Oasis Thoughts 9-11-9-18 2010

[kk99]

AWESOME OASIS TRIP !!!

 

Just back from the Eastern itinerary. This trip was booked on opening day 2 years prior to our sailing on opening day, and it was turned into a Cruise Critic group cruise. Our wonderful roll call had over 30,000 posts. I will post tomorrow pictures and all of the compasses, children's activities, casino literature, spa services and prices, excursions, shopping information and port maps so that you can see it. It will be linked on my Oasis webpage oasiscruisers@gmail.com as there are so many attachments.

 

I've cruised on many different lines, and the people as always make the trip special. We went to every dining venue, tried every activity, got by on 4-5 hours of sleep a night, and really needed another week to fully experience the ship.

 

Highlights:

Aquatheater shows, no technical problems, and great talent

Chef's Table, and Solarium Bistro

Flowrider staff

Special staff members, Nadia Durdevic, Patrica Patterson, Natalia Ramos, Sadka, Lee Jacobs, Jen and Mirko, and so many others

the Carousel

 

Lowlights:

The Oasis needed more internet stations and regular service. The system crashed repeatedly several times a day. I had a laptop, and a smart phone, and still service was better at the ship's internet stations, but spotty.Guest services was very good about refunding minutes when the system went out and you were on one of the computers when the crashes happened.

 

I honestly think that the Viking Crown Lounge is really underutilized. They could easily move the Diamond, Diamond Plus and Suite guests to the Lounge for the nightly event, and then reconfigure the space currenly being used as the Diamond Lounge for other things.

 

The elevators could seem crowded at times, but the most thoughtless thing I saw was passengers closing elevators when they weren't full, and there were people waiting, especially those passengers who had mobility isssues or used adaptive equipment.

 

I had no problems getting great food, and the staff handling special requests for allergies or substitutions. At the Chef's Table, we had people who didn't eat seafood, or a vegetarian, and there were wonderful substitutions, same thing in every other dining venue.

 

We were very fortunate to have Lou and David video our group of Rising Tide Rebels' sailaway. Here are the links to our sailaway.

 

 

WAVE photos at www.InletPhotos.com

 

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we booked Allure for the 16 of us on 9-4-2011. I'm hoping that lots of the wonderful people from this sailing will join us.

 

Any and all questions, I'll be happy to answer.

 

Kelcie

[4ever]

Ohhhh! I loved the sailaway video! Just dreaming about when it will finally be our turn! Thanks for posting and I will keep an eye out for all the other info you plan on making available-it is much appreciated! Glad you had a wonderful cruise!

[janetz]

GREAT video. One more sailing and then we are on! :D

[emmy]

AWESOME OASIS TRIP !!!

 

Just back from the Eastern itinerary. This trip was booked on opening day 2 years prior to our sailing on opening day, and it was turned into a Cruise Critic group cruise. Our wonderful roll call had over 30,000 posts. I will post tomorrow pictures and all of the compasses, children's activities, casino literature, spa services and prices, excursions, shopping information and port maps so that you can see it. It will be linked on my Oasis webpage oasiscruisers@gmail.com as there are so many attachments.

 

I've cruised on many different lines, and the people as always make the trip special. We went to every dining venue, tried every activity, got by on 4-5 hours of sleep a night, and really needed another week to fully experience the ship.

 

Highlights:

Aquatheater shows, no technical problems, and great talent

Chef's Table, and Solarium Bistro

Flowrider staff

Special staff members, Nadia Durdevic, Patrica Patterson, Natalia Ramos, Sadka, Lee Jacobs, Jen and Mirko, and so many others

the Carousel

 

Lowlights:

The Oasis needed more internet stations and regular service. The system crashed repeatedly several times a day. I had a laptop, and a smart phone, and still service was better at the ship's internet stations, but spotty.Guest services was very good about refunding minutes when the system went out and you were on one of the computers when the crashes happened.

