Independence vs. Oasis

[fla gang]

We have done the Oasis the last two years and this year we plan to do the Independence. Have read some reviews where people didn't care for the Independence. What did you not like, also what is the Headliner show on Independence?

[NorbertsNiece]

Not sailed on indy for a few years so can't help with recent activities. Did love the experience during 2 weeks in the Med. Sailed Oasis last year and also Freedom the year before. MUCH prefer Freedom Class size-wise.

[Clarea]

We have done the Oasis the last two years and this year we plan to do the Independence. Have read some reviews where people didn't care for the Independence. What did you not like, also what is the Headliner show on Independence?

Headliner shows change almost every cruise. We loved our Indy cruises a couple of years ago. Ship was in excellent shape.

Edited January 13, 2015 by clarea

[Daghis]

I really like Independence and her 8-night itinerary. We're sailing on her again for the third time in 60 days!

 

I wish the shops onboard were a bit more like the rest of the fleet's, but that's my only negative. The ship is beautiful and the crew has been great.

[mcatmcat]

I did oasis and allure and going to independence. I have never sailed with Ind before but if they are similar to the freedom class I know I will prefer it over oasis class

 

 

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[BillOh]

I did oasis and allure and going to independence. I have never sailed with Ind before but if they are similar to the freedom class I know I will prefer it over oasis class

 

 

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Barely related, we are going back on the Freedom this Spring and part of the reason is for me to decide which class I like better. My wife's favorite is Allure, but I don't think she remembers Freedom that well.

[jticarruthers]

Very different feeling ships, we were not wowed by Allure and went back to Indy, generally liked it better and think we will stick with Freedom/Radiance class for now.

 

More of a "ship" feel for us and less of a floating mall, but I know many people much prefer Oasis class as well so I think its very much a personal choice.

[JessyCruises]

We just sailed on our first Royal ship on Nov 29 - it was the Oasis of the Seas. We are on the Indy on Feb 28 for the 8 night itinerary. If you want I can come back and let you know which I liked more & why.

[ronandcarla]

As for me the last two cruises have been on the Oasis and my wife at the last cruise stated "I can't see to go on another ship after these two" and I totally agree with her; with that said this coming cruise on the Independence next month is a trial cruise for our future son-in-law, for he has never been on a cruise. And as of this statement my body will be on that ship but my heart and feelings are toward Oasis or Allure heading to the Eastern Caribbean, not west. I sure hope when we get back that all parties had a wonderful time and my feelings have changed substantially.

 

Sincerely, Ron M

[trihawks1]

We were on Indy Dec of 2013. There were four 20 something's and the two of us older 54/55 year olds. We had three E2 hump cabins starboard. LOVED our cabins. My husband and I cruised on voyager in 2008, so we knew similar cabin layout and ship overall helped. We all like the larger bathroom vs. Our 2002 cruise on Celebrity Constellation which was extremely small bathroom. Three of the young adults had never cruised and they absolutely loved everything on Indy!

 

I have vertigo issues on land and get car sick so for those who have this issue...I was able to go to MDR every night and had no issues except a bit on one day when seas was a bit more rough. I had the patch on and also bonine plus anti nausea medicine just in case. We were in rooms 6636,6638,6640. No noise issues or any issues with people in halls.

 

We had perfect table in MDR which also helped. We were in Romeo & Juliet dining room and straight in front doors in the middle by captains table. This helped tremendously with my vertigo issue. Food in MDR was very good for us. We prefer traditional dining and always do the early seating.

 

Indy was in port everglades and we were in line at 9:45....took a taxi so we had all our luggage in line. Went thru check in and on board and at windjammer by 11:30...delay was due to people still getting off ship.

 

Definitely do the specialty restaurant Chops! Loved it and it was a free dinner for us from our TA. I booked as soon as we got on the ship. Best steak we had all cruise. Btw, you can pay $14 I think to get the filet in the MDR which my daughter did on two nights.

 

We are planning our cruise for December 2015 for Oasis of the Seas. Just hope we aren't disappointed. We just loved Indy so much...best cruise ever! We did the western caribbean with Indy and we are doing eastern with Oasis.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

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[js]

I just got off the NYE cruise on Disney Dream and wanted to book another cruise for next NYE.

 

In researching the Independence, she gets consistently good reviews.

I booked for December 28, 2015.

 

I would love to do Oasis or Allure and that may be my next RCCL cruise but I have Haven on NCL and Dream on DCL so will have to wait lol.

 

 

js

[American Bear]

We have done the Oasis the last two years and this year we plan to do the Independence. Have read some reviews where people didn't care for the Independence. What did you not like, also what is the Headliner show on Independence?

 

 

The Indy is crowded, the Oasis is really crowded!:eek:

Radiance Class rules!:D

[campbell51]

Have sailed on Independence several times and love that ship. Sailed on Oasis in September last year while I liked Oasis I did not love it felt the ship was just too big for me. The production shows on Independence are good as are the ice shows. The headliner shows change all the time . On Independence you don't have to book your entertainment and that suits me fine. A lovely , friendly ship so disappointed she has now left the UK for good.

