cayugashue

We were in cabin 12649 Central Park this past March. Didn't find it too hot...

We loved listening to the band playing on the pool deck!

We had a Central Park cabin on our Oasis cruise this past March and loved it. The view and peacefulness was very nice. The money we saved between an ocean view and Central Park cabin was significant, at least to us.(we used the "savings" to purchase the beverage package) We've had ocean view balconies on other cruises and enjoyed those, too.

For us, with the amount of time we spend in the cabin, found the Central Park balcony perfect.

Thank you so much!!!

What is the Lafite tasting? We actually just got back from a weekend of winery touring and my DH wanted me to get insight so I really appreciate any detail you can provide.

 

I don't plan on missing the rising tide! It's too unique to pass up!!

Lafite is a French wine tasting. When we attended, it was at 150 Central Park. You are seated at a table with other participants. On the table will be a placemat, describing each wine being served, along with a plate of cheese and fruit. Wines are served one at a time, with a description of the wine, the region it is from and food pairing suggestions, as well as which cheese on the plate pairs with the wine. At the end, you will receive a "memento folder", containing literature on the wines tasted, recipes, etc.

We reserved before our cruise from the Cruise Planner.

It was fun and informative. Enjoy!

I appreciate the response.

 

I'd love to get the perspective of anyone who has just come off Oasis and participated in an event. :)

We did the Lafite tasting on our Oasis cruise this past March. We did the same tasting on the Grandeur the year before. Enjoyed both experiences and recommend it. I didn't get a chance to experience the other tasting listed in the Compass. They offer tasting from different regions such as Italy and Spain.

On another note, don't miss the Rising Tide Bar. While it isn't a wine tasting, it is a fun experience!

Enjoy your cruise!

Has anyone been on the Epic, how did you feel, did you enjoy the ship, etc., does anybody have details?

I cruised on the Epic 2 years ago, on Oasis this past March. If I were to choose from these 2 ships to sail on again, I would pick Oasis. I like the feel and style of the ship more.

What I liked about Oasis, that the Epic didn't have:

- larger cabins

- traditional bathrooms in cabins

- neighborhoods (Central Park, Boardwalk...)

What I liked about Epic:

- better buffet

- better MDR

- better pricing for cruise fare

- better entertainment. (Blue Man Group far better than CATS. However, I think Blue Man Group is being discontinued?)

You're sure to have a great cruise, which ever ship you choose!

My favorite was Giovanni's.

2nd: Chops

3rd: Sabor

We dined at 150 and while I didn't care for the food, the service was outstanding.

1- Check out the lounge chairs near the cantilevered hot tubs. 2- can't remember the name of the bar, but it is up one deck from the Solarium. Many loungers there... can be windy though...

Enjoy your cruise! LOVED Oasis!

I returned from the Getaway on 5/16 after a 7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. I am just now recovering from the worst cruise ever. I know a lot of people on here are fans of Norwegian - I am just going by what happened to me and my husband. We have been on a total of 19 cruises - mostly Royal Caribbean, 1 Princess, 2 Holland America, 7 Carnival. I have never seen such lack of customer service as we did on Norwegian. The ship was nice enough, even though the zipline was down for the entire trip. We had an aft-balcony (9920) with a huge balcony - which was the only good thing on the entire trip. Every restaurant we tried -the food was cold, we complained to the maitre d' and she was useless - the other staff on the ship did not even know who she was (Anna Maria). At one point after not getting service after sitting 10 minutes in the Savor restaurant, we chose to leave - and had to walk by 2 men in full HazMat suits cleaning something up - it was disgusting. We had the UBP - the only way you could get a drink was to go to the bar yourself because there were no servers offering drinks (casino and restaurant). Only one server - Elvis - in O'Sheehans ever offered me a drink refill. Our room steward never introduced himself - when I asked for an extra bath towel he said he used one of the towels for the one and only towel animal we received. When we asked for clean pool towels (since they were on the bed when we first arrived) -he said - take the dirty ones to the pool and change them out yourself. Great customer service. We stayed on the ship when it docked in St. Thomas - just to be able to get to the pool - tiny in comparison to the amount of people. Be sure you wear your sandals as the deck is hot metal and will melt your feet. The second port - Tortola - beware - we got off and there is nothing there - they are in the middle of building a shopping area but it is far from complete. We attempted to find a drug store to buy some band-aids and after being given strange directions ended up in an alley that had an actual sign that said "Enter at Your Own Risk." Are you kidding me? Then when we went to the Bahamas where we have been on multiple cruises - we didn't arrive until 12:30 in the afternoon and had to be back on the ship at 6:30 - great planning on Norwegian's part. This was an anniversary trip for us and the only incentive was the UBP - which in no way could make up for the lack of service. At one restaurant, Savor, we had 4 different people introduce themselves as either waiters or assistants, and it took one hour to be served one appetizer and cold Prime Rib with a baked potato that was so hard you couldn't eat it. When served the Prime Rib in O'Sheehan's - it was dropped off by the waiter, no knife to cut it with and again - cold meat, hard potato. We tried the Noodle Bar - cold noodles with cold shrimp - on a dish that was meant to be hot. I know a lot of people will think I am nitpicking but seriously - even after complaining to the maitre d' you would think that the service would improve. Good luck to anyone who is booked on this ship - if you still have time to cancel - do it.

