Celebrity Cruiser Sails Oasis of the Seas

[elena7seas]

Hi from the largest ship on the Seas!

 

I usually sail Celebrity, where I am always very, very happy, but today I am on the last day of a 7-day Western Caribbean itinerary on RCCL's Oasis of the Seas. I will be writing up a review when I return, but in the meantime, does anyone have any questions?

 

I will try to answer all questions as far as I am able....I have extra minutes from my Diamond internet time to use up ;).

 

Bottom line, I have had a great time this week, and wish I had my daughters and grand-daughter here with me. They would love this ship.

 

The organization on this ship is nothing short of remarkable, and the food is MUCH improved from my last trip on Royal Caribbean. I would say that the food in the MDR is on a par with Celebrity. I would happily recommend this ship to anyone, as long as they were aware of what type of cruise this is.

 

The design of this ship is very smart. I have experienced no crowding, almost no lines, amazing entertainment. The downside for me? I had to work hard to remember that I was actually at sea, and had to go out of my way to go somewhere on the ship where I could actually see the ocean.

 

If there are specific venues on this ship that you would like a picture of, please let me know. I have taken hundreds of pictures, but can get a few more if I'm missing something you would like to see.

 

Happily afloat on the ocean (or so I have been told :p)....

[shipshape sam]

We are big Celebrity fans, but loved Allure of the Seas in December. We started sailing Royal Caribbean in 1998 and overall love RCL and Celebrity.

 

Have also sailed Carnival, HAL, Princess and liked both Princess and HAL. Twice on Carnival was enough. There were positives to Carnival though.

 

Back to Allure of the Seas; loved the speciality restaurants, especially Samba's, liked the Solarium area, liked the bars.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise/ship! :)

[SID1962]

We are booked on the Oasis over Labor Day, same itinerary. I will be looking forward to your review, as we too are die-hard Celebrity cruisers.

 

As for questions, what part of the MDR is set aside for Select, or Anytime or whatever the dine when you want option is called?

 

Also, if you have some pictures of the Solarium, that would be good.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Sid1962

[bajathree]

3X on Oasis...1X on Allure and 3 more booked for this year between the both ships....LOVE this class ship. The one thing I just don't understand is when people say they have to struggle to remember they are at sea:confused:...if you are booked in a balcony cabin there are NO problems at all knowing you are at sea.

[Xport]

I'm a die-hard Celebrity fan too but am so pleased to read your very favorable comments and look forward to your review...

 

I had opportunity to tour Oasis last November--Allure was days shy of going into service--and was just amazed by the ship and her amenities... Two days later, I booked an Eastern Caribbean sailing [though I got the sense that the ship would be the destination for me] on Allure during November 2011 just so I could experience it all first-hand...

 

This will be my first cruise with Royal Caribbean--I had a few brief moments of hesitation relative to the change in cruise line and ship size--but am now more psyched than ever about doing the trip...

 

Thanks again...

[junglejane]

Oops posted by mistake on the wrong thread!

[Germancruiser]

Elena thank you for takeing the time to write from the Oasis. You mentioned that you had a hart time so actually see the ocean- well that is exactly the reason why I never will set foot wether on the Oasis or the Allure. With no dout they did an amazing job in orga****ng those ships and they have fantastic public rooms and possibiltys. For going on a cruise is TO BE CONNECTED TO THE SEA!

Michael

[whitshel]

Elena thank you for takeing the time to write from the Oasis. You mentioned that you had a hart time so actually see the ocean- well that is exactly the reason why I never will set foot wether on the Oasis or the Allure. With no dout they did an amazing job in orga****ng those ships and they have fantastic public rooms and possibiltys. For going on a cruise is TO BE CONNECTED TO THE SEA!

Michael

 

I guess I just don't get all the comments on not being in touch with the ocean on these ships. Now granted I haven't sailed on Oasis or Allure but I always see that from posters who usually don't sail RCCL. I just got off the Eclipse I cant remember that many more spots to "see the ocean" than the Voyager ships we've been on. I see a lot of post from Princess cruisers and Carnival cruisers saying the same thing. If I look at a Princess ship or Carnival Ship, what do you see?? Balconies, balconies, balconies. Same as Voyager, Freedom, Oasis, Solstice etc etc etc. Like I said I just don't get it. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

 

Now I understand the Radiance class, like the Vision class(been on), those do have tons of public views of the ocean, that I get. But none of the other larger ships from any line do I see a lot of windows other than balconies.

 

What do you think?????

