Oasis vs. Epic: Which Will You Choose?

[jamvog]

I booked a inside for $729 in March 2010 on the Oasis for 9-10-2011 sailing . I would like to try the Epic also. It seems to me that bottom line pricing on RCL for Allure or Oasis has been raised to 765 for Western. I don't know about Eastern.

[mavis2222]

Very geeked about sailing on the Epic for a few reasons:

 

1) Solo occupancy studio cabins look great!

2) Love the lounge area concept just for the solo travelers

3) Blue Man Group ++ !

4) Lots and lots of different dining options, inclinding the noodle bar and teppenyaki restaurants.

5) Ice Bar!

6) Bliss Ultra Lounge looks fun

7) O'Sheehan's sports bar open 24x7

 

To be honest I haven't really seen much about the Oasis that is of particular interest to me. The Epic has several things, but the most important to me is the studio cabin category. I've not yet sailed on NCL, and have been a big Princess fan.....but this item alone may win me over for good!

Solo concept is great, but isnt so great when most of the married couples book the single cabins so they have there own bathroom for the same price and when people like me looking for another single person to meet in the "living room" area, only to find out there married to another person in another solo cabin. :D. One of these days ill try the Epic. Anyhow, after next spring its going overseas and wont be in Fla anymore.

 

I was on the Norweigan Wind back in 2001 for 17 days. I did NOT pay extra for any food in any rest. The first few days I ate in a few differnt places, untill I found one I liked and stayed at the same table for the remainder of the cruise. Only had to reserve the table for the next day. I liked the gym that it was open 24 hours. Yes I like to workout at odd times of day..Less crowded that way.

[mavis2222]

I booked a inside for $729 in March 2010 on the Oasis for 9-10-2011 sailing . I would like to try the Epic also. It seems to me that bottom line pricing on RCL for Allure or Oasis has been raised to 765 for Western. I don't know about Eastern.

Eastern cruises are always higher. At least that is the case with Carnival.

[debbiecape]

The single cabin with no single supplement sold it for me- I am booked on Epic for a B2B 12/4-12/18 for LESS than what I paid in April for a 7 day NCL Spirit cruise to Bermuda- this is Fabulous for solo travelers...I happen to love the bigger ships as I love to explore the whole place :)

 

would like to book the Oasis or Allure to see the design/neighborhoods but the pricing is not competetive...will still probably do one or the other when timing is right

 

BTW- not just a NCL cruiser- have done Celebrity Mercury and Constellation (service is impeccable'specialty restaurant is superb) .... and Golden Princess (not impressed overall) ...and nine other NCL cruises in the Caribbean and Transatlantic - I do happen to love Freestyle cruising and generally split my specialty and included dining options 50/50 on a cruise- I have zero problem paying for something a little bit special and also enjoy the included options..on the EPIC the chance to see Blue Man Group (which I have seen in Boston) and Cirque de Soleil (seen in Orlando) for a nominal fee is incredible- also love Second City ...again, open to Oasis but the pricing is not in line with EPIC

[debbiecape]

Hmmm- that isn't the case as far as I know- you would still pay the double rate (an inside cabin rate per person) if you book the solo cabin- less space- my TA said they are not selling solos to couples ...unless all the insides are sold out and only solos remain ....

 

this is a great concept-there are only 120 something of these on the EPIC- chances are yu will at least meet up with 100 other solo travelers :)...(I travel solo a lot- and genreally tend to meet 1-5!!)

[Aquahound]

I was also on the inaugural voyage of the Oasis. Big ship, yes - but I'll tell you that it didn't take long to find my way around. It never felt "big" - it is sensibly laid out. Decks on the Epic are "destinations" - if you don't want to go to what's on a certain deck, you don't have to stop. Ever notice how most ships make you walk through a smokey casino to get to a popular spot? Not so on the Epic - you have to actually search for the Casino!!

