Detailed RCI Oasis vs Fantasy (vs Magic and Disney) Review

Not sure what your question is regarding RCI vs DCL cabin sizes. The only thing for sure is that RCL cabins are smaller with less storage space than DCL (they do have underbed storage similar to fantasy so that helps).

Hard to say if deck 10 on Oasis is closer to water than deck 10 on Fantasy. Best way to ascertain that is next time they are parked next to each other to visually check. I suppose you can go stand out on your balcony with GPS and check altitude but that would be real nerdy.....

The zipline, flowrider and rock climbing walls are free. Zipline is a little short but makes up for it in thrill factor because it is a long way down to the boardwalk 8 stories below. Rock climbing walls are of legitimate height and there are 2 of them with 3 climbers each. For both zipline and rock climbing, safety procedures appear very rigorous and top notch (differrent people double checking your harnesses; several saftey procedures along the way including redundancy clips etc).

The flowriders lines were surprisingly reasonable (shorter than aquaduck). There is a pay option for you to get flowrider lessons. 2 flowriders: one for kneeing and boogie boarding (runs 2 riders at a time). A standup flowrider.
 
RCI Annoyance: We did have to check out pool towels and if you did not return you would be charged $25. While this was extremely annoying and inconvient, we suppose that it did help cut down on "towel lounger hoarding".

Thanks for your review and comparison! As for the towels, I was shocked when one of the entertainment CMs on the Fantasy said they lose 700 towels with each port stop. People leaving them behind on excursions. Maybe a charge like this would have people not forget them. I wondered when I saw Carnival cruisers if the big towels with their names on it were conducive to not being left behind as well. I certainly don't think I'd be inclined to leave a towel on an unattended lounger if I had to pay $25 if it walked away!
 
Fantastic review!
We really enjoyed the Skyline bar and the Cove Cafe on the Fantasy. Do they have something similar on RCCL?
 


Regarding the inside cabins at DCL, our thoughts were that the inside cabins at DCL were the same square footage as the outside ones - on Fantasy, replace the fake porthole with the real one. Could be wrong though. I suppose you could check out the square footages on line if you wanted.

There are multitudes of bar/drink options including Viking Crown lounge which sits hight atop the ship with great views, live music, piano bars etc. There is not the equivalent of the skyline bar (which is really a cool place with lots of drinks and a changing skyline). They do have rising tides which is neat - 30 minute "departure trips" that run vertically between two atriums. Not sure if there is a cove equivalent, but there are champagne bars, wine bars. They have vodka, tequila tasting, martini tasting, etc.

Of course there is the lineup of the semi-raunchy adult games such as guess your mate, or a highly popular show called "quest" - google it on youtube that has popular audience interaction - of course the belly flop stuff, world's sexiest man.

Although we like the "mixology" drinks, we did not try them - just were busy and did not get around to them....
 
To the OP... I take it you like the dream/fantasy class better than magic /wonder class of ships ... ESP since you were high on the largest RCCL ships,?
 
Kids club: Hand down, Fantasy wins out. Our 10 YO wanted to go to the club every day on Fantasy. When we took the tour on Oasis, the rooms appeared small and uninteresting. There was some interesting science lab stuff, but where were the computers? Games? Fun things. Our 10YO therefore did not go to the clubs - there was no dining room pickup. This is possibly a problem for those with younger kids who rely heavily so since we did not have that age, we cannot comment on how they are once the kids are there. We just know that the 10 did not find it appealing enough to want to even check it out.

I have two kids, ages 8 and 6. We have been on 5 DCL cruises on the Magic and Wonder. This spring break, we went on a RCCL cruise on the Freedom of the Seas. My kids are easy going and have always enjoyed spending a few hours a day in the clubs on the Disney cruises, but they absolutely preferred their time in the Royal Caribbean clubs. Visually speaking, the DCL clubs are so much more appealing but I feel that they rely a lot on movies and computers to entertain the kids. My kids spent a lot of time wandering around and always found something to do, usually playing on the computer or watching a movie. Even though I dropped them off in time to do a particular activity, they often missed out on doing them because they didn't know they were going on. On Royal Caribbean, all of the kids in a particular age group are doing the same activity. For example, when I picked them up one morning, the kids (ages 6-8) were playing gaga ball while music was playing. Some kids were just playing the game, some kids were just dancing, a few kids were doing both at the same time - but everyone was participating. I was very impressed seeing all of the kids engaged in activities together throughout the week. Even though my kids spent roughly the same number of hours per day on both the DCL and RCCL cruises, it was only on the RCCL cruise where my kids actually knew most of the counselor a names and vice versa. My daughter's opinion was that DCL's kids club was more like babysitting while RCCL's kids club was more like day camp.

