Review by a Cruisin' Virgin - Oasis of the Seas 23 June 2012

[BalekFekete]

It's hard to believe it is over, but after a week plus now, I can look back and come to grips with the end of the recent family vacation aboard the Oasis of the Seas. :( However, given how much help the boards here on Cruise Critic was in preparing me for our trip, I thought it would be best to 'pay it forward' and offer up my thoughts, feelings, and experiences for those that will follow.

 

Background: as the title suggests, this was my first cruise. The same holds true for my kids - DS(17), DD(14), and DS(11). My DW had cruised once with a friend back when she was 18, however, that was a different time, a different cruise line, and a wholly different experience. So, by all accounts, we were all newbies to cruising with RCCL and most certainly on the Oasis of the Seas. My parents also came along, with a few cruises under their belt on Norwegian, but never on a ship with the size and scope of the Oasis.

 

For starters - I can't overemphasize the importance of preparation. I may have gone overboard here on Cruise Critic as well as other sites and sources. However it all payed off in that I didn't feel overwhelmed, uninformed, or lost at most points during the cruise. It's all because of the wealth of information that can be found on the internet. Two simple words: USE IT!

 

I'm going to split the actual review in the thread here by day, so sit back and enjoy our trip through the Caribbean on what, in my not-so-humble opinion, was simply the best vacation I've ever been on. :D

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Zero*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day One*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Two*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Three*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Four*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Five*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Six*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Seven*

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Eight* :(

[irishgal432]

I love the idea of posting each day up front so we don't have to scroll through the hundreds of posts to see your actual review. We just got off at the end of May and and looking forward to your review.

[Gordo]

We are considering one of the big ships after our September cruise. Looking forward to your review.

[BalekFekete]

I love the idea of posting each day up front so we don't have to scroll through the hundreds of posts to see your actual review. We just got off at the end of May and and looking forward to your review.

 

Ugg...I thought so as well. However, it would seem the ability to edit your posts are time limited. :(

 

I'll make each days review a reply from the previously held spot above, so if you switch to Threaded View (at the top of the thread under Display Modes) you will be able to jump to the various review spots. Best I can do... :)

 

So...without further adieu...

[johneeo]

 

I'm going to split the actual review in the thread here by day, so sit back and enjoy our trip through the Caribbean on what, in my not-so-humble opinion, was simply the best vacation I've ever been on. :D

 

Yep.

 

Absolutely fantastic time.

 

Wish I could do it every month. What a fantastic vacation.

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day Zero*

 

Day Zero marks one of the first huge lessons learned from doing my homework on the boards and through more seasoned cruisers - plan to arrive at your port city the day before you leave on the cruise. HUGE words of wisdom that I'd pass to anyone who has the means to do so.

 

For us, it was almost required simply due to how we were getting down to Fort Lauderdale. To help contain costs, we were using frequent flyer points for the family. The catch is the airlines obviously know why people fly into that particular airport. Why do I say that? Because to either arrive or leave from Fort Lauderdale International Airport on a Saturday literally cost double the points than to arrive on Friday and/or leave on Sunday. So thank you Capital One for forcing me *twist my arm* to spend a bit more time in Florida. :)

 

We left for Philadelphia airport around 4:00am in order to get the family on a 7:30am Delta flight to Fort Lauderdale, connecting through Atlanta. We didn't have enough points on the one card for all 5 of us, so I flew off of my work points on USAirways a bit later in the morning. No issues on the flight to speak of, and we all arrived around 1:00pm. Luggage arrived without a problem, and we were calling the shuttle to the hotel in no time.

 

And welcome to you too Fort Lauderdale!

 

Lesson Learned: There are multiple Hampton Inn & Suites in the Fort Lauderdale area. Why is this important? Well as I said, we were traveling with my parents and we were planning to stay in the same hotel on Friday night. The problem was we booked into separate hotels. D'oh! We were in the one down in Hollywood, about 10 minutes or so from the airport. We booked off of hotels.com and secured a price of $82/night in a room that comfortably fit the five of us. Don't expect a five-star, on the beach experience. However, for what we paid, it was more than enough. We checked in, found ourselves some lunch and then later dinner with my parents, and even had time to let the kids take a dip in the pool.

