Oasis Dec 3- Our Cruise on the "Total Eclipse of the Sea"

Yup- thats what I dubbed her after seeing her tossing shade across the entire pool deck of the neighboring ships in port. But...wow, amazing, incredible, it's all been written before, so I had to come up with something new!

Because of the holidays I won't have time to scan Cruise Compasses, and write my (almost) LIVE review until after the New Year. I did want to at least share my basic impressions and tips to help out those who are leaving before the month is over! (You lucky dogs;)!) But I promise to follow up these tips and impressions with a complete review starting Jan 2nd- LIVE-exactly one month later! I'll do a day by day with photos and links to Cruise Compasses. But I have to get Christmas " done" first.

A little bit about us, my DH and I are 48 yo, and we cruise this time of year every year, sans kids, to celebrate our winter birthdays. We booked this cruise while onboard NOS last year. While I have sailed enough to earn Emerald status with C&A, ( next cruise- Diamond!) I had no idea you could do book onbard and ...actually get OBC until I joined CC! I also knew very little about Oasis, so CC gas been the place I've turned for advice and information. I have learned so much on this board, saved a bundle of money and time from tips I've read and been hugely entertained by some of the reviews I've read here. So now it's my turn, I will not be nearly as entertaining for sure, but hope those of you out there waiting impatiently for your cruise ( "to hurry up and get here already") or those who love to relive their past cruise ("oh, I wish I were onboard now") will enjoy "virtually" cruising with us!

Tips all of you gave me worked beautifully and made our trip better! Thank you, thank you to all you experienced Oasis (and not a few Allure cruisers) who shared their reviews and tips. I noticed that compared to some onboard, I felt like an Oasis expert almost as soon as I boarded, answering questions and pointing out directions for people. All thanks to you!

Good Tips I Cribbed: ( and I few I discovered on my own)

ADVANCED PLANNING

I'll admit I'm a planner, I like it, it's fun for me! But loads of people didn't plan in advance and everyone on board looked like they were having a boatload of fun! But if you are like me and have MORE fun if you feel like you have things all set and then I will share my methods for advanced planning.

- got a cruise compass from a recent sailing of the same itinerary.

-made a schedule that goes day by day...(I'll include a photo of mine later in the review) you can use the RCI web site one, which is just a list, I preferred a graphic one, so I used an excel spreadsheet, because I like to differentiate the different times of day and meals, but you could use a weekly calendar too.

-looked over the Compass to decide what shows and activities interested us and which we could miss without heartbreak, then planned meals around those events

-booked our shore excursions and put them on the spreadsheet

-when the shows opened for booking (about 100-90 days before) I booked the ones I wanted that fit in with the dinners I had planned.

- I brought both my spreadsheet and the RCI planner with me and made notes each day about what we did, so I could write these reviews and answer any questions! ( I'll post a photo of the clean "before" copy and my "after" copy- its pretty funny!)

- lastly, we knew that we would just go with the flow sometimes and chuck the plans, but mostly it helped us prioritize, so that at the end of the week, we felt we had done all the things we really, really wanted to do!

GETTING AROUND

-It really helped to do advanced research, I had read many reviews and had a good " sense" of what was where when I boarded.

- My DH studied a cut away map the day before we sailed.

- I printed deck plans from the website for all the public decks and put them on the front of my planning folder ( I'll post a pic of this too!) This helped us review where something was before we headed out.

These steps help us navigate, as we already knew what was in each "neighborhood" and where each neighborhood was located (fore or aft, & what deck) The neighborhood concept actually makes it easier to find things by having a large easily identifiable area for navigation. Because the ship is physically open in the middle, often times you can actually " see" other neighborhoods, which helps you to navigate too.

Plus the ships touch screens are easy to use for locating where you are and will even map a route to where you'd like to go. Doors are marked with a neighborhood icon ( such as carousel horses for the boardwalk, trees for Central Park), and there are also standard cutaway maps, birds eye maps and written listings and icons in every elevator bank wall sign. I teach the little ones and the best comparison I can use is, the ship is easier to navigate than smaller ships because of all that differentiation. Everyone as different ways to see and learn things, and with so any options theres bound to be one that works for each person.

SHOWS

-Dont miss the shows, not one, really!

-Make show reservations as soon as they are available based on the most recent cruise compass for your itinerary.

-If this changes ( or you change your mind) closer to sailing go immediately to studio B upon boarding (they set up a "box office" there at embarkation ) and make your changes.

- If you can't get a show ( unlikely) dont panic, many standbys get in, only one show we saw was full and that was after the standbys entered.

