RCCL Veterans - Help me with concerns about the Oasis!

[Dashofpepper]

Hey folks!

 

My wife and I have booked our first RCCL cruise for the Oasis of the Seas (in November); we've only been on NCL cruises before.

 

We’ve been reading reviews from people coming back from the Oasis this month, who have a lot to say about the ship being due for a refit in September 2019, and the ship is limping along with broken pools, the Opal lounge being out of order, the elevators being broken, the shows being canceled ... on top of other concerns.

We just got notice that one of the shows we booked has already canceled and we’re getting concerned that we’ve signed up for a disaster in the making.

What options do we have? What do we so if we go anyway, and its as bad as people are saying? I could use some advice from you RCCL vets.

[CreativeCruiser119]

As someone who continues to be Loyal to Royal, I can assure you that you will love Oasis! I went on her in 2014 and had a great time, and have been on two of her sisters since - granted that was when she was newer (right before her most recent drydock), although just this past March I was on Freedom which is 3 years older than Oasis, and did not experience any issues. Everything was in working order, and the age was barely noticeable in my opinion!

 

Sometimes the ship will cancel shows - particularly the aqua shows in the case of the Oasis class ships - due to weather. The ship does have high-tech stabilizers, but even the roughest seas can be dangerous to the high divers. However, those decisions are not made until the ship is at sea and these conditions are foreseeable, so I am not quite sure why your show is being cancelled prior to sailing - definitely out of the ordinary in the experience of my family and myself!

 

Don’t worry about it too much, Oasis is still a magnificent ship and I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it, at least for the most part! So turn your fear into excitement and get yourself pumped for your cruise! Have a wonderful time!

 

 

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[Megtheblackbelt]

My husband and I were just on Oasis in October of 2017 and absolutely adored the entirety of the ship. We did not encounter a single issue, nor notice anything looking old/dingy. People will complain. Let them. Board the ship with an open mind, and you will be amazed! She is one beautiful behemoth.

 

...which show for your sailing got cancelled so far out? I’m curious!

 

 

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[rt1092]

Don't worry about. The ship is going for it's regular 5 year haul out. And refurbishment. Leaving PC in late April. and sailing the Med for the summer.

The ship is not broken down. While there are things that are in need of repair. They should not affect your cruise at all. We just got off her on July 22, 2018.

It's a big ship, some people prefer smaller ships. But all in all Royal handles the large capacity well.

Sometimes the elevators will be a little problem with crowding. But the trick get in whether it is going up or down. It can't go to far.

[kennc]

We were on her in April 2018. She was wonderful. We are booked again for the Aug 12 sailing. Very much looking forward to it.

 

There is someone live blogging right now a different rccl blog site. They seem to be having a wonderful time.

 

My belief is if you go on a cruise expecting a good time, you will find it. Glass half full.

 

If you go looking for issues to nitpick, you will find them. Glass half empty.

 

Pick the type of cruiser you are. Also try to spend your time around the same type of cruisers. You will have a better time.

 

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[rt1092]

My husband and I were just on Oasis in October of 2017 and absolutely adored the entirety of the ship. We did not encounter a single issue, nor notice anything looking old/dingy. People will complain. Let them. Board the ship with an open mind, and you will be amazed! She is one beautiful behemoth.

 

...which show for your sailing got cancelled so far out? I’m curious!

 

 

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The "new" website had the Opal Theater for a comedy club venue every night not just the last night. If you reserved it they are sending cancellation notices. The comedy show is in the comedy club on deck. Except for the last night when it is in the theater. This show is no reservations required.

 

And remember that 6000+ other people are going to enjoy themselves as well

[Ourusualbeach]

We were on her in April 2018. She was wonderful. We are booked again for the Aug 12 sailing. Very much looking forward to it.

 

There is someone live blogging right now a different rccl blog site. They seem to be having a wonderful time.

 

My belief is if you go on a cruise expecting a good time, you will find it. Glass half full.

 

If you go looking for issues to nitpick, you will find them. Glass half empty.

 

Pick the type of cruiser you are. Also try to spend your time around the same type of cruisers. You will have a better time.

 

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Agree. We were on her in March of this year and had a fantastic time.

[GTO-Girl]

We were on her in April and are sailing again on the 26th and again in October.

 

Love the ship and the crew!!

[bpphoto]

I just did the 6/10/18 sailing. We had a group of 19 passengers and not one of us has a bad thing to say about Oasis of the Seas except that 7 days is not long enough...Ha! Don't even listen to all the negative stuff said. We didn't have any of those issues that others have posted. It's a great ship in great condition. Service was good and lots of things to do. You won't have enough time to do it all...Trust me on this one! Just go with an open mind and you'll see for yourself. Go and be on vacation and don't get all wrapped up with the negativity... CHEERS!!!

[Dashofpepper]

My husband and I were just on Oasis in October of 2017 and absolutely adored the entirety of the ship. We did not encounter a single issue, nor notice anything looking old/dingy. People will complain. Let them. Board the ship with an open mind, and you will be amazed! She is one beautiful behemoth.

