Folks do NOT ignore the older ships

[xxHadleyxx]

We love the older/smaller ships. Having spent 2 weeks on Legend and one on Splendour this year, as well as 12 nights on Serenade, I am giggling at the radiance class ships being the "small" and "old" ones in many of the posts.

 

On the smaller ships the crew really MAKES the experience, and you really get to now your fellow passengers better and form bonds more easily.

 

Honestly, we (all four of us, even the teens) like the VARIETY of sailing big and small and experiencing the different things the RCI ships have to offer (haven't sailed Oasis class yet, but we are booked for the TS this fall).

[Dcoy]

I was on a 10 day cruise on the Vision last year. Love the size of the ship. I don't care for the larger ships.

 

Don

[Pennstateman]

There will come a day when the oasis class is considered old and small. Remember when 70000 tons was massive? My first cruise was on ncl's sunward2, 14000 tons I think and it was awesome!

[emeraldcity]

I love it when people refer to a Voyager class ship as "smaller".

 

In the late 90's, the Voyager class was referred to as "a monstrously big ship!:eek:" .

 

Times do change.;)

 

And it was just 1988 when the Sovereign set sail as the first of the mega ships. Now the Sovereign class is considered small and being retired out of the fleet.

[printingchick]

Totally agree. When I stepped down to a Radiance Class ship, because I preferred the itinerary, I expected to be disappointed. No ice rink?? No Royal Promenade?? Like you, I was surprised with how much I liked it...preferred it! More intimate, better service, views of the ocean from nearly EVERY venue, incredible solarium pool area....

 

You'll see my NEXT cruise is on another Radiance Class ship. I don't need the bells and whistles. I realize now that - for me - it's about the service, the people and being at sea!

[Mac303]

We have sailed on every class of ship except for the Oasis class, and we have no plans to sail on one of them anytime soon.

[Cruising89143]

We cruised on the Splendour in June out of Venice to the Greek Isles. It was the perfect ship for this itinerary. The ship was in great shape. RCI has done an outstanding job with the revitalization of the Vision class ships.

 

With that said it comes down to itinerary for me but those smaller ships are nice. I actually like the Vision class over the Radiance class.

[bigeagle12]

Totally agree. When I stepped down to a Radiance Class ship, because I preferred the itinerary, I expected to be disappointed. No ice rink?? No Royal Promenade?? Like you, I was surprised with how much I liked it...preferred it! More intimate, better service, views of the ocean from nearly EVERY venue, incredible solarium pool area....

 

You'll see my NEXT cruise is on another Radiance Class ship. I don't need the bells and whistles. I realize now that - for me - it's about the service, the people and being at sea!

 

Like

[Desert Cruizers]

Having all the extras, Bells & Whistles, doesn't make a cruise ship the best but the crew, service you receive and wonderful new friends we meet, Do. I agree 100 % with pollux, please give us a ship for San Diego or San Pedro and reintroduce the round trip Alaska cruises along with more appealing itineraries for us.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We were on the same TA as Bob [Legend]. It was a nice ship--even for all those sea days.

 

The Radiance class is my favorite. They are big enough to have several venues for music and dancing. Yet, it feels like an old fashioned ship. I love the lounge at the aft of the ship. It has a very British nautical feel.

 

The Explorer was nice--but, I still like Radiance better. Different strokes.:o

[ktbr11crs]

I call Shenanigans on you! :D

 

 

 

Earlier ships - I like that! :) This year, I have sailed the Jewel, the Enchantment, the Allure and now, I'm off to the Grandeur. I've debated with myself whether or not people would be interested in a live review from the Grandeur, because every week, we have live reviews of Oasis and Allure. Nobody seems interested in the older, oops, earlier ships. But, this thread has given me hope, maybe people would be interested. :D

 

We absolutely love Allure & Oasis, but we've loved all the ships we've been on. Ships sure have changed since our first cruise on Song of America. We made a point of going on Majesty before she was sold, and we were so glad; the ship and crew were amazing! We just booked Grandeur for next year; one of only 3 of their ships we haven't been on, so we would love to read a live review on her!!

