Oasis of the Seas 8/5/18 Review- Eastern Caribbean

Got back Sunday from an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. We visited Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. A little about me- I'm 32 and traveled with my husband who is 33. This was my 14th cruise, 12th with RCCL. We previously sailed on the Oasis of the Seas in 2011. I haven't written this long a of a review before (or posted pictures) so please be patient with me :)

Random Thoughts First: Overall, I thought this was a great cruise. I loved the ports, and I think we managed to have a lot of fun in each one. We had beautiful weather, and we definitely made use of the drink package each day. Yes, the ship does show some wear and tear- we mostly noticed it in the hot tubs and the carpets, but it was nothing that really bothered us. I was really expecting a horrible time getting deck chairs at the pool based on previous reviews, however was pleasantly surprised that we were always able to find something, often right by the pools. I also didn't think the elevators were as bad as people have stated. All in all, I didn't feel like the ship ever felt more crowded than any other bigger ship, and service was still pretty great! Our favorite places to hang out were the Rising Tide Bar, Schooner Bar, and the Globe and Atlas Pub. Really enjoyed listening to Adam Coe at the Pub each night and the Temperature Band was great too, but we only discovered them the last night. Watching movies at the Aquatheater was actually also surprisingly something we enjoyed with the Sabor Tequila Bar right there.* They played some pretty recent movies like the Avengers Infinity War, I feel Pretty, Rampage, and a Quiet Place.The Cruise Director Dan Dan was fine- (hard to beat Richard Spacey who was on our last Oasis cruise).* One thing that was very inconsistent was getting receipts for drinks- some bartenders gave receipts, some didn't.* We just saw piles of them getting thrown away, which makes me wish they didn't waste the paper (but I get they want the extra tips- maybe they could get little tablets or something?).* At the end of the day, we had a great cruise and I can't wait to book either the Harmony or Symphony for next summer! Let me know if you have any questions. I also have most of the compasses (missing day 2) and can scan and e-mail if anyone wants them.

The Specifics-

Embarkation- We flew into Orlando a day early at around 7 am and rented a car before spending the day at Universal Studios. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites on International Drive. It is nothing to write home about but we had stayed there before and the location is within walking distance of a ton of restaurants and entertainment. On Sunday, we left the hotel around 9 am, and were at the Hertz rental car location in Cape Canaveral at about 10. It was busy, however the drop off process is really quick and easy. They have a shuttle, but we really didn't want to deal with it so we called an Uber. The Uber cost $6.95 and we were at the port around 10:20. Somehow I lost my setsail pass, so we had to refill out some paperwork for that, which took a couple of extra minutes. I think they started boarding shortly after 11. They called for suite guests and Pinnacle members, then went through the tiers of crown and anchor really quickly. We are Emerald and we were called by 11:10 I believe because we were the first people at the Park Cafe when it was just opening at 11:15. I think they had different boarding groups for Gold members, and those probably took longer to get through. I thought this was one of the most efficient check in processes we have ever had, or maybe we just got to the port at a really great time. Last year, we were at Cape Liberty around the same time and it seems like we waited a lot longer. After the Park Cafe, we were one of the first people at the beach pool and enjoyed some drinks before going to our stateroom and the muster drill.

Stateroom-

We were in 11251 which was a Central Park balcony stateroom. We usually book an oceanview balcony however the prices were way too high and the Central Park balcony seemed like a good compromise. We enjoyed the perk of getting a free lunch at Sabor, and my husband enjoyed Merlot (I'm not a fan or red wine). The location of the stateroom itself was fine. We could hear the pool music during the day from the balcony which was kind of nice. I read that the balconies get really hot and there is no airflow, however I enjoyed reading out there and did not find it to be uncomfortable. When the door is locked, you can't hear a thing. It did take a lot of getting used to close the shades when we were changing, etc. I did think that was annoying and after a while I only closed the translucent curtains, not the ones that blocked out the light completely during the day. I wouldn't rule out booking another Central Park Balcony but I think next time we would probably book a Boardwalk balcony so we could at least get a glimpse of the ocean.

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Food- We were assigned the early seating and we at in the main dining room all but one night. We . My husband hates eating with strangers so he was very excited when he saw for the first time we had a table for two. Our waiter Mario was very friendly and we thought the food generally very good. The one thing that we did notice was that the waiters seemed a bit stressed. The assistant waiter was always running around and it was difficult to place a drink order- we saw that tables around us having the same issue. A guy at the table next to us actually would leave and get wine for him and his wife at the bar. We didn't really get offered the sauces (like horseradish or the jelly for the lamb), and weren't offered coffee or anything after desserts. It wasn't a huge deal, just things we were used to that were missing on this cruise. We did appreciate that the waiter Mario would ask us if we had a show to get to and usually we were out of there in little over an hour. The one night we did not eat in the main dining room was the day we had our complimentary lunch at Sabor. The portions were HUGE and we didn't know what to expect. Needless to say we did not need dinner that day. Other than that, we mostly had our lunches at the Park Cafe (Salad and Kummelweck sandwich), and once in the Solarium which was pretty good (loved the Guinness Beef). We ate breakfast at the Windjammer a few times, once at Johnny Rockets (egg sandwiches and omelettes were good) , and once at the Solarium Bistro. I would not recommend the Solarium Bistro for breakfast- the eggs were turning green and I saw the server just picking those bits out. Just not what you want to see, so we didn't go back for breakfast. We did a lot of late night visits to the Promenade Cafe and Sorrentos Pizza. I know a lot of people complain about the pizza, but I actually really liked it and it seemed pretty popular around the clock! All in all, I thought the food was good on this cruise and needless to say I never went hungry!

