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Oasis of the Seas Reviews

 
 
Cruise Critic

5 Stars Overall Why did we wait so long?

Review by sonvoltken6 on May 19th, 2012

Oasis of the Seas does not disappoint. Read the full review...

Ship Ratings

Value for Money 5 Stars
Embarkation 5 Stars
Dining 5 Stars
Public Areas 5 Stars
Entertainment 5 Stars
Cabin 5 Stars
Spa & Fitness 5 Stars
Shore Excursions 5 Stars
Rates 5 Stars

Cruise Holiday

Destination Western Caribbean
Embarkation Port other
Cruise Date May 2012
Cabin Category / Number C1 / 12187
Children Yes
Age Range 35-54

Embarkation - Yup, everything you read here is true. They have it down to a science, to the point where at 12:45, we dropped our luggage off, parked and were on the ship within 15 or 20 minutes. Stateroom - We did Central Park. Yeah, it was neat but you get no breeze like you do on the Oceanview Balconies (not sure about Boardwalk). I do like the layout of the room, and the big TVs. TIP #1 - Most of the stuff is on the Aft Side - Windjammer, The Boardwalk, Dining Room, Flow Riders, Zip Line, Aqua Theater, Concierge Lounge, etc. etc. We thought Forward near the elevators was great - and we walked - A LOT! So I recommend being close to the AFT staircases/elevators. Public Areas - because of the layout, you don't feel like you are on a ship of 6,000 guests. There are multiple pool areas for example, so it never feels crammed even on sea days. There is the Promenade, but it is much wider than say the Voyager or Freedom Class ships. And with Central Park and Boardwalk, people cross the ship in various ways. In general I found the public areas are mostly nicer and larger than on even the Freedom Class ships. For example, the Windjammer feels much classier than on other ships. The only exception was the Cafe Promenade. We like to get coffee or a Diet Coke and sit in the comfy couches on the Freedom class ships. Here you only have small tables and chairs. We really appreciated the upgraded amenities in the Concierge Lounge. As Diamond Plus members, we appreciate what RCCI does for us. On the Oasis class they serve (as in table service) lunch and breakfast in the Concierge Lounge. Much nicer than going to the other venues. If there was one thing I didn't like as much, it was the entertainment. If you are used to heading to the theater after supper for a show, guess again. There are shows some nights in the theater, but not ever night. We took in the Aqua Theater show-good but a bit bizarre, Come Fly With Me-very good, Headliner with Mo5aic-really cool but somewhat short and the Comedy Show (twice) which was hilarious. The last night they had Throw Me a Line, which was an Improv show and was maybe the highlight of the week. The zip line was fun, and never did we have to wait more than a few minutes. In fact, the last sea day was kind of overcast, so I got to go three times in a row. My son did the Flow Rider nonstop and loved it. The pools were great, though the Solarium was HOT when the sun was out. Disembarkation is the smoothest I have ever experienced. We wanted an 8 am departure and were out at 8, found our luggage easily and waited in line for Immigration for 10 minutes. Piece of cake! We really loved the Oasis and in fact booked the Allure for December. This time we are Deck 11, you guessed it, right near the AFT elevator.

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5 Stars Overall Oasis of the Seas - May 5-12, 2012

Review by karena1 on May 15th, 2012

Oasis of the Seas review - great ship and really a Wow. Read the full review...

Ship Ratings

Value for Money 5 Stars
Embarkation 5 Stars
Dining 5 Stars
Public Areas 5 Stars
Entertainment 5 Stars
Cabin 5 Stars
Spa & Fitness 5 Stars
Shore Excursions 5 Stars
Rates 5 Stars

