Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas - First Time Cruise

FIRST THE DO BETTERS (Oasis of the Seas)

Bought the Bourbon Tasting from the Royal Shops - Port Merchants (on Feb 20) that included a bottle of Benchmark bourbon but contacted later that not enough supplies were available and another type of bourbon would replace the Benchmark. Disappointed that we didn't receive the bottle we had purchased.

Room Attendant: Needs to be reminded to knock prior to entering using his pass key to our suite.

Casino: Smoking section needs more regular maintenance as it was often unkempt and ash trays full.

Most Disappointing: We purchased an 'Access Tour - Galley'. The tour it's self wasn't well organized (delays) and worst was the service for the brunch. After the fantastic Royal service all week - the waitstaff for the brunch afterwards was totally disengaged and seemed forced to work the event.

Service was very slow and the bottomless drinks certainly didn't seem bottomless as it was even difficult to get two drink from the waitstaff including water when we sat down. Not sure if there were enough waitstaff or the waitstaff captain wasn't well prepared but it did not meet the Royal service we had been used to all week. Very disappointed since we could have just gone to Windjammer for better food and much better service without paying extra. Worst way to spend our last lunch on the ship when the other free options were available.

DID WELLS (which are plenty) (Oasis of the Seas)

Boarding was seamless even though the lines were quite long. Off-boarding was also seamless and we opted to use the self-assist option. Our bags were delivered timely to our suite.
Room Service was efficient and appreciated the call to advise us that it was coming. Room Service order was also accurate as requested.

Accommodations: Interior balcony suite had a great view, but did get noisy at times. Nightly turn down service was appreciated. Suite Attendant (Anthony Wade) did a good job with keeping our suite orderly and clean. Friendly service and also efficient. We had adequate space for our belongings. The mattress could have been firmer.

Casino: Enjoyed the slot tournament - bar service from Jason Demandante was very friendly and always service with a smile and personalized as he always greeted us by our names - the Happy Hour Mimosas were a great treat and bonus - a very special mention to Jason Taguinota who was always able to answer any queries related to the casino and anything about the ship and was a great representative of the Royal Caribbean team and very accommodating and friendly.

Chops Grille: Originally sat inside but too loud and requested to seat outside. Fred was wonderful and totally accommodating and found us a great table outside as we wanted to marvel on how we can have dinner outdoor under the stars on this amazing ship. Our server Camila was really friendly and made our meal even more enjoyable. Fred even visited our table several times to check on us and was another high light of the RC F&B service - exceptional. The food was delicious and presented wonderfully and timely.

Shops: All the shops we visited were clean and well staffed and organized. Ryan and Steveo stood out for the excellent service they afforded us. Enjoyed shopping for the 5/$40 event and selection.

Entertainment: Every show we had the pleasure of attending was worth the time and fully enjoyed. Cats was Broadway level entertainment and singers were very well received - Comedy show (adult version on Saturday night) was hilarious - Ice-Skating Frozen in Time show was thrilling - El Gaucho was amusing and multi-talented - enjoyed some of the Aqua show from our balcony along with the belly-flop show - dance lessons were fun and well run and great instructors.

Port of Calls: Labadee was enjoyable and the onshore food was reasonably well prepared. Never been on a private beach owned/leased by a cruise company. Good to enjoy the beach and sea water without too much vendors. Falmouth and Cozumel were good shopping and restaurants within walking distance from the ship. Off boarding and on boarding during the port of calls were managed seamlessly and very nice touch having some type of refreshment available near the ship offered by RC Oasis.

RC BEST OF THE BEST (Oasis of the Seas)

IZUMI: We didn't get to eat there but wanted to visit the restaurant. There was a very hospitable person (Mrs. Rivera not sure of the name but she was pregnant) that showed us around the restaurant and introduced us to the staff even though we just wanted to visit. Really took time to entertain our questions and accommodating.

Dan Dan made every event he hosted very funny and enjoyable. The two best we were able to attend was the 'Best Couple' show and Disco parade and party. Dan Dan was witty and very humorous even on the on-air sessions.

PARADES: Latin night was fun and very dance-able but the best parade was the Disco event from start to finish. Dan Dan and all the exceptional dancers made the festivities really exciting and entertaining. The lighting, music and fold out stage was a marvel to be enjoyed and experienced (we keep watching the video we took). Awesome job RC and raised the bar for the other parades and on board activities.

Jazz on 4: Best spot on the ship to unwind and finish the evening off with the totally entertaining and world class vocals of Denise King along with the tight trio of musicians. Visited almost every evening. So delighted with Denise King and the most awesome band that we bought Denise's CD and so very kind enough to take our song requests and even signed the CD jacket cover for us to personalize our cruise. We now listen to the CD and transported back our favorite couch on the Jazz on 4 club - we just need to paint our room red to complete same wonderful ambiance of Jazz on 4.

Food & Beverage SERVICE (Oasis of the Seas)

Windjammer: So very fortunate to seat in the section Edmund Tuazon & Julie Sedillo were serving our first time and we never sat anywhere else afterwards. So very friendly and awesome service these two servers afforded us every time we enjoyed the excellent food selection at Windjammer. These two servers raised the bar for any other servers on the ship and keep us coming back to Windjammer. Every visit was made even more enjoyable and fully entertaining were : Erwin Galo - Reuben Naing - Rodney Pancho - Michael Rivera. From the exceptional magic and melodic songs these gentlemen provided was awesome. We witnessed the wonderful effect these folks had on all the other guests (especially the young kids and seniors) if they were waiting in line or enjoying the excellent food selection. The Windjammer staff mentioned here are a great representative of the wonderful RC team and displayed true dedication and passion. (still humming along to 'Yellow Submarine' with the lyrics of ... "we all live in the bottom of the ship - the bottom of the ship" - hilarious)

SOLARIUM: Best server was Melvin Rivera and the food was also prepared with exceptionally quality. Melvin made the evening so much more enjoyable and we again felt the Royal RC treatment that evening. Great spot also for breakfast for the outdoor feel.

MAIN DINING ROOM (3rd floor): Saving the best for last ... the team of Freya-Godo-Marvin-Yudhi.

What an excellent way to initiate our dinner reservations when Freya managed our seating! Freya was excellent on recommendations, friendly, knowledgeable and efficient (even called our room one evening to ask if we missed to make a reservation - WE DID!!!). When we sat our table - these three wonderful gentlemen of Godo-Marvin-Yudhi made an awesome and exceptional team from the moment we sat down. No matter how busy and full the section was they always ensured we were never left to need anything. Always being one step ahead before we even needed to ask. The exceptional leadership Godo provided was evident and filtered down to Marvin & Yudhi ... leading by example. Marvin and Yudhi were so very personable and made us feel the 'Royal' difference in awesome service. We couldn't help compare all the other waitstaff to these gentlemen and they raised the Royal bar for everyone else to meet. Made every meal we had with these folks the most enjoyable and memorable on the ship. The food and presentation was also exceptional but these three gentlemen made the Royal difference with the service they afforded us every time (consistent and personable).

Oasis of the Seas: So much more to say but EXCELLENCE and ROYAL come to mind. Especially when we docked beside another RC ship in Cozumel and were able to compare the (cosmetic) maintenance and top decks.