Oasis May 14-21 (Western Caribbean)- A First-Timer's Perspective

[az_2_nc2013]

Good afternoon all! This was supposed to be a longer post, but I lost myoriginal post right as I hit submit last night; I haven’t fully recoveredemotionally from that experience yet;p, so I am just going to hit a few major points now, and I will gladly answer any additional questions!

 

Since this was our first cruise, we kept everything pretty simple and didn’t even getto all of the included entertainment and dining options. I still hope this post ishelpful/informative for some!

 

Embarkation/Debarkation:

 

We arrived at the terminal about an hour or so after passengers were allowed toboard, and the whole process was quick and easy; from security to checking in,I would say we were on the boat within 30-45 minutes after arrival. Debarkationwas even quicker; we elected for the Self Assist to take our own baggage andleave the boat earlier, and it took maybe 20 minutes from the time we left ourroom to when we got through customs. Even with my passport not matching mydriver’s license, after a quick glance at both (and no request for additional documentation) the customs agent sent us on our way.

 

 

Food/Drink:

 

I was very impressed by the food on the ship. I kept my expectations realistic, and I was not disappointed. While it is true that the buffets are not gourmet, I didn’t find any of the options particularly unappealing, and any food that I do not have toprepare or clean up, I can enjoy! I actually liked just about everything I atein the Windjammer, Solarium Bistro, Boardwalk Dog House (yum!!), Promenade Café,and the Main Dining Room. We did not do any specialty dining; all of ourdinners were in the Main Dining Room (American Icon Grill, specifically). I dowish we had eaten at more of the complimentary/included options, but we did notend up eating as much as we thought we would! My husband got the basic drinkpackage and we only ordered one alcoholic drink each during the week.

 

Speaking of the MDR, I could not be happier with our experience. Our waiter, Mario, was phenomenal, and the one time we were seated outside of his section (we arrived later than usual) the service was still great, but it just wasn’t the same! Thefood was consistent and delicious and I would gladly eat all future dinners inthe MDR on our next cruises. We did My Time Dining and we were always seated ata 2-top or 4-top (but not with anyone else). If we arrived at the beginning ofour time slot, we were usually seated in the same section with little to nowait. For two introverts, this was the ideal situation and I am glad they didthat for us.

Weordered room service twice; both times were breakfast from the continentalmenu, and both times the food arrived exactly at the time we specified. Again,we intended to order from the regular menu at some point despite the $7.95 charge, but we were always full from our meals.

 

Stateroom:

 

11190, Superior Oceanview with Balcony. Absolutely no complaints! Ample storageand space for two people, even the in the bathroom! Loved having the balconyand the room was in a great location; fairly close to the elevators but farenough away from the elevator traffic. Our stateroom attendant was Martin andhe was awesome! He always kept our room clean and comfortable and was willingto get us whatever we needed.

 

Excursions:

 

Labadee- Over-the-water cabana at Nellie’s beach. I feel it was worth the $495 cost, butI’m not sure if my husband would agree 100%, haha. It was a beautiful view, great water access, and we enjoyed the included floating beach mats! Plus,since it was just the two of us, we did not drink all six 1-liter Evian water bottles provided, so we were able to take those back with us and have them forthe rest of the week.

 

Falmouth- Bamboo Beach Club VIP Beach Day. Beautiful beach, friendly people, great food and entertainment, and unlimited drinks- what more can you ask for? I’m glad we took the chance on this excursion despite the few and mixed reviews. There are beach loungers with padded mats, but they are a plastic-y material that would havebeen slightly more comfortable with a towel on top. We were two of the few that did not bring towels with us and they were not provided at the beach (not thatwe were expecting them to be).

 

Cozumel- Independent snorkeling tour with Cozumel H20. WOW- this was an unforgettable experience. There were only 7 on our boat, and our tour guide Miguel wasenergetic, knowledgeable, and personable! The tour was about 3 hours (includingboat time), and we went to 4 reefs; I would not hesitate to book another tourwith them, and I absolutely would recommend it to anyone. Communication was easy throughout the booking process, and the $65/pp cost was more than reasonable.

