Host Andy Sails Oasis of the Seas (Review Added 7/29/15)

[hcat]

Also wondering how Andy liked the cafe where they are served..

 

.we liked the food but when we went on Day 1, it was crowded, tables dirty and washed with dirty rags....rude clientele fighting over seats! And something about the layout was not logical in terms of flow..

 

On the plus side wee found many nice spots to enjoy and avoid crowds on our Oasis cruise, hope Andy discovers them too!

Edited July 19, 2015 by hcat

[BecciBoo]

I agree with your assessment...to be truthful, I have only had 2 of these sandwiches and don't see the big attraction they have for some. Mine were pretty grissly.

[qualifiedcruiseologist]

I agree with your assessment...to be truthful, I have only had 2 of these sandwiches and don't see the big attraction they have for some. Mine were pretty grissly.

 

I also am not a fan of those sandwiches

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

ahhhh.... the sandwiches!

 

On our first day onboard the Allure I made the suggested pilgrimage to the Park Cafe where I ordered the roast beef sandwich w/au jus, mustard, and horseradish. I received a sandwich with perfectly red/pink meat, just enough fat, and just the right bite (back). I've been a fan ever since - and I'll actually check to see if a proposed sailing has a Park Cafe. Not that it's a requirement, but it's certainly one of several factors!

 

Tom

[Queen of Oakville]

Although in the last few years we have been almost exclusively Celebrity we have many happy RCCL memories. As others have said enjoy the Aqua show and giovannis table is a really nice relaxing meal.

 

If I am perfectly honest though the one thing I loved on the Oasis class was the roundabout. Every evening I would have a nice meal, a few very nice drinks in the two story conceirge lounge and then have a turn on the roundabout. The bear was my favourite character. I really didn't care what I looked like in my formal dress riding side saddle I loved it!! Age is in the mind, not the body!

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

 

I really had to wrack my brain to figure out what you meant by roundabout - lol. We'd call it a merry-go-round. Roundabouts here - are traffic circles where you drive in a circle with various on/off points. Much fun, and adults can enjoy too!

 

 

 

Hi Everyone,

 

As soon as we get settled in, I will post some updates on this thread. Of course, there's a lot to see and learn in the first couple of days.... so please don't be disappointed if I do not post until Monday or so - but I will try for sooner.

 

Thanks again for all your great feedback, and well wishes. I sincerely appreciate it !

 

Kummelweck.... er.... I mean Oasis, here we come ! :)

 

ENJOY!

 

 

Surprised by those who don't like the sandwiches. Most of the beef is cooked medium to mid-rare. I'm sure to ask for mid-rare pieces. If you like your meat like shoe leather; this is not the sandwich for you. We ate there several times during the week. My kids loved them too. When I told my daughter we were sailing Oasis again, she asked, "is that the ship with the yummy roast beef sandwiches?".

[Queen of Oakville]

To the person who asked about Liberty of the Seas. The sandwiches are served at the Park Café. I believe the Park Café is only on Oasis and Allure; but I could be wrong. Check your ship layout to see if it has a Park Café on board.

[kelmac]

To the person who asked about Liberty of the Seas. The sandwiches are served at the Park Café. I believe the Park Café is only on Oasis and Allure; but I could be wrong. Check your ship layout to see if it has a Park Café on board.

 

They also serve the sandwiches out of the two70 cafe on the Quantum and the Anthem. Yum!

[CruisingChick]

To the person who asked about Liberty of the Seas. The sandwiches are served at the Park Café. I believe the Park Café is only on Oasis and Allure; but I could be wrong. Check your ship layout to see if it has a Park Café on board.

 

Hi that was me. Thanks I will check to see.

 

Just checked. Doesn't seem so. They have the Café Promenade.

Edited July 20, 2015 by CruisingChick

[Queen of Oakville]

Hi that was me. Thanks I will check to see.

 

Just checked. Doesn't seem so. They have the Café Promenade.

