Disney Fantasy vs Oasis of the Seas?

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.

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)

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?

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

My family of 5 has gone on both of these ships and had a blast on both.

The Fantasy is an elegant ship with about 4000 passengers. It has a beautiful movie theater that shows different movies throughout the week. You also get on demand movies on your TV in your state room. We loved our stateroom on Disney. It has 2 bathrooms -one with a bathtub and sink and another with a sink and toilet. This comes in handy. Cokes are free. The way dining works is fun. Entertainment changes every night. Service is great - everyone is wonderful and cheerful. Port Canaveral is so easy to use. I went on that itinerary (except we went to Costa Maya instead of Key West). It was great. During the days at sea, my husband and I ate lunch (and breakfast) at the sit down restaurant. It was basically empty because so many people have kids and don't want a sit down experience at lunch (or breakfast). It was wonderful-it is not a buffet. You could sit by a window and have a relaxing lunch or breakfast-very quiet. I would sail again on this ship in a heartbeat. I have 3 teens and I think there are more older teens on Royal's boats; so, we need to sail on Royal until they age out of the teen clubs. The trivia is geared toward Disney songs or movies. It was fun, but I really didn't know a lot of Disney trivia. Sometimes, they held the entertainment in one of the night clubs which was really too small of a venue. For example, the Love and Marriage show was in a lounge and was too crowded. (They could have changed this. Our cruise was 2 years ago). Plus, I felt badly not ordering a drink. The waiters kept coming by and asking. On Royal's cruises, the Love and Marriage show is in their huge auditorium.

The Oasis has many areas to explore, many options to eat at, many entertainment options. I know they are changing the dining experience, so my experiences from last month are obsolete. There was so much variety of entertainment. We also cruised this itinerary and I loved it. Our room was a basic room and is tight- not nearly as roomy as the Fantasy. You will never get bored on this ship. We always found a chair to relax and read or nap. We also ate lunch and breakfast in the main dining room. You can order off the menu or go through a buffet. The trivia is fun. They have different trivias throughout the week (tri-bond, music from different decades, logo trivia, etc.). Fort Lauderdale was a longer drive for us.

I know you will have enjoy either ship. They both have a lot of free things to keep you busy.

Match Your Mate (Disney's version of L&M) is still held in lounges.

I would suggest Fantasy. The itinerary is OK but people rave about Castaway Cay.

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Why not Allure? I prefer that ship to Oasis, even thought they are sister ships (unless she's not available at that time for you).

If Allure had a private island stop, I would take Allure - even if you are not a drinker or a casino person - more to do at night (unless you are not a night owl and go to bed early).

You should also post your question on the Disney board, if you haven't already done so, so that you can get as many informed opinions as possible.

My wife and I have cruised the Allure, Oasis and Disney Fantasy. Going on the Oasis again this November. Much more bang for the buck with Royal Caribbean, top notch entertainment, fabulous neighborhoods and restaurants.

Fantasy is a classy ship with a lot of attention to detail and service. Palo's was phenomenal but the ship is definitely geared toward children that's for sure. Was Disney worth the premium cruise price? Not for us.

We've done Fantasy and Allure. I'm a Disney person, I have a Disney Annual Pass and I got married at Disney. The Disney ship was still a bit too much Disney for me. Very nice, wonderful food, but a ton of kids and Disney stuff. (And I have a kid!)

Going on Allure for the third time this fall!

Thanks for the responses!

As far as Allure/Oasis, it doesn't really matter all that much to me. It could be either one. I just picked one because I heard they were nearly identical.

Both look extremely appealing to me. I think the main reason I'm leaning ever so slightly toward's Disney Fantasy is because they seem to have the better (free) food options. (And Castaway Cay)

How would you guys rate the Free food options on Fantasy vs Oasis/Allure?

We have been on Allure and Disney Fantasy, Allure wins hands down. The free food options on Disney are not as good and not as available as on RCL in our opinion. After lunch, there are only two options, Cabana's which transforms into a sit down venue, or main dining room which we really struggled to find something good in. At least RCL has Cafe promenade, Pizza, and the deli in Central park. Also Chops is a great choice on RCL. As far as the ships and things to do, on Disney you will struggle to find adult after hours events, as most everything is geared towards children. That is my opinion, and if the cost on Disney is as high as usual, I would not hesitate to book OASIS! :D:D

I LOVE Disney Cruising. Their second gen ships are the ultimate in cool (for adults AND kids!). If you aren't interested in alcohol or casinos, DEF go with Disney!! The rotational dining is not to be missed. Each dining room has it's own flavor (ambience), and your servers rotate the same as you do. There is a very cool ship-wide "game" where you "solve the mystery" using interactive ARTWORK on the ship! The price though, for me, was the deciding factor on a 7-night cruise. It was 3-times the cost on Disney.

