Looking at the Oasis...some questions

[Terre]

We are looking at booking the Oasis for the spring...what do you NOT like about it & why? What cabin would you not book and why? What are the best things about the Oasis & why?

[BekkaW]

We cruised on Oasis in November (week after thanksgiving). The main thing I didn't like is that you're quite disconnected from the sea - the activities encourage you to be indoors. Also, so many rude people cutting in lines and pushing on to elevators etc. We experienced poor service in Chops but the maitre D did try and correct that for us. Windjammer was too small/ poorly laid out for a ship with 6000 passengers and I wouldn't eat there again. The spa was disorganized and made unauthorized additional charges to our account. Once I addressed this with the staff it was corrected but I probably wouldn't use it again.

 

Things I did like was almost everything else! We had a hump JS on deck 9 and that was great. Food was overall very good in the MDR and the specialty restaurants - 150 central park was particularly enjoyable for me.Our cabin attendant Catherine and waiter Elsie were lovely, always smiling and helpful. The shows we saw (hairspray and oasis of dreams) were really well done, remarkable considering it would be much harder to mount such productions at sea than on land. Casino was good fun and usually had some kind of tournament or other activity going on as well as low value tables for those who don't want to run through their gambling money too quickly!

 

The ship itself is beautiful, decorated very nicely for the holidays and I enjoyed all our ports on the western itinerary.

[johneeo]

We are looking at booking the Oasis for the spring...what do you NOT like about it & why? What cabin would you not book and why? What are the best things about the Oasis & why?

 

Having done Oasis, I liked everything. Great ship, a real marvel.

 

But, you really need to prepare yourself. Do your research, learn the deck plans, book your show reservations. Understand you will not be able to do everything, so figure out what is important to you.

 

As for cabins, you need to determine where you will be spending your time. If you want to chill everyday in the Solarium, I suggest center ship to forward. If you are going to be doing surf rider, boardwalk, basketball, center to aft.

 

My favorite part of the ship was Central Park, deck 8, so our cabin was on deck 8, which was great.

 

There are a lot of reviews on Oasis that will give you some good perspective of what lies ahead.

[Dave85]

Sailed Oasis twice. Only Oasis Class-specific things that I didn't like are that you lose the traditional flow of a normal cruise vacation. What I mean by that is there's no welcome aboard show, there's no farewell show, there isn't the nightly attraction... etc. They have all of their shows, they're scheduled, you make reservations, then you're pretty much on your own. It's not bad per se, it's just different.

 

The simply incredible of Oasis outweighs everything else though, she's my favorite ship by a long shot!

[yogimax]

I would suggest reading the reviews on Cruise Ciritc. You'll get all the positives and negatives there.

[Terre]

Thank you for these comments. They are very helpful and we will certainly read all the reviews we can find.

[papaflamingo]

Have to agree with other posts. I like everything about Oasis and Allure. As for cabins, depends on what level you want. Did a JS on Allure on the hump. It had a balcony about 30% larger than any other JS. We did an ocean balcony on Oasis. Deck 8 was a great location as I would walk to the Park Cafe in the morning, pick up 2 cups of coffee, a bagel and some fruit and yogurt and walk back to my cabin and we'd sit on the balcony for breakfast. Our cabins were close to the entrance to Central Park so it was very convenient. If you do a Boardwalk cabin, all the way aft on deck 11 (I think) you can go through a door to a large public "balcony." So if you are near there it'd be easy to wander out and enjoy the view. We did sailaway from Cozumel there on Allure. We were the only one's out there and it was very nice. You can also look down on the Aqua Theater there. We watched rehearsal during sailaway.

[KKB]

but fell IN LOVE w/ the Allure so booked Oasis for 2014.

There is NOTHING I didn't like about this ship (I take that back...not a fan of the Boardwalk). Loved that there are 6K passengers & only felt crowded once--during muster. Love that there are SO SO many places to be, things to do. Love Central Park. Love Central Park cafe & Solarium buffet for breakfast & lunch. Loved the Solarium. Loved 150 Central Park, ate there twice--actually all the pay per restaurants. (we didn't get to the steak house).

[QTMichele]

I've sailed on the Allure twice, and have had the best times on her! I'm even booked on Oasis for February 2014 - that should tell you that I don't mind spending money on these ships. ;)

 

My thoughts in a nutshell: beautiful, large ships with a little something for everyone. Because this class is very large, this could be a negative for those who don't do a lot of walking or prefer a more intimate experience. For me, I love taking the time to wander, and enjoy the size (and find many venues offer an intimate experience). There are a lot of people (6000'ish), but the crowd control is fantastic most of the time. The entertainment is wonderful, and not cheesy, stereotypical cruise-ship entertainment (which I found to some degree on the Monarch). The food is good (typical cruise ship fare), and there are many venues (included and extra-expense) to choose from to avoid boredom. I have not felt much movement on the Allure, and there is very limited ocean views from inside the ship; however, we are outside most of the time during the day so don't feel the disconnect that others discuss. The ports are average, and the time spent in Nassau is pitiful and doesn't allow for a trip to Atlantis, if one is interested in that. Pricing is higher than other Royal ships, but this class offers a lot more than the other classes.

 

Overall, this class has become my favorite, and I've come to compare all other ships to it.

[mandaleigh]

H2o zone too small for as many kids as Oasis has.... No close seating to watch your kids.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

The only thing I don't like about Oasis and Allure is that the itineraries need some variety, but I know that these mega-ships cannot just simply sail to any port they wish because the docks aren't big enough and the water not deep enough in many ports for these ships.

 

Other than that, I really like both ships and would be hard put to it to think of things I don't like about them. OK, I admit the premium price slows me down a bit.