 

Someone had asked the question on the Royal board - if Park Café/the Sandwiches were on Liberty - and the answer was no. :(

[maxsales]

Andy must have choked on his Kimmelwick. oh no :D:D

[Gig103]

Andy must have choked on his Kimmelwick. oh no :D:D

Don't be so pessimistic! He obviously fell from the zip line. ;-)

[neverbeenhere]

Happy for Andy. He is getting some time away from the insanity that can be Cruise Critic. We hope he is enjoying some quiet time, because the cruise will end soon enough then back to real life.;)

[neverbeenhere]

Sometimes working for free, sucks.:eek:

[stinsowm]

Hi Andy!!

 

Hope you are enjoying the sailing. I did my first Royal Caribbean cruise in years in January on the Brilliance and found the service just as nice as Celebrity. I also thought the diamond benefits were great but missed the laundry. However, the big difference for me was the food which I know is subjective but in my opinion was not up to par with Celebrity. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on your cruise!! Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!!

 

 

Walter

[CruisingChick]

Andy must have choked on his Kimmelwick. oh no :D:D

 

Andy is fine. I talked to him on twitter yesterday.

 

He said he would try to post something last night but guess that didn't happen?!

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

My sincere apologies for not posting sooner. Work has been extremely busy (boo !), and, we're enjoying Oasis very much. As it's only a 7 day cruise, and time is running short, I will post plenty of insights, and some comparisons, when I return home.

 

Overall, it's been great, and Oasis is a cruise ship marvel... but there are a number of hits and misses. Fortunately, more hits than misses. I will say this... the kummelweck sandwich was everything I hoped for, and then some ! It's by far, the best sandwich at sea. If only Celebrity could bring this sandwich to their ships, I'd love them forever :)

 

Thanks again for your patience. Please stay tuned for more insghts, in a few days !

[MicCanberra]

Enjoy your cruise.:D

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...I will say this... the kummelweck sandwich was everything I hoped for, and then some ! It's by far, the best sandwich at sea. If only Celebrity could bring this sandwich to their ships, I'd love them forever :)

 

...

 

 

It's the little things! :D

 

Tom

[mickeysgal]

The kummelweck sandwich...what is this? Been on Oasis and had the famous roast beef sandwich...but not this one.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

The kummelweck sandwich...what is this? Been on Oasis and had the famous roast beef sandwich...but not this one.

 

One and the same.

 

So that I don't have to think about spelling it, nor explaining it to others, I often just say "roast beef sandwich"!

 

Tom

[Queen of Oakville]

Hi Everyone,

 

My sincere apologies for not posting sooner. Work has been extremely busy (boo !), and, we're enjoying Oasis very much. As it's only a 7 day cruise, and time is running short, I will post plenty of insights, and some comparisons, when I return home.

 

Overall, it's been great, and Oasis is a cruise ship marvel... but there are a number of hits and misses. Fortunately, more hits than misses. I will say this... the kummelweck sandwich was everything I hoped for, and then some ! It's by far, the best sandwich at sea. If only Celebrity could bring this sandwich to their ships, I'd love them forever :)

 

Thanks again for your patience. Please stay tuned for more insghts, in a few days !

 

:D:D:D:D

 

Glad it lived up to my high praise!

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

We've returned home from Oasis of the Seas. As promised, here's my insights on our Oasis sailing, along with some comparisons to Celebrity. Enjoy !

 

Overall, we had an excellent cruise. Oasis is a cruise ship marvel. I rarely get blown away, but this ship did it for me. To put it in one word ? WOW ! Every photo I've ever seen of Oasis, does not do her justice. I couldn't get over how beautiful the ship was. We totally enjoyed the "neighborhood" concept, as Oasis did a great job of NOT making you feel that 6000+ passengers were onboard the ship.

 

==============

 

Embark/Disembark : Suprisingly excellent ! Embark went perfectly. As soon as we arrived at Port Everglades, we were quickly greeted by a Luggage Porter, who was so kind, and helped us get a wheelchair and pusher for Mom. I'd say the entire process was about 20 minutes from curbside to being onboard Oasis. A+ experience !

 

The Disembark wasn't as perfect, as there were some minor delays waiting for wheelchair assistance.... but better than I anticipated. I'd say it was about 45 minutes from the start, until we were outside the teminal with our luggage. Grade B+ for the disembark.

