Disney Fantasy vs Oasis of the Seas?

brocklesnar69

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Right now I'm still in the midst of planning my 7 Day cruise. I've basically decided that my vacation will be a Caribbean cruise. I've looked at all the itineraries for both Disney and Royal Caribbean in the area I want and I am satisfied with either one.

As far as ships go, for Disney it's the Fantasy, and for Royal Caribbean it's Oasis of the Seas. So if the itinerary isn't an issue, what would you guys recommend as far as Ship vs Ship?

It will be just me and my significant other, no kids, not worried about alcohol or casino. But we certainly love a ship with plenty of fun things to offer. Both ship choices look good. As far as rooms go I plan on spending as little time in the room as possible, so I'll probably go with a more basic room. No real need for a balcony or window.

Which ship is better, nicer, has more to offer, more fun things to do, and more things for free? In other words, if you had to make an argument for which one overall made for the best experience, what would you choose? ::yes::

(We love Disney, but we also love things that aren't Disney, so that argument is basically a stalemate)

:clown: Thanks! :3dglasses

Introducing-the-Disney-Fantasy-99d19ad877854836a61e475bffd580f1.jpg


OA_01.jpg
 
Right now I'm still in the midst of planning my 7 Day cruise. I've basically decided that my vacation will be a Caribbean cruise. I've looked at all the itineraries for both Disney and Royal Caribbean in the area I want and I am satisfied with either one.

As far as ships go, for Disney it's the Fantasy, and for Royal Caribbean it's Oasis of the Seas. So if the itinerary isn't an issue, what would you guys recommend as far as Ship vs Ship?

It will be just me and my significant other, no kids, not worried about alcohol or casino. But we certainly love a ship with plenty of fun things to offer. Both ship choices look good. As far as rooms go I plan on spending as little time in the room as possible, so I'll probably go with a more basic room. No real need for a balcony or window.

Which ship is better, nicer, has more to offer, more fun things to do, and more things for free? In other words, if you had to make an argument for which one overall made for the best experience, what would you choose? ::yes::

(We love Disney, but we also love things that aren't Disney, so that argument is basically a stalemate)

:clown: Thanks! :3dglasses

Introducing-the-Disney-Fantasy-99d19ad877854836a61e475bffd580f1.jpg


OA_01.jpg

The Fantasy felt so huge(!) to us, we're hesitant to go on an even larger ship. You didn't mention which ports you're interested in, but the larger the ship, the more people to overwhelm the tiny port towns.

The Fantasy stops at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Serenity Bay, the adult beach didn't seem crowded to us. Does Oasis stop at a private island?

How active are you? Oasis' Flowrider and zip line look intriguing. Or would you prefer the Aqua Duck?

Either ship is a good choice. Chances are you'll get hooked on cruising, so whichever ship you choose now, just choose the other one next time.
 
For us Disney is unbeatable and unlike no other. The service is 12 steps above the competition! If I have a choice, it's Disney Concierge service all the way!
 
The Fantasy felt so huge(!) to us, we're hesitant to go on an even larger ship. You didn't mention which ports you're interested in, but the larger the ship, the more people to overwhelm the tiny port towns.

As far as ports for both go, these are probably my top picks thus far for each:

Fantasy: Port Canaveral, Key West, Grand Cayman, Cazumel, Castaway Cay, Port Canaveral

Oasis: Fort Lauderdale, Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Marteen, Fort Lauderdale

(Again, not 100%, but maybe 75% sure on both)

The Fantasy stops at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Serenity Bay, the adult beach didn't seem crowded to us. Does Oasis stop at a private island?

I don't believe so.

How active are you? Oasis' Flowrider and zip line look intriguing. Or would you prefer the Aqua Duck?

Fairly active when it comes to cool things to try. The rock wall, zipline, pools, shooting hoops, etc.

Either ship is a good choice. Chances are you'll get hooked on cruising, so whichever ship you choose now, just choose the other one next time.

Yeah, that sounds good, but this is basically my first cruise in 20+ years and of these two awesome picks, I'd like to go with the best choice possible. As far as vacations go, I like to mix and match. So while I will most likely take more than this one cruise, it probably wont be back to back. I'll do some other stuff in the years between.

