Oasis of the sea suite holder review from Western Aug 1st sailing

I wanted to provide a full review since this community was so incredibly helpful in answering my questions, offering insight and giving us the perfect vacation. I hope my review helps some of you plan.

A little about us, couple in their 40’s traveling with soon to be 16 year old son. Me, the worry-wart-super-planner, my boyfriend (aka: Significant other “SO” for this review) who is a first time cruiser and my son, a 16 years old self-proclaimed Foodie. We traveled on Oasis to the Western Caribbean. We stayed in a Crown Loft suite, room 1710, with an ocean side view.

We started our journey by traveling to Ft Lauderdale the day before arriving at 11:00 am and stayed at the Largo Mar hotel. It was about a 30 min from the airport in a very scary cab ride:eek:…why did I not just call for an uber??!! The hotel was lovely, clean and the people kind. They had several large swimming pools on site, a beach chess board, full restaurant and a tiki hut that served a full lunch and beach access.

We had a ball, swimming in the ocean, playing in the pool and chess. It was a relaxing way to start our vacation! :)

We were supposed to board the ship at 12:30 and I think we arrived at 11:45 am. We paid the porters to take care of our very heavy 4 bags…I brought too many shoes…and went into the suite holder door. No line existed so we walked right up to the counter. I had done ALL paperwork on line and I urge you to do the same. It made everything go so much smoother and easier. They scanned the passports, gave us our gold sea pass card and we walked right onto the ship! Hooray. :D

After a brief stop for some liquid courage for my SO and a de-stresser cocktail for me…we headed up to the 17 floor to see if we could get a peek at our room. The door was open so in we walked. It was already cleaned and so we starting exploring.

The room is very spacious and it has a bathroom downstairs. It is a huge sink and counter area with a capsule shower. Actually impressive in size. The den area was bright and comfortable with amble seating. The deck holds two large loungers comfortably and we asked for a table in the event that we wanted to eat on the balcony. The upstairs bathroom was a good use of space. The long shower had two shower heads and a rainfall shower in the center…wonder if I can talk SO into putting one in at our house?? :rolleyes: The separate vanity kept me primping outside the bathroom which created a more comfortable atmosphere and the bed was large and cozy. Being a suite we had a pillow menu and got to select which pillow, out of 5 choices that we got. Also it had a TV that lowered from the ceiling and a remote for the long curtains in the den. I guess they didn’t want us burning all those calories walking up and down the stairs too much! :)

Welcome back.Looking forward to your review.

Next stop was the suite holder’s lounge and Coastal Kitchen. On the map they appear almost as two separate spaces. But when you enter they are one large room with the Coastal Kitchen on the right, a long bar in the middle and the suite holders lounge on the left.

Every morning they have a light breakfast on the lounge side with muffins and fruit and they offer a full sit-down meal at Coastal Kitchen. The breakfast was my favorite on the ship. Everything is fresh and delicious. I always ordered the Baja eggs, avocado, tomatoes, spicy salsa topped with eggs. So yummy I wish I had a plate of it in front of me right now. My SO got the eggs with corned beef hash each morning and he enjoyed it too. Each morning I would go to the lounge before breakfast and grab a coffee and fruit for us to share and meet my handsome SO on the balcony to watch the world glide by while we started our morning. Very handy to have it so close on the 17th floor.

You can have drinks (wine and beer) with sit-down lunch each day and with dinner. They also offer a full bar from 5:00 to 7:30. Nadia in the lounge was the most helpful concierge I have ever encountered!

We got all dressed up for formal night but it was disappointing that apparently only a few people on the ship got the memo that it was supposed to be a dressy occasion.:rolleyes:

My SO wore a Tux and looked amazing and my son wore a bow-tie and sport coat. I wore a cocktail dress but I can promise you it will be the last cruise my SO brings his tux on. Some men wore suits but many didn’t; I missed the formality of it. We ate in the Main dining room 4 nights during the cruise and found the food average and the service excellent. The escargot was very terrific and so was the wild mushroom puff pastry. The entrees left a bit to be desired and the deserts were good but nothing remarkable. Normally I love eating at the same table each night and getting to know my server. But we did 3 specialty dining and I think for my next cruise I will likely do even more specialty dining.

