Ocean View or Neighborhood?

On this cruise, our cabin selection was driven by the need to have two cabins side by side. Since we booked the cruise inside the final payment deadline, there weren’t that many cabins left that fit our requirement.

7316 and 7314 — or cabins 316 and 314 on deck 7 — are ordinary veranda cabins. Meaning that they face out to the ocean. Huh! Are there any other kind of verandas? On the Oasis class ships, the answer is ... yes. In addition to the “ordinary” verandas, there are ones that face the ship’s interior. Or more accurately, the ship’s neighborhoods — Central Park and the Boardwalk.

Central Park has trees and greenery and definitely has a park ambiance. The area is open to the sky, so a light breeze at times causes the trees and shrubs to sway gently, adding to the feeling of being in a park. I’m told there are birds chirping in the trees ... piped in, of course. Even though there are restaurants here, it’s a quiet neighborhood.

Broadway is a busier place with a carousel, several dining venues, a couple of rock climbing walls, and the AquaTheater. Since this neighborhood is situated on the aft half of deck 6, the cabins do get a peek-view of the ocean. They also get free entertainment when there is a show being performed at the theater.

I debated booking one of these “inside verandas.” But I was concerned with the apartment-building ambiance, with verandas facing each other across the way ... and any noise that might filter up from activities. Admittedly, they probably do make for a better option on cold-weather cruises. Should we ever find ourselves on another Oasis class ship — I’ve learned not to say never — we just might give them a shot.Read more