Reflection or Oasis

[Luv1204]

Been Going back and forth with this decision and I think I am now overthinking it and it is driving me crazy. Booked RCCL Oasis, for Dec 2012, then a few months later switched to Celebrity Reflection, then a few moths after that swithched back to Oasis. They both sound like great ships but I want to make the right choice, we have been looking forward to the December vacation for a long time and I don't want to make a mistake. We are both in our 40's, we are bring our 2 children 5, and 10 years old. The 4 of us have been all over the Caribbean since they were born. We enjoy staying at the nicer hotels on quiet islands, eating well with good service. The kids are never bored and are usually more behaved than some of the adults we see on these trips. We have decided to give the children a new experience by taking a cruise instead of our usual island getaway. Oasis seems like what a first time cruise for the children should be like but Reflection seems like it would be what we are use to on our island trips just on sea. Please Help, thank You in advance.

[Evilgrin72]

With kids, definitely Oasis.

[sailnjmom49]

Been Going back and forth with this decision and I think I am now overthinking it and it is driving me crazy. Booked RCCL Oasis, for Dec 2012, then a few months later switched to Celebrity Reflection, then a few moths after that swithched back to Oasis. They both sound like great ships but I want to make the right choice, we have been looking forward to the December vacation for a long time and I don't want to make a mistake. We are both in our 40's, we are bring our 2 children 5, and 10 years old. The 4 of us have been all over the Caribbean since they were born. We enjoy staying at the nicer hotels on quiet islands, eating well with good service. The kids are never bored and are usually more behaved than some of the adults we see on these trips. We have decided to give the children a new experience by taking a cruise instead of our usual island getaway. Oasis seems like what a first time cruise for the children should be like but Reflection seems like it would be what we are use to on our island trips just on sea. Please Help, thank You in advance.

The Oasis will have more activities for the kids. However,the Reflection will have much better food choices and more adult activities for you. I do know that the Fun Factory on Reflection will be well run but more children are on the Oasis. Also it depends when if December you are sailing. If you are sailing around the holidays both ships will have a lot of kids on them.

sailnjmom49

[AlanAllyn]

I think you got it exactly right.

 

One additional thought: If you are sailing in late December (after school is out), I would suggest the Reflection, since the Oasis will be overloaded with kids.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Oasis. It is more casual, there will be more opportunities for the kids and more places for the kids to play. Also Oasis has the baby splash area- Celebrity has nothing to offer the two year old. Royal has incabin sitting at night.

 

Do keep in mind that unless your child is 100% potty trained at 2 they can not swim in any of the pools.

 

Yep- do Oasis

[bluecruisin]

We have sailed both the Oasis and Solstice ships. Hands down with kids would be the Oasis. There is so much more for them to do and more shows that they would be interested in and enjoy. You will have a great cruise on the Oasis also.

[Denny01]

Not sure what the comment about nothing to offer a 2yearold on Celebrity, since your kids are 5 and 10. Our granddaughter was 3 and we took her to the Fun Factory and she loved it and met a lot of friends there. If they aren't potty trained, they can't play in some of the areas, such as an area with a lot of plastic balls and the pools and such, but she loved playing, being read to and having a great time.

 

Celebrity has babysitting by two of the Fun Factory staff, I think it was $10/hr. Not bad at all for 2 of them.

 

Yours are old enough to take full advantage of the Fun Factory and the Pools. The kids I saw on our Celebrity cruises looked like they were having a great time, and were fully entertained, lots of actvities dressing like pirates and such. Yup, Oasis (RCL) has more kid-things such as pool slides and such, and Celebrity is lower key, but our daughters loved Celebrity when they were young, and our grandaughter had a Full time when we took her, and looking forward to more.

 

So if you are looking for a cruise that you and your mate might enjoy more, and the kids would have fun in, I think Celebrity would work. If you are looking for a cruise which is focused on the kids, and you also, Oasis would be great.

 

Oasis/RCL does focus on families more, but I also find that an issue at least for our family in that we enjoyed the more adult feel of Celebrity, and our kids did just fine. All of this is very subjective on what your focus and your interest is.

