Oasis Review MAy 26th

[irishgal432]

Overall the ship and trip were phenomenal! I have written my review and pointed out some things that are nit picky because all in all there were hardly any major issues or problems with the staff or ship.

 

We drove down from Atlanta, Georgia on Friday. We stayed in Boyton Beach which is a nice break from driving all the way to Fort Lauderdale. It took about 45 minutes to get to port.

 

There were 6 of us, Myself, DH, DD 16, DD 14, DS, 14 and DS Friend 14.

 

 

We arrived at port at about 10:30 after parking at the Park n go. We had to leave the keys with them and they ended up leaving a huge scratch from running into something in the drivers door and side door. I do not know what repercussions I have until I call them, but probably nothing. So word to the wise, if you park there, do not accept the valet deal, wait for an open space.

 

I think boarding was a little later than normal. We were escorted to the suite check in counter and had to wait only a few minutes for the check-in person. One note, he did not give us our WOW cards, which was disappointing and I did not realize it until we were on board already.

 

There was a nice area for Suite Guests to wait to board. You had to show your gold card to the monitor to enter. Just prior to boarding, he went over select groups to put them in the que to board first (I am assuming they were high end suite and Pinnacle, diamond + members) and then the announcement was made for suite guests to board. We were on board by 11:30ish

 

We were in a Grand Suite 12254 and Inside room for the kids 12139. I would have chosen starboard sides so we could see the ports instead of the water, but that is a matter of personal opinion and did not spoil the cruise for us.

 

The GS was in a great location, but the 12139 inside room was all the way front next to the crew sleeping quarters. For the kids it was fine, but for people that have trouble walking, it is a long way from the elevators and aft. There has been a lot of talk on the boards lately about kids having cabins separate from their parents and we had no problem getting extra keys. The extra key for the GS was still a Gold card. We had 4 people in the GS and the 2 boys in the inside room.

 

Entering the ship was amazing, even though I looked at pictures ad nauseum, it was still impressive. We walked around a bit and I wanted to go to Park Cafe but have 4 teenagers, they wanted the Windjammer. I will have to say that is the only time I ate in the Windjammer the whole trip. The windjammer is great for what it is. A lot of different food for those who like to eat. (Did I mention I had 4 teenagers). We walked around some more trying to get our bearings. The elevator signage that tells where venues are (Forward or Aft) was the most helpful the whole trip.

 

The kids went off exploring and my husband and I went to the Concierge Lounge to book my shows. They gave us a sticker for the seapass card to allow us in the shows, but did not make reservations, we could go when we wanted to. The only problem was when we went to the Comedy show, the Cruise Director staff said we could not get in with the sticker, but said since we were here to go ahead in. When I spoke to Francios in the CL, he told me he they had to change sticker colors because they ran out and the CD staff may not been aware.

 

The boys went to the Suite sundeck and were told that they had to leave without an adult. Another time I had to speak to Charmine, and she told me that that is not the case.

 

We checked in our rooms about 1:30 and met Carmella our attendant. She was so sweet and kind. There were ashes from the previous guest on the deck and table and she cleaned them up right away. She also put a bottle of wine in our room while we went to explore more. She really made us feel welcome and even gave us extra chocolates for "the boys" in the other room.

 

We had MTD. We ate in the Dining Room for 4 nights and ordered MDR food in the suite the other nights. Charmaine the CL gave us her card and told us to go past the check-in desk and speak to Oliver so we should not have to wait. We had a fabulous wait staff the first night. I did overhear the the gentleman go over to the check in desk and tell her, we have suite guests, please give them a good table.

 

Went to the CL and met the wonderful waitstaff there as well. The open bar and snacks were also welcome. It was such a nice quiet area to get away from the the hustle and bustle. There were a few kids, but did not cause any issues.

 

We went to see Hairspray the first night, which was awesome.

 

Day 2

 

Dh had breakfast in the CL to start the day. It had great coffee and OJ in there. The kids of course had windjammer.

 

We spent time on the Suite Deck at the pool which was nice for our group and not very occupied. You have a pool attendant that brings cold towels for you. Boy that felt good.

 

Lunch was at the Park Cafe. I think I would eat there everyday if I wasn't in a suite and had access to the CL.

 

We did activities throughout the day. This ship has so many activities that it is hard to sit and relax. We ordered dinner from the MDR and ate on the deck for dinner.

 

Dh and I went to the comedy show and the kids hung out.

 

 

Day 3

 

Jamaica

 

I did not get off the ship other that a few minutes to shop at the port, everybody else went to the Falls. They enjoyed it, but it was very crowded. I enjoyed the ship immensely while they were gone even ziplining multiple times.

