Just back from the Oasis

[1cat4jan]

Beautiful ship - easy to get around - designed well with various common areas to accommodate the large number of passengers. Never felt crowded.

 

We got there around 11:30 and got right on. However, the cabins were not available until 1:00. Food, was, of course, available as soon as you got on the ship.

 

There is parking at the port - it is not covered. I was told other ports have covered parking. There is a place for the driver to drop you and your luggage off. The same is true on disembarkation day. There is an area where people are waiting for their shuttles and you can wait there for your driver to pick you up.

 

Disembarking seemed "messier" than usual, but after we got into the roped off cue, it was only 10 minutes to get through customs. We chose 9:15 to 9:30 for our time, but it was nearly 10:00 when our group was called. They are actively pushing for you to walk off on your own - carrying your own luggage. You can get off right after they dock at around 6:00. Great for those of you who wish to get those early flights.

 

The staff was outstanding. One of the best cabin stewards we've ever had. We had a segregated section of the dining room for our two tables of 6 which worked so well for our group. The only complaint I had was with bar service. He seemed scatterbrained and sometimes forgot to come to our table. However, the guy who supervised our section of the dining room (can't remember his title) was always on the scene to ask if we had problems and he remedied them immediately.

 

Food was better than average and like always, the servers were very accommodating to special requests and were worried if they saw you hadn't finished your dinner.

 

I was disappointed with the drinks of the day. It seemed like they made them way ahead of time, so when you got yours, it was very watered down. I would avoid them, opting for special orders instead.

 

The entertainment venues are not set up to accommodate bar service. The showroom is impossible to get a drink at - unless you are on the end of the row. If you must have something to drink, bring it with you because as you jump from venue to venue, you will not be able to get anything to drink. I suggest carrying a bottle of water with you.

 

Carrying our two bottles of wine on board was a breeze - we also carried a wine opener in our carryon and that was not a problem. However, we never drank our wine. I don't think I will bother to carry wine onto the ship again. It's just easier to get your glass of wine at the dinner table.

 

Entertainment was far above average. There seemed to be less of the production shows you see on all the ships. Hairspray seemed to be in lieu of production shows. It was an excellent production, but I felt it could've been cut by a half hour and still have the flavor of the story. The songs seemed to be all the same, so I believe you could've cut some of them without problem.

 

However, the performers were excellent.

 

You have to sign up ahead of time for all the shows. Make sure you do that because otherwise you will be standing in line hoping for one of the "no-shows" seats. Yes, at some performances there were empty seats, but with a little planning, reserving your seats is really the best way to go.

 

The comedy show as excellent. It's repeated several times - same show - but you will need reservations to attend any of them - the venue is small. Although it's an "adults" show, it was "less adult" than most, which was refreshing.

 

My favorite entertainment was the high divers and the "high flyers" - seems this is where gymnists and swimmers from the Olympics end up. The quality of their skills was outstanding.

 

The ports were so-so, but for most of our group, the destination was the ship. Most of us were frequent Caribbean cruisers, so the ports were not the "thing" we went on this cruise for. No one raved about the tours, even the "newbies" but I think that had more to do with the ports (St. Thomas, St. Martin) not being the best that the Caribbean had to offer.

 

We stayed on the ship for most of the time in port, but we did grab a couple of loungers and the bucket of beer on St. Martin - a place with the most beautiful beach and water - however, the water was too cold to swim in.

 

We did venture off in St. Thomas, but the shopping was impossible and getting around was difficult because of all the people (probably 20,000) with 3 huges ships in port. I wouldn't bother getting off in St. Thomas unless you absolutely have to shop.

 

All in all - it was a first class trip. The Oasis is well designed and well run.

 

By the way - make sure you take in the Captains talk if available. It's free, and he's a hoot. (However, note that the captains have 10 weeks on and 10 weeks off, so you may not get the same captain we did)

 

Sorry, I did not get his name, but we were on the Sept 12th sailing, if that helps with finding out who he was.

 

Another thing not to miss - "Throw Me a Line" - it's like "Who's line is it, anyways" with performers from Hairspray. You did not need reservations for it.

Edited January 21, 2013 by 1cat4jan

[1cat4jan]

The guy who supervised our section of the dining room (6:00) was called the head waiter. :o

 

Another favorite of mine was Sorrentos - the pizza was excellent, however, if you special order (yes, you can special order an individual sized pizza with various toppings of your choice) - make sure you like very brown crust. We sent ours back and noticed on other days, overcooked was the way all the personal pizzas came out. They said it was because the meat needed to be thoroughly cooked. I don't understand that because the regular pizzas were done just right.

