Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - Oasis of the Seas Listener Cruise Review

Royal Caribbean has been experimenting with offering guests various drink package offers beyond the usual unlimited drink packages and on Oasis of the Seas this week, there is a 10 drink card offer that has been spotted.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Dan Kohout sent us this photo of an offer for 10 drinks for $79 on Oasis of the Seas.

Guests can pay one price for 10 drinks at any onboard, bar, restaurant and lounge that is valid for the purchase of most beers, glasses of wine and cocktails, as well as fountain sodas, specialty coffee and fresh juices.

We also received a report from Kris Leppien-Christensen, onboard Liberty of the Seas, of a similar offer this week, where guests can purchase ten drinks for $69.

Royal Caribbean has been experimenting with these special offers over the last couple of weeks, with a one-day unlimited alcohol package on Enchantment of the Seas and a 10 drink ticket on Grandeur of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean spokesperson Celia de la Llama told Cruise Critic, "Ships have been given the option to test different beverage package offerings onboard.  The decision of which program to offer, if any, is made by the ship."

Would you buy a drink ticket like this instead of an unlimited alcohol package? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Onboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, guests can purchase something called the ultimate thermal suite pass.  Royal Caribbean Blog reader Christie McLarty decided to try it for herself and share the experience with everyone!

We purchased the ultimate thermal suite pass for two for the week. 

The cost was $250, and included use of the razul/mud room and a private jacuzzi (later referred to as bathing suite).  You had to schedule these with the spa and each lasted an hour. 

For both services, you check in with the front desk and wait in the relaxation room until a staff member brings you to the room and explains everything in detail before leaving you alone for the remainder of the time.  They knock on the door when you have ten minutes remaining.  

The razul room consisted of a few steps to exfoliate and cleanse the skin. 

The first was a salt scrub.  You apply this to yourself or your partner and then rinse it off in the shower.  Afterwards, you apply several facial cleansers and masks from Elemis. 

These were slightly confusing because the directions on the back of the bottle were for the spa, not for an average consumer such as "apply as per Elemis training."  We tried to figure out what to do with each one. 

Next, you apply a thin layer of the green mud mask to each other or to yourself.  You then sit in the steam room for about 15-20 minutes.  It goes through several cycles of steam until a nozzle at the top kicks on and washes the mud off of you. 

If the nozzles don't get all the mud off, there are spray shower heads to finish rinsing off.  There are towels and robes to use afterwards.  The mud mask had a cooling effect similar to icy hot.  

The jacuzzi was more like a two person private bathtub.  She stated that she put elemis detox products in the bath and this may cause us to sweat.  She showed us how to operate the tub and then left us alone. 

There was a shower to use after and elemis facial products left out as well.  Since we had just finished with the razul treatment, we skipped the facial cleansing.  I brought an iPad and we caught up on some shows that I had downloaded. 

It was very relaxing and I would definitely do it again.  Hope this helps someone!   

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas has a lot of stateroom options to choose from and today we have a great photo tour of two connecting staterooms that share a balcony.

On Oasis of the Seas, Kim Olsen shared photos of staterooms 8574 and 8576, which are located on Deck 8.  Entry to the room is via your SeaPass card.

Like many balcony staterooms, there is a lot of natural light coming from the balcony upon entering the stateroom.

These staterooms offer a lot of storage options inside. It seems like the newer the Royal Caribbean ship, the more storage space there is.

Each Category D7 stateroom features floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that lead to your private veranda, two twin beds that convert to a queen-sized bed, considerable closet space, a private bathroom with shower, as well as a living area with desk, drawer space, vanity, and sofa.

Each stateroom also has its own flat-screen television, thermostat controlled air-conditioning, internet access, direct-dial telephone, radio, mini bar, individual safe, and 24 hour room service.

The balcony measures 53 square feet and in this case of connecting staterooms, Kim's stateroom attendant was able to open up the balcony dividers.

Here is a great shot of both staterooms with their doors open.

Tiffany & Co. opened their first store at sea this week on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and we have photos from all around this new spot.

Guests can shop at the Tiffany shop and get their own blue box by going to the Central Park neighborhood.

Special thanks to Brooks Ehrhart for sending these photos to us!

The first Tiffany & Co. at sea has opened on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

Sue Karalun shared this photo of the brand new store that opened on the ship earlier today.

Tiffany & Co. store is available for guests to shop at in the Central Park neighborhood of the ship, and replaces the Britto store that used to be in this location.

The Tiffany & Co. boutique will extend 875 square feet and feature meticulous attention to detail and noble materials, including marble, glossy lacquers, polished metals, cerused walnut paneling, velvet drapery and upholstered walls. 

“Nothing can compare to the Oasis-class vacation experience, a testament to Royal Caribbean’s 40 year legacy of innovation,” said Mark Tamis, senior vice president, Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International. “Tiffany & Co. is a distinguished global luxury brand and having a boutique on board will truly enrich the premium onboard experience for our guests. From surprising your loved one with a timeless keepsake to popping the question with the perfect engagement ring, what better way to remember a cruise adventure of a lifetime.”

It appears Royal Caribbean is providing life jackets for children to use in the pools on Oasis of the Seas.

Leigh Cormack from the Oasis of the Seas Cruisers...Past, Present, Future Facebook group took these photos of the new life jackets.

