jpolm

Man I want to cruise this summer. Had a cruise booked when we were onboard the last time but havent been able to go. Every time I try to move it I have to move it over a year to get anything decent.

Found a couple of rooms for July but a bit over budget and rooms are next to each other. Traveling with two teens and one child. We definitely wanted two rooms as we did the one room before and it just was too tight.

Any ideas. We want oasis class and prefer early July. Worried the later we go the possibility of bad weather. Any possibility of that in summer. We went June last time and did hit some rain.

If we go a year from now we are looking at around 4800. If we go summer it's a lot more. Can't even find a connection room. Is it always this way?

Chops quality of beef seems to be going down the drain unless you pay for the Prime steaks above the 35.00 pp cover charge.

 

Carnival steakhouses serve aged Prime cuts INCLUDED in the 35.00pp. My guess is that is why the OP found that Carnival had the better steakhouse. There are LOTS of complaints about Chops these days and most people that sail both Royal and Carnival agree that Carnival is hands down the better steakhouse.

Thanks yes I went in 2013 and someone else recently pointed that out about the changes. I'm bummed to hear this as we are planning a return in 2016, loved it and the red velvet cake that is gone. By then maybe there will be another change.

I'd like to try breeze on a southern itinerary after our next issue trip. I'm sure it will be a good comparison but do fear I might be just a little disappointed this review has helped assure me they are quite comparable with food, rooms, entertainment, and passengers.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-oasis-of-the-seas-child-emergency-folo-20150104-story.html

Very sad but if its that pool or the kid wandered, who knows what really happened.

How long has it been since you ate at Chops. The reason I ask is we always loved Chops especially the red velvet cake - sometimes we would go just for appetizers and the red velvet cake. But they recently changed the menu and no longer get the red velvet cake from the supplier in Miami but make their own box cake now. In my opinion the food and deserts are not very good and we no longer eat there even with the buy one get one free.

Karter it's been 2 years so that could be why

That pool to me is very crazy wild with little kids running around in circles pushing, the waves etc. I hated that my then 5 year old loved it I had my eyes peeled and my husband was either standing in it (yes) or right there on the outside standing. It only takes a second and yes I'm a worry wart

Funny - I wondered if I was wrong about Blaze, but I remember my kid going there once and there being some kind of "misunderstanding" where they were moved back upstairs. Thanks for clarifying. She said it was the teen club - but I guess that's because she only knew that to be true based on her experience!

 

As for the steakhouse, I've been to my fair share of restaurants - we travel quite a bit. I found it to be flavorless and not worth $35, but of course, different days, different ships, different experiences. Glad it was better for you when you visited - I simply found Fahrenheit 555 to be superior in my own experience! Maybe I should book another trip and try it again just to be sure! :)

Lol I think that's a good idea rebook so u can retry.

Well pulled the trigger, actually we booked when we went in our first oasis cruise (not first for royal tho) I had wanted to try oasis for sometime and we finally did in 2013. We rebooked on the ship to get the obc, but we've had to reschedule twice as we have other vacations we wanted to do. I rebooked for spring break 2016 got an even better price then I had already 2 connecting rooms, 3 kids, western itinerary, savings of 1k, I'm just praying the school break coincides with what I guessed will be our break (ester week) I won't know until July/August. Then I can get excited! We lived the oasis but we went in June and hit some bad weather on 2 of the islands we made the best of it. Love love the ship.

I also like variety and some spice (okay a lot of spice!), but variety is the spice of life, right? I had every intention of trying Izumi, Sabor and Giovanni’s. The only problem is that booking online means you pay online. With this being a sold-out holiday cruise, you feel like you have to book in advance, BUT I felt as though it would be a guest services nightmare if our plans changed. I decided to wing it and not book anything in advance (except MTD).

 

On the first day, we were walking through this Central Park and a rep for Chops Grille stopped us and who offered us buy one, get one free dinner if we reserved for that night. It was a no-brainer, since we had already decided we wanted to eat there, and we booked for 6:30.

 

On our Breeze trip, we ate at Fahrenheit 555. Dinner was the same price - $35 per person.

 

At Chops, I had the “Petite” filet with Gruyere Cheese Tater Tots

 

 

On the Breeze, I had the surf and turf, which wasn’t an option at Chops. I love seafood, but don’t find most of it to be very filling, so I like a small steak with my seafood. The Petite Filet was 6 oz., which is more than enough beef for me, and the tater tots were cheesy, but rather flavorless to me. Speaking of flavorless, the sauce around the plate was the saving grace for the steak – that’s the only flavor the poor beef had! I was full and decided to get the cookies and ice cream for dessert. The cookies were dry and hard but the ice cream was delish. I had a few bites and threw in the towel because I was stuffed.

