Big ships versus small ships

[Dyncymraeg]

I have not cruised before and I was thinking of taking a cruise from the UK to Norway and the ship is described as a small ship. I would  like to ask people who have cruised do you prefer large or small ships and what in your view are the advantages and disadvantages of large and small ships.

[clo]

What do you consider big or small? In the last two years we've sailed with 100, 400 and 1200 - all considered small (and very small). What's the cruise line also?

[ducklite]

I have cruised on ships that hold 300 and 4000.  I won't cruise on anything over about 500.  Too many lines, too many masses, too much nickel and diming on the big ships.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

24 minutes ago, Dyncymraeg said:

I have not cruised before and I was thinking of taking a cruise from the UK to Norway and the ship is described as a small ship. I would  like to ask people who have cruised do you prefer large or small ships and what in your view are the advantages and disadvantages of large and small ships.

You couldn't pay me to cruise on a floating amusement park on which they've plopped "projects" (ask any New Yorker).

Even the cruise lines that float those multi-thousand passenger monstrosities figured out that they needed to carve out "ships within ships" for a reasonable experience at sea.

 

That said, if you like Las Vegas and/or Great America type ride parks, you'll probably love those mega-ships. 

 

We prefer amall ships of 650-1200 passengers with high crew to passenger and space per passenger ratios. What's important to us is food and service quality, which is essential on long cruises. 

 

And, if we want "Broadway production shows" (not usually found on small ships), we'll go to Broadway.

[cruisemom42]

Big ship pros:  More entertainment options; more a la carte dining options; usually cheaper fares (fixed costs divided among more people); generally more balcony cabins available.

 

Big ship cons:  Less individualized attention, may face limitations in where they can port; may face long lines at some squeeze points, although many large ships plan for this and manage it well.

 

Small ship pros:  More personalized attention; more likely to see fellow passengers more than once (develop a sense of cameraderie); easy to get around; may have fewer lines; food often better as a result of preparing fewer mass meals; in general fewer kids (may not be a pro to all!)

 

Small ship cons:  Fewer entertainment options;  generally more expensive; may have fewer balcony cabins at reasonable cost.

 

One thing I will say is that people often think that you feel the "motion of the ocean" more on smaller ships, but I have never found that to be the case. Some of the very large new cruise ships with a huge superstructure, will get a lot of motion especially on the upper decks, if there is rough weather.

 

 

[George C]

In general we do prefer larger ships as already said the larger ships have more entertainment options and better entertainment, also they have more restaurants choices. They also are better in rough waters.  Easier getting on and off the ship on smaller ships and in some cases larger ships may need to tender while smaller ships can dock. Of course you want a cruise going to the ports you want to visit. Also some cruise lines are better than others. 

[Dyncymraeg]

1 hour ago, clo said:

What do you consider big or small? In the last two years we've sailed with 100, 400 and 1200 - all considered small (and very small). What's the cruise line also?

 

The cruise line is Fred Olsen.

[taglovestocruise]

We have done small to large. Small ships are extremely boring to us.  We have done 4 mega ships with 5000+ and have a 5th booked. Most mega ship cruises have been transatlantics.   Royal Caribbeans Oasis class are now our ships of choice.  We are both in our late 60,s and love the multitude of shows, dining venues and entertainment on the mega ships.  Have found the mega ships to be some of the most uncrowded sailings we have been on.  We actual cruise for the ship with ports being secondary, we love the sea days.  

[pacruise804]

3 hours ago, Dyncymraeg said:

I have not cruised before and I was thinking of taking a cruise from the UK to Norway and the ship is described as a small ship. I would  like to ask people who have cruised do you prefer large or small ships and what in your view are the advantages and disadvantages of large and small ships.

 

Our cruises have been to Canada, Bermuda, and Bahamas/Caribbean - so ship preference might be different on your itinerary.  We have sailed ~2,000 pax and ~4,000 pax and prefer the smaller lines (and are looking forward to trying our first 900 pax cruise this fall).

 

Smaller ships should let you reach more ports, and are generally easier to navigate.  We cruise to be on the water (and feel we are on the water), have adequate included food and entertainment (but don't need gourmet meals or Broadway shows), and explore a new to us area.

 

Larger ships often have more activities, but I don't know how much rock wall climbing you would do on your itinerary 😉 

[jocap]

The first time we went to Norway, we were on RCI's Independence OTS- a massive ship, which is really for warm weather cruising. The weather in Norway can be changeable (think Northern Scotland), so the many deck attractions were empty, and the inside was crammed. We only visited the larger ports and fjords.

