watertraveler

1 hour ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

eah I’m assuming we can’t get off without customs here and they didn’t mention anything about getting off. I would’ve went hone after dinner if it was an option. 

We arrived back in Bayonne at 11:30.  Debarkation went normally.

6 hours ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

They just announced that we’ll be back in Bayonne tonight by 9:30 for a medical emergency unrelated to Covid. Happy the for the patient but bummed for the rest of us because they’re going to close the shops and the casino at 7pm today.

That's crazy.  Same thing happened on our 10/12 cruise.

1 minute ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

Could someone please confirm the My Time dining hours? What time does that section (the lowest level of the MDR) open for dinner? I am getting contradicting information: some say 5 or 6. The on-line planner shows 7:45 as the earliest time. Is it possible to book earlier times on board? And if we don’t book any specific time, what’s the earliest time we can show up at? Is there a long wait for those without reservations? Any updates on that would be greatly appreciated!

Deck 3 of the restaurant, which is for MTD, actually has first seating diners in the restaurant first.  One night, we tried to change our reservation to an earlier time and were told that we had to wait until the early seating had cleared out.  The earliest we were able to get in to MTD was 6:45.  

15 hours ago, DJLDRUMS said:

We plan on trying Portside BBQ and I hear the nachos at Playmakers are very good. I’ll let you know. 
 

mac_tlc

Definitely try out Portside BBQ. As stated above, portions were ample.  I'd take a pass on the burnt ends but don't miss the ribs.  An officer came around while we were eating and asked for our opinion.  If it goes over well on the Oasis, it might be considered on other ships.  They smoke the meats right onboard. My husband, who likes to smoke bbq, gave it 2 thumbs up.

6 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

I love Kivi Rogers.  He didn't used to use F-bombs much, if at all.

True but nearly every other word from Nery was. It was billed as an adult show so I should have expected that.

For the most part, we enjoyed the entertainment. Earl Turner, as one of the headliners, was a good way to start the cruise.  The Edge Effect was different.  They were very talented but the show went too long.  Aqua80 was AMAZING!  Don't miss it.  Cats was well produced and the singing was terrific. The ice show was ok but not the best that I've seen.  We missed Phoenix, didn't see any of the movies and the adult comedy, NerySaenz and Kivi Rogers, was funny but enough with the word f*@k.  I loved the band in Boleros.  Make sure you at least take a walk through on Central Park to here the guitarist.  Schooner Bar and the Promenade had music each night. 

19 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

wow just 450 crew.. i didnt expect the full 2000 though of course. i'm glad to see less than 50 percent capacity for my trip though. 

My husband heard at the Captain's meeting that there were 1900 crew members onboard. I had heard 1700.  Seems like they would definitely need more than 450.😊

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

newbie here that only has left out of NYC. is customs different in NJ? once off in NYC theres a long walk down the pier to get in the building( fun in winter) and then once inside you go downstairs, find luggage then customs . BUT if you get a porter, he takes your bags and you get to the front of the customs line, also very nice because it's pretty long walk to the car in the winter.  is facial recognition taking the place of in person discussion?

 

when you were waiting to board, did you see/hear anything about suite boarding. i booked late and got a late boarding time but would love to be on earlier of course. 

I didn't notice a line for suite guests.  The process for checking in was really quick.

is it ok to drop bags in the cabin and go explore

The door to the staterooms was locked. It did seem like some decks opened up cabins earlier than 2 but ours was not one of them.

for bfast and lunch at the buffet was it self serve?

There is no self serve in Windjammer or the Solarium Cafe. Crew members were at each station and placed food on your plate. By the way, the Solarium Cafe was definitely my choice over Windjammer. It was smaller and less hectic. In the Windjammer, be prepared to scan your sea pass car both going in and out of the dining room. The Windjammer was not open for dinner.

i notice even though i'm a month out, the MDR menus are on the app. did you notice that too. curious if they were accurate. 

They were accurate.

notice any hot tub hogging?

There were plenty of hot tubs but my favorite were the ones just before you enter the Solarium.  They are huge and extend over the side of the ship.

any elevator issues?

With just about 2400 people onboard, there was hardly any overcrowding on the elevators.  I only had to wait twice for another elevator to come along.

where did you sit on the island. ive never been there and undecided where i want to go. 

If you like the ocean and don't mind sea grass, then head to Chill Island where you can do some decent snorkeling.  Harbor Beach was ok but I really like the Oasis Lagoon,  a huge fresh water pool with swim up bar.

do you need water shoes on the island?

There were people who had them.

with the buffet closed did you eat in the MDR mostly or get some specialties?   i love food reviews and suggestions

We mostly ate in the MDR for dinner.  We had a terrific waiter and assistant waiter.  Pradeep and Karun ran a great section around 268.  If you are lucky enough to get them as your waiters, tell them Miss Nancy and Mr. Edward sent you! My husband had a great sushi lunch in Izumi. On another day, we ate lunch at the Portside BBQ. I highly recommend trying it out.  They smoke their own meats onboard.  The ribs were awesome! We did not try any specialty restaurants for dinner but the Central Park neighborhood has a great atmosphere at night and, if you have the chance, book a table outdoors.

thanks!

Edited 1 hour ago by luckyinpa

My husband and I just got off the Oasis of the Seas 9/12 sailing.  Here are a few thoughts from this past week.

