MattG

Yes. We're doing exactly this on Oasis, and Kids Sail Free saved us a boatload (pun intended). You do pay Taxes & Port Fees, but their cruise fare is zeroed out.

45 DAYS OUT Didn't sleep great last night, got up early for work, which worked out in our favor because I was able to secure a 10:30am check-in time!

They will 100% change the regular price. They did it on our DBP.

Percentage literally does not matter. Ever. Only look at the actual dollar amount. I got UDP at $168 when it was "45% OFF ONBOARD PRICES". Now it's $219, and guess what % off is...

Best price i've seen for my October Oasis cruise is $65/day. Best price i've ever seen was Anthem last December at $50/day.

We're on Oasis in October. Here's my tracking sheet for the past 6 months, green boxes are the lowest price i've seen, and yellow boxes are when I purchased:

Following! We're on Oasis two weeks after you. If you can manage it, photos of the Cruise Compass (during or after, no big deal) would be great! Have a wonderful time!

For review, here's the Cruise Planner history for some select items for our October Oasis sailing - items in GREEN are the lowest price since i've been tracking, items in YELLOW means we purchased at that price (click for larger version):

Sale is live! AND i'm a little frustrated, because i'm seeing two different deals, depending on whether or not i'm logged in: LOGGED OUT, DBP is $67.99: LOGGED IN, DBP is $72.99:

Snapshot_of_CruisePlanner_Offers-2022-07-29.pdf

Dates: July 29, 2022 – August 3, 2022 Sailing Window: August 1 – May 31, 2023 (Availability of offers varies by eligible ships and individual tours - details are below) International Markets: Australia, Ireland, Israel, Latin America, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom Ships: ALL Sailings: Select Alaska, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, New Zealand, South Pacific, Reposition & Transatlantic sailings Exclusions: SC + Charter Sailings Offer Details: Beverage: up to 40% off Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% Off onboard prices Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 30% Off onboard prices Spring Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices. San Benedetto Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices. Evian Water Bottles: 40% off onboard prices. Deluxe Beverage Package: 30% Off onboard prices Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific percentages off. Refreshment Package: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific percentages off. Shore Excursions: Up to 25% off Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific percentages off. Internet: Up to 50% Off VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific percentages off. VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific percentages off. Dining: Up to 50% Off Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific percentages off. Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off Anniversary Decorations with Champagne Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries Inky Beach Set Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe) Inky Travel Set Red Wine and Cheese Royal Caribbean Beach Towel Strawberries with Champagne White Wine and Cheese Photo Packages: Up to 70% off Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific packages and percentages off. Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific packages and percentages off. Photo Package: All Digital: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific packages and percentages off. Casitas: Up to 20% Off Casita Packages: 20% Off Onboard Prices Spa: Up to 30% Off Spa Packages: Discount varies by ship. Please see spreadsheet for specific percentages off. Offer applies to bookings made between July 29, 2022 – August 3, 2022 and before Booking Deadline stated in Cruise Planner, whichever is earlier. Offer applies to select sailings departing August 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023. Price reflects savings. VAT is included in price where applicable. Percentage discount is off of onboard prices when noted in the banner. Other select amenities offer discounts from the regular selling price. Offer is non-transferable and not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts or any other offer or promotion. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time without prior notice. The terms and conditions of each amenity and package type apply. See amenity description for details.

This is not limited to UDP - every specialty dining reservation is subject to the same restrictions, whether you pay "cash" or use a dining plan. On UDP, yes. It's about preparation and planning - Main Dining Room preps and cooks thousands of courses in advance, and that is baked into your cruise fare. If you want an elevated dining experience, both in service and quality of product, you pay an elevated price, and there's a different set of rules. If you don't like it, don't use it. All of that being said, @EmersonNZis correct - while UDP is not "unlimited food per seating", it certainly is "unlimited reservations" - you can go to Chops as many times as you like per day/evening if you want. I know people who eat dinner at Chops, then go to 150CP for dessert. You can go to Izumi, eat $35 of food, and walk away and come back 10 minutes later and eat another $35 of food. Same with Playmakers. If I paid out of pocket for each reservation I have on my upcoming Oasis sailing, i'd be paying $525. instead, I paid $167 for UDP. It's an incredible value.