[cb at sea]

Fabulous ship, size-wise and otherwise! Oasis is a floating circus.

[Paulette3028]

I really like Independence and her 8-night itinerary. We're sailing on her again for the third time in 60 days!

 

I wish the shops onboard were a bit more like the rest of the fleet's, but that's my only negative. The ship is beautiful and the crew has been great.

 

What do you mean when you say that you 'wish the shops onboard were a bit more like the rest of the fleet's'? We will be on Indy in a few weeks, on the Valentine's Day departure. Looking forward to her....we loved Liberty a few years ago, and Indy is in the same class. I fully expect to like her.

[M&JfromSDL]

I've sailed Allure, Freedom and Indy. Freedom class wins hands down for us. Check out the review of my recent 8-day on Indy.

[Russ Lomas]

The production shows on Independence are good as are the ice shows. The headliner shows change all the time .

I guess the entertainment is very subjective. We thought the production shows on the Liberty and the Oasis were 10 times better than those on the Independence last year. We were booked on the Independence again for this March (it is a great ship, but for $100 more we jumped to the Allure) partially because we were more interested in the entertainment offerings on the Allure, already knowing what to expect on the Independence after last year.

 

Our family, including 4 DDs (dear daughters - the DW does not not have a set of DDs ;)) really like the enormous amount of things to do on the Oasis class ships. After this March we will have been on all Oasis class ships and will only be missing the Freedom on the Freedom class ships (which we have booked for 2016). They are both amazing ships for families who like to keep busy. In a few years when the kids are no longer sailing with me, I plan to enjoy the quieter, smaller ships and visit ports that the larger ships cannot get into.

[TravelerThom]

I definitely prefer Oasis class. Independence is just way too small.

 

Reality check: there are only three cruise ships in the entire world larger than Independence.

 

I'd give Oasis class the edge on entertainment. The largest component in figuring my enjoyment is the quality of my interaction with passengers and crew that I meet - no way to know how that will be. I have enjoyed my 2 weeks on Oasis, my two weeks on Allure, my four weeks on Independence, my three weeks on Freedom and my two weeks on Liberty about equally well. I'm aboard a nice ship, people are cooking and cleaning for me, I'm being entertained, life is good.:)

 

Thom

[Daghis]

What do you mean when you say that you 'wish the shops onboard were a bit more like the rest of the fleet's'?

 

This post from ahecht's review in 2013 describes what I meant pretty well. Click on that link to see the rest of the post's pictures, but the basic content is:

Intermission: Part 3

 

Moving on to shopping. The shopping venues on Independence of the Seas were reconfigured to support a British clientele where there is a much higher demand for duty-free goods (due to the high VAT duties in Europe) than for souvenirs. They turned the "Perfume and Cosmetics" store into a designer handbag store and moved "Perfume and Cosmetics" into the much larger space that used to be the "Logo Shop" (for Royal Caribbean and Independence of the Seas branded souvenirs). They then turned the "Fashion Boutique" into the "Duty Free Emporium" carrying designer sunglasses and high end alcohol. The "Fashion Boutique" was moved into the smaller space that used to be "Get Out There" (the athletic wear shop).

 

Some of orphaned merchandise from the "Logo Shop" and "Get Out There" was combined with the stuff in the General Store, which they hastily renamed "The Gift Box" (the sign is just a vinyl banner taped in place):

 

However, most of the souvenirs in the Gift Box are British souvenirs. There were a few generic looking hats that said "West Caribbean" on them, but that was about it.

 

The big thing to me is that there wasn't as much in the way of the kinds of souvenirs I would expect to find onboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Daghis

[londongal796]

What do you mean when you say that you 'wish the shops onboard were a bit more like the rest of the fleet's'? We will be on Indy in a few weeks, on the Valentine's Day departure. Looking forward to her....we loved Liberty a few years ago, and Indy is in the same class. I fully expect to like her.

 

It's just worth noting that the Independence of the Seas is no longer sailing out of Southampton so, presumably, the onboard shops will be changing at some point in the near future to revert back to their usual clientel.

 

As someone who sailed on her out of Southampton in June last year I can say that she was an absolutely beautiful ship. The nicest I had ever been on with RCCL, and the largest. I am due to cruise on Allure which will probably spoil me, but from my experience, from small to large, they are all very enjoyable. It just depends on what you want to do, and what your itinerary is like. We usually have so many ports that we don't get to experience everything there is to do onboard. (Will be a bit different doing a Transatlantic on Allure with 9 days at sea in a row!!!)

[bjpram]

We're just off the Indy and sailed on Oasis in 2010. It's all personal preference. With that said we were not impressed with the Indy. We liked the size of the Oasis because of what she offered in variety of shops, shows, and the ability to change the feel of the boat just by being in a different area of the ship. RC has gone through some changes and that may be why we're not so impressed Indy. We felt the entertainment wasn't great, the service in the MDR was slow and I didn't see a lot of interaction with the guests from the servers, mine or other tables. We only saw our room steward once at the beginning of the cruise. As of the 1st of the year they are no longer making announcements over the PA system, which forces you to study the CC if you want to know what's going on.

