Bigger vs. Smaller

[danielbriere]

Yes, I'm talking about ships.

My family and I have sailed on the Liberty and the Mariner, two of the bigger beasts on the sea. Newer, too. But we're wondering about going down a notch next time out.

Thing is, we're torn about what we'd be gaining and what we'd be losing.

I'm hoping some of you veterans who've done a variety of ships could offer some insight. Opinions as well as as fact-based breakdowns of the significant differences and how they affected you.

Any insight would be valued and appreciated.

The concern is that after experiencing the biggest, anything else would be somehow disappointing.

Thoughts?

[bradleyd]

Yes, I'm talking about ships.

My family and I have sailed on the Liberty and the Mariner, two of the bigger beasts on the sea. Newer, too. But we're wondering about going down a notch next time out.

Thing is, we're torn about what we'd be gaining and what we'd be losing.

I'm hoping some of you veterans who've done a variety of ships could offer some insight. Opinions as well as as fact-based breakdowns of the significant differences and how they affected you.

Any insight would be valued and appreciated.

The concern is that after experiencing the biggest, anything else would be somehow disappointing.

Thoughts?

I have sailed all classes of the Royal Caribbean fleet. My favorite? Majesty of the Seas. Smaller, better service, less noise.

[denamo]

Yes, I'm talking about ships.

My family and I have sailed on the Liberty and the Mariner, two of the bigger beasts on the sea. Newer, too. But we're wondering about going down a notch next time out.

Thing is, we're torn about what we'd be gaining and what we'd be losing.

I'm hoping some of you veterans who've done a variety of ships could offer some insight. Opinions as well as as fact-based breakdowns of the significant differences and how they affected you.

Any insight would be valued and appreciated.

The concern is that after experiencing the biggest, anything else would be somehow disappointing.

Thoughts?

 

Each size has it's plus and minuses. Not sure if you are wanting action 24/7 or if you are fine with just being on ship. We'll be doing the Rhapsody again this summer (first ship we cruised)....no Johnny Rockets, no Promenade, no Chops or Portifino's. But then no extra costs either! :) The smaller ships can be quieter. I think it's all about your personal vacation philosophy. If you are fine without all the bells and whistles, then you will be fine with the smaller ships. If not, then the extra cost may be worth it. As I see posted all over these boards: A day cruising beats a day at work. ;)

[CJ264]

I have sailed all classes of the Royal Caribbean fleet. My favorite? Majesty of the Seas. Smaller, better service, less noise.

 

You rock. People always want to go on these bigger newer ship but the smaller older ships have alot to offer also. The older ship have been refurbished to be just like new. What you lose in facilities you gain in service. You'll get better service on the older ships most of the time. The older ship carry less people so you will get more personal service then the larger ships. The cabin might be a little smaller but think of them as your cozy little floating cottag:D. You will not spend that much time in your cabin anyway. There is to much to do arouund the ship. The Majesty is a great ship like bradleyed said. Go ahead and go on that smaller ship. All Royal Caribbean ships are great. Big or Small.

 

Hope this helps.

[cb at sea]

Even the "smaller" ships are pretty damn big....(until you get out in the middle of the ocean, and then all the ships are "dwarfed"!)

[TexCruise371]

Each size has it's plus and minuses. Not sure if you are wanting action 24/7 or if you are fine with just being on ship. We'll be doing the Rhapsody again this summer (first ship we cruised)....no Johnny Rockets, no Promenade, no Chops or Portifino's. But then no extra costs either! :) The smaller ships can be quieter. I think it's all about your personal vacation philosophy. If you are fine without all the bells and whistles, then you will be fine with the smaller ships. If not, then the extra cost may be worth it. As I see posted all over these boards: A day cruising beats a day at work. ;)

 

I'll have to agree with you. We have been on Majesty up to Indy and Liberty. Each one has it's own personality.;)

 

We're doing our 3rd B2B on Majesty in July and then Freedom in October and Oasis in January. ;) We love them all!

[CJ264]

Even the "smaller" ships are pretty damn big....(until you get out in the middle of the ocean, and then all the ships are "dwarfed"!)

 

That is so true.

