Help! Freedom vs. Oasis/Allure

[absolutonrox]

I plan on booking a cruise this Oct/November and have narrowed it down to either Freedom or Oasis/Allure. All cruises are close enough in price that it won't be a deciding factor. All are 7 days with virtually identical itineraries (Freedom has a stop in Grand Cayman, the others don't) so that's not really going to be a deciding factor for me either. I've been on 2 cruises before; Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Pride, so either of these ships will be quite a bit larger that what I've experienced in the past. Any personal experiences on why you've chosen or liked Freedom over Oasis/Allure or vice versa would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

I should add it's just my wife and I, mid 30s. We don't have kids, so things for kids to do is a non issue. On past cruises we've enjoyed things like comedy shows/club, trivia, piano bar and relaxing in the adult pool areas.

Edited March 13, 2016 by absolutonrox

[silvermcs]

I can't be much help as we cycle through Freedom class and Oasis class. Love them both. But we really enjoy doing fun private yacht excursion on GC so go Freedom this time and Oasis class next time. No bad choices.

[3happyferrets]

We've done the Freedom several times and the Allure once. Will be on the Oasis twice this year. For me, I prefer the Oasis class. It flows better in my opinion. Plus I never felt crowded on the Allure even though it was full. There is nothing wrong with the Freedom, but for what it's worth, I had the same choice for my May cruise and we actually live near Port Canaveral so would've been a short drive to Freedom, but we chose to drive to Ft Lauderdale for the Oasis because for us it's a better experience. Either way, hope you have a great time [emoji4]

[3happyferrets]

Oh, and we are mid 30s too and the May cruise is hubby and I only, so kids weren't deciding factor, and yes, we are trivia champions, so you'll like it on both

[cruiseturbo]

We have been on both several times and you will have a great cruise no matter which one you choose.

 

However we prefer the Oasis class if we have to choose. There are more dining venues to choose from through out the week, the flow of passengers of much better due to the neighborhood set up and we love the aqua theater entertainment. The boardwalk and Central Park are great areas to relax, read a book, people watch or whatever you want to do.

 

Since the price is pretty much the same, I would choose the Allure or Oasis hands down.

[molly361]

Another vote here for Oasis or Allure. We have also sailed on all three.

[3happyferrets]

We have been on both several times and you will have a great cruise no matter which one you choose.

 

 

 

However we prefer the Oasis class if we have to choose. There are more dining venues to choose from through out the week, the flow of passengers of much better due to the neighborhood set up and we love the aqua theater entertainment. The boardwalk and Central Park are great areas to relax, read a book, people watch or whatever you want to do.

 

 

 

Since the price is pretty much the same, I would choose the Allure or Oasis hands down.

 

 

Yes, the Central Park is wonderful. Our balcony is overlooking it on our next one.

[pinkrosesdeb]

We prefer the Freedom class because we find the Oasis class too big and hectic. They are great ships but we have felt really crowded at times. I don't think you can go wrong with either ship, it is definitely personal preference. I really do find the rooms on Oasis class MUCH smaller than Freedom class and that is an issue for me also. If you love lots of activity, choose Oasis. If you want to relax, choose Freedom. Whichever you pick...HAVE FUN!

[kruzerci]

My family has discussed this so many times. It's honestly impossible for us to pick between the Freedom and Oasis class ships, they're so different and each have pros and cons.

 

Freedom- Arguably the best pool decks in the fleet with an open solarium. The ships are huge but they still feel like a ship. The best gym and spa facilities at sea with free steam/sauna. These ships feel like the perfect size to us.

 

Oasis- Amazing ships in almost every way with the neighborhoods, dining, pool decks, the solarium is beautiful, but partially covered and gets muggy. The only downside I see to these ships are that you have to make a point to see the ocean. Theres virtually no ocean views from inside the ship. There used to be the Viking Crown, but now that is the Coastal Kitchen and Suite Lounge. I'm not a stateroom snob, but I would only sail in an OV balcony on the Oasis class, since its virtually the only way you can enjoy the ocean views aside from the pool deck. Amazing entertainment! The Aqua Theatre is fantastic!

