No New "Smaller" Ships Planned?

[LBeeE]

Looks like in the next 4 years, all of the new ships will be Oasis & Quantum Classes. For now there are still older smaller ships to choose from. Until those are sold off. Doesn't look like they plan to return to a smaller model ship in the future? I would imagine I'm not the only one turned off by cruising with 4k-7k other people? Any idea if they have some longer term plans for some smaller ships? I can't imagine still being interested in cruising if the only ship options are 4k+ passengers in 10 years. Does RCI ever take input from what customers want? If so, where do we make our feelings known to the cruise line?

[Clarea]

Last I heard, they planned a "smaller" ship class for Celebrity, but not for the Royal brand.

[cb at sea]

Probably more "cost effective" to build one ship for 3X's the people!

[Lady Hudson]

Last I heard, they planned a "smaller" ship class for Celebrity, but not for the Royal brand.

 

Could that be why a port agent in Baltimore said she heard that Celebrity was coming back to Baltimore? Just thinking out loud.

[orville99]

Doubtful that any of the mass market cruise lines will "go small" any time soon. With the industry going more global each year, with environmental laws making it more difficult to sail into ports where small ships are the only ones that fit (i.e. Tampa, Baltimore, Key West, etc.), and with a shift in strategy to attract more first-time cruisers over repeat cruisers, my take is that the small ship market will be driven inexorably upscale by the major players. New cruisers have no idea what constitutes small, and long time/frequent cruisers will be forced to migrate to more boutique and upscale ships to find the ambiance that small reflects.

[leisuretraveler223]

Money rules. They will offer whatever generates the most revenue.

 

On a side note, there is an old saying, Don't knock it until you try it. The OP, according to the signature, has ONLY been on "smaller" ships. Yet he or she decries the difference between those and th 4k-7k large ships. I would argue that a "small" ship has maybe 250 people on it, and the difference between the likes of Grandeur and Oasis are negligible.

[MADflyer]

The refurbished Vision class and Radiance class ships have a long design cycle and while they may someday move on to sister lines TUI, Thomson, Pullmantur, CTRIP or another new development, RCI could easily keep them in service for 15 to 20 years or more.

 

The new technologies that allow them to update the environmental standards of the fleet, will allow them to continue even farther into the future.

 

My first ship, the Royal Viking Sky, entered service in 1973 and she is still sailing for Fred Olsen Lines.

 

In my opinion the ships built in the mid-90's do not feel dated and RCI ships are kept in excellent condition.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

The Celebrity "Edge Class" will be roughly the size of the Voyager class from RCCL so hardly can be considered small ships. I think once the Vision and Radiance class ships leave the RCCL fleet that ports like Baltimore and Tampa will disappear from their list of homeports.

 

As much as I love the 70-90,000 ton ships, they are a thing of the past. Even the new Konigsdam will weigh in at 99,500 tons and 2600+ passengers, and HAL has always been known for their "mid sized" ships. The fact that they are moving in this direction is a clear indicator that the major U.S. based cruise lines (RCCL, Carnival, NCL, Celebrity, Princess, HAL) will not go smaller anytime soon.

[George C]

I do not see the major lines going smaller, some of the higher end lines offer smaller ships. I like the entertainment and restaurant choices on some of the larger, but still want my MDR with same waiter at same time

[Scotty G]

The Celebrity "Edge Class" will be roughly the size of the Voyager class from RCCL so hardly can be considered small ships.

 

Size is between Voyager and Freedom Class. If there are options for more ships in the contract RCCL could opt to have more built for the RCI brand.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6095

[George C]

This is from USA Today as you can see several under 1000 passengers ships on some upscale lines and mostly 4,000 passengers on the major lines

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2013/07/11/guide-new-cruise-ships-order/2506049/?csp=travel

[Desert Cruizers]

Although we have yet to sail on either the Oasis or Quantum Class Ships. I believe our comfort range in terms of number of passengers is 2500 to 3500. We haven't even sailed a Voyager class. Our sailings have been on the Brilliance, Radiance & Liberty of the Seas and soon to be Serenade of the Seas. We are not opposed to sailing on the larger classes, we just haven't found an itinerary or price that suits us. Coming from Calif & flying, we choose the longer cruises. Also since we aren't able to cruise on a yearly basis, we choose to go to places we haven't seen.

