A Review of our Recent RC Oasis of the Seas Cruise & how it compared to Carnival

[LegallyBlondeCruiseLVR]

This is just our opinion, but my husband and I compiled a review of our RC Oasis of the Seas cruise two weeks ago on our blog. We usually sail Carnival, so much of this review compares Oasis to our recent experiences on Carnival, particularly the Breeze (which we sailed in 2013 and 2014). Hope it's helpful!

 

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html

[RaiderFaninNM]

Awesome review but man my eyes are tired from that pink background, kind of hard to read at times........:eek:

 

We sailed on Oasis BIGGER sister......;) Allure and loved it, our room stewert was awesome, MDR was rather bla and food was luke warm most nights, it seems like they improved in that dept. The entertainment was like no other, something Carnival needs to address as it was all top notch, the Aqua theater during sea days turned into a mini Bellagio fountain show, just awesome. Zip line, wow, the shows are tops. The hotdog stand on the Boardwalk was so damn good, loved sitting out there having an adult beverage. The Windjammer should be renamed PeopleJAMMER, what a disaster..... Park cafe was much better!

 

You are right if there was one thing I missed most during that cruise was the OCEAN!!!! One had to go to the TOP of the ship to see it, :mad:, I did miss that. We would not hesitate in sailing her again.....

 

Thanks for sharing!!

[fuzzmane]

Thank you for your honest review. We almost always sail Carnival, but are booked on the Oasis in November.

[SenatorsFan]

Thanks for sharing your cruise and thoughts with us. I go back and forth on whether I really want to sail Oasis or Allure at all, so I appreciate the perspective from a Carnival cruiser. :) One question, what type of cabin did you have and how did you choose the location?

Heather

[jimbo5544]

This is just our opinion, but my husband and I compiled a review of our RC Oasis of the Seas cruise two weeks ago on our blog. We usually sail Carnival, so much of this review compares Oasis to our recent experiences on Carnival, particularly the Breeze (which we sailed in 2013 and 2014). Hope it's helpful!

 

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html

 

Nice review, I like the grading system you used. We sailed on Oasis last March. Like you, we had some mixed feelings, sometimes bigger is not always better. Love your website.

 

Thanks for doing the review and posting a link to it.

[Tutontow]

Thanks for the great review. I have gone back and forth about sailing the Oasis. My wife would love to try it but I on the other hand actually prefer the smaller, more old school ships.

 

The Oasis and the Allure remind me of a trip to Las Vegas, which I have done way too many times. Like I said I want to feel like I am out in the ocean.

 

I love the part about how rude the fellow passengers are. I to appreciate different cultures but after a while enough is enough.

 

There is a certain group that travels to Vegas in a pack. I mean anywhere from 10 to 20 family members. When you are anywhere they are they just take over. It is brutal at a blackjack table. There is so much commotion you can't concentrate. More than once my wife and I were just mowed down. So yes I agree with you.

 

That was a great, honest review and I appreciate it.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Tutontow

[Glock19]

The best cruise I was ever on was New Years on the Oasis. The party was like Time Square in NYC. I felt the food and service on Royal was much better. Carnival IMO still has the best bang for the buck. The only thing I didn't like about the Oasis was the location of the casino. It felt like I was down in a basement. The ice show was very good but the water show with the high diving was GREAT.

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

Thanks for the review! You reaffirmed my belief that those huge RC ships aren't meant for cruisers who actually like to experience the ocean. I'll take a Fantasy/Destiny/Conquest class ship over any "condominium of the seas" super ships RC has to offer :)

Edited September 14, 2015 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[Tapi]

My opinion after sailing on the Allure is that it was an absolutely fantastic, one of a kind cruise experience. However, I'm not rushing to book another cruise on these ships again. Why? Simply because I want to try different things. Just like I'm not interested on sailing on the same cruise line over and over, I'm not interested on sailing on the same ship over and over, specially to the same exact destinations. With that said, I don't regret for one moment having sailed on the Allure, and I strongly encourage anybody out there to give them a try, at least once.

