Comparing Oasis/RCI and Princess Report

[Loonbeam]

The new class interests me and as more details come out will probably look into it. But I still think the Freedom class offer a nice number of options, sure there is no diving show or zip line, but they have a very decent stage venue (Saturday Night Fever on the Liberty was excellent), the ice rink, several specialty dining options, etc). No, they are not the Oasis class, but I do think they are a good option for people who want something a little less grandiose.

 

The Freedom class does not have those shows or anything close to them. It also doesn't have the restaurants or many other options of things to do as Oasis/Allure. If you consider flowriders, rock climbing walls, and ice skating to be the best features of Oasis/Allure, than I would agree with you. But I would book the new Royal Princess before an RCI Freedom class ship. RCI is coming out with a new class of ship that will be between Freedom and Oasis classes, which will have many of the Oasis class upgrades. Also in 2016, their will be a third Oasis class ship.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I'm hoping they settle the labor dispute this weekend. I miss going to the Garden and watching the Bruins.

 

Looking forward to the Allure in April. I'm even looking forward to reserving the shows and specialty restaurants. After that, we'll look at Baltics cruises ...... on Princess.

 

Hopefully they will settle! I'm waiting for baseball! (ps..assume you aren't a Yankees fan?!)

 

I am in the process of booking a July Med. Cruise on the new Royal Princess. can't wait to see this ship in person...the videos look amazing!! I will definitely be posting from the ship!

[maggieq]

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. ;)

 

How about the track...if you walk outside there are chairs at the back...plenty of views of water and this is not a high deck.

 

I'm actually looking forward to going back to Princess for the new Royal ship. I am worried as all I have read about their ships with regards to shows in the theatre is that it is hard to get seats and they didn't build the theatre big enough for the amount of passengers. I hope this is not the case. This is one thing RCCL does well. The first day might be overwhelming but their ship designs take care of crowding.

[hubofhockey]

Hopefully they will settle! I'm waiting for baseball! (ps..assume you aren't a Yankees fan?!)

 

I am in the process of booking a July Med. Cruise on the new Royal Princess. can't wait to see this ship in person...the videos look amazing!! I will definitely be posting from the ship!

 

We did that Med cruise on the Ruby Princess. It's my all time favorite cruise. Doing it on the new Royal will be amazing. Have a great time. I'd love to see a new ship do the Baltics. We'll be happy with the Emerald.

 

I'm a Sox fan. But my two favorite teams are the Patriots and Bruins.

[quilter49]

I just spent 3 hours looking at the Allure, when I found your post. Your views were just like my husband's! I just read the entire board to him. He wants you to know that he agrees with everything that you stated. We have sailed 10 times with Princess after 4 RCCL cruises. We recently returned to RCL (Liberty). My husbamd compared the 2 cruiselines and felt that he was in a shopping mall on RCL. We both like a ship that looks like a ship. One of our favorite things to do is to sit and look out at the ocean.

 

Thank you for your wonderful post!

[Cornpone Girl]

I stumbled across this forum when looking for some information in preparation for our cruise on Sapphire Princess in Feb. 2013.

 

Vickie_Bernie, thank you for your comprehensive review. I don't think that you should worry about posting your review on the RCI forum. I don't think anyone would take offense. We were on the Allure this past Feb. and I posted a review that essentially said some of the same things about the Allure and I even stated that we were disappointed and why.

 

Though we have sailed mostly on RCI ships, we are not necessarily loyalists, it has just happened that RCI cruises were our choice due to timing and itineraries at the times we cruised. I have also been on Princess and Costa cruises. I was very happy with the Princess cruise I took, but felt that Costa was not for us.

 

Please don't judge RCI by your experience on the Oasis. Though we cruised on the Allure, from what I read, there are only minor differences between the Oasis and the Allure, so it seems that they are essentially the same ship. We have cruised on the RCI Mariner, Navigator, and Serenade, as well. We weren't thrilled with the Mariner, enjoyed the Navigator, and our favorite RCI ship so far is the Serenade of the Seas, which thankfully is nothing like the Allure.