[BonTexasNY]

"Largest" ships we were on were Voyager class. I still much prefer the intimacy of The Rhapsody. I would love to try a Radiance Class ship. Unlike the majority, I prefer the Centrum over The Promenade for people watching and relaxing. I enjoy seeing the same folks and crew/staff multiple times during a cruise. Having said that, I would try just about any ship if the itinerary and price were right. However, I still think I would prefer one of the petite gals :)

[wolfcathorse]

Sure as an older ship there are signs of wear and tear in some areas, but the ship is generally well maintained, However the best part of the ship is the crew.

 

On this cruise I realised the real meaning of the word LeaderSHIP as the crew are guided by some of the best Senior Officers on any ship.

The 3/4 striped officers are all over the ship, ensuring that things happen the way they should. Not only are they are involved in supervising their teams but also visably involved in a variety of activities. They are used as "bring me a" in The Quest, and even add to the fun with other involvement that we have not seen on other ships.

 

The CD on this sailing was the very energetic John Blair and his wife Katrina is the Activities manager, who both hosted an exceptional Thanksgiving Flag Parade with some extra special "add ons" from the normal.

 

But without doubt the energy and attitude come from the very top Captain Shawn McDuff and Hotel Director Mark Rook, along with Nithan (F&B) and Georgy the Bar Manager are a real asset to Royal Caribbean and ensure that the Enchantment Team continue to deliver the WOW. I also want to mention Reyno the Concierge who was the initial reason that we decided to take this sailing, he never fails to deliver

 

well said...and it could have applied to Monarch as well. I've been on the Voyager and Freedom class so I have no desire to try the Oasis class. Give me the Sovereign, Vision, or Radiance class any day. Already I am liking my upcoming Enchantment cruise and I've never sailed her before!

(and thanks for the heads up that we may have to grab an officer for Quest! :D)

[critterchick]

There will come a day when the oasis class is considered old and small. Remember when 70000 tons was massive? My first cruise was on ncl's sunward2, 14000 tons I think and it was awesome!

 

Bite your tongue (or fingers)!

 

We are going on Allure in January, and I am honestly not looking forward to it, but DH really wants to go. Maybe I will be surprised.

 

We sailed on Xpedition to the Galapgos - 95 passengers, 2842 tons, perfect for exploring the region. I'm more about the adventure than the ship these days. But Rhapsody for me is the perfect size for an ocean voyage - large enough for decent dining and entertainment options, but small enough to meet up with a bartender from a prior cruise.

Edited December 1, 2013 by critterchick

[GMoney]

I have no problem with smaller, older ships, as long as the itinerary meets my needs. The itineraries for Oasis / Allure aren't great, but at least the bells and whistles of the ship offset that.

 

Let's face it - Enchantment has been reduced to booze cruise status. So for me, small old ship + weak itinerary = I'll have to be really cold and desperate to set foot on it, regardless of how amazing the senior officers are.

Edited December 1, 2013 by GMoney

[Snobe]

Over the past few years as Royal have brought out additional ships we have tended to mostly sail on the newer and larger ones, that we consider offer better facilities.

 

However having just completed a Thanksgiving cruise on The Enchantment I have to say that we were really pleasantly surprised with the overall cruise experience. Sure as an older ship there are signs of wear and tear in some areas, but the ship is generally well maintained, However the best part of the ship is the crew.

 

On this cruise I realised the real meaning of the word LeaderSHIP as the crew are guided by some of the best Senior Officers on any ship.

The 3/4 striped officers are all over the ship, ensuring that things happen the way they should. Not only are they are involved in supervising their teams but also visably involved in a variety of activities. They are used as "bring me a" in The Quest, and even add to the fun with other involvement that we have not seen on other ships.

 

The CD on this sailing was the very energetic John Blair and his wife Katrina is the Activities manager, who both hosted an exceptional Thanksgiving Flag Parade with some extra special "add ons" from the normal.

 

But without doubt the energy and attitude come from the very top Captain Shawn McDuff and Hotel Director Mark Rook, along with Nithan (F&B) and Georgy the Bar Manager are a real asset to Royal Caribbean and ensure that the Enchantment Team continue to deliver the WOW. I also want to mention Reyno the Concierge who was the initial reason that we decided to take this sailing, he never fails to deliver

 

Massive thanks to everyone on The Enchantment, we will be back :D

 

We, also, were on the Thanksgiving cruise and totally agree with all you have written. It was great. I loved the cake decorating 'contest' and don't think I have ever seen anything quite like it. We were laughing ourselves silly during the whole thing. We have always liked the 'older' ships best and prefer to book them. Thanks for the wonderful memory reminders. :)

[michelle131964]

I totally disagree! Please Americans avoid the older ships. Book on the new sets and biggest ones you can.

