Oasis of the Seas-A4Aquatheater vs. Crown Loft

Hi! I'm new to Cruise Critic and have some questions about an upcoming sailing on the Oasis of the Seas in August. We have cruised quite a bit but never on a bigger ship, so we are thinking about splurging on a suite to enjoy the Coastal Kitchen and other perks such as priority seating, etc. First of all, would you say that a suite is worth it on Oasis? We were looking at the smaller A4 Aquatheater Suites since we are only traveling with 3 to our room but the RC agent today told us there was a 5'7 height limit on those rooms?? We are looking at Suite 14330 and it looks like there is a separate bedroom separated from the living room by a door, but the agent said it is one big room..does anyone know the right answer? Also, we are looking at the Crown Loft Suites but they are significantly more expensive, so we weren't sure if it is worth it. Any help and other tips on the Oasis would be fantastic! Thank you so much!

Hi! I'm new to Cruise Critic and have some questions about an upcoming sailing on the Oasis of the Seas in August. We have cruised quite a bit but never on a bigger ship, so we are thinking about splurging on a suite to enjoy the Coastal Kitchen and other perks such as priority seating, etc. First of all, would you say that a suite is worth it on Oasis? We were looking at the smaller A4 Aquatheater Suites since we are only traveling with 3 to our room but the RC agent today told us there was a 5'7 height limit on those rooms?? We are looking at Suite 14330 and it looks like there is a separate bedroom separated from the living room by a door, but the agent said it is one big room..does anyone know the right answer? Also, we are looking at the Crown Loft Suites but they are significantly more expensive, so we weren't sure if it is worth it. Any help and other tips on the Oasis would be fantastic! Thank you so much!

First of all the 5'7'' height limit information is completely false. Perhaps they were referring to 5 people minimum to book the room - as that minimum wold be more likely. The Aqua suites are among the most valuable real estate on the ship - usually priced similarly to the CLS. The stateroom (14330) you reference has a separate bedroom and is not one big room. Worth it is completely up to you and your budget and only you can decide that. Here is a link to more information regarding suites with RCI:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/enhanced-program-for-suites-guests-v7.pdf

I think there may be a difference in suite level, too. I seem to recall that the CL is Sky Class and the Aqua Theater Suite is Star Class.

First of all the 5'7'' height limit information is completely false. Perhaps they were referring to 5 people minimum to book the room - as that minimum wold be more likely. The Aqua suites are among the most valuable real estate on the ship - usually priced similarly to the CLS. The stateroom (14330) you reference has a separate bedroom and is not one big room. Worth it is completely up to you and your budget and only you can decide that. Here is a link to more information regarding suites with RCI:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/enhanced-program-for-suites-guests-v7.pdf

We were told by Royal Caribbean that there was a height limitation on this exact room. My husband is taller than 6'3 and we switched to a Crown Loft after finding out about the limitation. This is the email that we received:

Thank you for your email. We apologize for any delay in our response.

Stateroom 14330 has height restrictions advising that maximum height of 5'9" requested for guest due to low ceiling height.

Dimensions of the stateroom are:

Bath to ceiling 6'3"

Floor to ceiling 6'7"

We suggest calling to look at alternate availability as your husband may find the lowness of the ceiling uncomfortable.

If you have any further questions, we kindly ask that you call us at 1-800-205-9812. We have Certified Vacation Planners standing by 24 hours a day 7 days a week ready to assist you.

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Thank you so, so much for the valuable information!!! I truly appreciate knowing about the separate bedroom! Hope your weekend is great!

I think there may be a difference in suite level, too. I seem to recall that the CL is Sky Class and the Aqua Theater Suite is Star Class.

I think Room 14330 is a Sky Class Aquatheater Suite. The 2 bedroom Aquatheater suite is Star Class if I'm not mistaken.

Thank you so, so much for the valuable information!!! I truly appreciate knowing about the separate bedroom! Hope your weekend is great!

