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Anthem, Oasis, or Freedom?


bossdog421

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Looking at my next cruise. I was just on Harmony out of Port Canaveral and had an amazing time.

 

This time I'm looking at sailing from Jersey so I dont have to worry about flights.

 

Very interested in a Canadian cruise but not sure how my then to be 10 year old would do on those ports. The cruises into tropical areas would all he at ports we have already been to though.

 

Freedom looks to be getting  amped but the ship size is a bit of a turn off.

 

Oasis looks like it would be identical to Harmony.

 

Anthem is at least different but big.

 

I am big into ship features and suite amenities.  Sell me on a ship!

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Freedom, while not as big as Oasis, is a wonderful ship.  

She has a great Solarium, but nothing like an O-class ship.

My wife would love to go on a NE itinerary, but the best times are smack in the middle of hurricane season,

and since we live on the coast, I don't want to leave the house unoccupied.

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Given the choice, I would pick the Anthem for a Canada and New England Cruise. Quantum class has most of the suite amenities of the Oasis class, the concierge lounge and coastal kitchen are on different decks and there is no bar on the suite sun deck. The advantage it has for me is that Quantum class and smaller can tender in Bar Harbor which is my favorite  port on that itinerary.  With that said, there are no quantum class sailings on the schedule for 2020 or 2021.  The smaller classes are fantastic also, and while not sky or star class, they do have suite programs.

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Anthem has some really nice suites and amenities that go with them.

 

You can't get Star class on Freedom (or really any of the smaller ships) which is really a bummer.

I've sailed on Anthem twice and will again in Dec....all food, drinks, and internet included make it really easy to pick.

On Grandeur (which I've sailed on twice and will again in April) and Serenade which we will be on in August.... I have to buy all that stuff extra and it just feels like it adds up to the same price as the cruise on the larger boats that offer you so much more on board.

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Oasis after its amplification is actually WAY BETTER than Harmony.  It has a huge Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade where Sabor and Starbucks are on Harmony.  Our 8yo son had a lot of fun playing all the free games in playmakers over thanksgiving.  He also LOVED the new kid’s club design on Oasis ....... they have a really nice video game area and it’s just setup a lot better.  The cruise director on Oasis also was a lot more involved and had more fun things going an all week than the cruise director did when we were just on Harmony.  We’re actually going on Oasis again this Sunday.  If you’ve never tried the Crown Loft Suite yet, I HIGHLY recommend staying in one!

 

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3 minutes ago, ChrisK2793 said:


Oasis after its amplification is actually WAY BETTER than Harmony.  It has a huge Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade where Sabor and Starbucks are on Harmony.  Our 8yo son had a lot of fun playing all the free games in playmakers over thanksgiving.  He also LOVED the new kid’s club design on Oasis ....... they have a really nice video game area and it’s just setup a lot better.  The cruise director on Oasis also was a lot more involved and had more fun things going an all week than the cruise director did when we were just on Harmony.  We’re actually going on Oasis again this Sunday.  If you’ve never tried the Crown Loft Suite yet, I HIGHLY recommend staying in one!

 

I just got off Harmony on Sunday and stayed in the Crown Loft Suite! It was great.

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1 hour ago, WannaCruise said:

Funny...we have all 3 of those booked  .  Departing from NY is a bonus for us too.

Are you thinking Freedom is too "small"?  We're been on Indy and it's a great ship.

What time of year are you looking at?  If cooler temperatures, then Anthem is indoor ship. 

I've only been on 2 cruises. One was the Disney Dream the other was Harmony of the Seas. Royal is more my speed. I really liked the size and features of the ship.

 

I have not been of fan of any of the ports in the Caribbean and Bahamas outside of the private owned islands, castaway cay / coco cay.

 

I would probably enjoy the Canadian ports more but honestly I'm more interested in the ship. I could see my daughter not enjoying the Canadian ports at all.

 

The amp up on freedom looks nice but not sure I'd get much use out of that new pool deck in october by Canada lol. I'll have to double check the itenteraries again to see if there is something else in summertime. Or suck it up and go south again

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IMO, the Freedom itineraries out of NJ are currently priced in the stratosphere for that ship class. Royal is taking advantage of (1) the new AMP upgrades, and (2) first Freedom Class ship in NJ/NY area to artificially inflate the prices. While I really enjoyed Freedom (she was the first ship I ever cruised on, back before AMP was done), I feel like Royal is getting greedy with her right now.

