One of the many pools provides guests with sun and swim. (CAREY WAGNER, SUN SENTINEL / November 21, 2009) |
- Florida Cruise Guide: Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas ship details
- Florida Cruise Guide: Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas ship itinerary
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Travel agents find few faults with Oasis
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Oasis of the Seas on its way to Fort Lauderdale
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Art renderings of the Oasis of the Seas
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Florida Cruise Guide: Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas pictures
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Royal Caribbean's $1.5 billion Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, is a floating resort of oohs, ahhs and wows.
Words, pictures, even video tours fail to do this 5,400-passenger vessel justice. Nearly four football fields long and 16 decks high, Oasis' design alone distinguishes it from any other cruise ship. The entertainment and dining offerings are so broad that a seven-night Caribbean sailing is simply not enough time to do every onboard activity, see all the shows, sample food from each eatery and tour the ports of call.
Oasis' inaugural weeklong voyage left Saturday from Fort Lauderdale, sailing to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau, Bahamas. Built to appeal to the masses, Oasis offers tremendous value to cruise passengers and families who can afford paying a premium cruise fare from the get-go. Inside cabins start at $1,100 and suites cost upward of $4,000 per person. Once you tack on bar tabs, charges for dining at specialty restaurants, casino play and spa treatments, sailing aboard Oasis can rival costs of weeklong stays at high-end resorts in Las Vegas and Orlando.
I suspect most Oasis passengers will quickly discover their favorite spots and frequent them. Experienced cruisers may skip disembarking at ports of call altogether since the novelty of this cruise vacation is likely found on Oasis' sprawling decks.
Oasis' greatest gift to passengers is a feeling of intimacy, created in the tiniest of details. For a reporter who's spent more than a year writing about this ship, that was the biggest surprise of all.
Before stepping onboard Oasis, I well-acquainted with her seven themed neighborhoods and the smorgasbord of first-at-sea highlights. I mentally prepared to get lost a few times, wait 20 minutes for an elevator and jog to interviews. But within hours of my embarkation, I discovered electronic touch-screen maps that helped me find my way around the ship with ease. I never felt intimidated by the ship's size. Instead, I marveled at how the world's largest cruise ship seemed so small.
Here's a look at some of my favorite places:
Words, pictures, even video tours fail to do this 5,400-passenger vessel justice. Nearly four football fields long and 16 decks high, Oasis' design alone distinguishes it from any other cruise ship. The entertainment and dining offerings are so broad that a seven-night Caribbean sailing is simply not enough time to do every onboard activity, see all the shows, sample food from each eatery and tour the ports of call.
Oasis' inaugural weeklong voyage left Saturday from Fort Lauderdale, sailing to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau, Bahamas. Built to appeal to the masses, Oasis offers tremendous value to cruise passengers and families who can afford paying a premium cruise fare from the get-go. Inside cabins start at $1,100 and suites cost upward of $4,000 per person. Once you tack on bar tabs, charges for dining at specialty restaurants, casino play and spa treatments, sailing aboard Oasis can rival costs of weeklong stays at high-end resorts in Las Vegas and Orlando.
I suspect most Oasis passengers will quickly discover their favorite spots and frequent them. Experienced cruisers may skip disembarking at ports of call altogether since the novelty of this cruise vacation is likely found on Oasis' sprawling decks.
Oasis' greatest gift to passengers is a feeling of intimacy, created in the tiniest of details. For a reporter who's spent more than a year writing about this ship, that was the biggest surprise of all.
Before stepping onboard Oasis, I well-acquainted with her seven themed neighborhoods and the smorgasbord of first-at-sea highlights. I mentally prepared to get lost a few times, wait 20 minutes for an elevator and jog to interviews. But within hours of my embarkation, I discovered electronic touch-screen maps that helped me find my way around the ship with ease. I never felt intimidated by the ship's size. Instead, I marveled at how the world's largest cruise ship seemed so small.
Here's a look at some of my favorite places:
