Sorta LIVE— Oasis of the Seas — 9 days from Jersey- 8/4/23

[tokidoki]

Thx sooo much for taking me along, as we board n ct week!  Was wondering about the blocks, how getting one works? We haven’t cruised Royal sinc 2008, but somehow managed to be diamonds?  Does that mean we r entitled to one, since it’s our first at this tier? Thx! 

[mac_tlc]

9 minutes ago, tokidoki said:

Thx sooo much for taking me along, as we board n ct week!  Was wondering about the blocks, how getting one works? We haven’t cruised Royal sinc 2008, but somehow managed to be diamonds?  Does that mean we r entitled to one, since it’s our first at this tier? Thx! 

You get a Crystal block when you reach 140 points and then every 70 points after that (140, 210, 280, 350, 420, 490 and so on). 
 

I you just reached Diamond you are over 80 points, may still have a ways to go to get to 140 for that first block. 
 

mac_tlc

[mac_tlc]

2 hours ago, Miloomar said:

How were they?

They were ok. Pleasant, personable, around the ship. We did not have a lot of opportunities to see the CD given what we did and did not do. 
 

mac_tlc

[tokidoki]

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

You get a Crystal block when you reach 140 points and then every 70 points after that (140, 210, 280, 350, 420, 490 and so on). 
 

I you just reached Diamond you are over 80 points, may still have a ways to go to get to 140 for that first block. 
 

mac_tlc

118, but thx!

[perfect match]

Thank you for taking us along @mac_tlc! I’ve enjoyed cruising along with you. We’re looking forward to sailing on sister ship Allure in the spring and getting our first crystal block while we’re aboard. I’m hoping for the old style as they are more my personal taste, but I’m expecting that we’ll end up with the new style which my DH will prefer. Either way we’ll be happy with what we get, especially since it will be our first. 😀

[Homelines1977]

On 8/6/2023 at 9:31 AM, CruisinBanka said:

I imagine you are sailing at close to full capacity which is over 6700 guest. (Double capacity is 5600) Does the ship feel overly crowded or are you able do what you want to without lines and waiting? Thanks! 

There was approximately 6741 people on board, there were times when the ship did feel crowded. At times there were lines for certain activities but that was at prime-time afternoon.

[CruisinBanka]

5 minutes ago, Homelines1977 said:

There was approximately 6741 people on board, there were times when the ship did feel crowded. At times there were lines for certain activities but that was at prime-time afternoon.

Thanks for the info! 6780 is full capacity so you were sailing only 39 short. Amazing it only felt crowded occasionally. Hope you enjoyed your cruise! 

[nelblu]

20 minutes ago, CruisinBanka said:

Thanks for the info! 6780 is full capacity so you were sailing only 39 short. Amazing it only felt crowded occasionally. Hope you enjoyed your cruise! 

It's the neighborhood concept that spreads passengers and avoid constant crowdedness.  Usually, one feels the crowds when certain events take place in the promenade and the other pf course is the pool areas.

[CruisinBanka]

10 minutes ago, nelblu said:

It's the neighborhood concept that spreads passengers and avoid constant crowdedness.  Usually, one feels the crowds when certain events take place in the promenade and the other pf course is the pool areas.

I agree they do a great job dispersing people on the Oasis Class ships. All the times I have sailed on that ship class we have only felt crowded in the Windjammer, pool area, and promenade at certain times. 

[mac_tlc]

So, here is my wrap-up and some thoughts, observations, opinions. I'm sure I'll get some rolling eye emojis from some folks but that's ok. Some of these are due to the fact that we were on the only 9 night summer Oasis sailing. Some are impacted by the fact that my DW is in a wheelchair most of the time. I'll try to hit many of the current CC hot topics, so everyone can be equally outraged 🤣.

 

Windjammer - If you read my posts, you know I am not a fan. Not even a little bit. We did end up there twice, which is two times too many for me. Here is where you feel the crowds in all their glory. Too many people, not enough staff, tables that take forever to get cleared, food that is just OK. When we first started cruising, it was a big part of embarkation day. Not anymore - 

 

Main Dining Room - It is incredibly loud. Many nights it was impossible to have a conversation with the person across the table. I'll mention my opinion on the dress code, which will probably upset a few. It is more and more beach wear every time we go. Shorts, flip flops, baseball hats that are never taken off (on frontwards and backwards), Muscle shirts (I will not use the other colloquial term as I find it very offensive). You name it, it's there. Many that don't like that aspect of the MDR say it "ruins my meal". I'm not here to say that but I will say I find it in conflict with the decor, ambiance and wardrobe of the hard working servers. I could say more but I will leave it here. 

