Just got off today 04/10/10 WOW

[matsitter]

The Compass highlighted the activities on the boat that were really for adults but younger ones. If you are 18 while you can't drink you will have no curfew and can go to all the clubs even after midnight. It had all the sports activities, classes, contests, dance clubs and their hours, special events. Again I only wish there was a meet and greet specifically for this age. There is a singles meet and greet on the first night I believe. I would recommended she attend this. Also, the Oasis of the Seas Facebook page had a discussion group for teens on Week of April 3rd. Also, looked like they had them for other weeks. He met two people from the discussion group at about 5 on the first day and spent the entire 7 days with them.

[xcomet]

We were offered the option of group for my son when we got our sea pass. He had either option to be in 15-17 or 18 and over but not both. He was 18 in March. We did hear that once an option is chosen you can't change. They may want to explain this more up front. Relative to 18 yr olds, this is the first time I saw an actual "Compass for 18-21 year olds". Still they need to have a formal meet and greet.quote]

 

Could you please tell me what the 18 - 21 year old cruise compass covered? Did they any activities listed on it that were for this age group alone? Our daughter just turned 18 and is a senior in high school. I would love for her to be able to meet some girls her own age.

 

HI,

I thought I had the compass for this age group, but didnt have it.

However I can tell you the first night, as I went with my daughter.

8pm, Name that tune - Schooner Bar

NO ONE WAS THERE

we left and went to

Dazzles - 9pm,

NO ONE WAS THERE

Viking Crown Lounge 930p

NO ONE WAS THERE

We went back up to the area outside of fuel on the sports deck, and we just looked around, we both approached kids on the basketball courts and at the area outside of fuel and asked if they were 18, she met one boy from Norway that night, played ball, and together they went to the remainder of the activities on the compass, still no one was there. Basically it was the regular compass with highlighted activities , that RCL thought this age would enjoy.

But nothing organized at all. So basically,She kept approaching people on the ship (and so did I )and her sister in the 15-17, group asked her friends, and she met a couple more.Problem was there wasnt anything for them to do , or a place to hang out,Everytime they went into Dazzles or Blazes, which was indicated on the 18-21 yr compass, it was filled with people in their 50's.

It was also difficult because alot of the 18-20 yr olds were interested in drinking(some supplied by parents) and gambling (the computer roulette table was filled with them at night). I also didnt allow my daughter ,also a senior in high school , to take trips to the hot tub at 3 am, or wander till all hours of the morning.The ice rink was often not open to the public due to the rehearsals and shows. The flow rider, mainly filled with reservations. How many times can you rock climb and zip line? The on air club for karoke was fine for them , but again, how many times can you do that?

They did do the quest and watch some shows,but they all agreed they missed the scavenger hunts, the photo challenges, the pool parties,the speed dating, the dance parties, and all the other activities usually run in the 15-17 yr old area.They did go to the game room, to play cards, and apples to apples, but the adults there, told them they were too loud, and that the game room was supposed to be a quiet place.

So she did end up meeting about 6 or 7 kids, but they would just be hanging around promenade . this group didnt like to play ball or do alot of active things,so........

I would just be sure that I would take a friend for her next time.

my advice to you is, start scouting for teens upon ck in, and all over the ship,I know I probably appeared to be a stalker, but after a while, I seemed to notice all the kids in the age group , doing the same thing! Looking for others of their age! It was kind of sad!

If any of the cruise lines are looking for a niche, this is it.

If they catered a little more to this crowd, they would have a lot more cruisers, and even more repeat cruisers. The cruise passengers wouldnt be complaining about the teens roaming the ship drinking and being loud,if they just had stuff to keep them occupied!

BTW...I voiced my opinion on the Oasis, which I always thought the boards were for, especially with freedom of speech and all! Didnt bash the Oasis just gave my opinion, especially for the difference in price , between that and the Freedom class ships. If you look around the Oasis boards, there are plenty of others sharing my opinions.

