Review: Thanksgiving 2012 on the Oasis (#1)

[kadams718]

We sailed over Thanksgiving on the Oasis. Wow...is all I can say! Our group consisted on my parents, my husband, myself, our 11 year old son, and my single brother.

 

We left Friday afternoon from Charlotte, NC spent the night in Titusville. That took about 8 hours. Woke up Saturday and in 3 hours we were at the Park-n-Go next to the port. We pre-paid for parking. When we pulled in, they had all the cars line up. We unloaded the car and jumped right on a shuttle. They parked the car for us. It cost approximately $65 for the week.

 

Embarkation was very smooth. Minimal lines and we were on the boat around noon. We had on 2 bottles of wine, a 12 pack of water and 8 Red Bulls in our carry-on luggage and were able to bring those on the boat. (No smuggling.) We saw people carrying 12 packs of soda too. (I assume those were allowed on as well.)

 

Once on board, we went to the Park Cafe for lunch. Seating was sparse and it was very crowded. We ate there again on the last day. Highly recommend. The sandwiches and salads are delicious!

 

Rooms were ready by 1:00. We stayed in 14726 balcony cabin. The second to last room at the back of the boat. We thought it would be an issue being so far at the back of boat but it wasn't at all. We brought walkie talkies so we could keep in touch with our group. They were on deck 11 and deck 9. A surprise was the "secret" public deck at the end of our hall. We were able to enjoy this extended balcony just a few steps from our cabin. Hardly anyone ever out there.

 

We spent the rest of day walking around the boat and signing up for Adventure Ocean (the kids program). My son got an unlimited soda cup. The ship has about Coca Cola soda machines that offered hundreds of soda combinations. Along with the usual soda selections, you could pick flavored soda: Peach Sprite, Orange Diet Coke, Raspberry Fanta, etc... The kids LOVED this! It was nice not having to go to a bar for soda. They were well positioned around the ship and even with 6000 people on board, the lines were not long for soda refills.

 

We had fun watching the Coast Guard do donuts beside the boat as we prepared to set sail. It was windy as we left. I am glad I brought a light sweater to wear throughout the week.

 

We opted for MTD. Dinner on the first night was very good. As were the dinners every night. We really liked the food on this ship! Service in the dining room was excellent. We were told all week that if we were unhappy with anything to let them know. Our satisfaction was very important to them. I do wish that we had made reservations ahead of time for Thanksgiving dinner. That was our longest wait...probably 45 min. Plan on 1.5-2 hours for dinner if you have show reservations.

 

I signed up my son for Flow Rider lessons at 7:30. It lasted an hour. By the time it was over, my son had the boogie board down. He was too short for surfing. This would be the only time he would Flow Ride though.

 

We turned it in early the first night since we had an excursion planned at Aqua Adventure the next morning.

 

More to come in #2.

[will773]

Great so far! Can't wait to read the rest!

[kadams718]

Thanksgiving Review continued... (#2)

 

Sunday morning we were up early and had breakfast at the Windjammer. The staff who circulated with coffee and asking for drinks were very friendly. We were pleased with the breakfast every morning. It does get crowded so we usually had someone find a seat and then we would take turns getting our plates.

 

My son and husband purchased the Atlantis Aqua Adventure water park excursion. I am not a water parker, so did not spend the $139 adult fee ($87 for kids). I walked around Nassau with my mother and looked at the shops. The excursion to the Atlantis left the pier at 7:45/8:00. They took a bus to Atlantis and arrived about 8:15. Upon arrival, they found out that the majority of the water park did not open until 10:00. The pools were open at 9:00 and the Leap of Faith too. So, they went to the Dig and watched the hammerheads sharks being fed. This is a very short day, having to leave the Atlantis at 12:30, so many people were very upset with the water park hours. Also very long lines. My son had alot of fun but it is a short trip with the crowds. This probably due to it being a holiday and 5 boats in port.

 

Lines are long at the security check getting back to the dock. Take that into consideration when returning to the ship.

 

Once the boat sailed, my son was on the sports deck playing basketball. My husband and I walked the boat and then found lounge chairs. No problem the entire cruise finding a chair. If you are a gold member (2+ cruises), the deck above the Solarium is a great place to lay out. It has a bar, cushions on the lounges, someone walking around with cold face towels and asking if you need anything. Pretty nice way to spend the afternoon. If you have not signed up for the Crown and Anchor Club, make sure you do so. We received a coupon book with ship discounts. Between the 4 of us who were gold, we saved some money on ship purchases/drinks.