 

 

Overall, despite not having anything else to compare to, this is a cruise and vacation to remember. The entire crew was great, and I’m still impressed by everything that was offered and the quality of the ship, rooms, dining, entertainment, etc. We are already planning ahead for our next Royal Caribbean cruise, but we haven’t decided on a ship or itinerary yet!

 

If you have any questions about anything I’ve mentioned, or haven't mentioned, feelfree to ask and I will do my best to answer!

[Mande30]

Thank you!!! Nice, to the point review. We will be on Oasis in 5 days. Great to hear good things. Wow on the Cabana. We were in Labadee in 2015. Paid $250.00 for an over the water. Had no idea the price had jumped that much. But it is a wonderful experience.

[ricka47]

We were on the same cruise and would have to agree. We did Solarium Bistro 3 nights (very nice) for dinner and the rest was MyTime in the MDR (a little shaky at times but overall good). Our only issue (and my mother, brother and sister-in-law who are all Diamond Plus - we are lowly Diamond only - would agree) is that there is no dress code in the MDR any longer. I confirmed this by asking the maître d' one night and he confirmed that there really is no dress code. Shorts, holey jeans, backward-facing hats, and sleeveless t-shirts were fairly common. I know that dress codes have been debated endlessly here. But, the fact is, whether for better or for worse, for dinner there really isn't one short of perhaps swimming suits.

[az_2_nc2013]

We were on the same cruise and would have to agree. We did Solarium Bistro 3 nights (very nice) for dinner and the rest was MyTime in the MDR (a little shaky at times but overall good). Our only issue (and my mother, brother and sister-in-law who are all Diamond Plus - we are lowly Diamond only - would agree) is that there is no dress code in the MDR any longer. I confirmed this by asking the maître d' one night and he confirmed that there really is no dress code. Shorts, holey jeans, backward-facing hats, and sleeveless t-shirts were fairly common. I know that dress codes have been debated endlessly here. But, the fact is, whether for better or for worse, for dinner there really isn't one short of perhaps swimming suits.

 

I completely agree about the dress code. I was looking forward to the formal nights, and my husband and I dressed formally both nights, but I was a little disappointed by how many people were dressed casually. I guess formal dress is a lost art! Even on the casual nights (with the exception of the last night) I avoided wearing shorts, but that's my own personal preference. I will continue to observe the dress code as long as they print one on the Cruise Compass! Haha.

 

Thanks for your input!

[NouCruzer]

Agree with your review of Cozumel H2O. We did the western itinerary on Oasis in October 2016 and thought that H2O was a highly professional operation with great people who run a really fun excursion. Moderately priced and worth the money. Sounds like you had a great trip.

[nyllrap]

Thanks for your review! My husband and I are sailing on the Oasis, same itinerary, in September. We have booked the Cozumel H2O snorkeling tour, and your review makes me glad we chose them. I love to snorkel, and have not had the opportunity in a good while, so I am glad to know that excursion is a good one.

[Lionesss]

Nice review...

 

Thanks

 

Sounds like you had fun and were very pleased.

 

Thanks again.

[TNcrzr4life]

Thanks so much for posting this. DD and I are sailing Aug 5 with same itinerary. We are planning on specialty dining but don't want to miss lobster night in MDR. Do you recall which night it was? Also, what shows did you see and opinion? Thanks, again!

 

 

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[easyboy]

Great review! Thanks for posting.

 

 

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[mommykim]

Thanks for the review. Great to hear she's still an awesome ship with an awesome crew!

[Clarea]

Nicely written review.:)

 

I wonder if you noticed any drink cards (punch cards) being sold?

[jll583]

Great review! Sounds like you had a great time!

 

 

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[az_2_nc2013]

Nicely written review.:)

 

I wonder if you noticed any drink cards (punch cards) being sold?

 

Thank you! Yes, they were being offered on Thursday. However, I can't remember if they were available Thursday only or if they were selling them the rest of the week as well.

[skyking]

Nicely written review.:)

 

I wonder if you noticed any drink cards (punch cards) being sold?

 

 

Hi Bob,

 

We were on the same sailing and I saw them for sure, I noticed them on Tuesday evening, and available the rest of the week.

[cruzeluver]

We were on the same cruise and would have to agree. We did Solarium Bistro 3 nights (very nice) for dinner and the rest was MyTime in the MDR (a little shaky at times but overall good).