 

Den

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Den- I misread her post. I stand corrected. Given the ages of the kids- I do think Oasis is a great choice. I am not a Royal fan but I do think my son would go crazy on Oasis. At some point- when I feel like doing another cruise to no where- I'll try Oasis.

[SunnyAJ]

I was torn between the two ships myself! We have done other ships on RCCL, but never Celebrity. We are traveling with a 10 and 12 year old and looking forward to the Reflection (traveling in December, too.) I wanted "kid-friendly" without being overrun with kids. From what I hear, Oasis is amazing but you may have to dodge kids and strollers. Also, as great as the activities are, I don't feel like having to supervise during ice skating, rock climbing, etc. - I get enough of that at home! We chose the newer ship, and hope the supervised activities are great, the food is top-notch, and we'll get some relaxing time as well. :)

[samiii]

My wife and I just returned from a 7 day Oasis cruise. Lets just say that we are both in the Social Security set. I must admit I booked with considerable apprehension. I was wrong. We had a blast. Entertainment was superb. I must admit the food in the MDR left a little to be desired. A word of caution. Book your entertainment well before leaving. you can always cancel. that goes for specialty Restaurants also. Both you and the kids will have a great time. I shoul add that we usually use Holland American, but were blown away by OaSIS. Some of the entertainment is in the afternoon, which is great for kids. Be sure to book the Ice show, the Aquatic show and "Come fly with me for the kids. Enjoy. samiii

[tserface]

I don't think you can lose with either. If you lay out a Pro/Con list you'll find that it pretty much equals out either way. I've been on Oasis and Silhouette in the last 2 years and I'd go on either again in a heartbeat and just as eagerly. That said, the kids would love Oasis. Even you "big kids" will love it. If I had children that age I'd probably go that route. They will enjoy the energy and the characters and the programs.

 

Reflection would also be nice, but way less "fun" for people your age and your kids.

 

JMHO...

 

Tom

 

Been Going back and forth with this decision and I think I am now overthinking it and it is driving me crazy. Booked RCCL Oasis, for Dec 2012, then a few months later switched to Celebrity Reflection, then a few moths after that swithched back to Oasis. They both sound like great ships but I want to make the right choice, we have been looking forward to the December vacation for a long time and I don't want to make a mistake. We are both in our 40's, we are bring our 2 children 5, and 10 years old. The 4 of us have been all over the Caribbean since they were born. We enjoy staying at the nicer hotels on quiet islands, eating well with good service. The kids are never bored and are usually more behaved than some of the adults we see on these trips. We have decided to give the children a new experience by taking a cruise instead of our usual island getaway. Oasis seems like what a first time cruise for the children should be like but Reflection seems like it would be what we are use to on our island trips just on sea. Please Help, thank You in advance.

[Denny01]

Den- I misread her post. I stand corrected. Given the ages of the kids- I do think Oasis is a great choice. I am not a Royal fan but I do think my son would go crazy on Oasis. At some point- when I feel like doing another cruise to no where- I'll try Oasis.

 

In truth, I didn't have to mention your comment about 2year olds...sorry, need to be nicer and lower key than pointing out people's minor errors!

 

Kids enjoying cruises is so subjective. I had daughters who weren't into all the climbing/fun things and more into finding a good friend, so Celebrity was a great one for them instead of the kid-intensive things RCL specializes in so well. And of course, I've never had a bad cruise on Any Line, even the ones people say they'd never cruise on again, but I won't mention specifics such as Carnival...haaa!

 

Den

[Luv1204]

Thanks for the advise, it seems like almost everyone is saying Oasis with the kids. I hope if we stay with Oasis the food and service will be alright.

[Germancruiser]

Well all said- with kids I suppose the Oasis- without 100% Reflection- a brand new ship also. On the other hand- Relfection sure has great options for kids. I would take the Relfection even with kids- because for adults who are not in need of constantly party or beeing entertained all the time- Refelction is the better choice. Zero announcements- expect for the noon report on sea days for example.

