Are you a glass half-full kind of person or more of a glass half empty pessimist? I believe in staying optimistic (or at least making every attempt to try to be optimistic) and enjoying change. If we can’t enjoy change, then we live in fear of it. While onboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in October for her transatlantic sailing from Southampton, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida after dry dock, I tried to discover what the changes were. While many were apparent, some were not so easy to identify.
The new Arcade was added in the Boardwalk where Smile Novelty Photos once stood and the new Britto Boutique replaces what was once Pets at Sea. The new Arcade should not be confused with the Video Arcade located on deck 15 near the The Living Room and Fuel Teen Disco.
What was once called the Ice Cream Parlor is now Cups and Scoops in the Boardwalk. The Cupcake Cupboard in the Royal Promenade closed and was moved into Cups and Scoops.
The Boardwalk Donut Shop has now become the Boardwalk Dog House. With a menu that included hot dogs, bratwurst, among others — unfortunately, no veggie dogs are available.
Seafood Shack has now become the new Sabor Taqueria and the nearby Boardwalk Bar became Sabor Tequila Bar. Already on other Royal Caribbean ships, this restaurant offers yet another a la carte experience while onboard.
One of the biggest changes to the Oasis of the Seas is still in the works – Dynamic Dining. Instead of the main dining room of the past, guests can choose to dine in any one of new restaurants, some complimentary. Opus was changed to the new Silk restaurant on deck 5, The Grande on deck 4, and American Icon Grill on deck 3.
The Diamond Club was removed on deck 6 and moved to deck 4. In the place of the old Diamond Club they built 5 new inside staterooms. Here I was enjoying a Mimosa with the continental breakfast served daily to Diamond members and above in the new Diamond Club. The area it occupies now was one of the two private dining rooms on deck 4. The other will now be Izumi, which was once part of Windjammer. They expanded that area out for additional seating and Izumi was still under construction while I was onboard. I couldn’t remember what the old Izumi looked like until now when I looked for pictures of it. I really liked the old Izumi so I do hope that the new one is as good. The extra space in the Windjammer was clearly needed as that restaurant is almost at 100% capacity even with the expansion.
One of the other new restaurants added, but was still in progress while onboard is Wonderland located on deck 12 which is now situated inside the Concierge Lounge. My guess is that it’s divided into two separate parts inside that space.
What was once Willow has now become the first Michael Kors boutique at sea on the Royal Promenade on deck 5.
Where the Cupcake Cupboard was originally is now the first Kate Spade boutique at Sea. It’s not purple – I promise! The lighting in the Royal Promenade is constantly changing.
This is one of two Regalia stores onboard the Oasis of the Seas on deck 5 in the Royal Promenade. The first is shown here next to Guest Services and the second is next to the new Michael Kors store.
Up on deck 17 the much beloved Viking Crown Lounge is now divided into the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen, both for suite guests only. Additionally, two new suites were created by removing the Pinnacle Lounge and Pinnacle Chapel. This is as far as I could get since I wasn’t staying in a suite.
Overall, 8 suites and 36 staterooms were added during the October 2014 two-week dry dock in Rotterdam. New cabins were added on decks 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 17. Of particular interest was that a Royal Suite on deck 12 was replaced with 6 new staterooms and the Presidential Suite, also on deck 12, were replaced with 2 new staterooms.
Don’t panic! Remember, change is good! Are you happy with the new changes to the Oasis of the Seas? Is there anything you miss or wish they had added?
WE are both diamond on the RCCL and Elite on Celebrity. so we have cruised and enjoyed ourselves many times on both ship lines. On Celebrity we upgrade our drink package to premium so that we can enjoy the Martini Bar and World Class Bar. On RCCL there is only one drink package. It seams strange that in order to enjoy a Martini or a Margaritta we must pay an additional charge. It doesn’t feel right even if it is only $1 more. It would be better to increase the max to $13 or increase the package slightly.Looking forward to our next sailing.
Hi Gary,
I think they are always evaluating and reassessing their packages to make them better, but I totally agree that it should just be the drink and not the difference. Doesn’t seem quite right. Marian