 

Day 4

 

Labadee

 

We got Cabana B2. It was extremely hot and that side of the beach has no breeze. We ended up on the other side watching the zipline in the shade with the nice ocean breeze. I will have to say, I could not understand my cabana attendant at all, neither could my family. We had zip line res for 1:30 and he told us we would have to check in at 12:30. Wrong...we get there and had to wait for 45 minutes till checkin. We did use the suite shuttle several times to go around the island. They were very strict on who could use them, as we had several people wanting on and they said Sorry suite guest only. The cabana was not worth the cost for my family.

 

The lunch was very good. In fact my husband had some fish they put out later in the day that was his favorite of the cruise.

 

Day 5

 

Another Sea Day of activities, shows, and eating.

 

Day 6

 

Cozumel

 

We did a snorkeling tour and had a great time even though it was overcast.

 

Day 7

Rained off and on all day, but there were plenty of activites to do and then they added some more indoor acitvites.

 

Embarkation.

 

Took about an hour from the time we left our room to get through customs.

 

 

OVerall:

 

1. Did I see drunk guests? Yes, but not too many. In fact at the piano bar was were I saw a large group of drunk people. Similiar to the Atlantis resort, they must instruct the performers "to take a break" when guest start getting obnoxious in hopes they will go away and not disturb people. I saw the same group of drunk people in the On Air club during Karoke being obnoxious over by the bar. So in a cruise of over 6,000 people seeing only 1 group of obnoxious, not unruly guest is a very small percentage.

 

2. Did I see obnoxious teens? Yes, but only 1 group that decided to hang out on the stairwell on Deck 12. We they mean spirited and rude. No.., just taking up all of the stairs making it hard to pass. Once again n a cruise of over 6,000 people seeing only 1 group of obnoxious, not unruly guests is a very small percentage.

 

3. The ship was humid. I understand it was in the Caribbean, but the indoor areas including the stateroom and elevators was humid and air flow seemed to be non-existent in many parts of the ship that were indoors.

 

4. Overall Service.

 

Bars- Always someone wanted to get you a drink,

 

MTD 1st night great service but not fun, 2nd time we were seating on floor 4, usually not a MTD foor. The waiter asked are you from MTD and had CRAPPY service and felt rushed. He was bring entrees before salads were even finished. He wanted us to get out of there and was not engaging at all. The 3 and 4th time we had maralyn and audrey. They were so pleasant and I have to say they made the dinners special, even hugging us when we left. Room Service. Okay for suite breakfast, but had to wait 1 hour 15 minutes for Main dining room service both nights we ordered in when we were told it would be 30-40 minutes.

 

Concierge- Very pleasant and helpful!

 

Staff seemed pretty pleasant and helpful.

 

 

5. Crowds-There were a lot of kids but it wasn't out of control. There were a lot of people too. I think we had 6,200 passengers total. It added energy to the ship. Only once or twice did I get onto an elevator that had no one on it. Most times it was 3/4 full. It is a different experience than our Liberty of the Seas in Jan as far as crowds and numbers of kids, but it is what it is. School is out and it is a huge Family activities boat. Most people were on vacation mode. Everyone was friendly and willing to talk.

 

6. Shows-

 

Hairspray-Cruise ship entertainment at its best

Love and Marriage-Is only as good as the contestants. I always enjoy the older couple.

Quest- High energy even before the show starts

Comedy Show-Pretty funny, but not long enough

Improv-OMG the funniest thing the whole week

Viking Crown Lounge performers- were hit or miss depending who was there

The duo performing under the stars in Central Park-Awesome

Aquatheater- the show themes were kind of pointless, but the acrobatics and diving were a treat.

Come fly with me-A nice mix of singing, dancing and air acts

Karoke- funny. The CD staff did a good job of not letting the awful singers make fools of themselves.

Trivia-they need to come up with different trivia. There were alot of the same questions. How hard can that be?

Ice skating show- once again, storyline lacked, but the sand artists were phenomonal.

 

7. Activities

 

The lines were extremely long for the flowriders. I think they should limit the time for those expert surfers so the lines can not be so long.

 

The lines for the Zipline were also long during peak times, but not so much early in the morning or coming back from ship excursions.

 

The ice skating was fun and worth the time.

 

The rock walls were also long during peak times, but not so much early in the morning.

 

 

Cool things that were not on the Compass

Aqua thater performers getting engaged.

Ken from Kentucky- (The body builder who did not wear shirts or shoes the whole cruise)

The security guy sitting outside of a room for the people under house arrest for trying to bring drugs back from Haiti. They were escorted off in Jamaica and flown home.

The family leaving from the front row at Improv because it got a little racy and Simeone acknowledging it.

The limbo contest on the boardwalk with the little girl dancing.

The wedding party that consisted of a pirate and his booty going through the solarium.

 

 

Final thoughts:

 

I met a lot of great people throughout my week, some here from CC and some from all over the country and Canada. The ship is a destination that is amazing. The food is hit or miss depending on where you eat, but it was plentiful. I do think since we were suite guests we may have been treated a little better in some ways. There is something for everyone on the ship, whether you are 1 or 100.

