April 17 - 24th, my observations

[bayou cruiser]

Just returned from an awesome week on the Oasis. Here are my impressions. I'll try to cover things that have been asked before and things I noticed have changed from previous reviews. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer.

 

Flew in on Friday and stayed at the Marriott Courtyard Airport and Cruiseport. Used the free shuttle from the airport and to the cruise port. Fast and efficient. Nice hotel for precruise. No restaurants or stores nearby but did order from a pizza delivery place for dinner which was very good. Ate breakfast in morning and took a walk to Bass Pro Shop next door on the morning of the cruise to purchase a case of water to bring along (and DH had to have a couple of Guy Harvey shirts that we don't have locally).

 

Embarkation: arrived at 11:00 and checked in, fastest ever and onboard by 11:30. Our departure was delayed until around 9 p.m. awaiting passengers delayed due to overseas flight cancellations. Never heard if any of those passengers actually made it onboard. Really unfortunate circumstance for all concerned and I hope they get to reschedule.

 

5910 passengers on this sailing. WOW, what a ship. Never felt crowded.

 

Cabin 10329, last balcony overlooking the boardwalk. Great view, no noise and bed by the balcony. Did notice a sewer smell in the hallway a couple of days. Mentioned it to our cabin steward and it was corrected immediately. The air conditioning in this cabin was fine. We did notice during the night that it did seem a little warm but nothing that was unbearable. The one thing that was HOT was the shower. Not sure why but it was hard to get cold water this entire sailing, even in the general restrooms when washing your hands the water was really HOT.

 

I would definitely recommend this cabin. The view was outstanding. We watched the aqua show, the fountain show and the afternoon Nelson Brothers concert from our balcony. We ordered room service for breakfast one day and ate on the balcony and also the day of the concert ordered lunch and ate while watching. Where else can you have a meal (honey stung chicken and caesar salad), and watch a concert from your balcony while floating on a resort in the middle of the caribbean? It was awesome.

 

Food: Johnny Rockets - good burgers, great malts and nice hot breakfast

Seafood Shack - enjoyed the seafood and atmosphere. I ordered the seafood entree for two and thought that would be the entree order for both of us but you each get to order one entree. That's A LOT of food. And the banana split is HUGE. We asked them to make it as small as possible and it was still HUGE. My DH ordered the grilled entree and it was better than the fried.

 

Donut Shop: tried the key lime pie donut - really tart but good and the nutty nugget(sp?) and that was really good.

 

Cupcake Cupboard: Outstanding! red velvet and coconut were the best, turtle looked good but wasn't as good as it looked. I took the cupcake class and made the hamburger and french fries cupcake. Great class for $19.50. Earlier posts may have mentioned a different price that included an apron and other gifts but not on this sailing.

 

Park Cafe: Awesome salads and cuban paninis. Tried the roast beef sandwiches that everyone raves about. The meat was delicious but the bread was covered with a little too much salt for my liking.

 

Dining room: Yes, they have savory bites at dinner and eggs benedict for breakfast in the morning. Food was good, hot and service was outstanding. Best headwaiter we've ever had on any sailing. He was all over the place and interacted with all guests every night.

Do not miss the breakfast on day six in the dining room if you're a chocolate lover. It's chocolate overload and even has a chocolate milkshake.

 

151 Central Park: I can't say enough about this meal. They've changed from menu A and menu B to a totally different menu that is served every night of the cruise. They also no longer offer the $55 wine pairing. It's now only the royal pairing that is $75. We asked to share this pairing and they were fine with that. Our pours were very generous to say the least. Reds are not my DH's favorite and our server brought him pours of the whites when he saw him struggling with the reds. When one of us would finish our pour before the other he'd replenish our pour because "he never likes to see someone drink alone." Amazing service, amazing food and amazing atmosphere. Definitely worth every penny. I'll post the menu and pairings if anyone would like to see it.

 

Solarium Bistro: Ate here for breakfast and it was really nice and light.

 

Shows: Outstanding!!! Tremendous talent at every venue.

