1st ever Royal Caribbean cruise - on board now

[Psychobueller]

Currently on Oasis of the Seas. This is our first ever cruise on Royal Caribbean. We previously sailed on Carnival and Norwegian. I have some quick takes about the cruise so far:

 

• Starlink internet is BY FAR the best internet at sea we’ve ever experienced. 
 

• Oasis is amazing in size and scale. Tons to do. Pool decks get crowded on sea days but honestly we found spots to sit and it wasn’t that bad. 
 

• the solarium is awesome. What an amazing space that is, and the new observation deck over the bow is a real treat.

 

• The mattresses are very firm and not comfortable. One of the things we enjoyed so much about Carnival and Norwegian was the super comfortable mattresses. Our wonderful Royal state room attendant put many levels of padding on our mattress on this cruise so we could at least get some sleep. But I’m not sure why Royal would have such firm mattresses? Next time we will definitely pack an egg crate from home.  

 

• we have connecting ocean view balcony state rooms on deck 14. This is the first time we have our kids in a separate room and it is truly amazing to have more space and two bathrooms for the family. Definitely recommend. The balconies are fairly large, and when you open up the partition between the rooms on the balcony, you end up with an enormous double balcony. The state rooms themselves are well designed and very comfortable. The shower has great water pressure overall very nice balcony state room. 

 

• the ice show was superb and an amazing thing to have on a cruise ship

 

• Aqua 80 was simply astonishing. We were spellbound for the entire hour, and honestly it took me a while to come down from the high. When royal talks about bringing the “wow“ I know this is the kind of thing they were talking about. Simply amazing and unmatched.

 

• The new menus in the MDR so far have been actually pretty great. Pretty much everything we have had (group of seven, including three teenagers) has been really great. I’m not sure what peoples expectations are for main dining room food but I have found it to be comparable to carnival and better than my experience on Norwegian. Based on the complaining online, I expected the food to be awful. Definitely not the case.
 

• we chose my time dining for the sailing, because 530 is way too early and 830 is way too late. We have reservations for my time every night at seven, except tonight when we get back late from an excursion so we have an 8 o’clock reservation. Our servers are amazing and we requested to have their table every night so basically it’s like traditional dining except on the schedule we choose. They really have gone above and beyond to accommodate our party and will be a very memorable part of this trip for us. Great service Royal Caribbean! 

 

• I really do miss Guys Burgers on Carnival for the pool deck. The burgers in the Windjammer are pretty good, but there’s no comparison really. Also, I feel like blue iguana on carnival does a slightly better take on Tex-Mex than El Loco Fresh. It’s not anywhere near bad though. Just not as good in my opinion.

 

• the windjammer is great for breakfast (I go early at 7 AM), and during the lunch rush is quite workable. Again, I’m not sure what people expect on a ship with 6000 passengers but it’s no worse than any other cruise buffet on any other line I’ve been on, regardless of ship size. The Windjammer food is very good, though I think I prefer the variety offered on Carnival and NCL a bit more.  Definitely not a dealbreaker. 
 

• the ultimate beverage package friggin rocks! 

 

• great mix of live music and DJ at the pool deck. Really nice casual vibe.

 

• Sorrentos pizza does a nice job of moving the line. They make several pies at once so they always have fresh pies coming out. Carnival could take a lesson here. They tend to make pies fresh to order, but it slows down the entire process, and they’re chronically understaffed at the pizza station.  I will say I think the carnival pizza is better in terms of quality but at midnight when you’re starving you just want to get a slice of pizza. Sorrentos is not bad by any stretch, and I do appreciate the efficiency. 
 

• I like the way they have little places to grab a bite around the ship. Like Cafe Promenade and Park Café. I just wish things were open a bit later and there were more late night options. The only thing open after 9 PM in terms of food is Cafe Promenade with little finger sandwiches and Sorrentos, which is often very very crowded. We enjoyed on Carnival and Norwegian, the late night buffet that had grilled cheese, hotdogs, fries, nachos, etc.. 

 

I’d be happy to take any questions from anyone as I continue through with the sailing. 

 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Psychobueller

[Tulsacoker]

Thanks for your review. Agree with the food and I also think the Blue Iguana and Guy's are better than the equivalent on Royal, however I still find Royals food good.

 

Go have breakfast at Johnnie Rockets. It's no extra charge and less crowded (typically) early. 

[OCSC Mike]

Glad you're having such a great 1st experience!

