Transatlantic Cruise: Miami to Barcelona

A pre-cruise snooze, then ocean blues

We flew to Miami the day before embarkation and stayed at the beautiful Kimpton Epic hotel in the Brickell area of downtown Miami. The hotel room was spacious, had excellent amenities and had wonderful views of Biscayne Bay, which made us even more excited for our sailing. Aside from the wonderful perks provided by the hotel, it was a very quick Lyft ride to the port, which is also an added benefit of staying at the Kimpton Epic.

Miami Port

Since we were sailing on Royal Caribbean on a very large Oasis-class ship, Oasis of the Seas, the port was very busy and had a lot of traffic. I’d recommend giving yourself at least 30 minutes from entering the port entrance to arriving at the cruise terminal — it was bumper to bumper, all lanes. Once we finally arrived at the terminal, we offloaded our bags to the porters and found the suite entrance. (Pro tip: Book in the Royal Class Suite category for expedited service.) This was my partner’s first cruise and my first time sailing in a suite. I honestly cannot go back. The terminal staff were very friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. I was worried that the rest of our party couldn’t join us in the suite entrance as they were sailing in non-suites, but the staff greeted us all and processed us quickly. We were in a party of five and the entire processing took less than 10 minutes.

The ship

Oasis of the Seas. This was my second cruise on an Oasis-class ship. The Allure was my first, but the two ships are very similar and are actually sister ships. Oasis of the Seas was “Amplified” (i.e., refurbished) in November 2019, with a whole host of features added, including the 10-story Ultimate Abyss slide, a new Caribbean-style pool deck, The Perfect Storm trio of waterslides, Laser Tag: Clash for the Crystal City and the Royal Escape Room — Mission Control: Apollo 18. In addition, Oasis features new-to-brand Spotlight Karaoke, The Lime and Coconut, Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade and Music Hall. As a Texan, I’d be remiss to not mention mouth-watering new dining venues, like the new Portside BBQ, El Loco Fresh and Sugar Beach. We were fortunate that this was a transatlantic cruising as it really gave us more time to explore the ship and experience everything it had to offer.

The suite

We originally booked a Junior Suite, but as the months grew from our first booking, I would go onto the website and see what suites were still available. Eventually, we upgraded to a Crown Loft Suite (CLS). This suite is phenomenal! Despite being the only suite I’ve booked, I am completely obsessed with this category and will always seek it out if it is within budget. (Pro tip: suite rates, like all rates, fluctuate throughout the season. Book early and I can check daily to make sure you are getting the best rate available even if you’re already booked!) The CLS is perfect for couples, families and friends traveling together. It has everything you’d want with Sky-class amenities. It is also on deck 17, which is the same deck as the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen.

Where we went

The first nine days were sea days and because the ship offers so much, those days went by very quickly. We spent the sunny days out at the new Caribbean-style pool deck. The sun chairs that are slightly submerged in the water felt so nice in the Florida subtropical climate. As we traveled further into the Atlantic, the sun went bye-bye and the cooler temperatures arrived, but Oasis had plenty of activities inside to keep us occupied.

In order to accommodate the six-hour time shift from Miami to Barcelona, Ship Time should be moved an hour ahead on select days at 2 pm, where 2 pm would become 3 pm. Most of the crew I asked preferred this time as it didn’t take away from their sleeping schedule, so I was glad that Royal Caribbean implemented this process for the time change.

Before we knew it, we were arriving at our ports. We were originally sailing to Málaga, Alicante, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca. Unfortunately, we had an itinerary change and visited Cadiz instead of Palma de Mallorca. We were pretty bummed about the change as we were really looking forward to Palma, but Cadiz was a very beautiful coastal town and I could see us visiting again if we were fortunate enough. Our favorite port was Málaga and I can see us retiring there. At just over 500,000 residents, it was the largest port we visited — besides Barcelona, of course — and had so many excursions to explore. Since neither of us has visited Málaga before, we elected to explore the city on foot and on a hop-on, hop-off bus. I feel this is the most budget-friendly way to experience any city and allows you to explore on your own time, thus providing an added relaxation benefit as you’re exploring on your own time and not limited to a tour guide.

Disembarkation

As with all things, the best things unfortunately have to come to an end. The saddest moment of a cruise is seeing everyone’s luggage outside of their room on the night before disembarking. A few days prior to the end of the cruise, your room attendant will leave a form for you to fill out that shares how you will be leaving the ship.

There are two ways you can disembark the ship and each has pros and cons:

• The quickest way to leave the ship is with you carrying your own luggage off. While this might be the quickest, it may not be the easiest, as you’re responsible for handling your luggage through customs and immigration. This option may not be the best if you have lots of luggage or you are traveling with younger travelers who might other side need your attention.

• The easiest way to leave the ship is assisted-luggage, where you put your luggage out the night before and crew picks up the luggage throughout the night for processing the next day. It might be the easiest, but it's definitely not the fastest as you get placed into a group and will have to wait for your group to be called in order to disembark the ship. More wait, but less luggage handling, so this option might suit you best if you’re traveling with lots of luggage and/or with younger travelers.

If you are worried about making your return flight, I’d recommend self-luggage as you would be the first group to leave the ship.

Overall review

I was thoroughly impressed with Oasis. Despite being a ship that was first launched in 2009, Oasis has so much to offer due to being Amplified in 2019. Blend the onboard activities with the incredible staff, and you will have a phenomenal experience that you will cherish for years. Oasis will be sailing throughout the Mediterranean for the summer season and will return to the United States in the autumn. I’d love to provide several options to you if you’re interested in sailing on Oasis this summer, autumn or even next year!

I would recommend booking in Royal Suite Class for an elevated, world-class travel experience. Select from three tiers of exceptional accommodations, each offering luxurious comfort, comprehensive amenities and unique adventures designed just for you!

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on cruise travel. In need of further inspiration? Check out Jennifer Lynn Baker's guide, Sun, Salsa and Serenity: A 7-Day Mexican Riviera Getaway.