Just off Oasis Eastern - great week 1-24 to 1-31!

[surgie]

Just ended a great week on the Oasis - Eastern Jan. 24-31. It was my husband and myself on the cruise and we are both 50+. Ten years ago we took a Western cruise on the NOS and this is our first cruise since then.

 

Pre-cruise hotel: Marriott Renaissance Cruise Port. We got a good rate, though parking was $25. The desk clerk asked if we'd like to park there while on our cruise and said the nights following our initial stay would just be $10 per night. So considering it was a covered deck and we were leaving bikes locked to a rack on the back, we decided we'd rather do this than park at the cruise port. The following morning we signed up for the shuttle in the lobby and off we went at 10:30 to the port ($6 each).

 

We were on the ship by 11:15, at Park Cafe by 11:30 and in our cabin by 1:00. Boarding was super-smooth.

 

We loved being on deck 8 in a JS (8240). It had a large hump balcony with two loungers, a small table and two chairs. We are "balcony people" and have coffee there in the early morning watching the daybreak and cheese plate (from room service) and wine each afternoon. We leave the door open at night to hear the ocean and enjoy the breeze. So when people ask if a balcony is worth it, to us it's a definite yes.

 

Central Park was our favorite area of the ship. We walked through it several times a day, sometimes stopping for a glass of wine at Vintages or a snack from the Park Cafe. We took a ride in the Rising Tide bar for a drink which was fun and enjoyed music at night.

 

Speciality Dining: we tried all the speciality restaurants for dinner and had reserved online in advance. Service was great at each one. The wait staff went beyond to be sure everything was to our satisfaction, yet they were not intrusive. We really enjoyed talking to our servers and hearing about their country and families back home. It's not an easy life for them but they are grateful to have a good job.

 

Sabor - table side guacamole not to be missed ($4) and their tacos are delicious ($5 but one taco order had enough tortillas and toppings to easily share for two people.)

 

Giovanni's - excellent filet steaks, pasta and sides. The server had several recommendations for each course which we went with. I don't think you can go wrong with any menu item.

 

150 Central Park - nice dining environment and food was very good. We chose the fish and short ribs as our main course and both were outstanding. Portions were on the smaller side which was good because there were several courses. We definitely left the table full. We did not do the wine pairings but brought our own bottle of wine from Vintages. Although we were very satisfied, we would not have been tempted to return there during the week.

 

Chops Grille - although it gets mixed reviews here, we had an excellent dinner. I have read complaints that it isn't what it used to be in terms of menu choices but we enjoyed all the dishes...scallop appetizer, salad, filets, baked potato, "tater tots", asparagus, Mississippi Mud Cake. I guess since we don't know the old menu, it seemed fine to us.

 

Izumi - we had reserved online but went in person on our first day to request Teppanyaki rather than the sushi side. Space is limited at the Teppanyaki grill side. You could still order appetizers from the sushi menu even if you were having Teppanyaki dinner. I had scallops and lobster and my husband had steak and shrimp and we tried each other's ($30 each including all sides and dessert). Our chef was funny and talented and all food was grilled to perfection. We agreed that the scallops and lobster were the best, but maybe because we had already had steaks a couple times during the week.

 

Solarium Bistro - I had read the menu in advance and none of the main courses appealed to me so I ordered a chilled soup, an appetizer and asparagus. That with the bread they served was fine for me. My husband had a fish which was good. We skipped the "healthy" dessert buffet because we were too full. This restaurant falls in the same category as 150 Central Park. We liked it, glad we went, no complaints, but would not be tempted to re-visit. It would be our least favorite of all speciality dining but it was still good food and service.

 

Other meal venues we tried:

Breakfast - Johnny Rockets (ok, but not great omelets), Park Cafe (very good bagel breakfast sandwiches) Solarium Bistro (nice breakfast buffet), room service (tried twice but toast was soggy, food lukewarm. They try but it doesn't travel well.)

 

Lunch - Sabor (ditto the dinner information - same menu), Park Cafe (roast beef sandwiches are good, as recommended and so are the made-to-order salads.) Sorrento's (pizza is fine - good place to eat on parade days), Vintages (we can make a meal out of tapas).

