Will they ever build a smaller ship?

[jules815]

And when I say "smaller," I mean nothing larger than say Voyager. I haven't sailed on one of the larger ships, but it seems a lot of people here seem to prefer the smaller ones, like Radiance class.

 

Do you think they'd ever build a new, smaller class ship? Something without all the gimmicks, but maybe perfect some of the areas. For instance, maybe put an area out near the pool that offered light dining; sandwiches, salads, etc.

 

I was watching the Quantum video online this morning, and it just seems like too much stuff.

 

What would be your dream, smaller size ship? Do you think this is a market that RC isn't interested in any longer? Obviously, they don't seem to have any trouble filling them, but is bigger always better?

[misslyss1220]

I think eventually they'll have to replace some of the older, smaller ships, and so maybe they'd replace them with new smaller ships. But the mega ships are proving really popular. Personally I think the Radiance class size is perfect (and I've sailed on other similarly-sized ships on other lines). I'm not sure I would ever book a mega ship unless the itinerary was worth it to me. I can't deal with that many people, lol! :rolleyes:

[superduper123]

And when I say "smaller," I mean nothing larger than say Voyager. I haven't sailed on one of the larger ships, but it seems a lot of people here seem to prefer the smaller ones, like Radiance class.

 

Do you think they'd ever build a new, smaller class ship? Something without all the gimmicks, but maybe perfect some of the areas. For instance, maybe put an area out near the pool that offered light dining; sandwiches, salads, etc.

 

I was watching the Quantum video online this morning, and it just seems like too much stuff.

 

What would be your dream, smaller size ship? Do you think this is a market that RC isn't interested in any longer? Obviously, they don't seem to have any trouble filling them, but is bigger always better?

I would love this, as I have no desire for an "amusement park" at sea. :D

Edit to add : Great discussion topic. Curious to read everyone's thoughts.

Edited July 3, 2013 by superduper123

[ChrisDejonghe]

Isnt the Quantam Smallee then the Oasis class ships? .. By a considerble amount. Still a massive ship,with too much pakced into it. But less passengers.

 

 

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[ryano]

And when I say "smaller," I mean nothing larger than say Voyager. I haven't sailed on one of the larger ships, but it seems a lot of people here seem to prefer the smaller ones, like Radiance class.

 

 

I highly doubt it. "A lot of people here" is a very very very small part of the cruising community of RCI and the Voyager class and above are way too popular it seems.

 

Sure, there are a lot of "smaller ship" fans but I believe the bigger ships with the Royal Promenade and Flowriders etc win out. I cant tell you how many times Ive read here and other online forums about how people will not sail a RCI ship that doesnt have a Royal Promenade or Flowrider.

 

The more passengers they can pack on the ship, the more money they make. It really makes no sense financially to build smaller ships I wouldnt think.

 

This of course is just MY opinion and its probably worth exactly what you paid for it :D;):p I would be very very surprised to see Royal Caribbean build any more 2500 passenger ships though.

[jules815]

Isnt the Quantam Smallee then the Oasis class ships? .. By a considerble amount. Still a massive ship,with too much pakced into it. But less passengers.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

No idea. I just assumed it had to be larger with all that stuff! :)

[runner15km]

A smaller ship around 45000 tons that would fit through The Cut in St. George's, Bermuda. Transfer in winter months to San Juan and sail to exotic smaller ports and be adults only with top notch service. I would gladly pay a little more for such a ship.:)

[ryano]

Isnt the Quantam Smallee then the Oasis class ships? .. .

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Yes, but still almost a 5,000 passenger maximum capacity. Quantum class will be in between Freedom class and Oasis class as far as overall size goes.

 

They stepped back a little but I doubt they will ever go back to building 2500 passenger ships.

[KeywestK]

My husband and I also prefer the Radiance-class ships to the Voyager-class and larger. The larger ships give the cruise line so many more opportunities to build in added-revenue venues, which is a huge motivator to build them--and there are large numbers of people who love that. I have no desire to sail on ships with all the bells & whistles that the larger ships provide, unless the itinerary dictates it--as it did on a TA Liberty sailing.