 

Sports: Walking track is very nice and everyone was good about moving aside for the runners and faster walkers.

Spin Class is a great workout. Excellent instructors who really push you.

Gym: First rate equipment.

Zipline: Didn't have a reservation but on the last day it's open session from 4 to 6. Had to stand in line for about an hour or so but it was worth it.

Flowrider: Didn't participate but did watch on several occasions. Great talent, especially on the last day where there is a competition.

Putt putt golf: Fun little course. This is the only place where we saw some of the ash that has been discussed here but my DH picked some of it up not knowing what it was and he said it just gave you a better grip on your putter, no worries.

Pools: Our favorite was the beach pool. No problems finding chairs. Only chair hogs we encountered were in the Solarium in the covered chairs. They seemed empty and when you'd go to sit in it, someone would run up from the next covered chair and say it was their chair and that they were just talking with their friends. We'd move on and they'd go right back to sitting and talking with their friends in the next chair.

Pool towels: Easiest thing to do is get two towels per seapass card on the first day. Exchange the towels each evening for two fresh towels. Remember on Friday evening before the kisok closes to turn the towels in and have your seapass cards credited to avoid a charge. We remembered this really late on Friday evening and had to go to guest relations to turn in the towels. No problem, no waiting in the long line at guest relations, the attending took the towels, asked for our cabin number, gave us her card and said she take care of it, which she did.

 

Overall, this was an awesome trip. Royal has definitely taken the best of the best to work on the Oasis. Get out there and enjoy this engineering marvel.

 

If you have any questions, ask away.

[willysgrandma]

Excellent review. Thanks for the information on the restaurants. We have a cabin booked on the Central Park deck and it looks like we may be spending a lot of time at the Park Cafe!

 

Did you purchase any photographs? How did you like the way they do the pictures on the ship?

 

Also - did you do any ship excursions and if so which did you enjoy?

[tarajean1962]

Gosh, I really eat this stuff up! :D Thank you so much for the great review!!

 

Tara

[ChuckL]

Just returned from an awesome week on the Oasis. Here are my impressions. I'll try to cover things that have been asked before and things I noticed have changed from previous reviews. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer.

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151 Central Park: I can't say enough about this meal. They've changed from menu A and menu B to a totally different menu that is served every night of the cruise. They also no longer offer the $55 wine pairing. It's now only the royal pairing that is $75. We asked to share this pairing and they were fine with that. Our pours were very generous to say the least. Reds are not my DH's favorite and our server brought him pours of the whites when he saw him struggling with the reds. When one of us would finish our pour before the other he'd replenish our pour because "he never likes to see someone drink alone." Amazing service, amazing food and amazing atmosphere. Definitely worth every penny. I'll post the menu and pairings if anyone would like to see it.

 

Thanks for your review Bayou Cruiser. I would be very interested in seeing the new menu and pairings for 150 Central Park.

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for your comments and glad that you enjoyed the cruise.:)

[bayou cruiser]

Excellent review. Thanks for the information on the restaurants. We have a cabin booked on the Central Park deck and it looks like we may be spending a lot of time at the Park Cafe!

 

Did you purchase any photographs? How did you like the way they do the pictures on the ship?

 

Also - did you do any ship excursions and if so which did you enjoy?

 

Yes, I purchased two pictures, one from the night we ate at 151 Central Park and one from the second formal night. Loved the way you no longer have to hunt for your pictures.

 

We didn't do any ship excursions. They changed our Nassau day and we went to Nassau on Sunday afternoon. We just walked to the Hilton and enjoyed a little time there and then back onboard. Next time I'd just as soon stay onboard and skip Nassau.

 

In St. Thomas, we took a taxi to Magen's Bay and spent the day at the beach. Taxied back into town for lunch at Cuzzin's, which was delicious local fare and ice cold beer, shopped a little and taxied back to port.

 

In St. Martin, we walked to town from port, shopped and then back onboard to enjoy the ship.

 

We've been to all these ports before and done excursions and so this time the ship really was the draw for us and we weren't disappointed.

