Hope Princess doesn't follow NCL Epic...

[ONT-CA]

I'm not sure I follow this...in terms of the Emerald.

 

We cruised on her back in June...and (honestly) we found there to be more than adequate space. In fact...there were many time where the wife and I wondered where everyone was. ...

 

Perhaps the word is out. We would never ever step foot on the Emerald again and maybe we are far from being alone on this point.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Perhaps the word is out. We would never ever step foot on the Emerald again and maybe we are far from being alone on this point.

 

Well since you don't like the Emerald I guess you won't be on the Ruby or Crown either and who knows maybe the two newer ships also.

[gertz]

I had my first (and last) cruise on the modified grand class ships (The Emerald) in February and there were 500 too many other passengers onboard to suit my tastes.

 

I will restrict my future cruising to grand class (2600pax) and smaller.

 

Mike:)

 

Me too! Way too crowded with no places to absorb the 500 plus additional passengers.

 

They need to work on keeping the space ratio high for future ships.

 

We feel the exact same way Mike..................no more modified Grand Class ships for us, ever! :(

 

OH MY GOSH. Wonder how many times I have posted the above? Also wonder how many time I've been in a debate on space ratios? :eek:

[Wormy53]

This is actually my biggest fear about my upcoming trip on the Caribbean Princess. I'm not into overly crowded places (like amusment parks) and I remember being able to wander into a show on my last cruise (on Carnival) and being able to find a seat. Seems like the number of people on the boat aren't accommodated in a lot of venues, based on previous reviews.

 

I agree with you, you can't just smack another level of cabins on a ship without increasing the area of your venues, not just the number of venues.

 

Many ships on other lines have only 1 show in their theater in the evening. Princess has 2. This is one of the things that I really like about them. (Supposedly one for early and late diners) I have found no difficulty going to the later show. We usually eat late, then go to the 10:30 (or so) show. From what I hear, the earlier one tends to be busier. Someone earlier said that on the bigger ships, sometimes there are 3 shows per night.

[Solstice23]

Even Princess is increasing the size of their ships. The next two will hold 3500 passengers. Not quite the Oasis, but way to big for me.

 

We were surprised...

 

Oasis was never crowded the food was amazing, places for piece and quiet were much easier to find then any other ship we have sailed ( and free) and the entertainment was the most amazing.

 

It was not confusing or over loaded like the Epic.

 

I feel if you had no idea how big Oasis was and just boarded it most would find many places just for them. I was not sure and also on the NO large ship band wagon but we were impressed. We booked the Allure in 2011 for this reason but plan to eat in the specialty restaurants all nights to make it a different experience

[Solstice23]

I, for one, will vote with my pocketbook. I will choose smaller ships for cruises and -- if I can't find a cruise on a smaller ship that goes to the destinations I'm looking for, I'll just do a land tour instead. :cool:

 

I agree -- anything larger than the Grand/Golden/Star is not for me; and I prefer smaller ships than those when possible.

 

One reason I am trying out HAL again is that the sizes of some of their "larger" ships are still reasonable. 2,000 pax rather than 3,200 makes a big difference.

 

 

When comparing ship size and space ratio for passengers HAL is good but also Celebrity the Solstice class and the Millennium class ( currently being renovated) have great space ratio. The Caribbean Princess had more passengers then the Solstice yet it was smaller.

 

Oasis actually had many non crowded areas, ( earlier post I commented)

[ONT-CA]

Well since you don't like the Emerald I guess you won't be on the Ruby or Crown either and who knows maybe the two newer ships also.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the Ruby and the Crown.

 

Our solution for the Emerald is simple: Convert all dinning rooms to:

 

1st Seating

 

2nd Seating

 

3rd Seating

 

4th Sething

 

and if the Horizon cannot hold any more, the 5th Seating.

[wizard-of-roz]

Truly, the answer to all of this is TIMING.......Although we may or may not like the amount of passengers onboard, we are very careful as to when we go to the venues we want to attend. Whether it be entertainment, eating or gaming.

