Oasis class to Voyager class...

[OCSC Mike]

Just now, loman said:

We only look at sailings out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

Narrows it down pretty good.🙂

 

I got ya beat. I live an hour from Port Canaveral and I won't even drive an extra 2 hours to Ft Lauderdale. 🤣

[loman]

7 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

I got ya beat. I live an hour from Port Canaveral and I won't even drive an extra 2 hours to Ft Lauderdale. 🤣

Yes , you win 😃

I wont go to Port Canaveral as i dont want the road trip from Orlando Airport

so i fly to the other two airports. 

There are definite advantages living in Florida if you like to cruise. 

And you dont need to shovel snow .😂

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, loman said:

Yes , you win 😃

I wont go to Port Canaveral as i dont want the road trip from Orlando Airport

so i fly to the other two airports. 

There are definite advantages living in Florida if you like to cruise. 

And you dont need to shovel snow .😂

 

Understood and agree on all counts.

 

Wife & I grew up in the Philly suburbs. I miss cool weather but definitely not the snow. She misses the snow. 🙈

[loman]

8 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Understood and agree on all counts.

 

Wife & I grew up in the Philly suburbs. I miss cool weather but definitely not the snow. She misses the snow. 🙈

Im sure she will get over it eventually . Give her some time .

GO Eagles . 

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, loman said:

Im sure she will get over it eventually . Give her some time .

GO Eagles . 

 

It's been 22 years, lol, not happening. Fly Eagles Fly!

[flamingos]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

When the ships including Monarch and Majesty came out....they were called the "largest cruise ships in the world".  😉 

They were, and I sailed them.  Then Voyager when it was the biggest.

 

All the ones since then are really neat, but Voyager was such a huge departure from Sovereign class!  Now, they are just bigger, badder Voyagers to me.  🙂

[island lady]

5 minutes ago, flamingos said:

They were, and I sailed them.  Then Voyager when it was the biggest.

 

All the ones since then are really neat, but Voyager was such a huge departure from Sovereign class!  Now, they are just bigger, badder Voyagers to me.  🙂

 

A lot of very fond memories with sweet little Monarch!   Then when she left...and we received MJ in her place in PC, I was sure I would not like her...being so loyal to the Monarch and her great crew.  But ended up loving MJ just as much.  🙂 

[mo&fran]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

I got ya beat. I live an hour from Port Canaveral and I won't even drive an extra 2 hours to Ft Lauderdale. 🤣

Got you beat, 45 minutes to Port Everglades.

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, mo&fran said:

Got you beat, 45 minutes to Port Everglades.

 

Oh there are tons of posters who live right by PC. I know I don't have the shortest ride.

 

Do you refuse to drive the extra (however long it takes) to Miami is the question.

[mo&fran]

Just now, OCSC Mike said:

 

Oh there are tons of posters who live right by PC. I know I don't have the shortest ride.

 

Do you refuse to drive the extra (however long it takes) to Miami is the question.

Only if there is no other choice. Also, we hire a car service, so we can cruise as long as we want, and not have the parking charges.

[island lady]

6 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Oh there are tons of posters who live right by PC. I know I don't have the shortest ride.

 

Do you refuse to drive the extra (however long it takes) to Miami is the question.

 

Once every few years, I will take the dreaded heavy traffic 3 hours to Port Everglades...this last time was only to finally try the Odyssey on a B2B.  Worth it!

 

But will not drive to Miami.  

 

20 minute drive to PC spoils me of course.  😉 

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

Only if there is no other choice. Also, we hire a car service, so we can cruise as long as we want, and not have the parking charges.

 

Good deal. If someone would drive me to and from Port Everglades for cheap I would consider sailing from there. 😁

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, island lady said:

20 minute drive to PC spoils me of course.  😉 

 

Yep, that was basically what I was getting at of course.

[Another_Critic]

7 hours ago, brillohead said:

I don't think you understand.  Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class all have multi-level dining rooms.  They all have the same menu, but they have different names and are located on different decks.

Yes, I understand the multi-level MDRs.  I was responding to "The newer ships have smaller multiple main dining rooms."  In which case, Quantum class is the only class with smaller multiple (aka separate) MDRs. 

[brillohead]

8 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Yes, I understand the multi-level MDRs.  I was responding to "The newer ships have smaller multiple main dining rooms."  In which case, Quantum class is the only class with smaller multiple (aka separate) MDRs. 

