Disney Fantasy or RCCL Oasis?

[Bottlenosedolphin]

I am looking into cruising over New Years 2015 with my husband and twin 6 year olds. We can't decide between the RCCL Oasis and the Disney Fantasy. Has anyone ever been on both ships? Thoughts? Thanks!

[Loonbeam]

Itinerary first, pricing second, ship third. Are your kids Disney fans or Shrek fans?

 

Personally I think Disney handles younger kids better, but it would not be my first consideration above other interests...

 

I am looking into cruising over New Years 2015 with my husband and twin 6 year olds. We can't decide between the RCCL Oasis and the Disney Fantasy. Has anyone ever been on both ships? Thoughts? Thanks!

[jalves]

We've been on both ships. First a disclaimer; we are a older retired couple and don't have experience on the two ships with children.

 

For us we prefer the Fantasy. Not that the Oasis was bad, it was fine. Its just we are more into Disney than the go, go, go atmosphere on the Oasis. We also didn't care for some of the little nickel & dime-ing on the Oasis. Things like having to sign for pool towels. Charging for soft drinks at the buffet. The constant pushing for drink/dining packages.

[sippican]

Of course, asking this on a Disney forum, you are likely to get answers leaning towards that line (you may want to post the same question in the RCI forum). I agree with Loonbeam's advice.

If your kids are huge Disney fans, go for it. If they've expereinced the parks, you may enjoy a dose of RCI.

FWIW, we have not cruised on Oasis, but Disney does its share of nickel and diming also; our onboard account was the highest of any cruise we've been on - ever. There are many "included" things, but they come at a premium cruise fare. We had a group of twelve on the Fantasy, ages 6 mos to 60s (including a six year old). The children had a blast, it was magical, entertaining and fun. It was also exhausting. The adults (experienced cruisers) all agreed that they'd like to return to RCI for the next family cruise, but we were glad we tried DCL. It was a fantastic cruise, certainly not without disappointments, but great anyway.

[Bottlenosedolphin]

I did post in both forums to get opinions from both Royal and Disney cruisers. Itineraries don't matter all that much to us, and the price is quite a bit more for the Fantasy so we are trying to see if it is worth it. We sailed the Dream and kids club was amazing, food was average, lifeguards were a huge plus for us, and the service was outstanding. We have never been on RCI with kids so we are trying to get a good feel for the differences with kids. :)

[Loonbeam]

Since you have tried the dream, why not try something else, knowing you will experience differences (like no free soda, which may be a plus or minus). If you find RCCL is not for you, then you go back to Disney.

 

That said, given the age of the kids, I might look at one step down from the RCCL mega ships. The Liberty class has a lot of kid-friendly amenities (NOT as many as Disney) and is a little less overwhelming.

 

BTW, itinerary wise there is one huge difference. Disney's 'Private' island is far far ahead than any of the other lines. That can be a decent factor.

 

As you can tell, I am not one who has a particular loyalty to any line. I think everyone should check out every offering with an open mind, which is why we are trying NCL this month.

 

 

 

I did post in both forums to get opinions from both Royal and Disney cruisers. Itineraries don't matter all that much to us, and the price is quite a bit more for the Fantasy so we are trying to see if it is worth it. We sailed the Dream and kids club was amazing, food was average, lifeguards were a huge plus for us, and the service was outstanding. We have never been on RCI with kids so we are trying to get a good feel for the differences with kids. :)

[LuCruise]

We went through the same comparison of Fantasy to Allure and found a big price difference. We have been on Disney Magic with our kids before so have an idea about Disney cruises and DH and I have been on Royal Caribbean cruise (but without kids).

 

I think it's a fair comparison since both ships are one of the bigger ones on the line plus both geared to kids (did lots of research on RCL about this). And if you're looking at similar itinerary and dates, then you're comparing apples to apples in cost (keeping in mind that drinks are extra on RCL)

 

If RCL wasn't kid friendly, then we would have decided on Fantasy and paid the extra substantial cost.

Or, if we knew that we would be taking another cruise down the road when our kids were a bit older, then perhaps we would have done Disney now while they're still younger (almost 10.5 and 6.5) and RCL when they're a bit older.

 

But from my signature, you'll see that we decided on the Allure. They have tons for kids: H20 zone, kids club (which gets great ratings), arcade, ice skating, FlowRider (if older one wants to try it), 3D movies, rock climbing, DreamWorks (breakfast, parades, meet and greets, how to train dragon ice show), acrobatic show, carousel, and other shows and activities.

 

Do a search on YouTube for a video on Allure that is about 55 minutes. It'll give you an idea of the Oasis class ships. Disney is obviously geared all to kids and is a fantastic line (but as adults, we were bored when our kids were occupied). Don't think you can go wrong with either.

Edited January 7, 2015 by LuCruise

[moki'smommy]

At age 6, your kids will enjoy either ship. I'm with others who asked about their interests--princesses/Disney vs. Shrek.

