Royal Caribbean's "Oasis of the Seas" - Just not my cup of tea...

[SeaSpray]

I have not been on this ship but have been reading about it and viewing artists' renderings for many months, and now finally seeing pictures of the actual ship. I like Royal Caribbean very much; I've been on 2 of their ships and am booked on a third RCI cruise for this spring.

Having said that, I think that this new ship is just too big and has way too much going on (in a physical sense - the sheer enormity of it), for MY cruising tastes. When I cruise I LOVE knowing that I'm on a SHIP, and able to see the ocean from most spots on the ship even the interior spaces. I don't like what I see in the new pictures that have been coming out in the last week from people who are actually ON the ship.

The things that this ship offers, and it offers a LOT, are not the things that I look for on a cruise ship experience.

I don't think I'd ever pay to go to this theme park - ooops - I mean to sail on this cruise ship. I don't want to debate or argue anyone's opinions but I'm wondering, does anyone else who has cruised before feel this way too?

 

[of the seas]

I would go on ANY Royal Caribbean cruise! They are my favorite! It's not the next ship I will be going on, but i think I would book it--if the price came down. I also think it would be cool to say I went on a zip line on the ocean!

 

[SeaSpray]

I would go on ANY Royal Caribbean cruise! They are my favorite! It's not the next ship I will be going on, but i think I would book it--if the price came down. I also think it would be cool to say I went on a zip line on the ocean!

I can fully understand the appeal of this ship and I'm sure that almost everyone who sails on her will have a wonderful experience. My DNiece is booked on Oasis for next fall and she cannot wait. It's just that the activities offered on this ship are not the activities that I choose a cruise for.

 

[Kim&Chris]

I agree, I think it's overwhelmingly large. Almost like a floating city. Way too much for me. Personally, I'm very happy with the size of DCL's two ships. Not too big, not too small.

 

[minnie56]

I just got off Oasis...I felt the same way before I sailed her, even on day 1. But once I got the 'lay of the land' I thought she was amazing!!!!
She's really quite beautiful...

 

[chell]

I just got off Oasis...I felt the same way before I sailed her, even on day 1. But once I got the 'lay of the land' I thought she was amazing!!!!
She's really quite beautiful...

I'm waiting on a review...

 

[m&m's mom]

The Radiance class ships are my favorite. Big enough but not too big.
For example, the Adventure class ship is too big for my tastes.
That being said, I sure would like to cruise on the Oasis at least one time.

 

[minnie56]

I agree, Radiance Class is my favourite also. But Oasis as big as she is, has wonderful areas that are very quiet. Central Park at night sparkles and is so serene...the Spa is heavenly.

 

[LoraJ]

I would definitely like to check it out someday. I want to win the lotto and stay in the Royal Loft Suite!

 

[pearlieq]

I can't wait to try it out! I need more going on and more to do on a cruise ship.

DH and I got bored on the Wonder and Magic. I'm fully behind bigger and better!

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

Oasis of the Seas is too big for my taste too. I don't want to be on a floating city. I sailed on the Carnival Miracle and thought it was the perfect size for me.

 

[bimshire]

I prefer going to New York to experience Central Park.

 

[minnie56]

I came off of Oasis and went to the 'real' Central Park
Really, it's nothing like CP. Much more tropical...a very quiet place to sit at a Cafe or go to Vintages and have a glass of wine. Scattered here and there are wrought iron benches to sit and look at the greenery...read a book..whatever.
There's really something for everyone on this one.

 

[MIGrandma]

I'm torn - part of me says the ship is too big. With passengers and crew it's just over 7,000 people I think. But the other part of me thinks that with so much to do it would be fun! So, I don't know...maybe in a few years.

We loved the Mariner of the Seas, and have been on the Disney Magic and Wonder, Carnival Fantasy and Glory. Really enjoyed them all immensely.

 

[bicker]

The problem that folks who are not fans of what Oasis of the Seas offers face is that the nature of cruising is changing: It's not just that more and more people want to cruise on these larger, more activity-packed, floating hotels, but that practically all of the trappings of what cruising used to be are quickly becoming considered relics by most cruise passengers, and often thought of in terms of "good riddance".

I remember when we first started cruising how much the vast majority of cruise passengers trash-talked Freestyle dining and other deviations from the long-standing (most now would say antiquated) communal, timed-seating dining experience. I've seen the discussions go from being highly critical of the changes, to being critical of how slowly the changes are being deployed. While there are still a lot of the "old time" cruise passengers left, their voice is being increasingly drowned out by the ever-increasing number of "new" cruise passengers who want this new-style cruise experience that the "old timers" find abhorrent. The two perspectives actually cannot live peaceably side-by-side with each other, and the new-style cruise experience is so much more lucrative that the reality shall increasingly be that if you want that "old time" cruise experience you're going to have to find one of the few boutique cruise lines that are still offering that experience, and you're going to end up paying a lot more on a same-by-same basis, simply because of the opportunity costs that those cruise lines are incurring offering the "old time" cruise experience instead of the more lucrative new-style cruise experience.

 

[eliza61]

I have not been on this ship but have been reading about it and viewing artists' renderings for many months, and now finally seeing pictures of the actual ship. I like Royal Caribbean very much; I've been on 2 of their ships and am booked on a third RCI cruise for this spring.

Having said that, I think that this new ship is just too big and has way too much going on (in a physical sense - the sheer enormity of it), for MY cruising tastes. When I cruise I LOVE knowing that I'm on a SHIP, and able to see the ocean from most spots on the ship even the interior spaces. I don't like what I see in the new pictures that have been coming out in the last week from people who are actually ON the ship.

The things that this ship offers, and it offers a LOT, are not the things that I look for on a cruise ship experience.

I don't think I'd ever pay to go to this theme park - ooops - I mean to sail on this cruise ship. I don't want to debate or argue anyone's opinions but I'm wondering, does anyone else who has cruised before feel this way too?

My dh does. He just is not into "Big" and crowds, which is why we generally visit wdw off season.
Reports are that it doesn't "feel" like its big but 6,000 people is a lot of bodies.

I love RC so I would love to give it a try.

 

[bicker]

I remember seeing a table which showed square feet per passenger -- that's all that matters with regard to how crowded a ship feels. You could have only 20 passengers on a cruise ship, but if the ship is really small, it will feel very crowded. Similarly, you could have over 7000 passengers on a cruise ship, but if the ship is really big, it will not feel crowded.

And the same sort of thing applies with regard to land excursions: A larger cruise ship visiting, say, St. Thomas, by itself, will result in a pretty empty St. Thomas, while seven or eight medium sized cruise ships will overwhelm the city.

 

[LoraJ]

When does the December 1st cruise get back? Isn't that the first cruise that is sailing full? All of the pre-cruises were at half-capacity, so I am waiting to hear about how the buffet flows, and being able to get into restaurants. I guess I should head over to cruise critic and look for live reports.

 

[Acklander]

I've been impressed with what I've seen so far. I've already informed dh that I want to go on it for my big 50th b-day next year.

 

[minnie56]

The Dec 1 one is a 5 day sailing...I have someone on it right now that emailed me and said they were LOVING it! So I guess things aren't too much of an issue...shows are available to be pre-reserved so I am sure that is helping with one aspect.