what do the larger ships have that the smaller ones don't?

[lazydayz]

35 minutes ago, KarmaCruisers said:

I’ve been on almost all of the carnival ship classes (excel coming next month) and I like all of them except:

Spirit Class - only two dining choices, on a 7+ day cruise!?

Vista Class - poorly designed guest areas (seems like a size 12 foot shoved into a size 6 shoe)

 

We were recently on the Pride and enjoyed the MDR, Sushi place, and Steakhouse.  There is also Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana, etc.  So a lot more than two dining choices.  We always found plenty of good food and interesting choices. 

 

Not a match for all the choices on MG or Celebration, but a whole lot quicker to get around, get off and on the ship, etc.  

[hard_eight]

The Excel class is just another whole animal. Entertainment, bars, and restaurants everywhere. While I do like them, they are HUGE and it takes some planning to not have to spend most of your day walking to and fro.

 

The best thing about the Excel class, the huge Non-smoking casino area. Going on the Horizon in Nov...can't wait to be seated with a bunch of smokers again.🤢 

[sid_9169]

So far, the Excel class is the only one with Shaqs Big Chicken, so that's enough to keep me on Carnival's newest ships...

[Cruisegoer]

Balconies!!!  The oldest of the fleet, mostly under 100,000 tons have very few balcony cabins.

[skywalkr2]

The reason I prefer Carnival to Royal is because Carnival is inside out and Royal is more than likely outside in.  I want to be on a cruise... not a resort.  Same reason why I prefer small to medium sized ships.

 

That being said even the largest Carnival cruises I have been on... still emphasize the ocean.  

 

Also cove balconies are the best.

Edited August 31, 2023 by skywalkr2

[skywalkr2]

24 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

So far, the Excel class is the only one with Shaqs Big Chicken, so that's enough to keep me on Carnival's newest ships...

 I work in Philadelphia and we have that restaurant on site... so fortunately I don't need to have it on my cruise itinerary must haves 😉

[Theosprey247]

5 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

So far, the Excel class is the only one with Shaqs Big Chicken, so that's enough to keep me on Carnival's newest ships...

The Radiance has the Big Chicken which I like more than Guy’s. 

[Joebucks]

In my opinion, people exaggerate the "bigger ships have bigger crowds." Sure there is some truth to it. However, I really think people have a mental block knowing that there are more people on the ship that gets to them more than the actual crowds do. Crowds with bigger ships have more venues and more space. 

 

After many Carnival cruises, I felt the experience was getting a bit stale. However, after sailing the Celebration, I find myself itching to go back. The amount of food options dwarfs the smaller ships, and Shaq's and street eats were bit hits for me. Same with the number of bars. Latitudes was a great addition for me.

 

On sea days, we usually spend most of our time in Serenity. This Serenity was big and beautiful, with plenty of seats. I didn't feel any different "connection to sea." I saw it just the same. The comedy clubs were small, but that was addressed with multiple shows. Pizza wasn't any bigger, but had more staff, and faster service than other ships. There are more room choices. More everything. Sure grand central could be rethought, but overall, it was small potatoes. 

[angelsfort]

23 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

So far, the Excel class is the only one with Shaqs Big Chicken, so that's enough to keep me on Carnival's newest ships...

 

I find it hilarious that when I do a search for the nearest location to me, the only result within Florida is the Mardi Gras!  🤣

Shaqs Big chicken.pdf

Edited September 1, 2023 by angelsfort

[Sarcastic Mama]

Roller Coasters!  I like the larger ships.  We cruise with groups and there are all ages.  For us the larger ship tends to cover needs and entertainment for everyone.  

[ChuckF]

We love the Ocean Plaza, so Dream Class is #1 for us. Vista Class has an Ocean Plaza, and the same feel as the Dream Class, only more people makes it seem more crowded. Only do a Vista with a Havana room, or a good itinerary. 

[Teresa T. C.]

