We are recently back from an 8 night cruise on the Oasis. I thought I would post a review of how I felt it went. As some background, this is our first non DCL cruise and we are a older middle age couple with no young children. As we have no small ones I can not comment much on their activities other than what was posted in their Compass (think Navigator).
We spent time in Orlando before our cruise, some at WDW and some at Universal. Our arrangement was for a car service (FL Tours) to pick us up at 10:30 to take us to the port from Cabana Bay resort. This would give us plenty of time to get to the port. RCCL does not have you pick PAT times. They send a email a week or so before your cruise suggesting what time to be there. Our email suggested 12:30 however we had the car service booked long before this email so we ignored it. I figured we would just wait in or outside the terminal and not worry about trying to 'fix' things at that late time.
We were at the front door of Cabana Bay at 10:15 and was surprised to see the car already there. He packed our bags in and we left. Leaving early just meant that we would wait a few extra minutes in the terminal, no big deal. The drive was pleasant, the driver interesting to talk with and we made it to the port just before 11. The driver gave our luggage to the porters and showed us where the entrance was for the terminal. That was our first shock, there were about a 100 people in line to get in. I told my husband that we should just think of it as one of the lines from the park and be patient. It might take some time to get in but we would enjoy the ride once there. Turned out I needn't have worried about the line, we were inside the terminal in less than 2 minutes. That's were I saw the first difference between the two cruise lines. Where DCL has one scanning machine, RCCL has ten! At least I think it was 10, we were moving so fast it was hard to do a proper count. There was a CM (not sure that's what RCCL calls them but its what I will use) directing the flow of traffic, making sure all the scanners where being utilized and there was no congestion. They worked this better than any airport I have ever been to, it was obvious they were practiced in this. Once through the screening process we took an escalator to the second floor where there was another CM asking what deck your cabin was on then directing you to the line up for your deck. Yup, a different line for each deck! We walked right up to the counter, gave our pre-done paper work to the CM, had our picture taken, given our sea-pass card and told open boarding was available, go ahead and board. From joining the first line of people to the time we walked onto the ship was less than 15 minutes. Very very impressive. RCCL wins embarkation.
Now for some hard honesty. The minute I walked onto the ship and took a look around I thought, we have made a big mistake. What have we done. I was overwhelmed. Where you walk onto DCL and its a large bright open area, with the Oasis you walk onto her and you are in a not as bright, very busy sensory wise area. You actually board on the Promenade. Little shops and food places. Not being familiar with the ship I didn't know where to go or what direction I should be going in. They had tables set up where you could purchase drink packages or wifi, both of which I had pre-ordered. I just was so unsure of what to do. The saving grace was that the captain made an announcement just then to welcome everyone on board and to say the rooms were ready. I'm fairly sure that the rooms aren't usually ready at 11:10 but there were no guests aboard when they moved the Oasis to her new home so everything was done way early. I said to DH that we should probably drop our things off at our room and then figure out what to do for lunch, which is what we did. We walked till we found a bank of elevators and then went to our cabin.
The cabin was very similar to DCL without the split bath. We had picked a central park veranda room and loved it. Several mornings we had breakfast on the veranda and listened to birds, in the evening if you sat out you could hear crickets and soft music from live musicians. Not every ones choice for a cruise however I was pleased that's what we chose. There was loads of storage space, the luggage fit under the bed. While the bathroom was not a split both DH and I loved the fact it was bigger than either section of the splits which made it seem roomier. There was a tube shower which would be about the same size as the round tub showers on DCL. We had plenty of room. One thing that the bathroom offered that you do not get on DCL was the night light. It was automatic, you didn't have to turn it on, and while most night lights are tiny this one was about 3 ft in length. Just over the sink. It gave off enough soft light to keep you from having to turn on the regular light but not so much that it woke you completely up. RCCL wins the cabin category just for this, IMO. The bed was comfortable, ours was patio door side, and the sofa was very much like the DCL one. Same type of swivel TV. Dresser, closet, just the same reqular stuff with more storage. The difference in room size between the two lines I feel is in the two different bathroom styles. The cabin seemed to have the same amount of room and the bathroom seemed bigger simply because it was one and not split into two. I don't feel we lost anything. Also, another win for RCCL, where DCL gives you a little stool type table on the balcony, RCCL gives you a larger table where you can actually have a meal. Think a small patio set. That was nice to have for breakfast on the veranda. I give the cabin win to RCCL.