-Consider not booking the Oasis of Dreams show the first day; it seems that it is likely to be rougher and cooler the first night out, and the show may be more likely to be cancelled, ours was, and if they had it, it may have been cooler outside, than it might have been a little later in the week

- If you are younger ( or just hipper- don't want to be ageist here! I'm sure the older hipsters their laughing their heads off at 10:30!) you might enjoy the later comedy show. There were only about 8 of us under fifty (ok, only 8 of us under sixty-five ) for our 9 pm show and there were times we were the only ones laughing...

POOLS AND TOWELS

-We got 2 towels for each person on embarkation day, this way we had them for wet excursions in port or don't need to line up for them on the first sea day ( tho I rarely saw a line!)

-swapped them out for clean ones every afternoon rather than in the am when everyone else was getting towels

- there was no reason to be a chair hog, even on sea days plenty of chairs if you don't need to be on top of the pool, or in the first row of the solarium looking out to sea. (and you don't- you can see the sea from almost all chairs in the solarium)

DINING

- Eat at a specialty restaurant for lunch on embarkation, we did this at Giovannis (our only specialty other than JR for shakes) and avoided any first night confusion in the dining room (tho our friends did not report any problems with MTD the first night) It was so relaxing to dine in an attentive, relaxed environment rather than battling the crowds. Then while everyone was having dinner in the MDR, we had a light snack in the uncrowded Windjammer and had most of the ship empty to take those photos!

-Park cafe is as advertised, excellent salad you pick, they toss with dressing and it moves 3x as fast as a regular salad bar and is probably more sanitary too! They have yummy paninnis and deliver these table side (if you can find one,the secret is out about Park Cafe, its a very popular place, but we did always find a place to sit!)

-If you are looking for the night to book a Specialty restaurant based on the least good MDR night, I might suggest Day 5. Even the waiter couldn't recommend anything on the menu and the salmon he recommended from the alternative menu was dry and the sauce was bland.

Of course I had different experiences than some of the opinions I have read too...these are in my Au contraire section:

You can't see the sea on Oasis- Au Contraire! If you can't see the sea, you need to get off the promenade!

-Go to the Boardwalk with Oasis's substantial wake, the sports deck, with it's Flow Riders, zip line, sports courts and mini golf are all within sight of the sea. There are loungers all around this area.

-More secret chairs by the wake behind the Flowrider!

-The Solarium is literally a 180 degree panorama of sea on the bow.

-The Windjammer and certain sections of the jogging track, all have views of the sea.

The elevators are slow/crowded with rude people

This was not our experience. We rarely took one during the really busy times- heading to the MDR, after a show, prefering to save them for those who must use them. But we did take them up from or down to the gangway and had waited no longer than any public building. One tip for avoiding the crowds leaving Studio B, hook a quick right and head down the hallway to the ( nonsmoking) section of the casino. Go through the Casino to the other enterance. This puts you at the aft elevator banks where there are far fewer people.

Without exception everyone was polite about allowing chairs and scooters on, holding doors, making chit chat...really very pleasant! There were very few children on our cruise; if I looked around any given venue, I could count no more than10. They were all wonderfully behaved and age appropriately excited about their experiences on Oasis. We never found them behaving badly on elevators or running down hallways. I hope my own would be as polite!

We did take the stairs a lot and the art work is as stunning and unusual as reported. Each piece relates to the piece within view of it, which makes for a fun exercise to try to find what links the art ( a snow scene on one wall relates to young ladies in snow hats on another etc) If you want to be alone, take the stairs...many times we would be on the stairs utterly alone and wonder where the 6000 people were!?!

CD Amy Fickert is not good/too new. Au Contraire! Amy is very energetic and makes a few good yucks at the expense of the pax involved in the shows like Quest, belly flop and Love and Marriage, but really, it's the comic timing and chemistry between her as the straight " man" and Ken the Activities Director who plays the clown/instigator role that makes the pairing work very well. I also like that Amy does not spend too much time shilling the on board money makers. A quick mention of bingo maybe, but while others CD s spent lots of time going on about port shopping lectures, art auctions and inch of gold sales ( blah, blah, blah!) Amy hit the important show reminders ( all free!) and then sent us on our way. I appreciated that! And her "Day in the life of a CD" short film shown before the Come Fly with Me show was hysterical.

You have to arrive 30-45 minutes before your pre reserved show. Au Contraire! Only our early Come Fly With Me show was full. Every other show had some seats somewhere, so even if you appear 15-20 minutes before the show, many people will be in their seats, but plenty of good ones remain. So if you have reservations there is no reason to stand in a line and rush the doors when they open. Now if you want to be front and center, or sit with a large group, then you'll need to invest the time with the others "competing" for those seats, but frankly it's just not important to enjoy the show.