 

Give Park Cafe a try for breakfast if you haven't (you can go to WJ right after of course). I enjoy their egg sandwiches and lox and bagels. Also, since you're obviously up early, Central Park is very peaceful very early in the morning.

[elliekate]

I agree about the extra, extra firm mattresses! Our room steward put a topper on ours! You should ask for that!

[crewsweeper]

Also, give Playmakers a go.  There's a charge but better than JRs and IMO much better than the Sunglasses Neck's greasy piece of meat.  Will agree that Blue Iguana is way better than Savor.  Not a fan of either Carnival's or Sorrentos pizza. Although both will taste good after a late night bar tour.  Do miss the Alchemy for cocktails.  And Royal drink package without drink limits is a better deal fro some albeit too expensive for more moderate drinkers or beer lovers.

[Psychobueller]

2 minutes ago, elliekate said:

I agree about the extra, extra firm mattresses! Our room steward put a topper on ours! You should ask for that!

We did. They don’t have egg crate anymore. But they laid several layers of padding and it’s better. Thanks goodness or my wife might’ve thrown me overboard. She’s a sweetheart but she needs her sleep 😉

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Also, give Playmakers a go.

 

Agreed. Love their burgers, garlic parm fries, and onion rings. Many like their wings.

 

Also a big fan of 2 specialty drinks there... The Pitch (modified Long Island) and Goal Post margarita (jalpeno pineapple). Since you have the DBP, no reason not to try em if they look good to you.

[Norwich Cruiser]

Totally agree with everything you say in the review.

 

I definitely think that carnival wins on two points with Guys Burgers and the late night dining options.

 

 

[mo&fran]

You might also give JR a try for breakfast.  No charge for breakfast.

[BecciBoo]

1 hour ago, Psychobueller said:

Tex-Mex than El Loco Fresh

El Loco Fresh is meant as just a snacky TexMex, comparison would be Sabor's against Blue Iguana, but alas not on Oasis.  Allure has Sabors.

[Psychobueller]

3 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

El Loco Fresh is meant as just a snacky TexMex, comparison would be Sabor's against Blue Iguana, but alas not on Oasis.  Allure has Sabors.

Nope. Blue Iguana is their poolside Tex-Mex. Tacos, nachos, burritos, salsas. Blue Iguana is also open for breakfast. Not a full-scale restaurant like Sabor. 

[broadwaybaby123]

A few tips from someone who's been on Royal and Carnival quite a few times:

 

1.) Go to the Solarium Bistro for free breakfast and lunch.  While kids aren't allowed in the Solarium itself, they are allowed to dine there with their families.  

2.) If you want to see an awesome Solarium, next time you book a Royal cruise, book on Anthem Of The Seas, they have a 5 layer Infinity Pool.

3.) Go see "CATS" and sit in the front...best seats in the house!

4.) Slide down my new favorite attraction, The Ultimate Abyss on Deck 16 Aft.  No drinks or cameras are allowed, so leave those with a non-slider.  It's the tallest dry slide at sea.  They give you a mat to ride on, which helps slow your descent.  Also, you get amazing views of the AquaTheater when you look down while in line.

5.) Try the Rising Tide bar, which floats between the Promenade on Deck 5 and Central Park on Deck 8.

6.) Head to Johnny Rockets for a free breakfast on The Boardwalk.  While they're open for lunch and dinner as well, they charge for those meals.

7.) Stop by "Spotlight Karaoke" the venue is quite unique!

8.) Like to dance?  Head to Bolaros!

9.) Check out the Music Hall, it's quite breathtaking.  

10.) Head to Central Park at night...it's fabulous all lit up.

11.) Watch out for the Pop-Up Piano Player!

12.) Check out the Aqua80's and Ice Shows, you won't regret it!

13.) Ride the Carousel on The Boardwalk

14.) If you're a movie fan, check out Zoltar on The Boardwalk and get your fortune read!

15.) Ever had a drink made by a robot?  Go to the Bionic Bar on the Promenade!

16.) Ride the zipline on Deck 16

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by broadwaybaby123

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Psychobueller said:

 

• the ultimate beverage package friggin rocks!

 

Curious , what was the price of this package per day on your sailing?

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, Psychobueller said:

Currently on Oasis of the Seas. This is our first ever cruise on Royal Caribbean. We previously sailed on Carnival and Norwegian. I have some quick takes about the cruise so far:

 

• Starlink internet is BY FAR the best internet at sea we’ve ever experienced. 
 

