Kayla took her first cruise final 12 months and was immediately hooked, however admittedly some facets of the cruise had been completely different from what she anticipated.

Actually, she says the expertise on a four-night Oasis of the Seas from Miami was even higher than she had imagined.

She shared her ideas on her first cruise and what stood out from her foray into cruising.

Getting onboard

Earlier than embarking on my cruise journey, I had envisioned an opulent, stress-free trip the place I may sit again and chill out whereas exploring new locations. My expectations had been excessive, however I used to be decided to have time.

As I stepped on board the ship, I used to be instantly struck by its grandeur and class. From the spacious cabins to the lavish eating rooms, every part exceeded my expectations.

Will I be bored?

One in every of my principal considerations was that I’d really feel confined on the ship and we’d run out of issues to do on sea days. Nevertheless, I used to be pleasantly shocked by the abundance of actions accessible.

Learn extra: Top untrue myths about a Royal Caribbean cruise

The ship had a number of swimming pools, scorching tubs, and water slides, in addition to a casino, a theatre, and a wide range of eating places and bars. Within the evenings, there have been a wide range of exhibits and performances to take pleasure in, together with Broadway-style productions like Cats in addition to comedy exhibits and reside music performances.

There was actually one thing for everybody on board, we truly didn’t have time to expertise all of the actions this ship needed to supply!

Fussy and formal?

One other expectation I had was that the crew could be formal and distant.

I assumed they’d be targeted on sustaining the ship and catering to the company’ wants, however not a lot else.

Nevertheless, I used to be pleasantly shocked to seek out that the crew was heat, pleasant, and at all times keen to assist. They went out of their technique to ensure that each visitor had a constructive expertise, and their enthusiasm was infectious.

One other factor that stood out to me in regards to the onboard expertise was the extent of service and a focus to element offered by the workers.

Learn extra: 25 times Royal Caribbean crew members wowed cruise ship passengers with excellent service

From the waitstaff within the eating places to the housekeeping workers who saved our stateroom tidy, everybody was pleasant and accommodating. I felt actually cared for and valued as a visitor on board the ship.

Would the meals reside as much as the hype?

One of many issues I used to be most enthusiastic about was the food.

I had heard nice issues in regards to the eating choices on board the Oasis of the Seas and was trying ahead to making an attempt out the assorted eating places.

I used to be not upset.

The meals on the ship was distinctive, and I used to be impressed by the number of choices accessible. From the informal eating on the Windjammer Cafe to the extra formal eating on the principal eating room and specialty eating places, each meal was scrumptious and expertly ready.

Would the cabin be too small?

One factor that I used to be involved about earlier than the cruise was the dimensions of the cabin.

Learn extra: The 5 best cabin locations on a cruise ship

I booked an oceanview room and opted for Royal Caribbean to decide on my stateroom location to avoid wasting on some prices. I had heard that cabins on cruise ships had been usually small and cramped, however I used to be pleasantly shocked by the dimensions and luxury of our cabin!

Learn extra: Your really dumb cruise ship cabin questions answered

We lucked out with a room that was bigger due to its location being a partial view of the helipad on the ship and good flooring to ceiling sized window.

Labadee

Labadee, Haiti was a spotlight of our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. The island is situated on Haiti’s northern coast and is leased by Royal Caribbean, which has developed it into a personal resort for his or her cruise ship company.

The island presents a wide range of actions and experiences, and we had been excited to discover every part it needed to supply. One of many issues that we had been significantly trying ahead to was the seaside.

The island has a number of seashores to select from, every providing a singular and exquisite setting for enjoyable and absorbing the solar. We determined to begin our day on the island with a go to to the Dragon’s Tail Coaster, which is an exciting rollercoaster that winds its manner by the jungle and presents breathtaking views of the island and the ocean.

The coaster was loads of enjoyable, and it was a good way to begin our day of exploring. After the coaster, we made our technique to the seaside.

The seaside was gorgeous, with clear water and tender, white sand. We spent the morning enjoyable on the seaside, swimming within the ocean, and having fun with the gorgeous surroundings.

