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Oasis Review: Thanksgiving cruise

oliviaonthe beach

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oliviaonthe beach

oliviaonthe beach

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Just back from our Oasis of the Seas Thanksgiving cruise! I know if I don’t get a brief review going now I might never do it and I am so indebted to all of you whose reviews I read in the last 2 ½ years since I booked my Oasis cruise. First of all, I am not planning on repeating too much of what others have said. I will emphasize what struck me the most. There is almost nothing negative for me to write.

Embarkation: Getting on the ship was the smoothest and most pleasant of any of my nine previous cruises. (This was my 5th RCL cruise and I have been on Princess, Celebrity, and Carnival lines.) This cruise gives me platinum status, but because the other party we were with were already platinum members we got to sit in the “special” section and have priority boarding with them…very nice start to our vacation.

First impressions: You just cannot describe this ship with words or even photographs. It is a beautiful marvel everywhere you turn. Central Park was truly impressive and we had our first meal there among the trees and a gentle Florida breeze.

Service: Never been so impressed with crew members from the pool attendants to the cruise director staff to guest relations personnel. I can be tough to please in this area and I felt respected and appreciated in every situation I encountered. Highlights though would be “Chito” our cabin attendant who was basically perfect! The D1 balcony cabins (X2) and the Central Park View cabins (X2) were immaculately clean and tidy! We never wanted for ice, towels, etc. He also brought us 4 extra chairs for the 2 balconies so our children could be out there with us. He even brought both couples a bottle of champagne as we celebrated anniversaries on 2 separate days. (That’s more than I can say for my travel agent. Nothing at all from her…never again!)

A brief aside: For those who have recently sailed Oasis and spent time in the Solarium (my favorite place), weren’t you just inspired by “Rafael’s” (pool attendant) amazing smile and positive attitude? His smile and happiness at having the job he had made me realize how attitude makes all the difference in our lives!

Dining: I am not a “foodie”. I was not wowed by the food anywhere on Oasis really, however, it was good and plentiful. I have never been wowed by RCL food. So far, Celebrity wins in that category for me. We ate in the dining room, Giovanni’s Table, Park Café, Sorrentos, Windjammer, Chops, Johnny Rockets, room service and I had the first hamburger I have eaten in years at Wipeout Café. My favorite dining experience overall was the salad bar at the Park Café. I know I am a bit odd though so please take others food advice over mine. I also really loved ordering an International Cheese Plate (extra bleu cheese, please) and having wine and cheese on my balcony. There is probably no ice cream left for the current cruise in the machines by the pools due to the enormous consumption by the two 12 year old boys with us!

Ports: Good choices for this ship. We stayed on the ship in Nassau and this was a very good decision for us. It was as if the ship was all ours! Nice! St. Thomas: took the recommendation of friends who went in July and did the Jost Van dyke excursion. Well worth the cost!!!! An amazing day in so many ways. We don’t usually take ship sponsored excursion but were glad we did this one. St. Maarten: rented a jeep from Hertz and drove around the whole island with kids. Stopped at Maho Beach and Sunset Bar; would have liked to stay longer, but our 22 year old daughter was really freaked out by the warning sign and the planes coming in…I thought it was really really cool! Ate lunch in our favorite café in Grand Case and had a lovely quiet couple of hours on the beach there…a well kept secret from most cruisers. I highly recommend car rental at this port. Orient Beach: water was rough, little nudity= disappointed son. Ha! Ha! Accidentally bought a Cuban cigar for a friend. Is that law still enforced?

Recreation: Son did a Flowrider lesson and was not a natural. Husband got addicted to it on last day. Boys will be boys. Both did zipline and it was a very brief rush for both of them. Most popular activity among our group was ping pong. The sports court was much bigger than I expected and the putt putt course was much smaller and poorly designed.

Entertainment: BEST ever on a cruise ship…not sure how any line can compare with Oasis here. Hairspray was AWESOME!!! My daughter and her friend saw Mosaic in several venues and proceeded to stalk them the rest of the week. Don’t tell their boyfriends! Comedy act: one was good the other okay, but the adults in our group disagreed about which was better…loved the Carnival cruise line jokes! Aqua Show: Please no flaming, but the diving was impressive, the theatrics were weird and bizarre to me. This was my least favorite night of entertainment. We saw a neat show in a small show featuring two prominent cast members from Hairspray and that was truly enjoyable! No casino for us and we went to a wine tasting that was very nice; thought I would go back but never did.

Cabin comments: My DH and I both felt our (Deck 9) D1 balcony cabin was a bit on the small side but it was fine. Plenty of storage space and the configuration was acceptable. I was very pleased with the shaving bar in the shower and the bathroom overall was acceptable. The large balcony and the wonderful stateroom service made up for any complaints we may have had over the size. The children’s CPV cabins were terrific; nice loveseat in the window. No noise or odor issues whatsoever.

Misc. comments: Very neat experience to see Allure of the Seas as we left Port Everglades. She went just a little ways out to see to allow for Oasis to dock and reload and we were very excited to see her as we headed toward the Bahamas. I got some nice photos. Also, the authentic green spaces throughout the ship were quite impressive to me, although it seemed as though some of the plants were not fairing all that well. Bougainvillea was one such species that looked a bit ragged. I think the wind that sometimes whips through Central Park may be a problem. I am no horticulturalist, though. Most of the plants looked great. It is a very peaceful place to rest. Vacationing is hard work! Also, the guests on Oasis were a very diverse group. Every corner of the globe seemed to be represented. I chuckled at how many people had to ask the meaning of the Thanksgiving festivities!