[Paulette3028]

It's just worth noting that the Independence of the Seas is no longer sailing out of Southampton so, presumably, the onboard shops will be changing at some point in the near future to revert back to their usual clientel.

 

As someone who sailed on her out of Southampton in June last year I can say that she was an absolutely beautiful ship. The nicest I had ever been on with RCCL, and the largest. I am due to cruise on Allure which will probably spoil me, but from my experience, from small to large, they are all very enjoyable. It just depends on what you want to do, and what your itinerary is like. We usually have so many ports that we don't get to experience everything there is to do onboard. (Will be a bit different doing a Transatlantic on Allure with 9 days at sea in a row!!!)

 

I have not done a European or Mediterranean cruise yet.....so I must ask....are the shop so so different on those cruises than what is usually on a Caribbean cruise?

[Paulette3028]

We're just off the Indy and sailed on Oasis in 2010. It's all personal preference. With that said we were not impressed with the Indy. We liked the size of the Oasis because of what she offered in variety of shops, shows, and the ability to change the feel of the boat just by being in a different area of the ship. RC has gone through some changes and that may be why we're not so impressed Indy. We felt the entertainment wasn't great, the service in the MDR was slow and I didn't see a lot of interaction with the guests from the servers, mine or other tables. We only saw our room steward once at the beginning of the cruise. As of the 1st of the year they are no longer making announcements over the PA system, which forces you to study the CC if you want to know what's going on.

 

Comparing Indy and Oasis is like comparing a skyscraper to another building that is 'just very tall', IMO -- the view from the skyscraper cannot be the same as the view from the very tall building. They are inherently different.

 

It is impossible to compare the entertainment on Oasis and Indy with each other. Indy does not have a Broadway show on it -- as a start. They both have an Ice Show, so did you enjoy both of those, or did you go to neither of them. They both offer comedians, jugglers, etc type acts -- most comedians on ships are decent -- not necessarily top acts that would appear in Vegas or Atlantic City. They usually have a musical group -- some are better than others.

 

A musical show by the Royal Caribbean Entertainers will never be the same as a cast performance of a Broadway show..... Indy doesn't have a Broadway show on it -- the overall image one gets HAS TO BE DIFFERENT of the entertainment.

 

I was on Liberty a few years ago, and will compare Indy to that experience -- which is much more of an equal comparison because they are ships in the same class.

 

The size of Oasis is much bigger and does enable more shops (not that I need any more of them). When we were on Allure (Oasis sister ship) moving from one place to another did not give me the ability to change the feel of the ship (boat, as you refer to her) -- it did make me feel I had walked from one 'neighborhood' into another.....I almost did not feel I was on a ship -- and that I missed. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy Allure.

 

I look forward to going on Indy -- I enjoyed sailing on Liberty a few years ago, and look forward to enjoying this class of ship again. I expect that I will.

[londongal796]

I have not done a European or Mediterranean cruise yet.....so I must ask....are the shop so so different on those cruises than what is usually on a Caribbean cruise?

 

It only seemed to be on the Independence that the onboard shops and selection were changed (I have cruised on three other Med cruises which had the normal sets of shops and products).

 

I personally didn't find the stores all that different, but the onboard 'store' had a lot of UK brands instead of US brands, for instance, all of the UK chocolate brands (Mars products, including Mars bars and Galaxy chocolate etc). They didn't seem to have as many collectible souvenirs but I did end up with some nice RC t-shirts and a lanyard which I liked. They had a handbag store and jewelry store etc (can you tell I'm not a brand shopper?!) and of course every day and evening they had the tables out on the Royal Promenande with tons of things for sale (I ended up with a lovely little Guess wallet and some jewelry gift sets for family at a real bargain price!).

 

I wouldn't sweat it too much. I live in the UK but I am from the US, I have cruised with RC on the Med both when living in the US & the UK--I personally found Independence to be an absolutely beautiful ship (and you can see in my signatures everything I've cruised).

 

Someone recently mentioned that some of the staff in the MDR weren't as chatty, well I've found that to be true on my last three cruises, so I wouldn't class that as being an Independence problem in particular.

[Melbourne84]

I did the 8N Eastern Caribbean in April 2014 and Independence is my favorite ship. (I've sailed Jewel & Serenade, and in Nov, the NCL Breakaway, as well as a few other NCL ships previously.) Personally, I think Oasis Class is too big. I'm easily overwhelmed with options and do this, go see that. I got to test this on the Breakaway, which is actually slightly smaller than Indy but more passengers and attractions/public spaces crammed on board. For me, it was too much - too many dining options, too many overlapping activities I wanted to do, etc. So for me, it's a size/crowds issue along with just feeling overwhelmed. But I loved the Indy, everything was clean, with friendly staff, we loved our balcony room (right by the stairs and we never heard noise, which I was a bit worried about). loved the pool areas, the huge fitness center, sports court layout, great activities; basically the perfect balance of everything I love about cruising.