 

We had early seating which is 5:00 - 5:15. It's too early. I'll blame it on staffing but Royal used to have no problem doing a 5:45 or 6:00 early seating, plus My Time at Any Time plus a late seating. Now, all three of them are ill-timed.

 

MDR Food - My faith was restored that Royal knows how to make a good French Onion Soup! On Jewel in June it was awful. Overall, our entire group was happy with the food -- especially the nightly curry which we always had for the center of the table. As compared to the Jewel,  much better -- which leads me to the scaled down menus. I guess removing the classics from every night is the issue for us. We always found something acceptable. The temperature was also better than on the Jewel. One thing we did mention to the head waiter was how the apps were served. Often we would have two -- maybe a soup and salad. For the first three nights, they were both served at the same time. Depending on what was ordered, one plate sat getting cold while we ate the other. Not to mention the table for eight got really crowded. After we mentioned it to the HW, the delivery was one at a time (good), but it was accomplished by both being brought out of the galley to the serving area and one sitting there until we finished the first one -- a distinction without a difference. Never had the apps served this way in 49 previous cruises. Seemed odd.

 

Kudos to the HW and bread maker for giving us a special treat on three nights. One of our group mentioned the somewhat famous savory bites. Seem that they did not have the proper flour to make them. We said no problem. They insisted on making some additional bread item every night after we mentioned it - nice touch. 

 

Entertainment - I could watch Aqua80 every day. It is great. The ice show cast was spot-on. Never a stumble or fall on the jumps -- great job. We have probably seen this show 10-12 times, but we still really enjoy it. For the first time in 50 cruises, we never went to the theatre. One of the headliners we had seen before. Skipped Cats, although my daughter and grandson liked it. There was no second production show (Boo) and although we had 2 more days than the usual 7-night cruise, they just put the headliners on for an extra show on the two extra days (Boo). 

 

There was a plethora of game shows and trivia sessions. Problem is they are REALLY popular. The non-theater non-Aquatheatre venues are all just too small for these activities. They were held in the Schooner Bar, Boleros, Pub, Blaze, Music Hall and maybe others. Additionally some of these venues spill out into the Royal Promenade making it hard to hear the activity. Get there 45-60 minutes early if you want a seat. 

 

Really missed having a good cover band. 

 

Stateroom Service --  We are not fans at all of the once-a-day service. I won't repeat all the reasons here -- I went into a bit more detail on my Jewel of the Seas Review for our 6/17/23 cruise. These folks had 25 rooms, and looked at their wits end at all times. Twice, our attendant forgot to give us towels when he did the AM service, between 10-11. Once, I noticed it while he was still doing his evening service and got them. The second time, he was already done for the day. For those who always liked once-a -day, good for you -- now we are all stuck with it. (I know, I can book a suite and still get it -- for now). 

 

If you have a wheelchair or scooter - Leave a lot of extra time to get an elevator. Here again is where the number of people on board -- coupled with the fact that we cannot take the stairs -- is really noticeable. Most folks were very accommodating as far as making room for us in the elevator, holding the door, asking what floor we needed, etc. But the number of elevators is insufficient for the number of people. We did not experience any youngsters pushing every button .....

 

Maneuvering down the hallway is a big challenge -- not because of passengers, but because of stateroom attendant carts and those red laundry bags that we began to dread around day 5. Luckily, my wife can get in and out of the chair so  "push, stop, get out, fold it up, walk ahead, unfold it, get back in , push" was a frequent event. Try to get a cabin as close to the elevators as you can.

 

Casino - Smoke sucks. It is everywhere -- even on the non-smoking side of the casino. You can smell it as soon as you get off the aft elevators on deck 4. We did try the new non-smoking casino where Jazz on 4 used to be. Its small and never had a lot of people in it. We do appreciate Royal's attempts here, but I fear if the traffic doesn't increase, they will say "see, we tried, no one went" and get rid of it. We did go less frequently than we normally do. 

