No interest in mega ships. Am I alone?

[Sitzmark]

Thats actually good to know :) I absolutely loathe Disney but really want to try Oasis. :) The prices are coming down and she will be in my favorite homeport of Port Canaveral soon. Hopefully in 2018.

 

Oasis has a couple good shows and the flowrider is fun. I can do without the flea market they run in the promenade though.

[First and Ten]

Just on service alone, NOTHING compares to Disney. And even more important, crowd control.

 

 

I guess you have never been to Disney over a Holiday or the summer

 

 

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Edited June 10, 2016 by First and Ten

[jimbo5544]

I thought the mega ships where bad because of what I encountered on Carnival.

 

But I eventually found out it's just Carnival that performs poorly with the mega ships, starting with the amount of people they cram on them.

 

Still amazes me that they cram 4000 people on a 135000 ship, and Royal puts 6000 people on a 220000 ship.

 

I have no idea what the tonnage of a ship has to do with the number of people. Your total anti Carnival bias never fails to amaze me.

[Cruise Envy]

Another Spirit class cheerleader here! We've sailed mostly on the Fantasy class, but we *LOVED* our one Pride cruise. It never felt crowded other than debarkation, and it had a lot of the bells and whistles. If I could choose, I would only sail Spirit class at the moment.

 

That said, if the right cruise came up, I would consider a larger ship... but my husband hates crowds so I'm not sure.

[jimbo5544]

I guess you have never been to Disney over a Holiday or the summer

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

We have over 150 days on property on Disney and I totally agree. I have seen it where you can't even move and wait 1 1/2 hours to get on a ride.

[Sitzmark]

I guess you have never been to Disney over a Holiday or the summer

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

I have been to Disney more times than I can remember, typically over spring break or occasionally in the summer. We've never had a bad time there.

[jimbo5544]

As someone who loves going to Disney, being on Oasis is nothing like Disney.

 

My comment was in reference to what we had to do in advance planning wise. Plan your days, make reservations for shows, that Oasis felt very little like a cruise ship, more like a ....well Disney amusement park. The limitations of where it can go (no tender ports), the lack of feel of the movement on the ocean. Lastly, if you look at Quantum class, the amusement park atmosphere.

[jimbo5544]

I have been to Disney more times than I can remember, typically over spring break or occasionally in the summer. We've never had a bad time there.

Who said anything about a bad time...

[Sitzmark]

I have no idea what the tonnage of a ship has to do with the number of people.

 

since the GRT referred to is a measure of internal volume and not a measure of displacement, I assume the comparison is that a ship with greater GRT has more room for more people. Therefore a ship with a lower GRT that is putting more people is effectively more crowded.

[jimbo5544]

since the GRT referred to is a measure of internal volume and not a measure of displacement, I assume the comparison is that a ship with greater GRT has more room for more people. Therefore a ship with a lower GRT that is putting more people is effectively more crowded.

 

I get that, the point of my reply was how does that space affect the number of people on board? Does simply displacing more water volume mean a ship less or more crowded by default? Does space reserved for flow riders, bumper cars, etc, show rooms, rock climbing walls open cavern space as in central park on Oasis make them less crowded? The vast majority of people don't normally occupy those spaces during a cruise. So for most part they don't add to a larger (displacing more water volume) ship being less crowded. I will admit that Oasis does a good job of segmenting people so that they don;t get that crowded feeling, but I am not sure that the theory works in reverse.

[Sitzmark]

Who said anything about a bad time...

 

Since some people like myself find the good time on a cruise ship hard to find, I assumed that is what you meant.

 

When I compare a ship, where to my mind there is very little to do, to a place like Disney where there is so much to do that I have to accept at the outset I won't get it all in, I find there really is no comparison.

[Sitzmark]

Does simply displacing more water volume mean a ship less or more crowded by default? Does space reserved for flow riders, bumper cars, etc, show rooms, rock climbing walls open cavern space as in central park on Oasis make them less crowded? The vast majority of people don't normally occupy those spaces during a cruise. So for most part they don't add to a larger (displacing more water volume) ship being less crowded. I will admit that Oasis does a good job of segmenting people so that they don;t get that crowded feeling, but I am not sure that the theory works in reverse.

 

Again, since GRT is not a measure of displacement, it has nothing to do with how much water volume it displaces. It is a measure of internal volume of the total vessel. Since many of the items like flowriders, rock walls etc are outside I don't believe they would contribute to an increase in GRT. Central park is also outdoors, I don't believe that contributes to GRT. The actual displacement of Oasis fyi, is about 100,000 metric tons.

[Viesczy]

I've read this thread with great interest.

 

To all the big ship detractors that say they just want to "only" relax, you can do that on the large ships and the "traffic" control is pretty good on the large ships and you rarely feel like you're with the huge # of people who are on board with you.

 

That's the advantage of the larger ships, they have all the choices (chillax or ZOMG!) available to you. You can get as much or as little from the shipboard experience as you'd like.

[bakersdozen12]

To answer the OP's original question (sorry, I don't have time to read 5 pages of comments to know where the conversation currently is): I'm not really interested at all in what I consider to be mega-ships. Not sure what your definition is, but for me it would be the Royal Caribbean ships with the Central Park and Boardwalk interiors. I feel like those are no longer ships. Rather, they have become floating resorts.

