Oasis of the Seas Review Feb. 28-March 7, 2015

• Cruise Review: Oasis of the Seas Feb. 28-7, 2015

• A little background.

o I live in Austin, TX with my DW and our 2 wonderful goldens. We love to travel and mostly to tropical areas since we are really into diving. This is our 4th cruise, but first on Royal Caribbean. We have previously been on Carnival 2 and 1 with Princess and these have only been in the past 2 years. We like cruising because it gets us to many ports for diving cheap. So that being said this review is more of a trip summery with some insight, personal feelings and experiences we had on Oasis. So sit back…relax…and enjoy the show.

P.S. I am trying to figure out the issues with uploading my photos so if anyone knows why it will not upload my jpeg files please let me know what I am doing wrong.

• Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood FL.

We started out flying in a day early around 3:00 pm and stayed at the Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood, Curio Collection by Hilton. I had points with Hilton, otherwise we would have stayed closer and cheaper to the dock. The hotel was very nice, great room (actually got upgraded to an ocean view with balcony on the 30th floor. What a great view from there. The hotel overall is somewhat on the pricy side; and not just for the rooms. Drinks and food were a bit high in my opinion, but very lovely hotel, beach. Pool, room and location. We ended up taking a cab a couple miles up the beach to eat at “The Taco Spot.” I read the reviews on Yelp and Tripadvisor and it did not disappoint; try the fish taco and the tempura shrimp taco…excellente . After that we walked a bit on the boardwalk and hit a few watering holes before heading back to get a good night sleep before the big day.

• Embarking

We arrived at the terminal around 11:00 am. Embarkation went really smooth. We were on the ship within 30 minutes. As we entered the ship there is definitely a “WOW” factor. Regardless of if you like the Oasis Class set up and design or not, everyone should appreciate the time and energy that was put into creating such a magnificent ship.

• Day 1

Globe and Atlas bar was our first stop. Needed a “cheers we are cruising” drink and what is that??? Fireball? Why yes I will!!!

o Lunch-Park Café

Of course after reading so much about this signature roast beef sandwich it was a must for the first meal. Very tender and tasty. I would recommend some spicy mustard on it; delicious!!

After lunch we wondered around the boat to get a quick understanding of our surroundings. The boat is huge and takes a bit to get your bearings, but if you can remember what’s on deck 4, 5, 6, 8, and 15 you will do alright. There are also maps at every elevator and interactive maps to help.

o Dinner-Vintages

This was a last second thing as we of course started switching our dinner reservations all around and did not want to endure the craziness that is the Windjammer or MDR on night 1. It was a great option, very quiet, intimate and enjoyed being able to hear my DW as to what she thought so far. They serve several tapas and some very nice wines.

o Oasis of Dreams (Dive show)

After dinner we went to watch the dive show. Amazing divers. The storyline was a bit wonky but it really didn’t bother me that much as I was there to appreciate the dives.

o On Air Club

After the dive show we walked around a bit, getting another tasty beverage from Globe and Atlas and eventually found ourselves listening to the awesome sounds of our fellow cruisers at the karaoke bar. My DW hates karaoke bars, mainly because she always has a fear that I will drag her on stage, or that I am not ashamed to make a complete idiot of myself, but not this time. We just sat back, enjoyed and laughed a bunch.

o Sorrento's

Of course after a long exciting day, one must indulge in some cruise pizza. Not the best but certainly not the worst pizza I have had. You can get some pre-made in the window or request a specialty one. Was a long a wonderful first day.

• Day 2

o Breakfast-Park Café (coffee)

Had a great breakfast sandwich at Park Café. Now, I am not one to complain; and I am certainly not a coffee aficionado. I have a cup of coffee about every other day when I want to wake up a bit. That being said, the free coffee around the ship is horrible. It tastes like they filter what should be a one-time filtering about 6 or 7 times. It seems very watered down and there is always a burnt flavor; just fyi if you are a big coffee drinker. Go to Café Promenade or Starbucks if you need good coffee.

