Oasis of the Seas - 7/7-7/14 thoughts

[Marleycruiser]

We just got off the Oasis this morning and had a great trip. I will outline my thoughts below and we did the identical ship/itinerary a year ago almost to the day so I will provide commentary on a few different categories. Feel free to ask any questions:

 

Pro's

1) Internet - We do VROOM and wow is all I can say. While expensive for our family of  ($400ish for the week) it was well worth it in my opinion. The adults and kiddos had relaxing time before bed and all I can say was this was a HUGE improvement over last year. Not one device got kicked out and we never lagged one bit. Thank you Elon Musk.

 

2) Staff - From our room steward to bartenders, all of the staff we encountered were great. We had IMADE in the main dining room and in the 20 years of cruising I can say he was simply the best waiter we have ever had. He was attentive, and carried his assistant waiter all week. Also another special shout out to Christopher at the Central Park Bar who was an absolute blast and best bartender on the ship. I would say this staff was better than the staff we had last year on the ship. 

 

3) Ship - While she is definitely getting a bit weathered (room furniture beat up pretty bad, carpets run down in high traffic areas), the crew were constantly maintaining her. It is a work horse of a ship with little to no breaks, but the outside rust in certain areas of the ship is starting to show but this did not detract one bit from our experience. 

 

4) Cleanliness - This was something we saw throughout the trip. Staff always cleaning up after people's messes, proactively cleaning glass and high traffic areas, making all people wash hands before eating. Was really great and we could truly see how clean the ship.

 

5) Entertainment - RCL I believe does this the best out of any cruise line. The Aqua Theatre show we saw again and it was performed to perfection. Better than last time we saw it a year ago and same thing with Frozen in Time. The performers were great. I also spent a ton of time on the boardwalk going for carasal rides with the kids.

 

 

Cons

1) Drink Package - My wife and I got the package and we won't be doing it again. 1) Far too expensive for us to really "get our money's worth" and (ii) the wine selection that came with the package was nothing short of pathetic. One Cab, One Merlot -THATS IT. My wife ordered Cunundrum every night which was a $3 upcharge and I find it unacceptable for us to pay nearly $1500 for the week and still have to be charged $3 a glass for a $20 bottle. This was not the case last year as there were a few more selections but this is clearly an area that has been impacted by cutbacks.

2) CocoCay - First, love the island. A ton to do and lots of free activities to do as a family; however, we went into the bathrooms near Chill Island and it was worst than a NYC PortaJohn. I asked my wife how the women's bathroom was and she said the same. It was gross and an easy fix for RCL to address.

3) Food/Staff & Dining Cutbacks - Lots of talk about room steward snot coming twice a day and while it was a let down, it wasn't a big deal for us, especially after seeing how spread so thin these guys are (housekeeping). We also saw how spread thin the Main Dining Room was, it was very noticeable and it detracted from the overall experience. We also did not like the cutbacks in the Main Dining Room food. An example is how we use to be able to order shrimp cocktail and French onion soup every night but was no longer the case. We also noticed the food has gone downhill from a year ago. Not sure if this is due to staffing but a lack of a warm meal all week combined with undercooked/overcooked proteins was very obvious.

4) Nick and Diming - This really annoyed me. RCL do you really need to charge $2.50 for popcorn for kids that was mediocre at best? How about Hibachi and the steak house we were considering until we realized pricing. RCL wanted to charge $66/person INCLUDING kids for a Hibachi dinner. This is way more expensive than on land and on land I did not already pay for a cruise and thought it was egregious. Same goes for the steakhouse and our tablemates mentioned Chopt was not good and actually said Park150 was a far better steak and experience. 

 

In summary, we had a great time as a family. We believe this vacation was a great value for our family of 4 for two ocean view balconies which spent nearly $4500 just for the cruise (plus the drink package and internet so totaled $6200). We were quoted for next year on the Symphony for the same two cabins at $7200. That doesn't include the drink package or the internet package which would be $9K. RCL is positioning themselves as a luxury vacation destination but it is simply not. At that price point I will gladly get on a plane with the family and stay at a resort on an island for a comparable price point. People continue to pay these prices while RCL continue to cut back and that is their decision to do so. 

 

In conclusion, we will sail RCL but at a certain price point. The convenience of leaving from your own backyard is appealing, but only at a certain price point.

 

Happy to answer any questions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, Marleycruiser said:

People continue to pay these prices while RCL continue to cut back and that is their decision to do so. 

Newbies might, but well informed value consumers probably won't. They skip the drink package, share a one device Voom package and put the kids in an inside across the hall.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Biker19

[marci22]

Regarding the wine choices: our first night on Liberty they had one white choice and one red choice. They gave me a moscato as my amenity and this was my only choice until they restocked and I could exchange it. They did restock the bars the next day and there were more choices, but the more expensive ($14/glass) wines never seemed to be available at all. I would not recommend the alcohol package for wine drinkers.