The ship is too big, to " ugly" too " much"...too " Disney-like Au Contraire! In my opinion this ship is not some smacked together garish collection of neighborhoods and attractions that I've read in opinions here on CC ( often by people who haven't sailed her). It's an amazing design! People always write that, but I'm going to share some specific examples of what I found.

We've cruised quite a bit and found that this design thoughtfully incorporates many spaces and features you find yourself " wanting" on other ships, or the specific design "solved" problems such as bottle necks and crowding I've experienced on other ships (on most cruise lines) The public "secret" decks, which provide quieter space for those in interior cabins. (though not when an Aqua Theater show is going on)

Another example is the Cafe in the Solarium. I used to find it so jarring to go from the relatively quiet Solarium to the crowded Windjammer and have to drag my plates back to the solarium. With the SC, I could stand up from my chair walk 10 paces, get my food, choose a table, or go back to my chair, never having to disrupt your mood or lose sight of the ocean! Another example-you board (and sadly, leave a week later ) the ship on deck 5. A changeable "sign post" on the light pole shows the way. But on the other days, with those doors closed, the signs change too and these areas become an out of the way place for the photographers to set up, or the seating area for Sorrentos. At no time on this ship did I feel that I had to squeeze by a ships photographer to pass through a public area.

Additionally, the lighting design on this ship is beautiful. There is natural light flooding the interior of the ship. In the evening the lighting is designed to enhance the mood of the neighborhood; romantic in Central Park, Coney Island fun on the Boardwalk etc. Even the cabin lighting is well designed. The lighting can be adjusted to just having the art work lit, which creates a little mood lighting, or enough light for adults to get some chores done while the tots sleep (depending on just what kind of cruise you are on;))

And thats what I mean when I say it's truly a design marvel!

Shhh...secret places ( don't tell anyone!):

-Deck 11, 12, and 14 aft overlooking the aquatheatre. Go to the aft lobby, walk down the looooong cabin hallway till the end, it jogs left or right and you'll see a door. There is a rather large deck with loungers and chairs. Both decks appeared to have ash catchers there for smokers, but we were never bothered by anyone smoking there. There you can see the Aqua Theater shows or movies, sit closer to the rail and see the sea. You can sit in the sun or shade. These decks are essentially the same ( above) this of the aqua theater siutes and you can use them for free!

-Deck 14 forward, port side. Again walk thru the cabin hallway, thru a glass door ( well press the button first;)) at the end of the hall right onto the bow. "I'm on top of the world!"- but don't hang over the edge or toss jewelry overboard...it's frowned upon. There are deck chairs and loungers here, its a great place to see the sunset.

-Behind the Aqua Theater on deck 6 and deck 5 (the jogging track) there are bunches of chairs and if you want you can find sun or shade by just going to the " other side".

Other fun/beautiful places to sit:

-The adirondack chairs on the Boardwalk in front of the seafood shack.

-The benches and " living room " style furniture in Central Park at night. ( too busy with Park Cafe lunch guests during the day.

-The amazing cantilevered hot tubs between the pool deck and Solarium. This is also a great place to watch the football games!

-Schooner bar along the Promenade railing to watch the Rising Tide Bar rise.

-The Viking Crown Lounge by the windows overlooking the pool decks, and Central Park. You can look right into the park and see all the way down to the Promenade through the glass. So while sitting in one spot you can see 3 neighborhoods- the pool deck, Central Park and a glimpse of the Promenade.

Look for Oasis Dec 3 LIVE (exactly one month late) in January with DH's photos, Cruise Compasses, (I didn't photograph menus or food though). In the meantime, I usually check Cruise Critic about once a day just to see what's going on, so I am happy to answer any questions for folks who may be leaving soon. ( you lucky dogs!;)) A few things I can't help with: Ocean Adventure, Casino, Bingo, drink of the day, drink specials, or specialty dining other than Giovannis. But otherwise, I'll do my best to to help you with your planning just as others were such a big help to me!:D

Can't wait for your "live" post! I'll be reading that!

Thanks for the great tips and review preview. I am looking forward to your full review.

Paul

Thank you for your review. I never thought I would like Oasis, but your perspective makes me rethink if I would like to book a cruise on her.

Thank you for your concise and informative mini-review! We are onboard on December 31!

Great 'quick and dirty' review :) can't wait 'til your full one!

