If HAL is gonna go Post-Panamax...

[NH Cruisers]

No need for the vista deck of just state rooms (278), the ship could stand to be 12' or so shorter, and get rid of the ones that take up a quarter of the lido deck too. Instead of 90 staterooms there on the lido, have 20 nice suites and have more public space. That would bring down the double occupancy to 2,950. For a ship that size the ratio would be comparable to HAL cruisers. As far as getting excercise, thats another story. Lots of walking. I am still young and in good health so it would be fun for me. The Holland America colors and funnel would look nice. IMHO.

[kakalina]

Another fan of the smaller ships here. We have tried the Vista and didn't like it. We were parked next to the Oasis of the Seas in St Thomas and it was like a floating city. Way, way too big. It would take you a week just to navigate it.

I don't care how big HAL chooses to build as long as they keep the small ships of the fleet afloat somehow..

[NH Cruisers]

We were parked next to the Oasis of the Seas in St Thomas and it was like a floating city. Way, way too big. It would take you a week just to navigate it.

It took me over a week to learn to navigate the Voyager class ships! They are half the GRT of the Genisis class.

 

I like that though, it takes a few cruises to see all the nooks. Always something new.

 

I personally like all the cruise ship sizes, from yatch to behemouth. They all have a certain appeal, some more than others. I am always amazed at the giant ships, the engineering and all. I like to feel the roll of the ocean on smaller vessels.

[Tarheel72]

New cruisers like big flashy ships but once they stand in line for an hour to get on a tender at a port without a dock or wait an hour to get a table they have a different attitude. We keep getting smaller and smaller. We are on a 160 passenger Danube cruise next year and in 2012 are taking a luxury barge cruise in France with only 8 passengers. Our next "big" ship will probably be a Baltic cruise on one of the smaller HAL ships in 2012 or 2013. We could care less about a mob of people fighting for deck chairs and seats in the theater.

[NH Cruisers]

Of all the cruises I have been on, only the first two did I have any lines that were irritating. Since then nothing to speak of, the lines at the airport to get to the cruise is the problem for me. Sometimes coming out of the shows there is a big slow crowd, but it last only a few minutes, so thats not a big deal to me. Also half my cruises were full of school vacationers.

 

I don't know what they (cruise lines) did differently, but it works.

 

I have heard all sorts of stories like folks waiting in Disney type lines on cruises. I never see them lines, though there may be 20 or so people at guest services at the start and end of a cruise. Again I never waited much more than 5 minutes to be seen.

 

Maybe it's just timing. I'll go to a land based resturant and be sat instantly. when I leave there is an hour wait.

[lettienets]

................

 

I personally like all the cruise ship sizes, from yatch to behemouth. They all have a certain appeal, some more than others. I am always amazed at the giant ships, the engineering and all. I like to feel the roll of the ocean on smaller vessels.

My biggest was Carnival Dream and I was amazed that you could feel the rock and roll of the sea on such a big one, hit a stormy area around Bermuda. Did the TA Rome to NY on her last year.

Promenade deck was the favourite place, lots going on at the same time in various venues.

An interesting feature on this big ship was the computer hubs here and there. We were a large group and you can set up a group area and email messages to each other and check online from the various locations of the hub around the ship. Free.

[NH Cruisers]

My biggest was Carnival Dream and I was amazed that you could feel the rock and roll of the sea on such a big one, hit a stormy area around Bermuda. Did the TA Rome to NY on her last year.

Promenade deck was the favourite place, lots going on at the same time in various venues.

An interesting feature on this big ship was the computer hubs here and there. We were a large group and you can set up a group area and email messages to each other and check online from the various locations of the hub around the ship. Free.

 

Those cove balconies on the Dream get locked in rough seas. I would like to see some waves come up onto it.

 

The Dream rolled at night noticably, then again Princess ships I been on did too. I have been told that CCL ships will retract The stabilizers at night. I have no idea of the truth to this as a policy, but I did go to a presentation by a deck officer on Caribbean Princess and he said they retract stabilizers at night to save fuel.

[bepsf]

Those cove balconies on the Dream get locked in rough seas. I would like to see some waves come up onto it.

 

Those hull balconies are the same height above the sea as the Lower Promenade Deck on the Vistas, and they're set well back from the bow...

...so it would have to be some really, REALLY rough seas to get water up there (in which case there are scuppers in the hull which would allow any accumulated water to drain)

 

The Dream rolled at night noticably, then again Princess ships I been on did too. I have been told that CCL ships will retract The stabilizers at night. I have no idea of the truth to this as a policy, but I did go to a presentation by a deck officer on Caribbean Princess and he said they retract stabilizers at night to save fuel.

 

That's correct - Most line's deck officers do this unless the weather is particularly nasty.

[NH Cruisers]

Those hull balconies are the same height above the sea as the Lower Promenade Deck on the Vistas, and they're set well back from the bow...

...so it would have to be some really, REALLY rough seas to get water up there (in which case there are scuppers in the hull which would allow any accumulated water to drain)

 

 

 

That's correct - Most line's deck officers do this unless the weather is particularly nasty.

Those cove balconies are 35 feet off the water. I saw a You Tube video on there TA with waves spashing up, yes it drained out. I would love to seen it in person.

 

If you don't care for the ship rolling, Celebrity does not retract stabilizers at night. The Solstice was smooth, perhaps more than I like. The ship is awsome though.

[Tredebo]

But a game of bocce while cruising? That does sound very civilized especially if a wine bar is close at hand with some complementary antipasti to go with. That would be fun in the afternoon on a sea day.

 

Do we have to wait for a super-HAL ship for this delightful idea? HAL have 5 months to get this idea up and running on Statendam. There, the challenge is thrown out!:D

[bepsf]

If you don't care for the ship rolling, Celebrity does not retract stabilizers at night. The Solstice was smooth, perhaps more than I like.

 

I think I see the reason for that...

[Himself]

This seems to be quite a long discussion on what we want on a Mega ship. HAL is in the medium size ship buisness and we need to be storming Stein Karause NOT to be building MEGA-SHIPS. HAL should NEVER go any bigger than the Signature Class. HAL outh to build more in R Class side with the addition of the Sea View Elevators.

[CaliforniaAC]

If other cruise lines keep ordering bigger and bigger ships, perhaps a day will come when a 3,000 pax ship IS the smallest ship afloat.

 

If that's the case, I will need a deluxe rascal- not just a conventional walker. Hopefully they will design cabins with 1 & 2 rascal garages attached:D.