Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas
submitted by Gretchen Winters Sales and Marketing Manager Bursch Travel
I was lucky enough to be invited on the inagural sailing of the Oasis of the Seas. Here is some highlights of this amazing ship along with some additional comments. Watch here for more info on this amazing ship.
Adult-dedicated Solarium
I will begin in the forward lobby on deck 16 where the two story adults only Solarium is located. This Solarium is so amazing with lots of space for people to find a quite place to relax on padded comfortable lounge chairs and enjoy the view. There is a freshwater pool and two whirlpools. They also have two cantilevered whirlpools which suspend 136 feet above the ocean. On the second level are more sitting areas and a bar. On the first level is the Solarium Bistro where at lunch they serve a healthy choice and in the evening it turns in to a romantic restaurant with specialty dining and dancing. The atmosphere in this area is so relaxing and serene it is a great place to escape all the action around the pool deck.
The Pool Deck
Deck 15 is where the Beach Pool is located which is a gently sloping "sand†beach that leads into the saltwater pool. It is a great place to put a lounge chair and splash water on you when it gets hot. There are tons of lounge chairs and sunning area both on this deck and the upper deck that overlooks the pool. Just beyond this area is the family pool area with a fun waterpark for the kids to enjoy. There are bars located on both the starboard and port sides of this area. There is also a sports pool where you can swim laps or play water polo with a sound system that will only project in this area and not disturb people in the other pool areas. Just beyond this family pool area is the Wipe Out Cafe that serves tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and self-serve ice-cream. Just off the outdoor seating area of the Wipe Out Cafe is an enclosed badminton table area….so the ball doesn't get away from you when you miss a shot. On the other side of the Wipe Out Cafe is the Teen Zone. There are 3 dedicated areas for teens. Fuel, The Living Room and just beyond this is the Back Deck where the badminton tables are located. Just beyond this area is the full basketball court and miniature golf. Just beyond that you go up the stairs to deck 16. Located in this area are the two Flowriders. Since the Oasis is twice as wide as all the other ships you barely even notice them where as on the Freedom class ships the one Flowrider really takes ups most of the space in the back of the ship.
This is also the area where you can do the zipline that takes you across the open atrium above the Boardwalk neighborhood. I didn't do this but talked to several people that did and said it was awesome. To participate you need to sign up at the zipline area and are assigned a time.
Dazzles Nightclub
This was my favorite club on board. It is a two story glamorous lounge with beautiful color changing chandeliers. They have a live band and also disco covering music for all tastes. There is a big dance floor and floor to ceiling window behind the stage that overlooks the Boardwalk neighborhood.
Central Park on deck 8
This was my favorite area of the ship. So beautiful and relaxing with all the trees, shrubs, and beautiful flowers. In fact they even grow fresh herbs here just out side of Giovanni's Table to use in the dishes they serve there. The Trellis bar is an open air bar located on the middle of the park. Several of the specialty restaurants are located here. Chops Grille, Giovanni's Table, and 150 Central Park (which is their most expensive specialty restaurant). All are beautifully decorated with amazing art work and plush furnishings. Also located here is the Park Cafe which has a fantastic salad bar and great panni sandwiches for lunch. Vintages Wine bar is located her too. All these restaurants have outdoor dining overlooking the park. The only Coach store at sea is located in Central Park along with the neat An Art Gallery At Sea with over 9.300 pieces of art by 21 artists.
It is very easy to find your way around the ship and it doesn't feel huge because of all the different neighborhoods. They have "smart boards†located everywhere where you can just tap the screen to find your cabin, restaurants, entertainment and it show you a path to get to your desired location. Everything anchors off the Promenade so it makes it easy to find your way around. The ship is built with the atriums for Central Park and the Boardwalk with the staterooms located on the outside of those atriums so there aren't as many decks with the outdoor promenade around the outside of the ship. So for out door areas you need to go to Central Park and the Boardwalk. The check in went VERY well. They have 90 check-in spots and they check you in by deck so it was very smooth. The new terminal in Ft. Lauderdale was really nice. There is a special waiting area for suite guests in case they get there to early to board. Seeing the ship up close and next to other ships in port took my breath away it was very impressive. I was prepared to be disappointed when I finally boarded with all the hype about this ship but I have to admit I was blown away. Just as an FYI we flew in the night before and stayed at the Sheraton Airport and Pier and the hotel was nice but the location wasn't very convenient to do things that evening. We took a cab over to Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd. where lots of restaurant and bars are located. This area is more convenient to the pier too. I would recommend the Westin Beach Resort for a pre-night stay. All in all this was an amazing experience and all the agents that were on this inaugural were all totally blown away by how amazing this ship is.
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