Some of these posters have way too much time and misplaced anger!

anyway, before I get anymore comments from the mean cc posters, I end my post, and I have put it all in my letter to RCL

Hope this helped and ck out the Oasis of the sea roll call for 4/3/10 the facebook link is there, (there are other dates on facebook)and perhaps she will see someone she can meet up with ahead of time. The kids my daughter met , came with friends, and ended up hanging out with each other.

[2cruisers in Georgia]

Hi everybody ~~ We enjoyed reading this board as we are still in the cruising mode although today we are unpacking and getting back into the usual routine.

 

After sailing on 48 cruises before this one, we booked the Oasis "for something different" and because we wanted to see all the new things on the World's Largest Cruise Ship. We were not disappointed as we enjoyed walking around in "Central Park", riding on the Carousel, seeing the Aqua Show, and eating at the Chef's table.

 

We found the staff and crew to be very friendly. We could not have been happier with our dining room waitress, asst waiter, room steward and bar servers especially Liling in the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

Check in was the fastest ever and so was our departure. Our 3 pieces of luggage were easily found and already waiting when we left the ship around 8:30 a.m.

 

We were told that this cruise had the most passengers ever -- over 6100 -- and 1900 of them were kids. Needless to say, there were not many people in our age group probably because we chose Spring Break week for our cruise.

 

Although we enjoyed this trip and are glad we experienced the grand Oasis, we will now go back to the Voyager and Freedom classes.

 

We had a Junior Suite and loved our room, it was just the right size. We met someone who had a loft suite and he was kind enough to give us a tour so we now know for sure that we prefer the JS over the Loft Suite.

 

We had a few bad experiences. We are Diamond+ and are supposed to have priority seating in the MDR. We had requested a table for 6 by the window. We checked out our table when we boarded and found it was a table for 8 which was ok but when we went to dinner, the people already seated at the table, told us we couldn't sit there because it was for "their family". So we had to wait to be reassigned and eventually had to go down one floor to another dining room to a table for 2. We only ate there 4 nights so it was ok.

 

The other nights we ate at Chops twice due to the first night being a bad experience and the Chops Manager called and invited us back so we went back. He refunded the first time but we paid for the 2nd time.

 

We also ate at the Chef's table. It's a table for 14 but only 7 people showed up and they told us we were the smallest crowd ever to have dinner at the Chef's table. It was $75 per person and included a wine pairing with each dish. I felt that they did not pour the wine freely as we had to ask for more a couple of times. Food was "pretty good" and we were glad we experienced it one time but probably not again.

 

Also, I did not like the hassle of booking shows in advance but I had everything booked online before we left for our cruise. When we arrived, we already had a message that one of our shows was cancelled. Then when we showed up for the IceShow at our scheduled time and after waiting 30 mins outside the door to be let in, someone came out and told the crowd waiting that it was cancelled. Yes, they rebooked both shows for us.

 

We enjoyed Hairspray -- the actors were great -- singing and dancing was the best ever!! But, halfway through the show, they had a "technical difficulty" and had to reschedule the 2nd half for a later date.

 

We also ate lunch at Johnny Rockets one day and it was ok, we had eaten there on other ships and it's good for a change. We ate at the Seafood Cafe twice as we really enjoyed the Clam Chowder in a Sour Dough Bowl. It's $8.95 each to eat there but the last time we asked if we only wanted the Clam Chowder did we have to pay the $8.95 each and we were told that we could have the Clam Chowder or any one item for $3.00 each.

 

Oh, one last thing that I haven't seen mentioned here -- one day they had the "Wii Fit" on the daily schedule so since I enjoy that at home, we decided to go thinking they would have several already set up. Wrong. Only 3 people showed up to do it but each person had to go through setting up their Mii which took forever and how embarrassing for everybody to see your age and weight, etc. The cruise staff member in charge of it asked us how to use it and it wasn't even the Wii Fit Plus. We didn't try any of the other Wii activites and I would not want to after that.

 

Ok, enough said -- Everybody needs to experience the Oasis at least one time !!

