OASIS 4/27/13 - Ship Thumbs Up- Windjammer Thumbs DOWN

[lovn2liv]

Oasis of the Seas - Amazing ship. Loved loved loved it. I love CC because I have taken reviews and appreciated the time people take out of their day to inform us of their own experience. I will offer the same service and provide information on my experience as well as share points made by the rest of my traveling companions. DH, DB, DSIL. Please....take what you need and leave the rest.

 

I have sailed on more ships than my signature offers. I haven't been able to edit my signature for 3 years due to error messages. yes, I've tried to get it resolved...however, it isn't my primary focus on CC. The Oasis is my 3rd RCI cruise. 2 on Jewel.

 

The BAD - (I like to get that over with...I am like that in life. Give me the worst so I can relish in the good and great.)

 

Windjammer - AWFUL! AWFUL! AWFUL! Biggest disappointment on this ship. Without a doubt...the Jewel of the Seas had the best Windjammer food selections and quality of any ship I have sailed. My expectations were held on the idea that this was an RCI thing, not just a Jewel thing. It must be just a Jewel thing, because the Oasis didn't not measure up...not even close. Let me explain why AWFUL!

 

1. We went to WJ for the lunch buffet the first day of the cruise. I walked around to see what was available and my initial reaction was that this was not the same as Jewel. I was not captivated by the choices but I knew I would find something that I liked. Fresh carving station. That's a win usually. Not here...the meat was dry as a bone. They had casserole dishes that all tasted the same. No taste No taste No taste...flavors were non existent. I couldn't believe it. Potato salad...the flavoring was "boiled-water"...If you can imagine that...then you have tasted the potato salad. My family was disappointed with their lunch as well. My SIL called it swill...and deemed MDR from here on out. Breakfast, lunch and dinner whenever possible--MDR. My DH and I on the other hand didn't give up so easily because our belief was...first day...was just bad...tomorrow will be fine.

 

2. I hit Johnny Rockets for breakfast on 2nd day. It was good. Cook to order all was well with the world. Limited menu and had what we needed.

 

3. Since my husband loved the Seafood Shack on the Jewel, figured we'd hit that place for lunch on the Oasis. We sat down and my husband noticed the menu and the $$$ next to the items. He asked if there was a charge to eat here? I informed him that there was. He was disappointed and aggitated and said, "let's go up to the windjammer"....why do we have to pay for food where we didnt' have to before? This is ridiculous." So the windjammer we went. Sorry to say, the first day's choices and taste was no different than the 2nd day's. He said, "This is the last time I'm eating up here. This is bad. How can they even serve this garbage? If I have to pay for a meal to be palatable on this ship then so be it. I won't subject myself to eating this stuff."

 

4. Dessert choices were good in WJ. My brother went up every day to get whipped cream. He was thrilled about that.

 

5. Day 3 we started the morning with...Windjammer for breakfast. Since we hadn't eaten here yet for breakfast, and we wanted to eat and run to get off the ship we should be OK. In the 34 years I've known my husband, I've never seen him take a plate of food and leave it behind. He took a bite of the scrambled eggs and pushed them aside. He had a slab of ham that was so salty that he couldn't eat it. He got up to look for peaches and there were no peaches, berries and other selections that we are use to on other ships. Later we realized that the different eating venues carry different choices.

 

Some places will have the berries and others will not. So the Solarium may have strawberries and blueberries. The MDR will have strawberries and peaches, etc. etc.

 

More to come....don't want to get booted out.

[papaflamingo]

Two Allure and One Oasis cruise. Never go to the WJ on either ship (rarely on any other). Go to Park Cafe, Johnny Rockets (breakfast), Solarium, Dog House (on Allure), Sorrentos. Also (for an upcharge, but worth it) Johnny Rockets, Giovannis (for lunch). So, we never go to WJ (for many reasons you stated). Too many other good choices on these ships.

[Peeker28]

I'm sailing on the Oasis next month, it's disappointing to hear the WJ was bad. Looking forward to the rest of your review. :D

[bridedoll1026]

The Windjammer has gone downhill over the past few years on all the ships we have been on. There are fewer choices & much of the same old. Getting very boring & I try to avoid it as much as possible....

[lovn2liv]

So we tried the WJ 3 times...and all times were extremely disappointing. My husband ended up grabbing a yogurt, box of cheerios and a banana. I had biscuits with strawberry jelly and a banana. I had taken 2 eggs over easy (pre cooked) and they were OK. They cook them in an awful lot of grease or oil and they were cold.

 

Windjammer Awful...now let's move on.

 

Barbecue on Labadee - JUST AS AWFUL AS WINDJAMMER. They just as well should have served salt pork instead of the meats. It was a shame. The ribs that are available look so good until you take a bite. Bogus. All that money they waste on foods that could be amazing...and they ruin it. The hamburgers were horrific. If my husband had blindfolded me and gave me a bite of the "burger" meat...I absolutely wouldn't have guessed it was hamburger. I'm not kidding and not exaggerating. It had the texture of eggplant and no flavor at all. they must boil these things and then throw them on the grill for the markings. The hotdog was excellent. My family was cracking up because I loved on that hotdog. I think my palate again was just happy to get something that resembled the taste of what it was.