 

We usually alternate between the Freedom and Oasis class. They are tied for our favorites. If you haven't experienced an Oasis class ship, do it!

[dgh203]

I prefer the Freedom over the Allure. I like the being able to see the ocean. Being on the Allure to me is more like being at a resort than being on a ship. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed my time on both of them. I have a 8 day November cruise booked on the Freedom. Can't wait!

[fredflint]

I can only comment on allure but for me the size was a plus plenty to do great track, VOOM internet if that is an issue is great you can make VOIP calls that will sound like you are home or work if you need to be connected.

 

Beds were very hard, I have a select comfort at home I keep between 95-100 and the bed was uncomfortably hard.

 

Coffee is hard to find early in the AM if you are an early riser

 

no omelettes unless you count one small place with seat for 15 people

 

Johnny rockets is really best place for breakfast.

 

Just my 2 cents

[SthrnCruiser]

I've been on Oasis once. I haven't been on Freedom yet but have been on Liberty and Independence. I enjoyed Oasis but think I prefer the Freedom class ships. Not as big as the Oasis class but bigger than the other ones.

[The Fun Researcher]

We've done the Freedom several times and the Allure once. Will be on the Oasis twice this year. For me, I prefer the Oasis class. It flows better in my opinion. Plus I never felt crowded on the Allure even though it was full. There is nothing wrong with the Freedom, but for what it's worth, I had the same choice for my May cruise and we actually live near Port Canaveral so would've been a short drive to Freedom, but we chose to drive to Ft Lauderdale for the Oasis because for us it's a better experience. Either way, hope you have a great time [emoji4]

 

It's funny how different experiences can be. If you took everything you said, and said the opposite, that is how we felt. We did not like the flow of the oasis. The ship is basically split in half. It is a pain to get from one side to the other, especially the pool deck. The oasis was more crowded all hours of the day. There was never a peaceful time in the promenade unlike the freedom class.

 

There are definitely pluses and minuses to both options. The fitness center in the oasis class was horrible compared to the freedom. The oasis felt very disconnected from the ocean with limited views of the ocean. We do enjoy the nightlife on the ships, and the oasis class was better in that regard. More options. Central park is also very cool on the oasis

 

The food in the main dining room and buffet was comparable between the two

 

Overall, the personnel felt more disconnected and less personable on the oasis.

 

They are both great. We prefer the freedom.

[George C]

I am sure there are more things to do on Oasis size ship. But I getting ready to book my 2017 cruises we were looking at Liberty and Allure, for the weeks we are interested in a GS would be 500 to 1000 more per person on Allure than Liberty, so I think I will wait another year or 2 before booking the Oasis size ship

[3happyferrets]

It's funny how different experiences can be. If you took everything you said, and said the opposite, that is how we felt. We did not like the flow of the oasis. The ship is basically split in half. It is a pain to get from one side to the other, especially the pool deck. The oasis was more crowded all hours of the day. There was never a peaceful time in the promenade unlike the freedom class.

 

 

 

There are definitely pluses and minuses to both options. The fitness center in the oasis class was horrible compared to the freedom. The oasis felt very disconnected from the ocean with limited views of the ocean. We do enjoy the nightlife on the ships, and the oasis class was better in that regard. More options. Central park is also very cool on the oasis

 

 

 

The food in the main dining room and buffet was comparable between the two

 

 

 

Overall, the personnel felt more disconnected and less personable on the oasis.

 

 

 

They are both great. We prefer the freedom.

 

 

That's funny. To each his own. I'd still sail on either ship.

[scruffy18]

I have been on both Freedom and Allure and will be going on Oasis in less than 2 weeks. Freedom is really nice but prefer Oasis class a little better. Love the Boardwalk and Central Park and Aqua Theater. But remember Oasis of the Seas will be moving to Port Canaveral in November. Cant go wrong with either one.

[3happyferrets]

I have been on both Freedom and Allure and will be going on Oasis in less than 2 weeks. Freedom is really nice but prefer Oasis class a little better. Love the Boardwalk and Central Park and Aqua Theater. But remember Oasis of the Seas will be moving to Port Canaveral in November. Cant go wrong with either one.

