Cruise Review: Oasis of the Seas
Our family is just back from a 7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise onboard Royal Caribbean’s beautiful Oasis of the Seas, and we wanted to give you a complete rundown of our trip and rate and review our cruise! This was our first cruise since 2020 and we were very excited to be back out sailing the seas! There was so much to enjoy while onboard and we cannot wait to share all about our experiences. Our stops included Nassau, Bahamas, CocoCay, Bahamas, Labadee, Haiti, and Falmouth, Jamaica. We run through everything from food and beverage to entertainment and onboard activities and service to ports of call.
Our overall cruise reviews can be found below and be sure to check out our daily blogs for each day while onboard the Oasis of the Seas!
Pre-Cruise Day in Miami
Day #1 | Embarkation
Day #2 | Nassau, Bahamas
Day #3 | CocoCay, Bahamas
Day #4 | Sea Day
Day #5 | Labadee, Haiti
Day #6 | Falmouth, Jamaica
Day #7 | Sea Day
Day #8 | Disembarkation
As you know, we are a family that loves to eat, and we love to eat good food! Prior to our cruise, we saw mixed reviews of the food on the Oasis of the Seas, which had us a bit worried, but in the end our experience with the food on the Oasis of the Seas was just as good as we remembered on past cruises!
There are so many different food venues and food options on the ship that we thought it’d be best to break it down by breakfast, lunch, dinner, and grab-and-go options. There are more options than what is listed below, but we wanted to give you a first-hand account of what we experienced.
Breakfast
During our sailing, these were the spots we visited for breakfast:
Windjammer Buffet
The Windjammer offered a wide variety of breakfast items, including an omelet making station. The food was good, but we felt there were better breakfast options on the ship. A big downside in our eyes were the crowds and depending on what time of day you visit, you may have a hard time finding a place to sit.
Park Cafe
This was our go-to spot for a quick grab-and-go breakfast. The breakfast sandwiches were hot and delicious, and you could grab a quick side such as cereal, parfaits, fruit, donuts, and coffee.
Johnny Rockets
We finally made it to Johnny Rockets for breakfast and it has us wondering why it took us so long?! This is an included breakfast option on the Oasis Class Ships, no upcharge. The food was outstanding! The B.E.L.T (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato) Breakfast Sandwich and French Toast were our favorites. Be sure to check your Cruise Compass to see the hours for Breakfast at Johnny Rockets so you don’t miss out.
Main Dining Room
We usually never have time for a sit-down breakfast, but with the weather this cruise, we made it to the MDR for their brunch! We enjoyed a variety of breakfast items including Classic Hollandaise, French Toast, Omelets, and all the traditional sides including Bacon, Sausage, and Hashbrowns. This French Toast was phenomenal! The best we’ve had. Breakfast in the MRD took us about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes from when we were seated to when we were done eating. Not the fastest option, but worth it if you want a more relaxing and peaceful breakfast.
Lunch
For lunch, we enjoyed the following venues onboard Oasis of the Seas:
Windjammer Buffet
This is an Embarkation Day tradition for us! You have to kick off the cruise in the buffet. They had a wide variety of options. Some of our favorites being the Burger of the Day and the Pork Schnitzel. We did not visit the Windjammer for lunch again on the cruise, so we cannot say much more about the food or the lunch crowds.
El Loco Fresh
What a welcome addition to Royal Caribbean! Grab-and-go Mexican food that is really tasty. It is best to get there right when they open as it gets busy fast.
Snack Shack
This is a must at CocoCay! We pretty much tried one of everything on their menu, minus the salads, and it was all delicious! The Shack Chicken Sandwich piled high with Mozzarella Sticks and marinara sauce is amazing!
Giovanni’s Table
We usually do not spend the money on Specialty Dining, but at a price of $49.99 (Black Friday Deal) for the 5 of us, we thought Giovanni’s Table was worth a try. We love Italian food, and this was delicious. Don’t think you could go wrong ordering anything off the menu, but our favorites were the Tagliatelle Carbonara, Chicken Piccata, and the Seared Filet Mignon.
Port Side BBQ
This can only be found on the Oasis of the Seas and what a great addition after her latest refurbishment! It is an upcharge, but you get a ton of food. We ordered the 3 meats, 2 sides, and ended up getting both desserts. Being a BBQ lover, this food was so smoky and flavorful! Wish that mac and cheese was served throughout the ship. Don’t think they have plans to add this to any other ships, so be sure to check it out if you are sailing on the Oasis of the Seas.
