LegallyBlondeCruiseLVR

My husband and I had been to Cozumel several times before our recent Oasis sailing brought us there again in Sept., but in 2008 when we were there we had such an amazing time that we recreate that day each time we get back. The highlight to me is a little visited beach front bar/restaurant with the best snorkeling on Cozumel, but we described the whole day in our recent review of Oasis on my blog:

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html?m=1

My husband and I sailed on Oasis in Sept., with one of our stops being in Falmouth. We'd been to Ocho Rios & done Dunns River Falls on previous cruises, so we decided to head to Montego Bay & had an amazing time! All of the details of what we did, the cheap shuttle we found, etc are in a review we did on my blog here:

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html?m=1

Thanks for all the support Wolfgang and others! I'm glad most of you found the review helpful and didn't take anything too seriously. Seriously, it's a vacation post on a pink home design blog, what's there to take seriously? To those cruising on the Oasis soon, I'm jealous & wish I could jump in your shoes! I hope you'll post about your experiences when you get back so we can all compare notes (and so we can all live vicariously through you).

As to the percentage of non-Americans on board, without mentioning this thread to my husband I just asked him what percentage of our fellow cruisers were American. He shrugged and said "15%... max." I have an insanely difficult time believing the 81% statistic someone quoted. As I mentioned in the review, on the rare occasion we ran into an American there was a ton of mutual excitement. I don't think North Carolinians would be giddy about meeting people from Minnesota if 81% of the people on board were American. Minnesota is half a country away but felt like our backyard compared to all of the different cultures we saw represented on Oasis. Someone made a good point about many regions of the U.S., including south Florida, being home to folks who may have been born in other countries or speak other languages. That's a great point and could attribute to our estimate error (if there even was one). Our amazing dinner mates were first generation Americans of Egyptian descent who switched back and forth between English and their native language. Without getting to know them so well, we probably wouldn't have guessed they live in California - so great point there. With that being said, we didn't notice any nationality that seemed to be more represented than another (Americans definitely included in that statement - if anything, Americans may have been one of the few minorities it felt like). It actually felt like a really amazing blend of the world - that part was really neat - like a floating UN with all corners of the world pretty evenly represented... just many of the delegates from all around (America included) were jerks & everyone (myself included) was over eating. Someone mentioned that the crowds might bring out the worst in everyone - another good point that could explain a lot.

I'm embarrassed that we've spent this much time debating cruisers' countries of origins, because that was such a trivial part of the review and something that should vary tremendously each sailing (whether it does or not, I don't know). What was much more of a takeaway to me was that many of our fellow cruisers, regardless of country of origin, were what I would consider rude, mostly in terms of the aggressive shoving in and through crowds, cutting in line and cutting people off in foot traffic. That's it. Not sure if those behaviors are linked to any specific countries or cultures, I just didn't like those behaviors. Countless people in this thread and the other where I posted this review have agreed with me. One woman who cruised two weeks before us on Oasis linked to her own earlier review and it focused on the exact same rude behaviors (she and I also liked the same salads on board, so I'm feeling pretty validated right now). She was far more upset about it than I was... I really don't think I'm exaggerating here. There are rude Americans and rude people from other places on this planet - no one can argue with that. All I was trying to say was that the particular Oasis sailing we were on had a lot of non-American cruisers (no problem to us) and a lot of rude cruisers (big problem to us). ONE crew member claimed a relationship between Oasis's international appeal and the number of international guests on board - that's it. I'm not a sociologist and am not trying to draw any major causation or correlation between those statements about our cruise... just explaining what we experienced. If you read the review, you'll also see that it was the coolest cruise ship we've ever sailed, embarkation was amazing, the shows were the best we'd ever seen (on land or sea) and the on board shopping was unbeatable.

I'd much rather move this discussion to the ship's design and all of the great food we and past Oasis cruisers ate on board rather than a cultural debate.

