Favorite Class of Ship?

[huntr104]

My wife and I were talking about the new Icon and Wonder OTS the other night and wondered at what point will these ships be "too big"?  I'm sure it has reached that point for some of you (ourselves included).  We have been on Oasis, Freedom and Vision class of ships so far and will be checking off the Voyager class in June.  So far our favorite class is the Freedom Class.  It's big enough with most of the "bells and whistles", but doesn't feel overwhelming.  Personally I'd like to see them build a couple new smaller ships to replace the oldest in the fleet.  I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

[Morecruisesplz]

The one with the lowest price per day cabin prices. Love when a balcony is equal to or slightly more than inside.

[Norwich Cruiser]

Oasis class

[The Fun Researcher]

24 minutes ago, huntr104 said:

My wife and I were talking about the new Icon and Wonder OTS the other night and wondered at what point will these ships be "too big"?  I'm sure it has reached that point for some of you (ourselves included).  We have been on Oasis, Freedom and Vision class of ships so far and will be checking off the Voyager class in June.  So far our favorite class is the Freedom Class.  It's big enough with most of the "bells and whistles", but doesn't feel overwhelming.  Personally I'd like to see them build a couple new smaller ships to replace the oldest in the fleet.  I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

You'll be happy then.  Be prepared for Voyager class to feel VERY much like the Freedom class. 

 

Voyager is just as wide. (the cantilevered hot tubs on Freedom class are what make them look larger on paper but actual width is actually virtually identical.).  Layout it the same.  Voyager just has slightly shorter Promenade with Café Promenade and Sorrento's combined.  On the pool deck the only difference is the kids splash area missing.

 

Personally I'll take whatever Freedom or Voyager class has been AMPED.  Royal did an amazing job AMPING those two classes of ships.

Dan  

[huntr104]

34 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

You'll be happy then.  Be prepared for Voyager class to feel VERY much like the Freedom class. 

 

Voyager is just as wide. (the cantilevered hot tubs on Freedom class are what make them look larger on paper but actual width is actually virtually identical.).  Layout it the same.  Voyager just has slightly shorter Promenade with Café Promenade and Sorrento's combined.  On the pool deck the only difference is the kids splash area missing.

 

Personally I'll take whatever Freedom or Voyager class has been AMPED.  Royal did an amazing job AMPING those two classes of ships.

Dan  

Sounds good!  We just sailed on Freedom this past October and loved it.  We were on Liberty OTS back in '08 when she was brand new and really loved the size and feel of that ship.  It was our favorite up to sailing on Freedom.  Next up is the recently Amped Mariner OTS.  Everything you just said is what I'm hoping for, especially the 8 night Southern itinerary.  Our kids are older and don't need the splash pad now but the flowrider and waterslides will be a big hit with them.  It's not that I didn't like the Oasis class, in fact we had a lot of fun on Harmony and Allure but we feel that this was the size that I felt it was too big.  Not that I wouldn't go on one again.

[NateUpNorth]

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

 

Personally I'll take whatever Freedom or Voyager class has been AMPED. 

Exactly how I was going to respond so I'll just use the quote instead. 

[LilBlackDress]

I don't have a favorite ship...
I always put the itinerary above the ship... If the dates and itinerary are around the same, I will decide on which ship has a cabin I am intersted in

[Crism]

Such a tough question....I sailed on every type of ship in 2022 so I'll give you my random list of thoughts which turned into a dissertation apparently:

 

Vision Class....I'm here for the itinerary vs. the ship. The shower curtain? No thanks. But a Panama Canal cruise? I'm in!  I just got off Grandeur a few weeks ago, and having been on Jewel many times and once again this past June, I definitely prefer the Radiance class vs Vision class.  They're VERY similar, but Radiance "fixed" a lot of the smaller details.  I wasn't a fan of Enchantment for various reason this past June.  I enjoyed Grandeur without the "extra section" they added.  Boleros...ugh!

 

Radiance Class...I've only been on Brilliance and Jewel so I can only speak to them, but I'm hopping on Radiance in January.  I can't wait!  Having been on a number of big ships lately, I'm excited to get on Radiance.  Jewel is always a favorite, but that Nascar bar has got to go.  They also don't use the space on the aft of the top deck well.  It could be converted into something much more useful.  Other than that, they REALLY were taking care of the ship back in June our Norway cruise.  The staff was awesome and the ship upkeep was perfect.  I should also mention...the aft balconies on the Radiance class BLOW AWAY the Voyager and Freedom class.  Perfect aft ocean views with no metal obstruction.  Radiance and Brilliance have a Pub in place of Jewel's Nascar bar which I much prefer.