 

Overall -  We had great time with the kids and grandkids. Loved Portside BBQ. Kids loved the Splash Zone. We think the Solarium on all O class is a big miss. Loved being 90 minutes from home. We had debarkation number 24, got called at about 7:45, were in the van exiting the garage at 8:04, pulled into the driveway at 10:15. Perfect. 

 

I may think of a thing or two when I fill out the Royal Survey later today -----

 

Thanks again for following along. 

 

mac_tlc

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by mac_tlc

[LobsterStalker]

19 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

So, here is my wrap-up and some thoughts, observations, opinions. I'm sure I'll get some rolling eye emojis from some folks but that's ok. Some of these are due to the fact that we were on the only 9 night summer Oasis sailing. Some are impacted by the fact that my DW is in a wheelchair most of the time. I'll try to hit many of the current CC hot topics, so everyone can be equally outraged 🤣.

 

Windjammer - If you read my posts, you know I am not a fan. Not even a little bit. We did end up there twice, which is two times too many for me. Here is where you feel the crowds in all their glory. Too many people, not enough staff, tables that take forever to get cleared, food that is just OK. When we first started cruising, it was a big part of embarkation day. Not anymore - 

 

Main Dining Room - It is incredibly loud. Many nights it was impossible to have a conversation with the person across the table. I'll mention my opinion on the dress code, which will probably upset a few. It is more and more beach wear every time we go. Shorts, flip flops, baseball hats that are never taken off (on frontwards and backwards), Muscle shirts (I will not use the other colloquial term as I find it very offensive). You name it, it's there. Many that don't like that aspect of the MDR say it "ruins my meal". I'm not here to say that but I will say I find it in conflict with the decor, ambiance and wardrobe of the hard working servers. I could say more but I will leave it here. 

 

We had early seating which is 5:00 - 5:15. It's too early. I'll blame it on staffing but Royal used to have no problem doing a 5:45 or 6:00 early seating, plus My Time at Any Time plus a late seating. Now, all three of them are ill-timed.

 

MDR Food - My faith was restored that Royal knows how to make a good French Onion Soup! On Jewel in June it was awful. Overall, our entire group was happy with the food -- especially the nightly curry which we always had for the center of the table. As compared to the Jewel,  much better -- which leads me to the scaled down menus. I guess removing the classics from every night is the issue for us. We always found something acceptable. The temperature was also better than on the Jewel. One thing we did mention to the head waiter was how the apps were served. Often we would have two -- maybe a soup and salad. For the first three nights, they were both served at the same time. Depending on what was ordered, one plate sat getting cold while we ate the other. Not to mention the table for eight got really crowded. After we mentioned it to the HW, the delivery was one at a time (good), but it was accomplished by both being brought out of the galley to the serving area and one sitting there until we finished the first one -- a distinction without a difference. Never had the apps served this way in 49 previous cruises. Seemed odd.

 

Kudos to the HW and bread maker for giving us a special treat on three nights. One of our group mentioned the somewhat famous savory bites. Seem that they did not have the proper flour to make them. We said no problem. They insisted on making some additional bread item every night after we mentioned it - nice touch. 

 

Entertainment - I could watch Aqua80 every day. It is great. The ice show cast was spot-on. Never a stumble or fall on the jumps -- great job. We have probably seen this show 10-12 times, but we still really enjoy it. For the first time in 50 cruises, we never went to the theatre. One of the headliners we had seen before. Skipped Cats, although my daughter and grandson liked it. There was no second production show (Boo) and although we had 2 more days than the usual 7-night cruise, they just put the headliners on for an extra show on the two extra days (Boo). 

 

There was a plethora of game shows and trivia sessions. Problem is they are REALLY popular. The non-theater non-Aquatheatre venues are all just too small for these activities. They were held in the Schooner Bar, Boleros, Pub, Blaze, Music Hall and maybe others. Additionally some of these venues spill out into the Royal Promenade making it hard to hear the activity. Get there 45-60 minutes early if you want a seat. 

 

Really missed having a good cover band. 

 

Stateroom Service --  We are not fans at all of the once-a-day service. I won't repeat all the reasons here -- I went into a bit more detail on my Jewel of the Seas Review for our 6/17/23 cruise. These folks had 25 rooms, and looked at their wits end at all times. Twice, our attendant forgot to give us towels when he did the AM service, between 10-11. Once, I noticed it while he was still doing his evening service and got them. The second time, he was already done for the day. For those who always liked once-a -day, good for you -- now we are all stuck with it. (I know, I can book a suite and still get it -- for now). 

