Oasis- Jan 23 Sailing

If anyone happens to be tracking Oasis for any reason we are stopping at Nassau this evening on our way back to Ft. Lauderdale for a medical emergency. It should only delay our arrival tomorrow morning by about a half hour.

I'll use this same thread when I get home to give you some thoughts about the cruise.

Thanks for the update and prayers to the passenger and family.

It just happens too often. Prayers!!!!!

Well, I am just back from another adventure aboard Oasis of the Seas. Instead of writing a review I thought that I would write some comments and make some observations about the cruise. Everyone is welcome to make comments of their own. Remember that these are my opinions. If you do not agree with me feel free to say so. It would be great if you can disagree in a pleasant way. But I have been around here long enough to know how things work. Some folks can only disagree in a disagreeable way. But that is ok. I can take it.

The SHIP

First of all, Oasis appears to be maintained very well. I don’t go around looking for issues and I didn’t notice any issues with the ship all week. It was clean and constantly being cleaned. In the past I had preferred Allure over Oasis as I felt Allure was a better managed ship. I’m not going to go into all the details as to why but I didn’t find any of that this time. Things that I thought needed correcting in the past have been. Now I think my preference would be for Oasis but that is because I prefer Saturday to Saturday sailings. Once Oasis moves to Port Canaveral I’ll be back to Allure as I much prefer sailing from Port Everglades. As always there were a lot of people on board but we rarely felt crowed. However, if you do need to be somewhere at a certain time on this ship leave yourself more time than you think you need. If the elevators don’t slow you down the many people walking in front of you who have nowhere to go and all day to get there will. If you are like me and take a day or two to transition from real life time to ship time it can be a bit frustrating.

The CREW

I have read on these boards that the crew seems to be overworked and the service was lacking. I have to say that I encountered none of this. This crew was one of the happiest and friendliest that I have encountered in awhile. This applies to not only the service personnel but also maintenance workers, painters, cleaners, etc. If there were any disgruntled crew members on this ship they and I were never in the same place at the same time. Our cabin attendant was excellent. Not only did he do his job well but every time he saw me walking down the passageway to the cabin he would stop what he was doing and just take the time to walk up to me and say hi and ask how my day was. This was completely unnecessary but little touches make a big difference. All the other attendants working that passageway were just as friendly and would greet me when they saw me. I will also say that, as I mentioned above, they keep this ship so clean that the public bathrooms rarely look as if anyone has even used them.

One day while I was waiting for an elevator I heard one person tell another that they thought the service on the ship “sucked”. I did not hear the reason why. But as we all know, two people on the same ship and on the same sailing can have very different experience partly depending on crew that you encounter as well as expectations. I had one issue getting my C&A internet credit to show up. When I went to guest services the rep not only took care of it he gave me his card with his phone number on it and said if I found any issue with the charges to just call his personal number and he would take care of it. I thought that was very cool. And while I am on the subject of the internet, it was so nice to have actual speed. For the things I needed it for I would say it was just about as good is my FiOS connection at home.

Bar staff was a bit hit an miss. One bartender said if I got a Cosmopolitan it would count as two of my C&A nightly drink vouchers because of the amount of alcohol in it. I was having none of that B.S. as I have not had an issue with this before. So I asked him if I got a drink with no alcohol would it then not count against my drink vouchers at all? He didn’t know what to say. So, with a little bar shopping and found a bartender who was much more open to whatever drink I tended to be inclined to have. I was happy. And I think the tip that I gave him made for a happy week for both of us.

The ENTERTAINMENT

This, of course, is where the Oasis class ships really shine. Since there has been so much discussion about “CATS” on this board I thought I’d put in my two cents now that I’ve sailed. I was not going to go to the show but I did end up going just to be with the family. I haven‘t read that much good about it on these boards and I think it is way too long in duration for a cruise ship so I attended with a very jaded attitude. Now that I have seen it I still think it is too long for a cruise ship, it isn’t big on story line, BUT I completely enjoyed it. The talent and costumes were phenomenal and I think knowing a bit about the story line from what I have read on these boards and doing a little reading also helped. I am so glad that I did not miss this show and I actually felt like the time flew by. The show may not be for everyone but that is how art is. Whether it is a show, music, a painting, or jewelry some people will find it appealing and others won’t. There were some people who walked out before the first act was even over and others who did not return after intermission. I attended a C&A back stage event and one woman let the production manager know in no uncertain terms that she hated the show and felt RCI was wasting its money and should get rid of it. If I sail on Oasis again while the show is still playing I suspect that I will invest the time into seeing the show again. I enjoyed it that much. I would much rather see a too long but quality show over some cheesy RC Singers and Dancers show. The only thing I would say is that RCI should give some thought to the times that they schedule it for. There was only one evening show and two other showings in the middle of the afternoon. People do not leave winter behind and take a cruise to the Caribbean to sit inside in the middle of a sunny afternoon at sea. It would make much more sense to me to schedule 45 minute “Come Fly With Me” in the afternoon rather than 2hr and 30 min “CATS”.