 

RCI does have more nickel and dime issues than DCL (or perhaps the statement should be that DCL has more stuff included in cruise fare). The biggest with kids is that soft drinks are included on DCL provided that they are obtained fountain service in restaurants or beverage station. Sure, you can still spend a small fortune on a DCL ship. And the "included" things and lack of casino are reflected in the higher cruise fares. Your total costs can be the same or either line can generate a higher total based on the choices you make.

 

My only thought is that as the kids grow, RCI has more for them. I might be tempted to do DCL now and RCI as tweens/teens.

[sippican]

At age 6' date=' your kids will enjoy either ship. I'm with others who asked about their interests--princesses/Disney vs. Shrek.

 

My only thought is that as the kids grow, RCI has more for them. I might be tempted to do DCL now and RCI as tweens/teens.[/quote']

 

I tend to agree. Our nine yo GD was basically past being excited over the princesses, Doc McStuffins, etc. She did not want to go to BBB either. The 4 and 6 yo were over the moon.

 

You'll have a great time either way.

[olszie]

Having sailed on both ships I liked the Fantasy alot more. My DD was also 6 at the time and loved the Disney Kids Club. I like the fact that the hours of the kids club are longer. On the Oasis the kids club hours are 9-12, 2-5 and 7-10. We always felt like we were running to pick her up. When we wanted to see the headliner shows on the Oasis you had to run after the 9 pm show beacause you had 10 minutes to get there. If you saw the 7pm show you might not be able to get in after you dropped her off.

 

The other thing that I did not like on the Oasis was the room layout. The couch folds out into a bed and the bed is right in front of the balcony doors. It made the room feel very small when my DD was sleeping. There was about 12 inches between the bed and desk to walk by.

 

My DD also liked the Aqua Duck and bucket play area. The pool deck on the Oasis is split in half because of the zip line. The kids water section is only half of the pool deck. Not alot of room up there when it is crowded.

 

The Oasis is a beautiful ship and it is huge. We did not feel like we relaxed as much because there was always something to see and do and we did not want to miss anything. Probably our fault.

 

THe Adult Section on the Oasis is for people 16 and up. There were a lot of 16-17 year olds playing in the hot tub.

 

MY DD tried the rock wall but she was too small for the flowrider and zipline. Maybe when she is older we will try the Oasis again but while she is smaller we will sail on Disney.

[holula]

I haven't been on the Oasis or Allure but I've been on the Freedom, which is the next class size down on Royal.

 

I like the Fantasy fine, but the prices on Disney are getting out of hand. I find the pool decks on the Fantasy unmanageable and the atrium even worse, especially between dinner seatings. The lines for characters can be insanely long (45+ minute wait). We have sailed once over Spring Break and once in January on the Fantasy and I didn't seen any difference in crowds, other than maybe slightly more people in the adult area on the January cruise. The AquaDuck is a lot of fun but can attract long lines especially on sea days, and ESPECIALLY on a holiday sailing. We had average MDR service on one cruise and amazing on the other. I like the shows on the Fantasy and they probably have two of the three 'best' Disney shows at sea (I love Believe and Wishes).

 

Even the Freedom has tons for kids, and I know the Oasis has more. Meeting the Dreamworks characters was a lot more relaxed and easy than the Disney ones. Your 6 year old may not be tall enough for rock climbing and the Flowrider though, which are two of the main draw attractions on Royal. I believe there is also ice skating on the Oasis class. Royal has better sized pools for the amount of people on the ship than the Fantasy (the Fantasy has similar size pools as the Magic and Wonder, which have 1600 less people). I never saw the 'kid soup' on Freedom like you get on all of the Disney ships. Soda isn't included but I absolutely love the Freestyle machines on Royal, which have over 100 drink options. I don't drink soda but LOVE the sparkling water from the machines on Royal. I felt food Freedom vs Disney was similar. MDR service was much faster than Disney and I really enjoyed that! The ice show was really great on Freedom and I imagine it's similarly good on Oasis.

 

If there is a huge price difference, go with Royal. If it's minimal then I would probably try the Fantasy with a 6 year old and Royal later when the kids are a little older.

[cyclenut]

We also sailed the Freedom and absolutely loved it. We had previously sailed on the Wonder 2x and thought the Freedom cruise was much better for us, but we didn't have young children either. Sailing on the Fantasy in a couple of weeks. Wife has been on the Dream and tells me I will love the Fantasy, but still would choose the Freedom any day of the week.

 

I think you have two really great but slightly different choices. The Royal ships are wonderful too, but they just don't cater to families in the way that Disney does. Things like laundry services, split bathrooms, extended kids club hours, movie theater showing family appropriate movies and even announcing the boarding of your party as you arrive. Even the way they handle disney booked shore excursions is different and welcome for families.

 

I think you wil find a much more relaxing and enjoyable vacation aboard the Fantasy, if you don't have to stretch your budget too far to afford it. There are ways to save, such as traveling off season, but it will always seem more expensive. The thing is, you get more for what you pay, providing that those things that Disney provides are of value to you.

 

I almost forgot to mention the rotational dining. Disney knows that kids and families get bored easily. On Royal you will go to the same dining room evey night. Not a big deal for most, but with Disney, you rotate. Maintaining the anticipation will keep the kids more engaged and make for a more enjoyable time for the entire family.