~Oasis Review - July 31 to August 6 Sailing~

[DPurcell58]

Yes we really did enjoy our cruise on the Pride. We also liked the food in the MDR as well as the service. The magician was quite entertaining, he visited our table each evening. It was so convenient for us to drive 3 hours and park our car right there. The whole experience was good. I would do it again.

 

We also like the shorter drive, but we've done the Explorer many times (that's only 20 minutes from us) and liked it much better. Thought the whole ship was way too dark, not used to that I guess. It was nice for one trip.

[Windy56]

This is such a good read. I couldn't believe I got to the end so fast. More please.

Glad you are enjoying it. Still loads to come.:)

[Windy56]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

You're welcome. In a way, I get to relive it again! What a great cruise!!

[Windy56]

Thanks for the report Windy56.

The song is "I Still Call Australia Home", written and originally performed by the late Peter Allen. We are an aussie family booked to do a B2B on the Oasis in January. Can't wait. We cruised on Freedom of the Seas last October and loved it. The Oasis cruises will be the Christmas present for our kids (15 and 12), so we can't tell them about it. They know we are doing "a" cruise, but they think we are going back on FOS again. Numerous times they have asked why we can't go on Oasis and we have just told them that it is too expensive. They will love the surprise on Christmas day and I'm sure they will love the cruises in January. I know my wife and I will.

 

Looking forward to more of your report.

Yes, that was the name of the song. What a great surprise that will be for your kids. You will really enjoy it!

[PhillyBuzz21]

We sailed on the same cruise. Thanks for posting this great review as I know that I will never have time to do a proper one. Agree with most of your review, however our cabins were on the 7th deck and my wife and I kept commenting on how quiet the hallways and rooms were. We rarely heard anything coming from the rooms next door - even the one with 3 teenage boys in it. Maybe we were lucky and had a quiet bunch near us. Loved Jimmy Blakemore in the Globe and Atlas - We were part of the Philly group that partied with him the first night and a few times after that! We loved the ship and I actually can't imagine sailing on any other ship after the Oasis experience!

[Windy56]

How about posting some pictures to go along with your narrative?

We took 800 pictures and that was after a whittle. Now they are in sub-groupings and we have to cut them back today before we get prints made. Had lots of fun with the panorama feature on the camera.

 

Unfortunately, we don't have them on a site where we can download them on here. I tried to coax DH to get them on a site but I think he is all pictured out.

 

I'll work on him...;)

[Windy56]

We sailed on the same cruise. Thanks for posting this great review as I know that I will never have time to do a proper one. Agree with most of your review, however our cabins were on the 7th deck and my wife and I kept commenting on how quiet the hallways and rooms were. We rarely heard anything coming from the rooms next door - even the one with 3 teenage boys in it. Maybe we were lucky and had a quiet bunch near us. Loved Jimmy Blakemore in the Globe and Atlas - We were part of the Philly group that partied with him the first night and a few times after that! We loved the ship and I actually can't imagine sailing on any other ship after the Oasis experience!

Oh I am so glad that you didn't experience the noise issue. We discovered Jimmy way too late on the cruise. I know what you mean about being spoiled by the ship. It will be the very high standard by which we measure all other cruises, now!

 

We will be doing a Rhine River cruise over Christmas this year, our first. I am wondering how such a small ship (140 passengers on Uniworld's River Queen) will feel like after the Oasis!:eek:

 

I am glad that you are enjoying the review. It will be my ongoing project over the next several days.

[Windy56]

We also like the shorter drive, but we've done the Explorer many times (that's only 20 minutes from us) and liked it much better. Thought the whole ship was way too dark, not used to that I guess. It was nice for one trip.

We drove from Toronto and found it to be a very pleasant drive. We stayed at this really great hotel in Baltimore called Henderson's Wharf in Fell's Point and toured around the city for a few days. Really enjoyed the aquarium, so much nicer and much more interesting than I though it would be.

 

We found the Pride really dark, too. Low ceilings and a very enclosed feeling didn't make it one of my favourite ships.

[MomtoCCC]

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to more :)

[Windy56]

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to more :)

You're welcome! I noticed you were on the Sovereign, which was my very first cruise ship. What happened to her?

 

You will really like the Navigator. In many ways, I think it was a predecessor of the Oasis with its wide design, expanded pool deck, interior rooms, skating rink/ice show and promenade parades. I enjoyed that ship a lot!

[chrisandjohn]

Your review just made my day! We are big fans of Jimmy Blakemore, and now even more excited to be on Oasis. We met him on the Liberty of the Seas, and ended each night at the Hoof and Claw. We were on the Liberty this past March but Jimmy wasn't performing there anymore. Now I know why. We are on the Sept. 11 sailing and I know where we will be that evening! Thanks again.

