When does BIG become TOO BIG ?

[Siora7777]

If the buffet is full and you cannot find seating the ship is too big. I was going to book Oasis but cancelled after reading someone's review. They had to go to Johnny Rockets for breakfast each morning because the buffet was full. I don't want to deal with that.

 

After that I took a hard look at the ship. It's big and doubles up on rock walls and flowriders. I decided I wanted something smaller instead but not too small just not that big.

 

Seemed like way too many people. Kind of reminds me of cattle. Obviously they want to fit more people on a sailing and then charge outrageous rates to ride the biggest boat...but I'm not sure the ship is really offering me more as a consumer.

 

I don't need a lot of the extra bells and whistles. I like an attractive ride with good food but I don't want it to be too crowded. I'm not going to use the zip line, shopping, rockwall or flow rider. That ship seemed too big for me. But for someone else it's probably perfect.

[John&LaLa]

We cruise to relax. We don't need to be on a ship with robot bartenders, i-fly, north star, carousels, and bumper cars.

We prefer Radiance and Voyager class ships on RCI. Our next 3 cruises are on Brilliance, Serenade, and Navigator. We know that bigger seems to be the way of the future but by the time our type of ships are done away with our cruising days will be over.

 

You cruise to relax, I cruise to have fun. Bigger the better. I live on the beach however, if I was any more relaxed I'd be in a coma

[John&LaLa]

Glad to hear you were able to get into specialty restaurants without booking months in advance. :)

 

The Concierge will handle that for you. As a God Card holder all you really need to do is book the comedy club in advance

[John&LaLa]

If the buffet is full and you cannot find seating the ship is too big. I was going to book Oasis but cancelled after reading someone's review. They had to go to Johnny Rockets for breakfast each morning because the buffet was full. I don't want to deal with that.

 

After that I took a hard look at the ship. It's big and doubles up on rock walls and flowriders. I decided I wanted something smaller instead but not too small just not that big.

 

Seemed like way too many people. Kind of reminds me of cattle. Obviously they want to fit more people on a sailing and then charge outrageous rates to ride the biggest boat...but I'm not sure the ship is really offering me more as a consumer.

 

I don't need a lot of the extra bells and whistles. I like an attractive ride with good food but I don't want it to be too crowded. I'm not going to use the zip line, shopping, rockwall or flow rider. That ship seemed too big for me. But for someone else it's probably perfect.

 

Johnny Rockets for breakfast is a very positive feature of Oasis. I wish Freedom would do that. It's freshly made and twice as fast as the MDR

Edited January 30, 2016 by John&LaLa

[yellosno]

I heard that size doesn't matter.

 

hahaha, it does, bigger the better !

[jules815]

Johnny Rockets for breakfast is a very positive feature of Oasis. I wish Freedom would do that. It's freshly made and twice as fast as the MDR

 

Opening up JR for breakfast on Freedom is a great idea. :)

[critterchick]

The Concierge will handle that for you. As a God Card holder all you really need to do is book the comedy club in advance

 

God Card. I like that.:D

 

IMO, OA and AL are too big if one is looking at a cruise for the ports of call. No way would I book a 7-nighter on either of them in Europe or other "exotic" locations. I'd be too tired to take advantage of the entertainment for which I am paying a premium. But I had a great time when we did a Caribbean B2B - I didn't care about the ports and having two weeks let us spread out all of the onboard activities (shows and dining for us). And having access to the SL and Coastal Kitchen really enhanced the experience. Having that God Card really came in handy.:p

[Merion_Mom]

God Card. I like that.:D

 

IMO, OA and AL are too big if one is looking at a cruise for the ports of call. No way would I book a 7-nighter on either of them in Europe or other "exotic" locations. I'd be too tired to take advantage of the entertainment for which I am paying a premium. But I had a great time when we did a Caribbean B2B - I didn't care about the ports and having two weeks let us spread out all of the onboard activities (shows and dining for us). And having access to the SL and Coastal Kitchen really enhanced the experience. Having that God Card really came in handy.:p

 

I agree with Jean completely. Especially about the God Card.

 

:D

[John&LaLa]

God Card. I like that.:D

 

IMO, OA and AL are too big if one is looking at a cruise for the ports of call. No way would I book a 7-nighter on either of them in Europe or other "exotic" locations. I'd be too tired to take advantage of the entertainment for which I am paying a premium. But I had a great time when we did a Caribbean B2B - I didn't care about the ports and having two weeks let us spread out all of the onboard activities (shows and dining for us). And having access to the SL and Coastal Kitchen really enhanced the experience. Having that God Card really came in handy.:p

 

I've used it before. If someone gets offended I just say it was a typo. Darn auto correct. ;)

 

Yea, I don't get the appeal of her in the Med. Seemed popular though last year.

[thrifty99]

I prefer the bigger ships - love the Oasis class and it is hard to cruise on anything smaller now. So much more to do and better quality of shows.

[seannyice81]

After sailing on Independence. I don't think I'd really want to be on a larger ship. Even on Navigator, there was much going on we wanted to do, but couldn't because it also took place at the same time as something else we were into. I would like to try a Radiance Class to see what one is like.

 

I haven't been on anything smaller than 100,000 GT. Given that I usually cruise for the ports, I'll take what ship I can get.

[kalliekae]

We've cruised small ships and the Oasis class. If we are on a port intensive cruise, then we prefer a smaller ship. We wouldn't have time to take advantage of the Oasis class ships entertainment if we were in ports all day. At night, we would eat dinner and turn in early so we would be paying for something we would not use.