 

The "disconnect" with the ocean is real, simply because most public venues don't have windows. To make it worse we had an inside facing Boardwalk stateroom, so we only had a very partial view of the ocean. The best piece of advice that I can give anyone is that they book a stateroom with at least an oceanview (balcony even better). Stay away from those gimmicky Central Park or Boardwalk staterooms. They only make the disconnect with the ocean more pronounced.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Tapi

[nednrom]

This is just our opinion, but my husband and I compiled a review of our RC Oasis of the Seas cruise two weeks ago on our blog. We usually sail Carnival, so much of this review compares Oasis to our recent experiences on Carnival, particularly the Breeze (which we sailed in 2013 and 2014). Hope it's helpful!

 

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html

 

We were on the Oasis this past January and wholeheartedly agree with your gradings and like your family, we were shocked at the rudeness of the passengers - mostly foreign. The royal staff was not very effective enforcing rules especially in the adult pool area.

 

This is very much unlike our 2 sailings on the Allure-- we had great experience on the Allure both instances appreciating the service, the crew, the CD and his interactions with the passengers and the food both in the dining room and in special dining. We were warned about Oasis due to its management issues but decided to go anyway. We had a good time because of travel companions however missed the service and the manners we found on the Allure.

 

We will be trying Carnival Conquest on its NYE 8 day cruise this year. It's been a while since we sailed with Carnival but couldn't pass up the holiday cruise deal. :-)

[dmdiver]

Loved your review - sorry your fellow passengers were so rude. We didn't experience that on Oasis. I think the staff was fine on our sailing, too. I agree that it is more like being in a shopping mall than on a ship. For that reason, I'm glad we booked a balcony where we could sit & enjoy the ocean. We loved the Central Park area at night, though. It was a very relaxing place to walk through & stop for an after dinner drink. We didn't get to see any shows except 1 comedy one & the dive show. Couldn't get in to the others because we didn't want to make reservations, not knowing what all we would want to do each evening. All in all, I thought Oasis was a beautiful ship, but would have to have a really good price to sail again.

[LegallyBlondeCruiseLVR]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! I agree with much of what you added about your experienced on board the Oasis, especially compared to Carnival sailings. Interesting that the Allure experience is so different - I read that somewhere else too & a crew member told us that despite Allure being two inches bigger now, Oasis still gets the bulk of the international travelers & is the world's most googled ship. I agree with Tapi on the craving for new experiences and think ATL shares our ship preferences!

[tampabrat22]

Great, honest review, I enjoyed it very much! And I agree 100% on almost everything you said. This past April I sailed on my 2nd RCCL cruise, I was hoping to redeem the bad stuff we encountered on the first RCCL cruise, but that didn't happen. Same rude clientele, non interested staff, and horrible MDR food and service. I witnessed the drunkest, rowdiest and brazen crowd of any ship we've sailed (people on lido getting it on, a drunk dude fell down the lido stairs and the ship had to divert course so that he could be airlifted off and teens stealing phones right off people's loungers). It was crazy, I was sailing with 3 friends who were new to cruising and the whole cruise had me quite embarrassed, no way I will ever recommend them to anyone ever again.

[Tapi]

We were on the Oasis this past January and wholeheartedly agree with your gradings and like your family, we were shocked at the rudeness of the passengers - mostly foreign. :-)

 

 

Ironically, one of the biggest highlights of our cruise on the Allure which made it truly stand out and open our eyes to what else is out there was exactly the enormous number of passengers from different countries and the cultural diversity onboard. For us, it was beyond fantastic. We met fellow passengers from Brazil, Japan, Germany, India, Canada, Australia and several more. Walking down the Royal Promenade, we could always hear various languages interacting with each other. And Formal Night was a feast for the eyes with the various fashion trends and looks from each country. These international passengers were in the most part very polite and well traveled. But with that said, it's important to remember that there are many cultural differences clashing when you have that many people from so many places traveling together. What may be labeled as "rudeness" by some Americans not used to interacting with people from other countries may be considered completely appropriate behavior to them and vice versa. Some may find this cultural clash off putting, but others like me may find it to be an enhancement to foreign travel.

