Since this was our first cruise, I am focusing on our personal opinions of this cruise as far as little details (which at times matter as much as the big ones) -- the bigger topics have been covered by others -- the ship is amazing in every way. I celebrated by birthday aboard. We had three couples total in our group. (6 people) We all had separate staterooms and spent about 1/2 total time together, and 1/2 alone. It worked out well -- make sure your friends agree at the beginning that "alone time" is ok. We enjoyed doing this with our friends as well, especially beach days and dining. It was a nice balance.

The Beginning: Flew to FLL Friday 2/5. Stayed at Fairfield Inn. Very smooth, very nice hotel. Great breakfast at hotel. Cruise morning -- Took shuttle from hotel to port. Bad idea. ACE TOURS chartered a large bus which took forever and stopped at all cruise lines prior to RCCL/Oasis. Should have took a private taxi instead -- ask hotel to lend you a hand as opposed to ACE Tour Guy. Check-in at RCCL terminal was amazingly smooth. Agent was delighted we had followed the instructions by printing out documents on-line ahead of time. Sailed through check-in and boarding ship. Very nice reception from all personnel. Had drinks and lunch, and into cabin by 1pm. Bags delivered by 2pm. No issues, extremely smooth. Stateroom oceanview w/balcony: small, but lovely. Bed was very comfy, and plenty of outlets for curling iron and whatever else you need. (set by mirror in living room, set by bed, none in bathroom) We ordered water (750ml Evian bottles) ahead of time --great idea. Refilled them several times with ship tap water -- no issues, tasted fine. Used safe for valuables, and lots of hangers in closet. Suitcases fit under bed.

The Middle: Boleros was a fun club for dancing several times. Windjammer had outstanding food (for buffet style). Park Cafe -- our favorite for complimentary food. Try the greek salad, the tuna salad and the roast beef sandwich. Wipeout Cafe -- good junk food (burgers, nachops, hotdogs, killer fries, etc.) We ate several times from all of above and brought food to poolside a couple times. Hung out most at Main Pool -- good scenery of all kinds (men, women, cultures, etc), and outstanding cocktail service. Note -- you cannot save chairs. Good luck trying -- they watch, and take stuff after 30 minutes of abscence. It's harsh but fair to ensure the best spots are not monopolized all day by people not using them. Had a fine dining evening at Chops -- absolutely perfect. The largest baked potato we've ever seen, the best steaks, and mushroom soup to die for. For you coffee drinkers who need a fix before getting ready for the day, hang your breakfast selections on your door by 3am, with a designated delivery time for morning. (do it each day) Enjoy an early pot of coffee and bacon, hashbrowns, fruit, pastries, etc. on your balcony before starting the day. A nice touch -- they call you when your food is on it's way to your room. We regret not going to any shows. Best of intentions, just never did it. Every port had shopping and plenty of taxis to bring you wherever you wanted to go. We did Koki Beach (on our own) in St. Thomas. LOVED IT. Bring cash for taxis and beach drinks and food. (a VISA logo does not mean they will take VISA -- "the machine is broke") Taxi's typically cost $10/person per way. Not bad for 6 of us in a private van. Loved the shops on the ship. Not bad prices and lots of lovely gift items. For you drinkers, all bars pour a mean drink. Be sure to tip well -- you won't be disappointed. Expect $8-$10/top shelf drink, $4-5 beer. Monitor your sea pass account in ytour stateroom. Watch for mystery charges and save receipts. Guest Services quickly reversed 2 questionable transactions for us. Stateroom attendant was awesome -- be sure to tip him at the start of the week generously and your room will benefit. (ice, fresh bed, towels, etc.) Enjoy the free ice cream -- cones available at 2 stations between main pool and kids pool, as well as Wipeout Cafe. My favorite place -- the Solarium. Adults only, great hottubs, great complimentary buffet -- with heathier breakfast fare (turkey bacon, bran muffins, etc.) Killer coffee everywhere on ship. (Seattle's Best, which is owned by Starbucks) Be sure to make dining reservations at least 2 days in advance for Chops, 150 Central Park, or Giovannis. They fill up. But, people do cancel, so you should be able to walk in -- but these are nice places, so it's fun to plan. Men -- no shorts allowed -- bring at least 1 pair of slacks. Ladies -- anything goes, as long as it's dressy/classy. Formal gowns were everywhere, but so were sundresses and "nightclub" wear. Suit jackets with collared shirts for the guys are ok if you're anti-tux. Bring a large beach bag or backpack to lug your stuff to and from the pool, as well as in port for shopping. Check out 2 towels before departing the ship on your at-shore adventure days....they may not have towels wherever you're headed for the day. All in all, the ship was awesome -- the service was consistently excellent, from bartenders, waiters, pool attendants, etc. Windjammer was always busy, but they will help you find a spot to sit -- so just ask. We used My Time dining, and only ate in main dining room once. I'd like to do that more next time -- but we liked to wing it most of the time. Worked out twice -- facility is lovely, large and nothing like a treadmill in front of a window watching the sea. Bring your earphones -- each machine has TV/stero. The track is on level 5, and is fun to walk/run. Be sure to stop at the aft/rear of ship and look down at the prop/wake. Breathtaking power. Also, be sure to go to the front and check out the helicopter pad. Take time to explore -- I know we missed neat things! Wi-fi -- make sure your phone has data roaming OFF. Purchase 60 minutes of internet access for about $30. Same for wi-fi signal. Do not waste your internet minutes in your stateroom -- the TV functionality is very slow for internet. Use the PC's in the card room on deck 14. Read more