Oasis of the Seas
Oasis of the Seas
The Royal Caribbean ship Oasis of the Seas is a groundbreaking cruise ship which redefined the industry when it launched in 2009. It is the first ship in the Oasis Class and introduced a novel ‘neighbourhood’ concept, offering diverse experiences across distinct themed areas.
Other ships in the Oasis class are the Utopia, Wonder, Symphony, Allure and Harmony of the Seas.
Staterooms
The Oasis has 2,808 staterooms and are thoughtfully designed to cater to a wide range of preferences from budget-conscious travellers to luxury seekers. There really is a room to suit every budget onboard this huge ship.
Inside Stateroom - 140-260 sq ft: Lots of different options here for a comfortable room with modern amenities but no outside view. The photos below show an inside room.
Oceanview Staterooms - 180-220 sq ft: Many different options for guests who want daylight and ocean views without the price of a balcony. The rooms have portholes (of varying sizes) or a bay window.
Balcony Staterooms - 230-280 sq ft: This is where this class of ships really come into their own as there are so many balcony rooms available (with different views!) You can have a traditional cruise balcony room which overlooks the sea and offers the classic cruising experience. Or you can have a balcony which overlooks the interior of the ship (there are boardwalk view rooms or Central Park view rooms available).
Suites - 300-1500 sq ft: Oasis offers a suite class experience with extra perks like concierge service, suite-only restaurant (Coastal Kitchen), priority boarding and access to a private sundeck. Check which room you book carefully though as not all suites come with these suite-class perks.
Dining
Oasis of the Seas boasts a really diverse culinary scene with over 20 dining venues!
Main Dining Room
This huge multi-level restaurant serves multi-course meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner with great food and service.
Windjammer Café
Enjoy an assortment of global crises and American favourites at this buffet which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Solarium Bistro
This small venue offers lighter options for breakfast and lunch such as soups and salads.
Coastal Kitchen (exclusive for suite guests and Pinnacle Members)
A great option if you are in a suite, this restaurant offers a fresh fusion of California and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.
Park Café
Choose from made-to-order deli items such as salads, panini and sandwiches.
Vitality Café
Perfect for a quick refuel post-workout. Serves up items such as smoothies, wraps and healthy snacks like fruit and yogurt.
Café Promenade
Open 24 hours a day this is a great place to grab a snack and people watch as it is right at the heart of the promenade in the centre of the ship.
Sorrento’s
Enjoy an authentic New York-style pizzeria experience at this great spot to get food quickly!
Boardwalk Dog House
The first ever food truck at sea serves up gourmet hot dogs for all to enjoy when in the Boardwalk neighbourhood on the ship.
El Loco Fresh
One of our favourite spots to grab food whilst we were at the pool - we loved the freshly made Mexican favourites like burritos, tacos and nachos!
Additional speciality restaurants (extra charge) include 150 Central Park, Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Table, Izumi, Chef’s Table, Johnny Rockets (although breakfast here is free), Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade, Portside BBQ, Sugar Beach, Vintages and Starbucks. The food from Room Service is complimentary and available 24/7 but there is a delivery fee and gratuity charge applied.
Bars & Lounges
There are far too many available on this ship to name them all (around 25!) but rest assured there is something for everyone on this ship with a space to suit whatever drink and atmosphere you are in the mood for! Our favourites include the Bionic Bar which features bionic bartenders making your drink in front of you and The Lime and the Coconut which is a Caribbean-themed pool bar which serves up some amazing tropical cocktails!
Neighbourhoods
This ship features 7 distinct neighbourhoods which are summarised below:
Central Park: An open-air garden with over 12,00 plants and trees. This area features upscale dining and shopping and is a lovely part of the ship to explore.
Boardwalk: Family-friendly area with a (free) classic carousel, some quick service restaurants, a sweet shop, mini arcade and is home to the Aqua Theatre.
Royal Promenade: A bustling boulevard with shops, bars and entertainment venues. Do not miss the midnight balloon drop in this area - it’s so much fun!
Pool & Sports Zone: Home to the pools, hot tubs, flow riders and sports courts.
Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Centre: Offers a full-service spa, fitness classes and other general wellness programs.
Entertainment Place: This is where you will find the theatre, comedy club and casino.
Youth Zone: Dedicated spaces for children and teens (we go into more detail on the kids clubs on this ship below).
Pools
The Oasis features a really large and diverse pool area offering multiple pools, hot tubs and water attractions!
