Allure or Freedom: Mother-daughter cruise, what to do?

Inspired by the reviews of another Cruise Critic member (Gambee), I decided to book a mother-daughter cruise. I found two really great deals, one on Freedom and one on Allure, and cannot decide. I've read many reviews, but was hoping someone had another decision criteria for me I haven't considered that would help tip the scales. I feel stuck comparing them!

Background: we are 53 and 75(almost). Previous family extended family cruise on Oases 4 years ago (loved the ship, Central Park balcony rooms), and to Alaska on the Norwegian Sun w/balcony rooms (loved Alaska, didn't love the Sun). Upcoming 3 day on the Enchantment in June - 3 days was all that would fit my nephews very busy summer visiting Nassau & CocoCay.

Freedom: Pros: good itinerary (Labadee/Falmouth/Cayman/Cozumel), slightly less expensive, Costco enhanced OBC/credit for dining/soft drink package/Johnny Rockets/1 massage/Labadee water park.

Cons: less good entertainment. Have to drive 4-5 hours to Cape Canaveral + park (which eats into price). And, unknown: will we like the ship?

Allure: Pros: know & like ship, great entertainment, my dad can drive us to the port & pick us up.

Cons: boring itinerary (Nassau/St Thomas/St Kitts), accounting for parking is about $150 per person more (manageable), same OBC but not other 'perks'.

We don't drink, we like shows, we are find with not spending more money on dining but using OBC etc is fun for us. We have a guaranteed Ocean View on both. Both prices are really great...

What am I missing in my decision factors?

You really can't go wrong. Is mobility an issue with your mom at all?

I will say in terms of entertainment, the Freedom will be more tradition where there is one theatre an you go either before or after dinner.

On the Allure, you have the normal theatre, comedy club, aquatheatre, etc. There just more stuff going on to keep you busy.

No mobility issues for mom (thanks for asking) - she plays tennis 5 times a week. We are both relatively active.

I figured it was traditional shows vs. the ones on the Allure (we really enjoyed the shows on the Oases; on the other hand, we also enjoyed the ones on the Sun which were much lesser quality - we are easy to please).

I know we can't go wrong, I keep thinking I am missing some important that will help us. We aren't big "cruisers" per se, although we have been on several as an extended family and my parents have been on a few more.

It feels like the big difference is do we want to be on a floating resort that occasionally stops at an island or two (Allure), or do we want to go to those ports (particularly Cozumel, I want to go to Chichinitza (spelling?)) (Freedom)?

I got such a good deal on both yesterday through Costco!

We were on the Allure last month. It was our first RCCL cruise in 5 years. Mamma Mia was as good as any Broadway show we've ever seen. It really was that good. I would go on the Allure just for that.

St. Thomas had a very nice shore excursion called Secret Sands which was heavenly.

There were way too many things to do that we couldn't do it all in just one week. This was also a con. The size of the ship was also a con. Unlike other ships where we would stroll through the promenade, every time we left the room it was like a forced march because it would take more time than we were used to to get where we were going.

My husband and I took a cruise on Freedom in April 2015 and a cruise on Allure in March 2016.

The biggest difference to me is how "inward" focused Allure is versus still having some of the feeling of "cruising" where you feel like you are on a ship. With Allure, I felt like we had to make an effort to see the ocean. On Freedom, many of the bars and other areas had ample "outdoor" access.

I found that Allure pretty much required you would be on a sun deck or have an outside balcony to really enjoy the ocean, which to me is one of the best parts of cruising.

Much to the dislike of folks on the track on Allure, I did find that there was a great place to sit on the aft area of that deck where you could get nice views of each port as headed out (and watch pier runners if that's your thing). I did find that if you were on the starboard side of the ship, you were walking against the "traffic" to get back there and it really made runners unhappy.

One of my favorite dining experiences on any of my RCCL cruises has been Chops. I love dining and looking out at the sea. With Chops being in Central Park, you don't have that experience.

As the OP has been on Oasis, she is familiar with the inward focus of those ships.

For activity and a family cruise, I would certainly do Allure or Oasis again. When it is just me and my husband, we will likely stick to ships where it is more sea-centric.

That's just my bit about things to consider.