First look: Oasis of the Seas is getting the biggest Royal Amplified reimagining ever

[flyguyjake]

Hey Royal can we get Les Miserables, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or Hamilton? Thanks

[firefox247]

I love RCI, but I wish they would stop adding so many paid options and start making them complimentary.  It's hard for me to get excited about a paid BBQ joint when Carnival has a good one for free.  Some with JR vs. Guy's.  Or Playmakers vs O'Sheehans on NCL, etc.

 

Royal would obviously be dumb to avoid collecting more revenue if people are actually willing to pay for them, but that does not mean I have to like it. 😉

[Allura_317]

6 hours ago, midnight sushi said:

I hope it’s Harry Potter and the cursed child

They would not do a play.  They also probably can't get rights to it with it being on broadway now.  Also, it's a terribly written play, as much as I love Harry Potter (but I am also a theatre and broadway nerd).

[Reynolds13]

Going to miss the Champagne Bar. Can’t believe they’re replacing those guys with robots 😔

[Mikew0805]

1 hour ago, flyguyjake said:

Hey Royal can we get Les Miserables, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or Hamilton? Thanks

Wicked.. Wicked.. Wicked!! 😜

[haolenate]

Travel Weekly reports the BBQ will be a pay restaurant

[pspercy]

5 hours ago, Reynolds13 said:

Going to miss the Champagne Bar. Can’t believe they’re replacing those guys with robots 😔

 

Robots give crappy pours 😞

[orville99]

14 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I’m confused. Is the DL moving?

 

14 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

The BBQ is not on the Solarium.  It’s aft.  Maybe it’s replacing the scuba shop.  El loco fresh starboard, BBQ Port 

Presuming everything in this image gets completed during the Amp'd refurb, the Diamond Club is now shown on deck 4 in the vicinity of the Jazz club - which opens up its old space on decks 11 and 12 for something else.

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, orville99 said:

 

Presuming everything in this image gets completed during the Amp'd refurb, the Diamond Club is now shown on deck 4 in the vicinity of the Jazz club - which opens up its old space on decks 11 and 12 for something else.

 

I thought Wonderland was mentioned for that space.

[cot427]

Seems like a lot of these upgrades are what we expected. However, besides the major additions like Playmakers, the slides, Abyss, El Loco and BBQ, the rest seem like just simple replacements: On Air into Spotlight Karaoke - seems like the same concept just adding a couple private booths. Dazzles into Music Hall...isn't Dazzles essentially a Music Hall in its current iteration? Pool/Sand Bar into Lime and Coconut...besides a different menu, I don't think there was anything special about this on Navigator. It was just a pool bar.  The DJ was out there some afternoons, but aren't they always out by the pool on ships in the afternoon? And they only had 1 outdoor party...the nightlife was not happening there on Navigator like advertised. 

 

I am also not surprised they aren't adding the Bamboo Room. I am a tiki fanatic and essentially lived in this bar on Navigator. Was it busy...no, never. I disagree with the poster that said it was closed or had bad hours...they seemed appropriate for the demand...and they would close at 12 if they weren't busy which is understandable. It seems like passengers just don't understand or appreciate the tiki culture, but the biggest thing is it takes time to make these drinks. It also takes more dedication as a bartender. I know on the Navigator, our bartender said they have problems getting people to work in the bar because the drinks are so complicated and nobody wants to learn. And also, they get incentives based on how many times they swipe a card and since the bar isn't busy, it adds to that difficulty in staffing. 

[BNBR]

11 hours ago, firefox247 said:

I love RCI, but I wish they would stop adding so many paid options and start making them complimentary.  It's hard for me to get excited about a paid BBQ joint when Carnival has a good one for free.  Some with JR vs. Guy's.  Or Playmakers vs O'Sheehans on NCL, etc.

 

Royal would obviously be dumb to avoid collecting more revenue if people are actually willing to pay for them, but that does not mean I have to like it. 😉

 

JR's is not a competitor with Guys.  The buffet/Wipeout/mini-bites is a Guys comparison - with Guys being better.  Playmakers is also not an O'Sheehans.  It's premium in comparison.

 

Notably, Royal's direction is the Unlimited Dining Plan.  Which gives you all of this for "free" throughout your cruise.  Depending on the sailing, booking Oasis with the UDP may be similar in pricing to an NCL sailing, for example - but with far, far better included dining options.

 

I have no problem booking the UDP, I think it's a bargain for what you get.

[orville99]

18 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I thought Wonderland was mentioned for that space.

John doesn't think that will happen, but we were told by the DL concierge on Oasis in March that the DL was moving to deck 4 and Wonderland was going in its deck 11 and 12 location. The new map shows the DL on deck 4, so Wonderland on 11&12 is a good bet.

[SuiteLady]

I just booked Oasis for next May, while on the Anthem last week!  I really liked the Anthem, but have sailed on Harmony and really like the Oasis class ships.  I am excited to see all the changes that will be happening on the Oasis and can't wait now!! 

[soremekun]

It seems as if November 2019 is still available to book.  Since Oasis won't start sailing until December 2019, if someone were to book November 2019, would they get a refund and some FCC?

[Ourusualbeach]

11 minutes ago, soremekun said:

It seems as if November 2019 is still available to book.  Since Oasis won't start sailing until December 2019, if someone were to book November 2019, would they get a refund and some FCC?