 

Pizza - Come on people? Really? The crust is like an Ellios Pizza. Princess HANDS DOWN has the best pizza on any ship I've sailed on. This Pizza on the OASIS was a 4. I wasn't grossed out by it at all. They could make this so much better. Underwhelming. The topping choices were good options. The crust was poor. We were glad it was available at 12:00 at night. Wished it were better than it was. Dough is probably one of the cheapest ingredients...there's got to be a better option here.

 

Wrap up of the awfulness...

 

I love cruising and I love not having to cook, so if I don't have to cook, I'm generally very very happy. I am not picky but I do have expectations that food should taste good and be prepared with some level of care and pride. I'm happy that the WJ was not the only venue to eat and that there so many better choices throughout the ship. So venture out people. don't go to the WJ on the first day. Walk around the different venues and sample the goods. let the WJ be your last choice. Don't say you haven't been warned.

 

Central Park Cafe - Roastbeef sandwich was a staple for me for the rest of the week for lunch. It was tasty and satisfying and I looked forward to it. Have them put 2 slices of roast beef on the sandwich.

 

My husband enjoyed the soups in the Solarium cafe. They have an excellent salad bar there as well.

 

There are plenty of other reviews about the food that I agreed with. I enjoyed the MDR for breakfast and for Dinner. I have no complaints. Lobster was dry but not the end of the world for me. I gave it to my husband. There is no way they can duplicate a Maine lobster that I can get fresh any day of the week. I ordered a filet mignon off the "charged" menu in MDR. AMAZING. It really was excellent. The potato was hard...but I ate it with no complaints. I think I was so disgusted with the WJ that my palate was so happy with most everything else.

 

I ate a lot of bread. I managed to gain 10 lbs. Maybe I should have stayed in the WJ.

[windjamming]

I think you are confusing the Seaview cafe on Jewel with the Seafood Shack, which has always been one of the pay restaurants.

[lovn2liv]

I wanted to cry leaving this ship. We loved it. The entertainment was excellent. I will say I fell asleep during hairspray. I love musicals but this one just didn't do it for me and it never has. All other shows were outstanding. I get bored very easily and I was happy I sat through all of the shows. Book them and you will have no problem getting a seat. Get there 15 minutes early at least.

 

Karaoke was a blast. ON-AIR. What a great venue. The song selections were decent. Better than the Jewel...no wheres close to what the Princess cruise line offers.

 

The design of this ship is fantastic. So much to do, and it is so pretty and well thought out. I was disappointed we didn't have another week on this ship. Some people were doing back to backs and I wish we could have done that. 7 days to run around and see everything and then the next 7 to chill out and enjoy the balcony and do what you want to do selectively. Someday that will happen without a doubt. This ship needs a good 9-10 day offering. That would be perfect. 7 days is not enough in my opinion.

 

Service was excellent in all venues. I personally love the Italian Ice Tea served at any of the bars...however...L.J. served the best ones in Central Park. They were so strong that my SIL and I were trying to Hail a taxi to get us back to our rooms. We were silly and sloppy after the 2nd one. It doesn't take much to get me buzzed and 1.5 of these and I was messy.

 

My luggage was destroyed going from the pier to the ship. I had a nice roller bag and the casters were broken off. They compensated me with a new bag (of course not even close to the quality of the bag I brought on, but it was adequate to get my clothes back home.) It smelled of diesel fuel. Horrific. We kept it on the deck the whole time for it stunk up our cabin. It is currently out on my deck at home too.

 

Please people...take what you need and leave the rest when it comes to my review. I appreciate all of the reviews.

[lovn2liv]

I think you are confusing the Seaview cafe on Jewel with the Seafood Shack, which has always been one of the pay restaurants.

 

You are absolutely right. The Seaview was the venue on the Jewel we liked and is no longer available or not offered on Oasis. The Seafood Shack is the spinoff I can imagine...too bad. We loved the Seaview Cafe.

[cruisenfever]

Thanks so much for your review. The SeaView Cafe was only available on Radiance class ships. Unfortunately, Jewel is the only ship to still have a SeaView Cafe as they have been removed from the Radiance, Brilliance and Serenade.

[Ocean Boy]

I agree with you about the Oasis Windjammer as well as the food on Labadee.... Bad.

[ginrom]

I've never had a problem finding something to eat in the Windjammer that was tasty. Is the food delicious? No, but its edible; not at all disgusting.

I also have to disagree about the desserts. I find them to be bland and just not worth the extra calories.

[cruisenfever]

I think you are confusing the Seaview cafe on Jewel with the Seafood Shack, which has always been one of the pay restaurants.

At one time, several years ago, the SeaView on Jewel was changed to the SeaFood Shack and it was still a complimentary dining venue. They changed it back because it wasn't very popular.

