Anything you wana know about Oasis...ask me!

[kgirlcruise]

Got off Oasis 3 weeks ago... been taking some time to get back to "real" life... Now Im back into the swing of things and ready to provide my fellow CC'ers with tips, tricks and advice on Oasis...

 

Sure was a BEAUTIFUL ship!

 

We did the Western Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth (first Oasis cruise in port), and Cozumel.

 

Let me know what you want to know- Im more than willing to share what I know! :)

[kpatrick74]

Glad to see that you had fun. We are a family of 31 sailing Easter week on her but the Eastern Itinerary. Because of our group, I have a few ??'s

 

1. When you arrive for boarding, where do they have the "Welcome Aboard/Bon Voyage" picture? (the last time we did it, it was in the terminal before check in but now with facial recognition being tied to seapass cards i am not sure when and where)

 

2. What deck do you enter onto out of the terminal gangway?

 

3. What time did you arrive at the terminal, board the ship, get in your room (i have read they are ready at 1), and get your luggage?

 

Any advice for boarding day, is most welcome. I am already planning my strategy........Adventure Ocean to sign the kids up, sign up for zipline, add one party to our ressie at Chops (they only allowed us to add one other ressie), head to the salon and make a hair appt then central park for lunch. after that....not sure......any "don't miss" actvities that we might miss b/c we didn't know.

 

Thank you so much:D

[kgirlcruise]

Glad to see that you had fun. We are a family of 31 sailing Easter week on her but the Eastern Itinerary. Because of our group, I have a few ??'s

 

1. When you arrive for boarding, where do they have the "Welcome Aboard/Bon Voyage" picture? (the last time we did it, it was in the terminal before check in but now with facial recognition being tied to seapass cards i am not sure when and where)

 

2. What deck do you enter onto out of the terminal gangway?

 

3. What time did you arrive at the terminal, board the ship, get in your room (i have read they are ready at 1), and get your luggage?

 

Any advice for boarding day, is most welcome. I am already planning my strategy........Adventure Ocean to sign the kids up, sign up for zipline, add one party to our ressie at Chops (they only allowed us to add one other ressie), head to the salon and make a hair appt then central park for lunch. after that....not sure......any "don't miss" actvities that we might miss b/c we didn't know.

 

Thank you so much:D

 

Hello- It was a great cruise and I am sure that you and your group are going to have an amazing time! I cant wait to sail on the Oasis (again) or the Allure for that fact... its truly a remarkable ship!

 

1. They take the picture in the terminal- right behind the check-in area.

 

2. You enter right in the heart of the Central Promanade... deck 5 if I remember right.... the only reason I dont remember the EXACT levels is because the Oasis elevators have pictures on the buttons for the neighborhoods/floors that you are getting on/off on. For instance, the boardwalk (deck 6 I think) has a picture of a carousel horse... promanade has a picture of a car (since there's one in the promanade); and there's one for the entertainment floor... I think the pictures change from elevator to elevator- but they make it SO easy to remember what floor the major things are on.

 

3. Our shuttle left our hotel at 12:30 and we were on the ship by 1:15. Our room was ready as soon as we got on since it was so late. (this was the LATEST we've ever boarded any cruise before) but it was really nice to be able to go to the room right away and dump our carryons.... in addition to this- we had MOST of our luggage in our room by 2:00... I was AMAZED at how fast this process was! What an awesome system Oasis has!!!

 

Boarding day was so smooth and easy. We were really impressed with the ease and finesse of boarding. It was a really painless process. There really isnt anything that made boarding day a hassle and that was a HUGE relief!

 

Additional tips i have:

 

We had a standard (not sure what category) balcony cabin... my boyfriend, brother and myself shared the room... we had 2 twin beds and a bunk bed.... there was plenty of room in the cabin and the bathroom---- BUT there's barely ANY storage space and not enough hangers. Luckily I brought a few hangers from home and it was a LIFESAVER! The worst thing about Oasis is that they REALLY cut down on the storage space. It made no sense to me... bring hangers, bins, ect... so that you have enough space to store everything.

