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

[lovn2liv]

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

 

There is a post on CC that gives a full on review of the oasis dining choices. I think it is spot on with so many things. They provide a pretty comprehensive list of what to get where. Go by that. I had it on my person but forgot I had it. You will be happy with the other options believe me. Their frozen yogurt situated in deck 15 near the center pool bars was an excellent treat as well.

[lovn2liv]

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

 

I had read that the flies were very overwhelming around the food. I did not experience that. What I think happened was the flies talk to one another and they are staying clear of the buffet now...word of mouth.

[lovn2liv]

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.

 

I never had a problem with the WJ until the Oasis. There were plenty of people eating up there so you are not alone. Their creme brûlée was excellent. Apple strudel yummy. Carrot cake bread succulent. Bread pudding definitely good with their vanilla sauce. I wish I had calories in mind. I did not.

[lovn2liv]

Come Fly with me. Get there early and get a seat in center of the theater. Up front (back 5 rows or so) if manageable. Great show. The Oasis water show (sorry, can't remember the name) was FABULOUS. What talent. Sit in center to get full effect. If you sit in first couple of rows you have a good chance of being splashed. The kids like that part. The Abbacadabra show (abba) knock off was OK. I had no prob sitting thru it. DH was ready to go after the first song. We all sat thru it.

 

The comedy shows must be seen. We laughed a lot and had a great time.

 

There were tons of music and dancing venues throughout the ship. Take your time and see what hits you. Dazzles had a smoking option. I believe that and the casino was where I smelled the smoke. Other than that it was very contained. I choke when the smoke is bad and I lose my voice. No problems here.

[cruisenfever]

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?

Brilliance is currently being enhanced. She will resume her itineraries on May 15.

[lovn2liv]

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

 

I love how you have it all planned out. Go for it and have a blast.

[lovn2liv]

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

 

Agreed. We found this area to be a great choice. Of course the roast beef sandwich was in another neighborhood. :)

[nelblu]

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.

 

I don't know why you went to the WJ if you followed the CC board. You should have gone to the other free eating venues, eg. Park Café, Sorrento's, Solarium Café, Tutti Frutti salad bar on sea days. etc. Park Café is the hidden gem. When we cruised Oasis, we never ate in the WJ--for the size of the ship it is small.

[lovn2liv]

I don't know why you went to the WJ if you followed the CC board. You should have gone to the other free eating venues, eg. Park Café, Sorrento's, Solarium Café, Tutti Frutti salad bar on sea days. etc. Park Café is the hidden gem. When we cruised Oasis, we never ate in the WJ--for the size of the ship it is small.

 

Agreed. Hind site is 20/20. Because we had positive experiences in the past we thought it was a good quick choice. We know better now.

[bouhunter]

15. 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.

[Paul65]

I don't know why you went to the WJ if you followed the CC board. You should have gone to the other free eating venues, eg. Park Café, Sorrento's, Solarium Café, Tutti Frutti salad bar on sea days. etc. Park Café is the hidden gem. When we cruised Oasis, we never ate in the WJ--for the size of the ship it is small.

 

Yeah...nobody goes to the WJ any more. It's too crowded.

[BecciBoo]

I was never blown away by any of the WindJammers, but satisfied with some things so sometimes we'd eat breakfast there and stop in for a snack after we got back from an excursion. But when we did Majesty, the WindJammer Marketplace did seem much better than other ships. Surprising, but there are different chefs and different ways of running things in a ships galley that can affect the taste of the food!

Now we stick to the MDR for breakfast (free cappuccinos in Diamond breakfast area) and lunch for the Tutti Salad and Dinner with some Giovanni and Chops thrown in for dinner. I have never felt any food was Just Awful....pizza neh I'll eat it in a pinch.

 

Dog House-pretty good for fast food at the pool.

[Brutus66]

I was never blown away by any of the WindJammers, but satisfied with some things so sometimes we'd eat breakfast there and stop in for a snack after we got back from an excursion. But when we did Majesty, the WindJammer Marketplace did seem much better than other ships. Surprising, but there are different chefs and different ways of running things in a ships galley that can affect the taste of the food!

 

Now we stick to the MDR for breakfast (free cappuccinos in Diamond breakfast area) and lunch for the Tutti Salad and Dinner with some Giovanni and Chops thrown in for dinner. I have never felt any food was Just Awful....pizza neh I'll eat it in a pinch.

 

Dog House-pretty good for fast food at the pool.

 

In the MDR for breakfast and lunch...what do they have?

 

Is is menu or buffet service? Standard breakfats and lunch items?

[lovn2liv]

MDR for breakfast you have several choices. Menu and also buffet. Both will get you everything you need I would imagine.

[Clarea]

In the MDR for breakfast and lunch...what do they have?

 

Is is menu or buffet service? Standard breakfats and lunch items?

The MDR has menu service for breakfast and lunch. Most ships will also have an additional buffet for breakfast and lunch.

 

For breakfast, the buffet will have cut up fruit and cereal. Some ships will have additional hot items in the breakfast buffet.

 

For lunch, they will have the Tutti Salad, basically a salad bar with a large variety of ingredients. You just point to what you want and a server builds your salad for you.

 

For either meal you can order from the menu, use the buffet, or both.

[vermontvoyager]

I agree the WJ on Oasis is terrible. Had just 1 breakfast there 1st day on a b2b and never went back.

The Jewel WJ is without a doubt the best WJ we have experienced, although we have not been on all the ships.

[brookmill18]

We only ate in it that first day for lunch, and it was pretty much our least favorite meal. But I will say that traveling with 2 sets of grandparents and 2 kids, it did make for the easiest way for all of us to sit together, find something we could eat, and be able to celebrate the start of our vacation. I just can't imagine us doing that at Park Cafe or Solarium on the first day.

 

The other thing I loved about Oasis was that even though my favorite breakfast and lunch spot was Solarium, I could still join the whole group at MDR and just get some yogurt and fruit but enjoy the time with everyone, and then go off by myself later to the Solarium for the meal I really wanted!! It's so nice to have options to keep everyone happy all week!

[Brutus66]

My wife and I went on our last cruise like 20 years ago. She mentioned that they had a midnight buffet. I kind of remember that (I guess) do they do anything like that on Oasis?

[Clarea]

My wife and I went on our last cruise like 20 years ago. She mentioned that they had a midnight buffet. I kind of remember that (I guess) do they do anything like that on Oasis?

No nightly midnight buffets anymore. Some ships have a late night poolside buffet once during the cruise, but this is not fleetwide.

[windjamming]

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.

 

I didn't know that! I wonder if that was a trial for the Oasis Seafood Shack?