Mardi Gras vs Oasis class

[2011mom]

My husband really wants to try one of the giant mega ships.  We were thinking of doing a Royal Caribbean Oasis class cruise next spring, even though I'm platinum on Carnival and would prefer to sail with priority!  When I try to compare stats, the Oasis class ships have more tonnage but about the same number of total passengers, and I'm trying to figure out what that means.  Should I jump ship to RCL, or wait until 2020 and try Mardi Gras?

[Moviela]

Go with Mardi Gras. There is nothing like that new ship smell.

[Tapi]

Can you reserve the RCL cruise with a refundable deposit and when we all get more information about Mardi Gras, make a decision then? Oasis class ships are absolutely amazing, and something that I think every avid cruiser should experience at least once in their lives. Having priority embarkation on Carnival would weigh little to zero in my decision to “jump ship” to an Oasis cruise. 

 

With that said, once we learn more about Mardi Gras (ship amenities, layout, cabins, itineraries and pricing) it will be easier to make a comparison and choose then. We also have Mardi Gras in our radar, but I won’t stop researching and planning cruises on other cruise lines and ships until more information is released.

Edited December 25, 2018 by Tapi

[Tapi]

4 minutes ago, Moviela said:

Go with Mardi Gras. There is nothing like that new ship smell.

I love trying new ships. But in my humble opinion, newest doesn’t always translate into the best option. 

[2011mom]

Thanks for the advice.  I guess I have to wait for more Mardi Gras info!

[Mikew0805]

12 hours ago, 2011mom said:

My husband really wants to try one of the giant mega ships.  We were thinking of doing a Royal Caribbean Oasis class cruise next spring, even though I'm platinum on Carnival and would prefer to sail with priority!  When I try to compare stats, the Oasis class ships have more tonnage but about the same number of total passengers, and I'm trying to figure out what that means.  Should I jump ship to RCL, or wait until 2020 and try Mardi Gras?

Don't be too concerned about the tonnage and the passengers. GRT is volume, so for example the three deck high royal promenade on Oasis is using up all that volume, but passengers can only occupy one deck. I thought the Horizon was going to feel crowded, but it didn't, except embarkation day. Embarkation day feels crowded to me on all ships. I say do both! LOL 🙂

[Oakman]

Being a huge fan of the Oasis Class ships, I would definitely go with Royal Caribbean in this decision. RCCL does an amazing job with crowd control on these mega vessels and the entertainment is exceptional. We were very skeptical at first with the sheer size, but once onboard (except on embarkation), never felt the crowds. 

On the other hand, having sailed all classes of Carnival since my first cruise on the Festivale, the opposite is true on their vessels. As the ships grew larger, additonal cabins added to increased crowding. The ship layouts and public areas never seemed to grow proportionately. The Liquid Lounge is a perfect example. 

While I still love sailing the "Fun Ships" as a Platinum member, (Fantasy and Spirit Class being our favorites), I would choose Royal Caribbean over Carnival in this case. 

Or................maybe try both................. 

Edited December 25, 2018 by Oakman
Added emoji

[naxer]

This is interesting and I will follow it.  I saw an interview with Joe Farcus and he mentioned Carnival's "connection to the sea."  Even though he isn't the chief designer anymore, it seems that Carnival, even on the newer ships, gives a person good views and plenty of outside access.  I think if a person is looking for shopping, dining, and inside entertainment, there may be better offerings on NCL or RCL.  But if it's decks with ocean views (other than balconies), Carnival seems to offer more access.  To be fair, this is conjecture on my part as I've only sailed Carnival.  I have booked with others, but in the end cancelled and switched because I couldn't stand the thought of a restricted aft view.  Coincidentally, I will be on MSC Seaside this winter because it seems to offer what I'm looking for in that "access to the sea" feel.  But that will be the second leg of my B2B, the first leg on Glory.  And I have an aft extended balcony booked on Panorama for next winter--my first aft balcony.  That Havana area view is what I cruise for.  

