Oasis review-sort of

[mation101]

Its been almost a week since we left the Oasis, I usually write a pretty good review after a cruise, but this time I have been procrastinating.

 

See the problem is I didnt LOVE this cruise, and I didnt HATE it either. It was just a cruise.

 

I think the ship is way to big, however I do like the size of the Freedom class ships. After going over why I think the Oasis is to big I came to the conclusion that there is no sense of community. Its like a big city compared to a small town. On other cruises there are one or two "hubs" where the action is, on Oasis it seemed like things were scattered around so you didnt ever feel like you were part of something. The pools are so separated that you only get to see whats happening in your little area, if they do something at the sports pool and you are at the beach pool, you would have to get up and possibly loose your seat to see whats going on over there. You cant even see across to the pool on the other side because the divide for central park.

 

The promenade was nice but the shops were nothing to mention. The wow sales were pretty much the same as all ships. The pub was bigger than others but basically the same, Mark the waiter was a hoot and we stopped by every day to see him.

 

Central Park is beautiful, and a nice concept, but there is nothing to do there, there is a small outdoor bar and the restaurants, but other than that I thought it felt closed in because of the several decks of balconies on either side.

 

Boardwalk a cute idea but seemed very under-utilized. Unless you were going to J.Rockets or to a Aqua show there wasnt much reason to go out there, and again it is flanked by several decks of balconies.

 

We ate at the MDR, Chops, Giovannis (lunch), and the Solarium Bistro. Really liked all the food, Giovannis gets some bad reviews, but for lunch we really liked it, the antipasti is super good with fresh sliced prosciutto, the pastas were also very good. Chops was usual chops food. But our favorite specialty restaurant and the best kept secret on the Oasis is the Bistro. It is dubbed as healthier fare, but dont let that scare you, it is amazing. I got the lamb and DH got the bison fillet. Two of the best pieces of meat we have ever had on a ship or anywhere for that matter. The dessert was also really good. The Park Cafe has good b-fasts and lunches, the roast beef sandwich is good, but only got it once. The windjammer was a real disappointment, the food wasnt very good, and the stations didnt make sense, there wasnt one for salads, one for hot food, one for sandwiches, the food was kind of all over the place.

 

Didnt see any entertainment because we were put off by the reservation thing, and we are not much for shows anyway.

 

I did the zip line and flowrider the first day. Zip line was fun but once was enough. I really liked the flowrider, but was a little sore the next day, so I was going to do it again at the end of the cruise, but the second day a girl broke her leg in 3 places and had to fly home from St. Maarten to have surgery, that made me not want to try it again. We did the rock wall the last day, but we were so sore and tired from everything else we had done that week, that neither of us made it to the top.

 

We had an Jr Suite ocean view. It was bigger than other JS's weve had, tons of storage, loved the interactive TV's, and the bed was super comfy.

 

I couldnt imagine having a central park or boardwalk balcony. First you can not see the ocean, and the worst part is they are so close to the balconies across the way that if gives an apartment building feel. If you do anything on your balcony not only can the people across see you but people in the public areas at the ends can see all the balconies. While at the zip line I watched a couple eat breakfast on their balcony. While in the concierge one night a little boy (7-8yrs) was out on his balcony as his mom stripped off his swim suit, and he stood there in the buff so all to see. Not very private.

 

All in all it was a nice trip, but unless the fares go WAAYYYY down I have no desire to do the Oasis or Allure again, they really dont offer much more than the Freedom class.

[mation101]

I forgot to add that the gym was also really bad, it was small dark and felt like a complete afterthought.

[MelissaE1]

Thanks for the review. We are going on Oasis in November, and enjoy reading everyone's impressions of the ship, both positive and constructive. It helps to have different perspectives. Can't wait to form my own impression as well... it will be much larger than any ship I've ever been on and we are expecting a different experience than we are used to. Pretty sure my teen and preteen are going to love it, and hopefully DH and I will, too. Looking forward to finding out! :)

[catlady27]

Its been almost a week since we left the Oasis, I usually write a pretty good review after a cruise, but this time I have been procrastinating.

