Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Verses Icon Class, Which is better?

VS.

The buzz around Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas is electrifying, but after experiencing both the Oasis and Icon classes firsthand, I’m leaning toward the Oasis ships.  Curious why? I’ve crafted a thrilling comparison that dives deep into what makes each class unique—and why the Oasis class might just steal your heart!

Disclaimer : Both are great ships, and have aspects that I love and don’t love on both. Also some of the negative items on Icon, I see that Royal is attempting to rectify on Star and Icon #3 (we are all hoping that it is named “Legend of the Seas”) but for now I am just going to reference Icon #1 for that class of ships. I know technically it is isn’t fair because the Oasis ships have had so many iterations to advance and learn, so I will use our recent trip on Symphony of the Seas as a reference point because that one is right in the middle of the Oasis class ships. So now let's answer; Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Verses Icon Class, Which is better?

Love #1 on Icon: Central Park neighborhood.

I know this is a neighborhood that is on both classes of ships. However, the changes that they made to the Icon class just blew me away. First putting Izumi (the Japanese) restaurant in the park is a great location change, and we absolutely loved the quick service window. (spoiler alert, this worked out so well, this is now on Utopia of the seas, so maybe this will eventually be an Oasis class mainstay as well). We definitely missed those bubble cone sundaes on Symphony.  Additionally, the absence of the Rising Tide bar opens up the area, enhancing that serene park vibe. With the extra space they have more park style seating areas and new venues like Bubbles, a champagne bar, that my wife enjoyed a lot.

Love #1 on Oasis (Symphony) Boardwalk Neighborhood

On our recent cruise on Symphony, we found ourselves drawn to the boardwalk almost every day. The layout and collection of venues works very well. I loved the Dog House and Playmakers location with the arcade attached was nice for the whole family to find something to do. The climbing walls made better sense here to me because they were much bigger and had a bit of shade from location (The climbing area on Icon seemed like a second thought, it is much smaller and jammed is a spot that never has any shade.)  I also like the outdoor venue to the aqua show, I know this poses some challenges for Royal that moving it indoors on Icon fixed but it just seemed too loud indoors and slightly cramped after seeing its outdoor version. This also gives the space some night time things to do, when otherwise the space would be empty. Oh and I almost forgot about the abyss slide too.

This is in direct contrast to the Surfside neighborhood, which I find problematic for a number of reasons. If you want to go deeper into that I wrote a whole article here. But to sum it up, With Surfside, Royal tried to merge splash away bay and the boardwalk together but moved playmakers to a strange location outside of the teen club on Icon. Playmakers is now a de facto teen hangout extension and not really part of any neighborhood. In my opinion, this merger didn’t work very well, but with the latest news about Star of the seas, I think they are trying to work out some of the kinks. I sure hope so because this was my son’s favorite spot on Icon with my wife and I basically taking trips to the other areas by ourselves while he played there.

Love #2 on Icon: New Quick Service locations (AquaDome Market and Pearl’s café).

I loved these additions because of the variety and different options that they offered. Look, I love El Loco Fresh, so don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you just crave a different flavor without wanting to navigate the Windjammer. Feta was my favorite of the bunch, a Mediterranean inspired pita and bowls spot but my family would argue the crepe station was the best of the bunch. It was a nice contrast to just ice cream as a quick service sweet. Also, there are times when I want to eat something at least makes me think I’m eating healthy, and there were a number of fresh grab and go items from Pearl’s café that I just loved. They had salad cups with hummus and tzatziki that I couldn’t get enough of. No, I’m not mentioning Sorrento’s pizza. Love it or hate it, Sorrento’s is a step above microwave pizza, but after a few drinks, everyone goes there.

Love #2 on Oasis (Symphony): Pool Deck.

The pool deck on Oasis class ships is really unbeatable. Having everything together in one spot, for families especially, really makes the pool experience shine. If one pool is busy, you can quickly go to another to see if it is less crowded. If your kids want to go to splash away bay, it is right on the same deck. Even the waterslides entrances and exits are all together with the pools.

Icon's slides near the mini golf.

In stark contrast, Icon spreads out the pool areas, resulting in smaller pools that can feel less inviting. They’ve placed one large pool and scattered smaller ones throughout the ship, which can be a hassle when looking for a good spot. And with Splash Away Bay moved off the main deck, parents have fewer options to cool off or relax while their kids are playing. Also, while the water park on Icon is undeniably impressive, it feels somewhat isolated from the main pool action. It would be fantastic to have a pool right by the waterslides, creating a seamless area for both sliders and non-sliders alike.

In short, if you’re after a vibrant, family-friendly pool experience, the Oasis deck is where the magic happens.

Some Additional considerations:

The Solarium / Hideaway: On Oasis they have more of an indoor / Outdoor Solarium adult only space, on Icon the Hideaway is primary outdoors with very little areas for relaxation. A bunch of people have told me they miss the quietness of the Solarium, as the Hideaway is “part of the party” of the rest of the ship.

Solarium Bistro on Oasis not on Icon: This is a missing gem; I love this venue as a contrast to the Windjammer. It is lessened by the AquaDome Market, but we still missed this on Icon.

Royal Promenade differences: I have heard from a number of people and this is a love it or hate it item. Each venue on Icon, even the restaurants there, have an open concept to the main thoroughfare. So, if you like partying in Boleros late into the night and maybe hearing Dueling Pianos that is one thing, but good luck trying to have a peaceful dinner at Giavonni’s at a high traffic time. On Oasis, there is a more closed venue concept, which is some instances is good and some instances might not draw you in like an open concept would.

I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch of things, but those are the items that stand out to me. Have you been on both classes of ship and love / hate something else? Don’t agree me with? Left me know if the comments.