[mjldvlks]

I think the itinereary is a key factor. We have sailed Splendour [pretty much the smallest at the moment] and Independence [currently one of the three biggest]. Each was ideal for the intinerary we were on. Our Splendour cruise was more port intensive --eastern Med. Our Independence cruise was the east bound TA starting with 6 consecutive sea days. For the eastern Med (where we were really interested in seeing the ports) the smaller ship was great. It has all the shows, similar MDR experience and other typical shipboard activities. It does not have the ice rink, the flowrider, or the specialty restaurants. But (1) it was November so flowrider would have been a waste even in the Med and (2) with all the ports, it would have been tough to fit in an ice show anyway. The specialty restaurants might have been nice, but I was perfectly happy with the MDR [great service, great friends, decent food]. The Windjammer was just like every other Windjammer I have been in (if you took me aboard blindfolded and took the blindfold off, I probably could not identify the ship). Anyway, what you give up in bells and whistles on Splendour is more than made up by the fact you are bringing about 1500 fewer folks along with you. On the TA on the other hand, with 6 consecutive sea days, the extras on Inependence were nice. The TA fit well with a ship that is a destination unto itself.

 

Bottom line, I would love to go on either ship again. They were both wonderful for the cruises for which we were aboard.

[SamFritz]

I love the enclosed solariums (solaria?) on the vision and radiance class. There are also more ocean views in the public spaces on the smaller ships. The larger ships have more space for action and varried dining venues. My favorite so far has been the Jewel, but the Voyager was also great. It seems like there's a lot that is similar about the ships: furniture, color schemes, happy people etc. I have yet to find a ship I wouldn't go back to.

[mjldvlks]

Even the "smaller" ships are pretty damn big....(until you get out in the middle of the ocean, and then all the ships are "dwarfed"!)

Great point. Even Splendour at a shade under 70,000 tons is 20-25,000 tons bigger than Titanic.

[SamFritz]

Yes, I'm talking about ships.

My family and I have sailed on the Liberty and the Mariner, two of the bigger beasts on the sea. Newer, too. But we're wondering about going down a notch next time out.

Thing is, we're torn about what we'd be gaining and what we'd be losing.

I'm hoping some of you veterans who've done a variety of ships could offer some insight. Opinions as well as as fact-based breakdowns of the significant differences and how they affected you.

Any insight would be valued and appreciated.

The concern is that after experiencing the biggest, anything else would be somehow disappointing.

Thoughts?

 

So are you "THE" danielbrierre? I only ask because, if so, I taught at your kids' school when you lived in Buffalo. Hope you and they are well. We miss you here.

[tomko2]

We have switched up and down depending on the itinerary. Our first cruise was on the Splendour of the Seas in 1999 and then we sailed on larger and larger ships with the latest being the Independence (loved it:)). When we booked a 12 night Med. cruise in 2007 on the Legend OTS we wondered how it would be to return to a smaller ship.

Because the cruise was so port intensive we did not "miss" anything; the ship was in great condition; crew were fantastic and the entertainment was excellent. The little things we kinda missed were the coffee and mini-sandwiches in the Promenade (no Promenade eateries just Centrum shops) and the ability to grab a coffee late at night as we liked to sit on the balcony when everything is quiet and dark.

Other than that all was great!

Our overall favourite class of ship is the Radiance.

Lots of photos of our RCL cruises in the link below.

Kathy:)

[1st mate]

We find it fun to try different ships. Our last was Freedom, it is a super ship, with alot going on most all of the time. We have discussed the issue of going on the bigger ship again or staying with the smaller. We have Enchantment booked for the fall and we will be better informed to compare our experiences.

 

I beleive each ship has it's own atmosphere, culture, enviorment; whatever term you would like to use. Each one is unique and individaulistic as it is kind of the same. Very hard to describe. But that is part of the character.

 

We like the smaller. but who knows, we may go back and try bigger again.

 

Any day on any of the ships is much better than any day at work!!!!!!!!!!!

[danielbriere]

Thanks for these great opinions. Very helpful.

If I can narrow things down a bit ...

-- Do the smaller ships have entertainment that's as good in the theatres in the big ships? It may sound like a silly question but I'm wondering if RCI spends as much on the guest entertainers if they're playing for 1,500 fewer passengers.

-- Do you feel the motion of the ship a lot more on the smaller ships?

-- Are the smaller crowds noticeable? What I mean is, the bigger ships carry more people but have more space to hold them and space them out. Do the small ships feel less crowded or is it all relative?

