Cruise Ship Opinions

[bstnsportsfan]

The Oasis is a new class. The sister ship Allure of the Seas is being built now also.

Ship Facts

Guest Capacity: 5,400 double occupancy

Gross Tonnage: 220,000

Staterooms: 2,700

Decks: 16 high

Length: 1,184'

Max Beam: 154'

Draft: 30'

Cruising Speed: 22 knots

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/...huaq2?cS=NAVBAR

That ship looks incredible. We did look into it, but it was too expensive for us. I hope to see tons of pictures when you go. You can probably spend a week on the ship and not see everything!

[cracker]

Chris,

One thing that may or amy not be an issue is if the boats have a Casino.. I know some of the different boats do not. Good Luck I am sure yall will have a blast..

[pmagrady]

If your Bride wants to be in the Western Caribbean, that's where you will be. (I like the EC better too)

I've cruised the Western Caribbean on RC. If I did it again, I'd never leave the boat in Mexico. When you go to the ruins, they bus you there. When you get on the bus thay tell you that they have a special treat in store for you. You will be stopping at a jewelry "factory". They take you to a big jewelry store and stay there for an hour. The prices are higher than they are state side. Basically this mini-kidnapping spoiled the trip to the ruins for us. Oh, if you do take this tour, bring your bathing suits. The beach at the ruins is great.

The best thing about the RC ships is that they usually have small specialty restaurants. You make reservations for these and they do cost extra. It is worth the extra $$$ to be seated at your own table for two in a small restaurant for a few of your dinners. The main dining hall has large tables where you will be randomly seated with strangers. There are always a few people overwhelmed by the "all you can eat" aspect of cruising. If you enjoy watching someone eat two full dinners you will like the main dining hall. The only good thing about dining there is that coat and tie are not required. RC is informal compared to other cruise lines. Princess and Celebrity are a step up, but they are also more formal. Coat and tie at dinner. I think they also assign a "permanent" table and dinner time.

[Bob's Cay]

I have done one 7 - day cruise on RC (Western) and loved every minute of it. Never though I would but boy was I surprised. I had the good fortune of doing a construction project for RC and learned alot about cruising from the guys I worked with at RC. The good thing about RC is that offer a wide range of activities both on ship and on shore to choose from. They do market to the "active" cruise group as opposed to the senior group and the party crowd.

Do not worry about Labadee or Haiti. The site you visit is RC's private beach and generally you will find that you cannot tell the difference between Labadee and other private beach locations. The site serves well as it is intended, just a spot to spend the day at the beach. There is plenty to do will you are there.

Have fun.

[cracker]

Some good points have been brought up. Again, speaking about Carnival Ships.

Dining is casual, they have one formal night generally. They have assigned seating if you go to the main dining room. One thing I have always liked is the casual environment on board. When I cruise I like the laid back attitude, I personally dont want waiters wearing gloves. As long as the staff is friendly, helpful and is professional I am good..

[bstnsportsfan]

Thanks guys for all the opinions. We still have quite sometime until we need to make a decision. We are leaning towards the Carnival, but we will strongly consider cost as a factor, as well as ports and opinions!