Michael

[jt1120]

If you want to have a nice, relaxing cruise, pick the Reflection. If you want to be herded like cattle, with over 6,000 other cruisers, pick the Oasis. Just sayin...'

 

Since we love to cruise, we sailed the Oasis last year, mostly for the ship (the itinerary sucks). I tell everyone who likes to cruise that you should check out the Oasis or Allure, but in terms of enjoying it, nope, not really.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I think that the kids would do great on either ship. My son was really WOWed by Independence of the Seas though. He loved the shopping promenade and had his hair cut at the little barber shop. So I do think the kids would be WOWed by Oasis since it is even more impressive.

 

If I was traveling just for me- I'd never do Royal but this couple does have two small children and I think the Oasis would give them more to do. I would love to take my son and a friend on that ship!

[Oville]

If you want to have a nice, relaxing cruise, pick the Reflection. If you want to be herded like cattle, with over 6,000 other cruisers, pick the Oasis. Just sayin...'

 

Since we love to cruise, we sailed the Oasis last year, mostly for the ship (the itinerary sucks). I tell everyone who likes to cruise that you should check out the Oasis or Allure, but in terms of enjoying it, nope, not really.

 

Wow, I've been on both the Allure and Oasis, also the Solstice, Equinox and Ecliplse. Of the five ships the least "herded like cattle" were the Oasis and Allure. Yes there are more people but the ships are so big, other than the muster, they do not feel crowded.

 

Regarding the itineraries, did you even bother to look at the Reflection's schedule? It's not too far off from your crude term of the Oasis' trip.

 

To the OP, we love the S-Class ships and will be on the Reflection for its first and second US cruises. Having said that we also love the Oasis class ships. In our opinion the best speciality restaurant on the high seas is 150 Park on Oasis. With chilldren, hands down it is the Oasis.

[jt1120]

^^^ We'll have to agree to disagree. We found the traffic flow on the Solstice FAR better than that of the Oasis. The Promenade especially made us feel like we were in a shopping mall all week - very claustrophobic. Conversely, the Solstice was at capacity but never felt that way.

 

I will, however, totally agree with you on your assessment of 150 Park. By far it is the best meal we've had on the high seas (25 cruises worth). Absolutely a home run, and probably one of the only reasons that I would sail the Oasis again.

[tserface]

Just shows you that "different strokes" thing. My wife and I think the promenades on the RCCL ships are one of the best features. We think that if you could take Silhouette and put the promenade from Oasis on her you'd have the perfect ship :o)

 

It is crowded there during special times like the parades, but that's some of the charm as well and Silhouette didn't have any upbeat party times like that.

 

We love Celebrity, but often find ourselves with a few hours a day with nothing to do. We never had that problem on Oasis and that would be especially true for a family that wants to do things together.

 

On the other hand, Celebrity provides a classier and quieter experience to be sure.

 

When we travel with our kids (late 20's) we mostly go on RCCL because they (and even us old kids) like an occasional exciting cruise... but when we travel alone we mostly go Celebrity because we like the quiet days at the coffee shop playing cards, and the trivia games.

 

We think the accommodations, food, service, etc. are all really similar. The difference, from our perspective, is the level or "fun" vs. "classy".

 

Tom

 

^^^ We'll have to agree to disagree. We found the traffic flow on the Solstice FAR better than that of the Oasis. The Promenade especially made us feel like we were in a shopping mall all week - very claustrophobic. Conversely, the Solstice was at capacity but never felt that way.

 

I will, however, totally agree with you on your assessment of 150 Park. By far it is the best meal we've had on the high seas (25 cruises worth). Absolutely a home run, and probably one of the only reasons that I would sail the Oasis again.

[DocJohnB]

^^^ We'll have to agree to disagree. We found the traffic flow on the Solstice FAR better than that of the Oasis. The Promenade especially made us feel like we were in a shopping mall all week - very claustrophobic. Conversely, the Solstice was at capacity but never felt that way.