 

Theres always a lot of discussion on where the beds are in balcony cabins- bed by the bathroom or bed by the balcony... aparently one lay-out is better than the other.... we had bed by the bathroom and my grandparents had the cabin next to us with bed by the balcony... I spent a lot of time in both rooms...and it didnt seem to make a difference... your on a cruise for the vacation not the room anyway right?!...(our balcony's were opened so they connected- ask you room stuard and they will open them up! TONS OF SPACE! It was awesomr)

 

DO the zipline, DO the flowrider! Ice-skating if you miss it-its not the end of the world...the ice was really chopped up it was hard to skate.

 

DONT MISS the Oasis of Dreams or the Splish Splash Aqua shows. (Splish Splash is a no-reservation show)- its on sea-days. a cute comedy- GREAT show!

 

The doughnuts on the boardwalk are great! Wipeout cafe has awesome "junk food"- pretzel dogs, tacos, soup, and FREE ice cream! it gets busy as the week goes on and people realize the ice cream is there.

 

Im sure you know already- the raost beef sandwiches are TOOO DIE for in the Park Cafe! Seating is limited there so check the times on the TV's before you go...(( If you dont know)) there are touch-screen TV's all over the ship and you can click on dining and it will show you a wait time/ occupancy in ALL of the dining establishments. this is also on your cabin TV- I dont know how accurate it was- but it helped us to know what places to go and what places to avoid.

 

The carousel was NEVER that busy- there's no rush to get there for a ride... no matter your age (or anybody in your group) ride it at least once, its a blast!

 

SIGN your wavers before-hand! It makes a HUGE difference- no waiting for anything!

 

DO make reservations for ALL shows- you can just show your ship-card and walk right in... its nice!

 

If you're on My-time dining- make reservations for dinner ( this was our first time doing this- we were SO confused)... after day 2 we LEARNED that reservations save TONS of time... (theres a huge line for non-resrvation guests) and a smaller and faster moving one for reservations).... if you like a particular table/waiter you can request to reserve that waiter/table every night and they'll try their best to put you at that table. We had the same section/waiter every night. HE was AWESOME... he's know in the dining room as Marlon Brando- if you want to request him- the staff knows just who he is!

 

The Solarium dance party's we LOTS of fun (18+) check your compass for the nights that they are hosted.

 

DONT miss the 70's party or the Farewell party in the promonade. They throw out really neat flashing light rings at both party's- they were a HOT item!!!! get there early and the best place is in front of the cupckae shop/rising tide bar.

 

Richard Spacey- as im sure you've heard is An AMAZING cruise director!!!!!! He was great!

 

Walkey talkies DONT work- since 5000 other people also brought theirs and the ship uses theirs, and the islanders have their own sets as well. We woke up in mexico to a man laughing and talking in spanish over our walkie-talkies that my brother left on in the room overnight. It was prety scary trying to figure out at 5am why a man was speaking spanish in our room! but funny when we figured out why! :)

 

If you are a Diamond or up member of Crown and Anchor- DONT miss the helipad sailaway party! Its by invite only.... not sure what day it would be on... I know its on a port day- it was so neat and great pictures were taken!

 

The best time to take photos of the ship is after 2am, early in the morning (before 7) and....on the last night any-time after about 11pm- the ship is nearly empty and you can take pictures without people being in them.

 

There are picture view-finders all over the ship in brass-type pillar things-(not sure how to describe them)... you look inside them and there are pictures in each (a different one)--- it was fun to walk around all week and discover the new pictures in each pillar.

 

If anybody in your group is 18-30 and they look young- be prepared to be carded- with a photo ID. Security is VERY strict on this ship in particular and I needed to carry my ID and show it at every bar-dinner, show, ect. when I orderd a drink. (Im 24 and look very young, so I expected it, some people on our cruise didn and I heard lots of complaints :(...) My brother is 19 and he was literally hounded by security every night( he also looks young)- they wanted to check and recheck his Id and ship card- to make sure of curfew (1am for 18 and under) and they told us numerous times that he couldnt drink...We knew this and obeyed this and would have never broken these rules... it got annyoing mid-week but I know they were just doing their jobs... Just a warning so that your group can be prepared!... This didnt put a damper on our vacation- it was annoying yes, but hey, we were on a cruise so it was all OK!

 

 

WOW... thats a lot!!!!!!!I cant think of anymore at the moment.. There's really so much to see/do/experience on the Oasis I could go on and on forever- I had a list of Cruise Critic tips and I stopped following them after the 3rd day- there was TOO much to do!!!

