Opinions....Big Ship vs. Small Ship

[Sascol]

My wife and I are veteran cruisers (10 cruises in the last 10 years). ALL of our cruises have been on very large ships (90,000+ tons). We are considering a voyage on the Tahitian Princess. This ship is roughly 1/3 the size of the others we have sailed previously.

 

Can those of you that have experience sailing on both large and small ships offer your opinions on the smaller vessels? We're having trouble imagining that there would be enough to keep us busy on the smaller ship on a 10 day voyage.

[Happy ks]

I've only sailed on one small ship, several medium ships and a couple of large ships. The advantage you have on a smaller ship is less passengers (a big plus, at least for us!) and you get to know the staff and crew a lot better. The passengers were friendlier, because you ran into each other more frequently. When I've disembarked a large ship, I'll see a whole bunch of people I never noticed all week.

 

I guess it all depends on how, or if, you need to be entertained. For us, a couple of shows, maybe one visit to the casino is normal. We prefer the intimacy of say, a piano bar or a small outdoor bar at night. During the day, we like to be left alone, to relax and read on sea days. A small ship is heaven for us, we don't need the games, seminars and art auctions to be content.

 

We cruised last year with cousins and friends on a large ship and we had no expectations to stay together. It was nice because those of us who were low-key could just relax, but a couple of my cousins went to absolutely everything they could cram into the week.

 

So, I guess it depends on your expectations and what you consider to be "busy". Personally, I prefer the smaller ship.

[LHT28]

It depends on what you like to do...if you need non stop entertaining then stick with a big ship.

If you like more intimate experience, less hassles going ashore, no worrys about finding a deck chair , no Las Vegas shows go with a smaller ship.

 

We actually now prefer the 700 or less ships.

It is all a matter of personal choices

[Jane110]

Sascol,

 

DH and I prefer smaller ships. My first cruise, our honeymoon, was on the Renaissance 114 passenger "baby" ships and I loved it. I thought ALL cruiselines lavished attention on it's passengers like this! LOL!

 

We've been on two Oceania cruises (600+) passengers and love them.

 

We've also been on big ships - Princess, HAL and Celebrity. I always have a good time but miss the small ship experience.

 

That said, I will say that most of our cruises are destination oriented. The small ships can often get into small ports that can't accomodate the big ships, so we've been to some really out-of-the-way places. I love the open-dining that small ships offer, the personal service and enjoy the comraderie that a small ship on an unusual itinerary fosters. We usually get to meet the most interesting people in the small ships.....probably because they attract people, like us, who love to travel.

 

On the other hand, when the cruise is more "ship oriented" meaning it's going to a place where the ports are sun, sand and sea, (I'm not a fan of any of these) then I prefer a big ship where there's more activity onboard during the day. Typically, on a caribbean itinerary, we get off the ship for a few hours see the island, aquarium, town or whatever attraction is on the must see list and then get back aboard. So I enjoy the variety of onboard activities that a big ship offers. I would get bored if there wasn't enough.

 

On a small ship with interesting ports, we're off ship all day and enjoy coming back, changing our clothes and meeting with fellow passengers at the bar and then going to the dining room for a nice, relaxing dinner. We often don't get to the shows - maybe the casino for an hour late at night. Often, small ships dock overnight in an interesting port so that we can have dinner at a local place. This past February we were in a small town in Brazil during Carnival. After touring all day with a private guide we then hired him and the driver again to pick us up at 9:00PM (after showers and a nap) and bring us to a Carnivale celebration in a small town an hour away from the port. We didn't get back to the ship until about 2:00AM. It was a blast and not typical of the experience that you get on a big ship as they generally never dock overnight, other than in St. Petersburg, Russia.

 

You didn't give us info such as how many days at sea the cruise is and how many ports. That will help determine if you'd be bored by the small ship experience. But if you want the big shows, lots of bands, tons of daytime shipboard activities and to meet new people everyday, you may not like the small ship experience.

 

For me, a 10 day cruise with 2 days at sea is good. 3 days would make DH happy but 4 days would make us both stir crazy.

 

Jane

[sobore]

As a newbie, is there a motion difference between big and small ships?

Would a smaller ship be prone to more motion?

[LHT28]

As a newbie, is there a motion difference between big and small ships?

Would a smaller ship be prone to more motion?

 

Depends on the ship and where she is sailing.

[Cotton]

I much prefer the smaller ships. There's a more intimate feeling, and you can certainly find your way around the ship much easier.:) I think the smaller ships offer more in the way of personalized service, at least I have found that to be true.

 

The production shows are just as good as on larger ships; i.e., the Holiday (smallest in Carnival's fleet) has both production shows even on a five-nighter, as well as all the other nightly shows. The 'crowds' are not as large, of course, making the elevator waits shorter, and getting off the ship at a port is less time-consuming.

 

There's always something to do - all day and night long - about the same as on larger ships. I think it's more of a personal preference.

[caviargal]

For me, the destination would determine my decision.

 

My best cruise ever was on Radisson in the Greek Isles. I enjoyed the intimate atmosphere (less than 300 pax), the wonderful service, the ability to easily embark and debark in various ports. For Europe or the Tahitian islands - any destination other than the Caribbean actually - I would opt for small.

 

When I took Radisson to the Caribbean, I was bored silly. There was virtually no nightlife and there were not enough actitivities to keep me interested.

 

I like a mid size ship for the Caribbean, unless it is a non-traditional itinerary, such as what SeaDream offers with overnights in port, etc.

 

I dislike the megaships and stay far, far away when travelling for pleasure.

 

It really depends on your taste and what you are looking for, IMO.

[MikeT718]

I have been on a small ship (the old Pacfic Princess 700 pax) and up to 1800pax the Old NCL Crown..For me as long as the ship is <2000 pax I will sail them..I liked the servive on the old Pacfic Princess the crew got to know you and you got to know the rest of the pax..It was a very fun cruise..As a matter of fact I wish she was still around I'm looking to go back to Bermuda, for the 3rd time and I would have booked the Princess..Even though I have never been on oen of the mega ships I feel that they can not offer the same level of service as the smaller ships :)

[wrp96]

Having always sailed on big ships and having tried a much smaller ship two weeks ago (although still a big ship in most peoples eyes), I personally prefer the bigger ships. I still had a great time, but felt that there wasn't as much to do. However, I think the destination itself (Tahiti) would make it very much worth it to take a cruise on the Tahitian Princess.