Take a look at the balcony on 14330 and make sure you are ok with the setup. We were ok with it because we don't spend that much time on the balcony, but if you do, you may want to make sure you are ok with it. It is a nice room though. If my husband wasn't so tall, we would have kept it.

first off, i'd say a suite is worth it on oasis class. we were in a balcony on oasis, but our two allure trips were in a crown loft, and then an A4 aquatheater suite (though at the time it was still classified as a GS) on deck 12. we upgraded for allure because DH and i felt really cramped in the balcony on oasis, and it was just the two of us. the balcony rooms are sort of interlocked - a bit hard to explain, but they are wider in the bed area but narrower where the couch and vanity are - and therefore feel pretty small. before our oasis cruise i think the only royal we'd sailed on was liberty, and the balcony room on liberty was fine for us, in comparison. also, coastal kitchen alone is worth the price - it's excellent - and the suite lounge on oasis class has some nice perks, like free sodas and some beer and wine all day, and free bottled waters you can take with you. there's a pretty nice suite sundeck, and the suite seating in the theater is good. sometimes there is a suite and pinnacle party on the helipad, which is normally closed to the public. put it this way - at this point, when DH and i go on oasis class, we go suite. :D

as for CL vs A4, the important thing to know is that the A4s on oasis and allure vary in size by deck, with the 11th floor being the largest, then 12, and then 14 being the smallest (there is no deck 13 on the ship). each of them is two rooms. however, the balcony in the A4 on deck 14 is split into two very small balconies. i would look pretty closely at pictures and videos online before booking.

personally, i wouldnt book deck 14 due to it having such a small and narrow balcony, as i like to spend a lot of time on loungers reading etc, and i dont even think there is room for lounge chairs up there. 12 and 11 both have good size balconies; on 12 we had 4 regular chairs and a small table overlooking the aqua theater, two chairs with ottomans looking straight out back, and two regular chairs with a small table on the side overlooking the ocean. in addition, our steward got us two loungers, which we put on the side. we still had tons of walking space. the A4 balcony on deck 11 is even bigger than that. if you just want a view of the aqua theater and the aft, and don't care so much about lounging space, then deck 14 would probably be fine for you. i will say it was very cool to watch the aqua shows, fountain shows, etc from our balcony, as well as all the practices, and we loved just sitting and watching the wake.

in addition to the balcony size, the room size itself is supposed to be different on the different decks. i have not been in the A4s on decks 11 or 14, but i can tell you on 12 it was very tight. i would not put 3 people in there. the end of the bed was so close to the bath that when i opened the bathroom door at night i had to be careful not to hit DH's feet with the door. once the bathroom door got stuck open because it was wedged into the side of the mattress. there is only a tiny amount of space between the bed and bathroom door. the tv is also on that wall at the foot of the bed, next to the bathroom door, so you have to do contortions to not hit your head on the tv when squeezing between the bed and the wall.

the living room was a good size, but if your 3rd would be sleeping on the foldout couch, there would be little to no room between the folded out couch and the cabinetry. the good thing is that there is a wall with door between the BR and LR for privacy; however, the only bathroom is in the BR, so your 3rd would have to walk through the BR to get to the bath.

and a random thought, in case your 3rd is a small child or frail - the door to the suite is a normal door, but the door between the LR and BR is extremely heavy, as is the door to the bathroom. i'm in my early 40s and in good health and i presume of normal strength, and sometimes to open the bathroom door i had to use two hands, or brace myself against the wall. the bedroom door would only stay open with a plastic wedge underneath, and it was so heavy it had gouged a huge rut in the wedge so that the wedge was almost broken in two. a small child would not be able to open the doors on their own. this was on allure, so maybe it's different on oasis, but i'm guessing it's similar.

as for the height limit, i've never heard of such a thing. i'm 5'7" and DH is 5'10", and we had no problems. the ceiling above the tub is rather low, so if you're over 6 feet you might have an issue with getting your head under the shower spray etc. but there's certainly no "limit" per se. [just saw someone else posted while i was writing my "novel" here and referenced some actual restrictions. who knew?!?!? i will say my 5'10" husband was just fine, but i could definitely see the issue for taller people.]

