Jump to content

Oasis vs Anthem out of Bayonne


LMF

Recommended Posts

We are considering Oasis out of Bayonne in the beginning of June (before schools let out) and Anthem out of Bayonne the end of March. Inside room Oasis vs OV for Anthem. We have only sailed small ships and want to avoid flying and experience a large ship. We want great MDR dining and want to dance every night. We love a good silent disco and want shows, comedy club etc. We find smaller ships have limited opportunities for activities and dancing after dinner. Your opinions please? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have been on both Anthem and Oasis out of Bayonne.  Personally, I much prefer Anthem.  I think there was a similar amount of activities to do, I just really enjoy the Quantum class ship more than the Oasis class.  Why?  Oasis is geared so that everything faces to the inside - I reminds me of being inside a mall.  We were on Oasis in Oct 2021 and this may have been due to Covid, but there is virtually no where to sit and just relax.  There are a few (very few) spots through Central Park and I don't recall there being anywhere on the Boardwalk except for the seating for Johnny Rockets or Playmakers.  Sometimes it is just nice to sit down w/ your cup of coffee, cocktail, whatever and watch the world go by - there just really isn't anywhere to do it on Oasis.  If you do book Oasis, do yourself a favor and study deck 6 - It dead ends and about the 3rd time you have to make your way back to an elevator or stairs and go up or down one floor to get to where you need to go it gets a little frustrating.  

I also found I really missed there not being a 270 on Oasis.  YMMV!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been on both out of NJ and honestly it's a toss up. I love both ships, we love both ships but would give an edge to Oasis most because it's just got so much to do. It's just got absolutely every. Anthem does have the awesome 270 which is one of the coolest spaces on the ocean. 

We definitely will sail Anthem again, and look forward to it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having been on both, I would choose Anthem. I like the layout, love 270, and the Solarium. We are not interested in all the stuff geared towards the younger crowd that Oasis offers. That being said, will I never sail Oasis class? No, if the price, timing and itinerary are right I will choose it.  But not going to be my first choice ordinarily.  JMHO,YMMV

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These responses are SO helpful!  When asked if Central Park is a must - I have no idea! I am leaning towards Anthem, we are young 50/60 somethings, kids are flown and grown and we love to have fun. Gut feeling is telling me that we would enjoy Anthem - ifly, 270 thanks to you all, the solarium may be better?

I am concerned about going out of Bayonne end of March but if we can use the solarium on first cruise day that should get us to warmer weather...and we would get an upgrade from an inside cabin which is a big plus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went out of Bayonne on Anthem at the beginning of April and I found it kind of cool to leave NJ at a dreary 55 Degrees and over the next 2 days it changes to 80 degrees and beautiful at Coco Cay. The indoor pool and the solarium are great for that time of year. On any given night there will be a big show in the theater, a guitar singer in the pub, a piano singer in the schooner bar, live bands in Boleros and the music hall and something going on in the 270 lounge. No Ice rink or Aqua theater and no water slides on Anthem. The Seaplex is super impressive. Even though I've not been on Oasis yet, everything I've seen seems like you can't go wrong with either ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oasis-
MY MIL and hubby had a casino comp in an interior cabin deck 8....it was TINY.  No couch to sit on, not even a soft chair, just a desk chair  Hubby was lucky I was in a comp in a balcony so MIL had that small room for herself.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Central Park.  I've never had a problem finding a chair and people watching.
The walking track-on Deck 5. So you are not jogging/walking in the hot sun.  It has chairs at the aft you can sit and watch  the ship's wake.
Shows:  Frozen in Time-Fantastic, Cats-you either will love it or hate it-I lliked it, Aqua Show-OUT OF THIS WORLD
Food:  Playmakers-fine, Portside BBQ-really good
Solarium-16+ very nice and has a second level with couches
Windjammer-small, no omelet station....you need to beg someone or go to the Solarium or MDR for an omelette
Blaze Comedy club 18+-reservation needed=-nice atmospher if you've ever been to the old style comedy clubs you'll appreciate it
Vitality Spa (GYM) =has protein shakes/smoothies
Rising Tide Bar
Music Hall-upstairs has a pool table.  Nice place to hang out if you want to be away from people during the day
Card Room-what a view!
Main Dining Room-3 levels that are "connected" by a Central opening.
Central Park cafe-not many are aware of it. Has the infamous roast beef sandwhich, "finger sandwhiches" eh, salad bar, dessertcase and coffee. You can get some sort of bagged potato chip from behind the counter (you must know to ask)
I'm not big on pools so I cannot address those
Why I like this ship:  Central Park, Blaze Comedy and the shows, Solarium, Deck 5 walking track, Vitality fitness center and protein shakes
What I dislike:  Windjammer