After breakfast I allowed my DW to dominate me in putt-putt golf (I had to unpack and do all the laundry when we got home) and then we walked around a bit.

o Lunch-MDR then Park Café

So I heard that the MDR has a great lunch menu and salad bar so I thought that would be a great place for lunch. Well…after being sat right next to this speaker playing loud Caribbean music (not bashing Caribbean music or that they were playing it in the MDR because it makes things fun…the music was at night club level and no kidding…there was a DJ mixing). Well, after yelling at my DW to see what she was going to order and sitting there for 10 minutes without even being greeted, we decided to move on and just grab something quick at Park Café.

o Sexiest Man Comp

After lunch we hit the Aqua Theater for the “Sexiest Man Competition.” To not embarrass the competition I decided to just be a spectator. It was fun and entertaining. One thing that my DW and I spoke about, and I am sure others have their own opinion, on other ships you have all your competitions and games around the main pool. We like this because you don’t need to relocate every time you want to watch or participate in something. Others might like it separate as to not disturb them at the pool, but to each his own. It would not keep me from going on the Oasis again.

o Dinner-Giovanni’s Table (Formal night)

After the Aqua Theater we went to the room to relax and get ready for dinner, Giovanni’s. We started with the scallops (pretty good) and the eggplant (this one everyone said was amazing but I found it to be a bit Olive Garden like). It was a serving dish with some eggplant at the bottom, some marinara sauce covering it and some mozzarella cheese melted on top.

Next we did the crab ravioli (fantastic) and the gnocchi (WOW). For our main course we went for the jumbo shrimp (not very jumbo, butterflied in the shell and hard to remove and somewhat pedestrian) and the filet (Very…very good). We were so full we could not fit desert in our pockets if we tried, so off to bed for a big day of zip-lining tomorrow.

• Day 3

o Breakfast-Room service

Well, I cannot tell you how room service breakfast is…we put out our order card the night before but they did not deliver our breakfast. So we had to hightail it to Park Café and grab a quick beagle. They are really good.

o Labadee

For those of you who do not know, Labadee is a small outcrop that Royal Caribbean purchased from Haiti. It is a really beautiful area; there are beaches on 2 sides, one on the Atlantic (windy, waves and rocky) and one in a cove (calm, less wind and sandier). There are several shops, bars, lunch areas, lockers ($8 per day), a local shopping area (some of them are very pushy, just fyi) and spot to meet for your excursions. They even run a tram if you do not feel like walking everywhere. Since it is owned by Royal Caribbean it is also very safe even though it is part of Haiti. Fun fact, there are only 12 Royal Caribbean employees that live there 6 months a year.

o Zip-lining

So we did the “Dragon Zip-Lining.” I was hesitant at first since it’s just one big zip-line (the longest one over water in the world) and a bit pricy, but my DW really wanted to do it so I partook in the event. It was actually quite fun. They show you a quick video for safety, then take you to a smaller zip-line to practice, then up to the big daddy. I recommend doing it first thing in the morning; cooler weather and not as crowded.

o Lunch-BBQ

Royal Caribbean serves everyone BBQ on land. It consisted of salads, burgers, hot dogs, jerk chicken, BBQ ribs, fruit, deserts and water/tea. One of the nice things is if you get a drink package, you are able to use it while in Labadee.

o Dinner-Chef’s Table

Yes…Chef’s Table is back. It is currently in the Suite Lounge on 17 next to Coastal Kitchen. This was a wonderful treat. Since the menu changes continuously I will not go over the menu unless you ask me for it; but it was amazing. Prior to sitting, they serve you some Champaign. They also pair each course with wine (be prepared to get a little tipsy). Overall the meal was great. The only drawback was it’s right next to Coastal Kitchen so some of the noise from that area can make it difficult to hear the chef when he was explaining to dishes, but that is so minor. Also, be prepared to be there for a solid 2-3 hours. This didn’t bother me but my DW and I were exhausted after a long day in Labadee and then a 3 hour dinner.

• Day 4

o Falmouth

First time in Jamaica and it was interesting. Not really sure why they put a cruise port in Falmouth, not what I would consider a nice port town. It is very rundown and not really safe outside the port walls. We decided that we would just stay within the port walls and shop there after our excursion. The port however is nice and new and very safe. They are very strict about security coming in and out of the port. They even IDed our bus driver when coming in and out as well as all passengers.

o Dreamers Catamaran and snorkel (Montego Bay)

So we took about a 40 minute bus ride to Montego Bay where our catamaran was beached. On the way there we drove through Falmouth (again, very rundown), stopped briefly to see where Usain Bolt went to high school, and saw some of the Jamaican countryside and beach front.

