Interesting Oasis Item...

[Hobiecat01]

One thing that I picked up on the web announcements last evening was Adam Goldstein said that RCL had made arraingements to not use tenders at any Oasis ports. Understandable and pretty much already known with the sheer number of passengers and the new piers being built throughout the Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth, St. Maartin that I know of)for the Oasis and Allure OTS.

 

But...he also had this tidbit... the Oasis and the Allure will always dock on the starboard side. He alluded to some design items built into the ships that require this, such as attached gangways, etc. (my assumption...)

 

This is the first time I ever heard of that type of statement for any cruise ship. But then again this is a totally new kind/size ship so they have to have design improvements to handle a larger embarking/debarking crowd at visited ports. But it gives folks like me the choice of knowing that I have an outside cabin/suite that overlooks the docks or the harbor side when in port. Probably not interesting to most, but if you have a leaning toward a desired view, at least you will know what kind of scene you will have in port.

[shipknotshore]

I also heard him say that. Answers the question that many people ask. I think it's great that they will have no tendering. Sounds like Labadee pier won't be ready til the end of 2010 tho.... did I hear that right? They will start doing the W. Caribbean long before the END of 2010, which means tendering until it's ready....:confused: . We're booked for Oct. 2010 and I'm hoping the pier will be in use by then.

[Tyler80]

Since Oasis will start alternating between Eastern and Western itineraries calling Labadee (which currently has not pier to dock at) in May 2010, you could correctly assume Royal Caribbean will have a pier built by then. This seems to be the whole reasoning as to why they aren't starting the alternating itineraries eariler.

[hmsdos]

One thing that I picked up on the web announcements last evening was Adam Goldstein said that RCL had made arraingements to not use tenders at any Oasis ports. Understandable and pretty much already known with the sheer number of passengers and the new piers being built throughout the Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth, St. Maartin that I know of)for the Oasis and Allure OTS.

 

But...he also had this tidbit... the Oasis and the Allure will always dock on the starboard side. He alluded to some design items built into the ships that require this, such as attached gangways, etc. (my assumption...)

 

This is the first time I ever heard of that type of statement for any cruise ship. But then again this is a totally new kind/size ship so they have to have design improvements to handle a larger embarking/debarking crowd at visited ports. But it gives folks like me the choice of knowing that I have an outside cabin/suite that overlooks the docks or the harbor side when in port. Probably not interesting to most, but if you have a leaning toward a desired view, at least you will know what kind of scene you will have in port.

 

Thanks for this post... that is what I heard... but wanted a second on that... with your post I just called C&A and changed our cabin form Port to Starboard...

[Hobiecat01]

I also heard him say that. Answers the question that many people ask. I think it's great that they will have no tendering. Sounds like Labadee pier won't be ready til the end of 2010 tho.... did I hear that right? They will start doing the W. Caribbean long before the END of 2010, which means tendering until it's ready....:confused: . We're booked for Oct. 2010 and I'm hoping the pier will be in use by then.

 

I don't know how long it takes to build a pier, but we were in Labadee 5 weeks ago and there was no sign of the building starting. Pier building just has to take a long while in Haiti...

 

St. Maartin, on the other hand was probably 1/3 into their pier building since they have to be ready by the the first Oasis cruise.

[alphakitty]

Here's an article with some interesting info on the pier being built at Labadee.

 

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1846571/

[G'ma]

Anybody ever wonder what they will do with this beast during hurricane season when ports are closed or weather means re-routing?

 

I see a 7-day cruise to nowhere.......

 

I see lots of whining, complaining, demands for refund, demands for compensation.

 

I see long lines of angry people at the Purser's Desks.

 

I see a ship so severely crowded that many will flee to their cabins for most of the time.

 

Whoopee! Sounds like fun to me.....:rolleyes:

[Cruise_Couple]

You may be missing one small point... if the pier sticks straight out into the water (perpendicular to land) then the Oasis could dock on either side of the pier and even though it always has the dock on the starboard side you could still face either of 2 possible directions. If it is only a "one sided" dock then you would be correct. I had the same thought as you and I was excited about it also... then I thought more about it and realized I might still not get the "view" I want.

[eroller]

 

But...he also had this tidbit... the Oasis and the Allure will always dock on the starboard side. He alluded to some design items built into the ships that require this, such as attached gangways, etc. (my assumption...)

