Allure, Oasis, or Freedom of the Seas????

[carjac1]

Trying to decide and book our first cruise. We are doing a 7-night Caribbean on Royal Caribbean but can't decide between three different cruises. One is on the Allure of the Seas, one on the Oasis, one on the Freedom. Allure and Oasis seem more expensive, is that because they are newer/bigger ships? I am a newbie and my travel agent is not all that helpful. Any thoughts? Advice? If all other aspects of the cruise were the same, which ship would you choose?

 

Thanks

Carey

[Aquahound]

Allure!!! All three of those choices are excellent, but Oasis Class is just over the top awesome. Go for it. You won't regret it.

[cb at sea]

I would start on Freedom class....it's a huge ship, with lots to do! Save Allure/Oasis for a next cruise...there WILL be one!

Get the RCI brochure from your TA. It has lots of info and the deck plans! When you book your cabin, make sure you have the deck plans in front of you...you should KNOW what you're paying for!

[SeaTeach]

You are correct in surmising the newer the ship the higher the price. The newer ships mentioned can be viewed as destinations. The Freedom is not a small ship but just not as massive, and has a lot to offer.

 

Sorry to hear that your travel agent isn't of great use.

 

If I were in your shoes (as a newbie) I'd opt to get as much as possible for the least amount. Next, I'd research the ports in order to determine my favorite itinarary. Going into the port review and members cruise review areas might help. Looking at the deck plans will help with desired room location i.e. shying away from rooms under a club. Category of room dictates size and/or location.

 

Hope this snippet of info will start your journey, and you'll be able to ask more specific questions. There is a ton of info on the CC Boards. Read, take notes, and digest a little at a time which will be less overwhelming.

[carjac1]

Thanks for quick replies. I am leaning toward the Freedom cruise as I like the ports better and may want to start "small." I do have the cruise book and have looked at the ship plans, etc and think there will be plenty to do, especially for a first timer. I just don't want to be disappointed and wish we had gone for the bigggest and the best.

[blomsten]

Hello , i was on Liberty one year ago , and i think the windjammer cafe is nicer on the fredom class , and it was a fantastisk ship , but now we have ordered for Allure 15/1-2012 , and loking forward to it . Gretings from COOLD Norway :) :)

[DonnaK]

You can't go wrong on any of those cruises, so my advice is to find a more helpful travel agent before you book.

[cruiselover57]

Trying to decide and book our first cruise. We are doing a 7-night Caribbean on Royal Caribbean but can't decide between three different cruises. One is on the Allure of the Seas, one on the Oasis, one on the Freedom. Allure and Oasis seem more expensive, is that because they are newer/bigger ships? I am a newbie and my travel agent is not all that helpful. Any thoughts? Advice? If all other aspects of the cruise were the same, which ship would you choose?

 

Thanks

Carey

 

Hi Carey,

 

Well, I'm booked on the Freedom this coming August - easy choice because I'm going with a group and we're all country music lovers for sure! While I'd like to try the Oasis or Allure, I'm going to wait and see when the newness wears off and the prices come down!

 

Laurie

[beachchick]

Freedom, no question. Because she's not the absolute newest and absolute hugest, she is generally less expensive than the Oasis/Allure. But the Freedom class is hardly "small" at 155,000 tons and holding 4,000 passengers. And she's hardly old at less than 5 years. Plus I believe she will be or just has gone through a major retrofit to add some new venues.

 

IMO (and this is just me and my family), Oasis and Allure are more theme park than cruise ship. Yes, they cruise on the ocean/sea; yes, they stop at "ports"; yes, there are outdoor decks. But they are limited in where they can cruise and port; the majority of those "ports" are created "private islands" or commercial port "towns"; the whole cruise can be taken without ever really feeling like a cruise at all. We do not feel they are worth the premium it would cost to cruise on them at this point. Freedom (huge) and Voyager (large) class ships offer a good mix of both attractions/activities onboard and port experiences. (Confession: We have no intention of cruising on Oasis or Allure at all, but assuming we did, we'd wait until the fares dropped as the novelty and newness wears off. Fare and itinerary are very important considerations for us.)

 

But the bottom line is that you will probably have a great time on any of those ships.

 

beachchick

Edited February 22, 2011 by beachchick

[cello56]

Freedom was the largest ship in the world until Oasis and Allure launched. She is a huge ship!

 

We cruised Freedom earlier this month for $1069 for a balcony.

We just booked Oasis in October for $995 for a balcony.

 

So Oasis is actually going to be cheaper for us then Freedom!!

[mrshark]

Celebrity Solstice, Eclipse, or Equinox. :p:p:p:p

[trev71]

Carey I have been on the Liberty of the Seas twice and we are going on a Cruise again in Feb 12 of 2012.. we are going to bite the bullet and do the allure.. we just deciding if we want to have a balconey or just cheap out and get a normal room... Freedom and Liberty are the same and they are great ships..

[trev71]

but you are going during hurricane season that is why its so cheap

[sogy]

I found one advantage of freedom of the seas vs oasis/allure.

 

It's the port of calls. Oasis and Allure does not stop at the grand caymans. because the grand caymans has no dock, all cruise ships are tendered. and because of that, oasis and allure does not stop because they don't tender.

 

I mean if you have your heart set on stopping at the caymans, oasis and allure doesn't stop there

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Allure and the Oasis are special ..

[dorisis]

To get to Port Canaveral you will probably fly into Orlando, which is about an hour from the port. You will need to take a shuttle.

 

Ft. Lauderdale is only 15 minutes by cab. Consider transportation when you figure prices.