Does a Mega-Mega Ship Appeal to You?

[jhannah]

In the Ocean & Cruise News online newsletter, it was noted that Royal Caribbean will order a third sister of the 158,000-ton Ultra Voyager class. The Freedom of the Seas, due next year, will hold 4,000 passengers. This is huge to me. I wonder what it would be like to sail with a population greater than many municipalities in the U.S. How about you? Does this size ship hold any interest or fascination for you?

[smoosh21]

I think it would be interesting to visit a ship that large, just to see everything onboard, but I don't think I would want to vacation on it. I can't imagine what it must be like to have a ship that large come into port, and what it would require to get the passengers off and back on. Maybe a transoceanic voyage, where it was all at sea would be doable, but even then I am not sure.

[FCOWHER]

It only appeals to me to have sailed on, "the LARGEST CRUISE SHIP". But as for service and style it seems the larger they get you eventually reach the point of diminishing returns/service. Megas cant fit into many ports, means more people waiting in line for tenders etc. I think 2,000 people is more than enough to travel with. Joe V.

Serenade of the Seas 12/31/05
Zuiderdam 4/23/05
RCI - 2 times
Princess - 3 times
QE2 - 1 time
Royal Majesty - 1 time
Carnival - 1 time

[bepsf]

With ships this size, the ports really become irrelevant...
...the ship itself is the destination.

I really don't know how I'd feel about that - probably wouldn't sail on a ship like that unless there is some draw other than rock-wall climbing or bungee-jumping - such as a unique event like a Cher concert.

This is making me think of that Bruce Willis movie - "The Fifth Element" where everyone comes aboard the "Fhloston Paradise" to see the diva, 'Plava Laguna' in concert...

[fllcruiser]

No-way to big

[DFD1]

We sailed on the Conquest in January primarily for the experience of sailing on a ship of 3,000-plus passengers. We would not pay a normal cruise fare to do it again. We might do it on the spur of the moment at around $65 or $70 per person per day. Otherwise, no.

The Conquest felt crowded, looked unkept, buffets overrun and messy....just did not feel the way we think a ship should feel. Because of the large number of passengers milling about, the ship felt more like a convention hotel than a cruise ship.

[dakrewser]

Does this size ship hold any interest or fascination for you?

None whatsoever.

[FCOWHER]

Brian, thanks for the laugh. Only you could relate going on a mega liner to a Cher concert. That image alone made me chuckle. Thanks again, Joe V.

Serenade of the Seas 12/31/05
Zuiderdam 4/23/05
RCI - 2 times
Princess - 3 times
QE2 - 1 time
Royal Majesty - 1 time
Carnival - 1 time

[Renorita]

Do I like Mega size Malls? No! Would I like a Mega size Ship? Again No, for the same reasons. Too Many People!!! :eek: Ever been to a cattle drive! :D

[sail7seas]

Holds no interest for us. I don't like to ever say never but it is most highly unlikely we would sail on any of those huge mega ships. Vista is the outer limit for us.....One more ton and we won't be on it.

[bepsf]

Holds no interest for us. I don't like to ever say never but it is most highly unlikely we would sail on any of those huge mega ships. Vista is the outer limit for us.....One more ton and we won't be on it.


Awww - C'mon S7S...

Cunard is taking a modified Vista-Class and adding a grillroom to the roof to make Queen Victoria - you wouldn't try it?

(...Just a little bite?);)

[Bill S]

No, mega ships are not appealing to me, either.

[localady]

No interest here in mega-ships either!:p I go on vacation to get away and relax and huge amounts of people makes me nervous!!:cool:

[cruznon]

NO. Would be like a floating cattle drive.....

[JDee]

Was on the GP a few years ago which had 3,000 plus. While all the pax seemed spread out fairly well, it still had that crowded feeling. The main show lounge, while very large, was just too big. Upper balcony felt like Yankee Stadium, although the sound was good..Their Lido always seemed overcrowded, very few small tables (4,6's), with lots 8's and 10's. Big surpise was the ease and speed of tendering at two locations & shore based type ferrys did the job quickly...
Have sailed a few lines with approx 2,000 and that seems like a good fit.
Some of the lounges were impossible to get into...at least those that had the good music venues....

Beleive that actual pax count will be approx 3,600 per CC board News. On recent Splendour cruise, that number was also bandied about....still a floating city.....Reservations were being taken, sight unseen of deck plans, cabin layouts, etc...don't really know the participation...

Happy cruising.....

[Vic The Parrot]

4,000 passengers??



No thanks, I'll pass

[Bookish Angel]

The bigger the better!

[Cuttle]

Too big for us. We still like the "S" Class ships. Approx 1,200 - 1,400 pax or smaller the best!!! Maybe not as many facilities as the larger Vista class or bigger ships, but that is ok.

