Oasis of the Seas

OASIS OF THE SEAS 220,000 gross tons 5400 passengers (double occupancy) 2700 staterooms 2000 crewmembers 22 knot cruising speed 16 passenger decks Norwegian officers and international crew Bahamas registry Entering service: December 2009

Best For People Who Want:
Bragging rights to a ticket upon the world's largest cruise ship. The feeling of a city-at-sea; Mass appeal to children of all ages; non-stop nightlife

Should Be Avoided By People Who Prefer:
A small ship with lots of quiet spaces; single, open seating or intimate dining; a close-to-the-sea cruise.

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Onboard Experience:
Oasis of the Seas, at 220,000-ton, will debut November 2009 as the biggest cruise ship in the world ever built by at least 30% - both in size and in passenger capacity. But lest you think Oasis is just an expanded version of any other cruise ship, a thought that does not appeal to some people, let me explain that Oasis is not just another cruise ship. It is a completely new design in ships unlike anything ever built before. Whereas previous Royal Caribbean mega-ships feature one area that the company now refers to as a "neighborhood," the open indoor expanse called the Royal Promenade, Oasis of the Seas has seven such neighborhoods; a larger Royal Promenade, Central Park, the Boardwalk, the Entertainment Zone, the Youth Center, the Sports Zone and the Spa and Fitness center.

The two new open air neighborhoods, Central Park and the Boardwalk, are what make the ship truly unique in design, aside from her overwhelming size, of course. Central Park is a grassy area - with real growing turf - surrounded by cozy shops and cafés. The Boardwalk is what it sounds like, a busy fun-zone with a real carousel, hot dog stands, kiosks and ice cream parlors. At the far aft end of the ship is an "AquaTheater" for swimming during the day and spectacular water-themed production shows at night.

The deck atop these neighborhoods will be an additional water zone with two flo-rider surfing machines, a complete kid's water park, a swim-against-the-flow pool, two hot tubs and two swimming pools up there as well.

The Oasis Royal Promenade is longer and wider than the Freedom and Voyager-class ships. Here you'll find the boutiques found on the Freedom class vessels, including an ice cream stand; Vintages wine bar; Mondo Coffee Bar ($2.50 per cappuccino but plenty of delicious free pastry and sandwiches); Sorrentos for free pizza and pastries anytime; a champagne bar, various gift shops and A Close Shave, charging an outrageous $72 for a shave. The English-style Globe and Atlas Pub is for beer lovers, it features a live acoustic guitarist playing favorites, and the On Air Club is the entrance to the Ice Rink. Up above the Royal Promenade is another level for strolling with additional shops and nooks. The main feature of the Royal Promenade, however, is the Rising Tide Bar, a lounge that is also an elevator between the Royal Promenade and Central Park, two decks above it.

Central Park features the Parkside Art Gallery, another Vintage Wine Bar, restaurants such as Antonio's Table, Chops Grille and 150 Central Park. There are cozy walkways around the skylights for the Royal Promenade below with live trees and grass. Tiers of staterooms with verandahs line both sides of the Boardwalk and Central Park.

The Boardwalk is on the same level as the Royal Promenade's upper level, so it feels a bit like the outside portion of a trendy mall. Indoor and forward of the Boardwalk are the Schooner Bar and the Focus Disco, but walk outside to the Boardwalk (through the atrium) and there you find the following small snack food and novelty kiosks; Ice Cream Parlor, Madame Zamara's palm reading, the Donut Shop, Pinwheels, Candy Beach, Star Pier, Johnny Rockets, Seafood Shack and Smile.

This is an active ship, with rock climbing and (for the first time) ziplining over a long open expanse of deck. Even those who can't do all of what Oasis offers will enjoy watching those who can. The 40-foot-high rock-climbing walls are busy all day. There is an ice-skating rink for recreational skating as well as for Ice Capades-type shows and a mini-golf course. There's a four-story dining room and one of the biggest casinos at sea.

There are literally miles of public corridors, but the hallways are occasionally "jiggered" so you don't get a sense of the full distance, plus excellent signage precludes anyone getting too grievously lost. However, after a simple "let's go see the ship!" comment leads you out the door, by the time you return to your cabin you will feel like Marco Polo. The gift shops offer Oasis of the Seas logo items outside to designer merchandise by Versace, Bulgari, and Lladro inside. The one comment you are sure to hear is that the ship could use another bank of elevators.

