5/15/10 - 5/22/10 Review

[Kugel]

Just got off the Oasis yesterday and wish I were back there. This is a different review than the one bluegirlum posted on another thread.

 

Arrived very early on Saturday 5/15 before ship was ready. Check in from curb to Diamond waiting area was less than 10 minutes. We waited about 30 minutes to be let onto the ship. Water and lemonade were available for us while waiting but everyone was talking and the time flew. We had no choice but to get there at 10:45. By 11:20 we were heading onto the ship.

 

You enter through the middle of the Promenade. Wow is correct. It is breathtaking. Headed straight to Park Cafe for create your own salad and Roast Beef sandwich. This is a MUST. Cannot explain how good the roast beef is. It was the same quality every day we went. Good tuna sandwich also.

 

Then went to our cabin. There is less storage space than other ships as everyone says but you can manage. Suites and handicapped rooms have outlets above the counter. Others are underneath. If you can bring a power strip do it just to make it easier for yourself. We had a Central Park balcony. Will not do that again if I ever go on this or the Allure.

It was like being inside a hotel and looking down into the atrium. The only salvation we had was that we were on deck 14 and could see the H20 zone right above. This is not a first choice to be over central park.

If you can change to ocean balcony my advice would be to do it. There is really nothing to see in Central Park. People go there to eat at one of the restaurants and then leave. Not many people there at all.

 

Given the fact that this ship is so large, when you are on her it does not feel that way. Unless you want to walk around the pool deck from front to aft or on deck 5 the track, the areas you use are very small in comparison to the ship. The Promenade is wider and just a little bit longer than on Freedom class. Boardwalk is in the aft of the ship and a very short area. To compare it is shorter than Promenade on Freedom or Voyager Class. Central Park is about the length of the Promenade (maybe a little shorter) also on those classes of ships.

 

So there is very little walking unless you choose to walk around on the 2 decks I mentioned. Also on a passenger deck you can walk around too.

 

We never went to the Windjammer to eat. There is no need to with all the other better choices. Never cared for the Windjammer food. It just isn't all that good.

 

Johnny Rockets does serve a complimentary breakfast. It is better than MDR because they make eggs fresh including scrambled which MDR uses powdered eggs. Park Cafe is great for breakfast also. Did not have breakfast in Solarium but did do a couple of lunches. Gaspacho is wonderful. I did not care for anything else but it was just that it did not appeal to me.

 

Went to Giovanni's Table with 6 people and they brought out 3 appetizers family style, 2 pasta dishes and we each ordered our own main course. Excellent. I eat out almost every other night and this is as good as our favorite Italian restaurant at home. Went to Chops. My favorite specialty restaurant was a disappointment. Service was the worst ever! Steaks were not as good as on other ships. Although I had no trouble finishing my ribeye. Lamb chops were excellent though.

 

Ken Rush, although not my favorite (I like Graham Seymour and Dennis Charles) was okay. Better than most but nothing special. He was great in the Quest though. Really got into it and even dropped his pants when the audience insisted to reveal funny undershorts (won't tell you so you can see for yourself). We had SRO at our Quest. It was one of the highlights of the show.

 

Without a doubt the entertainment on this ship blows away any other ship in the fleet. For this alone I would travel again on possibly the Allure or Oasis if they change around some of the show.

 

Hairspray was just like being on Broadway. Was there for last show with cast 1.

 

If you have a chance to go to the comedy club for Improv (3 times I believe) do not miss it. Very funny and excellent. Comedy show was great also. Every show we saw was top quality.

 

Labadee was a nice way to spend a few hours. Ate at the ship not the island bar-b-que.

 

Costa Maya we got rained out. We left the ship twice when there was a break in the rain and as we got out both times, the sky opened and we returned through another doorway. So made the best of the day on the ship with no problem at all. Just relaxed in the Solarium under cover.

 

Cozumel we chose to go to Nachi Cocum. Best $49.00 I ever spent. If you are thinking about it do not hesitate for a second.

 

Computers are as slow on this ship as all the others.

 

Disembarkation was as painless as it could be. We walked right off from our room and to the curb in 10 minutes.

 

I give this ship an 8 out of 10. I still prefer the Serenade which I rate a 10.

 

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. I will check this board later today.

[bluegirlum]

Sorry I missed the meet-n-mingle. I slept right through it. I think I saw you guys when we got on--your hubby was in the Elmo shirt, right? :) I thought it would be kind of odd if I came up randomly and was like "Hi, I'm bluegirlum!" and it wasn't you guys. :)

 

Interesting take on the Central Park balcony rooms. I am glad to hear your impression on them. We had ocean view, which clearly made it feel like we were at sea since I felt somewhat enclosed at times. Do you think you would've liked a Boardwalk balcony room?