 

See the problem is I didnt LOVE this cruise, and I didnt HATE it either. It was just a cruise.

 

I think the ship is way to big, however I do like the size of the Freedom class ships. After going over why I think the Oasis is to big I came to the conclusion that there is no sense of community. Its like a big city compared to a small town. On other cruises there are one or two "hubs" where the action is, on Oasis it seemed like things were scattered around so you didnt ever feel like you were part of something. The pools are so separated that you only get to see whats happening in your little area, if they do something at the sports pool and you are at the beach pool, you would have to get up and possibly loose your seat to see whats going on over there. You cant even see across to the pool on the other side because the divide for central park.

 

The promenade was nice but the shops were nothing to mention. The wow sales were pretty much the same as all ships. The pub was bigger than others but basically the same, Mark the waiter was a hoot and we stopped by every day to see him.

 

Central Park is beautiful, and a nice concept, but there is nothing to do there, there is a small outdoor bar and the restaurants, but other than that I thought it felt closed in because of the several decks of balconies on either side.

 

Boardwalk a cute idea but seemed very under-utilized. Unless you were going to J.Rockets or to a Aqua show there wasnt much reason to go out there, and again it is flanked by several decks of balconies.

 

We ate at the MDR, Chops, Giovannis (lunch), and the Solarium Bistro. Really liked all the food, Giovannis gets some bad reviews, but for lunch we really liked it, the antipasti is super good with fresh sliced prosciutto, the pastas were also very good. Chops was usual chops food. But our favorite specialty restaurant and the best kept secret on the Oasis is the Bistro. It is dubbed as healthier fare, but dont let that scare you, it is amazing. I got the lamb and DH got the bison fillet. Two of the best pieces of meat we have ever had on a ship or anywhere for that matter. The dessert was also really good. The Park Cafe has good b-fasts and lunches, the roast beef sandwich is good, but only got it once. The windjammer was a real disappointment, the food wasnt very good, and the stations didnt make sense, there wasnt one for salads, one for hot food, one for sandwiches, the food was kind of all over the place.

 

Didnt see any entertainment because we were put off by the reservation thing, and we are not much for shows anyway.

 

I did the zip line and flowrider the first day. Zip line was fun but once was enough. I really liked the flowrider, but was a little sore the next day, so I was going to do it again at the end of the cruise, but the second day a girl broke her leg in 3 places and had to fly home from St. Maarten to have surgery, that made me not want to try it again. We did the rock wall the last day, but we were so sore and tired from everything else we had done that week, that neither of us made it to the top.

 

We had an Jr Suite ocean view. It was bigger than other JS's weve had, tons of storage, loved the interactive TV's, and the bed was super comfy.

 

I couldnt imagine having a central park or boardwalk balcony. First you can not see the ocean, and the worst part is they are so close to the balconies across the way that if gives an apartment building feel. If you do anything on your balcony not only can the people across see you but people in the public areas at the ends can see all the balconies. While at the zip line I watched a couple eat breakfast on their balcony. While in the concierge one night a little boy (7-8yrs) was out on his balcony as his mom stripped off his swim suit, and he stood there in the buff so all to see. Not very private.

 

All in all it was a nice trip, but unless the fares go WAAYYYY down I have no desire to do the Oasis or Allure again, they really dont offer much more than the Freedom class.

 

I said pretty much the same thing in my review. It was a cruise and while I LOVED the CL Suite and having two Flowriders, the rest felt very cramped and small because it was all facing inward on the ship and had not much to do with being on the ocean. Yes, it is a beautiful ship, but as you said, you don't get that community feel.

