kingkopes

I have done both Liberty and Oasis multiple times. Most recently was the Liberty last May out of Galveston.

 

For me, before her most recent makeover, I would have chosen the Liberty. This is for a couple of reasons, the most important being that Liberty leaves from Galveston. We have sailed from Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New Orleans, etc. Galveston was absolutely by far the worst experience I've ever had. Although Port Canaveral is approximately the same distance from the airport as Galveston is, transportation is substantially easier to Port Canaveral. The infrastructure in Galveston is not made to hold a ship as large as Liberty (the streets in front of the ship terminals in particular). Both embarkation and disembarkation took 3-4 times longer than the Florida ports and even New Orleans (which we thought was pretty bad before we experienced Galveston).

 

Another thing to consider with Galveston- you are sailing in March. It is not uncommon for a cold front to come through that area, that time of year, so you should plan on the potential of your first and last day at sea being cooler than you would expect on a Caribbean cruise.

 

Lastly, the addition of the new staterooms on Deck 12 during her last dry-dock not only makes the solarium feel a bit more closed in, the top deck looks super chopped up from cutting off and re-routing the walking track on Deck 12, the mismatched walls/carpet where the new section meets the old section, etc. The ship had a very different (not positive) feel to us the last time we sailed on her from Galveston.

 

Bottom line- I would spend $300 extra dollars without hesitation for Oasis from Port Canaveral. This is coming from somebody who thoroughly enjoys both classes of ship.

What week did you go last May? We were on her 5/8-15th.

I really enjoyed Liberty after the dry dock. We actually stayed in one of the new rooms and it was super nice! I could really care less about miss matching old and new carpet. That's not what I take a vacation for! haha

Never experienced Liberty prior to the dry dock, so I cant compare.

For us, the cheaper cost getting to Galveston definitely leads us towards Liberty. Flights and the higher price of Oasis cabins add up and it just isn't worth it to us.

The embarkation and disembarkation was no problem at all when we went. We got on the ship super early the first Sunday (pretty sure I was just platinum?) and we got off the ship with just the normal lines. Nothing that killed it for us!

I will try to give you my thoughts... Freedom x3, Liberty x1 (going again in May), Allure x1. GF and I earlier 20's.

You will love either. I have always enjoyed RCI. Service, entertainment, WOW factor, all of it.

- I like the setup of Freedom class pools MUCH better. All the entertainment is right there. Love the band and the sexiest man (have actually won a few times), belly flop, eating contests, etc. We love the excitement around the pool and favor the main pools over the solarium. Sorry I cannot review those areas.

- Labadee is an awesome port. No doubt about that. But we loved Roatan (snorkeling at West End). And always love Cozumel.

- Oasis class sure has that WOW factor, but it is so so big that it takes forever to get anywhere haha. I think that Liberty may have the perfect balance of WOW and ease of getting around. That being said, we might be going on Oasis class is 2018...

- Flowrider for me is a huge reason why I honestly do not want to try a different cruise line... both ships have that! The slides on Liberty were fun once, but were nothing special.

- Entertainment has always been well, entertaining. As said before, it changes though, so it is hard to give an accurate guess of how it will be when you go!

- MDR seemed to be all the same across the ships. I love the MDR (some seem to complain). I know it is not the absolute top notch food, but I love the entire experience and being able to order 4 apps, 3 entrees and 2 desserts if I want! haha

What is better connection to the sea??

Any other specific questions, let me know and I will answer if I know!

I have gotten the refreshment package on my past two cruises (Freedom and Liberty) for the pure reason of getting Red Bull. I do not drink alcohol, but I do enjoy soda, specialty coffees, and red bull. The "Pineapple Blast" is my favorite, Red bull mixed with pineapple juice! I am really hoping the price drops down to $18 for my upcoming cruise 5/14 on Liberty. The current price of $26 seems far too high in my opinion.

Hmmmm... Maybe cruises are for families, kids, and those who enjoy thrilling activities too... WOW!