Thoughts on 5/22 Oasis cruise

[Cruising89143]

I am not going to post another review of this cruise as I did back in January for my first Oasis cruise. Just some thoughts.

 

Overall it was a great cruise once again. Sure there were a few areas where things could have been better but overall RCI once again delivered a very good product overall and we came away happy and relaxed.

 

Check-in was once again very quick. We were held up on boarding for about 30 minutes due to a Coast Guard inspection but we were the first to board at about 11:30. Again painless as it was in January.

 

We had close to 5900 on board this sailing. About 250 more than we had in January but the ship seem much more active. Elevators were a little slower this time but still better than the Voyager and Freedom class. My one complaint still stands and that is the folks that will not wait until others step OFF the elevator before trying to board. That irks me more than anything. I had to restrain myself from giving them the shoulder and knocking them on their butt on my way out of the elevator.

 

I did notice that the Oasis of Dreams show has now been expanded to about 45 minutes over the 30-35 minutes show that we saw back in January but the cast has been reduced by about three divers and one gymnast. If you had not seen the show prior, you would never know.

 

As has been posted on the main board, we missed St. Thomas due to a crew member going overboard. I know that some were disappointed but the cruise line what they had to do to insure that they put the life of the crew member first. I believe that most on board understood this.

 

The only place that I had a complaint about the food was the Windjammer. We tried it twice and decided not to go back. They need to work on both the selections and quality. The rest of the dining establishments such as Giovanni's Table, Chops, Seafood Shack and Johnny Rockets were very good including the service.

 

We were able to do a couple of on board tours of the bridge, back stage and also of the galley. Very interesting to see the workings behind the scenes of the worlds largest ship.

 

Entertainment was great once again. We had a complete cast change for Hairspray and Come Fly With Me. They did a great job and one would never know if they had not told us.

 

Prior to the Oasis, we were booked for the third week of January on the Allure. We decided while on the Oasis to make it a back to back. Very easy to navigate and very seldom does it ever feel crowded. Easy on and off in the ports. All of this makes it our favorite class of ship now.

[Cruising89143]

Whoops. I have asked the mods to move this to the Oasis forum.

[bionicman97]

Thanks for the review. Glad it was here as I don't frequent the Oasis forum.

 

Did you feel the food quality in the Windjammer was less than other RCI ships, or are you unhappy with the Windjammer quality in general?

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for the review. Glad it was here as I don't frequent the Oasis forum.

 

Did you feel the food quality in the Windjammer was less than other RCI ships, or are you unhappy with the Windjammer quality in general?

 

We thought that the overall quality of the WJ was not as good as some of the other ships in the fleet. It needs work IMHO.

[czcruiser13]

There were 6 of us on this cruise and we ate at the Windjammer every day and thought it was fine. We also did Johnny Rockets, Izumi, Giovannis, Solarium, Wipeout Cafe. All good. :)

[bionicman97]

We thought that the overall quality of the WJ was not as good as some of the other ships in the fleet. It needs work IMHO.

 

Thanks.

[Aquahound]

Thanks for the review, Gator. :)

[Babyberger]

Cruisingator2 - I am waiting to hear (maybe I missed it) what you thought of the suite this time. I cant remember if you were doing the Sky Loft or Crown Loft. How did it compare to the ATS? And what did you book for Allure?

[Cruising89143]

Cruisingator2 - I am waiting to hear (maybe I missed it) what you thought of the suite this time. I cant remember if you were doing the Sky Loft or Crown Loft. How did it compare to the ATS? And what did you book for Allure?

 

We were in a Crown Loft and loved it. Much nicer than the Aqua Theater suite when it came to the furnishings. The cabin just had a better feel. Even the hallway on deck 17 is twice as wide as the hallways on the other decks. Plenty of space in the cabin for two. I would not go with more than two adults and two small children in this cabin. The bathroom upstairs has the larger shower for two. The bathroom on the lower level is a standard bathroom with a glass shower.

 

For the first week on the Allure, we are booked in the same Crown Loft and on the second week, we are booked in a Sky Loft. The Sky Loft was not available when we booked the second week of the Allure. We are waitlisted but would be happy with the Crown again.:)

[Babyberger]

Looking at the RCI site it looks like the Sky/Crown Lofts are much nicer have more open space. I keep debating switching the ATS we have booked for the Sky Loft.

 

The main reasons I am still leaning towards the ATS is the second bedroom....we will definitely be traveling with my two smaller ones, who will be 6 and 8 and can be in two seperate beds and have thier own space. My older son is not currently booked with us as he will be going off to college that fall, but with the ATS I know I can add him without a problem. Also, after seeing all your pictures of the wrap around deck on the ATS, I really want to be able to experience it at least once.

