Epic Versus Oasis

[London-Calling]

A freind of mine was asking me if he should book Oasis/Allure or Epic in the Caribbean. I have my personal opinion, as I have cruised on both ships.

 

Are their peopele here that have cruised on both ships too? How did you feel that the two ships compare.

 

(This is NOT a question for those that ONLY cruised NCL and think RCI must be inferior.)::wink:

[Single Cruiser]

hmm its interesting how people like to compare Epic to Oasis. Even though its only fair to compare it with the Freedom class RCI ships.

 

Due to it's much larger size Oasis has the option for more venues and lounges etc..

 

But as you say, each person has their view point and I did a comparison (from my opinion) of Epic versus Indy of the Seas.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1428858

[Cruzaholic41]

I have sailed on both. I have since returned to Oasis Class 3 times for a total of 4 cruises. I have not returned to Epic. Hint, hint.

 

I did not think my Epic cruise was bad. I had a great time. I just felt a little let down by the hype and I didn't find the ship to really be anything special. Entertainment was great - although I wasn't impressed by Blue Man Group.

 

Oasis Class, on the other hand, blew me away. The ships are in a class by themselves and are just amazing. The energy, specialty restaurants, and live evening entertainment is the best at sea.

 

RCI also has embarkation down to a science. The terminal is built for the ship and is a breeze. Boarding Epic was a nightmare and the Miami terminal was way too small for that ship.

[negc]

I know someone who has sailed on both and when I asked him his opinion, he stated that had he not gone on Oasis he might have been impressed with EPIC but that he believed that there was really no comparison and greatly preferred almost everything about Oasis. He was not unhappy with his experience on EPIC but would likely not book another cruise on her. I think a review of comments about both ships would reveal a large majority of the Oasis comments have been favorable, while those concerning EPIC were more mixed, with some very favorable and an almost equal number, negative. That said, tastes vary and you might be among those who would most enjoy EPIC. :)

[starcat]

I have sailed on both. I am glad I went on the Epic and thought the entertainment was very good. With that said, I prefer the Oasis. The Oasis was more expansive and interesting. The promenade and central park were very nice. I believe both ships do not have a great pool area. It seems that on both, the pool area is very broken up. I probably would not go on the Epic again but have booked the Allure. I am looking forward to NCL's new ships that will be out in a couple years. The food is probably comparable on both. I think the Epic is worth trying once.

[coffeebean]

There is plenty of information here...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=22550538&pp=25

[London-Calling]

hmm its interesting how people like to compare Epic to Oasis. Even though its only fair to compare it with the Freedom class RCI ships.

 

Agreed, but both ship have had a lot of publicity, in terms of size they are No.1 & No.2 and they both offer similar Caribbean itineraries.

[Cruzaholic41]

Agreed, but both ship have had a lot of publicity, in terms of size they are No.1 & No.2 and they both offer similar Caribbean itineraries.

 

Isn't RCI's Freedom Class slightly larger than Epic? I though Freedom was 154,000 GT and Epic 153,000 GT.

[Single Cruiser]

Isn't RCI's Freedom Class slightly larger than Epic? I though Freedom was 154,000 GT and Epic 153,000 GT.

 

Yep Epic is the 6th largest cruise ship (currently) after Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Liberty and Indy..

[Single Cruiser]

Yep Epic is the 6th largest cruise ship (currently) after Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Liberty and Indy..

 

NCLs website:

 

Ship Specifications

 

• Passenger Capacity: 4,228
  
• Gross Register Tonnage: 153,000
  
• Overall Length: 1,080 feet
  
• Max Beam: 133 feet
  
• Draft: 28 feet
  
• Engines: Diesel Electric
  
• Cruise Speed: 22 knots
  
• Crew: 1,690
  

RCI website

 

 

Ship Facts Freedom Class

• Maiden Voyage: 4 June 2006
  
• Guest Capacity: 3,634 double occupancy; 4,375 maximum
  
• Godmother: Katherine Louise Calder
  
• Gross Tonnage: 154,407
  
• Length: 1,112'
  
• Max Beam: 183.4'
  
• Draft: 28'
  
• Cruising Speed: 21.6 knots
  

 

compared to Oasis class..

