Oasis of the
Seas, a Travel Agent's Perspective
By Nancy Norris
With all the hype and fanfare
that ushered in the Oasis of the Seas this November, most of
us are aware of her revolutionary new design and
technological innovations. Yes, the largest ship ever built
does offer up the “WOW factor” like a technicolor finale of
a fireworks display. In last month’s issue of the HBTA News,
Tom Ogg provided us with an excellent detailed pictorial
review of the Oasis. That review can be found at
www.ecruisereviews.com. Rather than be redundant, I have
once again written this review from a travel agent's
perspective. As I wandered the ship marveling at the
innovative touches and “oohing and ahhing” along with the
rest of the passengers, I thought about my clients. Who
would this ship appeal to and who would best be suited to
sail the Oasis of the Seas? Join me on this exploration of
the ship, and note both the positive and negative
discoveries I made that may help you in qualifying your own
clients as a perfect match for an Oasis cruise.
First impression: I
will admit, before boarding, I was prepared to declare that
this ship was just way too big. However, it didn't take long
for me to abandon my preconceived expectations. After
recovering from my awestruck stupor as I entered the
impressive two-deck promenade upon embarkation, I set out to
explore the ship with an “agent's eye view”. While the ship
was not sailing at full capacity, it became evident that
even with a full passenger load the ship is expertly
designed to provide for maximum flow of traffic, easily
navigable with minimum congestion. Due to the seven distinct
neighborhoods, each seemingly isolated from the rest of the
ship, it didn't ever feel crowded. In fact, I found the
innovative design more aesthetically appealing and exuding a
“smaller ship feel” than those on the Freedom or Voyager
Class.
Royal Caribbean built this floating resort to appeal to a
specific target market. The themed neighborhoods, 24 dining
choices, flexible dining times, variety of staterooms and
amenities, diversity of entertainment venues and range of
activities were designed to capture a portion of the land
based vacation market. The Oasis of the Seas does much to
dispel the cruise myths that there is nothing to do or meant
for “the nearly dead or newly wed”. Having successfully
eliminated the boredom factor, first time cruisers, active
families, couples, singles, seniors and youth will all find
something to keep them engaged and entertained on board.
This is a perfect ship for multi-generational families or
reunion cruises. And speaking of that target market for
which Royal Caribbean was aiming, there is so much to see,
do and enjoy on this ship it truly is a resort on water.
Just like your clients that spend their entire vacation
within the confines of an all-inclusive property on land,
cruisers on the Oasis never have to leave the ship to enjoy
a total vacation experience.
So let's take a closer look at some of my discoveries and
observations of this resort on water.
Staterooms:
●● Overall, the staterooms are well designed with good
storage. Beds are very comfortable and high enough to allow
for storage of oversized suitcases, etc. A word of caution
as relates to the closets: Placement of the couch and bed
are reversed in every other cabin along a hall. While this
is a great design for providing extraneous noise reduction
between cabins, it is difficult to access the closet in
those cabins that have the couch placed next to the closet.
●● The electric outlets are located under the desk and can
be a challenge to access for the elderly or others with
mobility issues.
●● The addition of the foot stand in the shower for shaving
legs is one of those little design improvements for which I
am very grateful.
●● Bathroom lighting is improved to offer both dim and full
lighting, eliminating the need to bring a night light.
●● There is no need for guests to bring their own laptop. A
keyboard is provided in every stateroom and Internet access
is available by using the TV as a monitor.
●● The inside balcony rooms
are extremely sound proof and no noise from the outside can
be heard when the balcony doors are closed. However, as
these balconies face public areas, they are not a good fit
for guests who enjoy privacy while sitting on their balcony.
●● For those cabins that are located on decks near the
gangway, the starboard side of the ship can be very noisy at
disembarkation. However, the starboard side of the ship does
offer the best views of the ports.
●● I was very disappointed in the Loft Suites. While an
interesting concept, the loft bedroom is totally open to the
area below. There is no glass partition or curtain to offer
any form of privacy. Perhaps the biggest disappointment is
the loft view. Rather than an ocean view, loft guests have a
view of the sports and basketball court. What were they
thinking??? At the cost of these staterooms, I would be very
cautious booking clients into this category. I know my high
end clients would not be pleased.
Entertainment/Activities:
●● This is definitely an area in which the Oasis excels!
With no cover, no drink minimum and no service charges
guests can enjoy an aqua show at the Aqua Theater similar to
the acrobatic water shows seen in Vegas, watch a
professional production of the Broadway musical “Hairspray”,
be entertained at an Ice Show comparable to the Ice Capades,
laugh at the comedians performing at the Comedy Club, savor
the music in the Jazz Club, move to the big band beat at
Dazzles, the sultry Latin rhythm at Boleros or the disco
beat at Blaze.
●● Tip: As a convenience, if your clients are planners,
encourage them to book their entertainment prior to sailing.