I've sailed Anthem twice and thought she was a slightly better ship than Freedom (based on pre-AMP features and design). Second sailing I found myself liking Anthem better than the first. It's got what I think is the best solarium in the fleet, along with the advantage of the indoor general access pool for cold / rainy weather days. The entertainment is spectacular, much better than Freedom's and I'm guessing on par with Oasis. And like @SpeedNoodles and @bytheslice said, it's going to be a really good ship for your kids. Only downside I found is that she's too "inward facing" for me; most of the venues are inside and many of those have no windows looking out on the ocean. You can read my full comparison at the end of my first Anthem live blog (linked in my signature). I'll note that the folks here who have live blogged from her while sailing in a Star Class suite have said that Quantum class ships are where Star Class perks really shine, because of the access they give you to the unique offerings like the bumper cars that typically get very long lines.

I haven't sailed any Oasis class ships yet, because I find their port selection too limiting and I'm still early enough in my cruising "career" that I want a good selection of ports more than a ship that's the destination. But given you loved Harmony and you said the ship is more important to you, I think Oasis is going to be your best bet for a summertime cruise since they have Anthem sailing out of Southampton for the next couple of summers.

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On 2/4/2020 at 7:16 PM, dodgestang said:

I've sailed on Anthem twice and will again in Dec....all food, drinks, and internet included make it really easy to pick.

Can anyone confirm this? I’m still new to cruising, but have yet to see an “all-inclusive” like this. We recently booked on Anthem for Thanksgiving this year, and have been looking at/discussing things like the beverage and internet packages...don’t want to pay for something that is already supposed to be included. 

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@S&MDaw The more you pay for a room them more "perks" are included. The actual fact is that these things are factored into the price of said room. For example with Sky class, about $1700 per person, you get a special restaurant called Coastal Kitchen, Internet and a certain amount of drinks for free in the lounge. With Star class, about $4100 per person, you get all inclusive. So the beverage package, internet, dining package and priority everything is included.

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1 hour ago, S&MDaw said:

Can anyone confirm this? I’m still new to cruising, but have yet to see an “all-inclusive” like this. We recently booked on Anthem for Thanksgiving this year, and have been looking at/discussing things like the beverage and internet packages...don’t want to pay for something that is already supposed to be included. 

This is contextual to sailing in 'Star Class'.  Would be the same for any ship that has 'Star Class'

Unlike smaller ships, like say Grandeur, regardless of suite you sail in right up to and including the Royal Suite (best on that boat) you still have to pay your own grats (unless you use a travel agent), pay for specialty restaurants, buy a drink package if you want it, pay for internet, etc...because they don't offer 'Star Class'.

With that said....it isn't really 'needed' either....AKA there is no real for a Genie on the smaller ships.  I do wish they offered the ancillary benefits that I listed above on the smaller ships as part of the room.....but then....the rooms would appear to be more money and priced out of site for the smaller ship size.  It all balances out in the end ?

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Just a short musing on the Star Class bennies added to other ships.

Back when SC was first implemented, it was my understanding that they intended to integrate this “all inclusive” concept to the [at least some of] the other ship classes....but that has never happened and I have not heard any further rumors of it happening.  This actually surprises me, given the popularity of SC.  There must be a good reason why this program has not developed beyond the O and Q class ships.  My guess (and that’s all it is) is that they could not figure a way to introduce the a Genie ?‍♂️. To me (laughable I’m sure) it seems like it would be fairly easy to do but I guess it isn’t.  Granted, the other ship classes do not have the elaborate SC suites, but adding the all inclusive benefits and some sort of Genie lite doesn’t seem like it would be that hard !

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15 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

?‍♂️ Granted, the other ship classes do not have the elaborate SC suites, but adding the all inclusive benefits and some sort of Genie lite doesn’t seem like it would be that hard !

it probably comes down to space though....do they have enough crew space to add a Genie into the smaller ships. 

