Oasis of the Seas Review

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.
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.

Allure of the Seas

We are getting ready to go aboard the new Allure of the Seas.  Having already been on the Oasis of the Seas,  I am expecting a great time with great food and service.  We originally booked this as a 7 night inaugural sailing.  Royal Caribbean then called and added a 4 night pre inaugural sailing.  We decided to turn a 7 night cruise into 11 nights  Then we received a 2 night offer for a pre pre inaugural sailing for special agents.  We now turned an 11 night sailing into 13 nights.  There is so much to do aboard this ship and we are really looking forward to it.  Maybe I will try the zip lining if I get the courage.

Norwegian Epic

The check in process for embarkation was extremely easy. There were no long lines and we came aboard the ship very quickly. The first thing I notice was how very beautiful the ship is with a crystal chandelier that is about 3 or 4 stories high.

The cabins were not ready yet, so you were offered to check your hand luggage so that you didn't have to drag it around. I thought this was a great feature as it gives you an opportunity to check out the ship without dragging everything with you. They had a lunch buffet but it you wanted to be served, you can eat in the restaurant called Taste. We choose Taste as we wanted to be served instead of doing the buffet, and I ordered a portabella mushroom with goat cheese served on a light tomato sauce, and Rich had the fried calamari served with a light tartar sauce. They were the appetizers and our main courses were shrimp and salmon sandwich on a soft 5 grain roll and a BLT Turkey club sandwich. All prepared and served beautifully.

The staff on board has been extremely friendly and they all seem happy to be aboard. This makes you feel very welcomed.

The designs of the cabins are the only complaint that some of the guests have, as the toilet is on one side of the room and the shower is on the other side. Both are enclosed with a frosted sliding glass door and there is a curtain that you can pull across to keep the bathroom separated from the rest of the room, but personally I don't like that fact that even my shadow can be seen inside. Some things need to be private.

Our cabin is a D2 category, cabin 12082, which is a larger balcony cabin and has a bathtub with beautiful contemporary faucets. The sink is actually inside the room but again is very contemporary looking. The stateroom is decorated in a walnut colored wood and lots of mirrors, with a large flat panel TV. You can preorder shore excursions, dining reservations, books shows, room service, all from your stateroom.

On the first night we decided to check out the "Ice Bar' which is kept at 17 degrees. We were given faux fur lined parkas and gloves. The staff escorts 25 people into the bar at one time. More than that will cause the ice to melt. It is $20 per person and includes 2 drinks from a limited menu. I had the "Caribbean dream" which had vodka with a lemony mix. It was excellent. Rich had the "Northern Lights" which was also a vodka and Blue liquor drink. The glass is made of real glass, but inside the glass is ice in the form of the glass. Your drink is poured inside the ice glass which keeps the drink freezing cold. The interior of the ice bar is of course, ice but has blue, pink and purple colored lights, giving everything a beautiful glow. They had ice sculptures in there and benches made of ice with a fur pillows. You are only allowed to stay in there about 25 minutes and at first you think that that certainly won't be enough time. However, about 15 minutes into it, you realize that it is freezing in there. It reminded me of the I love Lucy episode where Lucy got stuck in the meat locker, and had icicles hanging from her. I went in there with sandals and no socks and by the time I was ready to come out, I was shivering and my teeth were chattering. I wouldn't miss this it. It was really fun. Take a lot of pictures as the lighting makes everyone look beautiful.

One evening we ate at the specialty restaurant called Moderno's. It is a Brazilian type specialty restaurant where they keep bringing food out. We were served small rolls and we looked around for butter but didn't see any. We took a bite of the roll and realized that it had the moistest cheesy center. They were delectable. I had to restrain myself from having more than two. The meal is served with the salad bar which had everything. Large shrimps, Brie, blue cheese, olives, pasta, prosciutto ham, macaroni, etc. Once you finish with the salad bar, you are given a card that is green on one side and red on the other. When you are ready for food, you keep the green card faced up and they start bringing out the meat. Beef, Chicken, pork, rib chops, barb-qued- beef. If you need a break from eating, you show the red card. Too much food. All for a price of $20 per person.

