Big Ships/ Small Ships?

[CoopColbie]

I love the stability and options on bigger ships, but sometimes you can really feel the crowds in a bigger ship.

 

Then I love the intimacy of a smaller ship and their ability to get to places the bigger ships can't.

 

It just depends on what I'm looking for in my holiday.

[newbiecruiser09]

As you can see from my signature, we have only sailed the smaller ships but actually really like them. They are easy to get around and I have never felt like there was "nothing to do"-in fact we never seem to be able to do all we want with what is offered. We cruise for the experience and the destinations and have never felt the smaller ships were lacking (maybe because we never sailed the big ones?) Eitherway, I'm not sure I'd like the huge ships but if anyone wants to buy me a ticket to let me find out I'd be up for it! :D:D

[jticarruthers]

Cruised most often in Freedom class, like the Voyager and Radiance class as well. Werent overly impressed with Allure, it wasn't bad and we will probably do it again at some point but not worth the premium IMO.

From an RCI standpoint I would say we prefer the "medium" Freedom/Voyager grouping. There is plenty to do without turning into a full fledged floating resort.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

For me, it depends.

 

I love both the bigger and smaller ships. I've been on Vision, Radiance, Voyager and Oasis Class, and honestly, I've loved them all. I would say that Radiance and Oasis Class are my two favorites. If the itinerary I want to do is interesting and port intensive, I usually gravitate towards the smaller ships. If I just want to get to the Caribbean and aren't really worried about the ports, I'll go with a larger ship, preferably Oasis or Allure. Matter of fact, I'm thinking about doing a cruise in the end of November 2016, and I'm torn between Jewel and Harmony, because I know I'll love them both, just for different reasons.

[NOSaints1]

Weve only gone on Carnival but were booked on Adventure

[LuCruise]

We selectd a large ship (i.e. the Allure) as we're more city folks than country folks so to speak. We love having lots to do many areas to explore and don't mind the fact that it will take longer to walk to places.

 

Dh and I went on the Voyager for our honeymoon and at the time it was the worlds largest ship. Then a few years ago we went on Dinsy Magic and it seemed so small in comparison. To us, it was like "that's it?" as we'd walk a loop around in a short time.

 

On Royal as well, the bigger ships seem to have the better entertainment (broadway shops, aqua theatre), which is important to us.

 

So for us, we pick a big ship.

[mo&fran]

Out fist cruise on RCL was on the Navigator, and i fell in love with the Voyager class ships, this after a number of Celebrity cruises. It was the spaciousness on the ship that won me over.

We lived in New England and have had a lot of cruises on Explorer, and i loved that ship.

Explorer left NJ and we moved to Florida, and we recently had a couple of cruises on Indy. I like this ship, and the size increase over the Voyager class seems to allow more seating in the Windjammer.

There is something different about this ship, and maybe I found a clue in the shops onboard. The register receipt has the vendor printed on it, and the shops are still being operated by an English firm, so maybe that is why they seem different.

I am looking at cruising of the Freedom once it comes to Ft Lauderdale. Hopefully, it will have some features the Explorer had with the things that i liked about Indy.

I have been on Radiance Class, but i found it to be too crowded.

Also been on Oasis and liked it a lot, but they keep changing things, so i am not sure i really want to go there.

We are definitely balcony people. When i wake up in the morning my first thing is to go out on the balcony. I know then that I am on a cruise. Check the weather, and my GPS to see where we are.

I want to watch the sunrise if i am on the correct side of the ship, but that really doesn't happen too often. There always seem to clouds on the horizon, so you really don't get to see the sunrise oftem.

[Sherri914]

Our first cruise was on the Dolphin IV during her last year or two at sea. That ship is very small by any standard at around 10K tons and carrying less than 1,000 passengers. We had fun on that cruise because of the ports of call, not the ship. She was already falling into disrepair at the time, and there was very little to do on the ship. Our cabin was microscopic at best - and with a porthole. Literally, a little round porthole, that unfortunately was up too high for me to even use! Two cot-sized beds, affixed to the walls, so they couldn't be joined into one. And no TV's in the staterooms, no real entertainment to speak of, and the food was limited to three meals a day pretty much. There weren't the free-flowing all-day buffets and food options we have now. That said though, the evening meal was fantastic! A real affair. That was probably the finest meal and best service I had ever experienced at that point in my life, so it was very memorable.

 

We went from the Dolphin IV to Liberty of the Seas 10 years later. Wow, what a difference! We were overwhelmed that so much could be available on a ship! Since then we've only experienced Oasis-class.