Thanks everyone! As many in this thread have pointed out, your fellow cruisers vary tremendously based on departure port, time of year, etc., not just cruise line. Maybe others will sail Oasis with a much friendlier group of folks, but I've had at least twenty responses to my review where people said their experience on Oasis was the same. Loved reading the earlier post about the tall guy rushing to hold the elevator door - that's what the world needs more of!

Wow CruisingMomma - just read your entire review and you're right, we agree on EVERYTHING! Glad I'm not crazy. Funny we even liked the same salads!

Wow, seriously couldn't agree more CruisingMomma. It's clear as day we were on the same ship at the same time because your experience was ours verbatim. Glad we're not crazy! Very well put.

Lincoln - it sounds like you're a lot like us! But you did better than us by getting a consistent time all week. I think you'll find that a lot like traditional dining. You can get the same service team each night & can even ask them to save your table for you at your time if you want. We did that and say with the same sweet Eqyptian family each night at the same table by the window. If you're in American Icon, I think you'd really like Albert and Katherine - they were fantastic!

TheMastadon - seriously couldn't agree more: 6,000 strangers in any tight space is going to bring out the rudeness in many. I don't fault RC for that in the least. You're so right. Also to clarify we weren't in the suites. I'm pretty sure our cards were gold but I'm not positive - it was our third RC cruise if that helps.

Dep - have fun!! You guys will have a blast I'm sure! Eat a dessert or two for me!

Last but not least, Dees - thanks for all the sweet words. We can cruise together any time!

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! I agree with much of what you added about your experienced on board the Oasis, especially compared to Carnival sailings. Interesting that the Allure experience is so different - I read that somewhere else too & a crew member told us that despite Allure being two inches bigger now, Oasis still gets the bulk of the international travelers & is the world's most googled ship. I agree with Tapi on the craving for new experiences and think ATL shares our ship preferences!

Big thanks Lioness, FLACruiser, Ken, SeaUs, douknowme and especially Flacplnj!

Charger - we lived in Copperfield but moved to NC in 2012 where we built our home. I need to change that spot on my bio. We miss Texas and definitely Texans!

Rance - I totally agree. As an attorney, I can say they'd run into some legally challenges in the US. It's so sad and HAS to contribute to the crew happiness. In fact, I think they handle it much better than I would.

Really agree with your similar point Sheehan. Even though we were generally dissatisfied with service, we tipped the full amount because we know the crew relies on those wages. It's sad that some people don't realize that or care.

Oh my gosh, I bet you guys are right and it was some weird fat free/sugar free/everything free version made for Solarium! Well, if you count that out, we didn't have a single bad experience with food on board for 7 days - all wonderful except the ranch confusion. Thanks guys!

Wolfgang - our best cruise friends of all time were the two Canadians we met last year on the Breeze (see our review - they're in half the pictures)! We keep in touch and hope to cruise with them next year. The Liberty sounds right up our alley - definitely worth checking out. Also, I totally agree that it's just luck of the draw in terms of your fellow cruisers. In 8 cruises we never had a problem, so I think we just got unlucky. There also might be the complicating factor of Oasis's size possibly bringing out the worst in some who don't do well in crowds or something.

Oftheseas - we've done 3 RC now, so does that make us gold? I'm unsure. Our Seapass cards were yellow.

Bill - that pizza looks amazing! 10 minutes would be totally worth that.

Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback! It was nice to hear from many of you that you had similar experiences, both good and bad.

PK - enjoy Harmony! I bet it will be amazing!

Bill - we didn't know about the custom pizza option & wish we had! My husband probably would have loved that.

TBone - aren't you pleasant? Were you on Oasis with us two weeks ago? We ate in one of the 3 MDRs (a physical location) through MTD (a program). They're not mutually exclusive and in fact are very inclusive. We were told at booking that in light of a recent policy change, the only way to eat in the MDR on Oasis now is through MTD. We were not allowed to choose a fixed time - we had to make reservations through MTD or show up without them to access the MDR at all, so I suggest you get your facts right.