 

If we are going to the Caribbean, then the Oasis and Allure are the ships we book. The ship is the destination. We can do as much as we want or as little as we want each day. I don't feel hurried on the big ships and I don't mind pre-planning our shows or dining. Frankly, we would be bored to death on a small ship in the Caribbean.

[Natitude61]

Just off Allure a couple of weeks ago as well, and have been trying to put my finger on why I didn't like her as much as the Freedom class. Didn't mind the booking and reservations ( but then again we had a suite), didn't notice crowds ( except for Windjammer), but something was missing. Finally realized that there was a lack of cohesiveness, so to speak, with so much going on. There was no welcome show, no farewell show; so many options at all times that the only time we really saw the CD was on the TV's morning show. With so many choices of what to do and where to eat, we always felt like we were missing something. It was nice to experience a mega ship, but I think we'll stick to smaller class (if you can call Freedom that) from here on...

[eel]

I cruise to be entertained and see new and interesting places. I can relax at home for free. I have been on all sizes of ships and like them all!

[Gig103]

I'm excited to see Allure OTS, but I do agree that having to make reservations for entertainment a bit off putting. It does put a damper on the laissez-faire vacation attitude out of the equation when you need an alarm so your seat isn't given away!

 

I think even worse though, is that with so many options each night and so many 'any time dining' options, showtimes don't all coincide with the traditional meals. Those that do, are both after dinner shows, at 8 and 10:30. I like the early evening option to see a show before dinner.

[critterchick]

I've used it before. If someone gets offended I just say it was a typo. Darn auto correct. ;)

 

Yea, I don't get the appeal of her in the Med. Seemed popular though last year.

 

For us on this side of the pond, I agree. But I'll bet there are plenty of Europeans who don't care about the ports when a ship is in the Med. they're the target, I suspect.

Edited January 31, 2016 by critterchick

[GUT2407]

Anything over 2,500 is too big.

 

Under 1,000 is ideal.

[sky0000547]

I'm a big ship person and I do like the Oasis class ships with all the different eating venues and neighbourhoods but I don't like all the reservations required to see shows and good job dynamic dining was ditched otherwise more reservations.

 

I haven't been on Quantum class so reserving judgment on that but to me Freedom class ships is the right size with all the activities you need and yet still keep that traditional cruising feel.

[DanJ]

Almost every ship I've been on, the buffet is busy for breakfast. Have to say we found the Windjammer on Oasis to be pretty easy to deal with this past week by comparison. As for reserving shows, we always hated that you had to rush right to the theater or lounge 30-45 minutes to try to get seats on any other ship. So, while I found it strange to be booking shows in advance, I realized that it was only because booking them was new to me, but wasting all that time trying to get seats was something we've always done anyway. So no difference. At least you know when the shows are in advance and can pick one that will work best with other plans.

 

People make comments about getting away from their scheduled lives. Well, a cruise is all about schedule if you want to do activities. If it makes you feel better that you "winged it" to see Come Fly With Me, then enjoy the line up and the crappy single seats you will find. It's like the majority of people who prefer My Time Dining don't like the idea of being told to eat at 6 at first seating, and then turn around and show up every single night at 6 anyway lol.

 

I don't know how this relates to Too Big though. Smaller ships I have been on, it was dinner at 6, show at 830, maybe a game show or comedian or something in another smaller lounge at 10, and then hit the casino, and that was the routine every night. Sure, you don't have to put any thought into what you are doing, there is only one thing at a time. I don't see how that is a plus.

[SargassoPirate]

If the buffet is full and you cannot find seating the ship is too big. I was going to book Oasis but cancelled after reading someone's review. They had to go to Johnny Rockets for breakfast each morning because the buffet was full. I don't want to deal with that.

 

For us, not having to deal with the 'Jammer for meals was a real plus. For breakfasts: At Johnny Rockets we sat down and were waited on. At the MDR, we sat down and were waited on. At the Park Café we served ourselves and found a quiet spot in Park Central to enjoy a quiet breakfast. At the Wipeout we could get made-to-order omelets that were delivered to our table. In the Diamond Lounge we could get a continental breakfast and some cappuccino.

 

The Allure/Oasis 'Jammer.....we don't want to deal with that.;)

[pjnj40]

For us, not having to deal with the 'Jammer for meals was a real plus. For breakfasts: At Johnny Rockets we sat down and were waited on. At the MDR, we sat down and were waited on. At the Park Café we served ourselves and found a quiet spot in Park Central to enjoy a quiet breakfast. At the Wipeout we could get made-to-order omelets that were delivered to our table. In the Diamond Lounge we could get a continental breakfast and some cappuccino.

 

The Allure/Oasis 'Jammer.....we don't want to deal with that.;)

 

I agree. I hate buffet so much that i do whatever it take to make it the last place to used.

[sg4crzn]

I agree. I did not like the Oasis. To big, to much planning, pools were GROSS...I prefer to sit on deck near the pool, listen to steel drums and gaze out into the ocean.

[time4u2go]

I agree that the need to schedule shows in order to have a good selection of seats is a negative aspect of the larger ships for us.

 

Same here.

[Beachammo]

Same here.

 

When we were on Indy last year......your show schedule was based on muster station number. Made it much nicer.

 

Not sure why Oasis/Allure don't use the same system??

[ThirstyCruiser]

If the buffet is full and you cannot find seating the ship is too big.

Or maybe the ship is not too big but the buffet is too small.

Or maybe the ship and buffet are fine and the passengers are too big. :D