 

Interestingly, the worst behavior I've ever witnessed "en masse" from fellow passengers was aboard the Fascination out of Jacksonville, where most passengers onboard hailed from within driving distance. Talk about rude, embarrassing, and inconsiderate passengers, many who couldn't follow basic rules of behavior and etiquette, and who acted as if they've never had to interact in their lives with other human beings outside of their close group of friends and family back home. This awful behavior was one of the factors that finally prompted us to try other cruise lines and expand our horizons beyond Carnival. For me while Carnival still fits a niche when we want an affordable and convenient cruise (like our upcoming cruise on the Valor) it's not our "go to" cruise line anymore every time simply because we want to try something different and learn something new every time we travel.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Tapi

[jimbo5544]

Ironically, one of the biggest highlights of our cruise on the Allure which made it truly stand out and open our eyes to what else is out there was exactly the enormous number of passengers from different countries and the cultural diversity onboard. For us, it was beyond fantastic. We met fellow passengers from Brazil, Japan, Germany, India, Canada, Australia and several more. Walking down the Royal Promenade, we could always hear various languages interacting with each other. And Formal Night was a feast for the eyes with the various fashion trends and looks from each country. These international passengers were in the most part very polite and well traveled. But with that said, it's important to remember that there are many cultural differences clashing when you have that many people from so many places traveling together. What may be labeled as "rudeness" by some Americans not used to interacting with people from other countries may be considered completely appropriate behavior to them and vice versa. Some may find this cultural clash off putting, but others like me may find it to be an enhancement to foreign travel.

 

Interestingly, the worst behavior I've ever witnessed "en masse" from fellow passengers was aboard the Fascination out of Jacksonville, where most passengers onboard hailed from within driving distance. Talk about rude, embarrassing, and inconsiderate passengers, many who couldn't follow basic rules of behavior and etiquette, and who acted as if they've never had to interact in their lives with other human beings outside of their close group of friends and family back home. This awful behavior was one of the factors that finally prompted us to try other cruise lines and expand our horizons beyond Carnival. For me while Carnival still fits a niche when we want an affordable and convenient cruise (like our upcoming cruise on the Valor) it's not our "go to" cruise line anymore every time simply because we want to try something different and learn something new every time we travel.

I would echo that our experience on Oasis def did have far more people from abroad than we normally experience on our Carnival cruises. While I do not have any problems with that, it certainly made me think of our MSC cruise when we sailed the Orchestra over to the Caribbean. Having announcements in five languages got pretty old really quick.

 

We have not experienced anything like what you last did on Carnival. As you know, I would rate the overall cruising experience on the Oasis below what we find on Carnival (taking the ship out of the picture, Oasis is a remarkable ship....but more of an event than a cruise in my eyes). I will be interested to hear your thoughts about the Valor when you return. ....and now back to our regularly scheduled programming.....

Edited September 15, 2015 by jimbo5544

[Tapi]

We have not experienced anything like what you last did on Carnival.

 

 

I think it was an anomaly. I'd sailed on the Fascination 3 times out of Miami and always enjoyed it. We had also previously sailed out of another "drive to" port, Mobile, which was, to this day, the cruise were we've met the most fantastic, polite and enjoyable group of fellow passengers. When we were getting ready to sail on the Fascination out of Jacksonville, I was expecting an enjoyable trip on a ship that I was familiar with, and with awesome fellow passengers similar to what we'd found out of Mobile. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

 

There are always a handful of people that just don't know how to behave on a cruise, but the percentage of this type of passenger on that particular sailing was much more noticeable, to the point where my wife said to me as we drove home "don't you EVER book us on another cruise out of Jacksonville, AGAIN". I've obeyed to maintain my marriage intact. [emoji6]

 

 

Oasis is a remarkable ship....(but more of an event than a cruise in my eyes). I will be interested to hear your thoughts about the Valor when you return. ....

I agree that Oasis/Allure is an event. Although it's a fantastic experience, it doesn't really feel like a cruise. That's why I'm not rushing to sail on them again. Tried it, got the T-shirt, moving on to something else (although now that Oasis is coming to Port Canaveral with a new itinerary, it is back in my radar).

 

You know that I will give a full review of our Valor cruise! So stay tuned...!

Edited September 15, 2015 by Tapi

[jimbo5544]

I think it was an anomaly. I'd sailed on the Fascination 3 times out of Miami and always enjoyed it. We had also previously sailed out of another "drive to" port, Mobile, which was, to this day, the cruise were we've met the most fantastic, polite and enjoyable group of fellow passengers. When we were getting ready to sail on the Fascination out of Jacksonville, I was expecting an enjoyable trip on a ship that I was familiar with, and with awesome fellow passengers similar to what we'd found out of Mobile. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

 

There are always a handful of people that just don't know how to behave on a cruise, but the percentage of this type of passenger on that particular sailing was much more noticeable, to the point where my wife said to me as we drove home "don't you EVER book us on another cruise out of Jacksonville, AGAIN". I've obeyed to maintain my marriage intact. [emoji6]

 

 

 

I agree that Oasis/Allure is an event. Although it's a fantastic experience, it doesn't really feel like a cruise. That's why I'm not rushing to sail on them again. Tried it, got the T-shirt, moving on to something else (although now that Oasis is coming to Port Canaveral with a new itinerary, it is back in my radar).

