Oasis Review, 12/06/14, with comparison to Carnival

[JamesEM]

Thanks for posting your review and photos, looking forward to the rest of your report.

[CruzCrazy]

After the excitement at Paradise Beach, we went back to the ship and freshened up and realized this was the night for the Prohibition Party, so we ate dinner in Silk as usual and then hurriedly went to change into our “costumes,” which you saw earlier.

 

We were sailing again by now, so it seems like a good time to talk about how sometimes I forgot we were actually sailing on a ship. I found this to be both good and bad. I actually missed not being able to see ocean views in the dining room and when walking on the promenade. No big deal, and I was aware of this going in, but I was a little surprised to find how much I missed a nice ocean view while being below decks. Thank goodness for our ocean-view balcony. If you look carefully at the photo below, you can kind of tell that starting about halfway across, the balcony rail juts out past 90 degrees. This is the little extra balcony space you get with these D5's (on all decks that have balconies, 6-14, both port and starboard), since they are at the beginning of the "hump."

 

 

 

That being said, DH said he thinks he might enjoy a boardwalk-view balcony, and we may give one of those a try next time…or maybe a junior suite, which I got a quick look at it on the last morning before debarkation, as invited by one of the neighboring cabin stewards, who had already cleaned it. The walk-in closet put a gleam in my eye ;) No, no, no suites. Sorry, I started drifting there. Now where was I? Oh, yes, I was talking about boardwalk balconies... so here is a photo of the exterior of some of the boardwalk balconies as taken from an upper deck:

 

 

The jury is still out about whether to switch to a boardwalk balcony next time. I love the ocean view. DH thinks being further aft and being close to the action on the boardwalk and the Aqua Theater would be nice, but I noticed that the aroma from Sabor was pretty strong, and I'm not sure if you could smell it in those boardwalk balcony cabins (maybe less so on the port side?) I don't think I'd like smelling Mexican food from my cabin. I'm sure somebody can advise whether they have been bothered by food odors in their boardwalk balcony. I do like that you get a partial ocean view from some of those cabins closer to the Aqua Theater. Decisions, decisions...

[Lionesss]

Very nice review.

 

How scary the ski jet incident must have been, glad you are ok.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Sea Ya

[CruzCrazy]

Very nice review.

 

How scary the ski jet incident must have been, glad you are ok.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Sea Ya

 

Thank you :)

[CruzCrazy]

I want to emphasize that organization on the part of RCI seemed to be a strong point all week, as everything (with the exception of My Time Dining) was very streamlined and organized. They just seem to have figured out a better way of doing just about everything, including finding your photos, which were organized in separate rotating “towers” based on an assigned tower number and folder number which were printed on the SeaPass cards. Whenever we had our photo taken at one of the photo stations (but not when debarking at the ports or any of the informal shots or in the dining room) they would ask for your SeaPass cards, so most of our photos were already in our folder when we went to look at them. Any photos taken without giving your SeaPass cards were lined up on the wall in the photo shop, but the organization they use certainly cuts down on the zoo-like feel of Carnival’s photo area, where people are always milling around in each other’s way, desperate to find all their photos.

 

There also seemed to be a little less pressure by the photographers on the Oasis, but maybe this was just because there is more room to maneuver around the photo backdrops if you’re not interested. It really is hard to walk down the promenade on most Carnival ships because the photographers are set up all along the way, and with people walking in both directions, sometimes you have to actually stop and let somebody pass before you can continue. I understand they make a lot of money on the photos, and we’re certainly guilty of posing for (and buying) too many, but it can be a pain if you’re not interested and just want to get to wherever it is you’re going. Here is one of my favorite photos taken on the Oasis:

 

 

Another thing hard to miss is the overall beauty of the interior of the Oasis. I was particularly taken with the materials, even down to the tile on the floors and the abundant padding under the carpets. The finishes were much more high-end than what I’ve experienced before. Speaking of finishes, it may seem silly but I raved about the shower doors instead of a curtain and the little bar in the shower to accommodate the ladies when shaving their legs ;)

 

 

 

They even make it easy to remember what day of the week it is, since all you have to do is look down at the elevator floors, where the day of the week is displayed. This also made me keenly aware of how fast the trip was passing by, and this ship just gave you the feeling you were somewhere you would like to spend more time than a mere 7 days….one of these days, a back-to-back ;)

[OTownNick]

We did both types of balconies and the OV was definitely better. I wouldn't do an interior balcony again unless I booked an inside or regular OV and they have me a free upgrade to an interior balcony.