 

 

 

 

Interesting. I think the two "main" entrances on OASIS will be on Deck 5, starboard side. These will be used in Ft. Lauderdale where they will have "jetways". One next to Sorrentos and the other next to the Champagne Bar.

 

In the other ports, I don't know. Usually entrances on lower decks are used, probably on Deck 2 or Deck 1 which is not shown in the deck plan.

 

Ernie

[madforcruising]

If this is true, isn´t it a bad idea to choose the starboard side for this?

Shouldn´t they choose port side for docking, to avoid confusion ;) :p :D :rolleyes:

[madforcruising]

What I´m surprised about with this is the lifeboat drills. As there are no tender ports it seems that they never have the chance then to do drills on the starboard side lifeboats. As far as I know they need to do tests / drills on each lifeboat with lowering them etc.

Shall be interesting when they are going to do that.

[Hobiecat01]

Thanks for this post... that is what I heard... but wanted a second on that... with your post I just called C&A and changed our cabin form Port to Starboard...

 

Sometimes the pier side can be interesting.... Many cruises ago, (on the Carnival Destiny) we were docked in Cozumel with a sailing time of 11:00 PM. The Captain announced at about 10:15 PM that one of the best shows of the cruise would be taking place on the pier and that those wanting to "enjoy the show" should go to the upper decks and watch. Not knowing what he was talking about, DW and I went up there.

 

For the next 30 to 40 minutes we watched insainly drunk folks try to walk down the pier returning to the ship and saw one guy try to relieve himself and fall off of the pier. Dangerous, but hilarious! But it was also our last Carnival cruise - too many drunks... I've never heard anything close to the Captain's annoncement on any other cruise or cruise line. Guess they are not the fun ships for nothing.

 

So I'm with you... starboard side for me!

[Jules1]

I also just changed to starboard side - we enjoy watching the "runners" as they are pulling up the gangplank.

[Micki Dee]

Just got off the phone with C & A, and although the C & A rep couldn't confirm the statement...She said if Adam Goldstein said it, than it was most definitely true. She also said that I was the 4th person she had talked to about this in the last hour. Switched my cabin from port to starboard...I'm always up for a good show!

[DEIx15x8]

They had mentioned in the past that all boarding and unboarding of the ship would be done through the Royal Promenade to avoid large crowds trying to get down to the bottom of the ship and then squeezing in a small hallway.

[negc]

Anybody ever wonder what they will do with this beast during hurricane season when ports are closed or weather means re-routing?

 

I see a 7-day cruise to nowhere.......

 

I see lots of whining' date=' complaining, demands for refund, demands for compensation.

 

I see long lines of angry people at the Purser's Desks.

 

I see a ship so severely crowded that many will flee to their cabins for most of the time.

 

Whoopee! Sounds like fun to me.....:rolleyes:[/quote']

 

Why do you assume that it will be any different with this ship than with any other? They have both Eastern and Western itineraries that they can switch depending upon the course of any tropical storms and the closure of ports happens on occasion regardless of what size ship we are discussing. Again there is a lot of space to accommodate those "crowds" that you envision. Not much that can be done about those who will whine or complain about port cancellations or itinerary changes. They happen now and are likely to happen on Oasis no more than on any other vessel. In fact, the number of venues and attractions onboard to occupy guests while at sea (and in port, since some folks have already indicated and inclination to remain onboard when the ship is at dockside) may actually result in a decrease in dissatisfaction should bad weather strike. The consensus seems to be that Oasis will be more the destination than any of the ports on her itinerary, so I think your opinions are overly pessimistic though to be expected considering the source.;) For some a seven night cruise to nowhere would be heavenly.

Since it is unlikely that you will ever sail this so-called "beast", your concern, while appreciated, is really unnecessary.:rolleyes:

[negc]

What I´m surprised about with this is the lifeboat drills. As there are no tender ports it seems that they never have the chance then to do drills on the starboard side lifeboats. As far as I know they need to do tests / drills on each lifeboat with lowering them etc.

Shall be interesting when they are going to do that.

I suppose that they could conduct such drills while they are slowly sailing from one port to the next. It might even give a great degree of verisimilitude to the drills, since it is unlikely that most real emergencies requiring the use of the lifeboats to evacuate the ship will occur while the ship is docked.

