Allure Spoiled me; how what?

[OhioMike2016]

I may have made a BIG mistake by going on an Oasis Class ship (Allure of the Seas) for my 1st cruise. Now I may be too spoiled and probably feel that no ship will every match that one.

 

However (whether it was the ship or not), I fell in love with Cruising and want to do it again and again and then again some more.

 

Now my dilemma; since I want to cruise more often, I just cannot afford to sail on an Oasis Class ship every single time (otherwise it will be a long time between cruises).

 

My question; what are some good other then Oasis' ships that are nice but are not as expensive as an Allure? In other words, what ship is a good price/deal and yet fun to sail on?

[Arch713]

Just a few thoughts: I have the same sentiments but would also think that you need to figure out what means most to you. Do you like the additional activities, restaurants or just the larger ship? Ships like the Freedom of the Seas has a lot of the same options regarding entertainment and larger feel. Also, I would recommend trying the larger ships like Norwegian Escape and Carnival Vista to compare other companies larger ships.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Freedom and Voyager Classes.

 

Also, sometimes Anthem has decent pricing from NJ.

[BekkaW]

My first cruise was also on Oasis but I have since enjoyed Voyager class very much. It has many of the same activities such as flowrider and rock climbing, and that 'big ship' feel. Incidentally I also loved Radiance - you find different things to love about different ships

[racerxspeedy]

Do you have a flexible schedule for cruising? What type of room are you willing to take?

 

Oasis offers fall 2018 cruises with a Balcony starting at $728pp, OV Balcony $798pp.

 

That's a lot less than we paid a few years back

[Elationismyship]

I've done lots of cruises and about 15 in did an Oasis class ship and share your sentiments completely. We are Platinum Carnival cruisers and I've since stopped going on the older, smaller Carnival ships. We've done the Norwegian Escape and liked it very much. Really, any RCCL ship is pretty awesome so stick to that line or the newer bigger ships of the other lines and you'll be good. Just my opinion though.

[rmurray847]

My daughter's first cruise was on the Allure last summer. She and her boyfriend then did a brief Bahamas cruise from Miami on Norwegian Sun and a Christmas cruise on Norwegian Jewel (we were on that one with the whole family). She had the same concerns, but they still had a FANTASTIC time. In my opinion, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Both of those ships are less than half the capacity of the Allure, yet they never lacked for stuff to do or fun to be had.

[ZackWillis80]

I know exactly how you feel. We cruised for the first time last year and it was on Oasis. We loved the fact that it did provide lots of things to do, especially with kids (we have a 5 and 8 yo). We never tried any other categories of ships, but like you we feel nothing could match what we experienced on the Oasis.

 

All in all, it got us addicted to cruising (after only once), and next January we'll be on Anthem for 12 nights. I feel like it really takes more than 7 nights to experience everything those ships have to offer. Anthem was a great choice as it is still very large,has plenty of activities, and its home port doesn't require us to fly, which saves us some $$$.

 

I'm also looking at Freedom class ships, that I think could be similar in terms of stuff to do.

[bouhunter]

After 12-13 cruises we did our first Oasis class on Allure last January. Our next 5 reservations are on Freedom, Explorer and Radiance class. I guess we aren't in a hurry to go back on Oasis class:p

[NaeMarie]

I felt the same way! My first cruise was on Allure in 2013 and I went on Adventure 2016 and enjoyed it just as much. I think my love for cruising and just being on the water outweighs the ship size for me

 

 

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[vacationlover_mn]

I really liked Independence and Brilliance :)

 

 

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[Mr. Click]

We did an Allure cruise in the summer of 2013. Perviously we had done 3 on the Serenada (Radiance class), a couple on Carnival and a few on Celebrity. We did not like the Allure at all. The ship was cool but the service was terrible, the food was bad and we paid extra for specialty dining 5 nights out of 7. We have not been back on a RCL ship since but have done a bunch of Celebrity cruises and loved every one of them. We are booked on the Independence of the Seas in May 2018 because they have a better Norway itinerary than Celebrity and the cost is about $2000 less per couple but in the back of my mind I still wonder....I guess we will see what happens then but you will not find us on an Oasis class ship again, unless maybe it is free.

[rukkian]

Haven't been on oasis class yet, have one planned for next year. Since you went during prime, spring break time, you choose one of the most expensive time. As others have said, others ships (and even potentially other lines) maybe just as good, but if it is about price, then different times of the year would probably be better.

 

We did our first cruise on Jewel of the seas (out of San Juan) and the 5 southern carribean islands in a 7 day cruise (only one cruising day) will be hard to beat, for just the wife and myself, but with the kids, we wanted more to do, so we went to the opposite extreme - only 3 stops on one of the biggest ships.

[jamesr3939]

We are about to do our 3rd Oasis class after +35 cruises on all types of ships (including the Barefoot Windjammer Phantome, may she RIP). We feel the Oasis ships are the destination. We don't go for the ports as "been there done that."

 

All our Oasis class trips have been with young grandkids and adult kids. They have never experience the size of an Oasis, even though they have cruise before. So it's fun to see their expressions.

 

Yes, you were impressed with the grandeur of the Oasis class. But there is life after Oasis. I am a big fan of any ship with a promenade as it just feels more open.

 

My suggestion, try your next cruise on a ship that's 65,000 tons or better yet a river cruise.

[pandaball]

For me, an Oasis class is all about the ship, so I'd recommend a port-intensive itinerary on a smaller ship for your next cruise, just so you can have both experiences and decide which one you like better. :)

[Ocean Dancer]

Check out Serenade's 10 or 11 day exotic ports.:D

[thrifty99]

I feel your pain!!! We have sailed Oasis class several times and then found a great deal on a 2 bedroom suite on the Adventure. The ship was so disappointing after several Oasis class cruises. I remember when we first boarded and we could easily look across and see the exit to the other side of the ship... it felt so small.

 

HOWEVER, we still enjoyed the Adventure cruise and it was the Southern Caribbean itinerary we had not done before so we enjoyed some new ports. So you can make the cruise more than just the ship.

 

We made the decision to stick with the bigger ships even if it means less frequent cruising. We just enjoy them so much better.

[riclop]

Yes they are the destination.