 

My son opted to eat with the Kids Camp that evening. He really enjoyed the activities in the 9-11 age group. I was concerned he'd be bored at camp since he's at the older end at 11.5, but not at all! Lot's of boys in the camp. Often he did not want to leave. I signed him up for self-checkout, but he could not leave without contacting us by walkie. Most of the time, we had to go get him instead of him wanting to leave. Childcare is free until 10:00. My son said all the really fun games/activities start after 10, so he stayed until between 11-12:00 a few nights. The charge is $6/hr. Beware...if you are 1 min after the hour, they charge you an extra half hour.

 

I went to Hairspray with my mother. She really enjoyed the show. I thought it was good but alittle long (90 min). Also saw the Ice Skating Show with my mom and son, Aqua Show with brother, husband and son. We missed the Come Fly With Me Show because it was cancelled due to the boat rocking too much. Several shows were cancelled/rescheduled due to the boat rocking.

 

More to come...#3

[kadams718]

Tuesday and Wednesday were port days.

Tuesday we went to Magen's Bay in St Thomas. We did not purchase a ship excursion. Plenty of taxi's available. We paid $9 per person to get to the beach. Once there, $12 for a chair, $8 for a float. Add $10 deposit fee per item that they return when you bring back your rentals. We were alittle disappointed in this experience. Very crowded and just kinda ho-hum. Food and drinks were pricy. We packed it up around 1:30 and took a taxi to the shops downtown. It started to rain so we were glad we packed it up early. Bet is was super crowded trying to leave Magen's Bay, especially if you had rentals to turn in.

 

Wednesday we went to Maho Beach in St Maartin. $8 cab ride per person each way. Highly recommend for those 14+. The surf was very rough for younger swimmers. I am told it is always very rough. This is the beach at the base of the airport where the planes land and take off right over you. My husband and brother got a table at Suset Bar and Grill and stayed all day. I left with my son after a couple hours. Lots of traffic getting back to port so leave at least 1.5 hours before you need to be back on ship. The best time to see the planes is between 11-3. A huge Air France comes in alittle before 3:00 that they say is a must-see.

 

Wednesday afternoon, the ship showed the premiere of The Rise of the Guardians in 3D. My son loved it! He also received a movie poster. They showed it several more times throughout the week.

 

Dinners on excursion nights were at the Windjammer for us. Food was good, but we missed the dining room experience.

 

Thanksgiving.... Sea Day

The ship had Thanksgiving decorations all around. A Dreamworks parade at noon was very fun for the kids. They had a tree lighting too. Really felt like the start of the holiday season! Football was shown all day at the On-Air Bar and at the Aqua Theater. This was formal night. The Promenade was packed with families taking photos so we knew dinner would be on a wait. They did have a turkey dish on the menu. Our son joined us this night. He is very picky. I special requested his meal and they accommodated no problem!

 

Night Life: The Globe and Atlas Pub was our favorite. Jimmy, the guitar player was alot of fun! We spent 2 nights here and really enjoyed the entertainment. Central Park is nice to walk around in the evening. We heard a classic guitar player here too. Viking Lounge is huge and not very crowded. Seemed to cater to older crowd. Dazzles, the disco, was packed with 20-somethings. Rising Tide Bar was working but we never went on it. The piano bar singer was good but went on break 15 min after we sat down. Boleros played latin music was always packed with patrons and people dancing. This is the only bar that allows smoking. It is limited to one side of the bar. We are not gamblers so did not visit the casino other than to walk through at start of cruise.

 

Loved the walking track on deck 5. Especially the chairs at the back. The roar of the wake was so soothing. A good spot for a picture with your family!

 

Vitality Spa: I booked a massage for 8:00 on our last day. It was great! So relaxing. They did try to sell hundreds of dollars of extra products afterwards. I kindly declined and added an extra $10 to her gratuity.

 

More to come...#4

[kadams718]

Dickson, our room steward, was very attentive and had a good sense of humor.

 

 

Disembarkation:

We decided to consolidate everything so we could do the express check out. Woke up at 6:00. Decided to eat on the road. We were off the boat and in line at the shuttle at 7:00. So easy! The Park-n-Go dropped us right at our car and even offered complimentart water when we drove out.

 

Some final tidbits about the Oasis:

*The air conditioning in the cabin only runs if the balcony door is closed. We usually like to hear the waves at night but it became warm.

*Check out the observation deck on at the front of the ship on level 14.

Good picture spot if not too windy.

*Solarium had a good lunch if you like lighter, more gourmet food.

