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Oasis 3/19/11 Eastern – mini review

T&Tmom

By T&Tmom,
in Royal Caribbean International

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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I will start with what so many others have said. WOW!!!! Oasis is an incredible ship. We really enjoyed our cruise and do not have anything really bad to say, well except that they made us get off the ship!

Here are my random thoughts, I will try to be brief and group things together. These are just my opinions and those of my family. Every person has a different experience and you may disagree. We are a family of four (51, 44, 18 & 11) and travelled with my sisters family. Also – my apologies for any typos or misspellings.

 

Embarkation – What a breeze. We took a shuttle from our hotel (Best Western – and it was prefect for a pre night) at 10:00 am. It was a couple minutes late getting to the hotel. We got the the port around 10:30 and were through check-in and sitting in the waiting area by 10:45. We only waited about 15 minutes before we were boarding.

 

Debarkation – Worse part of this was waiting in the line for customs. We did luggage valet ($20/person to check us in for our flights, get our boarding passes and transport our bags to FLL. Love this service). We were leaving the ship at 7:45 am and were in a cab I think by 8:30ish. So really not that bad overall.

 

Stateroom – We had 3 balconies on deck 10 (10176, 10178, 10180) and one inside (10175). I won the balcony lottery and got the good setup of the bed by the balcony!! Without reading here on CC that the dimensions of the room make the couch by the balcony a challenge, I would have much preferred that setup. But everyone here is spot on with the issues about the layout. It is really tough to get into the closet with the bed next to it. With our three balconies together, we were able to have the divider open and that was really nice. We were port side – but on the Oasis the gangway is on the starboard side so we were facing the water at every port. Our stateroom attendant was Cynthia ( I think from Trinidad/Tobago). She was fantastic! Probably the best one I have had so far.

 

SUGGESTION FOR RCCL: Make one side of the ship COMPLETELY non-smoking. Meaning that you cannot smoke on the balconies on one side of the ship. I know that would be tough to police, but I still wish it were an option.

 

Dining Room - The food was good, some things better than others. There was one new night of menus (that may be old news). I was glad to see them add some variety, although that night was probably my least favorite menu. The new desserts were fantastic though! Our servers were Mario (India) & Robert (Jamaica) and the head waiter was Noriel (not sure where he was from). They were absolutely fantastic!!! I wish for them that there was a rating higher that excellent, because they were beyond that. Our Oasis of Dreams show was postponed and rescheduled to 7:45 on another night. So that night we told them that we had to get out early from dinner so we could make the show. We were a table of 8, there was also a table of 9, right next to us that had the same situation. I was going to skip dessert on that night so we could get some seats. And so were some of the folks in the other party. Well, our servers were just not going to let us miss dessert. They really hustled to get dinner out and then they brought out multiples of every dessert so we would not miss out. Just fantastic!

 

I also ordered cakes to have in the dining room. The first night we had a vanilla cake to celebrate my BIL’s retirement. The last night we had chocolate cake for my youngest 11th birthday. Both cakes were very good. I know they came out of the freezer, but that is no different that if I would have gotten a cake from my local grocery store.

 

WindJammer - OK – I agree that this really should be called the FoodJammer. It is really busy, but we always found a table. They have people at the front when you walk in to help you find a table. And when there are no tables left, they will tell you that. You can also check your stateroom TV and the interactive screens at the elevators to check on how busy the dining venues are.

 

SUGGESTION FOR RCCL: I would pay an upcharge to get an omlet in the WindJammer. I really missed getting fresh cooked eggs. I know it is really difficult to do that with 6000+ people on board. So charge an extra buck or two (don't go crazy becasue I do not have unlimited funds!) and let people order an omlet.

