nkereina
Last chance to lose your keys.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2009
Just back from an awesome week on Oasis of the Seas! This was our 2nd cruise, however the first one was a 4 day with Carnival almost 8 years ago. We barely remember it, and it was a much different experience. DH & I cruised with my parents, and this was their very first cruise. We chose the eastern itinerary.
Hits (for us):
-The food! We didn’t have one meal we did not enjoy. We tried Sabor, Chops and Izumi Hibachi and I would recommend all 3 of them. We also did the 3 restaurant package for $85 per person which we thought was a great deal and well worth the money.
-The shows and entertainment. We saw Oasis of Dreams, the headliner show (Elvis impersonator), the comedy show, Love & Marriage game show, and the Quest. We also played one game of Bingo and did trivia Schooner Bar a few times. Enjoyed all of it. Didn’t make it to Come Fly With Me or the ice show, and opted to skip Cats.
-Service. Never encountered a rude or unhelpful employee. Our waiter in the MDR was awesome, our room attendant was perfect, and the two people I dealt with at guest services were more than helpful.
-Solarium – loved this space for adults. Always found chairs, very relaxing, and the pool in the Solarium was perfect to hang in. The glass over the top of the Solarium also blocked most of the wind, which was great because it was quite windy a few days.
-Ports of call – we loved this itinerary. They were all beautiful, amazing weather, and each island was better than the last. We liked St. Maarten the most.
Misses (for us):
-Royal’s shore excursions were meh. I know most people here don’t book their excursions through the cruise line, but I was most comfortable doing that for our first time, not knowing what to expect. It was a lot of hurry up and wait. We enjoyed them, but I definitely see the value in researching and doing things on your own. Next time!
-Food – Windjammer’s food was good, but it was the same day after day. Lots of options so we always found something, but some dessert variety or side choice variety every day would have been cool. Sorrento’s pizza was gross! lol! Not a huge deal, especially since there’s no upcharge, but I was disappointed. I also would have liked a pizza option at the buffet, but I understand why there’s not since Sorrento’s exists. And the lack of convenient soft serve machines was disappointing as well. Spending most of our time in the Solarium, we rarely made it over to the main pool deck and the two times we did, the soft serve line was quite long!
-Activities – I was a little bummed a lot of the things I was interested in participating in were offered during the day, which is when I’d rather be laying out in the Solarium! There were a few things like Bingo, trivia, and a Q&A with the performers I would have liked to attend, but they were only offered during the day. And on the nights when I did not have a show reservation, I didn’t find a whole lot of other things to do in terms of organized activities.
-Bars - in more than one place, bar service was sloooow. It seemed some of the bars were understaffed during peak times. We also found it confusing at times as to what was included with our drink packages and what wasn't. I wish it were more concise or straightforward. For instance, the bucket of beers at the pool is NOT included with the drink package. We assumed it was, since individual beers are included. Our server did not convey this to us, so imagine our surprise when she brought back the bucket with a $35 receipt!
Overall, we had a great time and I am very pleased with Royal, the ship, and the entire experience. Now trying to figure out when we can go again!
Hits (for us):
-The food! We didn’t have one meal we did not enjoy. We tried Sabor, Chops and Izumi Hibachi and I would recommend all 3 of them. We also did the 3 restaurant package for $85 per person which we thought was a great deal and well worth the money.
-The shows and entertainment. We saw Oasis of Dreams, the headliner show (Elvis impersonator), the comedy show, Love & Marriage game show, and the Quest. We also played one game of Bingo and did trivia Schooner Bar a few times. Enjoyed all of it. Didn’t make it to Come Fly With Me or the ice show, and opted to skip Cats.
-Service. Never encountered a rude or unhelpful employee. Our waiter in the MDR was awesome, our room attendant was perfect, and the two people I dealt with at guest services were more than helpful.
-Solarium – loved this space for adults. Always found chairs, very relaxing, and the pool in the Solarium was perfect to hang in. The glass over the top of the Solarium also blocked most of the wind, which was great because it was quite windy a few days.
-Ports of call – we loved this itinerary. They were all beautiful, amazing weather, and each island was better than the last. We liked St. Maarten the most.
Misses (for us):
-Royal’s shore excursions were meh. I know most people here don’t book their excursions through the cruise line, but I was most comfortable doing that for our first time, not knowing what to expect. It was a lot of hurry up and wait. We enjoyed them, but I definitely see the value in researching and doing things on your own. Next time!
-Food – Windjammer’s food was good, but it was the same day after day. Lots of options so we always found something, but some dessert variety or side choice variety every day would have been cool. Sorrento’s pizza was gross! lol! Not a huge deal, especially since there’s no upcharge, but I was disappointed. I also would have liked a pizza option at the buffet, but I understand why there’s not since Sorrento’s exists. And the lack of convenient soft serve machines was disappointing as well. Spending most of our time in the Solarium, we rarely made it over to the main pool deck and the two times we did, the soft serve line was quite long!
-Activities – I was a little bummed a lot of the things I was interested in participating in were offered during the day, which is when I’d rather be laying out in the Solarium! There were a few things like Bingo, trivia, and a Q&A with the performers I would have liked to attend, but they were only offered during the day. And on the nights when I did not have a show reservation, I didn’t find a whole lot of other things to do in terms of organized activities.
-Bars - in more than one place, bar service was sloooow. It seemed some of the bars were understaffed during peak times. We also found it confusing at times as to what was included with our drink packages and what wasn't. I wish it were more concise or straightforward. For instance, the bucket of beers at the pool is NOT included with the drink package. We assumed it was, since individual beers are included. Our server did not convey this to us, so imagine our surprise when she brought back the bucket with a $35 receipt!
Overall, we had a great time and I am very pleased with Royal, the ship, and the entire experience. Now trying to figure out when we can go again!