“Oasis of Dreams” left me absolutely awestruck as it does every time I see it. However, the Aqua Theater seemed to have some sort of curse on it this sailing. The sail from Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean was plagued with wind. The first night’s show (that I had reservations for) was postponed as were several other showings. And I was really annoyed because my show was rescheduled for when we would be docked in St. Thomas. Fortunately, we were back on the ship in time to see it. This rescheduled time ended up being a blessing as they got in one more show (that I got to see again) that evening on the sail to St. Maarten. All the other shows were postponed until the last day of the cruise. And sure enough, the wind was blowing again and all of those shows were cancelled. “Splish Splash” was supposed to occur on the first sea day after leaving St. Maarten. It was a gorgeous day at sea but the show ended up being cancelled because, supposedly, one of the lifts in the pool broke and could not be lowered. That was disappointing as I think that show is just as good as “Oasis of Dreams”. Maybe it is because of my younger days as a swimmer that I have such an appreciation for these aquatic shows. They are a combination of entertainment and incredible athletic skill.

The ice show was excellent. They still have the sand artist performing during the show. He is a different one than I have seen in the past with a different story line. I didn’t find it quite as emotionally touching as the one in the past but it was very good.

The RC production show, Come Fly With Me, is still very good and much better than the typical RC Singers and Dancers show. The Comedy show was actually funny. The guest headliner was ok. I don’t remember his name. He had played in Vegas and sang songs impersonating other singers. I don’t know why they tell you that someone came onto the ship from Vegas as if that automatically makes them great. Having played in Vegas automatically gives you some sort of special credentials and status in the entertainment world?

ISSUES

I had some relatively minor issues with this cruise. The first was one several occasions in both the Windjammer and the Solarium Café I picked up a dish or bowl only to find them dirty. I understand they wash a lot of dishes every day but I don’t care. Wash them right and maybe do some inspections to make sure they are clean. It grosses me out to pick up a dish and it is not clean. Maybe I can deal with it once but this was too many times. By the end of the week I was inspecting every plate, bowl and piece of silverware that I was using.

I also thought the Windjammer food was a bit disappointing. It was nowhere near as good as it was on Indy last March. There was little variation from day to day. So if you didn’t find much to your liking on the first day you were pretty much SOL for the rest of the week. Many of the choices that they did have were not very appealing. But I did not go hungry. One thing of interest is that on the first formal night they had lobster tails in the Windjammer. I have never seen this before. However, the tails were just plain bad. They were chewy, rubbery, and tasteless. It didn’t matter how much butter you poured on them. They were bad. They had ice cream in the Windjammer in the evening but it was pretty well hidden so it was fortunate that I knew enough to ask for it. But they had no toppings to put on it. They have always had something like chocolate sauce, strawberries, and whipped cream in the past. Most of the other desserts in there were not very good. They tended to look better than they tasted and there was a markedly reduced selection from past cruises. The bread pudding and rice pudding were consistently good.

I do not know what is going on with the pizza on this ship. The pizza in Sorrento’s was bad. The pizza in the Wipeout Café was bad. The pizza in the Windjammer was not bad but that is because there was no pizza in the Windjammer. But if there had been pizza in there I’m sure it would have been bad. And I have never before been on a RCI ship with out pizza in the Windjammer.

When on Oasis and Allure I am always glad the have the Solarium Café for breakfast. They still have there good assortment of fruits, berries, muesli, etc., in order to have a healthy breakfast. And, yes, they still have the notorious turkey bacon, too!

Overall, I just had the sense that the food budget has been cut back. I ate well and did not go hungry but there was a definite decline since we were on Indy less than a year ago. And, yes, I realize that I am comparing two different ships but they both belong to the same cruise line.

I will say that the crew in the various food venues did a great job of clearing plates almost as quickly as you were finished with them. As I stated earlier…. A very happy crew that provides very good service.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

There are things that RCI does incredibly well. There are things that they do that I dislike, things that make me shake my head in disbelief, things that I find amusing, and things that I find frustrating. But I can say the very same thing about every member of my family. The facts are that Oasis is an amazing ship, but it may not be for everyone, and RCI still provides a great product for what my family and myself are looking for in a cruise. Sometimes I think about trying other lines to see what they are like as well as for economic reasons as RCI can sometimes be more expensive. But when we are in port I look at other ships and ask myself if I think I would like to be on that ship. Mostly I find myself being glad that I am on the ship that I am on instead of the one I am looking at. And so it goes…..

