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Oasis vs Harmony


sammy79

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Entertainment stands out as a difference and decor.  

Different broadway show with CATS! on Oasis, Greece on Harmony.  Different production shows, different aquatheater shows.  That gets into personal likes and dislikes so I'll leave that alone but the Aqua show on Oasis, Aqua80 is a hit and pretty great. Different Ice Skating show.

Oasis received new restaurants like Portside BBQ and the Playmakers Bar.  Oasis has a "pool" in the solarium.  The Oasis solarium has a forward area outdoors.  Harmony has newer decor.  Oasis pool deck feels a tiny bit newer with the amplification and refresh.  

There is more the same than different so I'm struggling to put it into words.  Before the Oasis amplification Harmony was a clear winner but with the amp the gap is nearly gone and it comes down to very subjective differences.

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@twangsterpointed out the major differences already. I recommend taking a look at what is really important to you and going from there to decide if it’s worth the price difference. You cannot really go wrong with either ship. 
 

Is decor in the suite really important to you? I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed when they amped Oasis and did not make any changes to freshen up the staterooms. Oasis decor is slightly dated and worn, especially in the ATS (compared to the rest of the SC suites). Harmony is more modern IMO. Decide if that matters to you. 
 

Like @twangster said, shows are another main difference. Would you rather see Grease or Cats? Or does it not matter? 

As far as restaurants go, I would say Oasis is the clear winner here after her amp, with Playmakers and Port Side BBQ. However, Harmony does have Wonderland and Sabor if that is more important to you. 
 

And finally, not sure where you would be coming from, but take a look at the departure port. One leaves from Miami and the other Port Canaveral. The ease of sailing out of one port compared to another may also factor into your decision. 

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In a head's up match-up, I would go with Oasis, just on the basis of the amp.  So far, it's the only O class ship to be amped.  The new restaurants, the upgraded pool area with cabanas (or whatever they're calling them) and the new shows (sans Cats) but especially if the price is better - Oasis is clear winner.

I have not been in one of the ATS on Oasis and I have heard reviews that the suites did not get any interior upgrades but there were SOME inside suite upgrades b/c we were in the Grand Panoramic Suite on Oasis in Dec. 2019 and we were told that the entire interior of that suite was upgraded.  Whether it's true or not, I cannot say, but I thought it was just fine.  I am not one to quibble too much about interiors.  As long as the curtains aren't ripped and the bed doesn't sag, I'm usually ok with it.

Aside from Cats (I am not a fan) all of the big production shows on Oasis were new.  I thoroughly enjoyed my cruise on Oasis.  I have stayed in the ATS on Harmony 3 times and enjoyed it each and every time.  I really don't think you can make a bad choice between these 2.  Go with price.

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Both are awesome.... you cant go wrong with either choice. 
If you haven't been on either one, you wont be disappointed. 

Personally, I'm a sucker for getting the most bang for my buck... so if it was me, I would go with the cheaper of the two options as you will basically be getting the same experience with both ships in general. Plus then you can use that savings for another cruise or as fun money while on the cruise. ?

But, as mentioned before... take into account all in costs as well... such as transportation to and from the port. That could sway your decision depending on your location. 

Enjoy and keep your fingers crossed for cruising to get started again soon.  

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40 minutes ago, Sharla said:

This is a hard call, I might do Harmony for Columbus the Musical but that wouldn't be worth a lot of extra cost to me. 

We've done HM twice, and my kids always tell me that they want to sail her again just for this.  lol

I like Columbus too, but not enough to do HM again before I check out other ships first.

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19 hours ago, twangster said:

Different broadway show with CATS! on Oasis, Greece on Harmony.  Different production shows, different aquatheater shows.  That gets into personal likes and dislikes so I'll leave that alone but the Aqua show on Oasis, Aqua80 is a hit and pretty great. Different Ice Skating show.

I cannot believe Royal has not gotten rid of Cats yet. I have Oasis booked for January 2023 and am hoping it’s gone by then. I love the Oasis class ships but have been avoiding Oasis and booking her sisters just because of Cats. Only reason I booked her for 2023 was a rare 10 night option for an Oasis class ship.

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20 minutes ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

I cannot believe Royal has not gotten rid of Cats yet. I have Oasis booked for January 2023 and am hoping it’s gone by then. I love the Oasis class ships but have been avoiding Oasis and booking her sisters just because of Cats. Only reason I booked her for 2023 was a rare 10 night option for an Oasis class ship.

On any given cruise 50% or more are new to Royal.  Of the 50% that are return Royal cruisers many have never sailed that ship.  It costs millions to install a new Broadway show on a ship.

As a frequent cruiser I understand all too well what you are expressing but I am not the target or what Royal considers to the primary type of guess booking a ship.  Frequent cruisers may feel different but we are actually in the minority on almost all sailings.  As much as I would like a new Broadway show every week, I completely understand why that isn't feasible.  

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32 minutes ago, twangster said:

As a frequent cruiser I understand all too well what you are expressing

As long as Oasis has Cats, it will lag behind her sister ships, as far as, enthusiasm for their major big Broadway productions. Which leads me to say, given the cost to install a replacement show, in this case, on Oasis....Royal should consider getting licensing permission for writers to formulate another story/production number for Cats, for ship production only, that could be more suitable to passengers taste. Different score, music selection, shorter & more electric production, and story, using many of the same props & wardrobe. It has been evident for a good, long, while, that not only many more seasoned passengers have grown tired of this production; but, newcomers are ignoring the shows because of the number of bad reviews about the show on Oasis.

