Celebrity Cruiser Sails Oasis of the Seas

[elena7seas]

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.

 

It is a fascinating ship. I'm sure you will enjoy her very much if you do decide to reserve.

 

I am amazed at the level of organization on these ships. I never felt crowded anywhere, except where you might expect....by the elevators after the shows let out. The entertainment areas, e.g. Deck 4, were busy in the evenings, but not overly-crowded...just busy in a "everyone is out having a good time" kind of way.

[elena7seas]

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...

 

 

Actually, I'd have to disagree with you. When you are actually on the pool deck, there are lots and lots of areas where you have no direct ocean view.

 

Yes, the outdoor Solarium area does have great ocean views, as do the whirlpools that are cantilevered over the edge of the Solarium deck.

 

When you are actually on the Boardwalk, you have very little ocean view, unless you are right up near the Aqua Theatre, and even then most of the view is blocked by the Aqua Theatre apparatus. I can see that you would have some ocean view from some of the "Boardwalk-facing" cabins.

 

Absolutely, the ocean is there if you want to find it, after all, you are sailing on a ship at sea. It's just that "being at sea" isn't as pervasive a feeling as I have felt on most ships that I have sailed.

[elena7seas]

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?

 

Hi Susie:

 

Your questions are a bit more comprehensive, so I will address them in my review.

 

Even if you are dedicated to the experience the Solstice ships provide, the Oasis is a quality experience, just a different one! My husband loves the Solstice class ships, and I don't think he'd trade that experience for the Oasis experience in the long run. But he wasn't with me on this trip, and I really want him to try the Oasis class just for the experience. I'd say on many levels, it's an "apples and oranges" type of comparison, but many of the things that are important to me, like good service and good food, are certainly part of the Oasis experience, and the entertainment is top-notch. I haven't seen anything of a comparable quality on any other ship that I have sailed.

 

Oasis-class ships would probably be my first recommendation for my 30-something daughters if they were travelling with friends and wanted a "fun" vacation. They are going with us on the Solstice to the Eastern Med this summer, and I think the Solstice is the perfect class of ship for that type of voyage, even for my 30-somethings.

[elena7seas]

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

 

Hi:

 

The Eclipse is a beautiful ship and that is a terrific itinerary. I don't think you will be disappointed in any way. I'll give more details about the differences in my review, but if I were doing 14 days on that very full Caribbean itinerary, I would rather be on the Eclipse.

[alonzo14]

My husband and I sailed on Celebrity in 1999 and are going again with Celebrity on the Eclispe this December. We last sailed on the Oasis two months after she sailed her inaugural cruise. In fact, I was supposed to be on the inaurgral but Royal Carribean changed the date and added a 4 day cruise in front of it!!

 

 

For a ship this size it was a very good cruise experience!! We were in a Boardwalk abalcony and I took a picture that showed our view from our balcony that looked like the one posted here. We felt no movement even though we were at the aft part of the ship. We liked our cabin and it had a great view of the Aqua Theater. It could be noisy during movies but other than that was quiet as the doors offer sound proofing when you close the balcony.

 

I didn't expect the food to be as good as it was for a ship this size! Of course in 1999 the food on Celebrity was definitely better. The entertainment was the best of any cruise of the ten cruises we've been on!!!

 

We were aware at times we were on a bigger ship such as having to check out towels on the pool deck and the crowds on the pool deck on at sea days!!!

 

 

My husband also felt he was at a resort other than at sea except areas where you could see the sea. I would sail on the Oasis again. This is a ship you must appreciate for what it is.

[IrishMis]

We are Elite on Celebrity and just sailed the Oasis earlier this month. I love ships so couldn't wait to see this one and was not disappointed. Felt a little overwhelmed the first day with all the crowds but after everyone got the feel of the ship and activities started I never felt crowded again. I was amazed at the technology everywhere and they surely use it well. The entertainment was the very best we've ever seen after 35 cruises. So many activities to choose from though my hubby likes movies in the cabin and Oasis was not geared toward that. We did not do any speciality restaurants as we cruise a lot, but did have a table with a window so we saw the ocean every night. We would not consider the food on par with X, that said we didn't loose any weight or go hungry!!! Had a balcony overlooking Central Park, interesting but would not choose that again. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED:D the promenade deck which is so well designed with several nice spots to sit and watch the ocean, and you can see the ocean as you walk the whole perimeter of the ship. Very hard to find such a nice promenade deck on new ships. We had happy hour benefits for our X Elite status and thought they did a great job making the Diamonds/Elites feel "rewarded" One piece of advise if you go, make sure to book your shows online before you board. You get the times you want and it saved a lot of hassle. Had a great time and RCCL did a very efficient job with both embarkation and debark. Don't try bringing any alcohol, though. :(Celebrity allows 2 bottles of wine and they took ours after scanning on embarkation. We'er boarded the Solstice 3 times through the same terminal and never had an issue.They did return it to our cabin on the last night.