 

Christine

[mmacdcc]

We sailed on the same cruise. Thanks for posting this great review as I know that I will never have time to do a proper one. Agree with most of your review, however our cabins were on the 7th deck and my wife and I kept commenting on how quiet the hallways and rooms were. We rarely heard anything coming from the rooms next door - even the one with 3 teenage boys in it. Maybe we were lucky and had a quiet bunch near us. Loved Jimmy Blakemore in the Globe and Atlas - We were part of the Philly group that partied with him the first night and a few times after that! We loved the ship and I actually can't imagine sailing on any other ship after the Oasis experience!

 

I'm really glad to hear that - we're on the 7th deck as well, and I was getting worried about noise.

 

Not that it would bother me (I can sleep through almost anything), but I wouldn't want to think we were waking anybody up - we tend to get up pretty early.

 

And I can't wait for the music! I love live music, don't get nearly enough of it.

[Windy56]

Your review just made my day! We are big fans of Jimmy Blakemore, and now even more excited to be on Oasis. We met him on the Liberty of the Seas, and ended each night at the Hoof and Claw. We were on the Liberty this past March but Jimmy wasn't performing there anymore. Now I know why. We are on the Sept. 11 sailing and I know where we will be that evening! Thanks again.

 

Christine

We just got some photos on to Photobucket and there is a good one of Jimmy. I'm going to try to post some pictures later on today. We didn't catch as much of his act as we wanted to, but he seemed like such a nice guy.

[The-Dude]

Musicians and Venues

 

For dancing, I'd recommend the Bamba Band in Boleros, where the bartenders are friendly and the music is way fast. Sit back and watch the Latinos show you how to salsa, after 11:00. Great male vocalist and nice dance floor. Center Piece in Dazzles is a great band, too. They play all sorts of pop music from the 50's to right now. Very talented female vocalist and if you like to jitterbug, don't miss their 50's/60's night. Dazzles is a two level lounge and it has a breathtaking view from a floor to ceiling window. it's a gorgeously appointed room that gets busy as the evening goes on.

 

The Bamba Band is phenomenal. They played all our favorite songs and more! Our group was at Bolero's every evening. Since we're dedicated Salsa Dancers (On1 - L.A. Style), our evenings was filled with a ton of fun and dancing. We had a great time!

 

We hope our next cruise on the Allure has a quality band, like Bamba, at Boleros. BTW, I'm not even Latino ;-).

[Windy56]

I'm really glad to hear that - we're on the 7th deck as well, and I was getting worried about noise.

 

Not that it would bother me (I can sleep through almost anything), but I wouldn't want to think we were waking anybody up - we tend to get up pretty early.

 

And I can't wait for the music! I love live music, don't get nearly enough of it.

 

Make sure you check your Cruise Compass so that you can catch as many of the musicians as possible. We were scrambling to do that towards the end of the cruise and in retrospect, wish we had been a bit more organized. If you love music, you are in for the time of your life on this ship. Have a wonderful cruise!

[Windy56]

The Bamba Band is phenomenal. They played all our favorite songs and more! Our group was at Bolero's every night during our cruise. Since we're dedicated Salsa Dancers (On1 - L.A. Style), our evenings was filled with a ton of Salsa dancing. We had a great time!

 

We hope our next cruise on the Allure has a quality band, like Bamba, at Boleros. BTW, I'm not even Latino ;-).

I knew I shoulda taken that Latino reference out!!! LOL!!! In terms of the Allure, I am sure the bands will be fantastic. Sorry I missed seeing you dance, by the way!

[CariBear]

Thanks so much for the in-depth review!! Looking forward to reading more about your week aboard the Oasis!

[Windy56]

I'll continue the review later on this weekend, with comments about things to do around the ship, as well as food and shows. Thanks to bobmacliberty onBarbi's thread, we've figured out how to include photos and so I'll get started on that, maybe this evening. For those food porn addicts out there, you know who you are, I've got some good shots for you, too!

 

Thanks for all the kind words and appreciation. It's been fun and thanks to my DH who has been patient in helping me with this!

[irish2005]

What is a DH?

[Band1Mom]

What is a DH?

 

DH = Dear Husband

DS = Dear Son

DD = Dear Daughter

DW = Dear Wife.... etc :D

[irish2005]

Thank you, I was having a blond moment and couldnt for the life of me figure that out.

[Jan_In_Maine]

Thanks for the review - I'm really looking forward to the rest! Jan

[cruzin2relax]

Keep it coming.....I so enjoy your review....telling it like it is.! ha ha

We're sailing October 16th....just 62 days away! Yeah!:D

[MrsKnuts2]

From your review I think I'm going to need a vacation after my vacation :D

Can't wait for the next installment and pics :)

[Windy56]

Thanks, everyone. I'm going to give this photo posting thing a try. If the post looks strange, well it didn't work!

 

 

one of my favourite places - the Viking Lounge