 

If you have a wheelchair or scooter - Leave a lot of extra time to get an elevator. Here again is where the number of people on board -- coupled with the fact that we cannot take the stairs -- is really noticeable. Most folks were very accommodating as far as making room for us in the elevator, holding the door, asking what floor we needed, etc. But the number of elevators is insufficient for the number of people. We did not experience any youngsters pushing every button .....

 

Maneuvering down the hallway is a big challenge -- not because of passengers, but because of stateroom attendant carts and those red laundry bags that we began to dread around day 5. Luckily, my wife can get in and out of the chair so  "push, stop, get out, fold it up, walk ahead, unfold it, get back in , push" was a frequent event. Try to get a cabin as close to the elevators as you can.

 

Casino - Smoke sucks. It is everywhere -- even on the non-smoking side of the casino. You can smell it as soon as you get off the aft elevators on deck 4. We did try the new non-smoking casino where Jazz on 4 used to be. Its small and never had a lot of people in it. We do appreciate Royal's attempts here, but I fear if the traffic doesn't increase, they will say "see, we tried, no one went" and get rid of it. We did go less frequently than we normally do. 

 

Overall -  We had great time with the kids and grandkids. Loved Portside BBQ. Kids loved the Splash Zone. We think the Solarium on all O class is a big miss. Loved being 90 minutes from home. We had debarkation number 24, got called at about 7:45, were in the van exiting the garage at 8:04, pulled into the driveway at 10:15. Perfect. 

 

I may think of a thing or two when I fill out the Royal Survey later today -----

 

Thanks again for following along. 

 

mac_tlc

 

 

 

Excellent review ! Despite what many seem to think expressing a few negatives about an experience does not make you "someone who just wants to be miserable" . I find many flaws with my cruise experiences , but have still fully enjoyed everyone !  

 

Cheers

[mac_tlc]

Just now, LobsterStalker said:

Excellent review ! Despite what many seem to think expressing a few negatives about an experience does not make you "someone who just wants to be miserable" . I find many flaws with my cruise experiences , but have still fully enjoyed everyone !  

 

Cheers

Thanks,

 

That is our feeling as well. We had an excellent time with the entire family together. You never know how many more opportunities we have to do that. Next year? Celebrity Edge in Alaska.

 

mac_tlc

[FionaMG]

Thanks very much for your interesting and informative review. I enjoyed following along. 😊

[Another_Critic]

Your wrap-up is pretty much spot on what I've felt on my past couple of cruises.

[CruisinBanka]

Thanks for your honest review and I enjoyed following along. Your wrap up reminds me and confirms why we no longer sail Royal Caribbean mega ships, unless we are traveling with our family and grandkids. When my wife and I sail by ourselves, 4-5 times a year, we sail on Celebrity to avoid a lot of the negatives you mentioned. Unfortunately Celebrity is becoming Royal over the last couple of years in terms of downgrades in food and service, all the while substantially raising prices. We are now for the first time exploring other Cruise lines like Oceana, Viking, Holland America, and MSC that appear to be equal in pricing or substantially less in most cases. 

[mac_tlc]

15 minutes ago, CruisinBanka said:

Thanks for your honest review and I enjoyed following along. Your wrap up reminds me and confirms why we no longer sail Royal Caribbean mega ships, unless we are traveling with our family and grandkids. When my wife and I sail by ourselves, 4-5 times a year, we sail on Celebrity to avoid a lot of the negatives you mentioned. Unfortunately Celebrity is becoming Royal over the last couple of years in terms of downgrades in food and service, all the while substantially raising prices. We are now for the first time exploring other Cruise lines like Oceana, Viking, Holland America, and MSC that appear to be equal in pricing or substantially less in most cases. 

I feel like I am looking in the mirror😂.

 

mac_tlc

[dbancroft]

30 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

I feel like I am looking in the mirror😂.

 

mac_tlc

Thanks @mac_tlc for taking time out to write about your cruise. We were also on the same cruise. Some of our observations:

1. Diamond lounge on deck 4 smells like smoke did not bother me but wife could really smell it.

2. Lot of sea lice bites in Labadee we were at nellies Beach. Grandkids were not happy we went back to ship after lunch.

3. I won a large jackpot in casino while we were docked in Labadee took a long time for payout because lack of employees on ship while docked.

