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Thee Royal Caribbean ships will delay departure times because of Hurricane Matthew

In:
07 Oct 2016

The effects of Hurricane Matthew are still being felt with three more Royal Caribbean ships that will have a delayed departure.

To give guests more time to arrive to the ship with transportation issues for Freedom of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas.

New departure times are:

  • Oasis of the Seas sailing from Port Everglades on Saturday, October 8, will now depart at 7:00 p.m.
  • Allure of the Seas sailing from Port Everglades on Sunday, October 9, will now depart at 7:00 p.m.
  • Freedom of the Seas sailing from Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 9 will now depart at 9:00 p.m.

If there are any questions, please contact Royal Caribbean at 866-562-7625.

Royal Caribbean planning a photo opportunity with all three Oasis-class cruise ships

In:
20 Sep 2016

A really big photo is being planned by Royal Caribbean that involves all three of its Oasis-class cruise ships in one place very soon.

Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley confirmed that the company will take photos of the three ships together in coordination with Harmony of the Seas' arrival in the United States in a few short weeks.

"We're trying to arrange all three Oasis-class to be next to each other, off the coast of Florida on November the 4th in the afternoon," Bayley said at an event aboard Allure of the Seas earlier today.

The plan is for Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas to appear together on November 4, 2016.  Royal Caribbean will also invite guests up to the helipad for additional photo opportunities.

Royal Caribbean held a similar event back in 2010, when Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas met at sea.

Royal Caribbean cancels two cruise ship stops in St. Thomas due to expected storm

In:
22 Aug 2016

Royal Caribbean has canceled to scheduled stops in St. Thomas due to an approaching tropical storm.

Concerns over a tropical disturbance in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Invest 99-L, which may develop into a tropical depression or storm in the days ahead, forced Royal Caribbean to make the change, according to Virgin Islands Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe.

St. Thomas Source is reporting Oasis of the Seas was scheduled to visit Crown Bay on August 23 and the Freedom of the Seas was scheduled for August 24.

According to guests onboard, Oasis of the Seas will skip both St. Thomas and St. Kitts, and instead visit San Juan on August 23 from 1:30pm to 11:30pm, then have a sea day, and then visit Labadee from 8am to 4:30pm.

Freedom of the Seas will skip both St. Thomas and St. Martin and instead be at sea on August 23, then stop at Costa Maya, Mexico on August 24, Cozumel, Mexico on August 25, and then spend the remaining days at sea before returning back to Port Canaveral on August 28.

Spotted: New main dining room menu on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

In:
07 Jul 2016

It looks like a new main dining room is available on Oasis of the Seas and that could potentially spread to other ships in the fleet.

Cruise Critic member Eric Markson shared photos of the new menus from a recent sailing in which these new menus appeared.

These menus are from nights two through seven of the cruise.  

What do you think of the new menu on Oasis of the Seas? Please let us know with a comment!

Secret Royal Caribbean staterooms: Extra large Oasis of the Seas balconies

In:
11 May 2016

Across Royal Caribbean's fleet of cruise ships, there are some interesting and unique staterooms that are slightly different than the rest of the staterooms in the same category.

Today, we are looking at some balcony staterooms on Oasis of the Seas that give you a lot more space for no extra cost.

Photo by Emmy Schaffer

Certain Central Park balcony staterooms offer guests almost double width balconies for the same cost as other Central Park balcony staterooms.

These rooms are to the aft of the Living Wall and are on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Photo by Emmy Schaffer

The cabin numbers are on decks 10, 11 and 12:

  • 10229
  • 10629
  • 11229
  • 11629
  • 12229
  • 12629

It is worth noting that the larger balcony is not indicated on the deck plan.

If you are looking to book a Central Park balcony stateroom and want to get your family some extra living space, these staterooms are a great way to do it without breaking the bank!

Thank you to Emmy Schaffer for providing information for this post.

Photo tour of Loft Suite on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

In:
25 Jan 2016

We love to show off various stateroom categories that guests can enjoy on Royal Caribbean ships and today we have one of the most impressive suites available on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas: the Loft Suite.

Tracy Pearce shared these photos from her cruise, while staying in stateroom 1702.

Loft Suites are Category L1 staterooms and span two decks, with a staircase and floor-to-ceiling full wall windows, giving you an amazing panoramic view of the land and sea.

Crown Loft Suites feature a master bedroom on the second level with two twin beds that convert to a queen-sized bed, and a master bathroom with his and her showerheads.

The main level is home to the living room, an entertainment center with large flat-screen LCD television, stereo, and DVD/CD player, dining area, double sofa bed, guest bathroom, and entrance to your private verandah.