 

The steak had more flavor at Fahrenheit 555, as did the sides. We also enjoyed the chef’s selections, special side dishes the chef sent out (one was a cold soup with little pieces of melon that was to die for) and the bread!

 

As far as steak houses, Breeze wins, hands down. I’m glad we only paid $35 for two of us to eat at Chops. Any more than that and I would have been disappointed.

Wow I can't imagine a restaurant better than chops on a cruise. Shocked that u found the other better. Chops was one of the best steakhouses I've been too we thought it was soo good,we went twice great steak ,sides, and red velvet cake and I'm a foodie that lives in Los Angeles that's been to many top restaurants to compare to.

And cats will be in oasis got the email with the dynamic dining

Could you tell me which nites are the formal ones. Thanks

For eastern they are day 2 and day 6

OP, question because I think I got a little confused. Which is the night the tortellini and lobster are served? Is that night 5 or 6? I had heard lobster was served the 2nd formal night which has been posted as night 6. Just double-checking because we had booked Chops for the 5th night since that seemed to be the least enjoyable menu. Thanks!

I heard too lobster was on day 6 -2nd formal on eastern itinerary. I too booked a specialty on day 4-and 5. We have early seating so figured we could enjoy a later seating these days in port.

The whole thing sounds a wee bit OCD over the top to me :D. Hopefully the OP is a bit flexible on schedule so that a slight deviation doesn't cause a tailspin and a ruined vacation :eek:.

 

Having said that I am also a planner but not quite to that extent. I make sure I know the ports and things to do on board.

 

I did have a friend who planned to this extent for a cruise with hour by hour schedules for her, her husband and the two teens. Husband reported that after the first port stop they were ready to toss her overboard :eek:. Apparently the three of them tore up her schedules and itenerares in a family intervention. :D

 

P.S. To the OP -- on the packing list you might delete the extension cord, there have been reports that they are being confiscated resulting in a naughty room trip.

That's funny but not lol. I too am a

Planner and enjoy it. I've got an itinerary reservations made, dinner, shows -and excursions. It almost seems I have to with this type if ship/shows. Now I only do this so we have opportunities but I don't hold a gun to anyone's head that they/we have to follow this . It just helps with those "not to miss" things. And not to overbook. I want I be sure we see the shows but also have flexibility to just relax have a drink at a lounge, stop and see singing at the piano bar etc. I don't feel i want to be in a tight schedule but it does help to see how my days are going to go and with kids too. M sure once infer in the ship I may not want to rush to Mdr one night and prefer to just hang at pool, casual dinner etc. we shall see. But this does help us planners.

[NOTE: I wanted to include pictures with this post, but I have not gotten them uploaded yet to a suitable hosting site. I will do that soon, and a future post will include the important pictures from this part of the trip journal. Thank you for your patience!]

 

 

Hello all! Well, we made it. I’m just back from my very first cruise. We were on the Allure sailing 5/27/12. I love to write and blog and journal, and there are so many different perspectives from which I could come at this review- first timer cruiser, single cruiser, cruising-with-kids cruiser, trying-to-budget cruiser. I will try to add in the important points from each of those perspectives when they come up. So anyway, I had been looking forward to writing this for quite a while before I ever even left home! I was even playing around with cutesy titles. Some of the contenders were: A First Time Cruiser’s Big Adventure! (Pee Wee Herman, Eat Your Heart Out!); Cruise Virgin No More- How I Lost It to The Allure of Seas!; and Me and My Kids: From Oklahoma to the Caribbean and Back on Two P ro zac A Day! In the end, I just decided to go with the obvious.

 

Just the Facts, Ma’am:

First timers, family of 4: Mom, twin 18 YO girls, 11 YO boy

Allure of the Seas- Eastern Caribbean sailing

Captain Johnny

CD- Anna Banks

Pre-cruise- fly in on 5/26, stayed at Pier 66

Cabin- Interior Quad, Deck 3 #838

Dining- Traditional, early seating

Ports of call: Nassau, Bahamas; Charlotte-Amalie, St. Thomas; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

Tours: Nassau- self-guided walking. Went to Pirates Museum and Ardastra Gardens

St. Thomas- Sunny Liston Fun Tours

St. Maarten- Bernard’s Tours, Driver- Sugar

___________________________________________________________________

 

 

And now… The REST of the story!

