Oasis vs. Freedom class

[Lynn1179]

I'm not a huge fan of the Oasis ships. The one personal observation that stuck with me was how I felt as if I was in a floating Las Vegas hotel for an entire week - and not on an cruise where I'm connected to the seas.

 

The Freedom class is my personal favorite for all the reasons mentioned above.

 

The Las Vegas feel is something that I'm worried about but j guess I'll never know til I try right?

[BillOh]

The Las Vegas feel is something that I'm worried about but j guess I'll never know til I try right?

 

Their point is valid, but you can fight it armed with a little knowledge. Find the chairs at the back end of the running track and sit there awhile. (just don't block the track :) ) I truely love both classes.

[Lynn1179]

Their point is valid, but you can fight it armed with a little knowledge. Find the chairs at the back end of the running track and sit there awhile. (just don't block the track :) ) I truely love both classes.

 

Thanks for the tip!

[Lynn1179]

I have sailed on both classes. I did a B2B on the Freedom & Indy last spring and have been on Oasis twice. I have 5 cruises booked right now, all Oasis (2) or Freedom Class (Liberty x 1, Freedom x 2). I have never sailed on a smaller RCL ship and not sure I could convince hubby to even try one lol.

 

I found there are more similarities than differences as far as the FEEL of the ships. The RP is similar, the pub is virtually identical, many of the activities are the same, etc. The Oasis class definitely has more venues as noted above. I also prefer the WJ on the Freedom class, but I cannot exactly define why. One reason I guess is that they have sushi - you have to pay for sushi on the Oasis (if it is free somewhere other than Izumi, I have yet to find it, so if you know where it is let me know - I sail in two weeks!).

 

For venues, I much prefer On Air on Oasis and Oasis has Dazzles which is a great little club to watch live music and dance. I like Schooner on both, but prefer Oasis because of the additional seating. Sorrento's is way better on Oasis because of the additional choices and the make your own option. I find Cafe Promenade also better on the Oasis. Freedom class does not have Park Cafe which we eat at alot on the Oasis Class and we always miss when we are on the Freedom.

 

If anyone in your party smokes cigars, Oasis does not have a dedicated Connoisseur Club, the area to smoke on the Oasis is outside by the pool. DH is not really a smoker but does smoke cigars when on vacation so he does miss the club when on the Oasis.

 

Of course the Oasis also has the Aquatheatre which not only has the Aqua show but also offers a great location to watch live sporting events if there are any big ones when you are travelling. We have been on the Oasis on November twice and they always show at least one Sunday NFL game as long as there is no show going on.

 

All in all, I would sail either one in a NY minute, it would probably come down to price. I do not think I would spend more to go on one vs the other. If the price and itinerary were the same, I think I would also have difficulty choosing.

 

If you have never tried the Oasis class I would definitely do it at least once to see how you like it. I think your little ones would really enjoy it :)

 

I'd encourage you to try the Voyager class. We did Adventure this summer our of PR and truly enjoyed it. Very similar to Freedom class.

 

Now we did Radiance in 09 for Alaska which was the perfect ship for that IMO :)

[jagsfan]

Oasis is the only ship I've gone to the shows on in years. The ice skating show is available on Freedom, but the Aqua Theater isn't, and it's marvelous. I wish the Broadway show on Oasis wasn't Cats. Not my favorite.

Central Park on Oasis has to be experienced to appreciate it.

 

 

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[JessyCruises]

I'd encourage you to try the Voyager class. We did Adventure this summer our of PR and truly enjoyed it. Very similar to Freedom class.

 

Now we did Radiance in 09 for Alaska which was the perfect ship for that IMO :)

 

Thanks! I think I would be open to trying it, but DH has it stuck in his head that bigger & newer = better. I will convince him eventually :)

Edited March 25, 2016 by Canadian Disney Mom

[Charger2008]

As you can see from the signature, we prefer the Freedom class and our last cruise on the Oasis simply solidified that opinion.

 

Freedom solarium is open, breezy, nice pool and conducive to meeting people. Not so much so on the Oasis as the pools are oversize hot tubs, not inviting and people don't hang out in them or around them. If you want to meet people, due to the way the Oasis solarium is laid out, you would basically have to drag a chair over to someone and introduce yourself. However, on the Freedom, people swim and hang out in the pool and around it, easy to meet folks and have a good time.