Finally, my biggest fear as I arrived in Fort Lauderdale was that the anticipation that had been building since booking in August 2008 would result in a letdown once on board. Nothing could be further from the truth! This family cruise was worth every penny. It was an early college graduation present for my daughter and her best friend and they had an absolute blast. Furthermore, as we returned from our excursion in St. Thomas, my daughter checked her voicemail and lo and behold a message of acceptance from a prominent law school! How cool is that for me the proud mama and travel planner!!! For all of you thinking of or waiting for your Oasis or Allure cruise, take it from a very particular travel buff, go for it!!!

 

BTW, only negative comment: POOL TOWEL CHECKOUT WAS ANNOYING AND BORDERED ON INSULTING! Seriously, to threaten to charge $25 for a $5 towel after what people pay to sail on this ship really bothers me, but I got over it! :)

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js

js

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Thanks for your review! We are sailing on Oasis in July 2012 (with DCL next year).

Congratulations on your dd's acceptance.

We are sailing in July 2012, for the same reason as you. It is for my dd's HS graduation and my ds's 8th grade graduation. We are finnished with our college tours but have to go back in late Spring for interviews. We will also be taking my dd's bff.

Anyway, like you, I'm really not a foodie (although my family is since we live in NY), but I am BIG on salads.

Where did you get your salad and is it from the same place that all talk about where you can "build your own salad"? I love to have a "bad" salad sometimes (little fattening LOL) and would love to know where you got it. I'll be there every day.

Thanks.

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CariBear Great Review Rare

CariBear

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Thanks for posting your review/thoughts! Sounds like you had a great cruise!! I know what you mean about the anticipation and possibility of being let down as we had also booked over 2 years out. Now it seems like our week aboard Oasis went by too fast!! Sometimes I wish we could turn back time!!

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LisaH

LisaH

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Thanks for your review! We are sailing on Oasis in July 2012 (with DCL next year).

Congratulations on your dd's acceptance.

We are sailing in July 2012, for the same reason as you. It is for my dd's HS graduation and my ds's 8th grade graduation. We are finnished with our college tours but have to go back in late Spring for interviews. We will also be taking my dd's bff.

Anyway, like you, I'm really not a foodie (although my family is since we live in NY), but I am BIG on salads.

Where did you get your salad and is it from the same place that all talk about where you can "build your own salad"? I love to have a "bad" salad sometimes (little fattening LOL) and would love to know where you got it. I'll be there every day.

Thanks.

 

Park Cafe and the dining room has the salads. They were yummy...

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coffeebean

coffeebean

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BTW, only negative comment: POOL TOWEL CHECKOUT WAS ANNOYING AND BORDERED ON INSULTING! Seriously, to threaten to charge $25 for a $5 towel after what people pay to sail on this ship really bothers me, but I got over it! :)

Thank you for your great review. Re: the towel charge...other cruise lines have gone to charging for towels not returned. I think this policy may be in place to attempt to cut down on chair hogs on the pool deck.

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kathyemma

kathyemma

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Thank you for your great review. Re: the towel charge...other cruise lines have gone to charging for towels not returned. I think this policy may be in place to attempt to cut down on chair hogs on the pool deck.
This was such a pain! Just raise the cost of my cruise by $25 and give me a towel. Once I went to return THREE towels, 2 on my card and one on my dd's card - they said we had no towels checked out! So guess someone elses card got hit with a $75 fee!

 

Kathy

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Gail and Ken

Gail and Ken

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Olivia we missed you at the Meet and Mingle and on our Posts.. We also loved the ship and booked the Allure for June 5 2011 and Jan 3rd 2012. We ate breakfast at Johnny Rockets and Lunch at the Park Cafe.. Thought both were very good and hands over the Windjammer which we didn't do at all. Dining room food we found excellent and also enjoyed the wonderful service all around the ship.. Thanks for your review..wish we had met you as we had a really nice group..

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oliviaonthe beach

oliviaonthe beach

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Parddr: Yes, that would have been my DD! How funny that you happened to witness that! Small world...

 

GailEmma: I am very sorry I didn't end up participating in the Meet and Mingle. My gang refused to participate and I didn't want to go alone. I'm glad you had a good time.

 

Oasis Cruisers: Did anyone buy the Thanksgiving cruise video? I hope not. I heard I was prominently featured in the 70s Disco party section. Yikes! I was having a bit too much fun that night...DD and friend were mortified by their mothers!:)

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kalliekae

kalliekae

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Thank you for your review. We are sailing on the Oasis in two weeks and it was very helpful.

 

Congratulations to your dd on her law school acceptance! Our Oasis cruise will be a celebration for our dd who is finishing law school in December. :)

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GoVacation

GoVacation

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Thanks for you review! We are on the Allure in three weeks and 13 of us are booked on the Jost Van Dyke excursion. Can you tell me a bit more about it? What should we take that day? Did you have to wait long while customs was cleared in BVI and what did you do while you were waiting? Any info on the excursion would be great. Thanks!!!

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bobmacliberty "Live from...." Rare

bobmacliberty

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Thanks for posting. We'll be in a similar room situation on an upcoming Allure cruise...D1 across from a CV. How was the view from the CV? Was the window at all blocked by any of the foliage? Was it easy for someone on the other side of central park to see in the room?

 

Congratulations also on whatever is was that you did during the 70s party. Any time that I do something where one of my teen daughters is mortified, I feel like I was successful. :D

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