Overall this was a fantastic cruise, amazing staff as always, and a definite recommendation. It has been a while since we cruised, and each time we were on ships that had recently been commissioned, Freedom and Allure. The Oasis is newer than those now, but has been out since 2009, so it seemed a little worn compared to what we were used to. However, we were incredibly impressed by the cleanliness and staff attention to detail. Oasis is a lovely ship with a plethora of things to do! With multiple different "neighborhoods" - there is always something happening. Each day an itinerary for the next day is delivered to your stateroom. Take a highlighter :) Scan through what you are interested in, and then remain flexible during the day. Lines tend to be long for popular items, so get tickets early (even before you cruise!) and get in line early if your seating, etc is important to you. The theater is COLD - take a sweater and wear closed toed shoes. Pace yourself. We have gotten to the end of cruises where we feel like we needed another vacation! Remember to sit back and enjoy being there, either at the pool, or on a comfy chair in Central Park (so quiet and nice!) or watching people on the Promenade or Boardwalk. The pool area can tend to get crowded and it is windy, keep you stuff tied down (even shoes blow away!). Don't miss the street parties! We had two in our group between 18 and 21. They had a blast. There is plenty of nightlife for them as only 17 and younger have a ship curfew (and they do get carded by ship security). The drinking age is the same as the U.S. at 21, but 18 and over are allowed in the clubs. They had fun hitting the different dance parties then hanging with new friends at the coffee shops until the wee hours.

Dining: We had a vegetarian and two gluten-free diners in our group. While there are still items to choose from if you have dietary restrictions, you will not be overeating like the rest of the group! Our vegetarian was content at most meals, but the gluten-free options are limited. The Windjammer has a designated section at lunch and dinner (but the options tend to be the same and gets old after just a couple days). You can ask for gluten-free pancakes to be made, but be prepared to wait and that is usually not convenient when rushing off for an excursion. The main dining room always has a couple options (again, usually the same items and it gets old). Several nights we just ate a couple starters and skipped the entree as we were tired of grilled chicken and neither of us like salmon. Chops offers a filet for a small fee that was amazing! Highly recommended to splurge for at least one night. We have all the on-board restaurants here in Atlanta, so we didn't feel like spending more while on the ship to go to them. However, it is a much quieter and less rushed experience if you desire that. The main dining room also serves breakfast and lunch which offers a smaller variety compared to the Windjammer, but is, again, a less hectic and enjoyable experience. Not a lot to offer for our gluten-free diners at breakfast, but lunch had a small selection that was delicious. The solarium did not offer any GF items, but others in our group enjoyed the smaller venue there as well.

Excursions: Our favorite on this trip was the St. Thomas dolphin excursion. After exiting the ship, we were escorted to a medium sized boat for an hour boat ride to Tortola. No cameras allowed as they want you to pay for their pictures and the food you can purchase is very average hotdogs and hamburgers. Be sure and take $$$. Grandma was with us, so we didn't swim, but just played with the dolphins. In retrospect, we could have done the swim. You are in an enclosed inlet with life vests. You do not need to know how to swim, and you spend about 20 minutes in the water with the dolphins in a group of about 12. You are mainly in waist deep water on a ledge until your turn to swim out a little into the water. Long day for a fairly short time in the water, but petting dolphins is amazing!! (If you ever get a chance to go with RC to Grand Cayman, don't miss snorkeling with stingrays - that is by far one of my favorite things ever!!) Our second favorite thing was the St. Maarten Amazing Race! Crazy fun! You need to be able to walk/jog a bit and wear shoes that can get wet and you then wear all day. We did this with the younger group (great for families!!) and everyone loved it. Great way to see a bit more of the island around downtown than you might if you just go shopping, and there is still time to jewelry shop afterward :) Our least favorite event was the Atlantis water park on Nassau. Probably one of more poorly run venues we have ever been to. After exiting the boat, we waited in the sun for about 50 minutes, we loaded onto buses for a 15-minute drive to Atlantis and then had to walk 20 minutes from the entrance to the water park. Then there was the 30-minute line to rent a locker. The lines were incredibly long, we didn't eat since we didn't want to waste the time, we caught the last bus back...and we only did 4 rides. The rides were nice, tunnel through the sharks was cool, but overall a disappointment. So much so that my husband mentioned it to RC when we returned to the boat and they said they would be talking to their partners about it. Atlantis seems like an entertaining place, and if you were staying there and could hit it without the cruise patrons, it would probably be a lot of fun. However, skip it as a cruise excursion! Read more