 

Voyager/Freedom Class....I group these together because they're virtually identical.  However, there's a LARGE variance by ship due to the Amps they've had done.  I was on Freedom most recently, and they absolutely killed it.  That Playmakers is a game-changer during football season, World Cup games, and any other sports that are on.  I love the Promenade, Ice shows, Pub, and theatre shows!  Freedom wins over Navigator because of the bigger Playmakers, and Freedom's untouched gym.  Poor Navigator's awesome gym in the front was chopped up and put in the aft with the kid's club.  Mariner is even worse.

 

Quantum/Quantum Ultra...Grouped together because they're so similar.  Odyssey wins this, hands down.  Again...I'm a sucker for a Playmakers.  However, I really, really enjoyed the shows on Anthem and Ovation this year.  Anthem's shows made up for a boring Bahamas/Florida cruise.  Ovation's itinerary to Alaska was awesome even though the weather was crummy.  I initially didn't like the layout of the ships, but it grew on me.  Another mention...this class WINS for the Solarium!  Fully enclosed!  I also LOVE the stateroom bathrooms and showers here!  That giant glass shower is a true winner.  Identical to the later Oasis class.  One major MINUS?  The disaster of dining rooms that are Anthem and Ovation (I've never done Quantum).  A+O have 4 separate dining rooms from the Dynamic Dining days, and the line to get in was always a MILE long and the service some nights was terrible.  I attribute this to poor layout vs servers though.  I started just going to the Windjammer lately to avoid the mess.  (And Anthem's cruise was in April and not even full).

 

Oasis....Oh the O class.  Another class similar to Voyager/Freedom where each ship has different things to offer.  The only ship I have NOT been on is Harmony, but I'm fixing that in January.  Favorite ship?  HANDS DOWN...SYMPHONY.  Entire fleet.  I love it.  Best shows, hands down.  Flight, Hairspray, Hiro.  I've been on Wonder...I'm not that impressed.  That TV at the pool deck is the worst thing to happen to an Oasis class ship.  Positioned over Central Park BLARING movies at 11pm that echo though the CP balconies...woof.  Definitely built for China...everything was cheaply done.  Public bathroom doors are extremely hard to open...so much so my friend RIPPED the handle off the Deck 4 port side men's bathroom.  Shows aren't as good as Symphony either...Voices?  Ugh.  I do LOVE how they enclosed the Solarium though!  Now now...to the older ladies?  Allure wins.  I tried to love Oasis, but she didn't win my heart over.  I love the Amps and the ship was good...but just good.  Allure's shows are much better even though she isn't Amped.  Mamma Mia was a riot and the cast is perfect for it.  The Ice Show was quirky but fun also.  The older O's make me want the newer style staterooms and decorations though.

 

What am I a sucker for?

Old school Vintages...Gio's Wine Bars have uncomfortable seating and aren't dark and quiet like the Vintages.

Awesome Production shows

Newer style bathrooms (big glass showers)

Unobstructed aft views

Ships that offer Giovanni's over Jamie's Italian...Jamie's menu is no good

Playmakers

Exotic itineraries

Any ship Voyager/Freedom class ship with the Diamond Lounge intact in the Viking Crown

 

Ships?

1. Symphony

2. Odyssey - Love the ship. Great crews back in Feb/March of this year.  We had a crummy crew for the Halloween TA this year though 😞

3. Jewel - mainly a historical/itinerary perspective.  MANY enjoyable trips on her with exotic itineraries.

4. Freedom - I can't wait until she's off 3+4 night cruises!

5. Navigator

[CanobieFan]

I think personally the Freedom Class and the Voyager Class are my favorites, although I've liked all of the RC ships I've done .....besides Vision

[John&LaLa]

Used to be Oasis, but leaning towards Oddysey.  But only sailed her at 60% occupancy.  Will go again in March. May change my mind😉

[The Fun Researcher]

15 minutes ago, Crism said:

Such a tough question....I sailed on every type of ship in 2022 so I'll give you my random list of thoughts which turned into a dissertation apparently:

 

Vision Class....I'm here for the itinerary vs. the ship. The shower curtain? No thanks. But a Panama Canal cruise? I'm in!  I just got off Grandeur a few weeks ago, and having been on Jewel many times and once again this past June, I definitely prefer the Radiance class vs Vision class.  They're VERY similar, but Radiance "fixed" a lot of the smaller details.  I wasn't a fan of Enchantment for various reason this past June.  I enjoyed Grandeur without the "extra section" they added.  Boleros...ugh!