 

That's a shame how they messed up the MTD. I've never heard of it being as bad as you experienced. I think that's an aberration

[doog61]

Enjoying reading your review as we were also aboard this week we were in 11727 second to the last cabin aft on the boardwalk for this week and 7728 an ocean view aft the next. We have spent 2 weeks once in May and this week in December in 11727 and loved it both times. Never noticed any smells from the restaurants below. Drawbacks to boardwalk rooms if you don't want to put on a show you need to close your curtains when changing after 2 weeks in this room I can tell you as in my case its not a pretty site when someone forgets! These rooms are quiet for the most part except for the loud speaker on the screens at the Aqua Theater twice on our Dec. cruise they decided to play the wash your hands video at full volume at 3:30AM!!! and on disembarkment day CNN comes on around 5:30AM in what must be an attempt to get everybody up and around. I would highly recommend the 7th floor aft you have the ocean view and can still walk a few step off your room to the only remaining so called secret balcony to watch the aqua theater happenings.

[CruzCrazy]

We did both types of balconies and the OV was definitely better. I wouldn't do an interior balcony again unless I booked an inside or regular OV and they have me a free upgrade to an interior balcony.

 

That's a shame how they messed up the MTD. I've never heard of it being as bad as you experienced. I think that's an aberration

 

Thanks for the input. I guess I really need to do some more research on those cabins before giving DH the go-ahead. He will end up doing whatever I say, haha.

[CruizeDoggies]

Enjoying reading your review as we were also aboard this week we were in 11727 second to the last cabin aft on the boardwalk for this week and 7728 an ocean view aft the next. We have spent 2 weeks once in May and this week in December in 11727 and loved it both times. Never noticed any smells from the restaurants below. Drawbacks to boardwalk rooms if you don't want to put on a show you need to close your curtains when changing after 2 weeks in this room I can tell you as in my case its not a pretty site when someone forgets! These rooms are quiet for the most part except for the loud speaker on the screens at the Aqua Theater twice on our Dec. cruise they decided to play the wash your hands video at full volume at 3:30AM!!! and on disembarkment day CNN comes on around 5:30AM in what must be an attempt to get everybody up and around. I would highly recommend the 7th floor aft you have the ocean view and can still walk a few step off your room to the only remaining so called secret balcony to watch the aqua theater happenings.

 

I LOVE the wash your hands video! But not at 3:30AM.

[CruzCrazy]

Enjoying reading your review as we were also aboard this week we were in 11727 second to the last cabin aft on the boardwalk for this week and 7728 an ocean view aft the next. We have spent 2 weeks once in May and this week in December in 11727 and loved it both times. Never noticed any smells from the restaurants below. Drawbacks to boardwalk rooms if you don't want to put on a show you need to close your curtains when changing after 2 weeks in this room I can tell you as in my case its not a pretty site when someone forgets! These rooms are quiet for the most part except for the loud speaker on the screens at the Aqua Theater twice on our Dec. cruise they decided to play the wash your hands video at full volume at 3:30AM!!! and on disembarkment day CNN comes on around 5:30AM in what must be an attempt to get everybody up and around. I would highly recommend the 7th floor aft you have the ocean view and can still walk a few step off your room to the only remaining so called secret balcony to watch the aqua theater happenings.

