The new Mega Cruise ships

What is the appeal to anyone of the new huge Cruise Ships?

Nothing for me. My husband and I prefer ships with a capacity that hovers anywhere from 1000-2000 passengers. We don't need all the bells and whistles and special activites that the mega ships have. We're perfectly happy with a good deck that circles the ship so we can walk every morning, a nice place to sit and read during the day, maybe some activities like trivia or cooking demonstrations (or even movies) to enjoy during the day and a good dinner and show at night.

 

We cruise to relax and reconnect. I don't need a mega ship to do that.

No appeal for hubby and I.

We cruise for the ports, and those mega ships can't get into some of the ports I'm interested in (like Venice).

Absolutely love the mega ships. Don't use the pool or Jacuzzis, never been on a slide or rock wall, would not attempt the flowrider. Oasis and Allure have become my all time favorites. Have a transatlantic on Symphony coming up that I can hardly wait for. Have a 18 night transpacific on Ovation coming and am thinking I will miss a transatlantic on Oasis. Have found nothing as relaxing as a transatlantic on a mega ship with a full ship being 4500 adults and 1500 kids not onboard. My wife and I are in our late 60's.

We also prefer the smaller ships. Just got off 48 wonderful days on the 680 passenger Pacific Princess

Can you provide more detail, what is it about these 5,000 passenger ships that appeal to you? I agree with the others, 1,500 would be my max, I find the concept of these giant ships appalling, and would like to know why anyone is attracted to them.

If I want to go to an amusement park, I will go to an amusement park.

 

I go to relax and enjoy being out of touch.

If I want to go to an amusement park, I will go to an amusement park.

 

I go to relax and enjoy being out of touch.

Yep my opinion too.

Can you provide more detail, what is it about these 5,000 passenger ships that appeal to you? I agree with the others, 1,500 would be my max, I find the concept of these giant ships appalling, and would like to know why anyone is attracted to them.

 

 

 

They are designed with families in mind - having things that will appeal to all ages. And compared to taking my family to WDW with several hundred thousand other people, spending an entire day and maybe only riding 5-6 rides, and paying twice as much, the mega ship is very appealing and intimate! You need to put things in perspective. [emoji6]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Can you provide more detail, what is it about these 5,000 passenger ships that appeal to you? I agree with the others, 1,500 would be my max, I find the concept of these giant ships appalling, and would like to know why anyone is attracted to them.

 

Mega ships appeal to a variety of ages. Literally something for everyone. I have enjoyed Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure. Personally like the entertainment - Aqua theater, high diving, along with ice shows and Broadway shows. Also much more deck space and pools.

 

Not sure why you would find something you have never tried appalling.

 

Also the RC ships actually seem less crowded because of the design. You need to look at the statistics that are frequently posted that show the actual space per foot per passenger and you will find the big ships are less crowded than many smaller ships.

Also the RC ships actually seem less crowded because of the design. You need to look at the statistics that are frequently posted that show the actual space per foot per passenger and you will find the big ships are less crowded than many smaller ships.

 

Having cruised on mega ships in the 3K to 4K range and worked as Navigator on ships < 1K, my experience is the exact opposite. The modern mega ships may be designed to enhance the flow of passengers, but they definitely have less space than the smaller ships, which tend to be premium or luxury Lines.

 

Here is a sample of passenger space ratios for a few ships, which is Gross Tonnage divided by max pax

Allure OTS – 35.78

Norwegian Bliss – 33.67

Majestic Princess – 32.08

Viking Ocean – 51.44 (all 5 ships)

R-class – 44.26 (all 9 ex-Renaissance Cruises vessels)

Marina – 52.86 (Oceania)

 

Crystal Serenity – 64.36

 

 

The mainstream ships are all around low to mid 30's, while premium lines (Viking & Oceania) are in the 50's and luxury line Crystal in the 60's. The difference between Allure OTS & Viking may not appear substantial, but as a percentage it is over 40% higher space per passenger.

