A different point of view. Oasis of the Seas 2/5/17-2/12/17

[Paramedic1]

Just got back from our 7 day cruise on the Oasis of the Seas Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Let me get to the point...... Awesome!!!!

 

A little about ourselves. 8th cruise overall. 4 Carnival, now 4 Royal. Author... 49 yo husband and father of 2 teenagers. Wife 47 and the 2 kids DS 17 and DD 15. Live in Rochester NY and needed to break up the winter.

 

Flew a direct flight to Orlando the day before. Safe then sorry. Stayed at Residence Inn right by the airport. Adequate is how I would classify it.

 

Caught the shuttle at 10 am on Sunday and at the boat by 11:30. Check in looks intimidating when 5000 people are trying to get on a ship. 15 minutes in line to get into the processing building. 25 minutes to get to the counter and walking to ship, being C&A gold members helped.

 

Walked on the boat at Deck 5 and was just hit by that WOW factor. A word I'll use a lot.... Awesome. Just beautiful once aboard the Oasis. Rooms were ready from the get go. So we headed up to the 12th floor balcony over Central Park. Surprised the kids, they thought we got a porthole on 3. They were very surprised. Highly recommend these rooms by the way. Central Park is one of the best concepts in the cruise industry far and away. So relaxing, which is the purpose of a vacation.

 

Alright so here is one of my few criticism's. The rooms have no storage space for 2 adults, a 6'1" 17 year old boy and 15 yo girl. We were cramped. But you only sleep and get ready to enjoy the boat in your room. So made the best of it. Did not deter from the pleasure of being on this beauty.

 

So out to explore the ship we go. When other writers say you could use 2 weeks to explore the whole ship. They're right. We maybe did about 45% of the things to do on this ship.

 

Rooms- nice, nothing special. Balcony is very special whether ocean or inside view of neighborhoods.

Pools- how nice to have 6 pools, makes handling 5000 people much easier. Yes no problem finding a chair. Might not be your first choice, but always available.

Dining room- lovely, felt like a nice restaurant despite being there 7 nights in a row.

Bars- efficient, helpful, friendly, creative, and satisfying. Yes we had the drink package. We didn't drink 15 drinks a day but enough to definitely pay for the package.

Promenade- spent a ton of time here. It's the place where there's many things happening. Loved it.

Boardwalk- spent the least amount of time here. Kind of gears to younger kids. Other than the Aqua theater which cancelled most of their shows due to poor conditions.

Central Park- like stated above this is so relaxing. Great concept. So nice to have a drink and listen to some music and watch the stars. A++

Restaurants- didn't do them, paid my money and had meals all ready for me, that's what I had. Food was very good. I am not a food snob, and I'm definitely not a hot dog every day either. Plenty to choose from, sometimes more than one which was accommodated.

Solarium- very close 2nd to Central Park. The best part of the ship to enjoy the trip and how you're travelling. Wish I could have spent more time there.

Entertainment- don't judge me, but we never went to a show other than half of the love and marriage show. Our dinner seating was at 8pm. Dinner for 2 hours, last thing you want to do is go sit in a theater for another 90 minutes. We were always busy having fun when our times came up for the shows, so we just never went. We did go to Dazzle's a couple of times. Really nice and a great band is on Oasis for the next 6 months. They got people dancing.

Crew friendliness- everyone says hello. Your cabin steward strikes up a cordial conversation whenever possible. Bar staff our personable and friendly.

Ship condition- cannot find one issue to comment on that is critical. Quotes like "she's showing her age" or "she's not new anymore" are from left field. What are these people doing, looking underneath the carpets, or peeling back the wall panels?

 

So to wrap up.... Probably the best family vacation we have been on. It will be my 50th birthday next year and I already know what I want.....;)!!!

 

So for all of you on here trying to decide, or doing leg work for your upcoming trip I say this.... Don't worry about the reviews that are negative. To each their own..... opinions. Like I stated above, this was our 8th cruise and by FAR our #1 cruise. I could do it again tomorrow and have just as much fun and have a week's full of new experiences. I cannot give this cruise and cruise line enough praise, it was AWESOME!!!

 

Thanks.

