Two Oasis Questions

[AFS1970]

My DW and I are planning our 2nd cruise and considering the Oasis. I have read through many of the threads here and have two questions.

 

First, I see that the Oasis can cost about twice as much as other ships in the fleet. What do you get for this cost? Is it just that it is a bigger ship and it costs more to run it? The zip line looks fun, but really how many times will we ride it?

 

Second, I keep hearing complaints of lots of "nickle and dime" expenses. Other than the pay to play sauna / steam rooms what else is included in this complaint? Many ships have specialty restaurants that charge extra and those are optional, so I am guessing that it is not that.

 

Thanks for the help.

[4cats,1dog]

The check in and deperture are the best ever. It only takes 10-15 minutes from drop off - on the ship.

 

A lot of free things- The shows are the best. Broadway musical- Hairspray, a ice show and an aqua theater show. Nowhere else can you get that.

 

The specialty rest. have various prices, well worth the experience. The charge goes to the tip for the extrordinary service.

 

They can move 6000 people smoothly, you would never know there were that many on board.

 

Breakfast if free in all venues.

 

If you get a soda package- you won't have a big bar bill.

 

The best part is pulling into a port where a smaller ship is parked. The looks on their passengers faces while we pulled in- PRICELESS

 

Even the crew of the Grandeur took pictures of Oasis.

[Cruising89143]

You're paying a premium to cruise on the newest innovative ship ever built. Demand is high and as long as it stays this way, the ship will command those prices. Is it worth the premium? To me it is but each person has to decide that for themselves.

 

Other than the spa, there is no more nickle and diming on this ship over any other mass market line. You can go a full week on this ship and not spend a penny more if you wish. Yes, there are more options on this ship for specialty dining and shopping but no one is forcing you to partake in those options. Most of the ones that have been posting negative garbage about this ship are either ones that have never cruised on it or are haters of the larger ships. Ignore them.

[CruiseLover15]

The cruise I planned on the Freedom for September of 2011 is only $60 less per person than my Oasis cruise coming up this September.

[Leanne3c]

Depending on how far out you are looking at sailing, check out the Allure for 2011 the prices are way lower that on the Oasis right now! We paid 1769.00 for the Oasis, and are booked in the same room, same week one year later on the Allure an it's 1319.00 this time... Oh!! and either ship is worth every single nickel you have to scrounch up.. beg borrow or steal in order to sail on either one!!

[BrianAlt]

As others have said, prices are much more reasonable at this point than they were when the ship first sailed. We were considering Alaska, but when I saw that I could sail on the Oasis for almost $500pp less, it was a no brainer.

[Hobiecat01]

After sailing on the Oasis 4/17, I can attest that the cost is well worth it! This ship is magnificent! Frankly, pictures do not do her justice. Her sheer size and ability to handle 6,000 passengers is amazing. We never felt like there were half that many people aboard. We have sailed the largest crusie ships in the world several times (Carnival Destiny, Grand Princess, Freedom, Liberty), this ship eclipes them all, hands down.

 

The shows are also amazing. Hairspray (and I and not a lover of Borasdway shows...) knocked my socks off! Easily the best cruise show DW and I have ever seen and that includes RCCL, Princess and Carnival. There is no way you can do/see everything on this ship in a week. As I told someone else, the Oasis will cause more back-to-back cruises that any other ship in any fleet. We are planning our Allure cruise as we speak!!!

------------------------------

Sea ya!

Hobiecat01

Ron and Lee

Canton, Ga

Proud RCCL Platinum Member

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria." – Ben Franklin

Previous Cruises – 66 Days at Sea!

Carnival Mardis Gras - 3 Day Bahamas - April 1982

Carnival Destiny - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 1998

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - April 1999

Princess Sea Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2000

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2002

RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2003

RCCL Mariner of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 2005

RCCL Freedom of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - 6/18 - 6/25/2006

RCCL Liberty of the Seas - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - 7/19 - 7/26/2008

RCCL Oasis of the Seas –7 Days Eastern Carib. with our Friends – 4/17 – 4/24/2010

Booked & Paid Cruises

Not yet… but on the way

Planned Cruises

RCCL Allure of the Seas – Our Neighborhood Cruise - 2011

The BIG One - Southeast Asia 14 day – 2012?

