Project Genesis- new MEGA ship!

[Schplinky]

A traditional Ocean Liner which was primarily in the business for transporting the masses across the ocean before airplanes took over this transportation business. First class, was for the privileged, but they made their money on steerage.

 

A traditional cruise ship, in my opinion, was one of those vessels converted for the pleasure cruise business. These ships were small and intimate, and did not have any kind of class system. Passengers often met and mingled and got to know one another during the cruise. Dining times were set, there probably was only one lounge or entertainment venue. Cruise directors did silly mixer type games, service was usually quite good, there was more than likely not a specialty dining venue. It was very laid back and more about quietly relaxing or engaging in interesting conversation with your fellow passengers. Also the smaller ship gave you a connection to the sea.

 

The new mega ships are about go, go, go and choices choices choices. You'll never be bored when you can go shopping, rock climb,ice skate, flow ride. If you like the mall better than a cruise, then you can hang in the mall all day and never know you are at sea. For dining, you can choose from many different styles, dress codes, and levels for service with everything from a buffet to a high end specialty dining. But you might never have that chance to see another passenger twice, much less get that nice moment to engage in conversation and get to know others. If feel that the mega ships tend to disconnect passengers from the fact that they are at sea.

 

I love cruising, and one day I will probably give a mega ship a try, maybe the Solstice class, but I think that 1800 to 2200 is about the right number of passengers.

 

It's interesting how fixed your impressions are on mega ships since you say you've never been on one and yet you prefer a ship size that would have been called a megaship ten years ago. That's the point I was trying to make.

 

Also, we have felt great connection to passengers and the sea on very large ships but have not on the smallest ship we sailed. I don't think the correlation is all that direct.

[Deeliteful]

My personal opinion - 2000 people max - if I wanted trees and grass why would I cruise?

[Cruise Arizona]

I would actually prefer 1000 - 1200 pax, but I either find that those ships are out of my budget range, or have very limited iteneraries. The Azamara ships would be perfect but I like formal nights and they are all country club casual. So I go with the 1800 - 2000.

 

You are right, I am only guessing that I would dislike a mega ship, But I am a go- go -go person all the time at home and I know that I would be busy ice skating and rock-climbing and maybe might not get the rest that I need.

 

I recently had to choose between the Summit and the Voyager of the Seas for a TA. I spent about three weeks comparing to the two ships. Having never been on the Voyager, I had to rely on virtual tours, deck plans, and other passenger comments. I posted questions both here on the Celebrity board and over on the RC board. I got very wonderful responses on both boards and a wealth of information.

 

Ultimately I choose the Summit because I felt the size and number of passengers was closer to my idea. I was also worried about having a connection to the sea on the Voyager, which seem much more indoor oriented than the Summit. I realize that virtual tours and other passenger feedback is an imperfect method for giving a real perspective on what the ship would actually be like once I'm on it, I hated to spend so much money on a cruise and have the ship be overwhelming.

 

I guess my thought is that I hope that the lines will still continue to utilze medium, to medium big size ships that have great service and prices, but maybe lack a lot of extra amenities.

[YOW]

Numerous factors are at play here.

 

The 'feeling' one gets on a cruise, be it on a mega-ship or smaller vessel, can be a combination of anything from: passenger/space ratio; passenger/crew ratio; design and 'flow' of the ship; type and location of cabin; the number and demographic of passengers on a particular sailing (and the 'connection' to certain passengers, e.g. from a Cruise Critic group); activities and ameneties onboard; number of sea days vs. days in port; number of other ships in port; crew and officer morale; attitude of fellow passengers... the list goes on.

 

'Connection to the sea' is a phrase I've used as well. We’ve felt it most when having balcony cabins – not a surprise – both times sailing 90,000 ton ships with roughly 2000 pax. I probably felt this connection most on the smaller Empress of the Seas (even sans the balcony), which has (had) a wraparound promenade; but then we felt this on Norwegian Gem as well as on Grand Princess, the largest ship we’ve sailed to date. And we felt a better ‘connection with passengers’ on the latter two, along with two sailings on Celebrity’s formerly-thought-of-as-‘mega’-ships, largely thanks to active CC groups.

 

I’ll miss the wraparound promenades, as they seem to be a thing of the past. And yet today’s ships are being built with more and more balcony cabins. Cruise lines are doing what they feel is necessary and best to maximise shareholder value. This is the reality of our system, and of the era in which we live. I’d like to see a mix of medium, large, and mega ships coming out of the yards, to give a choice to more cruisers and would-be cruisers. Given the constraints on the cruise lines and the marketing and demographic trends they seem to have sensed and set, this wish may not come to fruition.

 

We’ll still cruise anyhow, and we’ll still enjoy it.

[Cruising Greek]

What I think is interesting though is the difference between the way RCI and X are going with these big ships. As someone who prefers X over RCI, I am encouraged that while X is going bigger with the Soltice ships the "innovations" X is highlighting on Soltice are things that would appeal to an upscale clientele (more specialty restaurants, lawn club, glass blowing, etc.). RCI with Genesis seems to be emphasing more of a family experience by making the cruise experience more like a land based vacation. I think there has been some ongoing concern that RCI and X are going to merge the quality of their product, but I see these new ships as evidence of a trend away from that.