 

Ship Facts

 

•Guest Capacity: 5,400 double occupancy; 6,360 maximum

•Gross Tonnage: 225,282

•Staterooms: 2,700

•Decks: 16 high

•Length: 1,187'

•Max Beam: 215.7'

•Draft: 30'

•Cruising Speed: 22 knots

[London-Calling]

Yep Epic is the 6th largest cruise ship (currently) after Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Liberty and Indy..

 

With respect, I think you are wrong. Epic's spec changed by the end of her construction:

 

http://www.epic.ncl.com/the-ship/specifications/

 

She's now: 155,873gt - so bigger than the Freedom Class.

[Single Cruiser]

With respect, I think you are wrong. Epic's spec changed by the end of her construction:

 

http://www.epic.ncl.com/the-ship/specifications/

 

She's now: 155,873gt - so bigger than the Freedom Class.

 

 

 

http://www.ncl.co.uk/ships/norwegian-epic/

 

If she has gained weight she may be heavier but she is still shorter in length and width. I think the record books used to go via length as QM2 was "biggest" for a while...

 

Anyhow the point was to show Epic is about the same size as Freedom classes and substantially smaller than the Oasis and thus have less things onboard.

 

Same as if you compared Epic to say Brilliance of the Seas..

[willysgrandma]

I've sailed on the Oasis, the Allure and Epic.

 

I loved the entertainment on all three ships. But I HATED the cabins on the Epic - those bathrooms drove me crazy, the storage space was awful and the cabins were tight. I also was not fond of the food on the Epic - I felt to get a good meal we had to pay extra and go to one of the specialty restaurants. Food was better on RCCL particularly the Park Cafe.

 

I was lucky enough to do the Western Caribbean on the Epic and I enjoyed the three ports on that itinerary

 

Of the three ships, I liked the Allure even better than the Oasis.

 

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed my Epic cruise, but if I had to choose fom them- I'd do one of the RCCL ships. I liked the Allure better than the Oasis because of two thing s- there were some minor changes in the cabins from the Oasis to the Allure, with better placement of the extra plug outlets and an Ipod docking station. And we enjoyed the Hot Dog stand rather than the Donut Shop on the Oasis.

[London-Calling]

http://www.ncl.co.uk/ships/norwegian-epic/

 

If she has gained weight she may be heavier but she is still shorter in length and width.

 

It’s not about weight.

 

Gross Tonnage is NOT a measurement of weight; it is a measurement of internal volume.

 

Yes some ships are taller, some longer, some wider. However the industry STANDARD method of comparing ship size is GROSS TONNAGE (internal volume).

 

Epic is the second biggest ‘class’ of ship in the world, next to Allure/Oasis. Her gross tonne now exceeds the ‘Freedom’ class. NCL rightly claim thatEpic is now the biggest ship operating in Europe. (My figures are ALSO from an NCL web site!)

 

You are right, the QM2 did have the biggest Gross Tonnage at the time she entered service and was 1,132 in length. (Epic is shorter at 1,081). The freedom class is 1,112 and Oasis wins at 1,187 feet and of course Gross Tonnage.

[CruiserChloe]

Well, Epic's actual size is irrelevant because it's still an entire cruise ship size smaller than Oasis. The two are not comparable.

 

I have cruised both ships. Like the rest of this thread, I enjoyed my Epic cruise, but it was not on the same scale as Oasis. I think negc said it best because I agree that I may have been more impressed with Epic had I not already been on Oasis.

 

So, London-Calling, tell your friends whatever you wish, but most here agree Oasis is the better of the 2.

[Aquahound]

I have cruised on Oasis Class twice, but have only toured Epic, so I will only compare the ships, themselves. No comparison. Oasis is huge and jaw dropping. You walk in to neighborhood after neighborhood saying "wow"....Central Park, Boardwalk, Royal Promenade, Solarium, etc. Epic is a beautiful ship, and I think it would be a great cruise, but the ship is in no way in Oasis' league.

[Single Cruiser]

It’s not about weight.

 

Gross Tonnage is NOT a measurement of weight; it is a measurement of internal volume.

 

Yes some ships are taller, some longer, some wider. However the industry STANDARD method of comparing ship size is GROSS TONNAGE (internal volume).

 

Epic is the second biggest ‘class’ of ship in the world, next to Allure/Oasis. Her gross tonne now exceeds the ‘Freedom’ class. NCL rightly claim thatEpic is now the biggest ship operating in Europe. (My figures are ALSO from an NCL web site!)