 

Drinks - we had the Royal Replenish package which we probably broke even on. I don't drink soda at all but I could get sparkling water from the soda machine. We both had several bottles of San Pellegrino and regular bottled water as well as fresh squeezed OJ (early morning from Vitality Cafe but later morning it's at Cafe Promenade), cappuccinos, iced coffee and lattes. The card made it convenient. Great that the Cafe Promenade is open 24 hours since we like to get our cappuccinos early and enjoy on the balcony. We also had a couple piña coladas without alcohol by the pool, included in the package.

 

We brought two bottles of wine onboard, bought two bottles at Vintages and had an occasional glass of wine, martini or tropical drink. The alcohol drink packages would definitely not have been worth the money for us.

 

Shows:

Headliner: Finis Henderson was the headliner. He is a comedian-musical impersonator. He was funny and has a great voice.

 

Cats- it's gotten such mixed reviews here. I loved it, my husband not so much. We both agreed that the set, the costumes, the makeup, the singing and acting were all top-notch and Broadway quality. It is not a "cheesy cruise ship show." That said, he wanted more of a storyline even though I had given him a quick debrief:) I felt bad for the actors that some of the audience did not return after intermission (maybe 25%?). Even my husband, who wanted to leave but was persuaded to stay, thought the second half was much better. Maybe it moved along faster or maybe he was resigned to the fact that the show is about - cats.

 

Oasis of Dreams - we went on the first night and it was cold! So bring a jacket. The show was great. However, on Thursday there was a smaller and shorter afternoon show (no tickets needed) called Splish Splash which had more diving and we actually liked it better than the evening show.

 

Come Fly with Me - I had heard this show described as a "mini Cirque de Soleil". It is not that. Yes, there is some flying but that's a small part of the show. It's more like a musical revue centered around the theme of flying. Great costumes and singers but definitely not mini-Cirque.

 

Other:

All-Access Tour - we took this on Day 6 which was a sea day. It was $150 each and always subjective as whether it is "worth it". To us it was. We met at the Aqua Theater, a group of 16 people. For each venue we visited we were given a tour and had questions answered by a person working at that venue. So first off was behind the scenes of the Aqua show with a walk through by two members of the show. This was followed by tours of the kitchen and food storage areas (fascinating to see storage as well as food prep and bread making in progress), the engine control room, the laundry, the crew's cafeteria and lounge, and the bridge. We were given a tote bag, apron and lanyard as gifts. Every crew member who spoke to us about their operation was enthusiastic and proud of the role their area played in the safety and/or comfort of the guests. The only downside was the lack of professionalism on the part of the guide who led us to each different venue. Without going into details, I'll say she has only been in this role on the ship for 2-3 weeks so hoping some experience and constructive feedback will help improve her skills.

 

Central Park garden tour - this was outstanding! It is offered on the first and last sea days at 9:30 at no charge. No need to sign up, just meet near the Coach store on deck 8. Check Cruise Compass to be sure. It is about much more than just plants and the guide is the horticulturist/landscape architect for the ship. He is very entertaining and informative. Do not miss! It lasted about an hour and a quarter.

 

Pools- we enjoyed the Solarium each day. The attendants at the Solarium were vigilant about removing belongings on unattended chairs after 30 minutes and about asking parents with young children to leave - which we only saw on the last day.

 

Workout facility - visited a few times as well as used the track. I did smell smoke in the workout room which has been an on-going issue from what we heard.

 

Ports:

Nassau - stayed on the ship hoping we'd have it all to ourselves lol! Many, many other people had that same idea and the ship's venues seemed nearly as busy as on sea days.

 

St. Thomas - took the ship's Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel trip to St. John's. It was a half-day tour, but a lot of that time was spent in land transportation getting to and from the marina. In all we had a little under an hour actually in the water at Honeymoon Bay. There are no facilities on the beach for rest room or food. But the boat has rest rooms and they served bread, cheese and fruit on the return trip along with champagne, rum punch and soft drinks. The crew was great and the boat was nice. We didn't actually sail at all going to St. John's and only sailed for about 15 minutes on the return. The rest of the time motors were used. Not sure I'd do this tour again.

 

St. Maarten - this may be the only place I've been that I feel like I didn't see at all. It was crazy busy with at least 5 other ships in port besides Oasis. We took the water taxi from the pier to Philipsburg ($7 each RT). We walked around a few of the streets which have some pretty buildings that were once homes and now are shops. But the crowds of people and the pleas of store owners to come take a look made me want to run to the nearest beach bar, which we did. We followed that with a stop at the Ocean Lounge at the Holland House Beach Hotel for a delicious lunch and then back to the ship. Our original plan had been a taxi ride to Maho but we lost interest once on the island.

