large ships for solo cruisers

I was just seeing that the world's largest cruise ship Royal Oasis of the Seas is in England. People are eager to board her. My experience being on a huge ship was not good. Can you picture 2500 people all trying to get on tenders that hold about 100 people standing in the hot sun? No bathroom, or water or seats while you are waiting. Old people and kids. It took hours. They had to search people's bags before you got on the tender. It was a lousy experience. And I decided not to do the huge ships. Also, the buffet for breakfast and lunch was always crowded with people parking themselves and their kids at tables even after eating. Standing around with a tray trying to find a table. reminded me about the experience of the mall at Christmas,lol. Ship not able to make some ports because of a little weather due to its large size.

Anyone have good experiences on the biggest ships? I leave tomorrow on a ship for about 2000, hopefully it is not full. I am just doing it for the experience of a ocean liner and to see if cruising has improved as a solo experience.

I've had a good time on the NCL Epic and Breakaway. Both ships have over 4000 passengers but it doesn't feel that way. It *can* be a zoo at the buffet at certain times, but those ships always have dining alternatives.

Tendering can always be an issue. Look for some of the queuing solutions that ships offer -- such as getting a boarding ticket, priority for those on excursions, etc. You can also look for an itinerary that doesn't have a tender port -- then you just have to wait to disembark! :)

I was just seeing that the world's largest cruise ship Royal Oasis of the Seas is in England. People are eager to board her. My experience being on a huge ship was not good. Can you picture 2500 people all trying to get on tenders that hold about 100 people standing in the hot sun? No bathroom, or water or seats while you are waiting. Old people and kids. It took hours. They had to search people's bags before you got on the tender. It was a lousy experience. And I decided not to do the huge ships. Also, the buffet for breakfast and lunch was always crowded with people parking themselves and their kids at tables even after eating. Standing around with a tray trying to find a table. reminded me about the experience of the mall at Christmas,lol. Ship not able to make some ports because of a little weather due to its large size.

Anyone have good experiences on the biggest ships? I leave tomorrow on a ship for about 2000, hopefully it is not full. I am just doing it for the experience of a ocean liner and to see if cruising has improved as a solo experience.

I see you are sailing today so not sure if you will even be checking back

here before you go.....but in my experience? A ship with 2000 is just not

that large anymore. By today's standards? It is a mid size ship really.

I have sailed on ships this size many, many times before and always

have a good time:)

They have ships now that hold close to 7,000.......5000 passengers

and 2,000 crew/staff. Now to me, THAT is large:eek:...

But a ship with 2,000 total?.....that is not a bad size at all (in my

opinion)......;)

I hope you have a a wonderful cruise.....I sail again next month:D

(solo of course!)

I haven't experienced anything that large yet, but I can see the problems that you identified.

I suppose the advantage of a large ship is that there may be more solo travellers on board, and you may be able to people to rub along with.

These days, 2000 is not considered that large -- it might even fall into the "medium" category! My preference (whether solo or not) is about 1500 people max, preferably less than about 1000.