[Germancruiser]

Very well said whistel, that exactly is the reason I prefer the Millenium Class ships over the Solstice Class of ships. ( And why Vsision and Radiance Class are so great) However Solstice Class has this nice Cafe al Báccio- great views out to the sea. What I absolutly find a bummer with the Solstice Class of ships is that the prommenade deck almost does not exist on them.

Michael

[will773]

So glad to hear that you enjoyed the Oasis. Will you be posting your review in the Royal Caribbean forums?

[bubvw]

Hi from the largest ship on the Seas!

 

I usually sail Celebrity, where I am always very, very happy, but today I am on the last day of a 7-day Western Caribbean itinerary on RCCL's Oasis of the Seas. I will be writing up a review when I return, but in the meantime, does anyone have any questions?

 

I will try to answer all questions as far as I am able....I have extra minutes from my Diamond internet time to use up ;).

 

Bottom line, I have had a great time this week, and wish I had my daughters and grand-daughter here with me. They would love this ship.

 

The organization on this ship is nothing short of remarkable, and the food is MUCH improved from my last trip on Royal Caribbean. I would say that the food in the MDR is on a par with Celebrity. I would happily recommend this ship to anyone, as long as they were aware of what type of cruise this is.

 

The design of this ship is very smart. I have experienced no crowding, almost no lines, amazing entertainment. The downside for me? I had to work hard to remember that I was actually at sea, and had to go out of my way to go somewhere on the ship where I could actually see the ocean.

 

If there are specific venues on this ship that you would like a picture of, please let me know. I have taken hundreds of pictures, but can get a few more if I'm missing something you would like to see.

 

Happily afloat on the ocean (or so I have been told :p)....

 

Hi my family (sister, niece and her husband and their two little girls plus my nephew and his fiance) will be on the Oasis June 11. Cannot wait. We have made reser. at Chops so would like to hear your comments if you happen to go there. Will be waiting for your review. Happy sailings.

[u2cruiser]

Thank you elena7seas. We are considering trying Oasis or Allure in the near future. :)

 

I watched a programme recently (Monster ships?) about the Oasis's first sailing. It was fascinating.

[bajathree]

There are full ocean views from just about anywhere on the pool deck areas.....the solarium on these ships is spectacular with fountains and water features like ponds...it is also located at the front of the ship with gorgeous ocean views. The Boardwalk and Aqua-theater has the ocean as a backdrop. Like I said....book a balcony...after all the ship is mostly balcony anyways. The only way you could possible feel dis-connected from the seas is if you are in an interior cabin and never go up to the pool deck or Boardwalk.

 

I have even been in the Boardwalk balconies facing the interior and have had a GORGEOUS ocean view....does this look like a dis-connect to the ocean...

 

[SusieV]

How do you find it compares to the S class? I know S class are smaller but we really enjoy them. We love the specialty dining venues on S class- are the ones on Oasis comparable?

 

What would you say that you can get on Oasis that you can't on X?

[skandls]

How do you find it compares to the S class? I know S class are smaller but we really enjoy them. We love the specialty dining venues on S class- are the ones on Oasis comparable?

 

What would you say that you can get on Oasis that you can't on X?

 

I thought the entertainment on the Oasis was great. The specialty dining options are great. The Captains Table and 150 Park Avenue are both very good. Not quite as formal as Muranos but it so nice to have the chefs come by to share some info about the food. We also like Chops but we have been many time on the other ships. The Italian (Giovannis) was a little disappointing - Portofinos on the other ships is much nicer and I liked the food better. We did not eat at the Asian restaurant and we did not have any tapas in the wine bar (Vintages).

 

On the Solstice we never booked a specialty restaurant as we really enjoyed eating in Blu.

[coopers14]

Having done a B2B on Oasis she is amazing,the food ,the shows ,the staff.

We are jumping ship and coming over to X for the first time in Sept Silhouette.

 

just hope it comes up to Oasis,looking forward to a smaller ship this time.

[elena7seas]

We are big Celebrity fans, but loved Allure of the Seas in December. We started sailing Royal Caribbean in 1998 and overall love RCL and Celebrity.

 

Have also sailed Carnival, HAL, Princess and liked both Princess and HAL. Twice on Carnival was enough. There were positives to Carnival though.

 

Back to Allure of the Seas; loved the speciality restaurants, especially Samba's, liked the Solarium area, liked the bars.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise/ship! :)

 

Hi Sam and Martha:

 

Thanks for your comments. I am back home now on the west coast and continued to love the Oasis up to the end, and even through departure, which was excellent.

