Carnival Dream or Oasis

[dptt]

We have NEVER been on a Carnival cruise, but have heard many negative things about them. We have been on 5 R.C. cruises and are considering Carnival Dream or R.C. Oasis. Please give us your opinions. Thank You.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Have sailed Carnival only once, but have sailed Oasis and Allure several times each. Needless to say, we are big fans of these spectacular ships. There is so much to do for every taste and interest.

 

The crowds are very well controlled because of Royal's reservation system so that you don't have 6000 people all trying to get to the Dive Show or Ice Show at the same time.

 

Oasis and Allure are such unusual ships that they almost become a destination in themselves.

 

What may be your deciding factors could be the price differential and/or the itinerary. I don't know Dream's itinerary as I do not follow Carnival's offerings. I don't know, but assume Oasis and Allure cost more for equivalent cabins. Also Oasis leaves from Fort Lauderdale and Dream leaves from Port Canaveral (or is it Miami?) So the convenience of the port may be a factor too.

 

Of course, I may be biased because I have such a favorable opinion of Oasis Class ships and try to sail them once or twice every year, but I believe these ships should be experienced if at all possible.

 

Weigh all the factors, cost, port, itinerary, date of departure and if you can swing it, choose Oasis. The entertainment on Oasis is so unique, not to even mention all the dining options.

 

Have a great cruise whatever you do decide to do.

[Big_G]

We have NEVER been on a Carnival cruise, but have heard many negative things about them. We have been on 5 R.C. cruises and are considering Carnival Dream or R.C. Oasis. Please give us your opinions. Thank You.

 

It's a bad comparison but post this question on the Carnival boards and I think you'll be surprised by the answers. If price is not a factor, go with Oasis.

[edamethyst]

we have been on a carnival cruise once and on the Oasis once. The carnival cruise was alot of fun and we had a great time but there was no comparison to the Oasis. The Oasis had so much more to do on the days at sea that we were never ever wondering what to do next, it was more trying to fit it all in before it was over. I'm sure carnival will be alot less money but if thats not an issue i'd go with the Oasis.

[ticktoneer]

Just the words 'Carnival Cruise' fill me with dread after my one and only experience - ha ha ha !!

 

Go with RCI :-)

[Fun2snorkel]

I have been on both ships and enjoyed them both. However the Oasis is a destination in itself. There is so much to do and see or you can just relax. We did a spa cabin on the Dream so we had access to that otherwise we would have mainly just relaxed by the pool during the day. The shows on the Oasis were fantastic - the shows on the Dream were just OK and were not very many of them. I believe there are more comedy shows on the Dream though.

 

A few years ago I would have said the food was better on Carnival but for me that is not the case now. Service for us in the dining room on the Dream was not as good as the Oasis. Of course the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on the Dream was good - every night!:D

 

If price does not enter into the equation, I would choose the Oasis myself.

[dreamer976]

Oh, decisions, decisions!!;)

 

While granted, Carnival doesn't get very high marks from many, the Carnival Dream and Breeze are getting pretty decent reviews. I am fairly "loyal to Royal", but was hesitant to book a cruise on an Oasis class ship. Did my first Oasis cruise this past winter and the only thing I can say is OMG!! I was blown away by the ship, the choices for dining and entertainment are second to none, I would book any cruise on Oasis/Allure in a heartbeat.

 

Please come back and tell us of your decision and enjoy your cruise, whatever your decision should happen to be!

[harlekuin]

While we have been on 14 Carnival cruises, we are excited to be going on Oasis in February. Many people "hear" negative things and then they become self fulfilling prophecies. I've heard this or that is no good, so it's not going to be. You're preconditioned to expect the bad. Many people think other lines are beneath them. Or their expectations are unrealistic. Many will now come on this thread and tell you all about the horrors of it all and how they suffered on Carnival.

 

For us, we had fun. We ate good food. We were entertained. We rested. And that happened for us 14 times, from 3 day cruises to 15 day. Some will say, once you do RCCL you will never go back. Don't agree. We will be happy to have a new experience and may do RCCL several times, then it's time to move on to another line to learn something else new. But back to CCL is always a possibility.

 

Each cruise, even on the same ship is different. Each time you are in the same port more than once will be different. Different does not equal bad.

[help04me]

Oh, decisions, decisions!!;)

 

While granted, Carnival doesn't get very high marks from many, the Carnival Dream and Breeze are getting pretty decent reviews. I am fairly "loyal to Royal", but was hesitant to book a cruise on an Oasis class ship. Did my first Oasis cruise this past winter and the only thing I can say is OMG!! I was blown away by the ship, the choices for dining and entertainment are second to none, I would book any cruise on Oasis/Allure in a heartbeat.

 

Please come back and tell us of your decision and enjoy your cruise, whatever your decision should happen to be!

I was on the dream 5/2013 ( with family who couldn't afford allure) and allure sister to oasis 10/2012 no comparison allure was a destination unto itself the only nod carnival gets is no stop comedy show and it wins big everything else is far better on the oasis class ship

[Thetrail]

Oasis, Oasis, Oasis....K.O.:)

[jcc1025]

We have never been on Carnival so we can't compare but we have been on 15 RCCL cruises and will be on Allure in November. First we have had such a good time on RCCL, not just the ships but the people who sail on her, that we kind of came to the conclusion "if its not broke don't fix it". I was concerned when we went on Oasis regarding the size but somehow they have those big ships designed in a way that does not make them feel large, in fact they feel smaller than some of the other RCCL ships (Radiance, Majesty) that we have sailed. One person mentioned that it was a destination and totally agree, an amazing experience and as soon as we got off Oasis we said we have to do this again even though we have been to these ports many times. You might get a better deal somewhere else but you will not get a better experience.

[kcool]

i have done both and the oasis wins hands down

[Yurita]

No comparison, Oasis all the way. Carnival is a joke, specially the Dream, which only has 2 small pools for so many people, you'll be lucky if you can fit in one of the pools.

[Tapi]

We did the Dream and the Allure the same year. While Allure was the clear winner, we did have a very enjoyable time on the Dream. I wrote reviews for both cruises if you'd like a more detailed comparison of these two ships. Hope they are helpful! :)

 

While Allure is a much nicer ship, we liked the Dream's Western itinerary much more. In fact, the Allure/Oasis itinerary is the primary factor that holds me back from thinking about sailing on these ships again any time soon.

[welldone60]

We have sailed the Dream and RCL, but have not sailed on RCL's big ships. The Dream is a nice ship, you will have a good time. The Oasis and Allure are in a class all their own. If price is not a concern, and you are OK with the ports, go for the Oasis. I hear the ship is worth the price of the cruise all by itself.

[cjknox]

Ship wise: Oasis has so much to offer, although the Dream is a great ship too.

 

Itinerary wise: Dream, much better ports

 

Either ship you choose you'll have a good time.

[Robinola]

I did The Dream twice and LOVED it both times. It is a fantastic ship.

That being said, it is a goal of mine to step up to The Allure some day.

Bigger is Better.

[riclop]

Oasis against all.

[snownyet]

Oasis/Allure have much more to do without a doubt. if shows and activities are your thing you'll find the Dream's not up to the standards. But if you sail for the ports Carnival is a better value and has better stops In my opinion. I do think Royal does a much better job managing crowds so even though there are many more passengers on the Oasis I do think the Dream will feel more crowded. In 3 weeks we're doing the Dream and Oasis back to back. Im sure I'll have formed a much better opinion following that trip.