 

Saturday, May 26, 2012- We Leave For Cruise!

 

I woke up early and knew I had no chance at going back to sleep. Packing was pretty much complete, lacking only things we had to use before leaving that morning, like toothbrushes and deodorant. You’re welcome. Being a charter member of Internet Addicts Anonymous, I got online, checked CC here, checked Facebook, and took a screenshot of my one-day countdown on Royal’s website. My nerves felt so tightly wound at that point, if I’d been hooked up to some electrodes or something, I probably could have powered a small city!

 

*

 

Finally it was time to wake up the kids, which if you have them, you know is a gamble as to what kinds of moods you’ll be facing when they finally become fully conscious. Luckily, on this day, mine were pleasant. I should add here, that in addition to being just your normal kid types, one of mine has been diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and some as-yet-undefined mood instability issues. Another one is developmentally delayed and operates at a level approximately 4-5 years younger than true chronological age. The third one is basically pretty normal and well-behaved, thank you Jesus!

 

*

 

Well, we got around, and got dressed, and got all the last minute stuff collected and waited for my mom (hereafter referred to as G-ma) to come pick us up and take us to the airport in Dallas. She arrived, bringing a few things that we had left at her house and might possibly need, (her credit card for emergencies being the most important) and we started loading our bags (2 large bags to be checked, and two carry-ons, if you’re interested.) Experienced a small moment of panic when her car did its usual thing of not wanting to start unless the key and the steering wheel were perfectly and precisely aligned. Finally it started. Whew! We stopped at the Dollar Store and I ran in to grab a few last minute things while G-ma ran to put gas in the car. Our flight was at noon, and we left my tiny little hometown (Lone Grove, OK) at about 8:15.

 

*

 

The trip to DFW seemed to take no time at all. G-ma had brought along a little GPS thing which kept telling her to take certain actions, and she would take them, and the calm little voice would say “RE-calculating…” as if we had totally gone off the wrong direction. These things do NOT take construction into account. (Later, we texted her to say one last goodbye and she said she was still “arguing with the lady who keeps trying to tell me how to drive!”) I wasn’t sure whether she would be able to accompany us into the airport or she would just be dumping us out on the curb, and as it turned out, it was a curbside farewell. She popped the trunk, plopped our bags on the sidewalk, hugged us all… and from that moment on, for better or worse, it was just me and The Munchkin Herd.

 

*

 

We paraded inside, a mama duck and her little ducklings (with suitcases) and checked our bags. I had done the flight check-in online the day before and that whole process was super easy and quick. (American Airlines, flight 600, if you’re interested.) We went to the waiting area, where The Boy quickly made friends with an older gentleman sitting nearby, who kindly and cheerfully chatted with him, as well as with the girls, despite the fact that he had just opened his newspaper. I love older gentlemen like that. We had plenty of time before the flight, and the kids decided they were hungry. DFW has a wide variety of places to grab food and stuff once you get through security (at least from my less-travelled, not-familiar-with-many-large-airports perspective.) So The Rugrats decided they’d like some Subway sandwiches for lunch. I knew their usual, as we go to Jared’s Place frequently at home, and they ALWAYS get the same thing! (Remember this tendency of theirs toward habit and repetitiveness when it comes to food. This will be pertinent later.) So I trotted over to Subway and acquired sustenance.

 

*

 

Not long after I had returned to them and we had wolfed down our sandwiches, they began making the usual pre-boarding announcements and I ran back to get the other package of chips I forgot to get, and we got ready to board. The kids sat three across in one row and I was in the aisle seat across from them. There was a small child seated by the window in my row, all by himself. I quickly determined that his parents and two small siblings were in the row in front of us. I was worried that this was going to be a HUGE problem, as I could easily picture the little urchin wanting to climb in and out of his seat the whole flight. He was already playing with the trays and the window shades. He put the middle tray down and tried to put mine down too, and I ever-so-gently indicated that this would not be taking place. The middle seat was as yet unoccupied, but eventually a young man arrived and indicated that was his spot. A few minutes later his friend came and asked me if I could trade seats with him so they could sit together, but I politely declined, explaining that the three kiddos in the row across belonged to me, and I probably should stay near them. The two young men were perfectly accepting of this and the friend returned to his seat several rows forward.

 

*

 

We took off (the man in the aisle seat behind the kids crossed himself) and it quickly became apparent that the kiddo in my row was not going to be a problem. He conked out almost immediately. I am one of those travelers who feels she should make some attempt at conversation with those sitting next to her, and I felt guilty that I didn’t do that with this young man, because I didn’t really know what to say. He and his friend hadn’t seemed to be fluent English speakers, so I just let it go and consoled myself with the fact that he was listening to his music and napping anyway. The flight was somewhat bumpy and I think the captain left the seatbelt sign on for the entire flight.

