How do small ships feel after Oasis Class?

[Blizzard54]

We have worked our way up from about 18,000 grt. to the Oasis at 225,000 grt.

After the Oasis we went back to Liberty.

Over the last couple years we have sailed on most of Royal's Classes and will continue to do so. Each Class has it's pluses and minuses. This year we will sail on Freedom, Voyager, Radiance and Vision Classes. Next year we will try Quantum Class. We have enjoyed them all and also enjoy the variety.

[2chiefs]

Haven't met a cruise ship I didn't like. :D Those that spoke up and said there is not as much to do on the smaller ships must have a narrow scope for entertainment. We find as many activities on the smaller ships as we did on Oasis and Allure.

The person that wrote that was on an Alaska cruise. Perhaps that was the difference rather than the size of the ship being a factor. When we went to Alaska the pools were virtually closed on cold days and there wasn't a lot to do and it was crowded inside.

[2chiefs]

Had same concern. We went on Allure (loved it!) and have Symphony booked for next year. In between, we decided to book Mariner. Even though it's smaller and without the neighbourhoods, I'm really looking forward to it. First, it has some cool refurbishment changes. Second, I'm almost looking forward to going back to the the old school of 'dinner followed by a show' ...same time each night concept. Not sure your interests, but I think Indy is getting the same refurbishments (waterslides, sky pad, laser tag, etc)..which make it look great too (but not sure of when this is happening).

We love the Mariner.

We also love dinner followed by a show.

[deliver42]

We sailed the Oasis, then on the Serenade ( Radiance class), and felt suffocated. I've been on the Mariner and loved that ship. From now on, I wouldn't book anything less than a Voyager Class. We are booked on the Symphony and the Mariner , which is a Voyager Class. My favorite, though, is the Oasis Class by far. It rarely seems crowded, which was my biggest beef with the serenade. The atrium was always packed to the gills for the shows.

[Joe12]

We sailed the Oasis, then on the Serenade ( Radiance class), and felt suffocated. I've been on the Mariner and loved that ship. From now on, I wouldn't book anything less than a Voyager Class. We are booked on the Symphony and the Mariner , which is a Voyager Class. My favorite, though, is the Oasis Class by far. It rarely seems crowded, which was my biggest beef with the serenade. The atrium was always packed to the gills for the shows.

 

Serenade was really disappointing. I was very excited for that ship, but it was one of my least favorite cruises. Not a very warm/friendly ship, and little to do. Also, not designed for Mediterranean, IMO.

[island lady]

We like to mix them up. The Radiance series still our favorite (feels more elegant).....but we love them all.

 

When a good friend would be asked which ship she liked the best, she would reply:

 

"Which ever ship I am currently on". ;) Grand lady she was indeed. :hearteyes:

[sellwingri]

Our last cruise was on Oasis and I can’t wait to get back on Radiance in 2 weeks! I want to feel like I’m on a cruise ship and be able to see the water when I’m in different venues. Oasis was just too big, crowded, and impersonal.

[bouhunter]

I That being said, how does it feel cruising on a smaller ship after doing the Oasis Class? .

 

NICE:p

 

We did Allure once, don't really care if we ever go back to Oasis class. We'll stick with Radiance/Explorer/Freedom class. They're nice ships with better ports. I know many people love Oasis ships, good for them, it just didn't do anything for us.:)

 

Actually we're glad Oasis class are so popular, the demand for them keeps prices lower on the other ships :)

[silentbob007]

I took my gf on Harmony for her first cruise. Now as we have looked at her second for our honeymoon, she can't imagine a ship without central park. Whoops. ;)

[jchiefs13]

I had a dream last night about cruising on a small ship (I think Vision of the Seas) and after 1 hour onboard, I had walked around the entire ship about 3 times as the ship felt so small compared to my last 4 ships (Oasis, Allure, Anthem and Harmony). That being said, how does it feel cruising on a smaller ship after doing the Oasis Class? Even stepping down to Freedom Class, as we are considering taking an Indy cruise this summer, and I am wondering if she would feel too small.