 

Disembarking - my husband had a 9:00 am flight out of FLL. I was continuing on by car to a different Florida destination. We opted for self-disembarking and we left our cabin around 5:45 am with all of our luggage. No wait for the elevator at all. Disembarking was on deck 5 and we were off the ship by 6:30. Customs was fairly quick even though the lines looked long (though they do not offer Global Entry). Taxis were plentiful just outside. We took one back to the Renaissance to get our car and I dropped my husband off at the airport. He has TSA Pre-Check and was at his gate by 7:15 so plenty of time.

 

All in all it was a great week. We loved the ship, loved the staff. We never felt like it was too big. It's easy to find your way around. There is plenty to do...or not do. Lots of public spaces that did not feel crowded. Never a shortage of good food and drink, though we did not go to the Windjammer or the MDR at all. This decision had nothing to do with MTD or a like or dislike of traditional dining. We just wanted to try the variety of food the speciality restaurants had to offer. I think it's great that the ship offers so many dining options.

 

I've been surprised by some of the negative Oasis reviews I read before cruising. We just really would have nothing negative to say. I can't emphasize enough how hard working the staff is and how they will do whatever it takes to please the guests.

 

That said, after a May Alaskan cruise, we are ready to give cruising a break and do some land vacations before cruising again. Many people get "addicted" and have one or more future cruises planned. That's not us right now, but we did have a very enjoyable week. I would not hesitate to recommend Oasis to anyone. People of all ages were having a great time.

[LuCruise]

Great report. We'll be on the Allure so great to read about similar experience. So nice you were able to try all/most signature restaurants. Sounds like you had a great time.

[Natmom]

Thank you so much for your detailed review :) my mind has been put at ease by some of the things you had to say (size of the ship, specialty dining.) DH and I are cruising on the oasis in May and it will be our first rc cruise. I was worried about some recent comments about the oasis but I'm pleased with your thoughts . Thanks again

 

 

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[surgie]

Thank you so much for your detailed review :) my mind has been put at ease by some of the things you had to say (size of the ship, specialty dining.) DH and I are cruising on the oasis in May and it will be our first rc cruise. I was worried about some recent comments about the oasis but I'm pleased with your thoughts . Thanks again

 

 

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I, too was concerned about negative Oasis comments I had read but I honestly didn't care about the dry dock changes or the dining hoopla. It's vacation and we planned to have a great time on a beautiful ship - and we did!

[APDMOM]

Thank you for sharing your trip experience with us! We have 125 days to go... :)

[Megville]

Thanks for the thorough review. We leave in April on the Eastern route also. Trying to figure out what to do at the ports is the hardest currently. Based on yours and a couple other reviews about ship being pretty busy on Nassau, we may venture off to find a beach. Sorry your snorkeling trip in St. Thomas was disappointing; I'm trying to find an excursion there still too. Happy vacationing!

[John&LaLa]

I know you did not go, but what was your dining assignment. Early, late or MTD

[surgie]

I know you did not go, but what was your dining assignment. Early, late or MTD

 

We chose MTD because we didn't want to be stuck to the same eating schedule had we not done speciality restaurants. We don't eat at home at the exact same time each night and didn't care to be that scheduled on a vacation either. It was great to plan a later dinner on port days and an earlier dinner on the night with earlier show reservations and on our last packing night. With MTD or speciality you have the flexibility to eat when it works best with your plans for the day. And we still changed a couple speciality times once on the ship. That depends, of course, on availability.

[surgie]

Thanks for the thorough review. We leave in April on the Eastern route also. Trying to figure out what to do at the ports is the hardest currently. Based on yours and a couple other reviews about ship being pretty busy on Nassau, we may venture off to find a beach. Sorry your snorkeling trip in St. Thomas was disappointing; I'm trying to find an excursion there still too. Happy vacationing!

