We just saw Oasis of the Seas depart Port Everglades

[alreadypacked]

My husband & I live in Dania Beach (The town just south of Ft. Lauderdale). We went to the Dania Pier to get a good view of the ship leaving the port.

 

A Holland America ship pulled out first, then the Emerald Princess, then Oasis. The size difference was amazing. It's a beautiful ship, no doubt, but I'm sure we'll be sticking with Carnival (or at least the regular RCCL ships) unless the prices drop significantly, which I sincerely doubt. On Carnival, you just get more bang for your buck.

 

I especially like that the Carnival MDR food is quite good and doesn't cost a dime extra. I have been on RCCL twice and find their MDR food to be not nearly as good as Carnival's.

 

Check out this Oasis restaurants chart:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Oasis_Restaurants.pdf

[Cruzaholic41]

I'm actually impressed by that restaurant chart. 13 of those venues are free.

 

I had a chance to tour this ship. She really is spectacular. Like most ships, folks shouldn't be so quick to judge just based on readings. They really did a great job designing this ship.

 

By the way, I was a skeptic for a while also.

[alreadypacked]

I agree--no doubt the ship is spectacular. While I'd love to go on Oasis, the current pricing is just way more than we would want to spend for one cruise. We could probably take 2 Carnival cruises for the price of one Oasis cruise. :eek: We usually vacation 2-3 times a year.

 

I know there are many free dining venues, but I'm sure we wouldn't be sailing on Oasis and not sample the other restaurants. So, definitely, our bill would be a lot higher than on Carnival (or other RCCL ships). Not knocking it--just saying that the price is too high for me. :)

[dclark]

RCL pricing is just too high for us, I think they are bit too proud of their fleet! Last June, for the price of an inside room on the Freedom of the Seas, all four of us were able to cruise the same week on the Valor, then my daughter and I were able to cruise the Golden Princess to AK a week later and we still had a few hundred $ left over!

Also, the new Oasis, like a super fat person, is really limited in where it can go because it can't fit into most ports. I assume they'll tender in Coco Cay (which is nice) but docking in that special new port in Jamaica? Sorry, but CCL has better port stops.

[alreadypacked]

RCL pricing is just too high for us, I think they are bit too proud of their fleet! Last June, for the price of an inside room on the Freedom of the Seas, all four of us were able to cruise the same week on the Valor, then my daughter and I were able to cruise the Golden Princess to AK a week later and we still had a few hundred $ left over!

Also, the new Oasis, like a super fat person, is really limited in where it can go because it can't fit into most ports. I assume they'll tender in Coco Cay (which is nice) but docking in that special new port in Jamaica? Sorry, but CCL has better port stops.

 

I hear you. In 2006, my husband (then, boyfriend) and I went on a 5 day on Enchantment of the Seas out of Port Everglades and paid more for that 5 day than I have ever paid or a 7 or 8 day cruise on Carnival. Enchantment is a beautiful ship, though, and we had a great time, but if he hadn't been paying, I would have said let's cruise Carnival.

[Luke gs Daddy]

You get what you pay for. Go on a budget get a budget product.

Just off Destiny. Good time, food and friendly crew. Wish they would just fix the problem with the engine.

[DeckSwabber]

nevermind the price... it ... is... too... damned...

 

BIG!!!!

 

Everytime my wife and I get ready to book a cruise, we always say "we're gonna check out RCCL this time" and for one reason or another we always book something different. We watched GMA last Friday and while she's a beautiful ship, she appears to be too big for us. I made the comment to my wife yesterday that I feel like I may be turned off completely to RCCL just by watching that piece on GMA. I'm not sure why I feel that way, I just do.

[jordanaire]

It's amazing that when RCL held the contest to name this ship, the public was invited to submit 2 names. I submitted "Oasis of the Seas" and "Allure of the Seas". Guest what they named the 2 new ships? Yep! And I didn't win the contest. Go Figure!

 

:cool:Bill

[chachi]

Thanks for posting the link to the restaurants. I like the variety of dining options. They do seem to have a lot included in the cruise fare.