 

 

Other dining areas – We ate breakfast at Johnny Rockets one morning, that was OK but not really any different than the WindJammer. We had breakfast in the main dining room one day as well. We ordered omelets since that was the only place to get them and it took a very long time to get our food. Our boys did not order omelets and they were done eating before we every got our food. Other breakfasts were in the WindJammer, basically the same food every day. The Park Café roast beef sandwich is just as good as everyone says. The salad line there is always busy. I did not have a salad because I did not want to wait in line. The Donut shop is fine, the donuts were pretty good. The ice cream shop was OK too. I liked the Wipe Out café. It was really nice to have a place to eat that was in the same area as the pools and sports deck. Sorrentos was good for pizza, but that was all they had. On the Freedom, the Sorrentos also had some side salads but not on Oasis. I think I got a brownie from the Café Promenade that was really good too.

 

OK – time to do more laundry and run some errands. I will be back later with more on the ports, shows and activities. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I will try to answer.

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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How did you order the cakes?

 

I ordered them online through the RCCL website before we sailed. It is a part of the "Gifts & Gear" area. You can order chocolate or vanilla. I think is was $14.95 for the cake. Which is really not very different than what I would pay at home. There were 8 of us and we each got a very gererous slice of cake.

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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New desserts???? Just what was new?

 

I knew someone would ask that - and they are just so memorable that I can only think of a couple. :rolleyes: There was an Orange Chocolate mousse (sp?) and a lemon meringe (no idea how to spell that) tart. Maybe they were not new to others, but it was a new menu to me. I will try to remember what the other items were.

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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We went to Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel

 

Labadee – This was the first time we have been to Labadee. When we got there it was overcast and you could see the storm clouds brewing off in the distance. I was looking forward to a day at the beach since I had never been to Labadee before. My boys had Flowrider lessons in the morning and while they were doing those and I was watching, it started to rain…a lot! I was afraid the day would be a washout. But at around 10:30 the skies cleared and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We got off the ship and found a spot on the beach where the zipline goes over the water. It was pretty cool to watch. We were in a spot with some palm trees where you could get some sun and some shade. The lunch on Labadee was quite good. The ribs were yummy and they had little ears of corn. There was also fresh cut fruit and I just love when someone else cuts and cleans the fruit for me!! We spent the day relaxing and enjoying the sun. No one went on the zipline or the dragons tail coaster, so I cannot offer any opinions on that.

Falmouth – Well, this was the OFFICIAL grand opening of the new port in Falmouth. Was it ready? Not really. Lots of construction still going on. But I think it was pretty much put to a stop by the Oasis arrival. Traffic was a bit of a nightmare, but they were doing their best to deal with it. There was a steel drum band playing right as you got off the ship. Some people on stilts were also there (my youngest actually was filmed by the Jamaican TV crew with the stilt walkers). We also each received a free Sling backpack when we got off the ship.

 

Three in our party went to Dunns River Falls and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although my nephew took the “falls” part a bit too literally and slid down part of the falls. I guess you are supposed to form a chain between people and the person on one side of him let him fall. He’s ok and was fine the rest of the trip. But I was glad I had a brand new bottle of Aleve for him!!

 

The rest of us took the free shopping shuttle to Rose Hill (I think that is what it was called). That was pretty much a waste of time. It is a small open air shopping mall but I think I could have gotten most of the stuff at the port even though it is still under construction.

 

The arrival of Oasis was like a holiday on Falmouth. The number of people behind the fences ( and yes they had to stay behind the fences) was enormous. Coming back from the shopping trip I was surprised to see the number of people still gathered in the streets and around the ship area. Then when I got back on the ship I found out that Shaggy (the singer, not from Scooby Doo) was going to be doing a concert.

 

This was my first time in Jamaica and I would like to go back when the port is finally finished. There were a lot of jokes (even from the comedians on board) about being dropped off in a construction zone. But I really do understand why RCCL just finally opened up the port. If you keep putting it off, it will never happen. If RCCL would have postponed again, I don’t really think there would have been much of a difference on the progress. Sometimes you just need to move forward and deal with the issues as they come.