 

I left the ship at about 8:45 am and expected lineups, but there was no one in front of me, and lots of service at Customs; I was at the Fort Lauderdale airport by 9:10. I decided at the last minute (on the sidewalk in front of the terminal, actually), to book a transfer with the cruise line's coach company, and that worked very well, as the bus was fully loaded and just about ready to depart.

[elena7seas]

We are booked on the Oasis over Labor Day, same itinerary. I will be looking forward to your review, as we too are die-hard Celebrity cruisers.

 

As for questions, what part of the MDR is set aside for Select, or Anytime or whatever the dine when you want option is called?

 

Also, if you have some pictures of the Solarium, that would be good.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Sid1962

 

Hi Sid:

 

I am just organizing my notes for my review now, so hope to have it posted by tomorrow evening.

 

I'll double-check my Oasis paperwork (I brought it all back with me), but I'm fairly sure that My Time Dining (anytime dining) was on Deck 5 of the Opal Dining Room (main dining room). Deck 5 is the third level of the Main Dining Room. The hours for My Time Dining were from 6:00 to 9:30 pm, and while it was "strongly encouraged" that you make reservations, they did not appear to be necessary. I didn't use My Time dining, but the people that I spoke to seemed to be pleased with it, and no one I spoke with had more than a 10 minute wait for a table. I think they will take up to 10 guests per reservation.

 

I'm uploading my photographs now, so will post a few of the Solariaum as soon as I can.

[elena7seas]

3X on Oasis...1X on Allure and 3 more booked for this year between the both ships....LOVE this class ship. The one thing I just don't understand is when people say they have to struggle to remember they are at sea:confused:...if you are booked in a balcony cabin there are NO problems at all knowing you are at sea.

 

I should have mentioned that I was in an inside cabin. ;)

 

I was trying to experience as many of the venues on the Oasis as possible, so while there are certainly places to go where you can experience ocean vistas, a great many of the venues provide no sea views, so I found that I would have to remind myself to go somewhere to see the ocean.

[elena7seas]

I'm a die-hard Celebrity fan too but am so pleased to read your very favorable comments and look forward to your review...

 

I had opportunity to tour Oasis last November--Allure was days shy of going into service--and was just amazed by the ship and her amenities... Two days later, I booked an Eastern Caribbean sailing [though I got the sense that the ship would be the destination for me] on Allure during November 2011 just so I could experience it all first-hand...

 

This will be my first cruise with Royal Caribbean--I had a few brief moments of hesitation relative to the change in cruise line and ship size--but am now more psyched than ever about doing the trip...

 

Thanks again...

 

I was a little hesitant about sailing with RCCL again, but almost everything I experienced on the Oasis ranged from very good to excellent quality.

 

When I first heard about the number of passengers on the Oasis, I said that I "would never sail on a floating apartment building" but of course, I should never say "never". The size of the ship did not negatively impact my cruise at all.

 

My inside cabin was located at the very back of deck 14, and it WAS a long walk to any forward venues, but I didn't mind that at all. I knew that would be the situation going in and saw the extra walking as an opportunity to get more exercise. I'm not very good about doing exercise for the sake of exercise, but appreciated doing the extra walking in order to get places. I'm sure I ate more on this cruise than I normally would, but I didn't gain any weight, and I have no doubt that this is directly attributable to the increased walking I did on the ship. I was a little strategic about the routes I took to go back and forth on the ship, and will write more about that in my review.

[elena7seas]

Elena thank you for takeing the time to write from the Oasis. You mentioned that you had a hart time so actually see the ocean- well that is exactly the reason why I never will set foot wether on the Oasis or the Allure. With no dout they did an amazing job in orga****ng those ships and they have fantastic public rooms and possibiltys. For going on a cruise is TO BE CONNECTED TO THE SEA!

Michael

 

HI Michael:

 

Nice to hear from you again!

 

I too cruise mainly to be on the ocean. This was a different kind of cruise, but very well worth while. For me, it was an improvement on the Las Vegas experience, because there were lots of fun things to do, but the sea was there for me when I needed it.

 

Plus, I love the gentle rocking of the ship at night, and if your hotel room in Las Vegas or Disneyland is rocking, you've got problems :p.

[Beccafcr]

Hi,

 

please can i ask something.

i have only been on 2 cruises so far, both with royal caribbean. in december im going on allure of the seas.

 

today i have booked my first celebrity cruise on the eclipse.

 

for someone who has done both lines, how do they compare?

 

i was worried i'd be disappointed with celebrity but the itinerary is lovely so thought we would try it.

 

any info/advice etc you can offer, i'd appreciate it.

