Just off Oasis - quick thoughts

[dwayneb236]

Seems like every crew member on my 2-11 sailing on Harmony was polite and said hello to me. I get up very very early and wander. So I'm up with the cleaning crews who were always greeting me.

[lawyerboy5555]

Yikes! We have that cabin booked in 7 weeks! Might need to look at other options. :o

 

I don't want to persuade one way or the other, but we wouldn't stay in that particular cabin again on Oasis. One thing I forgot to mention about Suite perks - and this one isn't advertised anywhere (that I've seen) - but if you do My Time Dining, you get a separate line just for Suite Guests on Deck 3 and no matter how busy the dining room (American Icon restaurant now) is, you go to the front of the line. Don't get me wrong - Suite Perks were certainly nice.

[Arzeena]

Thanks for the update. We're scheduled for Oasis this summer and I hope the service gets back to normal.

Us too!

[Tedw]

We were on an Oasis western cruise mid-Feb and the 4 of us (two 50-something couples) thought it was the best cruise we had ever sailed on. Our room attendant Marvin was by far the best we have had.

[CallagDeb]

Thanks for all he info. We sail 3/26 we are in cabin 14660, hmmmmm. We will let you know how it is.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

Just off Oasis from last week - quick thoughts here...we were in a Grand Suite, and while Suite perks were nice, it's not worth many thousands more. We've sailed Oasis and Allure multiple times in the past, but not a single person stood out as deserving of a WOW Award this time. It was as though the best were already taken and put on Harmony, or perhaps Quantum class ships.

 

Food in dining room was maybe a tiny bit better than last time on the ships. Izumi Hibachi was fine, but expensive (consider a specialty restaurant package).

 

Cabin - for a Grand Suite, we were a little disappointed. Persistent bad smell in the cabin, which was even worse in bathroom. Although engineering tried to find the source in the wall (in bathroom), they could only alleviate the smell for a day or two. And of course, our sailing was sold out so no option for changing. Also, curtains in the room smelled like when you first turn the heat on for the winter. Odd description, but that was it exactly.

 

Weather wasn't great the first two days with strong winds, but it was windy season.

 

HIGHLY recommend Adventure Race (a.k.a. Amazing Race) tour in St. Maarten - you don't have to be super athletic at all to have lots of fun. Also we really enjoyed Stingray encounter in Nassau on Balmoral Island.

 

Lots of discussion on board about Symphony, but NextCruise deals weren't anything you couldn't get on land (except that you could get your future credit applied to the current cruise). No real incentive there.

 

Don't know if it was almost time for a lot of the crew to be changed out (if their contracts were almost up), if the top folks have been moved to other ships, or what exactly, but I would recommend Allure over Oasis ten times out of ten. Or, save your money and try Harmony/Symphony better yet.

 

I heard a LOT of people on board talking about how they preferred other ships and other cruise lines to this sailing on Oasis. That surprised me, as we've sailed Oasis multiple times in the past and loved it. This time, it was only a "like," however.

Sorry it was a dissapointing cruise. We are on Oasis in a few weeks in a GS also. Were you given the option of being escorted off the ship by the concierge once you got back to PC? We are using private transportation back to MCO and will have to get off early to meet them outside the terminal. Hopefully we don't have to wait in the long lines ! Thanks for any help

[riclop]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[lawyerboy5555]

Sorry it was a disappointing cruise. We are on Oasis in a few weeks in a GS also. Were you given the option of being escorted off the ship by the concierge once you got back to PC? We are using private transportation back to MCO and will have to get off early to meet them outside the terminal. Hopefully we don't have to wait in the long lines ! Thanks for any help

 

If we were given that option, then we completely missed it somewhere. But, even without the escort option, as a Suite Guest, your line will be truly minimal. Just remember that as you go down to Royal Promenade, go to the far right and bypass the long line to exit the ship. Then, at terminal, go in far right line for Suite Guests. You'll go from cabin to being finished with customs in less than 12-15 minutes. Also, remember on embarkation, do NOT wait in the long line to get into terminal - ask the porters which line for Suite Guests and the line was to the left of the long line and there's a representative who will take the small group into the terminal. I will say that I think embarkation and debarkation were the best suite perks (along with free Voom wifi).