After dropping off our carry ons and having a look around we headed to the promemade to Cafe Promenade to try one of the 'famous' roast beef sandwiches I had heard so much about. Maybe it was the expectation of something great but I was disappointed. It was a roast beef sandwich, could have had the same at home. mehhh. We spent the rest of the day exploring. By the next morning that awful feeling of having made a mistake was gone and I think that had to do mostly with now being familiar with our surroundings.
They have form of sail away party which we did not attend so I can't comment on that. The Assembly Drill was at 4. They showed a hand washing video at the drill which was different but a good reminder I guess. Luggage was at the rooms by early afternoon.
Dinning was interesting. We picked my time dinning but I reserved times before we left home. With my time dinning you eat in the American Icon on deck 3. If you choose not to pre-book a time you can just show up anytime between 5:15 and 9:30 and get the first available table for your party size. There are two lines which are clearly marked. One side is for reservations and the other side is for non reservations. They are on opposite sides of the entrance. We had no problem with knowing where to go but the line up for both sides was long. I feel this was because people didn't know what to do or expect as this was the only night that we saw a line up. We were sat in a great spot at a table for 4 even though it was just the two of us. A big difference between the two cruise lines is that with DCL, when we get a table for two, we are practically on top of the people beside us and walking through the dining room to get out is an obstacle course. I have had people join our conversations uninvited because they hear something that catches their attention. I have also had people speaking directly at us wanting us to join their conversation. No thank you. With RCCL, from what we experienced, there is lots of room to walk between tables to get out and your table is not near enough to another as to have you be able to hear their conversation. The dinning room décor was lovely as well. Not themed like DCL but very elegant.
Now the serving team. Our first night we had a serving team that was at our table helping, suggesting, providing, they were amazing. They asked about drinks (DH had still water, I had sparkling water), they asked if we wanted wine. We declined. Then a wine waiter came over and asked what we would like and we again declined. Then the assistant waiter came back over and asked if we were sure as my drink package covered the dining room as well. He wanted to make sure that we were aware of the fact. I ended up ordering a glass of Prosecco mostly to sooth the waiters. It wasn't pushy, it just seemed that they wanted to please so much. Again, they were amazing and made sure we were taken care of.
The food in the dining rooms was very good. I liked their menus. They offer 5 or 6 standard appetizers each night plus 3 or 4 ones that change each night. This meant that I could have the escargot I love every night if I chose or have one of the ones that changed nightly. Same thing went for their main menu and their dessert menus. A few standard choices that were offered every night and some choices that changed each night. Such a great way to have it. Also, along the menu line, they have interactive dining menus posted outside of their dining rooms where you can see what the offerings will be for each night of the cruise so it is simple to look at and make choices for specialty dining based on the nights that you don't love the main dining menu. A brilliant idea.
We loved the dining team and were able to have them fix it so they served us each evening. It was easy to do and they were ready for us when we walked in each night. They had our drinks ready and did special things just for us such as having a cheese plate for us one night, bringing out extra desserts we didn't request and doubling appetizers that we loved. Sound familiar?? They could easily have been a serving team from DCL. We don't feel we lost anything in the dining room.
As far as the Windjammer Café and the quick service spots, some won, some not as much. The Windjammer itself is set up much better than Cabanas. They have circular stations, much easier to move around. The food itself was just okay. Nothing great, I would say DCL wins for that. BUT...the Windjammer has Freestyle coke machines and that tops DCL. Also they offered fresh squeezed orange juice at a cost however it was covered under my drink package.
