Are the Oasis ( and sister ships) as “mega” as they appear?

We are slowly working our way back into cruising again. When we slowed down on our cruising the Freedom was the newest and biggest thing.

We have done the Freedom and Independence. Also the Anthem. I hated the Anthem at first but now it’s growing on me.

We are probably going to book the Oasis or one of her sister ships next. Looking at the videos I love what I see but the one thing I can’t help but look past is the sheer volume of cabins on the ship.

When the Voyager came out people worried about the same thing but to us it never felt as crowded as we feared it would. Are the mega ships the same deal? Holds a ton of people but designed well enough to not be an issue? Is it like the Anthem in that you need to reserve things months in advance to even get to do them?

I suddenly feel like I’m an “old” cruiser and a newbie at the same time [emoji23]

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They usually don't feel crowded except on the first day, after shows let out and often in the Windjammer. You do have to reserve shows in advance unless you are in a suite or are Pinnacle in C&A. The Park Cafe can be crowded at breakfast and lunch as well. We have experienced very slow service in the Rising Tide bar on some occasions. There is plenty of "wow" factor on these ships. However, although the crowds are mostly well managed due to so many large public spaces, we prefer the Freedom class. I would give it a try and see what you think.

I was on the Oasis a few years ago. It never felt as big as it is. Our cabin was on the same floor as Central Park so it was very easy to go from end to end of the ship and down or up as it may be! The only time it felt crowded was on embarkation and disembarkation. There is really something for everyone to do. Yes you do need to schedule some things in advance, ie the shows, comedy club etc. It is possible to wait in line in case there are extra seats. We truly only scheduled the main theater show and the ice show. You will have a fantastic time! (I'm headed on the Symphony this fall which is huge too, will let you know how that one is!)

Windjammer is a clusterf*** on Oasis class ships, otherwise never really feels overcrowded. MDR service is harried due to volume would be my only other real knock.

We are slowly working our way back into cruising again. When we slowed down on our cruising the Freedom was the newest and biggest thing.

 

We have done the Freedom and Independence. Also the Anthem. I hated the Anthem at first but now it’s growing on me.

 

We are probably going to book the Oasis or one of her sister ships next. Looking at the videos I love what I see but the one thing I can’t help but look past is the sheer volume of cabins on the ship.

 

When the Voyager came out people worried about the same thing but to us it never felt as crowded as we feared it would. Are the mega ships the same deal? Holds a ton of people but designed well enough to not be an issue? Is it like the Anthem in that you need to reserve things months in advance to even get to do them?

 

I suddenly feel like I’m an “old” cruiser and a newbie at the same time [emoji23]

 

 

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1) book everything in advance

2) do not do my time dining unless you enjoy waiting for a table

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It didn’t feel MEGA, on first and last day you get the impression of all the people on board. Like others have said, somethings require reservations. Don’t go during peak times, either early or late.

1) book everything in advance

2) do not do my time dining unless you enjoy waiting for a table

 

 

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We do anytime dining all the time. We always go early and have never had to wait.

Try it. You might like it a lot. Having said that, we have cruise Oasis and have booked another but our favorite is still the Voyager and Freedom class ships.

We are slowly working our way back into cruising again. When we slowed down on our cruising the Freedom was the newest and biggest thing.

 

We have done the Freedom and Independence. Also the Anthem. I hated the Anthem at first but now it’s growing on me.

 

We are probably going to book the Oasis or one of her sister ships next. Looking at the videos I love what I see but the one thing I can’t help but look past is the sheer volume of cabins on the ship.

 

When the Voyager came out people worried about the same thing but to us it never felt as crowded as we feared it would. Are the mega ships the same deal? Holds a ton of people but designed well enough to not be an issue? Is it like the Anthem in that you need to reserve things months in advance to even get to do them?

 

I suddenly feel like I’m an “old” cruiser and a newbie at the same time [emoji23]

 

 

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We had the same questions and concerns before trying the Oasis class.

Turned out Oasis class is now one of our favorites, up there with Freedom/Voyager. The neighborhood concept really spreads the crowds incredibly well. The only time I have felt the ships to be crowded is on boarding day and there are a lot of points throughout the week that I wondered where everybody was.

Pre-booking everything is a little bit annoying since it takes away spontaneity but aside from a lack of interior spaces with an ocean view, I think you, like most people, will really enjoy it.

