Folks do NOT ignore the older ships

[Desert Cruizers]

I believe that would come in handy with several family members to one statreroom.:)

[dacsmom]

One of my favorite cruises was on the Monarch. Bigger is not always better I sometimes like the quiet, personal touch that comes with the older, smaller ships. The crew was the best I have ever had. Each has its benefits and depending on what you want on a vacation, RC has it. I love the idea that you can choose a quiet short vacation or a week aboard a floating city.

Edited December 3, 2013 by dacsmom

[hazeleyez3]

We were on the Legend earlier this year and loved it. Itineray couldn't be beat, the piano player was excellent, and the shows (that we made it to) were great.

 

More memorable and enjoyable than the one on Oasis.

[mjldvlks]

We recently finished a thoroughly enjoyable transatlantic cruise on Legend, the smallest ship in the fleet. . . .

 

Splendour is Legend's twin so they share that smallest designation. Our first cruise was Eastern Med on Splendour and we thought it was great [as far as itineraries go, it is hard to beat sailing out of Venice -- but you'd better hurry]. On that cruise, Brilliance was in Santorini the same day we were and, at the time, I was a little envious of those on the bigger/newer ship. But now having sailed about everything but the Oasis class, I have determined that RCI does a pretty good job of maintaining their ships and creating an open, airy feeling and good crowd flow on all their ships [at least up through Independence -- the largest we have sailed]. I have enjoyed them all.

 

Looking back to my size envy during our first cruise, having now sailed the Radii a couple of times, while I enjoyed Jewel and Radiance, I think Splendour was perfect for the one week port intensive cruise we had and wouldn't change. Independence was great for a 2 week TA and the Radii were great for Canada/NE and the Northwest. Even liked Monarch for a couple of short cruises from LA, I like the smaller/older ships -- but wouldn't turn down bigger/newer either.

 

As a side note, the best personal service we have had on any ship is almost a dead heat between Splendour [the smallest in the fleet] and Independence [the largest we have sailed and at the time the largest in the fleet]. By far the worst was on Jewel. But staffs rotate and the next cruise or even the next table may have a different experience. I have to say with the exception of certain staff members on Jewel, we have had consistently great service from all those we have encountered on RCI. Even though Splendour and Independence take my overall prize, my favorite room steward [Michael who couldn't do enough to be helpful and make sure we were aware of the B2B procedures] and Bartender [don't recall his name, but he had my soda card diet coke sitting on the bar when he saw me coming] were on Monarch. Speaking of Monarch, prime example of how a good staff, nice ship and great friends can make a weak itinerary [LA to Ensenada and back] a great cruise.

[Paulette3028]

Over the past few years as Royal have brought out additional ships people have tended to mostly sail on the newer and larger ones, offer better facilities.

 

However having just completed a Thanksgiving cruise on The Enchantment I have to say that we were really pleasantly surprised with the overall cruise experience. Sure as an older ship there are signs of wear and tear in some areas, but the ship is generally well maintained, However the best part of the ship is the crew.

 

On this cruise I realised the real meaning of the word LeaderSHIP as the crew are guided by some of the best Senior Officers on any ship.

The 3/4 striped officers are all over the ship, ensuring that things happen the way they should. Not only are they are involved in supervising their teams but also visably involved in a variety of activities. They are used as "bring me a" in The Quest, and even add to the fun with other involvement that we have not seen on other ships.

 

The CD on this sailing was the very energetic John Blair and his wife Katrina is the Activities manager, who both hosted an exceptional Thanksgiving Flag Parade with some extra special "add ons" from the normal.

 

But without doubt the energy and attitude come from the very top Captain Shawn McDuff and Hotel Director Mark Rook, along with Nithan (F&B) and Georgy the Bar Manager are a real asset to Royal Caribbean and ensure that the Enchantment Team continue to deliver the WOW. I also want to mention Reyno the Concierge who was the initial reason that we decided to take this sailing, he never fails to deliver

 

Massive thanks to everyone on The Enchantment, we will be back :D

 

DH and I have only been cruising since 2004. Our first cruise was on Navigator. She was a year old at the time, and the largest ship in the fleet. People we were cruising with had gone on her the year before, on the 3rd cruise she had made. They said, you have to have your first cruise on the 'BIG' one.....WOW, is what we felt. Had a ball, did not know what to expect -- so EVERYTHING was wonderful.

 

Then 10 months later we cruised on Majesty -- one of the smallest ships in the fleet -- and fell in love with her....so much so, that we just completed our 10th cruise on the LADY. I do believe the crew, has to work harder on the smaller ships to provide the entertainment level for the cruisers. Not from the standpoint of the evening shows, but from the POV, that they do not have the 'glitzy' activities to capture the interest of cruisers.

 

We just came off of Majesty this Thanksgiving Weekend. We try to get the same cabin everytime we visit her....we think of her as our 'home away from home'.

 

We had a great time, thanks to the entire staff.....and Mitch and Moe (CD and Activity Director), made the weekend -- as much fun as it could possibly be. We could not stop at Coco Cay, due to choppy seas and the inability of the tenders to ferry people back and forth....and the staff, had to insert onboard activities....and the smaller ships that are not accustomed to 'at sea' days -- then show how flexible they can be....and the staff was wonderful.

 

Cake decorating contest to extra trivia games to additional family Karoake -- it all came off flawless.....as I would expect.

 

We have loved cruising on the bigger ships, but we always return to Her Majesty. We will experience Allure in June 2014; but I am sure we will return to our cabin on Majesty in November 2014....to revisit her.

 

You could enjoy all the activities you want, or you can enjoy doing very little on ANY cruise....but the magic of the intimacy of the smaller ships, like Majesty, is wonderful.

 

Majesty was the largest ship in the fleet when she first joined the fleet 21 years ago; she has a few more sailings on her dance card before they sell her to another company -- but while she is still cruising for Royal, we will find a little time to sail with her.

 

And so should others.......give the 'Old Lady' some time.

[BronteBlue]

Another point, the main cruise line in Australia is P & O, which uses old hand me downs from Carnival. Next to those, the Voyager class seems like the Allure. Right Oz folk?

 

Recently on Radiance (in the auditorium for the ship's talk) someone asked the Captain "What happens to ships when they get too old and are no longer in service - do they go to scrap?" and he answered "Oh no, we sell them to Carnival" :p

[Desert Cruizers]

Give them to us and we will set them up in our pool, then between cruises we can board and think we are at sea.:D