 

The week goes by so much faster then it does on other ships. just pace yourselves and dont try to cram too much into your week. There will be enough things that you all do that you will come home and rave about- so that if you miss rock climbing or something else that you wanted to do- you wont really mind it.

 

If theres anything else specific that you want to know- let me know! AS you can tell I have tons of advice to share! It really is a great week on a great ship! Im sure you all will enjoy!

[kpatrick74]

Wow---thank you so much for all of the information. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the Solarium parties and 70s parties. We are looking forward to those!!! I am adding those to my must-do list along with the hints about the pillar thingies..LOL

[Suziq333]

Got off Oasis 3 weeks ago... been taking some time to get back to "real" life... Now Im back into the swing of things and ready to provide my fellow CC'ers with tips, tricks and advice on Oasis...

 

Sure was a BEAUTIFUL ship!

 

We did the Western Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth (first Oasis cruise in port), and Cozumel.

 

Let me know what you want to know- Im more than willing to share what I know! :)

Hey...I will be on the Oasis Oct 1,2011, doing the same itinerary, and have not cruised RCCL before. On Carnival, you can pre-order alcohol from Bon Voyage, for your room. Is there some way of doing this on the Oasis:confused: I can't seem to find anything about how to do this.

Sounds like you had a blast, which I fully intend to do as well :D

Sue

[dancinchick1505]

Hiya

 

Thanks for all your information, it was very helpful.

Could you answer one quick question for me please, how formal were people dressed for the formal nights onboard?? I have been on several cruises and sometimes Ive been over dressed and other times underdressed. Its my 30th birthday on the first formal night so I want to make sure I can party the night away without looking out of place.

 

Any info regarding this would be great. Thanks

[Scotsnomad]

What colour is the plimsol line on the Oasis ?

 

Is the toilet paper single or double ply ?

 

Does the water go clockwise or anti clockwise down the drain? Does this change?

 

 

 

:D

[knots4crewzing]

Got off Oasis 3 weeks ago... been taking some time to get back to "real" life... Now Im back into the swing of things and ready to provide my fellow CC'ers with tips, tricks and advice on Oasis...

 

Sure was a BEAUTIFUL ship!

 

We did the Western Caribbean (Labadee, Falmouth (first Oasis cruise in port), and Cozumel.

 

Let me know what you want to know- Im more than willing to share what I know! :)

 

Hi,

So glad you enjoyed the Oasis. We will be on her in 5 weeks:DYAY!!!!

 

Could you tell me how the process works for the zipline? Do you sign up for a time ( for any time during the week) once you 're on board or do you have to go and sign up on the day you want to try it? Sorry I hope this makes sense.

 

Also did you have a chance to try 150 Central park. Do you remember the menu? I have heard they have changed the menu a few times.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer

Liz

[stitchLi809]

thanks for answering questions, My trip is 46 days away!! can't wait!!!

 

- If you make reservations for shows, does that mean you have assigned seats or do you still have to wait in line to get a good seat?

 

- How was cozumel? Did it feel relatively safe? How was the beach? Also does Oasis dock directly to Labadee or do you have to take a tender?

 

- With MTD, what did you mean making reservations? I remember the last royal cruise i took, we signed up for MTD but somehow got switched to 6pm traditional dining. I remember the maitre d saying it's better that way so that we wouldn't have to wait. with MTD can you still make reservations? or did you switch to traditional? I know it's a weird question, but i was so confused. =)

 

- Were you able to find lounge chairs? This girl needs to work on her tan. =)

Thanks in advance for answering my questions!!!

[lardan]

thanks for answering questions, My trip is 46 days away!! can't wait!!!

 

- If you make reservations for shows, does that mean you have assigned seats or do you still have to wait in line to get a good seat? Not reserved seats, just that you are guaranteed to get in. You need to be there 15 minutes before show time; after that, they let in the folks without a reservation.

 

- How was cozumel? Did it feel relatively safe? How was the beach? Also does Oasis dock directly to Labadee or do you have to take a tender? Took a taxi to a resort and back in Cozumel; the pier shopping was more than safe. Labadee now has a dock.