 

We went to Chops one night because we had coupons for a free dinner. It was excellent. However, portions are huge and dessert was too, so I thought that was a little wasteful. I guess when people are paying, they expect more, but really, how much can one eat? Because we had a group of 6, they served the side dishes "family style" - you could get the side dishes refilled - or I am sure you could get your own portion if you so desired.

 

We ordinarily do not go to the extra pay restaurants, because we are satisfied with the food in the free dining rooms, however, if you go to Chops, you will not be disappointed. The food was very good, our service was outstanding, and our wait staff was very friendly.

Edited January 21, 2013 by 1cat4jan

[Alicia1834]

How did you get the coupons for a free dinner?

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

How did you get the coupons for a free dinner?

 

 

Some travel agents include them as a perk.

[rt1092]

We were on the same cruise. It was great. We were busy all the time. I didn't get to use my internet minutes till day 6. And we didn't get off the ship till St Marten.

The only things we didn't like were the last night comedy show in the Opus Theater. Amy told us it would be completely new material. And Kivi Rodgers was very good. But the second comic used the almost the same routine as in the comedy club wasting our time.

The other is when we disembarked in Ft Lauderdale. My mother in needed a wheelchair. The gestapo in the terminal (RCL employee) gave us a super hard time. Because I had to declarations forms for the three of us. My wife kept her maiden name so I filled out one for her and her mother. And filled one out for myself. We all live in the same address. The jerk gave us a hard time telling us only she (mother-in-law) could go through. And my wife and I would have to go to the back of the line. Leaving an 85 year old by herself. Finally after some arguing and a letter to Adam Goldstien threat (which we are going to do anyway). He let us go through.

But all in all the Oasis is in our top 3 ships.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report.

[1cat4jan]

How did you get the coupons for a free dinner?

 

Our coupons came from AAA (maybe in conjunction with RCI?) - we had a group of 12 booked together - so maybe that's what triggered this perk.

 

It was good for any specialty restaurant - we chose Chops because of the good reviews we saw here.

[1cat4jan]

But the second comic used the almost the same routine as in the comedy club wasting our time.

 

Like RT, I, too, was wondering how a comic does 20 years of standup and cannot find 15 minutes of different material for a show on the same ship on the same cruise. Lazy, lazy, lazy. (And not all that funny. He was the least amusing of the three at the adult show, and the one who relied on "adult" language to get most of his laughs. Again, lazy.)

Edited January 22, 2013 by 1cat4jan

[cruisinislife]

I was just wondering if you could tell me if they give you show tickets if you have reservations? Also how formal is formal night. Do men need a jacket or is dress pants and shirt and tie or just a dress shirt good enough.

 

Thank you

[janetz]

I was just wondering if you could tell me if they give you show tickets if you have reservations? Also how formal is formal night. Do men need a jacket or is dress pants and shirt and tie or just a dress shirt good enough.

 

Thank you

 

No tickets and the seating is not reserved. :) Its is advisable to get there about 1/2 hour before the show.

[cruisinislife]

Thanks for the reply. I made reservations for the show and I cant figure out why I would need to if they don't give you tickets or anything.

[kdpatte]

They scan your sail in sign card and know if you do or do not have reservations

[1cat4jan]

The doors open about 30 minutes prior to showtime. Those with reservations are directed to one line, those without are directed to another.

 

They let the reservation people in first. Your seapass card is scanned and if your reservation shows up, you are let in. There are no reserved seats, you just go in and pick your seats.

 

Note - we had a printout of our reservations in case there was a glitch with the seapass, but that never happened.

 

About 10 minutes prior to showtime, if there are empty seats, they will let those without reservations in. A line for those with non-reservations starts forming around the time the doors first open, so if you want to get in, you will need to line up pretty early.

 

There seemed to be alot of no-shows (empty seats at 15 minutes past door opening), but I don't know how many people without reservations actually get in.

 

We felt there was no down side to making reservations. We did it prior to leaving home. We figured if we weren't able to make the show, so be it. The cruiseline doesn't care because the seats will eventually get filled by those without reservations.

 

With a ship this size, I believe this was an excellent idea. I liked the idea that we would see the shows we were interested in - that we wouldn't have to wait in line for 20 minutes or more. Even with scanning the seapass, entry into the venue was swift.