Dinner
For dinner, we kept it simple and ate every night in the Main Dining Room. This has always been a tradition for us while cruising. Out of all of the cruises we have been on, there are only a few nights where we didn’t go to the MDR for dinner. There is just something special when you can gather around a table at the end of the day with your family and share all about your day.
The food in the MDR this cruise was just as good as we hoped it would be, if not better. The different themed menu nights were nice; our favorite being Mexican Night. We always left the MDR satisfied and full (but still having room for that slice of Sorrento’s Pizza – ha). Be sure to check out our Daily Blog Series, as we highlighted our favorite appetizers, entrees, and desserts in the MDR. We will talk more about the service in the MRD below, but our waitress and assistant waiter in the MRD were the best we have ever had and made our vacation so memorable.
Grab-and-Go
There are plenty of grab-and-go options onboard the Oasis of the Seas for that quick snack throughout the day and these are the ones we enjoyed on our sailing.
Park Cafe
Located on Deck 8 in Central Park, this was our go-to spot for a light snack or quick meal to hold us over for a bit. As I said before, the breakfast sandwiches were a hit with our family. A must-try on our list for a mid-afternoon snack is the Kummelweck Sandwich, which is slow-roasted beef, seasoned and sliced to perfection. Top it off with au jus, spicy mustard, and horseradish.
Boardwalk Dog House
Located on the Boardwalk on Deck 6, this was a great spot for a delicious brat or hot dog. Top them off with sauerkraut or grilled onion and grab a side of potato salad or coleslaw. I enjoyed the chicken and apple bratwurst with grilled onion and mustard.
Sorrento’s Pizza
No Royal Caribbean Cruise is complete without at least one daily stop at Sorrento’s Pizza on the Royal Promenade. They serve up the traditional sausage, pepperoni, and cheese pizza, and also have a daily special. If you are really hungry, you can order a full pizza to enjoy.
Cafe Promenade
The Cafe Promenade is located on Deck 5 in the Royal Promenade and is open 24 hours. We enjoyed several wraps and sandwiches from here, with our favorite being the Jerk Pork Wrap. They also had something for that sweet tooth including cookies, brownies, and different flavored mousse.
Sprinkles
Sprinkles serves up your favorite soft-serve ice cream and is the perfect treat to cool you down while soaking up the sun on the pool deck. We made daily stops to get our ice cream cone fix!
OVERALL FOOD RATING | 9/10
There are so many different places to grab a beverage while onboard. We had the chance to try a drink at Schooner Bar, Bionic Bar, Lime and Coconut, Boleros, Playmaker, Studio B, Royal Theater, Cafe Promenade, Park Cafe, Johnny Rockets, and Vitality Cafe.
For this cruise, we purchased the Refreshment Package as a Black Friday Deal before the cruise. We had never purchased a Beverage Package before, but we thought the price was such a deal it was worth a try. The Refreshment Package allowed us unlimited soda, fresh squeezed juice, smoothies, shakes, non-alcoholic cocktails, specialty coffee, energy drinks, and bottled water. In the end, we felt like the Refreshment Package was well worth it! We did pay for an alcoholic beverage on occasion, including the Drink of the Day each day.
The Drink of the Day while onboard included: Mai Tai, Island Punch, Dark and Stormy, Goombay Smash, Blue Hawaiian, Watermelon Margarita. We enjoyed them all, with exception of the Dark and Stormy, which was not our favorite.
You can get your handcrafted cocktail or mocktail at any bar onboard, but we wanted to highlight a few places for shakes, smoothies, and coffee.
Vitality Cafe
We wish we had the chance to try Vitality Cafe more than we did, but a week on a cruise goes so much faster than you think! We thought the Peach Smoothie and the Fresh Squeezed Oasis Juice were both delicious and we would get them again.
Johnny Rockets
We enjoyed several shakes from Johnny Rockets. Our favorites were the Strawberry Shake and Oreo Shake.
Cafe Promenade and Park Cafe
Our go-to spots for Specialty Coffees! We enjoyed Hot and Iced Caramel Lattes from both of these venues and in our opinion, these are better than Starbucks, and were included in our Refreshment Package. The lines may have been long a time or two, but these baristas can make these drinks pretty fast and keep the line moving.
OVERALL BEVERAGE RATING | 9/10
We have been on several different types of vacations, and in our opinion, cruising is home to some of the best entertainment! It always amazes us that these performers are performing a live show on a moving ship!
During our sailing, our evening entertainment consisted of:
Frozen in Time
Frozen in Time is held in Studio B, the onboard ice-skating rink. The show interprets familiar Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, such as “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Ugly Duckling.” We saw the show on Night #1, and really enjoyed it!
