Comparing Oasis/RCI and Princess Report

[vickie_bernie]

I recently sailed on Oasis after over 30 cruises with princess. I really wanted to try the big ships.

 

Here is my comparison.... of course this is my account of the trip and what we like/don't like

 

I did enjoy the cruise but realized that the Oasis wasn't a good fit for us and maybe RCI isn't either. But I do know that their smaller ships are very different. But right now i don't see the point of changing lines just to try something else out and loose all my perks/benefits with Princess (including stock credit)

 

 

 

Final Comments and Comparison Between RCI and Princess

 

 

 

 

 

First this is my personal experience of the cruise and our experience as a couple that have cruised numerous times, have no kids, I am in my late 40s and Bernie is his mid 50s.

After sailing for a week to the Western Caribbean on Oasis these are my final thoughts.

Cabin

Loved:

• the bed
  
• tv
  
• shower stall
  
• lights around the mirror, lighting throughout cabin especially bedside lights and the night light in the bathroom
  
• couch in room
  
• magazine/paper rack
  
• balcony furniture and balcony flooring
  
• lots of plugs.
  

Did Not Like:

• closet too hard to get into and not very big
  
• small bedside table
  
• not enough drawers
  
• can hear what is happening up on the the pool deck when band is playing
  
• TV doesn't have enough channels and miss all the dedicated movie channels and shows that Princess shows
  
• sink is way too small and very low
  
• no toiletries other than soap is provided unless you ask
  
• no chocolates every night
  
• no glasses (other than the two in the bathroom) provided in the cabin or napkins
  
• no house coasts provided
  

Ship

Loved:

• wow it is huge
  
• relatively easy to figure out where things are after a while
  
• loved all the interactive screens throughout the ship made maneuvering around very fluid
  
• lots of pools and chairs
  
• liked the solarium but could be better executed as it got very loud in there sometimes
  
• Opus Theater is huge and beautiful but hated all the pillars that blocked views
  
• on board stores - there are numerous stores but they are all over the ship and they are small and hard to find something when you are looking for something.
  
• disembarkation/embarkation was done so smoothly on this ship because the gangways were so easy to get to
  
• Dazzlers and Viking Crown Lounge were stunning
  
• The Art throughout the ship blew me away, every little detail of art was thought of - very impressive
  
• Central Park - I loved the concept of the park like atmosphere
  
• the gym/spa area was huge and impressive
  
• loved the outside jogging track
  
• loved the reclining seats with foot stools around the sun decks
  

Didn't like:

• too big
  
• didn't feel like I was on a ship, felt very little movement and hardly ever saw the ocean
  
• no outside Promenade Deck to walk around or sit out on and look out at ocean
  
• No venues (except on top decks) where you could look out at the ocean
  
• shore excursion desk was in a bad spot in the middle of the Promenade and no real queues
  
• no big movie screen like MUTS, really missed watching a movie on a lounge chair eating free popcorn (Oasis charges for popcorn)
  
• to attend the big shows you need reservations or you have to line up and hope for space
  
• cabin numbering was odd, use to even on one side, odd on another, not here, there was no rhyme or reason to the numbering
  
• lots of pools but hard to find a seat right next to a pool (similar on Princess too), and especially hard to get a seat in the Solarium during busy times. The pool in the Solarium is an odd shape and more of a plunge pool, and area gets very noisy
  
• did not like the lounge chairs that were not a solid piece of material but were plastic straps going across them
  
• you have to go to a towel station to get towels (Princes you have them right in your cabin and replaced daily) here if you don't return the towel you are charged $25
  

Food

• good but nothing spectacular
  
• pizza was some of the worst we have ever had, worse than frozen pizza
  
• donuts never tasted fresh
  
• some venues (i.e. Promenade cafe) have a 20 minute window when you can't get the food even when it is right in the display case cause they don't change over till 11! Found a lot of venues that were not open yet or were closed, don't ever recall experiencing this on Princess
  
• love the Starbucks store and that the prices on board were the same as on land, but automatic 15% gratuity is added
  
• Johnny Rockets was okay, certainly not worth the extra fee. Their burgers were good but find Princess' fresh grilled burgers at the Trident Grill much better and free
  
• Giovannis was just okay, service was very poor and venue was way too noisy
  
• Chops we loved the food! Everything was great but again the venue was very noisy and service was so so
  
• in the dining room we felt the menu was limiting and would of like more options. Didn't like that you had to pay extra for items like lobster, or good steak. Also they ran out of escargot and was never available. Service in dining room was so so
  
• Windjammer we hated the layout and that you had to walk thru the food area to enter and to leave the room, making the area very crowded. Prefer that the Horizon Court closes off their buffet area so if you are just walking in you are not in among the food stations.
  