Note: Sorry my food pics are so crummy. I almost always started eating before remembering to take a photo!

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Ports-

Nassau- We have not had the best luck in Nassau- one time we did a really disappointing glass bottom boat excursion (never again), and the last time it poured the entire day. We were going to book a Beach Day pass from the Atlantis website, but once again we didn't want to waste our money if it rained. We just took a cab ride to Atlantis and bought the Beach Day pass there. I think it was a few extra dollars than online, however the line to check in if you had already bought your passes was really long and slow so I think this worked out better. We toured the "Digs" Aquarium and then walked around to find the beach. The security guards were actually really friendly. When we were really confused about what beaches were were allowed to go to, basically the guard asked me which one I wanted to go to, and of course I said "the nicest one". He said the Cove beach was the nicest (supposedly only for hotel guests), but then gave us directions how to get there and also suggestions on how we might use the lazy river. I did not want to push my luck with the lazy river, but we had a great day the Cove Beach- it was a lot calmer than the other beach and the chairs were already set up. Overall, great and relaxing beach day, and definitely our best experience in Nassau thus far.

St. Thomas- Originally we wanted to try to go to St. John, but the excursions offered left little time there, and we would miss dinner. We didn't want to push it and stress about it on our own, so we just decided to go to Magen's Bay. On our previous trip, we went to Sapphire Beach but I liked the party atmosphere and amenities of Magen's Bay a lot better. We rented 2 chairs and a beach mat. I think the chairs were each $8 and the mat was $10 (they make you put an extra deposit on each item). We didn't eat or get drinks at the restaurant, but it seemed like people were having a lot of fun there. There were only two ships in port that day, so the beach was not very crowded and we had a great day.

St. Maarten- We caught a cab to to Mullet Bay, and I am pretty sure this had the most beautiful water I have ever seen. I think we paid $20 for 2 chairs and an umbrella. At first the lady told us a price and we said "maybe in a few minutes" but then she instantly lowered it. There are a lot of vendors that will come around selling jewelry, etc but they were all really polite and not pushy at all. There is a small food stand called Rosie's which seemed pretty popular. When we first got to Mullet Bay there were a lot of catamaran excursions already there, but they actually cleared out within a half hour and the beach was a lot quieter. After, we decided to walk over to Maho Beach to see the airplanes. I think it is a bout a 20-25 minute walk. A cab driver actually saw us walking and gave us a ride there when were about 15 minutes into our walk. He told us it was too hot to walk and just jump in! The actual beach at Maho beach is super crowded and didn't seem all that nice, but we were able to get a really nice table at the Sunset restaurant and got a a bucket of beers and some food while we watched planes come in. The food was good and atmosphere was even better! This was my first time in St. Maarten and I think this was my favorite port.

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Thanks for your review! We'll be doing a similar itinerary in December. What kind of condition was Magen's Bay in? How long did it take you to get to Mullet Bay? Did you have any trouble getting a taxi back to the ship?

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Thanks for your review! We'll be doing a similar itinerary in December. What kind of condition was Magen's Bay in? How long did it take you to get to Mullet Bay? Did you have any trouble getting a taxi back to the ship?

 

 

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Magen's Bay was in pretty good condition, but I guess I can't really compare it to how it was before the hurricane as this was my first time there. A heads up though, they did not have any umbrellas that day (or the day before according to my inlaws), so there was very little shade and many people seemed frustrated by this. They didn't provide any reason for why they weren't selling umbrellas that day so not sure if this was an isolated incident or not.

Mullet Bay was a little bit longer of a cab ride- I would say about 25 minutes at least. We dropped people off at two other beaches on the way. The ride there was BUMPY. You pay a roundtrip fare and get a wristband to come back. The cab company let us know the last cabs were leaving at 3 so just make sure you head out in time. We left at 2:30 from Maho and there were no shortage of cabs.

Shows and Disembarkation:

Shows-

Cats- Husband saw it on Broadway when he was a kid and he remembered it being "really weird" We had reservations for the first night and ended up getting one of the booths way at the back of the theater. It was an easy escape when we left after 15 minutes. I wanted to see what it was all about, but it just wasn't our thing.

Oasis of Dreams- Love it! We remembered this being one of the highlights of our first Oasis cruise and it didn't disappoint. They did stop about halfway through for maybe 15 minutes due to some technical difficulty, but other than that, it was great!

