Royal Caribbean celebrates largest cruise ship to sail from New York area for the first time

In:
13 Sep 2021
By: 
Matt Hochberg

At long last, an Oasis Class cruise ship calls the New York area home.

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Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas made her official debut when she began sailing from Bayonne, New Jersey on September 5, and is now offering 7-night cruises to The Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean had originally planned to put Oasis of the Seas in Cape Liberty in 2020, but the cruise industry shutdown due to the global health crisis put those plans on hold. Nonetheless, Oasis of the Seas is now cruising from the Northeast for the first time.

Oasis of the Seas will sail from Bayonne through October, and are available immediately to book.

In order to sail on Oasis of the Seas, guests age 12 or older must be fully vaccinated. 

Vaccinated guests must present a negative PCR or antigen test result taken no more than 2 days prior to sailing in order to board. Unvaccinated children ages 2 to 11 must present a negative PCR test result taken no more than 3 days prior to sailing in order to board.

All unvaccinated guests ages 2 to 11 must undergo 2 more Covid-19 tests at the cruise terminal and prior to disembarking.

Read moreEverything you wanted to know about Oasis of the Seas

What makes Oasis of the Seas special?

Oasis of the Seas underwent a massive $165 million renovation in late 2019 that took an already impressive cruise ship and upgraded her with all sorts of new features.

In addition to the features onboard that made Oasis of the Seas a gamechanger when she debuted in 2009, here are some of the major additions:

  • Caribbean-style pool deck makeover, complete with Lime & Coconut signature bar. New day beds, casitas and variety of seating were added.
  • Ultimate Abyss slide (dry slide)
  • The Perfect Storm water slides
  • Splashaway Bay aqua park
  • Portside BBQ specialty restaurant
  • El Loco Fresh complimentary Mexican restaurant
  • Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade
  • Sugar Beach candy shop
  • Spotlight Karaoke venue
  • Music Hall venue
  • Bionic Bar
  • Revamped Adventure Ocean
  • Mission Control: Apollo 18 escape room

Read moreTop 25 free things you can do on Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class cruise ships

In short, the 2019 upgrades to Oasis enhanced the ship to bring it in line with any new cruise ship available to sail on today.


Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis.  He has become one of the foremost experts on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Over the years, he has reached Pinnacle Club status with Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program.

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