Small,medium or large ship ?

We have been on mega ships with close to 5000 passengers .We have been on ships with less than 2000 passengers . We were told that if we sail on a smaller ship it is guaranteed that we will see people many times on the ship.

What is your preference and why ?

We have been on mega ships with close to 5000 passengers .We have been on ships with less than 2000 passengers . We were told that if we sail on a smaller ship it is guaranteed that we will see people many times on the ship.

 

What is your preference and why ?

Hi

I prefer smaller ships. I don't want to think that I need to call a cab to get from one end of the ship to the other. When I am on deck, I actually like being able to see the other side. :)

prefer ships with less than 1500 pax

get to know some of your fellow ship mates easier ..if you choose to

I have been on medium and large ships by industry standards (never been on a ship below 1000).

We prefer medium and around 2000-2500 PAX. Big enough to have space without lots packed in and enough passengers to get familiar with or not if you choose.

Been on everything from 20 passenger yacht cruise to over 4000. Each type/size of vessel has their pros and cons and we love the variety....which has kept us happy cruisers for over forty years. But all things being equal we would opt for the smaller vessels. Nearly all the ultra luxury lines use smaller ships because its generally impossible to provide the highest standards of service and cuisine on huge ships. We also love the intimacy of smaller ships where many do get to know your name :).

As world cruises (6 continents so far) another advantage of smaller vessels is that they can access many ports not available to larger ships.

Hank

We have sailed with 105 (river cruise) and just under 4000 on an ocean ship and many in-between.

I prefer the smaller ships - roughly 2000 and below, as they often cruise into ports that the larger ships can not go.

We like ships with about 2200 passengers.

Have been on ships with 600 passengers and you do get to know everyone.

Would not consider a ship with 2500+ passengers -- way too large for us.

Not fans of mega huge ships but somewhat large ships are fine for us.

You still meet lots of people because people are crueatures of habit and tend to go to the same bars, etc. so it's easy to make friends with others who enjoy doing the same. :)

It depends on the itinerary. For somewhere like the Norwegian fords you need a small ship so that you can get to the tiny villages; for a cruise with many sea days a large ship will have more entertainment and activity venues.

Prefer ships with less than 500 passengers, they are just nicer and typically can get to places that the giants can't.

We love the Pacific Princes (680) she isn’t for everyone, only one dining room, no water slides, bumper cars, rock walls etc. if you need to be entertained 24/7 she may not be for you.

Strewth when we started sailing on her the buffet wasn’t open for dinner and the specialty restaurants were only open on some nights.

But I’d be on her in a heartbeat.

You also get to meet most of your fellow cruisers

Another vote for small ships. My favorite ship is a 350 passenger converted ferry with marvelous itineraries and excellent enrichment lecturers onboard.

Although I used to love Princess, my recent cruise on Regal Princess convinced me that large ships are not for me. I will seek to avoid anything more than 1,200 passengers or so in future.

We have been on mega ships with close to 5000 passengers .We have been on ships with less than 2000 passengers . We were told that if we sail on a smaller ship it is guaranteed that we will see people many times on the ship.

 

What is your preference and why ?

I prefer smaller ships.

And yes you do get to see the same people. In fact, after our just completed Boston to Montreal cruise on the Maasdam, all of a sudden a couple waved to us in port. They were a couple we had met on the ship.

Small. They'd have to pay us to go on one of the behemoths.

Absolutely love the mega ships. Don't use the pool or Jacuzzis, never been on a slide or rock wall, would not attempt the flowrider. Oasis and Allure have become my all time favorites. Have a transatlantic on Symphony coming up that I can hardly wait for. Have a 18 night transpacific on Ovation coming and am thinking I will miss a transatlantic on Oasis.

I prefer ships with under 500 passengers. Yes, you do get to really know your shipmates. It makes for a more enjoyable time, in my opinion.

Our biggest ship was just over 3,000 pax, but our preference now is < 1,000. Cannot ever imagine going on a mega ship with 6,000 pax.

My largest ship experience was Liberty of the Seas with just under 4100 passengers. Hated being stuck with all of those people. I can say, however, that it was easier to get around on that ship than the Caribbean Princess that had about 3000 passengers. Don't know who designed that ship but it had so many locations that were impossible to navigate. Love being with 800 or so fellow cruisers - plenty of room and many activities - Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony - that's the way to go.

I'm another fan of the Pacific Princess, with only 670 passengers. I have enjoyed all of my 40+ cruises on Princess ships, including those with about 3000 passengers, but the ambiance of a small ship makes it my preferred option. I would never choose a ship with 4000 or more passengers, no matter what forms of entertainment it offered. That's enough people to populate a small city, and that's just not for me.

We have been on mega ships with close to 5000 passengers .We have been on ships with less than 2000 passengers . We were told that if we sail on a smaller ship it is guaranteed that we will see people many times on the ship.

 

What is your preference and why ?

As you can see, those who prefer small ships are the most vocal. ;)

Me? I don't care. I've had great cruises on small ships up to the largest ships. I think they're all great in their own way.

As you can see, those who prefer small ships are the most vocal. ;)

 

Me? I don't care. I've had great cruises on small ships up to the largest ships. I think they're all great in their own way.

That's a great observation and actually caused me to rethink the question. DW and I have been blessed to have cruised on more than 60 different vessels (over lots of years). When friends ask us our favorite ships we both will name the smaller ships. When we are on a large ship its always fun and we have never had a bad cruise. But its those smaller vessels with which we develop a bond. Of all the cruise ships we would both list the old (and soon to be retired) Prinsendam. Why? It is hard to explain, but among frequent HAL cruisers it is certainly one of the most popular ships despite its old age, less than stellar condition, and lack of amenities. DW best explains it when she says that when whenever we embarked on that ship (we have exactly 200 days on that vessel) we felt like we had returned home with our family awaiting.

Hank

We have been on mega ships with close to 5000 passengers .We have been on ships with less than 2000 passengers . We were told that if we sail on a smaller ship it is guaranteed that we will see people many times on the ship.

 

What is your preference and why ?

I've only sailed on large and mid-sized ships (Regal Princess I think was the largest for us). I think every cruise has had people we see many times on the ship. I think on a smaller ship we would see more of the same people, but we are creatures of habit and tend to frequent the same places/activities and some of the same passengers will overlap with that.

I currently prefer a mid-sized ship because of the amenities offered, but hope to try some of the smaller, luxury lines in the future. Will probably try one of the mega-ships at some point too, but I mostly cruise to feel and see the ocean and visit interesting ports. Onboard activities are nice but not essential.