Having previously sailed the Oasis class (Allure of the Seas), I knew what to expect. Buy, having booked this cruise over a year in advance, the anticipation to return to the Caribbean just about drove me into a frenzy! Our Allure experience set the bar very, very high. After sailing on the Allure, I spoke to a person who sailed the same week as us and she claimed that her previous experience on the Oasis of the Seas had surpassed the Allure. After hearing that, I knew I needed to sail that class once again! Well, unfortunately, the Allure IMO outperformed the Oasis hands down. However, not all was bad! So, in this review I want to focus on things that mattered to me and in doing so, I hope that it will help others.

We arrived at the port around 10:30am where we were assigned a section in the cruise port terminal to wait for the ship to be ready to board. I felt the staff did a great job of stopping people who wanted to board before their called time. It was a joy to watch people get up and head towards the boarding doors to be turned away by "seasoned" staff who promptly returned them to their rightful section. The boarding was grouped by Crown and Anchor status. Diamond, gold etc. First time cruisers boarded last. If you want to avoid this show, simply don't show up to the terminal prior to 11:45-12:00pm and you will walk right onto the ship....after you clear the boarding process and get your sea pass. Note, there will most likely be a line for that part, but it moves quickly. I like to go early to "explore", however we found that many of the bars were not equipped to serve drinks that early in the day. We finally found the board walk bar was open but "slo-mo" (my nickname for the waiter) could only make a margarita because he didn't have everything needed to make all the drinks on the menu. Again, if you show up later I think all the bars will be open and running at full speed. We never had a problem any time after that.

Here is where I will sum this review up. I have learned that each and every cruise is different and every single person on that massive ship is going to have a different experience. After all when it comes down to it, we all cruise for different reasons. Personally I love the top pool deck and watching the blue Caribbean ocean drift by while I sip on a refreshing beverage. Having said that, it is always tough to take reviews and assume that someone's experience, good or bad, will be the same for you. Royal Caribbean is highly invested in making sure you are happy. With as many people who sail daily, you will always have good and bad experiences. Therefore, I want to point out a few things that might be of interest to anyone traveling on the Oasis in the future. Read more