Oasis July 23-30th Trip Report or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Boat

[SoccerMom#3]

Love your review. We'll be on the October 8 Oasis of the Seas so reading the review makes me want to be on the ship right now.

[kuddles14]

Like I said previously I am really enjoying your review. Besides bringing back memories for me, we are doing the western caribbean on the Freedom in March. Can't wait to see what you say about Nachi.

I know you did not get off in Falmouth, but did you hear anything about any of the excursions from others? Is the port still underconstruction?

[I&J Cruisers]

Love your review. We are going on Oasis in 171 days. It's our first time so I'm really enjoying this review. Thanks for taking the time. Keep them coming.

Irene

[Homegrown]

Like I said previously I am really enjoying your review. Besides bringing back memories for me, we are doing the western caribbean on the Freedom in March. Can't wait to see what you say about Nachi.

 

I know you did not get off in Falmouth, but did you hear anything about any of the excursions from others? Is the port still underconstruction?

 

We really didn't hear in comments, positive or nagative about excursions. The port is still under construction and while there is a lot already done, it looks like they still have a lot to do. I would think most of it will be done by March. I think it's going to be a great spot, really well designed, once it's done, it's just not there yet.

[metairiegal]

Love your review! Sounds like you had a great time. :)

[rthouse]

I am really enjoying your review. Your perspective is fresh and interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[daveky]

On decks 11 and 12, if you go to the very end of the hallway at the back of the ship, there is an unlabeled door. Just go through and there will be chairs waiting on you.

 

You will love the ship, have fun!

 

Cool..Will check it out next month. My cabin is on that end on deck 9.

 

Dave

[masonpips]

Our only other comparison for extra fee restaurants is Palos on the Disney Dream and we rated that as an amazing meal and experience. ?

 

Still my most favorite place to eat at sea. Ever. Went there 3 times over 3 cruises for dinner and twice for brunch. Every single time, the best meal I've ever had. I do enjoy the RCCL specialty restaurants and enjoyed the one on Celebrity Century as well but nothing beats what I had at Palo.

[mmn531]

I just booked Oasis for next year. They ought to make your review required reading prior to going. Learning tons of things I need to try when I go.

[Homegrown]

We were in Cozumel this day and it was going to be adventure for us. When we cruise, we typically play it very safe and only take the cruise line excursions. When researching where to go in Cozumel, I kept coming across positive comments about Nachi Cocum beach club. So, we crossed our fingers and made reservations. It became a family joke about the name, because I just don’t think we are pronouncing quite right with our southern accent. We got up this morning and headed to the Park Café before heading to the pier. Once on the pier, there were signs everywhere pointing us to the Taxi pick-up and before you knew it, we were flying down the road in a huge van. When we pulled into Nachi Cocum, the first impression almost caused us to ask the taxi driver to turn around and take us back to the ship. It doesn’t look like much from the parking lot, but once you pass through the front entrance, it’s fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a 4 or 5 star resort, it has a very Caribbean “weathered” look to it, but I can’t imagine a better way to spend a day at the beach.

 

A waiter takes you to your own personal palapa with four lounge chairs. Ours was only 3 or 4 feet away from the ocean. The waiter then checks on you occasionally to see if you need any drinks or anything else. We played in the ocean most of the morning (with a few breaks for Bahama Mamas, Dos Equis and orange Fanta (this really made my son's day)) and then the waiter brought fresh chips, guacamole, and the best pico de gallo I’ve ever had. We sat there with our feet in the ocean and enjoyed that and then some chicken wings and more chips. They then brought lunch, which was enchiladas for me and my wife and hotdogs for my son. All while sitting on the beach. With cold drinks. And the waves crashing right in front of us. Yes, it was as great as it sounds.

 

After lunch, we took a dip in the pool, went back in to the ocean and then just spent some time in our chairs reading and enjoying a few more drinks. They offer some other activities for additional fees like snorkeling and jet skis, but we so happy just hanging out and being waited on, we didn’t feel the need to do anything else. Even our son was happy just hanging out. Before we knew, it was getting late in the afternoon and we had our waiter call for a taxi. We sadly packed up and headed to the parking lot. By the time we got there, the cab was waiting and we were flying down the road back to the ship. All three of us agreed that this was the best excursion we’ve taken and would gladly go back if (when) we are in Cozumel again.

 

We got back to the pier and my wife wanted to look around in the shops. We didn’t find much of interest and headed to the ship. When we got to security, we ran it to the one and only line we had to wait in all week. After about 15 minutes, we were back on the ship, running to our room to get changed in time for dinner. We were a few minutes late to dinner, but not too bad. This is the one night I can’t remember exactly what we had (maybe a few too many Dos Equis). I know I had the pasta with chorizo sausage and my wife had the pasta shells with cheese and spinach but I don’t remember the appetizers. After dinner, my son went to the kids club and we sat in the wooden deck chairs on the back on the ship and watched Cozumel disappear in the distance.

 

Our entertainment tonight was Come Fly With Me. We were a little unsure if this show would be for us, but decided to go anyway. We were very glad we did. They do a great job of using the stage and cables to fly all over the place and used more modern music than we were expecting (even a little U2). It turned out to be a very enjoyable show. Then snack time with our son and a very needed trip to bed. Next Up, Day 7 or: Diving and Ice Skating, all in one day.

