Been on all the Oasis class ships more than once and always booked a waterview balcony. We always remark when walking through Central Park how nice it may be to book one of those balconies next time. Well, we did. Deck 10, 599 was close to being midship overlooking the Park Cafe. The cabin was as we remembered from last time on Harmony. Nice split closets and ample drawers. The first night my husband woke up listening for over an hour of crew members cleaning CP and screaming to each other. Finally at 5 AM, hubby told them to shut up. Next night was quiet, but following I woke up hearing 2 foreign voices screaming. Out to the balcony I went and couldn't see who it was. Call to Guest Services and voices quickly quieted. Not only are you disturbed while sleeping, but the pool band plays so loud late afternoons that sitting on your balcony to relax is impossible. So, don't book a CP balcony. The bottle of wine and lunch for 2 (which we never used) is not worth it!

Our cabin had a few disturbing white stains on the sofa. Repeated cleaning didn't remove so it was covered by a sheet. Gone also are the soap dispensers in the shower. The bracket is still there. Our steward, Romeo, gave us ample tubes of shampoo and conditioner although we did not request. But, no body lotion. Glad I brought my own. Those tiny sinks although raised on this ship, are still too small and got tired of cleaning the spills as there was a drain on the floor to take care of water. Afterall, we were on vacation!

Gone are the specialty dining first night specials so we ate in the MDR, Grande, each evening. Surprisingly each meal was appetizing although not always hot. The second night I asked for fresh ground pepper for my Caesar Salad. After a long time, waiter returned stating all the pepper mills were gone. OK. A DR Captain walked by and asked if all was as expected. That was my opportunity to ask about pepper millls. He answered rudely about how Europeans taste their food before seasoning and enjoyed how the chef has prepared it. Well, I wanted for my salad and told HIM Americans like to taste their food too before seasoning. He later returned and apologized. The following night we were shown to another table with wonderful wait staff which reminded me of cruising from years gone by! What a shame an incident like this caused us to experience fine dining. Oh, and a pepper mill appeared. Guess they still have them in the specialty restaurants. Read more