OASIS Holiday Cruise Review

[halfapair]

Hubby and I took the December 23rd Holiday cruise on Oasis of the Seas this year. This will be my first attempt at a cruise review here on Cruise Critic.

 

 

Here are some details about us to start.

Hubby and I are in our early 50's and are from Washington State. We have cruised before:

Princess Alaska cruise

Norwegian Caribbean cruise (2011)

RCCL Caribbean cruise (2014)

 

 

We had the most fun on our RCCL cruise in 2014, so wanted to do RCCL again. We booked our cruise back in February 2016 through my sis-in-law who is a travel agent. Initially we booked a balcony cabin "on the hump" (12600) because we love being able to look up & down the length of the ship. Then RCCL ran a special deal on "Guaranteed Suites" so we upgraded and got a Junior Suite.

 

 

We ended up in cabin 7640, a J/S on the hump.

 

 

This was an 8-day cruise departing Port Canaveral on December 23rd. We flew to Florida on December 22nd. We are firm believers in traveling the day before the cruise departs, especially during the holidays when weather and crowds can cause delays and other glitches (e.g. lost luggage, etc). We even stayed at a Hampton Inn the night before our flight (7:45am on Delta).

 

 

I think staying near the airport the night before makes the morning less stressful. We live about an hour away from the airport and I really hate having to deal with morning rush hour traffic and inclement weather before getting on flight, etc. So, I convinced hubby that we should stay the night before near the airport. I already had a reservation at a parking lot for our car, so that detail was all arranged. I learned a few years ago that having a parking reservation is a MUST at the SEATAC airport during the holidays.

 

Our flights went smoothly and both our bags arrived in Orlando without incident. We had a rental car reserved at Avis and since we are "preferred" customers and had prepaid online it took us about 5 minutes to get our car. We stayed the night at a Hampton Inn near MCO. Hubby couldn't find the power cord to his laptop and so we determined that we would stop at a Walmart in the morning and get a replacement cord.

 

In the morning we packed up the car, headed to Starbucks (gotta have my caffeine!!), went to Chick-fil-A for a quick breakfast and went to Walmart to get a laptop cord. Then we headed to Port Canaveral.

 

There are tolls along the highway from Orlando to Port Canaveral. Our rental car had a feature that would have allowed us to pay the tolls automatically, but there was a fee for that service, so we went prepared with quarters to pay the tolls. This way we didn't need to stop and hand cash to a person - that would waste precious time! I was in charge of the coin purse and would have the quarters ready to feed the machine. The drive to P/C was easy and we arrived at the Avis location at about 10:30am. There was a little bit of a line already for the shuttle to the cruise ship terminal, but when the shuttle arrived we got right on without a problem.

 

And now a word about the shuttle drop-off process at the Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal: What a mess! What sort of system is this? We waited in our shuttle in line to drop off Oasis passengers for about 20 minutes (there were other people on our shuttle going to other ships). When we finally pulled into a slot the driver got into an argument with the porters about who would pull the bags off the shuttle. Nobody on our shuttle had ever seen anything like this on any other cruise, and some the passengers had been on more than 15 cruises. This is a stupid process and needs to be changed.

 

Once we got to the entrance to the terminal people were standing there waiting for family members. Hubby had read some advice that said for one person to drop off the car while the others wait at the terminal. That's going to be a looooong wait. That process is broken and RCCL needs to work on implementing a better/faster system.

 

The rest of the check-in process was a breeze and we boarded in no time.

[Lionesss]

Nice start.

 

Eagerly waiting for more.

 

Thanks

[mchin]

We were on the same sailing and completely agree with the pick up/drop off of passengers at this terminal. We actually drove down from VA and arrived on 12/22. We stayed at the new Homewood Suites and purchased the park and sail package from them. Getting to the port the morning of the 23rd was no problem, it was getting picked up that we experienced an issue. If you have a hotel package, including shuttle service to and from, if the shuttle service is through taxi888, then you must check in at the taxi line and get into the que. We did not realize this and thought the shuttle for Homewood would pick us up in the same area as the other hotel shuttles.

 

Coupled with the number of ships in that day, it took us nearly 3 hours to get back to Homewood (which is maybe two miles from the terminal) to retrieve our car and get back on the road.