One Sky
One Sky is an Original Royal Caribbean Production. There were plenty of set and costume changes and the performers did a great job. We will say that in our opinion, this was not one of the best Royal Caribbean Productions that we have seen, as we found the storyline kind of hard to follow.
Headliner Show
On our cruise, we welcomed Jeff Tracta, who is an American actor and singer, best known for portraying Thorne Forrester on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 1989 to 1996. His show onboard the Oasis consisted of comedy, singing, and impersonation. He had the crowd laughing and singing along. He was very entertaining!
Aqua80
There is not much to say about Aqua80, except WOW! We have always been impressed with the Aqua Shows onboard the Oasis Class Ships, and this one was no different! The cast was so talented, and the 80’s music that accompanied the performances was so upbeat and had you clapping along. We saw this show 2 times and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.
Cats
And then there is the Broadway Musical that is onboard Oasis of the Seas, Cats. We really went into this show with an open mind, but after about 20 minutes, we ended up leaving. This show was not for us. The storyline was strange, and unfortunately, we were not the only ones leaving. We felt really bad for the performers, as they were so good. Some may enjoy Cats, but this was one to skip for our family.
OVERALL ENTERTAINMENT RATING | 9/10
We don’t even know where to begin with all of the Onboard Activities you can enjoy on the Oasis of the Seas! We crammed so much in the 7 days on the ship, and we still didn’t have time to do everything we wanted to! With there being so much to do onboard, we thought the easiest thing to do would be to break down some Onboard Activities by the Oasis of the Seas Neighborhood.
Oasis of the Seas is home to 7 different Neighborhoods – The Royal Promenade, The Boardwalk, Entertainment Place, Central Park, Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality Spa and Fitness Center, and Youth Zone (Adventure Ocean).
The Royal Promenade
This is at the very center, and heart of the ship and is home to several restaurants, bars, and stores. We enjoyed daily strolls through the Royal Promenade where we would grab a quick snack or coffee. We enjoyed several live music performances on the Promenade and had to make some purchases at the Port Merchants store, as well as the Royal Caribbean Shop.
A new event for us was the Balloon Drop, which was held on Night #1 at 12:00am. If you can stay up that late, do not miss it! Maddie and I also enjoyed some of the Caribbean Party. A 70’s Party is held one evening, but on our sailing, it wasn’t until 10:45pm, which was too late for us! They do also offer a parade or two during the cruise. We were able to catch the beginning of it and the kids really seemed to enjoy it.
The Boardwalk
The Boardwalk is located one deck up from the Royal Promenade, at the aft of the ship. It has a Coney Island feel and is home to a carousel, and several kid-friendly dining options including Johnny Rockets and the Boardwalk Dog House. We enjoyed daily visits to the carousel and several visits to Johnny Rockets for shakes and breakfast. Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade is also located on the Boardwalk and was our go-to spot to grab a drink while we watched the kids on the carousel. At the very end of the Boardwalk, you will find the Aqua Theater, which is home to Aqua80. The Boardwalk has to be one of our favorite neighborhoods, especially with kids! And don’t miss it at night – it is so pretty lit up!
Entertainment Place
One deck below the Royal Promenade is Entertainment Place, which is home to the Royal Theater and Studio B. We enjoyed evening entertainment at both of these venues. Entertainment Place is also home to Casino Royale, Blaze (the night club onboard), and the Comedy Club.
Central Park
Moving on up to Deck #8, you will find Central Park. Central Park is home over 12,000 plants! We enjoyed several walks through Central Park. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We also enjoyed daily duck hunts in Central Park, and this is where we had the most luck finding those popular rubber duckies. During our cruise, we also enjoyed a visit to Giovanni’s Table for lunch and to Park Cafe on several different occasions.
Pool and Sports Zone
Located on Decks 15 and 16, this is where you’d find us on our sea days! Pools, hot tubs, waterslides, Flowriders, the Ultimate Abyss, mini-golf, and Splashaway Bay water area for kids. It is crazy to think that this is all on a cruise ship! We enjoyed practically everything we listed above at some point during our cruise. We really enjoyed the waterslides and just sitting by the pool listening to the live Caribbean music! Kenzie also had some fun at the open soccer that they had on the Sports Deck one afternoon. The one thing that was on our list that we didn’t have time for was ziplining. We have tried it on past cruises and is a lot of fun!
We’ll mention more about Vitality Spa and Fitness Center and Adventure Ocean further down, but we didn’t really use either a whole lot on the sailing.
