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Royal Caribbean International

MV Oasis of the Seas

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Reviewed by: Malcolm Oliver
# previous cruises: 10 to 20
Date of Trip: April 10, 2010
Itinerary: Caribbean

She is not just another cruise ship; her design goes far beyond traditional maritime concepts. She is a floating resort. Her public areas are even divided into seven 'neighbourhoods' and she even has a 'park', such is the scale of the vessel.

RCI have taken all of the innovations featured onboard their 'Freedom Class' vessels (the former biggest cruise ships in the world) and greatly expanded upon them. Oasis's competition is not other ships; it is Disney World, Las Vegas and South Beach etc.

Embarkation at Port Everglades was one of the fastest I have ever experienced at any port and that includes smaller ships which only carry 800 passengers. I went from 'kerb to ship' in around 15 minutes . quite remarkable. (My cruise was carrying 5,900 passengers of whom 900 were Brits.)

The entire ships design is based on the premise that not every passenger will want to be doing the same thing, at the same time, in the same place at once. This concept largely works, except during the Royal Promenade street parties/processions when you quickly become aware that the ship holds a hell of a lot of people. The first night queues for the 'Opus dining room' were also enlightening, but by the second evening they were non-existent. However at other times I found myself wondering where all the passengers were.

One evening I went in the Jazz club and there were only six people watching the band (and they were good). There was a Scottish Piper, Larry Lindsay, aboard who gave a lecture about making and playing bagpipes which was attended by only ten people. (This also indicates that RCI clientele are not big on enrichment).

The different 'neighbourhoods' successfully divide up the passengers, who require different experiences, between the various public spaces. For example Central Park tends to attract adults and is quite tranquil, as of course does the 'adults only' solarium. The sports court with it's Zip Line, basketball court, table tennis (enclosed so no wind effect on the ball) and Flow Riders (surf simulators with real water) and H2O zone (children's water park) keeps the kids and energetic adults busy. Families enjoy the board walk together. The teens are well catered for with their 'youth zone' facilities housed under the Viking Crown complex on deck 15.

Central Park may sound like a gimmick but it is unique and wonderful space. It contains 12,000 real plants and 56 trees. It is complete with pre-recorded bird sounds.

Central Park is longer and wider than it looked in the original renderings. It is quite a tranquil area, mainly attracting adults, but was never over crowded. It is also illuminated very attractively. I found myself being drawn back to it time and time again.

RCI's 'Royal Promenade' concept first appeared on board the 'Voyager' class ships in 1999. Essentially it is an enclosed street down the middle of the ship featuring a range of cafis, bars and shops. However Oasis's 'Royal Prom' is wider than ever before. It also has an upper mezzanine level of public rooms such as the 'Schooner Bar' and the 'photo gallery' which look down onto it. Perhaps the most striking improvement is that there are a number of giant skylights situated above it in Central park which allow sunlight to spill into it. This is unlike the Voyager and Freedom class 'Proms' which rely on artificial light to illuminate them.

The Opus dining room must be the biggest dining room at sea. It has three levels, the second and third being balconies looking down onto level one. As a centrepiece it has the RCI signature 'giant chandelier' above the captain's table and a very large avant-garde mural.

The opus is cleverly designed so that you are only really aware of the tables around you and not the entire 3000 or so other diners. The noise levels can get quite high, but this may be as much to do with the clientele than the acoustics of the room.

I experienced several teams of waiters and all were very experienced, efficient and generally worked in a 'seen and not heard' a style which I prefer. The food was generally served hot although I did send one lukewarm entrie back, The changing daily menu had plenty of choice. Along with American standards (prime rib, Lobster tail etc.) is also had some quite exotic choices including Indian vegetable curries. Chicken and steak was always an option along with some healthy choices. The red meats were particularly good. However the fish was very disappointing. For example, the lobster and tiger shrimp were rubbery and lacking in taste. The portions were very large making it difficult for the average Brit to eat all courses.

However the food was as good as you should reasonably expect from a large mass-market ship and better than many. Let's not forget that this is assembly-line food with much being prepared well in advance.

The Windjammer Buffet was surprisingly small for the size of Oasis and probably smaller than similar facilities onboard the Voyager and Freedom class ships. The thinking behind its small size is that there are other dining choices onboard. However passengers naturally gravitated to the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch, especially on the first few days. In addition it is the main restaurant which serves the sun deck, its pools and sports court. Most of the other dining choices are many decks below.

The windjammer does offer some nice views of the sports court area and the boardwalk. However it does not have a 'lido' (outside) dining area. The food is displayed on various 'islands' and was of the normal buffet standard, although I did feel the choices were a little more limited than some other ships that I've been on.

