Sea ViewsFrom President and CEO, Adam Goldstein

Ok, so I’ve been on Oasis of the Seas for 30 hours. In no order of importance or anything else, here are some observations:

• A small group of management had dinner tonight at Giovanni’s Table. I ate too much to be blogging right now. It was fantastic. Spending this kind of quality time with our colleagues is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the business. Royal Caribbean people are truly special.

• We practiced the flag-changing ceremony tonight. The flag-changing will occur after the delivery papers are signed tomorrow. The practice consisted of listening to the national anthems of Finland, Norway the Bahamas and the United States multiple times, followed by the lead singer of Hairspray. I guess we’re ready.

• The fitness center is already open for workouts even though the ship isn’t ours yet. 35 minutes into my workout someone shut the power off in the gym. That doesn’t happen at home. Maybe we won’t accept the ship.

• Even though we can see our breath, which should not happen in the Caribbean, it is majestic in Central Park at night. And Central Park is still a partial construction site missing 12,000 plants and trees.

• Usually an onboard announcement is introduced by the familiar ding-ding-ding that we now have in our television announcements. For unknown reasons the shipyard personnel testing the public address system have replaced the ding-ding-ding with something that sounds like a cross between a sick sheep and a drunk cow. Maybe this is one of the techniques for getting through a long dark winter.

• Our perfectionist entertainment team is frustrated by our inability to get into the theater and start the rehearsals. We’re trying to figure out other places onboard where the cast can rehearse while they wait for the theater. Studio B, an obvious alternative, is unavailable because the ice cast is constantly rehearsing in there. So a more imaginative venue is required.

• I think Richard Fain must have said cabin instead of stateroom 50 times today. The question is, does he do this because i) he really thinks it should be cabin instead of stateroom, ii) he can’t help himself, or iii) he knows it irritates me?

• Keriann Von Raesfeld, our chef at 150 Central Park, is really special. She is a phenomenally talented chef on a world-class scale, yet she is the opposite of a prima donna. She is doing every startup task that all crew have to do, including all safety drills. She thought it was cool that she was trained today in how to fight a fire. If you haven’t booked dinner at 150 Central Park, please go to Cruise Enhancements on our web site and make your reservation now.

• I will be on a plane home tomorrow during all of Game 1 of the Phillies – Yankees World Series. Unfortunately that plane is not JetBlue. This is provoking an allergic reaction throughout my body.

• I don’t care what you have heard, read or thought about Oasis of the Seas. It is better than that. Much better.