We are a family of four with two teenage children, ages 13 and 14. Having read many reviews on how big this ship was, we had to see for ourselves. The reviews were spot on, this ship is a monster! Our boarding was fast and effortless. We were on the ship within 20 minutes and it was during prime boarding time! A good tip is to arrive a little earlier than they tell you. We were told that the boarding started at 1pm and we arrived at 12 and the ship was boarding. There were a lot of people that boarded much earlier than was posted, but I suppose that all depends on how fast the morning departure from the previous cruise goes.

After we boarded on the promenade deck, we went straight to our room to check it out. We had a balcony room on the 14th deck. I was a little nervous booking a room so high because the higher you are, it is said the more you feel the rocking. It was true to some degree. During the night our closet door opened and slammed shut when the seas were a little rough. It only bothered us one night and then the seas seemed to be calmer. The room is small for a family of four, but adequate. I would suggest finding a room with a pullman bed if you have kids. The bed tucks up in the ceiling during the day and the kids don't have to share space. We had that on the Radiance of the Seas when we cruised Alaska, and it was nice. This time on the Oasis, we had a double (which seemed more like a full because it is two beds pushed together) and a pull out couch. The view from this floor is amazing and I sat out many mornings on the balcony with a cup of coffee looking for dolphins and whales and waiting for my family to wake up. We only saw a them a couple of times and that was when someone pointed them out when we were eating at the Windjammer buffet.

The food is good. As Americans, we like American style food but for those who like a lot of variety and ethnic offerings, you may find it great. One problem I found is that when they have foreign dishes, they have cards to say their name, but do not list their ingredients or give any kind of description. It was like mystery meat most of the time, and my family is shy about trying foods without knowing what they are eating. At the Windjammer, we rarely had trouble finding a table and the service was excellent. The Windjammer on this ship is a little smaller than the Radiance of the Seas that we went on in 2010. It seems that they are offering more "pay" choices and trying to persuade cruisers to other dining options by shrinking the buffet. We were not swayed and really enjoyed having the option to eat here everyday. Breakfasts are excellent and always had eggs, bacon and sausage. Plus they have excellent hashbrowns. They also had make your own omelet option. We only went to formal dinner once. The waiters were very kind and helpful. If you didn't like what you ordered, they quickly gave you a different selection. My daughter didn't like how her steak tasted and they brought her grilled chicken within five minutes. The only pay for dinner we did was at Johnny Rockets for breakfast. It was phenomenal. We did outdoor dining and the zip line above made for a real treat! Read more