Oasis of the Seas Review
Surprisingly Wonderful Cruise, Despite It All!
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We chose this cruise because (a) it coincided with my 65th birthday, (b) it was supposed to be to the Eastern Caribbean, which I strongly desired to see, and (c) this ship appeared to have much to offer to keep my grandkids occupied and happy. However, the itinerary wound up being changed at the last minute because 2 hurricanes had flattened most of the Eastern Caribbean. Instead of going to St. Maarten, San Juan and Labadee, we wound up going to Nassau, Cozumel and Costa Maya. The hurricanes were no one's fault, and I applaud RCCL for changing the itinerary to keep us safe yet still entertained.
This was our 5th cruise on RCCL. When I think of Royal Caribbean, I think of 2 things: (1) really innovative ships, and (2) shameless and incessant upselling and nickle-and-diming. The ship was enormous, the largest I had ever seen, but it did not seem overly crowded because the passengers were spread over 7 "neighborhoods" on the ship. Our cabin was very clean but small, as expected. What was not expected was the total absence of electrical outlets in the bathroom. What were they thinking?
The bed was comfortable and the cabin steward, Keith, was simply amazing. On our previous RCCL cruises, the food was very good, but on this cruise, it felt like RCCL had raised its standards by a couple of notches. We ate one dinner in the "150 Central Park" restaurant, and had what was possibly the tenderest and most flavorful piece of beef I have ever eaten.
Cabin Review
Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Small (actually, VERY small!) but well organized and functional. Very comfortable bed, ample storage space in closet, bathroom worked well, despite having no electrical outlets whatsoever, which makes no sense. It has a curved glass shower, unlike the icky-sticky shower curtain on our previous cruise on Brilliance of the Seas. The balcony was very comfortable, and we spent a surprising amount of time sitting there just watching the waves and sea birds go by.
Port Reviews
Costa Maya
Not much to do here. Very hot, 3 other cruise ships in port, so everything was crowded. Disappointing destination. None of the shore excursions offered by RCCL sounded like much fun, so we walked ashore and just tried to wing it, but it was just too hot and too crowded so we wound up going back to the ship.