 

If you NEED the million and one whiz-bang things to do... don't go small. If you enjoy a little more opportunity for a relaxing/quiet vacation it's a good option.

 

Personally, I love them both - but for different reasons. You just need to be in the right mindset.

 

Another perk of the smaller ships (IMHO) is more opportunity to get acquainted with some staff and fellow cruisers, it makes it all feel more personal.

Judy

[Rewind]

I worked my way up through the classes (started the process before Quantum was announced). For us, we like the ships with a Promenade as we like to wander around in our down time; there isn't a lot to wander in with just a centrum. So for us we will try to stay with Voyager, Freedom, Oasis, and Quantum classes as much as possible.

 

That being said, our next cruise is on Rhapsody. Slightly larger than Monarch but smaller than Enchantment with the stretch. As some have said, a day on a cruise ship is much better than a day in the office.

[Blizzard54]

The person that wrote that was on an Alaska cruise. Perhaps that was the difference rather than the size of the ship being a factor. When we went to Alaska the pools were virtually closed on cold days and there wasn't a lot to do and it was crowded inside.

 

That has been an issue with having the Explorer in Alaska. The Ovation with an enclosed Solarium pool will be an improvement. The Radiance has an enclosed pool as well so there is a pool available.

[theSHAH]

I'm more concerned with how "old" these smaller ships built 15+ years ago may feel rather then how small

[Ocean Boy]

We go back and forth between Oasis/Freedom/Voyager class. I find the V/F ships a bit more relaxing. I do like having more dining choices on th O class ships and I love the Aqua Theater.

 

I Don't really like going below V class as we really enjoy having the Royal Promenade.

[FOXTROT]

Last year we got off the Oasis. Rented a car & drove to Tampa. We then got on the Empress. Went From the largest to the smallest. On the Empress the room was smaller & not as much to do. We still had a great time on both ships. We are the type that we will keep busy.

[Leadfoot56]

We have worked our way up from about 18,000 grt. to the Oasis at 225,000 grt.

After the Oasis we went back to Liberty.

Over the last couple years we have sailed on most of Royal's Classes and will continue to do so. Each Class has it's pluses and minuses. This year we will sail on Freedom, Voyager, Radiance and Vision Classes. Next year we will try Quantum Class. We have enjoyed them all and also enjoy the variety.

 

We agree with you John. We also enjoy the variety of the ship sizes and embrace the uniqueness of each class of ship. This year we started with Grandeur, and will also sail on Adventure, Liberty, Explorer and Oasis. Each ship has its own character. It keeps our cruising life very interesting.

[NancyIL]

Last year we got off the Oasis. Rented a car & drove to Tampa. We then got on the Empress. Went From the largest to the smallest. On the Empress the room was smaller & not as much to do. We still had a great time on both ships. We are the type that we will keep busy.

My next 2 RCI cruises are on Oasis in November 2018 (central park balcony) and Empress in March 2019 (OV studio). I haven't sailed on anything larger than RCI's Voyager-class ships, so it's more likely that I'll find Oasis to be too large, rather than Empress too small.

[Eslader]

Sailed Liberty after getting used to several cruises on Oasis class. It was kind of strange standing by the solarium and looking back to see the Windjammer just... Right there.

 

We missed Oasis class solariums - especially the glass panels that let us northerners sit in the sun without severely burning.

 

Other stuff we missed, 150 Central Park, the relatively small size of the smoking area (when the ship is that big, you can easily avoid it - on Liberty you kinda have to pass near it if you're on that deck), we missed Central Park and the Boardwalk, and we missed the chairs next to the jogging track at the stern. We also noted that even though Oasis has lots more passengers, the smaller ship felt more crowded in places. Especially when you were trying to catch an elevator. Oasis has 10 more elevators which makes a big difference.

 

Positives: The balcony seemed a little bigger on the smaller ship, oddly enough, and the chairbacks reclined which was much nicer than the outdoor guest-office-chairs they have on Oasis. Everywhere seemed really close to everywhere else which made getting places very quick.

 

We're going back to Oasis class. We prefer it. But we wouldn't hesitate to get on a smaller ship again if we wanted to go somewhere that Oasis can't.

