Oasis Photo Review – All Dining and Drinks Menus - Daily Programs

[willing292]

Great review. I can hardly wait for more. Thank you.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[megacruiser]

Your timing could not be more perfect. Just booked Oasis for may 31. Even though we are seasoned cruisers I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the size and all the options. Your report will be a lifesaver. Looking forward to every bit of information you will be sharing, thankyou.

 

Hi FunCruiser56,

 

I felt the same about the size of the ship. I thought I would miss out on things because too much on offer. All I would say is book the main shows and any dining first.

 

Then plan the rest of your day in the normal way based on the Cruise Compass. In between just stroll around the various areas and take in a bit of this and a bit of that. It's not so important that you can't do it all, it's that you enjoy doing the bits that you can. The rest can wait and means you won't be bored second time around either.:D

 

Cheers

megacruiser

[luv2zdworld]

Thank you for your review. Your photos are great. DH and I will be in Oasis November 29th. It will be our first oasis class cruise. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[phiflyers]

Will the speciality restaurants fill up if you dont make a reservation before going onboard?

[Clarea]

Will the speciality restaurants fill up if you dont make a reservation before going onboard?

Royal holds back a certain percentage of reservations for on board booking.

[comxkid]

Will the speciality restaurants fill up if you dont make a reservation before going onboard?

 

This is also my concern. I know which night I want to book. However, my TA provided vouchers for a free meal in Chops, so I don't want to book ahead of the time and get charged on my credit card.

[megacruiser]

Sorry this is taking so long. I will respond to the feedback later. I hope to get Day 2 uploaded in the next couple of hours before I go to bed. Coming next is the cruise Compass for Day 2.

[megacruiser]

Day Two

 

Here is the Cruise Compass for Day 2

 

[megacruiser]

Day 2

 

Went to the Windjammer when it opened for breakfast at 7am. Attempted to locate an omelette station without any joy. Spoke to one of the supervisors who advised they don't offer any eggs cooked to order but don't worry he said, simply go down one floor and aft towards the basketball court and the adjacent Wipe Out Cafe, the only venue onboard where freshly prepared eggs-to-order are available. One slight problem - it didn't open until 8.30. The message is clear, they can't cope with the numbers who want freshly cooked eggs so they make a token gesture of offering them in an out-of-the-way location for limited times only. I eventually had my one and only fresh omelette the following day. It wasn't worth the effort. The onions and peppers in the filling were completely raw.

 

 

Dawn Swimmer

 

 

Today was a day at sea to relax and explore the ship. I expected the open decks to be packed like sardines with sun worshippers. Admittedly the two main parallel pools, and the open decks close by, were pretty busy, but I have seen it more crowded on the Independence and who could forget the "seal colony" on the Ventura? The good news is that there are plenty of quieter places to lounge like the area around and above the Solarium and in the other direction further aft. There is also a sublime spot on Deck 5 aft, behind the Aquatheater. Mind you I do use headphones, so couldn't hear joggers passing, and any vibration was not excessive.

 

Tranquil View

[megacruiser]

You can have drinks or snacks or just relax in the open air on the Boardwalk and in my absolute favourite spot on board, Central Park. Photos and videos do not do it justice. The designers and landscape gardeners have done an amazing job and the variety and beauty of the trees and plants is stunning. There is so much to it that each time you pass through you spot different things.

 

 

Actually one benefit of having a cabin on Deck 8 is that each time I had to head forward to the Diamond Lounge or the Theatre or to Blaze, it was a joy to meander through the various routes. Never would I use corridors: sometimes Central Park one-way and the Royal Promenade the other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

]

 

 

I have never walked so much on a cruise. Mind you, most of the times it is fascinating just absorbing all the detail and planning that has gone in to making any stroll so stimulating and interesting. I will mention that I felt the walk from the rear elevators to the stern cabin seemed rather long compared to other ships, so if mobility is an issue, bear that in mind. In future I shall aim to get a cabin located nearer to the elevators and ideally somewhere between them.

[megacruiser]

Had lunch in the main dining room. Much more civilised and very acceptable. On sea days they offer Brasserie 30, the idea being they guarantee to serve you in 30 minutes, if that's what you want... but I don't! Why rush one of life's great pleasures, eating good food?

 

 

 

 

Chargrilled Palm Sugar Chicken

 

 

Harissa Charred Barramundi Fish

 

 

Caramelized Banana Mille-Feuille

 

All were very enjoyable with the fish being my favourite. Pasta Special of the Day can be good and I had one later in the cruise. Another very good option is the Tutti Salad!, prepared with your own selection of ingredients from an extensive display, then tossed in front of you with your choice of dressing.

 

[minniann007]

Nice review. Can't wait for more. We are leaving in 10 days ;)

[megacruiser]

 

 

No shows booked for tonight so my entertainment would be the Chef's Table - hopefully a special dining experience. It was booked for the maximum number of diners, namely fourteen. It does not operate with fewer than ten participants. We met in the library, which was reserved for this purpose. A glass of Moët et Chandon was served and fortunately a gregarious fellow broke the ice with some small talk that loosened the rather stiff atmosphere. It got progressively looser over the course of the meal, in no small part due to the wines that followed. The Master of Ceremonies was a very informative and knowledgeable sommelier who explained what lay ahead and duly escorted the group through the Concierge Lounge next door and upstairs to the beautifully set table. Each place setting had five different wine glasses for the various wines paired to match each course. I was a little surprised there was no tablecloth. Personally I prefer a table set on crisp white linen.