[molly361]

Thanks for the review- I love the Oasis

[dd likes to cruise]

When you do it again, PLEASE try the Ice Show and the Aqua Shows. We did them both twice we liked them so much. Both under an hour, so time was not too much of an issue. Our Headliner show was wonderful too, but they would not have been on yours. We did that twice also. We were just on her Jan 29 - Feb 5th.

[davekathy]

Thanks for the review.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback. We've got an Oasis cruise coming in a few months. I also agree about the lack of storage space in the stateroom.

[pcorwin]

Great review! We were on Oasis in May and loved it. We traveled with all are grown children so there were 8 of us and had 4 staterooms so not crowded. It was our 30th anniversary so we stayed in Central Park as well and it was very nice and relaxing loved the birds and crickets that they chimed in. Best cruise we have taken so far! This was also our 8th cruise, we will be going on our 9th on the Allure in 4 weeks and will stay in board walk hoping it will be as nice. Enjoy your next Oasis cruise.

 

 

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[The sea calls my name]

For my DH and me, there is no going back. Once we sailed on the Oasis and were introduced to the "neighborhoods", especially Central Park, I am not sure I want to try any other class. We started years ago with the Sovereign of the Seas, The Song of Norway, and The Voyager of the Seas, and have moved forward through the years. We have sailed all three sisters and will start repeating with our personal favorite m The Oasis of the Seas in Nov. Loved your very positive review.

[reallyhooked]

 

Enjoyed reading your review. We're doing Western next month. However we have booked shows. We're at the age where we move at a slower pace

 

i'm sure you will have an awesome 50th birthday

[lbjen]

Next time, check how much it is to book two connecting rooms instead of squeezing in to one. At their age they might not even need a connecting room. It is very often cheaper that way, surprisingly.

[PrincessBelle39]

Next time, check how much it is to book two connecting rooms instead of squeezing in to one. At their age they might not even need a connecting room. It is very often cheaper that way, surprisingly.

 

 

We've done this and it's costing us $300 more for a second room than it would for us all in one room. So worth it for that extra bathroom. [emoji1]

 

 

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[baileybrad]

Thanks so much for providing your review. Great details. We are cruising on the Oasis in December for the 1st time and it will be our 1st time on an Oasis class ship.

[Jerseygirl1416]

You made me miss my favorite ship! Thanks for the review.

[Kilmarlic]

Sailing on Oasis next month for my 50th Birthday. Sounds like I picked a winner!!!!!!!!

[kruise runner]

A GREAT REVIEW

We loved your review, and It put our worries to rest. We just booked the Oasis of Seas for next Feb. This is our first time on such a big ship. We have cruised before, but not on ship this big. Glad you had a great time. Keep on cruising.:D

Best of times are Cruise times

kruise runner:cool:

[cruznjude]

Thanks for this review. I always seem to feel the same way....cruises are fun and if you only look for the bad well then that's what you'll find. Looking at the Oasis for my birthday in a few months and you helped me decide, YES! [emoji925] Hope you get to go again for your bday![emoji568]

 

 

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[keishashadow]

Just booked a 5/18 sailing. Nice to read a review from one who appears to have their head screwed on right lol. What you describe in post #1 sounds like a lovely cruise to me! 2 questions for you: A) what shuttle did you grab from MCO? B) 2 hours for dinner is longer than any for us in past...usually out within 1-1/2 hours. Wondering as to booking show times. I book anytime and don't really care to linger over the courses, was the service that "slow" or did you pace it thusly? TIA:)

 

 

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[DRW2]

Thank you for this! We will have our first ever cruise on Oasis and it's nice to see some basic info regarding her. Some of the reviews have had me wondering if I should seek out a different line all together. My fears probably won't be relieved until the end of July when we finally board. :)

[cstimmons]

We've done this and it's costing us $300 more for a second room than it would for us all in one room. So worth it for that extra bathroom. [emoji1]

 

 

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I've been price checking our booking on oasis coming up in July and was surprised that two Boardwalk balcony cabins for four people was cheaper than one cabin that could fit four people. [emoji16]

 

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[mrpayroll]

Glad to hear you liked it. We have been on Oasis once and Allure twice. Just booked Oasis again this morning.

[Truluv]

Thanks for the review! Looking forward to my Oasis cruise in August. It will probably be a shock, since I'll be trying HAL in May. Did you happen to notice where the soda machines were located on Oasis?

[easyboy]

Thanks for the feedback.