"LIVE" from the Oasis of the Seas - February 21, 2015

[zuggie]

Don't mind at all. Yes the menus are more extensive and change each night. Have you seen the regular MDR menus before? Here is a link: http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-kit/9/culinary-press-kit/ (Go to Main Dining Room Menus)

 

I'm not positive, but I'm assuming that once DD begins on Oasis, there will be a Classic option. However, that is not an option now, because they currently still have traditional dining.

 

My recommendation? I would personally try my best to get on a waitlist for a traditional dining time, because form what I've read on here, MTD on Oasis seems to be a disaster. If you can't do that and have to remain on MTD, I would make sure I have reservations each night, preferably not at a peak time, and hope for the best.

 

Just got off the Feb.21 Oasis. Both the head waiter and Diamond Congierge told me that DD was cancelled - forever - and would not be coming to Oasis. They have apparently decided that the Oasis can't handle DD.

 

MTD was great in Silks - but a disaster in the Grande last formal nite. We were arriving around 6:30. Chops & Giovanni's were both wonderful.

[niksmom630]

I thought Oasis had 4 yogurt machines--2 on either side of the kiddy pools.

 

 

Not sure about 4, I know of three for sure, all on deck 15. One is located to the right of the pool bar, one by the H20 zone, and one inside the Wipeout Cafe. They don't open until 11:30 a.m.

 

 

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[niksmom630]

Chris, thank you for the amazing live report. You made this a very fun week for me. :)

 

 

 

The only ray of hope for MTD I can give is arriving early. We used it for three night on Oasis back in January and had no problems or lines but we ate at 5:30. The third night we didn't even have a reservation. We also managed to get the same wait staff for all three nights.

 

 

Bill, I think you are right about the early arrival. It seemed that a lot of people forced into MTD, ourselves included, made reservations around the early traditional dining time which created a huge bottleneck. The dining room manager went above and beyond to make things right for us, effectively assigning us a table, and instructing us to bypass the check in desk each evening. It was then pretty much like traditional dining. Same wait staff, same table.

 

We had actually planned on skipping the MDR later in the week and trying Giovanni's, but we really enjoyed our wait staff, and the service was impeccable.

 

 

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[niksmom630]

A few final thoughts, observations, and tips before I upload the last of the photos....I'll scan the compasses in the next day or so, and upload them also....

 

Announcements-I hate that there are NONE! So, I don't need feel the need to know that I'm missing the art auction or the port shopping talk, those are in the Compass, but I loved the captains report each day from the bridge, and also knowing about port debarkation. The only announcements I heard were crew drills. When we arrived in St. Maarten, I could not even tell if the ship had cleared and we were free to disembark. I think there is a happy medium somewhere in between.

 

MDR-singing and dancing from the waitstaff is back....2 nights, actually...the final night we were treated to a medley that included the Black Eyed Pea's "I've Got A Feeling"' and Pharrell's "Happy". I always enjoy it! Escargot was available every night 👍

 

The lobster tail served on the second formal night is actually a "real" one. It's no longer served with shrimp as a seafood combo....I'm not a big "food" photo taker, but here it is...

 

 

My two favorite desserts in the MDR...the white chocolate mousse and the key lime pie...delish!!!

 

 

 

 

 

And the shot of the day glasses....one of these would have really come in handy during our 4 hour delay at FFL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[niksmom630]

Casino-was relatively unkind to me...but that's the way the cards fall sometimes. 😳

 

I use travelers checks for gambling money. You used to be able to cash them at the tables, but now you have to do this at the casino cashier. Ok, no biggie, but they won't give you cash anymore--just chips...

 

Case in point....I had several travelers check left to cash on the last night...the line was 15 people deep...I was told I could cash them for chips, but then would have to get back in line to cash the chips for cash.....Huh??? 😩 came home with travelers checks and a $5 chip that was really not "line" worthy to cash in....

