ETALRA

I know this is way, way, WAY old...but for any who end up on this post via Google... The primary reason why the helipad is open to the public on Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom classes, but not on the Oasis class is due to how the helipad is accessed. There is a lot of speculation going on earlier in this thread, but this answer is directly from one of the officers when I attended an officer’s Q/A session onboard. On the aforementioned Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom classes, the helipad can be accessed by walking all the way forward on the outside promenade (under the lifeboats). You will reach stairs and viola...the helipad. It is accessed from a completely public and open area. On the oasis class, there is no real outside promenade. There’s the jogging track, but those who have sailed the other RCCL classes will know what I mean when I say that there normal outdoor promenade is absent on the Oasis class. If you were on the jogging track and went all the way forward, you’d be at the spa/fitness center, not the bow. The helipad on the Oasis class is accessed through an interior hallway and a watertight bulkhead. THIS is the primary reason that it isn’t open to the public. When there is an event such as a suite sail away party, a crew member directs guests to the helipad from a meeting area and the crew has to open and close the watertight bulkhead.