Oasis - Thanksgiving Cruise - Mini-review

[masonpips]

I copy my format each year and do a brief (well, it's long but certainly not every item, and no photos) review. This year, Oasis for 7 nights over Thanksgiving!

 

Thursday

Flew TUL through ATL to MIA. Picked up Emerald Aisle freebie day minivan and drove to our Hotwire 2 night win at Crowne Plaza FLL (won this last year too, was nice to have same hotel)

 

Friday

We ate at Lester's Diner for breakfast/brunch and hit Walgreens (and later CVS) for random items. We had pre-booked MockingJay Part 1 tickets (rain all day in forecast) so we went and had snacks (dinner theater north of Galleria area, Coral something mall). The movie was excellent and we hit TJ Maxx and Marshall's while there ~evil cackle~.

 

We had dinner at Kelly's Landing. I had Stone Crab, dh had 2 lobsters, DD had Alaskan King Crab and DS got a burger. All agreed it was delicious!

 

Saturday

It was partly sunny/cloudy and we left the hotel about 10:00, arrived at port after a long ride thanks to A LOT of construction going on. We checked in painlessly and got our much coveted (by our DD) "gold cards". We were in GS 9260 and our kids were in adjoining 9262. They were allowed to come into the suite waiting area with us. We met up almost immediately with a fellow roll call person so we all chatted until boarding began. I believe we were on the ship by 11:20 am.

 

We hit WJ for lunch (our one and only of the week there) and wandered about. Rooms were ready before 1 and we dumped all of our stuff and luggage started arriving quickly. I believe by 1:45 pm I was unpacked and had everything sent off for pressing.

 

Soooo, what was left to do but hit the new Suite Lounge? Lemon drops. Ahhhh. Jr behind the bar was a favorite all week, and Mary was also excellent. Rami - LOVED him! Tied for our favorite concierge ever (other was Hermann on Navigator many years ago)

 

Muster was in the Promenade for us (lots of jokes about grabbing snacks before hitting the life boats). Sailaway was WINDY (the theme of the week was WINDY)

 

We did late dining at 8:30 with Bobb (last name, but what he went by) and Albert at table 277 on the right side on Deck 3. They were great!

 

We ate in Main Dining for Prime Rib, Filet, Lobster, Turkey (Thanksgiving) and the Italian night. The other nights we ate in Sabor and Izumi. They had a special version of the Pomodoro menu (turkey) for Thanksgiving but the specialty "scroll" take-home item was gone.

 

Breakfast was WJ once, Johnny Rockets once, Room Service once, Park Cafe twice and we may have skipped a day and/or didn't eat this am either

 

Lunch we had in WJ (first day), Labadee buffet, Señor Frogs, Park Cafe (several) and had a pick-up and go day from Sabor (guac), Park Cafe (roast beef) and Room Service (spinach dip) one night in room.

 

Weather

Sail away was windy and overcast. The first sea day was excellent. Labadee was OUTSTANDING, Jamaica was hot and sunny, the 2nd sea day was great. Cozumel was FREEZING and WINDY. The last sea day was FREEZING and WINDY. We found a nice sheltered spot near the glass doors to the elevator by the beach pool and it was not so windy and warm. Overall I came home with a great tan so I'm good! And by FREEZING we mean 60's/low 70's but the WIND!

 

Ports

Labadee - I pre-booked an OTW Cabana and Barefoot Beach. BEST money spent ever. The whole experience was fantastic and we all agreed a fantastic day. The buffet included strip steak and shrimp skewers, super yummy!

 

Falmouth - we had nothing planned. My 3 and our SIL/BIL and their family decided to do a snorkeling thing. They went and LOVED it (Montego Bay) but didn't realize it was a 45 min-1 hour bus ride to/from. I stayed on the ship, laid out on Deck 17 (Gold SeaPass area: the reader NEVER worked and has been broken for a month so you either try the opposite side of the ship or climb the gate)

 

Cozumel - we had planned to go to Mr. Sanchos. We exited the ship, realized HOW windy it was and how cool it felt and all voted to forgo our $5 deposits and bail. We went back to the ship, but left for lunch at Señor Frogs and all had a blast. Some shopping around the port there too.