Otherwise, there is a kiosk in the promenade for making show
reservations and guests can also book via the interactive TV
in their room. For last minute decisions or guests that like
to act on impulse, open seating becomes available 10 minutes
before show time on a first-come/first-served basis.
●● Zip-lining: This venue is a bit bogus in my opinion as it
is just a teaser to the real experience. However, at this
time, it is a novelty that has appealed to many.
Consequently, reservations are required and slots fill
quickly (act fast if this is of interest).
●● Flow-riders: These continue to be a popular venue on RC
ships. While guests may wait 20-25 minutes for their turn, a
recent cruiser shared this tip: Wet suits can be rented for
$10 a day and the wait time is much shorter if one rides
later in the day as it gets cooler. Another note regarding
this area: black soot from the exhaust stacks tends to
gather on the bleacher seats, caution your clients to use a
towel to protect their clothing.
●● Pools and hot tubs: Some of these venues remain open 24
hours (contrary to what is found on other ships in the RC
fleet) – Yippee! (Late night Jacuzzi sessions are one of my
favorite ways to relax before retiring). The cantilevered
hot tubs even sport large TV screens. Speaking of hot tubs,
from an adult point of view, I am thrilled to see that
children have their own hot tub in the H2O Zone.
●● Smoking is often an issue in casinos. Kudos to RC for
providing both a smoking and non-smoking section. Even the
casino bar is a no-smoking venue.
●● For your clients that are traveling with toddlers: The
Baby Splash Zone is a “diaper friendly” pool for those
little ones that are not yet potty trained. The Oasis also
offers the cruise line's first nursery for infants and
toddlers and an expanded program for those tiny cruisers 6 –
36 months old.
Dining:
●● Options, options, options! Whatever kind of food you want
or dining experience you crave, the Oasis does a good job of
delivering. I found the food in the main dining room to be
good to excellent. While many of the dining venues do
require an additional fee, about ½ of the 24 eateries are
complimentary. In addition, a number of the specialty
restaurants do not charge a cover for breakfast or lunch. As
an example, Johny Rockets serves as an excellent breakfast
for free.
●● The Central Park Cafe is a prime choice for lunch (no
cover). They serve a roast beef sandwich that is perhaps the
best I have ever tasted. My traveling companions raved about
the paninis and described the salads as fresh and delicious.
Save room for dessert – the tiramisu is worth the calories.
●● The Solarium Bistro is a great alternative to the
Windjammer.
●● I believe the weakest link in the Oasis dining choices is
the Windjammer. The multiple island stations seem to
obstruct an even flow of traffic and the omelet/eggs cooked
to order stations tend to easily get backed-up. Of course,
my suggestion would be to dine at one of the more pleasant
dining venues found throughout the ship.
●● Vegetarian and vegan food is readily available.
●● 150 Central Park is the signature restaurant on the Oasis
and at $35 pp cover, the most expensive. However, the chef,
Keri Ann Van Raesfeld (voted best young chef in the world at
the 2009 Culinary World Conference) is onboard to supervise
her culinary creations. Anywhere else dining in a similar
venue would set one back hundreds of dollars. It is worth
the splurge, in my opinion.
Miscellaneous Observations:
●● The décor of this ship exudes an elegance and refined
ambiance far superior to any other ship in their fleet. Many
of the small touches of class and subtle nuances that set
this ship apart from others is more reminiscent of a premium
or luxury class ship than its mainstream counterparts.
●● Ship stability: If you have clients that are concerned
with motion sickness, the Oasis is good choice. I had the
pleasure of talking at length to one of the lighting
technicians for the Aqua Show. She was onboard the ship as
it made its transatlantic crossing and encountered very
rough seas. For safety reasons, it delayed the planned
rehearsals for the aqua show, but that was the extent of the
stability issues. She explained that the motion was so
unnoticeable that we could have been sitting in the Aqua
Theater with glasses of wine on the tables and they would
not have moved. Those who have sailed her since its
inaugural cruise concur, there is virtually no motion and
unless one is visibly looking at the sea, are unaware that
the ship is even moving.
●● The Solarium truly is an adult oasis! For guests who seek
a quiet and serene environment, this is the place.
●● Unfortunately, there is no steam room or sauna in the spa
locker room. They are only found in the Thermal Suite which
costs $30 per day or $150 per week.
●● The video lifeboat drill at designated muster stations
makes for a much more pleasant “required activity”. It is
also nice that life jackets are not required as they are
stored at the indoor muster gathering stations.
●● Much praise has been given to the interactive computer
touch screens found near elevator banks and I must concur.
Not only can one easily find their stateroom, but location
and times of activities and the availability at the various
dining venues can be accessed.
●● Finding the gangway on port days can often be a
challenge. Not on the Oasis! There is a button on the
elevator for the gangway – no more guessing.
●● As this ship IS the destination, the Oasis is not a good
choice for itinerary cruisers.
Is the ship for everyone? Certainly not! Would I sail her
again? Most definitely! Do I have clients that are well
suited for an Oasis experience? Without a doubt and I am
sure you do too!