 

You know that I will give a full review of our Valor cruise! So stay tuned...!

 

 

Keeping a marriage intact is a good thing.

[IGGY63]

This is just our opinion, but my husband and I compiled a review of our RC Oasis of the Seas cruise two weeks ago on our blog. We usually sail Carnival, so much of this review compares Oasis to our recent experiences on Carnival, particularly the Breeze (which we sailed in 2013 and 2014). Hope it's helpful!

 

http://ourbarbiedreamhouse.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-of-oasis-of-seas-versus-carnival.html

 

Excellent review. Thanks for sharing. Love your grading system.

 

Not so much for the pink background tho...:p

 

Always wanted to try either the Oasis or the Allure....not so sure now....

[AmberTeka]

Ironically, one of the biggest highlights of our cruise on the Allure which made it truly stand out and open our eyes to what else is out there was exactly the enormous number of passengers from different countries and the cultural diversity onboard. For us, it was beyond fantastic. We met fellow passengers from Brazil, Japan, Germany, India, Canada, Australia and several more. Walking down the Royal Promenade, we could always hear various languages interacting with each other. And Formal Night was a feast for the eyes with the various fashion trends and looks from each country. These international passengers were in the most part very polite and well traveled. But with that said, it's important to remember that there are many cultural differences clashing when you have that many people from so many places traveling together. What may be labeled as "rudeness" by some Americans not used to interacting with people from other countries may be considered completely appropriate behavior to them and vice versa. Some may find this cultural clash off putting, but others like me may find it to be an enhancement to foreign travel.

 

Interestingly, the worst behavior I've ever witnessed "en masse" from fellow passengers was aboard the Fascination out of Jacksonville, where most passengers onboard hailed from within driving distance. Talk about rude, embarrassing, and inconsiderate passengers, many who couldn't follow basic rules of behavior and etiquette, and who acted as if they've never had to interact in their lives with other human beings outside of their close group of friends and family back home. This awful behavior was one of the factors that finally prompted us to try other cruise lines and expand our horizons beyond Carnival. For me while Carnival still fits a niche when we want an affordable and convenient cruise (like our upcoming cruise on the Valor) it's not our "go to" cruise line anymore every time simply because we want to try something different and learn something new every time we travel.

 

It is odd how different people can experience such different things on a ship.And all of them perfectly nice people, who have cruised a lot and don't harp about this or that small thing.

FASCINATION out of Jax. One of my favorite cruises.We were worried about it being a small ship. Older ship.And it was Graduation week for Colleges and High Schools. We did find that most people were Southern. TN.AL.GA. MS. FL. NC SC and KN. The vibe was very laid back. Southern people are slower. Talk slower. React slower. I loved it. I was impressed, no stunned, by the manners of the young graduates. I had the elevator door held for me more times than I can remember. My name for the entire week was Yes. Mam. Two of them played Trivia with us. A college graduate, young woman and a young man, both traveling with their parents. They brought the parents over to meet us.

 

Favorite Memory. Young man. Had to be seven feet tall. Dreadlocks down to shoulders. Usual fashionable young men out fit...........RUNNING to put his arm in the elevator so My husband and I could catch it. It gave me hope for the younger generation. I did not SEE any drunks. I did see them around the Money Vault in the Casino and they had a good time over that. TWO young women in swim suits that were why bother wearing anything....no bare rear ends in the restaurant.

 

That is how I saw the fascination. Sitting and talking and drinking a glass of tea and looking at the ocean and I loved it. It was like stepping back in time to a less rushed world.

Edited September 15, 2015 by AmberTeka

[portlandpete]

Loved your blog!! And thanks for the great review. DH and I have thought about this ship but not being able to see the ocean makes us not want to try it. It's one of the reasons we cruise and I know we would miss it. Ship kinda reminds me of Las Vegas and we have been there many times and do enjoy the food and shows but would rather have a cruise be all about the ocean and islands.