 

Big kudos to Celebrity, who continues to mail personalized luggage tags to USA guests. Royal no longer offers this service. You must print out the tags and affix them to your luggage. Not that big of a deal, but I much prefer Celebrity's process. Hope Celebrity keeps it this way.

 

Celebrity vs. Royal Comparison : I'm giving the win to Royal - especially in light of the fact of Oasis handling 6000+ passengers embarking and disembarking. They handled the process with ease. Well done Royal !

 

==============

 

Cabin : 11295 Boardwalk View. Nice cabin - virtually identical to Solstice's Interlocking design. One interesting difference : The cabin on the left of the pair, has the bed near the bathroom, with the right cabin having the bed near the Veranda. It's the reverse on the Solstice Class ships. Very narrow passage from edge of bed to wall. Same narrow and insufficent closets. Smaller, but ample Veranda facing the Boardwalk. I liked the view very much - though, we might consider a Central Park view on a future sailing - just to try something new. One caveat : Royal scheduled some non-Aqua events in the Aqua theater after midnight, with a lot of yelling and screaming. The crowd noise filtered into the cabin. If you head to bed early (we don't), you may wish to choose a Central Park or an Oceanview Veranda instead.

 

Celebrity vs. Royal Comparison : The cabins are nearly identical. However, I'm giving Celebrity the win, due to their FAR better TV channel options. Hard to imagine there were few news options (CNN and not much else). Not having CNBC was a major concern for me, especially as the stock market was very hectic for the entire week, and required me to stay connected with clients and my firm. One of these days, I will have a stress free vacation... and I'm still waiting for it :). Thankfully, Oasis's incredible Internet saved my week !

 

==============

 

Internet : Wow, Wow, Wow ! Royal's newer ships utilize something called "VOOM" Wi-Fi. It's a huge blockbuster and game changer. High speed, very reliable, and it's thrilling to see this type of technology on a Cruise ship. You can purchase an unlimited internet package for $15.00 per day, and, you can switch between devices - though you can only be on one device at any given time - which is more than fair. I brought my cell phone, tablet, and laptop, and all worked flawlessly. To put the cherry on top - as a Diamond Member, I received a $30.00 discount, so the whole deal cost $75 for the week. What a lifesaver this was for me.

 

Royal completely gets it. The Internet service is phenomenal, the price is right, and nearly everyone appeared to be connected. Great value brings great demand. Smart.

 

If only Celebrity would add VOOM to their ships - ideally with the same pricing structure... As someone who must stay connected, I'd be thrilled beyond belief !

 

Celebrity vs. Royal Comparison : Sorry Celebrity, this was an easy decision. Royal wins hands down - on quality, speed, and pricing !

 

===============

 

Entertainment : Overall, better than Celebrity. Many different types of entertainment, for all ages. Of note, Royal's production show, "Come Fly With Me", was one of the best Production shows I've ever seen on any cruise ship. They also featured "Cats" in the Opal Theater. I've seen it on Broadway, so I skipped it on Oasis. IMO, Celebrity would be wise to consider having the Royal entertainment team work with them. Royal certainly knows how to appeal to everyone, and, get it right !

 

Celebrity vs. Royal Comparison : Celebrity has a great deal of excellent entertainment, but I much preferred what we saw on Oasis. In fairness to Celebrity, Oasis had more entertainment options, as it's a much larger ship.

 

===============

 

Cuisine : Here we go LOL.... before I comment further, I hope we can all agree that the topic of cuisine is very subjective. Overall, I thought the cuisine was hit and miss. The big hit for me, was the Kummelweck sandwich at the Park Cafe, located at Central Park on Deck 8. It's a hand carved, perfectly seasoned, roast beef sandwich cooked medium rare, on a perfect roll that features salt and caraway seeds on the top of the roll. Add some very tasty gravy and horseradish, and you have sheer perfection. By far, the best sandwich at sea. In addition, they feature an excellent salad bar, along with Sandwiches and Paninis. Thankfully, the Park Cafe is open for lunch (and breakfast) every day. Believe me, I made the most of it :)

 