 

And I agree that it is doubtful that RCI will ever build a ship smaller than Voyager-class size.

Edited July 3, 2013 by KeywestK

[hubofhockey]

More likely, they will renovate and update the smaller ships. It is more economical to do that for ships which are not as profitable as the larger ships. After the Quantum Class, they are building a third sister for the Oasis/Allure. That should give you an idea as to what they're thinking. Have any of the mass market lines built smaller ships recently? Maybe HAL????

[dfishner]

I highly doubt it. "A lot of people here" is a very very very small part of the cruising community of RCI and the Voyager class and above are way too popular it seems.

 

Sure, there are a lot of "smaller ship" fans but I believe the bigger ships with the Royal Promenade and Flowriders etc win out. I cant tell you how many times Ive read here and other online forums about how people will not sail a RCI ship that doesnt have a Royal Promenade or Flowrider.

 

The more passengers they can pack on the ship, the more money they make. It really makes no sense financially to build smaller ships I wouldnt think.

 

This of course is just MY opinion and its probably worth exactly what you paid for it :D;):p I would be very very surprised to see Royal Caribbean build any more 2500 passenger ships though.

 

And you are correct it makes no sense financially to build a ship that only holds 2500 people when for the same amount of fuel they can take 5000.

[Cruising89143]

For the RCI brand, no. Ports are working to handle the larger ships. RCI is a mainstream cruise line. It's cheaper for them to operate the larger ships. Adam Goldstein has stated that they have no plans to build ships the size of Radiance.

 

If you look at the trend of the current new builds all mainstream and premium lines are going larger. Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL and RCI are building bigger. Some larger than their competition. For the ones wanting something more intimate then you will need to seek out lines such as Azamara, Oceania, Viking Ocean, etc. Of course you will pay more for the pleasure of cruising on a smaller ship.

[superduper123]

I highly doubt it. "A lot of people here" is a very very very small part of the cruising community of RCI and the Voyager class and above are way too popular it seems.

 

Sure, there are a lot of "smaller ship" fans but I believe the bigger ships with the Royal Promenade and Flowriders etc win out. I cant tell you how many times Ive read here and other online forums about how people will not sail a RCI ship that doesnt have a Royal Promenade or Flowrider.

 

The more passengers they can pack on the ship, the more money they make. It really makes no sense financially to build smaller ships I wouldnt think.

 

This of course is just MY opinion and its probably worth exactly what you paid for it :D;):p I would be very very surprised to see Royal Caribbean build any more 2500 passenger ships though.

Interesting, I am one of the rare people who do NOT want to sail on a ship with a Royal Promenade. :)

[Ocean Boy]

I tend to agree with everything that Ryano said. And I think the smaller ships are a thing of the past except in niche cruise lines like Paul Gagnon. The fact is that on the larger ships it is possible to find, for the most part, the same atmosphere that people who like the smaller ships seem to enjoy. There are plenty of quiet places on the Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class ships that people look for on Radiance and Sovereign ships. No one is forced onto the sports decks of the larger ships with flowriders, rockwalls, zip lines, etc.

 

On the larger ships people have more choice as to what they want their cruise experience to to be like whereas on the smaller ships people are more locked in to what the cruise experience is going to be like. That is not a bad thing for people who know what they want. But for a cruise line expending close to a billion dollars on a ship it is to their advantage to have that ship be able to accomodate as wide a variety of cruising tastes as possible.

[Cruising89143]

More likely, they will renovate and update the smaller ships. It is more economical to do that for ships which are not as profitable as the larger ships. After the Quantum Class, they are building a third sister for the Oasis/Allure. That should give you an idea as to what they're thinking. Have any of the mass market lines built smaller ships recently? Maybe HAL????