[ktkcruisers]

 

HI,

I thought I had the compass for this age group, but didnt have it.

However I can tell you the first night, as I went with my daughter.

8pm, Name that tune - Schooner Bar

NO ONE WAS THERE

we left and went to

Dazzles - 9pm,

NO ONE WAS THERE

Viking Crown Lounge 930p

NO ONE WAS THERE

We went back up to the area outside of fuel on the sports deck, and we just looked around, we both approached kids on the basketball courts and at the area outside of fuel and asked if they were 18, she met one boy from Norway that night, played ball, and together they went to the remainder of the activities on the compass, still no one was there. Basically it was the regular compass with highlighted activities , that RCL thought this age would enjoy.

But nothing organized at all. So basically,She kept approaching people on the ship (and so did I )and her sister in the 15-17, group asked her friends, and she met a couple more.Problem was there wasnt anything for them to do , or a place to hang out,Everytime they went into Dazzles or Blazes, which was indicated on the 18-21 yr compass, it was filled with people in their 50's.

It was also difficult because alot of the 18-20 yr olds were interested in drinking(some supplied by parents) and gambling (the computer roulette table was filled with them at night). I also didnt allow my daughter ,also a senior in high school , to take trips to the hot tub at 3 am, or wander till all hours of the morning.The ice rink was often not open to the public due to the rehearsals and shows. The flow rider, mainly filled with reservations. How many times can you rock climb and zip line? The on air club for karoke was fine for them , but again, how many times can you do that?

They did do the quest and watch some shows,but they all agreed they missed the scavenger hunts, the photo challenges, the pool parties,the speed dating, the dance parties, and all the other activities usually run in the 15-17 yr old area.They did go to the game room, to play cards, and apples to apples, but the adults there, told them they were too loud, and that the game room was supposed to be a quiet place.

So she did end up meeting about 6 or 7 kids, but they would just be hanging around promenade . this group didnt like to play ball or do alot of active things,so........

I would just be sure that I would take a friend for her next time.

my advice to you is, start scouting for teens upon ck in, and all over the ship,I know I probably appeared to be a stalker, but after a while, I seemed to notice all the kids in the age group , doing the same thing! Looking for others of their age! It was kind of sad!

If any of the cruise lines are looking for a niche, this is it.

If they catered a little more to this crowd, they would have a lot more cruisers, and even more repeat cruisers. The cruise passengers wouldnt be complaining about the teens roaming the ship drinking and being loud,if they just had stuff to keep them occupied!

BTW...I voiced my opinion on the Oasis, which I always thought the boards were for, especially with freedom of speech and all! Didnt bash the Oasis just gave my opinion, especially for the difference in price , between that and the Freedom class ships. If you look around the Oasis boards, there are plenty of others sharing my opinions.

Some of these posters have way too much time and misplaced anger!

anyway, before I get anymore comments from the mean cc posters, I end my post, and I have put it all in my letter to RCL

Hope this helped and ck out the Oasis of the sea roll call for 4/3/10 the facebook link is there, (there are other dates on facebook)and perhaps she will see someone she can meet up with ahead of time. The kids my daughter met , came with friends, and ended up hanging out with each other.

 

Thank you for the information! This is a huge help!

[the plumbers wife]

I enjoyed reading all the reviews listed here! We are three familys - (ages 14-72) sailing 6/26/10. You can not please everyone, but your on vacation, how bad can it be?? We enjoy our family time...sure there are ups and downs. The last time we all cruised my Dad :rolleyes: hit my Mom in the fore head with a seat/buckle on the aircraft that was jammed...we then all had to get off the plane because there were engine issues...meanwhile I am running around the airport looking for ice for Mom....in Key West on a tour, my Sister and DH missed the bus and ended up having a few beers, went shopping and caught up with us hours later.... Dad wasn't happy..:p..lol...(This cruise BIL and I will be leaving them with the kids and the parents and having a few...lol).. DH is a plumber and we had toilet issues , we sort of lost my then 11 year old godson one night, we did find him ;), in the arcade of course, boy was he in trouble..We all decided that some nights the food was better than others....and so forth and so on. But you know what, we had laughs and we still laugh about it when we talk about it today! Its all in what you make of it!!! It's memorys for my kids someday when Nana/Papa aren't here anymore...I am the lucky one in charge of this group, they follow me around all week ...looking forward to a large ship..ha..ha..(Ernie- many good points :D)!

