R Class Ships

[ak1004]

17 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

They compare favorably to the bathrooms on EU river cruises! I’ve done Emerald and Uniworld and I’ll bet the river boat bathrooms are MUCH smaller. 
Had a blast on the EU river cruises, and had a blast on Sirena! 
Enjoy your cruise!

 

Very true. But on river cruises you don't have much choice because 90%+ of the ships have similar size cabins (unless you book a suite, which is in a completely different price range). But river cruises have other advantages compared to ocean cruises.

 

I completely agree with Hank regarding R ships. Yes, you can book PH, but PH prices are comparable to entry level cabins on SB and SS, and the size is still smaller. Very poor value in my opinion.

[Harry Lake]

On 10/30/2023 at 11:06 AM, shepherd really said:

Having sailed on both the R's and O's, the O's have it.  It would have to be an extraordinary itinerary to get me on an R class ship again.  O's win on staterooms, public spaces, and dining options for me. 

 

Best of luck with whichever you choose.

 

 

Could I safely say that you're a ship person and not a port person? When I see Mediterranean cruises I can pretty much tick off almost every port as having visited, by land or by sea. Or have you already visited pretty much everything on your A-list?

[shepherd really]

1 hour ago, Harry Lake said:

Could I safely say that you're a ship person and not a port person? When I see Mediterranean cruises I can pretty much tick off almost every port as having visited, by land or by sea. Or have you already visited pretty much everything on your A-list?

I sail for itinerary, but I do like sea days.  My next cruise is on Marina around South America including Antarctica, after that It's an Eastern Med cruise to several places my wife and I haven't been to.  So, to answer your question, 50/50.  I like going places in comfort. The larger O ships just suit me better.

[zalusky]

36 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

I sail for itinerary, but I do like sea days.  My next cruise is on Marina around South America including Antarctica, after that It's an Eastern Med cruise to several places my wife and I haven't been to.  So, to answer your question, 50/50.  I like going places in comfort. The larger O ships just suit me better.

I agree Itinerary does not always supersede comfort. 

[shepherd really]

46 minutes ago, zalusky said:

I agree Itinerary does not always supersede comfort. 

At this point in my life, I want both.  My days of backpacking around the world and staying in hostels is long, long gone.

[Harry Lake]

2 hours ago, shepherd really said:

My next cruise is on Marina around South America including Antarctica,

And, of course, that will be just a "sail by." Even the O ships are too big to allow passengers to leave the ship. 

[PhD-iva]

31 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

And, of course, that will be just a "sail by." Even the O ships are too big to allow passengers to leave the ship. 

I just don’t get the allure of a “drive by.” Okay, maybe if its an expedition cruise, landing on shore (which I have no desire to do) but what’s the point of 3 days sailing way, far away off the coast of Antartica? My Regent Voyager itinerary has 3 sea days “cruising the Antartica peninsula“. What’s the point?

[Queen of DaNile]

Having never backpacked, I suspect that even "roughing" it on an R ship is a tad bit better than being in a hostel. I think we shall be very comfortable in our meager berth.

While we would prefer to be on an O class ship, we chose to go with what works for us and our friends.

 

 

[Harry Lake]

4 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I just don’t get the allure of a “drive by.”

Oh, I certainly don't.

 

We were on a Hurtigruten ship, Midnatsol ?sp with about 400 pax. And we liked Hurtigruten so much that we did a Norwegian coastal cruise on a REALLY small ship -100 pax! I could go on and on about that. And talk about a small bathroom 🙂

[Harry Lake]

3 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Having never backpacked, I suspect that even "roughing" it on an R ship is a tad bit better than being in a hostel. I think we shall be very comfortable in our meager berth.

While we would prefer to be on an O class ship, we chose to go with what works for us and our friends.

 

 

And we chose for the itinerary. Didn't know about those bathrooms til I read it here 

[Queen of DaNile]

28 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

I just don’t get the allure of a “drive by.” Okay, maybe if its an expedition cruise, landing on shore (which I have no desire to do) but what’s the point of 3 days sailing way, far away off the coast of Antartica? My Regent Voyager itinerary has 3 sea days “cruising the Antartica peninsula“. What’s the point?

In all due respect, you need to do some research as to what you might see on your "drive by". 

You are probably paying a LOT of money to have this privilege included in your itinerary.

Pristine waters, incredible wildlife, spectacular scenery...Even whilst staying on the ship!

 

[Harry Lake]

8 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

In all due respect, you need to do some research as to what you might see on your "drive by". 

You are probably paying a LOT of money to have this privilege included in your itinerary.

Pristine waters, incredible wildlife, spectacular scenery...Even whilst staying on the ship!

