Considering Oasis Class - unsure...

Have only sailed Freedom Class, and the Navigator. Loved them both!

But, in looking at summer 2018 in the Caribbean, I see only the Oasis and the new Anthem are my only options. Not sure I want to go that big...

For those who have sailed both , please offer opinions:

1. Balconies - We love balconies, but I'm unsure if I'd like the interior facing ones on the boardwalk or central park. I'm thinking ocean balconies only, but I wanted to ask for opinions on these ones. To me, it seems like a considerably less amount of privacy.

2. Shows - I'm not sure I'd like making sure I pre-booked everything. So many people.

3. More days at sea - Western route (LOVE Labadee!), skips Grand Cayman due to no docks. Sea days are normally a zoo of people fighting for deck space, shopping venues, etc. Again, so many people.

Anthem might be a different feel than Oasis, but I'm not sure the $200--$400 extra for a balcony on these ships is worth it over the Oasis?

I know.... lots of general (too general?) questions .. but, if you've experienced both, I would appreciate the opinions.

Cheers!

I would not do an inside facing balcony. There are few enough places on Oasis class to see outside, I'd hate to not have that ability in the stateroom.

Shows can be a problem too. On our last trip on Oasis, we got held up at dinner and could not attend the show we had pre-planned. We had to use the standby line for a subsequent performance, which resulted in less than optimal seat location. Not the end of the world, but I missed the flexibility.

One advantage of Oasis class is the large number of restaurants, both free and extra cost.

I was on Oasis fo rthe second time in late march. I had cabin 9329 on the Boardwalk the one before the Aqua Theatre. You could see the ocean and the shows. We loved it. We sail often and and always in a ocean view balcony. We used our balcony more this trip. You closed the door and there was no noise. End of the hallway no hallway noise. As far as crowds are concerned only felt crowded when shows let out. No lines to get on and off at the ports. We booked Allure same cabin for April next year. Also I never had a problem getting a chair around the pool maybe not a lounger but a chair with an ottoman worked. The adults only area is beautiful. Central Park is another good spot. In the evening they have classical music. Loved it..

Given the choice between Boardwalk and Central Park, we, too, chose Boardwalk- so that we could watch the aqua shows from our balcony. On the other hand, Central Park is one of our favorite places to hang out- as it's normally very quiet- so if you want no noise, that's the place to be.

The only time we *really* noticed 6000 other passengers was during embarkation/muster drill. Other than that, it was not nearly as crowded as one might thing. Turns out that people choose the ship for the variety of things to do, and they try to do them all. Which is one of the good turn outs of missing a port.

I understand the issue with reserving show, but we've been able to plan around them quite well, and still have not missed one. Plus, I'd suggest trying to reserve the first shows, so IF you like them that much, you can do the walk in line later. I've still not seen a show where walk ins could not find seats.

That goes for both Oasis class as well as Anthem.

As for the Anthem- it's no more full than the Freedom ships- since they are of similar size. I think the only real crowding problem is when there's sales on the Esplanade.

1. Balconies - I had a Boardwalk balcony (3rd from the end), and while it had a nice view of the water out the back of the ship, and a great view of the Aqua Theater...it was a looonnng walk back and forth to the elevator. Especially if you forgot something from your cabin. Also, the Boardwalk can be a bit noisy late at night (the noise leaks through the sliding glass doors), especially if they're showing a game on the Aqua Theater screen.

Meanwhile, there were plenty of seats available in regular Aqua Theater seating, and they were a bit closer to the show.

I'm booking a Central Park balcony next time.

2. Some shows needed reservations, but it's easy to do from your cabin, or at touchscreens near Guest Services.

Restaurants:

- I highly recommend the Dining Package (buy online in advance for cheaper rates). We paid about $21pp + tip, vs $29-45 onboard (if you book individually). We went with the 4-night package and honestly I wish we'd paid another $15 and bought the 5-night.

- Reservations were very easy, especially since we booked for 6pm. The catch is that you can't book until you're on board, but we had no trouble booking, or even changing as late as Day 2. Oddly enough Chops and 150 Central Park were wide open, but Izumi didn't have as an many openings.

- You can book in your cabin, but that option was offline for three days, so I just booked at the Specialty desk in the Promenade. Or at the restaurants themselves--three are steps from each other in Central Park.

- I chose the specialty nights based on the MDR menus. You can view the nightly menus outside the MDR on deck 3 (there's a touchscreen).

- Favorites were Chops and 150. If I'd gotten the 5-night package I would gladly have visited either a second time. Izumi was great fun, Giovanni's was very good but not as excellent as Chops and 150.

- You can get more than one appetizer or dessert, but two entrees will incur a surcharge.

- With the package, Izumi lets you pick from the regular ($35) or premium ($40) menu with no problem. I'd recommend the hibachi (teppenyaki) over the sushi--the sushi prices were way higher than at home.

- Despite warnings I'd read here about hard-sell tactics to upgrade Chops entrees, we didn't encounter these at all.