 

Also, we met Mike (it was his brother's girlfriend who broke her leg on the Flowrider) and according to Mike, they had rented out the Flowrider for an hour and everyone was horsing around and there were too many of them on there at once and, well, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Now, that is not to say that you can't get hurt because Frank jacked up his knee on Monday during our private lessons and is getting an MRI soon to see what damage he caused. However, I will be purchasing a board for us to use on our next cruise, on the Freedom :D

[Puffinater]

It is good to read all reviews and take away the good and bad from each. We will be deciding if the Oasis is too big for us in a couple weeks. Thanks for the review.

[mation101]

Catlady, thanks for the story on the girl who broke her leg, I heard they had rented it but didnt hear the part about horsing around, I might have tried it again had i known that, but I also jammed my leg into the back wall and bruised my knee on day one, so with that and hearing the story about her leg, I was a little leery. The boss would not be too happy if I came home on crutches.

 

We liked the CL too, but ended up with the same group of ladies every night, no matter how hard we tried to not sit with them they basically insisted. They were nice enough but critical of everyone that walked in the door, it drove us nuts. Luckily our bro & sis in law would come in and rescue us from them after about an hour.

[catlady27]

Catlady, thanks for the story on the girl who broke her leg, I heard they had rented it but didnt hear the part about horsing around, I might have tried it again had i known that, but I also jammed my leg into the back wall and bruised my knee on day one, so with that and hearing the story about her leg, I was a little leery. The boss would not be too happy if I came home on crutches.

 

We liked the CL too, but ended up with the same group of ladies every night, no matter how hard we tried to not sit with them they basically insisted. They were nice enough but critical of everyone that walked in the door, it drove us nuts. Luckily our bro & sis in law would come in and rescue us from them after about an hour.

 

They probably dogged Frank and I because several times we showed up in either shorts or a swimsuit to ask Natalia either a question or to help us with something and on the last day Frank was sitting in the CL and someone said they couldn't serve him in shorts so he went and got his own beer :D

[CP3o]

 

Also, we met Mike (it was his brother's girlfriend who broke her leg on the Flowrider) and according to Mike, they had rented out the Flowrider for an hour and everyone was horsing around and there were too many of them on there at once and, well, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Now, that is not to say that you can't get hurt because Frank jacked up his knee on Monday during our private lessons and is getting an MRI soon to see what damage he caused. However, I will be purchasing a board for us to use on our next cruise, on the Freedom :D

 

Do you know if she was standing? I was hoping staying on knees would make it safer but this report does scare me a bit about trying it myself or encouraging my kids to try it.

[catlady27]

Do you know if she was standing? I was hoping staying on knees would make it safer but this report does scare me a bit about trying it myself or encouraging my kids to try it.

 

From what Mike said, they were not on either a boogie board or a surfboard, but body surfing and there were about 5 of them on there at once which is when it went horribly wrong :(

 

I have been on three cruises with Flowriders and while YES, it can hurt if you fall wrong, I recommend the lessons and talk to the sports staff, they are a GREAT group of people and more than willing to help you. The one thing they told me that has helped me is "don't fight it when you feel you are falling, just sit down" and that little bit of advice has kept me from getting hurt every time. I must say, I was doing quite well this last cruise :D

[Cheerysmom]

Thanks for your review . .. I also got off the Oasis recently and I didn't write a review because I couldn't put into words why I wasn't impressed. But now, after thinking about it I think I can.

 

I felt stressed-out on the Oasis. I love the shows - and I was always stressed out - Having reservations for everything made me watch the clock all the time. We missed one our reservations to the comedy club (something else ran overtime) and we tried several times to get in on "standby" and couldn't. We finally did - and it was worth it - but I was stressed. All of the shows were really excellent.

 

I agree with you about the gym . .. not layed out very well . .. although they have the newest models of all equipement - Including spin bikes WITH clips -

 

I don't think I went into any store on the Boardwalk - nothing of interest for me. and the Promanade was only moderately more interesting. We went to the promanade primarily to hear the wonderful classcial guitarist play .. boy, he was good.