[obriendan]

I feel that service and "luxury" varies inversely with size. We have sailed on the QM2 and, while it is indeed an amazing ship, we found the service to be inconsistent. We even felt that the Zuiderdam was a little large for our tasts. The S class HAL ships or smaller are our favorites.

[noblepa]

My wife and I sailed on the Carnival Glory, sister to the Conquest, last year for seven days. We came away feeling that it was too big and crowded. We also felt that the service was not as good as we had gotten on the Paradise, five years ago. This may have been simply due to the passage of five years, or because on the Glory, we had a table for two and the waiters were busy with the bigger tables. That's not really an excuse; we should have gotten the same service that the large tables got.

In two weeks, we are sailing on the Veendam. We are hoping that the smaller ship will be more enjoyable.

I think the big lines, such as Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean are trying to push the costs down by building the mega-ships. This allows them to cater to families with children and first-time cruisers.

My wife works as a Librarian in an elementary school, so we can only travel during school breaks. We went on Easter week last year and the Glory was absolutely crawling with kids, from tots to teenagers.

So, the short answer is: we will definitely try to avoid the mega-ships.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Nope, not interested. Too big for me. Truth is, they're too big for me already.

[Rotterdam]

No, No, No

[Sueseb]

1500 is large enough. Have sailed on larger ships with a disabled DH and the walk from the dining room to the theatre is just too far.

[Time2sail]

Downsizing our ships but upsizing our class with HAL:)

[cactuslady]

No..

[kryos]

Does this size ship hold any interest or fascination for you?
Absolutely not.

I am "directionally challenged." Seriously, I have a very hard time remembering how to get to point "B" from point "A." Wonder why I don't drive?

I had problems for a couple of days on the Sun Princess. I couldn't even imagine trying to find my way around a ship the size of one of these mega-mega liners. Hell, it would probably take me three days just to find my cabin!

No, I much prefer the smaller, more "intimate" ships. I don't like sailing with a huge crowd, just as I don't like going to concerts or other events where I know there will be swarms of people.

Of course, these mega-mega ships do have their proponents, but since the special ammenities they offer (climbing walls, ice skating rinks, etc.) don't much appeal to me, I see no reason to put up with the crowded conditions necessary to cruise them.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[PhylHarv]

No, we wouldn't be interested in sailing on a "mega" ship unless it was given to us. Even the Vista class seems large to us.

[blackbird71]

If it is bigger than the Statendam, I will not book on it. Just did a RSSC Mariner cruise (50,000) 600 pax and love that size and number of pax.

A major problem with the new Carnivale/HAL is the push for mega mega ships.... Does not interest me.

[venicecruiser]

Absolutely not! Where ships are concerned, the smaller the better!

[Bookish Angel]

Awww - C'mon S7S...

Cunard is taking a modified Vista-Class and adding a grillroom to the roof to make Queen Victoria - you wouldn't try it?

(...Just a little bite?);)

With our respective partners, we'll number only 4 - plenty of room!

[ron46936]

I am very happy sailing on ships of 1500 to 2300 passengers. I won't be booking the mega mega.

I do have a map of the Caribbean showing that we "Cruised through the Bermuda Triangle on the World's Largest Cruise Ship. The SS Norway."

[jaguarstyper]

Does this size ship hold any interest or fascination for you?

Not even a little. Nope, not for me.

Tim

[Spender Nui]

Seems like going to NYC for a relaxing vacation.

[ryansmemom]

I am definitely not interested in sailing on a Mega ship. The largest ship I have sailed on is RCCI's Enchantment of the Seas. Too big, too crowded. I like HAL's S class ships and would try something smaller.

Chimera and I take cruises to relax and enjoy an elegant, quiet experience. We do not like crowds. We enjoy being at sea. The larger ships with indoor "malls" and cabins with views overlooking the "mall" and things like that seem to down play the "at sea" experience.

We are seeking a traditional cruise and the mega ships do not seem to provide that.

Linda

[Italian Nancy]

Not in the least..

[Cracker Ken]

We don't have any interest at all. I keep referring to these new "Mega Ships" as being "obscenely huge." Too many people, etc. I agree with a lot that's been said here. Ships from 1200-2000 passengers suit us fine. I keep wondering where all this race for the biggest ship stuff will take us. It seems that Carnival and RCI are in a big battle to see which one has the biggest. I don't even want to be in port with one of those, much less sail on it. We had booked the Caribbean Princess for Labor Day week last year, and we cancelled it due to Hurricane Frances - I'm glad we did. There are rumors that Celebrity is going for a 120,000 ton (approx) ship.

[stanford's girl]

With ships this size, the ports really become irrelevant...
...the ship itself is the destination.

