Oasis Class vs. Disney Fantasy

[lawyerboy5555]

We've been exclusive loyal to Royal for at least 20 years, and over the past several years we've been exclusively on the Oasis class ships and love them (although our last voyage on Symphony left a little to be desired, but I digress).  We're looking at the Disney Fantasy for next summer (since it's not looking likely the Allure will get to be refurbished in time), and I'm curious if there are any families who have been on BOTH an Oasis class ship AND the Disney Fantasy who can really help me compare them.  My wife and I would have our 12 year old daughter with us.

 

On the Oasis class, we enjoyed the karoke in On Air, liked walking on the Promenade, we loved the AquaTheater (but I know there's nothing like that on other cruise lines), and enjoyed some of the more casual dining such as El Loco Fresh, Sorrento's pizza, and Windjammer for lunch.   We also liked the open feel of Central Park and the Boardwalk.   

 

Yes, I know some of those are the neighborhood concept exclusive to Royal Caribbean, but outside of the pool deck, does the Disney Fantasy have enough outdoor activities?  I'm curious the general types of onboard activities that aren't just bars/lounges/nightclubs.  

 

Are the tweens really happy with The Edge on Disney Fantasy?  That's one area where Royal Caribbean is lacking - their program for tween ages (11-13 or 14).

 

The rotating dining concept seems interesting, but I wasn't sure if people were truly happy with it.

 

So, if you've been on both an Oasis class ship and the Disney Fantasy, please reply and let me know thoughts/experiences you can share.  

 

THANK YOU in advance!!!

Edited April 30, 2020 by lawyerboy5555

[Norwich Cruiser]

Wouldn’t like to sway you one way or the other but we’ve had three excellent family cruises on Disney ships one on Disney Fantasy and quite a few on RCCL Oasis class.

 

Don't worry about the rotating dining as in our experience on each Disney our waiters followed each night to the restaurant we were eating in and found the whole experience superb we did have reservations about it beforehand.

 

The youngest children we have sailed with was two years old and the eldest fifteen years of age.

 

On every cruise and both cruise lines all the adults and children have had fantastic cruises.

 

We’ve another family cruise booked on Allure this August and although it hasn’t been cancelled yet fully expecting it to be.

[KsucAts]

We have done all 4 Disney ships and switched to Royal because we couldn't justify the cost of Disney.  Years ago, there wasn't that big of a difference.  Anyway, we really liked the rotational dining.  That is one of the things we miss about Disney.  

 

My daughter was in that tween group when we were on the Fantasy.  She absolutely loved it & was there most of the time. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

I believe @Andy C has been on both Oasis Class and Disney. Maybe he can weigh in on your question. 
 

M8

[orville99]

10 hours ago, lawyerboy5555 said:

We've been exclusive loyal to Royal for at least 20 years, and over the past several years we've been exclusively on the Oasis class ships and love them (although our last voyage on Symphony left a little to be desired, but I digress).  We're looking at the Disney Fantasy for next summer (since it's not looking likely the Allure will get to be refurbished in time), and I'm curious if there are any families who have been on BOTH an Oasis class ship AND the Disney Fantasy who can really help me compare them.  My wife and I would have our 12 year old daughter with us.

 

On the Oasis class, we enjoyed the karoke in On Air, liked walking on the Promenade, we loved the AquaTheater (but I know there's nothing like that on other cruise lines), and enjoyed some of the more casual dining such as El Loco Fresh, Sorrento's pizza, and Windjammer for lunch.   We also liked the open feel of Central Park and the Boardwalk.   You will find nothing similar on Disney Fantasy, although their buffet is much better than RCL's for breakfast and lunch.

 

Yes, I know some of those are the neighborhood concept exclusive to Royal Caribbean, but outside of the pool deck, does the Disney Fantasy have enough outdoor activities?  I'm curious the general types of onboard activities that aren't just bars/lounges/nightclubs.  Outdoor activities tend to disappear when Disney starts to serve dinner. The deck chairs get stacked up, the pools close, and the few casual dining options on the pool deck start to close down.

 

Are the tweens really happy with The Edge on Disney Fantasy?  That's one area where Royal Caribbean is lacking - their program for tween ages (11-13 or 14). By the time our grandsons were 9-10 years old, the were bored with Disney, and stopped going to the club. They loved RCL when we introduced them to Freedom of the Seas.

