Oasis of the seas in September or Celebrity reflection in January?

[WillWorkForCruise121]

My wife and I have taken a cruise in January the past two years and have really been hooked on making this our mid-winter escape. We have really wanted to try the Oasis/Allure but have been unable to afford the pricey ticket to get on board.

 

 

We found a decent rate for Oasis in September that we think we can swing. Also, friends of ours have booked this same sailing. I am afraid that if we book this, we will not be able to afford our usual January trip, but it just might be worth it if the Oasis is all it's cracked up to be.

 

We sailed the Liberty this past January and loved it! It was a total blast and the ship had so many things that we never even had a chance to do. Will the Oasis be that much better?

 

 

We were strongly considering the new Celbrity reflection for 7 nights eastern caribbean in January. overall it will cost us about $400 more to sail the Oasis in September in a similar cabin catagory.

 

I'm debating over and over again whether or not it's worth spending the extra $400. but if we went on the Oasis on January it'd be an extra $650. If we will likely enjoy the Oasis that much more than I think we can swing it. Plus we will have good company for the Oasis sailing.

 

 

Has anyone sailed the Oasis/Allure and also a solstice class on celebrity. what are your thoughts? I know it's kind of apples and oranges comparing the ships. My wife and I enjoy activities and nightlife (we are both just under 30) but we are not wild and crazy partiers either.

 

which sailing would you choose? any helpful insight would be greatly appreciated :)

[Gonzo70]

I think based on what you are saying Allure sounds like a better fit for you. If you loved Liberty, then Allure will have all those venues plus several new venues to experience. I sailed mainly with RCI when I was in my mid 30s, and once I got into my later 30s starting transitioning more towards Celebrity. You are in the age group where you are more likely to find RCI more your pace/style than Celebrity. The S-Class ships are amazing vessels, but significantly more laid back and sedate than RCI's Liberty and Allure.

[laurieb]

keep in mind that September is hurricane season

[reedprincess]

I have been on both several times - I am an Elite member on Celebrity and a Diamond Plus on RCCL and am 38, hubby 34. We both love good food, nightlife, comedians, a few drinks, uncrowded pools and service. We cruise at least 3 times a year. Always in CC or Aqua or above on Celebrity- on RCCL, it depends on the ship. On Oasis, we did the Boardwalk view cabins for the uniqueness.

We cruised on Oasis this last fall (last week of Sept) and were prepared to not enjoy it for the large crowds, large ship, etc. We couldn't have been more wrong.

Basically - they are extremely different experience. We absolutely love the service and food on Celebrity, the martini bar, the shows 9and we still go every cruise, even though we've seen every one multiple times.) Love the elegance of the ships, love the relaxing nature, the uncrowded venues, the lovely rooms, etc. All in all, it is our first choice.

Oasis was a big step - we basically broke down and went because we had family going and his uncle celebrating his 70th birthday and my aunt celebrating her 70th birthday (they are completely unrelated to each other). So, we had a group of over 30 spread all over the ship doing all sorts of different activities.

We love the Oasis. We loved the choice of venues, we loved the different dining options, we loved the entertainment (the street party in the promenade was great fun!) we loved the nightclub, loved the spa, loved that we could get a chair at any outside pool at any time of the day, found the ship well organized for that many people, etc. We never did the rock-climbing or ziplining (although my aunt did!), didn't do the Flowrider or any of that stuff - we just enjoyed the many, many other things to do. It was amazing. Very easy to meet people and make friends, it was, quite frankly, surprising how much we actually enjoyed it. We did anytime dining and I would not do that again - on any ship, for that matter. What's the poitn when you are encouraged to make a reservation for each night ahead of time? When we did walk up, it was about a 15-20 minute wait (we were between 7:45-8:30 the few times we tried) and we didn't end up with either good tables or good service. The food was good, the service was rushed and disorganized. We did eat in several alternative dining options and loved the solarioum bistro for dinner - absolutely great!

All in all, there is no comparison between the ships. Completely different experiences.

We would definitely sail Oasis or Allure again - we would probably opt for a suite though - the balcony rooms were a bit tight for 2, in our opinion - Celebrity's balcony rooms are larger (or at least feel larger) We would probably only do it if we had friends or family with though. the activities and events were great fun - it was a solid week of fun! We loved having so many options during the day and night.

For the 2 of us, it's Celebrity all the way. More elegant and romantic, more luxurious, etc. More relaxed vacationing experience.

It's not even apples and oranges - it's more like apples and cheese or apples and telephones, I don't know - I couldn't compare the 2.

If you are younger and like the options of lots of daily activities, lots of nightly venues - comic, grand show, smaller show, several different types of dancing venues, etc. or the option to do nothing at all, then Oasis is for you, definitely check it out.

If you want quieter, more elegant and luxurious, older crowd overall, less nightlife (although plenty to be found) then Celebrity is more for you.

I wouldn't worry aout hurricane season - the ship will re-route as needed to avoid storms. We had perfect weather - but that is no indication for next year!!!

Good luck - you will enjoy whichever one you choose.

Have a great cruise!!!!

[MaryKP]

I'm 30 and my husband is 36, and we prefer Celebrity over RCCL. Fewer kids, more relaxing, still plenty of entertainment options. Give me a nice dinner and a good bar and I'm happy, I don't need a club or a disco to have a good time. That's just my personal preference. I just booked the January 5, 2013 sailing on Reflection and have no regrets. If you can sail on Celebrity, which is generally considered nicer than RCCL, for less money that seems like a much better deal. But it completely comes down to personal preference, so good luck!