 

- With MTD, what did you mean making reservations? I remember the last royal cruise i took, we signed up for MTD but somehow got switched to 6pm traditional dining. I remember the maitre d saying it's better that way so that we wouldn't have to wait. with MTD can you still make reservations? or did you switch to traditional? I know it's a weird question, but i was so confused. =) You can make reservations for MTD, or you can just show up. Don't know about switching during the cruise.

 

- Were you able to find lounge chairs? This girl needs to work on her tan. =)

Thanks in advance for answering my questions!!! Never had an issue finding a lounge chair. We sat up on the upper deck, and walked when we wanted to go in the pool

...

[ChickonRules]

Luckily I brought a few hangers from home and it was a LIFESAVER! The worst thing about Oasis is that they REALLY cut down on the storage space. It made no sense to me... bring hangers, bins, ect... so that you have enough space to store everything.

We don't bring any hangers because we usually just fold all our clothes and place them on the shelves. They do have shelves right?

 

DO the zipline, DO the flowrider! Ice-skating if you miss it-its not the end of the world...the ice was really chopped up it was hard to skate.

 

What's the best time to skate if we want smooth ice?

DO make reservations for ALL shows- you can just show your ship-card and walk right in... its nice!

 

Can we bring another guest with us if they don't have a reservation?

My brother is 19 and he was literally hounded by security every night( he also looks young)- they wanted to check and recheck his Id and ship card- to make sure of curfew (1am for 18 and under) and they told us numerous times that he couldnt drink...We knew this and obeyed this and would have never broken these rules... it got annyoing mid-week but I know they were just doing their jobs... Just a warning so that your group can be prepared!... This didnt put a damper on our vacation- it was annoying yes, but hey, we were on a cruise so it was all OK!

 

I never knew there was a curfew. Does that include the age 18?

Also what if we're turning 18 in like 3 days...would they make an exception for us to get in clubs?

 

If you could answer back, that would be great!

[stitchLi809]

thank you larden!!!!

[kgirlcruise]

Hiya

 

Thanks for all your information, it was very helpful.

Could you answer one quick question for me please, how formal were people dressed for the formal nights onboard?? I have been on several cruises and sometimes Ive been over dressed and other times underdressed. Its my 30th birthday on the first formal night so I want to make sure I can party the night away without looking out of place.

 

Any info regarding this would be great. Thanks

 

 

Sorry for taking a while to get back to you... Formal night wasnt ALL that formal... there was quite the variety of people dressed from being in shorts and tshirts (yes in the dining room) to people in sundresses, shirts and ties (no jacket) to people in formal gowns an tuxedos... truth is- wear whatever you want- with 6,000 people on board you are bound to see a variety of things and we did on our cruise!

[kgirlcruise]

Hi,

So glad you enjoyed the Oasis. We will be on her in 5 weeks:DYAY!!!!

 

Could you tell me how the process works for the zipline? Do you sign up for a time ( for any time during the week) once you 're on board or do you have to go and sign up on the day you want to try it? Sorry I hope this makes sense.

 

Also did you have a chance to try 150 Central park. Do you remember the menu? I have heard they have changed the menu a few times.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer

Liz

 

 

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you...

 

the zipline- as long as you have your waivers signed ahead of time- all you have to do is walk up to the deck the zipline is on and wait in line to go... its THAT EASY! Oasis really made things simple for us passengers! :)

 

We didnt eat in any of the specialty restaurants except for Johnny Rockets so I cant help ya there- sorry! :(

[kgirlcruise]

thanks for answering questions, My trip is 46 days away!! can't wait!!!

 

- If you make reservations for shows, does that mean you have assigned seats or do you still have to wait in line to get a good seat?

 

- How was cozumel? Did it feel relatively safe? How was the beach? Also does Oasis dock directly to Labadee or do you have to take a tender?

 

- With MTD, what did you mean making reservations? I remember the last royal cruise i took, we signed up for MTD but somehow got switched to 6pm traditional dining. I remember the maitre d saying it's better that way so that we wouldn't have to wait. with MTD can you still make reservations? or did you switch to traditional? I know it's a weird question, but i was so confused. =)

 

- Were you able to find lounge chairs? This girl needs to work on her tan. =)

Thanks in advance for answering my questions!!!

 

 

Reservations mean you get into the show- you sitll have to find seats.