[bajathree]

Actually, I'd have to disagree with you. When you are actually on the pool deck, there are lots and lots of areas where you have no direct ocean view.

 

Yes, the outdoor Solarium area does have great ocean views, as do the whirlpools that are cantilevered over the edge of the Solarium deck.

 

When you are actually on the Boardwalk, you have very little ocean view, unless you are right up near the Aqua Theatre, and even then most of the view is blocked by the Aqua Theatre apparatus. I can see that you would have some ocean view from some of the "Boardwalk-facing" cabins.

 

Absolutely, the ocean is there if you want to find it, after all, you are sailing on a ship at sea. It's just that "being at sea" isn't as pervasive a feeling as I have felt on most ships that I have sailed.

 

 

 

 

[bajathree]

 

 

[bajathree]

[dennbr9]

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.

 

Believe their point is that they do not "feel" like they are at Sea and the Ship just does not move much at all. I too had to look out to see if we were moving yet at times.

[dmk]

We took this picture on the Millenium leaving Port Everglades behind the Oasis

[dmk]

Trying again.

[CruiserChloe]

When I cruised Equinox, I fell in love with Celebrity and S Class ships. However, Oasis blew me away. Thank you, op, for posting this.

 

As far as the "see the sea" thing, I have seen that posted quite a bit also. When I was on Oasis, I didn't find that problem. In fact, I thought the views were better. The Solarium is tiered just for panoramic sea views, opposed to normal Solariums where all the chairs face in toward the pool. Also, the Aqua theater is outdoor and seaside.

[sarahc78]

Glad you enjoyed Oasis. I have been searching itineraries w/ Celebrity and w/ Allure/Oasis. I think the kids would have a better time on Oasis/Allure, but was a bit concerned that us adults have been spoiled by Celebrity. It is good to hear we would enjoy it as well as the kids.

[sczcardfan]

 

Good gracious!! I suppose everything needs to be supersized on a ship this large, but how many people does that whirlpool fit?? :eek:

[bajathree]

Good gracious!! I suppose everything needs to be supersized on a ship this large, but how many people does that whirlpool fit?? :eek:

 

The 2 cantilever spas on each side of the ship are actually separated into 2 halves....they each hold quiet a few folks.

[PS90]

Thanks, Elena, for the review and opinions.

 

One question though, if you wouldn't mind answering:

 

How crowded is the Oasis really?

 

I have heard all the horror stories about 6000 people embarking/disembarking, and how bad the buffet is, simply due to the number of people. I've been interested in trying this ship out, but the word "crowded" is the single-most-fearful adjective about a cruise ship to me. I would go on a ship with bad entertainment, bad food, bad service, etc., before I would want to take a "crowded" cruise.

 

This is a major reason why I enjoy the S-class so much - even a full ship doesn't feel full or crowded.

 

Thanks for your perspective.

[elena7seas]

Thanks, Elena, for the review and opinions.

 

One question though, if you wouldn't mind answering:

 

How crowded is the Oasis really?

 

I have heard all the horror stories about 6000 people embarking/disembarking, and how bad the buffet is, simply due to the number of people. I've been interested in trying this ship out, but the word "crowded" is the single-most-fearful adjective about a cruise ship to me. I would go on a ship with bad entertainment, bad food, bad service, etc., before I would want to take a "crowded" cruise.

 

This is a major reason why I enjoy the S-class so much - even a full ship doesn't feel full or crowded.

 

Thanks for your perspective.

 

I got on the ship at 11:45 on Saturday, May 14th, and disembarked at about 8:35 am on the following Saturday. Both were a breeze...no crowds whatsoever. There was no difference between the lineups that we have experienced on the Solstice class ships.

 

I had no one in front of me at check-in....but it's easy to see why...there were 80 fully-manned check-in desks, with separate lines allocated to each deck. However, at 11:45 there weren't all that many people checking in yet. Apparently Terminal 18 in Fort Lauderdale was specifically designed to handle the number of passengers on Oasis, and passengers are routed so that there was never any crowding in any area.

 

There was not one person in front of me as I left the ship this past Saturday (I tried to take a picture, but security wouldn't let me), and when I entered the terminal, there were about 40 people in front of me that were sent in two separate directions (each to a different side of the terminal) to pick up our luggage, so no big lineups. The line moved smoothly with no stopping. My luggage was exactly where it was supposed to be...the luggage tag areas are clearly marked.

 

There were 9 kiosks in use to clear customs...five for US citizens, and four for the rest of us. There were about twenty people in front of me, and it took me less than 10 minutes to get through customs and outside the terminal. Everyone had made a quick getaway, as the sidewalk was busy, but not crowded.

