Review: 3/29 Oasis of the Seas with 2 small children

[danilynn17]

My family just got back from the 3/29 Oasis of the Seas sailing- myself, my husband, our 4 year old daughter and our almost 2 year old daughter. This review will be geared towards those with small children, so if you are looking for insight into nightlife, bars, etc., you're not going to find much here. We are experienced cruisers- this is my 6th cruise, 5th for my husband, 3rd for my 4 year old and 2nd for my almost 2 year old.

 

We had a direct from Pittsburgh to Fort Launderdale the morning of the sailing. We had signed up for the RCCL transfers from the port, so that we could be on a bus and not have to deal with a taxi. We had to wait about half an hour or so for the bus to arrive. The RCCL transfer is nice, because they also take your bags directly off the bus (so you don't have to deal with the porters). Embarkation was a breeze. Random family tip- there is a family bathroom at the pier, but the diaper changing station is in the men's and women's bathrooms, not the family bathroom (we did a standing diaper changing. We were on the ship in no time flat.

 

We were all starving and headed to the Windjammer for lunch. I was curious to hit up some of the other dining options, but with two picky kids, Windjammer gives us a lot more options for them. I hate, hate, hate the Windjammer for lunch on the first day of the cruise. I hate the crowdedness and craziness. We struggled to find a table. No one from the staff was assisting in finding tables. We saw a table for 8 with only one gentleman (some sort of ship officer?) dining there. We asked if he would mind if we used the other half of the table. He had three others that would be joining him, but we all fit. Not sure who the three others were, but they were likely performers of some sort. Not particularly friendly. I thought the Windjammer food was pretty good. However, with the two kids, we prefer sit down service. It's just easier.

 

We finished lunch and headed to our cabin - 10th floor Central Park Balcony, room 10179 (directly over the Coach store and very close to the elevators). The room is a nice size. We had the configuration with the bed near the closet/bathroom. This made accessing the closet a bit tighter. Our 4 year old would be sleeping on the couch, and we requested a pack 'n play for our younger daughter. We would have greatly preferred to have had a room with the configuaration where the bed is near the balcony so we could access the balcony in the evenings after the kids went to bed, but it is what it is. Our room steward stopped in, and we explained how we needed the room set up. He was fabulous. We did not have a single problem or disappointment in that department.

 

I found the storage space on Oasis to be less than on previous ships. The minifridge takes up a ton of room that I would prefer to have as storage. I would've liked some more drawer space.

 

My husband stayed in the room with our little one for a nap and I took the older kid around to explore the ship, and sign her up for Adventure Ocean and our little one for the nursery.

 

There is just SO much on this ship for kids to do, it is incredible. We went up to the Adventure Ocean and the first thing we saw was the big room in the middle with a toy set up. This is a play room for kids 6 months to 5 years. It is large and has a ton of toys, a play house, and a small playgroundish type thing with very short slides. We tried to go here several times to let the kids blow off steam. Very clean.

 

We also borrowed toys (you get them in the nursery). Still mostly Fisher Price. This was great, as it helped us save packing some items. We also went to the library and borrowed some children's books (books are essential bedtime items in our house).

 

The lifeboat drill was somewhat tortuous, as it always is when you have 2 young children you have to keep quite and occupied. Our muster station was in Blaze nightclub.

 

Dining

 

We did the early seating and ate in the dining room every night but one. Our table was on level 4, right off the far left side entrance. It was almost a seperate room, which suited us well (instead of dragging our stroller way to the back corner). Our waiter was Daniel from Romania, his assistant was Iketut. Our headwaiter was Andan, a Victoria Beckham look alike, also from Romania. We had a great experience with our dining staff. They totally pandered to our children, who adored them. We were at a table for eight, but there was only one other couple seated with us. They were a lovely couple from New England who have grandkids a few years older than our children. They seemed to enjoy having our kids around.

 

The food overall was decent. My husband and I both agreed that the quality of meat has greatly declined. We had the same menu on the Adventure of the Seas last year and remembered not caring much for the options on the first night (I have a shellfish allergy, so that limits my choices as well). We both ordered the steak from the always available menu. We are not high maintenance diners at all, but it was a pretty cruddy cut of meat. The steak was grey, no grill markings, and did have gristle throughout. The fish dishes were consistently good, and the pasta dishes were excellent (particularly the one with the short rib ragu).

 

The kids menu is pretty standard kids' fair - chicken fingers, grilled cheese, pizza, catch of the day (cod the first night then salmon the rest of the time - disappointing because our kids love white fish but none of us care for salmon), spaghetti, etc. Don't expect the kitchen to make substitutions (i.e. mashed potatoes instead of fries, for example). It doesn't seem to happy. So much food goes to waste. Our girls tended to have a cookie for dessert. One cookie (they are large) would be more than sufficient. However, the kitchen sends out 3 or 4 cookies on a plate.

 

We ate all of our breakfasts and most of our lunches in the dining room. Each day you can eat off of a buffet or order from the menu. Beware, if you order an omelet, that takes quite awhile to come. The fruit was fantastic this cruise. The pineapple and strawberries were the best I have had in a long time. Lunch in the dining room includes a custom salad bar. I love this salad bar, but my only complaint is that they completely overdress the salads, even if you just ask for a small amount. Fresh mozzarella balls, proscuitto, spinach, argula and many other choices are featured. The kid's menu for lunch is the same as dinner. Breakfast includes a few others, but the girls mostly ate from the buffet.

 

We only ate in the Windjammer one other time (lunch on Labadee day- we wanted to eat in AC, and not on the island). It was much better, crowd-wise. The food was good. Still a pain to go get the kids' food and our food, but that's just part of being a parent.

 

We did the character breakfast on Friday morning. This featured the chocolate menu. It was very well run and orderly. The staff made sure each table got to see and take pictures with the characters. However, I would not pay $40 for the experience (the $10/pp fee that I have heard rumor of on this board).

 

 

I need to get back to work, but will continue my review later (hopefully today) if I find a few more minutes!

[cruizinawayinva]

Thanks for the review!! This is just what I needed at this moment. :) Trying to decide between Allure, Independence, Quantum, and Adventure(again) with a 4 and 2 year old.

 

Sounds like you had an enjoyable experience and the Boardwalk Balcony was a good sized room for the 4 of you.

 

Will keep an eye on this thread for your additional information.

[MoyCoy]

trying to revive this thread. Does anyone know if the couch was comfortable, and did it have a trundle like celebrity's bed/couch?

[Clarea]

trying to revive this thread. Does anyone know if the couch was comfortable, and did it have a trundle like celebrity's bed/couch?

I've not heard of a trundle on current Royal ships.