Does anyone think there will ever come a day?

[ryano]

Im rather a newbie at cruising but I often see veteran cruisers refer to the Sovereign class as "small and old". When compared to the newer classes of ships, I can understand it too.

 

It is my understanding that in the late 80s (Sovereign) and early 90s (Monarch and Majesty) the Sovereign class was the largest and grandest vessels sailing such as the Oasis and Allure are now.

 

Does anyone think there will come a day when these gargantuan Oasis class ships will be considered "small and old" such as the Monarch and Majesty are refered to now and relegated to 3 and 4 night sailings to the Bahamas only?

 

I cant even imagine cruise ships getting much bigger than these two ships are. :eek:

 

As I look back at the history of cruising though, ships just seem to be getting bigger and bigger.

 

Where does it end? :confused:

[coquette]

I think if they get much bigger they will run into docking problems

[tkjohn25]

I can't see it but who knows. They can only visit a limited number of ports now. Lol

[firefly333]

I believe RCL said its next ship will be smaller than Oasis (or so I read here on CC)

[JohnKen3]

It is a bit like cell phones - they got smaller and smaller until people had trouble coping with the small buttons at which point they became larger again (the size of the iPhone being what people are now comfortable with is about 50% larger than the smallest phone I have had).

 

Ships are the other way around. They become larger and larger until they become pax them too big, impersonal and limited in the places they can stop at. Even frequent cruisers may get bored of the same repeat routes and start to look for alternative vacations options; at which point ships will shrink to a more optimal size.

[Sequim88]

I posted the following the other day in another thread:

Catamaran design - Two hulls (Vaka), each the length and height of two Oasis class (so four Oasis in all) with a bridging deck (Aka) roughly half a mile across and 10 decks tall. On top is STOL airfield, nine hole Par 3 golf course, multiple pools & waterpark, running track, etc... You can do a lot with 130 acres. Power agumented by wind, solar electricity cracking seawater (plus Biomass composting) for hydrogen to be stored and used in fuel cells to drive 12 azipods (three rear and three forward on each hull). Central platform interior is entertainment zone (theaters, restaurants, casinos, skating rinks, etc...). Edges of platform containing suites and possible time share apartments. Passenger capacity 35,000 but so large as to not be any more crowded than typical small city. Crew of 15,000. Obviously this is a tender only operation but tenders can be Radiance class size. Port stops would be week long so two types of "sailing" - port stay like a hotel and "at sea" between ports. Like "The World" by ResidenSea but WAY WAY bigger!

 

$30 Billion ought to do it.

 

Just day dreaming and taking the progression to an absurd level. Or is it? As the OP suggests 30 years ago Oaisis and Alure would have been absurd. Not that I have much experience with different sizes but I really like the Radiance class. Something just a tad larger with a few more choices of entertainment and dining but without more crowds would be nice.

[ryano]

Keep the opinions coming! its just out of curiosity and in no way a bash on the Oasis class!

 

I DREAM of sailing on one of these ships one day once the new wears off and the prices come down!

[AlanAllyn]

I am hoping that Royal will take advantage of its already designed Solstice class (on its Celebrity brand) and build some similar ships next.

[TEXASMUNK]

more bodies, less fuel. Fuel is king now, so the big ships are a must for profitability.

 

I go back to the days of the 14,000 tons cruise ships....But looking back, those ships offered very limited activities...

[Ocean Dancer]

check this out, you can buy into a condo on a ship for millions, but that money will pay for a lot of cruises............

 

http://www.aboardtheworld.com/

[DarthGrady]

Im rather a newbie at cruising but I often see veteran cruisers refer to the Sovereign class as "small and old". When compared to the newer classes of ships, I can understand it too.

 

It is my understanding that in the late 80s (Sovereign) and early 90s (Monarch and Majesty) the Sovereign class was the largest and grandest vessels sailing such as the Oasis and Allure are now.

 

Does anyone think there will come a day when these gargantuan Oasis class ships will be considered "small and old" such as the Monarch and Majesty are refered to now and relegated to 3 and 4 night sailings to the Bahamas only?

 

I cant even imagine cruise ships getting much bigger than these two ships are. :eek:

 

As I look back at the history of cruising though, ships just seem to be getting bigger and bigger.

 

Where does it end? :confused:

 

These folks want to go bigger:

 

http://www.freedomship.com/

[LBumb]

i think we have seen the peak in oasis and allure. no rival companies are even trying to match.

[bus man]

In its day, the Titanic was the largest ship in the world: a breathtaking 882 feet long! EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY TWO FEET!!!! It's huge! It's massive! It's unsinkable!

 

Well, we all know how that last one turned out. Anyway, flash forward to today. The smallest ships in RCI's fleet, the Monarch and Majesty, are a puny, paltry 880 feet long. Yes, that's right; the "small" ships of today are essentially the same size as yesteryear's giant.

 

My point with this is to say that, at least in theory, it's possible that in 20 years from now, the Ginormous of the Seas will make the Oasis class look puny. But I have to say, I don't think that will be the case. As others have said, the size of the Oasis-class ships severely limits the number of ports those veseels can use. I think that the port issue, rather than any limitations of maritime engineering, will be the constraint on ship size in the future.