Edited January 25, 2013 by 1cat4jan

[AllieMBee]

Thank you for your report/review! We're going on our very first cruise next month, and it will be on the Oasis. Have been hearing great things and we are very excited!! :)

[Just The 3 Of Us]

Thanks for your review!!! Nice job.

[redsoxfan79]

Like both 1cat4jan and rt1092, I was on this cruise. My second time on the Oasis and am going on the Allure in 3 weeks. The comics were funny in the comedy club, but it was actually sooo awkward in the Opal Theatre when Jim David repeated almost word-for-word his act that he did all week in the comedy club. What was really sad was that he asked if anyone had seen him in the comedy club and he got a lot of applause, so he KNEW that he was going to sound foolish doing the same act. Applause for Kivi for doing new material.

 

Had a great time all week. We had to eat breakfast early on sea days, go down to the pool around 8am to get lounge chairs by the pools. We stayed there until about 2pm, but I felt bad for people that wanted to be near the pool and aren't early birds. Lots of lounge chairs in other areas so there was always some place to sit.

 

We had to move tables in the MDR. Our server didn't help at all with my gluten allergy so we asked to move to a new one. Had a good server and a great assistant waiter after moving.

 

I loved Hairspray! ....but then again, I'm a huge musical-theatre fan. Loved the ice show. One sister thought Beatle Maniacs was her favorite and the other sister's favorite was Come Fly with Me.

 

My big disappointment was Come Fly with Me. The briefcase guys didn't walk on the ceiling like they did 2 years ago. It was my favorite number and my mom and I both looked at each other and wondered why they changed this...the best part of the show. They also had less people walking on the wall. Different number this time. Perhaps, it was a different cast that wasn't able to do it, or it was too dangerous. No waves that night so that wasn't it...I'll never know :-( Now, if I didn't 'look forward' to this part, I would have loved the show. Still loved it, just not as much as last time.

 

One of my favorite activities was The Quest. I'd never done it so I didn't know what to expect. My sisters, brother and I had a blast and participated in quite a few of the tasks. My sister was a team leader and we won third place. I wasn't a big fan of awesome-amy until then. She did a nice job at The Quest. Really fun night!

 

Mostly really nice people on this cruise, but there were some Brazillian boys in the elevators that made it so bad we needed to get off at the wrong floor and move to another one. They pressed all the buttons, then they magically made it start going up instead of down. My sister got frustrated and I just told her we needed to get off. Brats!

 

Can't wait to take my husband and kids on the Allure during Feb vacation week....need to get away from this frigid New England weather.

 

-Karen

[1cat4jan]

I had forgotten about Beatlemania until one from our group mentioned it last night. It was a great show - their impersonation was spot on. I loved that they picked songs we all knew and covered different eras with costume changes. I wish the show had been longer.

 

And yes, I totally agree that a comedian who has been doing standup for 20 years, should have more than 1/2 hour of material. How lazy can you be? But really, why did the show producer allow him to go on without additional material? I fault management for allowing it. The complaints about him were loud and I'm sure management heard about their dismay.

 

However, haven't they been hearing complaints all along? Why wasn't something done?

 

They need to get rid of him anyway. He wasn't funny.

[pdaniel]

And yes, I totally agree that a comedian who has been doing standup for 20 years, should have more than 1/2 hour of material. How lazy can you be? But really, why did the show producer allow him to go on without additional material? I fault management for allowing it. The complaints about him were loud and I'm sure management heard about their dismay.

 

However, haven't they been hearing complaints all along? Why wasn't something done?

 

They need to get rid of him anyway. He wasn't funny.

 

 

We are currently on Oasis and attended The Comedy Show last night. I totally agree with this post 2 years ago. Jim David is not funny. I am not sure if he is lazy and does not prepare or if he just does not care anymore. It was the worst comedy set we have seen.

Simeon and Andy were great. Their material was fresh and hilarious. Jim David's set was painful to watch. We are surprised he survived the drydock. It is time to upgrade the headline act.

 

Come on RCCL, you have heard the complaints. Why has nothing been done? He is not funny. We deserve better!

[ksmizzle]

Hi pdaniel,

 

We are going on Oasis April 18th and would like to get any recommendations, postings of dinner menus, specialty restaurants, etc to help get ideas. Anything you could provide us would be awesome. Hope you're having a great cruise.

 

Thanks!