opinions on ship size please

[bluejay555]

OK, chime in with your opinions please :). We always sail out of New Orleans because it's the only port we can drive to reasonably (plane tickets for 4 cost more than the cruise tickets these days!). So our ship choices this summer will be Elation or Dream. Now, I'd rather take a 7 day cruise than a 5, but last year we were on the elation (5 day cruise) and it was fabulous. Crowds were never terrible, we always found lounge chairs at the pool, people were super friendly, not too rowdy..... I've been on the conquest 2 times and it was always so crowded...a madhouse basically! The Dream is even bigger than the Conquest! A friend was on the Magic and said the crowds were insane and they couldn't do anything on board without a wait. So are the Dream class ships really that unbearably crowded?? I have 2 kids who will want to be at the pool and waterslide all day.

 

My other option is a back to back on the Elation's 4 day cruise, but that would probably cost way more than the 7 day on the Dream when you add taxes and travel insurance twice. (I've always wanted to do a back to back!) Blah... which would you do?

[Branman]

It depends on what you are going to want to do, but there are areas all around the ship that see lighter crowds. The Lanai is never crowded, and its 4 hot tubs are rarely full.

 

BTW, the waterpark on Dream is pretty good. While it doesn't have the splash park area, it does have an additional 2 racing slides that the other Dream class ships don't have.

[Tapi]

We sailed on the Dream and had an absolutely wonderful time. Much better than on any Fantasy class ship (like the Elation) we've ever sailed on.

 

About the crowds, yes the Dream can feel pretty crowded at times, but after day 1, we learned that the key to enjoying this ship would be to avoid peak times for EVERYTHING, including medal times, getting on and off the ship, as well as getting a chair on the lido deck.

 

 

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[TheTravelista]

I sailed Dream in its inaugural year and I loved it. I don't remember any excessive waits. Same when I sailed the Magic. Never felt crowded on the Breeze either. There were many times when I was in public areas and wouldn't see a soul. If there was a wait for food, it was never more than 5 or 10 minutes.

 

I haven't sailed a Fantasy class ship since the Conquest debuted and never will again. That's just the type of cruiser I am though. I want the biggest, brightest, and newest ship at all times.

[Rena921]

We have sailed on both. I prefer the Dream over the Elation. Never really had any issues with crowds or had the feeling of being over crowded on the Dream. The Elation, while a nice ship, just felt old and small. We prefer Conquest Class and larger. In fact we are scheduling another cruise on the Dream next year.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Rena921

[golfadj]

On Carnival prefer the bigger ships over the older classes

[fungramma]

I was on the Magic June 2013 with two kids, we did not have a problem with wait times except for the water slide. I am four points from a Gold level and have been on three different cruise lines. I personally feel Carnival is the most accommodating.

[v3cruiser]

OK, chime in with your opinions please :). We always sail out of New Orleans because it's the only port we can drive to reasonably (plane tickets for 4 cost more than the cruise tickets these days!). So our ship choices this summer will be Elation or Dream. Now, I'd rather take a 7 day cruise than a 5, but last year we were on the elation (5 day cruise) and it was fabulous. Crowds were never terrible, we always found lounge chairs at the pool, people were super friendly, not too rowdy..... I've been on the conquest 2 times and it was always so crowded...a madhouse basically! The Dream is even bigger than the Conquest! A friend was on the Magic and said the crowds were insane and they couldn't do anything on board without a wait. So are the Dream class ships really that unbearably crowded?? I have 2 kids who will want to be at the pool and waterslide all day.

 

My other option is a back to back on the Elation's 4 day cruise, but that would probably cost way more than the 7 day on the Dream when you add taxes and travel insurance twice. (I've always wanted to do a back to back!) Blah... which would you do?

 

I would consider a cruise on a conquest class ship. Just got off the glory and loved the layout of everything and it didnt seem like a huge ship. Looks like they fixed other layout issues from prior class ships. I have been not been on the Dream but i have been on the 155k gt EPIC and it did require a lot more walking and more floors to get to where u are going. Im usually a deck 7 guy but on the larger ships your more than two floors from either panoramic or lido deck. I have never waited in a line with more than 10 people in front of me and if it is longer i go somewhere else to eat if time is a factor. Good luck! I myself cant wait to cruise on the Elation!

