Is the oasis of the seas really worth the price??

[AFsouth]

Totally worth it, sailed her twice at significantly more cost. If it's affordable to YOU, then do it. :)

[Big_G]

We would be paying $4000 for everything....including flight and spending money. Is that pretty typical considering we have to fly in?

 

Sounds like a decent price to me. Let's not forget that there are NO OTHER cruise ships on the seas that compare to Oasis and Allure. None! Nada!

Not on Disney, not on Norwegian, and not on Carnival. It's a different cruise experience. Usually my flights are a little higher than yours but we'll be booking Allure again in December anyway. As for the drink package, I've done it on Celebrity and it appears you get more for your money on Celebrity than you would on Royal. I'd probably skip the drink package on Royal for that reason. As for the port, the ships are limited to what ports they can go to but there is still plenty to do and explore in those ports.

 

Bottom line is, just like any other ship, you won't know if it's worth it until you sail it.

[yellosno]

flying from California, our Oasis/Allure cruises are always $4000 with airfare. I suggest drop the drink package, carry on two bottles of wine and buy a few drinks during the week.

[jellyfish39]

Just came back from Oasis this past February. Family cruise, ourselves and our two college age kids.

Re pricing - we sailed President's Week and managed to get a JS for $1500 per person, kids were in a Boardwalk balcony for $1000 each. We had originally booked a D1 balcony, but chose to upgrade after final payment when cabins went on sale.

While we enjoyed the experience, we probably wouldn't do Oasis again. Only 3 ports, one of which we missed due to high winds. The weather was overcast and cool for part of the trip which didn't help.

What I missed most was the spontaneity, everything had to be preplanned - you couldn't decide after dinner that you would like to see the show, you needed to pre-book. The other thing that bugged me was all the extra charges - for cupcakes, charges for ice-cream, charges for Boardwalk seafood.

Also despite the size of the ship we often found there was little to do that was of interest, especially since the first 3 days were too cold to want to be on deck.

Admittedly the weather probably influenced our overall impression, but we found the whole thing just a bit too big and impersonal.

[centurycruiser]

I would cancel the drink package and do one of the dining packages and a wine package. Those would only cost a little over $200. Buy your drinks separately when you want one. Some drinks are only $5-6 plus tip.

 

I know if my wife and I drank $700 worth of alcohol we might not even know we were cruising!

[KKB]

All of our cruises that we have paid for were $500pp/wk, interior (parents have paid for 3; 2 cruises were won). So obviously I am all about the great deal.

"UNFORTUNATELY" one of those cruises we won was on the Allure--and we are HOOKED!! We had cruised Mariner & were not blown away by RCL, but after the Allure, all we want to do is to sail her or the Oasis!

 

Why? We just felt so pampered (just had an oceanview). We LOVED the Solarium. We loved that there were so many places to be & so many things to do. We tried specialty dining for the first time & loved it (darn it anyway!)

 

For our 20th I looked at Hawaii, Europe, Caribbean all-inclusive; DH said NOPE, do Allure again, get a balcony. We were at $3K for the room & air is a horrid $1K...but got a deal on a different week that has us at $2500 for the room, with prepaid gratuities, free specialty dinner & other amenities. Plus air was about $75pp cheaper. So with the drink package (which is at worst a break even for us) we are looking at around $4K also.

 

But the bad thing is--YOU WILL BE SPOILED. It is a tiny bit of a let down to go on other ships (ah, I got over it!)

[Eng23]

I also agree with dumping the drink packages. I cruised the Allure last year and my total onboard account total was only in the $450 range and that was for drinks, onboard purchases (t-shirts/gifts) and specialty dinning.

 

Unless you plan on drinking 9 or more drinks a day the alcohol package isn't worth it to me. Save the $700 for other things like shopping in ports or excursions.

[misty57]

It'a a beautiful ship, and there are so many different things to do and see. The food is very good also and the entertainment very good. I happen to prefer the Allure , but the price is about the same. We ended up paying close to what you paid ( with airfare) .

 

I am ready to go back to the voyager or freedom class as now that I've been on both of the big ships the WOW isn't as exciting as it was. I'm ready for different ports.DH will have a hard time going back:rolleyes:

 

Is it worth the price? Yes if you can comfortably afford it.

 

One thing you can do is to keep watch on the prices. I was able to get a price drop on our recent Oasis cruise. Every little bit helps. As far as the alcohol package... well that's such an individual thing. I only purchased one glass of wine the whole week, but did purchase the soda package which I probably wouldn't do next time.

 

If you decide to keep your reservation I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience unlike any other trip.