[Scotty G]

This is from USA Today as you can see several under 1000 passengers ships on some upscale lines and mostly 4,000 passengers on the major lines

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2013/07/11/guide-new-cruise-ships-order/2506049/?csp=travel

 

And the new Celebrity build in the middle at 2,900. Just slightly bigger than Sovereign Class ;)

Edited June 22, 2015 by Scotty G

[BillOh]

Eventually the ships going from ports like Tampa or through the canal will have to be replaced.

[George C]

Eventually the ships going from ports like Tampa or through the canal will have to be replaced.

 

One reason I do like the smaller ships is they can dock at more ports than the larger ships

[AtlantaCruiser72]

And the new Celebrity build in the middle at 2,900. Just slightly bigger than Sovereign Class ;)

 

While the capacity may be only "slightly" more, the size of the ship will be significantly larger:

 

Majesty of the Seas

73,941 tons

880 ft long

106 ft wide

2355 pax double capacity

 

Celebrity Project Edge

117000 tons

984 ft long

123 ft wide

2900 pax double capacity

 

The Celebrity Project Edge ships will be larger than the Princess Grand Class but slightly smaller than the Voyager Class from RCCL

[Ourusualbeach]

My feeling is that Rpyal is in the process of rebranding itself and will gradually transition away from the smaller ships and unique itineraries. They will concentrate on first time cruisers and the floating amusement parks. The smaller ships and unique itineraries will be left for Celebrity.

[Scotty G]

While the capacity may be only "slightly" more, the size of the ship will be significantly larger:

 

Majesty of the Seas

73,941 tons

880 ft long

106 ft wide

2355 pax double capacity

 

Celebrity Project Edge

117000 tons

984 ft long

123 ft wide

2900 pax double capacity

 

Wikipedia lists Sovereign Class Passenger capacity as 2744. That is closer to my recollection from having sailed on Sovereign and Monarch.

[MADflyer]

My feeling is that Rpyal is in the process of rebranding itself and will gradually transition away from the smaller ships and unique itineraries. They will concentrate on first time cruisers and the floating amusement parks. The smaller ships and unique itineraries will be left for Celebrity.

 

I am actually starting to see the following segmentation starting to appear:

 

-Traditional Cruising with Vision and Radiance Class. (full deck promenade, longer cruises, destination centered cruising, traditional cruise entertainment)

 

-Enhanced Cruising with Freedom and Voyager Class (Royal promenade, Ice shows, scheduled entertainment, active cruising)

 

-Dynamic Cruising with Quantum and Oasis Class (upscale, technology, latest features, dynamic dining, full suite enhancements)

 

They do not need new vessels to currently pursue this strategy for some time into the future. The Quantum class and revitalization of the Oasis class was necessary.

[MADflyer]

Wikipedia lists Sovereign Class Passenger capacity as 2744. That is closer to my recollection from having sailed on Sovereign and Monarch.

 

Current RCI Majesty fact sheet has

 

2,350 guests (double occupancy) • 2,767 guests (total) • 912 crew (International)

 

http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/fact-sheet/11/majesty-of-the-seas/

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I am actually starting to see the following segmentation starting to appear:

 

-Traditional Cruising with Vision and Radiance Class. (full deck promenade, longer cruises, destination centered cruising, traditional cruise entertainment)

 

-Enhanced Cruising with Freedom and Voyager Class (Royal promenade, Ice shows, scheduled entertainment, active cruising)

 

-Dynamic Cruising with Quantum and Oasis Class (upscale, technology, latest features, dynamic dining, full suite enhancements)

 

They do not need new vessels to currently pursue this strategy for some time into the future. The Quantum class and revitalization of the Oasis class was necessary.

 

I completely agree with you here, MADflyer.

[nolesrule]

Tampa is well aware of the trend toward bigger ships. Whether anything gets done to relocate cruise terminals to the other side of the Skyway is anyone's guess.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Wikipedia lists Sovereign Class Passenger capacity as 2744. That is closer to my recollection from having sailed on Sovereign and Monarch.

 

While that may be her maximum occupancy with all berths filled, I was going based on double occupancy figures, which is the standard used by the industry.

[mrobstad]

Do the Oasis class ships have solariums? That's my favorite feature. Once you go on a newer ship, IMHO, you understand why the Majesty is a cheap cruise.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Do the Oasis class ships have solariums? That's my favorite feature. Once you go on a newer ship, IMHO, you understand why the Majesty is a cheap cruise.

 

Yes.