Does anyone want smaller ships to return?

[sea-cruise]

I somewhat agree that the smaller ships can be nice, but I'm surprised at the comments about "artificially-lit shopping mall" or "floating malls." I actually think the "Royal Promenade" is a nice feature of these big ships.

I agree completely! While I miss the smaller ships (that I can afford to cruise on), I also love the Royal Promenade!

I don't find it similar to a mall at all. Because of the pubs, cafe, etc., it reminds me of a European village street.

[cruisinisforme]

I love the small ships and usually go on at least one during the year. But I also love the voyager class ships too, I find that there is so much to do on them.

 

I would hate to see them get rid of the small ships though, I always have so much fun when I am on them. I think you get to know more people because its smaller

[aqhacruiser]

It is sad that we won't be able to cruise into Hamilton harbor AND St Georges on the same trip. The Empress filled that opportunity very well after Celebrity took out both Zenith and Horizon. Years ago, ( 1994) we went on the Song of America also to both ports. All of them were affordable trips where you got to stay approximately 3 days and could really enjoy what Bermuda has to offer.

 

The RCCL Azamara will sail out of Bayonne for that Bermuda itinerary. :)

I prefer the Voyager Class and would not be interested in sailing on anything larger. I really think they should have thought about the size of the piers before building the Freedom or Genesis class ships. IMHO

[aqhacruiser]

 

I agree completely! While I miss the smaller ships (that I can afford to cruise on), I also love the Royal Promenade!

I don't find it similar to a mall at all. Because of the pubs, cafe, etc., it reminds me of a European village street.

 

I agree! I love the Promanade! It is nothing like a mall! More like a large European courtyard:) The only time there are many people in it at once is to watch a parade but other than that it's not really crowded at all:)

[isujim]

In a word............YES...............but I don't think the big ship lovers have much to worry about...........it will never happen.

[Mines]

I think what they are doing is great!! The entry of the mega ships in the market has freed up the smaller ones for more exiting itineraries. We now have Vision class ships with new Caribbean ports (Grandeur and Legend), sailing to South America (Splendour) Australia and Asia (Rhapsody), much more selection in Europe and from next year there will be a RCI ship in Europe all year round (Brilliance). The new Freedom ships also free up Voyager and Navigator to sail to Europe, Explorer to sail out of New Jersey and Mariner to relocate to the west coast.

 

Conclusion: don't knock the mega ships, because they have a knock-on effect on the others. The Vision class are constantly being refurbished and all of them are looking great. Lets get real - they are all less than 15 years old - that is not old for a cruise ship - the QE2 is 40 years old!! Well looked-after, the Vision ships can keep going for many years yet.

 

For the moment, it is unlikely that mega ships will go to Alaska in force because the season is too short and they cannot get back to the Caribbean easily.

[fishing fool]

Please don't get me wrong. I just love smaller ships than the Voyager and Freedom classes and since they aren't going to add the little specials (like Chops or Portofino to the smaller ships, even though Chops has been a huge success), I was hoping for a few smaller ships with some of the great updates that the larger ships have.

[Bell Ringer]

The RCCL Azamara will sail out of Bayonne for that Bermuda itinerary. :)

 

I prefer the Voyager Class and would not be interested in sailing on anything larger. I really think they should have thought about the size of the piers before building the Freedom or Genesis class ships. IMHO

We don't need all the personal steward, special bells and whistles to go to the island. When I priced out the similar cabin that we enjoyed on the Empress, with this ship, it was almost double . That would not be practical for us to stretch that much.:eek:

[gaileeh]

I love the atmosphere and ambiance of the smaller ships. The larger ships may offer more in activity, but I prefer the less crowded alternative. I dont think that RCI will be building smaller ships, the trend seems to be the bigger the better. I don't think that I would even try the Freedom or Genesis classes... Way to big for me. :(

[Ocean Boy]

 

I agree! I love the Promanade! It is nothing like a mall! More like a large European courtyard:) The only time there are many people in it at once is to watch a parade but other than that it's not really crowded at all:)

 

I agree totally. We love the Royal Promenade. There is always something new and different going on there. With most ships once you have seen it things are the same all week. Not so with the Promenade. Whether it be the lighting, decorations, entertainment, sales, etc. There is always something new each time you take a walk through. We definitely missed it when we were aboard Serenade.