 

...which show for your sailing got cancelled so far out? I’m curious!

 

 

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The comedy show!

[Gatordad815]

The comedy show cancellation was a mistake in the cruise planner, which is why it was cancelled. It shouldn’t have been there to begin with. All of the other shows are still available to book, just like they should be.

 

I was on the Oasis in May and I’m booked again on the same sailing as you, and I’m not worried in the least about the recent negative review. Yes, there was a recent cruise when many shows were cancelled reportedly because of injuries and a broken part in Opal Theater. That stinks and it’s disappointing for the people on that sailing who missed out. I’d be disappointed too. And it could happen on any sailing, and ship, any cruise line just the same.

 

The Oasis didn’t appear to me to be in a state of disrepair at all in May. The ship was beautiful and people were working 24/7 to keep it that way. I saw people painting and repairing and cleaning things all over! Yes there was one guest elevator (out of 24) that would skip stops. Yes the carpets in the cabin hallways are obviously not brand new. But besides that, the room and rest of ship were just fabulous (and clean and functional) in every way and I expect they will be the same in November.

 

I hope the other comments above (from cruisers with much more experience than me) calmed your fears some. The ship looks great (no not perfect, but still great), and it should be a very enjoyable time! I know I’m looking forward to it!

[Chitoryubt]

We got back on 7/8/18. Ship was beautiful - nothing broken that I could tell.

[smplybcause]

The comedy show!

That's not indicative of the ship barely limping along. Either it's like another poster said and they incorrectly had shows available in opal (I saw this for my Dec sailing but made sure not to pick those as from my last sailing all opal comedy shows were no res) or something happened to those comedians (they are only on one ship at best for a few sailings).

 

Btw I was on escape a few months back, a much younger ship and elevators were out periodically. They were doing repairs and switching out weights (made friends with the contractors doing this, so that's how I know). Ships are always repairing things, they don't just wait until dry dock and oasis is over a year away so I doubt they'd wait that long for things that break on purpose.

 

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[Kilmarlic]

Enjoy your vacation. Only you can chose if you want to embrace the positives or dwell on the negatives. I for one loved every moment aboard her on my 2 cruises last year. I couldn't tell you what color the carpets were let alone if they were stained....I was too busy looking up at the amazing scenery. On the rare occasion that I did look down it was to love over the railing at that beautiful Caribbean water.

[cruisegirl1976]

Totally agree with everyone else, I love the Oasis and booked another cruise on her, and can't wait, I wouldn't let any negative comments bother me.

[lbjen]

I’m sure that if you spend most of your time on the newest ships, Oasis might seem somewhat dated, but we certainly didn’t feel like it was ready for a refit when we sailed last year. I would take those comments with a pinch of salt.

[Eslader]

I've seen a lot of bad reviews of ships. Many of them have merit, but a lot of them don't. I've seen reviews claiming no hand sanitizer and no cleaning for the entire week (laughably, stupidly false), and claiming the tables in the Windjammer are dirty because they're tacky to the touch (because the varnish is softened over time by the very effective cleaner they use), and I even sat at a table in the main dining room with someone who pointed at the wall and complained about how abysmally filthy it was. I went over and looked after I finished eating and it was spotless.

 

 

Some people look for things to be bad, and if things aren't bad, they invent bad things. Those people have just as much access to write reviews as the rest of us do. So take the bad stuff with a grain of salt. I've sailed Oasis many times, and pre-sailing have read very similar "Oasis sucks" reviews, and have never found them to be accurate in my view.

 

 

 

It's a great ship, and even if one or two things are cancelled for whatever reason, there's so much other stuff to do that you won't care.

[cruisegirl1]

The "new" website had the Opal Theater for a comedy club venue every night not just the last night. If you reserved it they are sending cancellation notices. The comedy show is in the comedy club on deck. Except for the last night when it is in the theater. This show is no reservations required.

 

And remember that 6000+ other people are going to enjoy themselves as well

 

Exactly! I am sailing shortly and was so surprised when the planner had the Opal theater show AND the comedy club show at the same time. We’ve sailed Oasis a few times and always had the Opal theater show the last night. In the past I don’t recall that we needed reservations. So we booked the Opal show on night 5 and not surprisingly received a cancellation notice a few days ago. Went on the planner and changed to the last night.

 

Not sure why the OP thinks the theater is broken, the ship is limping along, pools are out of order etc.

 

The only time i’ve experienced a real show cancellation ( not this double show booking error) is when the diving or ice show might have to cancel for high winds or rough seas.

 

M

[Guinness1000]

There will always be complaints by some people. I always checkout the reviews before I book a cruise and particularly the 1 star reviews to see what the issues were. My favorite is still a woman who rated her whole HAL cruise 1 star because there were no chocolates on her pillow at turndown...

[Dashofpepper]

There will always be complaints by some people. I always checkout the reviews before I book a cruise and particularly the 1 star reviews to see what the issues were. My favorite is still a woman who rated her whole HAL cruise 1 star because there were no chocolates on her pillow at turndown...