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50 minutes ago, twangster said:

On any given cruise 50% or more are new to Royal.  Of the 50% that are return Royal cruisers many have never sailed that ship.  It costs millions to install a new Broadway show on a ship.

As a frequent cruiser I understand all too well what you are expressing but I am not the target or what Royal considers to the primary type of guess booking a ship.  Frequent cruisers may feel different but we are actually in the minority on almost all sailings.  As much as I would like a new Broadway show every week, I completely understand why that isn't feasible.  

I understand that, my point is that CATS is not popular among the guests. Usually only about 50% of guests return to the theatre after intermission. 

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8 minutes ago, Zambia-Zaire said:

Royal should consider getting licensing permission for writers to formulate another story/production number for Cats, for ship production only, that could be more suitable to passengers taste. Different score, music selection, shorter & more electric production, and story, using many of the same props & wardrobe. 

It is my understanding that Andrew Lloyd Webber has been very hesitant to allow even small changes to his productions.  I read that it was next to impossible to get the changes approved that they have already made.  I wouldn't count on any further changes to Cats.

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15 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

It is my understanding that Andrew Lloyd Webber has been very hesitant to allow even small changes to his productions.  I read that it was next to impossible to get the changes approved that they have already made.  I wouldn't count on any further changes to Cats.

Wow...That's disappointing; but, from his perspective, I understand why he would feel that way. So much for that idea.....

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35 minutes ago, joberry57 said:

I love musicals and am a season ticket holder here in Dallas but you couldn't pay me to sit thru Cats.  It is not enough to make me not book Oasis but it did make a difference when I decided on the Harmony for my first post covid cruise.

I enjoy the shows on ships but am not a musical fan per se so I thought maybe it was just me and that one needed to be a theatre buff to appreciate. However, while on Radiance one evening discussing it with some true theatre fans they revealed even they didn’t like cats!

Fortunately there are enough other quality show on Oasis to still make it worthwhile. Hopefully the original poster doesn’t make their decision here based solely on this one show 

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We're supposed to be walking on Harmony tomorrow (boo!) and have Oasis booked next March.  Have only been on Symphony and Allure in this class of ship, so can't comment on the ships themselves. I am a theatre fan though, so I admit that the fact that Oasis has Cats is a bit of a disappointment...BUT that is the only negative thing on my mind.  Ship looks amazing, especially after the amp and have heard the other shows are amazing (plus it had laser tag added). The only negative that you hear about Harmony is you hear people complain about no pool in the solarium.  Oasis class is amazing so can't imagine you going wrong with either.  The biggest factor for us personally would be Miami over Port Canaveral for flying (and then getting to the port from the airport).  Is departure port a factor for you?

 

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7 minutes ago, sammy79 said:

The port shouldn’t be an issue.  We like to fly in the night before the cruise. I’ve never done Miami port but according to @twangster pics, it seems pretty easy to navigate for RCCL. Do they have a dedicated terminal like DCL has at port canaveral?

Miami has Royal's newest terminal!  Beautiful and efficient.  

We always fly in the day before sailing as well.  Check flight prices, for us, it is often cheaper to fly into FLL and take ride share to Miami.  The 3 times that we sailed DCL, we have always flown into MCO and stayed right at the Hyatt Regency inside of MCO.  The have a great restaurant there for a pre-cruise meal and then we take cruise line transfer to PC the next morning from the airport.

Personally, I prefer sailing out of Miami.  Both for the ease of it and you cannot beat Miami sail away views.

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PoM (Port of Miami) is a great port to sail from especially for Oasis class which always sail from Royal's newest terminal, the Crown of Miami.

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I've been fortunate to sail in suites so I can access the suite lounge in the terminal.

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The sail away from Miami is pretty cool as well.

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Plus you sail right past Miami Beach.

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It's a cool port to arrive back into if you are a morning person.

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Miami is my favorite port too from what we've tried (but we haven't sailed out of Port Canaveral).  It's not as close as FLL, but it's still pretty close to the airport.  The last two times we stayed downtown and it had many restaurants in walking distance plus the metro mover to take you other places.  The sail away is really nice from Miami...lovely views.  And for us, flying to Miami is cheaper than MCO, which I assume is because of Disney World in Orlando inflating prices at holiday time (tends to be cheaper than FLL too).

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On 3/12/2021 at 3:07 PM, Vancity Cruiser said:

I enjoy the shows on ships but am not a musical fan per se so I thought maybe it was just me and that one needed to be a theatre buff to appreciate. However, while on Radiance one evening discussing it with some true theatre fans they revealed even they didn’t like cats!

Fortunately there are enough other quality show on Oasis to still make it worthwhile. Hopefully the original poster doesn’t make their decision here based solely on this one show 

Not really relevant to the thread but a bit of trivia.  Right before he became an original member of the Broadway cast of Hamilton, Anthony Ramos performed on the Liberty of the Seas in Saturday Night Fever.

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