HACKT

Agree with above. We were in Dec 6 mess also and by 2:30 it was practically walk right on. Plus by then cabins are available so buffet wasn't crowded. So I'd rec 1-2 for boarding as well.

We did same on our Dawn cruise with UDP where we did not pay 18% in advance. We tipped $5 per person. We ate at a different spec restaurant every night. All were good and Teppanyaki was very entertaining!

We got off the Dawn yesterday and had a good cruise. Yes ship is a little worn but its very clean. Our room, junior suite, was great. Entertainment very good for a smaller ship. Ate in spec restaurants every night and enjoyed them all, esp Cagneys and Moderno. One tip - if cruise weather looks to be cool or rainy, get the Spa Sanctuary pass, it's well worth it for recliners, jacuzzis, lap pool in back. We lived there when not in port. [emoji41]

Sailing on time. They managed to get everyone on board. Rest of cruise will be great... Hope.

Yup horrible. Been in line since noon and almost at checkin at 1:35. Then another line to board. Good news is there is no wait for photos! [emoji41]

In line in new orleans for dec 6 Dawn cruise. Ship got in late and debark was delayed. It's noon and people still pouring off ship. Line to get on is long and not moving. Don't hurry if you are on this cruise.

We were on the Magic last year and had similar experience. The outside window room was part of a special deal thru DVC so we couldn't choose location. Unf room was above lateral thrusters so each port entry, about 5-6am, we were wakened by loud thruster engines. Lesson was we got what we paid for.

I urge you to do a review, at least on the room, letting others know about the noise. We usually research our room locations in advance using reviews. Unf couldn't on this one due to discount.

Rest of cruise was fine, we'll do Disney again, but we'll pay for balcony in better location.

We thought the Barefoot buffet was awesome! Strip steak, shrimp, and grilled lobster tails, plus lots of extras. Also not as crowded as regular buffet lines. We stayed in Nellie's overwater cabana and were told by attendant that only those got the gold wristbands. Also the website, when we reserved it, said so and I printed it out just in case. That was in June and obv policies change.

Glad to hear price is still $250 now as it's worth it imo even w/o buffet. Nellies had rocks under the overwater cabanas that were good for snorkeling, lots of trop fish.

Can't compare with Barefoot beach as we didn't use it, but it looked similar to Nellie's beach in size and is right next to it.

We cruised both Oasis and Allure this year. Oasis was in June to carib with lots of kids and large family groups. Ship at times seemed crowded due to groups in hallways (town meeting), around elevators, and in promenade. You can get away from them but they were apparent.

In Sept we were on Allure in med and, even though all cabins were filled, with fewer kids it seemed less crowded. Plus mostly couples or smaller groups. We greatly enjoyed relaxed feel of ship and less crowds in main areas. Plus destinations were great!

That said both cruises were great! And I'd think Jan to carib on Oasis would not seem crowded. Enjoy!

We had a Nellie's overwater beach cabana in June and loved it! There were 4 of us and it included the Barefoot Beach upgraded buffet. I booked it online a year prior for $250.

We were told only the overwater cabanas got the upgraded buffet as there are only 6 or so plus they are right by back gate to Barefoot.

It was worth it for $250. If price has increased to $500 as has been reported, I'd rethink or get the largest group possible to share cost. We were also given water bottles and floating mats plus attendants to get drinks. [emoji41]

One of the best features of Oasis type ships is the huge solarium for adults. We've always found chairs although it can get crowded. There is an upstairs area around the bar also. Only an issue on sea days, it's fairly empty on port days.

We don't use the 4 main pools but there seems to be plenty of loungers either on pool deck or just above it.

Tough one. We've done 3 cruises on each class. Oasis class is cool, as you know, with lots to do and great shows. But can be really crowded at times, prob more so on holiday cruise. We equate Oasis class cruise with week at Disneyworld, lots of fun but tiring, aka not relaxing.

Freedom class is good too, like Oasis but no central park, boardwalk, and some fancy shows. But offers one more stop, which can be nice. Plus not quite as crowded, esp Windjammer which can be a zoo on Oasis.

I'd say look at itinerary and decide which stops you prefer, also whether you want relaxation (Freedom) or excitement (Allure). Both will be good though [emoji41]

We booked an overwater cabana at Nellie's Beach for our June 2015 Oasis cruise and loved it! Made crowded Labadee enjoyable. Only the overwater cabanas got the special buffet at Barefoot Beach included which was awesome!

I was able to book it online a year prior for $250 and it was worth it for 4 of us. Now you have to book them on the ship and I imagine they go fast. If now $500, prob not worth it for less than 6 people. However is it confirmed as $500? Website says $255...

I can understand the frustration of booking so far out for so much, then not getting the tours you want, esp for a child. Unf this happens on other cruise lines too for high-interest items like cabanas and spec events.

That said, I highly rec you look into private exc for the dolphin swim and zip line. We book our private exc thru our travel agent and they are slightly cheaper than cruise line. All have a cnx policy which includes full refund if ship doesn't dock there. Also they "guarantee" they will get you back to ship on time. So check with a TA or do online research for reputable private tours, I use tripadvisor for reviews.

We still use cruise excursions for all-day trips or far travel ones so we have piece of mind the ship won't leave. But short Carib tours, private is usually fine.