 

I honestly think that the Viking Crown Lounge is really underutilized. They could easily move the Diamond, Diamond Plus and Suite guests to the Lounge for the nightly event, and then reconfigure the space currenly being used as the Diamond Lounge for other things.

 

The elevators could seem crowded at times, but the most thoughtless thing I saw was passengers closing elevators when they weren't full, and there were people waiting, especially those passengers who had mobility isssues or used adaptive equipment.

 

I had no problems getting great food, and the staff handling special requests for allergies or substitutions. At the Chef's Table, we had people who didn't eat seafood, or a vegetarian, and there were wonderful substitutions, same thing in every other dining venue.

 

We were very fortunate to have Lou and David video our group of Rising Tide Rebels' sailaway. Here are the links to our sailaway.

 

 

WAVE photos at www.InletPhotos.com

 

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we booked Allure for the 16 of us on 9-4-2011. I'm hoping that lots of the wonderful people from this sailing will join us.

 

Any and all questions, I'll be happy to answer.

 

Kelcie

 

Lou & David did a great job..have viewed the video and photos a few times.

3 more weeks and we will be on Oasis. Glad you had a great time :)

[kk99]

Hi everyone, I've got all of the Oasis pdf's attached of all of the activities, spas, compasses, children's activities, shopping, casino attached to my google page. Here is the link https://sites.google.com/site/oasiscruisers/Home?pli=1

 

I'll try and get photos up by tonight for our Cruise Critic sailing.

 

Just click on the link and then you can read or download anything from last week's Oasis sailing. I'll be happy to answer any questions about our experiences on the ship. I think I picked up most of the papers for our sailing. Someone from our group tried every venue and activity, so I can get answers for any specific queations. Have a great week,

Kelcie

[JACH77]

Enjoyed the video Kelcie and thanks for posting. We are on a b2b Allure cruise in December.

[kk99]

Ya'll are more than welcome. Hopefully the pics will be up tonight, although I'm not the world's best photographer. I don't think the compasses will change much other than the entertainment. One of the officers on the ship asked me why I was down at guest relations every morning, and it was to pick up the children's activiity sheets, as they weren't distributed in the cabins unless you had kids in the program.

 

I hope you have a great cruise, we all did.

Kelcie

[Buckeyebrd]

KK99--awesome info!!! We are leaving on Oasis October 9th; Do you know if Richard will be the CD on that cruise???? Thanks for the Cruise Compass and all info!!!!:cool:

[kk99]

Hi,

Richard said we was on through the fall, so I would think he would be on your sailing. He was at his most outrageous at the Love and Marriage show, much more subdued(for him anyway) than at the other events. Several people from our roll call won the team quest competition, and it was fun to watch as usual. You will have a great vacation. A week is lterally not long enough to see and do everything. Just be sure you have made all of your reservations before you sail, so that you don't have to wait standby for the shows. The comedians on our sailing were great. We saw them once, and did stand by on 2 other nights. We were all exhausted when we got off the ship, because we just tried to do everything instead of limiting it to a few things. Have a wonderful time,

Kelcie

[cruisinaz]

Thank you for taking the time to do this!

[kk99]

You are welcome. Anyone have any questions about the ship, venues, etc? We did eat at every restuarant , saw every show, and tried every activity at least once. Some of our group lived in the spa for the week, and tried every treatment(that is their shopping therapy), so ask away.

Kelcie

[joand452]

I'm at work and can't watch the video quite yet, but will as soon as I get home. I just wanted to thank you for saying a couple of times that you need more than a week on this ship. DH and I are booked on the Allure for a B2B (our first), and now he's worried we'll be bored the second week!

 

I don't think so!!

[kk99]

I averaged 4 hours of sleep at night, and I was one of the few on my large group of family and friends, who saw every show, participated in every sport, and ate at every restaurant on the ship. You need two weeks to slow the pace down and partake of all of the other activities such as spending a few hours in the Jazz club instead of an hour, listening to the Hairspray singers singing impromptu in the clubs, dancing in all of the clubs, and seeing the parades, line dancing on the promenade, and all of the classes they offered. The ports which we have been to many times before, were not why we tried this ship, it was for all of the fun offered onboard. Your husband will be thankful that he has two weeks to partake in all the ship has to offer.