"The ship was nice enough, even though the zipline was down for the entire trip."

Is there a zip line on this ship?

We were on the Oasis in March. I was disappointed in the Bloody Mary's at first as they were too sweet for my taste. Tried one at the Schooner Bar and I liked it much better. Bartender said the "secret ingredient" was olive juice.

Really cut the sweetness. Asked for this concoction at other bars, they were happy to oblige.

Grandeur of the Seas, February 2014, Baltimore to Bahamas.

Coming home, around Outer Banks, the ABSOLUTE worse weather I've ever sailed in. 40' swells for almost 24 hours.

Here's the menu..... was the best meal I've ever enjoyed on RCL

 

 

 

Pics of the food which was served Gluten Free for me are in the blog in my sig below.

We sailed on the Oasis this past March and ate here one night. The menu, at least on our sailing changed the 2nd 1/2 of the week. The choices were lamb or salmon, (I believe), and they offered filet mignon as an alternative.

My experience on the Epic was just that, "Epic"!

You will find many more positive reviews regarding the Epic than negative.

Go, relax and have a great time!

WE are booked on Oasis in October. Can anyone give us the info on Sabor restaurant located on the boardwalk ?

We had a great time at Rita's on Allure and were looking forward to the Seafood Shack on Oasis.

We sailed on Oasis March 7-14.

No Seafood Shack on Oasis.

Sabor was really good, wonderful margaritas and excellent guacamole.

Food was good and reasonably priced.

Enjoy your cruise!

We just booked the Oasis for early September (family of 7). My TA said that late seating was the only dining option available - both early seating and MTD is full (or at least, not an option for my reservation). I get Early Seating being full, but had not heard about MTD being unavailable too.

My fear is that perhaps there's a very large group on this cruise. My TA thought it might have something to do with the implementation of dynamic dining.

 

any thoughts on why this would happen?

 

Thank you for your help.

We were on the 3/7 sailing of Oasis and had MTD. While it worked ok for the 3 times we dined MTD (7:30 or later), we heard lots of complaints that it was overcrowded and disorganized. Perhaps they are trying to manage the crowds...

I am traveling with my husband and three high school boys on my upcoming cruise..so no one really cares about this question but me...I want to know if the hairdryers on Oasis are decent enough strength to blow dry my hair

(medium length) without it taking forever or should I plan to bring my own...are they located in the desk area or in the bathroom area..portable or attached...I have had all sorts of hairdryers on past cruises from really good ones..to ones that were awful, weak and looked like a vacuum hose... hoping since this is a newly refurbished ship they will be decent...thanks in advance

I sailed on the Oasis 3/7 - 3/14. WONDERFUL CRUISE.

This was my time ever, not bringing my own hairdryer on vacation. Thought I would save room in my suitcase... So wished I had brought it! My hair is very thick, course, medium length. Hairdryer provided wasn't powerful enough. Also, there is no "on/off" switch, instead you have to keep the button pressed to power the hairdryer. Enjoy your cruise!

Wow! Thanks for the positive review! Its actually the 2nd good review posted today for the Oasis and after a lot of negatives the last few weeks it's very nice to hear something good:) We've got 2 CP balconies booked in June, one on deck 11 and an accessible on deck 14. I had a couple of them in 2010 on this ship and recall that they are nice change to OV cabins which are overpriced on this ship.

