Ah, that “new ship” smell. There’s nothing quite like it. We were privileged to be able to spend two nights aboard Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s new mega cruise ship. For those of you unfamiliar with Oasis, she’s wider, longer, taller, and heavier than any other cruise ship on the ocean. Overall, she’s 45% larger than the next biggest cruise ship. (Complete specifications can be found by clicking here.) Some people might be intimidated by a ship as large as Oasis – that was a personal concern before boarding the ship – but I can tell you that she doesn’t feel that big once you’re onboard. She’s only about 70 feet longer than the Royal Caribbean Freedom class ships. The real size increase comes from her width and height.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Obviously a lot of thought and planning went into the ship itself. But Royal Caribbean also put a lot of thought into the customer experience. Oasis can hold twice as many passengers as today’s average sized cruise ship. An impressive statistic, to say the least, but just think of all the logistics that have to go into that. Her home terminal in Fort Lauderdale was completely remodeled to handle the extra people. Easy to read electronic signs point passengers in the right direction, and help ensure a smooth boarding process. Two large gangways lead from the terminal to the ship, depositing passengers into the promenade. Royal Caribbean is so sure that they’ve worked out all the kinks that they guarantee that it will take less than 15 minutes from the time you walk into the terminal until you board the ship.

For those of you that have cruised before, you know what the muster drill is like – except you’d be wrong if you assumed that it was handled the usual way on Oasis. You don’t have to wear your life jacket to the drill. Life vests are kept at the muster stations, so that in the event of a real emergency you head directly there instead of going back to your room first. Once there, you’d board one of the 18 lifeboats, each of which can hold up to 370 passengers. (That’s roughly equal to the passengers of three 737 airplanes each.)

In order to entertain the up to 6300 passengers, there’s plenty to do onboard. There’s an aqua theater with 2 high-dive platforms, 2 rock climbing walls, 2 surf simulators, 4 theaters, 6 pools, 12 restaurants, 37 bars & lounges, a shopping promenade, an open air park area, and an open air boardwalk complete with hand-carved carousel . There’s a bar that raises and lowers 3 decks, an ice rink, a casino, a spa, a fitness center, kids areas, a library, and a conference center. Oasis also has a crew of 2165, so to say that she is a floating city is not an exaggeration.

One of the ways that Royal Caribbean has made getting around as easy as possible is by dividing the ship into “neighborhoods.” Royal Caribbean created seven neighborhoods, each with a unique focus. Boardwalk is a dining and entertainment area complete with a carousel, and a zip line overhead. This is a great area for families, including Johnny Rocket’s and an ice cream shop, and is also where the Aqua Theater is located.

Central Park, aptly named since it is in almost the exact center of the ship, is a dining and shopping area geared more towards adults. Chops Grille steakhouse and the Coach leather store are located here, just to name a few. This is also the top stop for the Rising Tide Bar.

Located directly beneath Central Park is the Royal Promenade, a dining and shopping concept first introduced in the Freedom class ships. But on Oasis, it’s wider, longer, and has some parts located on the second level, including the Schooner Bar.

Entertainment Place is another mostly adult-oriented area. Located one deck below the Royal Promenade, this is where you’ll find the night clubs, comedy club, ice skating rink, and the casino.

Vitality Spa & Fitness is the sanctuary you’d expect to rejuvenate the body. If you need a relaxing massage, fitness machines, or just a complete escape from the kids, this is the place to go.

Of all the neighborhoods, the Pool & Sports Zone and Youth Zone are the least well defined, and actually split each other up. Occupying most of deck 15, the Sports Deck is located at the rear of the ship and includes the FlowRiders, putting green, sports court, ping-pong table, and zip line. The pool area is located mid-ship, overlooking Central Park. Between the sports and pool area are three of the Youth Zone area – the Video Arcade, The Living Room, and Fuel. The only area not on Deck 15 is the Adventure Ocean center located on Deck 14 at the front of the ship.

In order to make getting around the ship as easy as possible, there are touch screens in almost every elevator lobby to assist passengers. Do you want to know what activities are happening at a specific time? A digital version of the Compass (schedule) can be displayed. Do you want to know how to get from where you are to where you want to go? The touch screen will provide a map with directions. Do you want to know how long the wait is for one of the specialty dining rooms? It’s just a touch away. It’s a tribute to the designers of this amazing vessel that – despite her size – it’s still easy to find your way around.