 

In our opinion the Allure is probably a great ship for families, particularly with children. We don't typically cruise as a family and/or with children these days, so look for something different in our cruises. Though if we were to cruise with family, it's quite possible that we would still not consider the Allure (or Oasis). We made the determination that the Allure (or the Oasis) is not for us, for many reasons.

 

Many of the same things you liked about the Oasis, we liked about the Allure, and most of the things you found you didn't like about the Oasis, we did not like about the Allure, either. There were other things we didn't like. The ship was just too big for us. We didn't have the experience of not seeing much of the sea, because we didn't spend much time in the park or other places inside. Like you, spending the time in the interior parts of the ship made us feel like we weren't at sea, and it was usually very crowded. We had a junior suite and found we preferred being there rather than in all of the crowds and we experienced the sea from our balcony. We also spent a lot of time in the Viking Crown Lounge, which did not seem to be a popular place during our cruise so we were away from the crowds and had the ocean views. We also experienced many inconsiderate passengers (and some with poor manners) on the Allure, which has not been our experience on other cruises. For us the food and service in the main dining room was disappointing, as was the food in the Brazilian steak house. However, the food in 150 Central Park and Itsumi, was excellent. We thought the CD was great and the events he planned, such as the 70's performance and the roaring 20's Prohibition event, were fabulous. We are dancers and were very disappointed to find that there were very few dancing venues and opportunities on such a large ship, and the dance floors are small. The only decent sized dance floor was still far too small for the passenger population.

 

That being said, we are looking forward to our cruise on Sapphire Princess. We have heard very good things about Sapphire from other dancers as well as others who are not dancers. We are confident that we will enjoy Sapphire Princess much more than we did the Allure.

[caribill]

we are looking forward to our cruise on Sapphire Princess. We have heard very good things about Sapphire from other dancers as well as others who are not dancers. We are confident that we will enjoy Sapphire Princess much more than we did the Allure.

 

Then you will want to read this review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1757433

[NYCRUISR]

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

 

Your report was a honest one. Having been on many RCCL cruises and the big ships plus now having been on two Princess cruises, I understand all that you say. You are correct that probably there would be some negative responses to your review. It seems that people who are loyal to their brand take it to extremes. Before our first Princess cruise a friend told me that I will like it. He was right. I like both cruise lines and will continue to cruise both.. I'm hoping to again cruise the Mediterranean this coming June on Ruby Princess.

 

It's all good to me.

[vickie_bernie]

thanks for your comments

 

I know I feel a little protective over Princess and often feel the need to defend but I am also aware that each person experiences the exact same thing differently and every person has their own preferences.

 

Although I may be open to trying a smaller RCI ship, right now none of their itineraries interest me as I can do the same itinerary on Princess and get all the perks as an elite member, and stock holder.

 

But would not rule it out if everything lined up, time, itinerary, cost etc

 

Vickie

[satxdiver]

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

 

Well said IMO. There is a group of what they call loyal royals that would be all over you for defaming their hallowed ships not to mention their venomous opinions of Princess.

 

I have been only on voyager class RCI ships except one time on Rhapsody years ago. I strongly agree with not being able to see the ocean which is one of the primary reasons for cruising. Their closing and locking the buffet area between meals and at night is unacceptable. Their pizza tastes worse than frozen pizza and I love pizza. The one thing they have corrected is allowing pax to bring on two bottles of wine and I do like to bring my favorite wine from local wineries.

 

Thanks for the honest comparison.

[FLACRUISER99]

thanks for your comments

 

I know I feel a little protective over Princess and often feel the need to defend but I am also aware that each person experiences the exact same thing differently and every person has their own preferences.

 

Although I may be open to trying a smaller RCI ship, right now none of their itineraries interest me as I can do the same itinerary on Princess and get all the perks as an elite member, and stock holder.

