Oasis of the Seas: A Ship Designed To Please Everyone

Contributing Editor Roger J. Ritchie took a weeklong cruise on Royal Caribbean’s newest ship Oasis of the Seas in January. Here’s his report.

The Oasis of the Seas is more than a new super-large cruise ship - in fact it is barely a cruise ship at all! The Oasis is the paradigm shift in the pleasure-driven shipping industry --it is the separation of the shipʼs ability to please from the ports at which it calls. To the extent that the range of onboard facilities now diminish the need to call anywhere!

Since the early days of great ocean liners they have been called “a city at sea” - perhaps true to a degree - but now the breath of the facilities and activities on the Oasis of the Seas means that the social implications of “City” makes sense. The passengers are no longer like-minded travelers bound for a selection of attractive ports for sightseeing and shopping. These are now a diverse and international gathering of travelers seeking a holiday experience with excellent value of money. My voyage had a passenger count of over 5,500 travelers from 63 nations.

On the standard one-week cruise in January of 2010, I found the Oasis of the Seas working very well, with no early-voyage difficulties. The feared difficulties of checking in and boarding proved groundless. The similar concern of the “Oh! What about the crowd - there will be crowds everywhere” was also largely dispelled.

Something for everyone . . .

The breath of the accommodations and cost-per-day rates on the new mega-ship resort means that people who have no interest in each other will now travel together enjoying the facilities of a huge vessel without any pretense of social equality or shared curiosity. There really is no Shipʼs Program as the voyager designs his or her own daily program.

The Oasis is very much Royal Caribbean style . . .

Royal Caribbean International has taken the pleasure-ship industry to new heights during a relatively short corporate history - building a brand that has come to mean, over the past 35 years, ships of amazing dimensions and a certain personality. After years of developing a corporation that sticks to its quality principles as their ships grew ever larger--who better than Royal Caribbean to explore the stratosphere of ship management.

And they have achieved the goal: of a city at sea, disconnected from shore for any entertainment needs. And it presents an appealing experience to a wide range of holidaymakers. Notice I did not say cruise enthusiasts. We are now in the “holiday island” business!

The ship - a place at sea - designed to amaze . . .

The RCI people like to pursue the WOW factor in their ships--providing the maximum of “eye candy” during the guests’ time on board. Their newest ship proves that they are indeed the experts at this seagoing “wow” concept. The internal vistas are dazzling in all directions, up, down, and along - from any point on the ship. If one gives a moment to think of the engineering behind the scenes--the mouth automatically forms a second silent WOW!

There are too many facilities aboard the Oasis to review all the clever design configurations of the dining and social locations. My one-week cruise was filled with the happy pursuit of trying to “have experienced” everything. With over 5,500 guests milling around the ship, RCI has created a diversity of options that absorbs the crowd. That, of course, is everyone’s first question about the ship:  “what about the crowds?” Well - there are crowds where people wish to congregate, so space is provided for the “flocking” characteristics of many members of the public. Remember that this is a “city at sea” with a cross section of holidaymaking society with the crowd lovers and quiet-spot loners all sailing in the same direction.

The crowds - are where you expect them – mostly . . .

I found that a counter-crowd program (selected for the plethora of events on the daily program) was achievable. And only my curiosity about the shipʼs many features took me into the throngs of sun-splashed, top-deck people or parade-watching passengers (yes, a parade.) For example, the rather glamorous Dazzles nightspot with its “chanteuse” and glowing dance floor was very quiet at the cocktail hour and the huge, glass-enclosed Viking Crown was never busy in its ship-top location. Between the two - a dinner at the excellent 150 Central Park (a good value at the supplement of $35 per person) and you have a fine, and quietly civilized evening at sea (with a kind of big-city vibe.)

The very reasonable supplements for a number of optional dining locations work to distribute the guests over a variety of cuisines and “noise levels.” This allows the ship to offer many specialized menu options. The variety here includes an amusing “diner” themed location for great burgers and the calm, candle lighted, Solarium Bistro which offers a spa-style atmosphere, with cuisine to match (at a $20 supplement.)

