Scootch

Disembarking - my husband had a 9:00 am flight out of FLL. I was continuing on by car to a different Florida destination. We opted for self-disembarking and we left our cabin around 5:45 am with all of our luggage. No wait for the elevator at all. Disembarking was on deck 5 and we were off the ship by 6:30. Customs was fairly quick even though the lines looked long (though they do not offer Global Entry). Taxis were plentiful just outside. We took one back to the Renaissance to get our car and I dropped my husband off at the airport. He has TSA Pre-Check and was at his gate by 7:15 so plenty of time.

Thank you for this info. We are sailing Oasis in May. (2nd sailing w/ her) We too do self disembark and last time we were off the ship and at FLL airport by 6:30 AM. Last year we were off of Allure and to the airport by 7:00 AM. This year I took a chance and booked a 9:00 AM flight.

We want connecting cabins and have a choice of the 14th or 7th Floor. 14th Floor Cabins cost a little more. Which would you choose and why?

Where do you spend most of your time? DH and I prefer the higher floor because we spend so much time outside during the day. Evenings are in the casino, boardwalk and promanade, but we torture ourselves w/ the steps until night time and we can't do yet one more step! ;)

Nope..the size will be the same within each category....it's location and number of beds that is the difference within each category.

I concur.....when I inquired, I was told that the category is based on the # of people that can sleep per room.

Ship Size, Layout crowds

 

On one last thing for tonight

Elevators people love to hate. Sometimes you get lucky sometimes you wait a bit, can't remember every waiting more than 3-4 minutes. When I have in a hurry I would take the stairs. To be fair I used the Forward bank of elevators more often as it was closer to our room. So maybe the aft bank are busier, but it didn't feel like that to me when we were using it.

 

Happy Cruising more to come

DH and I "try" to use the elevators only when exhausted at night....using the steps help us to work off some of the weeks indulgences. I would hope that folks would save the elevators for the elderly, those w/ precious cargo in strollers, folks w/ physical disabilites...and those who just can't take one more step, :D but it is unfortunate to see the teens, not within the parents watchful eye, playing on the elevators and holding them up from others who do need them.....just my opinion.

Ok here we go again, Little one is in bed.

 

 

Cabin -

 

 

So what's the room for improvement. Well, heard people posting about how much they like looking at the ocean and on and on. and how having breakfast on balcony is nice and on on, every review and pictures balcony. I was thinking who cares, well it seems I do. Ended up falling in love with looking out at ocean, wanted to have breakfast with a view. So every time wanted to see the ocean had to leave the room. Other thing is in the morning it was pitch dark, had no concept of night and day, this a bit odd we are all used to windows. We were ok, but really felt it was missing. Let me echo another sentiment if you have kids they can be sleeping and adults can sneak on to balcony.

 

Over all we were happy, but could have done with more. If your budget can't support it, honestly you will still have a good time. If your budget can support it upgrade.

 

Saw request for some pics. DD boarding

DH and I love our ocean view balcony....one year we did the rm w/ the port hole view and vowed we would never do again. That balcony is very important to us and we hang there 1st thing in the morning, for morning coffee, going in and out from port, watching people run to the ship, last min, before the ship takes off :p, watcing other ships coming in and out of port, waving to folks on other ships in port, in the middle of the night, watching the ship returing to the home port.....and so much more.

I know there are lota folks who this is not important to and they are very satisfied w/ the inside cabin, but for us...we budget and plan $$ for this once/yr luxury to ourselves.

Happy sailing~

I'm looking forward to hearing more about what you thought about the Oasis. We're thinking of sailing her in November - and have only sailed on the smaller ships. I'm a little nervous about the "big" ships. Let me know what you thought about the # of people, crowdedness (is that a word??) etc.

 

Thank you!

 

Michelle

My husband and I have sailed both Oasis and Allure and are heading back on Oasis in May. We have never felt "crowded" on the larger ship. This past summer I sailed on one of RCCL smaller ships and I did not enjoy it, because I felt claustrophobic. We feel that the Oasis class provides not only amazing amenities, but also plenty of elbow room.

Happy sailing~

They have always showed up on our credit could a couple of days after we get home.

I concur. Have seen it on my debit card anywhere from next day to 2 days after disembarkment.

Researching threads on here, I find a lot about chair hogs. :p

 

I understand the rules and will not be saving chairs

.

My question is how hard is it to find one? Is it the ones by the pool that are really hard to get unless you are very early?

 

We just want a chair/lounger in the sun where we can watch the ocean. Pool is not a necessity. Preferably on an upper deck, near railing. Will those be hard to come by also?

 

We will be on Freedom of The Seas.

