Oasis class to Freedom class - What will I miss?

[vivianmarie244]

Just came off Oasis and already started planning for our next cruise. Looking at going on LOS out of Galveston for something a little different. What do you think I will miss going to Freedom class?

[Clarea]

Central Park, Boardwalk, Aquatheater, and a bunch of food venues.

 

On the other hand, you will get shows without reservations needed, a very nice outside promenade and a Viking Crown you can still enjoy.

[vivianmarie244]

Central Park, Boardwalk, Aquatheater, and a bunch of food venues.

 

On the other hand, you will get shows without reservations needed, a very nice outside promenade and a Viking Crown you can still enjoy.

 

I will miss the Boardwalk and Aquatheater but we didn't really use the specialty restaurants or Central Park. How about the overall feel of the ship? Will it feel too small after experiencing Oasis?

 

Looks like they added a few new water features that I might have to check out. ;p

[Thorben-Hendrik]

Nothing! Freedom class is SO much nicer!(y)

[Clarea]

I will miss the Boardwalk and Aquatheater but we didn't really use the specialty restaurants or Central Park. How about the overall feel of the ship? Will it feel too small after experiencing Oasis?

 

Looks like they added a few new water features that I might have to check out. ;p

I don't know how it will feel to you, but Freedom class does not feel small to me.

[molsonschooner]

I don't know how it will feel to you, but Freedom class does not feel small to me.

 

Same with me Bob. It was only about 9 years ago that Freedom class was the largest cruise ships in the world.

[Cruisegirl6]

Honestly, I love the Oasis class for all the bells and whistles, even though I don't use all of the bells and whistles lol...but its nice to walk around and be in a different atmosphere on the ship (Central Park, boardwalk, etc), there are also more dining options even complimentary, but I don't know whether I miss it because quite honestly, every time I got to breakfast at the solarium it was closed same with lunch and Park Cafe I eat salads everyday so the food they serve there is what I generally eat daily for lunch so I also don't eat there...I never eat hot dogs at home but always find myself eating a hot dog here and there at the doghouse....but if you can do without those things you will be fine.

 

If you think about it the promenade deck is the same old decor/layout on every ship, I always wondered why they just didn't make that deck different on each ship, to give me a feeling like I am on a different ship, it all feels like the same ship, so I have to say, you would be fine going on the LOS.

[Pstreet12]

Transportation port/airport is more difficult from Galveston.

[pandaball]

I love the promenade deck on the Freedom class, but honestly, it felt more crowded to me than the Oasis-class cruises I've been on.

[topnole]

The main thing we miss is the eating options. Mainly Central Park cafe. Seems like we did way more windjammer on freedom class. There are some things I like better in freedom class like the location of vintages and we used to like the dungeon/crypt dance clubs. Freedom class is very nice and while not oasis we love it too.

[Tweety63]

Huge fan of the Oasis class, not necessarily the same ports over and over as I my husband points out, but the ship is my destination. At an attempt at new a few years back we booked the Freedom for a change of scenery, mainly Grand Cayman. While Cayman was beautiful, we both agreed that Freedom just felt more crowded throughout the week than the Oasis class ever did. So kudos to Oasis class designers and we happily went back😊

[TCBFlash]

Central Park, Boardwalk, Aquatheater, and a bunch of food venues.

 

On the other hand, you will get shows without reservations needed, a very nice outside promenade and a Viking Crown you can still enjoy.

 

I second this. The Freedom class is my favorite. It did not feel small at all.

 

I also like the main pool area/activities better on Freedom class. On Oasis, the pool areas are all separated.

[Eslader]

You'll find it almost weird when you're on the pool deck as far forward as you can get, and you look back and compared to Oasis, the exhaust stacks aft are like, *right there.* I found it funny that a huge ship like Liberty could feel small - not unpleasantly small, but noticeable.

 

The main things we missed were Central Park, Park Cafe, and 150CP. We also prefer Vintages being in the (relatively) quiet park rather than the promenade - there's a LOT of noise from the promenade both from crowds and from the announcements trying to get you to buy stuff every 10 minutes.

 

 

I prefer Oasis, but not enough to never go on Freedom again. My only real complaint on my Liberty cruise was that we went in March, and Galveston was in the 40's - as people who cruise to escape winter, it's more pleasant to start and end in 70-80 degree Florida. The ship itself and its crew were great.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

The Freedom class isn't as good as it used to be due to the recent changes.

But (as built 4.5*) these ships are the best ever built for RCI as of today, and among a few best crise ships ever built throughout all cruise lines from Siversea to Costa.

 

The design is a balance of the size, capacity, internal space, open deck space, cabin/balcony size, entertainment options, recreation facilities.

The equilibrium. Viking has reached it at 50,000 GT mark.. Holland America / Cunard have reached it at 90,000 GT. Royal Caribbean reached it at 150,000 GT.

Many will be surprised to know how close these "sisters" are.

The Independence feels like a real ship at sea - light, open, close to the sea. Of course, the circle promenade deck from bow to stern is fantastic.

Despite the losses, I believe and hope (have not seen the Independence

) the ships are able to retain most of their character.

These ships deserve good 4 ports of call itineraries.

At the moment we don't look at anything but cruises from San Juan or Canary Islands from the UK.

 

25:55

 

The Oasis class is a must see (once). I like these ships and always recommend (once).

This is an outstanding product of modern engeneering with some unique features (both useful and useless). Being the most entertaining ships at sea, they however bring much less of a cruise ship than the Freedom class.

Changes have been made to the Oasis class as well. The suite privileges are eating up more and more formerly public space that is unpleasant to see.

Once experienced, these ships seem rather boring despite all the bells and whistles IMO.

I love the Aqua theater, but the walk between the two multy-storey buildings is the last thing I want to see on a cruise ship.

 

Have a great cruise!

Absolutely agree! O-class is just not it.....:(

[Desert Cruizers]

I haven't been on an Oasis Class yet but will in April 2020, however, the LOS is a beautiful ship and plenty to see and do. We didn't need to make reservations on our cruise last July which was nice. Loved the Royal Promenade entertainment. They had a 4th of July Party when we were on it. I can't judge the Allure having not been on her until 2020 yet I am sure I will enjoy our cruise and the entertainment etc. I do prefer ships such as the Freedom & Radiance Class. They are a perfect size.

[TCBFlash]

I haven't been on an Oasis Class yet but will in April 2020, however, the LOS is a beautiful ship and plenty to see and do. We didn't need to make reservations on our cruise last July which was nice. Loved the Royal Promenade entertainment. They had a 4th of July Party when we were on it. I can't judge the Allure having not been on her until 2020 yet I am sure I will enjoy our cruise and the entertainment etc. I do prefer ships such as the Freedom & Radiance Class. They are a perfect size.

If I could make a suggestion to you regarding shows - if you are interested in seeing any of them make reservations ahead of time. I prefer the traditional way of going to dinner and then a show, but it is much different on Oasis class. If you do not have a reservation, you need to get in a stand by line and then about 10 minutes before showtime, they open the doors to fill in the empty seats. It can be pandemonium with people running around to get seats. It's personally one of the things I dislike about Oasis class ships. However, with the amount of people on board, there is no way they could accommodate them all doing it the traditional way. Enjoy the Allure!