NCL Breakaway vs. Royal Oasis Class

[shutterbug63]

Considering "jumping ship" in 2018 from RCL to NCL on the Breakaway. Any feedback/comparison from someone who has been on both classes of ships? How does Freestyle dining work? One of the things that appeals to me is the thought of not having a set dress code for every night. Any information is appreciated. I know it's a long ways away, but really not that far considering I have to make final payment by the end of the year.

[sabres431]

I have been on Oasis of the Seas and Breakaway(x2, x3 in April). The biggest difference to me was crowd flow. On Oasis you had a a hard time telling there were 6,000 people on the ship barring a few times. On Breakaway it has more of a funnel feeling to me. You can walk outside to get most places on the waterfront but most people seem to be "funneled" down the middle of the ship. Also most activities are in the Atrium which is much too small for that. Obviously this hasn't deterred us from going back. Just be aware and get to the Atrium early for activities you really want to participate in. It still is a very nice ship and a cruise is what you make of it.

Freestyle dining is basically eat whenever you want. I would make a reservation for at least one night in the Manhattan room as that MDR can have a wait and it is the nicest of the 3 MDRs.

[Crzy4my2]

We have sailed on the Allure, we really loved that ship. It never felt over crowded. We did the "my time dining" and ate whenever we wanted to. They have a separate dining room for the "my time dining" group. Also, even on the "formal" night. you really dress how you want. My DD wore a dress and my DH and DS wore a shirt and tie. I wore black dress pants and blouse. There were more people dressed like us. on the other nights my DH and DS wore Khaki shorts and nice shirts (that's how they always dress anyway) and my daughter wore sun dresses. I wore nice capris(some denim) and a nice shirt/blouse) They did have a "Caribbean" theme night and all the guys in our group wore the same shirt that we bought in St. Thomas..LOL. This is our 1st time on NCL.. looking forward to it.