We have always wanted to go on a mega ship. Now we have. Absolutely no regrets but would probably not choose it again.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were there before 10:30 so we actually waited outside for a few minutes. But that was our fault for being so anxious. I quite missed the welcome aboard party atmosphere from Carnival.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
MDR was fabulous. We had dinner there every night. Windjammer was just ok. I felt the availability and variety of food away from the MDR & WJ was lacking. There was very little away from MDR. I compare everything to Carnival because it's what we've known for 10 years while kids were little. We like the availability of Guy's burgers, The Blue Iguana, the sandwich place, soft serve 24/7. There was none of that. There was pizza 24/7 and a promenade cafe that had very limited choices- like 2 kinds of cookies, come jello, and a few sandwiches cut into small pieces. I don't drink but my 21 year old kids did and the drinks were flowing- as they should be for the price of drink package.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
My kiddos did the rock climbing, zip line, ice-skating, flow rider and went in pool. They really liked the flow rider and went back on the next sea day. We did casino, bingo, trivia, photoshop. Surprised a ship of this size with no slide. My kids were usually in bed before us. Besides casino, not much to do for the young people after midnight.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Aqua show- fantastic.
Ice Show- amazing.
Mamma Mia- was great. We did leave during intermission- not because it wasn't great but because it was our last day onboard and we felt like we were losing our day. It's a 2.5 hour production.
Kenny James- did not enjoy at all.
Never went to comedy shows.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Kamon- room steward. Great.
Ashley & Cha in MDR were fabulous.
Guest Services- not so much. Had to return to guest services multiple times for same problem. I hate losing time with things like that.
Cory cruise director- barely saw him.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Beautiful ship. Clean. High quality. But, for us, the mega ship design, with the mall experience in the middle took away most of the feeling of being on a ship. It got lost in the boardwalk & central park areas.
The ship was not cool enough. Rooms were barely beyond complaint level, hallways were hot and elevators were stifling. Most common areas were hot.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Size was what we expected. Balcony was great- seemed a smidge bigger and was cleaner, nicer. Loved the "idea" of the sliding glass door BUT it was a nightmare. VERY hard to open and when you did open it, it shuts the air off. Our room was not cool enough. The bed can't compare to the beds and bedding on Carnival.
Ship tip
When you're sweating everywhere, go to the ice-skating rink. Coolest place on the ship. If you are a picture person, pre-buy a package. .
The oasis does have a little more then the allure, but the allure is still an amazing ship as I went on the oasis before it as updated when it was exactly like the allure
I agree wholeheartedly with your whole review. We just got off yesterday. Mega ships are not for us. I want to feel like I’m on a ship and not just at a mall. Food was definitely lacking. I kept comparing it to the other cruise lines I’ve been on, carnival, NCL and Disney. RCL is my least favorite.
What a great review! Very helpful for many people who are choosing what ship and line to sail with. It is the details and reasons that make a great review. Just to say something is good or bad is useless if you don't give the reasons. I haven't tried the mega ship yet and expect a similar experience as yours but I do want to try it.
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