Oasis bars and drink package review Feb 5-12/17

I already did a day byday review of my Oasis of the Seas trip for the week of Feb 5-12. I thought I would do a separate review of thedrink package and an overview of the bars in case anyone was interested.

We purchased the drink packageon-line before we left through the cruise planner. It said that it was 20%off. We were travelling without the kidsso I knew the drink package would be worth it, I didn’t want to worry about mybill at the end of the week, especially since we are Canadian and each drinkcomes in at $20 for us! Paying up front and not having to think about it again wasgood.

For the package, eachdrink up to $13 was included. This also included bottled still and sparklingwater, specialty coffees and coffee drinks, fresh squeezed orange juice, vitaminwater, red bull, and pop (not in cans). Theremight be more but that is what we drank.

Here is a bar overview,this was just what I experienced on my week. We felt that the overall nightlifewas kind of lacking, there really wasn’t much happening after 11-11:30, thingswere open and available there just weren’t many people doing anything! The entertainmentand shows were fantastic though and those ran until 11ish most nights so thatis what we ended up looking forward to in the evenings!

I will speak to thebars that we went to. Let’s start fromthe bottom of the ship and work our way up!

Jazz on 4: We went in here a few times over theweek. Jazz is not really my thing but Ican appreciate that the singers were very good, it was a nice, laid back placeto grab a drink and relax. There aremenu’s at the tables and someone comes to take your order. I don’t think there was a blender in here,just regular drinks. One evening theyhad some of the singers from the show CATS performing in here.

Blaze: This was supposed to be the nightclub. I wrongly assumed that this is where I wouldspend my

nights, dancing away. It was abust for me. I never saw many people in there, the music was not for youngpeople (and I am 40 and categorizing myself as young). We still stopped in a couple times hoping forsomething to happen, but it did not...

On Air: They showed sports here on the screens, thisis also where the karaoke was. This was probably the busiest of the bars (especiallywhen there was karaoke). They also sometimesplayed game shows in there. One night wewatched a who wants to be a millionaire show, it was entertaining.

Boleros: This was a latin themed bar. They often had live music in the evenings. One day they had a dance class in there. I got a coconut mojito there that was prettygood!

Globe and Atlas: We went here almost every night. This was a pub. I disliked the menu as it was mostly beer andbeer inspired drinks. You don’t have toget what is on the menu though, they always made me a chocolate martini! There was live music here. This week there was a woman with a guitarthat sang (she had a book, you could choose a song in there and she would singit), when she wasn’t there a guy with a guitar was there singing.

Sorrentos: OK this isn’t really a bar but there is a barin there! We would get pizza every single night before bed. We would sit at the bar and grab a quickdrink here while we ate our pizza, the bartender always convinced us to getdoubles, on the last day we saw him on the pool deck he was like hey doubles!It always amazes me how the staff remember you and what you drink or how youdrink it.

Café Promenade: Again,not really a bar, but we did come here every morning to get a latte, or laterin the week mocha frapacchino’s (so good). They also had the fresh squeezed juice here. We would grab some waterbottles here in the morning too and bring them to the fridge in the room.

Champagne Bar: This is where we spent the most time. It did get busy around 7:00 (I am assuming

withthe after early dinner crowd going for a drink). Weusually went after dinner (we had late seating), and there wouldn’t be manypeople, usually it would be the same 3 or 4 couples (that we got to know). They have a great menu of martini’s andspecialty cocktails. The bartenders gotto know you and what you liked quickly and were very talented making excellent tastingand looking drinks!

Rising Tide Bar: I didn’t actually go to this one, it lookedlike a regular bar that went up and then back down. We didn’t want to get stuck on there for anyperiod of time so we skipped it. Thereare little signs in front of the bar so you know when it is coming back orleaving but it wasn’t always correct.

Schooner bar: This was supposed to be a piano bar? I was expecting like a regular piano bar witheveryone singing and shouting but it was very subdued. We walked in and outboth times we went up there. I am sure the entertainer was very talented but itwas not what I was expecting. We did stophere for a drink on the last day and it was an excellent place to see theparade so keep that in mind!

Central Park Bar: I don’t know what it is called but it is incentral park. There are high tables thatyou can sit at. We would often come hereat night for a stroll and stop in for a drink. Or grab a drink and then sit and listen to the music. I loved central park at night.

Sabor Bar. This is on the boardwalk across from therestaurant near the aquatheatre. I spentthe least amount of time on the boardwalk so I only went here once. They did make me a nice margarita!

Vintages: Was beautiful, can’t say that I had a drinkhere though, the wines are very expensive L But if you aren’t a cheapie like me then check itout!

Dazzles: This was a 2 story night club with live music. They sometimes had games in here too. I was only in here when I participated in a singthe next lyric game. They did have a live band in here most nights so I thinkif you are a little bit older than me then you would enjoy this one, thereseemed to be people dancing a few of the nights.

Pool bars: I am going to lump these all together. I never had bad service at any of the poolbars, and I found that there were tons of people coming around asking you ifyou needed a drink while sitting out on the deck. This is where I would have my blenderdrinks. I tried to only have one aday. My favorite was the BBC, followedclosely by the mudslide. Also on mostdays they had little drink station set up near the pool where you could getdrinks or a pina colada served in a pineapple which was kind of neat.

Solarium Bar: This ison the second floor of the solarium, took me a minute to find it. This bar made good Caesars, all of the barshad clamato, but this bar seemed to make them the best. The only have olives for a garnish but thatis ok! Apparently, this is a Canadiandrink, every time I ordered one the bartender would say, you must be Canadian!

I think that is all ofthe bars! We felt that the drink package was well worth it, especially when youfactor in the non-alcoholic drinks. Theship and all of the venues were great, we had a fantastic time on the Oasis!