 

We are sailing on Oasis again in June, will stay at Homewood again, but this time, plan to park our car at the port. :)

Edited January 7, 2017 by mchin
spelling edit

[halfapair]

Hubby and I each had a carry-on bag with us when we boarded and his was a bit heavy since he had all our camera equipment & his laptop. We started exploring the ship. I quickly snapped a picture of the Kate Spade shop and texted it to my daughter while I still had cell service. We quickly found Central Park and ended up really loving that space. The Park Cafe was open, but we did not stop for a sandwich. I know the Roast Beef Sandwich has a cult following here on cc, but we pressed on.

 

We made our way to the Boardwalk area where we stopped and had a hot dog. We found a nice, quiet table in the shade and were able to set down our bags and do a little people watching. I was impressed by the quality of the hot dogs. We both thought they were very tasty. I left hubby to guard the bags for a little bit and strolled around the Boardwalk and stopped to get a Miami Vice at the bar.

 

Soon it was 1pm and it was announced that the rooms were ready. Off we went. We LOVED our room!! On Deck 7, Junior Suite 7640, Starboard side.

 

The balcony was really deep and spacious. We had two chaise lounges, a table, and two chairs with plenty of room to stand at the rail and watch all the action on the dock. I will say that the deck was a bit damp and when the boat was moving there was some sea spray. Not a lot of spray, and it was fairly windy on two of our Sea Days, which may have played a part in the spray. But if a little ocean spray will bother you, you may want a higher floor.

 

We had a spacious walk in closet, nice bathroom, and a little living area with a couch (sofa-bed), coffee table, and chair. We are spoiled now!

 

The Muster Drill was at 4pm. From our location we were able to watch people still boarding the ship after 4pm - now that is cutting it close!

 

We had a dinner reservation at Chops Grille at 8pm. We had eaten at Chops on the Jewel a couple years ago and thought it was very good. We had really liked the scallop appetizer and had it twice on the Jewel. So I ordered it with my dinner. Unfortunately, the scallops were overcooked and a bit rubbery. Sigh. Hubby enjoyed his tenderloin steak...said he barely needed a knife to cut it. I had the veal chop and it was pretty good. Later in the cruise we at at the Coastal Kitchen and I had their veal chop - it was better in the CK. Hubby had the red velvet cake for dessert (he's a sucker for RV cake). It was good, but it was very cold which affects the texture of cake. Room temperature is better... just sayin'.

 

Day 2 was a cruise day. I headed to the Solarium to sun myself. My goal was to get maximum sun without getting a sun burn. I thought the Solarium was GREAT! I spent all 3 Sea Days there with my iPAD and SPF 50. I never went in the hot tubs or pool, so I cannot comment on those. And tried as I might, I could never score one of those comfy-looking wicker sunbeds. But I always found a chaise lounge and got a couple of towels to make it comfortable. Since my Sea Pass was a special color of blue indicating I was in a J/S I didn't have to get it scanned to get towels - bonus!

 

The bar in the Solarium makes a great Bloody Mary. I always got mine extra-spicy, and they delivered on the spice.

 

Dinner that night was at 150 Central Park. Yes, we paid the extra-extra fee to dine there on Christmas Eve. I think it was $85 or $95 pp. Hubby & I loved our dinner. Our waiter was wonderful. I had lamb two ways, hubby had the beef short rib. We had champagne, petit fours, a cheese course (we got to try all 6 cheeses and the accompaniments).

 

One comment I'll make about all the dining options we tried: the bread in the bread basket was excellent. I don't eat a lot of bread, but everything I tried was terrific. Bread & butter is one life's simple pleasures. And I think the baking staff on the Oasis does a great job in this regard.

[reallyhooked]

Nice review

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Clarea]

Good report, thanks.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the feedback.

[halfapair]

Our first port of call was Labadee. On our last cruise (RCCL Jewel in 2014) I had booked us on two shore excursions in one day. I think we were on Antiqua and we did the Stingray City in the morning and the All Terrain off-roading excursion in the afternoon. That made for a very hectic day. We got back a little late from Stingray City, so we had to run on board, get changed, grab some lunch in the Windjammer, then run to get our afternoon excursion. Hubby made me promise that I would never book two excursions like that again.

 

I kept my promise until this cruise. I booked us on the Snorkel Safari excursion in the morning (it was only a 2 hr excursion) and the Luxury Yacht Sail Experience in the afternoon. There was a 2-hour break in between excursions, so I thought we would be safe. Plus we would be able to have lunch on Labadee and would not need to return to the ship in between activities.

