Smaller ships?

[BiXLL]

Wife and I really enjoy the smaller ships, Dawn class down better then the big ships. Do you think there will ever be any new smaller class ships or will all new ones be of the mega class?

[mfinster007]

I agree with you. With that being said I've never sailed on a 'mega' ship, very skeptical. I'm booked this November on the Escape for 3 days. I'll be sure to report back. I would be completely happy for new smaller ships.

 

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[negn]

Agree 100% As a retiree don't need rock climbing, bungee jumping etc. Give me a ship easy to maneuver , good food and a few bars and I'm set Hope someone realizes this demographic probably has more time and money to cruise

[NH Cruisers]

The Dawn may be small by the standards of the newest builds, but it too is a mega ship. Well over 90,000 GRT! Cruise lines will always have a need for ships this size just to get into a lot of ports. Ships in the 40,000 GRT range can get into even more ports, thats what I would love to see... NCL to do a new build of 30,000 to 40,000 GRT. Then they can sail back to St. George and Hamilton in Bermuda.

 

They do tend to be a bit more pricy too.

Edited April 11, 2015 by NH Cruisers

[Sand and Seas]

Agree 100% As a retiree don't need rock climbing, bungee jumping etc. Give me a ship easy to maneuver , good food and a few bars and I'm set Hope someone realizes this demographic probably has more time and money to cruise

 

I love the smaller ships for those same reasons, but still enjoy the Getaway and have booked the Escape too. Smaller ships are very relaxed and provide a wonderful vacation. Sometimes you find they have a really enjoyable music group or single guitarist/singer that makes the evenings extra nice. Large ships have some great entertainment but they do exhaust you in other ways. I'm looking forward to seeing 'Million Dollar Quartet' on the Escape and also love shows like 'Burn the Floor'. Then I'll be back on the Dawn out of New Orleans or to Bermuda for a more laid back cruise;)

[NUPDCOP]

I have this feeling that larger ships are here to stay. It basically comes down to being more efficient - just like cargo/container ships... after all this is why the Panama Canal is being made bigger with a second set of locks - for the bigger ships.

[Jay Sam]

For the most part, for the main cruise lines, I feel smaller ships are a thing of the past. Probably only be seeing new builds in the 140K plus GTs and larger range, well except for Holland's Koningsdam and future possible new builds for the line.

 

A lot of the Holland loyalists thought it was terrible they are building such a large ship. It's only about 100K GTs, and I thought just be happy it isn't a lot larger than that.

 

Like the other poster said, the economics of larger ships is better for the lines. Just like the airlines, with all things being equal, a full 747 is more profitable than a smaller airplane.

 

I like ships anywhere from 70K GTs, like Carnival's Paradise up to Royal's Adventure of the Seas at 140K GTs.

 

As the smaller and often times older ships retire, there will be fewer opportunites for cruising those sized ships. Also fewer opportunities for ports like Tampa and Jacksonville to have ships home-port there.

[titangas]

The Dawn may be small by the standards of the newest builds, but it too is a mega ship. Well over 90,000 GRT! Cruise lines will always have a need for ships this size just to get into a lot of ports. Ships in the 40,000 GRT range can get into even more ports, thats what I would love to see... NCL to do a new build of 30,000 to 40,000 GRT. Then they can sail back to St. George and Hamilton in Bermuda.

 

They do tend to be a bit more pricy too.

 

Oh, those were the days! My first and probably best cruise was on the 23,000 GRT Nordic Prince! Docking in St. George and Hamilton was something special and was so much better than docking at Kings Wharf on a later cruise.

 

I will NEVER sail on one of the Mega Ships and I have no desire to sail on anything bigger than 100,000 GRT. For me 70,000 to 90,000 GRT is the perfect size for a cruise ship, large enough to have enough to do , but small and intimate enough to get to know your ship well, fellow cruisers and staff.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I enjoy the midsized ships. That said, I haven't tried a true mega ship yet. Our largest, being the Explorer of the Seas, last year.

 

Many ports will need to reconfigure, in order to safely accept the new super-behemoths. I doubt that Boston can accomodate a mega, at this time.

[Single Cruiser]

At the end of the day the cruise lines are all now about making money.

 

That is no longer from the cruise fare but all the add ons, the bar profits, the spa, the speciality dining and the shore excursions.

 

The large ships are much more economical, so again more $$$.

 

So they'll target those cruisers who are demographically more likely to spend money at the bars or spas.