Detailed insights from 5/24 Oasis cruise

[travelinjones]

Last Saturday I returned from the 5/24/14 7-Day Western Caribbean cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, sailing with my 12-year-old niece and her grandparents (my parents.) It was a wonderful, active cruise, and I’m finally caught up and rested up enough to share my insights and learnings from my first cruise on the Oasis.

 

I gained lots of great information from posters on this board, so I hope my posts will also help others who are going on their first cruise on the Oasis.

 

Some Background information:

I usually cruise with my husband (we are a married couple in our late 40s/early 50s currently living in the U.S. Midwest.) Both of us are frequent travelers for work and fun, and we make use of frequent flyer miles and hotel points to explore the world. We’ve sailed more than 500 days on eight different cruise lines, with our most recent cruise on the 450-guest Seabourn Sojourn sailing from Singapore to Mumbai in late March.

 

We have sailed on three prior Royal Caribbean cruises, however, the last one was in 2007 in the Mediterranean on the Splendor of the Seas, during which the Oasis was still being talked about as “Project Genesis.”

 

Ever since hearing about Project Genesis, I’ve been curious to sail on the Oasis or the Allure, but we hadn’t been able to work it into our cruise vacations together. (We also tend to prefer smaller ships with out-of-the-normal ports.)

 

This spring I was able to convince my nieces’ parents to let her cruise with me as soon as she got out of school for the summer. Once I had confirmed our plans, my parents, who are also avid cruisers (but new to Royal Caribbean), decided that they needed to go along to witness their only grandchild on her first cruise. Unfortunately, my husband had a work conflict and could not join us.

 

For my niece, who is adventurous but well-behaved, this trip represented a number of firsts: her first cruise, first time of seeing any ocean, first time to leave the U.S., and first time to travel with her Aunt.

 

For me, traveling with a 12-year-old (or any child) in my direct care was a new experience. I made sure to get a notarized letter signed by both of her parents, giving me permission to take their child on a flight and a cruise out of the country, to supervise her and sign legal documentation/waivers on her behalf, and to authorize any medical treatment that might have to be administered to her in an emergency.

 

The other new experience for me: the Oasis of the Seas is more than twice as large as the cruise ships I normally sail.

 

Regardless, I knew that we would both love the adventure.

[retire2cruise55]

Following along...great start!

 

 

Denise

[travelinjones]

Pre-Cruise Planning

 

I booked our cruise in early March, just days before the final payment was due. Both I and my parents decided to book the lowest inside guarantee fare for this cruise. We booked as part of a larger group, so we got a $75 shipboard credit for each cabin.

 

In addition, I own 100 shares of RCL stock, so I got another $100 shipboard credit as a shareholder benefit. (If you cruise very often and aren’t already taking advantage of the shareholder benefit, you might want to check it out. We own 100 shares of CCL stock also, making sure we always get at least one shipboard credit on every cruise we take.) There are more details in this blog post: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2012/05/21/how-to-get-an-onboard-credit-for-every-cruise-you-take/

 

I booked our airfare on Southwest Airlines. I’m a big fan of the Southwest, especially for cruises since each passenger can check two bags free, and you can change the tickets without paying any change penalty. Originally I booked us to fly into Fort Lauderdale on Saturday morning the same day of the cruise. I rarely do that; I don’t want to be left at the pier due to a flight delay. However, Friday was the niece’s last day of school. Later, her parents agreed she could miss the last day, and I changed our flight to a Friday late-afternoon non-stop.

 

I’d also booked us on a 10:39 am departure the morning of our disembarkation, as it was the shortest flight time, and my husband and I both dislike sitting around in the Ft. Lauderdale airport the day after we get off the ship (like most everyone, we just want to get home.) However, my husband and I both have Global Entry and TSA pre-check, and I’m A-List Preferred on Southwest.

 

I realized that it might be slower going with a 12-year-old, so I switched us the week before departure to the much more expensive and longer 11:30 am flight. (While we ended up being at the airline departure gate by 9:40 am, the good point of this change was that 11:30 am was the earliest flight time allowable for using the Luggage Valet program.) I loved the Luggage Valet or Luggage Direct program that transport your bags from outside your cabin door on the ship to the baggage claim in your hometown airport without you ever having to touch them en route. (More on that later.)