• Food in Windjammer was okay but definitely below what I have enjoyed on Princess
  
• cups of juice, water, ice tea are sitting in trays, but staff fill cups here too and often spill the liquid causing all the glasses to sit in half an inch of liquid creating drips when you lift the glass, this causes drips onto the floor or onto your clothes
  
• hamburgers and many food items had been sitting a long time and looked dried out, on numerous occasions we saw staff add water to many items and stirring, yuck
  
• meal at 150 Central Park was very good and we felt it was worth the added costs
  
• Solarium buffet is a nice venue that was often under utilize but loved that is was all healthy options
  
• room service menu was limiting and did not like that the only way you could get morning breakfast was to order it the night prior, there was no option to order breakfast the day of
  
• Central Park Cafe is a nice option with a variety of salads, sandwiches and fruit, loved the chips!
  

Overall Experience:

• staff were very friendly and attentive and helpful. However level of service was definitely not what we are use to. We encountered a few errors in orders, bar drinks or requests with steward, this rarely happens on Princess.
  
• Embarkation and disembarkation was the most efficient I have ever seen. They have this down to a science. Even disembarkation/embarkation at each port was handled very smoothly - loved this.
  
• activities on board were far less than what we are use to, or at least the activities we like to do. We love trivia, games etc and on this ship we had only one or two of these type of activities to do a day.
  
• however their family type activities, like meet the characters or parades were plentiful but not something we are interested in
  
• the prizes they offered for activities were very good, much better than Princess
  
• there were just too many pay options, sure you can certainly sail without paying an extra dime but it seemed every time we turned around I had to ask does this cost? Often the answer was yes.
  
• most lounges were very very noisy and hard to find a nice bar to have a drink and chat
  
• Boleros was a great venue but they allow smoking. Not sure if other bars allowed smoking as we did not visit all of them but we did notice the smoke smell in Boleros because it is open to the Promenade so when you sit at Starbucks you smell the smoke, and on a few occasions we left because of it
  
• still with smoking RCI allows smoking on balconies that face the water, but balconies that face the Boardwalk or Central do not allow smoking and there is a clear sing on the door of your balcony to this affect; however we say at least three different cabins across from us smoking, and we could smell smoke coming from a balcony near us. I am glad that Princess does not allow smoking in any cabin or balcony but does have designated smoking areas that I can choose to go to or not.
  
• we really like the age of the passengers we defiantly like we were with people more our age and enjoyed more children on the cruise and most of them were very well behaved some not so much but then again some adults were not well behaved either. Age on Princess is much older and we often feel young on board, but we make due and meet really great people.
  
• music playing in the public venues were more our style and we often would be signing along, it was more current music
  

Things we really missed from Princess

• great food
  
• higher level of service
  
• views of the ocean while sipping a coffee in the International Cafe
  
• International Cafe to get a quick snack and people watch
  
• Vines wine bar
  
• the numerous game type activities in the evening
  
• Movies Under the Star
  
• Sanctuary
  
• Great burgers and great pizza
  
• Horizon Court Layout and lots of seating
  
• storage space in the cabins
  
• afternoon daily tea service
  
• warm cookies and milk that are handed out throughout the ship
  
• fruit in the cabin daily
  
• log of the cruise at the end of the trip
  
• port information that includes history and practical port info
  
• port lecturers or interest lectures
  
• numerous comedy acts throughout the voyage
  
• chocolates on our pillow daily
  
• housecoats
  
• large floral bouquets throughout the ship
  
• channel showing where we were in the Caribbean
  
• free beach towels
  
• free carry bag with Princess logo, handy to take to the beach
  
• the mail slot for each cabin along with our name tag (never thought about it before until we didn't have it on Oasis)
  
• laundry on each floor
  
• large library with numerous books available
  
• enclosed pools on numerous Princess ships
  
• walkable Promenade deck with lounge chairs
  
• pub lunch
  
• Horizon Court buffet that is open from first thing in the morning till 11 pm
  

Things we Really Liked About Oasis we Wish Princess Did:

• interactive TV with menus, room service, venue business, events happening
  
• great beds
  
• great lighting in the cabin and couch in the cabin
  
• comfortable reclining chairs with foot stools around the pool area
  
• the screens all over the ship to direct you to a location, tell you what is going on NOW, very helpful
  
• the entire ship is so beautiful, I really loved all the art work everywhere and every time I looked I saw something new
  
• the production shows were some of the best we have ever seen on the seas and even many we have seen on land
  
• embarkation/disembarkation done to a perfection
  
• the diversity of the passengers, numerous variety of languages in the passengers as well as a much younger group
  
• the gym including the running track, well done
  
• lots of elevators and even though sometimes it was harder to get an elevator than other times they were efficient and numerous
  

Final thoughts:

This was a trip that I talked my husband into because I really wanted to see the big ships either Oasis or Allure. We never had any intention of changing lines permanently but we were curious to see how RCI handled things. We did enjoy the cruise but in the end we know that Oasis and RCI are not a fit for us and what we like. At this stage in our life we like to take longer cruises and really get away from everything. We like peace and quiet with good food, good service and good wine. We like to rest up on our trips and visit exotic locations. We enjoy the feeling of being on a ship and the movement and views of the ocean. We also prefer the longer itineraries that Princess offers.

Even though Oasis wasn't for us I would not have any doubts to recommend it to a family with kids or a couple who like to be active and busy. It is like visiting Disneyland, it will be expensive, you will be busy, it will wow you, there will be lots of kids, and you will probably need a vacation after your vacation.

In the end we are glad we went but we also can't wait to get back on Princess.

[vickie_bernie]

i was afraid to post this on the RCI boards as thought they might attack - I am not stupid :D

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[RASHOPPER2]

Very interesting - thanks for the very detailed comparison. Made me sure that we will stay with Princess.

[paul929207]

Vickie, Thanks for the comments.

[Loonbeam]

If it helps, your observations were very much in line with mine when we sailed the Liberty, esp in terms of food, entertainment and service (and man did those pre-filled glasses in the buffet annoy me). I think a few of your specific concerns were related to the Oasis design, as you noted. I do want to try her some day, for the novelty, but I really view her as more of a floating city then a cruise ship.

 

Only thing I thought was odd was your point about soap. On the liberty, we had bar soap, with shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the shower. Not my favorite arrangement, but it worked fine. I'd be very surprised to find the plan was not the same on the Oasis so I wonder what happened...

[xavier]

Thank u for taking the time to do this. Read ur blog and I felt like I was cruising with you. It was very detailed and. Very well written

[vickie_bernie]

If it helps, your observations were very much in line with mine when we sailed the Liberty, esp in terms of food, entertainment and service (and man did those pre-filled glasses in the buffet annoy me). I think a few of your specific concerns were related to the Oasis design, as you noted. I do want to try her some day, for the novelty, but I really view her as more of a floating city then a cruise ship.

 

Only thing I thought was odd was your point about soap. On the liberty, we had bar soap, with shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the shower. Not my favorite arrangement, but it worked fine. I'd be very surprised to find the plan was not the same on the Oasis so I wonder what happened...

 

Yes I agree I think a lot of items are specific to Oasis. There was a dispenser in the shower but the steward said it was shampoo/soap all in one (so I didn't use) the bar soap was nice but definately no conditioner. But I brought my own. Hubby could care less, he has less and less hair every year (oh don't tell him i said that). Also since anyone could access the top of the dispenser in the shower, and the color was like blue green like head and shouders color I wasn't taking any chances.

 

 

 

Thank u for taking the time to do this. Read ur blog and I felt like I was cruising with you. It was very detailed and. Very well written

 

 

Glad you liked it.... I loved writing the daily blog and it certainly goes into a lot of detail but thought to copy and paste it here would be a bit much.

 

Make sure to follow the blog when I sail on the Emerald in Jan

[balcony4air]

Wow, great review from the Princess point of view. We have been just as curious and you covered everything we wanted to know and more. Thanks!

[Kamloops50]

Thanks for the comparison . I think we'll stay with Princess.

[sunsetbeachgal]

First of all, looking forward to seeing you on the Emerald Jan. 26!!

 

We enjoyed both of our RC sailings this year, although not on Oasis or Allure. Different, with some pluses and minuses versus Princess, but in the end, Princess is our line of preference. The big plus for RC, IMHO is the entertainment. The talent level, the quality of the shows, etc. is far better. I generally prefer their CD's too..more "fun".

