Oasis Review: The Skeptics Did It 11/7

[wolfganghowell]

Here's my take on the ports.

 

Sorry to be skipping around. Between work and family obligations, my mind is a mess!

 

Labadee! Cabana heaven. We had emailed a few months out to request a cabana on Barefoot Beach. They responded promptly and told us they were holding Hilltop 1 for us but that all Over The Water cabanas were already reserved. We were #1 on the waiting list in case one opened up.

 

My psychic powers (;)) told me that they weren't all reserved - that the concierge were simply holding those back for the "Big" suites onboard. I'm still convinced of this. The first night, we made sure they still had us confirmed for H1. Yep. We were still on the waiting list for the magic OTW. We headed off the ship around 9 am, took the tram to Barefoot Beach and lo and behold, OTW #2 was magically ours. Heck - someone else was already in H1! :) OTW #1 had 2 ladies in there for maybe 3 hours, OTW #3 was vacant and OTW#4 had a small family for about half the day. On the other hand, we hung out for about 6 hours - cabana time and water/floaties time. We love the relaxation of a cabana and we feel we get our money's worth for the 4 of us. Would the 2 of us rent one? Nope. But for 4-6 people, absolutely. I am still convinced they held back on the OTW to keep them available for the really large suites. I actually have no real issue with that. The GS are the smallest suites on Oasis and with over 100 suites and only 6 OTW cabanas, I can understand the concierge wanting to keep those big suites happy. We're just glad we got ours.

Edited November 16, 2015 by wolfganghowell

[wolfganghowell]

Next is Falmouth. We've done it and for us, it's too dang far to go anywhere outside the port area. I commute enough in the real world, I don't want to spend my vacation time in a van. We headed to Margaritaville. When last we visited, the pool was still under construction. We parked ourselves at the swim up bar, listened to the music and deejay, drank some adult beverages and hung in the pool all day. A thoroughly enjoyable lowkey day.

 

Final stop was Cozumel. We hopscotch between Nachi Cocom and Paradise Beach. Last 2 trips, it's been Paradise and while we love the intimacy and laid back vibe of Nachi, Paradise is wooing us back now that they have expanded with the giant resort pool and the fun people watching of their crazy water toys at the beach. Sure, it can get crowded but the last 2 times it has not been an issue. Cost-wise, if you drink and eat, it comes out around the same. We spent around 5-6 hours at Paradise.

[wolfganghowell]

Ship Areas

 

We missed quite a few. It's just impossible to do it all and relax. We knew that going in so we didn't sweat it.

 

Boardwalk - so cute. We did experience it - JR's breakfast, Sabor dinner, quick Dog House. We rode the carousel three times :D, first the 2 of us and then with the cruise friends. The 3rd time was because she was wearing a skirt the first time and everyone knows you can't straddle a horse in a skirt! We saw the Aquashow the 2nd night. Just lovely - make it a Must Do.

 

Central Park - just lovely and peaceful. As mentioned, 2 lunches in there and we walked through it a few times. One night was great walking through - not very crowded, beautiful. Other nights - way too humid to truly want to hang out there.

 

Dazzles - nice showroom. The band was ok - female singer was strong, musicians were good but just no showmanship. We popped in twice.

[depplep]

As long as we're talking food, let me wrap it up with our forays to Johnny Rockets for one breakfast, a Dog House snack and two Park Cafe lunches.

 

Johnny Rockets - don't order the scrambled eggs unless you like the pre-made ice cream scoop scrambled. Mr Wolf made that fatal error. I got my eggs fried so my breakfast was cruise ship normal*. *Meaning no matter how many times you ask for "crisp" bacon, you are going to get wobbly soft chewy bacon that MIGHT have 2 small semi-crispy bites per slice.

 

Dog House snack - plain old hot dog. fine. Mr Wolf got a bratwurst and one of the other specialty hot dogs - he scarfed them down so I assume he was ok with them.

 

Park Cafe - we did lunch on Day 2 and Day 7. I had salads both time - very nice. They are like a junior version of the tutti salad in the MDR without the chopping. Since we never did the MDR, I have no idea if they do the tutti on Oasis. This was definitely a good substitute. The first day I had the famous roast beef - yep it's good and I am NOT a roast beef sandwich girl. But try it - I agree, the bun is what makes it. I had a good piece of beef though - others seemed a bit fatty but I lucked out. Second time, I had a grilled cheese panini, the others had the turkey avocado and both were good.