 

In truth, I never got up to the Windjammer until departure morning at 7:45 am, and as they were closing down one side of the Windjammer, there were a lot of people up there, but it was still easy to jet in, and get what you wanted without waiting for more than one or two others. Almost every seat was taken, but the turnover was fairly rapid, so it only took me a minute to get a seat. I don't like buffets in general, and there were so many other places to eat that I just never got to experience the Windjammer on regular days. Friends who did said that it was busy, but no moreso than they had experienced on other ships.

 

My pictures are almost all loaded, and you can see from them that hardly anywhere on the ship was crowded. The one exception would be deck 4 when the theatre let out, but that's kind of a standard cruise ship experience. Deck 4 has a lot of entertainment venues, so it is pretty busy in the evenings, but more in a "vibrant" way, as opposed to "crowded". People are out and about enjoying themselves.

 

The Oasis uses all the efficiencies of modern electronics to manage the number of passengers it hosts. I will talk in more detail about it in my review, but it is advisable to make reservations for the theatre and other events online before you sail, as 80% of the seats are available online and only 20% are held for booking on the ship. I didn't know this beforehand, so had to book on the ship, but still managed to get to all 6 events that required reservations. They were all well worth seeing. There is also a stand-by lineup for each event, as there are a significant number of "no-shows", i.e. "I'm in the casino and don't feel like going to the theatre right now".

 

Biggest drawback for me on this cruise? The number of smokers. A walk through the casino was deadly (I didn't spend a nickel there, although I usually "donate" a small amount on every cruise) and there were just a lot of "smoky" people walking about...I would notice it when they entered the elevators. The card room always smelled smoky to me too, although I never saw anyone smoking in there, and I don't think it was a smoking venue....I didn't see any ashtrays. But it wasn't such a large problem that it would prevent me from sailing the Oasis again.

 

I haven't culled my photos yet, or added labels, but you can see them at

 

 

I really have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this ship. I would even take my DH on it, just for the fun, as the entertainment is outstanding. Service isn't quite what we're used to on Celebrity, but it was still efficient and friendly, and the food was almost as good. Overal, the Oasis was an experience well-worth-having, for this Celebrity "loyalist" .

[PS90]

Thanks very much for the quick and very informative reply.

 

Maybe, just maybe, I will give the Oasis-class a try in the future. Assuming I get bored with X at some point. :)

[Aquahound]

 

How crowded is the Oasis really?

 

I have heard all the horror stories about 6000 people embarking/disembarking, and how bad the buffet is, simply due to the number of people. I've been interested in trying this ship out, but the word "crowded" is the single-most-fearful adjective about a cruise ship to me. I would go on a ship with bad entertainment, bad food, bad service, etc., before I would want to take a "crowded" cruise.

 

In truth, it's mostly a non-issue. The embarkation and debarkation is easier and faster than any other cruise ship. Yes, there are 6000 passenegrs on board, but you never see it.

 

The buffet, however, is a problem. It is to be avoided. Fortunately, there are numerous alternatives to the buffet. Park Cafe is one.

[Breezey]

Great thread and glad you started it. We just got off the Allure of the Seas 2 weeks ago. It was our first RCI cruise and what a fantastic cruise. This is where the ship is most definitely the destination. While this was only our 8th cruise, by far it had the best service we had ever experienced (sorry even better than our last 3 Celebrity cruises).

So while it didnt have some of those Celebrity small touches (like a cool washcloth when we you embark the ship after a day in port), every single staff member we met in a hallway, restaurant etc was wonderful.

 

The organization is incredible. The best embarkation and disembarkation experiences we have ever had as well. For embarkation, each deck had its own lines and when we arrived at noon, there was only one couple in front of us. 10 minutes max. Disembarkation was the same quick experience.

 

And while there is a lot of focus on inside areas, we chose the ocean view balcony over one overlooking the interior (e.g. Central Park, the Boardwalk) because its all about the ocean. You always knew you were on a ship and on the ocean.

 

What we expecially loved was all the choice in both entertainment and dining. There is so much choice for free food (I did a review on the Alllure thread on the food) and the shows were great. Because of it being family friendly there is a wide age demographic which was actually great. Lots of lounges for all age ranges made evenings a lot more fun too.

 

Having said all this we also look forward to our Century cruise in December. But must admit do wonder what the experience will be after being on the Allure. The restaurants options (both free and with a fee) really impressed us on the Allure.

 

Next time I go on the Oasis or Allure will be with my grandchildren though. It is an awesome family experience for sure.

[Germancruiser]

elena - exactly what I love , the gentle rocking ...! Never slept better than on board a ship!

bajathree- thank you for those great, amazing pictures, really stunning!

Michael

[Aquahound]

 

 

[Aquahound]

 

 

[bajathree]