Edited July 15, 2023 by marci22

[chill6x6]

15 hours ago, Marleycruiser said:

People continue to pay these prices while RCL continue to cut back and that is their decision to do so. 

That's kinda where I am.  The prices for cabins I like on Oasis or newer ships are now beyond my reach.  I've got two booked with Carnival on their latest, greatest.  We are going to give the new Excel suites a try.

[firefly333]

I agree with your comments on the rest room at coco cay. It was gross when I went in march too. They need to clean it more often. 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, chill6x6 said:

That's kinda where I am.  The prices for cabins I like on Oasis or newer ships are now beyond my reach.  I've got two booked with Carnival on their latest, greatest.  We are going to give the new Excel suites a try.

Unlimited bubbles, their soft drink pkg. Lol. Not much. Priority etc. I want to try their newest ships but it came down to jubilee or 14 days on dream with new ports. Carnival is raising prices imo just as drastically. Now that im free to cruise, everyone seems to have nuts prices. 

 

The havanna area on vista class was a huge success ..these excel suites are the next step. People love having a pool to themselves and more attentive bar service and peace and quiet. 

[Another_Critic]

19 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I agree with your comments on the rest room at coco cay. It was gross when I went in march too. They need to clean it more often. 

People need to quit being slobs and clean up the mess THEY made.

[sjb317]

Agree with you all about the wine.  While we do not get a drink package, our last few cruises have had few wines available.  The selection of wines available is pretty disappointing.

 

Sherri🙂

[chill6x6]

17 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Unlimited bubbles, their soft drink pkg. Lol. Not much. Priority etc. I want to try their newest ships but it came down to jubilee or 14 days on dream with new ports. Carnival is raising prices imo just as drastically. Now that im free to cruise, everyone seems to have nuts prices. 

 

The havanna area on vista class was a huge success ..these excel suites are the next step. People love having a pool to themselves and more attentive bar service and peace and quiet. 

So mind you I haven't been on a Carnival ship in nine years so everything I "know" is from reading.  

 

1.Bottomless bubble soft dink package as you mentioned

2. Included room service

3. Loft 19 access- hopefully that will be the attentive bar service and peace and quiet

4. Sparkling wine and fruit bowl

5 Prior this/that as mentioned.

 

Cabin looks to be a real suite similar to a NCL penthouse. Huge balcony with two lounge chairs, table, shower, daybed, and hot-tub.  If I can't get pease and quiet at Loft 19 I will be able to here!

[firefly333]

5 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

So mind you I haven't been on a Carnival ship in nine years so everything I "know" is from reading.  

 

1.Bottomless bubble soft dink package as you mentioned

2. Included room service

3. Loft 19 access- hopefully that will be the attentive bar service and peace and quiet

4. Sparkling wine and fruit bowl

5 Prior this/that as mentioned.

 

Cabin looks to be a real suite similar to a NCL penthouse. Huge balcony with two lounge chairs, table, shower, daybed, and hot-tub.  If I can't get pease and quiet at Loft 19 I will be able to here!

Imo do anytime dining. Chibang is free but sounds like only if you do anytime dining. A couple other places included free on mardi gras and 2 sisters. .with anytime dining. I think only 1 time free. I want to try emerils and free big shaq chicken and some other places for sure.  555 Fahrenheit their steak place free wine first night, be sure and ask for it. They still do surf n turf, a lobster and smaller fillet which I always order. Rcl long since lobster is now a upcharge. 2 free lobsters on lobster night. Additional are $5 each. 

[chill6x6]

12 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Imo do anytime dining. Chibang is free but sounds like only if you do anytime dining. A couple other places included free on mardi gras and 2 sisters. .with anytime dining. I think only 1 time free. I want to try emerils and free big shaq chicken and some other places for sure.  555 Fahrenheit their steak place free wine first night, be sure and ask for it. They still do surf n turf, a lobster and smaller fillet which I always order. Rcl long since lobster is now a upcharge. 2 free lobsters on lobster night. Additional are $5 each. 

Thanks! Great ideas! FWIW about $3K less than a GS on Oasis etc.

[Mum2Mercury]

23 hours ago, Marleycruiser said:

In conclusion, we will sail RCL but at a certain price point.

My thoughts exactly -- and well worded.  I like Royal Caribbean's product, but we search for bargains -- they do exist.  We don't sail the biggest and newest ships, and we don't spend heavily when we sail.  

