Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas are both Royal Caribbean Oasis-class ships. If you’re considering a cruise on one of these ships, you might be wondering which is the best…
Whilst the two ships were originally very similar when they were launched in 2009 and 2010, Oasis of the Seas has since undergone an extensive $165 million refurbishment which has seen the addition of many new and exciting facilities.
Are Allure and Oasis of the Seas the same?
Allure and Oasis of the Seas are sister ships but they are not exactly the same. Allure of the Seas is 5 cm (2 inches) longer, but Oasis and has more facilities including water slides, the Ultimate Abyss dry slide and the Splashaway Bay water park.
Royal Amplification
The ‘Royal Amplified’ program aimed to refurbish ten of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships over a four year period, adding innovative new features at a cost of more than $1 billion.
Oasis of the Seas amplification
Oasis of the Seas was refurbished in November 2019, with a whole host of features added, including the ten-storey Ultimate Abyss slide, a new Caribbean-style pool deck, The Perfect Storm trio of waterslides and some new bars and restaurants.
Allure of the Seas amplification
Allure of the Seas was set to be amplified in March 2020, but unfortunately, due to the global pause in cruising, the refurbishment was postponed until further notice.
Instead, the ship received only technical repairs to the propulsion system in May 2020.
As Royal Caribbean doesn’t now have the same budgets to work with as originally planned, it is not known whether Allure of the Seas will eventually be amplified or not.
The plan was for Allure of the Seas to receive the same upgraded features as Oasis of the Seas. If the refurbishment does eventually go ahead, we don’t know whether that will still be the case or whether the refurbishment plans will be adjusted in light of the current situation.
Differences between Allure and Oasis of the Seas
The main differences between these two sister cruise ships are due to the fact that Oasis of the Seas has been extensively refurbished and Allure of the Seas has not.
Here’s some more information about the new amenities that you’ll find on board Oasis of the Seas.
Enhanced Adventure Ocean
Oasis of the Seas now has a bigger and better kids’ club where children can choose their own adventures. The enhanced Adventure Ocean area has a kids’ theatre, a science lab and an impressive new teen area with its own outdoor deck.
Water slides
Oasis of the Seas has three waterslides – Cyclone, Typhoon and Supercell. Collectively, these are known as The Perfect Storm. In contrast, Allure of the Seas doesn’t yet have any water slides.
Photo credit: Royal Caribbean
Kids’ water park
Oasis of the Seas benefits from the Splashaway Bay water park which has two giant tipping buckets, three small water slides and a selection of fountains and water cannons.
Allure of the Seas, however, still has the old H2O Zone water park. You can read more about the differences between these two water parks here.
New pool areas
The new pool areas on Oasis of the Seas are really nice, with a funky tropical theme and the addition of day beds, hammocks and cabanas. Here is where you’ll also find the new Lime & Coconut bar.
Escape room
Oasis of the Seas features an escape room game called Mission Control: Apollo 18. This is Royal Caribbean’s newest escape room game and its suitable for guests ages 12 and over.
The Ultimate Abyss
The tallest slide at sea has been added to Oasis of the Seas. Not for the faint-hearted, guests can slide down ten decks at a rate of nine miles per hour.
Photo credit: Royal Caribbean
Facilities that are on both ships
Oasis of the Seas has a lot more features onboard, but Allure of the Seas may get these too in time, we just don’t know yet. Even without these new features, there’s still plenty to do on Allure of the Seas.
Features you’ll find across both Oasis and Allure include:
- Zip line
- Rock climbing wall
- Arcade
- Mini golf
- Ice skating
- Flow Rider surf simulators
- Merry-go-round
- Pools and whirlpools
- Sports court
- Table tennis
- Casino
Photo credit: Royal Caribbean
Restaurants
There are some differences in the restaurants on board the two ships. The table below shows which dining venues you can expect on Allure and Oasis of the Seas.
| Dining venue | Allure of the Seas | Oasis of the Seas |
|---|---|---|
| 150 Central Park* | yes | |
| Cafe Promenade | yes | yes |
| Chef’s Table* | yes | yes |
| Chops Grille* | yes | yes |
| Coastal Kitchen** | yes | |
| Dog House | yes | yes |
| El Loco Fresh | yes | |
| Giovanni’s Table* | yes | yes |
| Izumi Hibachi & Sushi* | yes | yes |
| Johnny Rockets* | yes | yes |
| Main Dining Room | yes | yes |
| Park Cafe* | yes | yes |
| Portside BBQ* | yes | |
| Room Service* | yes | yes |
| Sabor* | yes | |
| Samba Grill* | yes | |
| Sorrento’s Pizza* | yes | yes |
| Starbucks* | yes | yes |
| Sugar Beach* | yes | |
| Vitality Cafe | yes | yes |
| Windjammer | yes | yes |
** denotes a restaurant only available for Pinnacle Club members
One much-talked-about highlight of Oasis of the Seas is El Loco Fresh. This Mexican fast-food restaurant is included in your cruise fare. The Mexican restaurant on Allure of the Seas, Sabor, has an extra charge.
A new dining venue on amplified ships is the Portside BBQ. Allure of the Seas instead has the Samba Grill, which is a Brazilian Steakhouse.
Photo credit: Royal Caribbean
Bars & Lounges
Oasis of the Seas has more bars than Allure of the Seas. The table below shows which bars and lounges you’ll find on each ship.
| Bar | Allure of the Seas | Oasis of the Seas |
|---|---|---|
| Bionic Bar | yes | |
| Boleros | yes | yes |
| Champagne Bar | yes | yes |
| Dazzles | yes | |
| Diamond Club* | yes | yes |
| English Pub | yes | yes |
| Lime & Coconut | yes | |
| Playmakers | yes | |
| Pool Bar & Sand Bar | yes | |
| Rising Tide Bar | yes | yes |
| Schooner Bar | yes | yes |
| Solarium Bar | yes | yes |
| Suite Lounge | yes | yes |
| Trellis Bar | yes | yes |
| Vintages | yes | yes |
| Wipeout Bar | yes |
Photo credit: Royal Caribbean
The Bionic Bar is a must-visit, with robot bartenders mixing the drinks. The new Lime & Coconut bar is also a popular choice for poolside drinks.
Booking a cruise on Allure of the Seas?
If you decide to book a cruise on Allure of the Seas, you should base your decision on the features that the ship has right now, as there’s no guarantee that the amplification will go ahead.
If it does, it will be a nice bonus for you.
Of course, it’s important to consider the itineraries on offer with each ship too, as well as how easy it is for you to get to the port to start your cruise.
There’s still lots to enjoy on Allure of the Seas. I had a fantastic time when I cruised on this ship in 2013. We didn’t have time to do everything, even with seven nights on-board, so I can assure you that you won’t be short of activities to enjoy, even without the refurbishment.
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