Cruise Holiday

Destination Eastern Caribbean
Embarkation Port Fort Lauderdale
Cruise Date May 2012
Cabin Category / Number D8 / 8702
Children No
Age Range 55-64
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A little about us -- we live in SW Fl and my husband is 68 and I am 55. We are Diamond Plus members. We are huge beach people and normally love heavy port itineraries, but wanted to experience Oasis. We were on the pre-inaugaral for Allure, so decided on Oasis for this trip. I was on Allure 3 weeks ago so will give a slight comparison at the end of the review We leave our truck at Luxury Parking. We arrived in FLL around 10 am and only waited a few minutes to get on the shuttle bus to the ship. We were at the port approximately 10:30. Check in was a breeze, maybe 5 minutes. Got our embarkation photo taken, and then headed upstairs to wait in the Diamond/Pinnacle area prior to boarding. We boarded the ship around 11:15 or so. Headed straight to the pool deck to get our first cocktail. Put our towels and such on a chair in the beach pool area, and sat down to relax. We did run into Windjammer for a quick lunch. All the food areas looked great, and we though the food in WJ was very good all week long. Also, never felt like it was crowded in there, you could always find a place to sit. Our luggage arrived early, and we were unpacked and back up at the pool by 2 pm. Sat there the rest of the afternoon until it was time for muster. Our muster was in the Opal Dining room. Our cabin was on Deck 8, Cabin 8702, an outside balcony about midway between the elevators and the back of the ship. After muster we went poolside to watch sailaway, then went down to get ready for the evening. We went to the Concierge Lounge every night, liked it much better in there than the Diamond Lounge. It was gorgeous and never had very many people in there. There were 2 concierges, and both were very nice and friendly. Very easy to have them make extra reservations for us. Shows -- in one word -- Spectacular!! I saw Hairspray on Broadway and felt this show was every bit as good as that one. Oasis Dreams -- the Aqua show was amazing, so good. We felt the Headliner was okay -- a Beatle's tribute -- but that was the only one we did not think was amazing. Come Fly With Me was simply fantastic and spellbinding. Park Cafe -- hubby loved, loved, loved the prime rib sandwich. Had it almost every day for lunch. Lots of great choices in there. We did not do any specialty restaurants at all. We did MyTime Dining and as usual, we loved the flexibility. Our waitstaff was wonderful and took great care of us. I am pretty much a vegetarian, and they brought me a great veggie plate every night. We were totally happy with the food/service we received. Ports -- Because we are in Nassau all the time on Majesty, and since it was such a short day there, we booked the Seahorse Snorkel Tour through the ship -- the 3 ? 1/2 hour trip. We had done it before and really enjoyed it. We feel it is good value for the price you pay. Weather was wonderful and the snorkel trip was great. Had a blast. STT -- we love STT, unfortunately it was the only day all week the weather was bad. We went to Coki, had not been there in a while. New bathrooms are nice and kept clean. But we have decided we much prefer Sapphire and probably will not go back to Coki. SMX -- as usual, we went to Orient. Rented our chairs/umbrella from Good Time Charlie's. Very friendly place to rent from. Totally recommend them. We always take a cooler with us, and they were fine with it, no hassles at all. Owner actually came and talked to us and thanked us for renting from there that day. Will rent from there again next year. Buckets of 6 beers are only $10 at Orient, lots of brands to choose from, so very reasonable. Ricky Matthews was a riot as always. Really enjoyed seeing him again. Overall, loved everything about the cruise -- but looking forward to a more port intensive cruise next year. I will answer any questions if I can. Allure -- Oasis Comparisons -- both are fantastic ships, I honestly don't know how anyone cannot be "wowed" by these ships. The technology, entertainments, staff, etc, is simply amazing. But a few differences that I can point out Allure -- you could buy the cooler bag and choose b/t about 8 different brands of beer. Oasis it had to be Bud products In the beach area on Allure -- they only have the mesh loungers which I find to be slightly uncomfortable -- on Oasis, the last row was the regular loungers which is where we sat all the time Allure -- the bar waiters have ipads or something like that so they can ring up your drinks and give you a receipt right away, Oasis does not yet have this technology. Really not that much difference b/t the 2, very subtle. But if I had to choose, although I think both ships are amazing, I personally would give Allure the edge. Nothing I can specifically say is the reason, just some small subtle things that I liked better. So ask away, and I will try to answer questions if I can.