 

DD and DS enjoying the water. Eldest DS mysterious missing - he has the same aversion of photography as I do it seems.

 

I then promptly got us settled down, got the Kindles out, and relied heavily on a few Advil PMs to get some sleep before the big day. Without the little help, I'm absolutely certain I wouldn't have slept a wink. :)

[BalekFekete]

*Reserved for Day One*

 

YES! It's Saturday...!!!

 

But I'm ahead of ourselves...the plaques found in each of the elevators will start all the review posts and will make sense, but let's get us to the ship first...

 

We opt'd for the shuttle service from the hotel to get us to the cruise terminal. We prepaid when we checked in at a cost of $10/head. Lesson Learned: Don't pay $10/head when a $20 cab ride would suffice. Little did I know how close to the terminal we were...oh well. We headed down to the lobby around 10:20 to catch the 10:45 shuttle over. The driver was there and said he'd be back to collect us right around quarter till. I didn't take too much notice of the fellow - big mistake!

 

Why you ask? Because about 5 minutes later, someone comes into the lobby, walks up and asks "Are you going to the cruise terminal?" I answer "Well sure...happy to leave early!" and we loaded our stuff up. We shuttle over to two other hotels to pick up others...not out of the ordinary I think. I even ask the couple sitting ahead of us if they were excited for the cruise, which got me a resounding "Yes!". So we're putting in the general direction of the terminal...I can even see the Oasis. But then instead of hanging a right to the terminal we get on the highway going towards Miami! "Whhhooooaaaaa!!!! Where we going?!?" I ask in a less-than-calm manner. "To the Carnival Dream of course" answers the couple in front. Oh the hell I am! A quick, frantic exchange with the driver gets him to the understanding that we aren't the people he was supposed to pick up, and we're going back to the hotel. Lesson learned: Double check with your shuttle they know who they have!

 

So after a short ride back, we get out and - wouldn't you know it - are greeted by another family of 5 looking to go to...well Miami. We swap out and get onto the 11:45 shuttle over. :o

 

On the ride over to the cruise terminal...

 

 

Again, as we were driving up, I was simply taken back by how big the ship is, even from a distance...

 

 

We were off the shuttle and our bags out of the trailer and into the hands of a porter. We already had our luggage tags on and ready to roll, so we were promptly ushered inside and towards our designated check-in lane. Given the number of people they have to move in a short amount of time, I was absolutely astonished at how smooth the operation ran. Slight hiccup as our window attendant was primarily for Spanish-speaking guests and had a little trouble with English, but not too bad. I threw her the curveball of only having passports for myself, with the rest of the family traveling on birth certificates, drivers licenses, and/or marriage licenses. I just couldn't justify the $400 on passports that, in all liklihood, would never be used again before they expire - least for the kids. Good news is it went off without a hitch and we were on the ship in 30 minutes, curb to 'shipway'.

 

Walking onto the Promenade was awesome.

 

It was an instant party atmosphere, with the DJ up on the deck jamming out tunes.

 

First thing first when getting aboard - we had changed our reservation several weeks before sailing that threw a bunch of our shows, etc. off the mark. Specifically we had changed from one room to two, splitting the kids out into their own stateroom. We were originally booked into a D1 Superior Ocean-view Stateroom with Balcony that could sleep 5. Two twin beds, a full pull-out couch, and a Pullman bunk bed coming out of the ceiling. After a bit of internal negotiation and himming and hawing (and asking for feedback on the boards here), I reconsidered and was able to get the adjacent stateroom as well.

 

BEST THING I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE!

 

Yes, we could have fit into the room. Yes, it would have saved me $450. But no, I never would have fit all the luggage into the room and would have certainly thrown one or more of the kids overboard before the cruise was over. The rooms are perfectly sized for two adults or three kids. Not and no matter what the cruise line or your travel agent says.