Have a great cruise,

Kelcie

[CariBear]

Can't wait to sit down and have a chance to look at your photos and compasses! Thanks so much!! Glad to hear you had an awesome cruise!!

[rclibertygirl5]

Do you happen to have the 150 CP menu? I had heard that the chef and menu changed but I haven't been able to confirm it. We are sailing in less than 4 weeks and I can't wait!! Glad you had such a great time and thanks for all the information!!

[MaryEBS]

Do you happen to have the 150 CP menu? I had heard that the chef and menu changed but I haven't been able to confirm it. We are sailing in less than 4 weeks and I can't wait!! Glad you had such a great time and thanks for all the information!!

 

We dined at 150 the first night of the new menu... it started with a fruit salad, followed by Larger Cammenbert soup, Chard Ricotta Pasta, Salmon, Lamb Loin and a white chocolate, orange desert

[CanuckCruizer]

We dined at 150 the first night of the new menu... it started with a fruit salad, followed by Larger Cammenbert soup, Chard Ricotta Pasta, Salmon, Lamb Loin and a white chocolate, orange desert

 

Hi,

 

Wow - shocked with a fruit salad starter for $35....do you mean a "lager" as in "beer and cheese" soup? Chard ricotta pasta as in swiss chard - doesn't sound too appetizing either - lol. I wonder who the new chef is?Well, I have several food allergies and it sounds like I may have to cancel our upcoming dinner at 150 Central Park.:eek: I have e-mailed the speciality dining twice now and still can't get an answer about any substitutions for food allergies or for them to tell me what is actually on the menu at 150 Central Park - it is very frustrating.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

Canuck

[MaryEBS]

Hi,

 

Wow - shocked with a fruit salad starter for $35....do you mean a "lager" as in "beer and cheese" soup? Chard ricotta pasta as in swiss chard - doesn't sound too appetizing either - lol. I wonder who the new chef is?Well, I have several food allergies and it sounds like I may have to cancel our upcoming dinner at 150 Central Park.:eek: I have e-mailed the speciality dining twice now and still can't get an answer about any substitutions for food allergies or for them to tell me what is actually on the menu at 150 Central Park - it is very frustrating.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

Canuck

 

Yes... fruit salad... with crispy proscuitto chips it was actually very good. Yes Larger as in beer... Michelob according to the waiter... very different it had bacon in the soup and they sprinkle caramel corn on the soup...Yes I did say Caramel Corn. I enjoyed the pasta, although I knew there were greens in the pasta I could not distinguish the taste. The salmon was a no go for me not because of anything the chef did, I just don't care for it. We were glad we went for the experience and the service was absolutely impecable... but I would not go back for the same menu again.

[CanuckCruizer]

Yes... fruit salad... with crispy proscuitto chips it was actually very good. Yes Larger as in beer... Michelob according to the waiter... very different it had bacon in the soup and they sprinkle caramel corn on the soup...Yes I did say Caramel Corn. I enjoyed the pasta, although I knew there were greens in the pasta I could not distinguish the taste. The salmon was a no go for me not because of anything the chef did, I just don't care for it. We were glad we went for the experience and the service was absolutely impecable... but I would not go back for the same menu again.

 

Hi Mary,

Thanks for the clarification. Did you have anything in place of the salmon? I am allergic to pasta, fish and beer among other things - lol. I do love lamb though, but sounds like a no go for us as my DH does not eat salmon as well. It is a shame that they changed the menu - I think the other one was more appealing. Oh well - maybe we will try the Solarium Bistro instead or have another night at Giovanni's Table.

 

Thanks very much for all the info!:)

 

Canuck

[A Parrothead]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all this info!

[Dall]

How was the Rising Ride Bar? Is it crowded to the point that you have to wait in order to get on?