[WillWorkForCruise121]

Thanks so much for all of the responses. I still have some thinking to do, but received some helpful insight.

 

This decision is difficult, both ships look amazing but are unique and attractive for completely different reasons. I'll have to talk it over with the wife and see exactly what she prefers. If she's happy on the cruise that definitely impacts how good of a time I am having! lol

 

Thanks again for the help and suggestions. I welcome more if anyone else wants to contribute.

[gelo7]

I think that you will enjoy yourselves on either ship.

[didicruiser]

You will both ships but are very different. I loved the Oasis but will not sail on heragain by choice. I enjoyed the Eclipse much better; more relaxing. However, if friends wanted to go on the Oasis, I would go with them. I would like to zip line again lol.

My recommendation.......trythe Oasis. No other ship is like it ( except Allure!)

[FrankinPA]

Thanks so much for all of the responses. I still have some thinking to do, but received some helpful insight.

 

This decision is difficult, both ships look amazing but are unique and attractive for completely different reasons. I'll have to talk it over with the wife and see exactly what she prefers. If she's happy on the cruise that definitely impacts how good of a time I am having! lol

 

Thanks again for the help and suggestions. I welcome more if anyone else wants to contribute.

 

Do one this year and the other next year. I assume you have many more years of cruises ahead of you. The Oasis is not going to another region as it is confined by its size to the Caribbean. You can do it anytime. The Reflection may or may not be in the Caribbean after 2012 as it can go to all other regions- just not thru the Panama Canal until the new locks open in a few years.

[rwr235]

"Plus we will have good company for the Oasis sailing."

"Also, friends of ours have booked this same sailing."

 

I think your quoted phrases above should be key determining factors in your final decision as well. Although itineraries are a main factor in determining where we cruise; and we know we will make new friends on our Roll Calls and on the ship; we truly consider having our friends/family on cruises with us one of the most rewarding aspects.

 

Like you, I have always wanted to try the Oasis or Allure (but the itineraries hold no interest). I enjoy the laid-back, relaxed, wonderful service of Celebrity...and my brother and his GF , who are equally laid-back, thought they might be overwhelmed with the size, number of people and offerings of the Oasis...but they gave it a go....and LOVED it !!

 

Whichever you choose...I am sure it will be a great time !!

 

Enjoy !!

 

Woody

[pjsatc86]

I have no experience with celebrity (yet) but I have sailed on freedom class and oasis class vessels. We actually like the freedom class ships better but we enjoyed our cruise a lot on Allure (Oasis Class). We felt like the freedom class ships had more of a community feel with a lot of interaction with the cruise director. We had the same cruise director on both Freedom and Allure. Allure we missed that sense of being at sea. There are some places you can just relax and take in the ocean but not as many as on Liberty. We also like the layout of the balcony cabins much better on Freedom class then on oasis class.

 

The Allure (and also oasis) is a truly amazing ship. We enjoyed walking around central park. The dining options on allure are awesome! The only time we ever felt crowded were during parades or leaving shows, but it is that way on all ships. Going on an Oasis Class ship is definitely worth it for the experience of the ship. Unfortunetly they go to the same places every year. In my signature there is a link to my cruise photos. There is an album of ones from allure if you are interested.

 

We are looking forward to trying Celebrity. Due to my vacation time scheduling we werent able to take the 12 night Med cruise offered by Royal. The Solstice 12 night matched up perfect. We have read a lot of great reviews about solstice and celebrity.

[RMSeadog]

Sorry, see below

[RMSeadog]

We are big time X cruisers and have just made D+ with RCI. Oasis Class is the cream of the crop on both sides, however, Celebrity will always be our line of choice. We are booked in Oasis Sep 1 and 8. All X ships are gone from the east coast. As a retired Navy Weather Guesser I would rather ride out a hurricane ar sea than ashore. Ships can run away from a storm. If a storm threatens a naval base they put all ships that can to sea. ~ Ric

[kk99]

Hi,

We've sailed on both Oasis and Allure the past two Septembers with a large group of friends, and sail Celebrity more often and also with groups of friends and family. The weather was great the past two September cruises. We have the tier status on both lines and both have strengths.

 

If you want nonstop activities to participate in, definitely try Oasis. We did the zipline, flowriders(several times), participated in the parades, did pub crawls, saw all the shows, ice skated, and ate in every specialty restaurant. You do need to prereserve the shows, specialty restaurants, to make sure you get it all scheduled.

 

We needed a vacation from the vacation, but had a a blast. If the ships added additional ports in the future, we would definitely sail it again.

 

We have sailed with Celebrity many times, and are doing the Reflection in November. It will be more of my age demographic, but the longer itineraries for us are our preference and more interesting ports . It is a more relaxed atmosphere, and not as much late evening nightlife as on the Oasis

 

You will have a great cruise no matter which one you pick. You will enjoy Oasis more with friends, I think Reflection is a better fit if you just want to relax and have a great week with your spouse. the ports will be interchangeable. The balcony cabins on S class ships I like better than the Oasis balcony categories. RCL's junior suites have a nice size and sometimes there are price drops on them.

 

Have a great cruise, and either way, ya'll aren't at work for the week!