 

thanks

 

B.x

[elena7seas]

I guess I just don't get all the comments on not being in touch with the ocean on these ships. Now granted I haven't sailed on Oasis or Allure but I always see that from posters who usually don't sail RCCL. I just got off the Eclipse I cant remember that many more spots to "see the ocean" than the Voyager ships we've been on. I see a lot of post from Princess cruisers and Carnival cruisers saying the same thing. If I look at a Princess ship or Carnival Ship, what do you see?? Balconies, balconies, balconies. Same as Voyager, Freedom, Oasis, Solstice etc etc etc. Like I said I just don't get it. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

 

Now I understand the Radiance class, like the Vision class(been on), those do have tons of public views of the ocean, that I get. But none of the other larger ships from any line do I see a lot of windows other than balconies.

 

What do you think?????

 

I was in an inside room on the Oasis, so I wasn't having the daily experience of seeing the ocean from my stateroom.

 

The only other RCCL ship that I have sailed was the Serenade of the Seas, and like the Millennium class ships on Celebrity, you are always aware of the ocean. On M-class ships, even the main dining room is designed to celebrate the fact that you are at sea. Solstice ships also have great sea views from many of the venues. Cafe al Bacio is one of my favourite places on S-class ships, and I don't remember anything like that on the Oasis. However, I am not under any illusions that I saw everything on the Oasis. I tried really hard, but it just wasn't possible ;).

 

The only other time I have sailed in an inside cabin was on the Celebrity Millennium, and since there are so many opportunities in the public spaces to see the ocean, I didn't mind sailing in an inside. On the Oasis, if you are in an inside cabin, you really do have make more of an effort to see the ocean. It's just not there for you as much, since there are so many venues without a seascape.

 

I should mention that I don't spend any time lying around the pool, but even from many of the pools, you can't really see the ocean. I think you can get good ocean views from the whirlpools on the Solarium deck.

 

I tried to spend time walking around the Deck 16, but it was always super windy whenever I went up there to walk. Tip to walkers...don't wear lip gloss :p.

[elena7seas]

So glad to hear that you enjoyed the Oasis. Will you be posting your review in the Royal Caribbean forums?

 

Yes, I will also post my review on the Royal Caribbean forum.

[elena7seas]

Hi my family (sister, niece and her husband and their two little girls plus my nephew and his fiance) will be on the Oasis June 11. Cannot wait. We have made reser. at Chops so would like to hear your comments if you happen to go there. Will be waiting for your review. Happy sailings.

 

I went to Chops Grille with a group of six, and the food and service were both very good. It is not on the level of a Ruth's Chris, or a Mortons Steak House, which I was not expecting. I believe the cover charge was $25.00, which includes your gratuity. Additional gratuities are always welcomed :).

 

Here are some details:

 

I had the crab and shrimp cake for a starter, and it was the same crab cake that I received in the Main Dining room. It was about 3" in diameter, quite tasty, but not really a legitimate crab cake, as it was primarily filler. The texture was similar to a salmon cake that has been made with too much mashed potato. I really didn't get much of a crab flavour at all, but the taste was still very nice...just not crab nor shrimp.

 

I ordered the Petite Filet Mignon (7 oz.), and went to some lengths to explain that I like a steak to be on the rare side of medium rare. (I readily admit to being a bit of a pain in the #** about overcooked steaks). When I received my Filet, it was on the medium side of medium rare, and I should probably have ordered it rare in this restaurant, and possibly should have ordered a 10 oz. steak. However, the filet was very tender and quite tasty, and I didn't complain to the waiter, as it is quite difficult to cook a small steak to a proper medium rare.

 

I went to Chops on the Serenade of the Seas, and had a very poor experience, in that my Filet Mignon was not very flavourful, nor very tender, and it came overcooked....twice. There was no selecting of your steak on the Oasis, as there had been when I was at Chops on Serenade of the Seas.

 

We ordered most of the side dishes available on the menu :eek:, and all were well-received. I had the asparagus, which was tender-crispy, and the sauteed mushrooms, which were nicely cooked and not greasy. There were about 4-5 sauces available to accompany your steak. I didn't order any, but a dining companion really enjoyed the peppercorn sauce.

 

I ordered the Chocolate Mud Pie for dessert because it came highly recommended, but it wasn't my kind of thing, and I only had two bites. Apparently it wasn't like the traditional mud pie.

 

Service was pleasant and efficient, and became more friendly toward the end of the evening when our waiter had a bit more time available. The decor was a modernized version of a steak house, in dark brown and gold tones, with low-level lighting.

 

I think the dress code was smart casual every night in the specialty restaurants, but I'll have to check my paperwork to confirm.