[OCruisers]

We booked Oasis as a "floating resort" which it pretty much was. Never thought of it as a real cruise... but that's not why we booked it. The speciality restaurants were great!

 

~~~~~~

[sleepless]

Love the Oasis, so much that DH and I are going on the Allure this summer. I never felt the disconnect to the sea. It is there, so large, that it can hardly be missed. True, it is not always visible; can't see it from the Royal Promenade, the theater, shops, casino, some of the bars - just like any other ship. Views are limited in the dining room. On the other hand, it is visible from the Boardwalk, the pool deck, the Viking Crown Lounge, the walking/jogging track, solarium, etc. There are several ocean viewing areas aft on several decks, and there is a great viewing area forward - above the bridge and below the solarium, the jogging area has a quiet viewing area in the aft. Most of the afor mentioned areas have lounges so you can quietly sit and watch the ocean.. Having your own balcony, obviously, is a plus. In short, if you want to have a view of the ocean, it is there. If you choose to focus on inside venues, you can. The choice is yours to make.

[SkyKingBNA]

We cruised on Oasis in November (week after thanksgiving).

 

We were on Oasis with Bekka at the end of November. I loved that there was so much to do. We did have good experiences in both Chops and the spa, so that can be luck of the draw, as with any ship. I loved the fact that the shows repeated throughout the week and not just twice on the same night. I enjoyed Oasis of Dreams so much the first time I saw it, that I made a point to go back and see it again a couple nights later.

 

I did not love not seeing the ocean unless I was actually standing outside somewhere. There are very few public interior spaces where you can sit and watch the sea. It rained quite a bit on our trip, so I was inside most of the time. I kept looking for a place to see water and also be able to see that it was daylight outside. I really only got that on my balcony, or the Viking Crown - but only if there wasn't an activity going on. Someone else mentioned it here, but, in my opinion, it really is a floating resort as opposed to feeling like you're at sea for a week.

 

I did love all of the updated procedures onboard: show reservations, electronic waivers for sports activities, the "gangway" button on the elevator, all of our pictures being grouped into one folio instead of having to search and search for them. :)

 

All in all there was a lot of things to love. Having said that, I don't think those things outweigh the main reason I cruise... to be at sea. And Oasis just didn't give me that sensation.

 

Oppa! Gangway Style

OMG. This just made me laugh out loud. I know it's your screen name... but I might have to steal the tag line. lol!

 

Tracy

[Cupcrazy]

The only thing I don't like about Oasis and Allure is that the itineraries need some variety, but I know that these mega-ships cannot just simply sail to any port they wish because the docks aren't big enough and the water not deep enough in many ports for these ships.

 

I agree. It would be nice to see them hit some new ports

[Terre]

Thanks so much for all your comments. We booked today for May 11th and we did book a balcony. I'm sure we'll love it as we do all our cruises! I do appreciate your comments and we will be doing more research in the next few months.

[LBumb]

we too are giving the oasis a go, central park balcony price was right

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

OMG. This just made me laugh out loud. I know it's your screen name... but I might have to steal the tag line. lol!

 

Tracy

 

Hey, Tracy. Thanks alot! I wasn't sure anyone would get it, but it was so funny to me. In full disclosure, it was my son who came up with the name and asked why I didn't use it. I jumped at the idea. I'm really glad someone picked up on the humor.

 

Now I often have this picture in my head of passengers going up the gangway to a cruiseship dancing "gangnam stlye" with luggage bouncing along behind them.

[Terre]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions; I know we are going to love it and I'm looking forward to May!

[hcat]

but fell IN LOVE w/ the Allure so booked Oasis for 2014.

There is NOTHING I didn't like about this ship (I take that back...not a fan of the Boardwalk). Loved that there are 6K passengers & only felt crowded once--during muster. Love that there are SO SO many places to be, things to do. Love Central Park. Love Central Park cafe & Solarium buffet for breakfast & lunch. Loved the Solarium. Loved 150 Central Park, ate there twice--actually all the pay per restaurants. (we didn't get to the steak house).

 

what can you get at these alt locations for breakfast, & are there any other breakfast options besides the buffet & those mentioned above? we try to avoid the buffet area whenever we cruise--

 

Thanks

[janetz]

Hey, Tracy. Thanks alot! I wasn't sure anyone would get it, but it was so funny to me. In full disclosure, it was my son who came up with the name and asked why I didn't use it. I jumped at the idea. I'm really glad someone picked up on the humor.

 

Now I often have this picture in my head of passengers going up the gangway to a cruiseship dancing "gangnam stlye" with luggage bouncing along behind them.

 

 

Love this...NCL Star crew as passengers are returning to ship in Cozumel...Enjoy

[trev71]

I agree. It would be nice to see them hit some new ports

 

Ill thrid that my old friend, id like to see a southern carribean on the Oasis or Allure, heck id even settle for the Freedom Class to go to Arbura , and St Lucia etc

[janetz]

Ill thrid that my old friend, id like to see a southern carribean on the Oasis or Allure, heck id even settle for the Freedom Class to go to Arbura , and St Lucia etc

 

Hey Trev, The Carribean Princess is doing Aruba and Curaco from FLL. She is a great ship. ;) I wish RC would consider that route.

[LAatl]

what can you get at these alt locations for breakfast, & are there any other breakfast options besides the buffet & those mentioned above? we try to avoid the buffet area whenever we cruise--

 

Thanks

Previous posts report that Johnny Rockets has a great breakfast (french toast and eggs cooked to order), main dining room has breakfast and the solarium has healthier breakfast options.

[pinkrosesdeb]

Park Cafe has a bagel bar and egg mc muffin type sandwiches plus oatmeal, fruit etc.