Thread: What did you really like/dislike about the MEGA ships -- Oasis & Allure?

What are the things you liked best / disliked most about the MEGA ships -- Oasis & Allure?

Having never sailed either I really should refrain from responding..but I wont

I will say.. it is my perception... that the mega ships will not be able to project the intimacy factor that is important to us when we cruise..we worry about being hoarded in and out from the ship during ports of call. And can only imagine how bad disembarkation could be waiting for numerous Passenger X's to report to the .....

Having been on the Allure of the Seas, I have to admit that embarkation was much better than we anticipated. They really have their act together with the new pier and checking in process.

We really enjoyed all the amenities on the ship and the shows. Overall, a wonderful ship for those who like the ship to be the destination - lots of things to do.

The specialty restaurants were good, but the food in the main dining room was just okay. Tough to feed 6500 people in two seatings in a 4 hour period.

While there were some times we felt crowded, most of the time it was hard to believe that there were that many people on board the ship.

I loved all the new technology they have on the ship.

These ships are great for families and groups as they offer something for everybody.

Pete

I have never been on these mega ships.

Think that Oasis and Allure no have dislikes aboard. Maybe, their size is too big for someone.

I translated word ,Allure, lol. Allure of the seas rinse funny.

just a quick point about the disembarkation process on oasis,we found it easier to disembark this mega ship than it was to disembark a 747jumbo jet at miami airport,then get through customs

We enjoyed Oasis WAY more than we ever expected!

It was the easiest embarkation and disembarkation we've ever experienced on any ship or cruise line!

Loved the variety of the Speciality Restaurants!

The entertainment in the lounges suited us quite well!

The one thing we especially did NOT like was being pushed to make reservations for shows. Also, we weren't fond on the food in the MDR ... not, awful ... just not to our taste. Happily, we could eat in the speciality restaurants.

For sure, we hope to cruise of Oasis (or Allure) again.

We cruised Oasis in 2010, it's very true.. They really got the embarkation and disembarkation down to a perfect science, the food was good nothing over the top, I share the same frustration as LuLu, the concept of making reservation for shows is a bit hard to get use to, the biggest pet peeve for me was the fact that the comedy lounge was very small, and everybody wanted to get in, why not just get the comedians in the main theater so everybody can watch? I talked to fellow cruisers onboard who were telling me the balconies overlooking the boardwalk were very small, and not worth the extra money (we had an ocean side balcony on deck 14). I also found that the semi-glass-plastic shower doors made the stateroom showers very compact (I'm a slim guy too).
...
OH! I almost forgot about the spa.. No steam rooms, or saunas onboard... And if you wanted to use the SPECIAL thermal suite.. An extra $30 bucks PER DAY! I didn't want to believe that they managed to recreate a mini central park, and a mini ocean city (NJ) at sea, but never put on paper to add a sauna ..... REALLY?

I loved the Zip-Line, and those fancy hot tubs looking over the sides! The aquatheater and it's performers were really something impressive to watch!
It was way to easy to find your onboard photos, has to be the best sorting system @ sea.
The interactive maps too.. They were cool, even the non-techy folks seem to have no trouble using them!

One more gripe, at the time of travel, I was 19.. But Royal Caribbean security was strictly enforcing a curfew for anybody under 18 to be in there staterooms by like midnight.. WHY? One night after dinner, I went to the stateroom relaxed a bit, went out to the hottub around 12 about 10 minutes later 2 security guards walk over to me and ask me for my card.. because I naturally look around 18 or under. When I was younger.. I would go out and about to get pizza or walk around... Even at 17 I was hanging around with others after midnight eating pizza and drinking coke, they were really enforcing it too, they send a few older looking teens (16ish) back to there rooms, they didn't appear to be causing a problem..
-Matt

Matt, I think it is overcompensation. They have probably had a few of the younger kids who are not as mature as you obviously are get into a bit of trouble late at night. It is a precaution on their part an unfortunately you keep getting caught in the ramifications.

My son had the same problem. At 25 when he was home he would go out late at night to go running or walking. Nothing wrong in that but it looked suspicious to our local police and he always got questioned.

We loved Oasis enough that we are sailing again, and most likely, will sail again. We enjoy all the activities and never felt areas to be crowded.

Yes, as everyone else states we were aggravated by the show reservations, but you can show without and hope LOL. We did not pick our shows for this next cruise however we are not too worried about them either. We are not fans of schedules.

What everyone else said is true about embarking and disembarking, in fact port days are less confusing. I recall a special gangway button in the elevator that lights up on port days. Doesn't matter if the gangway is on deck 4 or 14, it is programmed before hand by someone who knows... No more of that "what deck is the gangway?"

About the food - maybe I am not a "foodie" but we found the food to be fine everywhere on any RCL ship. Let you all know in a few weeks when I return, but doubt we will have a problem with it.

Of course if one could flavor dirt well, I would most likely enjoy that

I am hoping everything I wrote in my original review still holds true next week!

http://www.cruiselinefans.com/hc/review/show/29370