Why fly 24 hours for a 7-night cruise? Oasis of the Seas, that’s why. The Royal Caribbean super liner that carries 6,000 passengers weekly around the Caribbean is worth the endurance test. It is so far ahead of any rivals it really is simply the best. Don’t let the fear of competing with 6000 other passengers put you off. It was the quickest cruise embarkation I have experienced and because you can pre-book all the headline shows and specialty restaurants online before you leave there is no queuing or hassle once onboard, just keep your detailed day-to-day itinerary with you and away you go. It’s great just watching people’s faces light up or jaws drop when they go onboard and step directly into the Royal Promenade – it could be a bustling street in the heart of any city but it is the heart of the ship. If you want to people watch over a coffee, enjoy a drink in the pub, a cup cake or a pizza the Royal Promenade is the place to be and at night the energy rises with parades, nightlife and entertainment for everyone including Rising Tide a levitating bar the goes up and down over three decks. But don’t worry not everyone will be walking the Promenade why would they with Central Park, the Boardwalk, the Aquatheater, pool and sports zone, ice skating rink, spa, youth zone, rock climbing walls or zip line to keep everyone busy!

Central Park is the first neighborhood concept at sea and features several alfresco dining options and offers guests a tranquil outdoor space open to the sky. Children and adults alike will enjoy the Boardwalk dedicated to fun and nostalgia featuring the first ever Carousel at sea and a fabulous Aquatheater at the stern of the ship with spectacular high diving shows set against the backdrop of the ocean. The pool and sports zone take up an entire deck and besides the multiple pools also features rock-climbing walls, miniature golf, FlowRiders for the surfing enthusiasts and a basketball court – not to mention the zip line which zooms over the Boardwalk nine decks below.

Indeed, there is so much to keep you busy onboard the fact that you are sailing around the Caribbean becomes something of a bonus. We  had three ports of call at Nassau, St Thomas and St Maarten and my pick would be St Thomas because it offered an excursion to the beautiful island of St John – a million miles away from the crowds, or so it felt, and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. And even though the ship is so big it docked in all three ports so there was no need for the arduous task of tendering to shore.

The food onboard was the usual high Royal Caribbean standard with numerous alternative dining options for  a minimum cover charge. I particularly enjoyed the tapas lunches at Vintages in Central Park and the high quality steaks in Chops Grille.

It’s more an experience than a cruise  and Royal Caribbean actually sell it as not just a ship, bur rather, a collection of amazing experiences that challenge all limitations. Allure of the Seas is the next  of the revolutionary Oasis Class ships, complete with Dreamworks and I for one, together with my two grandchildren can’t wait to do it all again.