 

My parents took advantage of Southwest “senior” fares. Often these aren’t any better priced than the “anytime” fares, but on high-demand flights were the “anytime” fares are sold out, the senior fares are a significant savings. (I learned this little nugget thanks to Cruise Critic.)

 

I also bought us third-party insurance to cover a number of things: most importantly trip cancellation, trip interruption, flight delay, emergency medical treatment and emergency medical evacuation. While this policy offers protection if we had flown on Saturday morning and missed the cruise, your flight has to arrive by the cruise lines “legal” flight arrival time. I can’t remember if it was cut-off time was 1:30 or 2:30 pm, but my original flights were scheduled to arrive 5 minutes later than the “legal” time.

[travelinjones]

Travel to Embarkation Port

 

My brother drove my niece 4 hours from Iowa, then picked me up and dropped us off at the airport. After we checked our bags (2 large, 1 small roller bag) we headed to security. I was surprised to learn that my niece could go through the TSA Pre-Check line with me (since she was 12 or under.)

 

Our flight was delayed, but only about a half-hour. Soon we were boarded and underway. Even though I had a great boarding number due to my status, and I had paid the Early-Bird fee for my niece, we couldn’t sit in the emergency exit row because she isn’t 15. Passengers already on the plane from an earlier flight had the bulkhead, so we went for an aisle and a center seat.

 

The flight went by quickly. Once at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, it took a really long time to get our luggage. (Everyone on that flight must have been heading for a cruise, and took full advantage of the generous luggage checking policy.) Just when we thought that our bags hadn’t made it – they came out – two of the last five bags from the plane. (Whew!)

 

We took a cab to our hotel, The Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina Hotel. I had switched to this hotel just a few days before our departure when a good rate opened up. The hotel has a great pool, which is a priority for my 12-year-old niece. (That was my hotel priority when I was a kid as well.)

 

The taxi ride to the hotel took less than 15 minutes and cost less than $15 including tip. After we checked in, we looked around the hotel. Because of the flight delay and the long time in getting our luggage, we decided it was too late to enjoy a swim, and that our priority was food.

 

On the flight to Florida, I had learned that my niece has a number of “I don’t eat that” foods including seafood. Still, I took her to the Southport Raw Bar, one of my favorite local seafood places in Ft. Lauderdale. While she ordered a cheeseburger and corn on the cob, I did get her to try fried clams, shrimp and scallops, and key lime pie. (I convinced her that this cruise trip was the perfect time to try new things.) See pictures from our day here: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/05/23/traveling-with-a-12-year-old-driving-flying-and-trying-new-foods/

[Susie51]

I'm looking forward to more of your review and pics. Great start. I like your writing style.

[travelinjones]

3 More Important Pre-Cruise Actions Before Sailing on the Oasis

 

I forgot to mention three other pre-cruise actions that I’m very glad I took in advance of our cruise on the Oasis (I’ve never done these on any of my other cruises.)

 

1) I pre-booked the shows and entertainment. I’m generally not big on cruise-ship entertainment, and really didn’t like the idea of having to plan and book online more than two months before sailing. But once I was on the ship, I was very glad to have done this in advance. The entertainment on the Oasis was one of the highlights of the cruise, and without having the shows pre-booked, we probably would not have got to enjoy all of the entertainment that we did.

 

2) I completed the online permission waivers required for participating in the Rock Climbing, Flow Rider, ice skating and zip line in advance of our cruise. This was a little confusing since it is supposed to be the parent or legal guardian completing the forms, but I checked with Royal Caribbean, and since I had the notarized letter signed by both of my niece’s parents that authorized me to sign waivers for her participation in these activities, I could sign for her online. (Taking this step in advance makes it much faster to get to Zip Line, Rock Climb, etc., once on board.)

 

3) I pre-booked one shore excursion for both of us at Labadee – the Dragon’s Breath Zip Line at 9:30 am. I also printed out copies of my receipt and took along on the cruise, which proved to be very important. (I’ll cover that in my ports and shore excursions details a little later.)