OVERALL ONBOARD ACTIVITIES RATING | 10/10
Do you see these kids’ faces above?! How can you look at this and not feel their happiness and excitement! We were so fortunate to see these smiling faces onboard every night in the Main Dining Room. Our waitress, Ariza, and Assistant Waiter, Errol, were honestly some of the best waiters we have ever had while on a cruise. Ariza had balloon animals for the kids almost every night, and they even helped cut the steak up for our Kenzie! These two went above and beyond and we cannot say enough good things about them.
Our Room Attendant, Antonio, was very friendly and always eager to answer any questions we had. The kids were always excited to see what towel animals he would leave them.
The other service throughout the ship was also exceptional. We tried to visit as many areas of the ship as we could fit in the week, and the staff onboard was always greeting us with a smiling face and friendly hello. This crew works some hard and long hours, but they were always so eager to say hello and help you make your vacation as memorable as possible.
OVERALL SERVICE RATING | 10/10
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau recently spent a whopping $300 million to revamp the port. We looked at booking an excursion while visiting Nassau, but the prices were outrageous, and for a family of 5, there is no way we were going to spend that kind of money on them. We did get off the ship to take a walk through the newly remodeled port and in all honesty, nothing really jumped out at us. Out of all of the ports we’ve visited, this is one of our least favorites.
CocoCay, Bahamas
Now with Nassau being at the bottom of our port list, CocoCay is at the top! Royal Caribbean completely redid CocoCay with a massive $250 million expansion and welcomed its first guests back in 2019. They do have some excursions that you can book at an additional cost, but there are a number of things that are included. Our excursion was unfortunately canceled due to the winds, but we enjoyed spending some time at South Beach, The Oasis Lagoon, and the kiddie area. You also have to give the CocoLoco a try, which is CocoCay’s signature drink.
They have several buffet areas for lunch, but a must stop for us is the Snack Shack! The Chicken Sandwich topped with mozzarella sticks is so good and cannot be missed. The burgers, fries, and desserts are also really good.
Unfortunately, our Perfect Day was cut short due to an evacuation of the island-you can read more about that here!
Labadee, Haiti
Our last visit to Haiti was in 2019! This is another beautiful island Royal Caribbean has. It doesn’t have as much to offer as CocoCay, but the beaches and views are beautiful! On our sailing, this was really the first full day of sunshine! We opted out of booking any sort of excursions in Labadee and to make it a beach day. We made stops at Adrenaline Beach and Nellie’s Beach. Both were beautiful and enjoyable. There are a couple buffets on the island for lunch, but nothing like what they offer at CocoCay. There is some shopping on the island, but the local vendors are a bit pushy.
Falmouth, Jamaica
Falmouth is also another beautiful stop! The port was remodeled in 2011 and has so many shopping and food venues for your enjoyment.
We did end up booking an excursion in Falmouth, the Dolphin Encounter at Dolphin Cove. This was the second time that we have done this excursion, and we enjoyed it just as much as the first. A more detailed review and rundown of our excursion will be coming soon. A couple of downfalls with this excursion is how far it is away from the port, and that it takes up your entire day in Falmouth. We only got about 30 minutes of shopping in the port area, which was unfortunate, because we really enjoy the shops in Falmouth.
While waiting for our ship to leave that afternoon, we thoroughly enjoyed some live music from locals on the island from our balcony.
OVERALL PORT RATING | 9/10
Our kids call Adventure Ocean “school.” and our kids only ended up going to school twice. We had planned to send them additional times, but there really was so much to do together, we didn’t really have a ton of time to send them.
This was our first cruise since the revamp of Adventure Ocean, and from what we could tell, they did a great job with the revamp!
AO Juniors was for 3-5 Year Olds. They had a large play area with a pirate ship and other small playground-like items to climb on. Our youngest loved her time here!
The Hangout was for 6-12 Year Olds and was full of interactive screens. They also had a large, open area, for other activities.
The Workshop was also part of Adventure Ocean. This was where they held hands-on experiments and activities. Our kids did not get to experience this area on this sailing, but it looked like a lot of fun!
AO Juniors and The Hangout were all complementary during the set hours during the day until 10:00pm.
They also had a Nursery for any child under 3, the Nursery is not complementary so there is an additional charge.
OVERALL ADVENTURE OCEAN RATING | 9/10
There really isn’t much to say about the cleanliness of the ship. All of the public areas that we visited were clean and we had zero complaints. Our room was also cleaned once a day and as we said, our Room Attendant, Antonio, did a fantastic job!
OVERALL SHIP CLEANLINESS | 10/10
Conclusion: Cruise Review: Oasis of the Seas
So, there you have it! A full rundown of our cruise onboard the Oasis of the Seas! This was my 10th cruise, and I can honestly say that there is no other vacation quite like it! We look forward to our next cruise onboard the Wonder of the Seas in February 2025.
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