You can usually ask your stateroom attendant for a copy of the Cruise Compass, they can leave one in your stateroom each day.

DBP was $49/day on Anthem in December 2021, and $59/day with DBP+VOOM. I'm hoping the price starts to crash as we get closer to cruise day.

Grandeur is a classic, and because of it you're super limited. Park Cafe in the Solarium is the alternate to Windjammer, for proper meals you've got MDR and the three specialty dining you mentioned, and that's it. Are they offering a 3-night dining package? If so, what's the price?

Oasis in October 2022: Currently $72.99/day As low as $65.99/day in January As high as $78.99/day Also seen $88/day BOGO 50% off

While I have everyone here... How are portion sizes in specialty dining compared to MDR? I've noticed app portions being small, entrees being average, and desserts being small. I'm COMPLETELY okay with this because I would always end up ordering multiples if I wanted to try something new. With @MicDaycommenting on being stuffed, and others saying "it's a lot of food...", I'm curious if the portions are larger in specialty dining?

You're right, it looks like this is almost an "Izumi Express" option - Anthem has something similar. Here's an RCB post about Izumi on Adventure, with the reduced menu: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/02/12/first-look-menu-and-prices-izumi-restaurant-adventure-of-the-seas

On my upcoming Oasis trip (your mileage may vary on Adventure, but onboard prices should be comparable) Chops Grille - $55/person in Cruise Planner, $65/person onboard Giovanni's Table - $42/person in Cruise Planner, $50/person onboard Izumi Sushi - $29/person in Cruise Planner, $35/person onboard Dining Packages for my Oasis trip on Cruise Planner Chops+1 - $84/person 3-Night Dining - $102/person Unlimited Dining - $208/person For the quantity of food (app, entree, dessert), the "onboard" prices is what the wife and I would spend at home at a comparable restaurant. Yes Not sure if they add gratuity on the check or not. If not, you can add it to the check or pay cash. Chops Grille https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/chops-grille-menu-sample.pdf Giovanni's Table https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/giovannis-table-menu-sample.pdf Izumi Sushi https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/izumi-menu-sample.pdf Johnny Rockets https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/menus/johnny-rockets-menu-sample.pdf

This is our plan on our upcoming Oasis cruise, has anyone else done this? We hope to let the kiddos (there will be 5 of them on this one!) explore the Boardwalk while we decompress from travel/embarkation.

Read the fine print of the UDP, Unlimited usually means: No charge to visit Chops, 150CP, Giovanni's, and Johnny Rockets and enjoy one app, one entrée, one dessert per visit (i've heard the app limits are flexible) No charge to visit Izumi Sushi, enjoy up to $35 in food per visit. No charge to visit Playmakers, enjoy up to $20 in food per visit No charge to visit Port Side BBQ and enjoy $20 in food per visit. $10 surcharge to visit Izumi Hibachi $50 surcharge to visit Chef's Table Does not include "premium experiences", including menu items with surcharge (lobster at Chops, for instance), Taste of Royal, Holiday Celebration dinners, etc