 

However, if for some reason air travel falls out of favor and people go back to using ships as regular transportation to cross the oceans, then I think we'll really see just how big they can make 'em.

[crusinmama06]

Old - Yes

 

Small -- don't think so. :D

[28 Frediebeach]

In my opinion I don't think much larger as was mentioned Oasis & Allure limited to where they can dock.I was talking to a crew member on Oasis and she mentioned some of crew want to go to smaller ships as are much more personal and get to know passengers better.I did enjoy Oasis has lots to do and someday will sail again but would try maybe Freedom class next.:D

[nbsjcruiser]

I still think the the Radiance class ships are the best ships out there. Beautiful, not too big and a real treat to sail on.

[koterry]

Im rather a newbie at cruising but I often see veteran cruisers refer to the Sovereign class as "small and old". When compared to the newer classes of ships, I can understand it too.

 

It is my understanding that in the late 80s (Sovereign) and early 90s (Monarch and Majesty) the Sovereign class was the largest and grandest vessels sailing such as the Oasis and Allure are now.

 

Does anyone think there will come a day when these gargantuan Oasis class ships will be considered "small and old" such as the Monarch and Majesty are refered to now and relegated to 3 and 4 night sailings to the Bahamas only?

 

I cant even imagine cruise ships getting much bigger than these two ships are. :eek:

 

As I look back at the history of cruising though, ships just seem to be getting bigger and bigger.

 

Where does it end? :confused:

No I don't

[Paul65]

Some day there will likely be a larger ship, but I doubt it will ever get to the point that the current "standard" for new ships dwarfs the Oasis class.

[Cruzin RN]

I still love the Monarch...shes my home away from home!!!!;)

[ehfl]

Yes, this will happen.

 

When the Soverign sailed into Miam for the first time, our family went out on the boat to greet it coming into Government Cut. It was an amazing sight for us, with the fireboats spraying their water (with coloring added).

 

We now go on the Majesty 2-3 times per year. It seems small to us compared with Freedom or Navigator, but we still love her.

 

Yes, Oasis and Allure will seem small at some point. But in reality size doesn't matter. It's how much fun you have. We always have a blast on Majesty, even though she's the smallest/oldest member of the fleet. We love Freedom, Liberty and Navigator, and can't waith to try Oasis or Allure, but we still always have a fantastic time on Majesty.

[jmom5]

Im rather a newbie at cruising but I often see veteran cruisers refer to the Sovereign class as "small and old". When compared to the newer classes of ships, I can understand it too.

 

It is my understanding that in the late 80s (Sovereign) and early 90s (Monarch and Majesty) the Sovereign class was the largest and grandest vessels sailing such as the Oasis and Allure are now.

 

Does anyone think there will come a day when these gargantuan Oasis class ships will be considered "small and old" such as the Monarch and Majesty are refered to now and relegated to 3 and 4 night sailings to the Bahamas only?

 

I cant even imagine cruise ships getting much bigger than these two ships are. :eek:

 

As I look back at the history of cruising though, ships just seem to be getting bigger and bigger.

 

Where does it end? :confused:

i'm not sure they will ever be considered small but give it about a year or two and people will start calling the oasis old.

[sushigirl53]

It's not the size of the pencil:), it's the way you sing your name!:cool:

[Shooraq]

It is a bit like cell phones - they got smaller and smaller until people had trouble coping with the small buttons at which point they became larger again (the size of the iPhone being what people are now comfortable with is about 50% larger than the smallest phone I have had).

 

Ships are the other way around. They become larger and larger until they become pax them too big, impersonal and limited in the places they can stop at. Even frequent cruisers may get bored of the same repeat routes and start to look for alternative vacations options; at which point ships will shrink to a more optimal size.

 

That is such a good example. I barely like using my iPhone as a phone for its size. My husband talked about the Sprint EVO and I was like - forget it. iPhone is the max i'm going to use, otherwise I'll convert my laptop into a phone at that point!

 

It's whatever the trend of the moment is. Big ships are cool, but people realize that mid-size and small ships have their place too in this cruising culture. :)

[DarthGrady]

On paper the Oasis Class dimensions are not tremendously different than the Freedom Class. It seems like almost any port Freedom could visit, Oasis could too.

 

Freedom:

 

1111' Long

154' Wide (at waterline)

236' Tall (above the waterline)

31' Draft

 

Oasis:

 

1181' Long

126' Wide (at waterline)

209' Tall (above waterline)

28' Draft

 

I think they will go bigger one day, maybe not soon. But once there is a demand for more and bigger ships, that is what they will build. Piers can be lengthened and harbors can be dredged. The sky is the limit, literally. The Fincantieri promo video of the Carnival Pinnacle project is interesting. It looks to be as large or larger than Oasis, with an exterior monorail/elevator system and a lazy river. Of course its just a concept, but it shows that they are thinking about it.

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

but I really like the Radiance class. Something just a tad larger with a few more choices of entertainment and dining but without more crowds would be nice.

 

After the Radiance gets out of Dry-Dock this Spring she will have more to offer. :D