Oasis of the seas 3/14-21 a very fair review

[lskoldsie]

You said your daughter would check herself out to get a coke or something. Are there any drinks (obviously I mean water) available to the kids in OA or do I need to send them with a water bottle? I loved your review. We'll be on the Oasis in a few weeks!

 

I believe they have water, but I'm not sure. I will ask my kids when they get back from their "round 2" spring break vacation to Disney World with their dad. I wouldn't see any reason you couldn't pack a water bottle though.

[lskoldsie]

We were on that same trip and there is nothing I disagree with. Luckily we were in an OS so didn't have to mess with the deck crowding. But, I could see it was a zoo after 1100 AM on sea days. We only got off ship at Labadee so port days onboard were wonderful.

 

Didn't have personal experience with kids clubs. But our 3.5 YOA niece did and she seemed to love it.

 

I never saw those "rowdy spring breakers" everybody talks about. I guess they were on another ship somewhere.

 

I read this one person's "review" of spring break and I can honestly say that I think he made the story up. It was like everywhere he turned there were drunk people. I honestly never saw one person drunk, but I didn't hang out at the bars either. (I do drink, but I really wanted this trip to be about my kids and I wanted to be alert for every situation)

[BlueSkiesTX]

Loved your fair and forthright review! We are taking our girls on a cruise next year (ages 6, 4, 2). I feel the same way you do...it will be a cruise for them, but as parents we can get some much needed down time as well. Enjoy your next cruise! :)

[DeepFreeze]

Well written review, thanks for sharing.

[ARCruisinNana]

Iskoldie, I'll be traveling on Oasis next week with my grandchildren ages 7 and 8. Do you remember which nights Adventure Dining was offered? Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember it might be every night, but on others ships it's usually nights 2,4 and 6. Thanks for your review.

[lrn2cruise]

One thing that we did on FOS on excursion days, was to order Bfast Room Service the night before. We would get it pretty early and just eat in our cabin. We did not fight WJ on those days.

 

I think that is something that we would continue to do too.

We also learned that MDR is not our style. We just like WJ for an easy dinner or just getting the pizza for our Son. He is 15 now. He loved the Kids Club when he was young

 

All this to say, I can sure understand the frustration. It took us a few days to find out what makes the best vacation for our family

[Robinola]

Originally I was booked on deck 14' but changed it to deck 8, aft near your cabin. It sounds like I made the right choice considering how much you liked this area. Thank you for your review. Your kids are so cute!

Edited May 31, 2015 by Robinola

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[cincicruisers]

Thank you for sharing your review. Love the bow tie your son is wearing.

[dolphin27502]

I am sailing Oasis for the first time in October so I read and appreciate every review. Thanks!!

[AtlFolks]

I'm a Platinum RCCL cruiser and will be Emerald on my next cruise, so I've lots of RCCL experience. I skimmed this review and feel it's a very good picture through the lens of a new cruiser on the largest ship in the world. A few thoughts for this reviewer and others:

 

Oasis has the best entertainment in the industry - try catching the shows and music venues next time, it's really part of the Oasis experience.

 

The Main Dining Room is where you make friends both on the ship and for life. My wife and I met a great couple from England at our table 8 years ago who we did some tours with and we email each other occasionally. Your server will also be a great resource and can make dinners special for the kids.

 

People are people and everywhere there are both special folks and jerks - the bigger the ship the more types you meet.

 

Tipping - the Caribbean thrives on tourism and tipping is a necessary part of how people in the tourism industry survive. I think all the cruise lines need to do a better job explaining how tipping works and why it's important off the ship to take extra dollars for tipping. On the ship your daily gratuities are just fine and no crew person really expects more. I have tipped a really friendly bar service guy a few times for taking good care of me by the pool, but that's just me.

 

Specially restaurants are a way for the lines to generate extra revenue. When you book with certain travel agents, you can get a dinner comped by them as an extra. The serifs in those venues are truly exceptional but the food quality does vary.

 

Decks - the best time to secure a chair is before 9:00 am. Explain to deck staff where you are and they can keep an eye on your things for you; they are really nice. I've seen while families hog several chairs for the whole day, which is selfish but I'd think no one would have a problem with you reserving a chair for the day, but just be sure to use it for the day and not catch the ice show with your towel still on the chair. :). Best places for a single would be on an end near a whirlpool.

 

With the kids - there is more for families to do on Oasis than even Disney. Play mini-golf, boogie board, do family crafts, ice skate, go to the movies, ride the carousel, play ping-pong...don't cheat yourself by hanging in the room.

 

I'll stop here but y'all get the point. Obviously I'm a fan of RCCL and love the experience. You have booked with Royal, but your deposit is refundable. Seek out travel agents like. Cru Con or Wagonlit for extras like prepaid gratuities, specially restaurant visits, and some onboard credit. Also consider Princess, which has a bit of a more laid back vibe, but still a good kids program. Happy cruising.

[DeepFreeze]

I am sailing Oasis for the first time in October so I read and appreciate every review. Thanks!!

So how was it? Any words of wisdom to pass on to us?

[handy4u]

This was one of the most thoughtful reviews I've read in these forums! You talked about what you experienced and didn't speculate on the things you didn't. Great job!

 

We are going on Oasis for a B2B in a few weeks and are bringing our 6 year old son as we always do. I'm looking forward to us all having a great family vacation!

 

Again, thank you for your work on this!

[JennaMae]

Your review was great and sounds like you guys had an amazing vacation! Quick question what night was the 2nd formal evening, I keep hearing conflicting answers of it being either day 5 or day 6. I just wanna make sure I have my reservations right before my April cruise.

[xpcdoojk]

Everything about your review is the opposite of me... Am older, no kids, don't care about the kids stuff, etc.

 

Great review.

 

Truly, I don't read many of these, and I enjoyed yours. Sounds like the kids loved adventure ocean, and I am sure that they had a great time. I worry because dad is taking them to Disney... Don't spoil them too much.

 

Good luck and I wish you the best.

 

Cheers

 

JC

[cruisecraze96]

Great review. Just a comment regarding luggage valet program. It is $20 per person not per bag, plus any fees your airline charges for the bags. You could have shipped the bags in your name, especially as they were for children and saved money. Not sure how many bags each person is allowed but I know it's at least two, as that's what I normally ship.

 

 

But then she would have had to pay the 2nd and 3rd bag fee at the airline since they check the bags in under the name you give which would be yikes. We fly southwest so I do this, put the 2 bags under me and then next two under oldest DD so we don't pay for my youngest on the valet fee.

Edited January 9, 2016 by cruisecraze96

[cruisecraze96]

Also great review, going on the Allure with my 13 and 6 year old in March but the 6th since I have a work conference during spring break. First time with Royal and looking forward to enjoying the ship, main reason for booking. I too think I am staying on the ship in Jamaica and then going to Playa Mia in Cozumel. We are in a family suite with my mom and sister so I don't think we will have a space issue :)

 

Glad the kids liked the kids program, my 6 year old never wants to leave the camp. But having a teen makes things a little more hair raising.

Edited January 9, 2016 by cruisecraze96