Magic or Oasis of the Seas?

I've been on ten CCL cruises and have never been on any other brands. I've been on the Breeze and enjoyed it. I know the Magic is about like the Breeze and looking for our next cruise my wife seen that the Oasis has about the same prices. CCL really dropped the ball on a few things this past cruise and looking around at what's available. Anyone been on both that care to share their comparison?

Im not exactly what you're looking for, but my fiancee and I just got off of Allure (Oasis's sister ship), and immediately after getting off we booked the Magic if that tells you anything... However, after posting our review about the Allure, many people commented on how they enjoyed Oasis more.

Hopefully someone on here can help you!

For what it's worth, everyone's got their own opinions.

We sailed Disney and it wasn't really much better than what we got with Carnival, but it cost nearly twice as much. And no chocolate melting cake. :(

I've been on ten CCL cruises and have never been on any other brands. I've been on the Breeze and enjoyed it. I know the Magic is about like the Breeze and looking for our next cruise my wife seen that the Oasis has about the same prices. CCL really dropped the ball on a few things this past cruise and looking around at what's available. Anyone been on both that care to share their comparison?

If the prices are similar, I would personally take Oasis. After 22 cruises, I put Oasis at the top (best), and Magic somewhere around number 14. Here are the things we love on Oasis that you do not see on Magic:

More and larger pools

Ice Skating Shows (2 of them)

Broadway Show (Cats, which I enjoyed, despite the fact that I thought I would not like it - acting was top notch!)

Promenade Café (24 hour coffee/tea and snacks)

Diving shows (one drama, one comedy)

Royal Promenade

Central Park at night

If you want to look at my two reviews of the two ships, you can find the links here:

Magic:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2440340

Oasis:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2224751

Of course, it depends on what you are looking for in a cruise... Everyone has their preferences. When we cruise Oasis/Allure, we stay on the ship in most ports, as it has so much to offer. It becomes our destination.

Hope this helps :)

I'd pick Magic/Breeze hands down!

We did Breeze about 2 years ago then Oasis last year. I really didn't like Oasis - the ship is too big but did not accommodate for the increased number of people in the public areas, according to me, at least. I did not like that if you did not pre-book for ANY of the shows, you had to wait in line until the last minute then take whatever seats were left. This meant front row (in front of the LOUD speakers on the side) for the rock and roll show, standing room on the side for the water show and we actually did get into the comedy show twice (into a room that seats only about 100 people for a ship that holds like 4000). Comedy show was the same, exact show 2 different nights, which was super disappointing. I also was very disappointed that there was only one choice of activity between 8-10pm or so, this meant a very overcrowded small lounge for trivia as this was the only option if you did not pre-book show tickets. Almost opposite of Breeze as there was always multiple things happening all the time.

That being said, there were plenty of deck chairs on both Oasis and Breeze. The lido buffet was slightly better on Oasis -- the layout was genius that you do not have to wait in the whole long line just to get a salad and a roll - the food is displayed on little islands so there weren't really lines for the food. Finding a table to eat that food was a bit challenging, however.

When our 8 nights on Breeze was over, I wanted to stay. This is completely atypical for me, usually I am about ready to go home. I think the multiple options for dining, entertainment in addition to the easy to find "quieter" spots made it less monotonous for me.

We are going on Magic next month and are thinking of christmas 2018 cruise on Breeze. Probably won't book an Oasis class again.

My 2 cents....

Here is more info about your question from a recent thread here on Carnival boards. Good luck on your decision. :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2437656&highlight=magic

We are Carnival cruisers, and always have been.

We have been on the Breeze twice, and she is our favorite.

But, with that being said, we have always wanted to try one of the "BIG" girls......:o:o

For last years cruise, Oasis was within $200.00 of Magic, so we pulled the trigger.

She is a beautiful ship and the WOW factor is there! There were so many things we loved about that ship, BUT, after the cruise was over, we missed Carnival. Weird, right?

More pools and loungers on Oasis.

Beds were bigger and more comfortable.

Sofa sleeper was TWICE the size of Carnivals.

Entertainment was WAY better than Carnivals.

Park Cafe and their Kummelweck Roast Beef Sandwich? To DIE for.

But the ship is just SO big, you don't feel like you are on a cruise, unless you are on one of the upper decks, where you can actually SEE the ocean, or if you have an oceanview balcony, which we did. Didn't feel the ship rock us to bed, which we missed. lol

I really think everyone should experience this class of ships at least ONCE.

Honestly, I wanted to go back this year, but DH and DD wanted to go back to Carnival.

I guess you just won't know unless you try it.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

P.S. We are on the Magic in June. Very excited!!!:D

We did Dream (Breeze's sister) and the Allure (Oasis' sister) within months of each other. Without a doubt, the Allure was the better cruise. The ship is fantastic. The entertainment left anything on Carnival in the dust. The number of dining options (24! Half free of charge) meant that we didn't repeat the same venues more than twice. The overall experience just left us mesmerized. But all of that came with a price as we paid twice as much for a lower category than what we paid for our Dream cruise.