[SeaCruise1]

Does anyone know if the Osmonds will be on the April 24th sailing? My wife grew up with them and would love to see them again.

[ladyeight]

I enjoy hearing "both sides". We always get on a ship with a positive attitude.(11 on Princess, 4 on Celebrity) Especially since this is our first on RCC. I wish I had read more before I changed our 14th floor cabin. We were going to be opposite the children's area and I had horror visions of being awaken in the morning or late afternoon when we like to "take a break". We are now on 12, with ocean balcony.

 

Very excited about our first RCC cruise and exploring the Oasis. We had already booked the Allure for 1/9/11 but couldn't resist "last minute deal" for 5/1/10. As Florida residents (and recently retired) we are fortunate to be able to grab these deals and go.

 

Would appreciate feedback on these few questions.:)

 

One of the reviews commented on Casino. How bad can it really be?

Show Reservations-should those be made as soon as we board?

Do they have Soda and Coffee packages?

Smoking areas? How convenient?

[xcomet]

I enjoy hearing "both sides". We always get on a ship with a positive attitude.(11 on Princess, 4 on Celebrity) Especially since this is our first on RCC. I wish I had read more before I changed our 14th floor cabin. We were going to be opposite the children's area and I had horror visions of being awaken in the morning or late afternoon when we like to "take a break". We are now on 12, with ocean balcony.

 

Very excited about our first RCC cruise and exploring the Oasis. We had already booked the Allure for 1/9/11 but couldn't resist "last minute deal" for 5/1/10. As Florida residents (and recently retired) we are fortunate to be able to grab these deals and go.

 

Would appreciate feedback on these few questions.:)

 

One of the reviews commented on Casino. How bad can it really be?

Show Reservations-should those be made as soon as we board?

Do they have Soda and Coffee packages?

Smoking areas? How convenient?

hello,

to answer your questions,

you should make your show reservations on line, do not wait to board,I experienced the same show cancellations and technical difficulties the op did, and the folks who had were rescheduled with reservations , had priority over the folks with no reservations. Donnie was not on the cruise, just the oldest three brothers, cant give feedback on the show, I missed it due to my rescheduling of the other shows.

Dont know about coffee packages, but coffee is free at the promenade cafe,(seattles best) soda packages are available , I want to say we paid about 80 bucks, but you should also do this ahead of time on line.

The casino, has a smoking and non smoking side, did notice smoking at one side of pool decks, but didnt see it anywhere else.

Problem with the casino , is the complaints of fellow passengers at how tight the slot machines are, not even loose going out. The machines which are multi denominational,however most require you play minimum 50 - 1.00 cents a clip on the penny machines,for minimum bets. Does that make sense?

just personally thought you could play quater machine for that price. I didnt play the tables, but many of the folks I spoke to around the ship said, that out of all the cruises they lost the most on this ship both at the slots and the tables , unfortunately I can include myself . ha ha

coincidence, Just luck, who knows, not a complaint just a comment!

[ladyeight]

Were you on recently? Are there any specific times or days to make reservations. Any shows ok to miss? Our entertainment is usually the Casino, but I know we will cut our "loss" time by going to the shows on this ship. I can miss "The Broadway" type shows.

 

Do they have the standard 2 Formal nights (semi-formal). Did you go to any of the specialty restaurants?

 

I feel like a novice (even after 16+ cruises). It's like visiting a new City.

 

Thanks again.

[xcomet]

Were you on recently? Are there any specific times or days to make reservations. Any shows ok to miss? Our entertainment is usually the Casino, but I know we will cut our "loss" time by going to the shows on this ship. I can miss "The Broadway" type shows.