[SamFritz]

Thanks for these great opinions. Very helpful.

If I can narrow things down a bit ...

-- Do the smaller ships have entertainment that's as good in the theatres in the big ships? It may sound like a silly question but I'm wondering if RCI spends as much on the guest entertainers if they're playing for 1,500 fewer passengers.

-- Do you feel the motion of the ship a lot more on the smaller ships?

-- Are the smaller crowds noticeable? What I mean is, the bigger ships carry more people but have more space to hold them and space them out. Do the small ships feel less crowded or is it all relative?

 

I've seen some great shows on the smaller ships. The best entertainment I remember was on a 7 night on the Legend.

 

The motion of the ship has a lot more to do with where you are on the ship. Side to side rocking is felt more on the higher decks. Up and down is felt more in the front. Having said that, I almost never noticed that the Voyager was moving at all. So the smaller ship my give a little more motion, but not a lot.

 

All of the ships are very effecively designed for the movement of people. Occasionally, I felt a little crowded in the Royal Promande on the larger ship; I can't think of any place where I felt that way on a smaller one, except perhaps when we were tendering into a port and had to wait.

 

(No ice rinks on the smaller ships.)

[1st mate]

Thanks for these great opinions. Very helpful.

If I can narrow things down a bit ...

-- Do the smaller ships have entertainment that's as good in the theatres in the big ships? It may sound like a silly question but I'm wondering if RCI spends as much on the guest entertainers if they're playing for 1,500 fewer passengers.

-- Do you feel the motion of the ship a lot more on the smaller ships?

-- Are the smaller crowds noticeable? What I mean is, the bigger ships carry more people but have more space to hold them and space them out. Do the small ships feel less crowded or is it all relative?

 

 

I don't know if they have the same entertainment but, the entertainment is always good. I've not seen a bad show, I've just seen some that was a little better that others. ( You could find that everywhere) I think RCL tries to provide quality entertainment on all ships.

 

I beleive the motion depends where you are on the ship not so much the size of the ship, the smaller ships are still good size.. Higher up and farther to the outside the more motion you will feel. I like the motion. Really good for sleeping.

 

The crowds are noticed on the larger ships when disembakering at a port or tendering. At certain times on the Promenade, peak dining in the Windjammer (any meal) and when leaving the theater after a show.

 

Even though there is a difference I don't believe it is a problem or restrictive to the point that it is not enjoyable. The smaller ships have less bells and whistles. The larger ships have more space and offer a few more amenities. It is all relative.

 

It's all good. It is a matter of personal preference.

[bthom70]

We love the Vision class. We're doing a B2B2B in Sept on the Enchantment.

We have no intent on going on the Oasis or Freedom class for a long time.

Though I think we're going to try Radiance class next.

 

For us having a smaller ship with a higher quality of relaxation is best, we have no need for flow riders or ice rink. Who the heck thought that was a good idea.? Waste valuable space on ship with a space that has limited appeal and venue usage?

 

What sold us on the smaller ships was the TransAtlantic on Splendor- Galveston-Barcelona Apr 2007. No Chops, Jonny Rockets or other gimmicky venues.

[mjldvlks]

As to entertainment in the theater, it is very similar. In fact, one of the acts we saw on Splendour in '07 we saw again on InNdependence during the TA just last month [Jonathan Kane, the Elton John impersonator]. Enjoyed him immensely both times.

 

I have been told, and my observations confirm, that they try to avoid comedy or other language intensive entertainment on itineraries that have a higher proportion of non-English speakers for obvious reasons. The quality of the acts has always been very similar.

[jtwisconsin]

Occasionally, I felt a little crowded in the Royal Promande on the larger ship; I can't think of any place where I felt that way on a smaller one...

 

I agree. The Royal Promenade could seem awfully crowded at night on Indy. The least crowded I have ever felt on a cruise ship was Majesty.

[Garyorient]

I have a visit tomorrow on to one of the Azamara ships in London. This will be the smallest ship that I have been on either for day visits or actal cruises. I am interested to see how it will stack up.

[Janice M]

I'll have to agree with you. We have been on Majesty up to Indy and Liberty. Each one has it's own personality.;)

 

We're doing our 3rd B2B on Majesty in July and then Freedom in October and Oasis in January. ;) We love them all!

 

I have to agree with you. Just put us on any ship and we are happy.

Jan