Small vs Large ship debate - my 2 cents

[alaskagirl2010]

I read with interest the previous posts debating the merits of small ship vs large ship cruising.

Having just completed the 18 day transatlantic crossing on the Pacific Princess, I thought I'd add my 2 cents.

 

The Pacific Princess is lovely with warm friendly staff. It only takes a minute or so to walk quickly from one end to the other. If you are mobility impaired, its small size would be a plus. It has a slow pace and very few activities. There were educational lectures everyday.

 

The entertainment was superb. The Cabaret Lounge is small and intimate and you are up close and personal with the entertainers. The buffet was not a foray into an elbow jabbing feeding frenzy like the Horizon Court. It's dead as a doornail after 11 pm (like most ships)

 

So if those are your main considerations, you'll like it.

 

On the other hand, if you are prone to seasickness, at all, choose your itinerary carefully or avoid sailing a small ship all together. There is a great deal more movement even in relatively calm waters. I was surprised by how many passengers were sick for days on end. It wasn't even that rough compared to other waters (ahem - Tasman Sea - anyone?) The Pacific Lounge at the top was rocking madly due to its location and the ship size.

I love sitting up in Skywalkers watching the ocean.

 

If you prefer more pools, more active daytime activities besides carpet bowling and champagne ring toss, a larger ship is better. (I don't do trivia.) To be fair, there was a latinexercise class taught by one of the dancers.

 

If you like Vines, the International Cafe and anytime dining, then again choose a bigger ship.

I found that I missed the promenade deck for walking a lot. The jogging track on the Pacific is on the top deck and there was simply too much movement and exposure to weather for me to walk comfortably. It also takes 13 labs around for a mile.

 

I found I missed some features more than I expected that I would.

So I'm glad I sailed on the Pacific because now I know what my preferences are. I'd sail her again but only on a very short port intensive itinerary.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[knippsel]

The two "little girls" also have wonderful libraries. Interesting to know about the difference in motion. We were fortunate to have calm seas in the Med aboard the Pacific Princess in 2012. Our favorite cruise so far.

[sunsetbeachgal]

The only time we did one of the small ships, the Ocean, it was a very port intensive Mediterranean cruise. It was absolutely perfect for that type of cruise and it visited some ports that the larger ships could not get to.

Edited December 28, 2013 by sunsetbeachgal

[Pia1913]

Between the Pacific and the Ocean we have sailed on these small ships over 150 days. In fact, did a 31 day transatlantic from Athens to FLL beginning November 15th. We usually book deck 7 forward to mid and have never had any motion problems. Some folks are more prone to movement than others. I have been carrying the same bottle of ginger caps for years; never used. ;)

[bjkTX]

We were fortunate to do a 14 day cruise on the "small" Royal Princess. She was beautiful, and we loved it - but - it was the deadest ship we've ever been on. We had early dining and by the time we finished the sidewalks had pretty much been rolled up. If you were looking for a quiet, restful, read a book kind of cruise - that was the perfect one. But we wouldn't go on another one - at least not for several years :-) Nice to have choices!

[paul929207]

We were fortunate to do a 14 day cruise on the "small" Royal Princess. She was beautiful, and we loved it - but - it was the deadest ship we've ever been on. We had early dining and by the time we finished the sidewalks had pretty much been rolled up. If you were looking for a quiet, restful, read a book kind of cruise - that was the perfect one. But we wouldn't go on another one - at least not for several years :-) Nice to have choices!

Like Pia, we have been on the little girls many times and never had a problem with the motion. The worst we ever had was on the Star P going up the coast of Chile

[rdsqrl]

We did have a bouncy ride but I loved every minute of it. Some people are delicate and prone to seasickness (including our waiter, who definitely was feeling a bit off one night) and I imagine that colours their impressions negatively. I guess the OP didn't enjoy the motion, which was the best part of the cruise for me. I didn't find the walking/jogging track too difficult to use, and I thought that there were plenty of activities (not ones I'd do, but they were there).

 

Oh, dear, where are my pom-poms? I've become a little-girl cheerleader.

 

 

[dorisis]

We like the larger cabins on those small ships.

[LewiLewi]

We just returned from the Pacific Princess TA and had the most enjoyable time. There was some motion, but that is why we cruise. We found plenty to do during the day as well as the evening; lectures, shows, movies, Sammy at the piano, etc.

After 118 cruises, on practically every cruise line, this was one of our favorites. We have already booked another cruise on her sister ship, Ocean Princess.