Trying RCCL again... Oasis Star class vs NCL Haven

[the_dylaness]

Hi all,

We aren't super loyal to any one line but have overall sailed Celebrity the most (including with our kids who will be 11 and 8 at time of sailing).  We are thinking of trying a Royal Caribbean cruise... my last one was in 2002 on the Legend of the Seas, which I think is probably not a remotely comparable experience to the new products, so I am essentially a newbie.

 

When we sail Celebrity with our kids it is usually in 2 balcony cabins; if alone we will do Aqua Class or occasionally a sky suite.

 

The itinerary we're considering on Oasis would allow us to get in a 2 bedroom Aqua Class suite, which I understand is Star Class.  There does appear to be a separate Star Class deck area but no hot tub or pool- is that right?

 

We have sailed on NCL Escape in the Haven twice and did enjoy the actual Haven (pool etc) but overall the NCL experience just isn't really our favorite.

 

Our itinerary goes to Cococay which doesn't seem to have any Star Class perks as far as I can tell- surely that is not correct?
 

I feel like we've done quite a bit of research but sometimes I'm not sure what I might be missing or not thinking to ask.  

 

Thoughts or warning welcomed!

[CruiseBride926]

We sailed Oasis in a star class suite and had a wonderful experience. There were no added perks at Coco Cay aside from things like the drink package working on the island as it would for anyone with the package. We had booked a beach club cabana and our genie escorted us there and assured we didn’t have to wait for a tram to get there. Overall I couldn’t recommend star class enough and our genie truly made the experience special not only for us but our kids. They still talk about him and to me that made it more than worth it.

[barbeyg]

Oasis does have a suite deck for sunning and relaxing, and all in suites are welcome there. The suite sun deck has a bar, but does not have a pool or hot tub.

 

 I also suggest a cabana, or at least Beach Club access on CocoCay, or a cabana at the water park for the kiddos. 🙂

 

We love the Oasis. 

[the_dylaness]

Thank you all for your insights! I see that a cabana can be up to $1800 per day when I log into the cruise planner.  That is a bit steep on top of the not-inexpensive Aqua Theater suite...  Is this the usual price?

 

Does the drink package include having beverages delivered to your room or do you have to go get them (perish the thought, LOL) like on Celebrity?

 

Can we dine in specialty dining every night or is there a limit? What about the Chef's Table? Room service from specialty dining?

[topnole]

53 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

Thank you all for your insights! I see that a cabana can be up to $1800 per day when I log into the cruise planner.  That is a bit steep on top of the not-inexpensive Aqua Theater suite...  Is this the usual price?

 

Does the drink package include having beverages delivered to your room or do you have to go get them (perish the thought, LOL) like on Celebrity?

 

Can we dine in specialty dining every night or is there a limit? What about the Chef's Table? Room service from specialty dining?

They will deliver alcoholic drinks to your room but sometimes that can take a while. They will also stock your room with your choice of beers so you never run out.  We had 12 packs delivered daily.  Water, vitamin water, juice, soda, etc always stocked too.  
 

The cabanas aren’t worth it IMO.   That is a ridiculous price for a few hours.  But if it fits your budget, I’m sure they are nice.  I’d sooner spend 1800 another way.  
 

You get specialty dining everywhere all cruise.  You can basically pick whatever time you want so enjoy that perk.  No stress.  And yes, when Star class you can have delivered.  Just did the 2br ATS and had two dinners on the deck.  They ask you to only order from one restaurant however.  We did Italian one night and another from Chops as I recall.  Eating as the aqua show starts is a lot of fun.  Our kids loved it.  NCL has nothing on that.  Just make sure you get your orders in by a certain time so the genie can make sure they get delivered when you want them.  We ate early and our orders needed to be in by 4 as I recall so the chef could deal with it first thing as the start the kitchen and prepping at 5.  Or something like that.  If you eat later it may not be an issue.  But ask your Genie to make sure.  
 

