How Do You Know When It's Formal Night/Is Ice Cream Free/Is Fitness Free?

[Princess Katelet]

Oasis Western Caribbean in two weeks and a newbie here. How do I know which night(s) is(are) formal nights for dinner?

Also, I read a review here about Oasis and they said the ice cream isn't free and that hardly anything is free actually. Does anyone know which foods are truly free??

Is there a charge to use the fitness room and equipment?

Thanks!

 

[hdrolfe]

There will be free soft serve ice cream, it's normally by the pool area on RCL (but I haven't been on Oasis). If you want hard ice cream, that isn't free if you get it at the shop (I think it's Cups and Scoops on deck 6 Oasis). But in my experience they also serve hard ice cream at dinner in the MDR and by the buffet at dinner, not sure about lunch, we never were looking for it then. My son loves the soft serve, and gets ice cream or sorbet every night for dessert. We also loved the milk shakes from Johnny Rockets (not free, they will give it to you to go).

Like I said, I haven't been on Oasis class, but if they ask for your room card, it's likely not free. There should be signage up as well indicating the price. There is usually a coffee place (cafe promenade) for a charge, but they may serve some snack items that are free. the Ice Cream store is a charge and clearly marked. There was also a cupcake store which was also not free. Some ships have a candy store as well, also not free.

Formal night is normally night 2 and 5 or 6 on a 7-night cruise, but it may change depending on your itinerary. It will be listed in the daily schedule, the style of dress for dinner (formal, cruise casual, elegant, etc). Don't feel you have to go over the top formal if you don't want to. I take a couple "nicer" dresses and put kiddo in a shirt/vest/tie combo. We are often more dressed up than others on the ship.

There should be a gym/fitness room. They will offer classes that I don't think are free, but also equipment that you can use that is free to use. I think it's on Deck 5, the Vitality Spa and Fitness Center.

 

[pattyw]

Formal night is normally night 2 and 5 or 6 on a 7-night cruise, but it may change depending on your itinerary. It will be listed in the daily schedule, the style of dress for dinner (formal, cruise casual, elegant, etc). Don't feel you have to go over the top formal if you don't want to. I take a couple "nicer" dresses and put kiddo in a shirt/vest/tie combo. We are often more dressed up than others on the ship.

We're cruising for the first time in April on Allure- 7 night Western Caribbean. I'm nervous reading about formal nights. They talk about gowns and tuxedos!! So a dress for me and a sport coat with shirt and tie for DH would be appropriate?

 

[hdrolfe]

We're cruising for the first time in April on Allure- 7 night Western Caribbean. I'm nervous reading about formal nights. They talk about gowns and tuxedos!! So a dress for me and a sport coat with shirt and tie for DH would be appropriate?

Totally fine! I mean if you want to go with gowns and tuxedos you can... but we never have this is us on two formal nights. Yeah, he gets to wear the same outfit (two different cruises).

 

[pattyw]

Totally fine! I mean if you want to go with gowns and tuxedos you can... but we never have this is us on two formal nights. Yeah, he gets to wear the same outfit (two different cruises).
View attachment 361300 View attachment 361302

Thanks so much! No- we're not gown and tuxedo people! I feel much better now!

Beautiful pictures of you and DS! And your DS is so cute!

 

[HopperFan]

We're cruising for the first time in April on Allure- 7 night Western Caribbean. I'm nervous reading about formal nights. They talk about gowns and tuxedos!! So a dress for me and a sport coat with shirt and tie for DH would be appropriate?

You will be good

Formal Nights have certainly changed over the years and even the most dressed up, I don't see too many tuxedos. In 2015 our group did tuxedos - DH and DS1 own their own (others rented), and I passed on the gown and wore formal short dresses. In a few weeks we are doing another cruise and decided on short dresses (not even cocktail) and guys are doing shirt/tie/vest ... tuxedos are staying home. I have no interest in the formal/formal anymore. BUT we do dress nicer for the dining room (capris, casual dresses and guys in khakis and collar shirts) and step it up for formal night. It's a nicer night out to dress for the environment after rolling around in shorts etc all day.

Years ago went on an all girls cruise (8 of us) and one formal night we wore short cocktail and one we wore gowns. It was fun for group.

 

[pattyw]

You will be good

Thanks!! I appreciate you sharing your experiences!

 

[starvenger]

Oasis Western Caribbean in two weeks and a newbie here. How do I know which night(s) is(are) formal nights for dinner?

Also, I read a review here about Oasis and they said the ice cream isn't free and that hardly anything is free actually. Does anyone know which foods are truly free??

Is there a charge to use the fitness room and equipment?

Thanks!

So our French-Canadian friend mevelandry has a DCL/RCI comparison thread that goes over some of the free and not-free things, which might clear things up. But as said before, soft serve (pool deck, at centre of the 4 pools and possibly Wipeout cafe) is free, and hard ice cream is free in the MDR. If there's Ben and Jerry's on board, that is not free. If you're not sure, ask! The staff probably get asked hundreds of times during the week.

We're cruising for the first time in April on Allure- 7 night Western Caribbean. I'm nervous reading about formal nights. They talk about gowns and tuxedos!! So a dress for me and a sport coat with shirt and tie for DH would be appropriate?

Formal nights should be nights 2 and 5/6, as previously noted. I'm of the position that you should wear what you want, but if you're travelling with a larger party, talk amongst yourselves to coordinate level of dress. This helps alleviate feelings of over/under dressing, and should you decide to take pictures as a group, it will look better.

 

[pattyw]

Formal nights should be nights 2 and 5/6, as previously noted. I'm of the position that you should wear what you want, but if you're travelling with a larger party, talk amongst yourselves to coordinate level of dress. This helps alleviate feelings of over/under dressing, and should you decide to take pictures as a group, it will look better.

Thanks! Yes- good idea to coordinate with the party that we're traveling with!

 

[frank808]

Oasis Western Caribbean in two weeks and a newbie here. How do I know which night(s) is(are) formal nights for dinner?

Also, I read a review here about Oasis and they said the ice cream isn't free and that hardly anything is free actually. Does anyone know which foods are truly free??

Is there a charge to use the fitness room and equipment?

Thanks!

Hard ice cream for free is served in main dining room and some nights of windjammer on oasis. On allure windjammer had hard ice cream available every night in windjammer this week. Everything on menu that does not have a price in mdr is included. Sorrentos pizza, cafe promenade food items, wipeout cafe, boardwalk hot dogs and park cafe are free venue's.

No charge to use vitality spa and equipment on deck 6.

 

[nkereina]

We did Oasis last year. Formal Nights were noted on the cruise compass, on the television programming, on signs throughout the ship. Cruise compass was our guide each day, so we looked there for it. We opted not to go to the Main Dining Room on formal nights and ate elsewhere. The "formal" attire is only required in MDR, and even then, its not truly enforced. Doesn't mean you can wear your normal clothes, but tux's and gowns were not the norm from what I saw. Some did, but many went with suits and normal dresses.

As for ice cream, as mentioned, there is a soft serve machine up by the sports court in Wipeout Cafe but it's only accessible when that is open, which was really only during the day from what I recall. We never had ice cream offered in the MDR or at Windjammer, but YMMV. Perhaps that has changed. We did pay the up-charge for Johnny Rockets one day where we got shakes, and we got ice cream from the place on the Boardwalk which was only a couple bucks for a decent size.