Just Back from Oasis, Sigh....

[BillOh]

Well, i do tip regardless of the fact we had the ultimate drink package. Some of that is daily room tips, 2 cabins. Some pics package. $300. We did buy some wine, maybe $200.

 

What a ridiculous question that was. Thanks for taking the time. Prices on the Oasis class do seem higher when kids are out of school. I love empty next cruising :)

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I love the fact that the ship doesn't move much, I was afraid it would being so tall. Will you cruise Royal again and if so which ships are you considering?

[matj2000]

You need to be careful and check out your statement every so often during the trip.

 

We had single drinks charged to our account quite a few times, and we had the drink package.

 

I believe it is from people who sell beers at the stands on the pool deck.

 

They have no computer system and just write your account # on paper.

 

Somehow it gets charged in the translation.

 

They drop out a few times but I have had to visit GS to fix it.

[yuvraj]

$2800 is a lot but having followed the thread I can see how various impulse spends might have added up.

 

There was a time when I would have spent as much on photo package, perhaps a watch and even thought about blowing a ridiculous amount of money on a bottle of wine. In fact when we cruise to France, we have on occasions bought a bottle of champagne for over 100 Euros ($130) so it makes sense that OP might have been tempted to make similar purchases on board.

 

These days I have become a little wiser and my onboard spend tends to be gratuities plus about $300 and that is what I budget for. Extra tips I pay in cash so I don't include that in my budget for onboard spend.

[20165]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I love the fact that the ship doesn't move much, I was afraid it would being so tall. Will you cruise Royal again and if so which ships are you considering?

Funny you should ask. My wife just booked us on NCL Epic over thanksgiving this year. Should be a good comparison given Oasis will still be somewhat fresh in our minds.

To answer your question, we will absolutely cruise RCL again, but probably avoid those class of ships. But never say never... Really, dates drive our cruise decisions not really the cruise lines. We usually have a specific week we need to cruise due to school and work so whatever cruise line has the best itinerary and price is usually what we go with. Its usually NCL or RCCL. Maybe Carnival if there are no other options...

thx

[molsonschooner]

You need to be careful and check out your statement every so often during the trip.

 

We had single drinks charged to our account quite a few times, and we had the drink package.

 

 

I believe it is from people who sell beers at the stands on the pool deck.

 

They have no computer system and just write your account # on paper.

 

Somehow it gets charged in the translation.

 

They drop out a few times but I have had to visit GS to fix it.

 

Excellent advice. I check our balance at least once per day, much easier to spot a mistake when you only have a few items on your bill.

[leisuretraveler223]

I'm sorry you felt that way about the food an service. I was on the August 5th sailing and couldn't disagree more. We were a party of twelve (12, 12, 14, 15, 17, 17, 39, 44, 63 & 63). Service in the main dining room was great and the food exceeded my expectations.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

$2800 tab at end. Wow. That’s almost the price of a cruise for us.

since we scored an Allure cruise for $1,600 for all three of us, $2,800 for just onboard expenses is crazy.

[Starry Eyes]

I was on our sailing. We are frequent cruisers, D+ with multiple sailing on Royal Caribbean and specifically on Oasis.

 

Like you we had a good time; we always have a good time on a cruise ship. That said, the MDR was a big disappointment this time. Our waiter was a snarky, rather inattentive fellow. Having been disappointed in food one night I asked for his recommendation the next night, hoping to avoid another awful dish; he replied that he recommended food....not helpful or funny. The assistant waiter was almost invisible. Head waiter never actually introduced himself and seemed to create not solve problems. The quality of the food served to us in the MDR that sailing was quite also disappointing....a big step down from previous cruises. Some problems were likely do to waitstaff (allowing food to get cold) but some were prep issues (way overcooked bone dry salmon for example) and some were ingredient issues (for example, why must they accept un-ripened tomatoes in August?).

 

The ship moved about as much as I eexpected from previous sailings. To me, those were not rough seas, but that’s because we’ve been through really rough seas on other ships other years.

 

Our cabin steward was perfect...quick, pleasant, helpful. Also pleasant was the steward down the hall who recognized us from a prior cruise.

 

No billing issues for us.

[JaniceB]

Funny you should ask. My wife just booked us on NCL Epic over thanksgiving this year. Should be a good comparison given Oasis will still be somewhat fresh in our minds.

To answer your question, we will absolutely cruise RCL again, but probably avoid those class of ships. But never say never... Really, dates drive our cruise decisions not really the cruise lines. We usually have a specific week we need to cruise due to school and work so whatever cruise line has the best itinerary and price is usually what we go with. Its usually NCL or RCCL. Maybe Carnival if there are no other options...

thx

 

It will be interesting to hear the differences in the 2 ships. I have never saild NCL.

 

I was on our sailing. We are frequent cruisers, D+ with multiple sailing on Royal Caribbean and specifically on Oasis.