But would not rule it out if everything lined up, time, itinerary, cost etc

 

Vickie

 

You might feel a little different if you were D+ on RCI as the CL on the Oasis class is a wonderful experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[maggieq]

I'm curious as to what perks are available on Princess once you hit levels like elite?

 

Thanks!

[caviargal]

I have been D+ on RCI for years and just completed my first Princess cruise as Elite. RCI has a MUCH better loyalty program IMO.

 

As Elite, we received 150 minutes of free internet, free laundry, an in room mini bar set up, priority embark and debark. There was a lounge for us most nights but all drinks were at a charge, and all but one were full price. Not even beer and wine were provided. And the ambiance has been nicer in the CL on the RCI ships we have sailed.

 

Re the comparison on this thread, we found the food on Princess to be poor overall and have never had that experience on RCI. We have never been on OASIS class and n=have zero interest in doing so. We prefer Radiance Class ships but have not been on one since the "enhancements" which IMO are more ways for the cruise line to charge for extras. Hate the idea of the large movie screen, MUTS style, which we found annoying and way to cut costs.

 

We do opt for specialty dining on most any mass market line and have always found that to be very good on RCI. On Grand Princess, it was better than the MDR (which was awful) but not worth the upcharge.

 

We would return to RCI before going back on Princess.

[A&L_Ont]

I'm hoping they settle the labor dispute this weekend. I miss going to the Garden and watching the Bruins.

 

Looking forward to the Allure in April. I'm even looking forward to reserving the shows and specialty restaurants. After that, we'll look at Baltics cruises ...... on Princess.

 

Here in Ontario our local team, the London Knights, to which we have seasons tickets have had 22 straight wins:D. Way better than the Leafs and cheaper.:eek:

 

The coach is also Dale Hunter.

 

Andrew

[catsforkids]

Vickie – I appreciate your balanced comparison of RCI (Oasis) and Princess.

 

I, too, love to feel and see the ocean. I love sitting in the IC, drinking coffee, looking out at the sea and writing in my journal in the morning. I love the aft pool, seeing the wake of the ship in the ocean. I love reading on the Promenade Deck with the ocean for a backdrop. I could go on & on…;)

 

Never thought I'd become so addicted to cruising :D

[vickie_bernie]

Re Elite Benefits, I don't have any perks with RCI so can't comment on them but with Princess I now get

 

- Free mini bar set up, 6 mini alcohol bottles, 2 beers, 2 Perrier, 2 water, 6 sodas (prefer this than a lounge that gives free drinks as I can switch out this for what I prefer and I can relax in cabin and enjoy, instead of attending a lounge during a certain time only)

- Laundry and pressing -- huge perk that we appreciate especially when we take longer voyages

- free internet package (the package varies depending on the length of the cruise) and we both get the package

- Canapes every formal night

- Complimentary afternoon tea delivered to your cabin (very nice and enjoy doing once a cruise)

- Priority Tendering off the ship (another great perk that comes in handy)

- 10% off in all the boutiques (again another great perk that saves us money)

- priority line for Elites at the Purser's desk

- The same toilitries as in a suite (this was cool the first few times but now not a big thing)

- Free wine tasting

- Priority embarkation (but both lines do this)

- Special lounge for disembarkation (both lines do this too)

 

From what I found this list is much more comprehensive than RCI. The mini bar versus the free drink lounge for a time period is comparable and I guess it would depend on what you like to which is best.

 

And now we get a loyalty credit of $50 per cruise as OBC. At 21 cruises to 31 cruises you get $25 per cruise, at 32 to 41 you get $50 per cruise, at 42 to 51 you get $75, then at 52 cruises onwards you get $100

 

Like I mentioned right now if I have to weigh out a 7 day RCI cruise on a smaller ship with none of these perks to a 7 day on Princess with all these perks. Easy decision.

 

But I would defiantely try out a smaller RCI ship if the stars alligned.