 

What I fell in love with about cruises is not just the convenience about being able to visit multiple different countries in a week, but also the feeling of being out at sea. I can think of no place that is so relaxing and peaceful as the open ocean. I feel like with RC's mega-ships, the way they are laid out takes away from your ability to really feel close to the ocean. I would much rather walk around a promenade deck and enjoy the view than to walk around the open interior of a ship.

 

With that being said, I am also all about visiting as many new ports as I can, so I would book a mega-ship cruise *if* it had an amazing itinerary that I couldn't find on a smaller ship. But I probably wouldn't enjoy the sea says as much.

 

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Edited June 10, 2016 by bakersdozen12

[ryano]

. Therefore a ship with a lower GRT that is putting more people is effectively more crowded.

 

It seems it would be but I have experienced different. Freedom of the Seas is 154,000 GRT and +/- 4500 passengers at max capacity. Carnival Magic is 128,000 GRT and 4675 guests at max capacity. Ive been on both ship when they are full and I can truthfully say that Magic did not feel as crowded to me as Freedom did and also had more elevators. Thats important to me because of the wheelchair. Although I have heard the Oasis class is much better at crowd control.

Edited June 10, 2016 by ryano

[jimbo5544]

Since some people like myself find the good time on a cruise ship hard to find, I assumed that is what you meant.

 

When I compare a ship, where to my mind there is very little to do, to a place like Disney where there is so much to do that I have to accept at the outset I won't get it all in, I find there really is no comparison.

 

I certainly agree that they are a different experience.

[jimbo5544]

To answer the OP's original question (sorry, I don't have time to read 5 pages of comments to know where the conversation currently is): I'm not really interested at all in what I consider to be mega-ships. Not sure what your definition is, but for me it would be the Royal Caribbean ships with the Central Park and Boardwalk interiors. I feel like those are no longer ships. Rather, they have become floating resorts.

 

 

You said it much better than I did......:)

[buddylover]

We definitely like the newer and larger ships. Didn't think we would like the new Mega ships like Oasis/Allure etc....but did catch a great sale and thought we'd try one with some trepidation. We were concerned about 'crowds' and getting on and off at ports with so many people etc.

 

Bottom line is - you have to try one before you make up your mind. We sailed on the Allure in Feb and it was the best cruise ever. Believe it or not, the ship is so huge that the crowds had many choices of places and decks to go to...it was rarely if ever 'crowded' feeling. There were all kinds of 'free' eating venues on various decks....so the lido was less crowded than any CCL ship we have been on (especially Breeze and Conquest ships). Getting on and off at ports was a snap......we never encountered the backup through the hall to get off like on Conquest ships, or Spirit class ships.....they had two different entrances and exits open, they had escalators taking you down to disembark etc....it was the least crowded we have ever felt on any class of ship on any cruise lines. They have it worked out to a 'science' to move the crowds....and they do an excellent job of it on the Mega ships.

 

There is so much more to do, the entertainment is unlike any CCL ship (full length Broadway plays etc), and you book before you board, so you are all set and guaranteed a seat in the theatre....it was a truly wonderful cruise. Try it once and then decide....you may like it even better!!

Edited June 10, 2016 by buddylover

[Sitzmark]

It seems it would be but I have experienced different. Freedom of the Seas is 154,000 GRT and +/- 4500 passengers at max capacity. Carnival Magic is 128,000 GRT and 4675 guests at max capacity. Ive been on both ship when they are full and I can truthfully say that Magic did not feel as crowded to me as Freedom did and also had more elevators. Thats important to me because of the wheelchair. Although I have heard the Oasis class is much better at crowd control.

 

The only time Oasis really felt crowded was when we were trying to get through the promenade in the afternoon or evening, or using the pool on a sea day.

[Thorncroft]

I have no idea what the tonnage of a ship has to do with the number of people. Your total anti Carnival bias never fails to amaze me.

 

It means that Oasis is 62% larger than Vista with only 50% more passengers. Theoretically, Oasis should be less crowded.

[WetToes]

OP - I'm with you. No interest. ;)

[cruzeluver]

I don't rule anything out per say.

 

While we have not been on the largest Royal ships we have done Freedom of The Seas and Celebrity Silhouette, both quite large. We can manage to find quiet spots to relax and read on any ship. No one if forced to participate in any of the on board options. And there are plenty of outdoor spaces to feel connected to the ocean.

 

We like smaller ships as well, just for different reasons. They have fewer options but you tend to see the same folks more often and they have more of a "community" feel. We would happily go on a Fantasy-class size ship, I just hate the ugly and dated décor of those ships. Fantasy was the most tired, tacky ship I have ever set foot on. We still had a good time, but have no desire to return.

[jimbo5544]

It means that Oasis is 62% larger than Vista with only 50% more passengers. Theoretically, Oasis should be less crowded.

 

I will give you my take on that when I return from the Vista.;)

[Sparky2]

I truly understand the appeal of the larger ships for some.

For myself, a cruise is more about the ambiance of the sailing, not the attractions offered.

These mega ships are fascinating to me, but aren't what I sail for.

Am I alone with this thought?:o

 

I have not been on any mega ships but am not interested in them.

 

I sure wish they'd build more Spirit Class Ships!

[LaFrimaire]

Been in Miracle and Conquest c, and don't think I'd want to go smaller than a spirit class. That said would try the 70k ships if it had an amazing itinerary or if CCL did a radical overhaul of the interior design. They look so dated and would be a great way to get some of the skeptics on board. Can't wait to try the Vista!