as for the crown loft, the biggest issues there with a party of 3 are that there is only a curtain that goes across the loft area rather than a wall, so there is less privacy, and there are only two lounge chairs and a small table on the balcony. you could probably ask for and get another chair, but not much more would fit out there. a plus is the extra bathroom, and a real dining table inside if you do in-room dining. also, the rooms themselves are amazing - DH and i have been in a bunch of different room types and the CL is our favorite by far. also, it's in a quiet, secluded, CL-only area, and very convenient to the suite lounge and coastal kitchen.

obviously everyone has different priorities, but if it was DH and I, i think on oasis or allure we'd do the crown loft over the A4, unless we could get the deck 11 A4, which presumably has a slightly bigger room. it's hard to give up the A4 view, but the interior space felt tight enough that it was really starting to get to me by the end of the week, especially in the bedroom. on deck 12 the balcony mostly made up for that, but on deck 14 you wouldn't even really get the good balcony space.

they are both great choices, and if you don't normally splurge for suites, you will likely enjoy the heck out of either one. (the danger is in never going back. :D DH and i swore the suite was a "one and done" splurge, but now we do about half of our cruises in suites.) you can't really make a bad decision here. and oasis itself is wonderful and a lot of fun.

We were told by Royal Caribbean that there was a height limitation on this exact room. My husband is taller than 6'3 and we switched to a Crown Loft after finding out about the limitation. This is the email that we received:

 

 

Thank you for your email. We apologize for any delay in our response.

 

Stateroom 14330 has height restrictions advising that maximum height of 5'9" requested for guest due to low ceiling height.

Dimensions of the stateroom are:

 

Bath to ceiling 6'3"

Floor to ceiling 6'7"

 

We suggest calling to look at alternate availability as your husband may find the lowness of the ceiling uncomfortable.

 

If you have any further questions, we kindly ask that you call us at 1-800-205-9812. We have Certified Vacation Planners standing by 24 hours a day 7 days a week ready to assist you.

 

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

I guess I stand corrected but it still seems very strange. It does seem low which is unusual. Should have left it a balcony!

they are both great choices, and if you don't normally splurge for suites, you will likely enjoy the heck out of either one. (the danger is in never going back. :D DH and i swore the suite was a "one and done" splurge, but now we do about half of our cruises in suites.) you can't really make a bad decision here. and oasis itself is wonderful and a lot of fun.

Robin, I hope you saved a copy of your post!! Very Very well stated!!

I guess I stand corrected but it still seems very strange. It does seem low which is unusual. Should have left it a balcony!

From what I have read about the height limits in the A4 on Allure and Oasis it has to do with the plumbing below the tub makes it difficult for tall people to stand up straight.

Keeping my fingers crossed they fixed that issue on Harmony or my DH will be showering in the gym :/

To the OP, I would go for the CL on Oasis/Allure. On Harmony I went with ATS deck 11. My DH and I debated between GS, OS, ATS and CL. We eliminated GS and OS then came the main question, Do we want to be close to the Suite Lounge or have the balcony (balcony on Harmony is huge compared to Oasis/Allure according to the specs still waiting on confirmation)

On Allure/Oasis I would do the Loft on Harmony I would try for the ATS

You all are amazing!! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to reply to my questions! :D I am now over the top excited about going on the Oasis! Sounds like a fantastic ship! Our third is our teenage son traveling with us so I like the idea of privacy in the A4, but the Crown Loft sounds like the nicer room. We've always gone for the balcony room, but we're usually all crammed into 170 square feet, so any suite is going to be a huge upgrade for us! The A4 is significantly cheaper, so that is why I've been leaning towards it coupled with the extra privacy, but I do see how the balcony could be an issue. We aren't super tall, so I think the ceilings/shower will be fine for us. I guess I'll have to do some more soul searching, but not for long since this is for an August departure! We usually plan way in advance, but not this time. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and thank you again for going above and beyond to help a fellow cruiser!!:)

I vote CLS, less expensive and a much more INCREDIBLE room that an ATS. Plus there isn't actually an AT view on the deck 14 suites. Look up vids on youtube, the aft deck is TINY.