• Oasis is amazing in size and scale. Tons to do. Pool decks get crowded on sea days but honestly we found spots to sit and it wasn’t that bad. 
 

• the solarium is awesome. What an amazing space that is, and the new observation deck over the bow is a real treat.

 

• The mattresses are very firm and not comfortable. One of the things we enjoyed so much about Carnival and Norwegian was the super comfortable mattresses. Our wonderful Royal state room attendant put many levels of padding on our mattress on this cruise so we could at least get some sleep. But I’m not sure why Royal would have such firm mattresses? Next time we will definitely pack an egg crate from home.  

 

• we have connecting ocean view balcony state rooms on deck 14. This is the first time we have our kids in a separate room and it is truly amazing to have more space and two bathrooms for the family. Definitely recommend. The balconies are fairly large, and when you open up the partition between the rooms on the balcony, you end up with an enormous double balcony. The state rooms themselves are well designed and very comfortable. The shower has great water pressure overall very nice balcony state room. 

 

• the ice show was superb and an amazing thing to have on a cruise ship

 

• Aqua 80 was simply astonishing. We were spellbound for the entire hour, and honestly it took me a while to come down from the high. When royal talks about bringing the “wow“ I know this is the kind of thing they were talking about. Simply amazing and unmatched.

 

• The new menus in the MDR so far have been actually pretty great. Pretty much everything we have had (group of seven, including three teenagers) has been really great. I’m not sure what peoples expectations are for main dining room food but I have found it to be comparable to carnival and better than my experience on Norwegian. Based on the complaining online, I expected the food to be awful. Definitely not the case.
 

• we chose my time dining for the sailing, because 530 is way too early and 830 is way too late. We have reservations for my time every night at seven, except tonight when we get back late from an excursion so we have an 8 o’clock reservation. Our servers are amazing and we requested to have their table every night so basically it’s like traditional dining except on the schedule we choose. They really have gone above and beyond to accommodate our party and will be a very memorable part of this trip for us. Great service Royal Caribbean! 

 

• I really do miss Guys Burgers on Carnival for the pool deck. The burgers in the Windjammer are pretty good, but there’s no comparison really. Also, I feel like blue iguana on carnival does a slightly better take on Tex-Mex than El Loco Fresh. It’s not anywhere near bad though. Just not as good in my opinion.

 

• the windjammer is great for breakfast (I go early at 7 AM), and during the lunch rush is quite workable. Again, I’m not sure what people expect on a ship with 6000 passengers but it’s no worse than any other cruise buffet on any other line I’ve been on, regardless of ship size. The Windjammer food is very good, though I think I prefer the variety offered on Carnival and NCL a bit more.  Definitely not a dealbreaker. 
 

• the ultimate beverage package friggin rocks! 

 

• great mix of live music and DJ at the pool deck. Really nice casual vibe.

 

• Sorrentos pizza does a nice job of moving the line. They make several pies at once so they always have fresh pies coming out. Carnival could take a lesson here. They tend to make pies fresh to order, but it slows down the entire process, and they’re chronically understaffed at the pizza station.  I will say I think the carnival pizza is better in terms of quality but at midnight when you’re starving you just want to get a slice of pizza. Sorrentos is not bad by any stretch, and I do appreciate the efficiency. 
 

• I like the way they have little places to grab a bite around the ship. Like Cafe Promenade and Park Café. I just wish things were open a bit later and there were more late night options. The only thing open after 9 PM in terms of food is Cafe Promenade with little finger sandwiches and Sorrentos, which is often very very crowded. We enjoyed on Carnival and Norwegian, the late night buffet that had grilled cheese, hotdogs, fries, nachos, etc.. 

 

I’d be happy to take any questions from anyone as I continue through with the sailing. 

 

 

 

Thanks for your post. We were on Carnival Celebration in April and the pizza place on that ship had a much better setup than the Horizon. I counted 9 people working there. The lines were long but never more than 10 to 15 minute wait.

 

Not sure what Carnival ship you were on or when, when you mention missing the late night snacks. Nothing available on Carnival but pizza after 10pm.

 

I did get a chuckle reading your sentence about starving. Lol

 

Thanks again for your thoughts. Appreciate you taking your time while cruising.

[Psychobueller]

12 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Curious , what was the price of this package per day on your sailing?

