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I Said I'd Never Sail Oasis - Solo Review


wrp96
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So I said I'd never sail Oasis. It was too big, too many people, etc, etc, etc. Note: my favorite class of ships is the Radiance class. I hadn't even been on Freedom class because I thought that class would be too big.

 

So how'd I find myself on the 11/2/13 Eastern Caribbean sailing on Oasis? A combination of a really bad day at work and a Tuesday deal including a single supplement special meant I was "forced" to try her. Sometimes you've just got to take one for the team.;) Oh, did I mention that was also the night RCCL announced extra points for singles?:p

 

This review will be mostly impressions as I had a rigorous schedule of eat, drink, read, sleep, repeat that I tried to follow - with of course regular stops at the spa. Besides I think Michael's doing a great job of covering most of the activities on the ship.:D

 

Cliff notes version: I had a fantastic cruise, the ship was beautiful, crew wonderfully friendly. I never felt crowded, but it was too big for me (according to my feet) and I missed the views to sea of the Radiance class. Still I would sail her again and would definitely recommend her to others.

Edited by wrp96
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One of the problems with living in flyover country is that finding an affordable last minute airfare meant I had to fly into MIA - thank goodness for airline vouchers.

 

I stayed at the Embassy Suites Miami International Airport because it offered a 24 hour shuttle to and from MIA (flight was scheduled to land at midnight). Clean, safe, starting to look a little outdated décor wise, but friendly and helpful staff. To get to Port Everglades, my plan was to use Tri-Rail which meant I needed to go back to the airport and then catch the free Tri-Rail shuttle from the airport to Hialeah Market Station. The shuttle driver from the Embassy Suites though just took me directly to the station so I got to skip that step.

 

Tri-Rail was an easy and cheap ($5) way to get from MIA to FLL. At the FLL station take the Tri-Rail shuttle over to FLL and catch a cab or shared ride shuttle there for the cheapest price. I was too impatient so paid a little more for a cab directly from the station.

 

I was getting my first view of the ship shortly before 10:30 that morning. Prior to the cruise, many on our roll call got notices not to be there until after 12:30 due to customs delays. I walked into the building, straight up to a check-in desk, and was upstairs in a seat waiting by 10:45. At about 11:30 they started letting us on the ship and I was on the ship and in awe on Central Park by 11:45.

 

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She is a fun ship. You know how to have fun as a solo cruiser and this is a ship with more to do. I think this shop may be better for many but not all sailing solo. If I go in near future it'd have to be solo due to family work and school schedules.

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The public spaces on this ship were amazing. So many and so varied, even with 6,100 passengers, I only encountered a crowd twice (both times trying to enter the dining room, once for breakfast, once for lunch).

 

Hey Starbucks - which I never actually bought anything from even though I'm there almost daily at home.

 

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English Pub

 

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Cupcake Cupboard

 

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Foodwise I stuck to the dining room, Park Café (Roast Beef = yum!), and the Solarium Bistro for breakfast if I didn't have time for the dining room. Note: not a single pay option in there. I really enjoyed the food and the service was even better. I only had two issues in regards to meals. 1) As a solo traveler, I ended up assigned to a table for 4 where no one else showed up a few nights - or at any of the tables around it. My waiter and assistant waiter were so fantastic though I didn't ask to switch. Eventually others showed up and we enjoyed each others company. But it was a little awkward that first night. 2) For some strange reason they were already playing Christmas music in the Solarium Bistro and I heard it a few times in the dining room too. I love Christmas and all that it entails but I thought the first week in November was more than a little early to be wished a Happy New Year.

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She is a fun ship. You know how to have fun as a solo cruiser and this is a ship with more to do. I think this shop may be better for many but not all sailing solo. If I go in near future it'd have to be solo due to family work and school schedules.

 

Well in my case I really have no qualms talking to people, making friends, etc and no issues making my own fun:p, so really this was a great ship for me as lots of options for all that. I just have issues with my feet that make walking large distances hard so this ship is more of a problem compared to other ships. It didn't help that my cabin was all the way forward.

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Solarium - beautiful space, the pool in here was tiny though. I thought it was just another hot tub at first.

