Oasis of the Seas staterooms- a primer

Oasis of the Seas offers 37 different cabin categories.  That may sound like a daunting list so let’s see if we can make some sense of it.

Let’s start with some lingo about staterooms

First of all, on Royal Caribbean we use the term “stateroom” rather than “cabin” because that’s what Royal Caribbean uses.  (sort of a “when in Rome… ” thing) The two terms are basically interchangeable though and someone selling you one will not correct you for saying one over the other.

You could also accurately say “room” but that makes us look like we don’t know what we’re talking about and not very nautical at all so let’s stay away from that one.  Cruise snobs will totally look down on us if we say “room” on a cruise ship.

On a regular cruise ship the cabin types are basically three:  Inside, Outside and Balcony.  On Oasis too we have Inside, Outside and Balcony staterooms (stateroom does sound cooler doesn’t it?) But types is a very general term.  Let’s move along to categories

Inside staterooms

• A standard inside stateroom is, indeed, inside the ship with no window- all cruise ships have these. On Oasis that would be categories Q, N, M and L- the same size and configuration all, the only difference being where on the ship the stateroom is located.  Q will be the least expensive, located on decks 10, 11, 12 and 14 aft.  N will be deck 6, 7 or 8 more midship or forward, a bit more in price for what is considered a “better” location. For a bit more in fare, we can go up to deck M which is on decks 9, 10 and 11, higher on the ship and more towards the middle.  On standard inside staterooms, all the cabins are the same size (172 sq ft) .  The price is determined by where they are located.  This goes back to the days of ships with sails that bobbed up and down a lot.  On those, the dead center of the ship was the best place to be located because there was less movement.  Modern ships have made this concern negligible and Oasis’ sheer size affords a very smooth ride and pretty much throws the “movement” concern out the window.  Still, this is a very big ship and closer to the middle means closer to everything
• A Promenade view stateroom (category PR) is technically inside but has a window that looks out onto the Royal Promenade- Royal Caribbean debuted these popular alternatives on the Voyager class ships, continued them on the Freedom class ships and have kept them on Oasis class ships but not as many are available

Outside staterooms

• A standard outside stateroom, called “Oceanview” has a window with a view of the ocean (duh) slightly larger than an inside, Oceanview staterooms are 179 square feet and begin with category I, midship on deck 3, go up to ,category H, also 179 sq ft but on deck nine or ten forward and category F again 179 sq ft but on decks 10 and 11
• Another category of outside stateroom, Central Park View (category CV), oversees the Central Park neighborhood- also new to Oasis class ships and bigger at 199 sq ft on deck nine only
• Still another outside stateroom is Boardwalk view (category BV) in which you have a view of the Boardwalk and possibly a partial view of the ocean by looking back towards the Aqua Theater area and located on deck 7 at 191 square feet

Balcony staterooms

• These start with category D8, 182 sq ft on deck six or seven, D7, same size puts you on decks 9, 10 or 11, D6 puts you on decks 12 or 14 and we go all the way up to D1 which is midship on decks 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12.   All of these look out to the ocean
• On Oasis we also balcony staterooms that look inside the ship and start with the Central Park view balcony staterooms at 182 sq ft split between two categories, C1 and C2 all on decks 10, 11, 12 and 14
• Still another balcony stateroom category is B1 and B2, Boardwalk view, offering both a view of the action below on that Boardwalk, a view of the Aqua Theater and in the distance a view of the ocean as well.  These are also 182 square feet and located on decks 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14

That pretty much does it for the standard inside, outside and balcony staterooms.  Above these in price is a big assortment of suite accommodations, the top end, which we will explore next in Oasis of the Seas- luxury accommodations.

Do you have specific questions about any of these different staterooms?  Let me know with an email to Chris@YourCruiseDream.com and I will get right back to you with answers.

Oasis of the Seas- Amazing Staterooms

Royal Loft Suite

One of the biggest differences Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will offer guests is in the stateroom choices available to them.  With all the different “neighborhoods” there are even more different categories of cabins available from which to choose, 37 at last count.   It will probably take some time to see which are the most popular, which ones sell out first, or which ones are likely to be discounted.

Most impressive of the staterooms are the loft suites shown here.  The unique feature is the two deck high floor-to-ceiling windows with solid glasss for spectacular views of whatever happens to pass by.