Sorrento's Pizza was good, they offer a make your own pizza option. Boardwalk Dog House had lots of options to choose from, they were good. Café Promenade is open 24 hours and offered light items and desserts. Park Café offered make your own salads, cut fruit, sandwiches, desserts. Johnny Rockets (you pay for this) was great! We received a free lunch (as well as a bottle of red wine) because of booking a central park room. We did not try the specialty restaurants as the food in the main dining rooms, for us, was amazing. Room service we ordered interactively from the tv serveral times and it was delicious. The one time we ordered at lunch time they called our room to let us know that it could take up to 45 minutes due to volume, something I have never had DCL do even when it is going to be a longer wait then we would expect. Other than Windjammer food I would give RCCL the win for dining.
Their adult only area kicks DCL's bottom. There was one day where it rained cats and dogs. We were able to enjoy the solarium with the dipping pool and hot tubs and not get soaked.
This is getting really long so I will just go to disembarking. Another win for RCCL. We had our cards scanned for the final time on the ship at the exit and was at the bus for the airport in 10 minutes (I timed it). I find DCL's disembarkation can become all but a fist fight. I have experienced this first hand and have heard tons of grumbles from people waiting in line to get off the ship. I expected much the same from RCCL and was not disappointed to be wrong. I'll use the word again, just amazing.
We had booked B2B on Oasis before we had taken our first cruise because, as we all know, earlier is cheaper, with the thought that if we didn't like the Oasis we could always cancel. We will not be cancelling.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
ETA--I didn't mention elevators and I think I should have. There are 24 elevators on this ship. 12 at the front and 12 at the rear. They are much much bigger than DCL's, DH and I felt they were almost twice the size of DCL. Half of them were the glass see through type and showcased some lovely art. We very seldom had to for room to get on. They win the elevator category as well.
We spent time in Orlando before our cruise, some at WDW and some at Universal. Our arrangement was for a car service (FL Tours) to pick us up at 10:30 to take us to the port from Cabana Bay resort. This would give us plenty of time to get to the port. RCCL does not have you pick PAT times. They send a email a week or so before your cruise suggesting what time to be there. Our email suggested 12:30 however we had the car service booked long before this email so we ignored it. I figured we would just wait in or outside the terminal and not worry about trying to 'fix' things at that late time.
We were at the front door of Cabana Bay at 10:15 and was surprised to see the car already there. He packed our bags in and we left. Leaving early just meant that we would wait a few extra minutes in the terminal, no big deal. The drive was pleasant, the driver interesting to talk with and we made it to the port just before 11. The driver gave our luggage to the porters and showed us where the entrance was for the terminal. That was our first shock, there were about a 100 people in line to get in. I told my husband that we should just think of it as one of the lines from the park and be patient. It might take some time to get in but we would enjoy the ride once there. Turned out I needn't have worried about the line, we were inside the terminal in less than 2 minutes. That's were I saw the first difference between the two cruise lines. Where DCL has one scanning machine, RCCL has ten! At least I think it was 10, we were moving so fast it was hard to do a proper count. There was a CM (not sure that's what RCCL calls them but its what I will use) directing the flow of traffic, making sure all the scanners where being utilized and there was no congestion. They worked this better than any airport I have ever been to, it was obvious they were practiced in this. Once through the screening process we took an escalator to the second floor where there was another CM asking what deck your cabin was on then directing you to the line up for your deck. Yup, a different line for each deck! We walked right up to the counter, gave our pre-done paper work to the CM, had our picture taken, given our sea-pass card and told open boarding was available, go ahead and board. From joining the first line of people to the time we walked onto the ship was less than 15 minutes. Very very impressive. RCCL wins embarkation.
