What is worth paying extra for on the Oasis?

[PictureMom]

Has anyone done the Surf's Up party or Cupcake decorating class on the Oasis? Just wondering if they are worth spending the extra money. Anything else a must do for those who have cruised on Oasis? I know there is plenty to keep me busy that is free, but hate to miss anything that is extra that happens to be especially fun or unique.:)

[seaofwonder]

I did the cupcake decorating. In my opinion, if you like to bake at home (I make cupcakes every week and bring them to work) then it's pretty boring. If you've never decorated a cupcake in your life, then it'll probably be fun.

 

The cupcake itself was pretty much the quality of your local grocery store bakery (unless you live in FL, it wasn't as good as Publix) or your local box of Duncan Hines mix.

 

Reserve early though. On allure I didn't try to get in until midweek and they ended up adding extra sessions, but I got stuck with a group of teenagers (who slept in and showed up late).

 

 

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[Ashland]

On our recent Oasis we didn't opt to spend much at all on extra's and feel we didn't miss anything we were sorry about..plenty of things to do and places to eat on this ship...Enjoy !!

[A&L_Ont]

If you have interest in the ship and how it works book the All Access Tour. I have done it twice and it is well worth it IMO.

 

If you have interest in seriously learning how to flowride take a private group lesson. That hour will give you a good grasp of what to do.

[riclop]

Surfs up is not that good, Giovanni's is much better.

[usckatieh]

Has anyone done the Surf's Up party or Cupcake decorating class on the Oasis? Just wondering if they are worth spending the extra money. Anything else a must do for those who have cruised on Oasis? I know there is plenty to keep me busy that is free, but hate to miss anything that is extra that happens to be especially fun or unique.:)

 

 

I enjoyed Chops quite a bit on our Oasis sailing. The filet was awesome.

[CRUELLA1114]

Giovanni's Table is so good we ate there 3 times on our last cruise and plan to do it again this time. My daughter really enjoyed the Cupcake Decorating Classes.

 

 

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[xxoocruiser]

Personally there's so much on the ship to see, do and eat that's included that I never missed doing going to a Specialty Restaurant or other onboard paid events. .

[denamo]

Surfs up is not that good, Giovanni's is much better.

 

Our vote would be Giovanni's for lunch on a sea day. We consider it our sea day excursion. ;)

 

For OP: There is so much to do on the Oasis, the first time you might do all the ticket inclusive activities and then if you cruise another time on the Oasis, do some fee based activities.

[The Sunset Glow]

If you have interest in the ship and how it works book the All Access Tour. I have done it twice and it is well worth it IMO.

 

If you have interest in seriously learning how to flowride take a private group lesson. That hour will give you a good grasp of what to do.

 

My husband recently took a private surf lesson on Indy and said it was well worth the money spent. We are going on Oasis next week with the kids and we will be paying for them to have a lesson as well - first day if we can. In our opinion it will get them going faster and will allow them to enjoy the flowrider more for the rest of the week.

 

My parents will also be on this cruise with us and I was thinking my dad would really enjoy the all access tour, as would I. Can you tell me some of the places you get to see and some stand outs from the tour? It's not a cheap tour so I would like to have a good idea that he will actually enjoy it before signing up.

 

Thanks.

[A&L_Ont]

My husband recently took a private surf lesson on Indy and said it was well worth the money spent. We are going on Oasis next week with the kids and we will be paying for them to have a lesson as well - first day if we can. In our opinion it will get them going faster and will allow them to enjoy the flowrider more for the rest of the week.

 

My parents will also be on this cruise with us and I was thinking my dad would really enjoy the all access tour, as would I. Can you tell me some of the places you get to see and some stand outs from the tour? It's not a cheap tour so I would like to have a good idea that he will actually enjoy it before signing up.

 

Thanks.

 

Yes doing the lesson right away is the best way to go about it. You might even want to try the first night, of embarkation. Get the jump, and the kids usually learn faster than the adults.

 

First of all, RC wants you have to have long pants and closed toe shoes for safety reasons. I find it funny as we have already signed the waivers freeing of them any responsibilities. They did send some folks off to change prior to the start of the tour. I think it is mainly for food safety in the kitchen areas, as we weren't in any real areas of danger. We did use stairs as well as elevators.