[Schplinky]

We like the big ships because the big ships equal a bigger entertainment budget. The shows on Freedom and Liberty are found nowhere else! The sets are simply imcredible. We worried we would be bored on Enchantment but we loved her, too. I think that the small ships are so much less profitable (in terms of operating expenses) that they will unlikely ever be the focus again.

[Aubiecruiser]

I somewhat agree that the smaller ships can be nice, but I'm surprised at the comments about "artificially-lit shopping mall" or "floating malls." I actually think the "Royal Promenade" is a nice feature of these big ships. It's not like that's the only place to go. You'll still find more people around the pools and other open-air decks more than in the promenade. But even the smaller ships have shops that are indoors. For those who do want to visit the shops, the Royal Promenade gives you a much more open feel, IMO, than the shops tucked in a normal deck on the other ships.

 

Edit: (And to Aubiecruiser: You bet your sweet ass, I am. :D)

 

I'm sure that the big boys are here to stay, it's just that the Radiance class are a better fit for what we enjoy about cruising. On the other hand, on our "back-pack" cruise this spring on the Majesty, we really didn't care for the ship at all. Each to his own......

Aubie

[lana2003]

I would much prefer to cruise on a smaller ship. My first cruise was on the Dolphin (I think it was Dolphin Cruise Lines). If it hadn't have sunk a few years back, it would look like a row boat beside the big mega ships (or even the small newer ships). It was only a 5 day cruise and I've been hooked since.

 

My husband and I really prefer the Vision class ships but we want longer cruises -- preferably 12 nights but no many of the smaller ships do long cruises when we want to go -- at least not in the Carribbean which is where we want to go. We're not in the market for European or South Pacific cruises because of the cost of airfare so we are pretty much limited to short cruises on small ships or long cruises on big ships.

 

I don't want a lot of bells and whistles (which is what IMHO all the extras are). If you enjoy them, that's great, but it's not for me. To each his own, I just wish there were more opportunities for me to get exactly the cruise I would like to have.

[Ocean Boy]

My husband and I really prefer the Vision class ships but we want longer cruises -- preferably 12 nights but no many of the smaller ships do long cruises when we want to go -- at least not in the Carribbean which is where we want to go. We're not in the market for European or South Pacific cruises because of the cost of airfare so we are pretty much limited to short cruises on small ships or long cruises on big ships.

 

I don't want a lot of bells and whistles (which is what IMHO all the extras are). If you enjoy them, that's great, but it's not for me. To each his own, I just wish there were more opportunities for me to get exactly the cruise I would like to have.

 

Then you will probably be in luck when RCI retires Empress. She does an awesome Caribbean itinerary. The only thing that has kept me from booking it, besides that I don't have the time to do that long of a cruise, is that they don't have a better ship doing the run. If they put a Radiance or Voyager ship on it I'd have a tough time passing it up.

[Mines]

I would much prefer to cruise on a smaller ship. My first cruise was on the Dolphin (I think it was Dolphin Cruise Lines). If it hadn't have sunk a few years back, it would look like a row boat beside the big mega ships (or even the small newer ships). It was only a 5 day cruise and I've been hooked since.

 

My husband and I really prefer the Vision class ships but we want longer cruises -- preferably 12 nights but no many of the smaller ships do long cruises when we want to go -- at least not in the Carribbean which is where we want to go. We're not in the market for European or South Pacific cruises because of the cost of airfare so we are pretty much limited to short cruises on small ships or long cruises on big ships.