We ALWAYS eat in the Horizon Court on the nights that we want to go to the earlier, bigger shows. We plan our dinner very early and sit in the Wheelhouse Bar waiting for the Theatre to open and go in to get our seats immediately.

Sure, there will be a wait both in the Wheelhouse [good time to order that fu-fu drink] and, again before the show begins but it's so much fun to "people watch!" The folks who come in 5 minutes before showtime and are so suprised that there's not ONE seat left in the area in which they wanted to sit. Give me a break! :rolleyes:

To hear their comments and the disgust in their voices, worth every cent of the cruise!

We wait until Port Days to explore the ship.....feels like our very own, private floating hotel. It's also a good time to have lunch at the buffet and to go to the Afternoon Tea, early.

The above goes for ALL cruiselines and ships. They all have the best places and best times to do what you want to do without running into a mass of people.

The International Cafe is always good right before lunch time......then sit, enjoy the food and the entertainment. If you get there between 12:00 and 1:00 "forget about it", you'll never find a seat. :(

TIMING.....is everything on a cruise. More so than on any other venue of vacation travel.

[Northender]

We started with the Grand Class, Golden, Star and Grand. Always plenty of "room." Did the Crown and the Ruby - no difference in the space ratio in my opinion. Sometimes around the photo area there was some milling about but never bothered us.

 

3500 is not too many more if the ship is going to be bigger. But Oasis and Epic really don't turn me on.

 

I agree with other posters about decor. Heck, my bedroom hasn't changed much in 20 years. New bedspread once in a while and change of curtins, etc. I really don't care what color my Princess bedspread or towels are and I don't have to make my bed and my towels are refreshed daily.:D

 

But I never say never:cool:

[janacin]

We were on the Golden recently and discovered that the ,much hearalded drydock in recent months did little to update the "rank and file" staterooms. The only new thing was the flat panel TV sets that were perched on the shelf that used to hold the tube TV set. Princess needs to add some interesting color to the walls and get rid of those sickening green bedspreads and update the bed make-up. The tacky wood arches need to be removed and the brass bed lamps should also be replaced.

 

But don't get me wrong Princess, we still love you.

 

 

One more thing, Princess. Take a peek at some of the entertainment on NCL and RCI and learn from it.

 

We still love ya, though.

[cruisemom42]

When comparing ship size and space ratio for passengers HAL is good but also Celebrity the Solstice class and the Millennium class ( currently being renovated) have great space ratio. The Caribbean Princess had more passengers then the Solstice yet it was smaller.

 

Oasis actually had many non crowded areas, ( earlier post I commented)

 

 

I'm not so much concerned about the space ratio. I like smaller ships for a different reason. I cruise mainly for the itinerary/destination, not for the onboard experience. And smaller ships are able to dock, in many cases, closer to where I want to be. Not to mention that the lines for embarking/disembarking are shorter.

 

Thus, you'll never find me on the Oasis or indeed any ship close to it in terms of overall size. If you look at my signature, you'll see the other cruise I'm taking this fall is on one of the smallest ships sailing -- the Aegean Odyssey, with 350 pax.

[Dunelm]

I am reminded of a book by Neil Postman called, "Amusing Ourselves to Death." Increasingly, children and adults seek more sensational entertainment. I wonder where it will end?

[jotabecu]

I am happy the way Princess is, in particular the small ships.

[Shifra]

So far Princess fits my needs well. While I prefer the smaller ships I am still happy to be on board the Crown, Emerald and Ruby. They are 3 beautiful ships.

 

Yes, it is easy to find crowded areas but, I find it easy to find quiet areas too. As others have stated just tweak your schedule to be different than the masses. I have always been one to avoid crowds and so far I can on Princess, even the larger ships. I am not thrilled with this trend on building bigger ships but I will be optimistic that the new ones will still have the same Princess feel.

