What's the Perfect Size Ship for You?

[jhannah]

Quite often people comment that they love the S class ships because they're the right size ... easy to navigate, no masses of people everywhere. Others prefer the Vista class because of more public spaces, greater variety of onboard shops, etc. We have choices in cruising from yachts carrying around 200 pax to behemoths holding more than 2,600.

So, if you were designing a vessel that would be just perfect for your cruising tastes, how many passengers would the ship accommodate?

[localady]

I voted...but I have to admit, I have yet to be on a ship smaller than an "S" class. We will test the waters on the Prinsendam. I have been on some of the larger ships like the Millinieum and the Disney Magic and although I loved the variety they offered, they were a bit too large for my tastes. :cool:

[sail7seas]

Perfect for me is Maasdam up to and including the size of Rotterdam.


We cruised 5 times on Zuiderdam and would happily go on a Vista ship again but I prefer smaller.

As to number of pax, 1,200 to 1,500 is plenty IMO

[DFD1]

HAL's mid sized ships are just about right....Maasdam and Volendam. Volendam has the extra bank of elevators and that's nice.

One thing's for sure, for us, once on the Conquest with 3,000 passengers was quite enough!

[Tatka]

I think it's all about PAX to crew and PAX to space ratio...

For example 30,000 would be to small to carry 1300 pax...but 80,000 ship will be great for this number of people. Does it make sense?

[jaguarstyper]

2 years ago I was fortunate enough to be aboard the Sea Cloud II during the Monaco Grand Prix. There were 94 passengers aboard for a 5 night cruise, which included 2 days in Monaco for the Formula One race. This was the height of luxury and a once in a lifetime thing. This was my 40th birthday gift from my DW. Nice gift, huh?

As far as I'm concerned, the smaller the better.

Tim

[kelmac]

I like big ships, with few passengers!:rolleyes: As long as the cuisine and service is great--I say, "bigger is better"!!

The best, so far, is the Millennium class of ships from Celebrity. Lots of space (91,000 tons) and not so many people (1,900). I'm trying the Vista class ships of HAL this summer to see how they stack up.

Enjoy!
Kel

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have been on the Grand Princess - too big - too many passengers.

Although we love the R and S class ships on HAL with about 1200 passengers, we have not minded being on the Vista class ships - a little larger and a few more passengers.

[zdude]

April will be my first cruise on a "ship". So I put under 300, because I have usually been first mate or passenger on < 100' sloops. I got the scared to death in some cat 4-5 stuff and have not blue water sailed since. Someday though I'll island hop down in the Carib, but we ran into the nasties off the coast of CA.

[venicecruiser]

After sailing Seabourn, the smaller the ship the better!

Claudia

[RuthC]

My first several cruises were on ships in the 25,000 ton range---with a passenger base nicely accommodated.
Then I graduated to the "huge" ss Rotterdam at 38,000 tons. IIRC, she still carried less than 1000 passengers.

That's what I still like best. I would love to be able to sail the Prinsendam, or a similar size vessel, and I'm hoping HAL will have that choice available for years to come.

[the2ofus]

My first thought was "The one I'm on!". But that is not a response to the question asked. My next thought was "Any HAL ship because the crew to pax ratio and the space per pax is the best." But that is not really a response to the question asked.

Have only once been on a smaller ship than the S class, and it was HAL's Groote Beer, loaded to the gunwales with high school and college students heading home from Europe. Wow what a trip!!

I guess I prefer the 1100 to 1500 class. I discovered I liked the Vista ships just fine. I am sure though, that I would NOT enjoy being on a ship with more pax than the W'dam.

[Orcrone]

I have to agree with Tatka, it all depends on how much space they allow per passenger. The Maasdam had a very nice space per passenger ratio. DW and I never felt crowded. I also would love to sail on a ship with more of a variety of activities and venues, something like Princess' Grand or RCI's Voyager class. However, I'd like to sail on them with about 1500 - 2000 other passengers, rather than the 3000+ that they carry.

[bepsf]

I'm w/ Tatka - its the space ratio and crew/pax ratios are what's most important.

Then again, I think QM2 is probably just too Dam big - the R-Class and Vista Class are just right.

[Orcrone]

Then again, I think QM2 is probably just too Dam big - the R-Class and Vista Class are just right.Sorry, only HAL ships can be too "DAM" anything.:D

[wander]

I actually agree with the public space to passenger ratio as being more important than numbers of passengers. However, my favorite trip in terms of numbers was on a 40+ day trip the November-December after 9/11. It was fully staffed and for the first 8 days there were more crew than passengers. The ship was never more than half full, but all shore excursions and activities were run as planned. We had one, 7:00pm seating for dinner, etc. It was great with lots of space and crew just begging to be of service. (The first few days most liked the lighter workload but soon got bored and were constantly looking for ways to be helpful and keep busy.) The cruiseline covered all the tips (as an incentive for folks who stuck with their reservations), so all the crew knew that that would be taken care of, so that was not their motivation. It was wonderful!

[topsail]

I keep seeing the expression "S class ships". Which, pray tell, are the "S Class ships. Thanks for helping a HAL newby out.

topsail (Donn)

[trubey]

Does anyone know a source to determine the passenger/public space ratio?

We all seem to agree it's important, but I have yet to see these numbers posted. susan.