 

Staff

Drew Devine was funny (morning show) but rarely seen and it felt like he was in auto-pilot (to us at least) as he was leaving today. Ricky Matthews was already on board and we kind of wished we had had him again.

 

Shella was our room steward and she was FANTASTIC. By far, our favorite ever. She got a Wow card! (As did Jr, Mary and Rami from the Suite Lounge).

 

The Cafe Promenade was greatly understaffed (lines) and I only had Sorrento's once - it seemed to flow quickly. The rest of the staff was pleasant as ever and we never had any service issues (beside reservations for dinner, explained below)

 

Sea Days

Our experience with Thanksgiving cruises is that it doesn't seem as crowded at the pool due to extended family members (old and young) that don't seem to "lay out" as much. This held true and we had no troubles with finding seats.

 

Shows

Love & Marriage - was decent, but not hilarious (the older couple was our favorite). We had pretty much seen everything else in previous trips so we didn't go to any others besides Quest and Comedy.

 

The kids and our BIL/SIL thought Quest was great.

 

The comedy show was great; both were very funny and you just have to expect the language/adult content going in (no one in there seemed to mind at all)

 

Saturday

Set the alarm for 5:55 am. Left the room at 6:30 and were outside the terminal at 6:45. We could have been at the airport and through Security by 7:10 in my estimation. We waited to say goodbye to BIL/SIL so we left by tax at 7:15 and were through Security at 7:40. Flight at 10:15 so we had a LONG wait (and Terminal 1 SUCKS at FLL). Pre-select is a god send.

 

Overall thoughts:

The ship looked great. They were working on Deck 17 new suites (we did a cabin crawl and you could smell the paint) and the new GS Aqua Theater suites.

 

The ship was HOT and very rocky. Considering the weather was not that hot, I felt that either the AC was turned up too high, plus the doors to Deck 5 walking track and Deck 6 Boardwalk, just made the Promenade SUPER hot. Photos on formal nights were nearly unbearable. Our guys in suits were sweating.

 

None of us could believe the rocking. It was very windy, but having been on Oasis 2 other times, we've never felt this much movement. The comedian even made a joke "he could use the stabilizers but that would cost an extra 45 cents...." No one felt sick, but we were all amazed that, due to the size of Oasis, that we could feel so much movement.

 

In addition to booking the Cabana in advance I had asked for Izumi and Sabor reservations. Both were confirmed (by email, by Israel), but were not showing on the TVs. We went to Izumi and they had our reservation for sushi only (after specifically stating we were excited to try the hibachi). We were able to move that to the last night at 9 pm. The next night we had Sabor. We got there and they didn't have our reservation (said we were supposed to be in Giovanni's) but were able to seat us. If you make reservations by e-mail CONFIRM THEM YOURSELVES. With the restaurant. In advance. Luckily it wasn't a huge deal, but lesson learned.

 

Sabor was good. We did the guac, I did the soup, we had the calamari (ok, not great) and the chicken wrapped in bacon things (DELISH). Others had the tacos (liked) and a salad (liked as well). We did ala carte and for 8 (with one margarita) it was $65 or so.

 

Izumi was EXCELLENT! We all did hibachi and ordered too many rolls in advance (which came half way through the meal, but not a huge deal). The filet was outstanding. Others had chicken and strip steak and shrimp. Highly recommend the Dynamite, Wow and Soft Shell crab rolls. I would suggest go to sushi for lunch and do hibachi separately for dinner!

 

Next year we're going on Allure so we're excited to see her differences, as compared to Oasis!

 

Please let me know if you have any questions!! Side note: we had an active and great roll call. We did a cabin crawl that included everything from a balcony to the Sky Crown Loft suites. Everyone was very gracious to share their cabins and everyone enjoyed it a lot. They also had a slot pull, which while it didn't make anyone rich, was well enjoyed too!

