Ok, so I write this with some sadness because we are currently on an 18 day Transpacific cruise, and we have just one day left. 😢😢😢. Soon, it will be back to reality. However, my reality is quite good, so I won’t complain too much. Nevertheless, this was an amazing adventure and we are forever grateful. My wife and I had the time of our lives, visited some beautiful places and met some great people. It was all that we had hoped for.
This was officially our second cruise and we plan on doing more in the future. We have actually already booked another one for next year, but we’ll discuss that later. The main thing I wanted to discuss here is the most noticeable difference: the ship size. For this cruise, we were on the Radiance of the sea, with Royal Caribbean. During the last cruise, we were on the Oasis, which was significantly bigger. The extreme size difference was noticeable right from the start. Both of these ships are great and massive in their own right, however, comparing the two would really be like comparing the Eiffel Tower in Paris to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The question is, which one is better. Truth be told, each ship has its advantages. With the Radiance, you will likely be able to go to more far off destinations. Most of the massive ships like the Oasis do not travel the extreme distances that the smaller ones can. With the Radiance, you will also see people you know on a regular basis. Since the ship is much smaller with less people, you will likely run into people that you’ve met on the cruise multiple times. With the Oasis, the ship was so big that we would almost never see anyone twice. While on the Radiance, there was not a day that went by where I did not run into two or three people that I knew. Keep in mind, this does not count the assigned cabin crew and waiters.
With all of the great things that the Radiance has to offer, from great restaurants, activities, people, views and destinations, etc., it is still a much smaller ship than the Oasis. That being said, this major size difference comes with some disadvantages. First of all, with all that the smaller ship has available, it is pale in comparison to the much larger ships. This is just a given. We’re not taking anything away from the Radiance, but try to compare it to the Oasis is this regard, is basically a lost battle. Disneyland and Disney World are both great destinations, but due to the size difference, Disney World will have significantly more to do. Also, with the Oasis, you do not feel the ship moving. One of the main things we noticed immediately on the Radiance, is the rocking back and forth of the ship. You definitely feel the motion of the water and if you are someone that gets motion sickness easily, definitely take the proper precautions. There are several types of medications you can take to help with motion sickness. Plus, by the second day, the movement of the ship was not nearly as bothersome. Except for a few days where the waves were quite large. Even with this, we got used to it with time.
While on the Oasis, we sometimes forgot that we were on the water. With the size of this massive ship, the movement is barely noticeable, if at all. It does make a huge difference. If you can avoid motion sickness, this is a huge advantage.
Based on some of these differences, the question is, do we prefer the big ship or small ship? If we had to choose, we would 100 percent choose the bigger ship. The size, capacity, stableness and activities available just make it a much better fit for us. We will not always have the option of taking a bigger ship, because some destinations just don’t have them available. That being said, both the Radiance and Oasis with Royal Caribbean are amazing ships and you will not be disappointed with either. Enjoy and get ready to set sail.
Nomadic Nurse Ankit 