 

I didn't see any 1* reviews, but the reports of broken elevators, broken lounges, broken pools, canceled shows, and multiple people reporting that the crew are basically begging for tips - cabin staff asking for tips beyond the included mandatory tips, waiters in non-specialty restaurants asking for tips because the prepaid gratuities don't filter to them, and mandatory 18% gratuities added to everything from spa treatments, spin classes, cupcake making classes....

 

I'll admit, it's a turn off.

[GTO-Girl]

I didn't see any 1* reviews, but the reports of broken elevators, broken lounges, broken pools, canceled shows, and multiple people reporting that the crew are basically begging for tips - cabin staff asking for tips beyond the included mandatory tips, waiters in non-specialty restaurants asking for tips because the prepaid gratuities don't filter to them, and mandatory 18% gratuities added to everything from spa treatments, spin classes, cupcake making classes....

 

I'll admit, it's a turn off.

 

About to take trip #7 on the Oasis and this has never been our experience at all.

 

It sounds as though you have already made up your mind what kind of cruise you are going to have.

 

I do hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[Dashofpepper]

About to take trip #7 on the Oasis and this has never been our experience at all.

 

It sounds as though you have already made up your mind what kind of cruise you are going to have.

 

I do hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

I haven't - we booked a refundable ticket because the cruise was filling up and I didn't have answers about whether the casino had the game and stakes I was looking for. Turns out they have the game, but not the stakes - but I don't want to cancel the cruise and fly to Vegas instead, so I'll just play lower stakes.

 

My wife got notification of a canceled show, so we went looking at reviews - the folks coming back in July had a lot of negativity.

 

I told her we should cruise anyway - its a vacation, and if it isn't everything she hoped for, we can adjust for next time. She's stressed because this is a milestone vacation to highlight a life-changing event for her and wants it to be perfect. When we vacation to Disney (she's a Disney fanatic), she preplans everything; which rides we're going on, gets fastpasses for them, where we're eating, and our vacation follows a fixed schedule. First night of cruise planning and she booked all the shows she wanted to see, put them in the calendar, adjusted for getting from one place to another....so to see a cancellation in November while it's only July freaked her out.

[mom2tcdx2]

I haven't - we booked a refundable ticket because the cruise was filling up and I didn't have answers about whether the casino had the game and stakes I was looking for. Turns out they have the game, but not the stakes - but I don't want to cancel the cruise and fly to Vegas instead, so I'll just play lower stakes.

 

My wife got notification of a canceled show, so we went looking at reviews - the folks coming back in July had a lot of negativity.

 

I told her we should cruise anyway - its a vacation, and if it isn't everything she hoped for, we can adjust for next time. She's stressed because this is a milestone vacation to highlight a life-changing event for her and wants it to be perfect. When we vacation to Disney (she's a Disney fanatic), she preplans everything; which rides we're going on, gets fastpasses for them, where we're eating, and our vacation follows a fixed schedule. First night of cruise planning and she booked all the shows she wanted to see, put them in the calendar, adjusted for getting from one place to another....so to see a cancellation in November while it's only July freaked her out.

 

 

If I didn't know better I would think I was your wife LOL. I do the same at Disney, from fast passes to dining reservations. I did the same for our Allure sailing too as I booked up all show availability the day I saw it available.

 

We originally had the Oasis booked for October with the refundable rate, then I saw a much better rate for the Allure (oddly) and went ahead and switched to that ship instead. Later on there was then a non-refundable fare, that I thought was really good (IMO) and jumped on it.

[Loewymartin]

We were on her in April 2018. She was wonderful. We are booked again for the Aug 12 sailing. Very much looking forward to it.

 

There is someone live blogging right now a different rccl blog site. They seem to be having a wonderful time.

 

My belief is if you go on a cruise expecting a good time, you will find it. Glass half full.

 

If you go looking for issues to nitpick, you will find them. Glass half empty.

 

Pick the type of cruiser you are. Also try to spend your time around the same type of cruisers. You will have a better time.

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

We are booked for the August 12th cruise as well! I'll try to post about our experience once we get back. But I think things will be fine. We usually take the stairs (unless I'm in heels for formal nights!) and I expect things to get crowded at times just due to the volume of people. But I also expect that the staff will try their best and I plan to have fun. I wouldn't let a poster or two ruin your expectations.

[lazydayz]

We loved the Oasis and if you have not cruised this class, odds are you will be blown away. Ship is beautiful, well designed and has lots of ways to stay active and entertained. One of our favorite “shows” was when a group of singers from around the ship got together and sang some of their favorite songs. Amazing to see the talent. Of course the aqua show and the ice show were spectacular. Zip lining on a ship - how many people can say they have done that? We also did the Prohibition Party as we love jazz. All in all, it was a great week. So good we are cruising the Allure next month and Oasis again in March. Hope you enjoy Oasis as much as we did.