Main Pool: Large freshwater pool with tiered seating on one side.
Beach Pool: A saltwater pool with sloped entry and shaded seating. It is also where one of the waterslides exits!
Sports Pool: A freshwater pool which is often used for water sports such as aerobics or volleyball.
H2O Zone Water Park: A kid-friendly area with features like a giant octopus which sprays water from its tentacles and wading pools.
Solarium (Adults-Only): Thalassotherapy pool and several hot tubs are available in this area.
Perfect Storm Waterslides: We loved the waterslides on this ship (Cyclone, Typhoon and Supercell) which were all great fun!
FlowRiders: There are 2 surf simulator on this ship where you can come and have a go - you can book private lessons (for a fee) but it is free to just queue up to try - we all loved this!
Family Fun
There is so much to do on this ship - we were blown away by the sheer amount of entertainment options including:
Royal Theatre: Hosts Broadway-style productions including Cats (as a side note, whilst we thought the cast and production were great, this show definitely wasn't our favourite so we hope they change this one up soon!)
Aqua Theatre: This outdoor amphitheatre shows ‘Aqua80’ which features high diving and acrobatic performances. We cannot rave about this show enough. It was so much fun, a great soundtrack and super talented performers mean we had huge smiles on our faces throughout. This is hands down the best show we have ever seen on a cruise and genuinely will look to book another cruise on an Oasis class ship just to see this show again! Do not miss this and get down early to guarantee a seat.
Studio B: This multi-purpose space features an ice risk for shows and (free!) ice-skating sessions. It also covers this over and then becomes a laser-quest arena which is also free but both require reservations.
Ultimate Abyss: This thrilling slide is the tallest slide at sea and is the quickest way to get down 10 decks!!
Zip Line: Zip across the boardwalk over this 9 decks high zip line - there are height and weight restrictions for this but it is free. Our kids were too light to have a go at this and they were devastated!
Rock Climbing Walls: This ship has two climbing walls where you can climb up (with amazing views behind you) as another free activity.
Mini-Golf: This complimentary mini-golf course has 9 holes and is open 24 hours a day with no need for reservations!
Escape Room: Team up and decode the mysteries of Mission Control in the latest Royal Caribbean Escape Room challenge. This is a paid for activity but requires kids to be over 12 to participate so unfortunately we didn't get the chance to test this out.
Kids Clubs
The kids clubs on Royal Caribbean are called Adventure Ocean and offers the below programmes:
AO Babies (ages 6 months - 3 years): There is an additional fee for this nursery service which has a large play room and also an area for nap time.
AO Junior (ages 3-5 and 6-12): Kids are divided up into these two groups but all share spaces. Programming here includes trivia, movies and art and science projects! There is also a section called the Hangout with gaming consoles and interactive gaming tables.
Social 298 (ages 12-14 and 15-17): Kids are divided into these two groups but most activities bring both groups together. This teen-only area has an indoor space and outdoor lounge. Kids can come and go as they want but the ship wide curfew is 1am for children under 18 (unless they are supervised by a parent).
Adult-Only Activities
Casino Royale: A full service casino with various games.
Comedy Live: A venue dedicated to stand up comedy.
Vitality Spa & Fitness: 2 story spa facility with a cafe, beauty salon, medi-spa and a thermal suite, this spa offers a host of treatments.
Adventures x Paradise Review
We absolutely loved our cruise on this ship! We were slightly apprehensive before we got onboard here as we love Disney Cruise Line so have really high expectations around service and activities on a family cruise. We had heard that a lot of things onboard Royal Caribbean ships were extra charge so although they are much cheaper at the beginning, all is not what it seems. We were actually all blown away with just how much there was to do on this ship and the vast majority of this was free. We are not huge drinkers so only purchased the non-alcoholic drinks package (when these types of drinks are already free on Disney Cruise Line).
The Aqua80 show was one of the best things we have ever seen - the fact they can perform this on a moving ship is unbelievable and the soundtrack was exceptionally good. We are already looking for when we can next fit another Royal Caribbean cruise into our travel plans (and will make sure it is an Oasis class ship so it has the aqua theatre!) We think Royal Caribbean ships work really well for families with older children as there is just so much to keep everyone happy on these ships.
Our vlog below gives a full guide to the ship and activities on offer.
TOP TIP - Johnny Rockets is a paid for restaurant but it is actually free if you eat there for breakfast! This is a great option which not a lot of people realise and is therefore quite quiet when you compare it to the main dining room or Windjammer buffet.