[TorontoTL]

We can tolerate it only because we've learn to do things when most of the passengers aren't, i.e. dining either very early or very late (or a little of both), seeing shows on the second night they are performed, avoiding the buffet at breakfast time, and only going to the buffet for lunch on port days, and eating breakfast in the dining room within 30 minutes after it opens. Just those simple things make a huge difference in how crowded the ships feel.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. We do the same thing, eat early for dinner, avoid the buffet like the plague and we find even the Crown, Emerald and Caribbean Princess ships to be fine as well. Sure I found the Diamond, Sapphire and Coral more spacious, but in fact, I found the Coral almost too empty. I don't mind people watching when I'm sitting having my cappuccino.

[caribill]

It would not surprise me to see some ships going this direction. With EPIC, they have the Blue Man Group and Cirque Dreams (not sure if this is right). Here is a line trying to bring professional shows to a ship (for pay).

 

It would be cool to get a Lord of the Dance or RiverDance type spin off.

 

The Cirque show on the Epic is in a room that holds just 237 passengers at maximum occupancy. The show includes dinner that comes with a cover charge: $15 for general seating and $20 for a few premium seats.

[kendon]

I am reminded of a book by Neil Postman called, "Amusing Ourselves to Death." Increasingly, children and adults seek more sensational entertainment. I wonder where it will end?

 

My husband loved that book! It's on my pile to read in the near future.

 

P.S.... Great opportunity to tell you all that I got a Kindle this week!! Sorry for the hijack.

[pris993]

We stopped cruising NCL in the early 2000s when they went to anytime dining. Glad we did, new directions will keep us from going back. Our TA said to us they were trying hard. The new directions are showing they are trying hard for a different type of cruise customer, one that does not know any better. :eek:

[Hunwolf]

We stopped cruising NCL in the early 2000s when they went to anytime dining. Glad we did, new directions will keep us from going back. Our TA said to us they were trying hard. The new directions are showing they are trying hard for a different type of cruise customer, one that does not know any better. :eek:

 

I understand what you're saying...but OTOH it seems that (at least in our experience) the MDR service on Princess is very uneven and VERY slow. On the Emerald last month it took 2 to 2.5 hours for dinner in our section and we went long periods with either nothing on our table or nothing but dirty dishes and the wait staff scrambling around looking flustered. It was the most unorganized mess we've experienced on a cruise ship. This was also the first time that the wait staff couldn't remember our drink preferences from one night to the next. I can understand how some people experiencing this would want to try something else.

 

And...I've never seen a kitchen staff (for breakfast) have so much trouble cooking a hard boiled egg. After the THIRD one came out soft boiled (at best) for our daughter the waiter (bless his heart) was so upset that he almost started crying. I really felt sorry for him.

[mek]

It would not surprise me to see some ships going this direction. With EPIC, they have the Blue Man Group and Cirque Dreams (not sure if this is right). Here is a line trying to bring professional shows to a ship (for pay).

 

It would be cool to get a Lord of the Dance or RiverDance type spin off.

 

Blue Man is free and Cirque is a dinner show - $15 to $20, not out of line with extra charge restaurants. I love Princes, but have Epic booked for September and I can't wait. Princess, (and most cruise lines), are the same thing over and over if you are a repeat passenger. Personally, I get tired of the same cabins, layout, routine, entertainment, food, etc. so I applaud NCL for doing something really unique and different. And regardless of what you may read, not all are upset about the cabin designs - it's a non issue for many of us.

[3LittleBirds]

Princess, (and most cruise lines), are the same thing over and over if you are a repeat passenger. Personally, I get tired of the same cabins, layout, routine, entertainment, food, etc.

 

While I won't be booking mega-ships like Epic, or Oasis - I fully understand your point. There's nothing more exciting then stepping aboard a new ship that you are unfamiliar with, grabbing a cocktail, and just exploring all the venues and spaces.

[Croooser]

We have just come back from the Epic TA and are looking forward to our 5th Princess cruise on Coral in September.