Her first cruise is Nov. 24.  No reason to think that won’t happen.

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Oasis/19067357_OA_Amplified_Consumer_Flyer.pdf

Edited May 22, 2019 by Ourusualbeach

[soremekun]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Her first cruise is Nov. 24.  No reason to think that won’t happen.

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Oasis/19067357_OA_Amplified_Consumer_Flyer.pdf

Gotcha.  So only those who booked (a cruise for a time frame during the refurb period) before the dates were blocked out will be affected.  Thanks.

Edited May 22, 2019 by soremekun

[Ourusualbeach]

1 minute ago, soremekun said:

Gotcha.  So only those who booked before the dates were blocked out will be affected.  Thanks.

I don’t think that those dates have ever been offered for sale.  They were blacked out when her itineraries were released.

 

those that had booked at the end of April were affected as they cancelled several sailings so that she could head to Europe Early.  That was a year and a half ago though.  

[rusty nut]

15 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

I would think the BBQ is free and playmakers is a bar.  

Playmakers is a sports bar and grill. You'll find burgers and wings plus a lot of other things on the menu.

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, rusty nut said:

Playmakers is a sports bar and grill. You'll find burgers and wings plus a lot of other things on the menu.

Yes  it is however in the context of the person I quoted it is not really a specialty restaurant such as Wonderland or Hooked.  It is more along the lines of Vintages...a bar that also offers food.  Even a Royal classed it this way up until recently as it had not been included in any of the specialty dining packages.

[BrandFam4]

This would explain why the little 3 night cruise we had booked for a steal skyrocketed in price yesterday. The updates look great. Loved El Loco, Playmakers, and the Bamboo Room on The Navigator. The Bamboo room is more of a one time venue for me. We enjoyed it,  but after we spent one evening there we never felt the need to go back that week, but we would definitely visit on the next cruise.

Edited May 22, 2019 by BrandFam4
spelling

[kevnick0814]

2 hours ago, cot427 said:

I am also not surprised they aren't adding the Bamboo Room. I am a tiki fanatic and essentially lived in this bar on Navigator. Was it busy...no, never. I disagree with the poster that said it was closed or had bad hours...they seemed appropriate for the demand...and they would close at 12 if they weren't busy which is understandable. It seems like passengers just don't understand or appreciate the tiki culture, but the biggest thing is it takes time to make these drinks. It also takes more dedication as a bartender. I know on the Navigator, our bartender said they have problems getting people to work in the bar because the drinks are so complicated and nobody wants to learn. And also, they get incentives based on how many times they swipe a card and since the bar isn't busy, it adds to that difficulty in staffing. 

Hey cot, you were on the 9 day Nav just after our 9-day. We also liked the Bamboo Room a lot. The appetizer's were all excellent and the drinks are as good as advertised.

We saw a fully mixed busy/not busy vibe during our 9-day.

My thought: if it was located with some exterior water view I think it becomes a 'go to' all the time. Being locked in on the Promenade changes that vibe.

We also spoke to a bartender on our last night. I came right out and asked why they are not overly friendly. He apologized and said it was his last night after 8 months straight and it is a hard place to work. He was probably referring to your comments about the detail needed in making their cocktails. 

[BrandFam4]

8 minutes ago, kevnick0814 said:

 

My thought: if it was located with some exterior water view I think it becomes a 'go to' all the time. Being locked in on the Promenade changes that vibe.

 

Agreed, felt it was very dark in there and a tiki bar to me is bright and airy.

[cot427]

2 hours ago, BrandFam4 said:

Agreed, felt it was very dark in there and a tiki bar to me is bright and airy.

 

Not always. I have been to quite a few more well-known tiki bars and they actually have Bamboo Room's vibe and decor inside, with it being darker and dimmed lights.

 

With that being said, if Royal had an area like the Waterfront on NCL -away class ships, it would be perfect for that type of area. I appreciate their attempt so much and I think they needed a bar like this, but maybe make a few tweaks.

[MightyMike]

3 hours ago, BrandFam4 said:

This would explain why the little 3 night cruise we had booked for a steal skyrocketed in price yesterday. 

 

I also noticed a large price increase on the spring break cruise we selected.

 

I always wanted to sail on an Oasis-class ship, but assumed I would have to settle for Freedom-class or Voyager-class because it always seemed like you had to pay a premium for Oasis-class itineraries.

 

For some reason, Oasis of the Seas itineraries were less expensive earlier this year. Oasis, Harmony and Symphony are all sailing out of Florida, but Oasis' prices were significantly lower than her sisters--lower to the point of being competitive with Freedom-class and Voyager-class.

 

That changed over the last day or so. The prices for all three ships are more similar now. Symphony is still the most expensive, but not by much.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

On 5/21/2019 at 5:53 PM, Ourusualbeach said:

I don’t think that this is a complete list of the changes.  I would be very surprised if Giovanni’s does not get replaced by Jamies and no mention was made of Wonderland.  I suspect there will be future updates to this announcement. 

I agree. The lack of Jamie's is odd. And with the DL moving, something has to go in its place. Usually Royal doesn't release dry dock details this early. Personally, it makes me think they wanted to get this announcement out sooner than originally planned, for whatever reason. We'll see, but I hope to see a follow up release that includes more restaurants.

Edited May 23, 2019 by OfTheSeasCruiser