 

thanks!

We have sailed Freedom....she is very nice.

If you are looking for that perfect chair right by poolside, yes - you better get up early. My husband and I head out to the pool by 9:30 and the "perfect" seats are usually taken, but there are lots up on additional levels. On Freedom, we actually like to sit towards the back of the ship; near Johnny Rockets. It is quiet, not crowded, a lil breeze and we can do up to the Flow Rider to get cooled off by the mist or and there is a bar up there as well.

Enjoy and happy sailing~

We have sailed on other lines and all seem to do the muster drill differently. How does Royal Caribbean do theirs. We will be sailing out of Rome on the Rhapsody in September. Thanks for the reply.

The larger ships have you report to a specific area such as the theater. Once seated and they begin, it takes about 10 min. I was recently on Vision of the Seas and they do it like what I had experienced on CCL, having you report to the muster station, though you don't have to take the life jacket.

Best of luck and happy sailing!!

do you find you get the same service without adding a tip?

Yes! But because they work so hard we do tip a few extra $ which keeps them coming back your way a lil more often.

My girlfriend and I had the ultimate package on the NYE Oasis sailing, thought it was worth every single penny! It is a little intimidating upfront with the $60+ per day price tag, and came in at $442.50 per person for the 7night Oasis sailing. Considering how much we drank we well got our monies worth, plus had the peace of mind knowing our cost upfront and not having to worry about a huge bar tab/bill at the end of the cruise. I was drinking 6 to 8 bottles of water plus 2 or 3 Powerades a day to stay hydrated, so figure $30 right there in water/powerade. The coffee served in the windjammer is horrid, so we got iced lattes from cafe promenade every morning for about $5 each. I would drink about 6 beers throughout the day by the pool at about $5 each, plus 2 or 3 frozen cocktails which where about $10 each. Throw in 2 glasses of wine at $10 each a shot of baileys with desert, and a couple vodka cocktails at night for $8 a pop. There really is a value to be had with the packages as I saved a ton of money based on my vacation drinking. It is also nice to order whatever you want, whenever you want and being able to try new things and if you don't like it no money wasted!

Agreed!!!!

We enjoy a few extra cocktails while at the pool, then wine w/ dinner and maybe a few additional drinks in the casino at night......it's vacation and we've waited all year!! We figured that it would run us approx. $70/pp + tip w/out the drink package.

We have sailed CCL in the past and have no complaints. We moved over to RCCL to give it a try and because we wanted the bigger ships. The 1st thing that comes to mind is that the ambiance is much nicer on the new RCCL ships. Now, I most recently salied on one of RCCL older, smaller ship and wasn't happy.....again, we like the newer and bigger ships. The reason I say that is because it is all in what you want.

This year will be the 1st time we try one of the specialty restaurants, but other than that, IMO - I can not give RCCL any better markings for their food. We have had good an bad cruise directors on both lines. I feel the excursions offered are equal in $ and value.

My husband and I have done self-disembark for the past 2 yrs. 2 yrs ago, we were off of Oasis, through customs and at FLL airport by 6:45AM Last year, off of Allure, through customs and @ FLL airport by 7:30AM. I am up early and sit on our balcony and watch the ship pull in, sometimes as early as 5:00AM. From there, I know the rest is up to customs.

The news media here in Miami claim the shipboard video shows that the man jumped from deck 5. There was no wave, only the one in his head. His story was concocted. He's darn lucky to be alive. Why he jumped was not mentioned.

We knew the truth would eventually come out.

Hello,

I did a search and didn't find the answer to my question so I am hoping someone can help me :) I am interested in adding a drink package for my cruise in May. if I add the package now, will the total price of the packages (one for me and one for my husband) be due with final payment as well? I am just asking because we have the cruise payments budgeted for but not the drink packages. It would be no problem to have it paid for by sailing date. I just want to know what to expect. Thanks!

I don't use cc's so I pay w/ my debit card and the drink packages are paid for prior to even boarding the ship.

You will be happy you buy the drink package.

no .. you don't just "fall off" a ship ...

I guess I am wondering how he was the only person affected by this "wave." No other passengers got wet? No other passengers saw this wave and reported it to crew? Any of the open decks are still pretty high up so I guess I am curious how a wave of such magnitude wouldn't have rocked the ship more. Wouldn't the crew have been on alert if the waters were so rough or was this a rogue wave that hit the ship, affecting one passenger? I am wondering what more is going to come out of this. Not passing any judgement.....just trying to figure this one out. I'm very happy for his safety. We will again be sailing on Oasis May 15'.

Best review ever!!

Thank you!