The sign reads, "Children's Swimming Pool Life Jackets are available for the safety all children.  They are to be used on the Oasis Pool Deck."

We have not spotted life jackets for pool use like this previously.

The life jackets for children could be a response to recent pool accidents involving drownings.

Do you think Royal Caribbean offering life jackets for kids in the pool is a good idea? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas has a lot of different staterooms to choose from and today, we will look at the Royal Suite with Balcony (RS) stateroom to give you an idea of what to expect if you book this category.

Harold Banks took photos of his Royal Suite, which was in stateroom 1701 on Oasis of the Seas during the July 11, 2015 sailing.

The Royal Suite measures in at 1250 square feet and has a balcony that is 172 square feet.

Grand Suites on Oasis of the Seas feature Grand entrance with doorbell, master bedroom with Queen bed and sitting area, master bath with tub, shower, two sinks and bidet. Living room sofa converts to a double bed; guest bathroom with shower, entertainment center, and the dining room features a dry bar, piano area with dry bar, closets, an interactive flat-screen TV, mini-safe, radio, telephone, and a hairdryer. The private balcony features a Jacuzzi and dining area.

All photos by Harold Banks

Royal Caribbean announced this evening that due to the anticipated path of Hurricane Danny in the Atlantic, two Royal Caribbean cruise ships will have their itinerary changed.

Adventure of the Seas, which departs from San Juan, Puerto Rico, will not call on St. Johns, Antigua, Castries, St. Lucia and Bridgetown, Barbados this weekend.

Oasis of the Seas will also skip her scheduled Eastern Caribbean itinerary and instead, sail a Western Caribbean route with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

Royal Caribbean also indicated passengers sailing on Freedom of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Independence of the Seas to stay tuned for further updates if the storm's track will impact their itinerary.

Royal Caribbean is monitoring the progress of Hurricane Danny and will make further updates as needed.

All this week, we are helping first time Royal Caribbean cruisers with all aspects of the cruise vacation.  Check back every day for a new post aimed at those who are new to Royal Caribbean!

Royal Caribbean has a large fleet of cruise ships and quite often new cruisers are attracted to the world's largest cruise ships, the Oasis class.  

Whether you are sailing on Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas, here is what you need to know about these ships if you are new to cruising.

The ship is big but easy to navigate

Yes, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are the two largest cruise ships in the world (as of the writing of this blog post) but that does not mean these ships are impossible to navigate.  

Despite their size, Royal Caribbean designed these ships to be easy to get around.  Each ship has 7 distinct neighborhoods that have their own look and feel.  The neighborhood concept makes getting around easier because areas of the ship do not blend into each other.

One of the best things you can do once onboard these ships is walk around and explore.  There is a ton to see and do on the Oasis class ships and beyond just knowing where everything is, there is lots to discover.  Art, activities, live music, decor and more are in all the neighborhoods.

Embarkation day is a great time to just walk around the ship and explore because it is the one day of the cruise where there is not a ton of activities going on. 

Here are some areas you will definitely want to explore early

• Central Park
• Boardwalk
• Take a spa tour
• Walk the Royal Promenade
• Find Adventure Ocean (if you have kids)

You will discover a lot more but just finding these handful of areas onboard will be a good starting point.

 Also be sure to explore these areas at night too.  Places like Central Park and the Boardwalk literally transform when the sun goes down and can be great spots to sit and enjoy the view.

TOP 10 OASIS OF THE SEAS HIDDEN SECRETS

Don't miss the shows

The entertainment on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are really hard to beat and Royal Caribbean has put on them some of the best shows you will find across Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Even if you aren't "a show person", Royal Caribbean puts on some impressive entertainment that caters to a lot of tastes.  You will find Broadway shows, ice skating, water shows and a whole lot more!

Speaking of Broadway, each ship has their own Broadway show.  Oasis of the Seas is showing Cats and Allure of the Seas is showing Mamma Mia!.

By far the Broadway shows and the shows in the Aqua Theater stand out as must-see entertainment on either ship.

One important tip if you are new to cruising is on Oasis class ships you can book your entertainment in advance from the comfort of home.

Select shows offer the ability to book reservations in advance via Royal Caribbean's web site.  Don't worry, there is no cost to do this, but we recommend booking any entertainment you can in advance to avoid lines at show time.

All you have to do is go to My Cruises and then log in (register an account if you have not done so already).  Then find your cruise reservation and go to the Cruise Planner.  A few clicks later and you should be able to reserve your entertainment.

Keep in mind that reservations for entertainment is usually available for booking 64-60 days in advance of your cruise.  Check our planning timeline for more information on when things like entertainment can be reserved.

There are a lot of specialty restaurants (and you should try some of them)

There are plenty of complimentary restaurants to eat at on your Royal Caribbean cruise but you should really consider dining at some of the specialty restaurants available onboard.

Specialty restaurants are restaurants where there is an additional charge to dine there.  Usually, there is just a cover charge that includes the cost of the meal and gratuity, although some restaurants are priced a la carte too.

The reason you want to try some of these specialty restaurants out is because of the wide variety of really good food they offer.

Sushi, Italian, American, Mexican and more are available at these restaurants on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.  Either browse their menus online or walk by the restaurants during your cruise and check out what they offer.

Remember there are some good ways to save money off the cost of specialty restaurants, so there is no excuse to pay full price!

What would you recommend to someone going on Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas? Share your tips in the comments!