 

Would you still recommend an ATS or would you suggest we look at changing over to the Sky Loft (if still available)?

[Cruising89143]

I would keep the ATS. I have toured the Sky Loft and even though it will fit four comfortably, the ATS will give you the needed privacy plus that huge balcony. The kids will enjoy watching the shows in the Aqua Theater from their own balcony. :)

[bluegirlum]

Thanks for the review! I actually liked the food in the WJ, but thought the layout was horrible. I really hope they fix that on Allure.

 

I'm sorry that you all were affected by the issue with the crewmember. Terribly sad for everyone.

 

What's the difference between the different loft cabins?

[jlevitt92]

Do you have to pay to take a tour of the bridge?

[Langley Cruisers]

We also liked the food in the WJ; we thought there was a wide variety of choices and something for everyone. I'm sorry but I just don't understand people who say negative things about the WJ buffet. It's totally fine, IMO.

 

However... those going on Oasis and Allure should check out breakfast and lunch in the Solarium Bistro. What a delight! The fruit is more abundant and there is more of it (more varieties, I mean) and they offer turkey bacon and turkey sausages. It's a healthier option with not a danish in sight! Good for those of us who were counting carbs, calories, fat, etc.

[Cruising89143]

We also liked the food in the WJ; we thought there was a wide variety of choices and something for everyone. I'm sorry but I just don't understand people who say negative things about the WJ buffet. It's totally fine, IMO.

 

However... those going on Oasis and Allure should check out breakfast and lunch in the Solarium Bistro. What a delight! The fruit is more abundant and there is more of it (more varieties, I mean) and they offer turkey bacon and turkey sausages. It's a healthier option with not a danish in sight! Good for those of us who were counting carbs, calories, fat, etc.

 

So only your opinion on this board counts. Nice to know.:rolleyes: I guess the rest of us should just shut up and keep our opinions to ourself.

[desertr0se]

I did not care for the food in the dining room or in the Windjammer. We ate once at Chops and that was good. We also dined at Giovannis Italian restaurant. Do not order the shrimp. You have been warned. I think we have been spoiled by Holland America. The food is so wonderful on HAL that other cruise lines just don't measure up. The ship Oasis of the Seas is a beautiful ship but that is about all I can say about it. I did like the ice show and comedy show. Next time, Holland America Line.

 

Oh, and I believe I got food poisoning twice on this ship. One day I threw up twice and couldn't keep anything in my stomach. The next day I was fine and the third day, again I was sick but did not throw up. Just didn't feel 100% and my stomach was gurgling all day.

 

PS: I rarely get sick, I am a very healthy person. This is the first time I have ever been sick on a cruise.

[kokonutkroozer]

We were able to do a couple of on board tours of the bridge, back stage and also of the galley. Very interesting to see the workings behind the scenes of the worlds largest ship.

 

Hi,

 

Are these tours available to the general pubic? Any fees? How would one go about getting in one of these tours? I don't think every cruise line does these consistently- I remember going on a few galley tours in the past, but at least recent NCL cruise did not offer this. I would like to be prepared for our upcoming Oasis cruise. Sounds like you had a great cruise and I do appreciate everyone's individual opinions. Thank you for sharing!

[almondglaze]

Hi,

 

Are these tours available to the general pubic? Any fees? How would one go about getting in one of these tours? I don't think every cruise line does these consistently- I remember going on a few galley tours in the past, but at least recent NCL cruise did not offer this. I would like to be prepared for our upcoming Oasis cruise. Sounds like you had a great cruise and I do appreciate everyone's individual opinions. Thank you for sharing!

 

The backstage tour of the Opal Theatre is free and open to the public. Didn't do the others. The tour is listed on the compass.

[Cruising89143]

Hi,

 

Are these tours available to the general pubic? Any fees? How would one go about getting in one of these tours? I don't think every cruise line does these consistently- I remember going on a few galley tours in the past, but at least recent NCL cruise did not offer this. I would like to be prepared for our upcoming Oasis cruise. Sounds like you had a great cruise and I do appreciate everyone's individual opinions. Thank you for sharing!

 

All of my tours were invites for Diamond Plus and came from the Loyalty Ambassador on board. All were small groups. There is a backstage tour that is for anyone interested. It will be listed in the Cruise Compass.