 

I think this concludes the food portion of this review. Feel free to ask your food related questions though!

 

 

Not to hijack your thread, but the MDR had the Tutti salad on Oasis. My husband had it twice. Great review.

[wolfganghowell]

Solarium.

 

OK - this is where my Pros and Cons come back. I had been anticipating this beautiful Solarium. I read the reviews of people saying how hot it was and I went "P-shaw, they can't handle heat. I'm a Texas girl - I can TAKE THE HEAT." Well dang it - no. Not only was it too hot and humid but it just didn't have the vibe. The first time I tried it, there was an invisible chair hogs convention. Not a spot available and only a 30% occupancy rate. Damnation how I hate chair hogs. 2nd time, I tried the round chairs at the front - ick, too hot no circulation. I ended up on the 2nd level in the shade and read for awhile. I walked down and got in the way too small pool to cool off and padded back upstairs. Eh. I missed my Freedom/Voyager solarium. Part of my seaday experience is to hit the Solarium and read for a few hours, throwing in some happy staring into the ocean while I'm at it. So I have to say that I much prefer the F/V solarium and considered the Oasis one to be a minor disappointment for me.

[wolfganghowell]

Hijack away. I was beginning to think I was talking to myself here. :D Glad to know they have it - it's a fave of mine, just didn't get to it this time. The Park Cafe salad was definitely the next best thing.

[depplep]

It seems like you had the same thoughts about Oasis that we did. I much prefer Freedom/Voyager class. Oasis was too condensed in the pool areas and with no ocean views out from the promenade and the inability to walk from one end to the other without going up or down and then across just really ruined the ship for us. Mostly though, the pool bar as you said earlier.

[wolfganghowell]

C&A

 

As mentioned, we are Diamond Plus. We never got our bottle of wine. Didn't lose any sleep over it since we had the drink package. However, if we didn't have the drink package, I would have asked about it. We did have our welcome aboard Coronas.

 

The C&A gatherings were mentioned in a one page flyer in our room. It took me 3 days to even notice it. Not the best way to promote them. We actually stumbled across the main one in the Aquatheater the first morning but didn't stay.

 

We used our internet coupons - Mr Wolf went to the internet cafe to get it set up. He's an IT guy and he was very happy with the Voom internet. Other than that, I don't think we used any other coupons this time. I have enough Spin to Win key chains to open a store so I didn't bother with those and once again, didn't need the drinks.

[wolfganghowell]

I'll flit over to the pools since depplep reminded me of some thoughts on them.

 

Solarium pool - useless.

 

Sports pool - seemed to get plenty of use although not necessarily for sports.

 

Main pool - average, usually crowded.

 

Beach pool - we liked the concept of this pool. We noticed it of course but didn't use it until we got back from Cozumel and then stood it on for a nice bit on the last sea day. It seemed to attract mainly adults except for one annoying little boy who kept jumping and somersaulting in it and splashing everyone. How strange - the sign said no running and jumping and adult supervision for everyone under 16 but yet no one in sight and no Deck patrol. I don't blame the little boy, I blame the parents.

 

Hot tubs - we did a cantilevered hot tub Cozumel afternoon. Would have been nice to do them while at sea but they were usually crowded, it was too blasted hot to think of getting in or we just weren't in the right place at the right time.

[wolfganghowell]

OBSERVATION - DO NOT START SCREAMING ABOUT SMOKING, PRO AND CON

 

The Pool Bar tables are for smokers, as is the area directly above it on Deck 16. Didn't go in that area so have no comments. The Pool Bar smoking area was always packed. Packed. Other than the casino, these are the only areas I was aware of for smoking. There may be another outside area, so feel free to correct me.

 

I heard several smokers throughout the week complain about their lack of areas. And of course, we always hear non- smokers complain about ANY smoking. I just shake my head at both ends of the spectrum. You simply can't please everyone. I think Royal has done as good a job as they can to accommodate both parties. Don't like it outside, use the other side of the ship and walk by the Sand Bar. Don't like it inside the casino, the non smoking side did not smell. If you insist it still gets into your clothes, pack a small bottle of Febreeze like I do and spray your clothes. Problem solved. Our friends played over there and had no issues. Smokers, don't complain about your limited areas. You're lucky to still have some areas, both inside and out. Accept the changes and move along. :)

[depplep]

OBSERVATION - DO NOT START SCREAMING ABOUT SMOKING, PRO AND CON

 

The Pool Bar tables are for smokers, as is the area directly above it on Deck 16. Didn't go in that area so have no comments. The Pool Bar smoking area was always packed. Packed. Other than the casino, these are the only areas I was aware of for smoking. There may be another outside area, so feel free to correct me.