 

Venues on the Freedom have ocean views, not so on the Oasis AND the one place that had great ocean views is now suite guests only (Deck 17 - Viking Crown). However, on the Freedom, that is still available to all. Speaking of the VC, the Diamond Lounge on the Freedom is next to the VC, has great ocean views and a balcony so we can come right from the Flowrider and upstairs. The Diamond Lounge on the Oasis is dark, kinda depressing and you can't even see out of the windows anymore, seems the seals broke or something as they are all cloudy.

 

Specialty restaurants on the Freedom have ocean views, again, not on the Oasis, everything faces into a neighborhood or is interior on the ship.

 

Granted, there are two Flowriders on the Oasis but OMG, this last trip the music was horrible. Someone miffed the wrong person so now the music is generic, plain and, in a word, s*cked. On both the Freedom and Independence they played a variety of music and it made flowboarding a lot more fun.

 

Line dancing on the Freedom is on the deck in between the two big pools and easy to find and lots of fun. On the Oasis, I just managed to stumble across it one day and it was in a walkway area with people trying to get past, seemed rather random and not well thought out.

 

Basically, on the Freedom we find it easier to meet and hang out with people, especially at the solarium and we just never get that "great" cruise vibe on the Oasis, certainly not this last one. It was okay and fun, but NOT one for the record books. We will always go back to the Freedom class from now on.

 

Oh, one more thing I forgot about, I would go to the Café Promenade and on the Freedom class they always had snacks, pastries or sandwiches; however, this last cruise on the Oasis, I was constantly told "oh, those won't be ready for half an hour" or "we don't serve that past this time . . . "

 

Sorentos. I don't want to wait for a "make your own pizza" when I get a hankering for a slice and the only vegetarian options they ever seemed to have was "cheese", nothing else.

 

So, there you have it, my take on the two ships. Even if I was given the option of sailing again in the same cabin we had on the Oasis recently (11330) for the same price as a balcony room on the Freedom, Independence or Liberty, I would still choose the Freedom class.:D

Edited March 25, 2016 by Charger2008

[BillOh]

As you can see from the signature, we prefer the Freedom class and our last cruise on the Oasis simply solidified that opinion.

 

Freedom solarium is open, breezy, nice pool and conducive to meeting people. Not so much so on the Oasis as the pools are oversize hot tubs, not inviting and people don't hang out in them or around them. If you want to meet people, due to the way the Oasis solarium is laid out, you would basically have to drag a chair over to someone and introduce yourself. However, on the Freedom, people swim and hang out in the pool and around it, easy to meet folks and have a good time.

 

In my Freedom Vs Allure review, the solarium was a key victory for Freedom for just what you said. However, we will have to keep an eye on Harmony, rumors are there is a real pool in the solarium there.

[JessyCruises]

I forgot about the solarium - I prefer Freedoms as well

[SailyaCruise]

Try the Oasis class. I LOVE IT. Oasis class has pretty much eliminated the smaller class RCCI ships for me now. So much more to do on Oasis class, your kids will love it. We did a Mediterranean cruise on a Freedom class ship AFTER we were on the Allure the previous year and my friends very were disappointed. But I warned them before the trip: No Boardwalk cabins, no Central Park cabins, no zip line, no Aqua show...just not as large of a vessel. Among one of the disadvantages of the Oasis class is some of the cabins on Freedom class are larger than the cabins on the Oasis class. Study the square footage of certain cabins on each class of ship and you'll see it. I usually stay in a Jr. Suite and if I recall, some of the Jr. Suite cabins on Freedom class ships are larger than Jr. Suites on the Oasis class. BUT, I think the Promenade cabins on the Oasis class are larger than on the Freedom class ships. So if cabin square footage matters to you, study the cabin comparisons.

 

We all LOVED the Allure, and we're all booked on the Harmony later this year. Only thing I don't like about the new Harmony is no Champagne Bar. I can't cozy up to my favorite robot to fix my drink the way I like it.:mad:

 

Yes there are many folks who prefer the smaller ships. I'm biased towards the larger ships. More venues the better for me.

Edited March 25, 2016 by SailyaCruise

[Lynn1179]

As you can see from the signature, we prefer the Freedom class and our last cruise on the Oasis simply solidified that opinion.

 

Freedom solarium is open, breezy, nice pool and conducive to meeting people. Not so much so on the Oasis as the pools are oversize hot tubs, not inviting and people don't hang out in them or around them. If you want to meet people, due to the way the Oasis solarium is laid out, you would basically have to drag a chair over to someone and introduce yourself. However, on the Freedom, people swim and hang out in the pool and around it, easy to meet folks and have a good time.