We did an OS on Oasis and have another one booked for October. My brother had a CLS and while it is an awesome cabin I would think an OS (except for the lack of a second bath) would give you better living space than a CLS. Plus, the balcony on the OS is huge, probably double the size of the CLS.

CLS is very convenient to the SL and CK, which is a plus. But our deck 10 OS didn't keep us from enjoying either.

I have looked at the ATS but the cost is outrageous and they are really really far from the SL/CK.

first off, i'd say a suite is worth it on oasis class. we were in a balcony on oasis, but our two allure trips were in a crown loft, and then an A4 aquatheater suite (though at the time it was still classified as a GS) on deck 12. we upgraded for allure because DH and i felt really cramped in the balcony on oasis, and it was just the two of us. the balcony rooms are sort of interlocked - a bit hard to explain, but they are wider in the bed area but narrower where the couch and vanity are - and therefore feel pretty small. before our oasis cruise i think the only royal we'd sailed on was liberty, and the balcony room on liberty was fine for us, in comparison. also, coastal kitchen alone is worth the price - it's excellent - and the suite lounge on oasis class has some nice perks, like free sodas and some beer and wine all day, and free bottled waters you can take with you. there's a pretty nice suite sundeck, and the suite seating in the theater is good. sometimes there is a suite and pinnacle party on the helipad, which is normally closed to the public. put it this way - at this point, when DH and i go on oasis class, we go suite. :D

 

as for CL vs A4, the important thing to know is that the A4s on oasis and allure vary in size by deck, with the 11th floor being the largest, then 12, and then 14 being the smallest (there is no deck 13 on the ship). each of them is two rooms. however, the balcony in the A4 on deck 14 is split into two very small balconies. i would look pretty closely at pictures and videos online before booking.

 

personally, i wouldnt book deck 14 due to it having such a small and narrow balcony, as i like to spend a lot of time on loungers reading etc, and i dont even think there is room for lounge chairs up there. 12 and 11 both have good size balconies; on 12 we had 4 regular chairs and a small table overlooking the aqua theater, two chairs with ottomans looking straight out back, and two regular chairs with a small table on the side overlooking the ocean. in addition, our steward got us two loungers, which we put on the side. we still had tons of walking space. the A4 balcony on deck 11 is even bigger than that. if you just want a view of the aqua theater and the aft, and don't care so much about lounging space, then deck 14 would probably be fine for you. i will say it was very cool to watch the aqua shows, fountain shows, etc from our balcony, as well as all the practices, and we loved just sitting and watching the wake.

 

in addition to the balcony size, the room size itself is supposed to be different on the different decks. i have not been in the A4s on decks 11 or 14, but i can tell you on 12 it was very tight. i would not put 3 people in there. the end of the bed was so close to the bath that when i opened the bathroom door at night i had to be careful not to hit DH's feet with the door. once the bathroom door got stuck open because it was wedged into the side of the mattress. there is only a tiny amount of space between the bed and bathroom door. the tv is also on that wall at the foot of the bed, next to the bathroom door, so you have to do contortions to not hit your head on the tv when squeezing between the bed and the wall.

 

the living room was a good size, but if your 3rd would be sleeping on the foldout couch, there would be little to no room between the folded out couch and the cabinetry. the good thing is that there is a wall with door between the BR and LR for privacy; however, the only bathroom is in the BR, so your 3rd would have to walk through the BR to get to the bath.

 

and a random thought, in case your 3rd is a small child or frail - the door to the suite is a normal door, but the door between the LR and BR is extremely heavy, as is the door to the bathroom. i'm in my early 40s and in good health and i presume of normal strength, and sometimes to open the bathroom door i had to use two hands, or brace myself against the wall. the bedroom door would only stay open with a plastic wedge underneath, and it was so heavy it had gouged a huge rut in the wedge so that the wedge was almost broken in two. a small child would not be able to open the doors on their own. this was on allure, so maybe it's different on oasis, but i'm guessing it's similar.