So those are some of my thoughts. Questions and comments are very welcome.

I thought I might also mention that terminal 18 was functioning very efficiently going both ways. On arrival we got to the terminal at just about 11:30 and were up in the Windjammer by 12:15. On returning we left our cabin at 7:40 AM doing self assist and were in a cab on our way to FLL at 8:15 AM. Very painless both ways.

I thought I might also mention that terminal 18 was functioning very efficiently going both ways. On arrival we got to the terminal at just about 11:30 and were up in the Windjammer by 12:15. On returning we left our cabin at 7:40 AM doing self assist and were in a cab on our way to FLL at 8:15 AM. Very painless both ways.

Was it difficult to find seats in WJ on boarding day? I ask because I got the feeling that the WJ crowding has lessened significantly since they moved Izumi and are using that area for WJ seating.

We arrived around 12 on boarding day It started to pack and hard to find a table. I ate the buffet last night in windjammer, it served lobster and lamp chop. I agreed tail was chewy and the chop were more than well done. It is difficult for both food to cook well in buffet.

Was it difficult to find seats in WJ on boarding day? I ask because I got the feeling that the WJ crowding has lessened significantly since they moved Izumi and are using that area for WJ seating.

We had no issue finding a table when we arrived and there really were not that many people there. However, by the time we were ready to leave, I would estimate around 12:45, it was getting pretty packed. There was always plenty of room in there evenings. As I've said before we have most of our meals there including dinner. We only had lunch there once and that was a port day which was fine. We didn't have luch there on sea days. Lunch was usually the Solarium Cafe, Wipeout Cafe, or Park Cafe.

So those are some of my thoughts. Questions and comments are very welcome.

Great overview - thanks! It's good to see a honest look at the good & the not so good!

We arrived around 12 on boarding day It started to pack and hard to find a table. I ate the buffet last night in windjammer, it served lobster and lamp chop. I agreed tail was chewy and the chop were more than well done. It is difficult for both food to cook well in buffet.

Interesting, I've never seen lobster in the WJ, except for a special dinner they hosted on Explorer once.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

Thank you for your thoughts on Cats. I saw it several years ago in Los Angeles and plan to see it again when I'm on Oasis in 4 weeks. I get that it's a long show, especially on a cruise, but I loved the songs and am looking forward to seeing it again.

Interesting, I've never seen lobster in the WJ, except for a special dinner they hosted on Explorer once.

Neither have I. On formal night there was a big pan of them and you could have as many as you wanted. Unfortunately, one was more than enough. Maybe they had them in there as they figured people in the MDR would be asking for seconds.:eek:

Thank you for your thoughts on Cats. I saw it several years ago in Los Angeles and plan to see it again when I'm on Oasis in 4 weeks. I get that it's a long show, especially on a cruise, but I loved the songs and am looking forward to seeing it again.

If you enjoyed the show on land I have no doubt that you will also enjoy it on the ship. I thought the talent was exceptional and it is visually stunning. I, too, found that I really like the music as you do.

The ice show was excellent. They still have the sand artist performing during the show. He is a different one than I have seen in the past with a different story line. I didn’t find it quite as emotionally touching as the one in the past but it was very good.

When we sailed Oasis, I'm almost positive the sand artist was a woman. Oh my goodness, I was a puddle on the floor, a PUDDLE! :p

Having sailed Oasis more than once now, do you think you will again? What is your favorite ship/class of ship?

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When we sailed Oasis, I'm almost positive the sand artist was a woman. Oh my goodness, I was a puddle on the floor, a PUDDLE! :p

 

Having sailed Oasis more than once now, do you think you will again? What is your favorite ship/class of ship?

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Last September, we had a man and woman doing the sand artistry.

When we sailed Oasis, I'm almost positive the sand artist was a woman. Oh my goodness, I was a puddle on the floor, a PUDDLE! :p

 

Having sailed Oasis more than once now, do you think you will again? What is your favorite ship/class of ship?

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Our past times on Oasis the sand artist was a woman. I won't say that there was a puddle around me but I will just say that I had no issues with dry eyes from having my contacts in too long. She just really touched me.:o

I think the F/V ships are still my favorite. The Aqua Theater is what really makes Oasis/Allure special for me. And I really enjoy the Solarium Cafe for breakfast. I am sure we will sail this class again but any future sailing on that class will probably be on Allure and maybe Harmony as I just do not like sailing out of Port Canaveral where Oasis will move to in November.