 

Personally, I think we're currently in a high-priced bubble, as a couple things are happening:  People are "back to sailing" after the pandemic, Royal is trying to pay off debt incurred during the pandemic, Royal is paying for new ships and the building of Coco Cay.  Will prices go down in a couple years?  I hope so.

[Marleycruiser]

I agree @Mum2Mercury.

 

At some point they are going to lose clientele and are losing sight of what made them successful in the first place. Good food, drinks, and entertainment at a reasonable price point.

 

Hope I am wrong as a rcl stock owner!

 

Lastly, I almost didn’t post this mini review as I really didn’t want to get roasted for some of the negative, but true comments. It is reassuring to hear others experience similar instances and perhaps rcl could address some of these issues.

[Russ Lomas]

23 hours ago, Marleycruiser said:

We just got off the Oasis this morning and had a great trip. I will outline my thoughts below and we did the identical ship/itinerary a year ago almost to the day so I will provide commentary on a few different categories. 

We were on the same sailing, and I agree with pretty much all you said here.  My responses to your opinions are below.

 

Pro's

1) Internet - I vacation to disconnect (but did use my free internet day due to Diamond privileges).  No issues with the internet on Oasis at all.

 

2) Staff - Best staff we have had on any ship with any cruise line.  If only they were all this good.

 

3) Ship - 3rd time on her and found her in great shape.  We were on just prior to the Oasis' 1st dry dock, and things like the chairs were well-worn.  They were in much better shape this time around. 

 

4) Cleanliness - Spotless - fantastic overall for 7000 passengers on board.

 

5) Entertainment - Aqua80 was amazing (saw it 3 times).  Cats was good for catching up on some sleep (half the audience left before the end).  What we were disappointed in was the fact that RCCL decided to eliminate the cover bands in the Music Hall to save money and now just uses their regular ship musicians.  Also disappointed that there was only 1 headliner performer instead of the usual 2 (we were on Oasis in March and these changes are in comparison to back then).  Just means that the other venues are even busier than before due to less entertainment choices than before.

 

Cons

1) Drink Package - Too expensive and would never pay that much personally for a package.  Luckily, RCCL treats its loyal cruisers (Diamond and above) to 4+ free drinks per day.  More than enough for my family members.  Thanks RCCL.

 

2) CocoCay - Amazing island and an amazing day.  We walked by the washrooms on Chill Island and I could smell a smell of raw sewage easily from about 50 feet away.  I did not have the nerve to get any closer than that.

 

3) Food/Staff & Dining Cutbacks - Food selection in the Windjammer is MUCH worse than it used to be.  We walked out most times and sought food elsewhere.  Gone are the days (last year and prior) they would make fresh crêpes, make salads and pasta to order, etc. in the Windjammer.  MDR menus are poor compared to 2022 and prior.  Some in our party had a difficult time choosing items some evenings.  In the past, you would go to the Windjammer instead.  Problem now is that the same food from the MDR is the exact same in the Windjammer (cost-cutting).

 

Also, we did not like how the Solarium Bistro and MDR were only open for brunch most days now.  They force you to go to the Windjammer if you want to eat before 9 am, and it was packed in there.  Also, those two places now close at 1 pm and do not offer a real lunch selection.  Just keep out the breakfast items and add a couple of limited lunch choices.

 

4) Nick and Diming - We are used to this.  Getting rid of the free potato chips in the Park Cafe and charging that much for popcorn are examples of this.  We like that you have the choice to pay for extras, and you do not force everyone onboard to pay for something (like other cruise lines do - internet packages, beverage packages, excursion credits), but some of the nickle and diming should be eliminated.

 

Pricing - We paid $1464 Canadian all-in for 2 people in an interior cabin on this cruise (thanks to an amazing travel agent who told us about this great price).  The same week on the Symphony for the same cruise in 2024 is now going for $3326 (more than double what we paid for the Oasis).  We LOVE RCCL and want to continue to sail with them.  Their crew members were amazing this past week.  However, if pricing continues to be what they are asking right now, we will not rule out sailing with RCCL again, but we will be looking at many other options to compare value.  We are glad we already have 3 future RCCL cruises at great prices over the next 2 years, before pricing went insane.

 

[Doc2725]

Did they deliver a paper copy of the Cruise Compass in your room each day? If not, did you request a paper copy? 

[GetToLivin]

On 7/14/2023 at 6:45 PM, Marleycruiser said:

RCL is positioning themselves as a luxury vacation destination but it is simply not.

