Embark - It was clear RCL was not prepared for an embarkation of this magnitude in Southampton. As a frequent floater, I received and email 4 days prior to embarkation letting me know I could board anytime after 12:00pm. Several thousand of us stood outside the terminal from 11:45am until 2:15pm before were even let in. Once we were let in, it was still somewhat of a "cluster." I am an Emerald Crown & Anchor and because that was not printed on my SetSail Pass, I had to stand in a line that was 3x longer. The gentleman who checked me in was nice enough and apologized for the long delay and for me having to walk through the wrong line. RCL blamed the delay on British Immigration not being set up and ready to go in time. So, how long did RCL and the British government know this ship would be embarking with 5K passengers today?!?!?! It was the worst embarkation experience in 12 cruises. The crowd was pretty composed but had it lasted much longer, they would have had a stampede the likes of a WHO concert on their hands.
Disembark - Two strikes and you're out. Its like they've never unloaded this ship. I was posting on Facebook each step of the way (including pictures) and friends who've sailed on Oasis before were horrified at my experience because they all said the breezed on and off in FLL. I stood in a line on Deck 5 in the Royal Promenade for 1 hour just waiting to get OFF the ship, then when I got into the luggage/customs area I saw another line that almost made me pass out. That line took 1.5 hours. So, 2.5 hours after starting, I finally was on terra firma and on my own. If this was my first RCL cruise, I would never sail them again just because of their handling of the embarkation/disembarkation process. It was deplorable and the worst I've ever seen on any ship on ant line. This was my 12th cruise (8th on RCL) and I've never experienced anything like this on RCL before.
Dining:
I have recently stopped booking balcony staterooms and traveling with companions so I can have my own stateroom which form a price standpoint means I need to travel in an inside stateroom. I was afraid at first that I wouldn’t like it, but I have to tell you - I LOVE IT! That said, I had a wonderful stateroom that was plenty large enough (I am a 6’5”, 250lbs man). It was well appointed and laid out well. Even though I am traveling alone, I separated the beds so I would have an “aisle” to walk down in the middle of the room instead of trying to maneuver each side of the bed. Everything about the room was great from the storage (which is AMPLE) to the bathroom which is really nice. My stateroom attendant (“Lobo”) was great. He was attentive to my needs throughout the entire cruise and he was very friendly. In fact, I will say that while there are some service issues in other areas of this ship - he was perfect in every way.