This was my third cruise. My first was 7 years ago on Celebrity from Ft. Lauderdale, the second was less than a year ago on Carnival out of Galveston and this one was Oasis from Ft. Lauderdale. Our flight and hotel arrangements were not booked through RC. We flew from Tulsa to Ft. Lauderdale the day before we cruised on Southwest. I've decided I'm not a big fan of Southwest boarding (chose your own seats) because delays are so common now and if you're late getting on the plane things can be pretty hectic. Otherwise it was an easy and uneventful flight into Ft. Lauderdale. We were able to get a rental car and drive around a bit. We stayed at the Hampton Inn - Cruise Port/Airport which provided free shuttles to/from the airport and cruise port. They were very accommodating and we had no problem catching shuttles when we needed them.

Embarkation was as easy as I've read here regarding Oasis. It took 15 minutes from entry to boarding the ship and that included getting a security bracelet for my six year old daughter. Our shuttle picked us up at the hotel at 11am and my 11:30am we were exploring the beautiful Oasis of the Seas. I'm sure a lot of this will be redundant but this ship is amazing! PIctures and videos do not do her justice. When we first saw her from a distance, she didn't seem that big but the closer we got the more we realized this is not an ordinary cruise ship! The Royal Promenade is amazing and at first it seemed that maybe the ship would be over crowded. Don't let that first entry fool you. People tend to get on the ship and stop with jaw dropped in the Promenade and it gets a little congested, but continue strolling past and the crowd thins out significantly. We looked around for a bit and then caught some lunch in the Windjammer. I know that's a no-no, but the Park Cafe had a huge line. Word about those roast beef sandwiches has gotten out! The Windjammer was fairly typical of the main cafeteria areas on the other boats we've been on as far as being crowded goes. It was so packed that we had to take our plates out on the deck to eat (darn having to sit in the sunshine and breeze atop this amazing ship!). The food was far better than what we had on Carnival in the cafeteria area but not nearly was well done as that on Celebrity. However, I DO like the circular set up in the Windjammer on Oasis. It does seem a little chaotic but I prefer that style over the straight line. I feel like there's more freedom to grab what you want and not feel "in the way" so much.

At 1pm as promised our room was available. We had 11254 - a Grand Suite that was a few doors down from the elevators, Library and Concierge Lounge. We had a WONDERFUL location. The 11th deck is quiet - never heard noise from any of the public areas - and has easy access to the Concierge Lounge. This was our first time having that benefit and it was SO worth it! We were able to grab lunch, light breakfast items, coffee, soda - any time we wanted - in a nice, non-crowed environment that looked down over the Boardwalk area and the Aqua Theater. Our room was fantastic as well. Our balcony was very nice sized with two loungers, two regular chairs and tables. We were up high enough that our plexiglass stayed nice and clean and we could see easily through it. We felt like we had adequate outlets. There were two on the dresser by the main bed, one by the fold out couch and one tucked near the dining counter. There was almost too much storage space if you can imagine! We had a hard time remembering where we'd put things. The bathroom was huge for a cruise ship and the shower/tub was more than adequate. One thing I did miss was that the tub was not a whirlpool style tub - but then again, I really never had time to actually sit in the tub. Read more