 

 

And that makes me one happy, happy girl!!! [emoji4][emoji322][emoji322][emoji322]

[Mary521]

Love them both. Have sailed on freedom once, and allure twice. We are in our mid-30's. Our decisions lately have been more kid based so that is why we have oasis booked. But cruised quite a bit pre-kids so will give you my opinions of you take kids out of the picture :) All depends on what u like:

 

Oasis class- much more to see and do on the ship. More shows, better comedians, more venues such as Central Park and Boardwalk. A lot more specialty restaurants. However on the down side since so many folks do specialty restaurants our MDR table was often empty. We love meeting new ppl at dinner. This was a huge bummer for us. With so many ppl you also don't just "run into" new friends on board as easily. I hate the solarium on oasis. It's very enclosed and humid. You don't get the ocean breeze as much. And by far the smallest adult only pool of any ship I've been on.

 

Freedom - I really like freedom. Still large but easy to move around this ship. Little more intimate than oasis and I felt we met more people on board both staff and passengers that we saw throughout the week. Still has a great large promenade. And their cantilever hot tubs are in the adult only solarium unlike oasis class! Pool deck is nice and large. Still had good shows but not as good as oasis class

 

Now - if we were traveling without kids I would pick neither of those! Our absolute FAVORITE is adventure. Yes, it's older and it could prob use a little updating. But the ports are by far the best in the Caribbean!! The itineraries have 5 days of ports, and just one sea day. And you get to sail out of San Juan which is lovely in itself. If you are looking for beautiful beaches this is the way to go. And the staff on adventure are so nice. We always found numerous groups of new friends on board, and so easy to run into people. It still has a promenade which I love.

 

Really - you can't go wrong with any, and if you are looking for a good time you will find it on any ship [emoji4]. Let us know what u pick!

[sunnyjw]

I plan on booking a cruise this Oct/November and have narrowed it down to either Freedom or Oasis/Allure. All cruises are close enough in price that it won't be a deciding factor. All are 7 days with virtually identical itineraries (Freedom has a stop in Grand Cayman, the others don't) so that's not really going to be a deciding factor for me either. I've been on 2 cruises before; Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Pride, so either of these ships will be quite a bit larger that what I've experienced in the past. Any personal experiences on why you've chosen or liked Freedom over Oasis/Allure or vice versa would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

I should add it's just my wife and I, mid 30s. We don't have kids, so things for kids to do is a non issue. On past cruises we've enjoyed things like comedy shows/club, trivia, piano bar and relaxing in the adult pool areas.

I have been both on the Freedom and the Allure. I loved both cruises, however if I had to choose I would choose Allure/Oasis Class. I am in my early 40s and you can find things to do on both ships, but I liked the water shows on the back on the ship, different neighborhoods, etc. on the Allure. I think they are both great - you can't go wrong with either.

[Turtle05]

DH and I are also early 30s with no kids, but we are kids at heart and rather active. I've done the Liberty, and I took him on his first cruise on the Allure. We liked that the Allure had two flow riders, one dedicated to stand up surfing and one to boogie boarding. That was nice because on the Liberty, they had to divide the time. Also, if you love shows, I say Allure/Oasis just for that reason. The shows are amazing. We saw all but the ice show. Bonus: you can book ahead online. You can also pre book spa and specialty restaurant appointments. The pre booking for shows was huge to me because I wanted to hit all of them (because I heard such great things).

[cruisemeister8]

We've been on Freedom/Liberty and Allure. Agreed, it's a hard choice between the two classes because each has their high points. We enjoyed both classes but for different reasons. A few points of comparison from our experience:

 

Solarium / cantilevered hot tubs (our fav) - on Allure we were disappointed to find them outside of the solarium doors and within earshot of the noisy pool area. On the up side, they were bigger, and we were spared the hot and muggy solarium. But overall, we like the quiet and airiness of the Freedom solarium.

Winner: Freedom Class

 

Chops - Eating outdoors on Central Park was a novelty because there was no way we were going to eat inside an enclosed restaurant on a ship. Yet we highly prefer a meal by the window overlooking the ocean.