 

 

Personally we have no desire to board a mega ship, as our preference is now for < 1,000 pax. We are looking for a peaceful and relaxing holiday, without kids running everywhere. Not interested in casinos, annoying photogs, art shows, shopping specialists, climbing walls, ice rinks, etc. We have access to all those things at home and never use them, so why would we book a cruise on a ship that offers them.

 

 

Our current preferred cruise line is Viking - 930 pax, no casino, no photog, no champagne art shows and a resident historian in lieu of the shopping guide. Port lectures actually focus on the port and culture for the entire lecture, rather than the cruise line's shopping partners.

Mega ships appeal to a variety of ages. Literally something for everyone.

This is the main reason why larger ships are the right direction for mass market cruise lines. The larger the ship, the more flexible it is with regard to serving today's more diverse set of passengers. Yesterday's smaller ships seem to excel only at appealing to the far more homogeneous set of passengers that could afford to cruise a generation or two ago.

 

Not sure why you would find something you have never tried appalling.

Someone's it feels as if the objections are to the change from serving what used to be the lucky few to serving diversity, especially since in that context the newer, diverse interests are far more prominent than the older interests. When increased affordability allowed more different people through the door, the old standards became marginal. Some folks might begrudge that.

 

Also the RC ships actually seem less crowded because of the design. You need to look at the statistics that are frequently posted that show the actual space per foot per passenger and you will find the big ships are less crowded than many smaller ships.

And you also need to look beyond the statistics since newer ships user space better and therefore feel less crowded even with higher ratios.

 

 

 

This message may have been entered via voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

I was stationed on an aircraft carrier in the Navy and thought that I would never sail on anything that big again. Now we are booked on Anthem of the Seas for next year, which is bigger than the carrier that I was on and has just as many people (if not a little more, I'm afraid to figure that part out:eek:). The price was right, it's on a cruise line we haven't tried and the timing was right so I figured why not give it a try? Then I'll know for sure whether it's for us or not. Up until now we've preferred NCL Gem/CCL Glory size but that may (or may not) change. I can definitely see why people are attracted to that size ship, but a lot of what is offered is lost on us as a couple (but I know our kids would have loved the bumper cars and roller skating and flow rider etc.).

Can you provide more detail, what is it about these 5,000 passenger ships that appeal to you? I agree with the others, 1,500 would be my max, I find the concept of these giant ships appalling, and would like to know why anyone is attracted to them.

 

The mega ships have more amenities and better entertainment. There are numerous choices for evening nightlife unlike the same 1 or 2 choices every night on small ships. Many have Broadway quality shows in the main theater and very unique shows like ice shows, Aqua Theater, dinner theaters, comedy clubs, dueling piano bars, etc.

 

You'll always see someone say things like "If I wanted a (insert anything here), I'd say home." Well, that same saying can be said for just about anything, so it doesn't really make sense.

Thank you for your responses, I have a clearer picture now. It appears that the 'amenities' are the draw. I note that none of the pro mega ship comments reference ports of call. For my wife and myself, a ship is a way to move from port to port, are not at all interested in the 'amenities" aside from a comfortable room, and good food. A small ship cruise like the Lindblad cruises, the smaller the better, although out of our price range is what we like. Visiting small ports in out of the way places appeals to us. Will the pro megaships people comment on port visits, the impact of putting 4-5,000 people ashore in ports, what the disembarking and embarking looks like and the logistics of onshore excursions?

Thank you for your responses, I have a clearer picture now. It appears that the 'amenities' are the draw. I note that none of the pro mega ship comments reference ports of call. For my wife and myself, a ship is a way to move from port to port, are not at all interested in the 'amenities" aside from a comfortable room, and good food. A small ship cruise like the Lindblad cruises, the smaller the better, although out of our price range is what we like. Visiting small ports in out of the way places appeals to us. Will the pro megaships people comment on port visits, the impact of putting 4-5,000 people ashore in ports, what the disembarking and embarking looks like and the logistics of onshore excursions?