[bayou cruiser]

Thanks for your review Bayou Cruiser. I would be very interested in seeing the new menu and pairings for 150 Central Park.

 

Gazpacho, lobster beignet paired with The Stump Jump, Adelaide, Australia

 

Duck Confit, shallot apple compote, brioche crouton, apple syrup, frisee paired with Sancerre Michel Redde, Les Tuilieres, France

 

Basil Dusted Halibut, potato cream, citrus oil paired with Chardonnay Jordan, Sonoma, California

 

Spring Pea Risotto, candied carrot and asparagus paired with Rioja Sierra Cantabria, Spain

 

Steak and Potato, roasted veal tenderloin, pea puree, potato string, cabernet gloss paired with Stark Conde Syrah, Stellenbosch, South Africa

 

Upside Down Peach Cake, raspberry peach sorbet, peach air, crispy butter cookie paired with Veuve Cliquot Brut Yellow Label, France

 

Cheese Selection, which they actually switched and served before the dessert selection while you still had some of the Syrah. (The sheep's cheese paired with the liqueur-soaked berries was phenomenal.)

[horns1165]

How was the motion (if any) compared to other ships?

[bayou cruiser]

Sorry, I didn't edit but it is 150 Central Park. I don't know why all week I called it 151 Central Park and now it's stuck in my head. I forgot to add that the martini special here is not to be missed. Cucumber concoction that is refreshing and I wish they served at every venue on the ship.

 

There was slight motion on one night, can't remember which, but it just lulled you to sleep. I took ginger pills for the first few nights and then stopped because there really was no need. The water on the last two sea days was like glass. Calmest ride we've ever experienced.

 

We talked to our headwaiter about the ride over from the shipyard when they experienced all that bad weather. He said everyone handled it well with minimal damage to some windows and the lifeboats and that it was good training.

 

We talked to LOTS of cruisers on this sailing and the majority said they loved the Oasis and would sail her again and also the Allure. There were some that didn't enjoy the size, the number of people and the diversity, but they were definitely in the minority. With almost 6,000 people onboard you're going to have a variety of opinions.

 

I'll share this story and then I'll stop: Oasis is a wonderful family ship and one memorable moment involved a father and son whom I don't know and unless they read this they won't know I was watching. I was waiting for my husband to come across the zipline. This little boy, maybe 10 or so years old, came across with his eyes wide open and as soon as he was unhooked he ran into his father's arms and shouted, "Thank you so much, Dad, for letting me do this and bringing me on this vacation!" It was so heartfelt that it just touched me for the rest of the trip.

[EMH3kids]

Great review!

 

As far as the spin classes, did you sign up for them soon after getting on board? I hear they fill up fast. Should I go to the gym to sign up? Did you do any other classes?

[bayou cruiser]

Great review!

 

As far as the spin classes, did you sign up for them soon after getting on board? I hear they fill up fast. Should I go to the gym to sign up? Did you do any other classes?

 

Yes, we signed up for the spin class on the first day. They do fill up fast, but if there's no space don't worry, show up at class time if you're free. On both days we participated there were people who didn't show that had signed up. We didn't do any other classes.

[Windy56]

Thank you so much for a really informative review of your cruise. The tip about the towels is a great one...really simplifies things. Glad you had such a great trip and I really found the story about the little boy heartwarming. Moments like that really do stick with you for a long, long time.

 

My husband and I are going on the Oasis in the first week in August. We love to dance foxtrots, waltzes and rhumbas, that sort of thing. Any venues for it on the Oasis? Someone metnioned Dazzles, I think it was, as a place that plays the Sinatra or Tony Bennet type of music. Would appreciate any info on this that you could share.

[Needzavacation]

One note about the photos -- we were on the same cruise, and all photos were 20% off on Wednesday.

[willysgrandma]

How much was open in Nassau on Sunday? I've heard many stories that not much is open on Sundays.

[burritto]

Great review!! It's cool seeing the new 150 Park menu. My DW is a bit of a picky eater, so fixed menus aren't usually her thing, but the menu you posted is right up her alley. Thank you!!