[travelinjones]

Hotel Stay and Getting on the Oasis

 

Our overnight hotel stay at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel was uneventful. The beds were comfortable and my niece loved the rain shower from the ceiling of the bathroom. This link is to pictures of the hotel room: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/05/24/traveling-with-a-12-year-old-the-hilton-fort-lauderdale-marina-hotel/

 

Pre cruise, we like staying at hotels on SE 17th St for the short trip to the cruise port, and being walking distance to a Walgreens (there’s always something you forgot), a variety of places to eat, and a Crown Wine store if you need to stock up on pre-cruise wine. I figured I wouldn’t be drinking that much wine on this cruise, but I did buy two bottles since that’s how many you are allowed to carry on per stateroom.

 

On embarkation day, I needed to finish some computer work in the room before we got to the ship. My niece went to the lobby and got us the

continental breakfast to go, a perk for Hilton Diamond guests.

 

We got a taxi to the port around 11:15 am – and were in the boarding area by 11:30. Our cab driver mentioned this was the perfect time to arrive, as the early crowd has dissipated. We checked our bags with the porter and headed inside. We found my parents in the check-in line, and we were all checked in fairly quickly. (I had completed the online check-in ahead of time.) One note, I did not have a chance to make copies of the notarized permission letter from my niece’s parents. As expected, the cruise line needed to see the letter at check in. I didn’t expect them, however, to keep it as I needed it for the rest of the trip. The customer service agent understood and contacted someone to make a copy. This added a few minutes, but then they had a copy and I was able to keep the original. Lesson learned: bring multiple copies.

 

As we walked through the boarding area there was a long line at a table with kids getting wristbands. It was unclear as to the process and who needed them. Finally I got someone’s attention and learned that for kids 12 and older, the wristbands aren’t needed. It was a long walk to get on board (a little tough on my parents) but we were on the Royal Promenade deck of the Oasis by 12:15 pm.

 

Let the fun begin!

[Susie51]

Thank you for continuing your review. Great advice about reserving shows before the cruise.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[happy trailer]

Subscribed, and looking forward to more! Have already picked up some tips- thanks!

[rednancy1]

I'm following you on your wonderful review. :)

 

We've stayed at the Hilton Marina in FLL also and really liked it.

[travelinjones]

Thanks for the encouragement and kind words. More posts coming soon!

[travelinjones]

First Day on the Oasis and Finding Our Stateroom

 

By the time we got on board the Oasis, it was about 12:15 pm, and rooms were not ready until 1pm. Since we were each carrying a small bag or a backpack, we were ready to have a seat and enjoy lunch. It seemed like everyone had the same idea, and the ship felt very crowded with people and their carry-on bags.

 

First we tried to find a seat at any one of the Royal Promenade dining spots on Deck 5. They were all packed, as was the Park Cafe (and any seating anywhere) in Central Park on Deck 8. Finally, we headed up to Deck 15, and found seats in the Solarium Bistro. The buffet focuses on healthy food, and we all found something to eat.

 

At 1 pm, we headed to Deck 10 to find our rooms. It’s tricky to find your cabin but the electronic directory boards (found in the main hallways near the elevators) will give you specific directions to your cabin – you just touch the ROOM FINDER button and enter your cabin #.

 

As I mentioned, both my parents and I booked inside guarantee staterooms but we were able to get two Cat M Large Interior staterooms assigned near each other on Deck 10, cabin # 10425 and cabin #10428. These are located on the forward (front) end of the ship, as are many of the Oasis’ 494 interior cabins on decks 7-12.

 

While we were not planning to spend much time in our cabins other than to sleep, we found them to be spacious, quiet, properly cool in temperature and quite comfortable. While both staterooms look exactly the same on the deck plan, they do not have the same layout.

 

In my parent’s cabin #10428, the bed is at the back of the room, with the desk, television and sofa closer to the bathroom and cabin door. My stateroom, cabin #10425, has the bed running sideways in the room, with the sofa, desk and television against the back wall. This is a more awkward layout, in my opinion, as it is difficult to get into the closet with the bed against it, and you have to pass around the bed to get to the rest of the cabins. Photos of each kind of interior stateroom and more details are posted here: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/06/02/a-look-inside-interior-cabin-10425-on-royal-caribbeans-oasis-of-the-seas/

 

Despite advance request, the beds in my room were not separated, although they fixed with a request that evening. My room steward told me that the “king” configuration is standard. Why, then, does Royal Caribbean ask preference in the booking process?