The next time we were with Fred Olsen, and visited some of the smaller ports and fjords. The ship was warm and comfortable; the food is the best we've had on ANY main line ship. Entertainment is fine, and activities are often home made, but a lot of fun. 

A year later we went with Fred again, this time to Iceland... and two members of staff welcomed me by my first name when they saw me! That's a first on my cruising life. 

Just asking my OH, who says the difference between our 2 ships was that one was like a hotel on the sea front, with all the activities, but Fred was more like staying in a country house hotel. 

[getting older slowly]

Big vs Small   or one could say main stream lines vs boutique lines or  $$ vs  $$$$$

 

Ship size main stream   4000+  to 2000 and some down to  R -class 700

 

then boutique line  600-700

 

then lux line   500 to 100

 

personally it is up to you 

we like 2000-2500  big enough to be comfortable in rough sea and offer enough choices

 

But for most of us it come down to the dollars

 

Cheers Don

[wowzz]

Fred ships are pretty old, and, to be honest, so are their clientele.  They also do not have that many balconies,  unless you pay a serious premium. If you have the budget, I would suggest you look at Viking or Saga - 800 or so pax, all cabins have balconies.

[Dyncymraeg]

57 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

Our cruises have been to Canada, Bermuda, and Bahamas/Caribbean - so ship preference might be different on your itinerary.  We have sailed ~2,000 pax and ~4,000 pax and prefer the smaller lines (and are looking forward to trying our first 900 pax cruise this fall).

 

Smaller ships should let you reach more ports, and are generally easier to navigate.  We cruise to be on the water (and feel we are on the water), have adequate included food and entertainment (but don't need gourmet meals or Broadway shows), and explore a new to us area.

 

Larger ships often have more activities, but I don't know how much rock wall climbing you would do on your itinerary 😉 

 

I imagine a crucial advantage for small ships is they can visit more places. Fred Olsen use this as a selling point. Cruise ships have been getting bigger and bigger in recent  years but the bigger a ship is, the less places it can stop at. 

 

 

 

[Cruzaholic41]

2 hours ago, Dyncymraeg said:

 

The cruise line is Fred Olsen.

I’ve not had good experiences with FO, so I don’t recommend them. I found the ship in poor condition, and the service was not up to par. 
 

Ref the big vs small ship thing, they all can be great depending on the line. I love small ship cruising on 2 of my favorite lines - Viking Ocean and Celebrity. However, I’ve also had excellent experiences on Oasis Class, which is the biggest of the big.
 

One thing to note. While folks are entitled to their opinions, you should take with a grain of salt when they overly criticize ships they haven’t even been on.  

[navybankerteacher]

14 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

...

 

But for most of us it come down to the dollars

 

Cheers Don

This attitude is obviously what has led to the ever larger ships - many more passengers served by a few more service staff and no more ship-handlers means greater profit to the lines and diluted experience to the passengers.

 

I was happy with the quality experience offered by ships like  HAL’s 1200 passenger ships until about 15 years ago - but their, and their then-competitors’, efforts to attract the budget-conscious destroyed that quality.  If I want Broadway shows, I’ll go to Broadway;  if I want water-park rides, I’ll go to a water park.  If I want to experience an island, I’ll fly to an island and not be one of several thousand passengers thronging off just one of several mega-ships crowding the hell out of the place (the same applies to any Mediterranean itinerary).  

 

You can can only hold down the cost of something so faring so long  before you deprive that something out of whatever made it worth anything.

[clo]

1 hour ago, getting older slowly said:

then lux line   500 to 100

 

Here was our cabin on that lux 100 pax ship:

LOL

[shipgeeks]

But that photo is not a Fred.Olsen cabin.  Ours on FO was fine, like any other regular cabin on any mainstream line.

[evandbob]

We just got off the Symphony of the Seas, presently the largest behemoth sailing. Biggest surprise was the lack of lines, or much smaller lines at embarkation, getting off and on the ship in ports and debarkation.  Sometimes the lack of lines reminded me of what I experience as a high priority pax on other lines' smaller ships.  Even the buffet lines were short, although more tables were needed.

 

There are so many attractions and activities on board the ship during sea days that other areas were not crowded.  I did see some pushing and elbowing for position when the ship held a $10 sale event, reminded me of how folk behave on Black Fridays.

 

We had one aquatic show on the ship cancelled due to water in the pool vigorously sloshing around making unsafe conditions for the divers - however, the ship itself seemed stable and I could not feel any motion, side to side or otherwise.

 

I was amazed at this, since I read many reports here on CC about passenger overload on this class of ship.