 

Did you mean to say...not so on the Oasis? If so, I completely agree. The Oasis casino is on the lowest deck of public spaces and you have to take 1 of 2 long hallways around Studio B to get to it, or by the spiral stariway going down from the Royal Promenade. It's a great design, as is the rest of the ship.

 

By the way, I just got off Oasis and could not wait to book Allure.

[beachchick]

Hmmm- that isn't the case as far as I know- you would still pay the double rate (an inside cabin rate per person) if you book the solo cabin- less space- my TA said they are not selling solos to couples ...unless all the insides are sold out and only solos remain ....

 

this is a great concept-there are only 120 something of these on the EPIC- chances are yu will at least meet up with 100 other solo travelers :)...(I travel solo a lot- and genreally tend to meet 1-5!!)

 

Let me start by saying that my DH and I wouldn't do this because we book together in balcony cabins. That's the only way we cruise. But...

 

What's to stop a married couple from individually booking adjoining Studio cabins? Is NCL quizzing everyone who books Studios as to their marital status and whether their spouse is traveling with them? And what's to prevent people from saying that the person living at the same address with them with the same last name is their brother/sister? I doubt NCL is going to try to require people to prove they are not married and are not traveling with their spouse.

 

Again, we wouldn't do it, but people certainly could book that way.

 

A question. I don't quite understand what you mean by this:

as far as I know- you would still pay the double rate (an inside cabin rate per person) if you book the solo cabin

 

I thought NCL was marketing the Studios as sized and priced for solo cruisers. Do they still charge a full single supplement for them? That would kind of defeat the purpose (IMO).

 

Solo concept is great, but isnt so great when most of the married couples book the single cabins so they have there own bathroom for the same price and when people like me looking for another single person to meet in the "living room" area, only to find out there married to another person in another solo cabin. :D. One of these days ill try the Epic. Anyhow, after next spring its going overseas and wont be in Fla anymore.

 

I was on the Norweigan Wind back in 2001 for 17 days. I did NOT pay extra for any food in any rest. The first few days I ate in a few differnt places, untill I found one I liked and stayed at the same table for the remainder of the cruise. Only had to reserve the table for the next day. I liked the gym that it was open 24 hours. Yes I like to workout at odd times of day..Less crowded that way.

 

It's great to be able to workout when it's less crowded. But I always wonder about 24 hour gym availability when cruise lines put suites/staterooms right under the gym. That's seems to be a source of complaint for many when they've ended up under the weight machines and free weights and end up being awakened at 3 am by loud, repetitive "thuds." I wouldn't be surprised if they put some restrictions in place at some point.

 

You have a good point about solo travelers hoping to meet other solos. I suspect that you might also find married people who are traveling with friends (e.g., "girls cruise vacation") without their spouses. The Studios would be a great option for them too. Unfortunately, they would still be part of a couple, even though the other half of the couple was back at home. I guess what I'm saying is that the Studios are advertised for solo travelers (who can be single, married, in relationships, etc.), but not specifically as a "singles" cruise option.

 

beachchick

[Flying Solo]

The studio cabins are sold for one person and only charged the price of one person. But, one option is that a couple can book 2 connecting studios. Depending on the pricing at the time they book, they may be able to book 2 connecting studios for the same price as one inside cabin. This gives them 2 seperate bathrooms instead of just the one room and bathroom that they would have in an inside cabin.

Unfortunately, this takes away from the number of studios availabe for "actual single travelers", but I don't know if this happens enough to actually be a problem.

[beachchick]

Flying Solo:

 

Thank you for explaining how the Studio bookings work. I didn't know because, as I mentioned, it's not something we'd look at in any case. I'm of two minds about couples booking two Studios. On the one hand, there's no rule against it; on the other, they are advertised as a solo option. I think everyone knows just how hard something like that is to find! Then there's the situation where three girlfriends might be cruising together. They might find having three Studios to be ideal, even though they're on the cruise as a group. Not all friends want to share a cabin or bathroom with each other. I have to say that the Studios might be very appealing to them. What does everyone think about that sort of thing? Should Studio cabins only be allowed to be booked by people who are traveling alone with no friends or family? Or should they also be allowed to be booked by people traveling together, but who are unrelated? Or should anyone who wants one be allowed to book them?