On 8/30/2023 at 3:15 PM, angelsfort said:

 

 

but I'm wondering why?!  How do they differ other than sheer size and guest capacity?   Are there more venues / shows on the larger ships?  few bars on the smaller ships?

 

 

Ok, so I just took an Elite trip in August and we were on the Celebration.  Before that, I had mostly cruised on board the Sunshine which is an older ship that sails outside of Charleston.  

Impressions/Pros: Celebration was huge, the embarkation at Miami was very nice, we literally got out of the chauffeured black car and immediately they took our luggage and we went in the port.  Then it was similar to Charleston as we took our paper, showing as we went.  Finally, after the initial sign in, they sent us to the Platinum/Diamond area where they have very nice seating to wait until we could board. 

After boarding, the areas on the ship were, of course, much larger.  One of my favorite things about Celebration (a much bigger ship than Sunshine) was that there were rehearsals and shows that you could watch without a ticket as they were out in the main area.   Literally, you could come out of the casino and see a show being performed.  

Another big plus for me is their cooking academies.  I took a cupcake cooking class and it was SOOOOO much fun!  They taught us how to make the molten cake and their special frosting.  You are taught by one of their chefs.  

Next, we didn't have to pay for Cucina.  On Celebration Cucina is one of your free dining options.  You check in on your phone and then go sit down to eat.  The same exact food I spend 18$ a person on Sunshine.  

If you love to shop - then bigger ships will help you do that.  There were several shops on Celebration and we only have four options on Sunshine (if I remember correctly). 

The casinos are bigger and do have way more machines if you gamble. You could usually find a seat at one of your favorite machines as they have several of the ones that stay packed on other smaller ships. 

The rooms are new and the toilet does not sit sideways (as it does on Sunshine, which drives hubby crazy!)

As for pools, on Sunshine there are two. One small one on lido and one tiny one on the adult only area.  On Celebration, there are four.  Most of them are mid size.

 

Impressions/Cons: Celebration does have a much larger capacity and therefore, there were a ton of people on board.  

As we are talking about people, the people who cruised on the same cruise as me on Celebration were not as nice as people I have cruised out of Charleston with.  It could be that we just had more rude people on board or Charleston cruisers are just more friendly.  There were several who very rude to the staff - acting more entitled, which drives me nuts.  

On Sunshine I felt like the casino attendants are more personable and usually came to speak to me every day, offering comps, and just saying hello.  On Celebration since it is a bigger ship, I am sure there are way more people who spend more than I do, so I only saw my casino host maybe every other day, if lucky, and comps were not as good.

 

Overall, I would go back on a larger ship as I really liked the cooking academy and the shows that were free to all and accommodated any who wanted to watch.  However, with those two things said, I have two cruises booked on Sunshine and none yet on others.  Does that tell you where my heart is?

Edited September 2, 2023 by Teresa T. C.

[Teresa T. C.]

On 8/31/2023 at 7:36 AM, Drazil65 said:

 We do not sail on smaller/older ships (we will do Sunshine as that is a quick hitter for us to drive to port) as they are just that for us, smaller/older (been there done that) and it shows.  

I began on Sunshine and continue to love it for the people I sail with.  I have made many cruise friends on Sunshine and most of the people on Celebration were not as friendly.  I did meet two couples but I met them in the specialty restaurant and not out and about.   Also faster for me, as I live in Johnson City, TN and have family in Hickory NC.  Also it is where my alma mater is - MUSC!

Edited September 2, 2023 by Teresa T. C.

[FastShip24]

On 8/30/2023 at 2:42 PM, csm5986142 said:

Most of my answers have already been given (just more options across the board - entertainment, lots of included in fare food venues, plus the Excel class ships have Grand Central which is another entertainment venue but very cool with a window view (when the LED screens are open) that spans 3 floors, etc.).  The technology is pretty amazing.  It's just a great comfortable area to hang out.