 

Our last cruise on Princess was on Emerald in 2007. We wound up eating in the dining room only 3 nights out of 10 due to absolutely no availability without a 1 hour wait anytime between 6 and 8. We never saw a show and were denied entrance to the theater when we arrived 35 minutes before showtime - it was already full. We could have gotten in to late shows but did not want to stay up that late due to next day shore excursions early. The shows were not repeated a 2nd night - we asked. It was still a very good cruise because we had the best CC group ever with a lot of great excursions on the islands and wonderful tropical weather. Based on that experience, we started trying RCI and Celebrity to see what their current offerings are instead of sticking exclusively with Princess. To be fair, our previous three on Princess were all outstanding ane we would have never "wandered" except for the Emerald experience.

 

The Epic was crowded at times - no two ways about it. But we were able to attend all of the shows and all of the clubs and although a couple of the most popular specialty restaurants were booked up with reservations, the MDR and buffet were always accessable with little or no wait. Food and service in both of those areas was on a par with Princess. BMG, the Blues and Jazz Club, the 2 story video screen, the Second City comedy club, Howl at the Moon were all included in cruise fare with no surcharge. Cirque dinner, Murder Mystey lunch (Second City) and specialty restaurants were a surcharge. The cabin space and layout was the worst that we have experienced. We had a great time.

 

If the big ships don't appeal to someone, they should avoid them. But don't rule them out if you are interested in trying what they have to offer. Our ideal cruise line would be a Princess or Celebrity level of food and service with some better entertainment options and 2500 or so passengers. Celebrity's Solstice class comes closest so far.

[Wormy53]

We have just come back from the Epic TA and are looking forward to our 5th Princess cruise on Coral in September.

 

Our last cruise on Princess was on Emerald in 2007. We wound up eating in the dining room only 3 nights out of 10 due to absolutely no availability without a 1 hour wait anytime between 6 and 8. We never saw a show and were denied entrance to the theater when we arrived 35 minutes before showtime - it was already full. We could have gotten in to late shows but did not want to stay up that late due to next day shore excursions early. The shows were not repeated a 2nd night - we asked. It was still a very good cruise because we had the best CC group ever with a lot of great excursions on the islands and wonderful tropical weather. Based on that experience, we started trying RCI and Celebrity to see what their current offerings are instead of sticking exclusively with Princess. To be fair, our previous three on Princess were all outstanding ane we would have never "wandered" except for the Emerald experience.

 

The Epic was crowded at times - no two ways about it. But we were able to attend all of the shows and all of the clubs and although a couple of the most popular specialty restaurants were booked up with reservations, the MDR and buffet were always accessable with little or no wait. Food and service in both of those areas was on a par with Princess. BMG, the Blues and Jazz Club, the 2 story video screen, the Second City comedy club, Howl at the Moon were all included in cruise fare with no surcharge. Cirque dinner, Murder Mystery lunch (Second City) and specialty restaurants were a surcharge. The cabin space and layout was the worst that we have experienced. We had a great time.

 

If the big ships don't appeal to someone, they should avoid them. But don't rule them out if you are interested in trying what they have to offer. Our ideal cruise line would be a Princess or Celebrity level of food and service with some better entertainment options and 2500 or so passengers. Celebrity's Solstice class comes closest so far.

 

Very interesting post. It sounds like you like a lot of the same things we do. We have been looking at the Epic. Would LOVE BMG, Murder Mystery, & Cirque! Thanks for the input! (That Blues & Jazz Club sounds great!)

[Ldyandrea]

Better shows for the theater, fine. It's the rest of the stuff I could do without...parades, malls, etc..

 

And not just better shows, but better theater SEATS would be nice. I've been in there for muster a couple of times, and they are very uncomfortable if you're over a size 12.

[1 HappyCruiser]

And not just better shows, but better theater SEATS would be nice. I've been in there for muster a couple of times, and they are very uncomfortable if you're over a size 12.

 

The bad news is they're shrunk the size of the seats for max capacity - The good news is they can't make them any smaller. ;)