[joand452]

Loving your review! We did this same cruise on Allure in March and will repeat it on Oasis next March.

 

Looking forward to your review of Nachi Cocum -- we went there, too! Looks like you posted just as I was posting this!

[Homegrown]

OHHHHH! We are booked for Nachi in November!! I can't wait for your review! Pics please if you have them!

 

I'm afraid we are the worlds worst family when it comes to taking pictures. We tend to carry the camara with us and then realize at the end of the day that we only took a couple pictures and they are usually just of us. So, sorry, but I don't really have any that I think would be very helpful to you.

[kuddles14]

Looks like Nachi is a go for an excursion for us!!!

[Venusleo1]

Loving your review! Thanks for sharing! I'm so glad you enjoyed Nachi Cocom! It's my favorite place in the whole wide world :D

[WeLove2CruiseRCI]

I'm afraid we are the worlds worst family when it comes to taking pictures. We tend to carry the camara with us and then realize at the end of the day that we only took a couple pictures and they are usually just of us. So, sorry, but I don't really have any that I think would be very helpful to you.

 

Thank you for the review. I understand about the pics. You affirmed everything I have read on Nachi. Can't wait for November!!!

[kpatrick74]

makes me feel like I am back on the ship -- even if we did Eastern. I am glad you enjoyed her and I am glad you enjoyed Nachi. My mom n I are sailing Liberty in November and have made our ressie to go there b/c of prior reviews. Can't wait.

 

GREAT REVIEW!!!

[tmt218]

Hey Homegrown! It's your friendly neighbor's from Nachi! You talked to my Mom mostly. We were on the Carnival Inspiration that was in port with you. My DM wants to cruise on the Oasis badly. We came home and booked our first RC cruise for October on the Monarch. Looks like Oasis is going to be booked for next year.

I can also agree that Nachi was the best beach day ever. I wasn't so sure of the hype but it lived up to it. The water was rougher than I liked but a trpoical storm (depression) moved in before us. The food was fantastic and the drinks are always flowing. My DD had smoothies/mocktails. I do have some pictures if you don't mind me posting them here.

Thanks for a great review! I told my friends that will be on the Oasis next week about the secret decks. They have a dinner booked for their Anniversary, I'm not sure which one but hope they aren't disapointed. Sounds like you and your family had a fantastic cruise.

[oracer]

Homegrown, thanks for the review, very interesting and seems to pattern a lot of the comments that I am doing on a review that I am doing on the Freedom of the seas that was a day behind you each day in port. We almost took this cruise because of the same Western leg, but we couldn't get to Fort Lauderdale on the Saturday, so we took the next day cruise on the Freedom.

 

Was the weather good on all the stops? We noticed that their was a blob of weather in front of our boat and we wondered if it affected your boat or not.

[Homegrown]

The morning of the last day of a cruise is always a little melancholy for us because you want to do as much as possible, but you also don’t want it to pass too quickly. We got up and all of us went to the Park Café for breakfast. My son and I then went to take care of the tips and look for souvenirs and my wife went on the art tour. My son and I then talked about going back to the Flowrider, but we both decided we had ridden about all we could take for the week (I never thought I would say that). We just went back to Central Park and read and I had some coffee.

 

When we met back up with my wife, she gave us a recap of the art tour. SPOILER ALERT: If you think you might take the art tour on the Oasis in the future and want to be surprised, skip to the next paragraph. I really thought some of this was very interesting and wished I had know it at the beginning of the cruise to be able to appreciate it a little more. First, all the floors on the ship have a theme, ours on the 12th was “flight” and all the art on the floor tied into this. Also, each staircase has a color, our closest staircase was yellow. There is a sign near the Champagne Bar that lists all this out. Also, on the Promenade, the brass trees are solid brass and had to be cut in pieces and reassembled on the ship and then attached to the ship’s structure to hold them. They have monarch butterflies on them because monarchs are the only butterflies to make transatlantic trips and this ship was going to make one transatlantic trip and then stay in the Caribbean. There are statues of workers on the overhang near Sorrentos and they are based on a famous photo from a building being built in New York City, the faces are based on two workers from the ship yard and they are removing graffiti of the word “genesis” which was the original name for the Oasis class of ships. Finally, there are three marble sculptures outside the Coach store in Central Park that cost Royal over $100,000 each. I’m was shocked by this because I would bet 95% of the passengers would never notice or care. It just surprising the amount of thought, time and money put into the design and appearance of this ship.

 

After our personal art tour, we grabbed a couple roast beef sandwiches and headed up to the Wipe Out Café so my son could get what he wanted for lunch. I tried one of the pretzel hotdogs, these are probably good when fresh, but after they sit for a while, not so much. We then went to the Splish Splash Comedy Diving Show in the Aqua Theater. This was a lot of fun, and even though the show is kind of silly and goofy, they do some really spectacular stunts, especially towards the end of the show. Our son then went to kids club and I went for a run on the track. After getting cleaned up and grabbing another pint from the Schooner Bar, we picked up our son and went to the 5:00 show of Frozen In Time. Again, we enjoyed this show more than expected and the sand artists in the middle of the show are simply amazing.