My favourite eatery was the relatively intimate 'Park cafi' a non-surcharge venue. This was my favourite dining venue for a healthy breakfast and lunch. The freshly prepared filled bagels along with fruit, cereals and yoghurt made a lovely breakfast. The 'choose your own salad', toasted sandwiches and soup made an excellent light lunch.

There are 37 different grades of cabins, many of which are similar to cabins on other Royal Caribbean ships. The cabin and corridor dicor is rather 'understated' (bland) although this is preferable to 'garish'. The standard cabins are comfortable but not over generous on space. A small sofa is proved with a small table. The wardrobe space is adequate but not over generous. The wardrobe door is a rather poor design. It has a sliding door which covers half the storage space at any one time. There is little room to access the wardrobe door between the sofa which in our cabin was only a foot or so away from the wardrobe.

The LCD TV's are interactive allowing you to check your onboard account and book certain cruise enhancements such as alternative dining. The cabin doors open outward (like those on the Celebrity Solstice class) into a recess so not to obstruct the corridor which gives a little more room in the cabin. The shower had a shower-head on a flexible hose, although the water pressure was quite low, and glass doors. The chocolates on the pillow commence several nights into the cruise (well that's 5,900 chocolates saved per night) and towel animal in the cabin were epidemic, but cute.

There are some new cabin grades not been seen on any ship before. There are window cabins overlooking the 'Royal Promenade' as on the 'Voyager' class, but in addition there are window and balcony cabins overlooking Central park and the Boardwalk. For those with a big budget, the 'Loft suites' have two floors, with a living-room downstairs and bedroom upstairs. They offer the highest accommodation afloat. Having looked in one they are not worth the exorbitant fare in my opinion.

'Oasis' makes more use of new technology than any ship before her. In fact the 'Oasis' experience starts long before you board the ship. On-line registration of your personal details and the ability to print out your boarding-pass helps speed up the embarkation process. Many aspects of on board life can be booked on-line, in advance, from the comfort of your own home. These include excursions, entertainment, alternative dining, wine/soda packages and flow-rider (surfing) lessons, etc. Booking the entertainment in advance is a very wise choice. Passengers who book get priority over those that have not, to attend the major shows.

Once you are onboard, your various bookings are all held on your Sea-pass card, which is also you cashless account card and room key. Crew members stand at the entrances to each show and use hand-held card readers to confirm your bookings and allow you in.

Ten minutes before the start of each show, passengers who have not booked are allowed to fill any remaining seats in each venue. These may of course be limited, so In short if you have not booked in advance, you may not get to see the show you want. The smallest show, the comedy show, which is held in the intimate 'Comedy Central' lounge, definitely required booking

Oasis must have the biggest entertainment budget and the biggest cast of any ship afloat. With the exception of the 'Headliners' show, which was the excellent Beatles tribute act 'Beatlemania', all the big shows are in house productions.

The international hit musical 'Hairspray' is offered and is a full length (1 hour 40 minute) production with a cast of around 20. It is one of the few shows that I have ever seen onboard a ship theatre really is 'Broadway' quality. The singing in particular was good, which is not always the case onboard some ships. The Opal theatre and its scenery, lighting and sound supersede the quality of many theatres on Broadway and in the West End.

'Studio B' was almost identical to facilities on the voyager and Freedom class ships. It is an ice rink, although not full sized, with tired seating. It is used for passenger skating and performances of the ice show. The ice show, 'Frozen in Time' which is very loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales was spectacular, as RCI ice shows always are.

'Come fly with me' was essentially a theatre show featuring much aerobatics a hot air balloon and a aeroplane. Yet again it was light years ahead of what is offered on many ships.

Curiously the intimate 'Jazz on 4' and 'Comedy Live' lounges in 'Entertainment place' (deck 5) have minimal soundproofing between them. It is possible to hear the jazz band quite clearly through the wall while you are listening to the comedy show. One simple solution would be not to use both rooms simultaneously. Across the way is the 'Blaze nightclub (the dungeon like disco) who's sound can also filter into 'Jazz on 4' of an evening. In fact it is not uncommon to be able to hear several sources of music at once, in various locations onbord the ship, such as piped music in one public area and a live band filtering through from another area. RCI need to be more aware of volume levels and noise pollution.

Oasis is designed to spend her life undertaking one week cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Caribbean islands. She offers two alternating Eastern and Western itineraries, each with an ideal balance of three ports of call and three sea days. The three sea days are essential to explore the ship and take advantage of the facilities on such a big ship. In fact I would suggest that there is actually more to see and do on board the ship than there is in the ports of call. Two weeks, not one, would be required if you want to attempt to experience everything this floating resort can offer you.

Oasis is a ship for all ages and there are 'neighbourhoods' to suit everyone. Most remarkable is that my cruise carried 5,900 passengers yet for 99% of the time the ship felt uncrowded.