My first time on Mardi Gras a crew member told me, "on the smaller ships I can get to work in 3 minutes, on this one it takes me at least 15 minutes".  I thought that was funny, but it's true.  The Excel class ships are just so big and spread out it takes a while to navigate.  And I like the fact that I don't keep running into the same passengers.

Having said all that, as much as I love the shiny new big ships, we still happily sail on most of the smaller ones (not a huge fan of the Fantasy class but the rest are great).  Now that we've been on nearly all the ships, we care more about itenerary and departure port than ship class.

I think it depends on what you want to get out of your vacation.  We aren't looking for a lot of adventure or to be entertained every minute - we mostly want to rest and relax away from work, get a little sun, and any ship works well for that.  

 

 

Wow

[angelsfort]

On 9/2/2023 at 1:42 PM, Teresa T. C. said:

Overall, I would go back on a larger ship as I really liked the cooking academy and the shows that were free to all and accommodated any who wanted to watch.  However, with those two things said, I have two cruises booked on Sunshine and none yet on others.  Does that tell you where my heart is?

 

I think you just sold me on the larger ships...  I would LOVE to take a cooking class (or two!) while on board!  And it sounds wonderful to be able to watch the rehearsals of the shows, I think I'd really enjoy that!

we're not gamblers - on our last cruise, we allotted $20 for each of us to spend in the casino and had a good time using it up (winning and then losing it LOL) but once it was gone, so were we...  we'd head off to do other things.

I also like to hide things for others to find while on board and it seemed like I was struggling to find somewhere "new" to hide things as the cruise progressed....   the larger ships will give me more room to spread out my wings!  (ducks, of course but I also make keychains and tumblers and other cute things to hide all around...  if someone has a special door decoration that catches my eye, I have magnets to pop onto their doors to show my appreciation!)

 

thanks for the "in detail" post, it was appreciated!

[angelsfort]

On 9/2/2023 at 4:49 PM, fyree39 said:

I've found that most Carnival ships feel very crowded. Just off the Panorama and I was dodging people constantly. I'll be on the Miracle in a few weeks and hope it feels more open with much, much better flow, particularly around the buffet area. I think most of the mass market lines are putting in more cabins to accommodate more passengers per cruise. We're looking at small ship experiences for this very reason: no crush at the pool, the buffet, the theater or the bar. We still have cruises booked on Mardi Gras and Firenze, which are hardly small ships, and a B2B on the Radiance, which was upgraded to more passengers per sqft. My biggest hope for less crowds is the Miracle on Carnival and the Eclipse on Celebrity, both happening this year.

 

Good luck!  I'll be on the lookout for a review from you on the Miracle!

[Indytraveler83]

For me it's not small vs big per say.  It's about ship design of public spaces.  

 

I personally find the Conquest and Dream classes the least desirable.  Both of them seem to have a few, but very large public areas that make the ship feel very crowded.

 

The Spirit class has quite a few public spaces, and rarely are there enough passengers to fill them.  The Vista class has smaller spaces(relative to ship size), but a LOT of them, making it feel like there are a ton of choices and making it feel like there's always somewhere that isn't crowded to escape if needed.

 

But it really depends on what you are looking for.  As pointed out above, the Dream class may have the best spa, and the uninterrupted lanai is another strong point.  If you are looking for a true throwback experience and a reminder of earlier days, the remaining fantasy class ships are a strong option.

[tidecat]

On 8/31/2023 at 1:51 PM, sid_9169 said:

So far, the Excel class is the only one with Shaqs Big Chicken, so that's enough to keep me on Carnival's newest ships...

Carnival Radiance says hi.

[icft]

It is different strokes for different folks.

 

We like to feel at sea. We like to feel the ship move. We also prefer that the natives of the places we dock outnumber the tourists. And we really don't like sharing the 300 loungers on the beach with 4,000 of our closest friends. Then there is the personal connection with various crew that gets lost when they interact with with two or three times the number of people each day.

