Show reservations on Oasis

[rjp50]

We will be going with our extended family on the Oasis in April.  We just received an email saying that it is possible to make show reservations online in the cruise planner.  Within just a few hours of receiving this email members of our party tried to make reservations and found that they mostly sold out.  Does this mean that we are out of luck or is it possible that they are holding some in reserve for onboard booking?  This is our first time on RCCL and are hoping this is not a sign of things to come on cruising a mega-ship.

[DavidMutchler]

I am scheduled for the Allure at the end of April.  Other topics in this forum have assured me that as long as I show up early for a show, I will get into it, because many people abandon their reservations.  The only exception is the Comedy Club -- that one is hard to do a "walk in", apparently.  But no worries on the other shows.

 

I feel sure that you will get a more authoritative answer from someone who has sailed the Oasis recently, but I wanted to assure you that all is not lost!  Have a great cruise!

[ldubs]

We were on Oasis in November.  We did not make reservations prior to the cruise.   We didn't look so don't know if we could have.   Anyway, we had no issue making them for our group of 6 after boarding the ship and we didn't even make the reservations until day two I think.  The two shows we reserved were the ice show and the aqua theater.  

 

Some show times were "no vacancy" but there were other times available for us.  In the theater and other show venues, they rope off sections for passengers with D+ and Pinnacle status.  Probably suite passenger too, IDK.     

 

They open up the seating for those with reservations first.  I forget exactly, but maybe 10 or 15 minutes before the show starts they open it for those with no reservations.   For the shows we attended there were a fair number of open seats for those with no reservations, but both shows quickly became standing room only.  So, I would say do the reservation just to make things easier.  

 

BTW, on embarkation day we noticed a bunch of folks in one of the lounges near our muster kiosk who were booking up shows.  We know this because, seeing all those folks, we mistakenly thought that was where we were supposed to do our muster check.   

[broadwaybaby123]

While you don't have to make reservations before the cruise, it's recommended you do. Aqua 80's doesn't require reservations, so you'll get into that. "CATS" I don't think does, but we did it anyway. Sit in the front for "CATS", trust me. 

 

"Frozen In Time" requires reservations, as it's a smaller venue. It's offered several times throughout the sailing, so if you don't get in on your first try, keep trying.

[akcruz]

58 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

While you don't have to make reservations before the cruise, it's recommended you do. Aqua 80's doesn't require reservations, so you'll get into that. "CATS" I don't think does, but we did it anyway. Sit in the front for "CATS", trust me. 

 

"Frozen In Time" requires reservations, as it's a smaller venue. It's offered several times throughout the sailing, so if you don't get in on your first try, keep trying.

 

We are sailing on Oasis this month and both theAqua show and CATS were available for reservations and sold out soon after they opened.

 

To the OP, as others have said try as soon as you board either on the app or by going to where they have people booking shows, they do hold some for booking onboard.  Have a plan, if you can, of which shows you want when.  If all else fails get in the standby line, there are always no shows, you may not have preferred seats but you should get in.

[BobNoxious]

11 hours ago, rjp50 said:

We will be going with our extended family on the Oasis in April.  We just received an email saying that it is possible to make show reservations online in the cruise planner.  Within just a few hours of receiving this email members of our party tried to make reservations and found that they mostly sold out.  Does this mean that we are out of luck or is it possible that they are holding some in reserve for onboard booking?  This is our first time on RCCL and are hoping this is not a sign of things to come on cruising a mega-ship.

When you say you JUST received the email, can you please tell me the date and time on the email and the date of your cruise?  I want to plan to access the show reservations for my June cruise on the first second available.   Thanks.

[akcruz]

1 hour ago, BobNoxious said:

When you say you JUST received the email, can you please tell me the date and time on the email and the date of your cruise?  I want to plan to access the show reservations for my June cruise on the first second available.   Thanks.

 

I wouldn't wait for the email.  The current process for releasing reservations has been rumored to be they open on the 1st of the month prior to your cruise.  We sail this month, ours opened up on Feb 1 and I fortunately booked right away.   Got the email mid month, by then most shows were sold out.  They just reinstated the pre cruise reservation process at the beginning of the year so expect a few tweaks as they refine.

Edited March 8, 2023 by akcruz

[Donsyb]

11 hours ago, ldubs said:

We were on Oasis in November.  We did not make reservations prior to the cruise.   We didn't look so don't know if we could have.   Anyway, we had no issue making them for our group of 6 after boarding the ship and we didn't even make the reservations until day two I think.  The two shows we reserved were the ice show and the aqua theater.  

 

Some show times were "no vacancy" but there were other times available for us.  In the theater and other show venues, they rope off sections for passengers with D+ and Pinnacle status.  Probably suite passenger too, IDK.     