 

(I don’t think I like flying much, by the way. The minute I step on a plane I always notice the mild urge to use the restroom, which gradually grows more “urge-nt” but I hate getting up and walking past all those people, so I just stay put and suffer the whole time. Strangely, I always accept a soda when the flight attendants begin serving beverages, and then I get to sit and watch the Great Pee Parade of others who also accepted their drinks, but don’t have my particular hang-ups.)

 

*

 

So anyway. Not a moment too soon, we landed in Ft. Lauderdale, and after a much needed restroom stop, we claimed our bags, which seemed to take quite a while, especially with The Boy, who was of the opinion that hanging back and waiting patiently for our bag to make its way around was for lesser mortals, and we needed to crowd our way up to the front and just get our bags, darn it! At one point I think he might have suggested we just leave it there and go on to the hotel. Patience is definitely not his strong point. (Not to get ahead of myself, but if you were unfortunate enough to come within a 25 yard radius of us at any point during the week, but particularly on Sapphire Beach, Studio B ice rink, or the 2:00 Cupcake Class on Saturday, you probably noticed this particular fact about him. I’ve been combing the reviews of my fellow sailors with terror, looking for references to “that one horrible kid I saw who …………………..” Fill in the blank with any one of a dozen objectionable attitudes he displayed during the week.)

 

*

 

Ok, we got a cab to our hotel. (Hyatt Regency Pier 66, if you’re interested.) Cab fare was $15.90 and I just gave the driver a $20. (As an aside, this would be a theme for the rest of the trip- cabs were always more than I had thought they were supposed to be based on research here on CC.) The room wasn’t ready, and we waited in their lounge area for only about 15-20 minutes, maybe. It didn’t feel like very long. It was here I uttered to my children the first of many similar sentiments I would reiterate in different variations throughout the week: “Don’t act like rednecks!” We felt like the hotel was a little on the fancy side for us. I wanted to make everything as amazing and impressive for the kids as possible for this trip, but we would have been just as well served at a basic Holiday Inn-type establishment. Anyway. The waitress approached us as if we were there to eat, and after a moment’s confusion we told her we were just waiting for our room. She brought us water and I left her a small tip. Finally, they said our room was ready, and we checked in and got directions to the room. It should be noted here for future reference that I am terrible with directions. TERRIBLE! So we took a rather scenic route to our room and finally had to ask a housekeeper to help us find it. We had a balcony room facing away from the port, with a big fancy yacht outside our window.

 

*

 

The kids were getting hungry, but they were also in full-on “Veg Out” mode, having discovered the TV clicker, and were flipping back and forth between something about alligators on Animal Planet, and Forrest Gump. I wanted to make the most of our only night in Ft. Lauderdale, and had planned that we would ride the Water Taxi around and eventually find a place to eat supper. So I insisted that they get up and we went to the desk to get directions to the Water Taxi stop. We had to stop once more when we got out by the pool area, and finally got headed in the right direction. The first of many poignant moments occurred about now- I was rushing along, trying to get to the stop, and we were passing all these boats, both super-impressive and not so much. The Boy said something like “Hey, mom, look at these fish!” or something similar, and I replied with something along the lines of “I don’t care about the fish, we’re trying to get somewhere, hurry up!” and I looked at the boat we were walking past at that exact second, and its name was “Share the Moment” which was the absolute most important objective for me on this trip. That hit me like a prize fighter, and I stopped, looked at the fish, and took a pic of the boat so I’d never forget that moment. And I won’t.

*

Up next: The Water Taxi, Embarkation, and First Day

Until next time,

D.

I love it you sound like me. A mom with kids dealing with all kinds of issues, ADHD , and my membership also to Internet addiction anonymous. Lol had to laugh. This site has now become added to the others u mentioned as well

Wonderful review. I've been eyeing this ship (allure or oasis ) for the past year. Priced it for our family and just waiting to pull the trigger. Your review makes me wish I was there or on my way there. But gotta figure out when and find the best price. Either for just dh and I fifth anny sans kids or the whole family ! I can keep reading it as I know I missed a bunch but I've been reading it over the last week in my down time. ,

Great review. I am a foodie here in la so food quality is important to me. Excellent reviews.

This is great !! thank you!! :) trying to plan my first cruise with the family and this will be great for DH to read too! :)