 

as for the height limit, i've never heard of such a thing. i'm 5'7" and DH is 5'10", and we had no problems. the ceiling above the tub is rather low, so if you're over 6 feet you might have an issue with getting your head under the shower spray etc. but there's certainly no "limit" per se. [just saw someone else posted while i was writing my "novel" here and referenced some actual restrictions. who knew?!?!? i will say my 5'10" husband was just fine, but i could definitely see the issue for taller people.]

 

as for the crown loft, the biggest issues there with a party of 3 are that there is only a curtain that goes across the loft area rather than a wall, so there is less privacy, and there are only two lounge chairs and a small table on the balcony. you could probably ask for and get another chair, but not much more would fit out there. a plus is the extra bathroom, and a real dining table inside if you do in-room dining. also, the rooms themselves are amazing - DH and i have been in a bunch of different room types and the CL is our favorite by far. also, it's in a quiet, secluded, CL-only area, and very convenient to the suite lounge and coastal kitchen.

 

obviously everyone has different priorities, but if it was DH and I, i think on oasis or allure we'd do the crown loft over the A4, unless we could get the deck 11 A4, which presumably has a slightly bigger room. it's hard to give up the A4 view, but the interior space felt tight enough that it was really starting to get to me by the end of the week, especially in the bedroom. on deck 12 the balcony mostly made up for that, but on deck 14 you wouldn't even really get the good balcony space.

 

they are both great choices, and if you don't normally splurge for suites, you will likely enjoy the heck out of either one. (the danger is in never going back. :D DH and i swore the suite was a "one and done" splurge, but now we do about half of our cruises in suites.) you can't really make a bad decision here. and oasis itself is wonderful and a lot of fun.

What wonderful info and detail.....

Hi,again! I have a couple more questions if you don't mind...can you take drinks from the suite lounge to your room or dinner? Just wondering....

Thanks!:D

Hi,again! I have a couple more questions if you don't mind...can you take drinks from the suite lounge to your room or dinner? Just wondering....

Thanks!:D

They don't seen to care if you take drinks out of the lounge.

Robin, I hope you saved a copy of your post!! Very Very well stated!!

 

From what I have read about the height limits in the A4 on Allure and Oasis it has to do with the plumbing below the tub makes it difficult for tall people to stand up straight.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed they fixed that issue on Harmony or my DH will be showering in the gym :/

What wonderful info and detail.....

thanks to you both for your kind words. i can't believe how much i wrote. :p i guess it was fresh in my mind because i had just come off the GS (soon to be A4) on allure.

LBD - i've seen pix of the suites on harmony and the rooms and balconies are definitely bigger than decks 12 and 14 on oasis/allure (not sure how large deck 11 is on oasis and allure, so can't compare there). you will love it! hopefully they have fixed the shower issue. if not, i'll trade you - your DH can come shower in our downstairs bath in the CL, and we'll hang out on your balcony while he's in our room. :p

Hi,again! I have a couple more questions if you don't mind...can you take drinks from the suite lounge to your room or dinner? Just wondering....

Thanks!:D

on allure, the concierges specifically told us the bottled water you can get at the suite lounge bar is to take back to your room, on excursions, etc.

the official word on the other drinks is that it's for consumption in the lounge, but i did take sodas out a couple of times, and no one said a word to me. one time the concierges waved 'bye at me as i did it. :p i saw others leave with wine etc. so, it definitely seemed like they were ok with it. it may vary by concierge, though.

in addition, at coastal kitchen, our server got us sodas from the suite lounge bar at no charge.

we don't drink much alcohol, so don't know about how the beer/wine situation works.

thanks to you both for your kind words. i can't believe how much i wrote. [emoji14] i guess it was fresh in my mind because i had just come off the GS (soon to be A4) on allure.