 

Good to know about Nachi Cocum. I really wanted to go, but BF never wants to do excursions and was so excited about fishing that it was a no brainer for us. We'll just have to go back!

[sailingawaysoon]

Just got off the Oasis yesterday and wish I were back there. This is a different review than the one bluegirlum posted on another thread.

 

Arrived very early on Saturday 5/15 before ship was ready. Check in from curb to Diamond waiting area was less than 10 minutes. We waited about 30 minutes to be let onto the ship. Water and lemonade were available for us while waiting but everyone was talking and the time flew. We had no choice but to get there at 10:45. By 11:20 we were heading onto the ship.

 

You enter through the middle of the Promenade. Wow is correct. It is breathtaking. Headed straight to Park Cafe for create your own salad and Roast Beef sandwich. This is a MUST. Cannot explain how good the roast beef is. It was the same quality every day we went. Good tuna sandwich also.

 

Then went to our cabin. There is less storage space than other ships as everyone says but you can manage. Suites and handicapped rooms have outlets above the counter. Others are underneath. If you can bring a power strip do it just to make it easier for yourself. We had a Central Park balcony. Will not do that again if I ever go on this or the Allure.

It was like being inside a hotel and looking down into the atrium. The only salvation we had was that we were on deck 14 and could see the H20 zone right above. This is not a first choice to be over central park.

If you can change to ocean balcony my advice would be to do it. There is really nothing to see in Central Park. People go there to eat at one of the restaurants and then leave. Not many people there at all.

 

Given the fact that this ship is so large, when you are on her it does not feel that way. Unless you want to walk around the pool deck from front to aft or on deck 5 the track, the areas you use are very small in comparison to the ship. The Promenade is wider and just a little bit longer than on Freedom class. Boardwalk is in the aft of the ship and a very short area. To compare it is shorter than Promenade on Freedom or Voyager Class. Central Park is about the length of the Promenade (maybe a little shorter) also on those classes of ships.

 

So there is very little walking unless you choose to walk around on the 2 decks I mentioned. Also on a passenger deck you can walk around too.

 

We never went to the Windjammer to eat. There is no need to with all the other better choices. Never cared for the Windjammer food. It just isn't all that good.

 

Johnny Rockets does serve a complimentary breakfast. It is better than MDR because they make eggs fresh including scrambled which MDR uses powdered eggs. Park Cafe is great for breakfast also. Did not have breakfast in Solarium but did do a couple of lunches. Gaspacho is wonderful. I did not care for anything else but it was just that it did not appeal to me.

 

Went to Giovanni's Table with 6 people and they brought out 3 appetizers family style, 2 pasta dishes and we each ordered our own main course. Excellent. I eat out almost every other night and this is as good as our favorite Italian restaurant at home. Went to Chops. My favorite specialty restaurant was a disappointment. Service was the worst ever! Steaks were not as good as on other ships. Although I had no trouble finishing my ribeye. Lamb chops were excellent though.

 

Ken Rush, although not my favorite (I like Graham Seymour and Dennis Charles) was okay. Better than most but nothing special. He was great in the Quest though. Really got into it and even dropped his pants when the audience insisted to reveal funny undershorts (won't tell you so you can see for yourself). We had SRO at our Quest. It was one of the highlights of the show.

 

Without a doubt the entertainment on this ship blows away any other ship in the fleet. For this alone I would travel again on possibly the Allure or Oasis if they change around some of the show.

 

Hairspray was just like being on Broadway. Was there for last show with cast 1.

 

If you have a chance to go to the comedy club for Improv (3 times I believe) do not miss it. Very funny and excellent. Comedy show was great also. Every show we saw was top quality.

 

Labadee was a nice way to spend a few hours. Ate at the ship not the island bar-b-que.

 

Costa Maya we got rained out. We left the ship twice when there was a break in the rain and as we got out both times, the sky opened and we returned through another doorway. So made the best of the day on the ship with no problem at all. Just relaxed in the Solarium under cover.

 

Cozumel we chose to go to Nachi Cocum. Best $49.00 I ever spent. If you are thinking about it do not hesitate for a second.

 

Computers are as slow on this ship as all the others.

 

Disembarkation was as painless as it could be. We walked right off from our room and to the curb in 10 minutes.

 

I give this ship an 8 out of 10. I still prefer the Serenade which I rate a 10.

 

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. I will check this board later today.

Thanks for the review. We were in Nachi Cocom at the beginning of May and experienced a fowl smell outside the pool area (like sewage). Did you smell this at all? It didn't spoil our day, but it was really uncomfortable to breathe initially upon entering the beach. I definitely want to go back again sometime!

[kmcphee26]

If you have a chance to go to the comedy club for Improv (3 times I believe) do not miss it. Very funny and excellent.