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5 Stars Overall Oasis - The Ultimate in Cruising

Review by brino99 on May 14th, 2012

Once you have been on the Oasis, it will be hard to ever sail on any other ship. Read the full review...

Ship Ratings

Value for Money 5 Stars
Embarkation 5 Stars
Dining 5 Stars
Public Areas 5 Stars
Entertainment 5 Stars
Cabin 5 Stars
Spa & Fitness 5 Stars
Shore Excursions 5 Stars
Rates 5 Stars

Cruise Holiday

Destination Eastern Caribbean
Embarkation Port Fort Lauderdale
Cruise Date May 2012
Cabin Category / Number N / 14673
Children No
Age Range 55-64
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I try to touch on things I wish I had learned from all the previous reviews on here when I write a review and minimize my "opinions." So, here goes: Ft. Lauderdale - We arrived a day early and stayed at the Hyatt Place Airport South. I got this room on Priceline for $60.00 plus fees using the Name Your Own Price feature. See my review of the Hyatt on Tripadvisor for more info. Took the Avanti Transportation shuttle to the port for $8.00/person. Boarding - We left the Hyatt at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and we were "almost" on the ship by 10:35 a.m. I say "almost" because they corraled us at the top of the elevator (without telling us why) and asked us to sit down. We later learned, via an announcement, that they weren't boarding anyone yet. About an hour later they started to board. They let the cruisers who had just gotten off the same ship board first, followed by the Emerald, Platinum, etc. members who boarded next. As a Gold member, we were towards the last, but made it on the ship before noon. I had read a couple of comments about the Park Cafe and their infamous roast beef sandwich. One poster on the Cruise Critic board suggested that was the first place he was going, so we decided to have lunch there. Great decision. They have a "Make Your Own Salad Bar" where you pick the ingredients and salad dressing and they mix it up for you. It was excellent. They also had Greek Salad every other day. I love Greek Salad and theirs was the best. The Feta cheese was phenominal. As for the roast beef sandwich, I did not know what to expect, so here it is folks. They slice what appears to be prime rib and but it on a bun. You can add mustard, spicy mustard and horseradish. It was good, but I thought the Cuban sandwich/panini was also pretty darn good. They also have two soups each day and the soups I had all tasted good. Other Dining Options - The Windjammer quality of food is pretty much the same you will find on any RCCL ship or Carnival for that matter. The Opus Dining Room where you generally eat in the evening featured pretty much what you get on all the other cruises with RCCL, etc., but I did think the lobster on Thursday night was larger than normal and it wasn't too bad. Someone mentioned corn dogs and chicken tenders on the Boardwalk. At first I couldn't find them, but after a couple of days realized they were behind the Boardwalk Bar. Both were OK, but nothing great. We ate at the Wipe Out Grill. It was basically hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos and pretzel dogs. I would swear the same thing was served in the Windjammer, but the odd thing was that the food, especially the hamburgers, tasted better in the Windjammer. However, it's gotta be the same stuff. It just seemed like the food was fresher in the Windjammer, as strange as that may sound. We tried the Solarium Bistro one morning for breakfast. Unless you are looking for "healthy"...turkey bacon, turkey sausage, etc., I would skip this place. No guilty pleasures here...cheese, mayonnaise, ham. etc. Sorrento's, the pizza place, is about the only eating establishment that is open most of the time other than the Cafe Promenade. I did not care for the selection at the Cafe Promenade, but the pizza at Sorrento's was not too bad. And, of course, there is always room service. However, their menu is very limited. As for the eating options where you have to pay, we passed on all of those, so I can't comment. We did go to Chops on our last RCCL cruise and it was excellent. Shows - They were all great. I am not a fan of ice skating, but I really enjoyed Frozen in Time. The whole thing is based on the stories of Hans Christian Andersen...The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling and The Emperors New Clothes (my favorite...ice skating to Bachman Turner Overdrive). Come Fly With Me features alot of tumbling and flying through the air. Plus, there is a girl and a guy that do some amazing acrobatics using material hanging from the ceiling to twist and turn in the air. Amazing. The headliner show was BeatleMania Live. They were good and the guy appearing as John Lennon looked the part and sang alot like him, as well. The guy appearing as Paul McCartney was OK. The Comedy Live show featured Cary Long and Saleem (you can find them both on the internet). Cary did some cruise ship jokes and Saleem did some relationship jokes. The warm up guy, who I assume was part of the RCCL entertainment staff, was actually, in some respects, as funny, if not funnier than the main acts. He did some great ad libs with the audience. Another show was the Oasis of Dreams Aqua Show. The divers were pretty amazing and again, it was very entertaining. Hairspray was the first show we saw on the cruise. I am not a big fan of plays, but I really enjoyed this one. Jim J Bullock from the TV sitcom Too Close For Comfort played Edna (John Travolta played the role in the movie). Jim was hilarious. Also notable was two time American Idol castoff, Jerome Bell. Most recently, Jerome made it to Hollywood week in AI season 10. On