I really like 8 night sailing so we will probably do Freedom when it starts the 8 nighters out of Port Everglades. And Navigator will be doing a nine nighter out of Miami which looks very interesting also.

We really enjoy the Royal Promenade on the ships and because of that we rarely book a Radiance class ship though they are beautiful and very classy.

I think the F/V ships are still my favorite. The Aqua Theater is what really makes Oasis/Allure special for me. And I really enjoy the Solarium Cafe for breakfast.

 

 

 

I really like 8 night sailing so we will probably do Freedom when it starts the 8 nighters out of Port Everglades.

That's the same *figurative* boat we are in. Sailing next Feb. with some friends and can't decide between Oasis class or the Freedom 8 night itinerary which seems to have some cool ports (Eastern w/o Nassau = awesome) :-)

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The CREW

We had the same awesome experience with the crew on Oasis last May. Our room attendant was awesome! And took the time to talk to us and ask about our day, just as your did. All other crew (various other cabin stewards, bartenders, etc) were very friendly.

We had no issue finding a table when we arrived and there really were not that many people there.

Also the same experience with the WJ on Oasis. I had no problem finding a seat the several times we were in there, for both breakfast and lunch.

We had a great trip on Oasis 1/23! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2308429&highlight=oasis

We had a great trip on Oasis 1/23! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2308429&highlight=oasis

I just read your thread. You seemed to have a lot of the same experience that I did. The one thing I would say is I really did not like Quest at all. For some reason I didn't find it the slightest bit amusing on this sailing. Maybe I am getting old too? :confused: Maybe it is because I found Drew Devine to be a bit of an annoying CD.:rolleyes:

When we sailed Oasis, I'm almost positive the sand artist was a woman. Oh my goodness, I was a puddle on the floor, a PUDDLE! :p

 

Having sailed Oasis more than once now, do you think you will again? What is your favorite ship/class of ship?

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Our past times on Oasis the sand artist was a woman. I won't say that there was a puddle around me but I will just say that I had no issues with dry eyes from having my contacts in too long. She just really touched me.:o

 

I think the F/V ships are still my favorite. The Aqua Theater is what really makes Oasis/Allure special for me. And I really enjoy the Solarium Cafe for breakfast. I am sure we will sail this class again but any future sailing on that class will probably be on Allure and maybe Harmony as I just do not like sailing out of Port Canaveral where Oasis will move to in November.

 

I really like 8 night sailing so we will probably do Freedom when it starts the 8 nighters out of Port Everglades. And Navigator will be doing a nine nighter out of Miami which looks very interesting also.

 

We really enjoy the Royal Promenade on the ships and because of that we rarely book a Radiance class ship though they are beautiful and very classy.

My understanding is the man is the husband of the woman who usually does the sand art. The husband tends not to do the thumbelina sand art, and the husband does a different story line. The woman who does it often has evening dinner in the WJ with officers. I have often wanted to tell her how much her sand art touches me, but just haven't gotten there yet. One day I will. I hope Harmony's ice show is more like Oasis's than Allure's.

The eight night sailings on Freedom sound interesting but with just one wave on the ship I will always go bigger. ;)

Welcome home Ocean Boy. Sounds like overall it was a great time. I think I found the WJ food to be of the same quality of Indy this past fall. The thing we found was that the WJ layout on the Oasis class was much better. I have read numerous times on CC that folks thought the Freedom Class has such a better layout, but we just didn't see it that way. Amazing how people can have different perspectives. Some time in the future we still need to get that meal in at the WJ.

We didn't make it to Shirley Heights on Sunday as it looked like rain was coming. We got a sprinkle but not much more than that. Next time, is what we have found us saying as there is a great chance we will return here in the future.

If you periscope we have some videos up. You can find them at @Lisa_Ont.

We had no issue finding a table when we arrived and there really were not that many people there. However, by the time we were ready to leave, I would estimate around 12:45, it was getting pretty packed. There was always plenty of room in there evenings. As I've said before we have most of our meals there including dinner. We only had lunch there once and that was a port day which was fine. We didn't have luch there on sea days. Lunch was usually the Solarium Cafe, Wipeout Cafe, or Park Cafe.

I can't find where you may have posted this information already, and if so, I apologize for not seeing it.

Is the Solarium Cafe open for lunch on embarkation day on Oasis? I remember the WJ being very crowded, and not being able to find a seat at Park Cafe.

... Is the Solarium Cafe open for lunch on embarkation day on Oasis? I remember the WJ being very crowded, and not being able to find a seat at Park Cafe.

Yes, Solarium Cafe is open for lunch on embarkation day. So is Wipeout Cafe, Cafe Promenade, Sorrento's, Boardwalk Doghouse, and Vitality Cafe.