 

Thanks for sharing Flacruiser99

 

Vickie

[vickie_bernie]

Here in Ontario our local team, the London Knights, to which we have seasons tickets have had 22 straight wins:D. Way better than the Leafs and cheaper.:eek:

 

The coach is also Dale Hunter.

 

Andrew

 

 

My honey is missing hockey too, but he is so mad at the owners that he doesn't want to watch it anyways.

 

Like you he love our local hockey team and it is great to support them like you. We enjoy our Vancouver Giants and our nephew is a coach with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles so we cheer for both. Of course we are watching the Juniors too

 

Vickie

[caviargal]

Re Elite Benefits, I don't have any perks with RCI so can't comment on them but with Princess I now get

 

- Free mini bar set up, 6 mini alcohol bottles, 2 beers, 2 Perrier, 2 water, 6 sodas (prefer this than a lounge that gives free drinks as I can switch out this for what I prefer and I can relax in cabin and enjoy, instead of attending a lounge during a certain time only)

- Laundry and pressing -- huge perk that we appreciate especially when we take longer voyages

- free internet package (the package varies depending on the length of the cruise) and we both get the package

- Canapes every formal night

- Complimentary afternoon tea delivered to your cabin (very nice and enjoy doing once a cruise)

- Priority Tendering off the ship (another great perk that comes in handy)

- 10% off in all the boutiques (again another great perk that saves us money)

- priority line for Elites at the Purser's desk

- The same toilitries as in a suite (this was cool the first few times but now not a big thing)

- Free wine tasting

- Priority embarkation (but both lines do this)

- Special lounge for disembarkation (both lines do this too)

 

From what I found this list is much more comprehensive than RCI. The mini bar versus the free drink lounge for a time period is comparable and I guess it would depend on what you like to which is best.

 

We really enjoy the CL lounge on RCI ships, which provides complimentary cocktails every evening - we prefer this to the limited options offered by the in room mini bar as Elite on Princess and the Elite lounge which offers no complimentary drinks. We have our choice of wine/beer/cocktails on RCI which are served versus a fixed amount of minis (8 for the 7 night cruise we just completed) and limited mixers. On RCI we are also offered a choice of amenity, and our normal selection is a bottle of wine which we can enjoy at dinner.

 

We do not take longer cruises so laundry was not an important feature.

 

On RCI, we get priority dining confirmation so have always been able to confirm a table for two at late dining. On Princess, Elite had no benefits and we were not able to confirm.

 

As a Diamond Plus we are eligible for last minute upgrades, based on availability. On our most recent RCI cruise, this resulted in an upgrade (not upsell) from a standard balcony to a Junior Suite.

 

We receive free specialty coffees on RCI ships in the dining room. On Princess, we paid for every cup of brewed coffee and specialty coffee.

 

We receive a coupon book with free drink, free photo, free internet minutes, etc.

 

We have access to the Concierge Lounge all day, a nice place to enjoy a quiet continental breakfast or complimentary evening cocktails and canapes.

 

In addition, we receive priority check in and departure (departure lounge serves continental breakfast), saving certificates for designated cruises, a balcony discount good on all cruises, members only cruises and on board activities. My husband is extended the same privileges when he travels with me, not the case with Princess.

 

I agree that it does depend on what is important to you as an individual - for us RCI has a clearly better suite of benefits.

[caribill]

I'm curious as to what perks are available on Princess once you hit levels like elite?

 

 

https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/jsp/memberShipBenefitsForProspect.jsp

[Seal]

I must agree with most of the opinions of the Oasis--we sailed on the Allure the 2nd week in service--it wasn't planned--we were meeting myn DH family on the golden or Grand for a 10 or 14 day cruise and I realized the the Allure had a cruise the week before and had seen it on the Today show and really wanted to see the ship--didn't need to sail--just get on and take a peek--Anyway we wound up with probably the best room we've ever had on any shiip--we had one of the loft suites--wow ---it had just been cancelled when we inquired about ANY AVAILABILITY--loved the ship--didn't really need to go anywhere--love the way your photos are handled in folder for you--no need to look for them--face recognition (I guess).