 

Hmmm, hadn't thought about the big screen TVs and the noise from them. Lots to consider. About the secret balconies, I had read all about them and was all set to check them out, and then I read about the new suites they put in during dry dock, so I never even ventured back there. Forgot about deck 7. Good info! Hope you enjoyed your cruises!

[CruzCrazy]

Alas, it came to an end as scheduled on Saturday, December 13, and debarkation was just as smooth as embarkation (or would have been had I not left my customs paper in the cabin, which I only realized after we had been “dinged out”— :eek:). What followed was a comedy of errors, but suffice it to say that we finally had all the documentation we needed and headed to customs, which was uneventful, and soon we were on our way to FLL.

 

We had signed up for Luggage Valet for $20 per person since we had found a similar program to be a great benefit on previous Carnival cruises (look for a flyer in the Cruise Compass so you can sign up). Here again, Royal had it figured out just a little better. We weren’t required to meet with others who were using the service—we just left anytime we got ready between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., in our case at around 8:20. Because we lost a few minutes trying to remedy my error with the customs paper, we got behind a bunch of people who were scheduled to leave at 8:30, which slowed us down a bit, and we had to stand in line at customs for about 20 minutes. My plan had been to leave between the other scheduled departure times, which were posted all around the ship on the “What to Do Right Now” electronic boards (I loved these!), but you know what they say about plans. Anyway, our checked luggage had been sent ahead to the airport, and we picked them up at our final destination, so there was no time spent identifying and collecting luggage, and we could head straight for security check-in at the airport since we didn’t have any luggage to check. The $20 per person was charged to our SeaPass account (still having a hard time not using Carnival’s “Sail and Sign” lingo ;) Any luggage fees are added too, but we don’t have to pay for our 1st bag on US Air, so that didn’t apply to us. The form didn’t have a place to check our particular reason for not paying luggage fees on US Air (credit card holders don’t pay for their first checked bag now—they’ve recently changed their rules with the merger with American), but the gentleman at guest services said not to worry about it—the airline would know by our reservation number. We were only charged the $20 per person fees and nothing more. They give you all the luggage tags and airline boarding passes the night before in an envelope. We always say this is the best $40 we spend.

 

[CruzCrazy]

Overall, we had a great time and learned a lot about RCI and mega ships. We also met some great people on this cruise. Shout-out to Terry and Cindy and Harry and Joyce!

 

I’d heard the term “mega ship” a bunch before this cruise, but seeing her docked near other pretty big ships puts it all in perspective. Here she is docked next to Serenade of the Seas, followed by a different shot that shows Carnival Freedom:

 

 

 

 

 

I had joked beforehand that I was afraid I might try to board a ship with a whale tail just out of habit if we were docked next to one while at one of the ports, but luckily that didn’t happen.

 

DH is enthusiastic about either the Oasis again or the Allure, and I’m thinking the Allure since the shows will be different. Royal impressed us, and, yes, we were “WOWed,” although we haven’t completely written off Carnival (at least I haven’t). Carnival is a good value and for us provides a cruise that makes you feel like you’re on a cruise with lots of ocean views, a more relaxed vibe, and a greater variety of cabins without breaking the bank. One of our favorite things about Carnival’s Conquest-class ships is the fantastic 6K deluxe ocean view cabins, one of which we were lucky enough to snag on our cruise last year on Carnival Glory. These are hard to come by because there are only 2 per ship and only on select ships. The price per square foot of these cabins is hard to beat. Not that this is a review of the Carnival Glory, but I’m including just a few photos, just because these cabins are so sweet. They don’t really do it justice, but here goes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I should add in all fairness that we have never sailed on the Breeze, which at this time is Carnival’s biggest/newest (until the Vista debuts), so my comparison between the 2 cruise lines isn’t exactly apples to apples. I/we have sailed, however, on Carnival Destiny, Triumph, Victory (twice), Valor, Miracle (3 times), Liberty, and Glory. As I said, we were all set to try the Breeze, but Royal won us over with a great discount. Maybe it was fate ;)

 

Now that we’re eligible for Royal’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program, we’re looking forward to what comes next. As of this writing, we are deciding between Allure of the Seas and Carnival Breeze for next December, although you know what they say about plans…

 

The review is almost done…

[dodgeenterprises]

Great review! We are taking our first trip on the Oasis on the 17th and can't wait

 

 

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Mike

[OTownNick]

Overall, we had a great time and learned a lot about RCI and mega ships. We also met some great people on this cruise. Shout-out to Terry and Cindy and Harry and Joyce!