[rednancy1]

We found the Oasis worth it to a point. We usually book a Grand Suite but booked a JR Suite because it was more reasonable. We just couldn't justify that price. :) BTW we had a great cruise and loved the ship. :)

[3dog]

flying from California, our Oasis/Allure cruises are always $4000 with airfare. I suggest drop the drink package, carry on two bottles of wine and buy a few drinks during the week.

 

Agreed, a cheap flight from California could be $500pp, and could be much more, being a third to a half of the trip cost. Depending on where the OP is traveling from, it could be possible that other options could be just as much.

[klove613]

Strong YES here and I am not from Florida. There is nothing to compare with Oasis and Allure (which I liked a smidge more). I love all the food choices, especially Park Cafe. Loved strolling through Central Park in the early morning and late evening....so incredibly cool. There was always something to do, and it didn't have to be the big shows (which were incredible). It could be as simple as the fountain show, catching a movie at the Aquatheater, strolling over to the boardwalk to have a drink. I am going on Liberty in a few weeks (3rd time) because I wanted a little shorter cruise and I know it will be a great time, but I can't wait to get back on the Oasis or Allure. I agree with everyone who has suggested cutting the drink package to save $$$. That pricing is really exorbitant.

[Cruisekin2]

I agree with everyone who has suggested cutting the drink package to save $$$. That pricing is really exorbitant.

 

Kind of thinking that's what we're going to do as it would cut out a huge chunk of our budget...although we are from Wisconsin so we like our drinks :)

[3dog]

Kind of thinking that's what we're going to do as it would cut out a huge chunk of our budget...although we are from Wisconsin so we like our drinks :)

 

I would point out that cutting $700 package won't save as much on the cruise, as you will still spend money on drinks. The package evens out if you average about 8 drinks per person per day, and only on the ship (unless visiting Labadee, which is sort of an extension to the ship). If you think you will drink that much or more, the package might make sense anyway, as you could still see a $700 bill.

 

I'm sort of a moderate drinker on vacation, and could drink that much, and typically see a $600-$800 bill, but that usually includes buying bottles of wine for the room or dinner, which won't be included in the package (and could be reduced now that I can bring on 2 bottles). If you drink that much, are OK with the non-special glass "umbrella" drinks, are OK with the standard beer and (IMO, marginal-at-best) house wine, it could work. If not, drop it and pay per-drink (at least you have the choice to adjust appropriately once on board).

[JAYRAY1259]

If you each had 2 drinks at the pool, 2 wines each at dinner, then 2 to 3 drinks each in the evening that adds up to about 12 to 14 drinks total a day. Drinks run in the $7.00 range.

That totals out to about $84.00 to $98.00 per day for the two of you. If you times that by 7 days you spend about $600.00 to $700.00 for the week. Now if you have a wild drinking day or two, then it would be easy to get near The $700.00 level. You could also run the bill up if you use your tab to buy a few other people drinks. On a cruise it's easy to have that many drinks. There's no need for a designated driver. lol Of course many people drink about 4 drinks per day, then the package becomes cost prohibitive. The drink costs are the same throughout the whole fleet.

If your including air, cabin and spending money for $ 4000.00 and you have at least a balcony cabin then you have a good price. We sailed on the Allure last year and the Freedom the year before. The Allure is the same as the Oasis and they are a better ship then the Freedom without a doubt. We are sailing on the Oasis on Nov 2nd and we are thinking about getting the drink package, good luck

[klove613]

Kind of thinking that's what we're going to do as it would cut out a huge chunk of our budget...although we are from Wisconsin so we like our drinks :)

 

I guess it depends then on how much you plan to drink during the cruise. I don't usually average more than 2 per day (some days 3, some days 1), so it wouldn't be worth it for me, but even if you have 3-5, it is still overpriced. Also, I think about what if you aren't feeling well and don't want to drink for a day or two. It just seems that you have do be throwing them back all day to break even and you will probably save a few hundred by purchasing as you go.

 

That said, I don't think you will regret sailing on the Oasis for your Anniversary.

[sleepless]

The price for you cabin is actually pretty low - is that for 2 people? Summer rates start out higher. I booked about 15 months out for July 2013; cost was a little higher (about $2,800 for two, balcony). I have seen the prices for the cabins go up steadily during that time. You got a good deal for a balcony.

 

The ship is wonderful. I loved the Oasis back in 2011 so much that I booked a B2B on the Allure for this summer.

 

Go. Enjoy. I think you will be glad you did.

[hazeleyez3]

Since the original price you mentioned actually includes airfare, let me go back on what I said earlier.

 

$2300 total for the base cost of a 7nt cruise for 2 is a decent price, and probably on par with the Freedom class ships. Same thing for total airfare for 2 from Wisconsin.