 

Our bags hadn’t arrived yet, so we headed out to explore the ship.

[travelinjones]

Our First Day on the Oasis

 

After finding our cabins and dropping off our carry-ons, we headed to Deck 15 of the Oasis where my niece got her first good views of the ocean. It was the first view of any ocean as she lives in Iowa. She was thrilled to take it all in.

 

Next we headed to the Zip Line. Since we had completed the permission line on-line before the cruise, the 12-year-old was harnessed up and zipping over the Boardwalk in no time. She loved it.

 

We stopped for an ice-cream cone at the Wipe Out Café, and then discovered the delicious pretzel dogs and fries, which would become an occasional habit during the cruise.

 

Fueled, we headed Deck 5 to check out the Royal Promenade and the soda machines. My niece and I both bought the fountain soda package that entitles you to unlimited refills at any of the bars or lounges, Windjammer Café, Main Dining Room and Royal Caribbean’s private destinations like Labadee, Haiti. A souvenir cup comes with each package. The cups have a chip in them the allows access to the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines on Deck 5 that offer more than 100 options of soda and water drinks from Coke. The cost of a fountain soda package was $6.50 per day for adults and $4.50 per day for children under age 18 plus gratuity. I considered it a terrific deal since I could get club soda at the bars/restaurants and sparkling water from the Freestyle machine. Trying out different flavor combinations is fun, even for adults.

 

Next, we worked our way to the AquaTheater where my niece couldn’t wait to climb one of the two rock walls. I was in awe as she scampered to the top of the wall and rang the bell. (She has climbed before, but only on much smaller walls.) I’ve attempted to Royal Caribbean rock walls seven years ago, and I was happy to watch and take photos of my niece on this cruise.

 

Finally was time the Oasis to set sail. We headed to Deck 15 to witness the sail away. We could see our Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina hotel in the distance; our morning there seemed so long ago.

 

Then we headed to our cabin, and found that our luggage had arrived. We’d have to unpack later, as it was time to head to dinner in the main dining room. We are seated at a table with my parents. Eunice, our dining room server, convinced my niece that she could order multiple courses, and even two desserts, if she so desires.

 

Originally, we were scheduled to attend Hairspray the first evening, but the show was cancelled due to one of the key actors being sick. Our reservations are automatically rolled over to a new show at 5 pm on Day 7.

 

Not having a show on the first night turned out to be a good thing since we still needed to unpack.

 

My niece headed off to the “meet and greet” for the Teen Program in the Living Room. Two hours later, she returned with two new friends.

 

I loved it when she said, “I’ve done so much; I can’t believe it is only the first day.”

You can see pictures of our first day exploring the Oasis at: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/05/25/traveling-with-a-12-year-old-boarding-royal-caribbeans-oasis-of-the-seas/

[travelinjones]

Internet Service

 

Having quality internet service is important to me on a cruise as I need to stay in touch with my business. I’m used to paying expensive per-minute rates, having spotty and extremely slow service.

 

What a pleasant surprise on the Oasis: it was hard to tell a difference between the ship’s Wi-Fi and that of a land-based hotel. I purchased the unlimited plan for 1 device at a time good for 24 hours a day. The cost was $189.95, which was automatically discounted to $170.95 as a Crown & Anchor benefit when I purchased it.

 

While I used ithe Wi-Fi plan on my iPad and my laptop, mostly I stayed logged in on my iPhone 24 hours a day. I never found anywhere on the ship were I couldn’t get service. While the brochure warns that the system may not support Skype, I had no problem making Skype calls to anyone that I needed to reach. This was a huge relief to my niece and her parents, so that she could talk to them briefly a few times during the cruise. Emails went through without a problem as did web-based text messaging. Uploading photos to Facebook and other social media apps was not a problem.

