Oasis in October...Need Tips!!!

[jpr1908]

Hi-

I am new to the boards. I have only cruised a few times and appear to be a novice compared to others on this board...wow :)

 

My dh, two sons ( 9 and 5) will be on Oasis in October. I am super excited and nervous at the same time. I have been on one Carnvial cruise, Enchantment and Monarch. So Oasis seems overwhelming.

 

Can you share any "been there done that" tips for us? We have not used the kids' club but plan to check it out this time so dh and I can have a little adult time.

 

Any tips on dining, family ship activities, making reservations, and just generally navigating such a HUGE ship would be GREATLY appreciated! FYI We are staying in a balcony room overlooking Central Park.

 

Thanks!

[Familygoboston]

Welcome! it is a bit overwhelming because there is so much info on this board and it moves so quickly, that it's tough to find stuff! I recommend that you start by

- joining your roll call on the roll call section of cruise critic, select RC, then Oasis then look for your dates.

-read as many reviews as you can, under "member reviews" and search "Oasis reviews" "live Oasis" on the RC boards too, ( search is in the upper right side, use " advanced" to enter the subject) to find photo reviews. Show pictures of the stuff to the kids as you read.

- make notes of things that interest you and your family. Whatever you think you might like to do, make a note, on paper or cut and paste it onto a doc.

 

Pretty soon you will have tons of info about Oasis and more specifically stuff you really want to do on her! This is good because your shows and dinners will be open to book about 90-60 days before you sail and you'll want to make some quick decisions once they do!

 

Good luck!

 

My own review here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1539995

 

Includes compasses from Dec, and my own planning tips as well as DH's photos, but look also for Jennats- she sailed with kids, and Brian Alts, if you want details about food.

[SailingSiren]

I am sailing the Allure in October for my honeymoon! Like you, I'd probably be considered a novice - haha! BUT, I have learned a lot scouring these boards these past few months.

 

The best advice I can give:

 

(1) Read Royal Carribean's overview of the ship.

(2) There are 3 major things you need to decide before anything else: Specialty Dining, Shows, and Excursions. Once you know what you want in each of those 3 categories, everything else will fall into place.

(3) Print out the cruise compasses and highlight what looks fun. This serves two purposes: (1) You know you won't miss what you REALLY want to do, and (2) You can keep that day's compass in your pocket in case you need a quick idea of what to do.

 

 

I am type A personality, so I made a ridiculous spreadsheet (based off of a CC user's idea) so that I know what is going on and when. It's not a schedule, just "guidelines" because what I most regretted on my last cruise was walking in on the tail end of EVERY cool event because I didn't know it was happening!

 

Good luck and have fun!

[jennmaybe]

Hey fellow North Carolinian!

 

We sailed Oasis last year, after only being on Carnival. We fell in love with Oasis/Royal Caribbean!! So much, that we won't even consider going back to Carnival!

 

First, just take a deep breath. I was in your shoes last year at this time, feeling so overwhelmed. It truly was a different experience, but nothing that stressed us out.

 

Next, the ship's layout is very simple (nothing like the quirky decks on Carnival), so you won't have any problems navigating this ship. The fun part is just walking around on embarkation day and learning where everything is.

 

Reservations generally open up about 90 days prior (ours opened up even sooner though), so you can go out there and schedule your shows & dinners. We planned our shows around dinner and port days though. We did not eat in the MDR every night. We did Chops one night (excellent meal), Solarium Bistro and Johnny Rockett's one night, just for something casual. I would recommend you refer to your itinerary for port times and use that as a guide to schedule shows (at least for port days when you get off the ship).

 

You can read some really good reviews of Oasis out there on CC.

 

The most romantic dinner we had all week was at the Solarium Bistro. The food was excellent too!!

[Puffinater]

Book a breakfast with Shrek and the gang. Loads of chocolate stuff on the menu.

[emmy]

Hi-

I am new to the boards. I have only cruised a few times and appear to be a novice compared to others on this board...wow :)

 

My dh, two sons ( 9 and 5) will be on Oasis in October. I am super excited and nervous at the same time. I have been on one Carnvial cruise, Enchantment and Monarch. So Oasis seems overwhelming.

 

Can you share any "been there done that" tips for us? We have not used the kids' club but plan to check it out this time so dh and I can have a little adult time.

 

Any tips on dining, family ship activities, making reservations, and just generally navigating such a HUGE ship would be GREATLY appreciated! FYI We are staying in a balcony room overlooking Central Park.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes joining your roll call is a good idea. I am on 2 sailings on Oasis in October so perhaps you are on one of those. We have active roll calls with lots of Oasis experience... what sailings? I am on Oct 6 and Oct 13 :)

 

Welcome to Cruise Critis :)

[jpr1908]

Awesome! We are on the Oct 6 sailing!

[Familygoboston]

You are in very good hands with Emmy:D Have a great cruise!

[emmy]

You are in very good hands with Emmy:D Have a great cruise!

 

 

I thought I heard my name being spoken lol :) Thank you for the nice compliment..

 

The the original poster..come over and check the roll call out. We welcome you and hope to see you there

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34218274#post34218274

[JamesEM]

Thanks Familygoboston for the info/review.

[mandaleigh]

We are on the Oct 6 sailing as well. Our ds(8) will be with us and he loves the kids club. He's already talking about it!

 

You'll also have minigolf, the parades, ice skating (bring long pants), h2o zone, to keep them occupied.

 

We hang out at the h20 zone, i'm sure we'll run into each other!

[f1mauro]

Looking forward to the 6th as well :). The saddest part about this fall cruise is wishing that summer would pass more quickly. Can't wait

[emmy]

Wow lots of Oasis Oct 6 cruises.. come by the roll call to say hello :)