Oasis vs Harmony or Symphony

[fwman]

I went on the Oasis back in 2015 to the Eastern Caribbean with my wife. Want to go next February to the Western Caribbean. The price for the Oasis is much cheaper than the Harmony or Symphony. Symphony being the most expensive.  

 

Is the price difference worth it? Ships are similar but the others are newer. 

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[Ken at the beach]

Oasis will be fresh out of a huge drydock that will see the majority of features from Symphony and Harmony added to her.  I would go on Oasis.  I’m booked 3 times next year.

[fwman]

Thanks, I did not know that. 

[KALCJ1]

It depends on which Harmony Sailing you’re looking at for next February.  The 16th Sailing has the Rockin’ The Caribbean group.  (50’s, 60’s, & 70’s Music) so prices are a little higher than they normally are. 

[rt1092]

The Oasis will be fully "amped" at that time. I would think It would be the best. But it is sailing from Miami. I drawback for some.

[reallyitsmema]

I would go with either Harmony or Symphony.  We prefer the cabin layout and furnishings of the newer Oasis class ships.

[KALCJ1]

You would just want to avoid Miami (and Ft Lauderdale) the first weekend in February because of the Super Bowl.

[fwman]

What is the drawback of the Miami terminal other than the super bowl on 2/2? I’ve only cruised out of Ft Lauderdale.

 

Thanks

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, fwman said:

I went on the Oasis back in 2015 to the Eastern Caribbean with my wife. Want to go next February to the Western Caribbean. The price for the Oasis is much cheaper than the Harmony or Symphony. Symphony being the most expensive.  

 

Is the price difference worth it? Ships are similar but the others are newer. 

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

 

CATS may still be around on Oadis.

I hear the Symphony entertainment is top notch.

Edited July 6, 2019 by John&LaLa

[Clarea]

2 hours ago, fwman said:

 ...

Is the price difference worth it? ...

 

Very hard to answer without some numbers..

[KmomChicago]

Comparing too many factors-flight options or drive time, port charge comparison, room type comparison, itinerary.

 

example: one ship is more expensive for inside cabins but comparable for, say, neighborhood balcony guarantee. 

 

Or: for one ship you found rt flights for $200 pp and for the others it’s $350 and harder to get from the airport to the dock.

 

Or: one is more convenient all the way around but the total cost of the vacation is $500 more.

 

All things equal I would pick the cheapest Oasis class ship as they are all apparently pretty amazing. But convenience has a lot of value.

Edited July 6, 2019 by KmomChicago

[Thorben-Hendrik]

3 hours ago, fwman said:

I went on the Oasis back in 2015 to the Eastern Caribbean with my wife. Want to go next February to the Western Caribbean. The price for the Oasis is much cheaper than the Harmony or Symphony. Symphony being the most expensive.  

 

Is the price difference worth it? Ships are similar but the others are newer. 

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

Definitely Oasis! 👍

Best welds and they make her great again! 😀👏

[Missymo]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

CATS may still be around on Oadis.

I hear the Symphony entertainment is top notch.

It was.  Even the Ice show was totally different than what you usually see.  Highly recommend.  Although I am traveling on Oasis this December, right after her refurbishment. 

[island lady]

Now that Harmony is coming to PC....she is my choice for cruising Oasis class now.  I don't have any reason to drive all the way to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami for the same type of ship...same type of itinerary.  

 

However, (being a newer ship?) the prices on Harmony are more than we are used to on Oasis, but just not enough to hassle with the 3-3.5 hour drive south.  Just IMHO.  

Edited July 6, 2019 by island lady

[Mason9]

4 hours ago, fwman said:

What is the drawback of the Miami terminal other than the super bowl on 2/2? I’ve only cruised out of Ft Lauderdale.

 

Thanks

The biggest drawback is the traffic. If you are driving it is terrible. If you are flying in and using transfers  just be patent and let someone else deal with the traffic. Once at the terminal the process is not that bad.

[BirdTravels]

Pick based on itinerary. Then price. We cruised on the Symphony’s inaugural cruise out of Miami and it was great. But I would only pay a few $$$ for being on the newest and biggest. 

Edited July 6, 2019 by BirdTravels

[gatour]

In the last 5 years, I have sailed on all 4 Oasis class ships.

 

If price is no object Symphony would be my choice.  I like the cabin layout  of Symphony and Harmony over Oasis/Allure.  I like the decor of the Symphony, plus it has a pool in the Solarium, which Harmony doesn't.

 

Taking cost in account, I would choose Oasis, making sure I book a cabin that has a bed closest to the balcony.

 

In regards to driving.  Just for driving purposes, I like Port Canevaral, but also like Ft Lauderdale.  When we did Symphony earlier this year, was the first time I have sailed out of Miami in over thirty years.  They were doing road work as we approached downtown with lanes closed.  Based on the signage, this project will be on-going for the next year or so with periodic lane closures. 

 

The other issue with Miami, is making sure you are in the correct lanes as drive through downtown and even when you reach the port.

 

We have another cruise booked in a couple of months on a different class of ship.  It was choice of doing a 5 night  cruise out of Ft Lauderdale or a 5 night cruise out of Miami.  Based on the traffic, I decided on doing the cruise out of Ft Lauderdale.  If the Miami cruise was 6 nights I would have taken my chances on the Miami cruise.

 

The actual check in process for an Oasis class ship were equal for both Ft Lauderdale and Miami.  Where Miami really shines is when you leave the ship and go through Customs, it is really quick

[ptf2009]

Hopefully Oasis will replace CATS after the drydock this Fall. We plan to go on Symphony  in Fall of 2020 and am happy to hear the cabin layout is similar to Harmony.The closet location alone is a huge plus! As for Super Bowl weekend, we cruised this past Feb. on Celebrity Silhouette and there was a wonderful Super Bowl party and viewing in the main theatre with "tailgating"food and decorations.

 

Whatever ship you choose, you will have a wonderful time:)

[kathy884]

We picked Symphony as flights are cheaper to Orlando than Miami or Ft. Lauderdale for us, lodging is less expensive in Orlando too, and with that savings we can do a day at Disney prior to the cruise.  Not everyone would enjoy that, but for us that makes the Symphony a great pick.  DS liked the itinerary too and my dad likes more sea days and this one has three.  Everyone is different in what they like though.

[reallyitsmema]

6 minutes ago, kathy884 said:

We picked Symphony as flights are cheaper to Orlando than Miami or Ft. Lauderdale for us, lodging is less expensive in Orlando too, and with that savings we can do a day at Disney prior to the cruise.  Not everyone would enjoy that, but for us that makes the Symphony a great pick.  DS liked the itinerary too and my dad likes more sea days and this one has three.  Everyone is different in what they like though.

 

Symphony sails from Miami.  Did you mean Harmony?

[timf2001]

7 minutes ago, kathy884 said:

We picked Symphony as flights are cheaper to Orlando than Miami or Ft. Lauderdale for us, lodging is less expensive in Orlando too, and with that savings we can do a day at Disney prior to the cruise.  Not everyone would enjoy that, but for us that makes the Symphony a great pick.  DS liked the itinerary too and my dad likes more sea days and this one has three.  Everyone is different in what they like though.

If you're going out of Orlando (Port Canaveral), you're on Harmony and not Symphony.

[kathy884]

5 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Symphony sails from Miami.  Did you mean Harmony?

Oops -- Yes I meant Harmony.