The Med – 14 day – 2013?

[Lizcourt]

I do agree that Oasis is more than other ships, but frankly the more I hear about this not just big, but incredibly innovative ship, the more the price seems well worth it to me; assume that will be borne out when we sail on her in October.

 

Having said that, on the general subject of nickle and diming -- not just RCCL but with respect to the whole industry in general -- its really disappointing how cruising in general has changed from the "pay your fare and forget it" experience to just another vacation where your room and board are only the beginning of the charges you're going to incur. I've been cruising long enough to remember when everything edible -- other than liquor -- was included. No specialty restaurants, no paying for ice cream, no paying for cupcakes or the like. With every cruise that added one more extra expense, we groused, then got used to it, and by the time the next ship was built a little more of the "pay as you go" mentality ate (no pun intended) away at one of the things that made cruising a uniquely stress free (and usually effectively economical) vacation. The latest cringe-inducing move in that direction is RCCL's decision to charge for room service during certain hours on the Oasis, a move that borders on the offensive but no doubt will soon be adopted fleet wide.

 

I'm not saying that any of these charges would keep me from cruising, or even really cause me that much angst. And after all, if they just upped the fares to eliminate these charges, as some people have suggested, some folks might have to opt out of the cruise altogether (at least you can choose whether or not to incur the extra charges if they are not built into the fare). But I do find myself increasingly nostalgic for the old "all-inclusive" fare that made cruising unique.

[onomatopoeia]

Luxury cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas Cruises still offer all inclusive packages. Some of what these lines offer would make contemporary cruiser's jaws drop in amazement. Here's a taste of what Regent offers:

 

FREE Roundtrip Air, including transfers between the airport and ship

FREE Business Class Air in Penthouse Suites and higher on Europe sailings**

FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions

FREE beverages, including fine wines, beer and premium spirits, soft drinks, bottled water, specialty coffees and tea served throughout the ship

FREE in-suite mini-bar replenished daily with soft drinks, beer and bottled water

All staff gratuities

Welcome bottle of Regent champagne and fresh fruit in your suite

Up to four gourmet restaurants including the iconic new steakhouse Prime 7 and Signatures, featuring Le Cordon Bleu®-inspired cuisine, Compass Rose, La Veranda plus the al fresco Pool Grill

In-suite dining, served course-by-course during restaurant hours

Butler service in Penthouse Suites and higher, including complimentary in-suite mini-bar setup and iPod® docking station

Complimentary 24-hour room service

Fitness programs, sauna and steam rooms in the spa

Onboard activities including expert guest lectures, theatre performance and day time entertainment

Interactive television with extensive media library and complimentary movies on demand.

 

Now drool. I command it! ;)

[danzur]

We're frequent cruisers on Regent....Regent is fabulous. Food, drinks, all inclusive (for the most part), can bring our own wines on board, etc. That said, their prices have increased pretty considerably the last few years. Their ships are much smaller (good thing), but do not offer that activities that I'm hoping to find on Oasis for my 11 year old son. He travels on Regent with us, and does have a good time, but I'm thinking Oasis will be a lot more in his eyes. There aren't may activities or kids for him to socialize with on Regent. For what we usually pay for a week on Regent, we can get a Royal Suite on Oasis....so that will be nice :).

 

I'm concerned about the nickel and diming and paying for anything and everything. I'm prepared for that however, and believe the vacation will be what we make of it. I'm going into this with a completely positive attitude, and want my family to have the best time ever. I'll consider what I think of the constant charges when I get back.

 

I'm sure we'll be back on Regent soon, but for next week we're gonna live it up on the Oasis!

[AFS1970]

Thank you all for the input. I now have two more things to look into before choosing our ship & cruise, one being Regent and the other being the Allure.

 

I think the shift from all inclusive to all inclusive plus optional premium services is designed to attract non cruisers or infrequent cruisers (like myself) to the big ships. My last land based vacation The Steak Dinner was over $100 for two of us, so a $25 price certainly looks attractive to the casual observer.

[onomatopoeia]

We're frequent cruisers on Regent....Regent is fabulous.