[ktkcruisers]

We only ate at the WJ a couple of times on the May 8th cruise. The food did not compare to the other venues on board IMHO. Also, one day at breakfast we were searching for a table after we had made our plates. We saw a table with silverware on it but nothing else. We assumed a server put the the silverware there to help out since it was so crowded. After having sat there for at least 5 minutes, a woman ( I will not call her a lady! ) came up and complained very LOUDLY that this was her table. She accused us of having taken her table that had silverware and water glasses on it. There was NO water on the table or we certainly would not have sat down. Her poor husband was clearly embarrassed by her obnoxious behavior. Being the peacemakers we are, we calmly let her know there was no water on the table, but she said we were lying. At that point we gathered all our stuff: food, water, silverware, emptied butter and jelly packets, etc. and found another table. It was not worth the trouble. I personally would never try to "reserve" a table with silverware, then leave it for at least 5 to 10 minutes to go make my plate, while people have already made their plates and are looking for a place to sit down and eat. We "let it go" pretty quickly and enjoyed our day despite it's beginning. Some people have a sense of entitlement as big as their mouths. My guess is they live their lives like that all the time and are just miserable people always putting themselves ahead of others. A sad way to live indeed! :confused:

[bluegirlum]

We only ate at the WJ a couple of times on the May 8th cruise. The food did not compare to the other venues on board IMHO. Also, one day at breakfast we were searching for a table after we had made our plates. We saw a table with silverware on it but nothing else. We assumed a server put the the silverware there to help out since it was so crowded. After having sat there for at least 5 minutes, a woman ( I will not call her a lady! ) came up and complained very LOUDLY that this was her table. She accused us of having taken her table that had silverware and water glasses on it. There was NO water on the table or we certainly would not have sat down. Her poor husband was clearly embarrassed by her obnoxious behavior. Being the peacemakers we are, we calmly let her know there was no water on the table, but she said we were lying. At that point we gathered all our stuff: food, water, silverware, emptied butter and jelly packets, etc. and found another table. It was not worth the trouble. I personally would never try to "reserve" a table with silverware, then leave it for at least 5 to 10 minutes to go make my plate, while people have already made their plates and are looking for a place to sit down and eat. We "let it go" pretty quickly and enjoyed our day despite it's beginning. Some people have a sense of entitlement as big as their mouths. My guess is they live their lives like that all the time and are just miserable people always putting themselves ahead of others. A sad way to live indeed! :confused:

 

Again, I am one who thought the food in the WJ was good, but food is subjective, and if people don't like it, they don't like it. But I totally agree on how ridiculous it was with table savers. We had something similar happen. They weren't as rude, but still. We usually do it where BF sits at the table and gets our drinks while I get my plate, then he goes up when I get back. It works fine. A few times I had to go get his food b/c people up at the food lines were so rude and wore out his patience! :( I really hope they fix this on Allure.

 

To the poster asking about tours, once you take a certain amount of RC cruises, you reach Diamond/Diamond Plus status, and are invited on special tours, such as the bridge and the galley. After this cruise, I would sign up for the Crown & Anchor Society, which is the "frequent cruiser" program.

[Cruising89143]

What's the difference between the different loft cabins?

 

There are three different type loft cabins on board. The Crown Loft is the smallest at 545 square feet. It has two levels with one bathroom down stairs and one upstairs with a shower for two.

 

The Sky Loft is next in line and is a little larger at 722 square feet with a HUGE balcony. Only two on the ship.

 

The Royal Loft is the largest at 1542 square feet and most expensive cabin on the ship. There is only one Royal Loft suite.

 

All of the Crown lofts are up on deck 17.

[almondglaze]

We ate in the WJ twice - once for lunch and once for breakfast. Food was ok but it was definitely too crowded. My husband loved eating breakfast in the Main dining room. We always got the buffet and the service was great. Such an elegant dining room. He didn't like the Solarium Bistro but that's because he doen't like "healthy" foods. Friends ate lunch there but later said they went in search of some "real food."

[dcporlando]

So only your opinion on this board counts. Nice to know.:rolleyes: I guess the rest of us should just shut up and keep our opinions to ourself.

 

That isn't at all what the person said. The person said that they don't understand the negative comments. Your comment is much closer to what you are accusing him of. You are certainly entitled to your opinion on such a subjective issue, but so are they.

 

I have to agree that I don't understand the negative comments. My previous experience with the Windjammer Cafe was all very positive. I will check it out next week on the Oasis.

[Langley Cruisers]

That isn't at all what the person said. The person said that they don't understand the negative comments. Your comment is much closer to what you are accusing him of. You are certainly entitled to your opinion on such a subjective issue, but so are they.

 

Thank you. :) I meant no malice or anger by my comment, yet seemed to receive it in return. Oh well.