Feeling overwhelmed

[LauraOzo]

Not a first time cruiser, but first time BIG SHIP Cruiser...

Sailing on the Wonder in a week or so and Im feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do on board. I know the layout of the freedom class ships and it didnt take long to get the lay of the land. Second cruise, even though it was a different ship, it was still a freedom class, and I felt at home.

Enter the Oasis class and BLAMO soooooo big.... sooooo much to do.... sooooo many 'must do' things. 

I need to take some deep breaths, absorb as much as I can pre trip, and go with the flow once on board... but wowie zowie

Just this is just a post to say IM EXCITED!!!

Any tips to help me go with the flow? haha

 

[Villageidiot]

Book any shows before boarding that you can. Usually the big theater production (Cats, Grease etc) Aqua Show and Ice Show. Sometimes adult comedy shows iirc. Prepare to get your steps in as the ships are big. Enjoy the cruise

[Traveling Mike]

Relax and understand you will not experience everything on one cruise.  My suggestion would be:

1. Go to Central Park and find a bench to set on and just enjoy the park.  The best time to do this is in the evening when a string quartet is playing.
2. Go to Boardwalk and have a milkshake at Jonny Rockets at a table outside.  Best done middle of the afternoon.
3. Go to Royal Promenade at night and enjoy the big band playing.
4. Best of all no matter what age you are... Go to Deck 16 and ride The Ultimate Abyss Slide to Deck 6.  Make sure you scream all the way down.

[Ampurp85]

Wonder will be new and big. Especially in comparison to Freedom class. The first day will be utter chaos, so keep that in mind. You will get your steps in, even just trying to find a table in the WJ. 

As others stated, pre-book as much as you can. Larger ships can do a good job of handling crowds but people are people, so give yourself time and grace.

 

 

[HeWhoWaits]

6 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

Make sure you scream all the way down.

That's half the fun on big slides (like the drops on rollercoasters)!

[barjpoe]

f you haven't already booked an embarkation lunch go to Park Cafe.

[tjcruisers]

Book/reserve the entertainment you want when it becomes available for booking before the cruise. The nights of your entertainment, show up about 20-30 minutes early

First day is crazy with people exploring the ship, the last few times we've just went up to the solarium and grabbed a seat and drink until the room was ready. Also the mid ship elevators on the first day are pretty much unusable (promenade, central park, boardwalk, WJ) all feed off of them. If you need to use an elevator, use on the one at the front.

Steps, we tend to push 20,000+ a day on the Oasis class, so that 2nd dessert can be guilt free (Oasis class are the ships I weigh less getting off than getting on)

You wont be able to experience everything, so don't stress it and take time and relax

 

[WAYNO]

A wonderful cruise should be an escape.  Not a point of stress.

Early in the day, especially on a ship I haven't yet been on, I just wander aimlessly.  And if something interests me, I make a mental note to come back later, or I take advantage right on the spot.

Don't overthink all this!

[asquared17]

leverage deck 8/central park as often as you can, when traversing from end of the ship to the other. 

big crowds can be overwhelming to me, and while oasis class ships do a GREAT job at dispersing crowds, there’s something much easier about walking around when there’s open sky above you.

[Smokey79]

My wife and I were having major FOMO on our first Oasis ship cruise. We quickly realized once we took a breath, we were trying to do too much and it was making things stressful. We refocused on maintaining a stress free trip as priority. We still do a lot but we prioritize some things over others. We also take notes when we see something but we don’t really have time and we plan on doing that on the next cruise. This is especially true on a short 3/4 day cruise. I’d say it’s going to run you ragged trying to check off every box on an Oasis class shortie. Remember you can always go to NextCruise and book the ship again in the future. 
 

For me, this means I skip a lot of the trivia events and bingo on the shorties. My wife and kid don’t spend as much time at the pool unless it’s a port day morning and we stay onboard. There is also the option to do things individually or split up. My kid and I have done laser tag (highly recommend for kiddos) and my wife did the women of wine tasting while we were gone.  It can be done but never forget no stress should always be the focus. 

[Smokey79]

5 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

leverage deck 8/central park as often as you can, when traversing from end of the ship to the other. 

big crowds can be overwhelming to me, and while oasis class ships do a GREAT job at dispersing crowds, there’s something much easier about walking around when there’s open sky above you.

I’ll add the outside deck on the promenade level to skip that crowd and get some fresh air. 

[Smokey79]

Does Wonder have destination elevators? If so, those are a game changer. 

[JustinandBrooke]

Similar "problem" we've been on 10 cruises but never above Freedom class.  We're going on Utopia in January.  