This. For us personally, we're at the point where we've had to remain incredibly flexible in our dates because it's the only way I can scout out a deal that makes it worth it to me (which I understand is subjective to each person and what they decide to book). I book a suite or suite GTY when I can since it seems like the only category that doesn't deal with certain cutbacks. Specialty restaurants aren't even a maybe, they're a must, because we've had good experiences for the most part and the last thing I want is a disappointing dining experience. My point is, for us, I'm finding if we want our vacation to feel luxurious with RCI, we're having to really pay for it. Being diamond, those perks help, but it's still difficult not to get irked by cutbacks with an inflated price point. I appreciate your review from your perspective: it's okay to like a brand and still be upset by company decisions that are off-putting to the consumer.

Edited July 16, 2023 by GetToLivin
clarity

[Marleycruiser]

1 hour ago, Doc2725 said:

Did they deliver a paper copy of the Cruise Compass in your room each day? If not, did you request a paper copy? 

They did not deliver a cruise compass each day and we did not ask for it as it was quite easy on the app.

 

@GetToLivin my thoughts exactly. Like I said for us as a family of four we can only go away based on our school schedule. We have been looking for next year and it looks like we will be doing a land based all inclusive vacation as it is just a far better value. 

[mets123]

2 hours ago, Doc2725 said:

Did they deliver a paper copy of the Cruise Compass in your room each day? If not, did you request a paper copy? 

We requested a paper copy from the room steward and it was delivered the night before each day, even though we had morning room service. Getting one the day is hit or miss, even at guest service.

[Doc2725]

2 hours ago, mets123 said:

We requested a paper copy from the room steward and it was delivered the night before each day, even though we had morning room service. Getting one the day is hit or miss, even at guest service.

That's a good call, we will do that. We like the paper copy better. We leave our phones in the room on cruises, for the most part. We are in a Grand Suite on Allure in December, and will have to remember to do that. Did you find that it was reliably delivered to you the night before each evening? 

[Doncin]

We were on this sailing as well. Unfortunately for me, I was disappointed. As a diamond member I didn’t ask for anything out of the ordinary and unfortunately had a bad experience with the cabin steward and management which I will be addressing with corporate. 
I also paid for 4 of us to enter the water park which was a total waste of money. It took my grandchildren 50 minutes to go on one water slide. Ridiculous and I agree that the restrooms were not clean. 
did anyone else have problems? 

[mets123]

6 hours ago, Doc2725 said:

That's a good call, we will do that. We like the paper copy better. We leave our phones in the room on cruises, for the most part. We are in a Grand Suite on Allure in December, and will have to remember to do that. Did you find that it was reliably delivered to you the night before each evening? 

Yes.... every night without fail.

[MaddyandMax]

We were on Oasis the week before you and agree with all you said.  We are a group of 11 that cruise 2-3 times a year.  This was our first cruise since the menu change.  We had just been on Oasis in October less than a year ago.

 

The food changes were really upsetting.  No one from our group is what I would consider a "foodie" but so many nights more than one us didn't want anything on the menu and ended up with ordering 2 starters.  Starters continually came cold (except soup).  Don't even get me started on the July 4th menu.  They need to throw it overboard LOL.  If the food continues to be like this we will branch out.  I personally have only ever cruised with Royal but others in our group have been on other brands.  I suspect the food problems are not just on Royal though.  We've never complained on a review before but on this one I ran out of room.

 

Did you ever go into the stores?  The kids in our group love the Royal shirts and getting the glow in the dark ones.  On day two or 3 we started noticing the shop workers were cutting off the price tags and all the sudden everything in the shop became more expensive.  We'd see printed tags saying $19.99 with a price tag over top marking it up to $24.95 or $29.99 (on the ones were they forgot to cut off the original tag or got lazy and just put the new sticker over the old original tag).  We have never seen anything like happening before.  We know about the games they like to play with their watches but we've never seen prices on clothing going UP during the week. 

[Pratique]

12 hours ago, Doc2725 said:

That's a good call, we will do that. We like the paper copy better. We leave our phones in the room on cruises, for the most part. We are in a Grand Suite on Allure in December, and will have to remember to do that. Did you find that it was reliably delivered to you the night before each evening? 

In a suite you still get twice daily housekeeping and they will deliver the paper Compass in the evening. If you see a paper Compass in your suite when you arrive then you will get one each day, otherwise ask the attendant or concierge. I also saw copies in the Diamond Lounge.

[PACrew]

Great assessment @Marleycruiser. We were on Harmony back in April. My review was identical. The nickel/diming is ridiculous. My main complaint was the cabin service. While I dont have a problem with with once a day, it would be wise to have a trash removal and if its a 4 person room, to have the bed returned to couch/vice versa. 

 

Love royal but at its current pricing, we may explore different lines. 

 

 

[Crazy planning mom]

Do you know if the ship was sailing at full capacity?  As long as they are selling out, there will be no incentive to approve things.