 

I agree. Solstice class ships and the new Genesis class ships are very different. RCI is being smart, and catering to different segments of their market. Solstice will be almost half as large as the Genesis class (120,000 tons vs. 220,000 tons). However, RCI is trying to gain better economies of scale by going larger in both of their lines, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

 

The "largest cruise ship in the world" to me is just marketing. Economies of scale is what drives costs for RCI lower, and tries to make them more profitable.

 

I am dying to try both of the new ships. Solstice to me offers more selections for an upper-scale cruise experience, while the Genesis class ship offers more for families and mass-market cruisers. I think I'd enjoy both, but with different expectations.

[Schplinky]

Very thoughtful posts. I should say that my all-time favourite ship so far is the Radiance class. They seem to have just enough "wow" and just enough intmacy.

[Cruisenouvelle]

Wasn't that the name of the Star Trek project where Capt. Kirk's son is killed and Mr. Spock gets jettisoned in a little space bubbly type vessel ? Can't remember the movie name, but the Genesis project was supposed to create new life somehow. Sorry, this is all I had to contribute to this thread !! :D I NEED A CRUISE !!

[flag fan]

If someone needs a nap to get over their grumpies, they should take one.

 

I really don't see the need to belittle those with tastes other than yours. Cruising isn't a renaissance fair. There is no need to replicate traditional cruising for the masses. If we were providing an authentic cruising experience, the majority of passengers would be below decks while the elite ate in better restaurants (specialty restaurants?) and enjoyed the fruits of their being able to travel in an privileged manner.

 

I'm so glad you pointed out that those with a nostalgia for "cruising" from the golden age of ocean liners forget that very few people would have been in first class; the masses (and the money that made the crossings profitable) were in steerage.

 

I like the larger ships. (I was very disappointed on my first cruise because between the time I booked passage on the QM2 to the time I actually got on board it was no longer the largest ship in the world. It looks like by the time I get to try out the Freedom-class ships, they will no longer be the largest, either.) They offer more options for activities, food, entertainment, and even fellow passengers.

 

That said, from reading these posts I can see why some people like the smaller ships. Apparently there is a camaradie and a feeling of a shared adventure among passengers on more traditionally-sized (?) cruise ships, where the focus is on the cruise itself and not the distractions from the inherent uniqueness of sailing through the waters from one new land to another with fellow travelers sharing the same meals and same experiences. Maybe that is why probably my favorite cruise to date was on a 900-passenger ship, rather than the larger QM2 or Summit (although I loved all these cruises).

 

The bottom line is, the more choices the better, so it is encouraging that cruise companies like RCI are focusing on small ship cruising (like the Azamara line) as well as larger and larger ships, like Project Genesis.

 

(P.S. -- If people didn't use these posts to belittle the opinions of others with whom they disagreed, Cruise Critic would shut down from lack of activity. ;) )

[Cruise Arizona]

Wasn't that the name of the Star Trek project where Capt. Kirk's son is killed and Mr. Spock gets jettisoned in a little space bubbly type vessel ? Can't remember the movie name, but the Genesis project was supposed to create new life somehow. Sorry, this is all I had to contribute to this thread !! :D I NEED A CRUISE !!

 

Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan. Kirks son gets killed, Spock sacrifices himself to save everyone. He gets jettisoned at the end of the Movie, right after they blow up the Enterprise with Khan on it. And yes the project was called Genesis.

 

And I have the perfect cruise for you:

 

http://vulkon.com/site/cruises/seatrek/

 

Love long and prosper, My Friend!!!

[Cruising Greek]

Wasn't that the name of the Star Trek project where Capt. Kirk's son is killed and Mr. Spock gets jettisoned in a little space bubbly type vessel ? Can't remember the movie name, but the Genesis project was supposed to create new life somehow. Sorry, this is all I had to contribute to this thread !! :D I NEED A CRUISE !!

 

LOL!!! Very true. Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan was the movie. Nice to see someone from Daytona Beach! I lived there while I attended college. I am an Embry-Riddle graduate.

 

Live long and prosper, lol!

[MoreCruisesNow]

Well, the horse and buggy is a traditional mode of transportation, and, except for the Amish in our neighborhood one doesn't find many folks wanting to get one (although with gas prices as they are, you never can tell).

 

We recently (February) went on our first Voyager class ship and I've got to say that I haven't ever felt so much room on any of our Celebrity cruises. All those people, and yet there wasn't a time on the entire cruise when I couldn't find a hot tub all to myself! So it may not be a case of it being better JUST because it's bigger, but better nonetheless.

 

There ARE lines who stress their service as a selling point - and you pay, pay, pay for it. Is it worth it? Probably so, but (as with traditional cruising) only a few can afford it. Luxury is (by definition) not made for most of us.