Monstrosity or Cruise Ship?

Well I guess it's both, I know we have discussed the unappealing nature of Mega Ships to a typically HAL cruiseron CC But RCI is outdoing themselves again.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2017/05/18/peek-at-construction-of-worlds-largest-cruise-ship/101784750/?csp=travel

To me one of the reasons to vacation is to get off of your normal hustle and bustle daily routine not be around other or so many other people, how can you possible achieve this on a Mega Ship? Yes I know they are marketed to different people then me, I don't have a family, I don't do extreme sports or thrill rides anymore and I don't walk around drinking tropical drinks from a 3 foot long plastic cup.

Have any HAL regulars experienced a true "Mega-Ship" am I missing anything?

-Paul

Yes. My wife and I have had 3 great sailings on Norwegian Breakaway, and one less than great sailing on Getaway. It is all in what you make of it. For example, if you go on a sailing of 7 days or less, expect LOTS of children. If you go 10+ days WITHOUT the 2 7 day back to back sailings doing a 2 week, you will have an older clientele. Plus, some megaships have the 'ship within a ship'. We do enjoy it, but we won't book a megaship during school break periods.

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The Mega ships don't appeal to us at all.

The Mega ships don't appeal to us at all.

They generally dont to us either, but some megaship companies (like MSC) do unique itineraries. They aren't all NYC-Bahamas-FL

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It might appeal to us if they went somewhere interesting but all of RCCL's current itineraries look boring. Since many ports can't handle them it sort of excludes things like Transatlantics that would really appeal to us. With all the "features" they would be great for a string of sea days. Also, ships built on the Oasis class model are not suitable for northern routes due to the inside facing outside cabins and the "landscaping" being tropical.

Been on oasis twice and allure once. Loved them. Lots of great entertainment. A full broadway show. A comedy club. A skating show that is terrific, shows in the theatre that put h,a, to shame. A lovely promenade to walk down with stores entertainment and shops.

A 24 hr coffee shop which is free. How often I wanted something on h.a, after a show.

An aqua show with divers. Fantastic.

Lots of other great stuff too

It might appeal to us if they went somewhere interesting but all of RCCL's current itineraries look boring. Since many ports can't handle them it sort of excludes things like Transatlantics that would really appeal to us. With all the "features" they would be great for a string of sea days. Also, ships built on the Oasis class model are not suitable for northern routes due to the inside facing outside cabins and the "landscaping" being tropical.

I've looked at booking one just to see what all the hoopla is all about, but I agree, the itineraries are boring, boring, boring and the cruises are expensive.

Roz

We have been on the Allure and thoroughly enjoyed it; but it isn't a ship we would want to do regularly. It is the destination and is perfect for cruising the Caribbean if you have been to the island several times.

Yes, you're missing a lot by not trying one of the new mega ships.....Do it for the ship,not the ports.....Amazing experience......We've done the Oasis 4 or 5 times and the Allure twice. We're 4 star Mariners with HAL so we've done most of their ships also

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We went on the NCL Epic, and I have to say it generally did not seem crowded. There was a quite pool at the back of the ship (I think maybe it was adults only), the spa was spacious, and there was lots of speciality restaurants.

Everything was very well organised, with shows, tender tickets etc all bookable on the in room TV's. Embarkation and disembarkation were very smooth. The only area that did seem crowded were the bars in the evening, and I think that was because so many people were on all inclusive drinks packages.

Yes, you're missing a lot by not trying one of the new mega ships.....Do it for the ship,not the ports.....Amazing experience......We've done the Oasis 4 or 5 times and the Allure twice. We're 4 star Mariners with HAL so we've done most of their ships also

 

 

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Agree. And this is an upcoming itinerary DW and I have on MSC Divina, which is a mega. Definitely do not think this is a dull or boring sailing (with Freeport the exception).

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MSC seems to have decent itineraries on the Fantasia Class (roughly 138,000 GRT)

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To me it's not a size of a ship, but how well it's designed. We had a terrific time on Allure of the seas even though we usually prefer 90-120 tons ships

MSC Divina is a gorgeous ship. Stunningly beautiful. Prices are good and on longer itins there are less kids.

To me it's not a size of a ship, but how well it's designed. We had a terrific time on Allure of the seas even though we usually prefer 90-120 tons ships

 

MSC Divina is a gorgeous ship. Stunningly beautiful. Prices are good and on longer itins there are less kids.

Agree 100%. We've sailed on the S Class up to Breakaway, and will take our first cruise on the Oceania R Class next month (680ish pax). I have no qualms going on a megaship. If you don't, you might miss a great itinerary, like the one DW and I have this Feb.

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Although we personally prefer smaller ships (and much longer itineraries)...we give RCI a lot of credit for recognizing the huge market for mega ships. Say what you want, but those Oasis ships are very successful. They are designed to maximize onboard revenue (a business model used by most mass market lines) and generate more per passenger day then smaller vessels. There are a lot of folks who see these ships as similar to a resort trip and the size of the ship makes them feel more secure. And lets face...those ships have an amazing amount of amenities, options, activities, etc. While many HAL cruisers are happy with their knitting groups, maj jong, early bed times, etc. there are many who want fabulous shows, later night entertainment, lots to do, etc. The ports are less important.