With only two nights on board, we were limited in what we could sample from a dining perspective, and we were not able to eat at any of the specialty restaurants for dinner. That being said, most of the places that we dined were quite good. The Solarium Bistro offers a breakfast buffet with an emphasis on more healthy alternatives. While the selection was good, there was very limited seating. I actually had to eat in the solarium itself in a lounge chair. The cook-to-order breakfast in the main dining room was a much better choice our last morning on the ship.

For lunch the first day, we ate at the Park Café, located in Central Park. This is a good place for a quick sandwich, soup, or salad. Both the prime rib sandwich and seafood soup were quite good, but the portions were small. For round two, we headed over to Johnny Rocket’s for something a little more substantial, and were not disappointed by the burgers, fries, and shakes.

Dinner both nights was in the main dining room. There was a great variety of choices both nights, including some of the best lobster tails I’ve ever had on the second night. Some of the tables on the Deck 5 area of the dining room were quite close together however, and provided obstacles that the crew had to navigate around. Overall, this was not a huge issue.

From a dining standpoint, the highlight for us was the Seafood Shack located on Boardwalk. This open air, casual dining restaurant offers some great seafood, including crab cakes and a Cajun seafood combo. While the Seafood Shack does have a surcharge, it is well worth it for an excellent lunch or dinner alternative.

After dinner, we spent some time in the Casino, which is refreshingly mostly non-smoking. Smoking is allowed in the bar area. But it’s not permitted at most of the gaming tables, including the Let it Ride table where I doubled my money over several hours. There were also some great acts in the comedy club. For our two night pre-inaugural, there were no performances in the Aqua Theater or the main Opal Theater.

I know that there has been a lot concern about how “green” a ship as big as Oasis can be, and it’s overall impact on the environment. So I went to a session onboard where Captain Wright and some Royal Caribbean executives discussed this very topic. After all, she’s got twice as many passengers as most other ships. But that’s where the some of the efficiencies can be realized. To begin with, there are six diesel engines aboard (three large and three small), allowing for the appropriate balance of power generated versus power consumed.

After that, it’s a lot of little things added together that make Oasis very efficient for her size.

- Each stateroom has individual air conditioning modules that are 25% more efficient.

- All welds were ground flat to reduce drag.

- The bulbous bow and a new reduced friction coating on the hull reduce resistance in the water.

- All blackwater is processed onboard to meet or exceed municipal clean water standards before being discharged at sea.

Planning and dreaming for Oasis of the Seas, and her sister ship Allure of the Seas, began in 2003. Her keel was laid in November 2007 in Finland. Two years and 10 million man hours later, she’s at her new home in Fort Lauderdale, FL. As Royal Caribbean President Adam Goldstein put it, “We’ve always delivered the WOW, but we’ve never delivered the WOW like this!”

If you want to experience the WOW of the Oasis of the Seas, check out our charity fund-raising group cruise departing October 30, 2010 or call us (888-221-1209) to book the departure date of your choice!!

Founded by ta-tas® Brand Clothing, The Save the Ta-tas Foundation is committed to fighting cancer at every stage, including education, prevention, research, community outreach, and emotional support for those struggling with the disease.  The Save the Ta-tas Foundation has pledged at least $50,000 over the course of two years to The Concern Foundation, partnering with them to fund a dedicated breast cancer researcher. The more funds they raise, the more researchers they can fund.

Innovative and new, this organization is determined, like its founder ta-tas® Brand, to end this devastating disease – with a smile of course! Laughter heals, save the ta-tas®!  The Save the Ta-tas Foundation is dedicated to putting some fun in the fight against cancer!

To support the Save the Ta-Tas Foundation, and help them raise funds, join the 3 Blonde Moms on a fund-raising cruise with $75 minimum being donated to the Save the Ta-Tas Foundation for every stateroom booked into the group space.  In celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the cruise departs on October 30, 2010, from Ft Lauderdale, Florida, on a 7 night Western Caribbean intinerary onboard Royal Caribbean’s new ship, Oasis of the Seas.

