Just back from the Oasis!

[AlexLovesCats]

Hi! I just wanted to share my experience on the Oasis of the Seas last week. We cruised the western carribean June 21-27th. Stopping in Labadee Haiti, Falmouth Jamaica, and Cozumel Mexico. This was my first cruise, and I went with my boyfriends family who have done many Royal Carribean cruises. I was unsure how I would like the cruise as I have been skeptical I would enjoy a cruise vacation but let me tell you... I absolutely LOVED it!!! I can't wait to go on another cruise! Too much info to share everything but I just wanted to share a few of the things I would tell future cruisers not to miss... Along with some tips of things I learned.

Don't miss*:
-Rising Tide bar (a small bar in the main area that moves up and down between the two main levels... Really enjoyed having a drink there on the first night)

-Climbing Dunns River Falls in Jamaica (this was something I was unsure of but it ended up being our favorite excursion. We chose the Dunns River Falls Express excursion-- took an hour van ride from port to the falls with a very friendly Jamaican tour guide telling us interesting information about the island the whole ride. The climb of the falls was scary at first but was an experience I will never forget- we loved it!!!)

-The SouthSide band playing at Dazzles. (Every night they would play at the 2 story nightclub 'Dazzles' in the ship- Every night a different theme of music-- they are SUPER talented and so much fun to watch and dance to. We went and watched them every night and had a great time.)

-The Quest Game Show (I had no idea what to expect but this was super entertaining and my stomach was in pain from laughing when it was over. It is adults only- don't miss it!!)

-The dinner rolls in the dining room with melted cheese on top. (Just trust me... Try these at dinner in the dining room especially if they are warm.)

-Watching the ship pull away from Labadee from the top deck. (Labadee is a beautiful mountainous place, we went to the top deck and watched the boat sail away and took in the views... It was one of my favorite things we did all week. So beautiful!!!)

-Izumi (we mainly ate in the buffets or the main dining room but on the last day my boyfriend and I went to Izumi for sushi and LOVED it. Very fresh and tasty-- and edamame and miso soup are complimentary. They even formed our sushi rolls into a heart. I wish we went more than once!)

Tips:

-For Dunns River Falls: you can rent water shoes at the port or even at the falls. (They make it sound like you should have water shoes getting off the ship to bring with you to this excursion. We almost bought them on the ship but we were happy to find we could rent them at the port and get our money back when we returned them)

-Don't bother with the water package( I drink tons of water so thought I would need to buy the water package. My boyfriend was able to get water bottles with his drink package and I just refilled them in the sink and put them in the fridge. I had cold water the whole time and didn't need the water package. You can also get a glass of ice water anywhere for free)

-If you have a balcony with a table and chairs get room service breakfast on 'at sea' days. We had such relaxing breakfasts out on our balcony. Room service is included so take advantage.. However on mornings we were in port it was too hot to sit out there for very long but while the boat was moving there was a nice breeze.

-Pack a waterproof camera if you have one. (Recently as a gift I received a waterproof digital camera, I was skeptical I'd get much use out of it. I used it non stop on this trip.. Brought it in the water in Labadee and took pictures from the water. Took it up Dunns River falls and our guide took many pictures of us in the waterfalls, took it snorkeling and in the water at mr sanchos pool bar in Mexico. I got so many fun pictures I wouldn't have otherwise!!! I reccomend it!)

That's all I can think of for now. If I think of more to share I will post again. If you have any questions I will answer them if I can. Hope this information is helpful to someone!

 

[mstee777]

Sounds like an awesome first cruise. Can't wait to hear more details.

 

[thefriendlyfloridian]

Tip: Room Service is included but you should tip a couple bucks to the person who delivers your food anyway.

 

[AlexLovesCats]

Yes, that's true-- We did always tip them.

 

[gumbypee]

Aw sounds like you had an awesome time! Book cruise number 2 yet?!?! Lol

 

[StephC1217]

We were on the Disney Fantasy the same week to Cozumel and Falmouth!

Anyways, we are looking at booking Oasis Eastern Caribbean for next year and just wondering how the food was in the main dining rooms? We are used to Disney and all food being included so I think we would mostly eat in the dining rooms- but all the RC trip reports i have looked at, it seems like most people eat at the up-charge restaurants. Just looking for some feedback on the other places to eat!

 

[AlexLovesCats]

Hi!!! Jealous of your upcoming cruise! We only ate at the included places (other than Izumi for lunch one day) We ate dinner every night in the main dining room and we all really enjoyed the food! At times it did seem a little bit mass produced but they did always have good options to choose from. For lunch we all liked the Park Cafe in the Central Park area, Sorrentos Pizza, and Cafe Promenade- but my favorite lunch place was the Solarium Bistro. It had lots of healthy, fresh options to choose from. Most of the time I wanted a light, healthy lunch since we ate so much at dinner, so this was my favorite place to eat. There are even more included food places to try (that we didn't get to) so I wouldn't worry at all about feeling like you are missing out on the extra charge restaurants.