For us Disney is unbeatable and unlike no other. The service is 12 steps above the competition! If I have a choice, it's Disney Concierge service all the way!

That's what I hear. Disney is second to none. But I also hear that the Oasis/Allure are these fantastical oceanic behemoths that are just awesome to experience. One side says Disney can't be beat, and the other says nothing compares to the floating super cities.
 

My background: 3 RCCL cruises between 1998-2008. Twice as adults only, and once with DS4. Left from Miami twice, and Galveston once. Been on Viking, Enchantment, and Rhapsody. Have done both EC and WC itineraries. Just returned from DCL Fantasy out of Port Canaveral, WC itinerary C. All cruises have been 7 days. Never stayed in concierge. I have never been on Oasis or its sister ships though. If RCCL has dropped in quality since I've been, then my assessment doesn't make sense. Corrections - 1998-2010 on Voyager (2) and Enchantment. My mind is slipping as I get older:(

Conclusion: DCL with kids. RCCL adults only

Why:
MDR - RCCL is fancy/more formal/quieter and has good ocean views for the entire dining room. I don't know if they rotate to different ones now or not. DCL is nice and fun but more oriented toward entertaining children. Food and service are great on both ships.

Buffets/QS - pretty much equal between the two. DCL inclues sodas, and there are beverage stations open 24/7 that have sodas, water, tea, and hot drinks.

Midnight buffet - Great on RCCL. DCL has a really week, mainly dessert buffet, on Pirate Night. It has very little artistic design, and the food isn't anything special.

Pools/Hot Tubs - RCCL's pools are bigger, and they have more hot tubs. The adult area has way less kids, is more serene, and has sun protection. DCL pools are more geared to kids and smaller. They only had 2-3 hot tubs, and at least one, if not 2 of those, were in the adult only area.

Physical Activities - RCCL seems to have more, because they have ice skating, rock climbing, the flow rider, and basketball. DCL has the Aquaduck. Both have mini-golf and ping pong.

Gym - RCCL is bigger and usually has a hot tub in it. DCL had plenty of cardio equipment and some weight machines, but really no room for functional fitness (boot camp, free weights, calisthenics).

Spa - RCCL has jacuzzi and sauna access when you book an appointment. DCL charges extra for the Rainforest Room, but it seems to have more stuff. I didn't actually do it.

Ports/Excursions - Pretty equal between the two. DCL excursions meet on the ship, which makes tendering go very smoothly. RCCL always seemed more stressful when tendering. Grand Cayman is a tender port. DCL has towels ready available. They also have towel return, water/lemonade/tea, and hand sanitizer when returning.

Private Island - RCCL goes to Labadee, Haiti. It's very safe, but there are armed guards at the border, kind of far from the main activity though. It might make you feel a little guilty. They are both nice and have a lot of nice beach area and stuff to do. DCL has Castaway Cay, which seemed to have more pay excursions. I don't remember many at Labadee, mainly just beach, water activities, and snorkeling.

Cleanliness - Both are very clean. However, DCL is very pushy, in a good way, about getting people to use hand sanitizer before entering the MDRs and the buffets. They use the wipes and have people stationed at every entrance handing you one. RCCL seemed to place dispensers at the buffet entrance and squirt people at dinner when entering MDR.

Food Allergies - DCL seems a little neurotic about it if you tell them, which could be good or bad.

Ship - RCCL ships feel more open, and you can see the sea from all over the ship. DCL seems to hide the sea more. You couldn't see it in most of the bars, and the windows in the some of the MDRs are not very big. Animator's Palette has no windows. You could feel like you were in a hotel on DCL. This is a personal preference thing. I like seeing the sea.

Decks - RCCL seems to have more areas where you can sit on deck and look at the sea and read. It was hard for me to find anywhere to sit on DCL, because everyone was reserving seats with their property. Hardly anyone was actually in the seats though.

Shows - RCCL is more adult. DCL is more kid friendly, but still enjoyable my most adults. DCL movies can't be beat, and the theater is 3D. They had very recent movies running constantly during the day all week.

Bars - RCCL bars are usually more open to the common areas, so it's easier to people watch. Most of the DCL bars are in enclosed rooms without windows.

