Can anyone help a RC newbie?

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

We have only ever cruised once before, and it was on DCL four years ago. Unfortunately, DCL has outpriced us, so we have a cabin reserved on the Oasis for August! We're all pretty excited!

We got the last of the family staterooms, so I know we'll be squished...but hey, it's 1000 cheaper than two cabins. There are six of us, dh and I, ds20, dd17, ds14, and ds13

DINING
*Do we need to decide about the traditional/flexible dining and times when we book, or is this something we do later. It looks like the flexible plan allows us to eat by ourselves? My oldest is autistic, and won't really do well eating with strangers. We'll be fine either way, but it will be a much more comfortable experience if we can eat just as our family.

*How much is it to upgrade to just one of the fancier restaurants? $85/pp for the 3 meal plan is a bit much. I assume we can do just one?

*Drink packages: I know we'll want to add the soda package. Do we need to do this for everyone in the cabin, or can we add it for a few of us?

INTERNET

Do we need to pay for the entire cruise, or are the days priced by 24 hours? It would be nice if we could only pay for our sea days. It looks like we might be able to share the one device plan, as long as we aren't logged in at once? I know we won't be on much, but I know my teens wouldn't survive LOL!

EXCURSIONS
*I see that many of you book excursions on your own. Where do I start with this? Are there certain sites you would recommend? It's an Easter Caribbean cruise, so stopping at St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. Is Labadee going to be something similar to Castaway Cay, where we can disembark and walk to the beach area, or do we need to schedule anything we decide to do?

I have no doubt I'll be back with many more questions over the next 8 months, but this gets me started. Thanks for sharing any thoughts!

Karen

 

[acgardne]

We love Oasis class ships! There is so much more to do on those ships than the Disney ships. Don't get me wrong, we loved our Disney cruise, but for the price and offerings, the Oasis class ships are great.

Dining:
-You will need to pick traditional or My Time Dining when you book, but first seating traditional usually is the first to be full. You can request to be put on a waitlist for whatever you desire if that seating option is full.
-Pricing can vary for specialty restaurants, even by individual cruises. I think it is typically $30-$40 for the Chops Grille (steakhouse). If you are going to eat at three restaurants, the package is definitely a bargain.
-I believe only a few of you can select the Soda Package, but Royal has recently made changes to the way Ultimate Beverage (alcohol) packages are required per stateroom, so watch for changes.

Internet: I don't think that there is a day pass for internet, but I can't be sure. They definitely push the week-long pass. I believe otherwise it is a per minute charge.

Excursions: We don't book on our own for excursions, so I can't comment, but yes, Labadee is very much like Coco Cay in that you can walk to the beach. There is also a roller coaster and zip line, so there was more going on than at Coco Cay. Nellie's Beach is a good option for a beach day, and everything is easily walkable from the ship.

Also, make sure to make your entertainment reservations online before you board! There is no charge for the shows, but they do "sell out," and if you did not reserve a ticket, you may have to wait in the stand-by line to get in. (or not get in). The aqua shows and ice shows were hits with our family.

Enjoy!

 

[msjprincess]

If you're interested in independent excursions I would go to Pot of Call area of Cruise Critic. That's where I've always found recommended excursions.

I've been to all 3 places but we didn't do any excursions. In St Maarten we took a cab to Maho Beach to see the planes, then took a taxi back to dowtown are. We had lunch, hung out at the beach there and took the water taxi back to the ship. In Puerto Rico we took the free trolley to Castillo San Felipe del Morro and then just walked around the downtown area.

 

[starvenger]

Do we need to decide about the traditional/flexible dining and times when we book, or is this something we do later. It looks like the flexible plan allows us to eat by ourselves? My oldest is autistic, and won't really do well eating with strangers. We'll be fine either way, but it will be a much more comfortable experience if we can eat just as our family.

So the flexible plan aka My Time Dining aka MTD, if you select it, you can book a seating time whenever the option pops up in the Cruise Planner. For 6 people, it's likely that you'll be seated by yourselves. Whichever option you choose, I'd call up customer service and let them know your situation.

