In late 2009, Royal Caribbean unveiled a super cruise ship – the Oasis of the Seas. At the time, this was the largest ship in the world, and it was in great demand. It was able to carry more than 6,000 passengers on each cruise.
My husband and I were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary in June of 2010. We decided to take a “dream cruise” on the new ship. Unfortunately, we found that due to a professional meeting my husband needed to attend, our destination of choice was not scheduled the week that we were available to take the cruise. We decided to take the cruise anyway because it was more about the journey than the destination. At any rate, we not only booked and paid for the trip in full, but also at the time of booking, we arranged for specialty restaurants and nighttime shows. It was great knowing that we would be eating in a particular restaurant for lunch and another one for dinner. We pre-booked admittance into our preference of evening shows. On a ship that large, you need to pre-book your choice of specialty restaurants and shows or you run the great risk of not getting into your preferred eatery or show. Since that time, we have spoken to someone who took a later cruise on the same ship, and she said that they did not get to see any shows because the lines were too long and they grew weary of standing to wait for access to leftover seats. We informed her that the best thing to do is pre-book any show that you even think might interest you.
At the time that we booked our cruise, we decided to select the “anytime dining” option, which meant that we no longer had to eat at a predetermined time each evening. By making this selection, we had greater flexibility over our evenings. The ship had separate dining areas for the passengers who had a predetermined nightly dinner schedule and those who had the “anytime dining” selection.
On the day of our departure, as we made our way to our stateroom, our personal stateroom steward introduced himself and assured us that he would take good care of us. He explained a few things about the ship and said that he would return later. Every employee that encountered on this cruise was not only friendly, but also professional, helpful, and quite competent. When you are at sea for seven days, you do not need unpleasant experiences with the cruise line employees. Royal Caribbean delivers great customer service!
After the requisite safety drill, we walked around a bit exploring our new surroundings and trying to familiarize ourselves. The Oasis of the Seas has seven neighborhoods, each with a different concept and theme. The inside staterooms overlook the Royal Promenade and some of the neighborhoods including Boardwalk and Central Park . We had selected an ocean view balcony stateroom, which meant that we had a great view whenever we were near or in port.
The food is great on RCL and we had something different for breakfast each morning. There were varied options for walking up and getting a taste of something yummy. The ship provides you with the option to pre-purchase your preferred beverage. Coca-Cola was selected by my husband while I opted for a week’s supply of bottled water. This meant that we were not only able to eat on demand , but also drink whenever we were thirsty.
On the morning after departure, I attended a shopping seminar where they displayed a shopping booklet that had great freebies and discounts in the form of coupons that were viable for many Caribbean islands. The purchase price was not bad and the coupon book was invaluable to us as the week progressed. It also offered a two for one specialty drink of the day for the purchaser. At the islands where we stopped, we were able to get discounts on some of our purchases. In addition, I received free earrings, a canvas tote bag that changes colors in the sunlight, a charm, and other cute items.
At one port, my husband filled out a coupon and was entered into a drawing for a diamond necklace. Imagine my excitement upon our return to the ship one evening, when the telephone rang and it was a ship representative informing my spouse that he had won the necklace! The woman on the phone said that I could go to their counter at a certain time the following day or she could bring it to the stateroom that evening. By this time, I was almost shrieking with excitement. So my husband asked her to bring it to us because he wife was bursting with excitement. A short time later, there was a knock at the door. I hurriedly raced over and opened the door with a big smile on my face. The woman standing there congratulated us and gave me a velvet box containing a beautiful diamond and sapphire pendant. I thanked her profusely and after she left, I gave my husband a big hug and loving kiss. He was beaming because he was happy that I was so pleased and excited.
The Oasis of the Seas is a memorable experience at sea in a spacious, luxurious, and beautiful setting. We enjoyed walking around the ship and getting surprised at some of the surroundings. One night after another fantastic dinner, we proceeded to take our nightly stroll and on this particular night we had selected the top deck. Imagine suddenly observing a basketball court and a mini-golf course! We could not resist stopping to play a round of golf on the course. It was a thrill to play with the ocean as a backdrop and to hear the happy sounds of others enjoying the nearby recreational facilities.
This ship has so much to offer: a wave pool, a zip line, dive show, ice skating rink, an ice capades-type show, various shops, a myriad of pools, hot tubs, theaters, fitness center, outdoor walking deck, spa, along with expansive deck space to enjoy hanging out and observing the view.
At different ports, it was quite interesting to see how much our ship actually dwarfed the other cruise ships. On one occasion, we could actually look down on their top deck. Our ship was quite the eye catcher!
Since we were celebrating our anniversary, we chose the upscale seafood restaurant for our special dinner. The staff was so gracious to us, and they even brought us a beautiful, unique dessert to mark the occasion. They sang to us as well. The night before we arrived back to the home port, at dinner, our waiter said he knew it was a special cruise for us and that they would do something special for us. He asked if anyone had sang to us yet; when we informed him that the staff had done it earlier in the week, he said if we didn’t mind, that they would do it again. So we were serenaded again that night. How sweet and thoughtful! We also received a special gift from one of the onboard shops.
This is the ship to take if you want a special, memorable and fun cruise. There is so much to do if you want to keep busy. If you just want to sit around with a drink and just read a book, or people watch, you can do that as well. In late 2010, the sister ship, Allure of the Seas, made its debut. We are looking forward to booking on that ship sometime in the future.