What are your thoughts on RCL - Oasis?

[Corvette Girl]

I've been seeing brochures, on-line renderings, and pictures of RCL's new mega ship "Oasis of the Seas" that will be making its debut in December.

 

I don't think I'd want to cruise on her simple because of her sheer size.

The pictures of the staterooms look very sterile, cold, and sparse from my point of view, as do most of the public areas.

 

Some extras look fun like the zip line, but I don't see myself getting excited to book this ship.

 

What do you guys think about this ship?

[TrentS]

I can't wait to see it! I like to try them all and see for myself what they're like. No matter how many pictures you see and how much you read there's nothing like experiencing things for yourself.

[Bonnie J.]

MUCH,MUCH too BIG!!!

[Cruzman]

I do not wish to sail on any ship that large! I don't even want to be on another ship that will be in the same port with her. One ship, 5000 passengers; not my cup of tea!

[sabled62]

Much too big. Imagine how long it will take to get off the ship at an island, especially if they have to be tendered to the island. How long to disembark at the end of the cruise. I can imagine the lines at the buffets.

[agabbymama]

5000 people, no thanks. I did the Grand Princess at 2800 and thought it was too large.

 

My next cruise is on the Ocean Princess with only 688 passengers.

[paul929207]

Divide it into about 7 ships & I would love to go on one of them. Keep it as it is and you will never see me on board.

 

I, also, love the "litte girls" in the Princess fleet (Pacific, Royal and Tahitian/Ocean Princesses).

[G'ma]

Not for me.....

 

My future cruises will be based on where this monstrosity is on a given week. She goes East, I go west, etc. I don't even want to be in the same port.

 

I cruise for the sea and the cruise experience...not to go shopping, ride a carousel, zip-line anything nor to shell out $$$$$ for food. If I wanted that kind of a vacation, I'd go to Disneyland.

[Padraic]

5000 people, no thanks. I did the Grand Princess at 2800 and thought it was too large.

 

My thought exactly. My wife and I took the Grand Princess in the Baltic Sea. Never again! My size is HAL's Prinsendam.

 

Padraic

[kitty9]

I choose to live in a very tiny town without a single stop light, so why would I choose to go on a cruise ship that has more people than live in my town? I just do not understand why these cruise lines continue to build such behemoths. And why have so many cruisers become so jaded that they feel they need all that stuff on board a ship? Why can't people be satisfied with the fact that they're on a ship, and why being on a vacation isn't enough without needing rock climbing, ice rinks, outdoor theaters and all of that? Every time I step on board a ship, and not one of those insanely crowded ones, I have the feeling that I'm so terribly lucky just to be on a cruise, any cruise, without the bells and whistles.

 

But perhaps they build them because these cruise lines are run by men, and we all know that some men have this complex of "mine is bigger than yours". Maybe if women ran the cruise industry, ships would be no larger than Celebrity's M class ships.

[Guest TropicOne]

It is not even a cruise ship but a floating hotel/resort.Way to big, just think how much time and distance to get around it.

[lais]

I would rather stay home and enjoy my own beautiful city on the water and I probably wouldn't have to fight as much traffic as the Oaisis. I cruise to enjoy the cruise and get away from the city. Give me a smaller ship anytime.

[debshomespun]

The Oasis will not have any tender stops. They have prepared the docks for this large a ship. On their private island of Labadee, they are in the process of building a dock for the ship because of it's size.

 

I am curious about this ship, and will someday take a cruise on it. After it take a few months to see how things go. It is large, but we have been on the Freedom, with 4000 passengers, and it never seemed crowed.

 

We have also sailed on the HAL Ryndam, with only 1200 passengers, and it was a great cruise too.

 

Different strokes for different folks. To each their own. It does look to be an amazing piece of art, the Oasis!

[TrentS]

Like I said, I'll go on it and see for myself... But all of these same things were said about the Voyager class ships when they were built and it was proven to be nonsense. The Voyager class ships are so well designed you never feel you're on a ship that large, and I'm sure they've designed the Oasis class to be able to handle the crowds.

[househunter]

Can't wait to see it and have a B2B booked for April/May. There are more "free" places to eat on this ship than any other (13) so whoever says you have to pay extra to eat is mistaken. There are also many OPTIONAL places with a surcharge but I don't think you could even get through the free places in a 7 day cruise.

[DireMongoose]

Like I said, I'll go on it and see for myself... But all of these same things were said about the Voyager class ships when they were built and it was proven to be nonsense. The Voyager class ships are so well designed you never feel you're on a ship that large, and I'm sure they've designed the Oasis class to be able to handle the crowds.

 

This I think nails it perfectly to me.

 

That doesn't mean there isn't something to be said for smaller ships or that some people won't prefer them.