 

I would love to experience the Voyager class though. I worried about going down in size that much, but I'm eager to try ports of call that the big girls just can't get to, and Voyager class seems to have all the bells & whistles I have come to love on the bigger ships, yet the smaller feel I'm wanting to try next.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Sherri914

[rudeney]

I sort of laugh when people tell me they book inside cabins because they are never in the room anyhow. Maybe they would spend more time in their cabin if they had a balcony room.

 

Ditto! I had a discussion with a friend about this who said that anything but the cheapest room on the ship was a waste of money. For us, whether it's a cruise or a land-based vacation, the room is half the attraction.

[bigque]

I have not cruised on Oasis Class yet but I am considering it for my next cruise after my upcoming cruise on Adventure in October. I have not cruised on Oasis class because I always said that the price would have to come down for the category of cabin I like before I would book a cruise on them, just like I didn't cruise Freedom class until after the prices came down after Oasis class had been around for a while. :cool:

 

My favorites ships I have cruised in this order thus far:

 

1 - Freedom

2 - Serenade

3 - Sovereign

4 - Enchantment (I really didn't care that much for Enchantment)

 

Up next Adventure

[TXMary]

I have loved every ship I have ever been on from the biggest to the smallest. We have done so many on the Voyager class that's it a definite favorite. But we have sailed twice on Allure now and I love that ship!! Love, love, love Central Park and all the show options. I never felt crowded on it. It never felt too big. I cannot wait to go on her again.

 

We have never had anything but a balcony or a junior suite or a grande suite. We like our space. And I love sitting on the balcony in the morning and drinking coffee. It's so peaceful and quiet and private.

[garnetpalmetto]

I just think it's interesting how the definition of "big ship" versus "small ship" has changed over time. I mean at one time Sovereign, Monarch, and Majesty were big ships and are now considered small. The Voyagers and Freedoms were large at one point and are now considered mid-size. That's just mind boggling. Going from Grandeur to Freedom I was staggered by how big Freedom was and DW and I were sure we'd never be able to find our way around. Now we're a few weeks away from going on Oasis.

 

For us I think we're more feature-driven than size-driven and can find something good about almost every ship we've been on. DW was less a fan of Serenade than I was, but she LOVED the solarium there. If I had to rank it for me personally it'd be

 

Freedom

Majesty

Serenade

Grandeur

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Ditto! I had a discussion with a friend about this who said that anything but the cheapest room on the ship was a waste of money. For us, whether it's a cruise or a land-based vacation, the room is half the attraction.

 

Which is your opinion and is fine.

 

There are others of us who travel (be it cruising or land-based tours) for the destination(s) and the room is only a place to sleep. We would rather be out experiencing the world.

 

That's our opinion and right, just as staying in your cabin or room to enjoy it is yours.

 

I've cruised in everything from an inside cabin to a concierge balcony on Disney, and I can honestly say that my cabin type of preference is ocean view. I wish ALL of them were like Disney with the seating in the large window as that is an awesome place to chill and read a book when I'm having down time. Next July I'll be trying one of the forward facing ocean view cabins on Brilliance, and I'm fine with it. I'm cruising to experience the ports we are visiting, NOT to hang out in my cabin.

[bigque]

Which is your opinion and is fine.

 

There are others of us who travel (be it cruising or land-based tours) for the destination(s) and the room is only a place to sleep. We would rather be out experiencing the world.

 

That's our opinion and right, just as staying in your cabin or room to enjoy it is yours.

 

I've cruised in everything from an inside cabin to a concierge balcony on Disney, and I can honestly say that my cabin type of preference is ocean view. I wish ALL of them were like Disney with the seating in the large window as that is an awesome place to chill and read a book when I'm having down time. Next July I'll be trying one of the forward facing ocean view cabins on Brilliance, and I'm fine with it. I'm cruising to experience the ports we are visiting, NOT to hang out in my cabin.

 

I really don't understand why people that think just because you book a balcony you have to be in there all the time. We book balcony cabins and are not there all the time, but there are times we are in the cabin for other than "Just Sleeping"! There are times when like on sea days that we may want to get away from the maddening crowds and go hang out on our balcony for a while and maybe take a snooze out there. We are not just always constantly running around the ship. Sometimes it is just relaxing to be there and have a glass of wine or two before getting ready for dinner in the evening. Coffee and breakfast in the morning while pulling into the ports are wonderful with the crowds at the windjammer, etc. Coming in late at night after hanging out in the lounges I don't come back to the cabin "Just to sleep or hang out in the cabin" I will some nights go out on the balcony and listen to the waves and doze off under the stars.

