Oasis of the Seas - final installment
Cruisers, I have been home a week now, and the Oasis experience is still wonderful. It requires a little adjustment to what you are used to though! Some thoughts:
- Royal Caribbean has gone all out on the shows - easily as good or better as any that I have seen anywhere! Hairspray was Broadway quality - as well acted as the movie. The Ice Show was superb - not a single flaw in the performance - better than the five or so other shows that I have seen on Royal. The Aquatheater show is wonderful - it's great seeing Olympic swimmers/divers perform and get paid (not sponsored) for it! The headliner show was Abbracadabra - singing Abba - they too were great!
- Lots to do on board, which requires preparation. The shows need to be prereserved on line in advance in order to get in early. However, there was space in all shows that I attended except the Aquatheater, but I, and many others, stood in the back and had a great view. The Comedy Club is always sold out - only holds about 125 - and must be booked before you get on board.
- Dinner dining was exceptional - Royal Caribbean's standard rotating menu, but our service team couldn't have been better.
- Breakfast and lunch dining requires readjustment from what you are used to. The Windjammer cafe is about 2/3rds the size of Voyager and Freedom classes. and as such was always overcrowded at peak hours. But there are many other options. Other eateries to explore including the dining room, which became the 'go to' place. Unfortunately, the service was only fair during the breakfast hours. The secret is to use the touch screens located in many many spots around the ship to view the current loading in a particular dining venue, then head to the one that isn't busy!
- The specialty dining was also superb - we ate at 150 Central Park (the beet ice cream was wonderful!) and Giovanni's Table - the Italian eatery. Both have a service charge, but we would gladly pay it again to eat in either venue. Specialty dining MUST be booked in advance - the venues are small and very popular!
- The finish of a perfect day - while your other 5400 shipmates are internal to the ship - head to the quite of Central Park. No one goes there after hours - the bar is open until 1:00am, and the quite tropical breezes wafting through the open spaces is perfect! Doesn't get any better than that at sea!
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