Glad you enjoyed the review, I enjoyed the cruise and reporting on it. I truly had a wonderful time and wouldn't hesitate to go again.

Loved the CP balcony for the atmosphere, location and value. It has been discussed that there are "privacy issues", which can be a negative. But keep your curtains closed and there is no problem! I kind of liked waving to the folks across the way in the morning while having coffee or a glass of wine from my balcony. Enjoy your cruise!

Hi, we are going on the Oasis for the first time in November. Have a Central Park balcony on deck 10, which seems pretty central to everything. One question I've seen different answers too, does RCCL allow you to bring wine or soda on board? Do you make reservations for the zip line and flow rider or is it just a line when open? Do specialty dinning reservations open about 60 days out? Thanks.

We really enjoyed our CP balcony, a great location and great value for us.

We brought 2 bottles of wine on board with us in our carry on luggage. Can't confirm on your soda question.

I did the zip line (SOOOO much fun!) and did not make a reservation, nor do I thing you can make one. Signing your waivers on line previous to the cruise does save a little time. The day I did the zip line there was a 20 min wait. Didn't do Flow Rider, but the lines didn't appear to be too long.

I do believe specialty dining reservations open at 45 days, but I could be wrong, it might have been 60 days. You will have a ball, enjoy your cruise!

I have read that there were lobster tails served in the Windjammer on seafood night. Is this always the case?

I can't confirm. This was the first formal night and we dined at Chops.

thanks for your review!

Wanted to mainly ask about the dining situation in your opinion, we won't get off the plane until 11:30 so I gather won't be on the boat until 1pm, I hear Windjammer will be packed at that time, is it still worth it to go there for the embarkation lunch or don't bother with huge lineups and try somewhere else? Also if the MDR is just average for dinner, are there other free dining venues you would suggest, any particular nights to skip MDR and go to Windjammer for example?

Thanks

I would avoid the Windjammer if you board around 1:00 as it will be packed. Try the Park Café or Wipe Out Café instead.

While the MDR is average, I wouldn't avoid it as it is nice to be waited on by such attentive servers. With that said, there are other free venues such as Park Café, Wipe Out Café, Hot Dog House, Promenade Café, Sorrento's Pizza. Could be others, I'm just not remembering... First formal night was Seafood Buffet in the Windjammer... VERY well attended! When Windjammer is crowded, there is staff to help you find an available table.

On each deck, near the elevators are interactive boards that will show you all the dining venues and where there are wait times.

We sailed on the Oasis March 7-14. Here are my thoughts/impressions.

On a scale of 1 - 10, this cruise was a 15! I honestly can't say enough wonderful things about it. This was my 7th cruise (2nd on Royal) and while I've never had a "bad" cruise, this was by far my favorite.

Embarkation was a breeze. While we were advised not to arrive until 2:00, we checked out of our hotel at 10:30 and on board before noon. Most of the time was spent in traffic at the port.

The ship was beautiful, spotlessly clean. We had a balcony cabin overlooking Central Park. Good choice for us. Our cabin attendant was just plain amazing. Best we've ever had. We sailed with friends who were in the cabin next door. We were able to have the balcony divider opened, which was nice.

We purchased the premium beverage package, which I really liked. Did we "come out ahead"? Some days yes, some no. But I think overall we probably broke even, if not a wee bit ahead! ;)

Food: Very happy with most of our meals. I liked some better than others, but nothing stood out as bad.

Had breakfast at Windjammer twice. Typical buffet fare. Hot foods were hot, cold foods cold. Service was very good and never had a problem getting a table.

Ate breakfast at Park Café (breakfast sandwiches), Wipeout Café (buffet and made to order omelets) and Johnny Rockets (no fee at breakfast). All good choices, and not really crowed. Not sure why Johnny Rockets was not utilized more... good food and service. Check it out!

Lunches were at the Wipeout Café and Park Café. Wipeout was burgers/dogs/pizza/some sandwiches. Park Café had sandwiches, Roast Beef was amazing. Excellent made to order salads.

Dinner: we had MTD and ate at the main dining room 3x. Little loud... but the food and service were very good.

Giovanni's: By far my favorite restaurant! We dined with another couple and we each selected out entrée. They served appetizer, pasta and dessert family style.