Some of what we experienced may have been one off, but the biggest bummers to us (the lack of ocean views, the other cruisers, etc.) were pervasive. How would you even know if those things were indicative of our full cruise? You weren't there! Sure, we may have had a bad crowd that week that brought out the worst in the crew, but I didn't preface the review with "this was how our cruise was so I know yours will be exactly like this." We usually get balconies on Carnival but couldn't justify the extra $400 pp for one on Oasis. My husband and I could have afforded it if we really wanted it, but many people probably can't. To say that you have to have the spare cash and be willing to upgrade to deserve a peak at the ocean when you're in the MIDDLE of the Caribbean is pretty snobby. So a young couple with limited means, like my husband and I were 7 years ago before we finished our masters and doctorate degrees, doesn't deserve to see the ocean on Oasis because they can't afford it? Wow. Purchasing a ticket on a cruise ship should guarantee you as much ocean as you can stand to look at for 7 days. Period. You're right about other RC ships being designed similarly, especially with the internal Promenades which are a wonderful trade off, but that's not the case with many other cruise lines, including Carnival. It also doesn't excuse the design. Your opinion of Drew compared to mine was one of personal taste. I won't argue with you about that. He's probably a great guy, just came off very cheesy, used car salesman like and full of himself to me. I also thought he bashed Hugo too much. Having never sailed the Oasis, I didn't know the closet was broken. I apologize that that oversight offended you so much. My husband who has two engineering degrees took a look at it and didn't see anything wrong, but what does he know. Also, we called maintenance when our toilet stopped working. We were on hold at least 15 minutes and waited two hours for it to be fixed, so calling isn't that much better than going in person. They knew our past-cruiser status because it was reflected on our seapass cards and a pamphlet explaining the coupons were delivered to our room. There were no invitations to a party - we would have loved that and spent most of the cruise wondering where it was. Clearly you're better at communicating what RC has to offer than RC. I have no doubts that there were rude Americans on your cruise as I'm sure there were plenty of them on mine. To us, it seemed like there were plenty of rude people representing every continent. In fact, my husband and I may have been two of them by the end of the week because of the way we'd been treated. I encounter rude Americans everyday. We're nowhere close to perfect, but that doesn't denote how rude most of our company was on board. Yes, there are plenty of American fashion faux pas, but I don't think I saw any American butt holes on board. Did you? Plenty of folks on board and on CC have mentioned how rude Oasis guests were on their cruises, so I don't know why you feel the need to vilify me. I've cruised 9 times and always love the exposure to other cultures, particularly when talking with the crew about their backgrounds and homes. I know what cruising should and shouldn't be, and to me, regardless of where you're from you should treat others as you would like to be treated. It's the most basic tenet of countless religions and I have no qualms about judging those who treat others poorly... ever. I guess you missed all of the wonderful things I said about Oasis. Like I said, we'd rewind 3 weeks in an instant if we could. If it was a sponsored post or a commercial I would have only mentioned the positive, but I was trying to give an honest review of the good and bad to help others who are interested in what we experienced. Anything other than that isn't a review.

OH - thanks for your sweet words! I'm glad you had better service than we did. I got the feeling that there were plenty of good eggs on board, we just got unlucky with some bad ones. Even our absentee steward was actually kind of sweet when we got to know him toward the end of the week. Britney on the zip line was so sweet and Albert and Katherine in the MDR were some of the best cruise waitstaff we've ever had. Definitely some very positive exceptions to our general experience and I'm glad you were met with such great service. Also, I completely agree with you on deck chairs and will probably amend the blog to include that point. There were so many! On Carnival, those are what we've had to fight for (everyone marks them with towels by 9am it feels like!) but on Oasis we never, ever had any trouble finding a chair. You're so right. The crowds we experienced were mostly in Windjammer, Promenade and in transit between places. Not as bad as we thought it would be though and not bad for 6,200 people. Glad you enjoyed your cruise as well!

This is just our opinion, but my husband and I compiled a review of our RC Oasis of the Seas cruise two weeks ago on our blog. We usually sail Carnival, so much of this review compares Oasis to our recent experiences on Carnival, particularly the Breeze (which we sailed in 2013 and 2014). Hope it's helpful!