Royal Caribbean is nice! It tends to be an OLDER crowd. (It SUCKS for kids, compared to Disney… not that this is a current consideration.) I had a good time on Oasis, not wonderful, but good. The comedy clubs were nice (rated R). The shows do NOT compare to Disney.

It depends on what you want to do. I like to tour at the ports, so I spend less time on the ship. NOWHERE beats Castaway Cay (Disney!)… again, consider cost.

Best of luck making your decision!:D

The Oasis does Saturday to Saturday cruises and the Allure does Sunday to Sunday cruises.

On the week that you had looked at for Oasis which is doing the Eastern itinerary the Allure would be doing the Western itinerary which would include stops at Labadee (basically like RCI's own private island), Falmouth Jamaica and Cozumel.

You didn't mention when you were looking at travelling and the information I provided would not apply if you are planning for next summer as the Allure is in Europe next summer.

We have been on Allure and Disney Fantasy, Allure wins hands down. The free food options on Disney are not as good and not as available as on RCL in our opinion. After lunch, there are only two options, Cabana's which transforms into a sit down venue, or main dining room which we really struggled to find something good in. At least RCL has Cafe promenade, Pizza, and the deli in Central park. Also Chops is a great choice on RCL. As far as the ships and things to do, on Disney you will struggle to find adult after hours events, as most everything is geared towards children. That is my opinion, and if the cost on Disney is as high as usual, I would not hesitate to book OASIS! :D:D

Obviously everybody has a different opinion..I disagree with almost EVERYTHING you said..both MDR & Cabanas we thought were both superior on Disney than Allure...crab? Coconut Fried Shrimp ? Eggs Benedict all in Cabanas?? I struggled for exactly 10 seconds to find all that in the buffet area..Palo as good as Chops ( and $10 cheaper) and the Palo brunch BEST on the 7 seas BY FAR..simply fantastic deal for $25 pp..easily $75 anywhere else..the main production shows were (IMO) the BEST musicals I've ever seen- all 4 shows were spectacular in singing & dancing, especially "Villains" - I hope you saw all those..also, you forgot to mention the fantastic rotating dining concept- I LOVE that..so much more fun & exciting than the standard dining room ( nice as it is) on Allure..RCI should try that..LOVED Animator's Palate..we are 60 & NO kids & had a great time..also best cabins at sea IMO...the 2 bathrooms concept was brilliant...best shower ever, best bed, best standard balcony cabin ever...Pirate show & fireworks on pool deck fantastic..BEST sailaway party ever..and of course Castaway Cay, BEST private island we've been to BY FAR ( HAL's Half Moon Cay 2nd, Labadee 3rd, IMO).so, yes, there are a lot of kids on Disney- you should know that going in..BUT even though I love RCI & am Diamond , remember The Disney Fantasy is the HIGHEST rated cruise ship on CC at 98% rating..Allure is at 84%...I am going on Oasis next month, but would sail Disney in a heartbeat again- just got off the Dream last Nov for 4 nights...terrific cruise..IMO Disney has:

Best Cabins

Best MDR food

Best buffet

Best showers

most cabins have 2 bathrooms

best musical productions

Best private island Castaway Cay

Best service

Best dining concept ( rotation dining)

Best brunch ( Palo)

Not a bad list..Allure is great, but if you don't care about casinos, or drinking, we were quite happy on Disney..also, LOVE the magnificent outside walking promenade on deck 4- gone on Oasis ships- a BIG mistake IMO..how nice to take a stroll outside seeing the moonlight & the waves after dinner or the shows...

Big Al

Royal Caribbean is nice! It tends to be an OLDER crowd. (It SUCKS for kids, compared to Disney… not that this is a current consideration.)

My seven year old would disagree. The Disney kids *areas* were amazing, no doubt about it, but they were so crowded and overrun with a million children that nothing was really organized and when they tried to do an organized activity it was a mess with kids from 2 - 12 all together and terrible. She much prefers the Adventure Ocean program on RCCL. The staff on Disney never learned her name or who she was and it was always so chaotic dropping off and picking up.

I'm also shocked to see so many people prefer Castaway Cay to Labadee. I'm not a beach or private island person but I've been to both a few times and MUCH prefer Labadee as there's so much more variety of what to do and pretty scenery as opposed to just a tiny flat island beach place.

To be fair, I would LOVE to go back on either ship as they both beat normal life by a ton!

My seven year old would disagree. The Disney kids *areas* were amazing, no doubt about it, but they were so crowded and overrun with a million children that nothing was really organized and when they tried to do an organized activity it was a mess with kids from 2 - 12 all together and terrible. She much prefers the Adventure Ocean program on RCCL. The staff on Disney never learned her name or who she was and it was always so chaotic dropping off and picking up.