Main Dining Room : We were seated at table 807 (4 top) on Deck 5, which is labeled as the Silk Dining Room. Oddly, each of the 3 floors of the MDR have different venue names - which was a result of Royal's "Dynamic Dining" program - which has since been scrapped on Oasis. I believe it's not moving forward on other Royal ships as well. The Dining Room was beautiful and well-designed. The service by our waiter (Rohman) and assistant (Zhen) was great, and, they were both as sweet as could be. You didn't get that hectic feeling that you currently experience on Celebrity's ships... but that's where the good news ends. For the most part, the cuisine was disappointing. As you can probably tell by now, I enjoy beef very much. With 5 dinners in the MDR, I did not have one passable beef entree. Part of the problem was the taste of the beef, which was subpar. The other issue was that it was impossible to have your beef served at medium or medium rare temperature. It seems they cook 2 temperatures at the Oasis MDR. Rare, and Well-Done. Nothing else. On the 3rd night, I asked the Maitre'd for a Medium rare steak, and he brought out extremely well done. At that point, I gave up ! By day 4, I ate a slightly bigger than normal Lunch at Park Cafe, and ate very little for Dinner. Usually, just an appetizer, and a pasta dish. Even the pasta was barely edible. The sauce tasted like it was right out the can, and nothing was ever served hot. I wonder if this is typical for Royal, or, was this a one off experience ?

 

Celebrity vs. Royal Comparison : IMO, Celebrity far exceeds in the cuisine dept. It's not even close - even the incredible Kummelweck sandwich can't get Royal close to Celebrity in cuisine. Note to Celebrity - PLEASE find a way to add the Kummelweck to your Lunch buffet. I will be eternally grateful ! :)

 

===============

 

Service : Before the cruise began, I dialed my expectations down on this area, and it proved to be a wise decision. Why ? It's impossible to deliver the outstanding service that we are used to on Celebrity... on a ship that's nearly twice as large as the Solstice class, and carries more than twice the passengers. Other than wonderful service from our Cabin Steward, MDR Waiter and Assistant.... everyone else was a blur. The service felt so impersonal, with most crew barely saying hello on most occasions. In addition, most of the crew seemed very indifferent, and many couldn't answer simple questions. For example, I purchased a beverage package due to inaccurate information from a bartender. Asked for a refund an hour later, and waited several days for the credit to appear on my account.

 

In addition, we had a major issue for one day of our Cruise. As usual in recent years, I rented Mom a mobility scooter. Each night, Royal takes the scooter elsewhere, and is *supposed* to return it the next morning upon request, by calling the Housekeeping dept. On the morning of Day 2, they somehow "lost" the scooter, and it was not located until 4:30 pm - over 8 hours after we requested it to be sent to our cabin. This mostly ruined our first full day on Oasis. I completely understand that mistakes happen, and we would have been fine with a brief loss, but Guest Relations truly seemed as if they didn't want to hear about it, and told me numerous stories throughout the day - which mostly conflicted with each other. This was a huge disappointment, as I stressed all day about whether the scooter would be located. BTW, they told us they didn't have a spare scooter, which I thought was odd for a mega-ship. On the bright side, the scooter was located, and the saga ended well.

 

Celebrity vs. Royal Comparison : Not even close. Nothing beats Celebrity's (and Azamara's) wonderful Officers and Crew. Celebrity wins by a landslide !

 

===============

 

Specialty Dining : We dined in 2 Specialty venues. Izumi, and Chops Grille. Both were wonderful ! Izumi has 2 options. The first is more of a sushi venue, priced a la Carte. The other is Hibachi (which we chose), priced at $25.00 for 1 meat or fish, and $30.00 for 2 meats/fish. The Hibachi Chef was very talented, and a lot of fun too. The food was great, and would definitely visit Izumi again.

 

Chops Grille : Absolutely outstanding. I ordered the 12 oz NY Strip Steak. BIL had the Filet Mignon. Mom ordered a Shrimp entree, and my Sister ordered the Veal Chop. BTW, don't miss the Shrimp cocktail. Huge, tasty shrimp and excellent presentation. Great service too. Everything was perfect, and it was a wonderful evening. Bring a sweater, as Chops was extremely chilly !