 

Now back to reality and planning the next cruise.......

[hiccups]

Sorry to hear about your car! Not a good way to end an otherwise good trip.

 

I hadn't heard about the couple under house arrest!

 

It was good to meet you and your family--thanks for letting us be part of your trivia team :)

 

When I saw "Ken from Kentucky" mentioned in the Roll Call, I wondered for a minute... glad to know it wasn't MY Ken (who was born in Kentucky) parading around without his shirt!

[storm1of4]

Traveling as a suite guest is a different experience than that of a regular guest. It's all great but suite guests and D+ guest have the advantage.

[Magicat]

Irishgal: Did you happen to get to the pub and check out the entertainment there?

[LucilleBluth]

Irishgal: Did you happen to get to the pub and check out the entertainment there?

 

Not the irishgal, but same cruise and DH and I were there almost every night! There was a guy named Scott playing the guitar and he was great! We much preferred him to the piano player at the Schooner bar. Scott played lots of classic rock and dueling piano bar type sing alongs, but took all kinds of requests. We really enjoyed him.

 

Also the servers in the Globe & Atlas were our favorite on the ship. The ladies there were awesome.

[A&L_Ont]

Not the irishgal, but same cruise and DH and I were there almost every night! There was a guy named Scott playing the guitar and he was great! We much preferred him to the piano player at the Schooner bar. Scott played lots of classic rock and dueling piano bar type sing alongs, but took all kinds of requests. We really enjoyed him.

 

Also the servers in the Globe & Atlas were our favorite on the ship. The ladies there were awesome.

 

We concur. He was a great entertainer and the staff were quick with the service in the Globe and Atlas.

[transam84]

Irishgal, thanks for a great review. We are going on oasis next may and have the aquatheater suite for me, dh, ds, and ds girlfriend and the balcony next door for mom and mom in law. I assume my mom and mom in law will have the same suite priveledges since the reservatipns are linked and they are both mobility impaired. Did your kids in the inside cabin get all the same suite priveledges?

[hiccups]

Irishgal, thanks for a great review. We are going on oasis next may and have the aquatheater suite for me, dh, ds, and ds girlfriend and the balcony next door for mom and mom in law. I assume my mom and mom in law will have the same suite priveledges since the reservatipns are linked and they are both mobility impaired. Did your kids in the inside cabin get all the same suite priveledges?

 

Also not Irishgal, but as adults, if your mom and MIL don't have gold cards, I'm pretty sure they won't get the suite perks. But I'd also think if they go with you into the CL, no one will card them. But for the shows, they'll have to show their cards and probably not be able to join you. But you can also make show reservations in advance and avoid the problem.

[irishgal432]

Irishgal, thanks for a great review. We are going on oasis next may and have the aquatheater suite for me, dh, ds, and ds girlfriend and the balcony next door for mom and mom in law. I assume my mom and mom in law will have the same suite privileges since the reservations are linked and they are both mobility impaired. Did your kids in the inside cabin get all the same suite priveledges?

 

I would not assume they have the same benefits. My children were 14 that were in the room and they never questioned them. We were able to check in,have priority boarding, suite beach access and tram and priorty MTD, but as far as the CL access and show we only had access for the 4 that were booked into the room. With your mom and mom-in-law they may not allow access because they are adults, it doesn't matter if the ress are linked or not.

[irishgal432]

Sorry to hear about your car! Not a good way to end an otherwise good trip.

 

I hadn't heard about the couple under house arrest!

 

It was good to meet you and your family--thanks for letting us be part of your trivia team :)

 

When I saw "Ken from Kentucky" mentioned in the Roll Call, I wondered for a minute... glad to know it wasn't MY Ken (who was born in Kentucky) parading around without his shirt!

 

Hey we only won because you were on the team!

 

How do you know it wasn't your Ken???????? I think you should replace the smiley face with his mug. What happens on the Oasis stays on the Oasis:D

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post a review of your cruise.

[vivavegas]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to post your review!:)

[Just The 3 Of Us]

Very nice review - thanks so much for sharing!

[transam84]

I would not assume they have the same benefits. My children were 14 that were in the room and they never questioned them. We were able to check in,have priority boarding, suite beach access and tram and priorty MTD, but as far as the CL access and show we only had access for the 4 that were booked into the room. With your mom and mom-in-law they may not allow access because they are adults, it doesn't matter if the ress are linked or not.

 

Thanks, mainly concerned about priority boarding since both in their 80s and are mobility impaired and will be in wheel chairs. If they cant get on with us we will have to forfeit that. Will be making all reservations way in advance so not worried about that part. I could have put them in the aqua theater suite with us but wanted 3 baths. I do understand there are rules, but it sounded from your review as you all were experiencing suite perks. Thanks again for a great review and your resonse. Very helpful.

[f1mauro]

Great review. Thanks!

[LBumb]

great job