Our first port was Costa Maya and having been there before, there is really not too much there that we haven't done. My recommendation to anyone visiting is to get off the ship and go to the pool/beach club that is set up at the pier. You should wear your bathing suit, bring a towel from the ship and enjoy the pool which has a swim up bar. As far as shopping, there are no bargains and the shop owners were not really looking to negotiate prices. They didn't run after you and didn't seem to be selling much.

We ate in the Manhattan club after our day in Costa Maya and this is one of the regular restaurants that does not have a surcharge. The food was good, although my steak was a little tough as I compared it to the steak I had in Moderno's. They have a band during dinner and each night they have one or two of the performers from the Legends show. Our night had performances by Rod Stewart and Britney Spears. The performers must look like the personality and they do not lip sync and sound exactly like the artist they are imitating.

So far the trip and the ship have been amazing. Today we are in Roatan, Honduras and did an Island tour. The beaches are very beautiful, the weather is hot and humid. The people are very friendly. There is not too much near the ports. A few stores and of course a Diamonds International with high prices. I didn't buy anything there, but there was another store that a local girl was carving cameos right on the premises. She had one that was an anchor so I bought it. It cost about $80 and I really appreciated the fact that she was carving the stones right in front of us. We didn't take the ships tour, and just walked off the ship and grabbed one of the local tour companies, and for $25.00 per person, we had our own private tour. One of the highlights was the Iguana sanctuary where the iguanas are all over the place and you literally have to step over them. We were able to feed them and they were huge. They had some other animals as well, such as monkeys, parrots, and a few others that I didn't remember the names.

The food on the ship is great and for lunch we ate a restaurant called O'Sheehan's Irish pub. It has flat panel televisions’ all over and a 3 lane bowling alley, as well as a pool table, dart board, and various video games. It is right in the middle of the ship and a great place to people watch. It is opened for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks so it is pretty much open 24/7 and no additional charge.

The ship has pizza at no additional charge at the buffet area, however you can get it delivered anywhere on the ship for a $5.00 charge. That is for the people who are too lazy to get up.

One night we ate at Circ which was a fantastic Circ Du Soleil type show. You have a choice of premium seating for a charge of $30 per person or standard seating at a charge of $20 per person. The standard seating is up higher but truthfully you probably get a better view at the standard seating. We opted for the premium seating and Rich’s had to constantly turn is back around to get a view. The food is fixed and they give you delicious jumbo shrimps and fillet mignon.

The day that our ship was docked in Cozumel, the top 200 hundred Agents were offered the opportunity to have lunch aboard the Oasis of the Seas. We were treated like royalty. From the minute we got on the ship, we were handed Champagne, Mimosas ‘, strawberry Daiquiris’ or Pina Collatas’. Royal Caribbean provided us with a special parade of the Royal Promenade and an exclusive show in the Aqua Theater. Vicki Freed, sure knows how to treat her Travel Partners, and we were definitely made to feel very special.

One night we ate in Teppanaki which is a traditional style Japanese restaurant where a production is made out of preparing the food. There is a surcharge for this restaurant but well worth it. They make the most delicious garlic fried rice and I helped myself to two bowls. The meat, lobster, shrimp and scallops were all incredible.

The last day of the sailing we found out that our next year’s conference will be aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas and to say that 823 agents sailing aboard the epic were happy is an undersatement. The audience let out a scream and everyone was cheering a clapping. That evening Royal Caribbean hosted the Cocktail party and the drinks and food were flowing.

For our last evening we ate at Cagney’s Steakhouse which is a steakhouse that is similar to any fine steakhouse such as Morton’s or Ruth Chris. The steak and side dished were all excellent and again well worth the additional charge. To get this quality food and service for $25 to $35 per person is a bargain compared to paying $200+ on shore.

In closing, I want to say that this experience completely changed my opinion of Norwegian Cruise Line. The food, service, and entertainment excellent and I would not hesitate to recommend this ship.

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.