 

So after hunting down the Box Office and a few of the specialty dining restaurants to synch up our reservations, we were good to go to enjoy the cruise in style!

 

We chose to eat in the MDR the first night, and it did not disappoint (a theme you'll hear for the rest of the nights as well...). I enjoyed a Watermelon Gazpacho, Sea bass with asparagus and lentils, and Cherries Jubilee. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water. The food was exceptional, much better than many would make the MDR sound and certainly much better than most banquet-style dining I've done in my life. All the food was properly prepared, and service was incredible. Our waiters were Johnny-On-The-Spot with all our requests, and make the experience special even on the first night.

 

After dinner, we took off for our first show - Hairspray. The production value was Broadway caliber and, since we had third row Orchestra seats, it was a great experience. The sets were very well done, the singers had great voices, and the acting was on point. I've spent a pretty penny seeing theater in NYC over the years, and this show ranked right up there with the best of the best the city has to offer. It really is no wonder they were beamed into the recent Tony Award Show just before we set sail...

 

At this point, we were still running on pure adrenaline but starting to lag. We toured the ship some more, but eventually crashed into our respective rooms. After all, Day Two was coming and we had 8AM FlowRider lessons in the wings for the kids.

 

(Pictures to follow from Day One...silly limit of 6/post I'll have to work around).

[BalekFekete]

YES! It's Saturday...!!!

 

Did I mention Sea Bass? Mmmm...

 

Chocolate and Cherries...who needs more?

 

Think this speaks for itself...

 

Front and center and ready for the show...

 

Showtime...!!!

 

Lesson Learned: Use your 'good' camera whenever possible.

 

The vast majority of the pictures I'll be posting were taken with a new point-and-shoot we bought specifically for the cruise, a Canon D20. While it's great for what's intended for (underwater...wait and see...), we should have been using our DSLR (Canon T1i) for everything else. We were dissuaded from doing so because we didn't want to carry it around, etc. and now can say we regret the decision. Oh well...

 

I'll leave Saturday with the pretty 'ittle birdies we found flying between one set of elevator banks on the ship...

[avazah]

Great start! Looking forward to more!! :)

[Poorplaya]

Looking forward to alot more, keep it coming!!!

[Just The 3 Of Us]

YAY!!!! I just can't get enough of these picture reviews - great start. Keeping it coming!

[johneeo]

 

After dinner, we took off for our first show - Hairspray. The production value was Broadway caliber and, since we had third row Orchestra seats, it was a great experience. The sets were very well done, the singers had great voices, and the acting was on point. I've spent a pretty penny seeing theater in NYC over the years, and this show ranked right up there with the best of the best the city has to offer. It really is no wonder they were beamed into the recent Tony Award Show just before we set sail...

 

 

Yo Yo Yo Matt!

 

Was that a great cruise or what?

 

Man, what I would give to be there for another couple of weeks.

 

Good to see another perspective on this. As you might have seen from my review, I did not care for Hairspray, but, everything else I loved.

 

Keep it coming, good to see that you enjoyed the MDR, one of my favorite experiences on a cruise, and the Oasis did not disappoint.

[dacsmom]

What a great review. I can't wait to read more. It is a good thing you were paying attention on the shuttle, that could have been a mess.

[irishgal432]

"We were originally booked into a D1 Superior Ocean-view Stateroom with Balcony that could sleep 5."

 

 

I didn't realize you could put 5 people in a D1 room. Did you book it that way or did you book the 5th person in your parents room?

[BalekFekete]

"We were originally booked into a D1 Superior Ocean-view Stateroom with Balcony that could sleep 5."

 

 

I didn't realize you could put 5 people in a D1 room. Did you book it that way or did you book the 5th person in your parents room?

 

Some of those cabins have a Pullman bed that will sleep the 5th person. It's not in every cabin, so you need to ask for those specific family staterooms. Also, if I'm not mistaken, they don't book them anywhere but with RCCL directly.

[Monk86]

Looking forward to reading day 2!