 

The rotating dining concept seems interesting, but I wasn't sure if people were truly happy with it. The reality is that if you want food at dinnertime, you really have very limited other choices. Their buffet isn't open on the first night or the last night, and while it transforms into a table service restaurant on the other nights, the menu is limited and doesn't change a lot between evenings. The snack area on the pool deck skinny's down to only one option. You also can only book their specialty restaurants once per cruise

 

So, if you've been on both an Oasis class ship and the Disney Fantasy, please reply and let me know thoughts/experiences you can share.  

 

THANK YOU in advance!!!

We are Platinum on Disney, and D+ on Royal, and have sailed numerous times on all four of Disney's ships, and cruised Disney exclusively for several years.. We only switched to Royal because the Magic was repo'ing to Europe and RCL was the only cruise option available out of Port Canaveral. After a few years of cruising on Royal, we decided to go back and sail on Disney again, and after trying Dream and Fantasy a few times, we gave up on Disney entirely. Even if the costs were comparable, there's an order of magnitude more for families to do on RCL. YMMV

Edited April 30, 2020 by orville99

[zekekelso]

I’ve taken kids to tween clubs on both DCL and RCL. In our experience, it’s about the other kids. If they find fun kids to get along with, they like the club. If not, not so much. I don’t see any differentiation between the lines for older kids clubs. 

[Cruisin_n_Boozin]

IMO... If cost was equal, you can't beat a Disney cruise, especially with kids (assuming those kids like Disney).  The shows every night are better than anything you will find on Royal.  Rotational dining is awesome because you get a different menu and atmosphere every night, in some very nicely themed restaurants.  The service on Disney blows away Royal (and that is not taking anything away from Royal, as they absolutely have world class service, but Disney takes it up another notch).  Disney includes Soda for everyone at the restaurants and self serve on the pool deck.  If you order a soda at a bar then you will have to pay.  Unfortunately they don't offer drink packages so that is a negative to many.

 

For the kids, the kids clubs are 10000x better than anything Royal has.  My kids have fun on Royals, but I have to drag them out of Disney's.  Perfect Day is better than Castaway Cay, so that's a W for Royal.  Though Castaway Cay is still pretty fun.  Disney has more quick service food options so you can get a burger/hot dog/sandwich/pizza etc all at the pool deck which is nice.  Oasis does a good job with quick service, but with Disney it is centrally located.

 

But to round it off, I started with "If cost was equal".  Unfortunately it has gotten significantly more expensive to sail on Disney.  In most cases more than 2x the cost.  Because of that we almost always sail Royal now.  If I was in a position where cost wasn't a factor I would be exclusive to Disney.

 

Of course everyone has a different opinion, this is just mine!

[LeeW]

See my response on the Disney board.

[John&LaLa]

If costs were equal, I'd choose a Tesla Model 3 over a Prius, right @Andy C

[Andy C]

11 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

If costs were equal, I'd choose a Tesla Model 3 over a Prius, right @Andy C

 

I love my Model 3.  Prius is a joke.  Plus my Model 3 is made in the USA.  

 

[ToroAzul]

I've been on Disney dream, not fantasy. 

 

I'd take an Oasis class all day. 

 

Except for Palo. That food and wine pairing was excellent. Really wanted to try Remy but it didn't happen. 

 

All the cruise lines I've been on have had excellent service so I wasn't blown away by Disney. 

 

Disney was $3k for a balcony for four on a 4 day cruise. We did that in Sept of 2017 and 2018. Disney is soooo much more expensive when comparing equivalent cabins. 

 

Also, just like land-based Disney, enjoy standing in line for characters! 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by ToroAzul

[edspec]

We used to cruise exclusively on DCL.  Loved the rotational dining.  Didn't love the Disney themed shows and no drink package.  Service...worst two room stewards we've ever had were on DCL.  Granted, there were some great ones on DCL also, but we've had excellent service on other lines as well.  Oasis class much better for our family as there is more to do for all ages.

[Kport2011]

We have been on both.  The cruises we have taken on Disney have been EXCELLENT!  Yes, you will most likely pay more for the Disney sailings. We have been lucky in scoring deals from time to time with Disney.  Our sailing with RCCL on the Oasis class ships were also very nice.  The Oasis class is just a bit too large for our preferences.

 

Price is usually our sticking point, so RCCL wins out most of the time. 

 

If you are sailing around Christmas, Disney is fabulous!!!!

[meghan74]

We have sailed on both the original and newer Disney ships, including the Fantasy. We switched to Royal for our first adults only cruise due to price. If the price was equal, I would absolutely pick Disney if I was traveling with my younger teen (13). I would pick Royal if I was traveling with my 19 year old because the 18-20 crowd is largely forgotten on Disney cruises. They're too old for the teen club and too young for the bars. 