We didn't care or participate in any of the "gimmicky" stuff like rock climbing, zip lining or ice skating, but we still had so much to do that we couldn't do it all.

But with all of that said, the Allure felt like a "been there, loved it, but not doing it again" kind of cruise. It didn't quite feel like a traditional cruise and at times it felt as if we were on a land vacation rather than on a cruise. Part of this has to do with the fact that we had an inside facing Boardwalk stateroom (very limited ocean views) and because so many venues onboard also lack ocean views. Another negative is that these ships perform very repetitive itineraries, and although the ship IS the destination, I just can't get myself to book another cruise on an Oasis ship to visit the same tired ports.

I would suggest that you give the Oasis a chance, specially if you've done 10 Carnival cruises. I think it's a bucket list experience and well worth it. You can always go back to Carnival or to other cruise lines as we did.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We have done both the Oasis and Breeze, and each had their good and bad to us. I think for WOW factor you should try the Oasis. I was absolutely amazed when boarding. We could not see or do everything in 7 days that we wanted to, and I want to go back at some point. It never felt crowded even though there were over 6000 people aboard. The one thing I was disappointed with on the Oasis was the food. Yes, there were plenty of food options, but the quality to me wasn't great. I guess serving 6000+ individuals makes it difficult. Other than that, the shows and entertainment were amazing!

The Breeze felt more like a "cruise" to me. Lots of places to see the ocean unlike the Oasis, which felt like a shopping mall. I enjoyed the MDR experience better on the Breeze. The food was much better in my opinion. My son enjoyed the kids club and water area on the Breeze better. And the ports (which has NOTHING to do with the ship) were great as well.

If I had to do it again, I would want to go on the Harmony of the Seas (newest Oasis class), but would not turn down going on the Magic or Breeze either. You should pick the one that appeals more to you, albeit a hard decision if it were me!

We, too, have been on Magic class on CCL and on Allure OTS.....our vote is to try the Oasis (sister ship to Allure). That ship is beyond words, a 'must try', for all cruisers. While we are happy with CCL, their ships do not hold a 'candle' to the WOW factor and what RCI offers. Both are ships, both are 'cruises', but really not comparable beyond it. We expected to feel 'crowds' and the 'hugeness' of the Allure.....nope, both were very easy to navigate.

First of all The Oasis class is so large that there are many venues to disperse the pax....NEVER did we feel the crowds with the exception of the Lido (Windjammer) buffer on embarkation day. But if you research ahead, you will find MANY other choices open for eating at embarkation......they are FABULOUS ships with fabulous entertainment that is not really comparable in our books (and it cost us WAYYY less $$$ for the Allure than for our upcoming Vista cruise.....LOL)!:confused:

OASIS!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I've been on most of the class of Carnival's ships with the exception of the new Vista. I've also been on most of the classes of Royal's ships, and was on the Oasis last May, and would choose the Oasis, hands down, no second guessing, unless price was an issue. I've been on more Carnival cruises than Royal, but like to mix it up every now and then. I'm looking at NCL for a quick weekender to get familiar with them, and Princess for next Spring/Summer.

I've been on ten CCL cruises and have never been on any other brands. I've been on the Breeze and enjoyed it. I know the Magic is about like the Breeze and looking for our next cruise my wife seen that the Oasis has about the same prices. CCL really dropped the ball on a few things this past cruise and looking around at what's available. Anyone been on both that care to share their comparison?

I don't know how much help I can be because I haven't sailed Magic, but you can see in my signature that I've sailed numerous ships across 6 cruise lines....therefore, I am no cheerleader for any 1 cruise line. Without a doubt, the most spectacular ships I've sailed have been Oasis Class. Even the 4th time, I still thought it was an AMAZING experience.

You're at a point where, after 10 cruises on one particular line, you saw shortcomings. I think this is the perfect opportunity (and excuse) to try something different. There was a time I got wrapped with with sailing only 1 line and I didn't know what I was missing until I branched out.

Try Oasis. Chances are, you'll be amazed. :)

I tend to agree with the "try it once" crowd as you won't be disappointed. We were faithful to Royal Caribbean for a while but once we tried CCL we're glad we did. We LOVED Oasis the first time and tried it again after having been on the Dream and just was disappointed the second time. I guess partly because the "WOW" was over due to already sailing on her. But we feel it's just too big and we lost that "being on cruise ship in the middle of the ocean!!" feel due to the enormous size of the ship.We're doing the Dream a third time this summer because we like the idea of cruising out of NOLA and are looking forward to a post-cruise stay and also the sailing down the Mississipi:)

I've been on ten CCL cruises and have never been on any other brands. I've been on the Breeze and enjoyed it. I know the Magic is about like the Breeze and looking for our next cruise my wife seen that the Oasis has about the same prices. CCL really dropped the ball on a few things this past cruise and looking around at what's available. Anyone been on both that care to share their comparison?