the last night of the cruise they put him in the Aqua theater and billed it as an "Idol" experience. We wandered over there to check it out and there were about 15 people catching his show. Jerome is OK, but there is a reason he was sent home two times. However, most of the talent on the ship is made up of extraordinary entertainers. So, we have covered the food and shows. What else? As you watch the shows on this ship, think about this...The ship had to be designed for these shows. I don't think there is any way they built the ship and then created shows around the venues. RCCL has done an amazing job of creating a ship layout with the shows planned around them. On most ships, there are venues where alot of different things take place. On the Oasis, most of the venues have a specific purpose. They even have a venue called "On Air" which is primarily devoted to Karaoke. So if you like to sing, you'll be in heaven. Activities - There is always something going on. We did a number of the trivia contests and won three of them. We started out doing the wine tastings (they have a couple of day). It soon became apparent that the wines they were serving (regardless of the theme) were the cheapest wines they had on the ship, so we stopped going. The casino is huge and they almost always have some sort of contest going on. I played in the slot tournament where the prize was a cruise for two, but didn't win. The entry fee is $25.00. They have a number of parades in the Royal Promenade during the week and feature characters from Dreamsworks movies. Be sure and check out the bridge that opens over the Globe and Atlas Pub, which by the way, has an amazing selection of beers from around the world, including some on tap. We did not do any of the Bingo games, but it seemed like they had several every day. Audience Participation - They have the usual Love and Marriage, Battle of the Sexes and the Quest game. As always, the Quest game got pretty raunchy and there were X rated body parts on view...if only for a second or two. However, now they do playbacks on the big screen. Cruise Director - We had Ricky Matthews. This is the second cruise we have been on with Ricky. He is a great entertainer. Lots of energy. He is a good dancer, has alot of personality and is a great ad libber. I suspect they will keep him on the Oasis for some time if they're smart. Photos - As someone metnioned, once they take that first photo of you and make a record of your Seapass card, every picture from that point on will be in your own picture binder. No need to look at thousands of pictures on a wall anymore to find yours. They can even (and do) put photos of everyone you are cruising with in your folder. We did the photo session at Smile on the Boardwalk. Check it out. It's lots of fun. You can dress up like a cop, a pirate, a super hero, etc. There is no cost unless you buy any of the pictures. You have to make an appointment, so beware you generally can't just walk in and get your picture taken. Please note that we had to wait until 7:00 p.m. the last night of the cruise to get our pictures that were taken at Smile and we had to get them at the Photo desk on Deck 6. Rooms - We went the cheap route and did an interior cabin right off the aft lobby on Deck 14. The room size is pretty much what you would expect on a cruise ship and the bathroom was pretty much the same, as well. So, the fact it is the Oasis does not mean bigger staterooms. The Card Room is on the 14th deck and our cabin was right around the corner. We liked that, as our group would order room service and then play dominoes into the wee hours of the morning. Also, located in the Card Room are computers for internet access which leads me to... Internet Access - Apparently, they were having problems with internet access along with the speed of surfing the internet. One night it was off the entire time we were in the Card Room. One gal got irate, called Guest Services and DEMANDED that someone come and fix it. A young guy came up and sat there with a laptop doing who knows what while she screamed at him. She said she had a business to run and they better get the internet up or there would be hell to pay. Really? You go on a cruise and expect to run your business off the ship's internet connection? She was either crazy or full of it. After about 30 minutes, the young man got up, said he was sorry but he couldn't help and left. This gal sat there staring at the screen of one of the computers. One of my friends made the mistake of telling her to calm down and stop taking out her frustrations on people who could not help her, as well as to keep it down as she was making the others in the room uncomfortable. Her reply was to tell my friend to butt out and she was going to get her internet service if it was the last thing she did. We never saw her again, thankfully. One of the comedians (Cary Long) made a joke about the internet service, so I am guessing that one night was not the only time there were issues and I suspect there were other irate poeple. One of the other problems was that the service was so slow that people were getting irate because they were paying by the minute. Last thing of note...They have these interactive display around the corner from the elevators on most decks. You can touch the screen and find out what is scheduled on the ship at that particular time, find at where you are at and how to get to where you want to go, what dining establishments are available and so on and so forth. Cool feature. Bottom line, if you haven't already booked, go on the Oasis or its' sister ship, the Allure. You won't be sorry. Only problem is, it will spoil you from ever going on any other ship. It's that awesome.