Decor:
Despite the massive size f the ship, the idea is to distribute the crowds so people are evenly distributed. Some shows, especially at the AquaTheater will get crowded, but there are other activities all the time. Therefore, the decor feels surprisingly clean and tasteful, with plenty of Modern Art influence. The atriums boast tall modern sculptures rising several decks. Glass elevators in the vertical atriums at each end of the promenade make for breathtaking views of the interior of the ship.

Public Rooms:
The breathtaking Royal Promenade, longer than a football field and wider than three lanes of traffic, but not as tall as the Freedom-class ships has natural light streaming in through skylights in the roof. several windows to inside (promenade view) staterooms. Those windows are almost always shuttered however, so people on the outside cannot see what is happening on the inside. The mall is always dazzlingly illuminated, unless the lighting effects are turned on for the Mardi Gras-style parades complete with stilt walkers, streamers and confetti.

The enormous Casino , through which passengers must pass on deck four to get the Ice Rink called "Studio B" and the Opal Theater main show lounge, is gilded to within an inch of its life, with nearly hundreds of slots and tables for blackjack, craps, roulette and Caribbean Stud Poker. Right next door is the Ice Rink for passenger skating during the day and special "Ice Capades" style Ice shows at night featuring some of the best skaters in the world.

Close by is "Entertainment Central," a first for Royal Caribbean. Within close proximity are Jazz on 4, a live jazz music night club, Comedy Live which features live stand up comedy every night and Blaze, one of the "hottest night clubs at sea."

The gorgeous Opal Theater, a state-of-the-art 1,350-seat show lounge, is where guests will see the "Las Vegas-style Production shows" on the ship. While it is not any larger than ship half the size of Oasis, the ship does have other nighttime entertainment venues such as the ice shows and the AquaTheater so it isn't expected that everyone on board will try to squeeze into the theater at the same time.

This Royal Promenade has an upper tier with the entrance to Focus, a lively dance club, the Schooner Bar and a grand ballroom with a live orchestra and a commanding view called Dazzles.

Just outside this upper deck of the Royal Promenade is the Boardwalk. This open air public zone is like a state fair at sea. There are hot dog stands, a carousal, candy shops, Johhny Rockets and the Seafood Shack, a tattoo parlor and fortune teller. At the aft end is the AquaTheater, a public pool by day and what Royal Caribbean promises will be an amazing entertainment venue at night.

Video: Royal Caribbean Ice Show

Amply decked out with recliners, the pool areas bustle with activity. There is a complete water park featuring a huge octopus figure encompassing water slides, sprays and wading pools. There are two FlowRiders and a "beach-style" pool with a raked entrance. The real action takes place on the sports deck, where fitness fans work up a sweat playing basketball or rock-climbing. Meanwhile, the adults only Solarium features peace and quiet in a cerebral greenhouse setting for enjoying the sunshine in almost any kind of weather.

Not far away from the Sports Zone you will find the youth areas - planned that way so the youngsters can enjoy the sports facilities without having to wander far from their dedicated facilities.

The best spots for being alone with a book and a fantastic sea view is the Viking Crown Lounge high atop deck 17. Nearby is the Loft Lounge and the Pinnacle Chapel. There are cabins on this deck around the observation lounge, a first for Royal Caribbean, and even on the level one deck higher, deck 18! Personally, I'm too faint hearted to sleep comfortably up there.

Cuisine:
Mouthwatering descriptions on the menus notwithstanding, you probably won't hear people raving about the food in the main restaurant. Try one of the five alternative dining spots for a better meal. It is well worth the $4 to $25 per person service charge..

Restaurants:
The ship's elegant main restaurant, the Opus Dining Room is a record breaking four decks tall. No ship has ever had a dining room more than three decks. It features a crystal chandelier and a grand, four deck staircase. The ship's second most popular dining venue (though it is more of a lunching venue) is Johnny Rockets, which now carries a $3.95 service charge, and in which you might have to wait to be seated. The vast Windjammer Lido deck restaurant for casual buffet-style meals is two deck tall, minimizing the sense of size and crowds. Nearby you will find the Izumi Japanese Restaurant. Antonio's Table, the alternative Italian restaurant, is a lovely intimately-lit venue in Central Park as is Chop's, for grilled entrees and large lavish desserts. Well worth the service fee.