 

Do they have the standard 2 Formal nights (semi-formal). Did you go to any of the specialty restaurants?

 

I feel like a novice (even after 16+ cruises). It's like visiting a new City.

 

Thanks again.

 

Hi

yes I just came off on saturday april 10.

Dont miss the aqua show it was great, and come fly with me was fantastic.

Hairspray was great too, not as good as on Broadway, but not to be missed.

Our ice show was interrupted due to technical difficulties, so we never got back in. It took 3 trys to see the entire aqua show,again technical difficulties, thats how I missed the Osmonds. The comedy club acts were pretty funny as well. If I had to pick one not to miss show, it would be the Come fly with me, lots of stunts, music and gymnastic feats.

Yes two formal nights, although I would say not everyone knew it was formal from the way they dressed, not like the old days. ha ha

No ,we did not do any specialty restuarants, it was an expensive cruise to begin with, and lots of things to pay for on the ship. We did do Johnny Rockets ,not as good as on freedom class ships , and the sea food schack was just ok, not great ,and wouldnt go again.

And as I said the casino pay offs werent so great, luck or coincidence, so we layed low on the specialty restaurants.

As far as reservations for shows go, do it on line, you can look at the big picture of which you want to do, each night, considering port time, etc.

For example, We dont ever do a show on the last night, too much going on enjoying the ship for the last night and packing et all. Just my personal opinion.

Since you are an experienced cruiser .let me know what you think when you get back, I personally wouldnt do it again, Freedom class just as nice, with lots of incidentals and personal service I prefer,less expensive.

enjoy

[one9marine]

Were you on recently? Are there any specific times or days to make reservations. Any shows ok to miss? Our entertainment is usually the Casino, but I know we will cut our "loss" time by going to the shows on this ship. I can miss "The Broadway" type shows.

 

Do they have the standard 2 Formal nights (semi-formal). Did you go to any of the specialty restaurants?

 

I feel like a novice (even after 16+ cruises). It's like visiting a new City.

 

Thanks again.

ladyeight,we just got off 4/10. to answer some of your ?'s,i really enjoyed come fly with me. hairspray was ok,like you i'm not a broadway person. we didn't go to the osmands but our friends did. he even said he liked it. we missed the aqua show do to my mistake. i thought come fly with me was the aqua show. i emailed RCCL and asked who the shows were and in a few days got back the list. the comedy show was funny.

as far as the ship,we really liked sitting in central park at night with a drink and just relaxing. at one end of both glass structures their is a sitting area with nice chairs. it's right by the entrance to giovanni's table.

if you have any more ?'s just let us know. :D

[ravensrockdc]

I've been told on the M&M board that there are 63 bars onboard. Does anyone have a list of them. I'd like to see how many i can cross off..

[ravensrockdc]

I've been told on the M&M board that there are 63 bars onboard. Does anyone have a list of them. I'd like to see how many i can cross off..

 

sorry I meant to post this on the main thread..thanks..

[ravensrockdc]

I've been told on the M&M board that there are 63 bars onboard. Does anyone have a list of them?

 

I'd like to see how many i can cross off..

 

11 Days to GO>>>

[ravensrockdc]

I've been told on the M&M board that there are 63 bars onboard. Does anyone have a list of them?

 

I'd like to see how many i can cross off..

 

11 Days to GO>>>

 

LOL.. i have no words...

[ladyeight]

Hi,

Thanks for suggestion to make reservations for the shows. It's a nice feeling knowing I will get into all the shows. This is the first time I am actually looking forward to the entertainment. (it should make my casino time shorter). What is it like getting into the shows with the reservation-do they check off your name, or should I bring the printed confirmation?

 

I wanted to make a reservation for the 1500 Central restaurant, first of all, the times available were either at 6pm or 9:30 pm and then you had to give a credit card NOW. I'll wait, I'm sure they leave ome open time during the week for those of us who do not want to pay ahead. If the food in the MDR is as good as Celebrity , I will save my money.

