cabradl

I don't know if it applies to the Oasis class but on the Oasis breakfast and lunch are complimentary...supper is specialty. It is a great alternative to MDR or Windjammer as it's smaller and quieter...love the views too! We didn't go to the Solarium for breakfast or lunch...one of the MANY things we didn't do...however, everyone said you won't get to do everything...hopefully we will do it on the Allure in May of 2018!

First of all, I want to thank everyone on here with their experiences and observations, Also want to thank Matt and his podcast and blog...I can't tell you how many times those bits of advice helped us! Miscellaneous notes in no order :-) We had read that it's best to go up to upper decks on embarkation day...absolutely true! It wasn't near as crowded and it let us explore the ship from front to back on the 15-17 deck level. We did Sabor and Solarium for our specialty dining...Solarium was amazing...it was quiet and the view was incredible...also, we were up there for lobster night...it was the most amazing culinary event in my life! Our waiter was Roel and he was the best waiter we've had ever...hate to make it sound like it was the best thing since sliced bread...but it really was! Sabor was very good too...the guacamole was awesome and the quesadillas were great! Both were not too expensive and in my opinion, well worth the extra cost! The rest of the time we did main dining room...the waiter we had there was awesome too...the food was very good, not quite great but close! Well, the desserts were great :-) We had breakfast at Johnny Rockets one day...it was "ok"...when we were there they didn't have much of a selection of tea...the food was also just "ok"...the rest of the time we went to MDR or Windjammer...both were very good...wife wasn't crazy about a buffet but there were several things there that were great...I think the thing about the Windjammer is that there is a lot of "ok" food but some of it really is outstanding! Our room was a Boardwalk balcony and it was pretty good...we were at 12307...no complaints...it wasn't loud late at night and i thought it might be...our other room (it was me, wife and 1 daughter(14) in one room and our other 2 daughters (23 and 14) in the other)...was inside stateroom (14273) and it definitely worked for 2 people...our room attendant was great, however the room attendant for the other room was just "ok"... On Labadee we went to Columbus cove early(another tip from everyone on here) and it was great advice! It wasn't crowded when we got a great spot on the beach. 2 daughters went on the zip line and it was a lot of fun for them! The tram person didn't say where to get off for whatever venue you were going to...so if you knew, it was ok, if you didn't know, it would be difficult...another daughter did the volleyball games and everyone there was there for good competitive fun...it wasn't ultra competitive but you got to play hard! Beach and water was great...not too rocky as I'd read there were rocky spots...the local vendors there were a bit too aggressive...i get it, they gotta make a living, but I think RC could make it a better experience (and more profitable for them) if they could manage that a little better.. On Jamaica, this might have been the best..we got an all day pass at Hilton Rose Hall(not thru RC)...we got on the bus (there were only about 12 of us) and rode the 20 minutes to Montego Bay...we got a cabana and there was someone there that waited on us ALL DAY..."do you want some Red Stripe?"..."would you like some food?"...it was a great, relaxing day...the lazy river, the swim up bar and the incredibly nice people of Jamaica... For Cozumel, we had no excursions...which was ok...we wanted to shop some and then get back on the boat early...so we did! If you have Verizon, don't count on getting service...we couldn't get service all day...but that was ok... We got the Voom with the drink package...which was great! We could all get on the internet at various times as it's for one device at a time...not just ONE device...worked well for our family of 5...the drink package worked for me :-)...early in the trip i would go to a bar and get a bud light unopened and put it back in the small fridge in our room...i found the fridge holds about 13 beers...so at the end of the night, i'd sit and have a couple beers while watching the channel for 'bridge view'... Cafe Promenade was great...loved the sandwiches and brownies...and the coffee...get a cafe select card for 31 bucks...that's a great buy! Sorrentos pizza is really, really good! Especially late at night! :-) The shows were all great...Cats needs to be replaced as that show just doesn't 'ring the bell' like other shows do...performers were top shelf though...Someone posted earlier about the Coke machines not being available or in a working state...gotta agree there...but it was ok as we just stopped at Sorrentos, Cafe Promenade or a bar for a coke...we had 2 coke packages included in one of our rooms... Lastly, we booked another cruise for next year...same time, last week of May...this time aboard the Allure!

Upon further review... We (wife and I) didn't think enough about the points that the great folks here said...that RC is a lot cheaper than Disney...someone said that it's best to think of it as a la carte rather than the 'nickel and dimeing'. It's better to only purchase what you need. Great advice from all...and great reminders! We wanted something 'cheaper' than Disney and we got that...however, we lost track of the 'pay for only what you want' aspect. Our main gripe with RC was not having a good way for family members to easily (and free) communicate with each other like it is on the Quantum class or Disney. Again, great advice from all, and thanks for the re-adjustment to our thinking...we were miffed about the communication options and that resulted in some sweeping generalizations which were not expressed well.

We are headed out on our first cruise with Royal Caribbean and so far I am annoyed with the way they do business. It's not enough to pay a premium for the cruise, RC also nickel and dimes you for everything. You want cokes or sodas? there's a package for that! $$$$ you want internet? there's a package for that! $$$$ There are other packages as well but the ones I'm referring to in this post are for conveniences that are free of charge on other cruise lines such as Disney. I am annoyed because in order to keep in contact with other family members on the cruise, there is not a way for us to communicate unless we buy a internet package. We are traveling on the OASIS and bear in mind that this isn't cheap! After researching today, we found out that the Quantum level ships offer texting via their phone app without any additional costs. This service is not available for any of the other ship classes. I think this is ridiculous and so classless of RC. I called their 'customer service' line about and the person told me they had never had a complaint about this. Really? I don't believe it. The only way we can communicate with each other (when we are not sitting by each other) is by buying another package for $350. This is our first cruise with RC and it will be our last. I really wish we had gone with Disney again, but we thought we would try something new this time. I regret that decision!~