[RuthC]

I keep seeing the expression "S class ships". Which, pray tell, are the "S Class ships. Thanks for helping a HAL newby out.

topsail (Donn)
The S-class ships are the Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam, and Veendam. They made their appearance in 1993 (?). Originally there were to be three in the series, but they were so popular that the fourth was built. :)

They are similar in lay-out to the Volendam/Zaandam and Rotterdam/Amsterdam sisters, but are smaller. There is no mid-ship staircase/elevator bank. :(
There is also a Piano Lounge instead of a Piano Bar. :mad:

[bepsf]

Does anyone know a source to determine the passenger/public space ratio?

We all seem to agree it's important, but I have yet to see these numbers posted. susan.


trubey--

One can find the Ship Facts for your HAL ship on the HAL site, then do a little math:

Gross Tonnage divided by Passenger Capacity = space/passenger ratio.

Larger numbers generally indicate roomier ships.

Examples:
Oosterdam: 85000 grt / 1848 passengers = 45.995
Amsterdam: 61,000 grt /1,380 = 44.202
Maasdam: 55,451 grt / 1266 = 43.80

compare this to:

Celebrity Millenium-Class: 91,000grt/2032 passengers = 44.78
RCCL Radiance-Class: 90,090grt/2,501 passengers = 36.02
RCCL Voyager-Class: 138,000 grt/3,114 pass = 44.381
Cunard QM2: 151,400 grt/ 2,620 pass = 57.78

[trubey]

Bepsf (I'm curious what your screen name means):

Thanks for responding, but I’m not really sure that this calcuation will work to provide a comparison factor which represents the amount of spaciousness of a particular ship. Most of my working carreer, I was an auditor. I questioned everybody and everything.

Issues:

How does tonnage relate to square footage? (i.e., what if they squeeze in an extra floor or two).

How can I relate tonnage to the public/private areas? (i.e. what if some ships have larger/smaller kitchens/maintenance rooms).

Will a larger ship have the same proportionate tonnage to a smaller ship? (Maybe it takes more/less space/weight to provide the infrastructure).

I know I shouldn’t have started trying to think this thing through.
Save me.

susan.

[jhannah]

I believe the ratio is just an "all else being equal" sort of reference point. Your point is right that there are many variables. Any given area with lots of tables or display cases will, naturally, not be as spacious as the same area sans those things. I look at the passenger/space ratio as simply a guideline reference to how many bodies they're trying to accommodate in the given space.
You bean counters! Really!!! ;)

[bepsf]

I'm certainly no expert, but this is what I've found:

Gross Tonnage - varies slightly to how it is measured according to the rules of the flag state but is the capacity in cubic feet of the spaces in the hull and enclosed spaces above, available for cargo, stores, passengers and crew (i.e. her earning capacity) divided by 100. Therefore 100 cubic feet of capacity is 1 gross ton.

Of course, as you say, the use of space within a hull will also determine how "roomy" a ship feels - there are some spaces like the bridge that take up pretty much the same space regardless of the ship (allowing for differences in width, of course) whereas larger ships require more space for larger engines, water treatment facilities, food storage and prep-areas, etc. Crew spaces also take up more room when there are greater numbers of crew aboard. And as you noted, if a ship has teeny staterooms and massive lounges or higher ceilings, wider corridors, etc. - it will feel much differently than a ship of the same GRT which has enourmous staterooms but smaller public spaces, lower ceilings, etc...

There are also outdoor/unenclosed spaces that are not counted as gross tonnage (such as promenade/boat decks, open Lido's and other deck areas) which are typically not counted but can drastically add to the space available to passengers and therefore affect the roominess of a ship.

BTW: bepsf = the initials of my name and those of the city where I live...

[Bookish Angel]

As a person who is perpetually checking the "other" column in life, it does not surprise me that I much prefer the mega-ships! Just as I prefer large cities, I like lots of activity choice and big spaces - I can do intimate in home in my 1500 square foot apartment. Just a personal choice.

[trubey]

Jim and Brian,

You both have been on more ships than I. My question is, after doing these ratios, do you think that the numbers reflect what the average passenger would feel? For example, would you or I notice any difference between the Amsterdam and the Oosterdam?

I think you guys are really being nice to me, now by tolerating my crazy discussion of this. I was expecting an all caps response. I think I need a new hobby.

susan.

[jhannah]

Susan, I doubt you would notice much difference ... if any at all. I've been on their sisters, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam, and they both seemed to have the same space feel to them. The Zuiderdam is just larger, that's all. (But then, it carries more pax.) I think HAL's ratios are better overall than most other lines, so you'd probably have to compare an apple and an orange so to speak.

[bepsf]

Susan--


No worries - I think its fun talking (typing?) about stuff like this...

Honestly, I didn't feel that Amsterdam was any more crowded than Oosterdam. I did however miss some of the additional amenities of the larger ship, and I personally prefer the Vista Class layout of w/ most public rooms at the Promenade Deck level and below instead of above the Promenade in the middle of the ship.

I didn't miss walking the extra 170' tho!!!

[Aussie Gal]

We definitely prefer the smaller ships. We have never been on a larger ship than the Maasdam and would hate to be on a huge ship that had nearly 3000 people like the Sapphire Princess.
We have enjoyed two lovely cruises on smaller ships ie. the Prinsendam and the Tahitian Princess. The advantage of a smaller ship is that you do get to know more people as you tend to bump into the same people during the day. That of course can work against you, if you are trying to avoid someone.

Jennie

[Himself]

I like all the DAM ships but I love the ROTTERDAM VI and the VOLENDAM and so I voted 1101-1500. The "S" class ships go about 1260
Himself