The pools are also so much better on Royal Caribbean. My kids could actually swim instead of only bobbing around in a vat of kid soup.

I do think the food in the main dining rooms is better on DCL than on RCCL and service is better. The specialty restaurants are about the same. One night my DH and I had a 7:00 grown up dinner in the steak house and on another night, our kids joined us for a 5:00 dinner in the Palo equivalent. Kids are allowed in the specialty restaurants before 7:00 and I saw several very well behaved children enjoying dinner in the "fancy" restaurants without kids meals.

At this point, a fun kids club and the pools are most important to my kids. Because of this, I just cancelled my spring break 2014 cruise on the Fantasy and booked a cruise on the Allure.
 


Motley Crue - thanks for the perspective on what actually happens in the clubs. You will definately enjoy the allure - one thing of note was that our perception is that the clubs - say 9-10 for example seemed small in for the number of kids that age that might be attending, but maybe we are wrong (we will pass your preceptions on to our son regarding the clubs that he may have enjoyed if he would have bothered to attend). In the end, he had his friends to enjoy the ship with.

One advice we will give: If you are worried about your kids' fun, the best cruise might be the one where you go out of your way to plan so that they have friends on it. Having said that, this is definately true for boys. We have personally witnessed a girls "bring a friend date gone bad...."
 
Great review!! Can you comment on smoking, particularly in public areas? Did you find this an issue?
 
awesome information ps17!!! Thanks for all of your time writing the details. With my daughter being 8 years old, I think the DCL structure will work best for us next spring break (already booked), but your insights sure do make our desire to cruise Allure/Oasis with the children more appealing.

Thanks!:cheer2:
 
Great review, thanks so much. I've been waiting to try the Allure or the Oasis. I think it's going to work well for our family. I think I'm going to shoot for 2014!
 
Thanks for the post, we too also were deciding Fantasy vs Allure, and decide with the Fantasy for our first cruise, we totally loved it. We book onboard for next year and sometime I think of switching to Royal Carribean but still unsure
 
Last year I took my family on the Fantasy. I had considered the Allure or the Oasis but couldn't get excited about it. This year I'm taking an adults only trip on the Dream and then a family trip on the Allure. Now that I have done Disney (which I loved) I was able to get excited about the Allure. I like trying different things so I hope to come back and compare just like you did.
Thanks for taking the time.
 
Smoking in the public areas was only limited to select areas on the top decks - similar to Fantasy. Smoking was also allowed in half of the casino. Essentially, there was no differrence between Disney and RCI.

After about 7 Magic cruises, we became a little tired of it and prefer the Fantasy. Nicer Spa areas, full court hoops, aquaduck, newer and cleaner feeling, the detective game. Having said that, designers of Fantasy missed out big time: How can you make the swimming and pool options so limited? The adult pool on Fantasy is awful compared to Magic. It is small and mostly shady. Also, the exotic rasul - a favorite for some was missing on Fantasy. We also thought that the pizza and top side food was better on Magic.

Finally, we heard that due to location of basketball courts, there is no hoops after certain hours. What's up with that? So while we like the Fantasy over Magic, we are disappointed that the ship designers did not heed best practices when they built the ships.

Meanwhile, RCI kept on building bigger and better and with the two megaships, they were able to offer a great experience as far as facilities go without making it feel crowded.

Take this for example: On the fantasy, lots of parents sit on the edge of the pool with limited deck chairs as they watch their kids swim in a pool packed with other kids. On Oasis, parents lounge with plenty of deck chairs and are able to relax and get some sun of their own as there is plenty of room in the pools and top deck.

Regarding the kids clubs, we emphasize that the RCI experience was not necessarily a free for all - it was just that for our kids, with friends and activity, they did not feel a desire to go the the clubs. We reiterate that while there was definately not the computers, games, and multimedia to make it attractive, some posters have commended RCI for the activities that they arranged for the kids that went.