 

 

Was the improv show more of a show or a class? I noticed in my cruise compass, they offered Improv Classes... Is this the same thing? I love watching Improv and I would defintely be interested in watching, but I would definitely not want to participate... Is it one of those things where you can just sit and watch or does everyone get up and participate?

 

Thanks!

[BrianAlt]

Cozumel we chose to go to Nachi Cocum. Best $49.00 I ever spent. If you are thinking about it do not hesitate for a second.

 

Reading lots of good things about Nachi Cocum here on CC. Sounds just what my wife would like, a day at the beach!

 

That $49 was the entrance fee? Not a RCI excursion, right? Their website: Nachi Cocum Beach Resort, is very sparse on information. It's mostly pictures, which is nice. But I'd like some prices! Odd.

 

Thanks for your help and thanks for the review.

[jty1220]

My wife and I also missed the M&M we headed to dazzles when we realized but it was too late

[Windy56]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Oasis in the first week in August and we can hardly wait!

 

Nachi is wonderful...excellent value! We spent New Year's Eve there two years ago. The place is sparkling clean. The pool was fine when we were there. Service was fantastic. My drink was never empty and the food was so good. Don't forget to ask for the custard for dessert. When we go back to Cozumel and I am sure we will, I have every intention of spending another glorious day at Nachi!

 

Don't forget to make a reservation, though! We had no problem doing this and I believe we used Paypal to make deposit.

[BrianAlt]

By the way, I found the almost 700 comment thread on Nachi Cocum.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1005584

 

Thanks.

[Kugel]

Sorry I missed the meet-n-mingle. I slept right through it. I think I saw you guys when we got on--your hubby was in the Elmo shirt, right? :) I thought it would be kind of odd if I came up randomly and was like "Hi, I'm bluegirlum!" and it wasn't you guys. :)

 

IT WAS US!

 

Interesting take on the Central Park balcony rooms. I am glad to hear your impression on them. We had ocean view, which clearly made it feel like we were at sea since I felt somewhat enclosed at times. Do you think you would've liked a Boardwalk balcony room?

No I think it would have been better if I could have seen the water but still not like an ocean balcony.

 

Good to know about Nachi Cocum. I really wanted to go, but BF never wants to do excursions and was so excited about fishing that it was a no brainer for us. We'll just have to go back!

 

Thanks for the review. We were in Nachi Cocom at the beginning of May and experienced a fowl smell outside the pool area (like sewage). Did you smell this at all? It didn't spoil our day, but it was really uncomfortable to breathe initially upon entering the beach. I definitely want to go back again sometime!

 

We smelled nothing. All was fine.

 

Was the improv show more of a show or a class? I noticed in my cruise compass, they offered Improv Classes... Is this the same thing? I love watching Improv and I would defintely be interested in watching, but I would definitely not want to participate... Is it one of those things where you can just sit and watch or does everyone get up and participate?

 

Thanks!

 

No this was just improv to watch. My husband loved volunteering to be a participant from the audience though.

Joyce

[Kugel]

Reading lots of good things about Nachi Cocum here on CC. Sounds just what my wife would like, a day at the beach!

 

That $49 was the entrance fee? Not a RCI excursion, right? Their website: Nachi Cocum Beach Resort, is very sparse on information. It's mostly pictures, which is nice. But I'd like some prices! Odd.

 

Thanks for your help and thanks for the review.

 

The 49 was the entrance which entitled you to use the beach and pool and a lounge chair with a tiki umbrella. Plus open bar (I drank mudslides all day) and a 3 course meal that was wonderful and cooked to order. We were so full we never ate desert. This was independent and had nothing to do with RCI.

 

My wife and I also missed the M&M we headed to dazzles when we realized but it was too late

 

Sorry we missed you. The cabin crawl was great. saw lots of different type rooms.

 

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Oasis in the first week in August and we can hardly wait!

 

Nachi is wonderful...excellent value! We spent New Year's Eve there two years ago. The place is sparkling clean. The pool was fine when we were there. Service was fantastic. My drink was never empty and the food was so good. Don't forget to ask for the custard for dessert. When we go back to Cozumel and I am sure we will, I have every intention of spending another glorious day at Nachi!

 

Don't forget to make a reservation, though! We had no problem doing this and I believe we used Paypal to make deposit.

 

It was so worth the money!

[bluegirlum]

So crazy that I saw you guys!!! Too funny. :)

 

Random question: did you have little bottles of toiletries in your cabin? We had shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion--which we thought maybe the previous folks left--but they were restocked. I'd never seen this before!

[funfamilyfun]

What was your opinion of Quest. Our last cruise was on Freedom. The Quest was not ADULT only rated as usual. The activities were funny, but fine for kids (at least kids 12 and up.) No...we did not bring our kids, but thought there was no reason they missed it.

 

We had been on 2 other Royal Caribbean cruises and felt the QUEST was adult rated.

 

Did you feel the Quest on Oasis should have only been for Adults?