Because the afternoon approached, we determined to discover some components of the jungle. They’d a number of strolling paths and exquisite bushes. We felt refreshed having the ability to discover the island at our personal tempo and actually take within the surroundings.

The passengers the place very pleasant and a pair supplied to take a photograph of us with the ship within the background. Due to the superior passengers alone we had been in a position to get unbelievable pictures with out paying for the extra photograph bundle choices. Total, our day on Labadie was a beautiful and memorable expertise.

The island supplied a wide range of actions and experiences, and we loved exploring every part it needed to supply.

From the gorgeous seashores to the thrilling coaster and historic websites, there was one thing for everybody on the island. Should you’re searching for a tropical paradise to discover and chill out, Labadee is certainly price a go to.

Attempting a drink bundle

One of many perks of cruising with Royal Caribbean is their limitless drink bundle, which we took full benefit of throughout our journey.

The Royal Caribbean drink package means that you can take pleasure in limitless alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks all through your whole cruise, together with beer, wine, cocktails, and tender drinks.

At first, we had been a bit hesitant about getting the drink bundle, as we weren’t certain if we might drink sufficient to make it price the associated fee.

Learn extra: Is the drink package worth it on Royal Caribbean?

Nevertheless, after performing some analysis and contemplating the costs of drinks on board, we determined to go for it. And we’re so glad we did!

The drink bundle made it really easy to take pleasure in our trip with out worrying about the price of drinks. We may order no matter we needed, every time we needed, with none extra cost.

We tried a wide range of completely different cocktails and beers all through the journey, and it was good to have the liberty to experiment and take a look at new issues with out worrying about the associated fee.

Our favourite was the Labadoozie on Labadee!

One of many nice issues in regards to the drink bundle is that it contains non-alcoholic drinks as nicely, which was excellent for after we needed to take a break from ingesting or after we wanted a refreshing drink to chill down. We loved every part from soda and juice to smoothies and mocktails, and it was good to have these choices accessible to us.

One other good thing about the drink bundle was that it allowed us to take pleasure in drinks in a wide range of completely different settings all through the ship. We may seize a cocktail by the pool, take pleasure in a glass of wine with dinner, or strive a brand new beer at one of many ship’s bars. It was good to have that flexibility and to have the ability to take pleasure in drinks in numerous environments.

Total, the limitless drink bundle was a terrific addition to our cruise expertise. It made it straightforward and stress-free to take pleasure in drinks all through the journey, and we had been in a position to strive a wide range of completely different cocktails and beers with out worrying about the associated fee. Should you’re planning a cruise with Royal Caribbean, we extremely suggest contemplating the drink bundle – it is positively price it!

Backside line

Our first cruise expertise on the Oasis of the Seas was nothing in need of wonderful.

From the second we boarded the ship, we had been impressed by the extent of luxurious and a focus to element. The ship was gorgeous, with stunning decor and a variety of facilities and actions to maintain us entertained all through the journey.

We had been significantly impressed by the standard of the meals and drinks on board. The number of eating choices was spectacular, and we loved every part from high quality eating to informal cafes and snack bars.

The limitless drink bundle was additionally a terrific addition to the journey, permitting us to take pleasure in a wide range of completely different cocktails and beers all through the ship with out worrying about the associated fee.

The spotlight of our journey was positively the day we spent on Labadie, Haiti. The island was gorgeous, with stunning seashores, thrilling actions, and a wealthy historical past and tradition to discover. It was a terrific alternative to unwind and chill out whereas additionally experiencing one thing new and thrilling.

All through our journey, the workers on board the ship had been pleasant and attentive, and we felt nicely taken care of all through the complete journey. From the housekeeping workers to the waitstaff within the eating places and bars, everybody we encountered was welcoming and went above and past to make sure we had a terrific expertise.

Total, our first cruise expertise on the Oasis of the Seas exceeded our expectations in each manner. It was a beautiful alternative to disconnect from our day by day lives and luxuriate in an opulent and memorable trip. We extremely suggest Royal Caribbean and the Oasis of the Seas to anybody searching for a unbelievable cruise expertise.