RDMMD

First time aboard an Oasis class ship. Entering the Promenade Deck, I was immediately struck by how it didn’t seem like a ship at all. The scale and scope is tremendous. Our cabins were located in the midship and were fortuitously near a bank of elevators. The veranda balcony rooms overlooking the water were better than adequate. The restroom/shower was extremely spacious. Our attendant was great. Wyndjammer: My least favorite dining venue. The food staff was seemingly absent when I ate there. Unlike other ships/lines, the staff was rarely seen filling water glasses or offering assistance. And I prefer the habit of some cruise lines of not allowing passengers to serve themselves. Main Dining Room 3: By far, my favorite dining venue. After my first breakfast experience in the main dining room, I, thereafter, opted for no other. Offering both an à la carte/to order menu at your staffed table, you were also free to walk the buffet. Both offered more than enough food and of consistently great quality. Try it. Dinner Service. Table 160 staffed by Juan and Anderson. These two waitstaff were personable, professional, and did their jobs extremely well; they remembered your minor preferences from day to day. It made a difference. The menu offered unique daily selections as well as an assortment of “classic” items offered daily. For myself, I found both the daily or classic items to be consistently good. On the whole, I would personally prefer to eat in the main dining room over the RCL specialty restaurants (see below). Specialty Restaurants 1. Jamie’s Italian. A definite must for those who love freshly cooked Italian. Fantastic. 2. Chop’s Grill. Simply ordinary. The food wasn’t particularly special and our waiter was indifferent if not dismissive. 3. 150 Central Park. Decidedly subpar food. Our waitress was great but the food offered, while interesting on the menu, was not good; from the appetizers to the desserts, the plates delivered fell far below our hopes and expectations. 4. Johnny Rockets: Great burger, fries, onion rings, and apple pie à la mode. Ordered shakes for a few of our guests but they came 20 minutes after the food and were simply “cream” by that time. Pool Decks: Surprisingly my least favorite aspect of this ship. Aside from the Wynjammer Buffet, this was the only place on board where I felt I was awash in a sea of humanity. People hoard lounge chairs throughout the day and, despite signs to the contrary, staff seem loathe to enforce policies. RCL admonishes all passengers about being charged for pool towels if not returned BUT the staff assigned to this task at towel stations never cared how many were returned. Entertainment: The Hiro water show should not be missed. Hairspray production was ok. My family enjoyed the ice show, 1977, as well as the “Flight” performance - don’t allow the ship descriptions to deter attending. Guest Services: The Muster procedure is MANDATORY. However, giving credit for attempting to make the exercise enjoyable, passengers were subjected to a fairly unintelligible (acoustically) James Bond-like video that did little to provide good information. Even the staff at my station was embarrassed - openly. This video rendered the entire safety procedure moot. Nothing on any vacation goes perfectly. It’s a given. From Day 1, the staff at guest services worked tirelessly to make a seemingly endless parade of passengers happier than when they first approached. If one has an issue with some facet of travel or felt an excursion was not as advertised, RCL was quick to make it right. Tipping: RCL will assure you that the daily stateroom surcharge per person in the form of tipping will be added to your folio/bill, please know that one CAN ask that these charges NOT be made automatically. As with every cruise we have enjoyed, we make this request and then are given envelopes so as to deliver cash tips to those we feel have actually cared for us. I can’t speak for the ship staff as a whole but our individual waitstaff and porters, in my opinion, are better served when passengers give personal thanks. Overall, I have few to no complaints about this cruise, ship, and staff except as otherwise indicated. Personally, I will not seek out such a large ship again unless the future leaves only this option to vacationers.