We are planning to do a 4-night cruise out of Miami, but will fly roundtrip out of Fort Lauderdale. Does anyone have any advice on whether or not we would make an 11:30-AM flight out of Fort Lauderdale to return home. We would obviously have to travel from Miami back to the Fort Lauderdale airport once we got off the ship. I know with our member status, we can be one of the first off the ship, if that helps at all.

 

Thanks

IMO - Self disembark is your quickest option for getting off the ship. Not sure what means of transport you will be using to get from port to airport, but you will need to consider about 45 min for travel from Port of Miami to FLL airport.

Happy sailing~

One thing I'd point out is that RC is still reconciling their events that have alcohol built in as part of the cost (i.e., Prohibition party on Oasis/Allure, wine tastings at Vintages, Park 150 wine pairing, Chef's Table, etc) with the drink package. On a recent Oasis cruise, my brother asked Park 150 how they handle the issue of drink packages and the wine pairing they offer. The manager acknowledged it was an issue, and they were considering offering a partial discount to beverage package purchasers, but it wasn't available yet. I think this is kind of a silly deal breaker for those who want to do Park 150 with the pairing and/or chef's table, since it forces you to pay twice. I also don't believe they have any accommodation or reduced pricing for chef's table at this point, but am not 100% sure.

 

So, to weigh in on that front, I'd say if you're considering the various dining options or parties that include alcohol, that's a downside to the package, because RC hasn't quite worked out the kinks yet. It may or may not be a deal breaker, but something to consider.

DH and I are over 40 and the drink pkg does work for us. He is just a beer guy, but I like everything from the drink of the day, to beer, to a glass of wine w/ dinner. We work hard all year and save for this week of bliss so we allow ourselves to have a few extra drinks than we would usually do back in the real world. We aren't driving! :p

We too grab a seat, one of us sit while the other grabs their food. We eat and clean up our mess as much as possible so the staff can sweep in and get the table ready for the next guests. With deck chairs - if we see folks looking for chairs and we are done, we wave them over and tell them we are done and they can have ours.

We all have to work together.

$40 vs $55

My DH is a beer man, but diet soda w/ his meals. ($40) and I like everything from beer, to drink of the day, to wine w/ dinner. ($55) These packages work well for us.

Can any one recommend a transfer company from MIA to the port in Fort Lauderdale. I know there are several who advertise online. thanks.

We used this shuttle company once. They were very efficient.

http://goairportshuttle.com/

Happy sailing~

Thinking about going on a RCL cruise. I was wondering if they have buffet dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

As others have indicated, yes - breakfast, lunch and dinner. We don't attend the formal nights in the MDR and are very pleased w/ the food choices in the Windjammer.

Happy sailing~

Great information here; thank you.

Any difficulties getting reservations on Oasis due to so many people?

 

 

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Last year Oasis was booking very quickly and we were booking 4 months in advance. This year for Allure, we were just booking in February for April and the TA said that there was lots of open cabins.

They are my two favorite classes of ships. They both have their strong points and I can't think of any major negatives of either.

 

Freedom is the perfect size ship, it sails out of Port Canaveral, and has just about anything you could want on a ship. It is generally slightly more affordable than Oasis, but it is one of the best ships at sea. In my eyes, it is the best all-around ship.

 

Oasis is in a league of its own. The neighborhoods, dining options, and sheer size make it so unique. I'd recommend everybody who enjoys cruising try Oasis at some point. It's massive, yet manageable, and never feels crowded. It's just such a unique experience.

 

I like the options and amenities that Oasis provides, yet like the fact that Freedom feels more like a ship than a resort.

 

Our last cruise was on Oasis and our next is on Allure, but after that, we will go back to Voyager and Freedom class ships. Like I said, I think they are two of the best classes of ships at sea, it just depends on what type of cruise you are looking for.

I concur!!

We sailed Oasis last year and will board Allure in 3wks.

It is my DH and myself. (I am 49 yrs young and he is 50 years old! :p)

We chose Allure this year just to say, "been there, done that," and because my husband wants to try the hot dogs!:D

The Oasis class of ships has so many bells and whistles that we don't use. We do like the pools better. Even though the size is vast, we found Oasis very easy to navigate around. There is many more people, but we didn't find it to be crowded. Love the walking/running track so much more!!!!

FOS is wonderful. In fact it was our other choice for this year, but pricing won out on Allure.

That being said, you have to write down the pros and cons of what is important to you. i.e. price, experience, amenities, itinerary, etc.....

It really is a hard decision. I say to go for Oasis, for the shear fact of the experience, if you can afford it, but FOS will NOT disappoint you.

Happy sailing~