 

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View of Central Park from above

 

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Main pool, sports pool is also on this side of the ship.

 

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Mini golf

 

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Start of Zipline

 

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End of Zipline

 

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Note: This is as close as I got to it as I don't do heights.

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Wrona on Oasis???? Will wonders never cease? :D

 

RCCL twisted my arm and said I had to do it.;) Let's put it this way, it was a REALLY bad day at work and an extremely good deal.:p I referred to it as a week long attitude adjustment.:D

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I wanted to ride the Carousel but never did get around to it. It would've interrupted the aforementioned eat, drink, read, sleep schedule.

 

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Hey It's Zoltar!! Where's a big, huge piano keyboard on the floor when you need one?

 

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One of the rock climbing walls. See the zipline for why I didn't do this.

 

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Edited by wrp96
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Now, the first day as we were waiting for cabins to be available I made friends with a bartender at the Trellis Bar, so if I was buying a drink I tried to go there.

 

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A good friend lost her mom recently. She drinks Disaronno so I had to have one in her honor.

 

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I also visited Rising Tides for a drink

 

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Just try to reach the door

 

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I thought I'd have an issue (see zipline for my feelings on heights) but alcohol made that a non-issue.

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Now, to my cabin. I went for an inside cabin, 10416 which is all the forward in the center of the ship. BTW, anybody that tells you Oasis is too big to feel any seas doesn't know what they are talking about. We were rocking and rolling due to winds especially on the day after St. Maarten, and you could feel it throughout the ship, but especially all the way forward.

 

Now, I know some of you won't do anything less than a balcony. But considering I was by myself and that this was the bathroom facilities on my last major trip

 

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I think my cabin was great (kind of puts things in perspective, right?).

 

Well organized, plenty of closet and drawer space, 3 plugs on top of the desk,

 

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Only issue I had is the tv remote didn't work - at first I thought I just wasn't smart enough to figure out all the interactive options.They tried replacing the batteries but still no joy, so they just replaced it for me.

 

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Full size sofa instead of the love seat you find in inside cabins on other ships.

 

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Bathroom was well laid out, I liked the ankle level shelf in the shower to prop my foot on while shaving. And hey I can still brush my teeth while sitting on the toilet.

 

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Why oh why though did they not make the shower head adjustable in height like on other ships? I had to stretch on my toes to be able to adjust where the spray was hitting. Somebody shorter than me most likely wouldn't be able to reach it.

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Crown and Anchor Events

 

The welcome back party was held at the Aqua Theater

 

Get there early as it was packed

 

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Some nice sights

 

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These guys forgot their speedos

 

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I had to leave early as the Meet & Mingle was at 11:15 (3rd day), while the C&A Event was at 10:45am - besides it started to drizzle.

 

The Diamond Lounge is on deck 6 forward overlooking the Royal Promenade. They had a nice continental breakfast here and I liked sitting at the tables to do some work.

 

In the evenings however, the Diamond Lounge was actually in Blaze on deck 4. Felt kind of closed in, but the company was fantastic (hi Michael, Caren, Greg, Pam, and others). Some nights it was like vultures on the appetizers but even that was kind of fun to watch.

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Oasis also does a top tier event on the helipad on sailaway from Nassau.

 

Enchantment led the way out of port

 

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I could see a few people up top and in the forward cabins trying to figure out how we all got on the helipad - since it normally isn't open to passengers unlike on other ships.

 

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Carnival was chasing after us

 

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Now having been to all these ports previously, I decided not to get off the ship in Nassau. Instead I spent the morning in the spa getting a massage and facial. It's a rough life but somebody had to do it.:D

 

In fact, by the end of the cruise I had visited the spa and fitness center 6 times. Once for muster which was in the fitness center (the equipment looked very nice and plentiful, but I forgot my sneakers so shucks couldn't use any of it), twice to the spa, and 3 times to the salon.

 

I had a little bit of hair cut off

 

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This was the first sweep up

 

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But she did a pretty good job

 

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Yes, there was still a lot of hair left - I had plenty to spare.

 

As to the massage and facial, all I can say is AAAHHHHH!! Unfortunately my family managed to ruin all that nice relaxation the second I stepped off the plane at home, but that just means I need to book another cruise.