 

Radiance Class...I've only been on Brilliance and Jewel so I can only speak to them, but I'm hopping on Radiance in January.  I can't wait!  Having been on a number of big ships lately, I'm excited to get on Radiance.  Jewel is always a favorite, but that Nascar bar has got to go.  They also don't use the space on the aft of the top deck well.  It could be converted into something much more useful.  Other than that, they REALLY were taking care of the ship back in June our Norway cruise.  The staff was awesome and the ship upkeep was perfect.  I should also mention...the aft balconies on the Radiance class BLOW AWAY the Voyager and Freedom class.  Perfect aft ocean views with no metal obstruction.  Radiance and Brilliance have a Pub in place of Jewel's Nascar bar which I much prefer.

 

Voyager/Freedom Class....I group these together because they're virtually identical.  However, there's a LARGE variance by ship due to the Amps they've had done.  I was on Freedom most recently, and they absolutely killed it.  That Playmakers is a game-changer during football season, World Cup games, and any other sports that are on.  I love the Promenade, Ice shows, Pub, and theatre shows!  Freedom wins over Navigator because of the bigger Playmakers, and Freedom's untouched gym.  Poor Navigator's awesome gym in the front was chopped up and put in the aft with the kid's club.  Mariner is even worse.

 

Quantum/Quantum Ultra...Grouped together because they're so similar.  Odyssey wins this, hands down.  Again...I'm a sucker for a Playmakers.  However, I really, really enjoyed the shows on Anthem and Ovation this year.  Anthem's shows made up for a boring Bahamas/Florida cruise.  Ovation's itinerary to Alaska was awesome even though the weather was crummy.  I initially didn't like the layout of the ships, but it grew on me.  Another mention...this class WINS for the Solarium!  Fully enclosed!  I also LOVE the stateroom bathrooms and showers here!  That giant glass shower is a true winner.  Identical to the later Oasis class.  One major MINUS?  The disaster of dining rooms that are Anthem and Ovation (I've never done Quantum).  A+O have 4 separate dining rooms from the Dynamic Dining days, and the line to get in was always a MILE long and the service some nights was terrible.  I attribute this to poor layout vs servers though.  I started just going to the Windjammer lately to avoid the mess.  (And Anthem's cruise was in April and not even full).

 

Oasis....Oh the O class.  Another class similar to Voyager/Freedom where each ship has different things to offer.  The only ship I have NOT been on is Harmony, but I'm fixing that in January.  Favorite ship?  HANDS DOWN...SYMPHONY.  Entire fleet.  I love it.  Best shows, hands down.  Flight, Hairspray, Hiro.  I've been on Wonder...I'm not that impressed.  That TV at the pool deck is the worst thing to happen to an Oasis class ship.  Positioned over Central Park BLARING movies at 11pm that echo though the CP balconies...woof.  Definitely built for China...everything was cheaply done.  Public bathroom doors are extremely hard to open...so much so my friend RIPPED the handle off the Deck 4 port side men's bathroom.  Shows aren't as good as Symphony either...Voices?  Ugh.  I do LOVE how they enclosed the Solarium though!  Now now...to the older ladies?  Allure wins.  I tried to love Oasis, but she didn't win my heart over.  I love the Amps and the ship was good...but just good.  Allure's shows are much better even though she isn't Amped.  Mamma Mia was a riot and the cast is perfect for it.  The Ice Show was quirky but fun also.  The older O's make me want the newer style staterooms and decorations though.

 

What am I a sucker for?

Old school Vintages...Gio's Wine Bars have uncomfortable seating and aren't dark and quiet like the Vintages.

Awesome Production shows

Newer style bathrooms (big glass showers)

Unobstructed aft views

Ships that offer Giovanni's over Jamie's Italian...Jamie's menu is no good

Playmakers

Exotic itineraries

Any ship Voyager/Freedom class ship with the Diamond Lounge intact in the Viking Crown

 

Ships?

1. Symphony

2. Odyssey - Love the ship. Great crews back in Feb/March of this year.  We had a crummy crew for the Halloween TA this year though 😞

3. Jewel - mainly a historical/itinerary perspective.  MANY enjoyable trips on her with exotic itineraries.

4. Freedom - I can't wait until she's off 3+4 night cruises!

5. Navigator

Wow, loved your analysis!  Agree with much of it, but you have sailed way more individual ships than we have so I kind of have to take your word for it.  🙂

[LilBlackDress]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

Used to be Oasis, but leaning towards Oddysey.  But only sailed her at 60% occupancy.  Will go again in March. May change my mind😉

When we sailed on Symphony in Aug 2021 there were only 1127 passengers. I don't think it is right to say it is my favorite ship... But it was my favorite cruise!! The ports were eh... they changed the itinerary a few weeks before the cruise. 