 

My only note: I had a hard time logging off initially to change devices. You use logoff.com without the w’s. The 1.1.1.1. that I'm used to does not work.

 

I also thought the “2-device” plan was a good option if you are traveling with friends or family with separate smart phones – you could share the plan and communicate with each other. It was $229 for a 7-day cruise.

 

Is this quality of Wi-Fi available on all Royal Caribbean ships, or just the Oasis and the Allure? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[travelinjones]

Oasis Ship Overview – Was It Too Big?

 

With more than 6,100 hundred guests the week of our sailing, the Oasis of the Seas had three times more passengers than the cruise ships I usually sail. My parents were especially worried about the crowds of people, and the size of the ship.

 

The good news: rarely did we feel crowded in with 6,100 hundred other guests (plus another 2,100+ crew members.) The ship is well laid out with enough diverse venues to keep people from being clustered into lines or masses.

 

The one exception: our assembly drill station was in the Jazz Club. During the walk down from the 10th deck to the 5th Deck we felt herded, especially for senior folks who walk a little slower down 5 flights of stairs. When the drill was over, we were blocked from the stairs and herded to the elevators (couldn’t understand why) so that there was no room to move. It was discomforting.

 

One of the many positives of the ship’s size: we got in lot of walking in during the cruise. I wear a Fit Bittracker and aim to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. It was easy to “get the buzz” that I had reached the daily goal, even on days that I didn’t visit the gym or walk laps on the jogging track. Since our cabins were in the front of the ship and the dining room, the AquaTheater, Rock Climbing Walls, Flow Rider and Zip Line were all at the back of the ship, we got a lot of steps in every time we returned to the cabin.

 

My personal “cruise rules” that I normally employ so that I don’t gain weight went out the window (see this link: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2013/04/04/how-to-avoid-weight-gain-while-enjoying-your-cruise/

If I had only taken the stairs on the Oasis, I would have made at least 20,000 steps a day, and killed myself. (It would be really tough to avoid all elevators on the Oasis.)

 

My parents had to plan 15-20 minutes to get from place to place. Initially, we had a tough time keeping track of each other until we agreed to meet at set places at set times, rather than trying to meet at the cabins and then go to a destination together. My dad claims he lost 10 pounds from the cruise (if true, it certainly wasn’t because he didn’t eat enough.)

 

I marveled at the innovation and thought that went into creating this ship. While I think it’s a bit overpriced, I’d love to take the in-depth behind-the-scenes ship tour if I sail on the Oasis or the Allure again. Royal Caribbean certainly known how to keep the innovations coming; it will be interesting to follow the Quantum of the Seas launch.

 

I also admired the international guest mix with India, China and South America seeming to be heavily represented on our cruise. There were lots of smaller children, but not as many teens aged 12-14 as I expected. This was likely due to East Coast schools getting out later than Midwest ones (who tend to end classes in May and restart in early August.)

 

As it is promoted, this is a cruise ship for people of all generations. There was something for everyone, but definitely skewed to youth, young adults, families and active Boomer adults. If they had not had their grandchild along to keep them entertained, my parents would have missed some of the things they enjoy on a cruise like lectures and meeting other interesting travelers. The entertainment (other than the adult comedy show) was perfect for all ages.

[travelinjones]

Dining

 

We had Fixed Main Seating Dining at 6 pm in the Opus Dining Room on Deck 3. Normally, I always eat much later, and enjoy late dining on cruises, but change to the Early Seating in anticipation that my niece would want to head off to the teen events. (She did go to the teen event the first two nights, but became much more enthralled with the entertainment.)

 

The star of our dining experience was our waiter and assistance waiter. Eunice H. from Nicaragua was our waiter, and she is a hospitality superstar. I think everyone in her 28-30 person section loved her as much as we did. She was friendly, efficient and helpful – she knew the menus, and when asked, she would make outstanding recommendations. Eunice encouraged everyone to let her know if something wasn't perfect, or if you wanted a different dish.

 

Along with Soto, the assistant waiter, our water glasses were never empty. After we ordered ice teas (my parents), club soda, (me) and Sprite (the niece) the first night, they also appeared shortly after we set down. Once again, I was impressed with the efficiency and value of the soda package. Our drinks were replaced as we drank them throughout the meal.

