DScott

Was just wondering if anyone has done this recently? Wondering how much time is spent on the boat and how much on the island? How is the beach/food? Any info would be appreciated!

On Oasis, embarkation night they had it just behind the solarium bar. After that first night I never saw an outside smoking area besides the casino. Maybe there just weren't a lot of smokers on the ship, but never saw anyone smoking or any ashtrays anywhere outside

So my wife and I just got home from our 1st cruise, it was on Oasis of the Seas last week. Thought I'd share a few observations that might help other newbies. First thanks to Matt for all the great videos and info, I can't tell you how much they helped! So we have just reached that point in life where our kids are old enough to leave home alone and we don't have to plan vacations for them, but now for us. So we decided to cruise. I'll just say, overall about the experience...wow. I've never had a more relaxing and fun vacation. The staff and amenities of the Oasis were just incredible. They were eager to help, and went out of their way to answer any need we had. There is so much to do on the ship, I don't think we even saw it all. We had a great time, and we are already planning next years cruise. If you've never cruised before and are on the fence, I'd say jump in and give it a go! (A caveat to this - we enjoy relaxing and having a drink, sitting on the beach, etc - we don't need to go hiking, biking, be busy all the time, we are happy to sit, chat, and watch the world go by. A cruise seems like the perfect place for this.) Some standout stuff: Portside BBQ - wow great bbq, such a surprise! Recommend the chicken wings or brisket, so tender! Izumi sushi - we did both the hibachi and sushi sides, the hibachi was great, but the sushi dinner was a highlight! CoCo Beach Club restaurant - one of the best meals we had, and easily the best steak (Chops was decent but this place killed it) Globe and Atlas Pub - Our bar of choice, relaxing , great staff, and entertainment. Spent a lot of time here! (although for comfort - Schooner Bar had the most comfortable chairs heh) Things that could improve: The mattresses, uhg, not great. We found out too late that you could get a mattress topper and they were all out. The AC (in stateroom) is not quite cool enough, and hot water was not quite hot enough. Not enough to be a real annoyance, but noticeable. (I understand that the ship has to make all its own power for these things so it is forgivable) Our cabin steward was able to bring us a fan for the room which made sleeping just fine. Other thoughts: Unlimited Drink package...we were going to get it, then decided not too as the wife didn't think she would drink enough to make it worthwhile. Boy were we wrong hah. Luckily we were able to upgrade to it a couple days in. So if your teetering on the fence whether to get it or not, I'd have to say go for it. Main dining room was great, never had a meal that we didn't really enjoy, and the staff was outstanding. Windjammer buffet was average, about what you'd expect from a buffet. Shore excursions - seemed so short, like there was never enough time. We did splurge on a cabana at Labadee and it was sooo worth it, the privacy, comfort, and service were well worth the price of admission. I was surprised by the number of people that just came up and sat down in our lounge chairs and stuff, wierd, then you have to feel like kinda a dick shooing them out, and of course they all got mad when we said anything. Speaking of other people, wow people like to complain. We had a hard time meeting others, seems all people want to talk about was the bad things...its too crowded...there's kids on board...I waited 7 minutes to be seated....etc etc. All things that we hadn't noticed or didn't bother us at all. People need to learn to relax and enjoy. (We did meet some nice people, it wasn't all bad hah) Anyway, overall we had a great time and can't wait to get back! Our only question now is do we stick with what we now know will be good (RC) or try out some other cruise lines? Either way it will be fun to figure out!