Oasis is the first cruise ship where guests can make reservations for onboard shows before they even leave for their cruise.
09.03.2009
The AquaTheater on the stern of Oasis of the Seas
Oasis Offers Show Reservations and More - Online
Oasis has 5400 passenger berths, but even the largest entertainment venue only seats 1800 people. People have been asking if there will be a ticket system and the answer is actually something better. Oasis is the first cruise ship where guests can make reservations for onboard shows before they even leave for their cruise. I have already made all of my show reservations for my December 1st cruise.
All you have to do is go to of the Royal Caribbean web site - assuming you already have a cruise booked, and find the cruise enhancements portion. There you can make reservations for shows, specialty restaurants, shore excursions and even onboard sports activities like Flo-rider lessons.
Some of the entertainment venues, like the comedy and jazz clubs, are as small as 125-seats. I like to think of cruises as relaxing, but I also don't want to miss anything onboard. I made my reservations early because I don't know what my fellow cruisers plan to do. I don't want to find myself standing outside a showroom only to discover there isn't enough room for me to get in. If you are booked on Oasis, I recommend that you do the same as I.
Obviously, all of the shows onboard will be shown several times so everyone should have a chance to see them, and I hope everyone is so relaxed that the reservation system is not really needed. But this is a brand new ship and it's too soon to tell how things will work out.
You can also make show reservations onboard the ship on your stateroom interactive television system. Or you can use one of the "box office" kiosks they say will be open at various times around the ship. There won't be any actual tickets, however; everything gets recorded onto your keycard. Any show with open seats will be opened up to people waiting at the venue.
Oasis of the Seas Entertainment Highlights
Personally, I am most excited about the AquaTheater, at 21-feet deep it's the largest and deepest sea-water pool on any ship. I have seen such shows as "Eau" by Cirque d' Soliel and I like the talent and the technology behind them. The AquaTheater has two shows scheduled for each cruise.
The main nighttime show is called "Oasis of Dreams" and features athletic diving, synchronized swimming, trampoline and aerial acrobatics. The cast was selected from Olympic-caliber divers and performers. Royal Caribbean hinted the highest divers are actually cliff divers from Acapulco. This show will be shown six times during every seven-day cruise.
The other AquaTheater show, called "Splish Splash" is a family style show with funny routines including "comedy diving." Yes, that's a new one on me, too. Anyone sitting in the first few rows should get what the title is all about. There will be five performances of this show throughout the cruise, all of them during the daytime. At other times the pool will be open for swimming, along with digitally animated fountain shows and occasional small-cast performances.
The next major entertainment venue onboard is the Opal Theater, a typical ship main showroom. This showroom does not hold many more people than the showrooms on smaller Royal Caribbean ships, but because Oasis is a very wide ship the stage is very impressive, with a thrust stage and proscenium.
The main show here will be Hairspray, which Royal Caribbean has licensed for three years. This will be the most thorough production of a proven Broadway show ever done on a Cruise Ship. The crowd-pleasing play, based on a John Waters movie, is now only playing in London's West End, so Oasis is one of the remaining places to see it.
The Hairspray cast is an impressive 21 players. Auditions were held in New York, London, Chicago and Los Angeles. They are currently rehearsing in their own facilities in Miami and creating all original costumes and sets. Hairspray will be shown five times on every seven-day cruise.
The other Opal Theater production, "Come Fly with Me" features aerial acrobats. You can see a Webisode of it at oasisoftheseas.com right now. The Opal will also feature headline performers on certain nights during the cruise; the usual comedians, singers, magicians and jugglers.
The ice rink for ice-shows, called Studio B as on the other Royal Caribbean ships, will feature a family show called "Frozen in Time" based on the works of Hans Christian Anderson and his most renowned characters; the Snow Queen, Ugly Duckling and Little Mermaid for example. The performers come from Russia, France, Canada and the U.S. for the eleventh ice show Royal Caribbean has produced.
The other venues you can pre-book online include the Comedy Club with two different comedians performing three shows each on most nights. The jazz club, Jazz on 4, does not require reservations but it will feature an in-house jazz quartet and various singers from the production shows taking turns in the spotlight. Dazzles is the more traditional live music dance club said to be inspired by the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center in New York.
In addition to entertainment spaces, each cruise will also feature theme night parties on deck or in the Royal Promenade, such as the popular "20's-Style" Miami South Beach-inspired dance club and "Disco Inferno" for the not so young hipsters featuring Disco hits from the '70s.
The Royal Promenade will have its parades, just as on the previous ships, but the Royal Promenade on Oasis is especially impressive. The ship itself is wider than the Freedom class, and this Royal Promenade is a deck taller and has an upper level. Crown and Anchor members will be happy to know the location of the Diamond Club, the place they get to meet for cocktails during happy hour.
You still cannot make reservations for the zip-line or the carousal, but that may come soon. None of the onboard sports features; zip-line, Flo-rider or the rock climbing wall have any cost to you. The carousal is also free. You will have to pay for the cupcakes and doughnuts you find in the Boardwalk area, however.