I really don't know how I'd feel about that - probably wouldn't sail on a ship like that unless there is some draw other than rock-wall climbing or bungee-jumping - such as a unique event like a Cher concert.

This is making me think of that Bruce Willis movie - "The Fifth Element" where everyone comes aboard the "Fhloston Paradise" to see the diva, 'Plava Laguna' in concert...

Bepsf,
Leelu Dallas--Multi Pass:D



And a BIG no to that size ship!:p
And a BIG YES to Cher!:cool:

[anngie]

We sailed on the Carnival Glory last May, mainly because it was leaving from Pt Canaveral and we liked the itinerary. We did decide not to ever sail on a ship that large again because it took too long to move the pax on and off in ports. The ship itself is beautiful and has lots of good points. The food was probably the best that we have ever had on any ship. The service was very good. We especially loved the variety of little cafes even to a fish and chips restaurant on the second level of food stations. The variety of entertainment is very good too. I guess my point is that if you stay on the ship you will love it but when in port it is a pain. They really do have the de-embarkation system worked out well though. If you can self carry your luggage off you can get off the ship very early.

[Kathy & George]

Not for us! Families with teens or large reunion groups, might find these big ships more to their liking in that they will offer more variety. Traversing the areas on-board is quite the workout...not for us.

[kendon]

No!!!

[Druke I]

Fan of smaller ships here.

[DeltaBC]

Like the size of the Rotterdam,thats as big as I want a ship to be.

[Cracker Ken]

Yes - Rotterdam is the perfect size for me. We loved it.:)

Ken

[CDRMark]

No thank you.
Cheers
MarkB

[Penguin69]

Yes, we love them. So much to see and do on board. You can also find places to "hide" and get away from everyone if you really want. You don't really realize how many folks are on board because you are not elbow to elbow all the time, unless something is going on in that area (pool games etc).

We also loved our first cruise ship which was "Grandeur of the Seas" (RCCL) which is a bit smaller ship than the most recent cruises we have taken. Granted we did have alittle bit more room on board this in general, along with the cabin being alittle bit larger compaired to the newer ships, and we really enjoyed that. Freedom of the Seas is advertizing that they are planning on giving you more cabin/balcony room that everyone has been asking for, so we'll see. I also think that yes, the smaller ships do provide you with better general service and tend to be more attentive to you, esp in the main diningroom. So we actually depending on our mood would take either one.

We did also book a cruise of "Freedom of the Seas" for Dec 10, 2006. Just to see what she's like. Never been on a brand new ship like that before, so we figured we would try it.

Happy cruising to all,:p

[K&RCurt]

We are booked on the RCCL Navigator of the Seas for next January. We made this choice due to the lobbying efforts of our two daughters (18 & 19 y.o.) who want to experience the rock wall, in-line skating, mini golf, Ice Skating etc.... As a result of this booking I've been spending time on the RCI board and alot of people there are very excited about the "Ultra Voyager" class ships. DW and I , however, are very apprehensive of the experience aboard the regular voyager class ship, as we feel it will be too big and crowded to enjoy.

On our Westerdam cruise in January we had no trouble finding chairs by the pools, had short waits at the stations in the lido, had very little waiting time for tenders and truly enjoyed the experience. From what is said on the RCI board it will be close to impossible to get a chair by the pool or get food in the Lido without waiting in a huge line. The only issue we had on the Westerdam......It took DW 5 days before she knew how to find our cabin w/o wandering around the Veranda Deck (No sweetheart, we're on the starboard side now, go across and turn right). I can't immagine what it will be like on the Navigator!

[Pudgesmom]

After cruising the Oosterdam last November, I booked our family (including two teenagers) on the Windstar in December. (150 passengers) I will not book on the Vista class again. We loved the smaller Statendam.

I don't necessarily think that the all families will be attracted to the bigger ships. If we want to go rock climbing or ice skating, we can do that at home.



Beth

[NOVACruisers]

We love the big, new ships - lots of things to see and do just onboard. No standing three deep for the best tables in the casino or your favorite slot machine. The big ships usually have more dining and entertainment options as well. More passengers can be a pain, but there are also more people to meet!

[anngie]

Novacruiser, that is the way that we felt about the Glory. I will have to say we did have a good time on the ship. Our dinner partners were so much fun and the food was just wonderful. The shows were all great and you could walk around and find all different kinds of music to listen to. We went to a couple of ports where we stayed real late so you had enough time to get on and off at your leisure but by the time we got off in Key West there was not much time to spend there before you had to head back.
I don't think I would want to go on a ship with rock climbing and a skating rink though.

[NOVACruisers]

We did cruise on the Granduer and we thought the rock wall and skating just took up space (not to mention that from a distance the wall looks like a giant turd on the back of an otherwise beautiful ship!:D ). The Grand Princess was just as large and way more fun.