Freedom vs. Allure

[cctimmom]

Freedom vs. Allure -- which would you choose?

(If you had already been on Allure, but not a Freedom-class ship, would that sway you?)

[ktbr11crs]

They are both great ships. If you haven't tried Freedom, I think it would be great to try it out. Personally I would look at price, departure port and itinerary; if anything out of those sways you one way, go with that.

[avril4111]

We have done Feedom twice and it hooked us on cruising!!:D Serenade was a little boring for us after the big ship- now we are doing Allure and Oasis then maybe Mariner for a different itinerary(definitely not smaller again). If you already tried and liked Allure I'd try the Freedom next. We plan on sticking with Freedom class after, but may change our minds once we do the next 2 cruises!:p

[cctimmom]

We LOVED Oasis, and know we'd love Allure. They are the same itineraries. If you can believe it, Freedom would be about $450 more, but it's because it would be at the end of July vs. Allure in the middle of August (same timeframe on Allure would actually be about $1K more).

 

The coolness of trying a new ship, may outweigh the price difference in order to get a better week (too much to do as the summer winds down in August)... so we may be going with Freedom... but it's good to hear that Freedom has some wow factor too!

[DonnaK]

We went on Allure and were a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's a great ship. However, MDR service was the worst in 11 cruises. The ship was too large - too much walking for someone who isn't in top physical shape. The solarium was too hot and its pool was too small. Cabin was smaller than a D category on other ships. We booked Oasis for next year just to give the class another chance, however we're really looking to change it - there's just not a lot of options for the summer 2012 (unless we fly to Europe or Alaska, which is overbudget for a family of 4).

 

We haven't tried a Freedom class ship yet, and would like to, however it is almost as costly as Oasis/Allure for the weeks we want to sail.

[lv2cruisgrl]

I love Freedom and have done Oasis, doing Allure next month but liked Oasis also. You cant go wrong with either....however after we do Allure we are back to the smaller ships....we like being able to see the water more.

[Beth C]

I've done Oasis & Allure, have Liberty booked for a B2B in January to try out the smaller ship :p but i'm back to the Oasis in April. For the minimal price difference (& not always more for Oasis) between 7 days on Freedom Class vs Oasis class I go with the Oasis... so much more to do and see :)

[will773]

I have been on both Oasis and Allure, but would LOVE to cruise on Freedom!

[bajathree]

I have sailed Oasis class a half dozen times now between the 2 ships and have sailed Freedom class at least as much. It depends what you are looking for...both classes have their strengths...think that's why if you notice the pricing is not far apart between them. Depending what route you are sailing, you will only have 3 port stops....if going western on Freedom you will have 4...and Grand Cayman is a fabulous stop;)...so that alone can make a difference. If you want to sail more for the ship experience then Oasis Class may suit you...BUT thats not to say that Freedom class doesn't offer a lot also....the new screens by the main pool are a great addition... both daytime and especially in the evening....Oasis while also having big screens have them by the Aquatheater...not the main pool like Freedom and Liberty....much prefer the screens by the main pool for movies where the kids can swim and there is more bar action for adults....in contrast Oasis has more dining choices. I love both ships and like I said they both have their strengths....just depends what you are looking for.

[txcowboy10]

Sailed FOS five times and is my favorite ship, but trying Allure in 2 weeks too! May be too big for me...since I thought FOS was plenty big enough. I agree that ports have influence your decision...Grand Cayman is a GREAT port that you can't get on Oasis class sailings.

[Pichu21]

Freedom vs. Allure -- which would you choose?

(If you had already been on Allure, but not a Freedom-class ship, would that sway you?)

 

That's exactly what we're doing! We were on the Oasis as a first cruise and are trying out the Freedom partly because it includes Grand Cayman unlike the Allure western, but also because the Freedom has more of a "ship" feel and just to try something new and different.

[PCalabrese]

Sailing Freedom in 3 weeks! We sailed Mariner a few years ago and absolutely love it! Last year we followed Oasis around the Caribbean while on Carnival Dream and although there was a lot of "wow" factor to it we all agreed that it's just simply "too big". Yea Freedom aint small but with the layout of Mariner only expanded a bit we are very excited about our choice. We seriously considered Oasis/Allure but have decided that we'll probably not be choosing either one anytime soon.

 

I bet if you choose Freedom you'll be really happy! We know we're gonna happy!

[Rland8228]

we are also trying to decide between the two. We have been on mariner back in 2008 for our honeymoon. We would like to take my son who is 5 on one next may for the first time. I just cant decide which would be best?!

[Pichu21]

we are also trying to decide between the two. We have been on mariner back in 2008 for our honeymoon. We would like to take my son who is 5 on one next may for the first time. I just cant decide which would be best?!

 

Since Freedom is just an elongated version of the Mariner with a few extras, I'd suggest trying the Oasis/Allure. Also, the Oasis class ships have the BEST programs for kids of the entire fleet. THE BEST. That might be a huge plus, considering you want to take your 5 year old. Good luck!

[mysparky]

Have been on Oasis and Freedom and much prefer Freedom. Love the greater dining options & entertainment on Oasis, but feel that Freedom is better on every other level.

[IBookHePays]

I love both ships, but on the Freedom you feel so much more like you are actually on a ship SEEING the ocean. When we were on the Oasis, we had so much fun, but it felt more like a large, land based vacation.....that sounds strange, I know! That being said, we will probably sail on the Allure also! But from the Monarch to the Oasis, I think Freedom class fits the best for us! :)

[Linco711]

Freedom vs. Allure -- which would you choose?

(If you had already been on Allure, but not a Freedom-class ship, would that sway you?)

 

We sailed on the freedom twice and loved it, but we're thinking the Oasis or Allure look awesome and seem to have more going on..

[wblynch]

Personally I would book Freedom over Allure.

 

The Allure/Oasis are not interesting to me at all but I'm stuck with the Allure thanks to Wifey.

 

I like a ship to be a ship not a floating mall.

 

I loved the Mariner and liked the Explorer.

 

My favorite ship of all was the Vision of the Seas. That ship was beautiful with huge glass walls and ocean views everywhere.

 

With Allure I have a feeling one would never realize they were at sea.

 

We don't get to cruise as often these days and I am not looking forward to Allure (sigh)