Phil onboard Oasis of the Seas in Florida

Finally I have WiFi access and I am able to bring you some images of this truly amazing cruise ship.

It is impossible to give you a fully informed opinion of the real imporant matters such as service levels, onboard pricing and other key features due to this being a familiarisation trip. Therefore I am going to blog some observations and images over the next couple of days.

The first thing that strikes you when you arrive at the port of Ft Lauderdale is the sheer size of this cruise ship - in fact you can see her from the freeway before you even take the turning for the port..!!! As you drive up, Oasis of the Seas in in front of you and you just see this huge bow of a ship and the unbelievable width.

To put this in perspective, Ruby Princess (no yacht by any stretch of the immagination) was dwarfed by Oasis of the Seas.

As soon as Lewis and myself has checked into our staterooms we made for the open decks to have a drink and decide where we would start exploring. For some reason we both managed to end up on the top deck on the opposite side of the ship..... Just shout him I thought! Guess what...he couldn't hear me..!!! I had to phone him...!!!

This is probably the best example of the sheer size of the ship.

Anyway, this is by no means a negative, it is simply an illustration of her size. I love her and whether you like large ships or not, you have to applaud Royal Caribbean Internation for creating such a fantastic cruise ship, the likes of which have never been senn before or ever imagined possible.

Most cabins are standard in relation to all modern cruise ships, although my cabin is a balcony stateroom on deck 14 and the bathroom is quite small, but is adequate.
Note: if you take a stateroom on deck 14, there is a large overhang, so sun may well be limited.

What did impress me was the "Loft Suites". These are indeed fantastic and I would book one of these above any other stateroom on this ship. If you feel flush, the Royal Loft Suite is simply breathtaking and the views over the Aquatheatre are amazing. This also applies to the "Sky Loft Suites".
Note: The Sky and Standard Loft Suites do NOT have a bath. But I am prepared to forgive this just for the sheer innovation. I love them and Lewis was also very impressed.

So what else makes this ship unique apart from its size?

The interior balcony stateroom overlooking Central Park and The Boardwalk. These are fab, and as long as you remember to keep the curtain closed when you are changing - the idea of having pre dinner drinks on the balcony whist there is music and entertainment going on below, as the sun sets, is a great concept that appears to work well.

Today, the weather has been overcast and windy. OK we can't sunbathe but in true British style we went for a walk in Central Park and sat down on a bench pople watching. It was surreal..!! The trees were rustling, then it rained a little It was just like being in the park in New York or London with apartments overlooking you. There are cafe's and restaurants with tables outside - this is the real deal and it does work.

Restaurants: The main restaurant is huge - which you would expect and although I have had one evening meal, it is impossible to comment on service leves, so I am not going to blag it. But I can tell you the Prime Rib ordered by three of us was very good and cooked as requested.

The speciality restaurants had all booked up by the time we had got onboard and looked through the lists - so my advice to you is pre-book if you can but do it AS SOON AS YOU REACH YOUR STATEROOM..!!

The same applies to the shows onboard - everyone apart from a 5pm Thursday showing of Hairspray was completely booked up..!!

Guys - this is a BIG ship and if you want to take advantage of as much as possible, you must be well organaized and plan your onboard cruise itinerary in the same way you would for a visit to say New York or Disney World.

Again - this is not a negative, it is simply an observation and an indication of why Oasis of the Seas cannot be compared to any other cruie holiday. This is a vacation resort at sea.

That said: I do believe that it would be prudent for Royal Caribbean International to limit the number of dining options and shows to 2 per family per week for the first 24 hours. This would facilitate a much fairer system.

The Oasis of the Seas has 2 flowriders and it looks even better in the evening.

Warning: If you forget anything when you leave your stateroom - it can be a very long walk back. We have laughed many times the last couple of days over this. You have to get into the spirit of things.

The childrens facilities are very very good, but I would guess that a ship of this size, although it has a huge children's area - with it's own cinema..!! - you will have to get to the child area early to register your child or children.

IMPORTANT: My favourite part of this ship is the interactive "Star Trek" boards around the ship. They are all touch screen and tell you where you are, offer you menus for all aspects of the ship - you just touch them and the info appears, including cabin number search...!!!! Brilliant smply brilliant and I played on this for a good 10 minutes...(boys with toys)

I hope you have enjoyed reading this first blog from the world's largest cruise ship and I will try and post a second blog with more pictures tomorrow.

This is a cruise blog entry by Phil