We just returned from a glorious week aboard the Oasis of the Seas. Everything good you have heard about this ship is absolutely true, including the incredible size, the almost flawless organization, the seemingly unlimited activities of all kind, the fabulous service and the exquisite attention to every detail. Though people dwell on the immensity of the ship, what I read less often in the reviews is how really beautiful it is - the public and private spaces alike abound in quality materials, stylish fixtures and a look of real elegance.

There were six of us travelling on this cruise - myself (53) and my mother (81), two sisters (52 and 50), brother-in-law (61) and 9 year-old niece. So you can put our opinions in perspective, we have cruised previously on Cunard, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess and NCL as well as several prior RCCL cruises, including aboard the Grandeur and Voyager of the Seas. We have loved something - in fact most things - about every ship we have sailed on, and with the exception of NCL, would not hesitate to travel again on any of the lines we've sailed in the past. Unlike some folks, for whom cabin size and amenities don't matter as much as other aspects of the cruise, the cabins are an important part of our cruise experience; we want room, comfort and a balcony, and would not sacrifice them in order to cruise more often. Aside from that, the most important things to us on a vacation, land or sea, are a broad variety of activities and entertainment, and quality - but not necessarily gourmet - food. For these reasons, we affirmatively LIKE mass market cruise lines, which we find best combine the level of comfort, quality and entertainment we want in a vacation.

Cabins: While have typically cruised in junior level suites in the past, this vacation was special, as we were celebrating several once-in-a-lifetime family events, including my mother's 80th birthday. To mark those special celebrations, we decided to go all out and sail in the Royal Loft Suite and two Crown Loft Suites. Both types of cabins have two-level living, totally unique (as far as we know) in the cruise industry. The Crown Lofts downstairs have a living area, bathroom with small shower, a table that is on partial rollers so that it can be positioned as either a desk or a dining table with chairs on both sides, and a living area with couch, an incredibly comfortable side chair, lots of storage and a large TV. (And therein lies the first of what are a very few mild negatives for this ship - the selection of TV viewing. Many of the ships we have been on in the past, including on RCCL's sister company, Celebrity, always had a channel or two of taped TV sitcoms, free recent movies or other entertainment choices to while away a couple of recharging hours in the cabin. The Oasis really did not measure up in that regard, effectively forcing us to buy the pay-per-view movies at $12 a pop. Also, if you are going to broadcast one American news channel in the cabins, Fox News for many of us is frankly an offensive choice. CNN or CNN Headline news would have been a far more neutral companion to CNN International.) In the upstairs sleeping area, the Crown Lofts have still more storage, a place to sit and do makeup with a lighted mirror, and a generous (in fact, by cruise ship standards, huge) bathroom with a luxurious two-person shower that includes a great rain-head faucet and two hand-held sprays. A second TV folds down from the ceiling in front of the bed. Bedside controls allow you to operate the lights, the curtains that can be closed around the upstairs bed area for privacy, and of course the other curtains that open up to reveal a two-story wall of glass leading out the balcony, which is deep and has two padded, extremely comfortable lounge chairs and, naturally, a spectacular view. One point on that view: Crown Loft Suites are located either on the sides of the ship, giving you an all-ocean view, or along the back of the ship, overlooking the sports area, including the zip line, the mini-golf course, and the flow riders, and then to the ocean beyond. We had one Crown Loft in each of those two locations. It's a matter of choice, but we really liked the sports court view cabins. You still get a spectacular view of the ocean beyond the back of the ship, but it's also lots of fun to watch all the activity going on during the day and even into the evening back on the sports court. No question, however, that those balconies are a lot noisier than the more peaceful locations on the side of the ship, though the sound does not penetrate in any real way into the cabin itself when the balcony doors are closed. Read more