Many Good Experiences, But Definitely Room For Improvement

Embarkation was really easy. The only line we experienced was getting through security on the way into the terminal. From the time we cleared security, it took only 15-minutes for us to walk onto the ship.

Most of the time we ate breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer Marketplace as well as other smaller venues around the ship. We enjoyed the selection and had a good experience. We also enjoyed the choices in the main dining room. Our only disappointment was that the lemonade and kiwi strawberry drink provided by Royal Caribbean was very watered down from what we experienced on other ships. Also, most of my family wished that there were some more ethnic varieties and spicier foods (such as Asian dishes) for dinner. One of the ways they enhanced the taste of their dinners was by ordering multiple appetizers. There was a good selection of tasty dishes each day. Also, do try the warm cookie with ice cream for desert. It was our favorite.

Overall, we were pleased with the variety of activities on the Oasis. We were never bored and many times we found that we had to make choices because there were so many things we wanted to do. We enjoyed the Solarium hot tubs, trivia, tours, shops, fitness center, and casino. There really is an incredible variety of things to do from morning to night.

We genuinely enjoyed the entertainment, and we saw all the major shows: Cats, Come Fly With Me, Oasis of Dreams, Frozen in Time, Late Night Comedians, etc. We thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Two highlights that are worth seeing are the Backstage Tour in the Opal Theater and the performance of Sinatra hits sung by one of the cast members from Cats. There have been many who have criticized the performance of Cats on the ship. We attend shows on Broadway 4 - 5 times a year in NYC, and we thought thought this was a very good production. All of us thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, it is long, because it is the actual Broadway show. Also, it may be that last production of Cats that is actually based on the original direction and choreography of the original 1983 NYC production. If you love Broadway, you will want to see it. If Broadway isn’t your thing, then try something else, but please do not write that it was terrible. It was a commendable production put on by many hard-working and talented cast members.

We did not have any young children.

Our dining experience was the biggest disappoint of our cruise. The food was adequate, but the service was not up to par. Even though we requested a fixed dining time in one of the main dining rooms (and booked seven months in advance), we were assigned My Time Dining. We had this last year on the Anthem and it turned out to be a good experience, mostly because the dining rooms were not crowded, and we were able to have the same two servers each day. This same experience was not repeated on the Oasis. Each day when we arrived for our 5:45 PM dining time, the scheduling attendants had a difficult time finding a table for our party of 6. For the first three days we were seated in the American Icon dining room, and we had really poor service. On the first day, we waited 25 minutes between the time when we were given a menu and someone actually took our order. We also found it difficult to get someone to take a drink order from us. This same situation was repeated each day. By the fourth day we requested a table on the 4th or 5th floor. This was better, but the servers on these floors seemed annoyed that they had an extra table to serve. The service was slow, and we often found ourselves watching other people being served. We understood what was going on, the servers had developed a routine with their regular diners. We were also sure that they were anticipating some financial rewards from the patrons at the end of the week. We were just a one-day group. The situation was not an ideal for everyone. If Royal Caribbean is serious about supporting the My Time Dining concept, then they have to be committed to providing the same level of service that is given to diners who have a fixed dining time. I’m not sure how they can accomplish this, but the level of service we received was unsatisfactory. We also wish that they would be more attentive to those who request a fixed dining time. We are Platinum members who book 6 - 7 months in advance. There is no reason, why we should not have been able to get a fixed dining time.

Oasis is a large ship with many different communities where you can see entertainment, eat, and participate in activities. The design of the ship is beautiful and the many different areas are very distinct from each other. We marveled at the peacefulness and uniqueness of the Central Park Area. Even though there were around 6000 passengers on the ship, it never felt crowded to us. There was always something to see, do, and enjoy.

We were very pleased with our Ocean View cabin on the 14th flloor. It was comfortable and we slept fine on the bed. Most of the time, it was very quiet. A few times, we heard noise from the upper decks, but it was never really a problem. Our room attendant provided exceptional service. He kept our room clean and tidy multiple times a day. All our needs were taken care of. He definitely provided the best service we experienced on the ship.

Disembarkation was also easy. We used self assist and left the ship at 7:45 AM. There were no lines. We cleared Customs and were out of the terminal by 8:00 AM.