 

Cozumel – We did the Deluxe beach break to Playa Mia beach through the ship. You get free drinks, a lounge chair, a buffet lunch and there is a water trampoline and some other non-motorized activities as well. My husband and son went parasailing which they really enjoyed. While I and my other son soaked up the sun! Buffet lunch was very good. It was pretty American rather than authentic Mexican. I could be wrong but mac and cheese does not sound very Mexican J. They did have Mexican rice, tortilla chips and fajitas among other things. It was a nice day at the beach.

Any port questions let me know. Next up shows and activities.

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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We saw several of the shows on board, although not all of them. It really is impossible to see and do everything.

 

Hairspray – Excellent. Very entertaining. It was nice to see a Broadway musical on a ship.

Oasis of Dreams – Very good. Somebody had to explain the story to me, because I just did not get it. But it is was very cool to see the combination of diving, gymnasts, and synchronized swimming in a show.

Splish Splash – Very good. This was another aqua/gymnastics show and it was up beat and funny.

Come Fly with Me – Good. It seemed a little disjointed to me, but it was ok.

The headliner was Mosaic and I did not see them, but I did see them two years ago on Freedom. They are very good.

The comedy show was also very good. I did not see the ice show.

 

My boys went to a 3D movie and enjoyed that. This cruise had the “Dreamworks Experience”. But I did not see a single character the entire week. So for those who were worried about these cruises turning into a Disney Cruise with characters walking around, no need to worry. If you wanted to see them you could find them, but they were not prevalent throughout the ship.

 

Flowrider- I did book private lessons for my boys ahead of time on the RCCL website. My oldest actually did the standup surfing and said the lessons were worth the $60. There were only 6 people and two instructors for 1 hour.

 

We also played mini-golf, ping pong, shuffle board (it is behind the big screens of the aqua theater). I never did ride the carousel. My husband and son did the Zipline and loved it. I had every intention of going myself but after watching a few people not land correctly, I decided I better not. I have a very weak back ( I once through my back out picking up a sock!). If you do not slow yourself down with your feet or if the RCCL person at the end does not slow you down, you smash to an abrupt halt. If I had done that and wrenched my back, it would not have been a very pleasant vacation.

A few of us entered the Royal Slot tournament and my nephew actually won! He won a free cruise in December on the Liberty and is entered into the $50K slot tournament on that cruise. Not too bad for his first cruise!

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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Regarding your 18 year old:

 

I'm still in high school but just turned 18. I'm hoping I can still go to the teen club. What did your 18 year old end up doing ?

 

He did not go to the teen club and I am not sure he would have been allowed. He hung out with his cousins who are 25 and 29.

 

He did get a letter on the first day ( I think) about gatherings for the 18-20 year olds. I am sorrry, but I did not bring it home with me, otherwise I would have scanned it and sent it to you. But maybe if you post a new thread someone will have a copy of it so you can get an idea.

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abhb

abhb

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Thanks for your review. Do you think it is worth getting off the ship in Jamacia? We have been to Ocho a few times and Montego Bay once. We leave in less than 3 weeks.

 

Do you do any specialty dinners?

Thanks

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davila1943

davila1943

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I will start with what so many others have said. WOW!!!! Oasis is an incredible ship. We really enjoyed our cruise and do not have anything really bad to say, well except that they made us get off the ship!

Here are my random thoughts, I will try to be brief and group things together. These are just my opinions and those of my family. Every person has a different experience and you may disagree. We are a family of four (51, 44, 18 & 11) and travelled with my sisters family. Also – my apologies for any typos or misspellings.

 

 

Embarkation – What a breeze. We took a shuttle from our hotel (Best Western – and it was prefect for a pre night) at 10:00 am. It was a couple minutes late getting to the hotel. We got the the port around 10:30 and were through check-in and sitting in the waiting area by 10:45. We only waited about 15 minutes before we were boarding.

 

 

Debarkation – Worse part of this was waiting in the line for customs. We did luggage valet ($20/person to check us in for our flights, get our boarding passes and transport our bags to FLL. Love this service). We were leaving the ship at 7:45 am and were in a cab I think by 8:30ish. So really not that bad overall.