[Rogueperson]

Here's something to consider. One of the great things that got me hooked on cruising was the people. When you're on a bigger ship, you really don't get to know anyone. In fact, on the larger ships, you rarely get to run into people you know very often. On smaller ships, you have a better chemistry with other passengers.

 

Larger ships tend to have better amenities, but obviously, the trade off is the crowds.

 

I'm on a Royal Caribbean kick now. I went on the giant independence of the sea last month and from that, going to the grandeur of the seas, one of the smaller vessels. It should be interesting.

 

 

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[falkcor]

Here's something to consider. One of the great things that got me hooked on cruising was the people. When you're on a bigger ship, you really don't get to know anyone. In fact, on the larger ships, you rarely get to run into people you know very often. On smaller ships, you have a better chemistry with other passengers.

 

i don't believe that to be entirely true, and is entirely dependent upon the passengers in question.

 

i'm just off the splendor (the 2nd largest class of ship) and probably made more 'cruise friends' and acquaintances on this large ship than my other cruises and would constantly run into people i met the day(s) or night(s) before. sometimes even people i didn't necessarily remember :o

 

but, i'm pretty outgoing, and would be out and about all night every night and to a lesser extent during the day, so i made a lot of 'cruise friends' :D

 

as that pertains the op's question - i in fact prefer the large ships because i'm more likely to meet MORE people like ME - in terms of people that enjoy the piano bar, dance club, comedy, pizza at 3am and shutting down the lido deck, etc. that, and further i appreciate the greater number of common areas, amenities and everything else the 'big ships' have to offer.

[Caronrick]

My wife always tells me that size does not matter... :confused:

[Nightlockkk]

Both ships are great! Elation was my first ship back in 2005 and I sailed the Dream at the end of April this year, that's a tough choice. If you're looking for more intimate, I'd take the smaller ship. The Dream is pretty massive and I agree with what everyone has said about knowing the staff and what not, also I did not find all the staff on the Dream to be that great.. but I never had anything bad to say about the Elation. Yes it's older and needs some updating, but it's still a great ship. :)

 

If the kids just want the slides, Dream definitely wins that though. Their water works is so fun.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Conquest was a dream compared to our 'nightmare'. If you don't like crowds, Dream is not for you. First time I can remember waiting for coffee cups and coffee in the buffet, hotdogs and loonng lines for pizza and even lines at the self service ice cream. This was not peak season, it was February. I'm not over exaggerating (wish I was) but our service couldn't come close to keeping up with the ship. Big disappointment for us this yr. Altho it was a PC cruise so maybe NOLA will be different?

 

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[CruiseGirlKS]

On Carnival prefer the bigger ships over the older classes

 

Me too.

[glrounds]

On Carnival prefer the bigger ships over the older classes

 

Me too, but right now Carnival has great bargains on their smaller and older ships. NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT in some cases. I love that. Great 4-day get aways. :D

[RWolver672]

Conquest was a dream compared to our 'nightmare'. If you don't like crowds, Dream is not for you. First time I can remember waiting for coffee cups and coffee in the buffet, hotdogs and loonng lines for pizza and even lines at the self service ice cream. This was not peak season, it was February. I'm not over exaggerating (wish I was) but our service couldn't come close to keeping up with the ship. Big disappointment for us this yr. Altho it was a PC cruise so maybe NOLA will be different?

 

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I have to agree. We've never done the smaller ships but the Dream just had way too many people on her. The lines never seemed long for anything, it was just that you couldn't move without bumping into someone. The only place that was always empty was the lanai. The pool area was packed from early in the morning to fairly late at night. We'll stick to the Triumph/Conquest class.

[bluejay555]

My wife always tells me that size does not matter... :confused:

 

Hahaha!

 

Thank you everyone for your advice/experiences....you have given me lots to consider! :)

[forwardcabin]

My wife always tells me that size does not matter... :confused:

...well, by golly, it does!

[ShellLoves2cruise]

After sailing on 3 Fantasy class ships (although not the Elation) I wasn't sure what to expect on my cruise on the Dream last Halloween ~ I was very pleasantly surprised, never felt crowded to us and we were always able to find lounge chairs at the pool (we did use the rear pool most days though). I really enjoyed the larger and newer class ship and while I will cruise a Fantasy class again, I will always check out the larger ships for my future cruises...jmo :)