 

[topnole]

1 hour ago, the_dylaness said:

Thank you all for your insights! I see that a cabana can be up to $1800 per day when I log into the cruise planner.  That is a bit steep on top of the not-inexpensive Aqua Theater suite...  Is this the usual price?

 

Does the drink package include having beverages delivered to your room or do you have to go get them (perish the thought, LOL) like on Celebrity?

 

Can we dine in specialty dining every night or is there a limit? What about the Chef's Table? Room service from specialty dining?

FYI.  Try to get the deck 8 ATS.  It is the biggest and best IMO.  If there are only 4 of you deck 9 or 10 would be fine too.  But I’d definitely try for deck 8 or 9 because the balcony and family room gets smaller as you go up in deck number.  

[Tatka]

Suite or not, Oasis class is such a unique experience... not comparable to any ships, especially NCL Breakaway class.

[smokeybandit]

I'm not sure anything in the large ship, family-oriented cruise genre that can be beat by Star Class

[Hutcha]

Did the Haven with my wife in Feb, and a 2BR ATS  last week with a total of 7 in the room. The Haven can not touch the Star class experience. I would do the Haven again, for the right price, but they nickel and dime you. I would also only do the Haven with my wife, or two couples. Try out Star class, you will not be disappointed. Book it on over to that Face site and search "Star Class cruisers". It's a great group with a lot of info.

[the_dylaness]

Thanks for making me feel this decision was a good one!

I am disappointed about the real lack of Star Class amenities on Cococay but here were are 🙂 I will not be spending $1800 on a cabana.

 

I love the upgraded dining and room service options.  Our kids aren't tiny any more but they are still old enough to sometimes be cranky and need to get showered and pajama'd by a certain time and into bed not too late, so dining on the balcony while watching the show in PJs sounds like a very, very good plan.

 

We are on deck 9, I think, I was wondering which one was best!  

[the_dylaness]

Any luck with bottles of wine in the room for those of us more inclined towards the grapes than the barley? 🙂

 

[topnole]

25 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

Thanks for making me feel this decision was a good one!

I am disappointed about the real lack of Star Class amenities on Cococay but here were are 🙂 I will not be spending $1800 on a cabana.

 

I love the upgraded dining and room service options.  Our kids aren't tiny any more but they are still old enough to sometimes be cranky and need to get showered and pajama'd by a certain time and into bed not too late, so dining on the balcony while watching the show in PJs sounds like a very, very good plan.

 

We are on deck 9, I think, I was wondering which one was best!  

Deck 9 will be just fine.  I’ve done deck 8 a couple times and deck 10 once.  Your kids will love their own room.  It is really great for kids of any age IMO.  
 

The beauty of the balcony is that when the kids go to bed you will often have some type of entertainment below or if you prefer move to the MBR side of the balcony and just the calm of the ocean.  With a nice drink in hand it is great either way.  
 

Enjoy.  

[topnole]

29 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

Any luck with bottles of wine in the room for those of us more inclined towards the grapes than the barley? 🙂

 

Not gratis.  You can certainly order one and pay for it.  
 

You should have one from them on day one, but that will likely run out fast. Maybe that was a D+ perk.  Not sure.  You can order a few classes of wine however.  I guess too many took advantage in the past because they used to do bottles in the very early days when there was a lot of variance on perks.  

[CruiseBride926]

6 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

Thank you all for your insights! I see that a cabana can be up to $1800 per day when I log into the cruise planner.  That is a bit steep on top of the not-inexpensive Aqua Theater suite...  Is this the usual price?

 

Does the drink package include having beverages delivered to your room or do you have to go get them (perish the thought, LOL) like on Celebrity?

 

Can we dine in specialty dining every night or is there a limit? What about the Chef's Table? Room service from specialty dining?

That seems to be a pretty standard price currently. When we booked it for our Sept 2021 cruise we only paid either 800 or 900. We also split it with my parents so for us it was a deal and worked out to be cheaper than buying regular beach club passes. We also did the regular cabana and not the over water one.