 

 

 

You are right, the QM2 did have the biggest Gross Tonnage at the time she entered service and was 1,132 in length. (Epic is shorter at 1,081). The freedom class is 1,112 and Oasis wins at 1,187 feet and of course Gross Tonnage.

 

 

OK calm down no need for angst. The point was, as others have agreed that you can't compare the two. Oasis is about the same internal volume as Epic AND Norwegian Spirit added together..

[cruising 2013]

I had this exact conversation with someone while on the beach off our EPIC cruise. they were on the Oasis and was asking me about the EPIC and I was curious about their cruise. At the end of the conversation we agreed on a number of things. There are plusses and minus to both ships,there were things that we liked and things that we didn't like and I think that is true with any ship.

[canteen]

I cruised on both ship on their suite, Oasis on the Junior Suite and Epic on the 2 bedroom Suite.

 

I have to say, Suite'wise, Epic won hands down!!! The Epic club serves great food and I never had to eat at the MDR! We had a suite pool, gym etc etc... I can definitely say, if we weren't on the suite, we probably would be disappointed after the 'wow' factor of the Oasis.

 

Both ship offers great entertainment and its not easy to see/join them all on a 7 night cruise!

 

We took so many pictures on the Oasis but very little on the Epic.....

[London-Calling]

OK calm down no need for angst. The point was, as others have agreed that you can't compare the two.

 

No angst, just healthy debate!:cool:

 

I appreciate that both ships are very different vessels. However potential cruise passengers may well consider both ships as they both offer similar one week itineraries from Florida aimed at similar clientele.

[Cruzaholic41]

I cruised on both ship on their suite, Oasis on the Junior Suite and Epic on the 2 bedroom Suite.

 

I have to say, Suite'wise, Epic won hands down!!! The Epic club serves great food and I never had to eat at the MDR! We had a suite pool, gym etc etc... I can definitely say, if we weren't on the suite, we probably would be disappointed after the 'wow' factor of the Oasis.

 

In all fairness though, you do realize you are comparing apples to oranges, right? A Juior Suite isn't really a suite and doesn't really come with any perks. Did you see Oasis' Aqua Suites or Crown Loft suites?

[Just Jo]

I've sailed Epic and Allure with DH and friends. Our friends would probably pick Oasis/Allure (they've sailed both) and DH and I would probably pick Epic. I loved the Epic staterooms and believe it had better/more storage than Allure. Our friends love the Oasis class "wow factor" everyone talks about and the Promenade especially. I loved the traditional feel of the Epic, the entertainment and food, and I felt I received a bit better/friendlier service on the Epic. Also, the Epic was quite a bit less expensive. It's a close call, but for me the Epic wins.

[negc]

I cruised on both ship on their suite, Oasis on the Junior Suite and Epic on the 2 bedroom Suite.

 

I have to say, Suite'wise, Epic won hands down!!! The Epic club serves great food and I never had to eat at the MDR! We had a suite pool, gym etc etc... I can definitely say, if we weren't on the suite, we probably would be disappointed after the 'wow' factor of the Oasis.

 

Both ship offers great entertainment and its not easy to see/join them all on a 7 night cruise!

 

We took so many pictures on the Oasis but very little on the Epic.....

Hardly a fair comparison to comparen a Junior Suite on any ship to a full suite on the same or any other ship. I have read many positive things about the suites on NCL ships but would prefer to see comparisons between comparable staterooms, that is: Epic Suites and Oasis Crown Loft Suites. Otherwise I don't think that, using most other standards of comparison, Epic will come out ahead of Oasis. Better, as others have noted, to compare Epic with Freedom class ships. Also interesting to note that NCL only built one Epic ship, having cancelled another and decided not to exercise their option for another. To my mind, not exactly a vote of confidence in the design. In contrast, RCI built two Oasis class and three Freedom class ships before moving on to the next class, Project Sunshine. When more details are released on both new classes of ships, the comparisons should be interesting.:)

[Lonedaddy]

how does the food compare in the MDR vs MDR, cagneys vs chops and even epic lounge vs Oasis MDR

[jdvmd]

Sailed on both and enjoyed both BUT we enjoyed the Epic much more. Not sure exactly why but we did.