 

 

 

 

The "Chef" is actually one of the sous chefs. He detailed his background and past work experience to prove his credentials. Before each course was served he explained the dish, it's components, its provenance and how it had been prepared, and all in the greatest possible detail. Unfortunately the chef had a rather strong accent making it difficult to follow all that he said.

 

 

 

The sommelier then gave a lecture about the wine that would accompany each particular dish and its origins and characteristics. The diner next to me took a photo of the wine bottle on his iPhone and detailed tasting notes were immediately displayed along with information about the producing winery. It seems there are apps for everything nowadays!

[megacruiser]

Down to the actual food. Overall it was very good, some of it excellent. In my own view I felt there were a couple of over-seasoning issues, not drastic but noticeable. Neither dish was spoiled by these errors, just diminished. Nevertheless not really the sort of basic errors you would expect of a competent chef tasting everything before it leaves the kitchen. As for the wines, a couple were excellent and all accompanied the food very well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My overall verdict of the Chef's Table experience was that for anyone who loves good food accompanied by appropriate wine, at $85 it was an absolute bargain, because the wine value was at least equivalent to that of the food alone. I dread to think what you would pay for a similar experience in a good restaurant with such personal attention. Over three hours of pleasure were derived from the combination of food, wine, company and interesting background information relating to what we consumed. I would certainly do it again as long as the menu changes. Being a little overly critical, I think there is a hint of pretentiousness and over-hype in the presentation of the whole experience that subliminally conditions you to expect a level of perfection that is not in reality quite fulfilled.

[megacruiser]

That's it for tonight folks. Tomorrow morning I'll post the main dining room menu for Day 2 and hopefully Day 3 highlights will follow later. Thanks for reading.

[papcx]

Brilliant review megacruiser, and fantastic photos. Best I've seen on CC (IMO)

 

I for one can wait for each instalment if the presentation is to this standard, simply stunning, I've saved most of the photos (I hope you don't mind)

 

I've booked the Allure TA in Oct 2015 and want as much info on RCCL and the oasis class. What a ship, ever stat and fact blows my mind for this ship, how did they do it?

 

Your review is providing more information than I can process. Great job.

[nessz79]

Fantastic review! Thank you!

[sweetride]

Were the wines refilled or was it one pour per course?

 

Thank you for the review. It couldn't be better timing. My wife and I were discussing booking this ship and what room to get and your area was one on the top of our list

Edited February 20, 2014 by sweetride

[dln929]

That's it for tonight folks. Tomorrow morning I'll post the main dining room menu for Day 2 and hopefully Day 3 highlights will follow later. Thanks for reading.

It's our pleasure!

[megacruiser]

Loving your review,we will be on her May 10th, cant wait to hear more.

 

Hi cruisenuts4life,

 

Sorry for the delay, I was not ignoring you. I just had to make progress to get yesterday's details sorted and uploaded.

 

From your name I think we share the same passion, or in my case, an obsession perhaps. Glad to hear you love the review. Barely scratched the surface so far. I think TV viewing will be on hold for a fortnight now, judging by how long it all takes. Hang on in there.

 

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

Wow great start, thanks so much.

 

Hello riclop. It's always good to get feedback, especially if my effforts are being enjoyed. Thanks.

 

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

Megacruiser,

 

As others have noted, thank you very much for doing this. I know that it can be a lot of work, but your efforts will help a lot of us here.

 

I especially appreciate the honest critique about your cabin selection.

 

Good morning comxkid,

 

Thanks for your feedback.

 

I have written many long reviews before but hadn't appreciated how time-consuming it is to collate and edit photos, upload to Photobucket, scan, e-mail and edit documents. After Day 1, I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew but I am now determined to see it through properly to the end, no matter how long it takes. Especially as I have lots of nice photos I want to share. I am sorry the prose has suffered under pressure, but seems a little less important with all the photos included.

 

Glad my opinion on the cabin selection is helpful. Don't forget it is only my opinion and others no doubt disagree. Maybe they don't want to nap in the afternoon and perhaps enjoy the buzz and sights from the balcony whenever they are in their cabin.

 

Cheers

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

Thanks again for the wonderful review so far Looking forward to following it. Great pics as well.

 

Thanks niceguy6505, I can't tell you how good it is to hear if someone is enjoying what I am doing and I am specially pleased that you like my photos.

 

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

Thank you so much!! I'm sailing this Saturday (2/22) and this is so helpful for planning! I hope I get to see a lot more before I go. Thanks again for the work you are putting in to this!

 

Hi Dreamymom,

 

You must be so excited, I wish I was going too. Sorry my review won't be finished before you go. However if you have any specific questions or if there are photos of anything in particular you would like, please ask and I will try to help.

 

No matter what, you will have an unforgettable experience. Enjoy!

 

megacruiser

[caneguy]

This is also my concern. I know which night I want to book. However, my TA provided vouchers for a free meal in Chops, so I don't want to book ahead of the time and get charged on my credit card.

 

I think that depends on your dinning times. Last year on the Allure I waited until boarding to book my restaurants to use OBC and dinner vouchers and had no problem getting into Chops 2x, Giovanni's 2x and Samba Grill. We had both my mom and my in-laws (77-85 y.o.) with us so we ate early around 6:30. I plan on booking the same way in March and hope it goes well as we plan on dinning later around 8 PM (no parents). Just do it ASAP when you board.