Wow, I've been on both the Allure and Oasis, also the Solstice, Equinox and Ecliplse. Of the five ships the least "herded like cattle" were the Oasis and Allure. Yes there are more people but the ships are so big, other than the muster, they do not feel crowded.

 

I find the above two quotes to be a classic

study in perception. Both posters have sailed on both classes of ships and have divergent views . . . . and that is typical of a lot of subjects on these cruise boards.

 

I cannot compare the classes as I have never sailed Oasis, but I have to agree with jt that the Solstice class never gives me a "claustrophobic" feel. In fact it has less of that feeling than of any ship I have sailed on . . . and I have sailed on most mass market lines.

 

Having said all that and having sailed on RCI ships with all the "bells and whistles" that youngsters love, I would probably suggest that the OP sail the Oasis for their vacation. But, be aware, if it is over the Christmas holiday, it will be wall to wall. At 6,000+ . . . . . . .

[Luv1204]

Thanks Everyone, I love reading your opinions. All seems very helpful. We are pulling the kids out of school the first week of December figuring it will be a slower week hopefully avoiding the huge crowds.

[DocJohnB]

Thanks Everyone, I love reading your opinions. All seems very helpful. We are pulling the kids out of school the first week of December figuring it will be a slower week hopefully avoiding the huge crowds.

 

With that info, my recommendation would definitely be Oasis. Hopefully E. Caribbean.

 

Keep a Solstice class cruise in you future thoughts though.

[CruiseAwayWithMe]

Just shows you that "different strokes" thing. My wife and I think the promenades on the RCCL ships are one of the best features. We think that if you could take Silhouette and put the promenade from Oasis on her you'd have the perfect ship :o)

 

It is crowded there during special times like the parades, but that's some of the charm as well and Silhouette didn't have any upbeat party times like that.

 

We love Celebrity, but often find ourselves with a few hours a day with nothing to do. We never had that problem on Oasis and that would be especially true for a family that wants to do things together.

 

On the other hand, Celebrity provides a classier and quieter experience to be sure.

 

When we travel with our kids (late 20's) we mostly go on RCCL because they (and even us old kids) like an occasional exciting cruise... but when we travel alone we mostly go Celebrity because we like the quiet days at the coffee shop playing cards, and the trivia games.

 

We think the accommodations, food, service, etc. are all really similar. The difference, from our perspective, is the level or "fun" vs. "classy".

 

Tom

 

I'm only 23 going on 24 and I prefer sailing Celebrity. I like the atmosphere better. Yeah, it certainly is disappointing that the discos are basically empty most of the time. There are plenty of late night shows like comedy or karaoke to keep busy with. I've been on Freedom class from Royal Caribbean and enjoyed it, but I'm addicted to Celebrity now. The service is much better than on any Royal Caribbean ship. It is all non-smoking inside the ship and on all the balconies even the casino.

 

10 years ago when I was docked next to a Celebrity ship I used to be like there goes the old people ship... but I'm surprised how much I liked it after sailing Celebrity Solstice when she was brand new. I've been on Solstice, Equinox, and Eclipse. Looking into booking Equinox a second time. We are elite members too and I love the internet minutes 90 minutes on celebrity vs 30 on royal caribbean. The elite member benefits far exceed any Diamond member benefits we got on Royal Caribbean. I take advantage of no announcements too. The ship is so much more elegant, put together, classy, up scale looking than any Royal Caribbean ship I've been on. The non-smoking really keeps me with Celebrity because I just hate smoke or even walking by a lounge and smelling it. It is closest to a non-smoking ship that I have been on.

 

We went on Carnival Paradise back in the day (1999ish? or 1997?) when it was non-smoking and everyone knows that it turned back to full force smoking because Carnival couldn't get the guests to book on a non-smoking Carnival ship.

 

I understand that OP already made up their mind to go on Royal Caribbean, just comparing to two. Have fun! Any cruise is fun. :D

[Cruising89143]

With kids, Oasis all the way. Some of the best entertainment that I have seen at sea.

[cruiseforus]

Definitely the Oasis. You will not be disappointed (either will your children).