 

I'm also shocked to see so many people prefer Castaway Cay to Labadee. I'm not a beach or private island person but I've been to both a few times and MUCH prefer Labadee as there's so much more variety of what to do and pretty scenery as opposed to just a tiny flat island beach place.

 

To be fair, I would LOVE to go back on either ship as they both beat normal life by a ton!

Hmmm... I've gotta wonder if you've ever been to Castaway Cay. It's MUCH larger than Labadee.

^As I said, I've been there a few times.

^As I said, I've been there a few times.

You must not have seen much of it if you think it's "tiny".

My seven year old would disagree. The Disney kids *areas* were amazing, no doubt about it, but they were so crowded and overrun with a million children that nothing was really organized and when they tried to do an organized activity it was a mess with kids from 2 - 12 all together and terrible. She much prefers the Adventure Ocean program on RCCL. The staff on Disney never learned her name or who she was and it was always so chaotic dropping off and picking up.

 

I'm also shocked to see so many people prefer Castaway Cay to Labadee. I'm not a beach or private island person but I've been to both a few times and MUCH prefer Labadee as there's so much more variety of what to do and pretty scenery as opposed to just a tiny flat island beach place.

 

To be fair, I would LOVE to go back on either ship as they both beat normal life by a ton!

Shocked to say CC better than Labadee?? Tiny, flat island beach place?? CC is 4 times the size of Labadee!! It's 1500 acres vs. 400 acres..Clearly, you did NOT go see the entire CC area ....You must be completely crazy to say Labadee is nicer than Castaway Cay!! Not even close IMO..CC has much nicer water & beaches & amazing flowers & greenery ...Serenity Beach is KILLER with their private adult's beach, hammocks under palm trees AND their own adult's buffet areas ( BTW, best burgers ever!!)...I hope you went to check it out...Labadee has NONE of these things...I have been to Labadee 5 times and it's NOT even # 2 on my list- Half Moon Cay ( HAL) is also much nicer than Labadee...I have actually spoken to many people who did not like Labadee at all, but NEVER spoke to anyone who didn't think CC was beautiful...did you take the trolley all the way to Serenity Beach? I like Labadee, but it is nowhere near the beauty of CC..there might be more to do, but I'll take CC or HMC anyday for the beach, sand & beauty...

Here you go..a nice video clip of Castaway Cay..the adult beach starts at 2 min 35 sec..also the adult buffet is after that...it's sooo much prettier than Labadee...

Big Al

FWIW, there is always food available on Disney after lunch contrary to a comment above. Besides all of the restaurants at mealtimes, there is quick service with sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruit and there is quick service for hamburgers, pizza, chicken fingers - all of which is on the pool deck. Room service is also available and most of it is included. Some prepackaged items have a charge.

And the kids club starts at 3, not 2 which is neither here nor there for the OP.

I don't know if it will let me post this link, but over on the disboards there is a "Shrek takes on Mickey" trip report comparing the two ships. It's an older report and the pictures wouldn't load for me this morning, but you might want to check it out.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2810383

If prices were similar, we would sail Disney most of the time. IMO it has better food and entertainment. RCCL's prices and sailing options make it our choice cruise line.

SA

We sailed the Disney Fantasy last year (doing the Allure this month), one thing I really liked about DCL is that they actually enforced the adult only areas and entertainment on our cruise. The cruise was my daughters High School graduation gift, she was 18, but was asked numerous times to show her card to show she was 18. The Satellite Falls on the Fantasy became our favorite spot. (cool towels given out while laying out, plenty of waiters to serve drinks, nice cushioned lounge chairs and Satellite Falls to cool off in) The adult beach and buffet (the steak is very good, and only served at the adult buffet) on Castaway Cay were just awesome.

We traveled with family and friends, one being 16 years old, and he was not allowed into the adult comedy show, to be clear it wasn't the content of the show (after all it is Disney), but more a "kid free" time for the adults.

If you are flying, I would take that into consideration. Airfare into Orlando has been on the high side. We are flying in this month and November. November was sky high but finally way lower~~not low like it used to be, but lower.

If you are flying, I would take that into consideration. Airfare into Orlando has been on the high side. We are flying in this month and November. November was sky high but finally way lower~~not low like it used to be, but lower.

Unfortunately the flights don't show up yet as far ahead as I am looking. So I'll probably have to wait until this Dec/Jan before I can see the following Dec times.

But if the prices in Nov/Dec are the same or similar to the prices in Jan-June (what's posted so far) then it should be too bad.

I don't know if it will let me post this link, but over on the disboards there is a "Shrek takes on Mickey" trip report comparing the two ships. It's an older report and the pictures wouldn't load for me this morning, but you might want to check it out.

 

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2810383

Yeah, it works for me. That is a fantastic thread! Thanks for posting.