 

Depending on itinerary, we will continue to sail ships that have a 2,000 to 6,000 pax load.

Edited February 1, 2020 by evandbob

[Bizmark'sMom]

I vastly prefer small ships. I just got home from a cruise with 140 people on board, and had an absolutely fantastic time.  It's all about your personal preferences;

 

- On the rare times I want to see a production show, I'll go to Vegas or New York to see that show.

 

- If I want a theme park, I'll visit a theme park. I actually spent a few days at Disneyland before traveling on to Tahiti.

 

- I really don't like sea days. One or 2 while getting between ports are fine. But I'm really there for the ports.

 

- Smaller ships can get into more interesting ports than large ships do. And small ships don't overwhelm a port the way large ships can.

 

Downsides;

Small ships tend not to be as accessible as the large ones. This isn't always the case, but the Wind Spirit has no elevators, and the cabins are small. That got to be an issue for my mother who needs back surgery soon. I'm 49 with a half-way bum knee, and the stairs were an issue for me after a full day of snorkeling and climbing back onto the boat to move locations.

 

Food is not always available. Dinner started at 7. Those who prefer to eat at 5 were out of luck unless they were content with a sandwich.

 

No nightlife at all to speak of. You can grab a drink after dinner, but the tour / snorkel / dive starts at 9 am the next day. So most folks were back in their cabins by 11.

[Joebucks]

20 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You couldn't pay me to cruise on a floating amusement park on which they've plopped "projects" (ask any New Yorker).

Even the cruise lines that float those multi-thousand passenger monstrosities figured out that they needed to carve out "ships within ships" for a reasonable experience at sea.

 

That said, if you like Las Vegas and/or Great America type ride parks, you'll probably love those mega-ships. 

 

We prefer amall ships of 650-1200 passengers with high crew to passenger and space per passenger ratios. What's important to us is food and service quality, which is essential on long cruises. 

 

And, if we want "Broadway production shows" (not usually found on small ships), we'll go to Broadway.

 

To be fair, I could also say that if I want fancy food and service, I can go to a fancy restaurant. Because I do. I can get that anywhere. I can't get the same cruise experience anywhere.

 

For me, I love the bigger ships. Vacation to me is all about fun and relaxation, both of which are in no short supply there. Maybe I want to start my day in the adult relaxation area getting sun, maybe I want to go to main deck when there are parties, maybe comedy later in the day, maybe gamble in the casino, maybe play some games in the sports deck or arcade, maybe there is a playoff game and we want to watch it in the sports bar, maybe end the night at the club, and on and on.

 

I know you may consider this low-brow entertainment, but 5-star dining and personalized service isn't the entertainment for everyone. It's nice to have, but the food on every other ship is sufficient to most people. Even then, there are still many specialty restaurants available if you so choose.

[Dyncymraeg]

45 minutes ago, evandbob said:

We just got off the Symphony of the Seas, presently the largest behemoth sailing. Biggest surprise was the lack of lines, or much smaller lines at embarkation, getting off and on the ship in ports and debarkation.  Sometimes the lack of lines reminded me of what I experience as a high priority pax on other lines' smaller ships.  Even the buffet lines were short, although more tables were needed.

 

There are so many attractions and activities on board the ship during sea days that other areas were not crowded.  I did see some pushing and elbowing for position when the ship held a $10 sale event, reminded me of how folk behave on Black Fridays.

 

We had one aquatic show on the ship cancelled due to water in the pool vigorously sloshing around making unsafe conditions for the divers - however, the ship itself seemed stable and I could not feel any motion, side to side or otherwise.

 

I was amazed at this, since I read many reports here on CC about passenger overload on this class of ship.

 

Depending on itinerary, we will continue to sail ships that have a 2,000 to 6,000 pax load.

 

Some people may assume that a ship with a large number of passengers will have issues with overcrowding and it is interesting to read this is not always the case. Has anyone been on a ship you felt  was overcrowded.

[clo]

5 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

But that photo is not a Fred.Olsen cabin.  Ours on FO was fine, like any other regular cabin on any mainstream line.

I was replying to gettingolderslowly.

[Aquahound]

2 hours ago, Dyncymraeg said:

 

Some people may assume that a ship with a large number of passengers will have issues with overcrowding and it is interesting to read this is not always the case. Has anyone been on a ship you felt  was overcrowded.

 

Yes.  I thought Norwegian Escape was VERY crowded.  It was by far the most crowded I've ever felt on a cruise.  I also thought Caribbean Princess and Carnival Liberty felt crowded.  