I love the "total eclipse of the sea" - I can remember being next to an Costa ship in St. Thomas on the Oasis and looking down to their pool deck then the following day thinking we could slide the cute little AIDA ship into the Boardwalk and take them along with us :D

LOVE the au contraire section.....thank you. Great review. No need for me to read the full version. Of course we'll be on and off by then. :)

LOVE the au contraire section.....thank you. Great review. No need for me to read the full version. Of course we'll be on and off by then. :)

Enjoy her...hope you have a wonderful time! I thought of Au COntraire, I know it's silly:o, but I thought of all the times I had heard something and just found it to be the complete opposite!!

I love the "total eclipse of the sea" - I can remember being next to an Costa ship in St. Thomas on the Oasis and looking down to their pool deck then the following day thinking we could slide the cute little AIDA ship into the Boardwalk and take them along with us

Exactly!!! We were on deck 10 and I could peer down onto the pool decks of other ships that I already consider very large! Certainly, I enjoyed Oasis, but I can see what turns people off about her, especially if they prefer smaller ships, and I'll be travelling with many of those folks on my very small ship cruises in Ecuador and French Polynesia. I guess, I just take the mentality of finding the positive in whatever travel situation I happen to be in!

Great 'pre-review.' Looking forward to your full review after the holidays. It sounds like you had a great time. I am also a planner and am interested in seeing your sheets. As we have only been on the one cruise I will still be looking for any tips to help with the next one.

Happy holidays!

Great 'pre-review.' Looking forward to your full review after the holidays. It sounds like you had a great time. I am also a planner and am interested in seeing your sheets. As we have only been on the one cruise I will still be looking for any tips to help with the next one.

 

Happy holidays!

Thanks Happy! I always use spreadsheets for every trip, I make one for my itinerary and one for packing. I find it actually helps me to pack less because I only bring what I need. Also, by having the schedule all in one place, Im not thumbing through pages for reservation #s or information about an attraction or destination.

Im trying to find a way to "share" the actual excel spreadsheets with anyone interested, but still haven't found the perfect way to do that. Im hoping to at least post the photo and people could use it to create one for themselves that works for their own trips!

Great 'quick and dirty' review :) can't wait 'til your full one!

 

I love the "total eclipse of the sea" - I can remember being next to an Costa ship in St. Thomas on the Oasis and looking down to their pool deck then the following day thinking we could slide the cute little AIDA ship into the Boardwalk and take them along with us :D

 

When my son cruised Oasis, in Nassau he and his buddy noticed a group of 'old guys' hanging at the rail like the were watching something down below. They walked over to check it out and were apparently parked next to another ship with a topless top deck.

Nassau is where you finally get the wow effect. The ships are all lined up and you're looking down on everyone of them. There is one minor complaint though, sometimes wind direction brings other ship's stack smoke right across the top deck of Oasis.

Hi,

Am going on Oasis but doing Western route, and night 5 for us is formal night, and I think the food formal is decent, was formal night on day 5 for you, the day you found nothing really good on the menu? we have booked day 3 and 4 for our speciality restaurants.

Love your honest review, and I also, love to plan, and have booked the shows, and I do hope to have the Abba Show as I love Abba, but I guess I wont know until we are on....

Thanks!

newlu

Hi,

 

Am going on Oasis but doing Western route, and night 5 for us is formal night, and I think the food formal is decent, was formal night on day 5 for you, the day you found nothing really good on the menu? we have booked day 3 and 4 for our speciality restaurants.

Love your honest review, and I also, love to plan, and have booked the shows, and I do hope to have the Abba Show as I love Abba, but I guess I wont know until we are on....

Thanks!

newlu

Newlu- our formal night was day 6, and the menu was great. Prime rib and the fishermans platter, which is the lobster tail and shrimp. Our table had both and thought they were very good. My DH had the Thai chicken and that was good too. So no worries about your formal night. If you check the Oasis review thread dated just before my trip ( ending Dec 3) they have posted the menus for Western. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1528520

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1528520

It's the day 6 menu on this itinerary that the waiter was reluctant to recommend- could just be that night...but...

We had an entertainer Earl Turner, a vegas act who did a little schtick about how the kids today dont know jack about music and then singing parts of the classic oldies mo town sound. I would have rather had Abba or Beatles, but he was more entertaining and energetic than I thought he would be and we stayed for the whole show.

Good luck with your planning.

Thanks so much, at least I know we have night 5 down for formal, as for night 6, we are in Mexico, and will probably have a late lunch in Cozumel anyways!

Cant wait to see Oasis, the shows look amazing, and I do hope we have Abba, so much to do...

newlu

There are so many free places to eat around the ship...you can make up your own pizzas at Sorrentos, but even their slices are tasty! The Windjammer is quiet at night and the Prom cafe is open, though we did not eat there at night.

