OUT TO SEA
OUT TO SEA
ONBOARD OASIS OF THE SEAS
OUT TO SEA
After months of waiting for the day to come, the day finally came! With such a frustrating traveling day the day before, we were so excited to finally get going on this amazing adventure.
So how was it going onboard this massive floating city? Well, thank you for asking. It was awesome! From the moment we got to the boarding terminal, the process was relatively easy and smooth going. Once onboard, we were instructed to find our designated station to go over emergency procedures which went something like… If the boat starts to go down, put your life jacket on! Funny thing is, I don’t remember them telling us where that life jacket was…
And out to sea we go. So cross fingers!
EVERYWHERE I LOOKED WAS PICTURE WORTHY
So it is true about what they say… When you love doing something so much, you’ll never work a day on your life. That was a reference to my love for photography by the way, in case you didn’t catch that. After all, this is a photography website, so I have to talk at least a little bit about it.
I either had my camera, GoPro, or phone camera with me at all times. Sometimes I even had all three depending on what I was doing… Yeah I looked like a total tourist. But hey, I was having the best time of my life.
My partner in crime during this awesome adventure was Candice, which totally embraced my need for a camera at all times. She was even the behind the scenes photographer catching every moment I raised my camera to take a picture. So with pictures of me taking pictures, now I have proof I took these pictures on the video, and soon to be, on Instagram and Facebook.
HOW FANCY…
Our second day at sea included our first formal night. Although I was in a suit, there were times I felt way underdressed compared to other people who obviously take this cruising thing way too serious. Not just adults wearing Tuxedos, but their kids all in black tie. It was crazy! So now my plan for the next cruise, 20’s style black tie outfits to really stand out and put the rest to shame. Anyone in?
Camera on hand, we decided not to waste our fancy outfits and went around the ship and took some fun portraits. Like I mentioned before, everywhere you looked was a great backdrop. Whether inside or outside, this ship was my very own studio for 10 days and it was a dream come true. On a later blog, I’ll showcase some fun portraits of Candice around the ship.
BINGO!
Would you believe me if I told you I’ve never played bingo before? Well, I still haven’t. But, I had a good time watching Candice and a couple hundred other people playing it. After this, was a great performance by Travis Cloer which was a headliner on the Broadway shop Jersey Boys! Lots of fun and such a great way to finish the night.
THE NIGHT WAS YOUNG
Although the shows were over, after looking outside our balcony I noticed the awesome full moon, and well, I couldn’t let it go to waste. Bring out the camera!
Out to sea on vacation. No signal. No internet. Just living on the moment capturing memories. I love photography, which is why I have so much fun doing it. So what are you waiting for? Let’s go create some memories!
By the way…
All music used on these videos are from local Utah artists. Check them out and show them some love!
Music: Train to Somewhere by 19 Miles Per Hour.
IT'S TRAVEL DAY
IT'S TRAVEL DAY
DAY 1
IT'S TRAVEL DAY
Travel Day & Day 1
IT’S TRAVEL DAY. LETS GO!!!
Wherever I go my camera goes, and this trip was no exception. From the moment we woke up to embark on this awesome adventure, whether it was my camera, action camera, or phone camera, I was ready to shoot every moment of it.
Our journey started on a Thursday at 3:30am. Our flight was scheduled to leave from SLC International Airport at 6, and seeing that we were flying with Southwest, well, we were a bit on edge about making it to our destination. This was due to thousands of flights being cancelled by the airline in the previous days, so we were crossing all of our fingers.
Fortunately, our flight from SLC to Houston was right on time, even 20 minutes early, so we definitely started the day right! But then… Houston.
HACKED?
We made it to Houston early, and as we turned off airplane mode on our phones, well, the first sign of trouble emerged. Our next flight, which was scheduled to leave at noon, was delayed to 2:11pm. Ok, we are ok waiting a couple of more hours, no problem. But then… 3:41pm, 3:11pm, 2:41pm, 4:43pm, 2:59pm, 4:00pm, 2:50pm, and so on… This was all in a span of a few hours, and then around 3:45pm we get a message saying, “your plane left at 3:15 from a different terminal.” WTF?!!!
Well, we rushed to the service counter where they informed us the plane was still on its way and hasn’t left yet, but we did have to go to a different terminal. Sign of relief while we were rushing to the new terminal. We get to the new terminal, and the same of time hack starts again with departure times changing every 5 minutes this time. What is going on?! At least one of the times was correct and our plane started boarding at 4:43pm. Miami here we come!
I’M IN MIAMI &%$#!
Finally we made it! Now, you would think this would be the end of our first day adventure, well think again. We had a hotel booked that was supposed to offer shuttle service with transport coming by every 30 minutes. We were exhausted and a big cranky from the long travel day, and after an hour of waiting, no shuttle! Finally, after calling the hotel several times to figure this shuttle thing out, they assured us the shuttle was on its way. Yes that was true, and just as we saw it approaching and we started waiving the shuttle down, the shuttle kept on going and did not stop.
We called the hotel again and they assured us the shuttle would come by again in 30 minutes. ARE YOU %$^#&*@( KIDDING ME?! At this point we decided to get a UBER which said it would be 10 minutes to pickup. 10 minutes turned to 45 minutes, but finally arrived. The shuttle, not so much.
RADISSON RED
K our night is finally over. WRONG! We checked in to our hotel and we just wanted to get the much needed rest we needed to start our day early to get to our cruise. As we entered our room, we were amazed but the awesome architecture and decor. But then we look up… a bandage on the smoke detector…? Your guess is as good as mine.
Let’s just go to sleep.
OASIS OF THE SEAS
We took off bright and early to board our cruise, and this being my second cruise, I thought I wouldn’t be surprised by anything. But, the previous cruise I went on had nothing on the enormous size of The Oasis of the Seas! This Royal Caribbean cruise ship was a floating building that had my jaw on the ground. The experience from the moment we got to the marina sure took all the stress from the previous day away, and our real adventure began!
THE TRAVEL BLOG…
This is not going to be a review of the ship, I am a photographer on vacation, so much of the videos that I showcase here will be of Candice and myself taking the much needed vacation we needed. This will be a collection of pictures and videos of the awesome islands and activities that made this one of the best vacations ever!
I am not here to give specs or history lessons, just me and my camera/s walking around looking like a total tourist. From 5:30am wakeup calls to set the camera up for timelapses, to shows inside this awesome cruise ship, I’ll take you all on our experience on board The Oasis of the around the Caribbean islands of Labadee Haiti, St. Thomas, St. Marteen, St. Kitts, and Puerto Rico.
It’s travel time. Lets go!
Also, all music used on these videos will be from local Utah artists. Check them out and show them some love!
Music: Remedy by Poet Bones from the EP “The Absence of Perspective”