Ah, I misunderstood that part. Thanks for the clarification.

[brillohead]

3 hours ago, flamingos said:

They no longer have names, it seems. We were on Mariner on the Deck 3 Dining Room and saw the statue of Georg and Maria on the Grand Staircase, which is when we realized that this used be the Sound of Music dining room.  

They do have names, but they're irrelevant.

[flamingos]

2 minutes ago, brillohead said:

They do have names, but they're irrelevant.

Yeah, that final bit of romance is gone. I remember when your SeaPass card gave the name of your dining room: American Icon, Reflections, Macbeth, Magic Flute, Gigi......    A bygone era, as they say.

[Broons77]

@OCSC Mike @mo&fran @island lady

 

I stumble on this nice little thread about a cruise from my hometown that I'm booked on (well, kinda.  Oct 16th), and all of you Floridians show up yet again with your 20-minute drives and choice of embarkation ports.  All I want is one itinerary to the Bahamas that doesn't make me have to drive to New Jersey...  😭

 

Back to the topic at hand of Voyager, I'm really excited to see this ship as it really was a feat of engineering when they floated her out.  We've only sailed on Rhapsody and Anthem - almost completely opposite ends of the spectrum - and we loved them both!  Even though Rhapsody was comparatively tiny, there's something to be said for the vibe you get from a smaller crowd, and I mean that in a good way.  For me, it really REALLY felt like a cruise if that makes sense.  The wow factor and multiple choices you get with Anthem give it more of a hotel/resort feel for me.  Isn't stopping me from trying Oasis next year.

 

I do wish they had more restaurants but like the OP, we're pretty easy going and we'll get over it.  On the bright side, it really cuts down the desire for the UDP.  Just the 3 night dining will do.

[ARandomTraveler]

23 minutes ago, Broons77 said:

@OCSC Mike @mo&fran @island lady

 

I stumble on this nice little thread about a cruise from my hometown that I'm booked on (well, kinda.  Oct 16th), and all of you Floridians show up yet again with your 20-minute drives and choice of embarkation ports.  All I want is one itinerary to the Bahamas that doesn't make me have to drive to New Jersey...  😭

 

Back to the topic at hand of Voyager, I'm really excited to see this ship as it really was a feat of engineering when they floated her out.  We've only sailed on Rhapsody and Anthem - almost completely opposite ends of the spectrum - and we loved them both!  Even though Rhapsody was comparatively tiny, there's something to be said for the vibe you get from a smaller crowd, and I mean that in a good way.  For me, it really REALLY felt like a cruise if that makes sense.  The wow factor and multiple choices you get with Anthem give it more of a hotel/resort feel for me.  Isn't stopping me from trying Oasis next year.

 

I do wish they had more restaurants but like the OP, we're pretty easy going and we'll get over it.  On the bright side, it really cuts down the desire for the UDP.  Just the 3 night dining will do.

Ugh, I wish driving to ANY port was an option! My upcoming Thanksgiving cruise is costing me $1800 in airfare alone for 2 people from the west coast to Miami and back. Not to mention the $800 hotel room.
 

This is of course the result of deciding to take a cruise during an expensive holiday, and the currently higher-than-normal airfare prices. 
 

As to the original intent of this thread, we're doing the opposite; having always sailed Voyager and Freedom class ships, we're trying our first Oasis and I'm VERY excited about it.
 

The first time we saw an Oasis class ship in person (I think it was the Allure in 2013), I said I'd never try it, it looked too big and closed in. And reading all the threads about booking shows ahead of time, having to plan out your whole schedule before getting on the ship, and the confusion I felt when reading about all the different room categories and neighborhoods...it just seemed stressful and overwhelming.
 

I guess after reading about those things for so many years I've inadvertently picked up enough knowledge that it doesn't intimidate me anymore. While considering a southern Caribbean cruise on the Voyager (port intensive to islands I love) vs a western Caribbean cruise on the Symphony (whose ports don't interest me at all, other than cococay), I was getting discouraged about the run-down state of the Voyager, the lack of amenities and ship updates.

And one of the final tipping points for me happened while I was considering booking a dining package and realized the unlimited dining package price was the same for the Voyager (which only has 3 restaurants) as it was for the Symphony (which has essentially 7 I think), I made the switch, and I'm very excited, despite the outrageous airfare cost to get there.