 

Cruise wasn't a total disappointment - Oasis is still an incredible ship compared to 99% of the other ships out there. BUT, there were some definite issues compared to other recent Oasis-class cruises we've been on. Looking at Allure/Harmony for Summer 2018 and prices are through the roof - so they're having no problem filling these ships

[RCI Cruisers 004]

If we were given that option, then we completely missed it somewhere. But, even without the escort option, as a Suite Guest, your line will be truly minimal. Just remember that as you go down to Royal Promenade, go to the far right and bypass the long line to exit the ship. Then, at terminal, go in far right line for Suite Guests. You'll go from cabin to being finished with customs in less than 12-15 minutes. Also, remember on embarkation, do NOT wait in the long line to get into terminal - ask the porters which line for Suite Guests and the line was to the left of the long line and there's a representative who will take the small group into the terminal. I will say that I think embarkation and debarkation were the best suite perks (along with free Voom wifi).

 

Cruise wasn't a total disappointment - Oasis is still an incredible ship compared to 99% of the other ships out there. BUT, there were some definite issues compared to other recent Oasis-class cruises we've been on. Looking at Allure/Harmony for Summer 2018 and prices are through the roof - so they're having no problem filling these ships

Thank you for the help !

[nkereina]

Thanks for posting. I'm in the process of getting ready for our April 2nd sailing on Oasis, same itinerary as you, and have been wondering about the weather. What is "windy" season considered? If this is in fact a windy time of year in the Caribbean, now I'm wondering if I should bring more pants, hoodies, sweaters, etc.

[lawyerboy5555]

Thanks for posting. I'm in the process of getting ready for our April 2nd sailing on Oasis, same itinerary as you, and have been wondering about the weather. What is "windy" season considered? If this is in fact a windy time of year in the Caribbean, now I'm wondering if I should bring more pants, hoodies, sweaters, etc.

 

I don't know how long "windy season" lasts, but this was our second consecutive March cruise on an Oasis-class ship, and the first 2-3 nights were rougher, due to wind, particularly if you were in a forward or aft location on the ship. Aqua Theater show was cancelled multiple times as a result, too. Water in the pool was cool, as was water on the islands. But, still manageable, even for those of us from Texas where hot means HOT. :-) Don't overdo it on the cool weather gear, though. Even with temps in mid-to-upper 70s, when the sun was out, it still felt plenty warm.

 

 

St. Thomas - the shopping by the Pier is NOT Havensight Mall - there is very limited shopping at the pier where we dock now. So, if you want to shop, take a taxi downtown or over to Havensight. For example, my wife bought a gift pack of rum cakes, and it cost considerably more at the pier-side St. Thomas shopping area than it did on board, even.

 

Next to the dining room (at least on Deck 3), there is a touch-screen where you can see the MDR menu for the entire week, as soon as you get on the ship. You can plan specialty restaurants accordingly, if you haven't already.

 

If you have any interest in the Comedy Show, book it NOW. Seating is very limited and it's a popular show.

[TonyL128]

I can only say that on our Thanksgiving (2016), Christmas (B2B, 2016), Feb (2017) cruises on the Oasis, were GREAT. But then, we only eat at Coastal Kitchen or Specialty Restaurants. We learned long ago to forego the MDR as we want to enjoy our vacations and not be frustrated with MDR food or service.

 

Most of the staff onboard were really helpful and friendly. But, I do know most of the staff in CK will be leaving by April.

 

We will be sailing on Oasis again in April and I look forward to enjoying this cruise again!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[raspo12]

To answer some questions - it was Cabin 6660 (maybe I should have been more cautious of a cabin containing "666" in it). Seriously, if any of you are booked in 6660, I would consider changing to a different cabin on board. That cabin had a smell to it (not caused by us - LOL), curtain by balcony smelled like burnt hair or a heater, and bathroom smell returned (again, not due to us) by end of the week.

 

My girlfriend and I were in suite 6660 11/27/16 - 12/4/16 and can confirm there was a smell in the bathroom then as well. It wasn't so bad that we needed to have it fixed or considered changing rooms. Sounds like whatever it is, it keeps getting worse!

[NTC9414]

My girlfriend and I were in suite 6660 11/27/16 - 12/4/16 and can confirm there was a smell in the bathroom then as well. It wasn't so bad that we needed to have it fixed or considered changing rooms. Sounds like whatever it is, it keeps getting worse!

Thanks! I will have to choose between the three remaining in that category!