Will stand by our original stated opinion: Have younger kids and new to cruising but Disney lovers ? Looking for the magical feeling of a big family reunion say at Christmas? - go on the Fantasy (or Magic). Been on Disney a few times with kids getting older? Also fretting about that repeated high price tag for similar experiences? Give Oasis/Allure a try for variety.
 
Someone enquired about pictures. While we took some, we really were too busy vacationing and with activities to do it justice. We may eventually post some, but if you are really interested, cruisecritic.com is a good one stop place to view multiple reviews including those of RCI and Allure and Oasis. Just navigate to the forums and then trace your way to RCI and you will find plenty of reviews including photos.
 
Thank you for the review. We booked our first cruise a couple of months ago. 20th anniversary cruise on the Fantasy for just my wife and I- leaving our kids with grandma. Before I started investigating I expected we would go RCCL and probably on the Oasis. Our TA suggested DCL after quizzing us on what we wanted. I was surprised. I was also surprised that after we figured in costs such as travel to the port- drive to Port Canaveral compared with flying to Ft. Lauderdale- and other expenses, the Fantasy ended up just slightly higher than the Oasis.

After reading your report, I feel more confident that we made the right choice. Even if we would end up having a slightly better time on the Oasis on this cruise, it looks like we will have a blast on the Fantasy. Just getting away for a week without hearing "dad, dad, mom, mom" will be heaven.
 
Rooms: Oasis does have a variety of suite offerrings including multistory suites etc. However, for our room which was a standard room for 4 (maybe five) people with pulldown and pullout couch, Fantasy wins out. Size of room, Disney's are largest at sea. Storage space - Oasis was very cramped as far as place to put clothes for 4 people (we still have not learned out to pack efficiently!!).

The two bathroom layout for Disney is flat out better. The sink area, bathroom storage, counter layout is also a big plus. Also, we really missed Disney rooms ability to pull privacy divider curtain. Helps for when it is time for us to tell the kids to go to sleep, or getting up in the morning to go to the gym without waking everyone in room. hower in DCL and Fantasy's shower also much much roomier (with a tub for those of you with little ones that like baths). That said, Oasis' tubular design contains the spray well (pet peave of DH is water on bathroom floor).

Kids club: Hand down, Fantasy wins out. Our 10 YO wanted to go to the club every day on Fantasy. When we took the tour on Oasis, the rooms appeared small and uninteresting. There was some interesting science lab stuff, but where were the computers? Games? Fun things. Our 10YO therefore did not go to the clubs - there was no dining room pickup. This is possibly a problem for those with younger kids who rely heavily so since we did not have that age, we cannot comment on how they are once the kids are there. We just know that the 10 did not find it appealing enough to want to even check it out.

We will have to say that with so many people on the ships, there is very high percentage that your children ages 10 and higher will meet others at the pools and make connections to spend their time.

Back to our original comments, there is almost a dichotomy of vacations: Do you want ones centered round the MDRs where you spend 6 nights, your kids are with you, they are picked up for kids club, this if for you. If you like the vacation where mom and dad wine and dine in a variety of venues, take in ship activities; while kids are running amok enjoying their activites, their own dining venues - with occasional reconnects, perhaps this is for you. Comment on this: In retrospect, there is a leap of faith you are taking on this. The (near) drownings give you something to think about. Also, at the end of the day, you are on a cruise ship with 6000 other people. You have faith in that their demographics are the same as you - vacationing families etc. In the end, it is something to think about.

One cool thing that Oasis has one-upped Disney in the photo department: For most part, no handing people your KTTW cards while you are getting your pictures taken. Disney might use facial recognition software to group your photos, but RCI's system really leverages this - no need to stop and give you your card - the photographers meander and take pictures at many venues - and you keep going with your activities. No time wasted looking through shelves of photos - your pictures are grouped together automatically - there is an occasional software mistake but this is a cool feature. (Gotta get this at home)

Finally costs: We said that before "extras" Oasis was upwards towards $6K while Fantasy was over $9K. Here is the catch: RCI will nickel and dime you to death. For example, basic water, lemonade, ice tea is free. Pop package is spendy and adds up. The specialty restaurants add up ($30 here and there or select alacart). Same thing with spa and fitness - a yoga or fitness class might cost $10 or $15. Some casual restaurants also cost. Also, it is our impression that equivalent offerrings for RCI are more expensive - similar spa offerrings or photo packages cost more but don't quote us.