Other accomodations are impressive as well with the latest features including RCTV television network allowing the booking of shore excurions, specialty restaurante reservations and more as well as oversized showers, telephone, private bath and more

done

Packing for your cruise? Don’t forget the toilet paper!

…especially if you use Charmin, Angel Soft or some other equally plush brand.  

Every cruise line I have ever been on uses what must be called Rough And Ready Industrial Strength.  I think the purchasing departments have confused cruise passengers with Elephants.  While by too many trips to the buffet I may look like one,  by the end of the cruise I feel like I was drugged and violated in my sleep by an elephant.  

(Too graphic?) (this candid article is just one of the many bonuses you’ll find here that just don’t quite seem appropriate elsewhere in cyberspace)

I’m writing this because I always forget to pack toilet paper.  I remember this the first time I need to use the “facilities”.  Get prepared for that too.  Operating the facilities you’ll hear a sound much like that of a torpedo being launched from a nuclear submarine. Your business travels with lighting speed away to some unknown place.  

Actually,  I just thought of a good way of remembering to pack toilet paper as even more essential that Duct Tape or my George Foreman Grill 

I am going to bring a case next time.  I’ll just tag it and check it with a porter.  I checked, there are no rules about how much toilet paper you can bring with you.  Smuggling should not be necessary, at least for a while.

The plan is to set up a little table outside of the dining room then sell it to guests on their way back to the cabin. Who would NOT want to buy one?  I think no one would pass me by.   A good marketing strategy would be to wait until about the third night.  By then the need should be painfully obvious.    I thought I might also write my cabin number on each roll “Need More?  See cabin 8525 between 3 and 5 (well I don’t want to tie up my whole day)”  Actually if I could get the wife and kids to just walk around the ship everywhere they go with a roll in each hand that would probably do it.  (Think: adorable childen operating Kool-aid stand business) Imaging how popular they would be!  Why didn’t I think of this when they were in high school?  Think of all the money we could have saved buying their cheerleading junk- nothing says self-esteem on it more than someone who has a product that is in high demand.

I often thought “Why couldn’t I have invented this?” when using the facilities at home.  I think this might be the next best thing!

Do you have tips about such matters?  Please share them here?

Coming soon: Why its a good idea to bring children to fetch things for you

Why is my cabin unassigned?

 

If you received confirmation of your cruise booking and it says “TBA” (To Be Added) where you cabin number should be listed, you have an unassigned cabin. The cruise line will give us that number later, closer to sailing, usually after final payment has been made. 

But why? 

Many passengers know what cabin they will be in before they board. Others book “guaranteed”cabins with the location to be added (TBA) by the cruise line later. 

 

What this means is that they book a cabin that is in a particular category, (that’s the guaranteed part) but it could be anywhere on the ship. The tradeoff for this not knowing where you’ll be is that you get a chance to be “upgraded” to a higher (and more expensive) category cabin at no additional charge. You will never be downgraded. Chances are if you book a lower category guaranteed cabin that you will be upgraded. 

The most common upgrade is to be upgraded to a “better” cabin within the category you have already paid for. (Like from a Category 4A to a 4D) This commonly means a higher deck, under the belief that higher is better. Technically the “best” part of the ship is the dead center of it in relation of the front to back and side to side. Think of a teeter totter. The people sitting on either end move up and down a lot. The center part moves very little. The same basic theory applied to cruise ships in the olden days when they might be tossed about by rogue waves in uncharted seas. 

Today, huge stabilizer bars that extend out the side of the ship under the water line reduce that sort of movement to a minimum. In fact, on most ships you will probably have to look outside and see the ocean rolling by to know you are moving at all. 

If you booked a guaranteed cabin prior to 9/11 security measure implementation, you may found out your cabin location as late as when you reach the pier upon embarkation. The porters there would have a manifest of all the cabins and all the lucky winners (or not) and be able to help you re-tag your bags with the appropriate information to insure that yours get to your cabin. But most guests these days find out this information much earlier, usually some time between when final payment is made and 7 days prior to sailing. 

 

But why would the cruise lines let us pay for a less expensive cabin and give us a more expensive cabin anyway?

In the cruise line business, much like the hotel business, the name of the game is occupancy. The cruise lines live and breathe to fill the ships and will do so using a number of strategies. One strategy is to offer bonus amenities on a particular sailing to entice us to book that one. Another is to offer free upgrades. But there is more than the notion of maybe getting something more than what we paid for at work here. 