We also asked for a table for 6, so we could met new people but we were seated at a table for 4. No a problem for me looking at my handsome guys during dinner…no complaints!:D

Good morning,

thanks for sharing all this information. I have a CL booked on an upcoming oasis cruise. I have a question.

1. you said they have wine and beer with lunch and dinner...

So... when you are eating at the coastal kitchen (lets say for dinner) do they charge you for the wine, beer ( or even cocktails) do you have to go to the bar and get them, or will they bring them to you for free?

I know whats included as far as wine/beer or cocktails from 5:30 to 8pm or whatever.. but I never thought they would also offer them to you while you are eating ( even though I guess it's right next to the suite lounge) Would be amazing if it did work that way...

Thanks for the info

Off to Haiti! We love Haiti and booked a cabana B2…Thanks to Nadia in the suite holders lounge for making that happen for us….#grateful! Getting off the ship was easy and we went to the suite holders beach. You must show a gold SP card to enter and we went to the cabana. It has two large loungers in the front and a large U-shaped sofa in the back under the shade and ceiling fan. It stayed pretty cool and we had a perfect view of the beach. They gave us a lunch that was steak, chicken, Shrimp skewers, corn, backed potatoes, salads and desert. We did some shopping….how do you tell 50 merchants, that ALL sell the same merchandise and are all eager for you to buy something…that you are just looking??!! :eek::eek::eek:The aggressive, but kind, vendors made me uneasy. Back to the ship….a nap awaits!

Good morning,

thanks for sharing all this information. I have a CL booked on an upcoming oasis cruise. I have a question.

 

1. you said they have wine and beer with lunch and dinner...

 

So... when you are eating at the coastal kitchen (lets say for dinner) do they charge you for the wine, beer ( or even cocktails) do you have to go to the bar and get them, or will they bring them to you for free?

 

I know whats included as far as wine/beer or cocktails from 5:30 to 8pm or whatever.. but I never thought they would also offer them to you while you are eating ( even though I guess it's right next to the suite lounge) Would be amazing if it did work that way...

 

Thanks for the info

Happy to help!

Yes, you can get beer and wine with lunch and they did NOT charge for it. In fact, I got champagne with breakfast and they didn't charge me for that either. At dinner you can also get beer and wine in coastal kitchen. We also had the drink package and could have had more 'free drinks' in coastal kitchen but we didn't go there for lunch. Hope that helps.

Thank you for your great review with pics.

Let me start by saying …..We LOVED Chops!!! I really exceeded my expectations. I ordered the filet med-rare and it was cooked perfectly. My SO ordered the aged steak which was a $19 upcharge. It was beefy goodness, tender and full of marbled flavor. For sides we got the tater tots…fine but nothing remarkable and the corn…corn was terrific. Can’t go wrong with the cheesecake or the red velvet cake. On our next cruise we will likely book this twice.

And we made friends! We were hoping to meet some amazing new people and one night in Vintages we met someone….drum-roll….that I had seen posting here on this board! What are the chances?? Tami and John, you made our trip even better and I think we have made a friend for life. We all ate at Chops together (although make sure you stay on ship time so you are not an hour late to dinner like we were!)

The atmosphere was like any high quality steak house, dark walls, romantic lighting and a great wine selection. One funny note is they bring around side sauces for your steak and they have one called "American sauce"...it is ketchup:D:D.

Did you have dinner at CK or just breakfast?

Jamaica was a day of golf in Cinnamon Hill. We booked with the cruise line and it was a lot of fun. My only recommendation is to bring your own clubs and bring golf balls. Yes they are a bit heavy to carry but the gold course charges $19.00 for 3 golf balls YIKES:eek:. And I am a new golfer so I lose a lot of balls:p. You get a caddie for the day and a golf cart. It is a challenging course but you do get to see a lot of the Jamaica country side.

Did you have dinner at CK or just breakfast?

Hi Mark, we had dinner in Coastal Kitchen one night. It was good but not excellent. SO got the Rib eye and it was a very thin cut (surprising thin) and over cooked. But with the cut being so thin it would be hard not to over cook it. I got the scallops and they were yummy but you only got 4 so make sure you order something in addition if you are hungry. The best thing we got was the mushroom flat-bread pizza. It was very good with a wheat crust and a generous amount of cheese. I heard the lamb chops were good but I can not speak first hand about that. My son ordered the fish stew and he said it was okay but he didn't finish it. Hope the pictures help.