 

[StephC1217]

Hi!!! Jealous of your upcoming cruise! We only ate at the included places (other than Izumi for lunch one day) We ate dinner every night in the main dining room and we all really enjoyed the food! At times it did seem a little bit mass produced but they did always have good options to choose from. For lunch we all liked the Park Cafe in the Central Park area, Sorrentos Pizza, and Cafe Promenade- but my favorite lunch place was the Solarium Bistro. It had lots of healthy, fresh options to choose from. Most of the time I wanted a light, healthy lunch since we ate so much at dinner, so this was my favorite place to eat. There are even more included food places to try (that we didn't get to) so I wouldn't worry at all about feeling like you are missing out on the extra charge restaurants.

thanks!! that makes me feel better- it sounds like we will have lots of options- it will be sooo different than Disney!

 

[DenMig]

thanks!! that makes me feel better- it sounds like we will have lots of options- it will be sooo different than Disney!

We were on the Allure this past June. Being the sister ship to Oasis there are a lot of similarities. We ate in the MDR every night and the food was very good. (we are not picky eaters). The only up charge we did was milkshakes at Johnny Rockets, wife and daughter had sushi lunch one day at Izumi ( about 25 bucks) and we got ice cream cones one night on the boardwalk. As the op mentioned, there are plenty of choices that do not have an up charge and the food is good.

 

[StephC1217]

We were on the Allure this past June. Being the sister ship to Oasis there are a lot of similarities. We ate in the MDR every night and the food was very good. (we are not picky eaters). The only up charge we did was milkshakes at Johnny Rockets, wife and daughter had sushi lunch one day at Izumi ( about 25 bucks) and we got ice cream cones one night on the boardwalk. As the op mentioned, there are plenty of choices that do not have an up charge and the food is good.

Thats good to know- the meals are our favorite part of the cruise i think!

Here is another question- how do you book dinner and shows ahead of time- is there some place where all the options are listed so that you can plan before booking? Is there a place where you can look at menus and "navigator"-type schedules beforehand? I am used to all of the info readily available for DCL!

 

[DenMig]

Thats good to know- the meals are our favorite part of the cruise i think!

Here is another question- how do you book dinner and shows ahead of time- is there some place where all the options are listed so that you can plan before booking? Is there a place where you can look at menus and "navigator"-type schedules beforehand? I am used to all of the info readily available for DCL!

You definitely need to book the shows ahead of time. You do that on the Royal Caribbean website under your cruises about 90 days in advance. You can also book specialty dining at that time if you are so inclined.

The "navigator" on RCCL is known as the "cruise compass". If you go to the cruise critic message boards under RCCL you can search and find compasses and menus posted in reviews.

 

[Susan2771]

Thanks so much for the review. We will be doing the same cruise in less than a year from now and I enjoyed reading your tips.

Did you feel a bit of motion on the ship from the ocean? Just a tiny bit worried about sea sickness and was wondering how much a person on board can feel the movement. Thanks!!

 

[StephC1217]

You definitely need to book the shows ahead of time. You do that on the Royal Caribbean website under your cruises about 90 days in advance. You can also book specialty dining at that time if you are so inclined.

The "navigator" on RCCL is known as the "cruise compass". If you go to the cruise critic message boards under RCCL you can search and find compasses and menus posted in reviews.

THANK YOU!!! exactly what i was looking for!

 

[AlexLovesCats]

I was worried about sea sickness too as a first timer. I really never felt the movement of the ship. When we were doing an activity on the interior of the ship and I couldn't see the water I would completely forget I was on a moving ship, just because you really couldn't feel you were moving at all. Really amazing experience.

However on the Cozumel snorkel excursion we went on multiple people got sick. I felt queasy as well. So wouldn't recommend that to anyone who sometimes gets sea sick!

 

[woody73]

. . . my favorite lunch place was the Solarium Bistro. It had lots of healthy, fresh options to choose from. Most of the time I wanted a light, healthy lunch since we ate so much at dinner, so this was my favorite place to eat.

We love the offerings at the Solarium Bistro.

OP: hopefully you signed up for the Crown & Anchor Society.

Woody

 

[Susan2771]

I was worried about sea sickness too as a first timer. I really never felt the movement of the ship. When we were doing an activity on the interior of the ship and I couldn't see the water I would completely forget I was on a moving ship, just because you really couldn't feel you were moving at all. Really amazing experience.

However on the Cozumel snorkel excursion we went on multiple people got sick. I felt queasy as well. So wouldn't recommend that to anyone who sometimes gets sea sick!

Thanks for the above info. Did you overnight in Fort Lauderdale? Was your hotel close to the pier? Did it have any amenities like comp breakfast or a shuttle to the pier?

 

[AlexLovesCats]

Sorry I can't be much help on that subject. We flew into Fort Lauderdale very early in the morning the day the ship left. However next time I would try to stay in the port area the night before. It definitely was not ideal to begin our vacation on 3 hours sleep.