Would you sail one of the original Royal Caribbean ship if it was in the fleet today?

[LMaxwell]

Would anyone sail today on Song of Norway, Nordic Prince, or Sun Viking if they were still in service with Royal Caribbean today.

 

For frame of reference Song of Norway originally was 552 feet, 18,000 gross tons, and had a passenger capacity of 720! The ship was stretched to 638 feet, 23,000 gross tons, and had a passenger capacity of 1200. For comparison the smallest Royal ship currently is Legend of the Seas/Splendour of the Seas at 69,000 gross tons, 867 feet, and a capacity of nearly 2100 guests.

 

So, if these ships (with updated systems and decor) were still in the fleet would you want to sail on them? You'd trade off a lot of the entertainment and dining options in order to get a more traditional, intimate cruising experience. I have never sailed on a ship this small but do admit I'd love to give it a try with a first rate company.

 

[Clarea]

I'd love to sail in one of the original ships!:)

[debshomespun]

We loved our cruise on the Empress. Also, we spent 21 nights on Legend this Jan/Feb and have a wonderful time. We enjoyed the large ships, and also enjoy the smaller ships!! :D

[Kellie Poodle]

I had a good sailing on Nordic Prince. I'd go back on it again. The food was awesome, but that was so many years ago when pretty much all the cruise lines had great food.

[jules815]

Thanks for sharing the picture. Song of Norway was one of my parent's favorite ships.

[rtazz17]

Not a chance:)

[DCT61]

Beautiful little ship. I saw her docked behind us when I was on the NORWAY in 1983. Always wanted to sail on her, but never did. RCCL has always had a knack for building pretty ships. Even OASIS and ALLURE, while large, have nice lines.

[Pumbaamd]

Enjoyed our three cruises on Empress as much as on Oasis or Allure!

Rick and Deirdra

[jebl]

My first cruise was Nordic Prince. Would love to do it again.

[JasonV1]

First cruise was on the Dolphin Seabreeze in '95, similar size.

 

The man issue is lack of things to do when compared to current sailings. Since there was no kids club, you were stuck with them, and they were everywhere.

 

These days I need my solarium, entertainment, and dining venues. I'd consider any ship that had those and things to keep kids busy.

[dancinman66]

Definitely would

All the timber decks

Layout

They had a feel modern ships don't

 

I saw sun Viking in Singapore a couple of years ago

 

 

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[Dave85]

I wouldn't, I'd miss my balcony and modern larger cabin too much!

 

 

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[PhoenixCruiser]

No way! I like the options that are available on the newer ships - and the balcony.

 

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[Homosassa]

We stopped sailing RCL when the Empress left the fleet. We tried a Beehive of the Seas and found the service, food, and overcrowded conditions did not met the standard that Royal Caribbean was known for.

[Paulette3028]

It might be fun....all I need is a pool for relaxation and I am a happy camper!

 

I have no idea the size differences between those original Royal ships and Her Majesty, which is still in the fleet. Can someone give a short comparison.

[Pumbaamd]

My first cruise was Nordic Prince. Would love to do it again.

Hi Judy!

Hope you and the commissioner are doing well.

Rick and Deirdra

[CruiseMore1]

Sailed on Song of Norway in '84 and Nordic Prince in '86 and '89. Yeah, I'd do it again - even climb the outside stairs to the Viking Crown Lounge! That was the only way to reach it on these ships! :) And our 17-year-old son loved the teen club on the Song of Norway!

 

However, gotta say I do love all the amenities of the much bigger ships of today. Would love to see the wonderful food of those days, but we do fine with the quality nowadays. And prices are relatively low!

[negc]

I'd love to sail in one of the original ships!:)

 

I agree. Our first RCI cruise was in 1983 on Song of Norway and it was also our first in an outside room. By today's standards, our room was tiny but the service was spectacular. No casino at that time and entertainment was pretty much limited to the main show room, and dining options in no way approximated what is available today. Getting to the Viking Crown Lounge involved going outside on the pool deck and climbing stairs into lounge which was set into the stack, and had about 200 degrees of visability (perhaps less). Not until the Song of America debuted was there an elevator providing inside access to the Viking Crown Lounge.

We have sailed a number of other lines since then but regularly return to RCI which offers a cruise experience best suited to us. An Azamara cruise to the Med last year came closest in many respects to our cruises on Song of Norway and Nordic Prince.:)

[Clarea]

... An Azamara cruise to the Med last year came closest in many respects to our cruises on Song of Norway and Nordic Prince.:)

I'm glad to hear this about Azamara. My wife has expressed interest in trying Azamara. and now I'm intrigued.:)

[Beachin2]

In a heart-beat for the Sun Viking.

[QTPieTrader]

I'd love to sail in one of the original ships!:)

 

Me Too! :cool:

[Viv0828]

I would sail royal Caribbean more of the ships were smaller.

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

It might be fun....all I need is a pool for relaxation and I am a happy camper!

 

I have no idea the size differences between those original Royal ships and Her Majesty, which is still in the fleet. Can someone give a short comparison.

 

It is hard to find pictures of ships to compare their sizes, but just to get an idea here are some random photos of the early ships. Majesty is over three times the gross tonnage of Song of Norway (stretched). And holds ALMOST three times the amount of people. Three times gross tonnage means it has three times the interior enclosed volume. After lengthening Song of Norway was 637 feet and a 76 foot beam (distance across at widest point). Majesty is 880 feet with a 110 foot beam. The total PAX and Crew capacity of Song of Norway AFTER stretching was about 1600, whereas Majesty total PAX and Crew is around 3600

 

 

[Pumbaamd]

Outside stairs to the VCL are still available for use on Vision class ships. Have used them often, as the elevators to the VCL have been very undependable on Vision, Rhapsody and Enchantment.

R&D

[jstraw20]

Absolutely! I only recently crossed the 50/50 line on sailing ships of that size v sailing on the current crop of floating resorts because of the huge gap I have in my cruising history.

 

Nothing against the current behemoths, but often less is more.

 

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