 

Lines- speaking of them, on the last day they are horrendous and long almost everywhere on this ship. I had two issues to address with guest services on the final day...one was a D+ Coupon that was not applied, the other was I got luggage tags even though I had signed up for self debarkation. Guess what? I got both issues resolved by calling Guest Services from the comfort of my cabin and didn't have to stand in the line! 👍👍

 

Various dining venues....

 

- the Park Cafe has breakfast sandwiches and wraps...there is almost never a line here in the morning. 😊

 

- there is no iced tea to be had anywhere but the Windjammer at lunch time....

 

- the Windjammer has pre-cooked eggs and omelets on the buffet.

 

- the room service cheese plate is the perfect afternoon snack with a glass of wine 😉

 

 

 

 

 

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[niksmom630]

Night photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[baman]

I have to say you rock this has been do helpful. And informative. Sorry you are back home but i love the info you have given out

 

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[niksmom630]

Coffeeeeeeeee!!! You will not be able to find a cup at 4:30 am on debarkation day! 😡 this is news worthy for Java addicts like me.

 

I'm not really sure what the deal was here. But the Cafe Promenade was closed. It is open 24 hours, usually. But when I arrived, there was no coffee!!!! The compass stated the Windjammer would be open at 5:30. I dragged my surly, caffeine addicted butt around the entire ship, including a stop at the Diamond lounge, searching for the elusive cup of joe. Finally got one at the Windjammer, but I approached the venue with dread imagining 4000 people in line for coffee....😡 no " to go" paper cups here either.....

 

 

Solarium-it's beautiful on this ship. But a tad too toasty warm for me, and there is nary a breeze in there. They have these amazing, half circle day beds with cushions that look out over the ocean. If you want to experience one of these, plan on arriving earlier than 6 a.m and staking your claim. When I was there taking photos at 6 am on a sea day, every sofa had been claimed by the "hogs" and was occupied by towels, magazines, and books!

 

A few more random photos....

 

The former Cupcake Cupboard is now combined with the scoops ice cream shop on the boardwalk. It is a much more limited selection

 

 

Deck 15 also houses the sea explorations place...

 

 

 

 

 

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[niksmom630]

For those that were wanting to see a photo of my golden girls upon our return...well let's just say they are happy I'm home, and sticking to me like glue 😉

 

 

Compasses will come next, along with any other ramblings that come to mind!

 

 

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[lovefamilytime]

I enjoyed your "shot of the day" photos. We're those available everywhere or just in the dining room? Also, do you know if they would be included in the drink package?

 

 

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[Diver2014]

Not sure about 4, I know of three for sure, all on deck 15. One is located to the right of the pool bar, one by the H20 zone, and one inside the Wipeout Cafe. They don't open until 11:30 a.m.

 

 

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We found the one in the Wipeout Cafe early on but it only had chocolate and strawberry. I had to ask someone who had a vanilla cone who pointed out the one around the side of the pool bar. If there was another machine near the H20 Zone, we never found it. The 2 machines we did find were open from 11:30am to 6pm. I would have liked a cone after dinner but then that would take away business from the ice cream shop on the Boardwalk. Ordering a scoop with dessert in the MDR satisfied my ice cream crave.

[bobmacliberty]

 

- the room service cheese plate is the perfect afternoon snack with a glass of wine

 

 

 

 

 

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Someone gave us the idea before our first cruise to order a cheese plate when went back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. We've done that pretty religiously on every cruise ever since! Makes for a great appetizer (along of course with the glass of wine that you mention).

 

Thanks for the great pictures. Either you had some talent before the cruise, or the "Understanding Exposure" book helped (or both). I thought I noticed you playing with depth of field in one of your chandelier pics????

[niksmom630]

I enjoyed your "shot of the day" photos. We're those available everywhere or just in the dining room? Also, do you know if they would be included in the drink package?