I think I paid $69.99 per day but not 100% sure. But that was a Black Friday sale. Never seen it below $72.99 since. This Oasis sailing has had prices through the roof. Thankful I booked almost everything on Black Friday. 

[Jimbo]

2 minutes ago, Psychobueller said:

I think I paid $69.99 per day but not 100% sure. But that was a Black Friday sale. Never seen it below $72.99 since. This Oasis sailing has had prices through the roof. Thankful I booked almost everything on Black Friday. 

Guess it would be worth it if you each had 6 drinks or more per day. Otherwise pay as you go might be better then for some people.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Jimbo

[Psychobueller]

14 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Not sure what Carnival ship you were on or when, when you mention missing the late night snacks. Nothing available on Carnival but pizza after 10pm.

 

I did get a chuckle reading your sentence about starving. Lol 

We’ve done Victory, Pride twice, and Sunshine. I believe it was Sunshine that I’m thinking of that I had late night, pizza, grilled cheese, and other assorted things. Also, on the Pride, I believe the Carnival Deli was open later as well, but it’s been a few years, so I don’t know if things have changed since.  
 

I should have said starving and tipsy 😂 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Psychobueller

[gabriellyn]

Thank you for this review.  I have been more than a bit worried we wouldn't like the food based upon everyone's complaints here.  We have primarily cruised Carnival and have enjoyed the MDR for the most part.  I know we will miss Guy's and Blue Iguana, but we wanted to change things up and will be trying out Voyager of the Seas in August.  Thanks again!

[Psychobueller]

3 minutes ago, gabriellyn said:

Thank you for this review.  I have been more than a bit worried we wouldn't like the food based upon everyone's complaints here.  We have primarily cruised Carnival and have enjoyed the MDR for the most part.  I know we will miss Guy's and Blue Iguana, but we wanted to change things up and will be trying out Voyager of the Seas in August.  Thanks again!

My pleasure. I was in your shoes until Friday when we boarded 😂. You'll have a great time. The truth is the mainstream cruise lines are more similar than they are different. And the dining room there’s nothing to worry about, at least in our opinion we are really enjoying it. Have a great cruise and report back!

Edited July 10, 2023 by Psychobueller

[Cruiselyne]

44 minutes ago, Psychobueller said:

I think I paid $69.99 per day but not 100% sure. But that was a Black Friday sale. Never seen it below $72.99 since. This Oasis sailing has had prices through the roof. Thankful I booked almost everything on Black Friday. 

Hi,

I will be on Oasis this September and the drink package nerver went bellow $72.99.  If you don't mind, would please tell me what is the price of the package onboard?  I am a Diamond Plus and I was wondering if it would be cheaper to buy the package on the ship with my 30% discount.

Thank you.

[gabriellyn]

31 minutes ago, Psychobueller said:

My pleasure. I was in your shoes until Friday when we boarded 😂. You'll have a great time. The truth is the mainstream cruise lines are more similar than they are different. And the dining room there’s nothing to worry about, at least in our opinion we are really enjoying it. Have a great cruise and report back!

 

Absolutely!  We are super excited to be going!  Thank you again. 🙂 

[BobNoxious]

For good pool deck food on Oasis, head over to the Portside BBQ at the rear port of the ship on the pool deck.   Go around 11:30/11:45 to beat the lunch rush.  For like $10-$15 pp it is an incredible selection of BBQ.  There is a country singer that plays there at 12:00pm - so stick around inside and watch - or eat your BBQ at bar height eating just outside the Air Conditioned restaurant.   Pool clothes welcome here (wear a t-shirt with your swimsuit).

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by BobNoxious
pics

[Husky1987]

3 hours ago, Psychobueller said:

We did. They don’t have egg crate anymore. But they laid several layers of padding and it’s better. Thanks goodness or my wife might’ve thrown me overboard. She’s a sweetheart but she needs her sleep 😉

Your wife and mine could be BFFs 🤣

 

Here's what we ordered for her:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CBOFS8M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

[vacationlover_mn]

Pre-covid, they had an additional water show, and ice show (skaters did their own choreography), that you found about in the compass, later in the cruise.  I’m sailing oasis again in December with my mom (her first cruise!), and would love to know if they still do this 🙂

[TheHawk1]

3 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

Go see "CATS" and sit in the front...best seats in the house!

If you want them to have a good time on their first cruise, one of your suggestions is not like the others 😆