Oasis for sure.

I've been on ten CCL cruises and have never been on any other brands. I've been on the Breeze and enjoyed it. I know the Magic is about like the Breeze and looking for our next cruise my wife seen that the Oasis has about the same prices. CCL really dropped the ball on a few things this past cruise and looking around at what's available. Anyone been on both that care to share their comparison?

I have been on both, and to be honest it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I had fun on both equally. Can I ask you what are your favorite ships so far and why? That would help me give you a comparison based on what you like. But both are great ships, i would pick on the itinerary/where they leave from ect.

Ill get back to you if you give me an idea of what you like/dislike about certain ships.

I have gone on the Magic twice and the Oasis only once.

The Oasis was a dream of mine from the time I heard of their press release. At that point in time I had never been on a cruise ship, but the Oasis sounded like a fantasy come to life.

I loved the ship, but it was not my favorite cruise. The shows were amazing, but having to book in advance was stressful and I missed out on seeing the ice skating because it was already booked. I know standby was a possibility, but we decided it wasn't worth the wait.

I look forward to the comedy show the most, but the Oasis has only once comedy act and it was bad. I think people got up and left before it was even over. Everyone else sat due to politeness.

The only way I would do the Oasis again would be if I could do a back-to-back, so I don't feel the stress of not having done 1/10 of what I hoped to do.

The Magic was not without it's flaws, rude and drunk guests, one even passed out in front of the elevator after dinner. I also felt there were too many people and not enough space to move around at certain times in the day.

What I liked about the Magic was in the minor details. The waffles at breakfast on the lido deck (do they still serve those?) The tandoori grill, the server at dinner who did magic tricks and made inappropriate jokes, the fall out of my seat hilarious comedy club, for thrills the ropes course beats the zip line on Oasis for me any day, the treadmills with an ocean view that connect with my iPhone so I could watch movies and work off those buffet meals.

I'm going on the Breeze, which is very similar in size and layout to the Magic, but I don't know if it will meet the high standard that the Magic set for me.

We did Dream (Breeze's sister) and the Allure (Oasis' sister) within months of each other. Without a doubt, the Allure was the better cruise. The ship is fantastic. The entertainment left anything on Carnival in the dust. The number of dining options (24! Half free of charge) meant that we didn't repeat the same venues more than twice. The overall experience just left us mesmerized. But all of that came with a price as we paid twice as much for a lower category than what we paid for our Dream cruise.

 

We didn't care or participate in any of the "gimmicky" stuff like rock climbing, zip lining or ice skating, but we still had so much to do that we couldn't do it all.

 

But with all of that said, the Allure felt like a "been there, loved it, but not doing it again" kind of cruise. It didn't quite feel like a traditional cruise and at times it felt as if we were on a land vacation rather than on a cruise. Part of this has to do with the fact that we had an inside facing Boardwalk stateroom (very limited ocean views) and because so many venues onboard also lack ocean views. Another negative is that these ships perform very repetitive itineraries, and although the ship IS the destination, I just can't get myself to book another cruise on an Oasis ship to visit the same tired ports.

 

I would suggest that you give the Oasis a chance, specially if you've done 10 Carnival cruises. I think it's a bucket list experience and well worth it. You can always go back to Carnival or to other cruise lines as we did.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I agree with the above. I loved my cruise with the Oasis of the Seas, but certainly dont have a big desire to do again. My favorite part of a cruise is hearing/seeing the ocean on sea days, and you just dont get that with Oasis. So many of the venues are all indoor with no windows/views to the water. Where as on the Magic, or all Carnival ships, you really have to try to find a place that doesnt have some sort of view of the water.

You're going to love either choice as they are both great ships. But I just prefer to enjoy the ocean and know i am "cruising" rather than just feeling like Im at a land based resort that just so happens to move to different ports each day haha

(disclaimer: I'm not someone who really goes to theater shows and such so I cant speak at all to the difference in quality for those)

I've cruised Oasis 5 times, and Magic once - if that tells you anything.

I'd pick Oasis easy. Would like to do that also.

Was on the Magic last year. I usually only cruise from Port Canaveral. Last Thanksgiving we gave NCL's Epic a try. I was impressed. Especially by the shows & food. We had the promo, which is still going on, for free alcohol (you have to pay gratuities on that) and four (now three) specialty restaurants. Everyone was great (Cagney's, Moderno's, Tappenyaki's & the Italian one). So, I booked for next Thanksgiving. Only here five months then goes back to Europe.

I've been on Magic a couple of times when it was home-ported in Galveston, and to be honest it is one ship that I was bored with by the second time. It is a nice ship, but somehow seemed more bland and and lacking personality.

I'd do Oasis in a heartbeat if the opportunity came up.