Why not join us and the 3 Blonde Moms for some Halloween High Seas Hi-Jinx, and help us support the Save the Ta-Tas Foundation at the same time?

Ship: Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

Dates:  Departs Oct 30 and returns Nov 6, 2010

Departure port:  Ft Lauderdale, FL

Ports of Call:

• Labadee, Haiti
• Costa Maya, Mexico
• Cozumel, Mexico

Interior staterooms starting from $834 per person plus taxes and travel insurance.  We also have staterooms with views and balconies available.   A deposit of $250 per person is required to confirm your booking.  And final payment is due by August 10, 2010 at which time cruise line cancellation penalties begin. Call us at (888) 221-1209 or email info@shipsntripstravel.com for more information, or to book your stateroom today.

For every room booked with us into this group, a minimum of $75 will be donated to the Save the Ta-Tas Foundation! 

Prices include cruise fare and port charges.  Government taxes are additional.  Additional expenses may include:  airfare, travel insurance, excursions, gratuities, transfers, and personal expenses.

More information can be found at http://ta-tas.shipsntripstravel.com

With Oasis of the Seas nearing completion, Royal Caribbean International has released about the dining options that will be available onboard.  Among the wide array of choices will be familiar favorites like Chops Grill, Sorrento’s, Windjammer Marketplace and Johnny Rockets, as well new concepts including 150 Central Park, Giovanni’s Table, Solarium Bistro, Izumi Asian Cuisine and Seafood Shack.

Going by neighborhood, dining options onboard Oasis of the Seas will include:

The Boardwalk will offer family favorite Johnny Rockets, as well as a new alternative the 50s style diner, the surf-themed Seafood Shack. A lso, on the Boardwalk will be the Donut Shop, which will offer a rotating selection of 10 to 15 varieties of free donuts every day, as well as complimentary coffee.  Also in the Boardwalk will be the Boardwalk Bar, a full-scale bar that will also offer salads and sandwiches, and the 50s-styled Ice-Cream Parlour, which will offer up to 15 different flavors.

Five dining options will be offered in Central Park, including the semi-formal 150 Central Park, the Oasis of the Seas’ most exclusive dining venue. Also in Central Park will be the line’s signature steakhouse Chops Grill and a new Tuscan eatery, Giovanni’s Table, which will offer family style Italian dining. Park Café will be a quick service concept offering sandwiches, made to order salads, soups, full meals and crepes on certain days. Central Park also will feature the familiar Vintages wine bar, but new to the Oasis, Vintages will offer a tapas menu, perfect for wine pairings.

On the Royal Promenade, guests will find Café Promenade, which offers coffees, pastries and sandwiches, as well as Sorrento’s, which offers pizza on most Royal Caribbean ships. However, on Oasis, Sorrentos will offer made to order pizzas so cruisers can choose from a selection of toppings and watch as a chef makes the pizza on the spot.

For those seeking healthy dining options, the Solarium Bistro will be offered in the Pool & Sports Zone. Here, guests will find healthy buffet selections for breakfast and lunch, and health food menu for dinner. All items served in the Solarium Bistro will be 500 calories or less.  Also in the Pool & Sports Zone, will be Wipeout Café, which will offer all-day soft serve ice-cream, as well as hamburgers, hot dogs and other quick service sandwiches.

Vitality Café will be found in the Vitality Zone and will offer healthy snack items such as wraps, fruits, juices, smoothies, energy drinks and more.

Other dining venues found onboard, which will not be linked to a specific neighborhood, will be Windjammer Marketplace and Izumi Asian Cuisine. While Windjammer is an old favorite for RCI guests, Izumi is a new concept that will offer Japanese cuisine, as well as a sushi bar.

While reservations are not required for any of the specialty restaurants, they are recommended.  And as of July 9, guests will be able to go online before their cruise and make reservations for any of the specialty dining venues available on the Oasis of the Seas.

My Time Dining

Royal Caribbean expects the Main Dining Room to continue to be very popular, especially with the cruise line’s new My Time Dining option in place.   As part of My Time Dining guests can choose when they want to dine, as well as request a specific waiter or table. One entire deck of the Main Dining Room will be dedicated to guests who choose My Time Dining.  As of May 1, guests are abel choose My Time Dining at the time of booking.