Cost - RCCL seems to be lower priced to me, but that could be because we get a loyalty discount. Plus, they give a Texas resident discount in Galveston.

Specialty Dining - I have not done this on RCCL. However, I don't think anything can be Remy on DCL. It was the best meal I have ever had, and we have eaten at some really well rated restaurants in New York and San Francisco. Palo on DCL may compare more to RCCL, but we didn't do Palo.

Cabins - DCL mostly has split bathrooms, where the small tub/shower and a sink are in one room, and the toilet and a sink are in the other. That was nice with 3 people but still convenient with two. RCCL used to put the bed near the verandah. DCL puts the couch there.

Luggage - DCL luggage delivery was very timely. If you do onboard airline checkin, you can leave your bags out the last night and pick them up at your home airport. No lugging stuff through customs or the airport.

Either way, you'll have an excellent time and won't question your choice of doing a cruise on either.
 
Been on Viking, Enchantment, and Rhapsody. Have done both EC and WC itineraries. [snip]

Conclusion: DCL with kids. RCCL adults only

[snip]

Either way, you'll have an excellent time and won't question your choice of doing a cruise on either.

What a wealth of information. Thank you very much for the write-up, soniam!
 
What a wealth of information. Thank you very much for the write-up, soniam!

No problem. This was all very fresh in our minds still, since we just went in August. We originally thought we would only do DCL this once, since it was more expensive than RCCL. However, with kids, I just don't think DCL can be beat. I think it was worth the extra cost, and I'm looking forward to doing another one in the next couple of years.
 
/
A couple of additions to the RCCL vs DCL post -

You can't really compare Oasis and Allure to anything else, anywhere. Not at this point. They are their own thing. I'd suggest you visit some other cruise boards and look for information specific to these ships. There's lots to learn.

Royal actually has two "private island" stops. CocoCay is the other and is in the Bahamas.

Oasis and Allure will go to neither of these ports because they can't handle the capacity. Their itineraries are pretty limited by the size of the ships but they aren't that different from Disney's (generally pretty limited) itineraries.

We've done the Fantasy (3x) and have Oasis on the calendar for 2016. For about $1300 less than Disney's opening day prices for the same week in 2015 we're getting a Boardwalk balcony compared to an inside on the Fantasy. The lowest balcony, which is closer to an apples-to-apples comparison, is about double.

Good luck deciding.

Edited to add: The Fantasy does not do the itinerary you have listed (it's too big for Key West) - you must have a Magic itinerary pulled up. Just want you to have reasonable expectations. Also the "being able to see the sea more" on Royal might be valid on the ships posted (especially Radiance class) but it doesn't really seem to be applicable to Oasis and Allure. They're closer to the Fantasy, again.
 
DH and I have been on both the Dream and the Oasis. A lot has already been said, but I'll add what we noticed between the two.


DCL - unlimited free soda
RCCL - pay for drink "packages"

DCL - very family friendly with little to no big wild parties of drunk people wandering about
RCCL - fun bars with karaoke which spills out on the rest of the ship (good or bad, depends on what you're into)

DCL - staff will bend over backwards to help/please you
RCCL - friendly staff, but not quite as accomodating/helpful as DCL

DCL - rotating dining, seated with other guests
RCCL - one main dining room and DH and I had a table to ourselves (although the Oasis had more resturant options not included in the meal plan) We also thought the food on the Dream was better than the Oasis.


For the price of our 4 night cruise on the Dream, we booked our 7 night cruise on the Oasis with the exact same itinerary you posted.

The Oasis is a MASSIVE ship, comparing it to the other ships while docked in port, its incredible. There is a lot to explore, Central Park, the casino, the boardwalk. Even with more people on board it doesn't always feel like it solely because the ship is so large. It was a good experience and we had a great cruise, but in the end we prefer DCL. The service, and quality can't be beat, IMO.

Have fun planning, you'll have a good time either way. Maybe make your decision more on the ports/excursions offered. It isn't always just about the ship.
 
^ Yes, thanks for the write up guys. I will say that we love going to the Disney parks and never feel out of place as adults there. So hopefully that would still apply to the Disney ships.



