Oasis of the Seas

My first impression pulling up to the pier was “let’s see how long this takes to get on a ship this big”. To my surprise, from the time we went through security to checking in and getting on board the ship and having our embarkation pictures taken, it was exactly 12 minutes.

This ship is breath-taking and state of the art. At the end of each hall near the elevator is a flat panel touch screen. You enter your room number and it shows you the shortest route to get to your room and shows you a map how to get there. At this screen, you can see all the dining options available. It will tell you the times they are open, whether there is wait and also a map to get there. At this same location, you can see all the activities going on around the ship for the current day, entertainment options, and all services.

Our cabin was a balcony cabin overlooking Central Park. Central Park is decorated with over 12,000 plants and tree lined streets with sidewalk cafes and stores such as a coach outlet store. Every evening at 6pm, a bagpiper walked through the street playing his bagpipe. There is no ceiling on central park so you will get a beautiful starry night just like you would strolling in the real Central Park. Every morning we ordered room service, free of charge, and ate breakfast on our balcony. However, as much as I loved the view and people watching I did miss my ocean view balcony, watching the ships pull in and out of ports and watching the sunsets. You can go up to the deck for this if you decide that the Central Park view is what you want.  You can also book a Boardwalk Balcony cabin which also has a view of the ocean and ziplining and is a great place to people watch as well.

On the first full day at sea, we decided to explore the ship. There is no lack of activities onboard from Zip-lining, Surfing, Bogie Boarding, Ice Skating, Rock Climbing, Basket ball, table tennis, just to mention a few and not that I participated in zip lining it was really fun to watch.

The entertainment on the ship was by far the best I have ever experienced at sea. They had the live Broadway music Hairspray several times throughout the cruise and the actors received several standing ovations. In addition, we went to the Aqua Theater to watch a water show similar to Circ Du Soleil, a Comedy Show, and an ice skating show. None of these shows were an additional charge.

Every night there is a karaoke lounge and Latin dancing in the Bolero’s lounge. One night there was a 70’s disco party on the promenade deck. Imagine 1000 people dancing in the street. It was incredible.
One of the great things about the Oasis of the Seas is that the passengers receive a cruise calendar in advance and you are able to pre-book the shows before you ever step foot on the ship. No running around having to book them on board.
Most of the food on board the ship is included in your cruise fare. There are a few specialty restaurants such as Giovanni’s Italian restaurant, Chop’s grill, and 150 Central Park. We decided to eat at Giovanni’s one afternoon for lunch. Giovanni’s over looks Central Park. The charge for lunch was only $10 per person and they served enough food for a feast.
There are 24 different dining options and we chose to eat at our assigned dining room every night. Our waiter, assistant waiter and head waiter were attentive and courteous. One night they served prime rib or lobster tail. Our server decided to make our dinner surf and turf and brought both to us without us asking.
The little things make the difference. At guest relations, there was never a line. There was plenty of staff available whenever anything was needed.

The spa on this ship is 2 stories with a gorgeous glass staircase. There is a spa restaurant which serves lighter food. The gym is state of the art and one of the largest I have ever seen aboard a cruise ship. The treadmills have a screen with a track which shows you where you are on the track as you walk or run. During the cruise, there were yoga classes, spinning classes, walk for a cure, and classes on staying fit, eating healthy, 5 minute makeovers and so much more.
This ship is a destination in itself and while we did stop at St. Thomas, St. Martin, and Nassau, there is no tendering so they just opened up the gang plank and you walked off. All the elevators have a button that clearly states “gangway”. There is no running around looking for a way to disembark. When coming back on to the ship, you go through security before you get on the ship and they point you to the closet gangway to your cabin. No getting on at one end of the ship and having to walk the length of the ship. There were plenty of security personnel and never a wait to go back on.
I would not hesitate to recommend this cruise and although the cost is a little higher than some of the other cruise ships, the entertainment alone is well worth the additional cost.