[bucks724]

It was SO cool to meet you and "Pips" this trip! Great review. We had a great time too! I'm a little jealous that you're doing a review from home and I'm in he middle of South Carolina in a CAR!

 

Now off to dream about/brainstorm the next cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Irisheyes61665]

It was so nice to meet you and everyone else on our roll call! Thanks to all who opened up their cabins for all of us to enjoy! My entire family had a great cruise and yes there were a few problems, but rectified in no time. We found the staff to be gracious and friendly and always went out of their way to fulfill any of our requests.

We enjoyed an excursion in each port, zip lining in Labadee, horseback riding in Jamaica and San Gervaiso Myan Ruins including a Myan Village tour (replicated of villages gone by) and authentic Mexican food in a restaurant on the beach.

There was so much to do onboard. I think we may have done 75% of what was offered. My daughter, Katie, came in 1st at Quest. She was so excited!

Thanks for your quick review, it was wonderful to read!

[twindaddy]

How are the prices at Izumi? Is it ala cart or cover charge?

 

Is Sabor or Izumi a possibility walk up, or would it be full?

 

BTW, I think you can get a refund on your Mr. Sanchos deposit. Might be worth checking, I am planning to go there in March.

 

thanks for the review!

[Clarea]

How are the prices at Izumi? Is it ala cart or cover charge?

 

Is Sabor or Izumi a possibility walk up, or would it be full?

 

BTW, I think you can get a refund on your Mr. Sanchos deposit. Might be worth checking, I am planning to go there in March.

 

thanks for the review!

Izumi is priced per item. no cover.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for your review, DW and I sailed on the Oasis last year and sailed on the Allure this past Oct, I liked the Allure best.

[masonpips]

Here are the ala carte prices at Izumi. . You can try walk up to either. Sabor is more likely to have space. Izumi would only be for sushi. Hibachi was booked solid except on Thanksgiving

 

Sorry so small. Looks so much better via iPhone

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 1, 2014 by masonpips

[masonpips]

possibly better pics.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LBumb]

great review

[Yorkvillain]

Izumi is priced per item. no cover.

 

For hibachi, we were charged $25 pp.

[Clarea]

 

For hibachi, we were charged $25 pp.

Thanks, first I've read about hibachi pricing.:)

[masonpips]

Yes, same. It was was $20 for one item or $25 for 2. Included salad and either brown or fried rice

[cruzkitty]

Enjoyed your Review-Thank You for Posting!

[nednrom]

 

For hibachi, we were charged $25 pp.

 

Thanks for the info :-)

[nednrom]

Yes, same. It was was $20 for one item or $25 for 2. Included salad and either brown or fried rice

 

Thank you for the review and the information. We'll be on her soon :)

[John&LaLa]

I see the Quest and Love & Marriage are still alive and well. current thread lamenting the demise of these activities

[MisterBill99]

So is Sabor also a la carte pricing? I'm on the 3/7 cruise and someone on our roll call thread posted that reservations for free for that and Izumi and I thought it was a deal. But I've since discovered that Izumi is a la carte with no cover, so it's the normal price, and from your post here I'm thinking that Sabor is the same.

[masonpips]

So is Sabor also a la carte pricing? I'm on the 3/7 cruise and someone on our roll call thread posted that reservations for free for that and Izumi and I thought it was a deal. But I've since discovered that Izumi is a la carte with no cover, so it's the normal price, and from your post here I'm thinking that Sabor is the same.

 

Sabor has a tasting menu for $20 that lets you pick 4 different things. Since we had 8 people and knew it would be a TON of food, we went ala carte and ended up better $ wise

[twindaddy]

Sabor has a tasting menu for $20 that lets you pick 4 different things. Since we had 8 people and knew it would be a TON of food, we went ala carte and ended up better $ wise

 

Thanks for the menu postings, the second one was much easier to see. Honestly, at those prices I can have dinner at an awesome sushi place down the street, why would I spend a night of my cruise there?

 

I need to track down a Sabor menu, I wonder what the prices are like there. The 20 dollar deal sounds good to me.

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.