 

I think you are talking about two entirely different types of cruising.

 

In the Caribbean i sometimes stay on the ship - kind of been there, done that - plenty of things to do on board. Again, the ability of the ship to move people comes into play plus organization. More than one gangplank, no tendering, etc.

 

On the Oasis or Allure you may visit Labadee, which is RC's private area on Haiti. Lunch is served on shore and you can easily walk back and forth to the ship. It is pretty much a relaxing beach day.

 

Sounds like you enjoy more sightseeing and different cultures/ports, which is an entirely different type of trip.

 

I enjoy transatlantic cruises, and the ship to a certain extent is the destination.

 

Many of the smaller ships are also luxury lines, not mainstream cruises. You would probably consider the smaller RC ships, like the Serenade or Radiance, to be big ships.

 

Two different types of cruising - depends too on your price point.

They are designed with families in mind - having things that will appeal to all ages. And compared to taking my family to WDW with several hundred thousand other people, spending an entire day and maybe only riding 5-6 rides, and paying twice as much, the mega ship is very appealing and intimate! You need to put things in perspective.

same here. We'll be sailing on Allure for the FAMILY activities. Princess doesn't offer anything like that (carousel, slides, rock climbing, ice skating, flowrider, kiddy pool area, Central park, promenade), and cooking demonstrations and bingo hold no interest for either me, my DH or our 7 yo DS.

Sure, Princess food is better (subjectively), but I am sure we won't starve on Royal Caribbean.

 

Oh, and the shows are better on RCCI!

 

Why don't you visit RCCI board and see what people THERE think of megaships?

The mega ships have more amenities and better entertainment. There are numerous choices for evening nightlife unlike the same 1 or 2 choices every night on small ships. Many have Broadway quality shows in the main theater and very unique shows like ice shows, Aqua Theater, dinner theaters, comedy clubs, dueling piano bars, etc.

 

You'll always see someone say things like "If I wanted a (insert anything here), I'd say home." Well, that same saying can be said for just about anything, so it doesn't really make sense.

 

Agree , entertainment is a key point for our vacations , perfer large ships like voyager and freedom class on rccl which have ice shows and in some cases plays, will sail on oasis later this year.

They appeal to people like my husband, who needs something to DO all day on sea days. While I am content to sit and watch the ocean, he goes from cooking demo to trivia contest to show to......whatever.

They appeal to people like my husband, who needs something to DO all day on sea days. While I am content to sit and watch the ocean, he goes from cooking demo to trivia contest to show to......whatever.

:DThis!

He needs his activities, especially on a TA

Smaller ships for itineraries, though.

(y)(y)(y)

We also prefer the smaller ships. Just got off 48 wonderful days on the 680 passenger Pacific Princess

have any of you ever been aboard in a serious storm?

"The cruise ships will be the largest ever ordered by*Princess Cruises*at 175,000 gross tons each. These two new ships will go into service in late 2023 and in the spring of 2025.”

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

The activities and shows. Royal Central Park, Boardwalk areas are really neat.. aqua shows, Broadway shows , laser tag, flowrider, zipline, mini golf, a ton of food options, etc etc. So much to do and see.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

have any of you ever been aboard in a serious storm?

 

Fortunately have only been aboard during one real storm. It was on QM2 (2600+ pax, so what I'd call a medium size cruise ship). Winds weren't anything approaching hurricane force, but definitely windy. Seas in excess if 25'. They closed all the outside decks. She was pitching and rolling, but not enough to knock the glasses off the tables. IIRC, they changed the theatre show that night because of the risk to the dancers. DH had spent many years in frigates in the North Atlantic, so he didn't think it was bad at all, and remarked that the stabilizers seemed to be doing their job. Me? I took an extra Bonine and went to bed. :o

 

I would think that the mega ships would do as well or better in a storm.