Edited December 25, 2018 by naxer
clarity

[Aquahound]

I think Mardi Gras' space to passenger ratio is definitely something to be concerned about here.  180,000 GT with 6500 passengers means a ratio of 27.  40 is great.  High 30s is good.  Low 30s are bad.  Twenties?  Well, that's just terrible and it surprises me a ship is being designed that way.  Say what you will about RCI's wide open spaces but I just don't see how anyone can brush off a ratio of 27.  

 

I would wait and see on this one.  Sunshine was a concern too and it seams to be ok so hopefully Carnival knows what they are doing with MG.  Maybe they are taking a page out of RCI's playbook and creating "neighborhoods" to keep crowds separated.  

Edited December 25, 2018 by Aquahound

[nhraformula00]

Wife and I have been on 15 Carnival cruises, and 5 Royal. While we enjoy both, the Oasis class are truely in a class by them self. Bigger in my opinion is better. So much more to roam around and see and never felt crowed. Shows are much nicer than Carnival. You have to try at least once the Oasis class to see if it is for you. 

[lazydayz]

I agree that avid cruisers should try the Oasis class. It is an amazing experience. If you want priority boarding, book a Junior Suite or higher or you can buy the Key at $20 per person per day. 

[Mikew0805]

13 hours ago, Aquahound said:

I think Mardi Gras' space to passenger ratio is definitely something to be concerned about here.  180,000 GT with 6500 passengers means a ratio of 27.  40 is great.  High 30s is good.  Low 30s are bad.  Twenties?  Well, that's just terrible and it surprises me a ship is being designed that way.  Say what you will about RCI's wide open spaces but I just don't see how anyone can brush off a ratio of 27.  

 

I would wait and see on this one.  Sunshine was a concern too and it seams to be ok so hopefully Carnival knows what they are doing with MG.  Maybe they are taking a page out of RCI's playbook and creating "neighborhoods" to keep crowds separated.  

I don't think there will be a concern. You are dividing GRT by passenger count. GRT has nothing to do with the space usable by passengers aboard. I think there is an engineer on here somewhere that could explain it better than me. 

 

Now if the Mardi Gras ends up having a bunch of indoor space that has ceilings that are multiple decks high... then I would start to get concerned. I just got off the CCL Horizon and if you do the math the same way, there is a number of "28." Yet, I felt less crowded on it, then I did on Oasis or Independence. 

 

I'm excited about this one, especially after the absolutely amazing time we had on the Horizon. Best cruise in the last two years!

[cjknox]

On 12/24/2018 at 7:40 PM, Tapi said:

I love trying new ships. But in my humble opinion, newest doesn’t always translate into the best option. 

Neither does bigger mean better Tapui

Edited December 26, 2018 by cjknox

[Aquahound]

6 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

I don't think there will be a concern. You are dividing GRT by passenger count. GRT has nothing to do with the space usable by passengers aboard. I think there is an engineer on here somewhere that could explain it better than me. 

 

According to this link, that's exactly how it's figured:

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings

 

"The ship's "space ratio" (by definition) is the enclosed space (measured in ft3/cubic feet) per passenger. A ship of 45,000 GT (gross tonnage) with capacity 1,000 passengers will have a space ratio 45 (or 45ft3=45000/1000)."

[jimbo5544]

While that many people may have ramifications with ports of call (specifically ruling out many), I have never found the this formula to be of concern.  A lot of the space is unusable from a cruiser perspective and from many cruisers perspective.  It certainly is true that there will be a lot of people on the Mardi Gras, whether that impacts the experience will remain to be seen.  Oasis was by far not my favorite cruise, but the ship was a marvel of ingenuity, we will try the Mardi Gras and see if the largeness will bring the same result for us as well.  

 

Op, no one knows what the Mardi Gras will even be like yet, so until specific details come out, you will have to base your decision on the known (Oasis) and the unknown.  Either way you will have a god cruise experience.

[Mikew0805]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

According to this link, that's exactly how it's figured:

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings

 

"The ship's "space ratio" (by definition) is the enclosed space (measured in ft3/cubic feet) per passenger. A ship of 45,000 GT (gross tonnage) with capacity 1,000 passengers will have a space ratio 45 (or 45ft3=45000/1000)."