 

LBD - i've seen pix of the suites on harmony and the rooms and balconies are definitely bigger than decks 12 and 14 on oasis/allure (not sure how large deck 11 is on oasis and allure, so can't compare there). you will love it! hopefully they have fixed the shower issue. if not, i'll trade you - your DH can come shower in our downstairs bath in the CL, and we'll hang out on your balcony while he's in our room. :p

Robin, you are more than welcome to hang out on the deck with us regardless if I need to send my DH to your cabin to shower downstairs :D

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

LBD - i've seen pix of the suites on harmony and the rooms and balconies are definitely bigger than decks 12 and 14 on oasis/allure (not sure how large deck 11 is on oasis and allure, so can't compare there). you will love it! hopefully they have fixed the shower issue. if not, i'll trade you - your DH can come shower in our downstairs bath in the CL, and we'll hang out on your balcony while he's in our room. :p

I had posted a comparison of the 1 bdrm ATS in another thread long ago... but here is a copy

You can see the huge difference between Oasis/Allure and Harmony.

Stateroom Details on the Harmony Of The Seas

Two twin beds that convert to Royal King, measuring 72.5 inches wide by 82 inches long. Private bathroom with tub and single sink, large closets, sitting area with table and sofa. Expansive balcony with table and chairs. Deck 11 & Deck 14

Staterooms 11330 and 11730 (606 sq. ft., balcony 626 sq. ft.)

Staterooms 14330 and 14730 (604 sq. ft., balcony 631 sq. ft.)

Staterooms 12330 and 12730 (652 sq. ft., balcony 589 sq. ft.)

Stateroom Details on the Oasis Of The Seas

Two twin beds that convert to Royal King. Private bathroom with tub and single sink, large closets, sitting area with table and sofa bed.

Note:

Staterooms on deck 11 are 398 sq. ft. Balcony 452 sq. ft.

Staterooms on deck 12 are 323 sq. ft. Balcony 355 sq. ft.

Staterooms on deck 14 are 323 sq. ft., balcony 140 sq. ft.

Stateroom Details on the Allure Of The Seas

Two twin beds that convert to Royal King. Private bathroom with tub and single sink, large closets, sitting area with table and sofa bed. Balcony and balcony lounge seating.

Staterooms on deck 11 466 sq. ft., balcony 470 sq. ft.

Staterooms on deck 12 433 sq. ft., balcony 362 sq. ft.

Staterooms on deck 14 421 sq. ft., balcony 136 sq. ft.

We have an Allure OS booked for October and I have made my evaluation already if I get the "up sell fairy" call. The only cabin I might even consider would be a larger ATS, but not on deck 14 as it's to small compared to the OS. The answer would be "no thanks".

We could have booked a CLS for the same price as the OS. But, we are traveling with DS, DIL, and two GD's who are in two OV (connecting) just down the hall from us. So the huge balcony on the OS is important. Had it been just the two of us we would have probably gone with the CLS. The ATS were just outrageously priced when we booked.

HI All

We are first time cruisers with RCI and have booked 14330 for Sep this year - now after reading this thread I am concerned as my DH is 6'3. Soooo I rang RCI and they told me there are no height restrictions.....and also told me I can't change to a CLS as that is a downgrade (even though its more expensive!) and I would have to cancel my booking and rebook (therefore loosing my deposit!!!!). Now i'm really confused and don't know what to do!!

Any help or suggestions much appreciated! :)

I think Room 14330 is a Sky Class Aquatheater Suite. The 2 bedroom Aquatheater suite is Star Class if I'm not mistaken.

Correct, there are 2 levels of Ats one Star (2 bedroom) and the other ATS is sky class.

HI All

 

 

 

We are first time cruisers with RCI and have booked 14330 for Sep this year - now after reading this thread I am concerned as my DH is 6'3. Soooo I rang RCI and they told me there are no height restrictions.....and also told me I can't change to a CLS as that is a downgrade (even though its more expensive!) and I would have to cancel my booking and rebook (therefore loosing my deposit!!!!). Now i'm really confused and don't know what to do!!

 

Any help or suggestions much appreciated! :)

I emailed them and then called (thinking I might not hear back via email). The person I spoke to told me that there wasn't a height restriction and I hung up thinking everything was fine. But a couple of days of later, I got an email informing me of the restrictions.

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Yes I emailed as well - the email reply also said there was no restriction! They did say the shower height was 6' but still insisted there is no height restriction! Very frustrating as I would like to change to CLS now - but seems like it's too difficult unless I forget the deposit [emoji853]

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