 

If you are Disney fans, there's nothing even close to the quality of shows on a Disney cruise. They are simply fantastic. We found the other entertainment generally fine and I would say equal to Royal. The decor and theming on Disney is amazing and something we loved. 

 

I believe the basic inside, oceanview, and ocean balcony cabins on Disney are bigger than on Royal. Disney cabins all have bathtubs and most (if not all) separate the toilet from the shower/tub, which is really nice when traveling with a family.

 

The Disney buffet is better than Royal's, but as mentioned above, it isn't open as much as on Royal. On Fantasy, IIRC, in addition to the buffet and dining rooms, you can grab ice cream/frozen yogurt, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, fries, fresh fruit, salad, and other snack items at the quick service counters on the pool deck. I thought we would hate the dining rotation, but we loved it. Your wait staff travels with you and the theming in the different restaurants is amazing. I like the food better on Disney, but I have no complaints about Royal. I haven't eaten in a specialty restaurant on either, so I can't compare those. It's really nice that soda is included in the price of your cruise. Now that I've cruised with a drink package on Royal, I would miss that on Disney. 

 

We prefer Castaway Cay to Coco Cay, but that could be because we've been to Castaway Cay more frequently. The adults only areas on both the ships and Castaway Cay are excellent and Disney does a good job of keeping kids out of the adult areas.

 

Sadly, Disney is just out of our price range now and since I rarely travel with only my 13 year old, Royal is better for us with an older teen and parents who enjoy the drink package. Now that my oldest is in college and on a different vacation schedule, I had planned to take a mother-daughter trip with the youngest over spring break and really wanted to pick Disney, but it was about twice the cost and I couldn't justify it. 

 

The bottom line is you'll be happy on both. Service is great on both, but Disney feels a little less hotel-like to me for reasons I can't explain. The little touches like announcing your name when you board just make it feel different from other cruise lines. Some people are willing to pay more for Disney because there is very little upselling on board. Nobody is pushing you to buy anything extra. However, if you're able to ignore the upselling on Royal, it's likely the better deal.

 

 

[Norwich Cruiser]

1 hour ago, meghan74 said:

We have sailed on both the original and newer Disney ships, including the Fantasy. We switched to Royal for our first adults only cruise due to price. If the price was equal, I would absolutely pick Disney if I was traveling with my younger teen (13). I would pick Royal if I was traveling with my 19 year old because the 18-20 crowd is largely forgotten on Disney cruises. They're too old for the teen club and too young for the bars. 

 

If you are Disney fans, there's nothing even close to the quality of shows on a Disney cruise. They are simply fantastic. We found the other entertainment generally fine and I would say equal to Royal. The decor and theming on Disney is amazing and something we loved. 

 

I believe the basic inside, oceanview, and ocean balcony cabins on Disney are bigger than on Royal. Disney cabins all have bathtubs and most (if not all) separate the toilet from the shower/tub, which is really nice when traveling with a family.

 

The Disney buffet is better than Royal's, but as mentioned above, it isn't open as much as on Royal. On Fantasy, IIRC, in addition to the buffet and dining rooms, you can grab ice cream/frozen yogurt, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, fries, fresh fruit, salad, and other snack items at the quick service counters on the pool deck. I thought we would hate the dining rotation, but we loved it. Your wait staff travels with you and the theming in the different restaurants is amazing. I like the food better on Disney, but I have no complaints about Royal. I haven't eaten in a specialty restaurant on either, so I can't compare those. It's really nice that soda is included in the price of your cruise. Now that I've cruised with a drink package on Royal, I would miss that on Disney. 

 

We prefer Castaway Cay to Coco Cay, but that could be because we've been to Castaway Cay more frequently. The adults only areas on both the ships and Castaway Cay are excellent and Disney does a good job of keeping kids out of the adult areas.

 

Sadly, Disney is just out of our price range now and since I rarely travel with only my 13 year old, Royal is better for us with an older teen and parents who enjoy the drink package. Now that my oldest is in college and on a different vacation schedule, I had planned to take a mother-daughter trip with the youngest over spring break and really wanted to pick Disney, but it was about twice the cost and I couldn't justify it. 

 

The bottom line is you'll be happy on both. Service is great on both, but Disney feels a little less hotel-like to me for reasons I can't explain. The little touches like announcing your name when you board just make it feel different from other cruise lines. Some people are willing to pay more for Disney because there is very little upselling on board. Nobody is pushing you to buy anything extra. However, if you're able to ignore the upselling on Royal, it's likely the better deal.

 

 

Superbly written and in total agreement.