My recommendation is to book an oceanview balcony since there aren’t many places to see the ocean unless you’re outside.

Now that we've done Oasis, we are having a hard time thinking of booking anything smaller. We enjoyed everything that ship had to offer. We had a horrible experience on our previous trip on a midsized ship, so this was a welcome calmness. We loved the four pool options, we always were able to find chairs together, we never had a problem. We found it so relaxing and we weren't bothered by all the little kids since there were so many spaces. We went in August, so it was a hot times for families! Like others said the elevators were crowded after shoes and the windjammer was very busy. We had a cabin at the front of the ship, so we ate breakfast pretty often in the Solarium to avoid those crowds.You can find your own ways to be with less people, like running to Central Park at lunch or bringing your food back to your pool chair to eat. We had an amazing time! I know people have negative reviews, but sometimes people just look for the negative instead of enjoying everything that is positive.

We had only been on Navigator before, and that felt overwhelming at times because we had a cabin right at the front of the ship and spent so much time walking up and down the corridors to get to places. Amazingly, we booked the same location on Oasis, but it didn’t feel so bad, I think the neighborhoods like Central Park really break it up. We are also early risers and never found the WJ to be packed, even in the middle of summer, but there was always a line as we were leaving at 8:30am and again at 12:45pm for lunch. Only one day did we struggle to find a table at lunch and it was a day we went late.

If you like the Royal Promenade, you'll likely enjoy the Boardwalk; outdoorsy feel and stuff to see, do and eat. Plus the AquaTheater at the back offers diving shows that are quite good. There are play structures that can entertain little kids.

Central Park at first looked to me like an over-hyped gimmick, but once onboard my wife & I enjoyed the serene, more natural outdoor feel, plus it provides an option for walking from one end of the ship to the other (along with the Royal Promenade and the upper, outdoor pool deck).

Both Oasis and Allure had a huge playroom (? 30 foot diameter maybe ?) with a lot of play equipment for little kids, toddlers & such.

The number of specialty restaurants is a plus.

With Harmony of the Seas, add the water slides.

Here are some of my older Oasis-class trip pics, showing some of what's 'special' about that class to us.

Richard.

P.S.: Agree with others; the Windjammer is where I felt the crowd. On our recent cruise on a smaller ship, Adventure of the Seas, it was less an issue, but when it happened, we just walked right on outdoors and ate at a table on the pool deck (not right by the pool).

The only oasis class ship we have been on is harmony and it was one of the least crowded ships we have been on. Did MTD and never waited for a table , windjammer was certainly busy at times but always found a table . So many other options for food. The ship is huge but not overwhelming - as others have said the neighbourhoods both distribute the crowds and break up the space. You will have a great time!

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They are big but that being said they are filled with fun and exciting things to do so you don’t care. We were on Allure and never felt real crowed .

Entertainment is completely of the charts in my opinion and I can’t say enough about how much we loved the ship.

Thank you all so much for the replies. Looks like I will start planning our next family cruise on this class of ship. Seems like windjammer can be an issue on every ship we have been on, so that isn't a make it or break it for us :) Plus we tend to be a group that does things outside of the normal flow of things on ships anyways so it's great to hear the only issues seem to be at the normal peak times. I'm excited :)

Thank you all so much for the replies. Looks like I will start planning our next family cruise on this class of ship. Seems like windjammer can be an issue on every ship we have been on, so that isn't a make it or break it for us :) Plus we tend to be a group that does things outside of the normal flow of things on ships anyways so it's great to hear the only issues seem to be at the normal peak times. I'm excited :)

It’s a game changer having better venues (Solarium Bistro which is free on Oasis, Park Cafe, free JR breakfast, etc.) to alleviate the need for the Windjammer on Oasis.

Like I said, I was apprehensive before Oasis, as I was before Voyager back in the day, but it is an incredible experience. Pool decks are fantastic and al fresco dining in the evening in Central Park is so nice. Happy planning!

I have a courtesy hold on a boardwalk balcony room for 2 adults and 3 kids for $2075. 7 night 12/16 on the Allure. It’s going to be tight but I’m guessing we won’t be in the room much on this ship. :) what a crazy awesome price!

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I’ve been on the Allure and Oasis. The only time it felt big was when I would accidentally find myself of the wrong end and had to navigate quickly to the other end. You’ll need comfortable shoes! I love these ships. The Allure did have some propulsion and power issues last year when I was on it but it’s been to dry dock since then.

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