Anthem-
Interior cabin has a virtual balcony (or ensure it does) what a difference it makes!!
OV-just be careful if you book all the way forward-you will be walking all the way to the back of the ship for the windjammer and MDR.  It's a LONG walk, especialy when you forget something and have to go back...I'm sure the same can be said for Oasis but I didn't make that mistake on Oasis!
Northstar-wow!!
Two70-I can honestly say, I don't find it to be as great as others say. Very limited seating. Sightline to the show from the back sucks (yet makes it easy to walk out when you discover you do not like the show)
Shows:  Spectre CAberet-very differnt-1st time I left in 10 minutes, 2nd time I swore I would sit thhrough it and I was more intersted in watching people leave-(I had the bad sight line in the back of the room), The Gift-I liked it, We will Rock You-AWESOME but long!!
Windjammer-is larger-has omelet stations
Music Hall-feels larger. There is a pool table upstairs here as well.
Main Dining Room, is 4 seperate dining rooms
Cafe 270-not many people know about it.  It has the infamous roast beef sandwhich, some decent selections of "finger sandwhiches", and a salad bar as well as a desert case and coffee.  Bagged Chips are available behind the salad bar, you have to know to ask.
Why I like this ship:  nooks and crannies you can sit in, shows (minus Spectre), Solarium and while I did not get into the specialty dining Jamie's Italian I felt was better than Giovanni's on Oasis-Windjammer has omelets
What I dislike:  it feels so much longer than Oasis, making walks from Two70 to the back of the ship feel like it will never end.

There is so much more on these 2 ships too!



 


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, LMF said:

These responses are SO helpful!  When asked if Central Park is a must - I have no idea! I am leaning towards Anthem, we are young 50/60 somethings, kids are flown and grown and we love to have fun. Gut feeling is telling me that we would enjoy Anthem - ifly, 270 thanks to you all, the solarium may be better?

I am concerned about going out of Bayonne end of March but if we can use the solarium on first cruise day that should get us to warmer weather...and we would get an upgrade from an inside cabin which is a big plus.

Consider looking at YouTube tours of both before you decide. (If you haven't already) there are several good 1 hour tours to watch. They really sell it for me. And my money would be on Oasis. There is just so much more places to see. Not just young people activities like zip lines etc. But more restaurants and lounges music etc for 50 plus folk like us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, LMF said:

we are young 50/60 somethings, kids are flown and grown and we love to have fun. Gut feeling is telling me that we would enjoy Anthem - ifly, 270 thanks to you all, the solarium may be better?

This right here makes me lean towards Anthem as an answer for you. We went on Anthem in December with 3 kids (5 and under) and I saw a lot of teen/adult activities, but not a lot for kids. We're going on Oasis next month, and really looking forward to the wider array of kid activities. 

If you're going as empty-nesters, Anthem is great: All main areas are climate controlled (Two70 plus cafe, SeaPlex, Solarium, indoor pool), iFly and North Star are awesome. Solarium will get busy on Anthem with ALL of the adults vying for space, but the indoor pool space is nice. Dining on Anthem is wonderful - Vintages, Jamie's Italian, Wonderland, Chops, and Izumi. The Via is gorgeous, a wonderful place to sit and relax. The Windjammer on Anthem is nicely laid out, especially the aft outdoor seating. Don't forget about the food service area at the VERY BACK of the Windjammer - no lines! The shows on Anthem are mixed: I loved "Spectra's Cabaret", but didn't care for "We Will Rock You!" however, plenty of people have the opposite opinion. My recommendation is to arrive early and get good seats for both - immersion truly helps with enjoyment. 

Oasis is going to swap Wonderland for 150 Central Park, swap Two70 for Aquatheater, have more pools, more rock walls, more dining (Playmakers, El Loco Fresh, Portside BBQ, Izumi Hibachi). Oasis is going to have more kids, more families, more of everything. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

Thanks @Pattycruise I am doing Oasis in Jan and Anthem for a TA next Oct. You gave lots of solid information 

Having sailed on Oasis a couple of times this past year here is some advice, take it or leave it.  
Check the weather for your sailing and book Aqua80 for as early in the sailing as you can.  We boarded "late" (I'm used to being in the first group but had to move my daughter into college) this last time and the 8:15 show on the first night Aqua 80 was booked.  So I booked us for the 10:30.  Luck was on our side.  It rained and cancelled the 8:15 (rescheduled to another day) and we were able to see our show.  Weahter and a hydraulic lift issue caused cancellations too.  On previous sailings it was Covid that killed the show, and one other time it was the change of the staffing of the show that killed it.    Same for the Blaze, I like to book it "to ensure I see it" and if I really like it I will go standby on another day.  Aqua80 has standby---the line to the left as you face the stage, and the Blaze also has standby-the line forms  to the left against the wall as you face the entrance.
Arrive early for Aqua-the line gets long.  Front rows are the "wet zone" and towels are provided.  The back rows you will not be able to see some of the aerial show and divers from the top.  The "primo seating" for Pinnacle, Diamond +, Suite guests and the Key (not sure if Diamond too) is in the center/center section.  If you can't get into that sit in the rows behind it.  The aerialist "almost come into that section" for some portions of the show.   I'm torn where to sit the next time I watch Aqua, i might go to the Rock Wall area and view it from a different vantage point.  If you are fortunate to be in an Aqua Suite I hear you can view the sychronized swimmers connect to the airsource under water-that would be cool to see!
The Blaze-if you arrive late or enter standby the area behind the bar is very difficult to hear.  The bartenders are shaking their drinks and the speakers don't really reach that area.  Lots of poles in that venue.  Personally I liked sitting at the front of the bar- or anywhere within the center view of the stage-though some chairs are more comfy for my bad back than others.  Hopefully you enjoy the venues as much as I did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...