The catamaran trip was great, though the seas were a bit angry that day. Although there was a large amount of people on the tour it never seemed too crowded. The employees were all great, very nice and knowledgeable. After sailing around for 45 minutes we went over near the Secrets Resort to calmer waters to do some snorkeling. It wasn’t the greatest snorkeling I’ve ever done but there was a good amount of fish. I recommend bringing some toast or beagles from Park Café to feed the fish if you want to see a ton of them.

After snorkeling for 30 minutes or so they took us into the bay to pull up some ocean wildlife (sea urchins, jellyfish and sea cucumbers) and give a little information about Jamaica and Montego Bay.

After that we headed back to the beach while some of the deck hands offered free foot massages to the ladies (a bit weird but some of the women on the trip seemed to enjoy it).

o Shopping

After we made it back from our catamaran bus ride, we wanted to do a bit of shopping in the port area. There are some nice shops and no one was really pushy which made it nice. We also stopped to get a chair massage from some ladies in a tent in the center of the shopping area. It was $1 per minute; not the best but it was nice. I recommend doing this toward the end as they put massage oils all over you and you will need a shower afterwards.

o Dinner-MDR

After a shower and some relaxing it was time for dinner. We did MTD in the MDR. Did not have to wait too long to be sat. Cannot remember what we had but it was a very good. Service was also very good.

Well, my DW and I finally came to the realization that we are not the party animals we once were, so after dinner it was back up to the room and rent an $11.99 movie. Yes, even movie rentals are more expensive at sea. BTW, there are very limited TV stations, most of them are sales pitches from your cruise director.

• Day 5

o So when I woke up it felt like the ship was not moving so I went to the window and come to find out we were in fact stopped and there was land in front of us. We apparently needed to make an emergency stop in Grand Caymans for a passenger. Not sure what happened but I hope everything was okay.

o Breakfast-Johnny Rockets

So, while there is a cover charge for lunch and dinner at Johnny Rockets, breakfast is free. The omelets are made to order. We actually preferred the egg sandwiches on English muffins. Again the coffee was terrible, watered down a burnt tasting. So it’s not just the coffee at Park Café that this issue arose.

o Lunch-Sabor

So after walking around a bit we decided to hit up Sabor for lunch. This is an a-la-cart option for some needed Mexican food. We decided to share the dinner sample menu which includes tableside made guacamole, 1 appetizer, 1 taco or quesadilla, 1 main course, 1 side dish and desert. They also bring out chips and pico to start.

The guac is great; you can request to make it as spicy as you want. We then chose the chicken-stuffed jalapenos (Amazing), pulled pork tacos (Very good), the chicken empanadas (Excellent) and rice (Very good for Spanish rice). We were so full we did not even get desert.

To drink we tried one of the specialty mezcal margaritas. Now, if you are not familiar with mezcal, it is a liquor made in Mexico. Some say it is like tequila in that it is made from the maguey plant (a form of agave plant), but it has a very distinct smoky taste to it; so be warned. Maybe ask to try a sip before ordering a $12 smoky drink.

o Belly Flop contest

So right after lunch we went over to the Aqua Theater to catch the belly flop contest. It was very entertaining and the cruise director did a great job of keeping it funny and entertaining.

o Dinner-MDR (Formal night)

So after relaxing in the room for a bit we got ready for dinner at MDR, it was formal night. We did MTD with no reservation and were sat within 10 minutes. The couple right in front of us looking to get a table were turned away because the man was in a Harley shirt and shorts and the lady in a pool tank top, shorts and flip-flops. Now I am not one to get all up in arms about how people dress during their cruise; I mean hey…it’s their vacation too. But I am glad to see that Royal Caribbean does restrict and upholds a certain level of dress code on formal nights. There is always the Windjammer.

For dinner we did escargot (Very tasty), a couple of soups (I had the duck consommé which was good and my DW had the poblano soup which was good as well). For the main course we both had the fisherman’s platter. This might have been the best lobster we had on this or any other ship; cooked perfectly.