 

 

Stateroom – We had 3 balconies on deck 10 (10176, 10178, 10180) and one inside (10175). I won the balcony lottery and got the good setup of the bed by the balcony!! Without reading here on CC that the dimensions of the room make the couch by the balcony a challenge, I would have much preferred that setup. But everyone here is spot on with the issues about the layout. It is really tough to get into the closet with the bed next to it. With our three balconies together, we were able to have the divider open and that was really nice. We were port side – but on the Oasis the gangway is on the starboard side so we were facing the water at every port. Our stateroom attendant was Cynthia ( I think from Trinidad/Tobago). She was fantastic! Probably the best one I have had so far.

 

 

SUGGESTION FOR RCCL: Make one side of the ship COMPLETELY non-smoking. Meaning that you cannot smoke on the balconies on one side of the ship. I know that would be tough to police, but I still wish it were an option.

 

 

Dining Room - The food was good, some things better than others. There was one new night of menus (that may be old news). I was glad to see them add some variety, although that night was probably my least favorite menu. The new desserts were fantastic though! Our servers were Mario (India) & Robert (Jamaica) and the head waiter was Noriel (not sure where he was from). They were absolutely fantastic!!! I wish for them that there was a rating higher that excellent, because they were beyond that. Our Oasis of Dreams show was postponed and rescheduled to 7:45 on another night. So that night we told them that we had to get out early from dinner so we could make the show. We were a table of 8, there was also a table of 9, right next to us that had the same situation. I was going to skip dessert on that night so we could get some seats. And so were some of the folks in the other party. Well, our servers were just not going to let us miss dessert. They really hustled to get dinner out and then they brought out multiples of every dessert so we would not miss out. Just fantastic!

 

 

I also ordered cakes to have in the dining room. The first night we had a vanilla cake to celebrate my BIL’s retirement. The last night we had chocolate cake for my youngest 11th birthday. Both cakes were very good. I know they came out of the freezer, but that is no different that if I would have gotten a cake from my local grocery store.

 

 

WindJammer - OK – I agree that this really should be called the FoodJammer. It is really busy, but we always found a table. They have people at the front when you walk in to help you find a table. And when there are no tables left, they will tell you that. You can also check your stateroom TV and the interactive screens at the elevators to check on how busy the dining venues are.

 

 

SUGGESTION FOR RCCL: I would pay an upcharge to get an omlet in the WindJammer. I really missed getting fresh cooked eggs. I know it is really difficult to do that with 6000+ people on board. So charge an extra buck or two (don't go crazy becasue I do not have unlimited funds!) and let people order an omlet.

 

 

Other dining areas – We ate breakfast at Johnny Rockets one morning, that was OK but not really any different than the WindJammer. We had breakfast in the main dining room one day as well. We ordered omelets since that was the only place to get them and it took a very long time to get our food. Our boys did not order omelets and they were done eating before we every got our food. Other breakfasts were in the WindJammer, basically the same food every day. The Park Café roast beef sandwich is just as good as everyone says. The salad line there is always busy. I did not have a salad because I did not want to wait in line. The Donut shop is fine, the donuts were pretty good. The ice cream shop was OK too. I liked the Wipe Out café. It was really nice to have a place to eat that was in the same area as the pools and sports deck. Sorrentos was good for pizza, but that was all they had. On the Freedom, the Sorrentos also had some side salads but not on Oasis. I think I got a brownie from the Café Promenade that was really good too.

 

OK – time to do more laundry and run some errands. I will be back later with more on the ports, shows and activities. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I will try to answer.

she still looks new and hows was dreamworks
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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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Please share how your family transported to Dunns River.....was this through the ships excursion, tour guide, personal excursion? Did they have plenty of time without rushing to get back to the ship?

 

They took the Dunns River Falls Express ship excursion. They took a small size bus to and from the Falls.

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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Thanks for your review. Do you think it is worth getting off the ship in Jamacia? We have been to Ocho a few times and Montego Bay once. We leave in less than 3 weeks.

 

Do you do any specialty dinners?