Another question I have.... on the last day for either ship, it says they arrive back in Florida 630a/730a. Does that mean you have to be up and ready to get off the ship first thing? Or is there a sleeping-in period to avoid the big morning rush, where we could leave around 10a? Or how does that work? Assuming we book a late flight and have nothing to worry about.

And as for getting to Port Canaveral, we'd be flying in from California, so I assume we'd have to land in Orlando. So how do we get from Orlando to Port Canaveral, and back to Orlando? I'll assume again that the cruise (either) doesn't offer transportation.
 
The Oasis is a MASSIVE ship, comparing it to the other ships while docked in port, its incredible. There is a lot to explore, Central Park, the casino, the boardwalk. Even with more people on board it doesn't always feel like it solely because the ship is so large. It was a good experience and we had a great cruise, but in the end we prefer DCL. The service, and quality can't be beat, IMO.

Have fun planning, you'll have a good time either way. Maybe make your decision more on the ports/excursions offered. It isn't always just about the ship.

dscn0273.jpg


Edited to add: The Fantasy does not do the itinerary you have listed (it's too big for Key West) - you must have a Magic itinerary pulled up. Just want you to have reasonable expectations. Also the "being able to see the sea more" on Royal might be valid on the ships posted (especially Radiance class) but it doesn't really seem to be applicable to Oasis and Allure. They're closer to the Fantasy, again.

Son of a...... you're right! I'm glad you said something. On the website I selected "Disney Fantasy" and then selected between the "7 Night Eastern/Western" option, and it pulled up about 4-5 choices. I failed to notice that these weren't exclusive to just the Fantasy. Boy, if I woulda booked a trip and then come to find out it was on the wrong ship.... :mad:

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to rethink the itinerary for the Disney side of things. Not a big deal though. The actual Fantasy options don't look too bad.

I'd probably go with: Port Canaveral, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Castaway Cay, Port Canaveral. (Fantasy)
 
I'd choose Disney over Royal Caribbean hands down. I went on the Disney Magic as a single, childless, adult. I never felt out of place. It was fantastic!! The ship was so clean and the staff went out of their way to know the passengers. The level of service cannot be matched (IMHO).

My cruise with RCC was a disaster. My husband and I took the cruise for our honeymoon. The first night we went on for our dinner seating and were promptly seated in a speed dating event. As the event started and we realized what was going on, we requested to be moved. The reassignment of a table took HOURS to accomplish.

To keep this short (ish) I will just point out a few comparisons:

Disembarking:
Disney assigned us colors and we had access to our rooms until our color was called. At that time, we easily exited the ship.
RCCL has everyone restricted to two floors after 8:00 am. We're piled up like refugees. We weren't able to exit the ship until after 11:00 am. Oh, and all the water was shut off and the bathrooms were overflowing...

Dining:
Disney rotated us through different restaurants for our dinner seating.
RCCL all seatings were in the same restaurant.

Excursions:
I found them to be comparable.

Cleanliness:
Disney far outclassed RCCL.

Have a great trip wherever you decide!
 
The "last mornings" time is usually when the ship pulls alongside the dock. It then has to clear customs and the first people off the ship can go right after that. These are usually people looking to make early-ish flights.

We didn't leave Liberty of the Seas out of FLL until 10:15a or so. Group numbers were announced, based on luggage tags that you received in your room the night before. Oasis is such a huge ship that I imagine debarkation takes some time.

Port Canaveral and DCL there are set breakfast times that are based on your dinner time - first or second. Guests are encouraged to leave after their assigned time.

Both lines will have a time where they want you out of your stateroom so they can get them clean for the next guests.
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Again, these aren't really apples to apples situations.

Oasis sails out of Ft Lauderdale and the port and airport are very close to each other. A 5 minute cab ride away. If I was flying into FLL from California I'd fly in the day before, book a hotel with a free shuttle from the airport and then either a free/paid shuttle (some have packages) or cab to the port.

You could also fly into Miami but then your logistics are a bit more complicated. There are companies that arrange transport.

For DCL, there are big fancy buses from MCO to PC. These are not included in your cruise fare, but are available for purchase for $35 per person each way. They are called "transfers" and can be booked simply by calling and adding them on to your reservation with a rep. It's a good hour from the airport to the port.
 
