Larger or smaller ship - what's your preference?

[watermelonqueen99]

We prefer the Dream class ships to the smaller ones by far. They feel less crowded, and we love the Ocean Plaza area.

[apcci2]

We prefer the smaller ships, but will cruise in any ship.

[ddgg]

Definitely the smaller the better. I love the feel of the ocean which you don't get on mega ships. A little rocking and rolling makes me sleep like a baby. I also think the food and service is better on ships where the crew is dealing with hundreds of people instead of thousands. It's also easier to meet people that you will see every day and form friendships.

[riclop]

The bigger the better.

[easyboy]

I prefer the bigger ship that has more public space.

[lucky13elec]

My favorite ships are the Spirit Class ships. I've been on all of them except the Spirit. The balconies are four foot deep plus they have some six foot deep. I've done the obstructed view cabins twice & liked them. I wish there was more than four of them.

[sparks1093]

I'll say mid-sized for now but we haven't cruised enough to have a real preference.

[ragethjj23]

I prefer the ship that takes me where I want to go. Sure the big ships are. Ice, but I just booked the fascination that goes to 6 ports out of San Juan (another port). Do I wish it were a different ship, maybe, but I will have a blast regardless because I am going where I want to go.

[Warm Breezes]

Our next cruise is on NCL Escape...my preferred size. Our cruise a month after that is on the Carnival Fantasy...DH's preferred size. We both like the mid-sized ships....like NCL Jewel and Carnival Freedom (both of which we sailed 2x).

 

 

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[Jamman54]

I have cruised on every class of Carnival ships except the Vista Class, and I prefer the smaller ships, which in reality are not that small. My favorite is the Spirit Class which has an awesome layout and the highest Passenger Space Ratio in the fleet at 34. I also like the Fantasy Class for the short Bahama & Western Caribbean runs. Tendering at HMC is easier with less passengers, and the beach is less crowded. That being said, I have enjoyed ALL of my Carnival cruises! :cool:

[SkyMaster]

I too, have pretty much cruised 'em all, and I too have to admit that my favorite ships are the "Spirit Class", with a close second to "Conquest Class" ships, and "Fantasy Class" bringing up the rear. I don't give a damn about Flow Riders, Ice Rinks, Zip Lines, or any of the other stuff that I pay for, and never do aboard the BIG ships. Give me a nice cozy cabin, a staff that I'll see more than once on a voyage, a good choice of chow, decent entertainment, and I'm a happy sailor.

 

"SKY"

Ken

[Texasl8dy]

Another vote for the Spirit class ships. I wish we had a ton more of those to choose from. Not looking forward to the Vista moving to Galveston. Such a disappointment!

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Another factor for us is the Cruise Line.

On Carnival we prefer Larger ships. :D

[JohnSpo]

My last 3 cruises have been on the smaller Fantasy class ships. My next one will be on the Fascination with is also a Fantasy class ship. I do enjoy this ship. Less people and still a good sized ship with most of the amenities of the larger ships. My favorite is the Conquest class ship. A little larger than Fantasy class but still not too big.

[13cheermom]

We seem to really enjoy the Dream class size ship for now. Started on the Conquest size (Glory, Conquest, Sunshine) and enjoyed all of those also, however once we moved up to the Magic, Breeze & Dream we really enjoyed the Ocean Plaza/Bar area. We enjoy listening to the bands and entertainment with close proximity to Alchemy Bar for evening cocktails. We realize they are larger ships and more crowded however to us we don't feel the crowded aspect that others mention. Also we normally cruise in November or April, so maybe that has some impact on the crowds we've experienced. Don't think we would enjoy the Spirit class ships just based on the amenities on those type of ships. But that's why there are different types so that everyone can be happy. Enjoy!

[dcwalker]

I like being out on the ocean and for myself I think the smaller ships give a more ocean-y, boat like feel rather than a more hotel type feel.

Exactly, OP; that's exactly how I feel. I prefer the smaller ones, but have to mix it up from time to time because my husband likes the bigger, newer ships with the bells and whistles.

[buddylover]

We prefer Conquest size ships over Breeze and Vista ships. Really missed the wow factor when entering the Vista and their

theater was designed where more folks can't see then can; really horrible.

 

Totally agree with you about the Vista....NO WOW factor at all, very cheap and closed in.....but we LOVED the Breeze. We prefer the bigger ships (except VISTA) as well, just seems like there is more to do.....as long as they don't take AWAY the beauty of them and start building them like the Vista taking away open public space to cram in more passengers on a ship the same size and comprising public space to utitlize lesser numbers of spaces for more purposes.....like the beautiful theatres as you said on the Vista, destroying the intent of the original space!!!

[Moonarino]

1. I prefer medium-big. I like having more physical area to explore, escape/disappear into, whatever.

 

2. Number of food venues is also high on my list of importance, but you don't necessarily get more with bigger.

 

3. I've generally encountered the same issues of crowding, or absence of it, on both big and smaller ships.

 

Having sailed three times on the biggest out there (RCI Oasis class) and twice on much smaller ships, I soon realized that a ship's width is one of the biggest drivers for me. I love a wide ship. Legend (for me) was good to great in numerous aspects, but it was just too narrow. Traffic on the Lido and above decks could be very congested at times, hard to weave through the lounge chairs, people moving opposite my flow, or just standing and taking up space. I guess one point here is the bigger the ship, the more easily we can avoid or side-step the occasional unpleasantry.

 

I enjoyed the size of Triumph, Conquest, etc. I thoroughly enjoy the size of the Dream class. To me they're the perfect package; lots of room to wander and move around in, but not so big that I might get irritated trying to move forward to aft or vice versa.

 

And bigger ships (potentially) have more room for more eateries. :cool:

[BNBR]

I'm quite excited about what Carnival will do with the new LNG mega-ships coming. They really failed with the Vista, and preferring mega ships, I have a feeling the new LNG powered ones might get me back to Carnival more regularly. New ship builder, too - so it's really awesome to see Carnival stepping away from Fincantieri.