Reporting Aboard The Oasis Of The Seas — "Wait'll you see the ship!" Myra, the Royal Caribbean check-in agent, gushed as I prepared to board the Oasis of the Seas. "We're going to have to pull you off by the teeth on Saturday."
Maybe. Maybe not. With room for 6,296 passengers, this largest-in-the-world cruise ship seemed a prime candidate for impossibly long waits, endless onboard queues and claustrophobia-inducing crowds. That's what I had expected.
Incorrectly, as it turned out. And, yes, Myra, after four nights onboard, I was hooked.
Our cruise carried 4,800 passengers on its Dec. 1 sailing, its inaugural voyage after seven cruises to nowhere -- and there was no sense of crowding.
The hoopla about the size was impossible to ignore, but the sheer fun of the ship was a happy surprise. You would have to be a hermit to be bored, and although the ship's destinations -- the eastern and western Caribbean -- may not be your dream trips, this is a case where getting there is more than half the fun.
Passenger Eric Hyde, an Angeleno, described it well. "It's kind of like Disneyland, outside of reality," he said. "You're literally spending four nights in an amusement park, then you wake up in the morning and you're already in line again."
Hyde, regional director of admissions at Concord Law School, had just wowed the crowd in the karaoke bar with his big voice. This was his 67th cruise, his 34th on Royal Caribbean, and he was wowed.
"The design and engineering are absolutely magnificent," he said. "Every space, there's something to see, something to marvel at."
Lonnie Cunningham, a Los Angeles CPA traveling with his wife, Linda, a travel agent, also was a fan. "An amazing experience," he said. "There's something for everyone. It's a city, right here."
Which city? Try Las Vegas.
There's a casino, of course. And an ice show and skating rink, a water show, surf simulators, rock-climbing walls, 21 pools and Jacuzzis, miniature golf, a zip line, all included in the price of your ticket. (I got in line to zip, then made the mistake of looking down. I couldn't do it.)
All aboard
On departure day, I arrived by cab at bright, new Terminal 18 in Florida's Port Everglades, and within 25 minutes had my Seapass identification card, had cleared security and was onboard, carrying my bags so I wouldn't have to wait for them.
The cruise departed on an ideal Florida evening. We gathered on deck, waiting for Holland America's Noordam -- poor little thing -- to precede us into the open sea. Noordam's passengers gawked.
A waiter slipped among us with a tray of rum drinks -- "Sippy sippy," he said -- at $8.20 a pop. Like many cruise lines, Royal Caribbean has lots of ways to separate you from your money; still, most of the best things are part of the fare, including the shows.
As we slowly turned and headed out to sea, people waved from the beach and snapped photos. Suddenly, the sun set, and an almost-full moon appeared in a sky streaked with pink.
I headed to my Deck 12 stateroom to unpack. It was an interior cabin, snug (172 square feet) but OK, with a porthole-shaped mirror and a small sitting area. The bathroom was small, with a mini-sink set a bit too low and a round shower with a glass door. The only amenities were shampoo and soap. The pillow-top bed was wonderfully soft, and storage space would be adequate for two people with a reasonable amount of luggage. There were three drawers, a couple of cubbyholes, a decent closet with shelves and lots of wood hangers. Onboard messages could be accessed on the 32-inch flat-screen TV, and there were a safe and mini-fridge. Unlike other cruise lines, this one didn't throw in a robe.
But, then, Oasis of the Seas is unlike most ships. It has a split superstructure, the 10 upper decks divided by a 62-foot-wide atrium open to the sky. The Boardwalk, a sanitized but delightful version of Coney Island, occupies the open space aft. Forward is the Royal Promenade, the heart of the ship with its shops and cafes.
Above the Promenade sits Central Park, with 12,000 tropical trees and plants, winding paths, a sculpture garden and crystal canopies that filter light down to the Promenade.