 

Cozumel is my favorite port of all time. been there 10 times love it more every time- its very very very safe- no problems on the island there- they are PRETTY far away from the "trouble" considering that they are on the other side of Mexico... its safe, its secure and its beautiful there! GOOOOOOD shopping too!

 

Oasis docked at every port including Labadee.

 

MTD you make a reservation for the time that you want to eat dinner every night- you can go to dining room any time 6-9pm... you have to make reservations between 9am and 4pm... but it ensures that you can get into dinner when you made the reservation- this is still confusing to me since we still had to wait in a line even though we had a reservation... its a weird process but the way we did it, ended up working fine for us.

 

We found lounge chairs everywhere! in the back of the ship by the flowriders there is NOBODY out there, also by the beach pool if you walk around enough you are bound to find a chair- same for the soarium and the upper (sun deck) deck 14 on the ship... there's TONS of chairs!

[Michele Noel]

Thanks so much for the info on the dance parties. First mention of dancing in any tip for Oasis that I have read. Some of us cruise to dance and eat. Did you take a taxi in Falmouth? I have decided that we would like to go to Doctor's Cave(sp) beach. Thanks again for all of your info. We are going in the middle of May and are eagerly awaiting our time on board.

[kgirlcruise]

Thanks so much for the info on the dance parties. First mention of dancing in any tip for Oasis that I have read. Some of us cruise to dance and eat. Did you take a taxi in Falmouth? I have decided that we would like to go to Doctor's Cave(sp) beach. Thanks again for all of your info. We are going in the middle of May and are eagerly awaiting our time on board.

 

 

we didnt take a cab. since Famouth port was SO far from being finished- they offered OASIS passengers a free shuttle to Rose Hall Shops- it was a 20 minute ride- nice shopping center- lots of jewlery stores... Not sure how cabs worked in Jamaica I didnt hear anything abou it...

 

have a great cruise!

[knots4crewzing]

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you...

 

the zipline- as long as you have your waivers signed ahead of time- all you have to do is walk up to the deck the zipline is on and wait in line to go... its THAT EASY! Oasis really made things simple for us passengers! :)

 

We didnt eat in any of the specialty restaurants except for Johnny Rockets so I cant help ya there- sorry! :(

 

 

Thanks do much for the info. We're all set with waivers. I read somewhere that if you don't have closed toed shoes you can borrow them at the zipline:confused: Do you know if that's correct?

I really hate to lug my sneakers for a 9 second zip:D cause that's the only thing i would be using them for.

 

 

Thanks again

Liz

[izodlacoste]

Did you need wristband s to show you signed waiver for flow rider or zip line?

[gam888]

Thanks for all your information, I need to ask you some questions about the ports. We are trying to do things on our own and not booking with the ship. Looking for a catamaran with snorkeling excursion that will take you to a beach at the end. Hard to find. You mentioned you have been to Cozumel 10 times. This will be our 3rd. We have visited the island before and did snorkeling with a boat, and went to Paradise beach before. We want to do something different and see a different beach this time. Not interested in an all inclusive beach club though. Not interested in going to Tulum, too long of a day. Which beach would you recommend? Is there anything to see in downtown Cozumel at all except tourist shops? For Falmouth we are thinking of taking an excursion to Ocho Rios, see the Dunns Falls and go to a beach at the end. Any one you have used? Labadee think we will just hang out at the beach. Anyone else who would like to contribute their input is welcome! Thank you!

[kimala]

We are booked on Oasis October 22 of this year in an inside cabin 8151 forward on the central park deck. I was wondering if you noticed how they separate the cabins and hallways from the outdoor venue of this deck? I like to wake up before my hubby and am hoping it will be as easy as it looks to get to the Park Cafe from my room for a cup of coffee. Thanks.

[kgirlcruise]

Thanks do much for the info. We're all set with waivers. I read somewhere that if you don't have closed toed shoes you can borrow them at the zipline:confused: Do you know if that's correct?

I really hate to lug my sneakers for a 9 second zip:D cause that's the only thing i would be using them for.

 

 

Thanks again

Liz

 

I didnt notice shoes there... I would bring them in case... I know its a pain, but its work it to bring them so you can zipline.

[kgirlcruise]

:confused:

Did you need wristband s to show you signed waiver for flow rider or zip line?

