This Oasis of the Seas review will cover some tips and advice on cruising on this mega ship, along with some fun facts about the Royal Caribbean floating resort.
Oasis was built in 2009, one year before the Allure of the Seas which is the sister ship that is practically identical. In fact, the only real difference is a couple inches in length and a few dining option changes along with different shows in the entertainment department. There is a Central Park in the middle of this ship with over 10,000 trees, flowers, and plants.
Fun Facts About the Ship
The Oasis is an absolute marvel at 225,282 gross tons, and is equivalent to an air craft carrier. It is rated to carry 5,400 passengers but it is able to carry over 6,000 passengers on board. Being one of the largest cruise ships in the world (2 inches short of the Allure of the Seas, some have said that a bigger ship will never be built. After all, any bigger and these ships will not fit under bridges and over-sized docks would have to be built. There are 16 decks and over 2,700 staterooms for the guests.
All of the engines on the ship are able to produce a total output of 130,000 horsepower, and there are no rudders on this ship since the 3 azipods can rotate the 20 foot propellers 360 degrees.
Cabins
Inside cabins never looked so good than they do on the Oasis. This is because even interior cabins have a wonderful view of the inside of the ship, whether it be the Royal Promenade or the lush Central Park. The only problem is that there is not much privacy on these interior balconies since there are people directly across from you, and being on the opposite end of people watching can make you feel a bit uncomfortable.
Boardwalk cabins that are toward the back of the ship can enjoy a view of the ocean as well as the Aqua Theater. These are great staterooms that offer you the chance to watch a live show from the comfort of your room, while dining on food from room service.
There are just so many different kinds of staterooms on this boat, including 2 story loft suites, royal loft suites which offer over 1,500 square feet of space, and presidential family suites which can accommodate 14 guests.
Every room comes with a flat screen TV with interactive control that allows you to order room service, book excursions, or look at the day’s events from you remote control. There are two 110 volt electrical outlets and one 220. The showers have a foot holder for shaving but the bathrooms don’t come with many toiletries besides soap so come prepared.
Cabins to avoid
People have complained about Deck 3 being a bit noisy since it is located right underneath the public areas on deck 4 which include the casino, dance clubs, the jazz club, and the comedy club. Not every room will be noisy because of these public areas, but you will have to choose wisely when booking a vacation on deck 3.
Dining Options
There are 20 dining options on the Oasis of the Seas, and 12 of them will cost you some extra money. But with so much variety even among the “free” food places, you will always be able to find a food that strikes your mood. I find that with so many dining options is helps to spread out the crowds during lunch and dinner time, making it a more pleasant cruising experience.
The 2 main dining options are the Opus Dining Room, which is a beautiful 3 deck dining hall where you can get terrific meals, and the Windjammer Marketplace which is a huge buffet. The buffet has tons of different kinds of food to choose from and is open for all 3 meal times, but some have complained about long lines. With the Opus Dining Room you can use Royal Caribbean’s My Time that allows you to eat anytime between 6:00pm and 9:30pm.
Free Dining Options
- Park Café – Mostly sandwiches and coffee, but you can also get soups, salads, and wraps here as well.
- Boardwalk Bar – Large eating area that serves sandwiches and salads with an outdoor eating area.
- Boardwalk Donut Shop – You can not only get donuts and coffee for free here, but there is also ice cream and candy for the sweet toothed cruisers.
- Wipeout Café – For those who love good ole American food like burgers and fries, check out this free dining option right next to the Flow riders at the back of the ship.
- Sorrento’s – This is one of my favorites. Free pizza whenever you want and they are now making pizza’s to order as well.
- Café Promenade – All of the coffee, pastries, and snacks are for free, but if you want a specialty coffee you will have to pay for it.
- Room Service – This is free except for the hours between midnight and 5am (during these hours you pay an extra $3.95). While some of the food is complimentary there are foods as Ben and Jerry’s ice cream that carry a surcharge.
Surcharge Dining Options:
- Chops Grille – A great place to eat if you love steak. $25 per person.
- Giovanni’s Table – A fine Italian restaurant, and the replacement for Portofino’s. $10 for lunch, $15 for dinner.
- 150 Central Park. Royal Caribbean’s exclusive restaurant for fine dining. $35 a person.
- Vintages —Wine bar.
- Johnny Rockets – 1950’s burger joint that is a lot of fun. $4.95 a person.
- Seafood Shack – Great seafood with an authentic but casual atmosphere. $7.95 for lunch. $9.95 for diner.
- Vitality Café – This place is right next to the fitness center and has fitness people in mind, with its healthy snacks and entrees.
- Solarium Bistro – This is in the adult’s only solarium and each entrée is less than 500 calories. $20 per person.
- Mondo Coffee Bar – You can get your specialty coffee here, like iced coffee, espressos, Frappuccino’s, mochas, and more, but prices vary depending on what you want.
- Izumi – For all Asian food lovers, Izumi offers a wide variety of Asian dishes that are each prices individually. A unique feature is that they cook some of their food with super-hot volcanic rocks.
Fun and Entertainment
The Oasis offers a wide variety of fun activities depending on what you are into, including: a zip line, casino, mini-golf course, 5 swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, a carousel, 2 flowriders (surf simulators), karaoke club, comedy club, 3D theater, ice-skating rink (with an ice show), AquaTheater, 2 rock-climbing walls and more.
The main Broadway show on board the Oasis is “Hairspray” which has won 8 Tony Awards. The show takes place in the beautiful 1,380 seat, 3 deck Opal Theater, where you will also see comedians and magicians perform.
The AquaTheater offers spectacular shows that you should not miss. There are divers that dive off of a 50+ foot platform while fountains are spraying and music is playing. They are fun shows for the whole family.
Extra tips
- Bring your own laptop if you plan to get on the internet at all. The internet café area is dismal for such a huge ship, offering a handful of computers that often are not working properly, and you cannot find staff around to help.
- Book your shows in advance. With such a large ship and over 5,000 guests on board you will want to reserve your show times in advance. You can do these before you even go on our cruise through the website, but don’t expect to get into a show last minute. There may be some empty seats, but you are better off with reservations which are checked with your seapass card.
- You no longer have to look for your photos. On the Oasis your seapass card has a binder number that allows you to find your binder in the photos area that has all of your cruise ship photos in it.
- Check out the Café in Central Park for lunch sometime. They have excellent roast beef sandwiches.
