Newbie reviews Oasis July 7th Western cruise

[Ukigirl]

Cruised Oasis July 7th with husband, 20 year old son and 16 year old daughter. Flew into Ft. Lauderdale Friday am, stayed at Hampton Inn which was just ok but had breakfast included and of course, shuttle to port. Arrived at port around 11:00 and embarked by 12:00, very efficient and smooth process. Headed for Cafe Promenade for the roast beef sandwiches which were just as good as everyone said. Walked around the ship for awhile and then headed to our rooms. About a month before, I saw that prices had dropped so I called travel agent and we got an upgrade, hubby and I went from D7 to D1 balcony (bigger balcony) and kids went from inside cabin to inside with view of Central Park, we were on 9th deck, middle of ship. Our room was bigger than I expected which was a pleasant surprise, plenty of room for our clothes. Our seating for dinner was 8:30 so we had plenty of time to enjoy the pools, first day we were at the main pool but then rest of the trip we loved the Solarium pool and hot tubs. We saw Hairspray (excellent) and Aqua Show (great) but missed Come Fly with Me, since it was a 10:30 show and that night we were all so tired, think it was after snorkeling in Cozumel. Labadee was nice, just chilled at beach, hubby and kids did the Dunns River Falls tour in Jamaica while I stayed on ship but we did walk around the port and bought some cheap souveniers. In Cozumel, we took a taxi to Chankanaab Park, did snorkeling which was nice and just hung out at the beach.

The captain did announce that ship was at capacity and close to record crowd but honestly, there wasn't any time that we felt crowded, always found a spot to sit and actually at night, the infinity hot tub at Solarium was deserted, our favorite spot. Loved Central Park, especially in the evening with the twinkling lights and sounds of crickets, very romantic spot! My favorite discovery? The Champagne Bar! After I was dressed and ready for the evening and hubby would take a shower, I walked there for a glass and they had complimentary caviar with all the trimmings every night, so that became my appetizer, loved the bartender there, he would see me coming and would have my glass poured by the third day! We did manage to sneak 2 bottles of wine in luggage (third was confiscated) and couple of Rum Runners filled with vodka but we still had a pretty huge liquor bill, thank goodness for our $475 credit from Costco travel agency! Food at MDR was ok, our waiter Milton was fantastic and so was Agnello, the assistant. So looking forward to lobster night, but found it to be tough and chewy. Hubby and I did Giovannis one night, food was fantastic but the waiter was not very gracious, only employee with attitude. I have nothing but praise for all the employees, always greeted with a smile and hellos, they all work so hard! Only open deck in front of the ship? Deck 14, great views. Hubby and son enjoyed the Flowrider and I enjoyed watching them wipe out. Any Fickert the cruise director was sort of annoying (I'm Amy and your awesomne) but the captain was great, we went to his Q and A one day, very interesting and informative facts about the ship and his life. Formal night was fun to people watch, couldn't believe the number of young girls dressed in ballgowns with tiaras, had something to do with their 15th birthday, I forgot which country celebrates this as a huge coming out party. I wore a long sundress and felt perfectly fine, hubby wore dress pants and sportcoat and same with kids. All in all, it was one of the best vacations we have ever taken and would highly recommend it to anyone. Already planning for next year....just us two.

[dacsmom]

Glad you had a great cruise, Chankanaab is one of my favorite places. I am still debating about the Oasis/Allure because of the size. Did you have to prebook the shows?

[Tyler80]

Glad you had a great cruise, Chankanaab is one of my favorite places. I am still debating about the Oasis/Allure because of the size. Did you have to prebook the shows?

 

You don't HAVE TO pre-book shows, it just makes things easier once you get onboard. You can always just "show up" and wait in line for available seats, or book the shows once you get onboard. Even if you pre-book your shows, you don't have to go to the show if you don't want to. You're not held to your reservation. The reason for show reservations is to help with crowd control, so not everyone shows up for the same show all at once.

[Tyler80]

Ukigirl: Great review, glad you liked your cruise! The 15th birthday celebration is called a Quinceañera and it's celebrated in countries of Latin decent. I've been on a cruise before with lots of Quince girls all in what looked like wedding dressing. It was a huge group of people.

[Ukigirl]

We did pre-book shows but I did see a line of people waiting who did not, they open the seats to them 10-15 minutes before show and it looked like they were able to get in. I would not hesitate because of the size of the ship but then again, since it's been many years since we last cruised, I have nothing to compare it to. The great thing abouty the size is even though I ate and drank twice as much as I usually do at home, with all the walking I did not gain any weight!

[shonandsuzie]

Thanks for sharing! :)