 

I’d heard the term “mega ship” a bunch before this cruise, but seeing her docked near other pretty big ships puts it all in perspective. Here she is docked next to Serenade of the Seas, followed by a different shot that shows Carnival Freedom:

 

 

 

 

 

I had joked beforehand that I was afraid I might try to board a ship with a whale tail just out of habit if we were docked next to one while at one of the ports, but luckily that didn’t happen.

 

DH is enthusiastic about either the Oasis again or the Allure, and I’m thinking the Allure since the shows will be different. Royal impressed us, and, yes, we were “WOWed,” although we haven’t completely written off Carnival (at least I haven’t). Carnival is a good value and for us provides a cruise that makes you feel like you’re on a cruise with lots of ocean views, a more relaxed vibe, and a greater variety of cabins without breaking the bank. One of our favorite things about Carnival’s Conquest-class ships is the fantastic 6K deluxe ocean view cabins, one of which we were lucky enough to snag on our cruise last year on Carnival Glory. These are hard to come by because there are only 2 per ship and only on select ships. The price per square foot of these cabins is hard to beat. Not that this is a review of the Carnival Glory, but I’m including just a few photos, just because these cabins are so sweet. They don’t really do it justice, but here goes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I should add in all fairness that we have never sailed on the Breeze, which at this time is Carnival’s biggest/newest (until the Vista debuts), so my comparison between the 2 cruise lines isn’t exactly apples to apples. I/we have sailed, however, on Carnival Destiny, Triumph, Victory (twice), Valor, Miracle (3 times), Liberty, and Glory. As I said, we were all set to try the Breeze, but Royal won us over with a great discount. Maybe it was fate ;)

 

Now that we’re eligible for Royal’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program, we’re looking forward to what comes next. As of this writing, we are deciding between Allure of the Seas and Carnival Breeze for next December, although you know what they say about plans…

 

The review is almost done…

 

The aft cabin looks cool. I highly recommend an AFT balcony stateroom on any Radiance class ship (Jewel of the Seas, Brilliance, Radiance, or Serenade). The balconies are HUGE and you have an up obstructed view of the aft. All you see is the ships wake. This would be a great choice if you're booking for the destination more than the ship. However these ships are really nice- lots of glass and plenty of ocean views. Even one side of the ship has elevators that are all full glass views of the ocean. The one I would recommend is he Jewel of the Seas out of San Juan. We love the Southern Caribbean route.

 

Yes, the ship next to Oasis in your photo is in this class. The ship doesn't have all "activities" of the Oasis, but it's got lots of advantages too. Elegant, beautiful, relaxing, doesn't feel crowded, yet still it's a large ship. It's my wife's favorite class of ship.

[jayblue]

Very objective and well-written.

 

Thank you for your input and the beautiful photos.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

[CruzCrazy]

To summarize, I wanted to do a breakdown of our subjective comparison between RCI (Oasis) and Carnival (10 cruises/7 ships), by topic:

 

• Embarkation: RCI wins, although if you are Platinum on Carnival, this evens out.

 

• Receipt of luggage on the first day: RCI wins, although if you are Platinum or buy Faster to the Fun on Carnival, this evens out. Also on Carnival if you are Platinum or buy Faster to the Fun, your cabin will be ready when you board instead of having to schlep your carry-on around until 1:30 p.m.

 

• Safety/muster drill: Royal wins. You don’t have to stand outside and get crammed together like sardines. It was done inside in an assigned lounge, and the briefing was via video.