 

One of my pet peeves on RC is that you have to "check out" pool towels and then return them, each time standing in line and having the attendant swipe your cruise card. I'm sure they don't get any of their old, ratty towels stolen with this procedure...better to inconvenience all of the guests than to lose a few towels! ;)

 

thanks again, Vickie! Happy New Year to you and Bernie! See you soon!

Carole

[Eagle Eye]

Thank you very much for posting the comparison. I had thought going on Oasis/Allure for the experience, but you covered it in great detail.

 

Is there a way you could summarize how RCI handled the embarkation/disembarkation so efficiently? I was thinking they must have many more gangways with passengers assigned a specific gangway to keep bunching to a minimum.

[vickie_bernie]

Thank you very much for posting the comparison. I had thought going on Oasis/Allure for the experience, but you covered it in great detail.

 

Is there a way you could summarize how RCI handled the embarkation/disembarkation so efficiently? I was thinking they must have many more gangways with passengers assigned a specific gangway to keep bunching to a minimum.

 

 

i cover it in detail in my blog including pics but can't post a link here

 

but you can search vickie cruise blog adventure and probably find it

 

i can say Oasis was far superior in the embarkation disembarkation

[vickie_bernie]

First of all, looking forward to seeing you on the Emerald Jan. 26!!

 

We enjoyed both of our RC sailings this year, although not on Oasis or Allure. Different, with some pluses and minuses versus Princess, but in the end, Princess is our line of preference. The big plus for RC, IMHO is the entertainment. The talent level, the quality of the shows, etc. is far better. I generally prefer their CD's too..more "fun".

 

 

thanks again, Vickie! Happy New Year to you and Bernie! See you soon!

Carole

 

 

hands down their production shows were far superior, Hairspray, Aqua Show, and Mo5aic were the best.

 

The comedy show and it's venue not so much.

 

We did not like or dislike the CD on Oasis she was okay. But we have encountered lots of great cd on Princess, and a few duds too, but nothing that ruins a holiday.

 

We missed all the fun evening activities like Majority Rules, trivia, music trivias, comedy and name that tune etc, Princess definately has more of this type of activity, Oasis had it maybe once a day.

 

Can't wait to meet in person

[dmwnc1959]

i was afraid to post this on the RCI boards as thought they might attack - I am not stupid :D

 

RCI loyals make it over to this forum too. ;)

 

Having just done a B2B on Allure of the Seas and Ruby Princess there are some interesting points you make as well as some that my opinion would of course differ. I am neither Loyal to Royal or a Princess frequent cruiser and just turned Platinum after having cruised with them since 1997. My cruise line of preference is actually Celebrity Cruises.

 

Did you ever make it into Vintages? I thought their tapas selection was unquestionably vastly superior to that of Vines. Even though they are an extra fee 'a la carte' I ate lunch there one day and got a spreadable feast big enough to feed two people. I actually ended up sharing quite a bit of the food with someone I met that was from our Meet and Mingle. The total cost for 8 plates of tapas and dessert was only 11$.

[caribill]

cabin numbering was odd, use to even on one side, odd on another, not here, there was no rhyme or reason to the numbering

 

Thanks for the report.

 

RCCL numbers their cabins by first going up one side of the ship and then going up the other side.

 

On some ships the numbering is lowest on the port side and on other ships the lowest numbers are on the starboard side.

 

I also prefer the Princess method.

[Sailingpeace]

Thank you for such a detailed review and especially written with the comparaison in mind. Lots of work ! I admit I was curious about trying such a big ship once, some people seem to really enjoy it, but thanks to your review, I now know it would not be for me. The not seeing the ocean a lot did it for me by itself and some other little things added to my now comfort in staying with smaller or more traditional ships.

[dmwnc1959]

I admit I was curious about trying such a big ship once, some people seem to really enjoy it, but thanks to your review, I now know it would not be for me. The not seeing the ocean a lot did it for me by itself and some other little things added to my now comfort in staying with smaller or more traditional ships.