 

We headed to dinner and my wife and I had the same things, onion soup and the NY Strip. Neither was as good as Chops, but it was still pretty good. Our son went to the Kids club one last time and we went to the room to pack. We sat on the balcony for a little while and watched the waves go by and then went down to the Schooner Bar. The bar actually overlooks the Promenade, so we pulled up a couple chairs and people watched while I had my last couple Murphy’s and she had a Mudslide. We then went to the Cupcake Cupboard and bought a cupcake for our son and met him up at the room. He said it was good, but kind of liked the donuts better. Then, we sadly went to bed, not looking forward to the next day. Up Next, Debarkation and Final Thoughts.

[Homegrown]

Hey Homegrown! It's your friendly neighbor's from Nachi! You talked to my Mom mostly. We were on the Carnival Inspiration that was in port with you. My DM wants to cruise on the Oasis badly. We came home and booked our first RC cruise for October on the Monarch. Looks like Oasis is going to be booked for next year.

 

I can also agree that Nachi was the best beach day ever. I wasn't so sure of the hype but it lived up to it. The water was rougher than I liked but a trpoical storm (depression) moved in before us. The food was fantastic and the drinks are always flowing. My DD had smoothies/mocktails. I do have some pictures if you don't mind me posting them here.

 

Thanks for a great review! I told my friends that will be on the Oasis next week about the secret decks. They have a dinner booked for their Anniversary, I'm not sure which one but hope they aren't disapointed. Sounds like you and your family had a fantastic cruise.

 

Wow, small world. I wondered at first how you new it was us, but there weren't many people at Nachi that day so I guess it wasn't that hard. I enjoyed talking with your mom, seemed like a nice lady. You guys would definitely love the Oasis, enjoy your Monarch cruise.

[Homegrown]

Homegrown, thanks for the review, very interesting and seems to pattern a lot of the comments that I am doing on a review that I am doing on the Freedom of the seas that was a day behind you each day in port. We almost took this cruise because of the same Western leg, but we couldn't get to Fort Lauderdale on the Saturday, so we took the next day cruise on the Freedom.

 

Was the weather good on all the stops? We noticed that their was a blob of weather in front of our boat and we wondered if it affected your boat or not.

 

Yea, we were watching that blob also. Other than the thunderstorm that one morning, the weather was fine. We had some overcast mornings and watched some storms go by on either side of the ship, it appeared the captain did a good job of avoiding it when he could, but the weather didn't affect anything we wanted to do. Hope you guys enjoyed the Freedom.

[Homegrown]

Hey Homegrown! It's your friendly neighbor's from Nachi! You talked to my Mom mostly. We were on the Carnival Inspiration that was in port with you. My DM wants to cruise on the Oasis badly. We came home and booked our first RC cruise for October on the Monarch. Looks like Oasis is going to be booked for next year.

 

I can also agree that Nachi was the best beach day ever. I wasn't so sure of the hype but it lived up to it. The water was rougher than I liked but a trpoical storm (depression) moved in before us. The food was fantastic and the drinks are always flowing. My DD had smoothies/mocktails. I do have some pictures if you don't mind me posting them here.

 

Thanks for a great review! I told my friends that will be on the Oasis next week about the secret decks. They have a dinner booked for their Anniversary, I'm not sure which one but hope they aren't disapointed. Sounds like you and your family had a fantastic cruise.

 

Also, forgot to mention, you are welcome to post your photos, it would be great to see them.

[bluecruisin]

I don't want this review to end, please go back and start again!!:p

[Jan_In_Maine]

Thanks so much for the review --- I really enjoy the day by day account ... with each day being a different post :D Jan

[Homegrown]

We only had three suitcases and one carry-on bag so we did Express Debarkation. We were down to the Promenade by 6:00 and the doors opened about 6:10. We were probably one of the first 20 or 30 people off the ship. We went through customs and to the shuttle pick-up spot and someone there had already called Park n’ Go. The shuttle pulled us up shortly, dropped us off right beside our car and they even handed us three water bottles when we checked out. I will definitely use them again. We were on I-95, pointed north by 6:45. The drive home was quite and uneventful.

 

As I hope you can tell from this trip report, we had an absolutely wonderful week on the Oasis. This ship is just stunning to explore, and the more I looked around, I really got the feeling Royal said to their designers “suggest anything, we will consider it”. The public spaces, especially the Boardwalk and Central Park are so different from anything on any other ship, and are so well done, I think it will be hard for us to go back to a more “traditional” ship, unless it’s a very port intensive cruise. One thing I have read in multiple reviews of this ship was that you “need to do it once”. Quite frankly, I’m not sure where that comes from, we can’t wait to do it again. We have been planning for a couple years now to take an Alaska cruise next summer. That plan is now in a heated competition with the Allure of the Seas, and the Allure has the lead right now.

 

Bottom line, I spent the week having fun with my family, enjoying the beach, reading good books, eating good food and drinking good beer. I can’t really ask for anything else from a vacation.