Hank

MSC Divina is a gorgeous ship. Stunningly beautiful. Prices are good and on longer itins there are less kids.

$1700 TOTAL (not per person) after taxes and fees, for a 10 day cruise. Inside cabin, but I could forgo a balcony with *that* price!! [emoji23][emoji23]

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I think that any ship greater than maybe 1500 passengers is a monstrosity. The really big ships are mega monstrosities.

DON

What would you all consider a "mega-ship"? Anything over 130,000 GT? 140,000?

Whilst I've never sailed on Allure or Oasis, I've sailed Norwegian Breakaway, Regal Princess, and the QM2 [twice!]. Those three would be "mega-ships" to many people yet QM2 [especially] and even Regal Princess are far different than Allure or Oasis appear to be. Breakaway likely comes the closest in terms of onboard experience. We enjoyed all three and QM2 is one of my favorite ships of all time [in fact she is the only ship I've repeated to date]. Though the NCL product is not my favorite for a variety of reasons [yet I am sailing with them to Cuba in October as there are very few options for Cuba and none other that fits my schedule] they did a decent job with the Breakaway.

I think many people associate the mega-ships with rock-climbing walls, water slides and drunken, all-night parties but that is not always the case. The line and itinerary also play a big part in the experience. QM2 is huge yet she is far more like HAL than she is like any of RCCL's ships. I would say the same for the Regal Princess.

If mega ships can dock, it is a matter of personal preference the size of ship. However, when mega ships have to tender and port visits continue to be short visits, then it is preferable that the mega ship be enjoyed as the destination, rather than the ports of call.

Many places in the South Pacific, NZ and even Australia, don't currently have the infrastructure to handle these mega ships, despite pressure from the cruise lines.

While I personally don't use many innovations Royal Caribbean provides they tend to attract kids and adults which makes places I like much less crowded. So I am glad that some large ships have them.

And we like occasionally to play minigolf or shuffleboard. Unfortunately we couldn't find shuffleboard on Veendam on our last trip. :(

$1700 is a very good price for 10 dayer. We had $600 pp for balcony on our 7 dayer/4 ports on Divina, which we thought was a nice price too.

QM2 is one of my favorite ships of all time [in fact she is the o. QM2 is huge yet she is far more like HAL than she is like any of RCCL's ships. I would say the same for the Regal Princess.

I'm not sure that I would consider the QM2 as huge, at least by today's ships. She carries 2620 passengers. Isn't that close to what the K-Dam is? But I agree that the QM2 does not give one the feeling of being on a "huge" ship. She is a beautiful ship and is very impressive in those Force 9 North Atlantic winds!

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While I personally don't use many innovations Royal Caribbean provides they tend to attract kids and adults which makes places I like much less crowded. So I am glad that some large ships have them.

And we like occasionally to play minigolf or shuffleboard. Unfortunately we couldn't find shuffleboard on Veendam on our last trip. :(

 

$1700 is a very good price for 10 dayer. We had $600 pp for balcony on our 7 dayer/4 ports on Divina, which we thought was a nice price too.

That is a good price for a balcony on a seven day. We are paying 400 pp for an inside on a 7 day on Divina this October too. Some good deals with MSC to be had!!

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I'm not sure that I would consider the QM2 as huge, at least by today's ships. She carries 2620 passengers. Isn't that close to what the K-Dam is? But I agree that the QM2 does not give one the feeling of being on a "huge" ship. She is a beautiful ship and is very impressive in those Force 9 North Atlantic winds!

Yes, she is indeed a beautiful ship.

As far as huge, I was going by GT, not pax count. QM2 has a large pax to space ratio with some grand rooms that eat up a lot of said space. Other lines would likely cram more staterooms in a ship that size.

For example, she is about 148,528 GT whilst Anthem of the Seas is only slightly bigger [relatively] at 168,666 GT and Norwegian Breakaway [which most consider to be a mega-ship] is actually smaller at 145,655 GT. The Breakaway carries 3,963 passengers at double occupancy whilst QM2 only carries the 2,620 but in a larger space.

Yes, she is indeed a beautiful ship.

As far as huge, I was going by GT, not pax count. QM2 has a large pax to space ratio with some grand rooms that eat up a lot of said space. Other lines would likely cram more staterooms in a ship that size.

 

For example, she is about 148,528 GT whilst Anthem of the Seas is only slightly bigger [relatively] at 168,666 GT and Norwegian Breakaway [which most consider to be a mega-ship] is actually smaller at 145,655 GT. The Breakaway carries 3,963 passengers at double occupancy whilst QM2 only carries the 2,620 but in a larger space.

And that is why she is so comfortable! Truly, she is in a class by herself.