 

Like others have said, axe the drink package, and bring a couple wines on board with you. You can always look at your account throughout the week on your tv, and talk about whether you are spending too much or not.

 

My husband will have some beers, glasses of wine, and maybe a captain and coke. I am not huge on alcohol but I might get something like a virgin Pina Colada. Our bar bill has never been close to $700.

 

One other thing you could do...if you want to eat at the specialty restaurants, make some reservations online. You'll pay then which will decrease your actual accont on the ship.

[Cruisekin2]

The price for you cabin is actually pretty low - is that for 2 people?.

 

Yes, that's for two people. Yesterday I priced out freedom class ships and we would only be saving about $100 if we went around the same time. I think I need to just stop stressing about it, and realize we're not going to go on another trip like this in a long time and kick back and enjoy myself :)

[akcruz]

Yes, that's for two people. Yesterday I priced out freedom class ships and we would only be saving about $100 if we went around the same time. I think I need to just stop stressing about it, and realize we're not going to go on another trip like this in a long time and kick back and enjoy myself :)

 

Agreed!!

 

As others have said, you got a good price for the cabin, the air nobody can do anything about either, so go and enjoy.

 

As for the drinks package only you can say if it is truly worth it to you. If you are doing the Western itinerary and have 6 - 8 drinks a day total each it may work out for you (as there are only 2 days you could be off the ship purchasing drinks outside RC since one of the stops is Labadee). If you are doing Eastern, it is not a whole lot different as you leave Nassau so early. We are doing the western this time around and seriously considering the package more for the the convenience and opportunity to try new drinks than the overall cost.

 

Others have mentioned, book some things in advance to spread out the payments so you don't have the one big bill at the end of the cruise.

 

We are doing Allure for the second time in June so obviously we do think it is worth it. Didn't get as nice of a price as you did on the cabin, but got a good deal on air. Then again, we have 5 going so overall it is a tad ;) higher.

[cglchef]

We have been on all Royal ship classes and Oasis and Allure are by far our favorites. They never feel crowded (if you avoid the Windjammer) because there are so many places to be and so many things to do. Favorites areas are Central Park and the Aqua Theater. Both places are so relaxing and different than any other venue on any other ship.

 

Enjoy whatever you choose!

[kellygirl719]

Ok...I'm sort of having buyers remorse and want to see what others have to say. My husband and I just booked a cruise on the oasis for our 10 year anniversary. We figured go big or go home. Well now I'm counting the cost and we're right around $4000 for flight, balcony room, premium drink package (what's another $700 bucks?!) And spending money. It just seems like a LOT of money for 7 days. I'm really looking forward to just relaxing, seeing some great shows and trying some of the specialty restaurants. Are we going to save a lot of money by going on a different ship and will we have as good of a time? Any favorite ships? I don't want to go on a super outdated ship and we definitely want to go for 7 nights

 

My DH and I decided to splurge for our 10 year anniversary last year, and by splurging we paid almost double your budget and got a Grand Suite on the Oasis. We were apprehensive at first paying that kind of money for the two of us for a week (even though it was within our budget).. however that apprehension was completely diminished after we came back from our trip - it was worth every penny to us - so much so we booked the same trip this past year (the first anniversary of our 10 year) ;)

 

My advice is to go for it!! You only live once - and I feel 10 year anniversaries are a big accomplishment in this day and age! :D

[cruzkitty]

Go for it! I think you will really really enjoy the Oasis and like others have posted-the entertainment is fantastic! We enjoyed it so much that we are going back on Oasis this September. It is a little pricy, but so worth it! I hope you have a great time and feel the same way after your cruise.

[Winnigirl]

Sometimes it's just hard to see the numbers, but a tenth anniversary is very special. We booked basically the same cruise for Sept. - outside balcony room - and with a +55 discount it cost $2,200.00. Our airfare will be about another $1,000. We won't do a drinks package (dh doesn't drink - I have to do all the drinking in the family - it's a burden), but if that is important to you, then you should do it. I'm all for being budget conscious, but sometimes when you are celebrating something special, it's ok to splurge a bit. Don't take away something that is special to you, in the interest of saving a few dollars.

[Jmcphillipsjr]

If anyone drinks enough to justify the cost of that ridiculous Drink package, you won't remember much of your trip

[feealicious]

If anyone drinks enough to justify the cost of that ridiculous Drink package, you won't remember much of your trip

 

 

 

 

But anyways, I do think its worth it! Now I don't drink, and my best friend who is going with me doesn't either so that is a ton of money we will be saving. Our pre hotel, round trip flights, 7 night western caribbean on Allure...central park balcony room, plus 2 excursions all equaled about $3,200 for both of us. I think we did very very well. We also booked in October during a promotion and got $100 credit.