I’ve been a fan of Royal Caribbean for as long as I’ve been a fan of cruising! However, since COVID-19 and watching their prices continue to rise, I haven’t taken a vacation with them in almost five years. But a few months ago, I spotted a fantastic deal on Iglucruise.com: 7 nights onboard Oasis of the Seas, departing from Barcelona, for only £442.24 per person. How amazing is that? I jumped at the chance and booked it immediately, deciding to figure out the flights and add-ons later.
I won’t go into that much information about the price as I’ve written a full blog post about it all, including a detailed breakdown of exactly what I spent.
Oasis of the Seas – Preconceptions
I went on this cruise with so many preconceptions about how amazing it was going to be. After all, it’s Royal Caribbean! In my eyes, they could do no wrong. I had been wanting to try an Oasis-class ship for literal years, especially after watching one of my favourite movies, Like Father.
The Boardwalk, Central Park, and the bar that rises to another deck – I was giddy to experience it all. I knew it was one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, and I felt like I was about to be a kid in a candy store.
Embarking Oasis of the Seas in Barcelona
Embarking the ship in Barcelona was absolutely amazing. Our scheduled boarding time was 12:00, but we arrived at 11:30, expecting to queue for at least a 15-20 minutes. I kid you not, it took only 4 minutes to jump out of our Uber, hand over our suitcases, go through security, and head up the gangway. Honestly. I timed it! It must have been a world record!
The Port of Barcelona is incredibly easy to get too, although I wouldn’t say it’s walkable. Our Uber ride cost less than €15 from our apartment, and once you’re in the port there’s different terminals for different cruise ships.
The overall experience was a complete 180 from our boarding in Trieste for Norwegian Viva.
My First Impressions
Upon boarding Oasis of the Seas, I was completely blown away by the Royal Promenade. It instantly reminded me of what I loved about Independence of the Seas. The vibrant space that is bustling with energy – it’s something I truly missed on my Norwegian cruise. The Promenade really set the tone for the rest of the ship.
A short walk through and we noticed that there was sales people poaching you to buy a drinks package, speciality dining, and spa! Totally fine, that’s expected. But, it did remind us that we need to pick up our fancy Coca Cola cups. After doing that we headed straight to Cafe Promenade and grabbed a cookie (or three)!
We were so early onboard that our rooms weren’t ready. They said over the announcement that it’ll be ready by 3pm. Fine! We had already packed a swimsuit as we knew that would be the case. We headed for a mooch around the decks, and then to the top deck to relax and sunbathe!
Our Boardwalk Balcony Cabin
We originally booked an Inside Cabin onboard Oasis of the Seas but were swayed by the Royal Up program to bid for an Oceanview and Balcony. We bid £150 per person for an Oceanview and £200 per person for the Balcony. We won the Balcony upgrade and were granted a Boardwalk Balcony.
In essence, this sounded amazing, but in practice, it was not so great. The Boardwalk Balcony lacked privacy, as you often felt on display to the surrounding balconies. Additionally, the balcony was quite loud due to the proximity of the Aqua Theatre.
Regrettably, I wish we had stuck with the Inside Cabin. Not only would we have saved £400, but we also would have had some much-needed privacy.
Onboard Entertainment & Activities
The entertainment options on Oasis of the Seas are simply overwhelming – in the best way possible. There’s so much to see and experience that it’s impossible to fit it all in. From the mystical and creative One Sky show to the full-scale Broadway production of Cats, and hands down, the most incredible performance I’ve ever seen, Aqua 80, the variety and quality are top-notch.
To make the most of the entertainment, it’s essential to download the Royal Caribbean app and reserve your spots for the shows ahead of time. The app is free and very easy to use, which made it convenient for us to book all our shows before we even embarked. This allowed us to maximise our time onboard and enjoy as much of the included entertainment as possible.