 

For the flow-rider yes... I cant remember if it was needed for the ice rink and the zip line too... you just go to the desk up on the flow-rider deck (zip line is right there too) and they check their computer to make sure waivers are signed (or you sign them there) and they give you a writst band... you dont need to wear it all week- they will give you new ones- as I wouldve looked funny in my formal dress and blue wrist band I took mine off and replaced it next day.

[kgirlcruise]

Thanks for all your information, I need to ask you some questions about the ports. We are trying to do things on our own and not booking with the ship. Looking for a catamaran with snorkeling excursion that will take you to a beach at the end. Hard to find. You mentioned you have been to Cozumel 10 times. This will be our 3rd. We have visited the island before and did snorkeling with a boat, and went to Paradise beach before. We want to do something different and see a different beach this time. Not interested in an all inclusive beach club though. Not interested in going to Tulum, too long of a day. Which beach would you recommend? Is there anything to see in downtown Cozumel at all except tourist shops? For Falmouth we are thinking of taking an excursion to Ocho Rios, see the Dunns Falls and go to a beach at the end. Any one you have used? Labadee think we will just hang out at the beach. Anyone else who would like to contribute their input is welcome! Thank you!

 

 

As far as Cozumel goes.... There is an amazing tour that you can book through RCCL (I know you didnt want to...) but really its un-beatable... its called the Fury Catamaran. You go snorkeling for an hour then they take you to the beach for an 1:30-1:45 minutes. their beach has all kinds of water toys- slides, climbing things, kayaks, floating mats, trampoline, louger beds, chairs, a BBQ (you pay for its reasonable)- free beer, margaritas and soda.... Its really clean and beautiful. The staff on the catamarn take photos of you while youre snorkeling and you can buy them afterward (they have and underwater camera that takes fantastic photos)... they werent priced too bad... Its $65 per adult (not sure kids rate). Its really a great tour and reasoable for the price.

 

Downtown Cozumel- ive only been to the bars and shopping- Im pretty sure thats all there is to see there... its good shopping though!

 

I was in Ocho Rios 2 years ago and had an awful experience... we didnt book through the cruise line instead we hopped on a bus with several others that took us on a "city tour and to the falls".... we got to the falls- those that wanted to see the falls got off- the others stayed on... (what we didnt know) the bus left for the city tour while those of us were at the falls. the tour operator failed to tell us this... so we were seperated from our family for 3 hours while we were stuck at the falls until the bus came back for us....we NEVER got to go on a city tour (as we wanted to) and our family members on the bus were seperated from us for those 3 hours its was scary and un-nerving!... At the falls, we were scared to DEATH- they hustle you, beg, and REALLY try to sell you things... they are ruthless- we were offered drugs many times and chased down and followed- its not pleasant and after that trip to the falls I have no desire to ever return...

 

Go there at your own risk- Ive heard its the same experience wether youre there with a ship tour or with a self-booked tour... its a part of the island though- so take it for what its worth I guess... its just not my thing....

 

If you need anymore let me know....

 

As Im sure youve seen before, Falmouth isnt anywhere near done yet- theres not much to see but there shops and stuff on the peir and right outside in the town- if you stick around there at least you can say you "saw" and were "in" Jamaica.

 

In my opinion, cruise-ship sponsored tours are worth the extra $$$$- if anything goes wrong, youre unhappy or something happened- you have the safety and security of the cruise ship policy to back you up...

[kgirlcruise]

We are booked on Oasis October 22 of this year in an inside cabin 8151 forward on the central park deck. I was wondering if you noticed how they separate the cabins and hallways from the outdoor venue of this deck? I like to wake up before my hubby and am hoping it will be as easy as it looks to get to the Park Cafe from my room for a cup of coffee. Thanks.

 

I hope I understand and answer this right.... first heres some infro on cerntral park its in the center of the ship on deck 8... deck 9 and above (balcony rooms) over look central park....

 

There are 2 enterances on deck 8 to get you onto central park- one at the forward elevators and the other at the aft elevators. you just walk out of your room-to an elevator- to deck 8- and then to park cafe.

 

Hope this helps! RCCL made it really easy to get around the ship!

 

you can order room service coffee-its free! :) coffee-its on the boardwalk too (deck 5 or 6-cant remember)