4. We had dinner in Windjammer twice a party of 6 we were always able to get a table in the far back of Windjammer.  New before cruise of all the cutbacks but we never left hungry.

5. We enjoyed Portside BBQ  and El loco had way too many plates of nachos loved being able to make your own.

6. We had so many interactions with so many extremely nice hard working royal employees.  How they can remember you and your specific order always gets me.

Again thanks @mac_tlc 

[mac_tlc]

Thanks @dbancroft for adding your experiences. With 6700 on board, there are quite a few and it’s good to hear from others.
 

We did not get off in Labadee and unfortunately didn’t win in the casino😂😂. Congrats on your win! 
 

We did have Ricardo (DL concierge) in the Suite Lounge last year. It was nice that he recognized us and we him. 
 

Is it the epitome of irony that the DL had a smoke smell now that it is next to the smoke free casino 🤔🤔🤔 ? 
 

 

mac_tlc

Edited August 14, 2023 by mac_tlc

[dbancroft]

25 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Thanks @dbancroft for adding your experiences. With 6700 on board, there are quite a few and it’s good to hear from others.
 

We did not get off in Labadee and unfortunately didn’t win in the casino😂😂. Congrats on your win! 
 

We did have Ricardo (DL concierge) in the Suite Lounge last year. It was nice that he recognized us and we him. 
 

Is it the epitome of irony that the DL had a smoke smell now that it is next to the smoke free casino 🤔🤔🤔 ? 
 

 

mac_tlc

It is also next to the smoking side of casino

[mets07]

We were on Oasis the week prior to you guys and also had approx 6700 guests on board. We ate in MDR and Windjammer. We had our son and 3 of his kids, ages 6, 4, 2 in our party. 

 

The crew in both the MDR and Windjammer were kind and attentive given our craziness. Ha. 

 

We had never been on a cruise before with very little children and it was quite different and exhausting, but fun. 

 

Thanks for your review @mac_tlc

[mets123]

33 minutes ago, dbancroft said:

It is also next to the smoking side of casino

But there's also the ice skating rink between the casino and the DL. We never had an issue there in May, and my wife is a chronic complainer about cigarette smoke.

[PATRLR]

5 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

We think the Solarium on all O class is a big miss.

Can you elaborate on this?  I haven't been on RCCL in over a decade, got very used to Vibe on NCL and I'm hoping the Solarium gives us some escape from the mobs.  We've already learned the Solarium Bistro will be closed for the duration of the August 20 sailing, so, now wondering why else we might be disappointed with Solarium.

 

Thanks for your reporting through the 9 days.

[mac_tlc]

36 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

Can you elaborate on this?  I haven't been on RCCL in over a decade, got very used to Vibe on NCL and I'm hoping the Solarium gives us some escape from the mobs.  We've already learned the Solarium Bistro will be closed for the duration of the August 20 sailing, so, now wondering why else we might be disappointed with Solarium.

 

Thanks for your reporting through the 9 days.

On Oasis, while there is a "pool" in the Solarium, it is very small and on sea days is always packed. Its more like a stand-up pool, no opportunity to "swim" at all.  The Solarium is also very HOT if you are on a Bahamas/Caribbean itinerary. If you get there early on a sea day you can find a lounger.

 

On Radiance and Freedom class vessels, the pool actually is one. 

 

I'm sure lots of folks like it, but it has no attraction for us. 

 

On Harmony, they just skipped the stand-up pool altogether. On Symphony they added one back that is smaller than Oasis. 

 

The Celebrity E class ships have a wonderful adult Solarium. Enclosed, with a larger pool. Photo below:

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by mac_tlc

[dbancroft]

1 hour ago, mets123 said:

But there's also the ice skating rink between the casino and the DL. We never had an issue there in May, and my wife is a chronic complainer about cigarette smoke.

The walkway from the casino to get to the diamond lounge and or blaze goes around the ice rink area on both sides so there does not seem to be a shared wall with the casino like the diamond lounge does. It might have just been that one night we went in at 11pm to sit for a while.

[Scottdalfonso]

On 8/13/2023 at 1:02 PM, Miloomar said:

Oh I'm on the 8th so I guess my question is moot ... do a live blog like this one so I can find out haha

I actually just saw it may be in Sept..but either way I do plan on live blogging (the best I can)