Eclipse, Freedom, or Oasis?? Help!

[FlamingJune1967]

I am planning a cruise in December (yes - just 2 months) to celebrate our 30th anniversary. I have a choice between:

 

7 day Oasis Inside Grty

8 day Freedom of the Seas Balcony Grty

10 day Celebrity Eclipse Inside Grty

 

All are similarly priced. All have (for us) desirable itineraries.

 

I'm having a heck of a time deciding!

 

We are a couple in early 50s

 

I love having lots of activities to choose from and especially appreciate quality shows/live entertainment and comedy clubs.

My husband likes those things as well, but would be just as happy to lounge on deck with a book all day.

Neither of us are foodies - and would not use the higher priced specialty restaurants - but we do appreciate variety of food venues.

Neither of us drink alcohol or use casinos, but we love to dance (loved The Crypt on Freedom and are sorry to hear it has been taken out)

 

We were on FoS for our first cruise 5 years ago and LOVED it - However, I'm looking for something really special for our 30th. I can get a balcony room for the same price as an inside on the other ships (which would be special since I've never had a balcony before), but I adore the whole experience of discovering a ship for the first time, and would not get that with Freedom.

 

I love all the entertainment value of the Oasis - but am worried that I will miss the "ship" feel - especially with an inside room.

 

As far as Celebrity Eclipse, both of us would love a 10 day cruise, and based on pictures, the Eclipse looks stunningly beautiful. But I am fearful that we will feel let down by the entertainment quality. I have found nothing to indicate any sort of game shows like "Love and Marriage" or "Quest" and the production shows get poor reviews on CC. I've read a bit about "lectures" and 70's 80's style music - neither of which appeal to me.

 

If anyone has been on both Eclipse and either of the other ships I would love your thoughts and comparisons.

 

thanks!!!

[chemmo]

We now almost exclusively cruise Celebrity for its relaxing ambience and, in our opinion better food. We have cruised Freedom and Allure in the past along with other RC ships....The Oasis class for entertainment and restaurants is better than Freedom. They have many unique offerings like Central Park and the Aqua Theatre. Although we found Allure very big we did find it had a better flow.

 

If the balcony and extra day mean anything to you then Freedom is still a lively venue.

 

Although we have not cruised Eclipse yet (scheduled for April) we have cruised on her sister ships and loved them. There are shows, musical events, dancing but much more low key than RC. There are generally far fewer children on board, it is very relaxing and has a really nice atmosphere...

 

I am not sure if I have really helped you! We are cruising on Oasis in January after quite a long RC gap. We simply fancied a change but I do know after the 7 days, much as I will enjoy the shows....I will be ready to get off and feel in need of a rest whereas when I get off a Celebrity cruise (even a port intensive one) I feel that I am rested....We also find the level of service across all venues to be generally better on Celebrity.

 

So mega activity, Oasis.

Balcony, Freedom.

Length of cruise and rest and relaxation, Eclipse.

 

Whatever you choose, enjoy!

[villauk]

If entertainment is the most important thing to you, then I'd stick with Royal. The choice on Oasis is great, but you'll only be sailing for 7 days. Eclipse would be more about the food and relaxation. I agree with Chemmo's analysis, so you have to decide what are you really looking for in your cruise? Think I'd go for a balcony GTY as opposed to an inside, but that's just my preference. In my mind, I'd be thinking that the worse balcony I could be allocated is probably better than the worse inside - as I say, only my opinion and it would obviously be different if I was actually choosing my own cabin ;).

[deliver42]

If you can live with an inside cabin, then the Oasis is definitely the way to go. The entertainment is fantastic, and there is always something to do.The Oasis class is truly one of a kind. The flow of the ship is great, and never overly crowded.The Freedom, you know what it is. If you want relaxation, then go with the Eclipse. The S class is beautiful.

[FlamingJune1967]

I cannot thank you all enough for the helpful advice!

My husband and I sat down this afternoon and read all of the responses out loud and discussed all the pros and cons you guys gave. I know that most of this info is available online, but it is incredibly helpful to get real-time feedback from folks that have experienced 2 or even all 3 of these class of ships!

 

And the winner is... Celebrity Eclipse!

 

In the end it came down to the points you all repeatedly made - relaxation vs activity - and while, theoretically we could relax on a mega activity ship - I (personally) would not.

 

I would be constantly checking the Compass for something to do, afraid I was missing out, while my poor husband - who almost never gets a break from stress and responsibility - would feel obligated to tag along. This way, less choices= more opportunity to relax. We live pretty close to Port Canaveral, so the Oasis is definitely in our future - just not this trip.

