Disappointed

Interesting.  I do find the food average on cruise lines in general, unless you sit down and order (dinner seating or at a "specialty restaurant").  Could you answer me the following questions because I have only sailed with Carnival once (my very first cruise) and I loved it and the people on that cruise (passengers, servers) were all wonderful (respectful, polite, etc.)

I did notice on three RCCL cruises (Explorer 2004, Majesty 2007 and Allure 2016) that while staff were wonderful (exceptional actually) the passengers were a little less than desired.  We observed more than a few situations with generally disrespectful, pushy and otherwise, rude guests.  Both to staff and to each other.  I have been told that Carnival is known for that type of passenger but in my one time cruising with them, I did not find that to be the case.  Please respond.

Thank you and thank you for the info on your cruise.  Still up in the air for me who to cruise with next.

I was on the same cruise and had a very different experience. I cruise both Carnival and Royal, but hadn't been on Royal in five or so years. The Oasis was our first really big ship (largest was Carnival Breeze and Sunshine).

We had tickets/reservations to Cats, Frozen in Time, Come Fly with Me, and the Oasis of Dreams. We walked right in and got great seats to each of the shows, arriving 30-20 minutes before showtime. Those waiting in longs lines were the ones without reservations. Royal did a great job with having one or two attendants scanning sea pass cards at each door or entrance, which eliminated any lines for those who had reservations. Those without reservations were let in 10-15 minutes prior to each show starting, and those lines were long. All of the entertainment was spectacular, as I remember the productions from previous Royal cruises, and in this area, Royal has Carnival beat!!! We stopped going to Carnival shows years ago due to the poor or lack of quality productions being staged in the theater, and mainly due to poor/off key singers, and amateur staging. 

For this trip we decided not to take any photos using the ships photographers.  We had our own professional camera, and took photos around the ship each night. Although I can't speak to all of the poses, I did see the photographers taking the same exact poses that Carnival does, and the backdrops were the  similar, although Carnival has a few better ones. 

The food in all the venues were comparable to Carnival, but Carnival has the edge here. The food on both cruise lines is good to me, and I can always find something to eat on both. Both have room service and 24 hour pizza (Carnival's pizza is better, but Royal has a better selection with one or two daily specials). But Carnival does not offer a selection late at night light Cafe Promenade where you can get sandwiches, cookies, cheesecake, etc. 

This cruise was all about the ship, so we didn't do any excursions. We've always enjoyed the cruise lines private islands/beaches, and Labadee is no different. We've been to Cozumel before, so we just off the ship to stretch our legs, grab some souvenirs, and get a drink and bite to eat at Se±or Frogs. If your not doing an excursion to Montego Bay or Ochos Rios, Falmouth is just good for duty free shopping at the port (prices are higher here than other places for some reason). We were planning on grabbing a taxi or tour to either city, but it looked like it was going to storm, so we went through the duty free shops, then outside the gate (Big mistake!!! Nothings really there except local shops and some souvenirs stands, but your harassed every few feet, and some even follow you around the streets). We won't get off the ship if it makes a stop here on another sailing unless we had definitive plans to go to Montego Bay or Ochos Rios.

There were plenty of onboard activities going on from what was listed in the Compass. Some suited my interest, and some didn't. I went to a couple trivia events and watched karaoke, and Royals daytime activities also mimics Carnival's. One thing I enjoyed about this cruise is that the Cruise Director (CD), wasn't on the address system every five minutes promoting an event!!! I think most people enjoy reading and finding what to do in the Compass/FunTimes better.

The cost of Royal has always been a little higher than Carnival. I usually find a better deal for Royal on Priceline which always comes with more onboard credits, specialty dining, or free wi-fi, etc. For the Central Park Balcony we had, we paid the same amount as we would for an Superior Oceanview Balcony midship, mid deck on Carnival. And, for this trip the cruise fare is equal to our sailing on the Magic next summer. 

I'm sorry that you had a bad experience on this ship. We really found nothing bad about the Oasis, except they need a better DJ in Blaze Nightclub (doesn't know how to blend/mix music, changes genres to frequently, and ends songs to frequently, especially when the dance floor is packed), and they should have music playing around the ship at all times, especially the pool decks (excluding the DJ). Maybe the Oasis wasn't for you, but you can try one of their other smaller ships, which may suit your needs. I have found that the cruise experience can vary from ship to ship on the same cruise line. My Dentist is an avid cruiser, and we were talking yesterday about our experiences between the different cruise lines. I was telling him that I was going to try Norwegian next as a short getaway to try their their Freestyle cruising. He just about talked me out of it when comparing NCL to Royal and Carnival, but you know what, I have to go an try them for myself. 

Safe Travels and Happy Cruising. 

Everyone's experience is going to be a different perspective, and thats what I like the reviews. I have cruised nothing but Royal and have been thinking about going outside the line or experiencing carnival. I'm sure a review for a carnival cruise from an only RC cruiser may be similar. I'm looking mostly not because i'm unhappy with RC, but more for itineraries, but comparable experience will be similar