Yes, it is. :)

Food, drinks, all inclusive (for the most part), can bring our own wines on board, etc.

Yep.

That said, their prices have increased pretty considerably the last few years.

True, but I actually feel like I'm getting what I paid for. Also, because the passenger to crew ratio is very small, one is made to feel very special.

Their ships are much smaller (good thing), but do not offer that activities that I'm hoping to find on Oasis for my 11 year old son. He travels on Regent with us, and does have a good time, but I'm thinking Oasis will be a lot more in his eyes. There aren't may activities or kids for him to socialize with on Regent. For what we usually pay for a week on Regent, we can get a Royal Suite on Oasis....so that will be nice :).

This is true, but Regent's staterooms, and especially suites, as you know, are large and very nicely appointed.

[Cruising89143]

Luxury cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas Cruises still offer all inclusive packages. Some of what these lines offer would make contemporary cruiser's jaws drop in amazement. Here's a taste of what Regent offers:

 

FREE Roundtrip Air, including transfers between the airport and ship

FREE Business Class Air in Penthouse Suites and higher on Europe sailings**

FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions

FREE beverages, including fine wines, beer and premium spirits, soft drinks, bottled water, specialty coffees and tea served throughout the ship

FREE in-suite mini-bar replenished daily with soft drinks, beer and bottled water

All staff gratuities

Welcome bottle of Regent champagne and fresh fruit in your suite

Up to four gourmet restaurants including the iconic new steakhouse Prime 7 and Signatures, featuring Le Cordon Bleu®-inspired cuisine, Compass Rose, La Veranda plus the al fresco Pool Grill

In-suite dining, served course-by-course during restaurant hours

Butler service in Penthouse Suites and higher, including complimentary in-suite mini-bar setup and iPod® docking station

Complimentary 24-hour room service

Fitness programs, sauna and steam rooms in the spa

Onboard activities including expert guest lectures, theatre performance and day time entertainment

Interactive television with extensive media library and complimentary movies on demand.

 

Now drool. I command it! ;)

 

I guess that is good for some but I have no interest in those small ships. They offer nothing of interest to me at all.

[onomatopoeia]

I guess that is good for some but I have no interest in those small ships. They offer nothing of interest to me at all.

I understand what you're saying. I booked a Sky Loft suite on the Oasis for September 2011 just to see what a massive ship is like. I suspect, however, that my cruise after that will be on one of Regent's ships. There's just nothing quite like being pampered for seven blissful and carefree days.

[catlady27]

Luxury cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas Cruises still offer all inclusive packages. Some of what these lines offer would make contemporary cruiser's jaws drop in amazement. Here's a taste of what Regent offers:

 

FREE Roundtrip Air, including transfers between the airport and ship

FREE Business Class Air in Penthouse Suites and higher on Europe sailings**

FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions

FREE beverages, including fine wines, beer and premium spirits, soft drinks, bottled water, specialty coffees and tea served throughout the ship

FREE in-suite mini-bar replenished daily with soft drinks, beer and bottled water

All staff gratuities

Welcome bottle of Regent champagne and fresh fruit in your suite

Up to four gourmet restaurants including the iconic new steakhouse Prime 7 and Signatures, featuring Le Cordon Bleu®-inspired cuisine, Compass Rose, La Veranda plus the al fresco Pool Grill

In-suite dining, served course-by-course during restaurant hours

Butler service in Penthouse Suites and higher, including complimentary in-suite mini-bar setup and iPod® docking station

Complimentary 24-hour room service

Fitness programs, sauna and steam rooms in the spa

Onboard activities including expert guest lectures, theatre performance and day time entertainment

Interactive television with extensive media library and complimentary movies on demand.

 

Now drool. I command it! ;)

 

But NO Flowrider, zip line or rock climbing wall - oh well, they can't have everything, right :D

[onomatopoeia]

But NO Flowrider, zip line or rock climbing wall - oh well, they can't have everything, right :D

Zipline. Pheh. I'll do it when I'm on the Oasis next year, but my time spent in line will probably be longer than the ride itself, which is what, 5 seconds?

 

I must admit, however, that I'm quite looking forward to the broken fibula that will most assuredly result from my maniacally crazy attempt on the Flowrider. :D