Oasis vs. Freedom

[lovesthebeach2]

You will love the flight to Orlando - nice and quiet, never any kids.:rolleyes::eek:

 

I actually like the kids on flights to Orlando, they are all so excited it gets me excited too.....I do use earplugs though ;)

[SamFritz]

IMHO oasis class feels more like a resort, less like a ship. That's not a knock on Oasis, just an attempt to describe the difference. If you mainly loved the destination features of Oasis, you might be a little let down by Freedom.

 

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[Ocean Boy]

Any cruise vacation is a blessing. Think about people in your life who have never cruised, or even taken a vacation recently. Last year I had cancer and could not make our anniversary cruise. To be able to cruise on any ship of any size is wonderful. I say book your cruise, don't look for disappointment, and don't allow small things to bother you. Life is precious. :) Enjoy your cruise.

.

 

Had is such a much better word than have.:) Congratulations.;)

[CathyCanada]

It's funny that you should post this as I am going through this dilemma myself and I HAVE sailed on both ships several times!

 

Oasis has great entertainment and a wide variety of it (as well as different dining venues). We do enjoy the Schooner Bar but have yet to find a half-decent piano player in there on 3 cruises. But we also love the Rising Tide Bar.

 

Freedom has a smaller ship feel to it and has a great Schooner Bar and wonderful wine pairing dinners in their Vintages. Freedom is also the ship that RCCL likes to roll out new things on because they have such a great crew.

 

While you can fly into Orlando, it is an hour to the port, so there is an extra cost incurred there.

 

As for Grand Cayman, it is a tender port so you do lose time there. It is a beautiful island and I love it anyway (as I do most Caribbean islands).

 

Good luck in your choice, I'm still working on mine!

[minnie00]

We are considering both ships as well. We have sailed Mariner many times (size step below Freedom) and Oasis/Allure once each.

 

I want to see Grand Cayman too and in booking a suite I feel its a huge perk to get the suite beach and cabanas at Labadee....so I have had a hrd time choosing too...

 

but here are some strong points we have:.

 

My husband missing eating in Chops/Portofino with ocean views. Freedom has and Oasis doesn't. they are on the interior of the ship

 

I like the idea of the extra restaurants that Oasis offers over Freedom - Park 150, the Roast beef place, the bigger JOhnney Rockets with out door seating, Izumi on Oasis (ocean views!!) ...we also can eat lunch at Giovannis on boarding day...a nice treat. We have never eaten in the Windjammer on Oasis

 

I also like that the Oasis feels like a resort as others have mentioned..spread out and not really terribly crowded

 

for me...Oasis wins on pools...there are 4 big pools and the Beach pool has umbrellas and we have been lucky and get a chair in the water with umbrellas....You can actually get lounge chairs by the pools...

 

this is all I can think of for now

[theshowmestate]

If you fly into Orlando it's an hour or so drive, straight shot, on the B Line to Port C. You may want to add time because if there's any accidents or heavy traffic you can sit on it for a while. If you do a rental car from the airport to the port there are tolls along the way.

[Langley Cruisers]

Had is such a much better word than have.:) Congratulations.;)

 

Agreed, my friend. Thank you. :)

[nursemom2]

We cruised the freedom in Dec, and had a wonderful time! Port Canaveral is about an hour from Orlando, and I believe it is very easy to arrange for transportation. I did a review on my family blog, feel free to take a look.

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-wonderful-week-on-freedom-of-seas.html

[Patsfan3]

We have been on the Freedom 3 times and loved it every time. The staff on this ship is fantastic!

[Chuggiebug]

Freedom is a great ship, but different. We alternate back and forth between Oasis class and the Freedom.

[Rick-n-Lisa]

We have been on Freedom twice and Allure once. I personally like the Freedom better as it gives me that "at sea" feeling more so than the Allure. Both have their unique pros and cons and either will offer a fabulous cruise so it is a win win either way! And I am looking forward to my cruise on Oasis next month. I dont think in any way you will be disappointed unless there is a certain must have Oasis class feature. Hope you have a great time!

[Sadie cruiser]

All great comments! We were in your exact situation and we leave to go on the Freedom in 4 days!!!:D

 

We are a family with teens and went on the Allure eastern 3 years ago in a boardwalk balcony cabin. It was time to cruise again this year and we were holding out for whatever ship we could get the best price on. Oasis prices never came down so we booked the Freedom just 3 weeks ago - this time an inside cabin for 3. The Royal Promenade and Flowrider were the deal breakers.:) We fly into Orlando, rent a car, drive 45 minutes, stay the night in Cape Canaveral, and shuttle to the ship after dropping the rental car. Use Budget. Hope that helps.

 

 

We are going Western and I love the 4 ports we will be stopping at.

The Freedom has gotten such excellent reviews. What's not to like? Very excited to cruise this ship. This may be our last cruise too. Happy cruising!

[shutterbug63]

Having been on all the Freedom class ships and now just off the Oasis, here's my two cents' worth.

 

I think it's worth it to do the Oasis/Allure once for the experience. They are AMAZING ships. However, I missed the feeling of being "at sea" with much more wide open views on the Freedom class ships. I mean, we barely got outside on the Oasis the first day and a half. It felt more similar to a land vacation than a sea. This is not a knock on the Oasis class..we had a great time. I just prefer to be able to see the ocean more. And the Freedom class ships have enough bells & whistles to keep my 11 year old happy.

Edited April 9, 2014 by shutterbug63
Typo

[topnole]

There is a reason oasis class almost always cost more. It has many things freedom class lacks. And many features that both have are nicer on oasis such as the promenade being much bigger with natural sunlight. A few features on freedom may be considered nicer but it is weighted much more in oasis favor. Makes a huge difference in feel IMHO. We've been on both several times but certainly prefer oasis class to all others. We will typically give on ports to cruise on oasis class. Just no comparison. However you need to experience yourself to know for sure. Enjoy either way.

[kissimmee-cruiser]

We are booked on the Oasis for a 2nd time in May 2015. The ship itself can be a destination! It is pretty amazing! We've done Freedom Class and Voyager class also. They are all great ships.

 

 

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[chiltonj]

We've been on Freedom around 10 times and going on the Oasis for the first time next month and the Freedom again later this year. I'll try to report back after Oasis. However, this will be coming from a person who would be happy on a dinghy as long as it had a windjammer on it!

 

Of all the cruises we've been on, two ships stick out. The Brilliance and the Jewel. The Brilliance is a beautiful ship and they both have personalities that just do it for me.

 

The Freedom, Independence and Liberty, a very close second. Wonderful ships.

 

So, Freedom = date. Brilliance = marry. Probably a bad analogy because Freedom would end it by breaking up with me first.

 

Oasis = potential mistress? We shall see.

 

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[silvermcs]

We like them both and switch back and forth. Last summer, IOS, this summer FOS, and Thanksgiving on Oasis. Never a bad decision! Enjoy.