 

Like you we had a good time; we always have a good time on a cruise ship. That said, the MDR was a big disappointment this time. Our waiter was a snarky, rather inattentive fellow. Having been disappointed in food one night I asked for his recommendation the next night, hoping to avoid another awful dish; he replied that he recommended food....not helpful or funny. The assistant waiter was almost invisible. Head waiter never actually introduced himself and seemed to create not solve problems. The quality of the food served to us in the MDR that sailing was quite also disappointing....a big step down from previous cruises. Some problems were likely do to waitstaff (allowing food to get cold) but some were prep issues (way overcooked bone dry salmon for example) and some were ingredient issues (for example, why must they accept un-ripened tomatoes in August?).

 

The ship moved about as much as I eexpected from previous sailings. To me, those were not rough seas, but that’s because we’ve been through really rough seas on other ships other years.

 

Our cabin steward was perfect...quick, pleasant, helpful. Also pleasant was the steward down the hall who recognized us from a prior cruise.

 

No billing issues for us.

 

My last cruise was Celebrity and the waiter was very helpful with the menu and would help us order and even tell us what he thought was not good. I was hoping to get the same service on my Oasis cruise but I guess I may not.

[20165]

I was on our sailing. We are frequent cruisers, D+ with multiple sailing on Royal Caribbean and specifically on Oasis.

 

Like you we had a good time; we always have a good time on a cruise ship. That said, the MDR was a big disappointment this time. Our waiter was a snarky, rather inattentive fellow. Having been disappointed in food one night I asked for his recommendation the next night, hoping to avoid another awful dish; he replied that he recommended food....not helpful or funny. The assistant waiter was almost invisible. Head waiter never actually introduced himself and seemed to create not solve problems. The quality of the food served to us in the MDR that sailing was quite also disappointing....a big step down from previous cruises. Some problems were likely do to waitstaff (allowing food to get cold) but some were prep issues (way overcooked bone dry salmon for example) and some were ingredient issues (for example, why must they accept un-ripened tomatoes in August?).

 

The ship moved about as much as I eexpected from previous sailings. To me, those were not rough seas, but that’s because we’ve been through really rough seas on other ships other years.

 

Our cabin steward was perfect...quick, pleasant, helpful. Also pleasant was the steward down the hall who recognized us from a prior cruise.

 

No billing issues for us.

 

Thank you and sounds like a very similar experience.

[20165]

$2800 is a lot but having followed the thread I can see how various impulse spends might have added up.

 

There was a time when I would have spent as much on photo package, perhaps a watch and even thought about blowing a ridiculous amount of money on a bottle of wine. In fact when we cruise to France, we have on occasions bought a bottle of champagne for over 100 Euros ($130) so it makes sense that OP might have been tempted to make similar purchases on board.

 

These days I have become a little wiser and my onboard spend tends to be gratuities plus about $300 and that is what I budget for. Extra tips I pay in cash so I don't include that in my budget for onboard spend.

 

It think everyone is really getting hung up on the spend but that really wasn't my point. The point i was trying to convey is that my spend went up and i felt, personal opinion, that the level of service went down. And like i said in previous posts, i really didnt alter my spending from our last couple of cruises. Simple value for the dollar comparison. Again, we are still sailing RCCL in the future.

[bouhunter]

In RC eyes, you are the Ultimate passenger.

 

Photo Package, Wine, $360 on arcade.

 

Did you buy the Evicta Watches or pool towels?

 

Thanks for the laugh:p

[Starry Eyes]

It will be interesting to hear the differences in the 2 ships. I have never saild NCL.

 

 

 

My last cruise was Celebrity and the waiter was very helpful with the menu and would help us order and even tell us what he thought was not good. I was hoping to get the same service on my Oasis cruise but I guess I may not.

Oh, you should not need to lower your expectations!

 

On previous Royal Caribbean Cruises, including Oasis, our waiter said were helpful as your were on Celebrity. In the past many waiters have volunteered recommendations even if we did not ask and in the past all were helpful when we asked. The first night, this waiter did not volunteer any recommendations, so we ordered meals we had ordered and liked on past cruises; both entrees were poor this time (prime rib looked OK but was truly tasteless and salmon, as mentioned was overcooked/very dry). Hoping for a better food another night,we asked for a recommendation and instead got snark, I do not think Royal Caribbean trained him to be snarky or would approve of it. Really odd that he would do it as he definitely knew we had previously been unhappy with food quality.

 

All that said I think that waiter’s personality/attitude problem are an exception. I certainly hope neither you or I experience that in future cruises.

 

As to the food quality on Oasis, I can support the OP’s assertion that at least some lines/floors/times of MDR food was simply not up to snuff that week. After three plus years away, we will sail NCL next month. We are then back aboard Oasis both in November and January, so we sincerely hope this last MDR experience was a fluke. We hope rapid and complete turnaround on Oasis. If not, we will book other ships/cruise lines.

[karena1]

You need to be careful and check out your statement every so often during the trip.

 

We had single drinks charged to our account quite a few times, and we had the drink package.