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5 Stars Overall NIce cruise on a massive ship

Review by Wyotraveler on May 7th, 2012

My cruise on the Oasis of the Seas was very nice. For starters the check-in process at Port Everglades was very efficient and. Read the full review...

Ship Ratings

Value for Money 5 Stars
Embarkation 5 Stars
Dining 5 Stars
Public Areas 5 Stars
Entertainment 5 Stars
Cabin 5 Stars
Spa & Fitness 5 Stars
Shore Excursions 5 Stars
Rates 5 Stars

Cruise Holiday

Destination Western Caribbean
Embarkation Port Fort Lauderdale
Cruise Date April 2012
Cabin Category / Number D1 / 10598
Children No
Age Range under-35
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My cruise on the Oasis of the Seas was very nice. For starters the check-in process at Port Everglades was very efficient and seemed to go much faster than on previous cruises with Princess' smaller ships. In addition to the check-in process there were a number of other things that I really liked about this massive ship and the cruise to western Caribbean. At the top of this list were the shows. I very much enjoyed them especially "Frozen in Time" and "Oasis Dreams" and felt they stood out, as the best highlights from this cruise. It was also nice that reservations to these shows could be made. Next I very much enjoyed dinning in the deck 5 Opus Dinning Room. Our waiter Dwight and assistant waiter Pedro made our experience great, so much so that I requested the same table every night we eat there. They went above and beyond and often offered us a 2nd main entree. On one night my step-dad ordered the duck, but found it to not be to his liking. After bringing this to their attention they rushed to bring a different entree. In addition if we could not decide between 2 deserts we were given both. Dwight and Pedro were 2 of best team members on this cruise and should commended for their excellent service. The alternative eateries where also nice including the Seafood Shack where I enjoyed a tasty meal of fish and chips one night. I also found Johnny Rockets to be a great alternative to the busy buffet for breakfast. In addition I am still craving a yummy treat from the Boardwalk Donut Shop. In addition I liked many of the unique features of the ship including the "Boardwalk" and the "Royal Promenade" and "Central Park." The interactive touch screens throughout the ship were very cool and a great way to see what was going on, as well which eateries were open and whether they were busy or not. As for our stateroom, while not huge it was nice and served its purpose. We were booked in a D1 "Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Large Balcony" on deck 10. The couch instead of just a chair was a nice touch. The flat screen TV with interactive menu was also very cool. As with most rooms on a cruise ship the bathroom in this one was small with just a tiny shower. In addition I am not sure if I liked the placement of the closet, as the ones on Princess were always directly across from the bathroom. This one was close to the bed, almost too close. As for the ports call they included Labadee, Haiti, Falmouth, Jamaica, and Cozumel, Mexico. Labadee seemed to be very crowded with all of the passengers from the ship. This included on the beaches and in the eating areas. I also found the locals selling items there to be very pushy. I like to look without someone hovering over me. The BBQ lunch provided by Royal Caribbean though was very good and the best part of my time there. The next port, Falmouth, it was my favorite. For starters there were a number of shops right at the port. Also our excursion to Dunns River Falls was very nice, despite being a workout. I walking up the falls, which was a great experience and I am glad I did, but I just stated it was very much a workout. Our guide on the bus and then the guide at the falls were both friendly. The last port, Cozumel, was okay, but as I d little more than look at the shops at the port, I cannot say much else about it. The negatives of the cruise not mentioned above were as follows. I found the buffet to be very crowded and it was not open all the time. Wished they had kept at least one side open most of the day, so an early or late meal could be enjoyed at leisure. In addition the crowds on the pool deck where sometimes a bit much for me to handle. I did however like the adults only Solarium. In all the ship and cruise were very nice and I am glad that I was on this cruise. Also I am considering another cruise with Royal Caribbean in the future. Lastly I just signed up for the Crown & Anchor Society Loyalty Program.

