pop up some times. Everyone smiles at her enthusiasm, as she walks you closer to the stage.
You head back inside the ship and find out you've dropped a deck. You're back at the promenade. Awful singing reaches your ears as you walk with your companions across the extensive layout. "That is David from Italy; he's likes to check the sound equipment in the Karaoke On-Air Club before every cruise, but truthfully I think he just likes the attention!" You laugh, and then you laugh harder when he finishes and asks the twenty people, who were watching him, if they wanted more. They responded with several different "No's".
You walk past the Mondo Coffee Bar and head up the turning stairs and find yourself in the Vitality at Sea Spa. You and your group get a nice tour of all their treatments. You have a twenty percent off coupon for a treatment and if you make an appointment today you will get another twenty percent, so you grab the seven o'clock at night timeslot. Unfortunately, that only left right now for the mother and daughter to have something done today and so the stayed behind while we grabbed an elevator and headed farther south.
Deck four was for all the entertainers at heart. It was the main theater, comedy club, hoedown lounge, jazz dance club, and last, but definitely not least, the ice skating ring. Families were already skating around, but it was too crowded for any of your group to join so you all left and hit another magic button in the elevator.
The kid's Adventure Ocean on deck fourteen was not just a daycare; it was a teen's club house, a baby's nursery, a geek's laboratory, a star's stage, and much much more! Kaylder also informed us that the Captain's Bridge was behind the far wall in Adventure Ocean and if we wanted a private tour of that and the kitchens, we should ask at the concierge's desk on decks twelve and thirteen at the far elevators.
You took the stairs up one level to find the adult pool in sight. Apparently, this was the grandparents stop; stripping off their cover ups, they hopped into those warm saunas faster then you can blink. It was probably the fastest they've moved in the last ten years. While they enjoy the Solarium, you walk past four other pools a golf course and up a ramp to where the Flowrider, a surfer's dream and the Zip Line is.
Turning around you notice your tour guide and group was back at the bottom of the ramp. They were looking and waving off the side of the ship. You joined the and look below. Realizing you returned Kaylder smiles, "If you wave the fishes will wave back!" The two of you wave and several fish jump out of the water in responds. That is just too cool, you think.
"Okay, this, unfortunately, is when we part ways, today. I have homework, Nneka has reminded me and today is always our busiest day. I hope you enjoy your vacation on the Oasis of the Seas and I promise we will meet again!"
Nneka began to hustle her away, but one of the teenager's questions caused her to stop. "Who are you?"
Kaylder's face, when she turned around, was in an 'oh my gosh' look. "I so didn't do that, did I?!" She almost whispered, but everyone heard it. You all look around in confusion; finally, she recovered. Smiling, she said, "You must think I'm crazy, showing you around the ship like that, but my father likes me to be part of the team. I am the Captain's Daughter!" And she gave a little curtsy before following the ever silent Nneka.
You watch them leave and the rest of your group starts talking excessively. The black couple past you and sat down to watch the surfers, while you search your pockets for your Sea Pass. Once found you head to your stateroom to freshen up for the rest of an already great day.
How did you like the first chapter?! Good… bad… let me know!!
And sorry for the confusing POV this was taken at… I wanted to show you the ship where a lot of this story will eventually take place. The next few chapters will be in different POV's, diary forms, and blasts from the past and then there will be a regular pattern… next chapter: you might think it's easy…