 

When we were there there was at least one big cruise ship...WAY out there. What "wildlife" or "scenery" did you see? Here's just a sample of how we traveled for several days. Plus getting within touching difference of wildlife - which of course we didn't do.

 

I understand that it's probably a lot more expensive.

[Queen of DaNile]

9 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

When we were there there was at least one big cruise ship...WAY out there. What "wildlife" or "scenery" did you see? Here's just a sample of how we traveled for several days. Plus getting within touching difference of wildlife - which of course we didn't do.

 

I understand that it's probably a lot more expensive.

We did three landings a day including South Georgia, South Orkneys and Elephant Island.

Thousands of penguins and elephant seals on many places

[PhD-iva]

5 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

We did three landings a day including South Georgia, South Orkneys and Elephant Island.

Thousands of penguins and elephant seals on many places

My “drive-by” itinerary does not go to any of these ports. It is not an expedition cruise……

[Harry Lake]

7 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

We did three landings a day including South Georgia, South Orkneys and Elephant Island.

Thousands of penguins and elephant seals on many places

I'm sure it was a super substitute.

[Harry Lake]

1 minute ago, PhD-iva said:

It is not an expedition cruise…

I don't know what an expedition cruise is.

[Harry Lake]

1 minute ago, PhD-iva said:

It is not an expedition cruise…

I don't know what an expedition cruise is.

[PhD-iva]

2 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

I don't know what an expedition cruise is.

Off the top of my head, expedition cruises (Hurtigruten is one example) are much smaller ships that comply with recent legislation regarding which ships can sail bellow a certain latitude close to Antartica. Pax might be able to use an RIB (rigid inflatable boat, maybe?) to actually land on Antartica.

Others who know more about this topic will be able to provide more details…..

[PhD-iva]

7 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

I don't know what an expedition cruise is.

And, they are much more expensive than an Oceania cruise!

[Harry Lake]

5 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Off the top of my head, expedition cruises (Hurtigruten is one example) are much smaller ships that comply with recent legislation regarding which ships can sail bellow a certain latitude close to Antartica. Pax might be able to use an RIB (rigid inflatable boat, maybe?) to actually land on Antartica.

Others who know more about this topic will be able to provide more details…..

Oh, okay, then I guess that's what we were on. I'm having trouble with my photos but we absolutely took zodiak-type boats and went ashore.

[Harry Lake]

7 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

And, they are much more expensive than an Oceania cruise!

This was part of a trip that Gate 1 isn't doing now. We started in Buenos Aires, then did a coach tour of the Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia. Then got on our ship and sailed the Chilean fjords, Antarctica, Falkland Islands and finished up in Santiago. For US it was expensive but we planned it a year in advance and the whole thing was incredible.

[Snaefell3]

2 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

I just don’t get the allure of a “drive by.” Okay, maybe if its an expedition cruise, landing on shore (which I have no desire to do) but what’s the point of 3 days sailing way, far away off the coast of Antartica? My Regent Voyager itinerary has 3 sea days “cruising the Antartica peninsula“. What’s the point?

Uhhh...  Perhaps the chance of an 'E'-ticket roller coaster ride across the Drake Passage?  😉

 

[Harry Lake]

5 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Uhhh...  Perhaps the chance of an 'E'-ticket roller coaster ride across the Drake Passage?  😉

 

We were wisely advised to expect the Drake Shake or the Drake Lake. Very nice lake 🙂

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, shepherd really said:

At this point in my life, I want both.  My days of backpacking around the world and staying in hostels is long, long gone.

 

3 hours ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Having never backpacked, I suspect that even "roughing" it on an R ship is a tad bit better than being in a hostel.

 

 

 

The exaggerated comparisons are funny, having been on two R class ships in the last 6 months for 17 and 18 days, respectively. 

 

Yes, sleeping on the wonderfully comfortable mattress in my cabin on Insignia reminded me SO much of being in a sleeping bag on the ground. And my cabin, though small, was nicely appointed, nothing like any tent I've ever seen.

 

As for the bathrooms and shower, it's just not really a big deal unless one makes it into one. Maybe some people take far longer showers than I do?  I'm not gonna pick a cruise ship based on 10-15 minutes of a 24-hour day.

 

(Interestingly, on the Azamara forum here, there are FAR fewer comments/complaints about the showers than on this board. Not sure what that says.... 😆 )

 

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by cruisemom42

[ToxM]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

 

 

(Interestingly, on the Azamara forum here, there are FAR fewer comments/complaints about the showers than on this board. Not sure what that says.... 😆 )

 

 

 

I do wonder if that is because Azamara only has R class ships. 

 

Either way due diligence will give anyone an idea if their desired cabin on an R class ship will be suitable for them. 

 

I am very happy in a PH on an R class. I am very happy in a standard verandah (or even an ocean view) on an O class.