 

Also - we realized we are mainly looking for a romantic cruise rather than an active, kid-filled one (we have 6 kids of our own - 2 still under 12, so less children and more time to gaze lovingly into each other's eyes sounds divine!

 

 

My husband is on the phone with our travel agent right now - he is hoping to find a way to afford a balcony - but even if he doesn't I'm fine with an inside. It's hard to miss what you've never had and hard to go back once you get it!:D

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We've sailed on all three of those ships several times each. I agree with your option to choose Eclipse if you are looking for a relaxed, romantic cruise. That's exactly what you'll get on Eclipse, one of my favorite ships.

 

My second choice would have been Oasis for the shows and restaurant options. I love the Jazz Club and the Comedy Club is usually great fun.

 

I hope you like Eclipse as much as we do and I hope you have a wonderful time.

[Podie]

Eclipse is spectacular

[chemmo]

Hope you have a wonderful Celebrity cruise!

 

If you can't afford a balcony on booking keep a look out...you never know and let Celebrity or your travel agent know you would love to upgrade if the price was right.....

 

If you can manage it book in a meal in Murano's to celebrate your anniversary. It is expensive but the table side preparations and the service really do make for a memorable experience.

 

Sincere best wishes!

Edited September 26, 2016 by chemmo

[deliver42]

Good choice. Enjoy your cruise and your anniversary on it. We just booked Celebrity for the first time also.

[FlamingJune1967]

Hope you have a wonderful Celebrity cruise!

 

If you can't afford a balcony on booking keep a look out...you never know and let Celebrity or your travel agent know you would love to upgrade if the price was right.....

 

If you can manage it book in a meal in Murano's to celebrate your anniversary. It is expensive but the table side preparations and the service really do make for a memorable experience.

 

Sincere best wishes!

 

Thanks chemmo! What you said earlier about coming back from your cruise rested or tired really resonated with us! It's sooo easy for me to overplan a vacation!

We are definitely going to a specialty restaurant on the actual day - I didn't know about the tableside prep. That sounds intriguing! Our travel agent is keeping watch for a reasonable veranda upgrade. Right now there is a sale on with lots of extras for OV and up. While that doesn't make the cost of the actual room terrible (when you factor in the $300 onboard credit for example) it does mean that we have to come up with quite a bit more money up front than what we had budgeted (we are past final payment.) We are hoping that once the "sale" is over the actual price of the room will go down. I'm not sure if that is what happens on Celebrity - but that seems to be how it works on Royal Caribbean :)

thanks for your help!

[chemmo]

Thanks chemmo! What you said earlier about coming back from your cruise rested or tired really resonated with us! It's sooo easy for me to overplan a vacation!

We are definitely going to a specialty restaurant on the actual day - I didn't know about the tableside prep. That sounds intriguing! Our travel agent is keeping watch for a reasonable veranda upgrade. Right now there is a sale on with lots of extras for OV and up. While that doesn't make the cost of the actual room terrible (when you factor in the $300 onboard credit for example) it does mean that we have to come up with quite a bit more money up front than what we had budgeted (we are past final payment.) We are hoping that once the "sale" is over the actual price of the room will go down. I'm not sure if that is what happens on Celebrity - but that seems to be how it works on Royal Caribbean :)

thanks for your help!

 

Re table side preparation...There are some dishes that are flambéd table side including the lobster and a wonderful strawberry desert called a 'ballon rouge'. We are regular Murano visitors and still find our dinner made special by this little bit of theatre!

 

Enjoy!

[ClaudiaB]

Happy Anniversary! We took our first Celebrity cruise in 2001 for our 25th anniversary, and we brought our two college-aged daughters with us!!! It was such a wonderful cruise that we have been sailing ever since, and all on Celebrity.

We found what works for us. There are just enough shows and things to do so that we pretty much always can find something. Or not. We do a lot of relaxing on our balcony. For us, a balcony is a bare minimum, and standing out on there with a cup of something in your hand as you pull into port, and enjoy room service breakfast out there --- priceless!!! I hope it works out that you can get one, it'll be worth it.

You have three great options for specialty dining as well, and although Murano is the fanciest one, we prefer Tuscan Grill. We typically go on the first night as there are discounts available. But you might ask any night at any of the restaurants and at least get 25 or 30%.

Don't "pooh pooh' the lectures until you see what they are. Some are truly fascinating. You never know who will be on board giving those talks, or on what subject. And don't overlook the Hot Glass Show. I thought it would be a "one and done" kind of thing, but after 9 cruises on Eclipse or Equinox (sister ships) I have been over 50 times and will go again. It's fascinating to watch the artists create these huge pieces of art glass and to wonder what it will look like at the end. Stay for the raffles at the end of the show - you may be lucky like me and win something. I treasure the big bowl I won last year.