Thanks

Happy to help!

 

Yes, you can get beer and wine with lunch and they did NOT charge for it. In fact, I got champagne with breakfast and they didn't charge me for that either. At dinner you can also get beer and wine in coastal kitchen. We also had the drink package and could have had more 'free drinks' in coastal kitchen but we didn't go there for lunch. Hope that helps.

Yes... Thank you for your response. and I am glad you enjoyed your trip

So glad to see a review from you - and especially happy you had a great time. Looking forward to the rest. Maybe some info on the suite sundeck?

Loving your review & pics. Thanks for sharing.

Great review! Welcome back!

Great review so far. I'm really enjoying and looking forward to more!

Allensfan, thanks for the report back. It looks like you had a great time.

B2 is our favourite cabanna at Barefoot Beach. It looks like you were able to get one once you arrived on the ship. On a side note, I too have fallen asleep in that cabanna on a few occasions. ;) You and your "crew" looked great dressed to the nines. Do you remember who your cabin attendants were?

I look forward to the rest of your review.

Andrew

So glad to see a review from you - and especially happy you had a great time. Looking forward to the rest. Maybe some info on the suite sundeck?

The sun deck for suite holders is very nice and well organized. You must slide in your gold card and the gate will open. It has richly padded loungers and a full bar. You are up high off the deck where the pools are so I guess the only draw back would be if you like to hop in the pool a lot. You would have to walk down the stairs to the main deck, dip in and walk back up. We also liked the Solarium but wished they would have enforced the 16 and over rule more closely.

Allensfan, thanks for the report back. It looks like you had a great time.

 

B2 is our favourite cabanna at Barefoot Beach. It looks like you were able to get one once you arrived on the ship. On a side note, I too have fallen asleep in that cabanna on a few occasions. ;) You and your "crew" looked great dressed to the nines. Do you remember who your cabin attendants were?

 

I look forward to the rest of your review.

 

 

Andrew

Thanks Andrew! The stateroom attendants were Ninjas; we never saw them! We met both of them (we had two) on the first day and although super sweet and kind, the main attendant's English was a tad difficult to understand. We really hardly ever saw them during the cruise. They would come in and clean up perfectly but we never saw them. I feel terrible that I can't really recall his name but again it was a bit difficult to understand them. The room was kept immaculately

Ninja's could/might be the right word. We have found them to be quick, thorough, professional, have a desire to please and are exceptionally friendly. Having sailed with many of them on numerous occasions we have also found them to have a great sense of humor and most importantly a great love for their family at home. They are great people.:)

The sun deck for suite holders is very nice and well organized. You must slide in your gold card and the gate will open. It has richly padded loungers and a full bar. You are up high off the deck where the pools are so I guess the only draw back would be if you like to hop in the pool a lot. You would have to walk down the stairs to the main deck, dip in and walk back up. We also liked the Solarium but wished they would have enforced the 16 and over rule more closely.

Thanks for your review. I cannot wait to get back on an Oasis Class Ship again! With all the enhanced suite perks why would I go elsewhere? I like the fact that you have to slide your card to access the sun suite deck. And we didn't mind going down the stairs to take a dip either. I just wish the Solarium was 18 and over.

Off to Haiti! We love Haiti and booked a cabana B2…Thanks to Nadia in the suite holders lounge for making that happen for us….#grateful! Getting off the ship was easy and we went to the suite holders beach. You must show a gold SP card to enter and we went to the cabana. It has two large loungers in the front and a large U-shaped sofa in the back under the shade and ceiling fan. It stayed pretty cool and we had a perfect view of the beach. They gave us a lunch that was steak, chicken, Shrimp skewers, corn, backed potatoes, salads and desert. We did some shopping….how do you tell 50 merchants, that ALL sell the same merchandise and are all eager for you to buy something…that you are just looking??!! :eek::eek::eek:The aggressive, but kind, vendors made me uneasy. Back to the ship….a nap awaits!

So did you absolutely love the cabana that you would get one again next trip or would you be happy just getting in barefoot beach with your card and sitting on the beach and floating in the water.We will be there next month and still trying to decide if we should get one.We love the sun and water and dont know if we would get a lot of use from it.Thanks