 

I heard several smokers throughout the week complain about their lack of areas. And of course, we always hear non- smokers complain about ANY smoking. I just shake my head at both ends of the spectrum. You simply can't please everyone. I think Royal has done as good a job as they can to accommodate both parties. Don't like it outside, use the other side of the ship and walk by the Sand Bar. Don't like it inside the casino, the non smoking side did not smell. If you insist it still gets into your clothes, pack a small bottle of Febreeze like I do and spray your clothes. Problem solved. Our friends played over there and had no issues. Smokers, don't complain about your limited areas. You're lucky to still have some areas, both inside and out. Accept the changes and move along. :)

 

You are so on the mark about everything. My husband enjoys his nightly cigars. It was much nicer again on Freedom and Voyager where there is a dedicated area for cigar smokers at least. It was just a nuisance on Oasis, you can't even walk through.

[wolfganghowell]

Our guys also like their nightly cigars. They never made it to the Pool Bar -they too missed the lounge. They had theirs in the cabana at Barefoot Beach and had another in Cozumel.

[A&L_Ont]

Good review so far. Being suite cruisers we have seen our luggage arrive at a multitude of different times. I believe that there is no expedited luggage arrival for suite guests.

 

I look forward to the the rest of your review.

 

Edit: we always enjoy our cabana for the entire day at Labadee. We are usually there from first thing in the morning until 3:30pm if not later. For the money we make sure we enjoy it the entire time.

Edited November 17, 2015 by A&L_Ont

[wolfganghowell]

The Sweet Suite Life: Here is where the Oasis experience can really change. We would definitely not have enjoyed as much as we did without the suite life. All the things we worried about pre-Oasis (crowds, crowds, lines and crowds) would have been true.

 

Even though we had the drink package and didn't "have" to use the suite lounge, we did pretty much every night. The view was fabulous, the venue was nice and we enjoyed good service. If a drink wasn't offered through the suite happy hour, then it was simply gave the waiter our cards and he applied it to the package. We spent a few afternoons in there playing cards. It was mainly empty, the temperature was good but we still had an outside view, we had a bar and we had no breeze to mess up the cards. ;)

 

We used the suite sundeck throughout the week. As mentioned, we hung there for sailaway. We also spent time up there the first sea day just hanging, enjoying the weather, the view and the quiet bar. They keep bags of Doritos and Sun Chips there for a little snack as well as cold wet washcloths. The cabanas were definitely used on our week. Well....used as in people would chair hog them. They were first come first served. With only 4 and 100 suites, you do the math. The first seaday they had personal items in them but no humans. Since we were one of the few up there and the bartender took a liking to us, he told us he would have one of the cabanas saved for us on the 2nd seaday if we would come between 8-9 am. Just an example of if you are nice to the crew, they will be nice to you. Sure enough, we had one and we did arrive during that time so as not to appear to also be cabana hogs. We hung for a few hours, tried to play cards there but it was too windy so we headed in. It was a nice hangout. We cleaned up after we left and mentioned to the few sunbathers by the suite bar that a cabana was open in case anyone wanted one.

[wolfganghowell]

More suite perks.

 

As mentioned, we did get into an earlier comedy show. We did use the suite seating for the Aquashow - good seats with a great view. We used Coastal Kitchen for all but one breakfast onboard. I wish they offered CK breakfast on the final morning.

 

Disembarkation for suite guests. holy cow- best ever. There are 2 times to be escorted off the ship - 7:45 and 8:30. We chose 8:30 since our flight wasn't until 12 noon. We did the luggage valet - 2nd time to use it and LOVE not having to schlepp luggage. At 8:30, Federico escorted the group to the elevator, used the magic key to take us without stopping to Deck 5, had a special roped area for us to wait, then escorted us past the lines, all the way through to a dedicated customs line. Probably 15 minutes total. GREATNESS!!!!!!!!!!