We were scheduled to go to the comedy club that night, but again we were worn out, so we headed back to the room to get a good night sleep before the big Cozumel day.

• Day 6

o Cozumel

I would have to say that Cozumel is our favorite port. While we have not hit all the islands in the Caribbean, mostly the southern ones, Cozumel is always felt like a home away from home. The people are super friendly, there is a little bit of the pushy salesmanship but not overwhelming like some areas, and it has some of the best diving.

o Diving

A few years back when I got married, I got my best man diving lessons so we could go diving while in Riviera Maya. Well, although a bit scared, my DW wanted to give it a try too. I have never known someone so scared of sharks, that wants to dive as well. But she did it and now I can’t keep her out of the water. Granted, every time we dive the questions comes “are there any sharks?” Well it is the ocean and there are no underwater signs saying “No sharks aloud.” But Cozumel is known for being pretty shark free except the occasional nurse shark chilling under a rock formation.

For diving we have always used Tortuga Carey Diving & Snorkeling. The owner Wilberth is always great, very flexible, never has more than 6 to 8 per boat (most of the time it’s actually just my DW and I), is very safety conscious and has great equipment if you need it. The price is also the best in the Caribbean that I have seen. They will also take divers and snorkelers out on the same boat if you have people in your party that just want to snorkel. This is a link to his Tripadvisor page. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d6620744-Reviews-Tortuga_Carey_Diving_Snorkeling-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

We were able to dive Palancar Reef this time which I highly recommend; simply beautiful. We also did a great drift dive to end the trip. Total trip time was 9:30-1:00 for a 2 tank dive.

o Shopping

After the dive we took a cab back to the boat to change and freshen up before heading out to grab some Mexican food and shop. We ate at Toro’s Place which is on the 2nd floor above some shops. It’s a fun little restaurant/bar. Food was good, but the margaritas were great. Just 1 and we were in our happy places and bought way too much at the tourist shop (I think that’s how they get you. They are all in it together, including my DW).

o Dinner-Izumi

After shopping we went to the pool deck for a few sunset pictures and then to the room to change for dinner. We did Izumi, sushi side instead of the previously planned hibachi side. The sushi was great; we had the Baked snow crab and eel dynamite, the Crispy Philly and the Assorted sashimi combo. The only thing that we really didn’t like was the snapper on the sashimi; it was a strange texture thing. Other than that it was a beautiful and enjoyable meal.

Once again we were slated to see the “Come Fly with Me” show but were worn out and headed back to the room for bed.

• Day 7

o Lunch-Sabor

So we slept in a bit today and by this time we were so over fed that we skipped breakfast and decided to go to lunch again at Sabor. This time my DW let me choose the dinner men u options. Now normally when we go out to eat I tend to out order my DW and end up having to give her half of my food and eat whatever concoction/special order she put together; but this time I was way off. We started again with the tableside guac (Excellent again), followed by the fried calamari (Good but a little chewy); next we did the shredded chicken tacos (A bit dry) and finished with the Mole short rib (The short rib was very tender but I come to find out after that my DW has never liked mole sauce; this might have been some good info prior to ordering). All in all we should have just stuck with our first order list and would have had a great meal.

We did get the avocado margarita for this meal and it was wonderful.

o Ice Show

So we had an early evening showing for the ice show. It is amazing to see that they can put an ice rink, even as small as it is, on a cruise ship. The venue is set up really nicely, they even have a bar and servers if you need a tasty beverage for the show. The show was done very well; the costumes and themes were very fun and colorful. They also brought out some sand drawing people that were incredible.

o Dinner-150 Central Park

After the show we had our reservation at 150 CP. This is a very nice restaurant created by Chef, Michael Schwartz. Again this menu changes so often there is no need to go through it all. But I will say that it was extremely good. My DW thought it was better than the chef’s table. Also note, 150 CP will offer 2 menus during a 7 night trip so go and look at both to figure out which one you would enjoy more.

And once again we filled ourselves so much there was no way we were going to finish strong so we headed back to our cabin for last minute packing and sleep.

