Help needed choosing a sailing

[ScottW3]

Hi everyone! My family and I are currently booked on a sailing on Oasis in April 2022 in a 2br grand suite. I need to move it to the fall and need help deciding. I want to go star class this time around because, well, why not. It's my wife and I and our 4 kids (9,7,4,4) sailing. Our options are:

Oasis - 2BR Aquatheater suite (deck 9)

Harmony - 2BR Aquatheater suite (deck 10)

Both sailings hit Cococay and Labadee. 

Harmony is about $700 cheaper (but I'd get an extra $100 OBC for Oasis sailing and less transportation fees to and from Port for Oasis)

Give me your opinions. I know there are a few different restaurants on ship and the decor in the room is a bit dated in Oasis. Any other major differences I should know? Kids club,splash pad, etc? 

This will be our first star class and first Oasis class. 

Blow this novice away with your expertise! 

[AshleyDillo]

Oasis has the biggest Splashaway Bay to date on a Royal ship if that's a big deal for the kids.

However it's kind of a tie for me between Harmony and Oasis.  The lower deck ATS is larger, but Harmony's decor just feels more modern.

I loved the ATS show on Oasis but not a fan of CATS.  I found Grease on Harmony much more enjoyable.

The food is a toss up too!  On Oasis you have Portside BBQ, Giovannis, Playmakers and El Loco Fresh.  Then Harmony has Wonderland, Jamie's and Sabor.

Man..isn't it great Royal still has so much variety within the same class ship?!?  Unless you are trying to make this decision, of course.

[WAAAYTOOO]

I agree with @AshleyDillo.  Given the fact that your Oasis choice is on the lower deck, I would definitely go with Oasis.  In the case of the ATS, lower is very important....the lower suites themselves and the balconies are much bigger.  That, and the fact that Oasis has already been amped. The ATS are such awesome suites.  Everyone is going to love, love, love the view and the amenities.  I would not let the shows nor the decor influence my decision....there is so much more to consider.  The $$ is certainly something to consider...but by the time you have spent THAT much money on a suite, $700 isn't really a deal-breaker, IMO.  It's true that Oasis does not have Wonderland, but that's a ++ for me as I am not a fan....but for some, it is disappointing not to get to try Wonderland.   Don't know how adventurous the kids are but most kids find Wonderland waaaytooo long and the food is not kid-friendly (nor adult-friendly in our case !!) unless your kids are atypical with food.  The decor in Wonderland is fun though.  

[smokeybandit]

If you want a 2BR, I wouldn't hesitate to hurry and book, even in today's climate.

[ScottW3]

Thanks for the great info everyone. 

We'll be spending a fair amount of time at splashaway Bay so the difference there is helpful to know. 

Our kids don't do so well staying up late so the shows are probably out of the question and not a huge factor for us. They don't do in-room babysitting anymore, do they? 

Is adventure ocean on Oasis any larger better than Harmony after the amplification or did they just bring it up to par with Harmony? 

As far as food, it's a toss up for me as well. My kids are picky eaters so wonderland would probably be an adult only trip. Playmakers is nice for the traditional bar food my kids would actually eat. 

I definitely like the larger suite size? I know deck 8 is huge, but is the difference between 9 and 10 noticeable? 

I have the cabins on both sailings held until I make a decision so no risk losing them. 

I think at this point I'm leaning towards Oasis. Thanks again everyone. 

[AshleyDillo]

13 minutes ago, Scott Weiskopf said:

Our kids don't do so well staying up late so the shows are probably out of the question and not a huge factor for us. They don't do in-room babysitting anymore, do they? 

Is adventure ocean on Oasis any larger better than Harmony after the amplification or did they just bring it up to par with Harmony? 

You will be able to watch the aquatheater shows from your balcony and they have rehersals during the day, so that's very fun to watch.  

AO got revamped on Oasis and it's actually a much newer concept than on Harmony.  @Matt has blogged about it in several places and he was hesitant at first but he loves the new AO.  During the revamp they redid the entire AO area and there's a lot more interactive technology involved.  The area is more open and the kids have more choice in what they participate in.  It's not like before where if they didn't want to participate in the activity that was happening they didn't have much else to do.

More and more I read your responses, I definitely think Oasis would be the better choice for you guys.