Speaking of shows, Aqua 80 was without a doubt the highlight of the cruise for me. It’s honestly the greatest show I’ve ever seen, whether on land or at sea. The talent, skill, and sheer energy of the performers were absolutely mind-blowing. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire show, and I could easily watch it 100 times and still be amazed. It’s truly a must-see.
On the flip side, Cats wasn’t really my cup of tea. I’ve always found Cats a bit hard to follow, and I would have preferred a more traditional musical like Mamma Mia, Grease, or The Sound of Music for the 90-minute slot. However, if musicals aren’t your thing, don’t worry – there are plenty of other entertainment options.
From karaoke and quizzes to game shows, live music, and even silent discos, there’s always something happening onboard. And the best part? All of it is included in the price of your cruise, so you can enjoy it all without worrying about extra costs!
Food & Dining Onboard
Food is the biggest part of any cruise, at least for me and my partner. We aren’t picky eaters—our only dietary requirement is that we don’t eat meat (but we do eat fish). And to be honest, we only felt a tiny bit excluded onboard Oasis of the Seas.
In the buffet and Main Dining Room, there was so much choice for pescatarians, and we had fish pretty much every single day. And may I add, some of the best fish I’ve had in my life.
As expected, the buffet was jam-packed most time. We tried to avoid it as much as possible, but on disembarkation day we headed there for breakfast and could literally not get a seat. Every single seat was completely full. That was one of two times I had truly noticed how busy this ship was. The food in the buffet was pretty good! A lot of choices for halal, gluten free, and even veggie!
The only time we started to feel a bit left out was at some of the other complimentary eateries. The Mexican lunch spot, El Loco Fresh, which we were most excited about, didn’t have any vegetarian options. Even the traditional beans for tacos had meat in them! The only things available were a cheese quesadilla or chips and guacamole. I would have loved some more variety.
Although we ate dinner at the Main Dining Room every night, we found it confusing and outdated that we couldn’t eat whenever we wanted. We were assigned an Early Dining option and a specific table number. But what if we didn’t like our seat? Or our table neighbours? It was baffling that we couldn’t just show up and eat whenever we felt like it. It almost felt like we were an inconvenience if we turned up at 7pm. I don’t know—it just seemed so outdated and backward, especially since we had just come off the Norwegian Viva.
We didn’t try any of the Specialty Dining options because they didn’t feel very special. Giovanni’s Table, Chops Grille, and 150 Central Park all felt like extensions of what you could get for free at the Main Dining Room. I know they had Izumi, but that was the only one that seemed to offer something unique. We would have loved to see an Indian restaurant or a dedicated Mexican restaurant, like on the Norwegian Viva.
An even better option would be to introduce a fully plant-based restaurant—even if it’s just a lunch spot! Everything could be vegetarian, with salad bars, veggie pastas, etc. That would have given us that little bit of extra excitement and made the experience feel so much more special.
Demographic Onboard
We were very surprised by the demographic onboard Oasis of the Seas. And even though we were cruising from Barcelona, given it’s an American cruise line, I didn’t expect to see as many Europeans as we did. Although this isn’t factual, I’d estimate it was about 50% Europeans (Spanish, Italian, German), 30% American, 10% from the United Kingdom, and 10% from the rest of the world. At least 50% of the passengers were multi-generational families. It was quite rare to see anyone over 70, and I would say it was very kid-heavy, especially considering it was term time. If you’re expecting a kid-free cruise, I wouldn’t recommend cruising with Royal Caribbean.
Both Spanish and English were the main languages onboard. All documentation was presented in both languages, and all announcements were made in both as well. I was quite surprised, as this wasn’t something I expected. But I’m on day 700 on Duolingo learning Spanish, so I appreciated it!
The Service
Truth be told, service isn’t something we really care about. We’re not ones to require anything more than clean towels and a drink here and there. A dedicated concierge or someone who always serves us the best cocktails goes a miss on us. We’re very lowkey.
I’d say the service was fine/satisfactory. I wouldn’t say it was majorly exceptional, but we didn’t encounter anyone who was rude or difficult. There was one instance when we ordered a Diet Coke while sunbathing, and it didn’t arrive, but given that the waitstaff were serving so many guests, it was easily forgiven.