Other recent threads indicated that Solarium Bistro is complimentary for dinner if you have My Time dining. Was that the case? Thanks.

Edited May 24, 2017 by cruzeluver
spelling

[Clarea]

Hi Bob,

 

We were on the same sailing and I saw them for sure, I noticed them on Tuesday evening, and available the rest of the week.

Wow, day 3 is the earliest I've seen reported for a 7-night cruise. I would buy one for sure if it's offered to us that early. Thanks.

[az_2_nc2013]

Thanks so much for posting this. DD and I are sailing Aug 5 with same itinerary. We are planning on specialty dining but don't want to miss lobster night in MDR. Do you recall which night it was? Also, what shows did you see and opinion? Thanks, again!

 

 

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It was Thursday night, which was also the second formal night!

 

We saw Cats, the adult comedy show, and the Love and Marriage game show. In hindsight, I wish we would have gone to more shows; I think the main reason we didn't was because we didn't want to be disappointed. Haha. But I heard great things about Frozen in Time and Come Fly With Me throughout the week! Cats was...different. My husband wanted to see it because he likes it, and grew up watching it on VHS. The choreography was amazing and the music was fun, it just wasn't the kind of story I'm used to. The second half was definitely better than the first, and I was amazed by how many people left after intermission- probably two-thirds. Regardless, it was definitely entertaining, and I'm glad we saw it. The comedy show was amazing! The comedians were hilarious and I laughed more than I have in a while. The Love and Marriage game show was hosted by CD Jimmy and was exactly like the Newlywed Game. No complaints about the shows we did see!

[az_2_nc2013]

Wow, day 3 is the earliest I've seen reported for a 7-night cruise. I would buy one for sure if it's offered to us that early. Thanks.

 

 

The regular drink packages were available all week, but I don't remember noticing the cards being available earlier than Thursday. I could be wrong though.

[Magnetchief]

Thank you!!! Nice, to the point review. We will be on Oasis in 5 days. Great to hear good things. Wow on the Cabana. We were in Labadee in 2015. Paid $250.00 for an over the water. Had no idea the price had jumped that much. But it is a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

Had the same thought.

I was sure that the last time I booked one as a non suit guest it was $250 over the water.

 

That's one hell of a price hike!

 

Was planning to do the same on our next stop in Labadee. Not so sure now.

 

 

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[skyking]

The regular drink packages were available all week, but I don't remember noticing the cards being available earlier than Thursday. I could be wrong though.

 

 

It might be me that is wayyyy off, the days all ran together:) but they were for sure available.

[Clarea]

The regular drink packages were available all week, but I don't remember noticing the cards being available earlier than Thursday. I could be wrong though.

Thanks for the update Kelly.

[mchin]

Nice review; thanks for posting. Very glad you had a good time on the ship. Oasis is one of my favorite ships. On other reviews, it's been reported that the crowds around the pools, to include the solarium, are on the light side. Did you notice the same?

[az_2_nc2013]

Nice review; thanks for posting. Very glad you had a good time on the ship. Oasis is one of my favorite ships. On other reviews, it's been reported that the crowds around the pools, to include the solarium, are on the light side. Did you notice the same?

 

The pools were pretty crowded on cruising days in the afternoon, especially when the weather was nice and the sun was out. Otherwise, I thought it was not too bad for there being 6,000 people on board.

 

We actually didn't spend too much time in the Solarium; other than eating breakfast a couple mornings in the Bistro, we only spent time in the Solarium on the first full day, and we ended up leaving before lunch because it just got too warm in there for our comfort. But, when we were there, it was not nearly as crowded as I expected it to be! I just can't speak for the rest of the week :) Sorry if this wasn't very helpful! Haha.

[ricka47]

Other recent threads indicated that Solarium Bistro is complimentary for dinner if you have My Time dining. Was that the case? Thanks.

 

We had MTD and Solarium Bistro was complimentary for dinner. But, I think that it was complimentary for everyone.

[Mcolema7]

Great review, thanks! We are cruising July 16 also Western itinerary and this makes me really excited!

 

Two questions.

 

Do you remember what your cabana number was at Nellie's beach? And was one assigned or did you get to pick?

 

Do you remember what night and time the Love and Marriage show was? I love this and want to make sure I don't book anything to overlap!