 

I can't recall any other obvious perks that we used. We didn't do the suite meet n greet - it was around 11:30 am on the first sea day. NO!!!!! We want to be outside. I like those better when they are pre dinner cocktails.

[wolfganghowell]

Suite comments.

 

Ok - so......classism is alive and well in the US. We had more laughs at the remarks directed toward suites and gold cards.

 

I am always amazed at the attitude re: suites. People choose their cabins based on their own needs. I know of a millionaire who cruised in an inside cabin. I would hazard a guess that there are people who scrimp and save to sail in a suite and others who can well afford a suite who would much prefer to spend their money in other ways so stay in regular rooms. Throughout the week, we would hear snotty comments about "suite a-holes." Yep - someone actually used that as the description. Not once did we hear a suite person refer to anyone without a gold card in a catty way. It seems to just be a part of cruising.

 

We had our cards next to our place setting at Izumi for the sheer convenience of giving it to the waiter when we ordered drinks. At one point, another diner at our table made a snotty remark about "Why don't you use your gold card for that?" One day as we were walking toward the suite sundeck entrance, someone close by asked what that was. Their companion said, "That's for the suite a-holes." We loved pulling out our cards right after that comment. :rolleyes:

 

I haven't noticed the snarkiness toward suites on any other ship so this may be unique to Oasis class since the suite benefits are definitely a little more in your face.

 

Would be sail Oasis in a jr suite or below? Nope. Too darn crowded. We never heard any great reports on the MDR, the WJ is a total cluster and getting on/off ship for the week was worth it to bypass the chaos. I wish CK would be rolled out fleetwide - it is a wonderful benefit.

[wolfganghowell]

Oasis passenger comments

 

Our sailing seemed fairly full. You noticed the crowds at the pool on sea days but other than that, the ship does a great job of dispersing crowds. I can't comment on MDR or WJ crowds - two areas that would really change my perspective on it.

 

Plenty of American passengers but definitely a diversity overall. Canadians, Australians, Europeans, South Americans, Asians. You name it, we had a United Nations onboard. I can't recall seeing any obviously rude passengers. We did see a few fights - verbal with one physical between 2 shoving teenage brother/sister on Labadee. The parents seemed to ignore it so sadly this must be standard for them. They were both definitely too old to be behaving so obnoxiously.

[DeepFreeze]

Oasis passenger comments

 

Our sailing seemed fairly full. You noticed the crowds at the pool on sea days but other than that, the ship does a great job of dispersing crowds. I can't comment on MDR or WJ crowds - two areas that would really change my perspective on it.

 

Plenty of American passengers but definitely a diversity overall. Canadians, Australians, Europeans, South Americans, Asians. You name it, we had a United Nations onboard. I can't recall seeing any obviously rude passengers. We did see a few fights - verbal with one physical between 2 shoving teenage brother/sister on Labadee. The parents seemed to ignore it so sadly this must be standard for them. They were both definitely too old to be behaving so obnoxiously.

Great review and information, thank you. I have a sailing soon in a GS (first suite ever) and was wondering if/when a concierge will be in contact? Mostly interested in getting a cabana at Barefoot Beach reserved.

[Host Jacquelyn]

Oasis passenger comments

 

I can't comment on MDR or WJ crowds - two areas that would really change my perspective on it.

 

 

We did traditional dining on this sailing and it was not too crowded at all. Lots of empty tables, in fact, with many choosing to eat at alternate restaurants. I can't comment on My Time.

 

We did the Windjammer almost every day for breakfast or lunch, as that was our kids' preference. We even took them to dinner there twice prior to us dining at Chops / Giovanni's. While certainly there were lots of people, we never had problems finding a seat. I guess it all depends on perspective. When we sailed Freedom last, we routinely were walking around trying to find a free table. On Oasis, no matter how full the WJ appeared to be, there were always free tables. Thus in my opinion, it was not *overly* crowded.

 

The only real crowd I saw was at the American Icon Grill for breakfast on Labadee day. It was about 9:00 am or so, and I would say that there were at least 100 people waiting to be seated. I overheard some man comment that others had the same good idea as him.

[wolfganghowell]

DeepFreeze, I emailed the concierge 3 months out to get a cabana reserved. At that time, he said the OTW were unavailable but guaranteed us Hilltop 1. We got the concierge email about 2 weeks pre-cruise. At that time, we verified the cabana again and asked him to make us Coastal Kitchen reservations the first night. Enjoy that GS - warning, you might be hooked like us.