 

Which brings me to a little nit-picking gripe: Information on the shore excursions was inconsistent. I booked everything prior our trip online and depended on the times that were showing for excursions, shows, etc., and their descriptions. But once we got on board there was different information given. Our tickets for our shore excursions showed different times than what had been online, and we had a printed list of shore excursions that showed times (and descriptions) that were different from what had been online and different from what was printed on the tickets.

 

This was annoying!!

 

Hubby looked at our tickets and realized I had booked two shore excursions for Labadee and became concerned about the times (since any reliable information was not available to him because of the inconsistency). We went to Guest Services to make sure it was going to be OK, and they assured him it would be.

 

In the end, it was OK. We had oodles of time between excursions, had an enjoyable and delicious lunch on Labadee (loved the Jerk Chicken!), and had a great time on both excursions. Note: Hubby doesn't like to snorkel, so I snorkeled alone and it was a nice time. I smacked my arm on the boat jumping in the water and ended up with a nasty bruise, but this was my own fault, not the fault of the tour operators who were all very nice. Hubby waited for me on the boat and took pictures. The Luxury Yacht Sail was also very enjoyable. Lots of families on both excursions. Both are good for people of all ages and swimming ability.

 

Dinner was at Sabor. If you love guacamole (and I do), then this is the place for you. I requested no cilantro because I can't stand that flavor, and they kindly left it out. We had the chicken stuffed jalapenos, yucca fries, beef short rib (me), and hubby had the shrimp which were a bit overcooked. I think it was here that hubby discovered the virgin Pina Colada. He is not a drinker and had the Refreshment Beverage Package. So the virgin Pina Colada became his drink of choice. I had a mojito.

 

It was kinda funny to order drinks because hubby would order something with alcohol (negronis, mojitos, etc) for me and ask for a Pina Colada, no alcohol. Then the waiter would get confused as to who got which drink. They would assume that I got the P/C, but they were wrong. LOL!

 

We were supposed to go to the Oasis of Dreams show after dinner, but it was pretty windy, so we didn't go. We did see it later in the cruise, tho.

 

Shows: We saw all the big ones. Oasis of Dreams (great!), Come Fly With Me (pretty good), and Frozen in Time (awesome!).

Our Headliner act was a singer named Jesse Hamilton. He was really good - had a great act. Probably the best act I've seen on a cruise. OK, this was only our 4th cruise, but he was really good. Great voice & very entertaining. Part singer, part comedian.

[tessa_59]

Great Review, Susan! I am so ready to set sail again!!!!

[halfapair]

Our next stop was Jamaica. Hubby & I did the Konoko Falls & Mystic Mountain's Sky Explorer shore excursion. We had a nice time - it was pretty relaxing. We loved the ski-lift ride up the mountain. I was picturesque and quiet. Hubby climbed the falls and I walked up the stairs next to the falls & took pictures. We had a nice lunch of jerk chicken, pork, and sausage. Then a relaxing bus ride back to the ship.

 

Dinner was at Giovanni's where the food was excellent. I was in the mood for pasta (luckily!) and they allowed us to order half-orders of several different dishes. I am not a huge gnocchi fan, but the gnocchi were sooooo good! The sauce is incredible. We also tried the crab ravioli (yum!) and the pasta bolognese. All were delicious. I was stuffed - pasta craving had been quenched.

 

A couple of nights later hubby had the pasta bolognese in the MDR. Giovanni's sauce & pasta was clearly superior. The pasta at Giovanni's tasted handmade, not out of a package or frozen.

 

Giovanni's Table was a busy venue and is clearly popular (deservedly so). Chops Grille & 150 Central Park didn't seem as busy. Make those reservations ahead of time!

 

Note: The computer system didn't seem to be able to find our reservations easily. We were able to see them on our TV in our cabin, but the hosts at the various restos had a difficult time finding them. They said it was because our cabin number changed (we had the GTY Suite), but this makes no sense to me since we were able to see the reservations.

[Cruise Fam 4]

Really enjoyed reading your review! we're also from the Seattle area (Snohomish), in our early 50's and will be on Oasis of the Seas in 2 weeks, cabin 8640 - same cabin as yours just one deck above. Funny the similarities!