I understand that, but that number is diving all interior space by passenger, and not accounting for open areas. I am sure you can agree that if you put 1000 people on the Royal Promenade (deck 5) the way it is now, it is much more crowded than if you had flooring on decks 6 & 7 above it, and spread that 1000 people out onto 3 decks. 

 

I want to see the deck plans. If is it anything even close to the AidaNova, which it should be, then it will be fine. (Except embarkation LOL)

[Aquahound]

8 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

I understand that, but that number is diving all interior space by passenger, and not accounting for open areas. I am sure you can agree that if you put 1000 people on the Royal Promenade (deck 5) the way it is now, it is much more crowded than if you had flooring on decks 6 & 7 above it, and spread that 1000 people out onto 3 decks. 

 

I want to see the deck plans. If is it anything even close to the AidaNova, which it should be, then it will be fine. (Except embarkation LOL)

 

I don't agree with that because if there were full decks on six and 7, there would be more staterooms, therefore more people on the ship.  Even if they didn't add staterooms, the ratio would still be the same, which is in the mid to high 30s.  Sorry, but until I see this new ship, there's no way I can justify or defend a ratio of 27.   

[JaniceB]

On 12/25/2018 at 9:52 AM, naxer said:

This is interesting and I will follow it.  I saw an interview with Joe Farcus and he mentioned Carnival's "connection to the sea."  Even though he isn't the chief designer anymore, it seems that Carnival, even on the newer ships, gives a person good views and plenty of outside access.  I think if a person is looking for shopping, dining, and inside entertainment, there may be better offerings on NCL or RCL.  But if it's decks with ocean views (other than balconies), Carnival seems to offer more access.  To be fair, this is conjecture on my part as I've only sailed Carnival.  I have booked with others, but in the end cancelled and switched because I couldn't stand the thought of a restricted aft view.  Coincidentally, I will be on MSC Seaside this winter because it seems to offer what I'm looking for in that "access to the sea" feel.  But that will be the second leg of my B2B, the first leg on Glory.  And I have an aft extended balcony booked on Panorama for next winter--my first aft balcony.  That Havana area view is what I cruise for.  

I agree that if you want a connection to the sea go with Carnival.  I just sailed Oasis in November and really missed seeing the ocean.  I even missed the connection on the pool deck.  My husband said the same thing, his first Royal cruise.  I have also cruised on the LOS and missed the connection but not as much on the pool deck.  I really loved the pool deck on the LOS.  I never felt crowded on the Oasis and was able to walk into some shows without reservations, even a comedy one.  I think Carnival has the edge on comedy show.  

[robc1972]

Do both, Oasis class this summer and then Mardi Gras when it comes out in two years.

 

[jamestown478]

On 12/24/2018 at 12:24 PM, 2011mom said:

My husband really wants to try one of the giant mega ships.  We were thinking of doing a Royal Caribbean Oasis class cruise next spring, even though I'm platinum on Carnival and would prefer to sail with priority!  When I try to compare stats, the Oasis class ships have more tonnage but about the same number of total passengers, and I'm trying to figure out what that means.  Should I jump ship to RCL, or wait until 2020 and try Mardi Gras?

I would try an oasis ship at least once if I were you. The priority doesn't really matter. On my last few royal cruises it has taken about 10-15 minutes from the time I was dropped off at the dock to when I got on the ship. They definitely have that process down pat compared to carnival.

[madge57]

Go with your gut feeling! don't let anyone convince you to do one over the other because they like it. if you want to try rccl go ahead no one is going to hate you for it. I told myself I would NEVER do a rccl and I probably won't but you never know. I have too much invested with Carnival. just my opinion. have fun on either cruiseline

 

[Cinders411]

We loved the Oasis but, we are open to other cruise lines so long as they don't feel really crowded. Even on the Oasis I never felt packed in with the exception of the parties in the promenade area. I hope Carnival will have sufficient wide open spaces on the Mardi Gras. IMHO the Vista felt tight.