We booked the Oasis 19 months early and were counting the days!! We were 6 women traveling for a girlfriends cruise (no husbands / kids allowed)!!
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 hotel for 2 nights pre cruise. It was wonderful and I would stay there again. We booked a shuttle to the ship for 11am and boarding was seamless. We were on the ship by noon eating lunch in the Park Cafe in Central Park. The salads and the roast beef sandwiches are very good as everyone says. We went to our cabins on the 11th deck at 1pm and they were ready for us. We had 2 balcony rooms and 1 inside room just down the hall. The steward was very accommodating, and opened our balcony divider so we could share the balcony, and found us 2 extra chairs for our friends. The rooms were great and every space was utilized. I loved waking up in the morning and going straight outside to look at the ocean.
The service on the Oasis of the Seas was fantastic most of the time. It boggles my mind that they can serve over 6000 people the way they do. We used all the free restaurants, including the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch (on occasion), the Park Cafe for lunch a few times, the Solarium cafe for lunch and breakfast once, room service on our balcony for breakfast a few times, and dinner in the dining room 6 nights. I have to say that the dining room service was FANTASTIC. One of the girls had many allergies, and Sorin – head waiter – went above and beyond to accommodate her every need. I can not stress enough how far this guy would go for her. She would pre-order her meal the night before and it would be ready for her, made exactly how she needed it every night. One night she forgot to pre-order so he went ahead and ordered for her. He even had specially made desserts made for her. SO GOOD!!!!!!! Our assistant waiter was also excellent. The food was delicious every night and the service was amazing. We had my time reservations booked before we boarded, and they always made sure we sat at the same table every night, even though our reservation times were different.
The entertainment on this ship was phenomenal. I had heard that before we went and had booked reservations for every show. Also the cruise Director, Ricky Mathews was a bundle of energy. He danced non stop the entire cruise, and was everywhere. I would just laugh every time I saw him. The 70s parade was fun, but not as good as the Liberty of the Seas. We all brought 70s costumes and dressed up for it. The farewell promenade party was a lot of fun, and we did the Flashmob on the last sea day. That was a blast.
The pool decks were very busy but there was always a sun bed to be found. We really enjoyed the Solarium (adults only) and found it very peaceful there, right in the front of the ship. Drink service was great and the hot tubs were hot and relaxing. We used the gym a few times and it was good although not much view of the ocean on this ship.
The promenade was the place to be to watch people and the snacks at the cafe and Sorentos were very good. The coffee on board was not great but Starbucks made up for that. The Boardwalk was also a fun place to hang out and we rode the carousel in our dresses one night. FUN!
The 3 ports of call were good and I was glad to have 4 sea days. One of those sea days was stormy and rainy but it was a good opportunity to see the ship and do different things. St. Thomas was awesome. We booked the snorkel excursion and swam with turtles. AMAZING! Then we stopped at a lovely beach. St. Maarten was beautiful. We did an island tour on a bus, then a 1 hour mountain biking ride. Very tough in the heat but fun and a great sweat! I really wanted to go to Maho beach to see the planes fly in, but because of construction, and the fact that we were busy all morning, I chose not to chance getting there and back in time.
Overall the Oasis is a fantastic ship, great cruise and wonderful memories. Everyone should experience it once. We disembarked with no issues at the end of the cruise and checked in to the Marriott Courtyard hotel on the Fort Lauderdale Beach for one night. It was also a lovely hotel with a great view of the ocean and a nice pool and sunbeds. We had a wonderful 10 day girlfriends vacation!!
vacation
$7125+
cruise
$739+
Car Rental
$19+