 

Venues on the Freedom have ocean views, not so on the Oasis AND the one place that had great ocean views is now suite guests only (Deck 17 - Viking Crown). However, on the Freedom, that is still available to all. Speaking of the VC, the Diamond Lounge on the Freedom is next to the VC, has great ocean views and a balcony so we can come right from the Flowrider and upstairs. The Diamond Lounge on the Oasis is dark, kinda depressing and you can't even see out of the windows anymore, seems the seals broke or something as they are all cloudy.

 

Specialty restaurants on the Freedom have ocean views, again, not on the Oasis, everything faces into a neighborhood or is interior on the ship.

 

Granted, there are two Flowriders on the Oasis but OMG, this last trip the music was horrible. Someone miffed the wrong person so now the music is generic, plain and, in a word, s*cked. On both the Freedom and Independence they played a variety of music and it made flowboarding a lot more fun.

 

Line dancing on the Freedom is on the deck in between the two big pools and easy to find and lots of fun. On the Oasis, I just managed to stumble across it one day and it was in a walkway area with people trying to get past, seemed rather random and not well thought out.

 

Basically, on the Freedom we find it easier to meet and hang out with people, especially at the solarium and we just never get that "great" cruise vibe on the Oasis, certainly not this last one. It was okay and fun, but NOT one for the record books. We will always go back to the Freedom class from now on.

 

Oh, one more thing I forgot about, I would go to the Café Promenade and on the Freedom class they always had snacks, pastries or sandwiches; however, this last cruise on the Oasis, I was constantly told "oh, those won't be ready for half an hour" or "we don't serve that past this time . . . "

 

Sorentos. I don't want to wait for a "make your own pizza" when I get a hankering for a slice and the only vegetarian options they ever seemed to have was "cheese", nothing else.

 

So, there you have it, my take on the two ships. Even if I was given the option of sailing again in the same cabin we had on the Oasis recently (11330) for the same price as a balcony room on the Freedom, Independence or Liberty, I would still choose the Freedom class.:D

 

Great feedback! Thank you so much

 

I anticipate this will be my views after I sail oasis as well lol

[KG1924]

We've done both.....and they're both our favorite so far!!! Personally, I prefer the oasis class for the amount of "stuff" There was always something to do or you could do nothing at all. We like the vast amount of places to eat and the neighborhood layout works very well at dispersing the crowds.

 

I agree with pp's about the solariums-we much prefer Freedoms (husband simply likes it more because there are bar stools in the pool lol) we barely went into the solarium on Oasis, but the other pools were great so it didn't affect us too much.

 

I always disagree with the lack of connection to the ocean comment on the Oasis that I see mentioned so often. I feel like I see the ocean just as much any other ship, but I do believe that our style of cruising is the main reason. We've only ever sailed on ocean view balcony cabins (huge reason!) so we spend every morning and every late evening on the balcony. During the day we are up on the pool deck either swimming or drinking or both ;) and at night we are at shows or the bars, which even if the bars had windows, you can't see much at night anyway.

 

Everybody is different but I will say that we cruised on the Oasis before the Freedom-we were nervous that we wouldn't like the "smaller" ship but we loved it! I think that you should try it because if you like the Freedom class, you will like the Oasis class. But even if you end up preferring the Freedom class, at least you tried it and know more of what works for you and your family.

 

 

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[riclop]

Good morning!

 

We are sailing Liberty in 10 days (and I've been on both Freedom and Independence). We are discussing booking our next cruise while on board of course, and I've been researching options for a cruise in October and debating between the Oasis and Freedom.

 

Anyone have any comparison/pro&con between the two ships if you have sailed both classes?

 

We love Oasis class.

[havaml]

Hi, I've been on both as well... Not to take anything away from Oasis class, but I enjoy smoking a good cigar and sipping an lslay single malt (Lagavulin) in the evenings after dinner, and Freedom class has the Connoisseur's Club dedicated to such an activity. Will be hanging out on the Freedom watching the Masters inside the Connoisseur's club next week.. Can't wait! Oasis class has the sky club (on the very top deck) bar outside in the wind, and while it is nice, it doesn't have the same vibe as the Connoissueur's club in my opinion. Of course if you don't like cigars, than this wouldn't matter to you.

Edited March 28, 2016 by havaml