[Rogueperson]

The biggest class of ship i've been on is Quantum class. I want to do an Oasis class soon, but their itineraries are very mundane in my opinion and their schedules in general only allow for 7 night cruises (except for a couple one offs, like the 9 night in 2019). With such a large ship, 7 nights seem insufficient.

 

Nonetheless, I've done Freedom Class (Independence) and Quantum (Anthem) in the larger class, and the Radiance (Jewel) and Vision (Grandeur). My progression is Jewel, Independence, Grandeur Anthem. (with several Granduer trips in between). Here's my take.

 

On Independence and Anthem, I didn't feel like I was on a ship. It was so huge i felt like I was in a hotel that at times, swayed. That's by design, i think. If you're in the Promenade (or Esplande), it feels like you're in a mall. You're dodging the mid mall kiosks to get to your destination. Without windows, its no different than the mall. Is that a bad thing? No, but in the smaller ships, the shops feels more like a hallway than a mall. It opens up into the Atrium which has windows all over and it is obvious that you are at sea. On the larger ships (can't speak for Oasis), it doesn't. To me, it loses a little of the cruise feeling in favor of more things to do, if that makes sense.

 

Does it mean I won't go on Oasis class? nope, I will try it, probably in 2019 or 2020. there's a slight chance that I may still book on Anthem next year.

 

Large ships and small ships, in my opinion offer two different cruise experiences and it depends on what kind of cruise experience you are looking for. Looking for that wow effect and the unique activities to follow, go bigger. Want a more relaxing cruise with the traditional activities, go smaller.

[BillOh]

I had a dream last night about cruising on a small ship (I think Vision of the Seas) and after 1 hour onboard, I had walked around the entire ship about 3 times as the ship felt so small compared to my last 4 ships (Oasis, Allure, Anthem and Harmony). That being said, how does it feel cruising on a smaller ship after doing the Oasis Class? Even stepping down to Freedom Class, as we are considering taking an Indy cruise this summer, and I am wondering if she would feel too small.

 

 

Like me, you spend a lot of time on cruise critic, so you are knowledgeable about the cruise line. I've always found if you go in wiht the proper expectations, you can have a good time. I've done Majesty several twices, once after Freedom and a few times after Oasis class ships. I'm off to Jewel, Enchantment, the Symphony. I know I'll have a good time on all of them and start looking forward to Mariner.

[VPIcruiser]

We went on the Jewel after being on the Allure for our first time on an Oasis class ship. We kept saying "look you can see the ocean" but we did miss all the entertainment from the Allure and Freedom.

[FOXTROT]

My next 2 RCI cruises are on Oasis in November 2018 (central park balcony) and Empress in March 2019 (OV studio). I haven't sailed on anything larger than RCI's Voyager-class ships, so it's more likely that I'll find Oasis to be too large, rather than Empress too small.

 

With so many people on the Oasis class ships, we have never felt crowded. You will love the diving show. The Broadway plays that they have are entertaining. Make sure to book the comedy club one evening.

No matter the size of the ships, we have always enjoyed the cruise.

[deliver42]

If you are worried about the condition of 15+ year old ships, put your mind at ease. Royal maintains their ships very well. You might see a little rust here and there, but the interiors are usually in great shape.

[Joe12]

If you are worried about the condition of 15+ year old ships, put your mind at ease. Royal maintains their ships very well. You might see a little rust here and there, but the interiors are usually in great shape.

 

Not concerned about the conditions of their ships (although I find the elevators on older ships a bit creepy), but it is more about the lack of things to do on smaller ships. I am concerned that they would feel too small.

[sjb317]

Last year we went on Oasis, then 2 weeks later, Majesty. This year we sailed Majesty in January, then Oasis in February.:D I LIKE the big ships but I LOVE the small ships. Oasis is beautiful and I love the Solarium but I sometimes feel like I am staying in a hotel. The smaller ships seem more connected to the ocean and have a more intimate feel.

 

Big or small, I will cruise on whatever size I need to in order to cruise!:D

 

Sherri:)