[71Corvette]

I've seen a few photos and video tours of Oasis and it looks like a magnificent ship, absolutely beautiful. It would be fun to sail on her, but we'll be waiting until the fares come down.

 

RCL pricing is just too high for us, I think they are bit too proud of their fleet!

 

:confused: That makes no sense. It has NOTHING to do with them being too proud of their fleet and EVERYTHING to do with supply and demand. If people weren't willing to pay that price, RCL would be forced to lower them. They aren't lowering their prices (at least not significantly) so guess what? That means people are willing to pay the price.

 

 

I don't understand why RCL pricing continues to be such an obsession on this board. :rolleyes:

[7thheavengtr]

some good point here

 

however i can tell you the size factor actually HELPS the cruise experience... when you have a larger ship the dispersion of people into different rooms full of activities is a much better experience... one would think that with a larger ship with so many people there would be lines everywhere.. but actually the opposite.. when you have a large ship with many live venues having activities you have people going in different directions and a good balance of people...

 

i do agree that royal is a little steep in prices right now and think they need to adjust after the honeymoon of the oasis settles... time will tell on that...

 

as for the different dining options with extra fees on a few of them ask yourself this... how many options do you have for a QUALITY dinner on most ships... maybe 3... dining room, supper club (which is a extra charge on all similar types of ships) or the buffet (which on carnival is the same meal thats served on the dining room, but it's now in a buffet.. how clever).. so i welcome the extra options and i would be willing to try a couple.. on a side note,.. the food we had in the windjammer cafe (the buffet) on RCCL was better than most ships dining room food i have had

 

but the voyager and freedom class ships are the best buys and biggest bang for the buck in my opinion.. radiance class is best for alaska cruises...

[big al]

nevermind the price... it ... is... too... damned...

 

BIG!!!!

 

Everytime my wife and I get ready to book a cruise, we always say "we're gonna check out RCCL this time" and for one reason or another we always book something different. We watched GMA last Friday and while she's a beautiful ship, she appears to be too big for us. I made the comment to my wife yesterday that I feel like I may be turned off completely to RCCL just by watching that piece on GMA. I'm not sure why I feel that way, I just do.

 

READ THE REVIEWS-NOBODY says she's too big..almost ALL agree she's amazing....and MG,is everybody ONLY concerned with $$?? My father if he was alive, would say.."don't be cheap on vacations-be cheap at home" and that's what I do...cheap is NOT an attractive trait...nobody says "Mom & Dad,I 've met a guy who's wonderful-he's nice,good-looking,has a great job,AND he's cheap!!!" Yet,we all make comparisons ONLY by the almighty $$....now,if you are poor,or have 4 kids,or you have huge payments on your house,car,kids expenses,etc.,that's different..many of my friends are just CHEAP.Cheap is when you can afford something,but choose not to....I've been on 25 cruises,6 CCL,9 RCI,4 NCL,etc...I do not choose my cruises ONLY by $$..the CCL ships are not even close to the Freedom/Radiance class ships IMO...we choose CCL because we like the itinerary,ALONG with the price...if it's a huge difference (like $800-1000 for both of us),we'll choose the better deal...we cruised the Destiny in Sept. because we wanted to see Grand Turk and I love HMC...it was ok,the ship needed some work-A/C was THE NOISIEST ever in ANY cabin OR room I've ever slept in...balcony in a Mini suite was pretty tight...food hit & miss..but honestly I'm diabetic,so food is not that important to us...the Navigator's 4-5 night cruises are a ton better and yes,more $$..but it should be -it's a much nicer ship....

[halos]

I especially like that the Carnival MDR food is quite good and doesn't cost a dime extra. I have been on RCCL twice and find their MDR food to be not nearly as good as Carnival's.

 

Check out this Oasis restaurants chart:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Oasis_Restaurants.pdf

 

 

I know it may sound silly, but despite the added charges, I like having those OPTIONS as far as dining goes, especially on long cruises.