*Sorrento's Pizza parlor on Promenade deck was very popular for the kids.

*Zip Line short, but fun. Must have sneakers on for this.

*Sign all waivers online before cruise to eliminate having to do before zip line and flow rider.

*Love how the photos are prepped in the photo shop. Every cabin has a binder number listed on your sea pass. Go to photo shop, find your binder and see your photos. They have facial recognition that lets them know who is who for the photos you take getting on/off ship. Don't wait until last night to order. Long lines and they may not be ready until Sat morning.

[kadams718]

I am happy to answer any questions you have about the Oasis! Will add more as we think of it.

[crisndeefromde]

I think you got lucky of you were up in the Suite area of the reserved seating. The gold card that you speak of has nothing to do with the amount of cruises you have been on but if you are in a grand suite and above. If you were not in a suite and no one checked your card you were lucky. Our cards are always checked and usually the pool patrol checks who is in this area.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. I loved the Oasis last year and have been on the Allure twice. I agree the time in Nassau is kind of a waste and one of the reasons we have not done an excursion at Atlantis.

[kathyemma]

Sounds like you guys had a great trip! Sorry we didn't get to see more of each other.

 

And as the other poster mentioned, the area with the gold cards is for suites! This sailing put me over 300 nights at sea with Royal and they don't even let me up there!

 

Yes, Atlantis would be a waste for the day! We go every summer and even spending 10+ days there every year - we still don't feel as if we have enough time. However, we did go. But we knew the slides wouldn't open unitl 10. And we didn't pay. We sort of snuck in. We have enough keys and wristbands from Atlantis - we just flashed those and walked on thru. Never actually went on any rides - too far of a walk for my mom but it was nice to just walk around and as my dd put it - "it is great to be home again". If you ever get the chance to go again for day - look into booking a room at the comfort suites next door. It will get admission for 4 into atlantis for the day - and at times you can get a room for 100 or so.

 

Kathy

[kadams718]

The woman at Crown and Anchor Club put a sticker on our Sea Pass that said "Gold Member" after we signed up and we had no problem using the chairs above the Solarium. We stayed in a balcony cabin, not a suite. Since it was my son's first Royal cruise, he did not get the Gold Member sticker. She said it was based on number of cruises. Could it be something new at the Crown and Anchor Club? Everybody had to fill out new forms in our group. My parents too and they just sailed Allure in February.

 

Wouldn't hurt to stop by and check it out. Like I said the Gold Memeber coupon booklet came in handy.

[Let'sGo!]

Thank you for your review.

We are on Oasis in May and I'm having trouble talking hubby into eating in the MDR.

 

Our last cruise was very port intensive and we chose to eat dinner in the Windjammer (with the exception of the two nights we ate in specialty restaurants). I've read that there are staff members who greet you in the Windjammer and help you find a table before you go to the buffet. Did you not experience that?

 

Also, do you remember what menu was offered which nights in the MDR? I'm hoping to entice him with the new menus... but need to figure out which one's are served which nights.

 

Finally, thanks for the taxi info about Maho Beach. We've been to St. Maarten a number of times and I think we've just about done it all. We loved Maho Beach in the past, and I was thinking we might just go there this time and camp out at the Sunset Bar. And yes -- seeing the Air France plane land is breathtaking!

 

Ann

[Coralc]

The woman at Crown and Anchor Club put a sticker on our Sea Pass that said "Gold Member" after we signed up and we had no problem using the chairs above the Solarium. We stayed in a balcony cabin, not a suite. Since it was my son's first Royal cruise, he did not get the Gold Member sticker. She said it was based on number of cruises. Could it be something new at the Crown and Anchor Club? Everybody had to fill out new forms in our group. My parents too and they just sailed Allure in February.

 

Wouldn't hurt to stop by and check it out. Like I said the Gold Memeber coupon booklet came in handy.

 

Fun review! :D:):D I think I might ask the loyalty ambassador if we can have gold member stickers for our cards. :D I never thought of that. ;)

[VirtualRain]

Also, do you remember what menu was offered which nights in the MDR? I'm hoping to entice him with the new menus... but need to figure out which one's are served which nights.

 

I recently looked into this... all the info you need for menus on the Oasis/Allure can be found here... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1739643

[kadams718]

I also wanted to mention how much I enjoyed Ricky Matthews, the cruise director! He has crazy energy and was tons of fun to watch at the 70's party on the Promenade deck.. He was very visible and personable. He does a great job!! I have never really paid much attention to cruise directors in the past, but Ricky could not be missed!