- Service was exceptional in all the restaurants, especially 150. 150 had by far the best coffee with dessert--French press!

We only book ocean view balcony. We put our kids in boardwalk balcony two times. The kids said they would rather a window then boardwalk. We found boardwalk to have zero privacy and loud during some shows. I go cruising to see the ocean not to look into a mall. Definitely book ocean. The crowd is not a problem, same as freedom really.

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Definitely give it a try. We loved our Allure cruise. If price is not a barrier, I'd always opt for an outward facing room rather than inward facing. Other than needing to coordinate shows in advanced, I didn't think crowds were a problem at all. There is so much space, and so many things to do, that everyone naturally spreads out.

I've been on the Oasis, and found that the only times it got crowded were muster and the promenade sales, especially the last night one.

We sailed on Oasis in January after years of saying "never". Up until then, our largest ships had been Liberty and Freedom. We had a CP balcony which was quiet but I did feel a lack of privacy. If we sail on Oasis again (and there is a good possibility we will:D) I'll definitely pay the extra for an ocean view balcony.

I did not like pre booking shows but it all worked out ok, I think I could have managed without making reservations on the cruise planner. MTD was a huge cluster**** for the first few evenings as even with a reservation, there was still a 30 minute wait.

The only time we ever felt "6000 people" was getting through the parking lot on embarkation, once we got off our shuttle, things went quickly but it took over an hour to get to the drop off point. Otherwise, the ship never felt crowded.

I loved the Solarium, and for that reason alone, I am willing to sail on Oasis again.:D

Sherri:)

I was and am still not a fan of the Freedom class ships (to be fair, I've only sailed on 2 of the 3). With that, I didn't think that I would like something bigger. I was wrong. Have sailed Allure twice and am booked on Oasis.

Each time I've booked a boardwalk room. Enjoy that we still have some view to the water, but also allows us to people or show watch as we like. Plus they've added a few perks that we'll use- the soda package for example

I agree that having to book the shows in advance takes away some of the spontaneity, but then again I'm generally not one for the shows. I did enjoy the aqua shows and the comedy shows.

Is the Anthem a 9 nighter, as opposed to 7 nights on Oasis Class? If so, for me a longer cruise = a better cruise and would be worth the extra $.

Or maybe you could look into San Juan. Freedom will be sailing from there during your timeframe.

...............

The only time we *really* noticed 6000 other passengers was during embarkation/muster drill. Other than that, it was not nearly as crowded as one might think. Turns out that people choose the ship for the variety of things to do, and they try to do them all. ................

So true above!

When we first boarded Oasis, we thought "Oh, Gosh, what a crowded mess we've gotten ourselves into!" :eek:

No problems with crowds after that! :)

Hey Todd hope life has been treating you well.

We sailed Libery a few times and Freedom and prior to that done of the smaller ships.

We took our first cruise on Oasis class in 2015 and haven't been back to a smaller ship. We do have a couple of the smaller ships booked but that us only due to the pricing for the Holiday cruises.

Absolutely love the Oasis class and to be honest we find them to be less crowded than the Freedom class. We've been to the MDR once in our 4 cruise...love the variety of specialty restaurants.

I spend a bit of time making the show reservations and getting them all to fit with our dining times but that happens a couple months before the cruise and then you don't have to worry about it again. For us the shows are much better than the regular production shows on the other ships and worth a bit of effort to see them. For all but the comedy show it's easy to get in on the standby line if you miss your show reservation.

We've done a CP view room (similar to promenade view) and would book that again. We've had a few Boardwalk balconies and have a CP balcony booked for next March on Oasis. We don't spend enough time on our balcony to justify the extra cost for an Oceanview however we like having it for the natural light and some fresh air.

We've now sailed on Oasis class ships four times and there's still things we haven't done.

Your original post was asking for opinions about an Oasis class ship or a Quantum class ship.

Have not sailed the Anthem yet but have sailed the Quantum. The size of the Anthem is about the same as a Freedom class. The layout and design is significantly different than a Freedom or Oasis class ship. Also there are unusual entertainment public areas and on board activities. The point being that sailing the Anthem is a totally different experience than sailing an Oasis class ship.

Our favorite is any Oasis class ship. I always felt the Oasis class is a Freedom class ship on steroids.

Your question is if the Anthem is worth the extra dollars. For us it is to experience a different but unique ship. There is an Anthem cruise in our 2018 future. For you I suggest you experience an Oasis class first.

We loved the Oasis so much we're booked on Allure in a few weeks, and Anthem in October. We've not been on Quantum class prior. So other than the reviews and you-tube videos I can't comment yet. However we remark all the time that we never felt crowded on Oasis. We did pre book only the Comedy and the main show "Cats". Other than that we were able to get to the Aqua theatre and the ice show and the headliner without a reservation. As for Dining the alternative dining options were our choice. We only book ocean balcony. While Boardwalk and CP look interesting it looked too much like your looking at another apartment building. We did an inside once and while size wasn't so much an issue, the lack of natural light was for us. We'd pick the ocean balcony over cp or boardwalk if possible.