[trev71]

I was on the Oasis last year and the windjammer was ok it wasnt as bad as some people say, sure its not A1 dinning but its good enough for most people.

Going on the allure at the end of the week. that will be the first place I go for a snack followed by park cafe for a sandwich , then maybe a hot dog after that :o

[Brutus66]

Is there a link to the menu of the seafood shack or any of the other speciality restaurants?

 

My son could (and probably will) eat pizza every day. Would you say the pizza is comparable to a chain pizza place (pizza hut, dominoes, papa johns..,)?

[Merion_Mom]

I love the Solarium for breakfast and lunch on the Oasis.

[Clarea]

Is there a link to the menu of the seafood shack or any of the other speciality restaurants?

 

My son could (and probably will) eat pizza every day. Would you say the pizza is comparable to a chain pizza place (pizza hut, dominoes, papa johns..,)?

Can't find a menu for the Seafood Shack, but this is what Royal's website says:

 

Dive right in to a hearty, seafaring meal on Oasis of the Seas®' Boardwalk – start with appetizers like crab cakes, coconut shrimp or sweet potato fries, then dig into fish and chips or the fresh-off-the-hook catch of the day. A la carte pricing.

[LBumb]

thanks for posting your opinions. i am not much of a food person. but i know others are.

[sr4mjc]

Thanks so much for your review. The SeaView Cafe was only available on Radiance class ships. Unfortunately, Jewel is the only ship to still have a SeaView Cafe as they have been removed from the Radiance, Brilliance and Serenade.

 

I'm fairly certain we ate at the Sea View on the Brilliance just a few months ago in March. Did she already have the re-fit?

[Archaegeo]

I know its an upgrade cost, but if you get a cabana at labadee, that entitles you to the better buffer at the suite beach (assuming you are not in a suite)

 

Less people, better food. And the cabana's on labadee, imho, so SOOO worth it.

 

And yeah, sad, but we avoid the WJ style buffet on almost every line we travel, its so seldom worth it, and its ALWAYS a gamble. The MDR might take longer, but you have a better chance there, and on the Oasis and Allure, definitely take advantage of Park Cafe for lunch, skip the roast beast and go for the fresh made salad, you pick your ingrediants and they make it right then.

[karena1]

thanks for posting your opinions. i am not much of a food person. but i know others are.

 

I am not either, food is the least important thing on a cruise for me.But it is important to my husband. We both thought the food in Oasis's WJ was really good. In fact we ate dinner in there one night and thought it was delicious with tons of options.

 

But food is a very subjective thing so everyone has their own feelings and options about it.

[Cheerysmom]

I totally agree about the WJ on the Oasis. I was not impressed at all. It was way too small and the configuration made it difficult to move around without bumping into and banging other people. I imagine that they made it smaller hoping to spread people around to the other venues ... It worked for me . . as I never went back there after the first day.

 

On other ships I found the WJ to be bigger and layed out better. The food was better on some of the other ships as well.

[Paul65]

The Windjammer has gone downhill over the past few years on all the ships we have been on. There are fewer choices & much of the same old. Getting very boring & I try to avoid it as much as possible....

 

I was pleasantly surprised with the Windjammer lunches I had on Navigator recently. I particularly liked some of the Asian cuisine selections, like Indian and Thai curry dishes. There always seemed to be something tasty along those lines. Of course, these flavors are not to everyone's liking, but I thought they were excellent. I think we had WJ lunch three times, two lunches in MDR (which were also very good) and the rest on-shore at various ports.

[m*u*g*]

We did Allure last June.

 

WJ on opening day was just OK. Too crowded compared to when we took the Liberty. Tighter physical space the way it is laid out and overall smaller.

 

Went for breakfast a couple other days and it was ok.

 

Otherwise, we ate elsewhere. MDR, Sorrentos, Park Cafe, Hot Dogs.

Did not eat at any upcharge restaurants.

 

This round on Oasis, we will mix it up. No MDR at all.

[lovn2liv]

Is there a link to the menu of the seafood shack or any of the other speciality restaurants?

 

My son could (and probably will) eat pizza every day. Would you say the pizza is comparable to a chain pizza place (pizza hut, dominoes, papa johns..,)?

 

Your son will have no problem with the pizza however I can't say it is like any of the chains you describe. The dough is thicker and almost like a harder crust. Not pliable. If you bend it it breaks.

[lovn2liv]

Two Allure and One Oasis cruise. Never go to the WJ on either ship (rarely on any other). Go to Park Cafe, Johnny Rockets (breakfast), Solarium, Dog House (on Allure), Sorrentos. Also (for an upcharge, but worth it) Johnny Rockets, Giovannis (for lunch). So, we never go to WJ (for many reasons you stated). Too many other good choices on these ships.

 

Couldn't have said it better. The initial day the main floors were so busy we wanted to run as far away as possible, hence to the TOP. next time we will not make that mistake again and there will be a next time.