We often " shifted" meals to have a quieter experience...went to the solarium early, but dudnt eat breakfast till ten, then lunch at Park Cafe around 2 when it was quieter and made a late dinner reservation. Or had a big breakfast on board, went ashore and returned to have a pizza slice at 2 or 3, then dinner.

Great 'quick and dirty' review :) can't wait 'til your full one!

 

I love the "total eclipse of the sea" - I can remember being next to an Costa ship in St. Thomas on the Oasis and looking down to their pool deck then the following day thinking we could slide the cute little AIDA ship into the Boardwalk and take them along with us :D

 

I like this point of scale...

Great review Jeff and Kathy!

I agree with everything you've said. Loved the cruise!

Carl & Karen

thanks for your review

Hi I have read loads of your post from your Oasis cruise and learned some very useful stuff..thank you!!

I have been able to find and downloads, day 1 to day 5 of the Compass daily sheets but can't find the last 2 days or your spreadsheet. Would you be able to post a link on a reply or point me in the right direction please.

Great info...thanks again!

Susi

Hi I have read loads of your post from your Oasis cruise and learned some very useful stuff..thank you!!

I have been able to find and downloads, day 1 to day 5 of the Compass daily sheets but can't find the last 2 days or your spreadsheet. Would you be able to post a link on a reply or point me in the right direction please.

Great info...thanks again!

Susi

Hi Susie- thanks! That's why I've been blathering on, hopefully it's of some use to someone! I haven't posted 6,7 and the spreadsheet yet. 6 goes up today and the spreadsheets and 7 tomorrow on the other thread ( Oasis LIVE one month later) Are you leaving very soon? If so I could email the links to you. If not by Monday they will all be there!

I am sorry to have so many Qs fo your Family... every time I read one of your reviews, I seem to have more Qs (but only b/c your reviews are so thorough and helpful)!!

1. Was the Solarium ever super crowded? I know one of your reviews said no, but I am also wondering if it is b/c you tended to hit up spots during non-peak times.

2. How am I able to locate menus for our itinerary (sailing 12/1/12 on Oasis, E. Caribbean)? This will help us determine if we should do MDR or book a specialty restaurant.

3. I too plan to print the deck plans... did you just copy and paste from RCI's website?

4. We are located in the back on Deck 14.. I see that the Solarium is located in the front on Deck 15. Is there a long walk to get from the back to the front of the deck? Not sure if I should re-schedule our room reservation...

Thanks so much for all your help!!!!

I'll do my best to answer!

I am sorry to have so many Qs fo your Family... every time I read one of your reviews, I seem to have more Qs (but only b/c your reviews are so thorough and helpful)!!

 

1. Was the Solarium ever super crowded? I know one of your reviews said no, but I am also wondering if it is b/c you tended to hit up spots during non-peak times. You are cruising on " our" week! We've cruised that week for 4 years now! I found on all ships, fewer kids that time of year. You would think that would make the solarium more crowded...ready for my theory. The pool decks are less crazy with kids, so adults are more comfortable there and it drives LESS traffic to the solarium. In today's post on the " live" thread, I mention being in the Soarium from 10-1 on a sea day, prime time; but there were always chairs. I think you will be fine!

 

2. How am I able to locate menus for our itinerary (sailing 12/1/12 on Oasis, E. Caribbean)? This will help us determine if we should do MDR or book a specialty restaurant.

Hmmm, trying to remember if someone posted Eastern menus recently? I'd try searching CC, they rarely change, so you will get the idea. In my " Live" post on Day 5 St Martin, I mentioned that the food was not great...and that would be a good night to consider a specialty dinner.

 

3. I too plan to print the deck plans... did you just copy and paste from RCI's website? I did! I just printed 4,5,6, 8, then 15...but I wrote on 15 what was above it on 16. These are all the major venues, so you could see quickly where to go. I did find it helpful!

 

4. We are located in the back on Deck 14.. I see that the Solarium is located in the front on Deck 15. Is there a long walk to get from the back to the front of the deck? Not sure if I should re-schedule our room reservation...

This is up to you, do you have mobility issues? I didn't find the walk terribly far and honestly our cabin was in the bow and we felt we were walking back to the stern a lot. Also we often we going to the Solarium from the aqua theater or sports deck and it didn't feel far to me! Our Allure cabin is aft, and I'm thinking it will be fine! We spent lots of time back there when we weren't in the solarium!

Thanks so much for all your help!!!!

I'll do my best to answer!

Thanks so much for your helpful answers! I cannot wait to explore the Oasis!