Been on Oasis - what now?

[ncat]

That's us converted to cruising! :) 1st ever cruise & we picked the Oasis and were not disappointed, only problem now is that will any other ship/cruiseline live up to it, other than Allure?

[Cruising89143]

I think that a lot depends on the itinerary. For me, when cruising the typical eastern/western Caribbean route I will cruise on an Oasis class ship as nothing in my book beats it. With that said, Oasis class will not be the only class ship that I cruise down the road. There are some other itineraries out there that I want to do and the ship is not as important in this case. Europe is one area.

 

I think that you need to ask youself what other parts of the world do you want to cruise? The Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class ships are great and offer plenty of places to cruise. Check them out.

[Ilikeboats]

Also, I think it depends how often you want to cruise. If you go every few years or so, you'll probably want to blow your wad, but if you want to say cruise 2,3, 4 times a year, then your budget and mindset might be okay with other cruises. I am going on the Oasis as I haven't cruised in 3 years. If I decide to take another one within the year, I'll be happy with another ship. It all depends.

[GoVacation]

That's us converted to cruising! :) 1st ever cruise & we picked the Oasis and were not disappointed, only problem now is that will any other ship/cruiseline live up to it, other than Allure?

I'm with you ncat. Oasis was our first cruise and not only are we hooked, we're already booked for Allure!

[sandancer]

That's us converted to cruising! :) 1st ever cruise & we picked the Oasis and were not disappointed, only problem now is that will any other ship/cruiseline live up to it, other than Allure?

You could always try the NCL Epic, another huge, brand new ship. We are.

[dougp26364]

I guess it depends on what you want out of cruising. A big ship that is the destination or ships the are more port intensive. Take the W. Med cruise as a for instance. You spend a lot of time in port and not so much time on the ship. In our case, by the time we would get back to the ship we were to worn out from the days excusrions/activities in port to really enjoy the ship.

 

Oasis and Allure sail a pretty basic itenerary. If you're not onboard for the ship, it's really a boaring itenerary. What you'll have to do is either look at sailing Oasis and Allure because you enjoy your time on the ship or, look at sailings with routes that appeal to you because of the ports. If you're sailing becuase of the ports, a smaller ship isn't likely to be a huge disappointment but, I'm sure you'll still miss many of the features of the larger ships. When we sail on Vision class ships I miss things like the Cafe Promanade but, we still enjoy the ship, enjoy the enclosed Solarium and generally have a great time with the ports that ship is sailing.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I agree with the others here. Oasis is a really, truly magificant ship in an entirely different class. The only reason to cruise other ships once you have had the unique Oasis experience is itinerary, schedule or cost.

 

For example, if you can manage only a shorter cruise or if there is a port or more you really want to see or if the cost differential is so attractive that you can have a better class of room or take an even longer cruise or a back-to-back cruise.

 

We have sailed Oasis and then sailed on Navigator and will sail on even smaller Grandeur in April. The reasons are Oasis just wasn't convenient at the times. But, that said, I do remain a huge fan of Oasis and we are booked on Allure in 2011.

[Bold Spirit]

I don't think you'd be disappointed with some of RCCL's other ships if you had a great itinerary! We'll probably try to catch some ports we haven't been to on the next cruise -- the Oasis itinerary is a great one for newbies; however, we've been there several times. The Southern Caribbean still has a few ports new to us that I'd like to visit. Our upcoming Oasis cruise will be strictly to get that "new ship smell." LOL!:)

[allisons]

Try the Norwegian Epic! Or the Carnival Dream or Celebrity Solstice.

[Bothofus]

I find that cruises 'are what you make them'. I don't think any cruise will ever live up to my first one (on the Independence) but may be proven wrong when we sail Oasis this May.

 

When we went 'down' a grade to Voyager class, I admit that I missed the newness factor, and the ship was noticeably smaller, but can't say I was disappointed in any way. (That being said, the difference between Freedom class and Voyager class doesn't compare to the difference with Oasis.) I don't know that I'd be interested in anything smaller than Voyager class, though.

 

I'm excited about sailing on Oasis, but in many ways, am looking forward even more to the next cruise after that that DH and I plan--to Southern Carribean.

 

MAKE the next cruise great, and you won't be let down :)

 

Rachel

[eroller]

OASIS last week was my 80th cruise and it was fantastic! In the Caribbean there is nothing to top OASIS without question. Of course OASIS is very limited to where she sails.

 

Other ships I've found to be truly exceptional standouts are QM2 and the Celebrity Solstice Class. I would not hesitate to sail on either. VOYAGER OF THE SEAS was and still is an excellent ship and design. 10 years ago VOYAGER was the OASIS of her time. The funny thing is, VOYAGER and her sisters still beat out the brand new ships of the other major mass-market lines that are still re-hashing 15 year old designs. I might also add the current Disney Cruise Line twins and the new Disney ships look exceptional and quality driven, like almost everything Disney.

 

I'm also booked on NORWEGIAN EPIC later this year, a ship that looks promising and driven by innovation like OASIS. My only concern is EPIC will feel VERY crowded. There are over 4000 passengers and the ship is essentially 100,000 gt smaller than OASIS. Also, NCL is not known for it's organizational skills, and I doubt they will put as much into the infrastructure planning and developing that Royal Caribbean has with OASIS. One of the reasons OASIS works so well is a truly unique design, and countless hours by RCI developing ways to ensure there are no lines. All that planning took a lot of $$$ and resources. EPIC is basically a traditional design but with some innovative new ideas. I hope it's an amazing ship and NCL is taking the steps to minimize crowding, but that remains to be seen.

 

Ernie

[jimmyatc]

You will not be disappointed if you book the Freedom or Voyager class ships either. I think the Royal Promenade makes all the difference in the world when it comes to easy ship navigation, logical store/shops layout, and a central "fun" location.

[1BDNANA]

I hear that they are taking reservations on the first public shuttle into space...LOL