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5 Stars Overall Oasis it is

Review by robmhome on May 3rd, 2012

We loved the Oasis and everything there was to do and experience. First time on RCI - will do again. Read the full review...

Ship Ratings

Value for Money 5 Stars
Embarkation 5 Stars
Dining 5 Stars
Public Areas 5 Stars
Entertainment 5 Stars
Cabin 5 Stars
Spa & Fitness 5 Stars
Shore Excursions 5 Stars
Rates 5 Stars

Cruise Holiday

Destination Western Caribbean
Embarkation Port Fort Lauderdale
Cruise Date April 2012
Cabin Category / Number D1 / 7196
Children No
Age Range 55-64
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Western Caribbean April 14-21 We are 50+ and didn't travel with kids. This is also my first review so I tried to cover lots of areas. Embarkation/debarkation We arrived a day early at FLL and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. We're glad we came early (maybe 2 days early next time to see some sights) as we traveled from the West coast and wouldn't have been able to get on-board so early after flying all day. Embarkation went very smooth. We arrived at the terminal around 10:30 and didn't have to wait at all to check in. We were on board by 11:15 and had lunch by 11:30. Debarkation was smooth as well. We waited in the main showroom where they had juice and pastries set out which I thought was a nice touch. We waited for our group number to be called - I think it was 58 (out of 65) since we opted for a late departure. Once in the terminal we found our bags pretty quickly - organized by group number. Then went through customs which surprisingly fast, they were mainly looking at your passport and didn't ask any questions. Stateroom 7196 D1 (hump balcony) Our stateroom attendant Roxanne was the best! She always had a smile and remembered our names. She would stop and chat with us regularly when we passed by and asked us how everything was going. Of course everything was great. I asked her on the first day to have ice in the room daily and we always did. Since I don't normally sleep very good away from home I was wondering how the bedding would be. I am glad to report that the bed was very comfortable had 2 different kinds of pillows (firm and soft). We had plenty of space under the bed for bags. Only had 2 drawers below the desk but the closet had 5-6 shelves for keeping folded items along with a bar for hanging clothes. I appreciated one half of the closet had double hanging bars - works nicely for men's clothes. The bathroom was pretty small especially the shower, but was workable. It had a couple several small shelves/counters and we fit everything we used daily on the counter in the small cabinet on the wall. The room itself was nicely decorated and had a large LCD TV. It didn't have much room to get around each other but is about par with other rooms we've been in. I wish the 2 electrical outlets were above the small desk to make it easier to charge my phone & camera. Don't know if we'd book the hump room again as the extra balcony space didn't have a lounger - just normal straight back chairs although they were pretty comfortable. Maybe worth it for a room with more than 2 people as long as they provide an extra chair. It was nice to be on the hump as you had a better view of the ship. Quiet places Contrary to what some other reviewers said, we found a number of quiet places to relax on the ship. Solarium, Viking crown lounge, Aqua theater (all depending on time of day). I remember saying a few times 'where are all the people?'. The only time we really ran into crowds were when the shows let out or something special going on in the promenade. Dining MDR - (MTD) the food was generally very good but some just ok. Could have a few more selections other than the extra cost items they were trying to sell from the other restaurants. Servers were great - Michelle always remembered our name. Windjammer - decent food and service. Good variety and always found a seat Chops - Best fillet Mignon I've ever had, service was great Izumi - Great food well worth the extra cost. Try the Last Samurai cocktail and the tempura - both very good. Ordered a 2nd of both! I wish the Spicy Tuna was more spicy. Solarium - Only had breakfast but good selection of healthy food Park Cafe - Good roast beef sandwich especially with