[Tapi]

We did find that most people were Southern. TN.AL.GA. MS. FL. NC SC and KN. The vibe was very laid back. Southern people are slower. Talk slower. React slower. I loved it.

 

That is how I saw the fascination. Sitting and talking and drinking a glass of tea and looking at the ocean and I loved it. It was like stepping back in time to a less rushed world.

 

 

That's similar to what we experienced sailing on the Holiday out of Mobile, and we were hoping to encounter that as well out of Jacksonville, being another "drive-to Southern port". Unfortunately, it was not a "laid back, sitting and drinking tea with Southern polite gentlemen" atmosphere for us. It was more of a "trample people over, push and shove to get in and out of the elevators or in line at the buffet first, smoke where you're not supposed to, drunk screaming and cursing at the MDR, to hell with any rules or sense of courtesy" kind of atmosphere for us.

 

We live in the south (in Georgia), so I'm very familiar with the polite Southern vibe that you refer to and I agree that it's wonderful. But I also know that not everybody down here is like that, and unfortunately for us, our sailing was packed with a different crowd, more closely associated with another type of Southern stereotype.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Tapi

[nednrom]

Ironically, one of the biggest highlights of our cruise on the Allure which made it truly stand out and open our eyes to what else is out there was exactly the enormous number of passengers from different countries and the cultural diversity onboard. For us, it was beyond fantastic. We met fellow passengers from Brazil, Japan, Germany, India, Canada, Australia and several more. Walking down the Royal Promenade, we could always hear various languages interacting with each other. And Formal Night was a feast for the eyes with the various fashion trends and looks from each country. These international passengers were in the most part very polite and well traveled. But with that said, it's important to remember that there are many cultural differences clashing when you have that many people from so many places traveling together. What may be labeled as "rudeness" by some Americans not used to interacting with people from other countries may be considered completely appropriate behavior to them and vice versa. Some may find this cultural clash off putting, but others like me may find it to be an enhancement to foreign travel.

 

Interestingly, the worst behavior I've ever witnessed "en masse" from fellow passengers was aboard the Fascination out of Jacksonville, where most passengers onboard hailed from within driving distance. Talk about rude, embarrassing, and inconsiderate passengers, many who couldn't follow basic rules of behavior and etiquette, and who acted as if they've never had to interact in their lives with other human beings outside of their close group of friends and family back home. This awful behavior was one of the factors that finally prompted us to try other cruise lines and expand our horizons beyond Carnival. For me while Carnival still fits a niche when we want an affordable and convenient cruise (like our upcoming cruise on the Valor) it's not our "go to" cruise line anymore every time simply because we want to try something different and learn something new every time we travel.

 

You are right, however, we are seasoned travelers and have been to different parts of the world so encountering a group of passengers from different cultures was not a big deal. Our experience on the Oasis was different than the ones on the Allure. We had kids running around with no parental supervision, loud and rude group of foreigners who constantly pushed and shoved and cut in line constantly. We had parents allowing their kids to eat ice cream in the hot tubs and dismiss the Royal crew and treat the with no respect. So when I say that there were a group of foreigners that were rude, it is not due to me or my family's lack of cultural exposure.

Edited September 16, 2015 by nednrom

[Tapi]

We had kids running around with no parental supervision, loud and rude group of foreigners who constantly pushed and shoved and cut in line constantly. We had parents allowing their kids to eat ice cream in the hot tubs and dismiss the Royal crew and treat the with no respect. So when I say that there were a group of foreigners that were rude, it is not due to me or my family's lack of cultural exposure.

 

 

Improper behavior can be found in any country and can't always be attributed to be "a cultural difference". There's bad parenting all over the world. However, it's not uncommon here for people to attach the word "rude" to the word "foreigners" when what they are demonstrating is normal behavior for their culture.

 

I travel extensively for a living (I spend an average of 2-3 nights/ week away from home, several times in other countries), and even with that, I can't claim to be an expert on cultural differences. I learn something new about a culture every time I visit a country, even when I've traveled there several times. But the most important thing that I've learned is to stop automatically labeling any behavior that would be considered "rude" in the US as such.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Tapi

[nmayer79]

Great review. I've only sailed Carnival and have been curious about RC. I think I will be fine sticking with Carnival! ;)

 

Thanks!!

[RaiderFaninNM]

Great review sadly turned onto a "cultural difference", rude is rude no matter the country of origin.............;) :rolleyes: