First time on the Oasis...Have some questions

[rudikins]

Hi guys...Am so excited to be booked on the Oasis. Have wanted to do this for a while. Just had a a few questions for some of you Oasis/Allure experts if you don't mind:

 

What speciality restaurants are must do? (It will be just my 12 year old daughter and I, so I realize we need to book an early res. Not sure if there are some restaurants on the Oasis where she cannot go.)

 

What are the best/must see shows?

 

Is everything at the Vitality Cafe an extra charge, or is there some free (included ;) ) food there?

 

Any MDR entrees or desserts that are must haves (or that we should stay away from? :) )

 

Does anyone have any Fort Lauderdale hotel recommendations? Would prefer Hilton/Hampton/Marriott because I have hotel points I can use. Do you know of any hotels where I could leave my car parked? I live in Orlando and usually pay $15 per day to park; was wondering of there is a less expensive option.

 

Thanks!

Edited May 12, 2014 by rudikins

[Clarea]

Regarding the Vitality Cafe, the wraps and fruit cups are no extra charge. Smoothies are extra.

[alfaeric]

IMHO, if your child likes interesting food, and being adventurous eating, 150 Park Ave would be a blast. I know she'll not be able to have any of the alcohol, but it would be a pretty cool experience.

 

Other than that, it's more of a personal thing- steak-chops, italian-Giovannis, Hamburgers-jonny rockets, etc. We've missed the seafood shack, but may get it later this year.

 

Until Sept- the show is Hairspray, after that, Cats. It's a full production thing, and is good.

 

The aquatic show is really cool.

 

Can't help with the MDR or the hotels. Have fun!

[brookmill18]

The Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale takes Marriott points and it is really fun for the night before the cruise. Depending on what time of year you are going, they also have some good rates but they go fast.

 

Make sure you "sign" all the waivers in your pre-cruise planner--will make going on flowrider, zip line, etc that much easier.

 

We have DD9 and DS12 and they did all the shows except the comedy club and headliner. DD really liked the ice show.

 

Have a great time!

[BillOh]

Regarding the Vitality Cafe, the wraps and fruit cups are no extra charge. Smoothies are extra.

 

And rarely any lines.

[jamesr3939]

We did the Doubletree Galleria and loved it. Water taxi stops right down the walkway.

[Tyler80]

Hi guys...Am so excited to be booked on the Oasis. Have wanted to do this for a while. Just had a a few questions for some of you Oasis/Allure experts if you don't mind:

 

What speciality restaurants are must do? (It will be just my 12 year old daughter and I, so I realize we need to book an early res. Not sure if there are some restaurants on the Oasis where she cannot go.)

 

What are the best/must see shows?

 

Is everything at the Vitality Cafe an extra charge, or is there some free (included ;) ) food there?

 

Any MDR entrees or desserts that are must haves (or that we should stay away from? :) )

 

Does anyone have any Fort Lauderdale hotel recommendations? Would prefer Hilton/Hampton/Marriott because I have hotel points I can use. Do you know of any hotels where I could leave my car parked? I live in Orlando and usually pay $15 per day to park; was wondering of there is a less expensive option.

 

Thanks!

 

I would recommend you make reservations for all the shows. You don't have to go just because you have a reservation if you don't want to. They are all worth seeing in my opinion.

 

Regarding restaurants, what type of food do you like? I would stay away from Seafood Shack, it is all fried seafood. Giovanni's Table has good Italian, served family style.

 

In the MDR try several dishes, appetizers and desserts. You don't just have to order one.

 

While in Ft. Lauderdale I stayed at the Hyatt House, I know it's not in your hotel criteria but it was nice and not overly expensive.

[caneguy]

Hi guys...Am so excited to be booked on the Oasis. Have wanted to do this for a while. Just had a a few questions for some of you Oasis/Allure experts if you don't mind:

 

What speciality restaurants are must do? (It will be just my 12 year old daughter and I, so I realize we need to book an early res. Not sure if there are some restaurants on the Oasis where she cannot go.)

 

What are the best/must see shows?

 

Is everything at the Vitality Cafe an extra charge, or is there some free (included ;) ) food there?

 

Any MDR entrees or desserts that are must haves (or that we should stay away from? :) )

 

Does anyone have any Fort Lauderdale hotel recommendations? Would prefer Hilton/Hampton/Marriott because I have hotel points I can use. Do you know of any hotels where I could leave my car parked? I live in Orlando and usually pay $15 per day to park; was wondering of there is a less expensive option.

 

Thanks!

 

I would recommend Marriott Harbor Beach!! ON the ocean and a great hotel, great pool area as well.

 

On the Oasis I would recommend for a specialty restaurant Solarium Bistro, different and very good, only a $20/pp charge. Or Giovanni's also very good. We dined at 150 Central Park but I think it may be to much for a 12 year old palate. I did a review of the Oasis with a lot of pictures of the ship, food, and sites we saw in our Eastern cruise.

 

ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!! you are going to love the Oasis.

 

click on the link below for my review....

[OCruisers]

What speciality restaurants are must do? (It will be just my 12 year old daughter and I, so I realize we need to book an early res. Not sure if there are some restaurants on the Oasis where she cannot go.)

 

You can take her to any of the specialty restaurants you wish! You will not be limited because of her age.

Have a wonderful time on Oasis! :)

LuLu

[4bythebeach]

We have used park and go for parking in Ft Lauderdale, very convenient and a lot less expensive. Never came back to any problems with my truck.

[Ken076]

If you don't use hotel parking, book Park-N-Go on-line in advance,- excellent service. ken

[vondofife]

We stayed at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel. Be sure to get a room in the Tower section of the hotel. Fantastic views. We had a balcony which overlooked the port and watched Oasis sail into port at 04:30. Fantastic Marina with very expensive boats docked right beside the hotel. Nice to walk along the Marina and watch them all.

 

We went to Giovanni's for lunch on embarkation day. We booked a table for 12:30. Highly recommend. We arrived at Port Everglades at 10:50 and were on board at 11:40. That way we avoided the crowds in the Windjammer buffet.

 

Book the Aqua show near to the beginning of your cruise, just in case it is cancelled due to bad weather. That way, if it is cancelled, you will have an opportunity to rebook.

 

Enjoy your cruise

 

 

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[mychild]

Well hello !! How funny because last year just my DD AND I WENT on the Oasis for the first time and she was 12!!

She loved all the activities. Zip Line, rock climbing and flo-rider.

We saw only one show and that was the Aqua show!! Must see its awesome.

We love shopping so did a lot of that.

As for food we loved chops, johny rockets and the seafood shack. In the MDR we enjoyed everything. The food was excellent.

You both are going to have so much fun. HAPPY CRUISING.

 

 

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[Xstant]

The Embassy Suites seems to be a popular choice and bookable with Hilton points. It includes a free breakfast that reportedly is good. Also has a "Manager's Special" happy hour in the evening. We are staying there for our upcoming cruise. Apple Maps shows lots of restaurants and two supermarkets within walking distance, also.

[rudikins]

Thanks to all who took the time to reply! There are a lot of helpful tips here. I am off to bed now but am going to make note of all this info and will check out some of the hotel/parking options tomorrow that you all recommended. Will also check out your review, caneguy.