 

I really did not like having to go through the casino to get to most of the entertainment - Studio B, Jazz and Comedy Clubs and Blaze (diamond overflow lounge). It was so smoky on the starboard side of the casino that I choked every time I had to wind my way through the tables. The starboard side was the only way to get through. It got so we were finding ways around the ship through stateroom hallways to avoid the smoke and crowds. What's wrong with that picture??

 

And why oh why is the Schooner lounge in the upper balcony of the promande? Terrible place for it. On every other ship I have ever been on the Schooner lounge was the "place to meet" the "place to be" "the Place to grab a drink on the way to the theater" . . .. I couldn't even find it the first two days . ... weird. It is not on the way to anything ....

 

The Windjammer was very very small. I had heard that this was planned because they had so many alternatives for restaurants. But everyone seemed to go there anyway. I went there to grab a quick bowl of cereal before spin class and couldn't find a place to sit down.

 

I enjoyed the week, but not as much as I had hoped. The staff was wonderful, the food was good - Chops was outstanding. But, I had another week scheduled on the Oasis with the girls - and changed ships. I just didn't want to do that again. But, glad I did it once.

 

Cheers,

Paula

[catlady27]

I felt stressed-out on the Oasis. I love the shows - and I was always stressed out - Having reservations for everything made me watch the clock all the time. We missed one our reservations to the comedy club (something else ran overtime) and we tried several times to get in on "standby" and couldn't. We finally did - and it was worth it - but I was stressed. All of the shows were really excellent.

 

I enjoyed the week, but not as much as I had hoped. The staff was wonderful, the food was good - Chops was outstanding. But, I had another week scheduled on the Oasis with the girls - and changed ships. I just didn't want to do that again. But, glad I did it once.

 

Cheers,

Paula

 

Very well put and that is how I felt, rushed, stressed, trying to go everywhere and do everything and then having all the scheduled shows. The ONLY two we saw were the comdey club and Splish Splash. The rest of the shows we just decided not to bother with.

 

I just didn't come away with that WOW feeling that I had on the Freedom. I also agree that I am glad we went once.:)

[mation101]

I agree about the schooner bar not only is it tucked away on deck 6 it is also open to the promenade below so you get alot of background noise from other venues downstairs.

 

It would be nice if they could have put the gym out on the boardwalk with big windows instead of forward on 6. Speaking of the boardwalk, what is with the donut shop out there??? I never saw anyone getting a donut from there, and they seemed to be the same donuts you get anywhere else on the ship, really wasted space!!

[Cruising89143]

The Schooner was one of my favorite spots on the Oasis. Loved the location. A great place to sit and look down on the RP.

 

Also, there is a hallway on each side of the casino that led to Studio B, Jazz on 4 and Blaze. One side had the discs that lined the wall(starboard) and the other hall (port) had the automated blackjack machines and the story of gambling (Hall of Odds) lining the walls. One could also take the RP to the front stairs and go down to this area without walking through the casino.

 

Oasis is not for everyone and one thing RCI has is plenty of different class ships to meet everyone's needs.

[Alamogirl]

I have been reading various reviews and now have mixed feelings. My DH and I booked the New Years cruise thinking it would be a great way to bring in the New Year, expecially since we have had a rough 1 1/2 years due to my having 2 surgeries.

 

Been trying to list all the pros and cons to see which wins but gave up, decided to take the good with the bad as any cruise is better then being on dry land:)

 

Hopefully my post cruise review will be positive:)

[bionicman97]

Thanks for the review. Your perspective made lot of sense.

[Hotelfixer]

Thanks for the review. I was on her about a month ago. I wrote one and rewrote it several times. I did not post it. It just seemed to have a negative theme to it and I didn't want to leave that impression. It is beautiful no doubt but as two of you have said, it didn't have that welcome home feeling anywhere. Service was always good. Food was pretty much the same as all RCCL cruises.