[bayou cruiser]

Thank you so much for a really informative review of your cruise. The tip about the towels is a great one...really simplifies things. Glad you had such a great trip and I really found the story about the little boy heartwarming. Moments like that really do stick with you for a long, long time.

 

My husband and I are going on the Oasis in the first week in August. We love to dance foxtrots, waltzes and rhumbas, that sort of thing. Any venues for it on the Oasis? Someone metnioned Dazzles, I think it was, as a place that plays the Sinatra or Tony Bennet type of music. Would appreciate any info on this that you could share.

 

I think Dazzles will be your best bet. Went there twice but it was for the Michael Jackson tribute night and the disco night. I know there were dance classes in Boleros at certain times but I don't remember what type of dance. I'll check over the compasses and post if I find anything.

[pabrett46]

Thanks for the great review? How was the weather while you were on the ship. Every time I checked things out on the webcam it looked like it was raining. Was it raining as much as it seemed? Perhaps the webcam was deceiving.

 

The story about the boy and his father was very touching.. thanks for sharing.

 

D

[pabrett46]

Thanks for the great review? How was the weather while you were on the ship. Every time I checked things out on the webcam it looked like it was raining. Was it raining as much as it seemed? Perhaps the webcam was deceiving.

 

The story about the boy and his father was very touching.. thanks for sharing.

 

D

Sorry.. the first line shouldn't have been a question.. "thanks for a great review should have been !"

[bayou cruiser]

How much was open in Nassau on Sunday? I've heard many stories that not much is open on Sundays.

 

Everything in the straw market and the surrounding area seemed to be open in Nassau. Did notice a few venues right at the port that were closed. We walked from the port to the Hilton and back and I'd say 80 percent of what I saw in that distance was open, long lines at Starbucks, more taxi and tour operators than you could count and mopeds everywhere.

[bayou cruiser]

Thanks for the great review? How was the weather while you were on the ship. Every time I checked things out on the webcam it looked like it was raining. Was it raining as much as it seemed? Perhaps the webcam was deceiving.

 

The story about the boy and his father was very touching.. thanks for sharing.

 

D

 

It rained the morning we were in St. Thomas until about lunchtime and then it was beautiful. It rained buckets the night we watched the Oasis of Dreams. I mean rained so hard that they were going to cancel the show but people were packed in their seats covering themselves with pool towels, not leaving. We were on our balcony and I couldn't believe it. Men in suits and women in beautiful dresses just having left dinner and they waited getting soaked. The rain slacked just as the show started. I think those were the only two days that we had rain that I can remember but it was overcast at times.

[pabrett46]

Hi,

 

Well I am glad to hear it. It's hard to tell sometimes.. unless it's sunny. I'm happy to know that despite the weather people had fun.

 

Thanks for the update.

D

[bluegirlum]

Thanks so much for the review. We'll be on Oasis in 19 days. I'm so excited!

[wrk2cruisesoon]

I made reservations for 150 on our June 26th trip. When I made the reservations online I was charged the $30 a person fee but I have read many people talk about the wine pairing. Is that something you agree to when you sit down at the restaurant or is there a way to book that before hand? It sounds great especially to go with some food that I would not normally try!

 

Thanks

[markeb]

I made reservations for 150 on our June 26th trip. When I made the reservations online I was charged the $30 a person fee but I have read many people talk about the wine pairing. Is that something you agree to when you sit down at the restaurant or is there a way to book that before hand? It sounds great especially to go with some food that I would not normally try!

 

Thanks

 

The wine pairing is available when you begin your meal. As the OP stated, the pourings are very generous (as were the food servings), and there are 6 of them. We didn't know they'd let us share when we ate there, and I didn't expect 6 full glasses. If they will let you split, seriously consider it.

[BrianAlt]

The wine pairing is available when you begin your meal. As the OP stated, the pourings are very generous (as were the food servings), and there are 6 of them. We didn't know they'd let us share when we ate there, and I didn't expect 6 full glasses. If they will let you split, seriously consider it.

 

Thanks for the info. Now I'm REALLY looking forward to my dinner there.