Hi everyone! We're off on another family adventure, this time on Oasis. It's me (mid-30s M), Dear Wife (mid-30s F), and our three kids (6F, 4F, and 2M). This is a sequel to our December 2021 trip on Anthem, and something i've been looking forward to since that trip (being honest - i've been looking forward to this trip before we even embarked on Anthem!) There are some things that will be the same from that trip: same family same departure port (Bayonne, NJ) same itinerary (Sea Day, Port Canaveral, Nassau, Coco Cay, 2 Sea Days). But there's a lot more that will be different: Better wrangle of COVID: COVID was a burden for us last December - getting tests, testing in the terminal, everyone wearing masks, etc. They were all necessary steps, and I wouldn't have changed a thing. However, with vaccines now being available for kids under 5, everyone will be fully vaccinated by the time we cruise. We can't be more excited to have them "in the bubble" with us and be considered part of the fully vaccinated members on the ship. Also, we're definitely taking @Matt's advice and bringing a handful of COVID tests with us! Oasis-class (from Quantum-class): On Anthem, I felt like we disembarked having done everything we could have done on that ship. COVID knocked out a lot of family activities, which came back throughout this spring based on the Cruise Compasses that have come out from Anthem. Every time I think about kids activies on Oasis, I lose track! I'm really excited for there to always be something to do (Ultimate Abyss, Splashaway Bay, Adventure Ocean, Merry-Go-Round, more pools) Dining: On Anthem, our goal was to fully embrace the Windjammer and MDR for meals. We also really liked the consistency and structure of both venues when it came to routine with the kids. Our serving staff in MDR on Anthem were, without a doubt, the best part of the entire cruise. As parents, they made our lives as painless as possible. From a food perspective, Windjammer and MDR were good, but not great or mind-blowing. At the time, UDP on Anthem was $220/person, and specialty dining wasn't in the cards. Once we booked Oasis and I got into the Cruise Planner, I saw UDP for $167/day. With 150CP and Chops going for $60+, convincing DW that $24/day for specialty dining was easy, especially with the increased variety on Oasis. Stateroom: On Anthem, we also had our nanny (20F), so we did two connecting interior staterooms. They were gorgeous and gave us room to spread out. By the time we cruise on Oasis, our nanny will have moved on, so it's just the 5 of us. When I browsed the Oasis deckplans, I saw some 5+ rooms, including Central Park Balcony rooms. It was break-even in cost to switch from 2x interior to 1x CP balcony, so we made the switch. We're very curious to see 1) how the 5 of us cope being in one room, and 2) how the balcony changes the dynamic of the room. Price: Our price for 2 interior staterooms on Anthem (after taxes, before grats) for 3 adults and 3 kids was $3,228. On Oasis, our 5-person CP Balcony started at $4,471, but with several price drops, promos, and Kids Sail Free, our total on Final Payment Date was $2,332. Unbelievable. Endless thanks and praise to @Sharlaat MEI Travel for making this happen, and for putting up with my incessant requests to re-check pricing Thank you, Sharla! Our Goals on Oasis: Truly embrace specialty dining: having our fill of WJ and MDR, we're going the polar opposite direction and going HAM on specialty dining thanks to UDP. Probably not the smartest idea, but we're doing it for SCIENCE! Escape room: I'm a huge space nerd, and can't wait to check out the Apollo 18 escape room Stress less about activities, especially for the kids: on Anthem, I felt like I had to always be planning the "next thing" for the kids. I don't feel I need to do that on Oasis, there's always some place to go or something new to check out. See Aqua80s: I'm an 80s/90s kid, i've heard this show is fantastic. Avoid Cats (maybe): Not sure if this will be possible, our kids loved all the mainstage shows on Anthem. Who knows, maybe i'll like it... Embrace the uniqueness of Oasis: Splashaway Bay, water slides, Ultimate Abyss, super-tall rock wall (20% taller than Anthem), Central Park & the Boardwalk, etc

Can confirm. Printed copies made checking in so much faster. When I was checking in my 5-person family, I had sorted my vax cards, test results, passports, and setsail passes by person. That was a bad idea, because the various check-in persons wanted everyone’s vax cards at once; then everyone’s setsail passes at once, then everyone’s passports, etc. When/if vax and testing requirements are dropped, having the SetSail pass in the Wallet makes more sense (especially if passports are digitized the same way drivers licenses are being digitized in MD and AZ). Until then, paper all the way.

We got it for two reasons: 1) We did MDR on Anthem last winter, and had so/so experiences. UDP was $220/person then. 2) Coming up Oasis, we saw it for $167/person, and felt it was too good to resist.

RC has said on-board spending has gone waaaaay up since COVID, I’m wondering if cruising is drawing a different clientele? Aside from regular cruisers, has anyone noticed a different customer base? I don’t cruise frequently enough to judge. Maybe some of the MEI or other TAs can chime in on if they’ve seen a demographic change.