[CruizinSusan70]

One of the better things about the Excel Class is that they have the capability of doing both family and adult comedy shows at the same time.  Nobody else in the industry does comedy like Carnival does and the fact that the Excel Class has two different comedy showrooms is a major plus.

 

Some cruisers that have exclusively sailed on Carnival may not like the Excel Class because those ships are so much larger than the rest of the fleet.  The Excel Class is similar in many aspects to some of the newer builds on RCI or NCL.  Carnival was stagnant before the Excel Class came out and now there is a class of ship that can draw cruisers from their competition that in the past would never choose to sail on Carnival.  In the end it's a good thing because it gives people choices.  Some like the older ships, but they are in our rear view mirror.  

Edited September 6, 2023 by CruizinSusan70

[skywalkr2]

11 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Some like the older ships, but they are in our rear view mirror.  

 

Do you mean "our" as in you and your family? Or in general?  Because obviously Carnival will continue to maintain smaller boats.  Especially for ports outside Florida (NYC, Baltimore, etc).

[CruizinSusan70]

31 minutes ago, skywalkr2 said:

 

Do you mean "our" as in you and your family? Or in general?  Because obviously Carnival will continue to maintain smaller boats.  Especially for ports outside Florida (NYC, Baltimore, etc).

Our as in my DH and myself.  We currently have 2 different B2B's on the Celebration as well as a 10 day sailing on the Venezia next May.  No other Carnival bookings for mid 2024 or beyond.  Princess is our new primary cruise line of choice with their new Sphere Class ships that are based on the Excel Class platform, but are about 5K less gross tons and will have about 2000 less people.  They are the Sun and the Star.

[skywalkr2]

17 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Our as in my DH and myself.  We currently have 2 different B2B's on the Celebration as well as a 10 day sailing on the Venezia next May.  No other Carnival bookings for mid 2024 or beyond.  Princess is our new primary cruise line of choice with their new Sphere Class ships that are based on the Excel Class platform, but are about 5K less gross tons and will have about 2000 less people.  They are the Sun and the Star.

 

I'm on the 10 day in April on Venezia.  Doing a quick 7 day starting next Saturday to be ready for the 10 day lol.

[n6uqqq]

On 9/2/2023 at 1:49 PM, fyree39 said:

I've found that most Carnival ships feel very crowded. Just off the Panorama and I was dodging people constantly. I'll be on the Miracle in a few weeks and hope it feels more open with much, much better flow, particularly around the buffet area. I think most of the mass market lines are putting in more cabins to accommodate more passengers per cruise. We're looking at small ship experiences for this very reason: no crush at the pool, the buffet, the theater or the bar. We still have cruises booked on Mardi Gras and Firenze, which are hardly small ships, and a B2B on the Radiance, which was upgraded to more passengers per sqft. My biggest hope for less crowds is the Miracle on Carnival and the Eclipse on Celebrity, both happening this year.

If you don't like big crowds the Miracle will be good for you. Yes, it will be gawdy and outdated compared to the Panorama but the flow around the buffet is good. The Radiance seemed just as crowded or more crowded than the Panorama to me, especially with the narrow chokepoints around Guy's and Blue Iguana being ridiculously narrow. For a nice uncrowded walk try deck three exterior on the Miracle. You can walk around almost the entire ship outside including the very aft behind the MDR. In the front you can go inside and continue around Gatsby's Garden and complete a loop. Deck 10 is similar for walking around almost the entire ship. I will be on the Miracle for the 8th time on Nov 2nd for a quick 5 day cruise. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by n6uqqq

[Haljo1935]

13 hours ago, skywalkr2 said:

 

I'm on the 10 day in April on Venezia.  Doing a quick 7 day starting next Saturday to be ready for the 10 day lol.

Next Sat as in Sept 16? On Venezia?