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Long Time Carnival Cruiser Seeks Tips for First RC Cruise on Oasis


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Hi guys!

 

My family has been cruising since 2011 on Carnival with 7 or 8 cruises so far. However, we snagged a great deal on the Oasis of the Seas coming up in September.

 

It's just me, my wife and our almost 2 year old son on this trip in a oceanview balcony cabin. (First time in a Balcony!)

 

We know all of the Carnival tips and tricks but don't know too much about Royal other than my parents like it better than Carnival.

 

What should we check out and what RC Oasis hacks are there to have an awesome cruise?

 

We aren't big drinkers (maybe a couple cocktails per cruise) and we don't plan on putting our son in the childcare. We mainly like to relax and enjoy the free activities. We aren't big on specialty dining and just plan to walk around in the ports and enjoy the empty ship when the cruise is in port.

 

Thanks so much in advance for any insight. I know you guys know all the tips and tricks.

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Make sure you go into your cruise planner and make your reservations for entertainment. The shows have no additional charge, but you need reservations to get in. If you do not have reservations, there is a standby line that gets in about 15 minutes prior to the show, but finding seats together can be a challenge at that point.

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Hi guys!

 

My family has been cruising since 2011 on Carnival with 7 or 8 cruises so far. However, we snagged a great deal on the Oasis of the Seas coming up in September..

 

 

There are things Royal does different and things that are different about the Oasis class. Have you joined your roll call yet? Roll Calls are very helpful for people's first time on this ship. Let us/me know if you don't know about the roll calls. We would need your sailing date.

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Hi guys!

 

My family has been cruising since 2011 on Carnival with 7 or 8 cruises so far. However, we snagged a great deal on the Oasis of the Seas coming up in September.

 

It's just me, my wife and our almost 2 year old son on this trip in a oceanview balcony cabin. (First time in a Balcony!)

 

We know all of the Carnival tips and tricks but don't know too much about Royal other than my parents like it better than Carnival.

 

What should we check out and what RC Oasis hacks are there to have an awesome cruise?

 

We aren't big drinkers (maybe a couple cocktails per cruise) and we don't plan on putting our son in the childcare. We mainly like to relax and enjoy the free activities. We aren't big on specialty dining and just plan to walk around in the ports and enjoy the empty ship when the cruise is in port.

 

Thanks so much in advance for any insight. I know you guys know all the tips and tricks.

Recent thread on the subject: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2625641

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Interesting inquiry. I would recommend booking any shows in advance of your trip. Arrive plenty early to those. I recommend the cupcake decorating class $30ish a person I think. Book any activities you want to do early actually, and kinda obviously.

I prepay gratuities to save a few dollars, but it doesn't make all that much difference. I also take advantage of the on board laundering service towards the end of the cruise so I don't need to do laundry when I get home (There are usually coupons in a book in your cabin to help pay for it). See the ice show, the aqua theater show.

Personally, I like early dining so I can do whatever after we eat. On shore days, you may miss your dining but as you know, food is available everywhere all times of the night other than main dining.

Return your towels and confirm check in of your returned towels from pool deck with a service desk other than with the person you returned them to. They are constantly screwing up the return of towels and trying to charge people.

You may want to purchase a water package and/or a soda package. You might also want to purchase VOOM Internet package for one or more devices for various reasons.

If you want to use something like the Wave Rider, Rock Wall or other attractions, remember to sign your waiver online. When on board, get to it as early as possible to avoid lines or complications if one of the attractions are broken.

Be aware of the dress code which is followed and enforced to varying degrees much to the delight or chagrin of various passengers.

When boarding, you may wish to avoid going to the buffet and go to Central Park Cafe, or the Solarium for lunch. The Windjammer is overcrowded and the other areas have better lunch when boarding.

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Should go without saying but always check the cruise planner for events. It's a huge ship and a lot is going on that you might not know about unless you know in advance.

 

Also, if you're a night time hot tub kinda person like I am, the port side cantilever hot tub closes earlier than the starboard side one. If you don't want to freeze as you transition from the port to starboard hot tub, I would start with the starboard one.

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There are many minor differences between the 2 companies, but many things are also very similar. Most of the hacks you use in cabin on Carnival are allowed by Royal. Like luggage stored under your bed, magnets to "pin" papers/tickets to the mirror or wall, decorating your door to make it easier to find, etc. Smoky casinos, crowded pool areas, lines for certain activities are complaints all cruise lines seem to share. Expect to have trivia, name that tune, and other daytime activities that may even have the same question or clues that you are familiar with.

But other things, are vastly different. Like boarding with soft drinks (a big no on Royal, while perfectly OK on Carnival) or needing tickets (the ice show) or advance reservations (Oasis class ships) to the main theater show.

Other differences are more subjective or operational. Though I can't speak specifically to the Oasis, on the Explorer the WindJammer buffet was much better quality of food than any Carnival's buffet I've been to. BUT the hours of operation and the variety compared to Carnival was very limited. As you know on Carnival the gratis beverages are available for self serve 24/7 at 6-10 drink stations all around the Lido deck area. Also multiple Carnival buffet stations are open steadily from 6am up to 11 pm with pizza and caesar salads being available anytime. On the Explorer the Lido level gratis drinks are only in the buffet area, and there is set a service times that the buffet area is open. If the Compass lists breakfast in the WindJammer being from 6-9am, if you arrive at 9:05am you could find the doors closed and possibly locked until they reopen for published lunch service times. So if you want a cup of coffee or iced tea at 10am that means a trip down to the Promenade cafe.

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