Oasis of the Seas Cruise Trip Report

[mckryan]

We are sailing on the Oasis Jan 8th. I just called and made a request for the Chef's Table. I gave three nights of availability, all days at sea. Did you have a problem getting your days? and I would love to hear more about your experience.

If you haven't heard back from them in a couple of weeks, definitely contact them. We submitted our request, and we had to call and check on it and they never received it!! Luckily we were able to get a night - there were 6 of us - and we had a great table of people!

You will meet in the library and they will escort you to the Diamond/Concierge Lounge. The Chef's Table will be on the upper level of the lounge. There's a dining room manager, sommelier and the chef, along with 14 guests. Our chef was Sous Chef Maarten Smeets. He was wonderful. Our sommelier was Richard, and he made amazing choices for the wine pairings. Our dining room manager was Robert, I think. Here is the menu we had.

Smoked Duck Salad - with orange confit, baby lettuce, green asparagus and zesty Cointreau dressing accompanied with Mer Soleil Chardonney

Trio of Soups - duck and vegetable consomme, truffle scented mushroom cream and sweet garden pea veloute

Pan-fried Scallops and Crab Cake - with lobster-flavored tartar sauce, cilantro oil and balsamic drizzle accompanied with Belle Glos Pinot Noir

Grilled Beef Tenderloin - whipped potatoes, wilted spinach, tomato onion jam and aged port wine veal reduction accompanied with Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

Passion Fruit Creme Brulee - crisp caramalized sugar tuille and strawberry ice-wine jus accompanied with Errazuriz, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc

We have done Victoria & Albert's twice, not the chef's table, and this meal far surpassed both of our meals there, and they were excellent meals! Chef Marrten came out and explained each course, talked about the different reasons for pairing flavors the way they did, answered any questions we had, etc. The wine flowed freely. It was not just one pour per pairing, Richard kept refilling our glasses! The Trio of Soups was completely amazing, and I'm not a big mushroom soup fan! The serving of tenderloin was huge - we had two medallions that were probably 2-3 inches in diameter. The veal reduction they were paired with elicited many moans of amazement. It took over 24 hours to cook!! I have never tasted anything like it! A few of us wanted to lick our plates clean!! Ha! We had a great group of people at our seating, and it really added to the evening.

You also receive a cookbook, RCCL's Savor, and an apron. The apron is just a thin weird fabric material, but the cookbook is very nice! Seriously, this is the best specialty dining deal that they have on the Oasis. The whole meal was $75/person, and in my opinion, was a much better deal than the upcharge for 150 Central Park.

We at at Chops, 150 Central Park, Giovanni's, Izumi and the Chef's Table, and here's how we would rate them:

1. Chef's Table
2. Giovanni's
3. 150 Central Park
4. Izumi - dinner wasn't bad, but definitely grab lunch if you enjoy sushi.
5. Chops - the first steak I received was overcooked and the second steak I received was mealy. I was not impressed, although my husband really liked his steak.

The other half of our group at in the Solarium Bistro one evening (it turns into an upscale restaurant at night), and they raved about their meal. So, definitely stop by there if you are interested in their dinner menu.

We did eat in the main dining room two nights, and both of our meals were very good. We were with a group that really wanted to do specialty dining, and we were cool with that as we enjoy that, too. I didn't mind paying extra for those meals because they were all very good!

I would go back on the Oasis in a heartbeat! We had great service and enjoyed the shows, as well as the meals!