Oasis vs. Epic: Which Will You Choose?

[cruisemom42]

I find it interesting that the highest number of those voting (as of now) chose the option I did: I prefer smaller ships.

 

I hope the cruise industry doesn't lose sight of us. The mass market lines are pushing me to consider and sail on boutique lines and smaller ships wherever I can find them. Princess has a few. HAL has one. I am even considering the Costa Allegra at the moment -- a bit of an old tub, but one of the only ships that has the itinerary I want.

 

It's not that I'm opposed to larger ships. It's that they don't go where I want to go. They dock in large industrial ports far from the town/city you want to visit. Or -- in the case of the new behemoths -- they don't go there at all because there are no facilities large enough.

 

When did cruising become about the ship rather than the destinations?

[boogs]

I find it interesting that the highest number of those voting (as of now) chose the option I did: I prefer smaller ships.

 

By "smaller ships", I understood that to mean smaller than the overblown Epic and Oasis/Allure. A ship of about 2,000 passengers is about right for me - big enough to have a nice variety of entertainment, beverage and eating options, but not so big that the feel of being on a ship sailing the ocean is no longer there.

[Ask4Jay]

We just booked a Transatlantic cruise on the Epic for next May. 11 days with only one stop. We do not really care for either ship; they are just too big. Our favorite ship would be one of the older R-ships with a capacity of around 700 passengers. However, with Azamara Club having priced itself out of our budget, we are heading back to NCL. Life is a string of compromises. Ships are getting bigger, wether we like it or not. But we have our aft cabin as usual, and we'll just try to ignore the other 4,098 passengers. With Freestyle dining we should be able to do that and enjoy the view from our "back porch". For us it is not the destination, or the sightseeing, or the ship, it's that aft facing balcony that matters.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

The "freestyle" concept is a bit overrated IMHO. :rolleyes: You have to make reservations and pay to dine @ various restaurants. It's not as if you can just walk into most of the entertainment and dining venues at your leisure as NCL advertises.

 

I've sailed on the Oasis and had a blast! There are more than enough entertainment and dining options available on the Oasis.

 

I'm just not sure about the Epic. A ship the size of the Freedom class with just as many passengers as the Oasis class just doesnt appeal to me. The neighborhood concept on the Oasis worked great in keeping crowd flow @ an optimal level & the ship is very easy to navigate IMO.

 

 

Plus the Epic has "borrowed" many off RCI innovations anyway: LOL:D

• Barber shop
  
• Aqua Park
  
• Rock climbing wall
  
• Tramopline
  
• Ice rink
  

I wish the Epic much success but have no desire to sail on her right now.:)

 

Tyron,

 

Having sailed the Epic TA I gotta say that the Mrs. and I were able to walk into anywhere we wanted and eat with less than a five minute wait. I couldn't believe it myself. I think part of that was due to he high number of Europeans who eat later while we like to eat around 6:30. The rock climbing and repelling on the Epic are to be blunt a joke - too small and it takes longer to put the gear on than the actual activity.

 

We haven't done the Oasis because I just don't know how it would be with many cruisers. The biggest turnoff of Oasis is its current itinerary - been there and done that so many times.

 

My personal favorite is the Solstice Class X ships and the Voyager Class RCI ship (haven't done Freedom class).

 

Having done Epic I can say, been there and done that but won't return. As for Oasis? I'm thinking Freedom class first...

[Barbiegator]

We have sailed on Oasis and loved the entire experience. Would like to try NCL so might sail on Epic next year. Also want to sail on Allure.

[printingchick]

Interesting that the largest group in the poll has voted "I prefer smaller ships."

[Mr. Luckytoo]

The biggest reason I haven't booked on the Oasis is due to the itinerary. With the Allure coming out that ship is doing the same thing! :(

 

At least the Epic is rotating between easter and western routes, but RCL is keeping it's same route for the mega-ships. :mad:

[jpg1747]

I would always choose RCCL over NCL because I don't care for anytime dining.

[Aquahound]

The biggest reason I haven't booked on the Oasis is due to the itinerary. With the Allure coming out that ship is doing the same thing! :(

 

At least the Epic is rotating between easter and western routes, but RCL is keeping it's same route for the mega-ships. :mad:

 

Oasis Class is rotating E and W also.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Oasis Class is rotating E and W also.

 

Thanks for that - I was under the impression it was only Labadee, Costa Maya and Cozumel. My bad

[ceejaykay]

I would love to sail on both the Oasis and the Epic eventually, but for now, I'm booked on a Mediterranean cruise with the Epic next May. I like to travel solo, and no one offers the studio concept except NCL Epic.

 

I hope that other cruiselines follow suit, or at least come down on the single supplement, because I would love to cruise on Oasis or Allure. I'm used to balcony cabins, but for the opportunity to have a cabin to myself without paying 175-200% supplement, I'll cruise try an inside studio.

 

The Epic may have some flaws, no ship is perfect, but I love the choice in restaurants and entertainment, even if those choices come with a cost. Epic or Oasis - doesn't matter to me - they're both innovative options for people who want something different from traditional cruising. :)

[goatgoat]

We always prefer RCCL over NCL. We will simply wait until the initial bugs are worked out and the price comes down a bit. Then we will sail the Oasis.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

We always prefer RCCL over NCL. We will simply wait until the initial bugs are worked out and the price comes down a bit. Then we will sail the Oasis.