*Armed with passports, vaccine cards, and negative test results, we arrived a little early for our 12:30 boarding time.  We found a seat and prepared to wait until our group was called. just before noon, we were called to get into line and were processed and on the ship by 12:30.  Easy!

*Once onboard, we did the safety drill on the app.  For some reason, my husband sailed through, but mine referred me to the muster station to get processed by a staff member.  Not a very smooth start.

*Next, because you can't make reservations for shows before you board, I tried to tackle this on the app.  It was probably me but I had difficulty in getting confirmation for the shows.  I searched out a staff member who told me that there was a problem with my account and I needed to go to guest services. They were able to clear up the problem and I was able to make show reservations.  (I was getting a little tired by this time but things started to smooth out after that).

*We were initially told the rooms would be ready by 1:00 but an announcement was made that 2:00 would be the time you could access your stateroom.

*As a Diamond member, one of the perks was four free drinks any time during the day, not just during happy hour.  This was a nice touch because bottles of water were also included.

*Safety protocols were very apparent and reminders were given if you forgot your mask (that was me). All adults had to be vaccinated but there were very clear areas for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers.  Sound confusing until you realize that children under 12 were unable to be vaccinated therefore, even though the parents were, their group had to stay in the unvaccinated areas.  

*Pool areas were carefully monitored for the number of people that were able to go in at one time.  Some people were very courteous about rotating out so other people could have a turn cooling off while others staked their claim to an area of the pool and stayed there long after it was polite to do so..

*With only about 2400 passengers onboard, chair saving wasn't really an issue but chairs on the pool deck were measured for social distancing and you weren't really able to move them.  We found the Solarium to be the best place to hang out.

*Crew members seemed sincerely happy to be back and welcomed you with 'smiling eyes'.

*The entertainment was pretty good. We enjoyed Earl Turner and loved the Aqua80 water show. It was superb!  We saw Cats one evening and, even though its not my favorite production, the cast members really knew how to sing!

*We had decided ahead of time that the only time we would get off the ship would be on Coco Cay.  We really used this week to kick back and relax.

*Debarkation was a breeze.  Our scheduled time to depart was 8:45.  We had time to get breakfast and then we were supposed to return to the cabin and wait to be called. It was just about 8:00 when our group number came up on the tv screen. We went downstairs, collected our bags, passed through customs using facial recognition and walked out to our car.  By 8:30, were on our way home.

I felt really safe onboard and it was good to be back sailing. If anyone has upcoming plans to sail on the Oasis and has questions, let me know.  I will try to answer them for you.  Happy sailing!

Mac-tic ~  We just got off the Oasis today and had a terrific week.  I hope your weather is as good as we had.  We had just under 2400 passengers onboard.  There was plenty of room for all!

Nelblu ~ Thank you for your response.  

4 minutes ago, nelblu said:

I saw a bunch by the kiddy pool and at dinner. 
Remember some schools opened late because of the Jewish holiday, at least in NJ. 

Ah, forgot about that.  We are onboard next week.  Everyone should be back to school by then.

Could someone comment about the headliner shows - Earl Turner or Phoenix?  How was the adult comedy?

Has anyone noticed how many children are onboard?  I'm thinking there aren't many as school is in session.  

posted in thewrong thread.

13 hours ago, wingatesl said:

I am vaccinated and have no preexisting conditions. Why would I be worried?

As am I. With 'breakthrough cases', I sometimes overthink things.  Thanks for your input.

Wingatesl ~  With all the precautions you took before you sailed and with the protocols that RCCL has instituted, how secure do you feel that you will be able to stay healthy?  Are you doing/not doing anything specific while onboard?  We sail next week and my heart really wants to celebrate that we are finally cruising again but my mind keeps throwing up roadblocks.

Thanks for all the information you have posted.  I hope that the rest of your week is smooth sailing!

On 8/27/2021 at 9:03 PM, EllieinNJ said:

Same for us on the 10/17 cruise.  It was on the planner previously but I waited to see what times the shows were on the test cruise and now it's gone.

Just checked and it is there today.   Go to 'plan my cruise' and choose dining/beverage.  Click on Solarium Bistro and add to cart.  Then you choose day and time you want to dine.

Do passengers returning to the US still have to have a negative covid test in order to enter the country?  How is that handled on the ship?

10 hours ago, dahirsh said:

Is the Solarium Bistro open for dinner?  If so do you know how they are handling the appetizer/buffet selections?

 

We made dinner reservations on the 9/12 cruise for dinner at the Solarium Bistro.

what is the site for the web cam? Do you know what time she will sail?

We are booked for the 9/12 sailing and received a Royal up offer today.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Can anyone tell me if they rent pool noodles at coco cay?  I'd prefer those over a beach mat. Thanks!

I know this is really looking into the future but, does anyone have any idea why June 2022 Alaska cruises with Canadian land tours are not displaying on Royal's web site?  Every time I try to pull up a sailing, I get this response 'Ooops!  Something has gone wrong.  Please go back and choose another sailing.'  Any of the June 2022 cruise/tours are not displaying.  Please tell me that they are not canceling cruises that far out!😱( know that cruises through February 2022 are a 'no go' but I haven't heard about any updates) 

Ok, what is the time frame for earning double points?

That may be true but the repositioning cruises from Boston at the end of October, have always been a great seller. Granted, it was filled with us older folks who don't have to worry about work 😊.  Of course, if they are held to sailing with a 1/2 full ship, that may also tilt the scales.