Oasis of the Seas-1st time Cruisers, but not last time

[happyiam]

WOW...my vocabulary was very limited this week with this word used repeatedly...

 

This trip was a celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary and worth every penny saved for it. We have only had land vacations, so our perspective of this cruise is from being pure cruise newbies. A big thank you to all the CC members for posting their experiences and tips...both good and bad....that helped in the planning and successful execution of our vacation.

 

I read so much in preparing for this that if we had a bad time we could only blame ourselves. I am a planner and did the spreadsheet organization that was suggested by some. It helped to keep packing at 1 bag each, plus a carry-on, with mixing items just in case. As well as for not forgetting any essential items based on our needs.

 

My “WOW’s” started at the ease of embarkation and didn’t stop until we disembarked. Should say it continued even after when they upgraded our rental vehicle for our day in Fort Lauderdale before our flight home.

 

Embarkation & Disembarkation: So organized and smooth. Everyone helping us were so friendly, even Customs staff. We did self disembark which gave us more time for our day exploring Fort Lauderdale. DH lived here from the age of 4-15 so I got a private tour from him.

Food: Park Cafe - once on board for delicious roast beef sandwiches. Not too busy if you are on early, but definitely popular the rest of the week.

Windjammer – Had 2 breakfasts and 1 lunch here. No bad line-ups or trouble in finding seats, but we are early risers so that may have helped. Great selection of foods...some just warm but...who cares...we are on vacation and I didn’t cook or clean up

Johnny Rockets – 1 breakfast. Short wait, maybe 15 minutes but food was good and hot.

Chops – only specialty dining we did. Wonderful service and food. Maitre d appreciated my DH had on a tie and it wasn’t formal night.

Wipeout Cafe and Sorrento’s – nice for quick snack. The time we went had no long lines. Love Pretzel dogs.

Main Dining Room – had MTD so we were seated on Deck 5 of Opus Dining Room. I had pre-booked times so we went to one line while those without went to the other. Both sides seemed to be getting seated quickly. After the first night we actually requested same table and waiters. Our waiters were great...reviewed chef’s recommendations and offered own recommendations when asked. We were never given bad advice.*TIP* When in Saint Maartens suggested we take own water with us on shore as there can be issues with the water. We were eating at Chops that night which they said was well planned as the” meal in MDR after port is not as good” as the rest of the week. Next night was 2nd formal night. They had special slice of cake with Happy Anniversary on it for us which we had only mentioned in passing one night. We had missed the “singing” of all the waiters that happened one night, but our waiter sang Sole Mio quietly to us at our table,( his idea as we would never have asked.) It was good as he had a really nice voice. They were very busy but still had time to make us feel special.

 

Stateroom: We were on Deck 12, mid-ship, with ocean view balcony. WOW...So relaxing to sit and relax out there. The different colours of blue in the ocean are mesmerizing. Watched flying fish below us. Attendant was very efficient. First day gave us a rundown of his routine times as well as a business card with a number to dial if we needed him at any other time. We had 2 robes in our room to use. Asked and received ice twice a day. Had towel animals every night, except for first and last nights and had chocolates every night. Twice we were given a one page news article of events happening in Canada. We enjoyed room service breakfast on balcony on 2 port days. They called before delivering and after to check everything was okay with the service. Room was very quiet and we slept better than at home.

 

Pools: Many to choose from. Size - well you won’t be doing laps, especially on sea days...

Chairs...yes there were chair hogs...there were still many chairs to choose from with and without sun access that we were quite happy.

Whirlpools...so nice after a lot of walking all day, on ship and in ports...even had them to ourselves, when used in the evening. Bar service attendants were always present and worked hard in the hot sun all day.

 

Shows: All we went to were top quality performances. Must also say the Cruise Director...Richard Spacey...is amazing. I can understand now why so many of the members here rave about him. It was great seeing people of all ages appreciating these shows. Maybe on a cruise ship the difference in ages fades away... The elevators probably were busiest after the shows, but we took the stairs a lot or walked to the elevators at the other end afterwards. Yes we walked a lot...but didn't gain any weight from all the food and drinks consumed!

 

WOW. I guess I have gone on enough. Could I have found negative things to mention? Probably. But through the eyes of first time cruisers we were very pleased with the whole trip. As a newbie I must mention that I did feel the movement of the ship, in room, on deck, and in dining rooms. I was light headed the first day, then okay, even when the captain said we had some "good swells" towards the end of the trip. I then experienced this again for 2 days on land when back. I don’t know if this is normal. Would I find it worse on smaller ships? I loved the Oasis but would like to try a smaller ship next time.

 

Yes I think we are addicted now to cruising. Thank you RCCL and Oasis for such a wonderful trip.

[LBumb]

sounds like you had a great cruise. glad to hear.

[I&J Cruisers]

Well, You're hooked. Welcome to the club.

[Rich56]

As a first time cruiser who was also on this sailing I have to say i agreed with most of what you said. It was all very eye-opening for me. Glad you had as good a time as I did.

Btw we also had our 20th anniversary on the ship and did mention it in our initial booking but were quite surprised one night in the MDR when our waiters brought our dessert with candles singing 'Happy Anniversary to you" (sung to Happy Birthday lol).

[cb at sea]

That "after cruise" movement you've felt is quite normal. It may not happen to everyone, everytime, but it happens to a lot of folks and it will go away!

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for your review! Wow, first cruise on Oasis- that's a tough act to follow!

I'm delighted to hear you a fellow spreadsheet maker, I am too! I just love the planning, not quite as much as the actual cruise but...:o

Hopefully, you booked your next cruise while on board!!! Congrats on a great trip!