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html

My husband and I sailed the 7 day Western Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth, Cozumel) route on Oasis of the Seas two weeks ago. Overall, we had a great time, but in this review we tried to point out a view things to avoid in addition to the things we thought were can't-miss. We reviewed many of the restaurants and all of the islands individually as well. We also posted photos of our surprise stop in Grand Cayman due to a medical emergency & the issues created by Tropical Storm Erika. Here it is if you want to check it out - thanks!

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html

Hey SeaUs! We just got off the Oasis. The Internet was $15 for one device per day. Before dinner drinks in Central Park were amazing - so calm and quiet. Around dinner time they often had a strings quartet playing in the park - so nice. I just wrote a full review of our time on board the Oasis, our islands & the shows with lots of pictures on my blog if you wanna check it out:

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html?

Have a great time!

Hey guys, we just sailed Oasis two weeks ago and sailed Breeze in 2013 and 2014, so we compiled this review of Oasis that calls out comparisons to the Breeze/Carnival. It's long but has lots of photos of the ship and islands on the western route. I think next time we'll probably be back on Carnival, but the Oasis definitely had its perks!

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html?m=1

In most islands we've been to there are guys standing around the cruise port selling excursions or tours, not affiliated with the cruise line. Because of the uncertainty surrounding our itinerary next week due to the lovely Tropical Storm Erika, I was wondering if we'd be able to do this in Falmouth. We don't usually book through the cruise line. Thanks!

Thanks Mabelcat!

RC just posted an update on its website for Oasis, Adventure, Freedom & Independence for Saturday. No word on itinerary changes yet but they told us to check back tomorrow at 4pm, at which point I expect we'll get rerouted.

Well let us know when you know mabelcat! That's awesome that you have the inside scoop. Hoping for answers soon, we still haven't booked our private excursion in Falmouth so we're waiting until we get some certainty since those generally aren't refundable.

Worried here too. Leaving this Sat on the Oasis & like others, think they'll probably reverse our itinerary to avoid Erika.

Yeah, when we booked Breeze initially in 2013 it was for the 8 day sailing to islands that we hadn't been to before. Same again in 2014 but with a new set of islands. When we booked Oasis in 2015 it was to check out such a groundbreaking ship, not for the itinerary.

Agreed Aquahound. It's all about what you're accustomed to.

We've sailed the Breeze twice and are leaving for Oasis this weekend. Loved the Breeze. Food was amazing, decor was great & had such a nice Caribbean vibe, staff was world class. We hope we'll enjoy Oasis but I can say I'm already a little annoyed by all the pre-cruise reservations and forms. It's so complicated and really, how am I supposed to know right now what time I'll be hungry or if I'll want to see a show next Thursday? Also I keep reading that there are very few areas to sit on a deck internally or externally with an ocean view on Oasis because everything is focused on the ship's center. There was no shortage of great ocean views on Breeze. Also, kind of annoyed at all the extra cost restaurants. For us, one of the biggest perks of cruising is that you generally don't have to think about money on board. Also apprehensive of the crowds although from what I've read it sounds like RC does a lot to manage them well. We are excited about the increased activities though (zip line, flow rider, rock climbing wall, ice skating). Clearly the Breeze has nowhere near the # or variety of things like that (although we do enjoy the Breeze's slides and were bummed to learn Oasis doesn't have any). Also excited to have a change of pace, because multiple cruises on the same ship can get predictable. We're excited to try something new and will report back next week!

Thanks yall!

@dltvermont - you shouldn't have any issues, we were in 8403 and the smell was further back than us by quite a few cabins, so you should be fine. Enjoy your cruise! I'm jealous!

My husband and I just got off the Breeze two weeks ago and blogged about our experience, with tons of pics, on my blog: http://www.ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2014/09/carnival-breeze-vacation-review.html

We loved our cabin, but based on the experiences of our dinner mates and other friends on board, we included some details about some cabin areas that in our opinion you would probably want to avoid. Unbeknownst to us, our sailing was also the 2014 Gothic Cruise, so there was some great people watching there. All in all, we had a great time - we love the Breeze! :o