Small Ship - What are the Pros & Cons?

[Aussie Gal]

We too love the small ships and have made so many friends from our Roll Calls on these ships. I cannot think of any Cons only Pros. We fell in love with the small ships when we were first on the Tahitian Princess back in 2004 and since then we have mainly cruised on these lovely ex "R" ships. not only on Princess but also on Oceania and Azamara.

 

We too are doing the "The Royal Farewell" cruise in April and we are sorry that Princess is losing one of these little gems to P&O UK.

 

You will have a wonderful time in the Med as these ships are great for getting off quickly and also being able to get into places where the bigger ships cannot go.

 

Jennie

[RMM34667]

Was all set to book today, but the airfare doubled since yesterday :(. I think maybe I should just book the cruise and watch the airfare?? Or book then go to a travel agent to figure out the air fare and precruise stay!

 

I am sold on this ship and this itinerary! Hopefully I can come back here later tonight to announced it's booked! I imagine the small ships get sold out pretty quick!

[paul929207]

Just be sure you have air before final payment.

[Toto2Kansas]

Was all set to book today, but the airfare doubled since yesterday :(. I think maybe I should just book the cruise and watch the airfare?? Or book then go to a travel agent to figure out the air fare and precruise stay!

 

I am sold on this ship and this itinerary! Hopefully I can come back here later tonight to announced it's booked! I imagine the small ships get sold out pretty quick!

I hate it when that happens. We did the same thing about a year ago. Found great airfare, got a great rate on a cruise, and within three hours went back to book the airfare and it had over doubled. Needless to say, I just cancelled the whole idea and looked for a different sailing.

[UTAH]

We prefer the small ships as well. One of our favorite trips was our honeymoon voyage to Vietnam on the original Pacific Princess - which was small enough to navigate the MeKong delta and dock right in Saigon.

 

The only thing not mentioned thus far in the discussion of ship size is cost. All things being equal (e.g., itineraries/length of cruise) the large ships offer better discount pricing on their base cabins. Thus, if price point is your primary concern, you'll most often see the best deals on the big cruisers.

 

Hunter & Nori

[davidnsteph]

We like the Princess small ships, having sailed on the Royal and Tahitian (Ocean), especially because they are able to go to smaller ports. We saw that 700 passengers did not overwhelm small ports like Gustavia, St. Barths or Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

 

Also, because there aren't a lot of activities onboard, we prefer the small ships for port-intensive cruises. The larger ships are well equipped with amenities for sea days. Although relaxing, we've found several sea days in a row to be slightly confining on a small ship.

 

David

[cowprintrabbit]

Tiny casino (but at least there is one), and even though small, have had a great time there in the past.

 

 

Was there a craps table?

[Love.II.Cruise]

Was there a craps table?

 

This is a very OLD thread. You might try a different search or starting a new thread.

[Sailingpeace]

Earl (hello to you and Caroyln BTW), yep, might have to make a list this February. Sailing from Hawaii to Tahiti and then around Tahiti for the cruise after that. I just couldn't find many con's to put on my list after last fall, so figured I had better return and have another round of small ship cruising just to make sure I didn't forget anything. :)

 

Sorry to bud in on this post but just wanted to say that I'm happy to see your signature again! You gave me great advice and I learned a lot from your posts a few years ago. Hope you are well and happy sailing !

As for the topic of this post, my mom always says that her favorite ship was the original Royal. Seems that it was , for her anyway, the best ship ever. Everything I read about small ships do make them appear like a really niçe experience. I wonder though, how it feels for people doing a world cruise and beeing on them for three months.

[cowprintrabbit]

This is a very OLD thread. You might try a different search or starting a new thread.

 

Thanks - I always forget to look at the date of the last answer :o

 

Found a more recent one!

[Love.II.Cruise]

Thanks - I always forget to look at the date of the last answer :o

 

Found a more recent one!

 

It's happened to me! I also forget sometimes. I'm always amazed when something so old comes up in a search. ;)

[DRS/NC]

I began cruising 40 yrs. ago -- all the ships were "small"! I miss them -- esp. now that I'm older & have issues with walking 3 football fields from cabin to theater or meals!

 

The small ships are just more convenient -- easier to get around, able to dock in small spaces, and all the other pluses mentioned.

 

Except for the HARD beds, the old Royal was great!

[cruisetrail]

Looking at Ocean Princess 10/2011 Med. Cruise. I showed my mom only the Itineraries of three cruises and said which one do you like the best? She picked the Princess one (YEAH that is what I wanted) but was surprised to learn the ship carries only 680 passengers. Never sailed small ship but am really ready to book (air fare was so cheap I had to call back and make sure it was round trip). Just wondering what a small ship feels like.

 

Any comments would be appreciated!

 

Hi RMM34667,

Did you have a look at this ship photos?