 

I don't want a lot of bells and whistles (which is what IMHO all the extras are). If you enjoy them, that's great, but it's not for me. To each his own, I just wish there were more opportunities for me to get exactly the cruise I would like to have.

 

The whole reason that RCL purchased Pulmantur was to get their hands on the two ex-Reneissaunce vessels that are 30.000 tonnes each. Top of the range in small ships. They are now sailing as Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey. You can see details on the Celebrity website.

 

The Quest has a 14 night Caribbean itinerary that might be interesting for you, calling at some uncommon ports:

 

Miami, Florida, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico, St. John, U.S.Virgin Islands, Falmouth, Antigua, Cabrits, Dominica, Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, Gustavia, St. Barts, Samana, Dominican Republic, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, Miami, Florida

 

You could also try the larger Constellation. A 90.000 ton ship, but really fantastic. They have a 10 night cruise:

 

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Basseterre, St. Kitts, Bridgetown, Barbados, Castries, St. Lucia, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

Next autumn (2008) Grandeur of the Seas (Vision Class) has a 10 night cruise out of Tampa:

 

Tampa, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St. Kitts; St. Johns, Antigua; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Tampa, Florida

[RevSmith]

If I ever go through a day without learning something new...it will be a totally wasted day. Thanks to your information I have had another great day. Thanks.

[Crazy Flying Fish]

Sorry OP - I didn't read the whole thread but I do wish they would build smaller ships again. They can go a lot of places that the bigger ones can't and they are definitely more personable. Thank you :D

[RoyalC]

I would much prefer to cruise on a smaller ship. My first cruise was on the Dolphin (I think it was Dolphin Cruise Lines). If it hadn't have sunk a few years back, it would look like a row boat beside the big mega ships (or even the small newer ships). It was only a 5 day cruise and I've been hooked since.

 

My husband and I really prefer the Vision class ships but we want longer cruises -- preferably 12 nights but no many of the smaller ships do long cruises when we want to go -- at least not in the Carribbean which is where we want to go. We're not in the market for European or South Pacific cruises because of the cost of airfare so we are pretty much limited to short cruises on small ships or long cruises on big ships.

 

I don't want a lot of bells and whistles (which is what IMHO all the extras are). If you enjoy them, that's great, but it's not for me. To each his own, I just wish there were more opportunities for me to get exactly the cruise I would like to have.

 

Now that is classic! I remember seeing the Dolphin many times on my cruises! It certainly stood out and was a small ship for sure. My smallest was the original Pacific Princess at 16k tons. I've done some Regency cruises with ships in the 20k range. I also liked the Carnival Celebration. The small ships have more intimacy and visit places that the large ships do not (as many have already said). I wish they would make some small ships again and visit some unique ports instead of the same old islands with overcrowding. When I started cruising the Norway was the biggest ship by far! Now it would be nothing (and is of course). Of the 16 cruises I have been on, the Norway rocked the least- really nothing at all. It was the quietest ship ever too being a steam ship. I miss the rocking motion on the smaller ships but of course the stabilizers are better now.

I also thought when the OP posted they meant smaller ships than the Radiance and Vision class.

[zebra36]

Smaller is such a relative term, what I would like to see are ships about the size of the not so recently departed Song of America, but that is not going to happen.

[Lightsluvr]

We always wanted to take that 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Empress, but alas it is not to be.

 

As you can tell from our signature, with one exception, our cruising experience has been limited to Vision Class ships. We love the Rhapsody, Enchantment, Vison and look forward to the Grandeur in less than two months.

 

We swore we would never cruise on one othose mega ships. But we learned to "never say never"... We thoroughly enjoyed the Navigator and look forward to the Voyager next year.

 

Ya know what? We hope to be able to cruise on the Genesis class when she is floated out. We expect her to be assigned to the same old tired Caribbean ports, so we will probably just stay on the ship - just to enjoy all that she will offer...

 

JMHO

 

LL