• Day 8

o Debarking

Since we had an 11 am flight out we decided to do self-debarkation. Considering we had 5 suitcases this was a bit challenging (I won a bet with my DW on the trip so I will be packing for the rest of our trips and this will not happen again). Not only is pulling/carrying 5 suitcases difficult, but then the designers of the terminal decided to let people off on level 2 so you need to either take an escalator down (they will only let you do this if you have a free hand…which I did not) or take one of two elevators. This can cause a serious bottleneck in the terminal. After this the line went relatively quick even though they only had 4 customs agents; there is room for 10.

Out the door we went to the taxi area and off to the airport; cab ride was $15 with tip.

Side notes

• Room 10104

This ocean view room is on the 10th floor at the very front of the ship overlooking the helipad; so the window was oversized but angled about 45 degrees. This did allow for a larger room but kinda useless space; we used it for laying out shoes and storing some suitcases.

• Drink package

Now everyone on CC and beyond has an opinion about drink passes. Prior to boarding we did purchase the premium package which includes:

• Premium cocktails

(up to $12 value)

• Frozen Cocktails

• Beer

• Premium wines by the glass

(up to $12 value)

• Non-alcoholic cocktails

• Bottled water still (500ml)

• Fountain soda with Coca Cola ®

souvenir cup

• Enjoy 20% off bottles of wine

We quite enjoy the beverage packages. This allows us to go anywhere on the boat (and Labadee) and order a drink without having to think about how much it costs, will I like it, and if I don’t finish it, will my DH be mad about wasting it? All of the drinks we ordered fell under the $12 mark with the exception of 1 or 2 glasses of special wine. Did we cover our costs for the package? Not sure, I really didn’t keep track…but that’s one of the reasons we purchase it. I would rather not have to think about how much we are spending on drinks.

I also read several people complain that their service went down when the bar tenders saw they had the drink packages. We did not see this at all. The service was great. We do 95% of the time throw another $1 or $2 on the ticket. I know there is already an 18% gratuity added to the package; but we feel making sure we get great service during our vacations is much more important than a few more dollars going to the servers.

• Guest Services

WOW…a lot of people needing something from only a few employees. 2 thoughts:

o 1. Avoid having to deal with guest services, in person or on the phone, at all costs. It is not that they are unhelpful, it’s just there are too many cruisers needing something.

o 2. If you have to visit or call guest services….do it at weird hours so hopefully you can get to them quick. I don’t want to spend an hour waiting to speak to someone on my vacation.

• Room service

More or less good. It would on average take about an hour. We did as you may recall order breakfast the night before to be delivered between 7:00 and 7:30 and it never came. Another issue was one evening my wife really wanted some cheesecake; so when she called they were a bit annoyed that they would only be delivering one desert and told her it would be faster for her to go to the Windjammer and get her own desert. I thought that was a little rude but I never let little things like that ruin my cruise.

• Room steward

Unfortunately I cannot remember his name but he was great. Room was always clean, turndown was done at a good time every evening, he would refill the ice bucket 2 times a day and so on.

• Bar tenders

As mentioned, all the bar tenders that we ran into were very helpful and cheery. There was again one time a bar tender said I could not get a mojito at his bar (which I knew was a lie since I ordered one the day before from another bar tender), but I just ordered something else and went on my way. Overall great service.

• Servers

All servers, from MDR, to specialty restaurants were impeccable. Never had any issues with special orders, getting bar drinks or requesting something else.

• All others

Every other employee we spoke with always had a smile and were very helpful. This always makes for a good cruise. You never want the employees looking unhappy or unhelpful.

• Other cruisers

Never had an overall issue with any of the other cruisers; they were all actually quite pleasant. I have heard stories of Americans having issues with other from around the world or via versa, especially on the Oasis Class ships since they seem to attract world attention, but everyone was more or less happy and if you just smile…they tend to smile back. Kill them with kindness is what they say. If you want to spend your vacation playing elevator attack or me first or roll your eyes when someone is taking a bit longer than you would like…then be my guest; just stay away from me. 

• The Boat

Well to say I already miss her would be an understatement. She is BIG…there are a LOT of people on her so expect to walk a bit and expect to find a crowd here and there. Just learn to take a little time and smell the roses. When you do you will see all the beauty and thought that went into this ship and realize YOU ARE ON VACATION.