The Loft Suite measues 540 square feet inside with an additional 98 square feet of balcony space.  A Loft Suite can accomodate up to 4 guests.

Photo tour of Oasis of the Seas AquaTheater Suite Category A1 stateroom

In:
20 Jan 2016

We love to explore the various staterooms on Royal Caribbean cruise ships and today we have a look at an AquaTheater stateroom on Oasis of the Seas.

This category A1 room was photographed by Arleen Jacoby during her stay in stateroom 8330.

Category A1 staterooms on Oasis of the Seas measure 820 square feet with an additional 803 square feet of space on the balcony.

Aquatheatre Suites have floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that lead to your private wrap-around veranda overlooking the Aquatheatre and Boardwalk, outdoor ocean-front dining area and bar, two bedrooms with two twin beds that convert to a queen-sized bed, considerable closet space, two full private bathrooms with shower and tub, as well as a living room with desk, drawer space, vanity, and double sofa bed.

Each suite also has two Pullman beds, a marble entry, thermostat controlled air-conditioning, entertainment center, internet access, direct-dial telephone, radio, mini bar, individual safe, 24 hour room service, and concierge service.

The real appeal of these staterooms are the amazing views of the ocean, Boardwalk neighborhood and the AquaTheater.  

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - Oasis of the Seas Listener Cruise Review

In:
20 Jan 2016

Listen to the Show

Now and then we see a really unique Royal Caribbean cruise out there that is not something regularly available. On this week’s show, we have a look at a rare 3-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas as one of our listeners joins us to tell us all about it. We get a chance to look at what it’s like on a short Oasis of the Seas sailing through the eyes of someone brand new to Royal Caribbean.

Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via...

On this episode:
Running time:

Spotted: Royal Caribbean 10 drink card on Oasis of the Seas

In:
08 Jan 2016

Royal Caribbean has been experimenting with offering guests various drink package offers beyond the usual unlimited drink packages and on Oasis of the Seas this week, there is a 10 drink card offer that has been spotted.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Dan Kohout sent us this photo of an offer for 10 drinks for $79 on Oasis of the Seas.

Guests can pay one price for 10 drinks at any onboard, bar, restaurant and lounge that is valid for the purchase of most beers, glasses of wine and cocktails, as well as fountain sodas, specialty coffee and fresh juices.

We also received a report from Kris Leppien-Christensen, onboard Liberty of the Seas, of a similar offer this week, where guests can purchase ten drinks for $69.

Royal Caribbean has been experimenting with these special offers over the last couple of weeks, with a one-day unlimited alcohol package on Enchantment of the Seas and a 10 drink ticket on Grandeur of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean spokesperson Celia de la Llama told Cruise Critic, "Ships have been given the option to test different beverage package offerings onboard.  The decision of which program to offer, if any, is made by the ship."

Would you buy a drink ticket like this instead of an unlimited alcohol package? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Review: Ultimate thermal suite pass on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

In:
02 Jan 2016

Onboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, guests can purchase something called the ultimate thermal suite pass.  Royal Caribbean Blog reader Christie McLarty decided to try it for herself and share the experience with everyone!

We purchased the ultimate thermal suite pass for two for the week. 

The cost was $250, and included use of the razul/mud room and a private jacuzzi (later referred to as bathing suite).  You had to schedule these with the spa and each lasted an hour. 

For both services, you check in with the front desk and wait in the relaxation room until a staff member brings you to the room and explains everything in detail before leaving you alone for the remainder of the time.  They knock on the door when you have ten minutes remaining.  

The razul room consisted of a few steps to exfoliate and cleanse the skin. 

The first was a salt scrub.  You apply this to yourself or your partner and then rinse it off in the shower.  Afterwards, you apply several facial cleansers and masks from Elemis. 

These were slightly confusing because the directions on the back of the bottle were for the spa, not for an average consumer such as "apply as per Elemis training."  We tried to figure out what to do with each one. 

Next, you apply a thin layer of the green mud mask to each other or to yourself.  You then sit in the steam room for about 15-20 minutes.  It goes through several cycles of steam until a nozzle at the top kicks on and washes the mud off of you. 

If the nozzles don't get all the mud off, there are spray shower heads to finish rinsing off.  There are towels and robes to use afterwards.  The mud mask had a cooling effect similar to icy hot.  

The jacuzzi was more like a two person private bathtub.  She stated that she put elemis detox products in the bath and this may cause us to sweat.  She showed us how to operate the tub and then left us alone. 

There was a shower to use after and elemis facial products left out as well.  Since we had just finished with the razul treatment, we skipped the facial cleansing.  I brought an iPad and we caught up on some shows that I had downloaded. 

It was very relaxing and I would definitely do it again.  Hope this helps someone!   

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