Service:
The challenge with such a large ship is to personalize the service. Don't expect the Maitre D' to remember you. Everything here is delegated, so if you need special attention be patient but persistent. They're uniformly cheerful and eager to help but on a ship this size, especially in the first year, it may take a long time to get service kinks straightened out.

Room service is surprisingly efficient, usually telling us delivery would be a lot later than it actually was. Be prepared to tip on delivery even though there is nothing to sign.

Tipping:
Royal Caribbean suggests a per person per day gratuity of $3.50 for the stateroom attendant ($5.75 if sailing in a suite); $3.50 for the waiter; $2.50 for the Assistant Waiter; .75 Head Waiter. These gratuities may be paid in cash or charged to your onboard account. For children sailing as third or fourth passenger in the stateroom, tipping is at the parents' discretion.

A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all beverage tabs. Gratuities for room service, spa, casino and other staff are at your discretion.

Entertainment:
The main entertainment is in the AquaTheater, the On Air Club Ice Rink. There is no main production show theater. Smaller venues throughout the ship offer dancing and music throughout the night.

Cabins:
Hats off to Oasis for not skimping on balcony cabins. The ship has With 37 categories to choose from, many with views unique to Oasis of the Seas. These include the Royal Promenade cabins with picture windows, balcony cabins facing inwards (not to the sea) over the Boardwalk and Central Park, and of course several balcony cabins facing the sea.

Most impressive, and expensive, are the Loft Suites with two decks of floor space, a living room downstairs with a staircase leading upwards to the bedroom above. The best thing about these suites is two decks of floor-to-ceiling, double-height windows; solid glass for spectacular sea views no matter where you are. You don't have to worry about who is seeing you when out to sea, but be sure to close those curtains at night!

There's lots of storage, especially nice for a ship that is essentially a destination unto itself. Standard amenities include flat panel color TV with CNN and movies; a safe; individual temperature controls for the air conditioning; and RCI's first hair dryers. There are tubs only in the highest category staterooms' bathrooms; most have just showers (though unexpectedly large ones.

Fitness/Spa:
The most noticeable thing is that the fitness area no longer dominate the top forward deck areas. On Oasis the bulk of the Vitality at Sea Spa is on deck five. The is still a boxing ring with staff boxing instructors. The ship's well-equipped gym still draws serious fitness buffs with its full range of state-of-the-art machines. The two-level Steiner Spa, with its winding staircase, looks more like the lobby of a boutique hotel, albeit with a Greek motif. It houses a small attractive thalassotherapy-like pool in an airy glass-enclosed but private semi-circular room.

Children's Facilities:
Royal Caribbean has made a number of improvements to youth and teen programming. One new program is Adventure Theater, developed by Camp Broadway in New York City to give kids an immersion into the performing arts. On each RCI sailing, teens and kids can learn acting fundamentals, vocalization, and dance techniques during a series of three 45-minute Adventure Theater sessions.

Another innovative program is Scratch DJ101 classes, which are available to all ages, along with special two-hour sessions just for teens on Liberty of the Seas. After their lessons, teens can showcase their music mixing knowledge in a graduation performance that friends and family can attend.

RCI has added new activities for those three to five years old in conjunction with Fisher-Price. Some of the new themes include Chefs on Deck, which involves role playing for pre-schoolers; Dino Adventure; and Train-O-Mania.

Lastly, RCI unveiled a Youth Loyalty Program this summer. Children and teens can now also enjoy Crown & Anchor Society repeat passenger benefits. Rewards for youngsters on their second or more RCI cruise include Crayola Twistable crayons or a Royal Caribbean bag. All repeating youth receive a Youth Ultimate Value Booklet with coloring pages, games and discounts for onboard amenities such as Ben & Jerry's, Airbrush Tattoo, and arcade games. Parents can enroll their children (if they have already cruised with RCI) via the line's web site: www.royalcaribbean.com/youth.

Oasis is the first Royal Caribbean ship to offer a nursery for infants and toddlers 6 months to 3 years. So far, no charge for these services has been announced and this is a great amenity for young couples who want to enjoy their vacation without baby onboard once in awhile. The minimum age for bringing a child onboard is six months.

Attire:
There are two formal nights per 7-night cruise. Expect this ship's particularly cutting edge reputation to induce most men onboard to don actual tuxedos for formal nights. A dark suit is just as appropriate, however. In fact, you will feel slightly out of place if you are not dressed appropriately n formal night. In general, though, this ship offers so much to do onboard that passengers don't all dress alike.