 

I do think the timing of the Nassau port made it an easy decision to stay on board. Even though the ship was busier than we expected, the previous boarding day was busy with getting unpacked and settled in. So it was a good feeling to know we had a full day to enjoy the ship. But lots of people do enjoy getting off and getting to a beach. For us, a quieter day in the Solarium was just what we needed. The issue with the Naussau port is the timing. It docks at 7:00 am - a time when we were in robes enjoying coffee on the balcony! Everyone had to be back on the ship by 1:30 which makes for an early and short day. We heard names of several people being announced just before the ship left. Turns out it was a family who didn't get back in time and had to fly on to St. Thomas to catch the ship 3 days later (so we heard). No worries if you plan well and keep your watch on ship time,

[John&LaLa]

We chose MTD because we didn't want to be stuck to the same eating schedule had we not done speciality restaurants. We don't eat at home at the exact same time each night and didn't care to be that scheduled on a vacation either. It was great to plan a later dinner on port days and an earlier dinner on the night with earlier show reservations and on our last packing night. With MTD or speciality you have the flexibility to eat when it works best with your plans for the day. And we still changed a couple speciality times once on the ship. That depends, of course, on availability.

 

Makes sense. Some folks end up early or late, then rarely show up because of specialty dining or WJ, Park Cafe, etc..

[VaRose61]

Loved your review. It was very helpful. Now I am looking forward to our June cruise even more !

[LBumb]

great job

[twindaddy]

Fantastic review, thank you very much! I still dont have the guts to book a 9am flight out of FLL, but I admire those who do!

[mj]

Great report.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your report.

[surgie]

Fantastic review, thank you very much! I still dont have the guts to book a 9am flight out of FLL, but I admire those who do!

 

LOL I thought the exact same thing and wondered why so many people seemed willing to risk a tight timetable. Yet when faced with an unexpected need for my husband to get a flight back to the Midwest, 9:00 am was the best option for our circumstances. Honestly it was not the least bit stressful. I think the Oasis has a reputation for a very smooth disembarking process and it certainly was true for our sailing. No guarantees, though!

[royal girl]

surgie - great trip report! thank you! can't wait for my cruise!

 

my flight is at 1:20pm so I guess I don't have to worry!

[kdubbo]

Thanks for the great review. We are taking this same cruise in 2016. I will be traveling with my 10 year old daughter. Can you tell me if there was plenty of kids on that cruise.

[surgie]

Thanks for the great review. We are taking this same cruise in 2016. I will be traveling with my 10 year old daughter. Can you tell me if there was plenty of kids on that cruise.

 

I would imagine the number of kids on the ship was much less than a holiday week or summer sailing. But we did see some families with children. I think your daughter will love the ship even if there aren't lots of kids. We didn't use the main pool and I'm sure we would have seen more kids there but we only used the Solarium which is for 16+,

[Janespup]

Loved your review! It was entertaining and informative. I have one question. Is the Izumi restaurant hibachi style, where they cook your food on large grill in front of you? Your review made me think about going there for the scallops and lobster!

[surgie]

Loved your review! It was entertaining and informative. I have one question. Is the Izumi restaurant hibachi style, where they cook your food on large grill in front of you? Your review made me think about going there for the scallops and lobster!

 

Yes, it was hibachi style where the chef cooks your food in front of you on a large table grill. There were about 12-14 people around the table. Before dry dock this restaurant had something called hot rock, in which I think guests grilled their own food. But now it is teppanyaki, similar to Benihana. Yes, the lobster and scallops were delicious!

[lovetogoaway]

Makes sense. Some folks end up early or late, then rarely show up because of specialty dining or WJ, Park Cafe, etc..

 

Thanks for the review. It help a lot. My niece and me are going in Aug. can't wait.

[trihawks1]

Appreciate the review. I have learned a lot of valuable info on here over the years. We are booked for Oasis Deck 8 a D1/D2 balcony on the first hump...so just forward from junior suites. I was debating on deck 8 vs 6 Because I tend to have less seasickness on lower deck. But I like the convenience of deck 8. Any other info for deck 8 pros/cons would be great.

 

 

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[mufflerman]

Girl friend and I was on the same cruise. We also really enjoyed it.

[ram42953]

We were on the Oasis a few weeks earlier and could have copied your review almost word for word. We also tried every specialty restaurant either for lunch or dinner but only once. We did eat in the MDR a few nights and had really good meals each time. You didn't mention it but I liked the Hot Dog place on the Boardwalk for a Lunch Snack. The German Sausage with Peppers and Sauerkraut was great. Lots of different types of Buns to chose from as well.