[Hutcha]

14 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

Any luck with bottles of wine in the room for those of us more inclined towards the grapes than the barley? 🙂

 

Just got off Harmony. Though it was said we'd be accommodated in the pre-cruise communication, we didn't have any bottles. Never asked again, because we didn't miss it. They'll bring 6 glasses at a time, if you want. 

[Hutcha]

14 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

I will not be spending $1800 on a cabana

If you're going to do the water park, look into the cabanas there. It comes with 6 passes to the park.

[mac_tlc]

14 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

Thanks for making me feel this decision was a good one!

I am disappointed about the real lack of Star Class amenities on Cococay but here were are 🙂 I will not be spending $1800 on a cabana.

 

I love the upgraded dining and room service options.  Our kids aren't tiny any more but they are still old enough to sometimes be cranky and need to get showered and pajama'd by a certain time and into bed not too late, so dining on the balcony while watching the show in PJs sounds like a very, very good plan.

 

We are on deck 9, I think, I was wondering which one was best!  

Keep checking on the cabana prices. We got an Oasis Lagoon cabana for $399 during a Black Friday sale. It is for an August 2022 cruise. Now selling for $1100. 
 

We will be Star Class on Harmony (trying the 4-Bdr Villa Suite this time) and have done the Aquatheatre Suite on deck 8 on Oasis and on Allure. Unmatched balcony, great living area, unimpressive bathrooms. Long hallway, but with 8 people it is the best choice for us.

 

You will have a wonderful time. 
 

mac_tlc

Edited June 22, 2022 by mac_tlc

[the_dylaness]

Thank you all again for the great insights.

I am feeling way overwhelmed by the options at Cococay. Is it crazy to just get off, walk around, and find a lounger?

 

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

Is it crazy to just get off, walk around, and find a lounger?

No, most do that.

[mac_tlc]

7 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

Thank you all again for the great insights.

I am feeling way overwhelmed by the options at Cococay. Is it crazy to just get off, walk around, and find a lounger?

 

Not at all. When it’s the wife and me that is what we do. Take the tram to the Lagoon stop, find two shady loungers close to bar, lagoon pool and snack shack . It is indeed a Perfect Day.

 

 

mac_tlc

[robmtx]

41 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

Is it crazy to just get off, walk around, and find a lounger?

 

 

Are you the first ship to arrive that day? If another ship gets in before you, you'll have less of the "choice" seating. It's a big playground, so if at first you don't find what you want, you may have to hoof to another one of the beaches.

 

**edit** based on your signature, you're on one of two sailings, and both will be in Coco Cay alone.. So this won't be an issue for you. But I'll leave it for others to consider.

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by robmtx

[the_dylaness]

1 hour ago, robmtx said:

 

Are you the first ship to arrive that day? If another ship gets in before you, you'll have less of the "choice" seating. It's a big playground, so if at first you don't find what you want, you may have to hoof to another one of the beaches.

 

**edit** based on your signature, you're on one of two sailings, and both will be in Coco Cay alone.. So this won't be an issue for you. But I'll leave it for others to consider.

 

Thanks! I am sailing Jan 15th. Not sure how you figured that out about 1 ship in port but thank you, and I am glad to hear it.

[the_dylaness]

How does/can the Royal Genie help with Cococay if at all?

[BNBR]

I'd take an inside cabin on Oasis over Haven on NCL.  The Oasis class experience, overall, is far superior.  We didn't find a suite on Oasis to offer much improvement in our experience, so we went back to just regular balcony cabins.  Breakfast at Coastal was about the only perk we cared for.  The unlimited dining package and eating at all the different restaurants is well worth it, and you don't need a suite for that.

[topnole]

29 minutes ago, the_dylaness said:

How does/can the Royal Genie help with Cococay if at all?

Not much, other than reservations for a cabana or some other item that cost extra.