I am still a young traveler in the world of cruising with only 4 under my belt now (2 Carnival, 1 Princess and now 1 Royal Caribbean) but I have done some extensive traveling around the world and to all-inclusives in and around Mexico and there is one thing that always rings true…the travelers that smile have the best time. Don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy your vacation; there will probably never be a perfect trip.

If you have any questions for me please let me know. Thanks to all that read and cruise on!!!

Thanks for your review...look forward to boarding her in just over a year for 2 weeks :D

ps...to upload photos, you usually need to upload them to a photo sharing site first...like Snapfish or Photobucket ;) then can "copy & paste" them into your post.

Great review. She seems to be a wonderful ship, but I don't know if I ever want to cruise on such a BIG ship. :)

Cindy

Love your review and your take on being on vacation! It's ours as well! :) I'm scheduled for the Allure next and have only sailed RCCL and 1 Celebrity cruise but have booked my first cruise on Carnivals new Vista coming out and wondered how your cruises were on Carnival. I've read so many things about them but the ship looks amazing and the ports sound absolutely awesome and getting to the Southern route via Miami sealed the deal. Beings your phylosophy on vacation is pretty much our way of thinking I thought maybe you'd give me a better idea of what to expect and tell me how you like them in comparison to your Royal cruise.

Thanks so much! :)

Robin

Great review fellow Texan! We have the same philosophy. Thanks for all the good info.

Thank you for the review. My husband and I with another couple will be on this ship with the same itinerary the same week next year and its just wonderful to read your review.

Not a word about the Flowrider? I guess you missed out.

Thanks for the great review! I am happy to see a positive review about the ship we're going on in 3 months.:D

Thank you , Awesome, I love a review that is completed all at once and not with heaps of comments between each report.

Great review! Thanks!

92 days.. Can`t wait:)

Thanks for the review !DH and I are sailing May 2nd and we have 5 speciality restaurants booked so I loved hearing your reviews of those. Thanks again

Love your review and your take on being on vacation! It's ours as well! :) I'm scheduled for the Allure next and have only sailed RCCL and 1 Celebrity cruise but have booked my first cruise on Carnivals new Vista coming out and wondered how your cruises were on Carnival. I've read so many things about them but the ship looks amazing and the ports sound absolutely awesome and getting to the Southern route via Miami sealed the deal. Beings your phylosophy on vacation is pretty much our way of thinking I thought maybe you'd give me a better idea of what to expect and tell me how you like them in comparison to your Royal cruise.

 

Thanks so much! :)

Robin

Hey Robin,

My DW and I really enjoy Carnival. There are a few differences, but I think those differences are due to the ships we have been on; meaning no matter which cruise line you ask about, the Oasis Class ships are going to be different. But overall there really isn't much difference when it comes to employee care, other cruisers or dining. There are more options for added fee dining with RC. Most Carnival ships only have 1 maybe 2 fee options for dining. Food in MDR is about the same in quality. We did not eat at Windjammer on Oasis but I have heard the selection is better than Carnival; I heard it is set up better too.

The rooms are a bit smaller on RC but not by much. The showers on RC are better as they have glass doors instead of the clinging shower curtain. RC also put in a metal bar for ladies to shave their legs which my DW really appreciated.

Activities during the day on Carnival tend to focus around the pool deck, while RC has them spread out.

Shows on RC are definately better. They put a lot of time and money into them.

Let me know if I missed something you want me to compare.

Not a word about the Flowrider? I guess you missed out.

Yeah. I have done them before and as I get older do not want to subject myself to a ruined vacation by doing some stupid trick to impress the ladies and injuring myself. :D

Thanks so much for this review! We are sailing on the Oasis at the end of May and are really excited, but sometimes the negative reviews on here worry me a little. :D

Thanks so much for this review! We are sailing on the Oasis at the end of May and are really excited, but sometimes the negative reviews on here worry me a little. :D

Yeah. Can't please everyone. The ones that complain are usually complaining about everything in life. I mean I read some that complained that they had to walk too far for things.?????? You are on the largest ship in the world.

This is my photo test run.

This is the hotel we stayed in at Hollywood, FL.