How much is it to upgrade to just one of the fancier restaurants? $85/pp for the 3 meal plan is a bit much. I assume we can do just one?

The price varies. If you're looking to do just one, do the "First Night Done Right" special (found on the Cruise Planner) as it gives you 50% off the regular price. They "randomly" assign you a restaurant, and you won't find out which one it is once you're on board, but it's pretty easy to change - just go to one of the specialty restaurants in Central Park and ask to change it.

INTERNET

Do we need to pay for the entire cruise, or are the days priced by 24 hours? It would be nice if we could only pay for our sea days. It looks like we might be able to share the one device plan, as long as we aren't logged in at once? I know we won't be on much, but I know my teens wouldn't survive LOL!

As pp noted, there's no a la carte option. A package for one or two should suffice for the trip. My wife had to get the package last year on Harmony (she had to work, so was able to expense it), and I piggybacked onto there whenever she wasn't online, so that I could post photos etc.

EXCURSIONS
*I see that many of you book excursions on your own. Where do I start with this? Are there certain sites you would recommend? It's an Easter Caribbean cruise, so stopping at St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. Is Labadee going to be something similar to Castaway Cay, where we can disembark and walk to the beach area, or do we need to schedule anything we decide to do?

This is the same itinerary I had on Harmony. In St. Maarten we didn't do anything fancy - just took the water taxi and went to the main beach. It can get crowded due to the hotels and proximity to the cruise port but it's comfortable. In addition, I took a look at the cruise schedule and I'm not sure which week you're going but if I'm reading things right you'll be the only cruise ship in St. Maarten that day. This should mean less crowds which would be good for your oldest I think?

In San Juan my wife and I got off and walked around old San Juan. You may want to pay for the tour, but as it was just the two of us (kids stayed on board with the grandparents) we were fine with a DIY tour.

For Labadee I would look into renting a Cabana. That would make things private enough for your oldest. If that isn't your thing, then take the (free) water taxi over to Columbus Cove. It's less busy (and thus easier to find shade) and the water seems calmer.

 

[HopperFan]

You have lots of good advice. We cruised Oasis a couple years ago, loved it!

In our party of 7 were 3 couples and our adult DS who is multi-disabled with many autistic characteristics.

RCL is Autism Friendly, so I emailed them in advance about our dining.

First we booked together for set dining, we booked the later seating so our days were not rushed.
I explained about my son and requested:
- We not share a table.
- Asked for a round table so he would feel included, as a square table makes it hard for group interaction.
- A quieter table away from activity like live music that gets loud or creates excitement, kitchen doors, people traffic.

As soon as we boarded we went straight to dining room to ask our number, find our table and make sure it was okay. Our previous cruise on Freedom we didn't like our table, switched to My Time Dining then went to that podium where they let us select a time and table for first night ... then they let us keep it the rest of the trip after we had such great service.

But ........... Our table was round, up against porthole windows and a small wall on one of the side dining areas, not in the large room. It was also not far to an exit should we need to leave. We had fabulous servers who completely took over making sure DS was treated like a king. It was a great location for DS.

At this point I can't imagine not booking RCL based on the crew alone and how well he did.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/vanity/AutismFriendly

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

Thank you all so much for the advice! It definitely gives me a good place to start!

I also really appreciate the ideas on the cruise line being autism-friendly. I'm relieved to hear they will be just as easy to work with as DCL was! We don't generally need to request many accommodations, but this could really help make our dining experiences better

 

[Laz]

If you're interested in independent excursions I would go to Pot of Call area of Cruise Critic. That's where I've always found recommended excursions.

I've been to all 3 places but we didn't do any excursions. In St Maarten we took a cab to Maho Beach to see the planes, then took a taxi back to dowtown are. We had lunch, hung out at the beach there and took the water taxi back to the ship. In Puerto Rico we took the free trolley to Castillo San Felipe del Morro and then just walked around the downtown area.

I also suggest the Cruise Critic forum, but I follow that up by searching on Trip Advisor.

 

[msjprincess]

I also suggest the Cruise Critic forum, but I follow that up by searching on Trip Advisor.

Yes, I do the same.