Now for some hard honesty. The minute I walked onto the ship and took a look around I thought, we have made a big mistake. What have we done. I was overwhelmed. Where you walk onto DCL and its a large bright open area, with the Oasis you walk onto her and you are in a not as bright, very busy sensory wise area. You actually board on the Promenade. Little shops and food places. Not being familiar with the ship I didn't know where to go or what direction I should be going in. They had tables set up where you could purchase drink packages or wifi, both of which I had pre-ordered. I just was so unsure of what to do. The saving grace was that the captain made an announcement just then to welcome everyone on board and to say the rooms were ready. I'm fairly sure that the rooms aren't usually ready at 11:10 but there were no guests aboard when they moved the Oasis to her new home so everything was done way early. I said to DH that we should probably drop our things off at our room and then figure out what to do for lunch, which is what we did. We walked till we found a bank of elevators and then went to our cabin.
The cabin was very similar to DCL without the split bath. We had picked a central park veranda room and loved it. Several mornings we had breakfast on the veranda and listened to birds, in the evening if you sat out you could hear crickets and soft music from live musicians. Not every ones choice for a cruise however I was pleased that's what we chose. There was loads of storage space, the luggage fit under the bed. While the bathroom was not a split both DH and I loved the fact it was bigger than either section of the splits which made it seem roomier. There was a tube shower which would be about the same size as the round tub showers on DCL. We had plenty of room. One thing that the bathroom offered that you do not get on DCL was the night light. It was automatic, you didn't have to turn it on, and while most night lights are tiny this one was about 3 ft in length. Just over the sink. It gave off enough soft light to keep you from having to turn on the regular light but not so much that it woke you completely up. RCCL wins the cabin category just for this, IMO. The bed was comfortable, ours was patio door side, and the sofa was very much like the DCL one. Same type of swivel TV. Dresser, closet, just the same reqular stuff with more storage. The difference in room size between the two lines I feel is in the two different bathroom styles. The cabin seemed to have the same amount of room and the bathroom seemed bigger simply because it was one and not split into two. I don't feel we lost anything. Also, another win for RCCL, where DCL gives you a little stool type table on the balcony, RCCL gives you a larger table where you can actually have a meal. Think a small patio set. That was nice to have for breakfast on the veranda. I give the cabin win to RCCL.
After dropping off our carry ons and having a look around we headed to the promemade to Cafe Promenade to try one of the 'famous' roast beef sandwiches I had heard so much about. Maybe it was the expectation of something great but I was disappointed. It was a roast beef sandwich, could have had the same at home. mehhh. We spent the rest of the day exploring. By the next morning that awful feeling of having made a mistake was gone and I think that had to do mostly with now being familiar with our surroundings.
They have form of sail away party which we did not attend so I can't comment on that. The Assembly Drill was at 4. They showed a hand washing video at the drill which was different but a good reminder I guess. Luggage was at the rooms by early afternoon.
Dinning was interesting. We picked my time dinning but I reserved times before we left home. With my time dinning you eat in the American Icon on deck 3. If you choose not to pre-book a time you can just show up anytime between 5:15 and 9:30 and get the first available table for your party size. There are two lines which are clearly marked. One side is for reservations and the other side is for non reservations. They are on opposite sides of the entrance. We had no problem with knowing where to go but the line up for both sides was long. I feel this was because people didn't know what to do or expect as this was the only night that we saw a line up. We were sat in a great spot at a table for 4 even though it was just the two of us. A big difference between the two cruise lines is that with DCL, when we get a table for two, we are practically on top of the people beside us and walking through the dining room to get out is an obstacle course. I have had people join our conversations uninvited because they hear something that catches their attention. I have also had people speaking directly at us wanting us to join their conversation. No thank you. With RCCL, from what we experienced, there is lots of room to walk between tables to get out and your table is not near enough to another as to have you be able to hear their conversation. The dinning room décor was lovely as well. Not themed like DCL but very elegant.
