RGobran

6 minutes ago, Buzzard05 said:

We did not sail on the Oasis, but on Harmony...so very similar.  Here are some things that you might find useful:

* Unless for transportation reasons, I wouldn't wait to get on the ship late, I would get on as early as I could in order to enjoy an extra day on the ship.  These ships are HUGE and having that extra time allows you to get your bearings, as well as see and experience some of the cool stuff available, while it is less crowded.  We were given a check-in time around noon, but arrived at 10:45 and were literally on the ship by 11:00.  

* There are more places to eat on that ship than you can actually do in a week...and most are covered by your cruise fare.  That was actually one of the drawbacks I found on these huge ships.  There would be a place that I liked to eat, but I wanted to try the other stuff too and never made it back to some of those places that I liked.

* Lunch - Park Cafe was actually a very nice place to grab lunch.  It was never crowded and had a pretty good selection of sandwiches and salads.

* You might find it nice to splurge one night (or two) in one of the specialty restaurants. We did Chops Grille for dinner and Sabor for lunch and loved it.  

* When we went to book our My Time Dining, I kept getting a notice that I couldn't do that.  However, a poster on here posted a workaround that allowed me to get in and do my scheduling.  If you still have trouble, shoot me a message and I will see if I can find that post.

* Check your cruise planner for when the shows become available to reserve.  There are TONS of people on the ship wanting to see the same shows you do.  Getting our reservations in for the times we wanted just gave me some peace of mind that we would be able to see everything on a schedule that suited us.  With that said, plenty of people got into the shows without reservations...but you have to line up well before the show time and hope that you make it.  On our sailing, Grease was the headliner, and it had an enormous line.  I doubt everyone in that line got in.

* As another poster suggested, you can go and order things like drink packages, internet, even excursions now and then keep checking the Cruise Planner.  You may find things go on sale and you can just cancel your original purchase and re-buy.  I did that with my drink package, internet, and some excursions on our trip (not huge savings...but savings nonetheless).

* Check the Cruise Planner religiously for sales and for when things like show reservations become available.  I would also book as much stuff online as possible and only use Guest Services or the Excursion Desk if I absolutely had to.  Not that they give you bad service, actually just the opposite.  However, there are lots of people on that ship and you will end up spending valuable vacation time standing in line to do something you could have done online.

* Research the blog portion of this site (not just the message boards) for posts about the Oasis.  You will find a ton of information out there that is kind of cool to know before you board.

I believe this post should be pinned for first timers, so many valuable info. Thanks Buzzard. 

Yes, i still can't access my time dinning. 

Most helpful board on the internet...Thanks a lot Matt,Sabrina and JLMoran

I wish i can help some future first timers the way you helped me :)

28 minutes ago, BrianAlt said:

I recommend this...

The Almost Complete Food Lovers Guide.pdf

Thanks Brian, had a lot of insider tips, made sure to take some notes.

40 minutes ago, Matt said:

You might get some insight with this First Timer's Guide to Oasis of the Seas blog post.

Super guide, thanks a lot Matt, very useful. This answered questions: 2,34. Can you help with the others as well please thanks. Appreciated.

First of all, i apologize for the silly 101-questions, this is first time i am sailing and found this board to rescue me.

Here we go: My reservation is for the Oasis of the sea Eastern Caribbean cruise (7 nights) on the 20th of May. Occean view balcony (14th deck)

1) Beverage packages: From what i read, there should be some discounts/sale at some point, but it has been 2 months now since i made the reservation and i've not seen any discounts on the packages [ deluxe package remains to be at $55/p) and both people in the same room must purchase it? now my wife(to be) doesn't drink much alcohol, why shall i purchase her a deluxe package, is there anyway around this? 

2) I am really lost when it comes to food on the ship!!! I read a couple of topics about dinner and that there are 2 options for that. What about breakfast and lunch? what are the restaurants on board and what times do they operate? are they all included in the package or do we pay extra?

3)  In the plan my cruise website, when i check the dining options, the website says I cannot reserve this right now, does it open reservation a certain time before cruise day?

4) It says that the ship starts sailing 4.30 PM on the 20th of May, what is the latest time i can check in the ship? How long does the process take?

5) Internet package - shall i purchase that package now, or wait for a discount as well for this?

6) Do you recommend i choose/buy my off shore excursions now, or wait to find deals on the ship?

7) The cruise itinerary is Orlande, Labadee, St. Maartin and San Juan - Do you recommend any in particular shore excursions?

8) Shall i pay the gratitude package from now as well or do it on ship? i don't really understand the system.

Thanks a lot for your help and once again i apologize for these questions, i am sure they were answered 100 of times before. Also if you have any advice for first timers, it would be great.

cheers:)

Ramy