 

 

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We didn't have the drink package this time, but I know they were included when I purchased it about a year ago. We've only ordered them in the MDR. Typically the bar server walks around with a tray of them after dinner. They all feature Bailey's Irish Creme layered with various other liquor, and they are different each evening.

 

 

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[niksmom630]

Someone gave us the idea before our first cruise to order a cheese plate when went back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. We've done that pretty religiously on every cruise ever since! Makes for a great appetizer (along of course with the glass of wine that you mention).

 

 

 

Thanks for the great pictures. Either you had some talent before the cruise, or the "Understanding Exposure" book helped (or both). I thought I noticed you playing with depth of field in one of your chandelier pics????

 

 

Yes, the last of the three chandelier photos I took. It was one of my favorites! 😊

 

I really enjoyed playing around with my camera this trip. As I said earlier, the Oasis makes for a great subject. Between the ship and the islands, I took hundreds of photos. I could have used another day to play around in Central Park, though!

 

 

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[Diver2014]

We were on board with you last week but your photos are much nicer than mine. We were on deck 14 starboard about 5 staterooms back from the hot tubs that extended over the sides near the bow (and OMG, did that hot tub feel good and what a view!) Our stateroom was identical to the photos posted. Loved the balcony although a lounger would have been perfect since there was room. Unfortunately, we had balcony birds next to us that liked to party each night from 1-3am until we finally lodged a complaint at guest services. The balcony birds obviously got the message because they disappeared the last couple of nights, thank goodness. So we got at least 3 decent nights sleep. There was very little ship movement and I loved being gently rocked to sleep.

I took some notes while going through this thread to hopefully add to what is a thorough and really good review. There were TONS of deck chairs on Oasis...the most I've ever seen on a ship (this was cruise #28). We found chairs to sit in everywhere any time of the day. The pool chairs were busiest but we still found 2 near the pool on the last day at sea at 10am.

We loved the Rising Tide Bar in the Royal Promenade although we were a bit shocked at the drink prices...$12 + grats was the most we've ever paid on a ship. We've been used to $8-$10 drinks on Holland America ships. If you like more than a couple of cocktails each day, I think the drink packages might be the way to go.

The Solarium was great but a bit too warm at times, a bit too breezy on sea days. I was disappointed that the 'adults only' was not enforced. There were 2 small signs at each entrance saying the Solarium was for 16 and up only but no one read them or paid attention. The Solarium Cafe was also posted as adults only but there were kids there everyday. The kids have plenty of places to go and I would have liked to have the Solarium as 'adults only' but there was no enforcement and I'm not one to say anything to parents because I don't care for confrontations, especially on a cruise.

Sun Deck: I wish they would put a few chairs on the Sun Deck on Deck 14 (which you can only access from the port side forward). Also, to get back in from the Sun Deck, we had to hit the 'emergency open' button because the door would not open from the outside.

The shows were awesome except for Cats. OMG, I've been to theater productions in London and perhaps it was a hit there but it was a real lemon (yes, the set and costumes were fabulous) but as a show for the cruise crowd - no way. It's no wonder over half the audience left at the intermission. Even the cruise director told people they should stay for the second half because it was better than the first half. In my opinion, anything would have been better than the first half - it was hard to not get up and leave. On the other hand, the Aqua show (cancelled from Sunday to Friday because of 'rough seas' (where? I didn't see any) was awesome and the ice show (Frozen in Time) was absolutely fantastic. The skaters were as good as any I've seen in competitions. Wonderful show! 'Come Fly With Me' in the theater was also very entertaining as you can see by the photos previously posted.

We were in category D2 on deck 14 and there were no amenities in our bathroom. I would have liked a shower cap and shampoo/conditioner but I always bring my own just in case and it's a good thing I did. Our room steward, Keegan (from Guyana, who was the best room steward we've ever had - we gave him an extra tip in addition to the prepaid grats) went the extra mile for us.

