I'm curious...

...these mega ships, are they anything but fancy floating malls with shops, restaurants, cafes, and, oh, yes, hotels rooms?

...these mega ships, are they anything but fancy floating malls with shops, restaurants, cafes, and, oh, yes, hotels rooms?

Yes they are all that and they can take you many wonderful places that you only have to pack and unpack once for. And while you are travelling they will spoil you rotten, feed and entertain you. Some love them, some don't.

I agree with MDSue. Also, as you travel you are in a relaxing environment able to stroll about the deck or sit and look at the beautiful ocean. During the night you can see the stars. The next day (or so) you are at a new destination with all the paperwork being taken care of for you so you can disembark and start exploring and/or enjoying your new surroundings.

It is a carefree way to travel and the larger the ship the more opportunities you have to try something new or seek out a lovely spot to relax for a few hours. The artwork and other design elements of these mega ships are truly beautiful.

Kathy:)

But, is the quality of "free" food or "free" coffee as good as the ones in the many specialty dining venues on the ship where you must pay a "small fee" to dine?

But, is the quality of "free" food or "free" coffee as good as the ones in the many specialty dining venues on the ship where you must pay a "small fee" to dine?

I don't go on cruises soley for the food. While that certainly is part of the experience, I can go to restaurants at home, if that is all I'm looking for. Like the others said -- I can see places that I couldn't see otherwise. I don't have to pack/repack, travel, worry about driving, or flying, or trains, or any of that, to see those places. If I want entertainment, it's available without my having to seek it out. If I want food/drink, it's available. If I want a quiet space, that's there, too.

If you really are only interested in the food, I suspect you could find really good quality restaurants in any large city, without going on a cruise.

The rooms certainly are NOT like hotels rooms---despite the ship's large size, the cabin are pretty small, unless you pay for a suite.

The "included" food (none of it is really free--your fare includes most food!) isn't as good as the "fee" restaurants....

But, the larger ships do offer alot to do and see, and all of the public areas are quite comfortable--

But, is the quality of "free" food or "free" coffee as good as the ones in the many specialty dining venues on the ship where you must pay a "small fee" to dine?

Of course not, otherwise no one would pay extra to dine there....:cool:

Seriously, on most lines the food served in the dining room is perfectly fine unless you are looking for a 5-star experience. On all my cruises I have yet to pay to dine in a specialty restaurant. Having said that, some lines do have better food in the main dining room than others, IMHO. However, you'll find people greatly disagree about what lines have the best food.

they still have the appeal of a cruise ship...having the ability to visit different locals for a short time and enjoy the days at sea, but for us have lost a little bit of the fun...until the announcements about Oasis I would have never thought of the need/desire for some of those amenities on board (zipline, carousel).

like others have or will mention though, its all about personal preference...for some these new ships will appeal to their want to have anything and everything to do while aboard...other will still prefer just a more traditional liner

Love the larger ships, just my taste. Some of the cruiselines have cut the number of ports from 4 to 3 for a 7 day cruise. That's not necessarily a bad thing if there is plenty to do onboard. That being said, I would like more ports on smaller ships.

I think it is all about why you cruise. I do not know of a single mall which takes you to discover new places or affords you the opportunity to experience the sound, smells, and beauty of the water and exotic places. The ship, whether mega or not, certainly has many things to offer that the people onboard enjoy in varying degrees. However, I doubt many would chose a ship over a mall, resot, luxury hotel, etc. if it was in the middle of Kansas (not on the ocean, sea, etc.).

Just a thought.

Recently on the Holland America boards, a poster new to HAL said they were considering Eurodam. But....would they be bored on such a small ship with fewer amenities?

Eurodam carries 2,044 passengers. It's HAL's newest, largest ship. Some HAL regulars have complained it's too large, with too many crowds.

I know Regent and Oceania cruisers (ships with under 700 passengers) who say the'd never be able to get used to a "big" HAL ship again (1,200 - 2044).

So, in addition to the issue of personal preference, I'd add there's also the issue of personal perception.

Thanks, all, for the lively and interesting discussion. I'm a seasoned cruiser (cruise fanatic, actually) with 12 cruised under my belt since the mid 1990s -South Pacific, Alaska, Meditterranean, South America, Antartica, Transatlantic, Panama Canal, and several Caribbean (Eastern, Western and Southern),

Our first cruise was on the Festival. Can't remember which line it was. I would guess it was Carnival. Quite a rusty old tub of a ship. Since then we've sailed on the Mercury twice; Galaxy twice; Tahitian Princess; Sun Princess, Star Princess, and Splendor of the Seas twice; and Elation twice. But I'm apprehensive about these mega ships. We've never been on a ship that has a rock climbing wall or skating rink.

I do remember in the early days of our cruising, many of the ship did not have specialty restaurants. Now they seem to be the trend.

No, we don't cruise just for the ("included") food, but to me the dining is one of the important markers for judging the quality of the cruise. I am just cruious about the impact on cruising that these specialty restaurants are having on the entire cruise experience for others.

In the "old" days, you paid one price and haute cuisine (well, close to haute cuisine) at dinner, at least, was included. We just expected that. Today, it seems you pay one price, but you have to pay extra for nice dining, good coffee.

I'm wondering: how far off in the future before we'll be charged a fee for extra towels; more than two pillows; to have the ice bucket filled more than once a day; to have TV feed into the cabin; to have terry cloth robes in the cabin; to have the sheets changed more than once on a seven day cruise.