That said your grand daughter will love Disney so hide your disappointment and enjoy the ship. Next cruise go on a mega-ship on RCL or NCL which she'll love too, plus it's cheaper [emoji41]

I checked my NCL excursion res for upcoming cruise on Dawn and it says 48 hr cnx policy. Not sure if that applies to all excursions but beware it might not be 24 hrs to cnx. Or you give your tickets to someone else.

Cruise is all about destinations and not having to unpack/pack at each stop. So maximize your shore time and soak up the sunshine! Stick with 10 day trip. Plus Bahamas aren't great stops, also Nov has tropical storm chances.

We usually avoid Carib and Bahamas in fall due to storm chances. Spring is great time to go! You'll love it [emoji41]

I don't think they even put names on the excursion tickets. If they do, they never check them. Basically you turn over ticket to tour operator and away you go. So if you were within cnx period or didn't want to stand in line to make name changes, just give the ticket to other person and away they go.

One disclaimer is make sure new person is physically able to do tour, like if it's scuba diving or has size limits (duh).

Oasis has Cats as broadway show, Allure has Mama Mia. Both are done very well by cast but IMO Mama Mia is more energetic and fun.

Allure has Blue Planet as their "cirque" type show, Oasis has Come Fly With Me (I think that's title) - similar type shows. Ice and water shows are similar but have diff themes.

Both ships have headliner acts and comedy clubs which change constantly.

Did Allure 2 yrs ago and last month. Same shows except Mama Mia replaced Chicago.

However we much prefer western route as you get Labadee. Also in Feb I think weather is cooler in east carib.

So I'd do Oasis as diff ship and better itinerary but just my opinion. Both will be great! [emoji41]

Didn't mention glaciers. Unf in last 20 yrs, we noticed glaciers in Juneau and Glacier Bay are receding big time. More dirt than ice. If you're all about glaciers you'll want to cruise further north to Hubbard Glacier and College Fjord and get off in Alaska.

We've done 3 Alaska cruises with diff cruise lines. Line and ship isn't that important as it's all about Alaska. If you go out of Seattle, almost all itineraries are round trip so you won't go past Skagway or Glacier Bay. So if you want to get further north to College Fjord and get off in Alaska, you need to cruise out of Vancouver.

That said, any itinerary is good the first time as it's all beautiful. We did Seattle round trip last time and it's easier since you aren't having to transfer to Anchorage for airport. Round trip airfare is cheaper too.

Our next Alaska cruise we plan to go out of Vanc and get off in Alaska and take cruisetour to Fairbanks. That's about 11 days and costs much more than round trip Seattle but gets us into interior.

So your first choice to make is round-trip or one-way. After that you'll see most stops are same (Ketchikan and Juneau) but some choices are Skagway or Sitka. Personally we like Sitka as it's further out and historic with Russian influence. But most cruises go Skagway.

Bottom line is any Alaska cruise is good and you can go back and do a different one later. Also try different times as early/late season is colder and rainier but more whales whereas mid summer is warmer and dryer with more salmon (and mosquitos).

We were on Oasis in June in similar cabin and it was fine. Noisy during aqua shows but they end by 10 or so.

Big thing I tell folks is book entertainment as early as poss, 60-90 days out usually. We booked shows around 9 pm so we could eat at 6:30 (MTD) and make our reservations 15 mins before show. Only exceptions was Cats where we booked the only afternoon show (4:30 or so) so we'd be awake the whole 2 1/2 hrs. Then we ate at spec restaurant at 8 pm.

Avoid windjammer during peak hours. For bkfst on shore days, get room service or go to Wipeout Cafe. Dining room is great for lunch. Windjammer actually is good for dinner as not crowded and has many choices if you aren't up to MDR.

We like Giovanni's Table and Sabors, think other spec rests are overpriced. Enjoy your cruise, great ship!

Tampa was pretty easy as it's a small cruise port, about 3 piers together. Taxi or transfer from Tampa Airport is only 15-20 minutes. Plenty of hotels by airport, not too expensive. No clue on Galv.

We were just there on Allure last month. One caution is the ship docks in cargo ship areas so is away from the towns at all stops. So you'll also need transport to/from train station. Taxis weren't always evident at ship.

We booked "Taste of Florence" for a reasonable price which gave us 6 hrs there. First 3 were with guide, rest were by ourselves inc lunch on our own.

I rec you book some type of transfer that gets you from ship to city and back again as it's a 2 hr trip to Florence. Good news is, if you miss ship departure, it's an easy train ride to next stop outside Rome. [emoji41]

Tough choice as Freedom class is pretty cool but Vision itinerary is better. I always take ports over ship so I'd recommend Vision with its 4 stops. Not sure when you are doing this but another vote for Vision out of Tampa is the Gulf can be choppy in late Fall-early Spring so you may have a rough crossing to get to Carib from Texas whereas Tampa is practically there. We had rough cruise out of New Orleans couple years ago.

Roatan and Belize are not great stops and you tender in Belize. They are good for water excursions, we love diving in Roatan but your kids aren't old enough. Snorkeling is pretty good there too. Jamaica isn't much better but has more excursions.

Costa Maya and Cozumel are pretty good stops, as is Grand Cayman. So quality of stops is about even IMO, Vision just gives you more. Do both (lol)!