[oceanblue33]

Did you have a chance to experience Chef's Table. Did you enjoy it and was it worth the extra cost?

THANKS

[kk99]

Hi Guys,

That pesky thing called work keeps interfering with my cruise life!

I don't have the printed menu from Central 150, but I'll ask if one of my friends kept theirs. What Mary posted is correct. It wasn't my favorite experience, although the room is beautiful.

 

Loved the Chef's Table, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Chef Maarten was wonderful, the wines were very good, and it was just a wonderful place to celebrate in. I believe the wines poured alone well exceeded the 75 surcharge for the dinner.

 

Rising Tide Bar holds about 35 seated, although if you are willing to stand it holds about 50 at a time. The fast speed is 6 minutes and slow speed is 12 minutes. They so loved our banner and tee shirts(we were the Rising Tide Rebels), we got extras because the bar tenders all wanted a shirt or or banner(which everyone graciously gave me to keep).

 

I still don't have a fraction of my pictures done, but here are 3 slideshows, of our precruise parties, Flowriders, and our Pub Crawl. We actually visited all 30 places on the ship that serve alcohol(but of course didn't have drinks in all of them) and took pictures at each place. We made lots of people's videos and pictures, and it was a blast to do. It took about 3 and a half hours to complete and we did it on a sea day.

 

Here are the slides:

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00a2-6914-ac73?lm

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00a2-6b30-ae57?lm

 

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00a2-6bc6-aea1?lm

 

 

Any questions, I'll try and answer. I'll try and get some of the others up tomorrow.

Kelcie

[joand452]

Great photos! If you don't mind, I'd like to copy and past your slideshow links to put on my two roll call threads. Love building the excitement!

[MaryEBS]

Hi Guys,

That pesky thing called work keeps interfering with my cruise life!

I don't have the printed menu from Central 150, but I'll ask if one of my friends kept theirs. What Mary posted is correct. It wasn't my favorite experience, although the room is beautiful.

 

Loved the Chef's Table, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Chef Maarten was wonderful, the wines were very good, and it was just a wonderful place to celebrate in. I believe the wines poured alone well exceeded the 75 surcharge for the dinner.

 

Rising Tide Bar holds about 35 seated, although if you are willing to stand it holds about 50 at a time. The fast speed is 6 minutes and slow speed is 12 minutes. They so loved our banner and tee shirts(we were the Rising Tide Rebels), we got extras because the bar tenders all wanted a shirt or or banner(which everyone graciously gave me to keep).

 

I still don't have a fraction of my pictures done, but here are 3 slideshows, of our precruise parties, Flowriders, and our Pub Crawl. We actually visited all 30 places on the ship that serve alcohol(but of course didn't have drinks in all of them) and took pictures at each place. We made lots of people's videos and pictures, and it was a blast to do. It took about 3 and a half hours to complete and we did it on a sea day.

 

Here are the slides:

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00a2-6914-ac73?lm

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00a2-6b30-ae57?lm

 

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00a2-6bc6-aea1?lm

 

 

Any questions, I'll try and answer. I'll try and get some of the others up tomorrow.

Kelcie

 

I found the printed Menu! Here it is:

Melon Salad - Champagne and Crystallized Ginger Gelee, Crisp Prosciutto, Parmagiano Reggiano

 

Camembert and Lager Soup - Spiced Caramel Corn, Bacon Bits, Watercress

 

Rainbow Chard and Ricotta Caramelle Pasta - Romesco Sauce, Chorizo, Roasted Red Peppers, Garlic Chips

 

Seared Salmon - Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Puree, Chickpeas, Preserved Lemon, Cucumber Yogurt Salad

 

Provencal Lamb Loin - Dijon Potato Puree, Ratatouille Olive Tapenade Stuffed Pattypen Squash, Lamb, Jus

 

Duo of Chocolate Mousse with Almond Orange Tuile - White Chocolate and Grand Marnier Dark Chocolate and Coffee