[The Big Booper]

Why do you assume that it will be any different with this ship than with any other? They have both Eastern and Western itineraries that they can switch depending upon the course of any tropical storms and the closure of ports happens on occasion regardless of what size ship we are discussing. Again there is a lot of space to accommodate those "crowds" that you envision. Not much that can be done about those who will whine or complain about port cancellations or itinerary changes. They happen now and are likely to happen on Oasis no more than on any other vessel. In fact, the number of venues and attractions onboard to occupy guests while at sea (and in port, since some folks have already indicated and inclination to remain onboard when the ship is at dockside) may actually result in a decrease in dissatisfaction should bad weather strike. The consensus seems to be that Oasis will be more the destination than any of the ports on her itinerary, so I think your opinions are overly pessimistic though to be expected considering the source.;) For some a seven night cruise to nowhere would be heavenly.

Since it is unlikely that you will ever sail this so-called "beast", your concern, while appreciated, is really unnecessary.:rolleyes:

 

Bill, if you think she is a little over the top here, she is worse on her line of choice section and gets flamed there.

 

For a "travel professional" not to understand the concept of square footage available per passenger is beyond me.

 

Carnival packs 'em in like crowds on a rush hour Tokyo subway train.

[negc]

Bill, if you think she is a little over the top here, she is worse on her line of choice section and gets flamed there.

 

For a "travel professional" not to understand the concept of square footage available per passenger is beyond me.

 

Carnival packs 'em in like crowds on a rush hour Tokyo subway train.

 

You got it.:D BTW, I've always wondered what it would be like to be one of those guys on the platforms of the Tokyo train stations, whose job it is to shove those last few passengers into the cars.

[rolloman]

What does GMA stand for? "Giving Misinformation Again"

 

This person is bent on trying to lead everyone to believe this size ship can not occupy safely 6000 people. I got news for you. US Navy Carriers have 6000 sailors and we tendered all the time with no issues and I never felt over crowded. The ships actually float and will outperform smaller vessels. Do us a favor and take your doom and gloom theory back to Carnival board and trash the Pinnacle design.

[Micki Dee]

The consensus seems to be that Oasis will be more the destination than any of the ports on her itinerary, so I think your opinions are overly pessimistic though to be expected considering the source.;) For some a seven night cruise to nowhere would be heavenly.

 

Your take on this is right on the money! My DH and I are sailing on the Oasis just for the ship, not the destinations. We've already been to all of the ports she is sailing to on our cruise, so we'll just stay on the ship and enjoy all she has to offer. A 7 day cruise to nowhere would not bother us at all.:)

 

As a matter of fact, I think she has so much to offer that it'll take all 7 days, if not more, to explore and enjoy everything!

[Brian131489]

I also heard him say that. Answers the question that many people ask. I think it's great that they will have no tendering. Sounds like Labadee pier won't be ready til the end of 2010 tho.... did I hear that right? They will start doing the W. Caribbean long before the END of 2010, which means tendering until it's ready....:confused: . We're booked for Oct. 2010 and I'm hoping the pier will be in use by then.

 

I was just talking to a friend that returned from the FOTS this week and he was telling me that the pillars are in place for them to place the pier on.

[willysgrandma]

Anybody ever wonder what they will do with this beast during hurricane season when ports are closed or weather means re-routing?

 

I see a 7-day cruise to nowhere.......

 

I see lots of whining' date=' complaining, demands for refund, demands for compensation.

 

I see long lines of angry people at the Purser's Desks.

 

I see a ship so severely crowded that many will flee to their cabins for most of the time.

 

Whoopee! Sounds like fun to me.....:rolleyes:[/quote']

 

I don't see this at all. First of all, having sailed on FOS, RCCL has really done a great job with having large ships not feel overly crowded. If you look at the plans, they seemed to really have taken that number into consideration in designing the ship so there is plenty of public areas and the ship won't seem to crowded.

 

Second, this will affect this ship no more than any other that needs to be diverted to another port because of a hurricane.

 

And third - the ship is part of the destination. This ship has so much to do, I really don't see people whining if the ship needs to be diverted somewhere else anymore than they would today and probably less than today.

[molly361]

Does anyone know if they are building another parking garage and terminal in Port Everglades for the Oasis??

[transam84]

Thanks for the docking info. I just changed my Crown Loft from 1704 to 1754. I like to watch the activity on the dock and watch the ship as it pulls in. So, starboard sounds better. this is the 3rd change in less than 1 week, hopefully 3rd time is a charm. Thanks again.