Plese take a look. You'll see a lot.

 

Just note that there are well designed ships and poorly designed ships.

You can have intimate atmosphere and no crowds on a large ship if it's well designed.

[donaldsc]

I'm hoping to be able to do a small ship cruise in the future. Just hope they're still around when I'm ready.....;):):)

 

Bob

 

You should try a cruise on a really small ship. I have done cruises on ships that held 22 people in Maine and a sailboat at that, 50 people in Alaska, 200+ in Antarctica. Loved them all. I have also done several cruises on the Ocean Princess and to me the Ocean Princess is the idea sized "large" ship. We did a 2 week Baltic cruise on the Ocean Princess this summer and it was a great cruise in a great ship.

 

However, I do have to agree with what other posters have said about the disadvantages (if you call them that - I call them advantages) of these smaller ships.

 

You would not catch me dead on one of the Behemoth of the Seas class ships. However, different strokes for different folks.

 

DON

[cowprintrabbit]

We did Le Boreal over the holidays and just loved it - that was 200 pax and we felt like we got to know everyone by the end of our two weeks!

[DougH]

My first cruise on the OLD Crown Princess was one of my favorites. That ship was very small. We were on a 10 day cruise through the Panama Canal. I felt like I knew everyone onboard by the end of the cruise. It was fun and intimate. I still felt like there was plenty to do!

 

While the old Crown/Regal were among my favorite ships they were not small ships, they may be small in comparison to some of todays giants. For a number of years these were the largest ships in the Princess fleet

 

When I think of a small ship it would be under 50,00 tons, 600-700 passnegers.

[flamomo]

I just did 12 days on the Pacific Princess on a Med/Adriatic itinerary, and it was wonderful. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

The small ships have many more plusses than minuses, IMO, and have already been posted about here. Just the convenience of the smaller size is a big one ..... anywhere you need to go on the ship is a short walk away, and disembarking in ports is quicker, as is accessing a tender to go ashore. The atmosphere is warmer, everyone seems more open to chatting, the Captain is frequently seen out and about, and crew of all levels are quick to smile and greet one or offer assistance.

 

IMO, small ship cruising spoils you for the anonymity of ships holding 2-3000 passengers.

[Bently57]

We were on the Ocean Princess for a Med cruise in 2011. It was the most bleahhh of all the cruises we have ever taken. I had read that, being a smaller ship, the service would be noticeably better. In fact, it was noticeably lackluster. On every level. The specialty restaurant on that ship (Sabatini's) was a snoozefest. No music playing, half empty...and yet the service was abysmal. The lighting was harsh and it felt like a Furr's cafeteria. The staff seemed offended that we'd chosen to eat there instead of the MDR. Entertainment, as you might guess, was nowhere near as good as the larger ships. In spite of all this, we had a good vacation. We were in the Mediterannean, after all! Ports and tours were phenomenal, but the ship was just a means to get there. We are veteran Princess cruisers, and have always had wonderful experiences on Coral, Crown, Caribbean, Grand, Golden...etc. But the small ships? Never again. We were prepared for less onboard entertainment, but not the lack of service.

[Aussie Gal]

We had a 16 day cruise on the beautiful Ocean Princess in June and we couldn't fault it. The service was excellent especially our two waiters and our cabin steward. The food was the best we have had on Princess for quite awhile and the Captain and his staff were top class.

 

We have been on the small ships many times and have always enjoyed them but this cruise to the "Land of the Midnight Sun" excelled the standard that we have always expected of Princess.

 

Jennie

[Love.II.Cruise]

We were on the Ocean Princess for a Med cruise in 2011. It was the most bleahhh of all the cruises we have ever taken. I had read that, being a smaller ship, the service would be noticeably better. In fact, it was noticeably lackluster. On every level. The specialty restaurant on that ship (Sabatini's) was a snoozefest. No music playing, half empty...and yet the service was abysmal. The lighting was harsh and it felt like a Furr's cafeteria. The staff seemed offended that we'd chosen to eat there instead of the MDR. Entertainment, as you might guess, was nowhere near as good as the larger ships. In spite of all this, we had a good vacation. We were in the Mediterannean, after all! Ports and tours were phenomenal, but the ship was just a means to get there. We are veteran Princess cruisers, and have always had wonderful experiences on Coral, Crown, Caribbean, Grand, Golden...etc. But the small ships? Never again. We were prepared for less onboard entertainment, but not the lack of service.

 

Oh my, that doesn't sound good. I know we will miss what the bigger ships have, but I expect the service to be better.

[rdsqrl]

Oh my, that doesn't sound good. I know we will miss what the bigger ships have, but I expect the service to be better.

I'll miss the fresh-water pool. I won't miss MUTS!

 

Guess who's cruising with you, Lovey? We'll have to compare dinner notes . . . !