 

I don't like the idea of couples taking two Studios simply because it's so hard for single travelers to find anything where they don't have pay a hefty single supplement.

 

beachchick

[ibz1492]

After 40 years of travelling mostly as a single, Epic finally doesn't gouge me for doing so...I actually prefer Royal Caribbean as a cruise line, but they have lost me permanently as a traveler until they and all other cruise lines acknowledge that singles consistently get ripped off. Now that we have an alternative, we will fill up the Epic Studios until others catch on..

[ibz1492]

I've already cruised on the epic, and it was absolutly awful. Everything was in disarray. Wouldn't go back if it was free.

It would be most helpful if people would identify why they rate a ship super great or so bad that they would never sail on it again....

[rtc50]

We went on the Oasis in June and on the Epic last month. We would go on the Oasis again but NOT the Epic. The average balcony room is much smaller on the Epic. There is no bathroom on the Epic, just a toilet room (tiny, no place to put anything), a shower room (no place to hang a towel) and the sink is the size of a dinner plate, in the room. The beds are short, I am 5 feet tall and my feet almost touched the bottom of the bed. The Oasis has 2000 more passengers but it never felted crowded. The Epic was crowded all the time. I could go on but I think you get the picture.

[lawyerrose]

It all very simple, really. It's just a matter of knowing yourself well enough to understand what you will like or not. I can honestly say that even though I have never experienced this, I know that I would not like to fall into a cesspool. I know that I would not like to be bitten by a crocodile. I know that I would not like to go on a plane and have it crash. I know that I would not like to be robbed. Conversly, I think I know myself well enough to know that I would like to win the lottery, even though I have never done so. I know I would like to stay in the Presidential Suite of any five star hotel, even though I have never had the opportunity. I know that I would like to attend my grandaughter's wedding, even though she is still only eleven. I know that I would like to own a private yacht and spend the rest of my live sailing the popular vacation spots of the world.

 

I hope you get the point - some of us are self aware enough to know what we will or won't like without having to try it first. For me, that means not liking mega sized ships.

 

 

Great answer! Made me laugh. Thanks!!;)

[janetz]

Oasis..:D is an awesome ship. It is, a destination all its own. You will not be disappointed.

[Cruising89143]

I never say never and would cruise on the Epic if the situation was right. I like NCL. It's not my favorite cruise line but they do many things right.

 

I am one that likes the larger ships and have cruised on Oasis twice and just spent two weeks on Allure with two more cruises booked. Loved both ships. So much to do and so many choices. These two ships are not for everyone but that's why we have so many choices.

 

I tried HAL a few years ago. Not the cruise line for me. At least not for another twenty years or so.

[phish tales]

we have been on the Oasis & the Allure both are beyond belief. absolutely, positively breathtaking. we (our opinion) would not do the Epic even if it were free with air flight. we absolutely, positively hate NCL. did one on NCL

and it was the cruise from hell.:eek::eek::eek:

[hubofhockey]

we have been on the Oasis & the Allure both are beyond belief. absolutely, positively breathtaking. we (our opinion) would not do the Epic even if it were free with air flight. we absolutely, positively hate NCL. did one on NCL

and it was the cruise from hell.:eek::eek::eek:

 

Okay, which did you like better? Oasis or Allure?

[phish tales]

Okay, which did you like better? Oasis or Allure?

 

 

we got invited to do the pre-inaugural on both so we stayed on each and did a b to b on both. they are so much alike it's hard to pick a favorite. we must say they are the greatest cruise ships out there. try them both and you decide. you will not be sorry.