 

I check my shipboard account minimum every other day. If I see something that was not supposed to get charged, then I check it every day to make sure it doesn't happen again. I am very "an**" about making sure my account is correct. it is the CPA in me, cannot help it!!!

[SherriZ366]

Set up your phone for WiFi calling, then do as your carrier suggested. You can then use your phone like at home.

So no extra charges?

 

I use WiFi calling at home as there is something in our attics (a Techshield Radiant barrier) that hurts cell phone reception. WiFi Calling is clear etc.

[Clarea]

So no extra charges? ...

Not unless you make a voice call to outside of your included coverage area. In other words, it's as if you are making calls from your home area, so if a call would cost extra from your home area, it would also cost extra while on WiFi Calling.

[The Fun Researcher]

Sorry to hear that it wasn't a top notch cruise for your group.

 

Our least favorite (but still wonderful) cruise was on Oasis because of the class of ship. To many people everywhere, all times of the day, and the lack of feeling connected to the ocean and lack of ocean views in common areas.

 

(Well, and that particular cruise was at the time when they drastically increased drink prices. That didn't help. :) )

 

Dan

[mom2tcdx2]

Well ideally you would know what extra things you purchased that aren't the norm for you and then see if you find things to be higher. You can't really compare your overall expenses if you don't take into account things you didn't buy on other cruises. Or are there specific items you paid for that you thought were free in the past? Overall on a cruise we don't buy souvenirs, jewelry, photos, we don't play bingo. We buy the drink package, and then pay the gratuity, we pre paid for the zoom and the specialty dining. Overall I don't see there being anything left for us to purchase that isn't already paid for.

 

For instance were pictures more - were they $20 and used to be $10 (an example).

 

So truly only you can answer if things cost more, as only you know what you paid for the same things in the past.

 

Sadly it seems to be common across all boards here the decline in service. Our cruise in October will be my husbands first Royal cruise, and I have only done a 3 day with Royal in the past. Will be interesting to see how overall we feel the service is. Though we will only be able to compare to other lines.

[FLACRUISER99]

On the same cruise bill for 2 was $205!

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Forums mobile app

[JaniceB]

Oh, you should not need to lower your expectations!

 

On previous Royal Caribbean Cruises, including Oasis, our waiter said were helpful as your were on Celebrity. In the past many waiters have volunteered recommendations even if we did not ask and in the past all were helpful when we asked. The first night, this waiter did not volunteer any recommendations, so we ordered meals we had ordered and liked on past cruises; both entrees were poor this time (prime rib looked OK but was truly tasteless and salmon, as mentioned was overcooked/very dry). Hoping for a better food another night,we asked for a recommendation and instead got snark, I do not think Royal Caribbean trained him to be snarky or would approve of it. Really odd that he would do it as he definitely knew we had previously been unhappy with food quality.

 

All that said I think that waiter’s personality/attitude problem are an exception. I certainly hope neither you or I experience that in future cruises.

 

As to the food quality on Oasis, I can support the OP’s assertion that at least some lines/floors/times of MDR food was simply not up to snuff that week. After three plus years away, we will sail NCL next month. We are then back aboard Oasis both in November and January, so we sincerely hope this last MDR experience was a fluke. We hope rapid and complete turnaround on Oasis. If not, we will book other ships/cruise lines.

 

I hope it was a fluke too. I really enjoy eating in the MDR and the service is usually fantastic.

[torpeedo]

On the same cruise bill for 2 was $205!

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Forums mobile app

 

That's representative of ours also!! :D Sometimes a little more if we buy something but after umpteen cruises over our lifetime, there's nothing really left for us to buy that we want or could use. That said, If we were young like OP with two young kids I know my bill would be astronomical too and I would have a great time!

[rt1092]

Can't help at all with the bill.

But we went from the Harmony to the Oasis in July. And the Oasis lacked the WOW that we had on the Harmony the week before.

Hoping they get this under control The Oasis used to be our favorite. And we are on her for 8 sailings between now and March. We are happy the Harmony is coming to PC in May 2019.

[Rogueperson]

Checking the bill is important.

 

My first Royal Caribbean cruise on the Jewel on a 10 night run, I received a bit of a sticker shock on our on board bill. With gratuities prepaid, OBC of about $500.00, NO DRINK PACKAGE and very few alcoholic drinks, I reviewed the bill and it came out to $3600!!!!!. Unfortunately, it was correct. The ex (yeah, she's an ex) apparently racked up that bill from pretty much the Spa. Fortunately, it was her card on the account because, we knew she'd be the one racking it up. Boy did she...

[bobmacliberty]

We were on the Oasis cruise before you (Aug 5). Our MTD waiters were outstanding...possibly the best that we've ever had. For one night, we needed to eat at a different MTD table and the drop in service was very noticeable. The new waiter never introduced himself and never said a word to us other than taking our order and asking if we wanted coffee. We were generally pleased with our room steward and with the bartenders. Shouldn't be this way, but it seems to be luck of the draw as to who you get to serve you.