 

This aspect is simply not true. There are plenty of places on the Oasis-class ships to see the ocean. I saw the ocean a lot, every day, and multiple times every day from literally every vantage point on every topside deck (and there is a lot of topside deck space), Deck 5 jogging track that wraps around the ship, the massive two deck high Solarium, the Viking Crown Lounge, Windjammers buffet at meals, The Boardwalk aft tucked behind the AquaTheater screens where the shuffleboard is and on the deck where the rock climbing wall is (even though I never use that amenity), Deck 14 forward on the expansive Sun Deck above the bridge overlooking the bow and bridge wings, and several of the very large 'secret balconies' located on Decks 11, 12, and 14 port and starboard aft. The ocean is there. You just can't sit in the middle of Central Park or the Royal Promenade and expect it to come to you. ;)

 

.

[vickie_bernie]

RCI loyals make it over to this forum too. ;)

 

 

Did you ever make it into Vintages? I thought their tapas selection was unquestionably vastly superior to that of Vines. Even though they are an extra fee 'a la carte' I ate lunch there one day and got a spreadable feast big enough to feed two people. I actually ended up sharing quite a bit of the food with someone I met that was from our Meet and Mingle. The total cost for 8 plates of tapas and dessert was only 11$.

 

yes i did try Vintages (i did write about in my blog but can't post it here) I did really like it there it was quiet and loved the selection and the menu

 

I prefer Vines as the sushi is free, and IC is right there too for tapas all free

 

 

 

re the views of the ocean - I do state there are options on the higher decks but nothing on the promenade or from any interior lounge like Promenade Cafe, Vintages, any of the specialty restaurants,

 

I missed having my coffee and viewing the ocean, or sitting in Crooners and seeing the ocean and also the promenade deck with the lounge chairs or the walk around the promenade.

 

Deck 5 on oasis does have a great jogging track that I loved but only have minimal views of the ocean at aft and bow

 

Overall Oasis just doesn't feel like you are on the sea, but I really think they built it like that, and that is okay, and it sure is a beautiful ship, probably one of the most beautiful I had ever seen. But I felt like I was in a resort not on a cruise. And for us that is not what we like. Others I am sure love it and thankfully we all have different interest otherwise we would all be clammering for the same cruise line and boy those prices would be outrageous

 

vickie

[Kerry&LuAnn]

Thanks for taking the time to post such a comprehensive comparison. We have consistently enjoyed Princess cruises but have been curious to try the Oasis or Allure. We still may do that, but your review will help us approach it with an informed perspective.

[hubofhockey]

i was afraid to post this on the RCI boards as thought they might attack - I am not stupid :D

 

Many of the regulars over there hate Princess and regulary dump on it. Hey, Princess isn't for everyone. I'm kind of happy that Princess draws the type of crowd it does. I am used to it, at least the larger ships.

 

We're doing the Allure in April. I don't blame RCI for the reservation of shows process. They make it very clear to you that you should do it online before the cruise.

 

We love the laid back and friendly atmosphere on Princess ships. But Princess has nothing like Oasis/Allure.

[Caribensun]

As always appreciate your perspective. We too are around your age with no kids, but have been thinking we would like to try a mega ship just because its there. I am sure we will go, just to experience it and yes with lots of extra spending money! Seadeck2

[OCruisers]

Vickie .... Great comparison! We were on Oasis last May.

 

We were going to go to a resort for a week but decided to take Oasis as a "Floating Resort" instead. That's what it was but what we expected so no problem. It was fine for a week and glad we've been on one of the mega ships. The speciality restaurants were great and we had dinner at one of them 6 or our 7 nights.

 

No big desire to return but glad we've been. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[farkleman]

Vickie,Thanks for the great review...have been looking forward to reading since I read earlier that you were cruising on the Oasis...A very well written decription of your observations...I did not read your blog yet but will tomorrow art work, very slow this week so the last two days i've been reading friends blogs from this past weeks Emerald cruise..I will be on the Emerald the 26th and look forward to meeting you...hopefully at the M&G..

I'll be wearing my Farkleman hat...

 

Mitch

(The Farkleman)

[caribill]

We're doing the Allure in April. I don't blame RCI for the reservation of shows process. They make it very clear to you that you should do it online before the cruise.

 

 

 

To me, a ship that needs reservations in advance to attend shows is a ship with too many passengers.

 

Before a cruise, how do I know all the activities of anj eveing to select the day I want to make a reservation to the exclusion of other options?

 

From what I have read from posts of people who have sailed on these two ships, having a reservation means you still line up before the show in order to get a decent seat once you can get into the theater. Also, you must be seated before the line for those with no reservations is allowed to go into the theater or you may not have a seat available even with a reservation.

 

Basically, you have a reservation to get on a line that will be let into the theater before the line of people without a resrvation.