[DeepFreeze]

DeepFreeze, I emailed the concierge 3 months out to get a cabana reserved. At that time, he said the OTW were unavailable but guaranteed us Hilltop 1. We got the concierge email about 2 weeks pre-cruise. At that time, we verified the cabana again and asked him to make us Coastal Kitchen reservations the first night. Enjoy that GS - warning, you might be hooked like us.

Well, it's past time that I get a message out! Where do I find that concierge email please? [emoji54]

[Clarea]

Well, it's past time that I get a message out! Where do I find that concierge email please? [emoji54]

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hKBiGZ9Gqcp2G2owtX3RyQy7yQ0ijgxCL0nPjQKK8j4/edit?pli=1#gid=0

[Lionesss]

Suite comments.

 

Ok - so......classism is alive and well in the US. We had more laughs at the remarks directed toward suites and gold cards.

 

I am always amazed at the attitude re: suites. People choose their cabins based on their own needs. I know of a millionaire who cruised in an inside cabin. I would hazard a guess that there are people who scrimp and save to sail in a suite and others who can well afford a suite who would much prefer to spend their money in other ways so stay in regular rooms. Throughout the week, we would hear snotty comments about "suite a-holes." Yep - someone actually used that as the description. Not once did we hear a suite person refer to anyone without a gold card in a catty way. It seems to just be a part of cruising.

 

We had our cards next to our place setting at Izumi for the sheer convenience of giving it to the waiter when we ordered drinks. At one point, another diner at our table made a snotty remark about "Why don't you use your gold card for that?" One day as we were walking toward the suite sundeck entrance, someone close by asked what that was. Their companion said, "That's for the suite a-holes." We loved pulling out our cards right after that comment. :rolleyes:

 

I haven't noticed the snarkiness toward suites on any other ship so this may be unique to Oasis class since the suite benefits are definitely a little more in your face.

 

Would be sail Oasis in a jr suite or below? Nope. Too darn crowded. We never heard any great reports on the MDR, the WJ is a total cluster and getting on/off ship for the week was worth it to bypass the chaos. I wish CK would be rolled out fleetwide - it is a wonderful benefit.

 

 

 

 

 

Love your review,

 

Keep it coming

 

I always seem to get the remarks from non-suite guests about the gold card for suite passengers and we just carry it with us like you when we are ordering drinks.

It never stops.

 

I just look away like you do, and ignore their comments.

 

Anyone can book a suite, they chose not too.that is why we do it ---we enjoy it.

 

Keep your great review coming.

 

Sea Ya

[BillOh]

Solarium.

 

OK - this is where my Pros and Cons come back. I had been anticipating this beautiful Solarium. I read the reviews of people saying how hot it was and I went "P-shaw, they can't handle heat. I'm a Texas girl - I can TAKE THE HEAT." Well dang it - no. Not only was it too hot and humid but it just didn't have the vibe. The first time I tried it, there was an invisible chair hogs convention. Not a spot available and only a 30% occupancy rate. Damnation how I hate chair hogs. 2nd time, I tried the round chairs at the front - ick, too hot no circulation. I ended up on the 2nd level in the shade and read for awhile. I walked down and got in the way too small pool to cool off and padded back upstairs. Eh. I missed my Freedom/Voyager solarium. Part of my seaday experience is to hit the Solarium and read for a few hours, throwing in some happy staring into the ocean while I'm at it. So I have to say that I much prefer the F/V solarium and considered the Oasis one to be a minor disappointment for me.

 

In my Freedom/Allure themed review, I also gave the nod to the Freedom Solarium. But I do hear rumors that there will be a real swimming pool (2 level infinity) on Harmony. I'll be watching for that.

Edited November 17, 2015 by BillOh
typo

[BillOh]

Hot tubs - we did a cantilevered hot tub Cozumel afternoon. Would have been nice to do them while at sea but they were usually crowded, it was too blasted hot to think of getting in or we just weren't in the right place at the right time.

 

As a moderator of a popular hot tub forum, Hottubs are frequently a part of my review. They are not crowded in the evenings (with few exceptions) Try a late night soak 45 minutes before you go to bed and you may sleep even better. Though you may have to play Royals game of find the hot tub that is still open and hot.