 

Then send more of your older ships to Australia. Seriously none of you want the voyager, radiance or rhapsody back. We will keep these older ships for you.

 

See how selfless us Australians are.

 

Now start sending more old ships down under!

 

P.s. They are not old to us they are in brilliant shape and the best ships to sail the pacific. Australians are loving the royal WOW treatment & ships

 

Yes send them all down under. Loved Radiance and Rhapsody now booked on Voyager on the 27th December. We love these ships. :D

[michelle131964]

Another point, the main cruise line in Australia is P & O, which uses old hand me downs from Carnival. Next to those, the Voyager class seems like the Allure. Right Oz folk?

 

Yes right but what u dont know is Australia have Princess cruises, Carnival and holland america and others here also so P & O dont hold the menopoly on cruises here anymore. I will say I love RCCL but they could take a leaf out of P & O on fun activities on board.:D

[The Big Booper]

Yes right but what u dont know is Australia have Princess cruises, Carnival and holland america and others here also so P & O dont hold the menopoly on cruises here anymore. I will say I love RCCL but they could take a leaf out of P & O on fun activities on board.:D

 

All the lines are now sending newer ships down under to try to get market share, including =X= as well as RCI.

 

Rumor is that as Oasis III rolls out the drydock door, Oasis I will wind up in Barcelona or maybe Asia. If Oasis IV is built then Allure will follow to wherever Oasis I didn't.

[Desert Cruizers]

Our smallest ships were the Sea & Sun Princess at 70,000 tons. After sailing the Liberty I might think the Radiance looks small but will still look forward to sailing her again. To our Australian friends, we will be visiting Sydney for the first time this coming March and can't wait. We first sailed the Radiance in 2008 and she is our favorite.

[yj_eugene]

Rumor is that as Oasis III rolls out the drydock door, Oasis I will wind up in Barcelona or maybe Asia.

 

You misspelled "Port Canaveral" :)

[believer33323]

I will agree with everyone. We have only sailed two Radiance Class ( Brilliance & Radiance ) & 1 Freedom class, the Liberty.We have had beautiful cruises on everyone we have sailed but the Radiance Class provides us with plenty of elegance. The Liberty was a beaugiful ship, crew, entertainment, were excellant but DH & I felt closed in with the Royal Promenade.

 

We have cruised on 7 different ships so far and the first one, the Radiance is still our favorite.:)

Edited December 1, 2013 by believer33323

[The Big Booper]

I was checking my cruise history this week and noticed that we had been on Radiance thrice, Brilliance twice and a singleton on Serenade. Time to book the Jewel and complete the grouping.

 

Our all time leader is Explorer with 4 (love those no fly cruises when in NY). Now that we are in Florida time to look around for interesting trips.

[Rogueperson]

I was a little leery about booking the Grandeur for next year for exactly many of these reasons. Its not really me, but the two teenagers who are going with us. Its a 10 night new years eve cruise for Decmeber, 2014. I personally think we would enjoy the intimate feel of a smaller ship.

 

I was afraid that they might get bored without the bells and whistles, however after doing some extensive research, I think i will be okay. I was concerned that we will be leaving from Baltimore which is 30 minutes from my house, we would have 5 nights at sea, which maybe a bit much for first time teenagers. But after this research, I think i will be okay. Kids don't really need the bells and whistles after all. Its a novelty. I remember my first cruise on Norwegian's MS Seaward. That ship is 1/2 the size of the Grandeur and was considered pretty big at 42K tons at the time, and I had the time of my life and I was only 16 at the time.

 

So, we've decided we will book next week when we're aboard the Independence. I hope RCI doesn't disappoint me. They did the last time I was onboard the Jewel, but only slightly.

[clarkrock7]

 

I don't mind taking a shower in the stateroom but I do use the Gym shower as its larger and easier to maneuver in.

 

SHHHHHHHHHHHH! This is a secret tactic, not to be disseminated to the general public. :)