We had 6pm reservations in the American Icon Grille on Deck 3 and other than the 1st night double booked table that I mentioned in an earlier post, it was wonderful. The menus were so good - it was hard to choose an entree each night. The first night was 'Mojo' theme and I can highly recommend the slow roasted steak and the creme brulee for dessert. The 2nd night was 'Saffron' but we opted for the Seafood Extravaganza in the Windjammer Marketplace and it was delicious with a wide variety of seafood. Night 3 was 'Pimiento' - the garlic tiger shrimp were to die for!

Ohh, they were sooo good! Night 4 was 'Shiitake' - try the Fillet of Sole.

Night 5 was 'Basil', Night 6 was the 2nd formal night 'Jasmine' and we went for the lobster, which was absolutely delicious, moist and cooked to perfection. The tiramisu for dessert was delicious. Night 7 was 'Pomodoro' - we had the Fish,Shrimp, Scallops and mash- way too much food for me - 2 cod fillets, 2 scallops, 2 shrimp, a stack of garlic mashed pototoes with peas and carrots - I was stuffed. But, I made room for dessert - key lime pie. Hey, I live in Florida and it was one of the best tasting key lime pies I've had - not too sweet and just the right amount of tartness.

We ate breakfast in the American Icon Grille and our waitress from dinner always served us when we asked for her section. I loved the eggs to order and the hash browns were scrumptous, crisp and toasty and DH like the Eggs Benedict. We ate at the Windjammer, Johnny Rockets and the Park Cafe for lunch because there was such a variety of food. You MUST try the roast beef sandwiches at the Park Cafe! Juicey on a delicious bun. We didn't eat at any of the speciality restaurents - not that we are 'cheap' but the food in the MDR was pretty appealling to us as any on the menus of the specialties.

Some folks seem to make the eating experience their prime focus on a cruise but not for us. If the food is good, that's all that matters to us.

While in port at St Thomas, we took the shore excursion to St John because I hadn't been there since 1988 and while it has built up a lot, it was a nice getaway. We went on the 'Island Girl' over to St John and passed the Quantum, which was docked at Havensight.

 

May need to try Anthem someday since Quantum is being sent to Asia.

We went on the Mirabelle catamaran on St Maarten. It was a bright sunny day so it was just about a perfect 'shore excursion'. We snorkelled just outside the port then sailed past Maho beach where the planes come in for landing right over the beach.

I can't think of anything else to say other than the Oasis definitely had the WOW factor for us. We were on Radiance of the Seas in 2014 in Australia and liked the RCI ships (Explorer of the Seas the other RCI ship I've been on). We had a great time and the plus factors greatly outweighed any minus factors in case anyone is counting. Since we live in Miami, the drive to the ship was longer than the boarding time...we were directed to the Sapphire/Diamond line to check in even though we're only Gold. We were advised our boarding time was 1pm and we were on the ship and in our stateroom by 1:30. Our luggage was delivered within the hour. Disembarkation was the easiest we've ever done - self carry luggage. People lined up in the Royal Promenade on Deck 5 at 5:45am and by 6:15, we were in our car heading home. I liked how our Customs agent told us 'welcome home' when he saw our Miami address on the Customs form. Wow, what a great cruise and what a beautiful ship! Someone said there were more than 5000+ guests on board.....really??? I didn't notice. You could have fooled me! Thanks for use of your thread Niksmom.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Diver2014

[vanrrr]

Does anybody have pictures of the drink menus?

[exarkkun]

I will try it next time. We've also stayed at the Embassy Suites--we like being near the port. We had a great experience here last time, so I'm kind of disappointed....The rooms here are NOT inexpensive...

