Oasis of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
3,761 reviews

A kid in a candy store

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Oasis of the Seas
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pastPE1601
First Time Cruiser • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Dec 2009

Maiden Voyage and observations OASIS of the SEAS The Oasis did not look as large as we expected as we approached the dock. We were in for a surprise after we boarded. RCL said we would only take 15 minutes from curbside to ship with the new boarding procedures. After about an hour of waiting in a large terminal, we finally were boarded. Seems that back-to-back passengers had to get off the ship before they could get back on make sense? Not really. As we boarded, we suddenly became like a kid in a candy store. We boarded on deck #5 which is the Promenade. There was so much to see and hear that we felt overwhelmed. The free champagne and rum punches helped to get us deeper into the mood of vacation. There was no-one available to take us to our stateroom. However, the interactive touch screens in the hall right next to the elevators gave great directions to your room and other venues of interest. Just touch and read. Our stateroom was a category C-2, Central Park Balcony. While it was a beautiful room, we missed seeing the ocean, after all we were on a cruise. The interactive TV in the room was a nice addition. It could show you any bookings you have made, whether they were shore-excursions or just dinner reservations. It helped to keep your schedule in order. We had the "my-time" dining option and had to pay our gratuities up front with the full passage price. We liked that since we no longer had to think about tipping. We did tip extra to our wait-staff for their excellent service. "Andung' and "Florin" helped make our trip memorable. Yes, you can ask for a certain table, certain waiters and certain times while on "my-time" dining. Our only disappointment was that on Lobster Night, we were not offered seconds on lobster tail. Oh well, maybe it was for the better what with all the other foods offered. We tried three of the six or so pools we found. Our favorite was the"beach pool" with its salt water. Be prepared to go to one of the pools to rest a bit after scouting our all the areas on board. The one problem we had at poolside was the "piped in music" we heard. It made us think we were in Motown rather than in the Caribbean. The live bands stayed with the Caribbean theme, but whoever is in charge of "canned" music had no idea where the ship was cruising. You may feel like a marathoner, the ship is so large. The pool for the High Dive and water show is another feat to marvel at. The depth can be changed by hydraulically moving the bottom. Of course, talking about the water show leads us to the other shows. Once you signed up for a reservation to a show, you were put into a computer. You had no ticket to hold. The Ice Show in Studio B, "Hairspray" in the theater, the comedy show, "Come Fly with Me" and so on was never sold out so you could easily get in if you forgot to reserve. Maybe this was so due to the ship not being completely full. We are not into partaking of the Flow Riders, the Rock Climbing Wall, the Zip Lines and such but we certainly did enjoy watching those who did use these facilities. The features at the Boardwalk were fun to see especially when there were activities for the kids. It seems that many of us became kids again. We saw as many adults on the Carousel as we saw lids. Everyone was having a Ball !! Basically, we had a great cruise. Were there any things we'd change? Of course. No one can ever please everyone all the time. What did we think was lacking or could be changed? Not Much! We certainly missed the chocolates on the pillow at night time. The only place to get a fast sandwich for lunch was on a lower deck dining area. We'd have liked to see sandwiches available in the "Windjammer Marketplace" ( the upper deck buffet ). I must admit that I still prefer the older way of having Lifeboat Drills. Watching a video does not do it !!

Cabin Review

Cabin C-2

Balcony overlooking Central Park was like staying in an Embassy Suite room. Never saw the ocean.

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