 

They open up the seating for those with reservations first.  I forget exactly, but maybe 10 or 15 minutes before the show starts they open it for those with no reservations.   For the shows we attended there were a fair number of open seats for those with no reservations, but both shows quickly became standing room only.  So, I would say do the reservation just to make things easier.  

 

BTW, on embarkation day we noticed a bunch of folks in one of the lounges near our muster kiosk who were booking up shows.  We know this because, seeing all those folks, we mistakenly thought that was where we were supposed to do our muster check.   

Pre booking only opened up in December so wasn’t available for your sailing which is why there was so much availability on boarding.

 

OP - there will be stand by lines for all

shows. If you don’t manage to get reservations after boarding, just make sure you get there early and get in line.

[jbrinkm]

I'm on Allure in April. Reservations opened up 29 days before the cruise. It was not the first of the month. Two days later, I got the email saying shows were available for reservations. The same day our reservations opened up, I saw someone post that their reservations also opened up for their cruise the week after ours. It appears to be very, very random at this point and the best strategy is to just keep checking.

[Denversail]

2 hours ago, BobNoxious said:

When you say you JUST received the email, can you please tell me the date and time on the email and the date of your cruise?  I want to plan to access the show reservations for my June cruise on the first second available.   Thanks.

I’m on two Oasis cruises in April. They both had reservations open at the same time. I received the email a couple days AFTER they were available to book. I would follow the roll calls for all your ships sailings in June. People will start posting about it when they see it available. It was more than 30 days out for both my cruises. 

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Donsyb said:

Pre booking only opened up in December so wasn’t available for your sailing which is why there was so much availability on boarding.

 

OP - there will be stand by lines for all

shows. If you don’t manage to get reservations after boarding, just make sure you get there early and get in line.

 

Aw thanks.  That would explain why all those folks were pouring through the reservations right at embarkation.   

[sjlogghe]

3 hours ago, BobNoxious said:

When you say you JUST received the email, can you please tell me the date and time on the email and the date of your cruise?  I want to plan to access the show reservations for my June cruise on the first second available.   Thanks.

 

As others have said, don't wait for the email! I'm on Allure the first week in April. I basically just checked online every day. Our cruise leaves April 2, booking became available March 4. I didn't get the email about booking until the afternoon of March 6. I would also recommend checking a couple times a day when it gets to around that 30 day mark. When I checked on the 4th mid morning, it talked about reserving times, but nothing was actually loaded and available. Then early afternoon, I happened to check again, and bam - they were there! 

[Preziosa]

I have just booked shows for the sailing 9. Th of April. All ready many shows sold out. I have not received a E mail

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

16 hours ago, rjp50 said:

Within just a few hours of receiving this email members of our party tried to make reservations and found that they mostly sold out.

are you sure?

I didn't even receive an email for my April 2 oasis cruise when they opened for booking, but most shows kept flickering in and out of existence for 2 days. I finally made all the reservations 2 days after they opened 29 days out. None of them were sold out "hours after they opened".

Edited March 8, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[roseoftx]

From various sources, the reservations open at the start of the month prior to your cruise.  Not necessarily on the 1st, but within a few days. The best thing to do is to use your rollcall or other group to get alerted to them. Even though I checked every day, in our case, they opened in the late morning.  The hint was that it went from the "putting on finishing touches" to a blank screen and then they showed up. By the time they remind you with an email, a lot of people have already spotted them open. 

Since reservation as free to get and there is no penalty for a no show, there is a good percentage of them.   People might be winning in the casino, or taking a nap or whatever.  I also suspect they don't reserve 100%.  So going standby usually has some capacity (except as mentioned for the small comedy club).  The downside of the standby line is that when you get in, the better seats will be taken and a large group might not get to sit together.  In our case, I was able to swap the date of the Ice show once on the ship so it doesn't hurt to check that too when onboard. 

An not all shows take reservations, there are various headliner shows and others that you can go to. 

[resetjet]

This process is seriously broken and royal needs to change it.  Make sure you make it known on your survey.  This has happened to me twice.  I dont know why they open it up and then email

you days later.  Sometimes its on the first  of the month before,  sometimes not.  It awards those who check everyday and i dont have time for that.  If you get on early,  you can book all the shows you want.  Why not allow them to book two shows or maybe 3 and the rest on board.  Make sure when you get on you book your whole week immediately.  You still may have to standby which sucks as you have to show up 20 min early and wait in line to give yourself a good shot at a seat you can live with,  but the seats will not be good. A Comedy show is not worth standing by if you are more than 10 in line and probably not even that.  I started a thread shows on wonder sold out a few weeks back.  More info there.

[resetjet]

And by the way the website says 30 days prior.  That is NEVER the case.  

[catlady66]

We're booked on Allure for April 30th--the entertainment reservations just opened up today.  We did not receive any notification.  I've just been checking it every day.