 

So just because you cruise for the destinations (as we do also) does not mean you can't enjoy the comforts of your cabin and balcony for other than "Just Sleeping & Hanging Out"! If there are people who get up in the morning and then just continuously be on the go all day until the go to bed at night then I guess that is cool for them! :cool:

[TheTruthCanHurt]

Liberty is my favorite ship. But I will take anything with a Royal Promenade.

I will only book a balcony or above.

For me, If it does not have a royal promenade, I would just as well take carnival or ncl.. (they all feel the same to me, without that feature)

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I really don't understand why people that think just because you book a balcony you have to be in there all the time. We book balcony cabins and are not there all the time, but there are times we are in the cabin for other than "Just Sleeping"! There are times when like on sea days that we may want to get away from the maddening crowds and go hang out on our balcony for a while and maybe take a snooze out there. We are not just always constantly running around the ship. Sometimes it is just relaxing to be there and have a glass of wine or two before getting ready for dinner in the evening. Coffee and breakfast in the morning while pulling into the ports are wonderful with the crowds at the windjammer, etc. Coming in late at night after hanging out in the lounges I don't come back to the cabin "Just to sleep or hang out in the cabin" I will some nights go out on the balcony and listen to the waves and doze off under the stars.

 

So just because you cruise for the destinations (as we do also) does not mean you can't enjoy the comforts of your cabin and balcony for other than "Just Sleeping & Hanging Out"! If there are people who get up in the morning and then just continuously be on the go all day until the go to bed at night then I guess that is cool for them! :cool:

 

That's why god made chocolate and vanilla! :D

 

I'm not necessarily "on the go all the time" but I have found that for me I'm quite happy finding little places to chill in with my nook if I don't feel like being in my cabin.

 

I personally would rather take the difference in cost (in the case of my July cruise it would have been about $1000 more to get a balcony cabin - let's not even get into the difference with a junior suite - I'm traveling SOLO, and I don't need all that space) and put it towards excursions (ship-based or otherwise), something special for that cruise (souvenir or otherwise), or even towards another cruise or trip.

 

Oh, and as for why we seem to feel like we'd have to spend all our time there to get our money's worth, for me, I see it as the same way people will say they're not getting a drink package because they don't drink enough to justify the cost of it (or they'd feel they had to drink so much they'd spend their whole cruise drunk). It's just framed in the shape of a balcony rather than a drink glass in this case.

Edited August 20, 2015 by WrittenOnYourHeart

[cincicruisers]

We prefer the Radiance class ships followed closely by Voyager class. I love the sea views from all over the ships. Personal preference I am not interested in Oasis class Which people keep saying is a floating city. Just too much.

 

We always sail in balcony or suite. We tried an inside our first cruise and I was miserable. I felt like I was in coffin. We do spend time in room. There are times where your in between activities and just want to relax. The balcony is a perfect place to have coffee in morning, wine before dinner, and private reading area.

[bigque]

That's why god made chocolate and vanilla! :D

 

I'm not necessarily "on the go all the time" but I have found that for me I'm quite happy finding little places to chill in with my nook if I don't feel like being in my cabin.

 

I personally would rather take the difference in cost (in the case of my July cruise it would have been about $1000 more to get a balcony cabin - let's not even get into the difference with a junior suite - I'm traveling SOLO, and I don't need all that space) and put it towards excursions (ship-based or otherwise), something special for that cruise (souvenir or otherwise), or even towards another cruise or trip.

 

Oh, and as for why we seem to feel like we'd have to spend all our time there to get our money's worth, for me, I see it as the same way people will say they're not getting a drink package because they don't drink enough to justify the cost of it (or they'd feel they had to drink so much they'd spend their whole cruise drunk). It's just framed in the shape of a balcony rather than a drink glass in this case.

 

Cool! :cool:

[SaintL]

Just wondering do you prefer the big ships like Oasis or small ships like Radiance and what do you like about them?

 

When booking do you go for Interior Stateroom/ Balcony or does it depend on the intenerary.

 

does this topic ever end!

[JulieRose]

J

 

When booking do you go for Interior Stateroom/ Balcony or does it depend on the intenerary.

 

 

 

 

We choose staterooms based on a variety of things. Itinerary is one of them. I'll share my rational for each of our recent and planned cruises.