the horseradish sauce Johnny Rockets - only had breakfast, eggs were good but potatoes were like cut up french fries. Seafood Shack - decent food but lack of service Starbucks - Went there every morning! We're from Washington state - what can I say. Room service - always got a call to let us know the food was coming about 15 minutes ahead of time. We had room service twice, both for breakfast. The only complaint is the food could have been warmer. Especially the breakfast potatoes were barely warm - both times. Shows Comedy show for adults only & 1 guy much better than the other Hairspray - Excellent top notch Broadway production Frozen in Time - Very good especially the sand painting Come Fly with Me - Cirque Du Soleil type - very good Oasis of Dreams - Very good variety type water show with some guys diving from 70 foot platforms. Headliner - First half was so-so, but second half very good. Would have preferred the Beatles or Abba impersonators that I heard about on other cruises. Spa This is the first time we have used the spa services on-board any cruise line. The spa is nicely decorated & has a wide variety of services with a nice quiet waiting area. All the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful but watch out for price of products they try to sell you at the end of your treatments. Saw prior reviews about how the staff is aggressive and try to up sell you on a service you have already scheduled but didn't experience any of that. Overall very nice experience and would do it again. Activities on board Zipline - did twice - scary first time but it goes fast. Didn't use anything else on the sports deck We like the separation of the adults vs kids pool areas. We usually found a lounge chair without a problem although had to step over people legs a couple times. We also tried out the different hot tubs and really liked the ones hanging over the side of the ship. They even have 2 TVs playing above it. The only negative with the pools/hot tubs is the amount of chlorine. We found we couldn't stay in very long because of this because our eyes were burning. We did go to the casino a few times and was enjoyable. Wasn't smokey as they have one side for the smokers and one side non-smokers. They have a good variety of games and machines that should satisfy most players. Ports Labadee - Awesome zipline - wish you could do it more than once. My wife is afraid of heights but thoroughly enjoyed it and is ready to do it again next time as am I. We loved Columbus Cove - it's the best beach at Labadee and the water is like a bath. The water is very calm and we could float without a mat. They provide a good lunch with fairly good variety. We had the jerk chicken and liked it a lot. The burgers looked overcooked so didn't have one. Everything else was very good - fruit, desert sides. Falmouth - Mystic mountain bobsleds are fun but too short, Dunn's River falls was good but probably won't do it again Beware of the aggressive vendors when you're leaving the area. Cozumel - Push/pull/swim w/Dolphins - very fun unique experience. Also did snorkeling on our own (rented equipment there for $15). But it rained pretty hard and clouded the water so we didn't stay long. The bottom isn't very colorful here although you will see colorful fish. Overall We were very impressed with the friendliness / helpfulness of all the staff on the ship. Only saw one person at customer service desk one day who wasn't very smiley. The ship was very clean top to bottom. I paying very close attention to this aspect in particular as the last ship we were on (Celebrity) wasn't and had a number of places where there was dirt or rust. Always saw staff cleaning glass, handrails, etc. My only negative here was the glass on the balcony wasn't clean when we left port. We got a lot of salt spray on the first couple days and asked the room attendant if it could be cleaned since I couldn't see out the sliding door. She said they would clean the balconies at Cozumel (another day away) but she got it taken care that afternoon - bravo! The cruise director Ricky Mathews was just ok for me - seemed to be forcing his enthusiasm. Activities manager Zack seemed more genuine to me. Would definitely book another cruise on this ship or the sister ship Allure.

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