 

Likewise, with dessert, our coffee orders were remembered after the night (1 decaf/2 regulars.) I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the coffee served in the dining room, in the Park Café and the Café Promenade. It’s Seattle’s Best coffee, and is strong and fresh. Much better than the “house” coffee on some other cruise ships I’ve sailed on recently. While I considered buying the “Royal Replenish” package, I’m glad I didn’t spend $20 per day rather than $6.50 per day. Since I rarely drink juice I wouldn’t have used that benefit. The regular coffee was high-quality, and while I prefer sparkling water over still, I used the soda package to drink club soda (at bars) or sparkling water from the soda machine, along with a lot of other fun soda combinations. My niece and I carried our souvenir cups with us, and refilled them whenever we were on Deck 5. The machines were conveniently close to the forward elevator, which we used to get from our cabin to venues around the ship.

For breakfast, we either dined at the Opus Dining Room (ordering off the menu rather than the buffet), the Park Café, or had a donut and coffee at the Donut Shop. The Park Café was my niece and my favorite place with the breakfast burritos and other breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit, delicious muffins and good coffee. The key was to visit before 8:30 or after 10:30 to try to avoid the crowd. Tables outside in Central Park offer a terrific ambiance. Breakfast in the dining room was delicious and my parents enjoyed it most mornings, but my niece and I didn’t want to sit for that long. (The dining room was slammed during breakfast a few days.)

One morning we had breakfast at Johnny Rockets; it was our least favorite meal of the cruise. Whether an omelet or French toast, the food was average to meh. The main dining room or the Park Café offers far superior quality, in our opinion.

 

Our other favorite eating place was the Wipe Out Café on Deck 15 back toward the Zip Line and Flow Rider. Initially, we were attracted there by the frozen yogurt machine, but everyone in our group got sucked in by the pretzel dogs and French fries. (I am not a fan of hot dogs, but even I could resist a few bites of a pretzel dog dipped in Dijon mustard.)

 

We also loved the ham and cheese croissants and other sandwiches, breads and cookies at the Café Promenade. (While I never needed a 3 am snack on this cruise, I was very impressed that the Café Promenade is open 24 hours a day most of the cruise.) We did enjoy a late-night piece of pizza once or twice at Sorrento’s. We tried room service one, our first day at sea while we were waiting on maintenance to come to our cabin to fix the safe. Maintenance never showed, but our room service “snack” of salads, spinach dip, and chocolate chips cookies arrived in about 40 minutes. I’m not a fan of room service, but I was surprised to see how excited the 12-year-old was about it.

 

If I would have been on this cruise with my husband, I’m sure we would have tried some of the specialty restaurants (we generally do on cruises). However, the quality of the included food and service far exceeded my expectations. This was a very pleasant surprise compared to some other mass-market line. I ate seafood and fish at dinner; I heard some comments from others that the beef wasn’t always top notch, but in general all of the guests around us liked the food.

 

In fact, have dinner each night in the dining room with my parents and niece was a special part of the cruise. We enjoyed hearing about each other’s day. Eunice was always welcoming, and we got my picky eater niece to try all kinds of new foods and practice table manners at a formally-set table. Surprisingly, she loved the cold fruit soups. The women at our neighboring table taught my niece the art of ordering two desserts (when you can’t decide.) Since my niece was scaling to the top of the rock climbing wall multiple times each day, I figured she could afford the calories.

[Shar27]

Looking forward to reading more of your review.

 

My family will be sailing on Oasis for the first time next March and I am excited to learn all about it.

[brickergirl]

I'm loving your review. We're taking our daughter on her first cruise in October and you insights are very helpful.

[Xina143]

Thanks for the great review! I was debating on this or a Disney cruise for a Christmas gift (2015) for my guys. It will be my husband and our three boys-16, 11 and 7. The ship just looks like it has so much to offer all three of them, that I think we are going to book this or the Allure. You should get something from RCCL for convincing people to try the ship out!

[jesron1269]

Excellent review. How did your Niece like the ports of call? I have a 12 year old son who loves cruising as much as I. The excitement she showed in the photos really reminds me of my son.