 

 

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Agreed! We stayed here last year for our very first cruise and it was a nightmare! We purchased the park 'n stay package where we could stay the night and leave our car for the week. They "lost" the package part of our reservation and wouldn't let us park! And then they charged us $21 to just keep our car overnight the night we stayed in the hotel! Never again we said. :mad:

[Jerseygirl1416]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Niksmom! It was such a treat this week to log on each day and see what was going on on the Oasis. I appreciate the time you took to do this! I'm sad your off her too but I'm happy the puppies get you back.

 

Thanks too to Diver2014 for your input!

 

It's snowing again in NJ today and I'm more than ready for my turn on the Oasis!

[JoCruiser]

Very nice pics! Thanks for helping me thru this dreary weather on the east coast :(

I am not sure if I missed a post, but did they have the 70s party on the promenade ??

[vistapat]

Thank you for the great review and comments, Niksmom. We will be on our first Oasis cruise in September, and we have heard a lot about lines on other threads. Lines for elevators, lines for buffet, lines for shows, etc. etc. Can you comment on any of that? We are actually worried about the cruise for that reason. My husband has some mobility issues and can't use the stairs for more than one or two flights. Our cabin is on deck 9, and so we will have to get either up or down for most things.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time and trouble to do this thread.

 

Pat

[TheCount]

We too, are just home from Oasis. We did not actually eat in the MDR the entire week, so can't provide and comment. Specialty dining was our treat this year. Chop's and Solarium Bistro were very very good. 150 CP was as expected and truly a tasting menu, not a big meal menu. Giovanni's, frankly we were not satisfied with the food. Our preference has been Portofino's but they are being phased out. Our highlight was dinner at the IZUMI HIBACHI one evening. That was entertaining and excellent food.

 

Diamond Lounge was a nice place and less busy after 6:30 pm. Dazzles / Schooner (once Oliver returned to work) / Globe&Atlas Pub had some great live entertainment to enjoy it very much.

 

Even as huge as the ship is, if you want to take it easy and be in the R&R mode, can be done nicely. If excitement and seeing all the locations and shops and activities, this too can be the ship for your vacation.

 

Other than the rain on debark day (yesterday) in Fort Lauderdale, the trip was a hit. Looking forward to our next one sooner than later. :D

[TheCount]

Thank you for the great review and comments, Niksmom. We will be on our first Oasis cruise in September, and we have heard a lot about lines on other threads. Lines for elevators, lines for buffet, lines for shows, etc. etc. Can you comment on any of that? We are actually worried about the cruise for that reason. My husband has some mobility issues and can't use the stairs for more than one or two flights. Our cabin is on deck 9, and so we will have to get either up or down for most things.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time and trouble to do this thread.

 

Pat

 

We never really had any long lines as you ask above. Longest was getting off the ship yesterday. Elevators at the aft were fine the entire week. We were Deck 11, other than a long walk to get there (got my exercise in). See that your cabin is closer to elevators is possible.

[Diver2014]

Thank you for the great review and comments, Niksmom. We will be on our first Oasis cruise in September, and we have heard a lot about lines on other threads. Lines for elevators, lines for buffet, lines for shows, etc. etc. Can you comment on any of that? We are actually worried about the cruise for that reason. My husband has some mobility issues and can't use the stairs for more than one or two flights. Our cabin is on deck 9, and so we will have to get either up or down for most things.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time and trouble to do this thread.

 

Pat

 

Lines? What lines? I don't think we stood in a line at all other than maybe 15 people in front of us waiting for the 'carry your own bags' debarkation at 5:45am in the Royal Promenade. I think there were maybe 4 or 5 people waiting in line once for the Zip Line. There were no lines last week that I can think of.

[COCKYMARK]

Yes I do not understand the people on here talking about waiting in long lines...my cruises I have not seen it......must be the carnies!! lol

[cruiselover2007]

When we cruised the Allure 2014, we had the premium beverage package. Our waiter or wine steward allowed us to use our package for the shots at the end of dinner, BUT not keep the glasses. That was fine with us as we have many at home already. That might have just been a decision our waiter made. We look forward to those each cruise.