Also on mostdays they had little drink station set up near the pool where you could getdrinks or a pina colada served in a pineapple which was kind of neat.

Was that included if you have the deluxe drink package?

Solarium Bar: This ison the second floor of the solarium, took me a minute to find it. This bar made good Caesars, all of the barshad clamato, but this bar seemed to make them the best. The only have olives for a garnish but thatis ok! Apparently, this is a Canadiandrink, every time I ordered one the bartender would say, you must be Canadian!

Super canadian and also the best :)

Was that included if you have the deluxe drink package?

 

 

 

 

Super canadian and also the best :)

I didn't have one so I'm not sure :(

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Thank you for the bar trip. What was your favorite to go back to and use your package, the bar or bartender?:)

Thank you for the bar trip. What was your favorite to go back to and use your package, the bar or bartender?:)

We liked the champagne bar best. The bartenders were personable (and a little quirky) they made fantastic martinis that tasted great and looked beautiful. We would sit at the bar and watch then make drinks, it was fun to watch. We drank quite a few of the martinis, all of them were great.

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We were on the Oasis last week, immediately following your cruise. We all had the Deluxe Drink Packages, so we tried to visit every bar on the ship. Your review matches most of our experiences.

We enjoyed Schooner Bar, as it was easy to look down upon the Promenade to spy our friends and wave them up to join us. Leo, in Globe and Atlas, was wonderful! He provided stellar service on our multiple visits, including pouring me a double Maker's Mark when I needed to take it into a stressful meeting (yes, I had to conduct a little business while onboard). Benjamin, in Vintages, was terrific! The Caymus tasting there was awesome! Ask Sampson, in the Solarium Bistro, for a Disrespectful White Russian---decadent!

We enjoyed tequila in the Sabor bar, martinis in the Champagne bar, a drink in the On Air Club and the hospitality of Dazzles in our Cruise Critic Meet n' Mingle.

There's lots of variety on board ship!

We liked the champagne bar best. The bartenders were personable (and a little quirky) they made fantastic martinis that tasted great and looked beautiful. We would sit at the bar and watch then make drinks, it was fun to watch. We drank quite a few of the martinis, all of them were great.

You hit the nail in the head! That is what makes us go back to a bar.

Thank you for this post, we are going on the Oasis March 5th, and we bought the drink package, it was a no brainer. Can't wait to try all the bars, but I think I will miss having the Viking lounge that was on the Liberty, that was my favorite bar.

Is there no R Bar on Oasis? There's been an R Bar on all of our previous ships and the wife and I love that place.

Is there no R Bar on Oasis? There's been an R Bar on all of our previous ships and the wife and I love that place.

Nope, Champagne Bar is as close as Oasis gets to an R Bar.

Did you ask for another Canadian drink .... rye and coke?

I am whiskey drinker, so I am interested if they had different whiskeys.

What's an R bar?

What's an R bar?

The Freedom class ships have an R bar on deck five Promenade that is an upscale décor. They serve most varieties of mixed drinks.

What's an R bar?

From Royal's website:

Experience a 1960s vibe at the all-new R Bar, featuring iconic furnishings and classic cocktails - gimlet, martini, gin, whiskeys and more - all served by the ship's resident mixologist.

Did you ask for another Canadian drink .... rye and coke?

I am whiskey drinker, so I am interested if they had different whiskeys.

I'm sorry I'm not a whisky drinker so I'm not sure!! If they do have a selection though it would probably be at the champagne bar.

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Blaze: This was supposed to be the nightclub. I wrongly assumed that this is where I wouldspend my

nights, dancing away. It was abust for me. I never saw many people in there, the music was not for youngpeople (and I am 40 and categorizing myself as young). We still stopped in a couple times hoping forsomething to happen, but it did not...

I think your problem with Blaze is that you're not a night person. Blaze really gets hopping around midnight. I've been on Oasis twice, in February and August of last year, and I closed down a jam-packed Blaze every single night (except for the nights they had the DJ dance party up by the Solarium Bar... I think they let the teen club use Blaze on those nights).

Usually one or two nights they play 60s-70s music from 10:00-11:00 (or maybe it's 11:30pm) in Blaze, and then it turns into a nightclub with modern-day music for the rest of the night. Maybe that's the night you went in and experienced "old person music"?

Anyway, I'm 47yo and end up dancing the night away and closing the club down every night with tons of people ranging from college age to my age (mostly 20s and 30s, but a few middle-agers, too). Then afterward we'd all go to Sorrentos / Cafe Promenade to snack and chat some more.

It's been this way on every Royal ship I've been on (Navigator x 2, Freedom, Oasis x 2) -- the nightclub (which is in a different place on each ship) starts around midnight and closes around 3am, then the after-party moves to Cafe Promenade / Sorrentos for another hour or two.

The nightlife was there -- you just went to bed too early and missed it.

Thank you for this post, we are going on the Oasis March 5th, and we bought the drink package, it was a no brainer. Can't wait to try all the bars, but I think I will miss having the Viking lounge that was on the Liberty, that was my favorite bar.

Hey richstu! Join our informal roll call for March 5 to meet a bunch of us on your cruise week and don't forget to register for the free Meet and Mingle on board! We are gathering on Deck 16 between the 2 bars above the pools for sail-Away! Wear some beads for recognition or say hi to me and I will lay you (with beads)! Look for an older plump blonde with a white visor that says Independence of the Seas!

Nope, Champagne Bar is as close as Oasis gets to an R Bar.

Bummer. We'll have to check out the Champagne Bar I guess.

Maybe it's just confirmation bias but in my experiences the R Bar staff has been a little more consistent on their drink preparation and they seem to be much more willing to keep conversation. We usually end up with another couple or two at the bar and the staff takes tremendous care of everyone while keeping everyone smiling.