On costs, we did purchase an alcohol package - for somewhere around $60 per person/day you could drink all you want tips included. This worked well for us and it was convenient to just hand the person the card at the pool and get it back without fumbling.

Crowds: With close to 6000 guests we never felt any more crowded than we were on the Magic or Fantasy. Also, like those ships, there was always a time and place for solitude.

Technology: The Oasis and Allure are technological wonders. Due to size, the ships barely rock so for those that don't want to sail for seasickness, these ships are for you. As a matter of fact, is bizaare as it seams, you almost want some turbulence and rocking to get that at-sea feeling.

In concluding for us, with teenage kids now, we think that RCI big ships (Oasis and Allure)is a likely progression. Why? Because it fits our needs. Because of variety and options for entertainment, food, excercise, sun, rest. We definately will return to the Fantasy (perhaps for family renuions, Christmas sailings etc) and we are already planning a return to the parks, but Oasis and Allure definately will get a slice of our cruise vacation budget for the time being.

Hope you guy liked the review (please remember this is opinion) and hopefuly this does not offend too many people to post on this board.

You mention RCI "nickeling and diming' you , can I assume all that is on optional things such as the upcharge dining, excurions and photos? Essentially the same things you pay extra for on DCL? Or are there "hidden" fees? We are planning to sail either the Allure or Oasis and I just want to make certain that I know the "extras" going in and am not surprised. I know you have to pay for soda if you don't want the water, tea, or lemonade but is everything else just the "extras"? :)
 
Specialty dining costs more for equivalent restaurants. There is more specialty dining which in some ways is nice, but my feeling with all the focus on "pay extra" specialty dining, they let the MDR stuff slide a bit in quality, almost to force people into the specialty venues - I've heard this from other RCL cruisers.

I was most recently on the Freedom and I'm curious to know about the setup on the Oasis class on the lower decks. My biggest complaint about the Freedom was that we couldn't get from the convention center (Deck 2) to Studio B (Deck 2) without going up two floors and coming back down.

I also dislike the casino in general. Maybe half of it is smoking and half not, but it all reeks of smoke. And the casino is one of the places you could cut through if you needed to get from the convention center to Studio B or similar. On the map it looks like you can cut through, but believe me, you can't. There's a staff area that is a cut-through but obviously we weren't supposed to use that.

I go on RCL for a concert/celebrity cruise event thingy, so I have another trip booked for next winter - we'll be on the Independence this time. I don't have much choice though, I go where the musician/party will be :D I went alone this year, kids will be coming next year. They both love DCL, but our group we'll be traveling with will provide all the activities they'll need/want on RCL. Though I'm working on making a mailbox-y type exchange like the FEs :D
 
As far as upcharging goes, the main annoyance was pop ($30PP). Other ones include select fitness classes (which is an upcharge for us because we use them a lot). Onboard airline check in is $20 per person on RCI (although you don't need to take RCI transfers to take advantage). The tipping for MDRs was automatic regardless of whether you went there or not (actually convenient, did not have to bother with forms, envelopes and such). Other things that weren't automatic upcharges but we were compelled to get were those days in MDR we did not like what was on the menu so we ordered from Chops (you can order steaks and lobsters etc. from Chops for a surcharge).

As far as MDR quality goes, we reiterate that the variety and selection was better on DCL, however, depending on what you order, DCL has some misses as well, and we did manage to order some items which I would consider to be very good on the Oasis (had a great steak as well as an excellent cut of prime rib - however they were not offerred every day). We missed semiformal night which featured lobster tails and more prime rib.


Traffic flow on Oasis seemed fine (although we did not have the time to explore the entire ship to excercise all possible desired itinerarys). There was a hallway conduit around the casino on Deck 4 so that if you wanted to go from lowest level of dining rooms to the other areas, you could use that. We don't know where the convention center is.

Understood regarding casino smoke. We don't like smoke either but it is your choice whether or not to attend the casino.
 

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