Edited June 18, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[island lady]

58 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Yep, that was basically what I was getting at of course.

 

Perks of living in Central Florida.  😉 

[island lady]

42 minutes ago, Broons77 said:

@OCSC Mike @mo&fran @island lady

 

I stumble on this nice little thread about a cruise from my hometown that I'm booked on (well, kinda.  Oct 16th), and all of you Floridians show up yet again with your 20-minute drives and choice of embarkation ports.  All I want is one itinerary to the Bahamas that doesn't make me have to drive to New Jersey...  😭

 

That can be arranged!  We are a congenial lot down here...move on down and become our neighbor! 😉   

[Broons77]

2 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

That can be arranged!  We are a congenial lot down here...move on down and become our neighbor! 😉   

 

You are most definitely congenial, but I'm not a fan of the hot 'n muggys,  I lived outside of Philly for 5 years and even that was too hot for me!

 

29 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Ugh, I wish driving to ANY port was an option! My upcoming Thanksgiving cruise is costing me $1800 in airfare alone for 2 people from the west coast to Miami and back. Not to mention the $800 hotel room.
 

...I was getting discouraged about the run-down state of the Voyager, the lack of amenities and ship updates.

 

I forget sometimes that just having any option is better than none.  But I still want a Coco Cay sailing from Boston!!!!

 

I am a bit concerned by your comment about Voyager's condition, when was your last time on her?  Didn't she get a freshening back in 2020?

[island lady]

7 minutes ago, Broons77 said:

 

You are most definitely congenial, but I'm not a fan of the hot 'n muggys,  I lived outside of Philly for 5 years and even that was too hot for me!

 

Absolutely too hot and muggy for us as well in the summer.....that is why I am currently posting this from our usual summer time retreat in Maine, north of Bar Harbor.  😉 

 

May be tad too cool (right now anyway)....cloudy, damp, 59 degrees.   😮 

[ARandomTraveler]

44 minutes ago, Broons77 said:

 

You are most definitely congenial, but I'm not a fan of the hot 'n muggys,  I lived outside of Philly for 5 years and even that was too hot for me!

 

 

I forget sometimes that just having any option is better than none.  But I still want a Coco Cay sailing from Boston!!!!

 

I am a bit concerned by your comment about Voyager's condition, when was your last time on her?  Didn't she get a freshening back in 2020?

I haven't actually sailed on Voyager (but I've been on explorer, adventure and mariner). I had the Voyager booked for thanksgiving week, but switched to Symphony.
 

I read a bunch of the Voyager reviews (which are of course 2 years old because she didn't start sailing again until May of this year). I also read lots of threads about the ship, and it sounded like Voyager was in the worst shape of all the Voyager class ships. People were reporting that it was run down and old, that it's in need of an update, it's the only Voyager class ship that doesn't have Coke Freestyle machines, which isn't a big deal, but to me, showed that Voyager wasn't getting much attention in the "updates" category. I think it was scheduled for an update that it didn't get because of the pandemic. I could be wrong though. 
 

It also has the old-style balconies (they're metal instead of glass). I can't remember all the details I read about what Voyager was missing compared to other Voyager class ships, but the more I read reviews, the more run-down it sounded in comparison to the other ships I've sailed and I was losing enthusiasm for the trip. 
 

Given that the itinerary I was considering had 6 port stops, we would have been on the ship very little, and I'm sure it would have been a perfectly fine ship. I just started researching and was feeling less and less enthusiastic about the ship itself, and decided to switch to something I was more excited about.

 

I LOVE the southern Caribbean route, I've done it a couple times, you can't beat the beauty of the water and the beaches down there. I'm sure it's a perfectly fine ship to sail on, and I would still consider going on her if the purpose was to get to the southern Caribbean. If it's sailing a more typical eastern/western route though, I personally would skip it.

Edited June 18, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[HBE4]

On 6/17/2022 at 11:27 AM, island lady said:

A former CC friend, may she rest in peace, always had an answer to the question..."Which is your favorite ship?"    Her answer....."The ship I am currently on".   Smart lady...I like to think I follow her take on life.  😉 

 

I think I remember that lady. That saying was in her signature, correct? I can't remember for CC name but sorry to hear she passed away. RIP