 

The spa facilities on this ship were amazing. Although I wish the thermal suite had windows like the Radiance class.

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The entertainment on this ship was fantastic. From the live music in the dining room and in Central Park to the shows.

 

Now, I booked so close to sailing I had to "settle" for certain reservation times but I was still able to do advance reservations for all the shows I wanted to see.

 

I skipped the comedy shows and the ice show but I was assured by friends they were fantastic.

 

Note the comedy shows you absolutely had to reserve in advance as very few people (if any) were getting in from the waiting line that formed at least 30 minutes in advance for that venue.

 

Oasis of Dreams (Aquatheater show)

 

Get there early if you don't want to sit in the Splash Zone. As a solo I was able to find a seat but these kids had lots of company by the time the show started

 

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Some nice scenery

 

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Loved the story and what the acrobats, divers, and synchronized swimmers were able to do was amazing.

 

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Hairspray was amazing. Absolutely loved it. Had to explain to more than one person that Edna was played by a man. Note, the contract for Hairspray is up for renewal within the next year or two. It is possible that they may get a different show on the ship at that point. They do have the option to renew it - and nothing has been decided either way, but if you definitely want to see Hairspray on the ship you need to book a cruise quick (heck, book a cruise quick even if you don't want to see Hairspray).

 

The other show I saw was Come Fly With Me, which is a combination of singing and lots of acrobatics and tricks.

 

There's something amazing when this plane comes out

 

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This couple was draw dropping and beautiful

 

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The towel animal that night was auditioning for a roll in Come Fly With Me

 

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One of the other Diamond events was an invite for a backstage tour led by the Stage and Production Manager

 

Well there's a plane and an automobile, where's the train?

 

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Just a few wigs. The one on the upper right is Edna's.

 

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Some interesting self critiques

 

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Different perspective on the theater

 

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Oh and for those of you that complain about RCCL's alcohol policies for passengers

 

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While I was waiting for the backstage tour, I caught the last question of the Captain's talk.

 

Woman: Captain there's so many other ships out there. How do you avoid hitting them?

 

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Captain, after the laughter died down: Well at sea, I have a standing order to stay 2 nautical miles away from all other ships, 3 miles if it's Carnival.:p

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St. Thomas - Caribbean Sail to Christmas & Honeymoon Coves (Cruiseline excursion)

 

I may not have gotten off the ship in Nassau, but I heard the water calling me in St. Thomas.

 

Booking last minute most of the independent excursions either were booked or just didn't appeal to me.

 

I normally don't do cruiseline excursions but my boss did one back in May that sounded enjoyable so I thought I'd try it.

 

Oasis docks at Crown Bay

 

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For those of you that ask about taxi rates

 

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Iguanas were just chillin'

 

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Our boat for the day, Bones

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They had two boats for the entire group, so everyone had plenty of room to spread out.

 

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The itinerary for the day is sail to Buck Island for snorkeling with the turtles, then sail to Honeymoon Beach for lunch and relaxing on a beach. Prior to snorkeling water and sodas were available. After snorkeling out came the beer and the painkillers! Yum!

 

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Unfortunately lots of boats at Buck Island so it was crowded in the water

 

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However, the mate on the boat (actually a female) did a really good job of leading us to less crowded spots in the water. She would also go down and point out stuff to us and then come up and explain what we were seeing. Usually you are just left on your own and all I can say about what I saw was "it was pretty." Saw turtles, stingrays, barracudas, lot of fish, etc.

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Snorkeling over it was painkiller time

 

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A fellow Arkansan

 

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Our beach for the afternoon

 

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We were given the option to swim to shore (maybe 100 feet) or take a dinghy in. It was a nice easy swim and there was a wonderful lunch of ribs and chicken waiting on the beach. Spent some nice hours relaxing in the uncrowded waters as we were the only ones there (the Kon-Tiki boat left just as we were arriving).

 

Finally it was time to head back to the ship

 

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Great excursion, worth the money. Definitely one I would recommend for people who aren't comfortable with independent excursions. I mentioned the crowding at Buck Island. The mate mentioned that they were looking at changing how/where they stopped to offer a less crowded snorkeling experience..

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