 

WE also have over 30 Princess cruises--but....I wouldn't mind another trip on the Allure or Oasis---doubt that is happening!!!!!

 

We got all sorts of perks with that room--great to be spoiled to that degree----need to take on cruise on one of the two if you can--but...we have Princess cruises on our horizon now.

 

Nancy:D:D

[lindy sails]

I agree with many of your comments. I normally book Princess but last summer cruised on the Allure of the Seas. Although the ship definitely Wowed me and I will cruise the Allure again I really enjoy Princess. I just returned from a holiday cruise on the

Emerald and loved it. RCCL does a great job and is wonderful for active families. I prefer to relax and chill

out and Princess fits the bill with great service for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hubofhockey]

I agree with many of your comments. I normally book Princess but last summer cruised on the Allure of the Seas. Although the ship definitely Wowed me and I will cruise the Allure again I really enjoy Princess. I just returned from a holiday cruise on the

Emerald and loved it. RCCL does a great job and is wonderful for active families. I prefer to relax and chill

out and Princess fits the bill with great service for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Well, only the cheerleaders seem to be married to cruise lines. I really like Princess. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the Allure or even consider Celebrity. For us, every vacation stands on its own and we consider all options for every cruise and every vacation. After the Allure, we'll decide Celebrity vs Princess and specific ships for our Baltics cruise.

[A&L_Ont]

My honey is missing hockey too, but he is so mad at the owners that he doesn't want to watch it anyways.

 

Like you he love our local hockey team and it is great to support them like you. We enjoy our Vancouver Giants and our nephew is a coach with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles so we cheer for both. Of course we are watching the Juniors too

 

Vickie

 

Vickie,

 

We have friends in Chilliwack and they too are loving their Jr Flames as well as friends in Red Deer who love their Rebels. I really think the Knights could win the Memorial Cup. Kinda funny when they won last time it was 2003-4 season, the last NHL strike year.

 

You review is right on. If you look below Lisa and I hit Oasis and haven't returned to Princess for almost a year. The highs and lows for us are the exact same that you pointed out. We really miss the views of the water from common areas. What we like is the ability to cruise the Caribbean in the summer months, and there is a ton of things for our 5 year old son.

 

For the food we usually visit Chops 2 times, Johnny Rockets 2 or 3 times, and order MDR to our room as we are suite cruisers. We book early and we have discovered that for a few dollars more we can have an OS on Oasis for not much more than PHS on Ruby for example. I swore we would avoid this ship like the plague and somehow we ended up on it and it is hard to not return. ;)

 

We have been for fortunate enough to stay in the Sky Lofts, Owners Suites, and even the Royal Loft Suite. Next week we get to try out the Royal Suite. We are 1 cruise away from diamond. With Princess we are 2 cruises away from Elite and we will get there. I am getting excited for the Royal Princess as she is the next cruise I want to book. Princess is quieter, over all has better food, killer Pizza and the Sanctuary. All things that I miss.

 

I think what we will do is stick with RCI in the Caribbean. As our son gets older we will make it to Europe so right now 7 day cruises are basically where we are at. From there it will be itinerary for both of our favourite lines.

 

Lisa and I have made great memories on Princess. Such as our honeymoon, a few babymoons, our first and our son's first cruise. We will be back to make more, memories not babies that is;).

 

As for the NHL, tell you hubby that I gave up on them in 2003 at the last strike. With a team like the Leafs how can you get excited in the first place. At least the Canucks are contenders.

 

Thanks for a great review.

Andrew

[PathfinderEss]

Really enjoy your comparison, very informative. Thankis!

[triviaplayer7425]

Hi Vicki and Bernie,

 

I will be on the Emerald with you for both cruises. I see you mentioned the trivias and games...I am a big trivia player and enjoy all of the games. Look for me at the firsttrivia if you want to join up. I am Joyce from Naples, Florida. Looking forward to meeting you.