Is Oasis of the Seas Ensuring Good Reviews?

(MoneyWatch)  Several things have come out of the recent press coverage about Royal Caribbean's behemoth Oasis of the Seas, aside from some pretty magnanimous reviews. The main problem with having starry-eyed citizen journalists report on the $1.5 billion ship (see above) is that they often lack the critical eye necessary to spot problems (hence why companies love them!) Luckily, though, several reporters and bloggers have been able to suss out some possible trouble spots before the 225,000-ton ship goes on its maiden voyage Dec. 5.

According to Fran Golden of USAToday:

Tickets for all of the shows are free on a first-come, first-serve basis. . . . Why offer online pre-booking for the tickets? It's simple, says (cruise director Ken) Rush: "People don't want lines." And with up to 6,296 passengers on board on any given sailing, that could be an issue.

Although Royal Caribbean estimates around 5,400 guests on the 16-story ship, the total can be more and that means more crowds and long lines. Long lines were already seen in the press prevews and some expect waits for dinner could be cause for mutiny. As Jason Cochran from Gadling reported:

If you've even been on vacation to Disneyland, you're used to queuing up for every thrill. Cruise fans, though, may find that crowd overload runs counter to their aspirations for a relaxing time away from home.

The truth is that the press preview has less than half of the 5,400 passenger number, so any lines now mean heavy lines for a full ship. The only solution would be a heavily-planned itinerary for passengers to hit the pool, dinner and a show. Is that really the cruise lifestyle? It seems too much like real life.

Travel dinosaur Arthur Frommer also chimed in saying that the Oasis of the Seas is a symbol for the end of western civilization. The gargantuan ship is really America for Americans who don't want to travel, he says:

The sole explanation for a 6,000-passenger ship is that it is able to offer more entertainment and thus cater to more of those people who are unable to entertain themselves, those arrested personalities who rely on constant, massive, outside distractions to ward off depression. I'm talking about people who get fidgety if they have no nearby television set, who never read a magazine, let alone a book . . .

Wow! I couldn't have said it better. The idea of being on a ship with 6,000 other people (not counting staff) seems like hell to me, but it's definitely an experience. But is it travel?