 

Can't think of any other ?? now, but will ask if I think of anything else. Will let you know how it was. :)

[ILUVTRIPS]

This thread is a great example of why cruise reviews on an anonymous message board should not be taken at face value. A cruise review can be a wonderful and entertaining tool, but I would never let one sway where I will spend my next vacation dollars. Now if there are hundreds of reviews, all negative about a specific issue then some alarms might be sounded.

 

We have no way of knowing the background, personality, experience, expectations, etc. of the reviewer so it's subjective at best. I would never let a perfect stranger on a message board have such influence over my decisions. Some people are just negative by nature and will seek out imperfections and exploit them. I've found on cruises this type of person exists in abundance, far more so compared to land based vacations. They usually tend to be an experienced cruiser, or at least they think they are. They complain a lot but continue to book cruises, for what reason I don't know? I avoid this type of person at all costs. They are the ones that are always talking about how much better their last cruise was, and what a disappointment this one is. Most of the time they are seeking supporters of their cause or just anyone that will listen. I'm sure you have seen them, out at the pool, in the buffet, or even worse, assigned to your dinner table. It doesn't matter what ship or cruise line, they can be found everywhere. To the other extreme we have those that refuse to acknowledge when something is really awful. It's like they take it personal or perhaps they don't want to admit they wasted their money on a really lousy experience. For me, something in the middle is preferred but again on a cruise board you have no way of knowing the personality of the poster.

 

In this thread we have two people, on the exact same cruise, coming away with vastly different opinions. One is almost 100% positive, while the other is almost 100% negative. Having sailed on OASIS myself, I can't imagine coming away with such a negative review. I certainly don't think OASIS is for everyone and of course not perfect, but if you like the Caribbean and a large ship experience I don't think she can be beat. The positives far outweighed the negatives, and having sailed on the Voyager & Freedom Class I don't think there is any comparison. As fantastic as those ships are, OASIS has them beat in just about every category.

 

Anyway to each his own. I just found this thread to be a perfect example of why it's important NOT to read too much into these reviews.

 

Ernie

 

Thanks for putting the reviews into perspective. All I need is a deck chair, the sea and a mimosa and I'm happy!:cool:

[one9marine]

Hi,

Thanks for suggestion to make reservations for the shows. It's a nice feeling knowing I will get into all the shows. This is the first time I am actually looking forward to the entertainment. (it should make my casino time shorter). What is it like getting into the shows with the reservation-do they check off your name, or should I bring the printed confirmation?

 

I wanted to make a reservation for the 1500 Central restaurant, first of all, the times available were either at 6pm or 9:30 pm and then you had to give a credit card NOW. I'll wait, I'm sure they leave ome open time during the week for those of us who do not want to pay ahead. If the food in the MDR is as good as Celebrity , I will save my money.

 

Can't think of any other ?? now, but will ask if I think of anything else. Will let you know how it was. :)

when you get on the ship you can check your shows on your tv in the room. at the doors employees have a scanner to read your sea pass. easy!

[matsitter]

Food in MDR is good not great. Actually, we thought the dinner buffer in the Windjammer was very good, fresh and offered a great assortment of different international options.

 

Just make sure you get to the shows, even with reservations, about 20 minutes before they start. The theatre will fill up and they start giving away seats about 10 minutes before show time. If you want an aisle, get there about 30 minutes before. All you do is bring your sea pass and they will scan. Need to do for each member of your party though. One sea pass is for one entry into show.

[Adri204]

Traveling and expierences and life is all what one makes of it. If someone goes with a great attitude and wants to have a good time and dosent get stressed and goes with the flow. It stands to reason they will have a good time.

 

I read the positive and the negative reviews and again I feel like its all perception. Its up to each person to have a good time. The ship and the crew and the company can only do so much.

 

It sounds like thier is plenty to do one just has to figure out what they are and where they are and then go from thier.