 

We started at the Aqua Theatre and got to learn how the safety aspects of the diving show, the cylinder platforms in the pools, stop lights etc... We also got to see a short video on the making of the ship.

 

From there we headed to the Kitchen for a galley tour hosted by one the head chefs. From there we headed down to the I95 to see locations like the different freezers for food storage, beverage storage, fresh veggie storage etc...

 

We then headed to engineering to visit them. Got a great explanation of how things work from power production, to recycling, waste management, pool temperatures pH levels and numerous other items. We did not go to the engine room for safety reasons.We continued down I95 to the crew areas. We saw their buffet area, bar, gym, hair cut studio, training areas and their outside bar and smoking area which is under the helipad. We also got to go onto the helipad.

 

Then off to the laundry area. We got to see their process from normal laundry to dry cleaning down the line to clothing repair. It is a hot place and a spot where the crew, that never see paggangers, are more than happy to say hello and offer a big smile and wave of a hand.

 

From there you head up to the bridge for a full tour. Usually the Captain is not there but there are many officers of the watch as well as helmsmen. They help to explain many numerous features of the ship from navigation, safety, bunker consumption, control stations, drills and many other features. This is where the tour ends.

 

There are many photo opportunities along the way and lots of time to answer questions. They also give a few gifts out at the end, but nothing really worthwhile. Princess does a much better job at this than RC, as we have done the similar tour on Princess.

 

The two tours have been done differently even though the order is the same. It depends on the host running the tour. There is a person from security (maybe 2) that follows the tour from security and you are frisked and scanned by hand wands prior to the start of the tour and again before entering the bridge. The tour does last a few hours as well.

 

What type of changes you might ask. On one tour I got to junk on the trampoline at the Aqua Theatre, we stopped in the crew coffee bar and tuck shop, saw more of the food storage area and some other simple differences. We did not go to the Opal Theatre on either tour. You are correct, it is a lot of money but if you have a great curiosity for things like this it is interesting. I did it twice, once with my mom and the other time with my DW. My mom had never cruised and she finds this type of tour fascinating. The first time was with the DW and it was one of, if not our first time on Oasis.

Edited January 23, 2014 by A&L_Ont

[OBX-Cruisers]

On our last trip on the Allure we got the 3 restaurant Central Park dining package..............well worth the price and you get a nice discount.....I think it was ~$70 pp when we did it......they should have the same deal on the Oasis but I was too cheap then.........that was our first "big" ship and I did like it better than Allure but that was probably because it was first and did not have as many idiot show offs, drunks and boorish people on it.

Edited January 23, 2014 by skiron

[Joelstone]

My daughter, 14, and I really enjoyed the cupcake class. We are not regular bakers but do enjoy baking now and then. We have never ventured into the designer cupcakes before so enjoyed making and later eating them, with the help of my 16 and 20 yo sons.

 

I read on the boards that the Surfs Up food/deal wasn't so great. So we did not participate in that. In terms of just eating at the Seafood Shack the food was not that great. And my oldest son thought it was crazy that we would pay extra to eat there when a lot of the "free" meals on the ship offer a lot of seafood options anyway. We did enjoy Chops, Giovannis (our favorite) and the sushi place (can't think of the name of it.)

 

Jo

[adelrey]

I have to agree with Giovanni's. We ate there twice on the Allure, we loved it. The tiramisu is SO good, as was everything else we tried!

[PictureMom]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the feedback so much! Our cruise begins February 22! Can't wait. :cool:

[The Sunset Glow]

 

You are correct, it is a lot of money but if you have a great curiosity for things like this it is interesting. I did it twice, once with my mom and the other time with my DW. My mom had never cruised and she finds this type of tour fascinating. The first time was with the DW and it was one of, if not our first time on Oasis.

 

Wow! Thanks for all that info. It's sounds even better than I thought it would be. My dad and I do have great curiosity for things like this.

 

It will also be the first cruise for my parents - I convinced them to go to celebrate their 70th birthdays (they both will turn 70 on Feb 5th while on board). I think touring the Oasis would be amazing!

 

Thanks again!