Thanks

 

If nothing else it would be worth it just to see the port area. My family had never been to Jamaica, so there were a lot of possibilities for us. Every thing is really in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, so you are going to be on a bus or in a taxi to get anywhere.

 

And we did not do any Specialty Dining. We like going to the dining room for dinner.

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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A few miscellaneous things.

 

Could you feel the ship move? Yes, but barely. I think this was the smoothest ride I have ever had on a cruise. There was some movement, but not much. As I stated before, we did have our Aqua show cancelled the first time because the water in the pool was moving a bit too much. But it really was very minimal. My oldest can get a bit seasick. He took Bonine on the first or second day and did not have to take it again the rest of the week.

 

I did go to the Spa for a message. It was very nice but very expensive. Next time I will wait until they post some of their specials before I book a spa appointment. They ran a lot of specials throughout the week and they seemed to be a pretty good value compared to what I paid for my message.

 

Even though there were 6000+ people on the ship, there were PLENTY of deck chairs on sea days. I actually was able to get a chair in the Solarium on two of the sea days. You will not always be able to find a chair right next to a pool, but if you are just going to lay in the sun and read or listen to your i-pod, you can easily find a chair.

 

My son’s Birthday was the last day of the cruise. My boys were in a separate room from ours. I did not check their stateroom messages that day until I was packing, but he received a “Happy Birthday” message along with the choice of 20 minutes of internet time, a 5 minute call home, or a free picture with a guest services rep. I am not sure if they always do this for a birthday or not, but just thought I would let people know that they did recognize his birthday.

 

All of the staff was very friendly and professional. I only ran into one person that did not seem to be having his best day. It was in the Breeze shop up on the pool decks. I was looking at the color changing shirts (did not make it to Del Sol in Cozumel), and he got really irritated that I was unfolding the shirts to look at the designs and check the sizes. I know I was not folding them back up perfectly which meant he would have fold refold them. But maybe he was just having a bad day - happens to all of us sometimes.

 

I asked both of my boys if they would want to go on an Oasis class ship again and received a resounding YES! They would do Freedom again, but would prefer Oasis. My sister and her husband preferred the Freedom to Oasis. To them, the Oasis was just too big.

 

 

Re-boarding the ship in Cozumel was a bit of a nigthmare. I got really lucky because when I was just approaching the "snaking line", they started to pull people over to the "crew" entrance. So I was the third person in that line. Sometimes, you just get lucky!

 

Overall we had a fantastic time. The weather was almost perfect, the seas pretty calm and the ship is just amazing. Now I just have to start saving my pennies again (and my nickles, dimes, quarters...you get the picture!)

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T&Tmom

T&Tmom

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she still looks new and hows was dreamworks

 

 

Except for seeing Shrek on the "Dreamworks" station on the TV every day, I really did not notice anything. There was a breakfast, but we did not go to that. There were also some character picture times, but we did not do those either. I honestly did not see any characters at all. My boys did go see Megamind in 3D ( the 3D movies are shown in the Opal theater). There was usually one 3D movie per day at different times.

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coloradoSunshine

coloradoSunshine

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Hi- thanks so much for your review! I am wondering how the cruise compass/ schedule compares with the one from posted from last summer. Do you know if the days/show times have changed? And are the Costa Maya / Falmouth day schedules the same? I realize this may be too detailed of a question, but you never know. I am trying to plan our days and entertainment from the older cruise compass (not to mention when/if there are any drink specials).

 

Does the headliner change every week? We are going in June. One last question, who was the cruise directed?

 

Thanks!

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Ariel35

Ariel35

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We were on the same cruise! It was my first cruise, and I loved it!! I'm looking at booking another cruise next year already :)

 

To answer a question...the cruise director was Richard Spacey. He was absolutely awesome!

 

Also...I completely agree with your suggestion to try and make one side of the ship non-smoking on the balconies. If anything, that was the most disappointing aspect. The weather was terrific, and I slept out on our balcony twice! Would have more but my neighbours (at least on both sides) were smokers.

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