 

But thats all part of life,

 

Adri ;)

[willysgrandma]

It is very interesting seeing two such different reviews.

 

I have two questions - I thought I had read a few reviews that said that pool attendants were pretty vigilant in removing items from chairs that weren't sat in for an extended period of time. Did you notice that at all?

 

And the zip line - do you need to sign up as soon as you get on the ship to get a time?

[matsitter]

1. The pool attendants were very inconsistent. If all you had there was your RC towel and it was unattended for a very long time and someone complained about not having a chair... the towel was removed. If you had your own personal towel and belongings, they weren't quick to move it at all. I watched one such altercation were two chairs had been vacant for well over an hour. Others came by looking for chairs and the attendants finally removed the items and brought them to this booth where you can redeem your stuff. About 15 minutes later a women dressed in heels and a skirt came over and started ranting about where was her stuff, and who gave pool staff authority to touch her stuff. blah blah blah. She sounded like an idiot. She was truly just saving the chairs as she was in no way even near the pool. There are signs everywhere about saving chairs.

 

 

2. We didn't use the zip line but we heard most people signed up as soon as they got on the ship.

[diamondcruiser87]

Park Cafe in Central Park is NOT the same as what they have on the promenade on the Freedom class ships, there is no place like Park Cafe on any of the Freedom ships. Did you not notice that Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos Pizza were also on the ship? Those are the same places that are on the Freedom Class ships. You cannot get a made-to-order salad/bagels, or even anything they served for breakfast that they served in the Cafe on the Freedom class ships either.

There are plenty of free activities - including the ice carving!

Gym classes have NEVER been free! There are a limited amount of them that are, same with the Sauna - except for on the Voyager class ships.

The ice skating rink is also not ALWAYS open on Freedom class ships- there are always designated times for everyone to skate, and it was at least everyday that they had a time.

I cannot believe you would say that this ship was not entertaining, did you stay in your cabin the entire time? There was soo much to do and see - my family of 22 couldn't even get it all done!

Hopefully your complaints about the Casino aren't that you lost money - really is that Royal Caribbean's fault? The Casino was HUGE, beautiful and lots of fun! Whether you won or not. My only complaint, as it is with EVERY ship - the smoking and non-smoking sides (whats the point, there isn't a wall up to separate it?)

You might want to check out the prices on Oasis, when Allure comes out - prices do NOT drop. I've already checked, unless you wait until Sept 2011 - prices slightly drop but no drastic drop in price.

What would you expect for the zipline? something that took you around the ship? Just be amazed that they could even get a zipline on the ship...

Prices are posted right in front of you for coffee at the Mondo shop - if you don't realize that, you must be blind. Free coffee is ALWAYS in Cafe Promenade on all Royal Ships in Voyager class and above.

The carousel worked the entire time on my cruise in March - no problems there and it was a lot of fun.

Looks like you may have just had some bad luck with your cruise, maybe try it again and it will be better.

I had an amazing time on the Oasis and would do it again in a heartbeat as well, as would the rest of my family.... :)

[matsitter]

Thank you for the input. Ironically, we were on the same cruise, the same week and had such different reviews. Like you I totally enjoyed the park cafe, wipeout bar and its food, and the small kiosk for food and drink near the aqua theatre. It had pre-packaged sandwiches and salads along with awesome corn dogs. The wipeout had amazing pretzel dogs. While not "gourmet" items they were gourmet and quite tasty to us. The individually made salads at the Park Cafe were tremendous.... and free.

[miaminurse]

Matsitter....thanks for the great review. We are sailing on the Oasis May 8th. Quick question, as I'm an avid spinner and the first place I'm headed to is the gym to sign up for spin. Were the spin bikes SPD compatible so I can use my spin shoes?? VERY excited about our cruise. We have been on 10+ cruises from very low end ships (newly married, no money) to nicer ships (Alaska with NCL), but have never been on a brand new ship. Needless to say, we've always had a great time, even on the "crappier" ships. Each vacation is what you make of it and your outlook for the most part. Thanks again for your input!