I know about booking the entertainment in advance but ive never had to do it.  Where does one find these reservations?  How early do they appear?  Will I get a notice when they're available?  Do they normally fill quickly?  

Thanks in advance 

[need2cruz]

You can book the entertainment on the app or on a regular computer.  Times will start showing up around a month to 2 months out.  If for some reason the slots are all filled up (I've never encountered this because I obsessively start looking 2 months out, lol).  You will always be able to get to see the show by standing in the "stand-by" line on the day of. the show, if you arrive 45 minutes early.

[loki007]

11 hours ago, JustinandBrooke said:

Similar "problem" we've been on 10 cruises but never above Freedom class.  We're going on Utopia in January.  

I know about booking the entertainment in advance but ive never had to do it.  Where does one find these reservations?  How early do they appear?  Will I get a notice when they're available?  Do they normally fill quickly?  

Thanks in advance 

you can book usually about a month out and they will sell out on the cruise planner. That said you can still go to the shows. There will be a line for no reservations and they will start letting people in 15 minutes before the show. The aqua show no res line will look long but you will get a seat. Utopia is its own animal. I've been on Oasis and Allure and neither have the energy of Utopia. Its a busy ship with lots going on....just slow down and enjoy is my advice. 

[Mike n Ky]

On 8/29/2025 at 7:02 AM, HeWhoWaits said:

That's half the fun on big slides (like the drops on rollercoasters)!

The only 'screaming' I did was in frustration of having to get restarted after stopping in the slide several times. Took me so long to get to the bottom my wife made it down to the finish from the top before I did and she had to walk to the elevator and go down to the Boardwalk. And no, it wasn't because I barely fit in the tube. 

[DaveY]

On 8/29/2025 at 4:34 PM, tjcruisers said:

Steps, we tend to push 20,000+ a day on the Oasis class, so that 2nd dessert can be guilt free (Oasis class are the ships I weigh less getting off than getting on)

How many of those steps are because there are too many people for the elevator capacity?  I’m not kidding, going from a cruise on Navigator to Harmony tripled the elevator wait times.  And all the frustration that goes with it; the drunk folks who push themselves onto an already full lift, ambiguous “lines” for the next available elevator.  We gave up on the waits on day 2 with the exception of returning from dinner to our room on the 10th or 11th floor. We did it in stages by going to five first by stairs, having a drink or relaxing on the promenade, and depending on how long we stayed, either back to the room or up to 8 for the Central Park area chill and then trying for an elevator.  
 

when relaxation is the goal, I think the Oasis and larger ships make that more of a challenge. 

[asquared17]

On 8/31/2025 at 2:41 PM, DaveY said:

How many of those steps are because there are too many people for the elevator capacity

i will agree the lifts can get hectic especially at peak times. 

a hack/hot tip that we have leveraged successfully was to head from one end of the ship (say the back to the front) when things would get nuts. it didn’t always make it 100% better, but it did keep things moving. 

we also started to anticipate the crowds; for instance: if the first wave of dining was about to release, the first aqua show was about to end, or if the theater was letting out.

these were times we would try to end our activity a bit earlier than usual to get ahead of the crowds. walking through central park or the pool deck also gave us some breathing room. 

the worst is typically embarkation day because no one knows where they’re going and then we just try to hunker down somewhere before sailaway. 

[Jolly Ogre]

I have been on multiple Oasis class ships... Never have i done everything.

Just let it go and enjoy yourselves and then book another one to do the things you missed and so on and so on until you have done them all.

[Pattycruise]

My advice.

 Study the deck plans. Note where your cabin is in relation to the closest elevator and what is off those elevators on each deck (aft tends to be dining venues-main dining and windjammer). Forward is the theater and solarium (most ships)

 when you get onboard and find your elevator the next thing to do is orientate yourself. Ex-when facing the stairs from the elevator I need to go right to get to my corridor and then a left. Or, when I see the pretty flower picture above the stairs that’s the corridor on my side of the ship then I make a left to find my cabin.  

As stated  before use deck 5 (promenade), deck 8 (Central Park) or deck 11 (pool) to get to the opposite side of the ship. I find forward elevators are less crowded after meals and will go to those despite my cabin not being in that area. I’d rather do extra walking than wait on elevators. 
I rarely eat in the windjammer as it’s typically difficult to find seating.  I’ll grab a plate of food and go elsewhere. 

Central Park is my favorite place to grab a coffee or drink and people watch. 

I do show up early to events to ensure I get decent seating. (Shows totally open 45 minutes before the show-yes I’m that nut that will sit and wait as opposed to walking in 5 minutes before a show expecting prime seating. 

If it’s not a holiday or summer I can typically get a shared table and it’s a way to meet new people and share ship experiences.