Chops Grill: Very good meal, overly attentive service. There was a constant sales pitch going on to upgrade wines, purchase special lunches, etc.

150 Central Park: Service was spectacular. Food was okay. One course was poached lobster, it was the size of a medium shrimp...

Sabor: Good for a change. Guacamole was outstanding!

Bars: Lots to choose from! Don't miss the Rising Tide Bar, a great experience.

If you like a really good margarita, visit Sabor Tequila Bar on the Boardwalk. Bar tenders at the pool bars were a lot of fun. Schooners and Champagne bars were nice places for something a little quieter. Great service through out.

Casino: Only played slots. My husband won $400 and was smart enough to quit, didn't go back. Me? I won $300 and gave back about half...

I know a lot has been written about the casino being smoky. Yes, there was smoke. I am very smoke sensitive but didn't have an issue any time I was there.

Ports:

Nassau: didn't get off the ship, not a big fan of Nassau.

St Thomas: did the Champagne Snorkel to St John. I wouldn't do it again. It was advertised as a 1/2 day excursion, which it was. But probably half the time was spent in transportation to the catamaran and back. Once we were on the catamaran, the crew was great. It was very crowded at St John and we had to wait quite some time on the catamaran for another boat to pull out so we could anchor. But due to spending so much time in the taxi, we only had 1 hour at the beach / snorkel. I will also mention that taxi ride over was like a ride at Disney, but felt much less safe... Once back on board the ship, I shared my experience with the folks at the excursion desk who listened carefully and said they would relay my concerns to management.

St Martin: just got off and walked around for a couple of hours.

I did Zumba one day (offered on sea days). Sylvia was a Zumba Queen! Did water aerobics once.

Spent each morning on the walking track on deck 5. (Approx 2 1/2 times around is a mile.)

We had the "opportunity" to visit the ship's doctor. My husband came down with tonsillitis. The staff was professional and caring. For the office visit and antibiotic, the bill was $210.00 which I felt was reasonable when comparing to our family doctor. Charges were put on our sea pass account and we were given an itemized bill to submit to our insurance.

We attending the "Sexiest Man" and "Belly Flop" competitions. Very funny and very well crowded. Arrive early.

Shopping on board: Did purchase liquor. 4 bottles of Belvedere for $99.00.

There is Kate Spade and Coach stores on board. Michael Kors is being built, merchandize was for available. Prices were comparable to land based stores. I didn't buy anything designer, I can do much better with my coupons at Macy's... :)

We saw the Dream Works Parade. VERY well done. It was fun for "kids of all ages".

By far, my favorite part of this cruise was the service, I really can't say enough good things about it. Royal Caribbean should be very proud of their crew. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to book a cruise on the Oasis again.

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have!

Today we received a phone call and an email from RCCL informing us of boarding times for this Saturday....

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I can't imagine my children will want to wait until 2:30 to board, we were planning to be at the port by 10:30.

Anyone know why it's so late?

We were on the 3/7 Oasis sailing and received the same notification Wednesday before the cruise. (we were on deck 12). As we had to check out of our hotel by 11:00, we headed to the port around 10:30 and on the ship by 11:30, no questions asked. I'm sure their intention is limit the early crowds at the port, with passengers leaving and arriving. There was a LOT of congestion when arriving and off loading luggage and parking was a little hectic. However, once we entered the terminal, it was very quick. Once on board, we had lunch at the Wipe Out Café (deck 15) to avoid the Windjammer. Enjoy your cruise!

Does anyone know if the balcony partitions for the Central Park Balconies open, so that 2 balconies can be made into one larger one? We are sailing with family in the next stateroom and wanted to have one large balcony. Thanks You.

We sailed on the Oasis March 7 - 14. We were in a Central Park Balcony, traveling with friends in the next cabin. We asked our stateroom attendant when we got to the cabin to open the divider, which she did within a few minutes. It was nice having the extra space and availability to our friends without going into the hall. We took a pad of sticky note paper and pen to leave on the balcony table so we could leave notes to one another regarding where to meet later.. etc. Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you!

You're welcome!

Not sure if you've checked, but she has posted a couple of Compasses...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2170518&page=19

Stay tuned to the above thread... poster just off Oasis Eastern Caribbean yesterday and will posting Compass's soon...

8 more days, 8 more days...