Oasis of the Seas Review
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Additional details
We chose this cruise simply for the ship. We're Crown & Anchor members and have used RC before and have visited the different ports (Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten) previously. My wife has wanted to try an Oasis class ship since they were introduced and the timing was right for us to do so. Our balcony stateroom was nice, but not much different then any other ship we've been on. The staff was the usual courteous and helpful we've experienced before. But the ship, that's a different story.
This ship is MASSIVE. There are so many things to see and do that even though there are roughly 6000 passengers, you don't feel crowded at all. Elevators were easy to come by and with reservations being made for entertainment, everything went smoothly. The only time we could feel a crowd was during karaoke. The On Air facility they held this in was fairly small and it was standing room only most of the time things were going on.
I was worried about lines, getting on and off the ship, embarkation, etc., with a full ship of passengers. RC has the process down to a science. We had a 1 hour delay to board the ship because the Coast Guard was doing their job (tip my hat to the service men and women), but RC still had all passengers on board and sailed on time.
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Cabin was what I would expect from Royal Caribbean. Clean, decently furnished and comfortable. The balcony was average, but how can you beat the view of sitting on your own balcony?
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Took a cab from the airport to the ship and ship to the airport upon return. We had 5 adult passengers with luggage and rode in a suburban. Cab fair was $30, which I thought was a little steep. Coming back we had a minivan which charged $25. Overall, it was cheaper and less complicated then taking the transfers from RC.
Nassau
We have been to Nassau before and enjoyed the shopping. This time, we took a cab over to Atlantis and spent the day at the massive water park. The price for the waterpark ticket is slightly less then the tour through RC, but either way it's expensive. We enjoyed it and spent the entire day there so we got our money's worth.
St. Thomas
We took a cab from the pier to Coral World, which is right next to Coki Beach. Coral World was nice, but for $19 we wouldn't do it again. Coki Beach was AMAZING. We had been to Maegan's Bay before which was nice, but Coki offered a little more for those who snorkel and the vibe on the beach is great with the bars and music. The chairs and umbrellas are not free! We knew this ahead of time, but you could tell some people were surprised by this. It was $5 per chair and $10 per umbrella. Well worth it though if you want to mark your territory. It was pretty busy the day we went, but the locals said that was because there were 4 cruise ships in port at the same time.
St. Maarten
We took a water taxi for $7 per person (entire day pass) from the pier across the bay to the shopping area. Front street is what I pictured a Caribbean Island shopping area to look like. Stone street, tight buildings, etc. The beach was great too. 2 chairs and an umbrella for $15. For an additional $10 they thrown in a bucket of beer and ice. We rented a jet ski for $50 per 30 minutes. It was the going rate between all the vendors. The water was beautiful at this location and we spent most of the day at the beach.