Winner: Freedom Class

 

Entertainment - loved the ice shows on both, (Allure has two ice shows); prefer the old singing-and-dancing shows on Freedom over (at the time) Chicago; loved the water shows on Allure; parades better organized on Freedom; comedy club better on Allure ... ugh, this is a tough one for personal preference.

Winner: Allure Class

 

Public Spaces - Freedom had a nice Royal Promenade until we saw Allure! Boardwalk was one of my favorite spaces, and Central Park is a neat area. The idea of the beach pool on Allure is fun until it gets crowded, but hey, there's two other pools right there! The beauty of the Allure solarium is enchanting, but the peacefulness of Freedom's is preferred over heat.

Winner: Allure Class

 

Ocean Vacation - clearly the winner is Freedom/Liberty. Those felt like cruise vacations; Allure felt like an entertainment complex and convention hotel.

Winner: Freedom Class

 

We'd go on either again. As a matter of fact, I was really excited to book on Harmony and do that class again with the new bonus - water slides! But now Liberty has slides, too, which makes it all the more awesome. Liberty also now sails from a more convenient port (for us) but goes to not-so-great ports. Harmony has our ports but is priced too high for the inaugural season.

 

Oh my gosh! What's a cruiser to do? I've now worked myself into as much of a quandry as the original poster! LOL!

[absolutonrox]

 

Entertainment - loved the ice shows on both, (Allure has two ice shows); prefer the old singing-and-dancing shows on Freedom over (at the time) Chicago; loved the water shows on Allure; parades better organized on Freedom; comedy club better on Allure ... ugh, this is a tough one for personal preference.

Winner: Allure Class

 

 

Do both ships have comedy clubs where they have comedians every night, or is it a comedian 1 or 2 nights for the main show?

[Mary521]

Do both ships have comedy clubs where they have comedians every night, or is it a comedian 1 or 2 nights for the main show?

 

 

 

Oasis class has a small adults only comedy venue. I really like it, but you need to reserve ahead of time. They have shows a couple times a day but it's the same show over again. The same comedians usually do one family friendly show in the main theater as well.

 

Freedom will usually have a comedian that will do one or two shows.

 

Neither have a nightly comedian.

[Beardface]

I plan on booking a cruise this Oct/November and have narrowed it down to either Freedom or Oasis/Allure. All cruises are close enough in price that it won't be a deciding factor. All are 7 days with virtually identical itineraries (Freedom has a stop in Grand Cayman, the others don't) so that's not really going to be a deciding factor for me either. I've been on 2 cruises before; Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Pride, so either of these ships will be quite a bit larger that what I've experienced in the past. Any personal experiences on why you've chosen or liked Freedom over Oasis/Allure or vice versa would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

I should add it's just my wife and I, mid 30s. We don't have kids, so things for kids to do is a non issue. On past cruises we've enjoyed things like comedy shows/club, trivia, piano bar and relaxing in the adult pool areas.

 

Went on the Oasis in 2014 and the Freedom a couple weeks ago. My first thought was, if price is relatively similar, go on the Oasis, as its got a few more bells & whistles, but then I got to the bold. I would absolutely recommend the Freedom over the Oasis based on your preferences.

[Beardface]

Do both ships have comedy clubs where they have comedians every night, or is it a comedian 1 or 2 nights for the main show?

 

Oasis has a comedy club that you must reserve in advance. Its good, but its the same routine every night. They do have a comedian that headlines, but its only once or twice in the main theater over the entire week.

 

With Freedom a couple weeks ago, they had 2 main comedians in the main theater. They each did 2 shows, one for anyone, and another more geared towards adults (they warned repeatedly to not go if you're easily offended, warnings that were justified). When you combine that with the Love & Marriage evening, there was a good comedy selection in 5 of the 7 nights.

 

Also, while the Oasis did have places that could qualify as a piano bar, the Freedom was better situated for it. And while I don't recall there being Trivia on the Oasis (wasn't really looking for it back then) in the Schooner Bar on the Freedom there was trivia offered at least twice a day.