 

Ref the 6000 pax Oasis Class.....the negative comments are often made by people who have never been on those ships.  I sailed Oasis Class 4 times and not once did I feel crowded.  In fact, my experience was just like evandbob's.  What's key is the space to passenger ratio.  40s is good.  Low to mid 30s is bad.  20s is atrocious.  Escape was 31.  Oasis Class, just like many Premium ships, is in the 40s.

 

On that note, the new Carnival Mardi Gras has a ratio of 28.  That is a ship I will never sail.  

[cruisemom42]

14 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Yes.  I thought Norwegian Escape was VERY crowded.  It was by far the most crowded I've ever felt on a cruise.  I also thought Caribbean Princess and Carnival Liberty felt crowded.  

 

Ref the 6000 pax Oasis Class.....the negative comments are often made by people who have never been on those ships.  I sailed Oasis Class 4 times and not once did I feel crowded.  In fact, my experience was just like evandbob's.  What's key is the space to passenger ratio.  40s is good.  Low to mid 30s is bad.  20s is atrocious.  Escape was 31.  Oasis Class, just like many Premium ships, is in the 40s.

 

On that note, the new Carnival Mardi Gras has a ratio of 28.  That is a ship I will never sail.  

 

Where can one find those ratios?  I'm curious if my perceptions line up with the reality.

 

I agree Caribbean Princess felt crowded. 

[AL3XCruise]

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

For me, I love the bigger ships. Vacation to me is all about fun and relaxation, both of which are in no short supply there. Maybe I want to start my day in the adult relaxation area getting sun, maybe I want to go to main deck when there are parties, maybe comedy later in the day, maybe gamble in the casino, maybe play some games in the sports deck or arcade, maybe there is a playoff game and we want to watch it in the sports bar, maybe end the night at the club, and on and on.

 

I agree. There are a lot of things on a megaship that are done (likely better) in certain cities or at some resorts, but the combination of having access to these and traveling to new destinations is a big plus to people who don't have the vacation time to got to NYC, Las Vegas, and visit several Mediterranean cities. 

 

For some it also offers a great value proposition; the cost of cruise is generally far less than trying to do something comparable piecemeal.  Just going to NYC for a couple days to see a show on Broadway can approach the cost of a cruise, so I think it is certainly understandable why some people choose to spend vacation dollars on these behemoths.

 

2 hours ago, Dyncymraeg said:

Some people may assume that a ship with a large number of passengers will have issues with overcrowding and it is interesting to read this is not always the case. Has anyone been on a ship you felt  was overcrowded.

 

One big issue is time of year and the resulting passenger load.  NCL Breakaway, for instance, carries just under 4,000 passengers assuming two per traditional cabin and one in each solo cabin.  When school is in session and the majority of travelers are adults with just a few families, you tend to find that relatively close to the number on board.  Breakaway has a maximum passenger load of a little over 5,000.  During school breaks and holidays whit family travel, you get much closer to that number.  As you can imagine, adding 1,000 people to the ship, whether kids or adults, can have a HUGE impact on how people perceive the vessel.

 

23 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

What's key is the space to passenger ratio.  40s is good.  Low to mid 30s is bad.  20s is atrocious.  Escape was 31.  Oasis Class, just like many Premium ships, is in the 40s.

 

Passenger space ratio has a LOT of limitations.  First it is based on a logarithmic representation of total interior space.  That means outdoor decks can vary from what it suggests, it does not account for design factors of public spaces, and it does not account for crew and mechanical spaces.  

 

In addition, there are variables when calculating it, such as using dual occupancy numbers or maximum occupancy.  Escape at dual occupancy, for instance, has 38.7.  Oasis is around 41.  At max occupancy they drop to roughly 31 and 33 respectively.  With a delta like that, the design of the ship will have FAR more influence than a passenger space ratio.  Of course, most agree with wide open decks on Oasis beat Escape in terms of design.

 

I agree the ratios are use for rough analysis, and something in the 20s in frightening, but it is important to see the limitations and not put too much weight on them.  It is also important not to mix ratios computed with different capacities.

7 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Where can one find those ratios?  I'm curious if my perceptions line up with the reality.

 

I agree Caribbean Princess felt crowded. 

 

There are several websites that have them, but I haven't seen one without errors so I tend to run the numbers myself if interested.  It is simply gross tonnage divided by passenger capacity.  Just make sure you are comparing dual occupancy to dual occupancy or max occupancy to max occupancy, or you get some useless results!

 

For reference, Caribbean Princess is around 36 at dual occupancy, so less than either Escape or Oasis.

Edited February 1, 2020 by AL3XCruise