 

Anything in specific? :confused:

[goatgoat]

Anything in specific? :confused:

 

We have always loved the traditional dining. On RCCL our waiter and his assistant always get to know us and anticipate what we will want even before we ask. We have actually sailed NCL more than RCCL but felt the service really dropped on NCL when they went to freestyle dining. That said, I love all cruises and have never been on one I felt was bad. Some are just better than others. If I wanted to go on a cruise and didn't have a traveling companion, I would definitely take advantage of the single cabins on Epic.

[goatgoat]

Yup, there is one. It's a removable one that they lay out near the basket ball courts. Skates are available. See photo:

 

 

Enjoy your cruising and let us know how it went!

[BlueCat1105]

I can't get over the bathrooms on Epic with their glass doors and split design, with the sink in the stateroom. I think they've lost sight of the idea of proper hygeine, not to mention giving a person a shred of privacy. I have been married for 23 years, and God knows, we would do anything for one another in time of need, but generally, we respect one another's privacy in the bathroom.

 

Give me a room with a sink and a door that is not translucent, or transparent, or any combination thereof. Unless I traveled alone, I would not like that situation at all.

[mike2000]

They are both to large for me, there are lines on the smaller ships why get on a larger ship with longer lines. The smallest ship I have been on,inthe past 5 years was one of my best cruises.

[Cruzaholic41]

...there are lines on the smaller ships why get on a larger ship with longer lines.

 

This is a misconception. The lines are no longer on Oasis than they are on small ships.

[Cygneagile]

http://www.thestar.com/travel/cruising/article/837902--norwegian-epic-is-a-titanic-flop

 

This just in todays Toronto Star. A. Frommer and travel guru did not particular care for the larger ship. Although he was only on it for a short time, he did not give it a good rating. But then for the family unit this may be just the cruise ship to be on.

 

I still prefer the smaller ship. But I would take the Oasis if I had a chance.

I like the idea of the garden on the inside cabins. But they are now more expensive then the Balcony state rooms.

[boogs]

This is a misconception. The lines are no longer on Oasis than they are on small ships.

 

When a ship gets so big that we have to make reservations weeks in advance to see the nighly shows, it's too big for my tastes.

[CruiseLover15]

Interesting, I am cruising on the Oasis in September and only paid $1,059 for a D5 balcony cabin.

[CruiseLover15]

Just booked the Epic for January 15th. This is my third NCL cruise. I did one on Disney, which I really liked, but I hated having to plan my day around what time I was going to eat dinner. Also, I am on vacation, I refuse to put on a tie or wear a jacket to dinner. Why would I want to do something on vacation that I don't do at home. NCL has its issues for sure, but everytime I look to book a cruise, the Freestyle cruise always wins out. I want to try RCL, but keep putting it off because of Freestyle dining on NCL.

 

Royal Caribbean offers My Time Dining and you just show up when you are ready to eat. I haven't dressed formally in 5 of my last 6 cruises and probably never will. There are plenty of free places you can dine on formal night if you don't want to dress up.

[98vette]

This is a misconception. The lines are no longer on Oasis than they are on small ships.

 

 

I have to agree with Cruzaholic. We prefer ships over 90,0000GT because of the variety onboard. Oasis and EPIC have replaced the cattle call buffet lines with action food stations. This has cut down on the cafeteria style lines familiar to all on the Carnival line including the new Dream. There are so many entertainment choices, you have no larger lines than the smaller ships and in some instances, they may even be shorter. I never felt crowded on the Oasis and disembarking and embarking at ports was a breeze. It's great that we live in America and have so many vacation choices. Can't wait for our EPIC cruise in October 2010 and our Allure Cruise in December 2010.

[CruiseLover15]

I just have to add one more thing here. I don't understand how people can say they don't like large ships when they have never been on one. I have never been on a ship smaller than RC Voyager class, so you won't hear me say I don't like the smaller ships. I also hear people saying you don't have a connection to the ocean on the big ships. I don't agree. I had a huge aft balcony on the Freedom last September and spent hours and hours on that balcony reading and listening to the waves.

[Aquahound]

I just have to add one more thing here. I don't understand how people can say they don't like large ships when they have never been on one. I have never been on a ship smaller than RC Voyager class, so you won't hear me say I don't like the smaller ships. I also hear people saying you don't have a connection to the ocean on the big ships. I don't agree. I had a huge aft balcony on the Freedom last September and spent hours and hours on that balcony reading and listening to the waves.

 

Some people will make up any excuse in the book to justify their own opinion, like long lines, too many people, show reservations, connection to the sea, blah, blah, blah. Truth is, on these large ships like Oasis, the crowds are more dispersed, therefore less. There really are no lines due to the way everything is set up. The show reservation idea is proving to be a success because of the fact there are 6 main show attractions every night (Hairspray, Headliner, Comedy, Ice, Oasis of Dreams Aqua Theater show, and Come Fly with Me). You choose ahead of time what shows you will be attending and on what nights. The connection to the sea.....well....that one doesn't even make sense. It's still a cruise ship.

 

People have different preferences, and that's fine. Unfortunately for them, many of the reasons they are giving are huge misconceptions.