 

HAL's new ship to enter service in a few years will be just under 100,000 tons. They are going slightly larger.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5327

Edited July 3, 2013 by cruisingator2

[ryano]

Interesting, I am one of the rare people who do NOT want to sail on a ship with a Royal Promenade. :)

 

I dont think its all that rare really. There are quiet a few people that call it a "shopping mall at sea" I just think from a financial standpoint, it makes no sense to build 2500 passenger ships anymore is all :)

 

Its still very much up in the air if Quantum will have a RP or not I think?

Edited July 3, 2013 by ryano

[FLACRUISER99]

I highly doubt it. "A lot of people here" is a very very very small part of the cruising community of RCI and the Voyager class and above are way too popular it seems.

 

Sure, there are a lot of "smaller ship" fans but I believe the bigger ships with the Royal Promenade and Flowriders etc win out. I cant tell you how many times Ive read here and other online forums about how people will not sail a RCI ship that doesnt have a Royal Promenade or Flowrider.

 

The more passengers they can pack on the ship, the more money they make. It really makes no sense financially to build smaller ships I wouldnt think.

 

This of course is just MY opinion and its probably worth exactly what you paid for it :D;):p I would be very very surprised to see Royal Caribbean build any more 2500 passenger ships though.

I agree with you 100%. I was going to post the same thing and you beat me to it!:eek:

[KeywestK]

Interesting, I am one of the rare people who do NOT want to sail on a ship with a Royal Promenade. :)

 

Not at all. I don't like the Royal Promenade either. It's like a shopping mall at sea, and I don't like going to shopping malls when I'm at home!

[setsail]

Its all about ROI. The larger ship has a much better ROI. The stockholders are happy:)

[ryano]

There are quiet a few people that call it a "shopping mall at sea"

 

It's like a shopping mall at sea,

 

Bwahahahahaha :p See?

[superduper123]

Bwahahahahaha :p See?

You are right!:D

[ryano]

You are right!:D

 

Its all about different strokes for different folks!

 

I did NOT think I would be a "shopping mall at sea" fan but I am. :)

 

Dont get me wrong. Radiance was beautiful. Very elegant, maybe even moreso than Freedom in some areas but there was not near the "WOW" at least to me on Radiance as there was on Freedom.

 

I literally rolled around with my jaw dropped for a couple hours once boarding her. It will be tough for me to consider a smaller ship now but Im not saying that I wont. A cruise is a cruise!

Edited July 3, 2013 by ryano

[superduper123]

So this topic causes me to wonder, how long is a ship in service until it is retired? And is it possible that eventually the smaller classes will become "extinct?"

[Cruising89143]

So this topic causes me to wonder, how long is a ship in service until it is retired? And is it possible that eventually the smaller classes will become "extinct?"

 

Hard to say. Majesty is 21 years old. Her sisters are still in service but for Pullmantur. Even the original three RCI ships are still in service of some type and they entered service in the early 70's. Of course with the competition today to have the newest ships, you won't see them stick around with RCI that long. RCI just spent millions to revitalize the Vision class. They will be around a while longer. I would guess about five more years in the RCI fleet.

 

I think cruise ports will either have to update their facilities to handle the larger ships or they will miss out. Most know this.

Edited July 3, 2013 by cruisingator2

[jules815]

Its all about different strokes for different folks!

 

I did NOT think I would be a "shopping mall at sea" fan but I am. :)

 

Dont get me wrong. Radiance was beautiful. Very elegant, maybe even moreso than Freedom in some areas but there was not near the "WOW" at least to me on Radiance as there was on Freedom.

 

I literally rolled around with my jaw dropped for a couple hours once boarding her. It will be tough for me to consider a smaller ship now but Im not saying that I wont. A cruise is a cruise!

 

I can understand why people call it a "shopping mall," but it is a good, useable space, especially in inclement weather. We've spent several nights sitting on the Promenade outside of the pub or wine bar, because the weather was too windy and rainy. I could do without all the merchandise tables that appear around the second day. But I understand, they're out to make a buck, and don't see that ever changing.