Francis (Concierge on Grandeur at the time) made us feel close a Genie experience.  When we got on board last time he met us in the parking lot, moved us through security/check in at lighting speed, took us to our room at 10:30, premade us dinner reservations (and visited us at every meal), met us every morning at breakfast (brought Nina a big plate of bacon ? ), helped us to be the literal first people off the ship at Miami (before the RC excursion flow), firmly suggested we not do the south beach bungalow I had reserved and instead do the "suites cabana" with BBQ lunch at CocoCay (something that appears to have only been a short time thing)...so with just a good concierge on the smaller ships they can get you close.  The only thing they really can't do is "get somewhere early, hold seats, and wait around for you" that Genies seem to do a lot of (on Anthem I have seen if they take their eyes off the little red 'reserved' blankets....people will just move them).

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8 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Were you in the Royal Suite ?  I know the RS often gets that kind of personal service.

Yes.

Yes we stay in the royal suite on Grandeur.  First time Francis wasn't there and Carlington was filling in....it was a different experience and not as high touch, it was our first cruise though...so didn't know what to expect at that time.

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On 2/4/2020 at 8:49 PM, bytheslice said:

Agree with what @SpeedNoodles wrote, would select Anthem based on your child's age and that you have sailed Oasis class. I find the 3 reserved headliner shows on Anthem to be lacking but their Sorrento's is the best pizza I have had on a Royal ship. 

We will rock you is by far the best show I’ve seen on any of my cruises. I’ve been on Anthem twice and will see it a third time if we sail on her again. 

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@bossdog421 a bit late to the party on this one but here are my thoughts.  

We have sailed all 3 "versions" of those ships so here goes:

After following your blog on Harmony just last week, I really feel like Freedom would be a huge disappointment for you.  No lofts, no Coastal Kitchen, no Deck 17, no Royal Suite Class program at all.  Does this mean that I am against Freedom class ships?  No, we sailed Indy post-amp with our kids and it was fine for a 5 nighter.  Our kids (10, 12 at the time) both enjoyed it but both girls said that they would be bored if it was longer.  We have smaller non-OA class ships booked in our future but they are either shorter cruises, or port intensive, or without our kids.  You have to know what you are getting with the non-O/Q class ships and you'll be fine.

I also feel like you "might' be disappointed with Anthem as well.  While Anthem has the Royal Suite Class program, the Concierge Lounge is most definitely NOT the Suite lounge on OA class ships.  @WAAAYTOOO, @Jax, @CGTLH, @AshleyDillo, and many others have mentioned this many times.  It is not in the best location (far aft) and seeing how much you enjoyed grabbing drinks from the suite lounge on Harmony, you will find the lounge on Anthem pretty inconvenient.  Yes, Anthem has iFly, Bumper Cars, North Star, but unless you do Star, two out of the three of these require reservations and the majority of the time you can do it once, maybe twice (North Star) for your sailing.  Bumpers cars share the sea plex with other activities so it is not always available.  There are also long lines for this and you have to line up pretty early.  Again, am I against Anthem?  No.  It is not my favourite class of ship but we have already sailed it twice and we have another sailing booked on her.  But when we sail her, we miss Oasis class.  That being said, I agree with @Ogilthorpe, WWRY is Royal's best Broadway show and Anthem has the best CK in the fleet in terms of service.

That leaves me with Oasis class, which IMO, I feel is the best bet for your family.  Deck 17 is laid out just like Harmony.  I do not feel like the ships are that similar, especially post-amp Oasis.  As others have already mentioned, there are enough differences in dining and entertainment to make it worthwhile.  If anything, it's Harmony and Symphony that are practically twins.  If you ask my kids, they will also tell you that Oasis class is their favourite.  They have now sailed DCL Dream and Fantasy, Anthem, Mariner, Indy, and Harmony.

I blogged Indy and both Anthem trips if you want to go through them.  Might give you a better idea of what you are getting into.

Indy: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/10227-“into-the-unknown”-…-independence-ots-holiday-sailing-–-12292018-132019/

Anthem 2018: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5780-anthem-of-the-seas-march-9-17-2018/

Anthem 2019: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/13683-cruising-with-greatness-–-anthem-group-cruise-–-july-4-13-2019/

 

 

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Thanks for all the great info in the posts. I'm definitely leaning toward Anthem and Oasis.

 

The dates arent lining up as well as Freedom though. We still have a little bit of time to book though.

 

For the cost I might be able to fit in 2 or 3 if I go with smaller ships and knock down the room class. 

 

 

Hmmm... yeah I'm not decided at all lol..

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