The Bigger The Ship The Better?

Me and my wife are taking our FIRST cruise this summer,trying to decide if we should drive further to get on a newer and bigger boat.We have been told that the Holiday and Jubilee are old boats with bad service and bad food.We live in Pensacola,Fl.

New Orleans= Carnival Holiday 1985 726ft

Jacksonville= Carnival Jubilee 1986 733ft

Tampa= Carnival Sensation 1993 855ft

Orlando= Carnival Fantasy 1990 855ft

tk27@bellsouth.net

Hey TK,

Cruise experiences vary from person to person. Since you have been on the relatively smaller ships, maybe its time to stretch a little. My wife & I are avid cruisers, and we have experienced a wide variety of cruise lines and ships. We choose a cruise line and ship according to our interests. Since we are relatively young(33,36), we basically cruise with Carnival and Royal Caribbean. They both have gorgeous ships, decent service, and fairly good entertainment. Bigger doesn't aleays mean better, but it seems you have cruised the smaller ships, so get out and experience a larger fleet. Personally, I don't choose a ship by size. Its usually by age group and itinerary. We favor the Southern Caribbean among all others because of the noteriety of the islands and their attractions.(Beaches, Casinos, Island bars, etc.) Each cruise line and ship in their respective fleets have their very own personality. Choose one that suits your needs and expectations and just do it. If service and food are a main attraction to you then I would lean towards Holland America, Princess, and Celebrity. If just having a great time and partying is important, then I would lean more towards Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Either way, all the ships have a distinct way of treating their pax. It just is a matter of what exactly your looking for in a cruise line and choice of ship. I do agree however, bigger isn't always better.

JCruise

CRUIZ'IN & BOOZ'IN IS WHAT WE'RE CHOOZ'IN

Hi, TK -

I haven't actually been on any of the Carnival ships, but have been on several of the other cruiselines, on big, new and on mid-sized, moderately older ships. Since this will be your first cruise, I'd suggest going for the newest and largest, or a ship that's been recently renovated. Either way, the newer (or renovated) ships will be more likely to have multiple dining options, larger gyms and spas, more variety in entertainment and lounges. The cabins will also be more likely to be nicer. After your first time, you can decide if you want to go for a smaller ship - some people prefer them, but I'd recommend starting out large and see how you like it.

I agree with everything JCruise says, but I think you're probably not able to make the judgements he describes yet since you haven't actually been on a cruise! After you have a couple under your belt, you'll be able to be much more discerning, and you'll also find that these boards are much more useful as you can "filter" people's reviews of ships based on your own experience.

Whatever ship you pick, I can guarantee that you and your wife will have a great time, and will be addicted to cruising!

There are never enough days at sea!

We just got back from Holiday this past week... We have been on Jubilee also which is a smaller older ship.. We have also been on Pride and Conquest which are newer, bigger ships and I can tell you from first hand experience that we had just as a nice of a time on the smaller ships than we had on the newer bigger ships.. Yes the newer ships are bigger, more glitzy, have extras that the smaller ships do not, but you can have a bad time on the bigger ships too.. I truly believe it is what you make of it.. The service was great as was the food.. Actually the food and setup for the Grand Gala Midnight Buffet was better on the Jubilee and Holiday than it was on the Conquest!! I hear alot that people who take one of the bigger newer ships first and then one of the smaller ships tend to be a little disappoined because they expect it to be like the bigger ones.. I did Pride first and then Jubilee, but I went in not expecting as much, but was pleasantly surprised.. so if you decide to go with a bigger ship first and then perhaps one of the smaller ones at a later time, just keep that in mind!!.. whichever ship you pick, I am sure you will have a great time!

Pride- 07/06/02

Jubilee- 02/22/03

Conquest- 10/19/03

4/15-- Holiday--Surprise cruise for my boyfriend!

5/15-- M&M at Rawlings All American Grille

03/13/2005- Conquest with the kids

I've really enjoyed the Triumph and it's pretty big. We're going on the Diamond Princess next month and that's bigger and newer. Can it get any better?

Diamond Princess HERE WE COME! Alaska has never been so cool! 5/22/04

May 31, 2003 Carnival Triumph to Western Caribbean.

We just got back from our first cruise and were very impressed with the Carnival Legend. We ran into a nice couple from Tampa who had been on over 30 cruises. They said the Legend was the prettiest ship they had ever been on. Made us feel good about our choice, then again what ever ship you are currently sailing on has got to be the best, right?

The size differences are pretty small to make any real difference!

For me, smaller is better. Most of our cruises have been on ships holding about 700 passengers. You don't spend hours trying to find your way around the ship. You get to know the other passengers and the crew. The itineraries are great.

We just got back from our first cruise and were very impressed with the Carnival Legend. We ran into a nice couple from Tampa who had been on over 30 cruises. They said the Legend was the prettiest ship they had ever been on. Made us feel good about our choice, then again what ever ship you are currently sailing on has got to be the best, right?

Why did you drag up a six year old thread?

The size differences are pretty small to make any real difference!

Yep, old thread.

Hey TK,

 

Cruise experiences vary from person to person. Since you have been on the relatively smaller ships, maybe its time to stretch a little. My wife & I are avid cruisers, and we have experienced a wide variety of cruise lines and ships. We choose a cruise line and ship according to our interests. Since we are relatively young(33,36), we basically cruise with Carnival and Royal Caribbean. They both have gorgeous ships, decent service, and fairly good entertainment. Bigger doesn't aleays mean better, but it seems you have cruised the smaller ships, so get out and experience a larger fleet. Personally, I don't choose a ship by size. Its usually by age group and itinerary. We favor the Southern Caribbean among all others because of the noteriety of the islands and their attractions.(Beaches, Casinos, Island bars, etc.) Each cruise line and ship in their respective fleets have their very own personality. Choose one that suits your needs and expectations and just do it. If service and food are a main attraction to you then I would lean towards Holland America, Princess, and Celebrity. If just having a great time and partying is important, then I would lean more towards Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Either way, all the ships have a distinct way of treating their pax. It just is a matter of what exactly your looking for in a cruise line and choice of ship. I do agree however, bigger isn't always better.

 

Actually the OP is planning their FIRST cruise. They were listing the years that those ships were built and where they sailed out of, not when they were on them.

Whoops... didn't notice that this thread was over 6 years old LOL.

Bigger is not always better.

My favorite cruise so far was on RCI's Grandeur of the Seas - the smallest ship I've sailed on. It was tiny and missing a sport deck. On the first day at sea, I was incredibly bummed and missing the larger ship. However, the rain kept us inside and by the second day we had made many friends. By the end of the cruise, every face was familiar. The smaller ship forced everyone to get to know each other. It was like one big, happy family. We knew the staff by names and could always catch up with our favorite bar tenders. It was an incredible trip.

Three months later, we cruised on RCI's Serenade of the Seas (a class above the Grandeur), and the ship felt so big. I'd see people I'd never seen before. It was definitely missing the homey touch of the Grandeur.

So if you want to make friends, a smaller ship might be better for you.

However, if it's your first cruise and you really just want to have entertainment like waterslides and putt-putt courses, then the larger ship would be better.

***Whoops, 6 year old thread. From now on, I'll read the posts before me along with the first posts.

Just goes to show you how topics can stay the same over the years.

Oasis here I come.