Whatever you choose you'll have a great time!

Have only sailed Freedom Class, and the Navigator. Loved them both!

 

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Just do it. Since 2009, the vast majority of people who try it, like it. I've highly enjoyed at least one cruise on every class of ship we have tried.

I felt the Oasis class felt no more crowded than I was on Adventure. While getting an ocean view lounger was difficult in the Solarium on both classes, I actually think Oasis class was a little easier :).

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We have been on Voyager Class (multiple), Freedom and Oasis classes. Here are my two cents.

1. Balconies - We love balconies, but I'm unsure if I'd like the interior facing ones on the boardwalk or central park. I'm thinking ocean balconies only, but I wanted to ask for opinions on these ones. To me, it seems like a considerably less amount of privacy. We had an Oceanview balcony on deck 8 and loved it. It was on the same floor as Central Park, which made it convenient for the Park Cafe, which we went to a lot. I would not personally be interested in a balcony overlooking one of the neighborhoods. We also found that the Oceanview was not that much more expensive on our cruise.

2. Shows - I'm not sure I'd like making sure I pre-booked everything. So many people. This was one of the things I really. hated on Oasis. You have to plan your shows ahead of time, not knowing what may come up along the way. If you miss your scheduled show time, you have to go in a stand by line. Not a fan of this method.

3. More days at sea - Western route (LOVE Labadee!), skips Grand Cayman due to no docks. Sea days are normally a zoo of people fighting for deck space, shopping venues, etc. Again, so many people. The pools are crazy on sea days. There were only 2 of us, so we always found loungers somewhere on deck.

There were some things I did like - the quality of the entertainment was a little better, I liked the rising tide and the Central Park Cafe. The MDR service was the worst we've had on 12 cruises. The general attitude of the staff was "overworked" in my opinion. And the Windjammer was always crowded. It was a challenge sometimes to find a seat. We really liked Voyager and Freedom better, however I have been talked into a family group cruise on Allure next year. I am really going back and forth about it, because I want to go with my family, but would really rather choose another ship. Good luck with your decision!

Oasis class is amazing. I love love love it. There is TONS of stuff to do which is big for me, so that keeps me happy and entertained. If you are sailing with kids they will love the Oasis class.

However you do have some valid concerns.

The inside balconies are just something different. Of course there are plenty of ocean view balconies so you have the choice. On my next cruise, we are doing a boardwalk balcony for the first time because we needed an accessible stateroom. It is not ideal but it will be fun to experience something new.

2. Pre-book everything. Just do it. It's easy. It's a lot easier to make plans and change them than it is to go in with zero plans and then be stuck with bad seats.

3. The Caribbean is the Caribbean, shrug. The Oasis class is definitely a cruise you take for the ship rather than the ports. I enjoy the sea days, and there is so much to do and so much space that it rarely ever feels like a zoo of people.

My biggest con about Oasis class is that there are certain times when t DOES feel like a zoo, and those times all center around shows and certain night time activities. We found ourselves having to arrive very early to events to ensure having a good spot (this was for activities that weren't bookable online, like karaoke and the game shows, etc). The worst was when we left one night time show and had to go straight to The Quest, which is where EVERYONE was headed, and it was s full 30 minutes of being crammed like sardines before they opened Studio B. My mom was in a scooter and there were too many people for us to escape the herd!

I love everything else though, seriously. Haha

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For me the bigger the ship the better. I love having so much to do. I only book ocean view balcony. Having an outside space that's all your own is priceless. I like to prebook shows. But you have to be on time meaning at least 15 minutes early. I don't do special do I g more than once. The food in the main dining room or the buffet is good enough for me.

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Unless shopping is a true hobby stay away from the Promenade whenever those sales occur. Pure mayhem!

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The only problem I have after the Oasis is that nothing else compares. Am booked on the Symphony for 2019.

Right. Nothing else compares. But I'm a RCI loyalist. Are there other great ships on other cruise lines? Not the super expensive luxury ones

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Great information everyone! Thanks! I always have my eye out for my next vacation. I'm still unsure of the Oasis class, I was never a member of the NOTA club, but I just know what I loved, and the Freedom Class is by #1 favourite - and to be fair, I have not sailed Oasis to compare. We sailed the Navigator and loved it (considering a 9 day southern route for Jan, 2018), but still prefer the Freedom size.

Anyways, still lots to consider, and you've all been a great help.

I hear the cabana prices on Labadee have come down from the $495 I paid last time, and it's my fav port - by far. More incentive to keep looking.

We went on Independence in 2015 and Allure in 2016. I loved both, but the size and enormous amount of things to do on Oasis Class is hard to turn down. We are sailing on Oasis in 3 weeks. Can't wait! The one thing I preferred on IOTS was the Windjammer. I felt the set up/layout was better. It felt less crowded. The Solarium on the Oasis Class compares to no other. It's unbelievable.

I didn't think it fell too crowded, except when we first boarded. Everyone was out and about and eating!