Now the serving team. Our first night we had a serving team that was at our table helping, suggesting, providing, they were amazing. They asked about drinks (DH had still water, I had sparkling water), they asked if we wanted wine. We declined. Then a wine waiter came over and asked what we would like and we again declined. Then the assistant waiter came back over and asked if we were sure as my drink package covered the dining room as well. He wanted to make sure that we were aware of the fact. I ended up ordering a glass of Prosecco mostly to sooth the waiters. It wasn't pushy, it just seemed that they wanted to please so much. Again, they were amazing and made sure we were taken care of.
The food in the dining rooms was very good. I liked their menus. They offer 5 or 6 standard appetizers each night plus 3 or 4 ones that change each night. This meant that I could have the escargot I love every night if I chose or have one of the ones that changed nightly. Same thing went for their main menu and their dessert menus. A few standard choices that were offered every night and some choices that changed each night. Such a great way to have it. Also, along the menu line, they have interactive dining menus posted outside of their dining rooms where you can see what the offerings will be for each night of the cruise so it is simple to look at and make choices for specialty dining based on the nights that you don't love the main dining menu. A brilliant idea.
We loved the dining team and were able to have them fix it so they served us each evening. It was easy to do and they were ready for us when we walked in each night. They had our drinks ready and did special things just for us such as having a cheese plate for us one night, bringing out extra desserts we didn't request and doubling appetizers that we loved. Sound familiar?? They could easily have been a serving team from DCL. We don't feel we lost anything in the dining room.
As far as the Windjammer Café and the quick service spots, some won, some not as much. The Windjammer itself is set up much better than Cabanas. They have circular stations, much easier to move around. The food itself was just okay. Nothing great, I would say DCL wins for that. BUT...the Windjammer has Freestyle coke machines and that tops DCL. Also they offered fresh squeezed orange juice at a cost however it was covered under my drink package.
Sorrento's Pizza was good, they offer a make your own pizza option. Boardwalk Dog House had lots of options to choose from, they were good. Café Promenade is open 24 hours and offered light items and desserts. Park Café offered make your own salads, cut fruit, sandwiches, desserts. Johnny Rockets (you pay for this) was great! We received a free lunch (as well as a bottle of red wine) because of booking a central park room. We did not try the specialty restaurants as the food in the main dining rooms, for us, was amazing. Room service we ordered interactively from the tv serveral times and it was delicious. The one time we ordered at lunch time they called our room to let us know that it could take up to 45 minutes due to volume, something I have never had DCL do even when it is going to be a longer wait then we would expect. Other than Windjammer food I would give RCCL the win for dining.
Their adult only area kicks DCL's bottom. There was one day where it rained cats and dogs. We were able to enjoy the solarium with the dipping pool and hot tubs and not get soaked.
This is getting really long so I will just go to disembarking. Another win for RCCL. We had our cards scanned for the final time on the ship at the exit and was at the bus for the airport in 10 minutes (I timed it). I find DCL's disembarkation can become all but a fist fight. I have experienced this first hand and have heard tons of grumbles from people waiting in line to get off the ship. I expected much the same from RCCL and was not disappointed to be wrong. I'll use the word again, just amazing.
We had booked B2B on Oasis before we had taken our first cruise because, as we all know, earlier is cheaper, with the thought that if we didn't like the Oasis we could always cancel. We will not be cancelling.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
ETA--I didn't mention elevators and I think I should have. There are 24 elevators on this ship. 12 at the front and 12 at the rear. They are much much bigger than DCL's, DH and I felt they were almost twice the size of DCL. Half of them were the glass see through type and showcased some lovely art. We very seldom had to for room to get on. They win the elevator category as well.
Last edited:
Funny you mentioned the set up of the Windjammer - I did find it odd but it did flow. One of the things I really liked about RCI was that they had a dinner buffet. There were times when we were just too tired to eat anywhere else. I also liked that they had fresh food stations for all three meals where you could select what you wanted and they cooked right in front of you - some great choices. (Just back from the Magic I can say that Cabanas had the worst breakfasts I've ever had on a cruise.)
. We had reservations for Cats but passed as it was an afternoon reservation.