 

• Beauty/materials/finishes/activities/layout of the ship: RCI wins hands down, although we haven’t yet sailed on Carnival Breeze, which admittedly would have put Carnival at least in the ballpark. I did miss the ocean views when below decks on Oasis, but I realize other classes of RCI ships do have this.

 

• Organization/crowd control: RCI wins in a landslide. From embarkation, to the photos, to debarkation at the ports, to the safety drill (where you are assigned an inside venue and the safety information is by video), to the buffet area, to the Luggage Valet program and debarkation after the cruise, RCI was just more organized and efficient. The only hurdle we dealt with was the main dining room for My Time Dining, where RCI could use improvement, although I guess this will be a moot point when Dynamic Dining comes into play.

 

• Service: This was a wash, although I think I personally would give the nod to Carnival for its fun, laid-back style. I found I actually missed the dancing waiters (shhh). The dining room service on RCI was certainly professional. The bar service was a draw, and so the was the stateroom service. Didn’t use room service on Oasis, but Carnival’s is great.

 

• Entertainment: RCI wins, of course. Carnival doesn’t even come close to all of the shows that were available on the Oasis, and they don’t pretend to. Of course, Carnival now offers headliner concerts on some cruises, at a cost, but I don’t think we would choose a cruise just because of a concert. I do applaud them for this, however, as I think they needed to do something to beef up their entertainment lineup, which has certainly gone downhill over the last few years.

 

• Live music: This is hard for me to compare directly, just because we found we didn’t have time to fit in any of the live music venues because we were so busy doing everything else. One week is not enough time on these mega ships! Dazzles had live music on most nights, and there was the jazz club, where we had the Prohibition Party, where they had a small jazz group. I didn’t see any of the solo guitarists or duos that I have become accustomed to on Carnival. We will have to make a point of looking for more live music venues next time.

 

• Food: Carnival gets the slight nod here, in our opinion, especially when it comes to desserts. Also, if it’s important to you, you can get soft-service ice cream or frozen yogurt 24 hours a day on Carnival, whereas on RCI I believe this stops at around 10 p.m. On the other hand, I didn’t go hungry on the Oasis, and there are lots of alternative places to get a quick bite or a more upscale meal, and I was pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of the food since I had heard that the food was supposedly not all that good. Oasis had more variety at their buffet restaurant, the Windjammer. We didn’t try room service on Oasis, so I can’t comment on that, although there was a service fee for using room service after hours/late night, while Carnival still maintains a “free” room service. We did in fact miss Guy’s Burgers. We tried the Wipeout Café on Oasis, but that food does not compare to a Guy’s burger, IMO. Of course, Carnival doesn’t really have an answer to the Park Café.

 

• Cabins: Slight edge to Carnival (comparing balcony cabins to balcony cabins). Carnival’s are just a little bigger, and you get a nice robe to use in every cabin. On the other hand, I loved the shower doors on Oasis instead of a curtain and found the sliding balcony doors to be better than the kind that open out on Carnival, simply because you don’t have to listen to them slam all the time!

 

• Drink packages: This is hard to compare because, although DH bought the “Ultimate” drinks package on Oasis, neither of us has ever bought an alcohol package on Carnival. DH did enjoy the convenience of the drink package, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t “break even” financially. He only drinks beer when it comes to alcohol, and only domestic beer at that. He does drink a lot of bottled water and Diet Coke, and the freestyle Coke machines were a plus as far as he was concerned. The souvenir fountain cup was a little bit of a pain to have to keep with you, and it became my job to rinse the cup out every morning, but he enjoyed it. He has bought the soda package on Carnival, and he preferred Royal’s version because of the fountain drinks and the fact that you could get a Diet Coke any time you wanted without having to go to a bar. I didn’t buy a package because I was on medication and couldn’t drink any alcohol for the first 2 days. I just paid as I went later during the week, and not that much since they don’t carry my brand of liqueur (neither does Carnival, BTW).