Come Fly With Me- Cool aerial stunts. Again, we find it hard in general to sit through anything all the way through so we sit/stand in the back but the parts we saw were pretty cool and entertaining!

Headliner Show- Our headliner was Adam Kario. He had some great juggling moves and was actually really hilarious. We actually stayed until the end of this one!

Comedy Live- Our Comedians were Rick Corso and Don Grey. Don Grey went last and I thought he was the funnier of the two. He definitely made some really crude (but funny) jokes and ragged on pretty much everyone in the first row.

Disembarkation:* We did self-assist and left the ship right around 8, and did not have to wait more than a few minutes to reach customs.* * They did not make us fill out any customs forms, which I feel like probably saved a lot of time.* We were early for our 9 am Cortrans shuttle (highly recommend) but the shuttle was already waiting and we left at about 8:45 with plenty of time to eat and relax at the airport before our noon flight.

Sad to be back, but my liver is thanking me!

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Your photos are beautiful. I am enjoying your review.

Thanks for the review. We’re on same itinerary over New Years and have been toying with just staying on the boat at Nassau (similar disappointment during our last visit).

Thanks for the review. I love St.Maarten, too!

Thank You! I enjoyed your review

Loved your reveiw & I have only 1 question. My wife & I are sailing on the OASIS in Jan. 2019 & it will be our 62 wedding annv. Did they have the HONEYMOON GAME on the ship?? & if they did do you think we would have a chance to get on the show?? I want to surprise the old bag, LOL

george35

Loved your reveiw & I have only 1 question. My wife & I are sailing on the OASIS in Jan. 2019 & it will be our 62 wedding annv. Did they have the HONEYMOON GAME on the ship?? & if they did do you think we would have a chance to get on the show?? I want to surprise the old bag, LOL

 

george35

Hi! Do you mean the Love and Marriage Game Show? If so, yes they did. It was at 10:30 pm on Night 3 on our cruise. I think you definitely have a chance to get on- If I remember right on this cruise the couple that was married the longest had been married around 60 years. There was only one other couple married longer than that, and they didn't want to participate. I hope you and your wife have a wonderful cruise!

Thank you for posting your review. I will be on this route in November with my family. You’ve clarified many of our questions about the ports.

Thanks for this review! We are doing Eastern on Oasis in September with our family. Can you tell me about what the cost of the taxi to Mullet Bay was? We have a group of 10 people so not sure if we can all get in one big van or something. Do you think this would be a good beach with kids? We have four kids ages 3, 5, 6 and 7. Are there restaurants and bathrooms there? Thanks again

Thanks for this review! We are doing Eastern on Oasis in September with our family. Can you tell me about what the cost of the taxi to Mullet Bay was? We have a group of 10 people so not sure if we can all get in one big van or something. Do you think this would be a good beach with kids? We have four kids ages 3, 5, 6 and 7. Are there restaurants and bathrooms there? Thanks again

Hi! For 2 people, it was either $32 or $36- they told us one price first then it ended up being another. We were in a van type taxi with at least 6 other people. I think a group of 10 would definitely fit- there might be different pricing for larger groups so it might be cheaper. I think the beach would be fine for kids, but there aren't really any amenities that I saw. There was just that Rosie's tent that sold food, and the only bathroom I saw was a porta potty (I had to use it and it was kind of gross). There are probably beaches with more amenities, so you might want to ask on the St. Maarten board if you haven't already.

Hi! For 2 people, it was either $32 or $36- they told us one price first then it ended up being another. We were in a van type taxi with at least 6 other people. I think a group of 10 would definitely fit- there might be different pricing for larger groups so it might be cheaper. I think the beach would be fine for kids, but there aren't really any amenities that I saw. There was just that Rosie's tent that sold food, and the only bathroom I saw was a porta potty (I had to use it and it was kind of gross). There are probably beaches with more amenities, so you might want to ask on the St. Maarten board if you haven't already.

Again very helpful information. Your pictures of this beach are stunning but given the lack of amenities it sounds like this probably isn’t a good fit for us. I’ll do more research.

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the review. I'm following along.

At Nassau, how much was the "tour with the beach". We've down the Dig, but didn't know they finally offered beach time. I'm very interested for next February. TIA

I would love to have the compasses if you don’t mind sending them to me. Thank you. Cich10@aol.com

Thanks for the review. I'm following along.

 

At Nassau, how much was the "tour with the beach". We've down the Dig, but didn't know they finally offered beach time. I'm very interested for next February. TIA

On the Atlantis website, it is $70 per person. I think we paid $73 a person at the door. You do have to get a taxi to Atlantis though. I can't really say if the beach time is worth it, because we didn't end up going to the beach that was supposed to be included. But it includes a towel and beach chair as well.

I would love to have the compasses if you don’t mind sending them to me. Thank you. Cich10@aol.com

I'll scan them tomorrow and e-mail them to you!