Which Royal ship did you sail? There are some huge differences all the way from Majesty to Oasis.
I can't remember now. It's been almost eight years and we've referred to it as the floating pile of dung since we exited the ship. It wasn't one of the huge ships though. On of these days we will be able to go on a Disney cruise again and have a do-over for our honeymoon; without the speed dating. LOL


But, taking the ship sizes and styles out of the equation, I would say the level of service, attentiveness of the staff, and problem resolution is far superior at Disney.
 
I'm sorry, but an experience from eight years ago aboard a ship you can't even remember the name of doesn't really equate to a fair comparison when we're talking about Oasis of the Seas on the other side.

Not discounting your experience at all but it doesn't seem relevant to this particular conversation. Sorry it was less than stellar.
 
Again, these aren't really apples to apples situations.

Oasis sails out of Ft Lauderdale and the port and airport are very close to each other. A 5 minute cab ride away. If I was flying into FLL from California I'd fly in the day before, book a hotel with a free shuttle from the airport and then either a free/paid shuttle (some have packages) or cab to the port.

You could also fly into Miami but then your logistics are a bit more complicated. There are companies that arrange transport.

For DCL, there are big fancy buses from MCO to PC. These are not included in your cruise fare, but are available for purchase for $35 per person each way. They are called "transfers" and can be booked simply by calling and adding them on to your reservation with a rep. It's a good hour from the airport to the port.


^ This.
We also flew out from CA for both cruises. For the Disney cruise we arranged to take the DCL shuttle over to PC. It was easy to find and comfortable for the 2ish hr drive from MCO. Same goes for the return trip.

For the RC cruise we took a redeye to FLL and arrived maybe 7or8 am. Since we couldn't board until the aftrnoon we rented a car for a few hours. We ate, went to the mall and bought last minute items (alcohol). Returned the rental car at the airport and took a 5 min taxi ride over to the port. It may seem like a hassle, but we had fun exploring Fort Lauderdale (and saw enough to know we don't need to return:lmao:)
 
We are currently having the same debate. We have been on the Oasis and will sail on the Dream in a few weeks. We are waiting until after our Dream cruise to finalize our January cruise.

Having been on the Oasis I can say it doesn't compare to any other ship. There are still positives and negatives but the ship doesn't truly have an equal on any other cruise line.

We love that there is specialty dining on the Oasis. In a whole week we never ate the buffet. Mainly because it was always a crowded mess and not enjoyable. Any other time we never felt that there was that many people on the ship.

Our concerns about Disney is the small pool deck and the lack of at inside places to hang out that are not bars. The Promenade on RCCL ships is really fantastic. We are also concerned about having to sit with other people at dinner. We have requested a table for 2 but after years of doing My Time Dining on RCCL we aren't thrilled about this part.
 
What a wealth of information. Thank you very much for the write-up, soniam!

Incredible. However, one thing people sometimes complain about on Oasis or Allure is that you CAN'T see the ocean from most parts of the ship. I found the MDR on Oasis to be quite loud.
ETA we are still considering going on Oasis or Allure again and will probably be able to afford that before we can afford the Fantasy. We will see how much our upcoming Magic cruise will sway us toward loyalty for Disney. Loved our Wonder cruise but really loved Oasis last year too.
 
We sailed on the Fantasy last year. We just returned from an Allure cruise. For me I would choose the Fantasy. On the Allure, for a large part of the time, it did not feel like you were on a ship. The main area is more like a shopping mall--complete with Black Friday type sales every night. Service on both is excellent so that is a non-issue. Labadee was okay, but Castaway Cay wins hands down. The flow rider was fun, but so is the AquaDuck. The zip line was okay but won't miss it if it isn't available. I enjoy the Disney shows more than those on the Allure. Allure had Chicago, not sure what Oasis has. Other shows, for me were boring. The performers were good, the shows themselves need work. Also, Disney has the better itinerary...no Naussau. Food on both is excellent, however I prefer the selections on Disney. Again waitstaff was excellent. Embarkation goes to Royal Caribbean. Very organized. Also prefer debarkation with Royal Caribbean. I wouldn't hesitate to book either, but Fantasy wins it for me.
 

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