 

• Cruise directors: Now, I know this is very subjective, and it’s hard to get people to agree on which cruise directors are the best or even if a cruise director is important. I didn’t use to think they made that much difference, and then we experienced Karl with a K on Carnival Liberty and Matt Mitcham on Carnival Glory. Both of those guys were great and added so much to our cruise experience. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ricky Matthews on Oasis was so visible. He seemed to be everywhere all at once! This guy has great energy and keeps everybody upbeat. We stopped in on Quest on the last night and thought we would die laughing. He kept it moving for sure. There weren’t a lot of intercom announcements, which was fine by me. The cruise directors on these mega ships have a big job, and we thought Ricky was top notch. From a limited sample, I’ll call this a draw.

 

• Christmas atmosphere: Carnival wins. I realize this is specific to cruises during the Christmas season and may be dependent upon the cruise director, but on Carnival Glory last year, they had Santa “flown in” one night in the atrium with a big production and Christmas music, and the kids all seemed to love it, and the adults, too. I’m making it sound way cornier than it was. We thought it was a nice touch. Maybe it’s not politically correct these days, but if you didn’t want your kids there, you could always skip it. Oasis did have a gigantic Christmas tree on the promenade, and the ship was decorated for Christmas in a subdued sort of way, but we were never keenly made aware that it was just a couple of weeks before Christmas. I’m wondering whether Oasis had more festivities in the subsequent 2 weeks as it got closer to Christmas, but on our week it seemed like mostly business as usual.

 

• Emphasis on hand hygiene: RCI wins! Although by day 6, I think we all got the idea: “Wash your hands!” That little ditty may be in my head forever ;)

 

Well, that’s all I can think of. We’ve never had a bad cruise, but our most recent on the Oasis was one of the best and maybe the best so far. She’ll always hold a soft spot in our hearts. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading as much as I’ve enjoyed writing this and reliving the vacation.

 

I can’t wait until our next cruise so I can have a view like this again:

 

 

 

Coming up next, to finish things off, I'll share just a few random photos from our fantastic Oasis cruise.

[CruzCrazy]

 

 

 

[CruzCrazy]

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for coming along on our adventure!

[z4ltw]

Thanks for sharing! greatly appreciated! :)

We're doing just our second cruise ever on Oasis in April!

Our first cruise was April 2005 on Mariner.

Needless to say we can't wait!!!!

[OTownNick]

Wow you took a lot of time to write this up! I enjoyed reading it. I think every thing about a cruise is subjective. Except when there is an obvious "problem" like your MTD experience. I think that is not the norm though on any ship.

[cruzkitty]

Great review and even better pictures!! Thanks for taking the time to post. We love the Oasis and will be going back for our 3rd cruise on her soon.

[GSuitesailing]

Loved your review, the comparisons, and the photos. Thanks so much!

[ivanrocko]

Thanks for posting your review and photos.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[vadus123]

Thanks a lot for the wonderful review! I praise people who take time to do it helping others to get more information, see the ship outside of marketing promo photos which are not showing all aspects, and make some intelligent decisions.

One question on the drink package: I thought that by the rule one person in a cabin could not get it but have to buy it for both. How did you manage it?

Thanks again and happy sailing next time!:)

[CruzCrazy]

Thanks a lot for the wonderful review! I praise people who take time to do it helping others to get more information, see the ship outside of marketing promo photos which are not showing all aspects, and make some intelligent decisions.

One question on the drink package: I thought that by the rule one person in a cabin could not get it but have to buy it for both. How did you manage it?

Thanks again and happy sailing next time!:)

 

Apparently, Royal changed this rule some time ago. Now if only 1 person wants the package, it's no problem to purchase just 1 package. I know on Carnival, every adult in a cabin must buy the package to avoid the potential sharing problem. I had read here on CC that Royal didn't have the same restrictions, and that proved to be true.

 

Happy sailing to you also!