We had a different waiter in the Main Dining Room each night since we dined at varying times, so none of them learned our names or provided standout service. However, on the last night, we noticed a couple of women giving their waiter a hug and a cash tip, which suggested they must have had a great experience. So, I’m sure exceptional service is available onboard.
Our Room Steward was delightful! She learned our names and always addressed us by our first names. Her cheerful demeanour made it clear she was thrilled to be there!
Oasis of the Seas’ Layout
Oasis of the Seas is a massive ship—huge, in fact. It’s one of the biggest in the world, so if you’re planning a cruise on her, expect to get lost a few times! Our cabin was located on Deck 11 at the aft of the ship, while most of the attractions are toward the front, so we had to walk for a bit to reach the elevators.
You can find the gorgeous Central Park on Deck 8, filled with live plants, the charming Central Park Café, and specialty dining venues. The Royal Promenade spans Decks 5 and 6, where you’ll find Guest Services, Sorrento’s, the Shore Excursion desk, and plenty of shops to spend your coins. Above that, on the Boardwalk, you’ll discover amazing family-focused areas like the Carousel, Johnny Rockets, Aqua 80, Sugar Beach, and more.
We spent most of our time at the adults-only Solarium, located on Deck 15. The Solarium also has direct access to the main pool deck, splash area, and The Ultimate Abyss, so you’re never too far from the action.
My Favourite Spots
There’s so much to see and do onboard Oasis of the Seas, and it would have been impossible to experience it all. Below are my favourite parts of the ship:
- Aquatheatre
- The Ultimate Abyss
- The Perfect Storm waterslides
- Main Dining Room
- The Solarium
- Café Promenade
- Central Park Café
- Globe & Atlas
- Casino Royale
Things I Didn’t Care For
Now, I loved the ship—don’t get me wrong—but there are a few things I didn’t care for, didn’t spend much time at, or wish were better:
- Specialty Dining Venues
- Main Pool Deck
- Mini Golf
- FlowRider
- Rock Climbing Walls
- Bionic Bar
- Playmakers Sports Bar
Disembarking Oasis of the Seas
The dreaded disembarkation was actually made so much smoother with the Stay While package. It’s an add on for your cruise which allows you to stay on the ship up until 4pm on disembarkation day – how amazing is that? Our return flight to the UK was at 7pm, so it was absolutely perfect!
Same formalities of leaving your luggage outside your cabin, but you’d just keep any medication, passports, etc on your person, and you’re free to roam the ship!
Sadly, you can only eat in the Windjammer and Solarium, but still pretty great!
I have a full blog post on this, here:
Oasis of the Seas – Value for Money
Now, I loved my cruise—I really did—and I’m so glad I experienced an Oasis-class ship. Especially after cruising onboard Independence of the Seas, it has given me a well-rounded opinion of Royal Caribbean as a whole. Do I think Royal Caribbean offers great value for money? I’m not so sure.
The cruise itself was quite affordable, I must admit. However, once you factor in the prices for a drinks package (or pay-as-you-go drinks), specialty dining, shopping, and cabin upgrades, you could end up paying three times the amount of the original cruise fare.
We tried to bit a bit conservative with how much we spent, but we still ended up spending £400 onboard. And other than the casino, I don’t think many of those add-ons are worth it. I know they’re not compulsory, but when you compare Royal Caribbean to the likes of NCL, MSC, or Carnival, you can see how much more expensive it can be.
Will I cruise with Royal Caribbean again?
As a 30-year-old childless cruiser, I’m not quite sure I’m the target demographic for Royal Caribbean; I may be better suited for Celebrity Cruises. It seems that Royal Caribbean is focusing its efforts on children and families. However, if I found a great price for a Caribbean cruise along with a substantial discount on the drinks package, I might consider it. Alternatively, if I were traveling with children, Royal Caribbean could be the best option for me.
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