 

I'm skipping the comparison here, as Celebrity's and Royal's Specialty Dining venues are quite different. The good news is, that both Celebrity's & Royal's Specialty Dining experiences are outstanding !

 

===============

 

Diamond Lounge : As Diamond Members, we loved the Diamond Lounge. Complimentary drinks and appetizers are served from 5 pm - 8:30 pm. Beautiful venue, and the Loyalty Ambassador was nice too. Wish they had a similar dedicated venue on Celebrity ships for Elite and Elite Plus members. I also thought it was very smart of Royal to have a future cruise representative in the Diamond Lounge on most evenings. Why not try to sell some cruises ? Smart plan. Celebrity should offer this on their ships. Very nice touch for their most loyal guests.

 

While I strongly feel that Celebrity has the far superior loyalty program - especially if you can make it to Zenith level.... we absolutely felt that our loyalty was greatly appreciated by Royal. Well done by both brands !

 

===============

 

Casino : We enjoy spending evenings in the Casino. Casino Royale is massive, and looks great. However, we didn't enjoy that 1/2 the Casino is smoking and 1/2 is non smoking. I thought it would be perfectly fine, but the cigarette smell was everywhere, and made the casino experience much less enjoyable for us. With a few exceptions, Dealers were not as friendly as Celebrity, and the managers were even less friendly - not anywhere as nice as on Celebrity's ships.

 

Celebrity vs. Royal Comparison : As Non-smokers, and overall friendliness, Celebrity wins big time for us - though we rarely walk out of the Casino as big time winners ! :)

 

===============

 

Now, for the $64,000 question : Would we sail an Oasis Class ship again ? Even with some noticible concerns, I'd definitely consider it - though I will say this. As Royal only has one Oasis Class ship in the Caribbean this Summer (Allure is in Europe) - prices were MUCH higher than last Summer, and that's with a Buy One, Get one 50% off promo ! We spent top dollar, and I'd only consider another visit, IF the price was lower. As cruising is gaining popularity with each passing day, I'd say that lower pricing next Summer is unlikely - but you never know !

 

Final Verdict : Celebrity Vs. Royal Caribbean : While I'm glad that we sailed on Oasis, and had a very enjoyable week... Celebrity remains our number 1 choice. We'll remain very loyal to Celebrity - though I'm sure that's not much of a surprise to our Cruise Critic community :) !

 

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed my review, as much as we enjoyed the beautiful and amazing Oasis of the Seas. It will be my pleasure to answer your questions !

Edited August 2, 2015 by Host Andy

[norn iron]

Hi Everyone,

 

My sincere apologies for not posting sooner. Work has been extremely busy (boo !), and, we're enjoying Oasis very much. As it's only a 7 day cruise, and time is running short, I will post plenty of insights, and some comparisons, when I return home.

 

Overall, it's been great, and Oasis is a cruise ship marvel... but there are a number of hits and misses. Fortunately, more hits than misses. I will say this... the kummelweck sandwich was everything I hoped for, and then some ! It's by far, the best sandwich at sea. If only Celebrity could bring this sandwich to their ships, I'd love them forever :)

 

Thanks again for your patience. Please stay tuned for more insghts, in a few days !

 

Looks fantastic, I'd love to try one! RCI video link is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M5_4ydqP0U

[nekzaadvakil]

Thanks Host Andy, that was an amazing crisp review. We considered ourselves loyal to Royal but after 3 outstanding Celebrity cruises, we were wondering if we would be slightly disappointed going back to Royal. Your review puts a lot of things into perspective and helps us bring down our expectations accordingly.

 

Our next cruise planned is on the Allure and we're really looking forward to it as we love BIG ships. Although we love the food on Celebrity, we enjoyed the food on Royal. The smoking in the casino is definitely a put-off, I guess with so many things to do in 7 days, we can skip the casino.

 

Thanks again for some amazing insights.

[hcat]

Thanks for a great review...

Having tried Oasis we have no plans to return, but agree with almost all your points...

Glad you had a nice vacation, bummer that you had to work so much!