 

I too hated the reservation systems for everything. With six thousand passengers why in the world would you build a comedy club that only seats one hundred people? The jazz club only held 80. Although that didn't seem to be an issue with the quality of entertainment playing for our cruise. Nice people but young, very young. I doubt they were legal drinking age. I honestly couldnt tell when they changed songs because they repeated the same melody section on every song. Now you see why I didn't post mine?

 

I was bummed out that there are more places that you have to pay to eat than places included. I too agree the soliarium bistro was a gem. But as things go, they have eliminated it from the Allure. Some might say because it was to popular and free. The seafood shack was omg awful. Deep fried everything served on paper ... I wasn't impressed. Loved the roast beef sand at central park. But I agree that concept is silly ..... its just more shops I never went into. There is no airflow because its closed in. In the hot sun it didn't invite me to stay around.

 

Loved the globe and Atlas. I thought placement of the diamond lounge was brilliant. Building your own pizza at Sorentto's was nice. But for my money, I am going back to the Freedom. Lines lines everywhere was a line. I even stood in line to buy a cup of icecream for 5 bucks that was half melted. I am glad I am not the only one that felt that way.

Gregg

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for the review. I was on her about a month ago. I wrote one and rewrote it several times. I did not post it. It just seemed to have a negative theme to it and I didn't want to leave that impression. It is beautiful no doubt but as two of you have said, it didn't have that welcome home feeling anywhere. Service was always good. Food was pretty much the same as all RCCL cruises.

 

I too hated the reservation systems for everything. With six thousand passengers why in the world would you build a comedy club that only seats one hundred people? The jazz club only held 80. Although that didn't seem to be an issue with the quality of entertainment playing for our cruise. Nice people but young, very young. I doubt they were legal drinking age. I honestly couldnt tell when they changed songs because they repeated the same melody section on every song. Now you see why I didn't post mine?

 

I was bummed out that there are more places that you have to pay to eat than places included. I too agree the soliarium bistro was a gem. But as things go, they have eliminated it from the Allure. Some might say because it was to popular and free. The seafood shack was omg awful. Deep fried everything served on paper ... I wasn't impressed. Loved the roast beef sand at central park. But I agree that concept is silly ..... its just more shops I never went into. There is no airflow because its closed in. In the hot sun it didn't invite me to stay around.

 

Loved the globe and Atlas. I thought placement of the diamond lounge was brilliant. Building your own pizza at Sorentto's was nice. But for my money, I am going back to the Freedom. Lines lines everywhere was a line. I even stood in line to buy a cup of icecream for 5 bucks that was half melted. I am glad I am not the only one that felt that way.

Gregg

 

Solarium Bistro was only free for breakfast and lunch. That option is staying on the Allure. It is only dinner that will change and there is a charge for that on Oasis.

[Denese96]

 

...there is a hallway on each side of the casino that led to Studio B, Jazz on 4 and Blaze. One side had the discs that lined the wall(starboard) and the other hall (port) had the automated blackjack machines and the story of gambling (Hall of Odds) lining the walls. One could also take the RP to the front stairs and go down to this area without walking through the casino....

 

Thank goodness there are alternate routes to reach the entertainment. I panicked when I read it was one way through the smoke.

 

I agree that all ships are not for all people. I loved the Jewel and want to go on her again. The Freedom's layout was magnificent but I did not get the "cozy community" feel and still had a wonderful time. I suspect as ships get bigger ( I dare not ask how much bigger can they get?<G>) we will lose some friendliness. I totally do more than my part to keep that fun part of cruising on the increase.

 

Thanks for all the observations about the Oasis. I'll be checking her out in a month.

 

Natalie

 

PS I am extra excited about the Boardwalk balcony and promise not to do anything that I do not want the whole ship to know about on it!

[SailingDeanna]

Thanks so much for your review. I enjoyed it. I will be sailing her in a little over a week. I think a lot of cruise critic people are hesitant to post a review about Oasis that doesn't say you absolutely loved it. People can start flaming quickly! Thanks so much for this very honest review!