Big Ship Vs. Little Ship

[iaswam]

Hello All,

 

For our first cruise we sailed on the Escape. We had a fantastic time, and I'm wanting to plan the next one. Since I have never sailed on a smaller ship (like the Jewel for example) I was curious what some opinions are.

 

Does it feel more crowded or is it proportionally the same? Does it seem like there are less things to do on the ship?

 

On the Escape, we rarely felt crowded and there was plenty to do. Problem is, there was so much to do we barely scratched the surface and missed a lot of things (i.e. we didn't know about the bowling alley until we disembarked and walked past it). I almost want to book another trip on the Escape.... but that's a whole different subject.

 

My brain hurts...

[BirdTravels]

If you like the big ship, then stay with big ships. The small ships feel smaller with a lot less to do. Traditional cruise ship entertainment. We spend about 2/3 of our time on small ships, but have sailed on the NCL megaships over a dozen times and enjoy them a lot.

[Tutontow]

I was on the Epic 4 weeks ago. We had a great time. A week after we got home I booked her again so I can experience the things we missed.

[sgmamabear]

I've been on the Gem and the Breakaway. The Breakaway feels WAY more crowded than the Gem.

 

 

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[drvalo]

We have been on the Epic and smaller ships otherwise. The Epic cruise was our worst cruise ever. We disliked the crowds, the smaller venues (too small for the number of passengers), not having a midship elevator, and having to make reservations for everything. On the smaller ships, you may have to make a reservation if you want dinner at some specialty restaurants at a particular time (e.g., Teppanyaki and LeBistro), but many of the others you may also be able to walk up and get a seat. No reservations are needed for shows and other entertainment and there is a different show every night in the theatre. There is less walking to get somewhere. Balconies generally are larger as are many of the cabins. To us, the crews on the smaller ships have seemed happier than what we experienced on the Epic.

 

For us, the difference is this: The larger ship seemed like a large city on the water (and we rarely saw the water, although I know the newer ships improved on that some). We live in Chicago, so that was not what we were looking for in a vacation. The smaller ships make you feel much more like you are on the ocean. You can see it everywhere. It is a much more laid back experience. There is still plenty to do, but if you cruise for the WOW options, then you may be disappointed. If you cruise to relax and still have choices for things to do, then you may like the smaller ships more. There is also a rhythm on the smaller ships that was missing for us on the larger ship, mostly because of how things are scheduled and us not always getting reservations at our desired times.

 

I suggest trying the smaller ship and see how you like it. Maybe you will decide they are not for you, just as we will likely never cruise on a mega ship again. But I am glad a tried it....a day at sea is better than one at home.

[Gershep]

Larger ships have more to do and a better night life. Smaller ships never felt crowded to me.

[iaswam]

Excellent advice all! I like the idea of having a more quiet setting that (sounds like) a smaller ship has to offer. We had a lot of fun on the Escape, but as I said, we missed a lot. It sounds like we have some thinking to do...

 

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[PorkChopKid]

It's been said that cruising traditionally has been "for the newly wed or the nearly dead". :D The newer mega ships have clearly been designed to attract the group in the middle. The passenger, especially with kids, who need lots of stuff to do. Don't get me wrong, we're a couple of 70 yo and have cruised 25 times in 7-1/2 years and have been on the smaller as well as the larger ships and have enjoyed both. Cruise ships are amazing machines and it's incredible what they have on them these days....

[GUT2407]

Hello All,

 

For our first cruise we sailed on the Escape. We had a fantastic time, and I'm wanting to plan the next one. Since I have never sailed on a smaller ship (like the Jewel for example) I was curious what some opinions are.

 

Does it feel more crowded or is it proportionally the same? Does it seem like there are less things to do on the ship?

 

On the Escape, we rarely felt crowded and there was plenty to do. Problem is, there was so much to do we barely scratched the surface and missed a lot of things (i.e. we didn't know about the bowling alley until we disembarked and walked past it). I almost want to book another trip on the Escape.... but that's a whole different subject.

 

My brain hurts...

 

I don't regard Jewel as small.

 

That might give you a hint as to my feelings.

[deb_buffy]

We went on the gem for our first cruise and loved her. So much to-do and didn't feel crowded at all. We are going on the escape in Sept to try a big ship to decide which we prefer. I would say book a smaller ship and see which you like.

 

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[mugtech]

We did 7 days on the BA and felt it was not enough time to enjoy everything available on the ship. Since we are itinerary driven we have enjoyed smaller ships for that reason, could not have done the PC using the old locks. Perhaps we will Escape to Bermuda, wondering what the Away ships would be like on a transatlantic, in the Baltic, waiting for some reviews.

[sverigecruiser]

The Jewel is a big ship too.

 

I think that it's more about age than about size.

 

We like the newer ships because of the Haven restaurant.

 

We like the older ships because they feel more like a ship.

 

We like both but number one is probably the Haven restaurant so the new ships is our choice.

 

Without a suite the Jewelclass is probably the best choice, I think.

[Knobhdy]

I've cruised on the Breakaway and the Sun and Sky. I can't really compare them though, because the BA was the only non-suite cruise and mostly taught us we preferred the suite life.

 

 

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[Stinkybaby]

I loved the Getaway! Will never sail on a smaller ship again

[Ask4Jay]

Hey, PorkChopKid -

we are a few (like 12) yrs "nearer", going to celebrate our 60th Anniversary on the Getaway WB TA in October - if we last that long. :)

Small ship or large?

Let me lay it out for you all, including OP. We cruise in an aft-facing balcony cabin, mostly transatlantic, E/B or W/B. Our favorite ships are the old R-ships with a capacity of about 730 pax. Unfortunately Oceania and Azamara, who operate them, have priced themselves out of our price range. So, next up would be the Sun, then the Jewel class and finally, the Bign 's.

In our 12 TAs we have been to a total of 3 or 4 shows, period. It's just not our thing. So we cruise to be on the high seas. The rougher the weather the more we enjoy the cruise. We stand on our balcony in absolute awe of nature's power. Yeah, I know, it takes all kinds. Since we do TAs, we have very little choice in NCL ships. We take any size and we enjoy each, but the connection to the ocean is less intimate in the big ones. And food on board is incidental. We always find meals to our liking, from so so to great.

[newmexicoNita]

I've been on the Gem and the Breakaway. The Breakaway feels WAY more crowded than the Gem.

 

 

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my thoughts exactly. we are off the Breakaway just now, did the Epic last November and have sailed the Jewel class several times as Spirit, Sun and Dawn. In all fairness it was a spring break week so the ship was packed: 2100 kids with a total of about 4600 on the ship. Of course we had a great time; we always do,but the We are heading back to the smaller ones in the next few months or so.