[crooser888]

I read an initial review somewhere (Frommer, I think) that except for the main dining room, the buffet and a sandwich/snack bar in the Royal Promenade, everything has a surcharge, including Johnny Rockets, which my kids love. We have stuck to Disney, Holland America and Cunard for our last 15 or so cruises. The Asian restaurant on Oasis even charges for sushi, $1 a piece. All the rest of the restaurant such as steakhouses have surcharges and the ultra top end surcharge restaurant will cost you $35 per person for a tasting menu of five courses, I think. More of the nickel and diming. We'll wait till cruise prices come down but something to try at least once.

[househunter]

I read an initial review somewhere (Frommer, I think) that except for the main dining room, the buffet and a sandwich/snack bar in the Royal Promenade, everything has a surcharge, including Johnny Rockets, which my kids love. We have stuck to Disney, Holland America and Cunard for our last 15 or so cruises. The Asian restaurant on Oasis even charges for sushi, $1 a piece. All the rest of the restaurant such as steakhouses have surcharges and the ultra top end surcharge restaurant will cost you $35 per person for a tasting menu of five courses, I think. More of the nickel and diming. We'll wait till cruise prices come down but something to try at least once.

 

 

That is incorrect. There are 13 free dining venues and 13 more that have a surcharge. There are no other ships that currently have that many free places to eat. Check out the Oasis only thread under RCI's section for all the details and the menus for each of the restaurants.

[househunter]

I read an initial review somewhere (Frommer, I think) that except for the main dining room, the buffet and a sandwich/snack bar in the Royal Promenade, everything has a surcharge, including Johnny Rockets, which my kids love. We have stuck to Disney, Holland America and Cunard for our last 15 or so cruises. The Asian restaurant on Oasis even charges for sushi, $1 a piece. All the rest of the restaurant such as steakhouses have surcharges and the ultra top end surcharge restaurant will cost you $35 per person for a tasting menu of five courses, I think. More of the nickel and diming. We'll wait till cruise prices come down but something to try at least once.

 

 

Just curious, how many free dining venues were there on Disney? We have been on HAL and there is only the main dining room and the buffet.

[jzldy101]

Bigger is not always better, I think I might not experience just imagine the crowds and talking about impatientness,It looks really nice and very good,but this is a little bit much

[crooser888]

Just curious, how many free dining venues were there on Disney? We have been on HAL and there is only the main dining room and the buffet.

 

There is only one dining specialty restaurant, Palo, on the top deck of Disney Magic and Wonder that charged $10 (not sure what it is now). It is Italian food with top quality steaks and seafood, and for adults only. Peace and quiet from 1000+ kids. Yeah, I know, that sounds scary but we did 3 cruises with Disney with our kids at various ages and it never seemed that bad. Besides the Topsiders Buffet, there are three dining rooms that everyone rotates through. They tell you where you are eating on the different days. The food is the same at all three restaurants. What's great is that your waiters follow you from restaurant to restaurant. I don't think they can do As you Wish or Anytime Dining. The restaurants have different names but decorated in French continental style(Lumiere's on the Magic), one Carribbean style called Parrot Cay and one in Black and White called Animators Palate (as the meal progresses, all the black and white walls with various Disney films turns to color by the end of the meal). Still very pricey especially at holidays or spring break but well worth the experience and for the unique shows which can't be seen anywhere else on land. They also have informal places for food like Pinnochio's Pizzeria, Pluto's Dog House for burgers and hot dogs etc.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We are booked on Oasis in December and I am really looking forward to cruising on the innovative ship.

[DireMongoose]

everything has a surcharge, including Johnny Rockets, which my kids love.

 

For what it's worth, the surcharge on existing RCL ships that have a Johnny Rockets is something like $5/person for all you can eat food, and if you're a Crown and Anchor member (i.e., have been on an RCL cruise before) you get a coupon to go once for free.

 

We typically only want to eat at the JR's just the one time per cruise and thus don't end up paying any surcharge at all.

 

I mean, I guess, yeah, that is a surcharge but that one in particular never seemed that big of a deal to me.

[silentbob007]

For what it's worth, the surcharge on existing RCL ships that have a Johnny Rockets is something like $5/person for all you can eat food, and if you're a Crown and Anchor member (i.e., have been on an RCL cruise before) you get a coupon to go once for free.

 

We typically only want to eat at the JR's just the one time per cruise and thus don't end up paying any surcharge at all.

 

I mean, I guess, yeah, that is a surcharge but that one in particular never seemed that big of a deal to me.

 

That coupon is a thing of the past, unfortunately, and has been replaced with buy 1, get 1 milkshakes.

 

I'm sure I'll go on Oasis at some point, but I won't pay a premium to go on her. I will be interested to see the reviews and how long it takes for Royal to shake out the kinks.

 

I would agree that Voyager-class ships usually don't feel too crowded, but when they do, it can get quite bad (dinner, shows let out, tendering, etc).

[Kwaj girl]

We'd rather go on a smaller ship & be a 'name'...not a 'number'. Can't stand the lines, the noise, the kids (no flames, please - just our preference) anymore.