A wine bar spot called Vintages is a cozy gathering space with a pay-as-you-go fee(s) for its Spanish style tapas snacks. Most drinks, all over the ship, are at a price that compares with a US city restaurant. A single card charge system works as room key, charge card and identification alike.

The well researched configuration . . .

With the huge database of the Royal Caribbean operation, one must assume the space allocation follows the demands of the public. So, it is interesting that the Gymnasium and Spa facilities are less spectacular than the rest of the ship and that the huge main Dining Room is decorated in a very conservative color scheme. In a similar vein, the rather crowded gym is located up in the forward part of the ship. Although, an important feature is the cleverly located staircase the leads directly from the gym down to the remarkable running and walking track that encircles the ship. With only 2.4 times around the ship to work off a whole mileʼs worth of calories, this is a very good feature of the Oasis. This dedicated track has no sunbathers or cross traffic to interfere with walking or running.

Central Park - outdoors, yet enclosedc. . .

The size of Oasis permits the designers to create novel spaces that in turn change the anticipated layout of the public rooms and facilities. Several eating and dining venues open on to the open air space called Central Park--a five-deck deep zone in the middle of the ship planted with a lush variety of living foliage and flowers. The fine 150 Central Park restaurant opens on to this strolling area along with an outdoor bar, the Park Café and the Vintages bar. Also “wowing" the passengers are an indoor shopping and entertainment arcade located lower in the ship, but still over three stories in height. This “neighborhood” as the RCI people like to call it, is filled with additional features... would you believe: a cupcake boutique?

The week of activities . . .

The Oasis of the Seas offers so many novelties that it is impossible to review them all: the wave rider comes as a pair, as does the rock-climbing wall. The thrill seekers have a zip-line crossing of the shipʼs seven-story central area while the hot-tub crowd can stew in a dozen locations.

The entertainment presentations are super-sized to match the shipʼs capacity - the theater holds a 1,380 audience and the outdoor “show” pool at the stern is equipped to dazzle an amphitheater style crowd of hundreds with--not only diving and gymnastics--but dancing fountains and big-screen graphics. (The stage sinks over 17 feet to allow some breathtaking high dives.) Then there is “Studio B” with a very entertaining and ingenious show on ice!

All age groups get the facilities they might expect . . .

No age group is left out; the teens and the tots are each given professional attention so that the ship will certainly be a hit with family groups. With the same professional savoir-faire that I expect in the elegant 150 Central Park restaurant, the other age groups are equally well, even generously, accommodated

Systems-based holiday management . . .

All the shows and events can be reserved ahead of ones voyage, to assist the dilution of the “crowds.” The Oasis data system is another of the marvels that RCI have created to match the ship with the publicʼs data-savvy expectations for today and tomorrow. The flat panel TV screen is each cabin displays oneʼs plans–as selected on the home computer when “checking in”--for shows, dining options, and shore excursions, etc. Obviously, the iPhone and Blackberry crowd will be integrated soon to “synch” with the shipʼs “social” systems. Sixty-three percent of the passengers on my voyage checked in on-line. This is a ship for this communications decade, with clever customer interface management to smooth the delivery of services to a computer savvy patronage.

The Oasis is clearly designed for a one-week trip market and will probably never do anything else. The ship is a huge success for the designers and will now doubt succeed with the new, younger market for a holiday aboard a ship (if not a real cruise.)

Going my way?. . .

The Oasis is easier to move around than might be expected--the two banks of 12 elevators each (with glass sides--for the wow experience--provide a rapid transit system around the floating "town".  The signage system is quite clear for travelers of all ages.  The accessibility for wheelchair users (or strollers) is complete.

So that is the summary of the Oasis of the Seas - not an overcrowded superliner - but, a holiday island offering lively holidays for a wide range of travelers. I am sure that the value- for-money is well appreciated by most customers.

The efforts of Royal Caribbean with this and a like-sized sister ship joining the fleet at the end of this year will be repaid, as the worldʼs vacationers increasingly understand the special high-service environment that only a ship can offer. So, in the final analysis- many people will relax and be Wow-ed!

                                                                                                                        2/22/2010

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Ship Statistics

Oasis Photo Gallery