[loman]

Oasis class is our favorite .

 Dislike any ship without a promenade .

[orville99]

Radiance Class, hands down. Smaller ships can go to ports that an Oasis class ship has to skip, tend to do more interesting and varied itineraries, and as a kicker, we can usually get a GS on a Radiance class ship for the price of a standard balcony on an Oasis class ship.

[neverbeenhere]

I voted Yes... I want class on a ship.

[George C]

I like voyager class not to big not to small, must have ice show which it has . That was also my first grand suite.

[Morecruisesplz]

5 minutes ago, George C said:

I like voyager class not to big not to small, must have ice show which it has . That was also my first grand suite.

Was GS worth it?

[cruiselvr04]

That’s a tough question.  I like them all is the answer but some more then others.  
 

This year we’ve been on Odyssey, Oasis, Liberty and Grandeur, some more then once.  
Quantum class - Odyssey’s entertainment blew us away. 270 is lovely day or night. We had the dining package and loved every meal.

Oasis class -  Oasis was good and we enjoyed the BBQ and Playmakers.  We don’t like the open solarium on her as there’s not enough shade.  It felt crowded overall but we love Central Park.  The entertainment was good in the Aqua theatre and ice show but too crowded for game shows. Again we did the dining package but it wasn’t quite as good.  Cats is a pass.

Freedom class - Liberty is such a great size.  Not too big or too small.  Lots of things to do in the evening.  Great solarium.  Voyager class is just a scaled down Freedom class.
Vision class - Grandeur is so nice and compact, so easy to get around, never crowded except maybe for an event or 2 in the centrum.  Love the Park Cafe in the solarium. Great service.  Love the teak deck.  Radiance class is pretty much the same just bigger.  
 

I’m happy there are so many choices.  We are starting to do longer and more itinerary based cruising so I’m guessing we’ll be on the smaller ships more.  

[George C]

18 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Was GS worth it?

GS on voyager class is less than the newer ships , we liked it did navigator 3 times all in grand suites, perks are not as good as oasis , but this is a 3 hour happy hour , breakfast in specialty, back then lunch in specialty was also included now it’s not , nice suite large bathroom with double sinks , nice pool seating . Ever since we did our first grand suite we never booked anything less. 

[orville99]

50 minutes ago, George C said:

I like voyager class not to big not to small, must have ice show which it has . That was also my first grand suite.

 

47 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Was GS worth it?

Whenever we do a Voyager, Vision, or Radiance class ship, we always book a GS or OS. The added room, balcony size, bigger bathroom, tub, etc. and the ability to dine in suite, have breakfast in a specialty restaurant, and the lower cost relative to a ship with a CK make it an easy decision - especially since we always do B2B (or longer) cruises.

[iuki]

4 hours ago, orville99 said:

Radiance Class, hands down. Smaller ships can go to ports that an Oasis class ship has to skip, tend to do more interesting and varied itineraries, and as a kicker, we can usually get a GS on a Radiance class ship for the price of a standard balcony on an Oasis class ship.

I’ve got to check out the prices!  😍

[orville99]

11 hours ago, iuki said:

I’ve got to check out the prices!  😍

Just one example: we have a B2B booked for July 2023 on Wonder in an OV Balcony (14 nights total) for an all in cost of $11,337. We just booked a B2B2B for July 2024 on Adventure in a GS (22 nights total) for an all in cost of $10,472. We did a mock booking for a B2B during the same weeks on Wonder for 2024 and an OV Balcony was still more than $11,000 before insurance.

[LuCruise]

Hard one.  I've been on all classes but radiance class (but vision class was so long ago). DH and I would like to go on something like Brilliance one day.

 

I love them all but would only book Oasis, Quantum/Ultra, Freedom or Voyager with our kids.

 

If I had to pick my favorite, I would pick Oasis class, with Symphony being my favorite ship. It was just wow in every way...activities, decor, shows, etc.

 

I also really enjoyed Anthem and also love Freedom and Voyager class.  Really haven't been on a ship that I didn't like.  They are all similar in one sense with layout, activities going on, etc but each give their own appeal.

 

By mid of 2025, I will have been on all Oasis ships but Harmony, all Freedom ships and all Voyager sihps but Explorer.  it's fun to compare one to the other.

[hannibal54]

I am going to go for the one that's not listed, Sovereign Class, Majesty of the Seas.