The cruise lines want every potential buyer to have a nice selection of cabins to choose from when making their buying decision. One party might want an inside cabin, another a balcony and yet another an Oceanview cabin. When they open a sailing for sale, they have a pretty good idea which cabins will sell first; the most expensive and the least expensive. But much of it depends on us. A given sailing might happen to sell mostly inexpensive inside cabins to begin with, limiting the number available to sell to others while more expensive inside cabin go unsold. In order to have that nice selection of all cabin categories for someone just entering the buying arena, the cruise lines will move up the guests who booked early and bought those first inexpensive inside cabins to a higher category inside cabin, making more space in the inexpensive category. 

Are you with me so far? Basically a complementary upgrade means you get something for nothing. 

So if you got upgraded or not might depend on just that. But when it comes time to dole out the upgrades there may be a limited number available. That’s when they look at other factors to determine who gets the upgrade. Factors like what you paid, how long the booking has been made and/or past guest status are often considered. If your cruise was booked 6 months or more in advance you have time on your side and could stand to gain a substantial upgrade at no additional cost to you. 

That is an important part of the whole thing. 

If you wanted to be very mid-ship and on a certain deck, you may be better off doing what it takes (usually paying full deposit at the time of booking) to lock in to a specific cabin right up front. The up side of that is that you will know exactly where you are going to be on the ship as far in advance as possible. The down side is that on most lines it greatly reduces if not eliminates the possibility of a complementary upgrade. 

Prime candidates for assigning cabins up front are those who need a specific location, say by an elevator because they don’t want to have to stumble too far back to the cabin, handicapped cabins and suites. On some ships, cabins with three or more guests may be required to lock in to a specific cabin just because there are a limited number that will hold that many people. 

These days though, most guests benefit from NOT choosing a cabin up front and realize a nice upgrade by the time they sail. Of course, the only thing guaranteed about a complementary upgrade is that there are no guarantees that it will happen

All About Cruising: Cabin Upgrades

Don’t let it confuse you. If you’re happy with your location, keep it. You’re under no obligation to change. True,if you have an entry-level cabin, there really is no place but up but if you’re happy there, forget about it and start packing.
We often book aft balcony category cabins and like that location. An upgrade from there would take us more toward the “desirable” center of the ship. We don’t want to go there so we refuse upgrades.

The upgrade fairy is actually a business model that is not nearly as fascinating or magical.

Upgrades happen for a variety of reasons. The most common is “forced availability” of cabins where they try to get you to “upgrade” to another, less populated category on that sailing, opening up space to give a nice variety to shoppers looking to sail that are just entering the booking arena.

When Connie Cruiser decides she wants to sail on your ship they want to give her a nice selection of categories and cabins. Nobody wants to get a cabin in the only category left. The figure they’re getting the table scraps. The leftovers. The cabins nobody wants. That might very well be the case close to sailing but odds are you won’t find that in most cases far from sailing because the cruise line is constantly modeling their inventory, offering upgrades, tightening the belt on acceptable deposit levels, etc, in order to fill the ship, make everybody happy and fill the ship

The ship has GOT to sail full. 85% full is break even for them. They’ve got to do better than that to make money. Really. In the days of old you might find a lot of “last minute deals” just to fill the ships. I remember saying to dw not long ago, that we should just go ahead and plan our time off from our jobs 6 months or a year in advance, maybe even by our air to, say,a busy cruiseport city like Miami, but wait till the last minute to buy at severly discounted rates.

That’s not happening today.

The cruise lines have gotten really good at filling the ships without discounting. They’ve sold the sizzle and not the steak. There are a few last minute deals but you’ll probably have to be in a Florida shopping mall a couple days before sailing to find any Wow-worthy numbers.

Other factors that come into play include

• When you booked your cruise- the farther in advance the better for upgrades
• What you paid. Still a factor but quickly fading away as pricing gets tighter and tigher with less discounting allowed. But if yhou did pay more you might have a leg up at upgrade time
• Loyalty- Repeat guests DO get consideration in the upgrade process. And rightfully so, they’re supporting the ongoing operations of the cruise line and they deserve it
• From here on any other reasons are incidental and probably not worth listing. The cruise line really does not scrutinize every little upgrade move they make as much as we might want to believe they do

Best advice for getting a cabin upgrade?   Book as far in advance as possible and book a “guarantee” rather than an assigned cabin.