 

• We had a JS for our wedding cruise because, Duh, it was our wedding. Why the heck not?
   
  
• On XoS we booked a promenade stateroom because we were sailing from NJ in February which would make a balcony unusable for the first and last few days of the voyage. We also thought it would be cool to watch what was going on in the promenade and we weren't disappointed.
   
  
• I sailed in a balcony on HAL because there were 3 adults in the room. Also, it was sailing from FL and we were expecting (and got) great weather throughout.
   
  
• We booked an interior on Anthem (also sailing from NJ- this time in December) because we're tech geeks and want to try the virtual balcony. There are also enclosed "outdoor" areas on Anthem that we will be able to use the first and last few days of the cruise and I think we would be much more likely to use those.
   
  
• On Allure we booked the furthest aft boardwalk view cabin. We hope that it will be a good combo of the experience we had in the promenade view and the balcony experience with views of the shows and activities on the boardwalk along with a beautiful view of the wake.
  

 

 

As you can see, there's a lot of factors that we consider. Every trip is different and we base the stateroom we book based on that trip and that ship. Don't be afraid to try different things.

Edited August 20, 2015 by JulieRose

[NOSaints1]

We booked promenade on Adventure, Suite on the Valor out of SJ, and an OV on the Breeze. I would love to try the Oasis/Quantem class but I feel it would take the true meaning of cruising

[ccletzgo]

Just wondering do you prefer the big ships like Oasis or small ships like Radiance and what do you like about them?

 

When booking do you go for Interior Stateroom/ Balcony or does it depend on the intenerary.

 

Even smaller ships like the Vision. ;) I did LOVE the RAdiance too.

[NOSaints1]

Where's your favourite destination and how many RC ships have you been on?

[rudeney]

Which is your opinion and is fine.

 

There are others of us who travel (be it cruising or land-based tours) for the destination(s) and the room is only a place to sleep. We would rather be out experiencing the world.

 

That's our opinion and right, just as staying in your cabin or room to enjoy it is yours.

 

I've cruised in everything from an inside cabin to a concierge balcony on Disney, and I can honestly say that my cabin type of preference is ocean view. I wish ALL of them were like Disney with the seating in the large window as that is an awesome place to chill and read a book when I'm having down time. Next July I'll be trying one of the forward facing ocean view cabins on Brilliance, and I'm fine with it. I'm cruising to experience the ports we are visiting, NOT to hang out in my cabin.

 

I wasn't really saying that we spend a lot of time in the room. We probably don't spend much more time than you. We just enjoy having the larger space and balcony for the time we do spend in the room. It makes our vacation more enjoyable, like having breakfast there or a nightcap on the balcony before bedtime.

 

We used to go to Walt Disney World several times a year and always stayed on-property at a deluxe resort. Even though we were in the parks first thing in the morning until closing time, we still appreciated having the larger space and view when we were in the room. Again, it contribute to an overall enjoyment of our vacation.

 

I'm not sure I'd want an inside stateroom, but I could certainly enjoy a cruise in a standard ocean-view stateroom. Still, I'd enjoy it more in a suite! And as for big ship vs. small ship, the smallest ship we've sailed is the Disney Wonder. The larger is Freedom. We enjoyed both immensely. Our next is Navigator, but I think after that, we may try the Oasis class as it looks so interesting - even more so tan the Quantum class. And yes, we'd book a balcony (probably an Aqua Theater Suite).

[Desertbelle]

I used to prefer the Radiance class ships, until we sailed on the Freedom of the Seas a few years ago and suddenly I realized I really love the larger ships. So much more to do and see and I love that extra community space...as soon as my husband stepped on the Freedom it was his favorite ship! Since then we have sailed on the Allure and Oasis and we love them also!

 

It's not that we would never cruise on a smaller ship again, but I have noticed that I now pay attention more to the class of ship when looking for a cruise and I find I am making choices more and more on whether it's a larger ship or not.

 

We always book a balcony. We have never had a JS or larger....the extra space isn't important to us. But, having a little private outdoor space is very important to us. We don't spend a lot of time in the cabin but we do spend time sitting on the balcony or on the bed or couch looking out to the sea....we especially love standing at the balcony when we are coming into port and leaving port. We also value the fresh air...for us an inside cabin would be very claustrophobic. I like the perceived notion that we could escape our cabin in an emergency if needed. And, I like knowing if the sun is up or not. These may seem like silly things, but to me and my husband, they are important enough that we feel the extra money is worth it.