[misguidedangel]

I got an email from cruiser I have been keeping up with since Sept 08. She will be on the next sailing of the Oasis. I was in shock when I found out how much she paid for a solo OV cabin on the lowest deck of the ship...OMG, she paid $2700!!!!!!! Good grief, for less than $200 more you can get the Spa Suite on the Splendor or a Cat 11 on any carnival ship!!!!!!! A decent balcony cabin can be had for under $1800 on most Destiny class ships!!!!

 

Amazing what people will do to sail on a ship like that...Sorry, I will NOT be sailing on that ship, ever...

[janetz]

I got an email from cruiser I have been keeping up with since Sept 08. She will be on the next sailing of the Oasis. I was in shock when I found out how much she paid for a solo OV cabin on the lowest deck of the ship...OMG, she paid $2700!!!!!!! Good grief, for less than $200 more you can get the Spa Suite on the Splendor or a Cat 11 on any carnival ship!!!!!!! A decent balcony cabin can be had for under $1800 on most Destiny class ships!!!!

 

Amazing what people will do to sail on a ship like that...Sorry, I will NOT be sailing on that ship, ever...

 

 

Well first off she is a solo cruiser and pays more. Second, the ships sailings for the first few months are very high. It is a brqand NEW ship. We have an oceanview in Oct and paid less than 2000 total for the two of us. What will people do to sail a ship like that? Save their money? You are comparing Carnival to RCCL. RCCL is quality. Carnival is not. :)

[halos]

You are comparing Carnival to RCCL. RCCL is quality. Carnival is not. :)

 

That's your perspective....it is not by any means a fact.

[janetz]

:D Popcorn, anyone?

[tntornadox]

You are comparing Carnival to RCCL. RCCL is quality. Carnival is not. :)

 

Indeed, there is no comparison between the two- one operates cruise ships while the other operates floating shopping malls... ;)

[cschultz]

Is this massive ship causing traffic nightmares at the port? We will be on the Freedom in March, and I just wondered what the traffic/taxi situation would be like, with all these added passengers.

[NH Cruisers]

I am looking forward to the day I book a cruise on the Oasis. I will base my opinion of it on MY experience. If I listened to half the folks on these boards I would never have booked Carnival for February. In the past I have sailed RCI and Princess, Princess folks hated RCI and vise versa. I personally did'nt notice much different other than Princess single level dinning rooms are dull in comparison to RCI's multi-tiered ones. But that has not stopped me from going with them.

 

 

Also as far as pricing goes, all the cruises I have booked in last few years are way less expensive than in the past.

 

Jon

[hill6]

I didn't realize how expensive the Oasis was compared to Carnival. I just looked at a cruise the same week for Eastern Caribbean for the Oasis and Dream. Both new ships commissioned within days of each other. The Dream was almost $800 less per person. Wow.

[bflohr]

Price of Oasis will come down when novelty wares off

 

The economic principals of supply and demand will eventually come into effect. The Oasis and Allure with 5400 passenger capacities add a lot of supply to the cruise ship vacation supply. Carnival is also adding some new Dream class ships.

In my humble opinion. Once the novelty of the Oasis wares off, the cabin prices will come down. It might take a year or two.

 

Nothing wrong with going now. But, If price is important to you (it is to me), it will should be worth the wait.

[Janespup]

We currently have two cruises booked. A 5 day on Fascination (one of Carnival's smallest ships) and a 7 day on Oasis. Both are ocean facing balcony rooms. We are paying $400 more pp for the 2 extra nights on Oasis, which I think is really reasonable. Why is Oasis so reasonable? We booked 18 months early! So, if anyone is only concerned about price, that is one way to get around it (kind of!)

[Cruisin'Allie]

I'm actually considering a boardwalk balcony on Oasis for Nov 2011 and the price was similar to an aft balcony (extended not wrap) on Dream for same week. The Oasis balc. has great view of ocean plus Aqua Theater. (ocean indirectly of course). It will be a voyage for the ship not the ports tho.

[md10074]

When it gets a little cheaper, I definitely want to sail on her at least once. It looks like a beautiful ship.