[The Grumpus]

Tapas & wine for lunch at Vintages. Well worth the few

Extra bucks.

 

 

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Edited January 24, 2014 by The Grumpus

[A&L_Ont]

Tapas & wine for lunch at Vintages. Well worth the few

Extra bucks.

 

 

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Thanks Grumpus. This is something I have wanted to do but never got around to doing on board.

[A&L_Ont]

Wow! Thanks for all that info. It's sounds even better than I thought it would be. My dad and I do have great curiosity for things like this.

 

It will also be the first cruise for my parents - I convinced them to go to celebrate their 70th birthdays (they both will turn 70 on Feb 5th while on board). I think touring the Oasis would be amazing!

 

Thanks again!

 

You're welcome. I would try to sign up as soon as you get on board, as people start to see it advertised in the Compass as sign up rather quickly. I think you do it at the excursion desk on the Royal Promenade. It would be a great way to celebrate a special trip.

 

Where in Alberta are you? We have a half section vacation spot west of Innisfail, approximately 20 minutes west, just off highway 54. We live in Ontario though.

[trev71]

dw and I did thhe cupcake class , last time we were on the Oasis it was fun.... something to do.. we made hamburger and french fries

Edited January 24, 2014 by trev71

[The Sunset Glow]

You're welcome. I would try to sign up as soon as you get on board, as people start to see it advertised in the Compass as sign up rather quickly. I think you do it at the excursion desk on the Royal Promenade. It would be a great way to celebrate a special trip.

 

Where in Alberta are you? We have a half section vacation spot west of Innisfail, approximately 20 minutes west, just off highway 54. We live in Ontario though.

 

Thanks. If my dad wants to do it I will be sure to sign up the first day.

 

We live just south of Edmonton. We lived in Ontario for 4 years - both our kids were born out there. I guess your vacation spot must be around Gleniffer Lake. It's a long way from Ontario!

[waterbug123]

I did the cupcake decorating. In my opinion, if you like to bake at home (I make cupcakes every week and bring them to work) then it's pretty boring. If you've never decorated a cupcake in your life, then it'll probably be fun.

 

The cupcake itself was pretty much the quality of your local grocery store bakery

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My take on it is different. While I don't make cupcakes every week, I've certainly made my fair share over the years. But baking and decorating are two different things. Along the lines of what someone else said, I've never really "decorated" a cupcake beyond your standard frosting, sprinkles, etc. A friend and I did the class where you end up with a cupcake that looks like a cheeseburger and fries. While I'd probably consider the class a "one and done" and therefore wouldn't go again, we had a good time and I'm glad we did it.

[joand452]

I heartily endorse tapas and wine at Vintages! We did it for dinner one night.

 

We also did the Surf's Party -- the food was really pretty terrible (the ribs:eek: were the best thing on the menu), but the drinks were tasty. It's probably more fun if you go with a larger group. The two of us went alone and were seated with a much older couple. They were nice, but it was loud in there, so difficult to chat. We had eaten there for dinner one night and thought the food was pretty good. Just the party food was...meh...

 

We had a much better time (and better food) at Rita's Fiesta on Allure. We went with a group from our roll call.

 

I also did a jewelry class one sea day. I was hoping they would have a nice selection of beads, but it was just a few kits.

 

So...IMPO...I could easily spend another week on Oasis and not spend a dime (other than drinks and the casino).

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks. If my dad wants to do it I will be sure to sign up the first day.

 

We live just south of Edmonton. We lived in Ontario for 4 years - both our kids were born out there. I guess your vacation spot must be around Gleniffer Lake. It's a long way from Ontario!

 

Hopefully he can get signed up, if he wants to do it. When I did the tour with my mom there was a few people that were waiting just in case a few booked people didn't show up.

 

It sounds like you are near Nisku or Leduc. We are east of Glennifer Lake. I spent all my summers from 1993 to 1997 working at our place there. Spent a lot of nights at Sylvan and Gull Lake having fun with people that I met that worked at the Sylvan water Slides. We went back with my family to Sylvan 2 summers ago for a beach day and that place has really changed.

 

I hope you and your family have an amazing cruise, especially since it's your parents first.