Crowds - any ship options for less crowds?

[65Mommy]

Are more cruise ships being built to accommodate the growing demand?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, 65Mommy said:

Are more cruise ships being built to accommodate the growing demand?

There are 60  new ships on the books 

https://www.cruiseindustrynewswire.com/pdf/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CIN2024_May_Orderbook.pdf

[hcat]

More and bigger ships,  but not  very many new ports!   The private islands will have to take on more pax!

[phoenix_dream]

20 hours ago, mnocket said:

 

Good to hear.  I keep reading about how the younger generations are being squeezed financially.  Sounds like that's not the case. 

I think they are being squeezed.  But they are putting it all on their credit cards, which have the largest debt in their history.  I keep thinking something has to give sooner or later

[phoenix_dream]

1 minute ago, hcat said:

More and bigger ships,  but not  very many new ports!   The private islands will have to take on more pax!

And this is also causing more and more ports to eliminate cruise stops altogether, or limit them to only the smallest ships or one per day.  And yet the various lines keep building them bigger and bigger and bigger.  It's very frustrating - ports we used to enjoy very much are now wall to wall people.  And there is no real market for the older ships these days - they are not big or modern enough.  So what happens with them?  More port crowding?

One wonders given the size of the ships and the size of the credit card debt if the day will come soon when the bookings start dropping considerably.  CEO's in general tend to do what is best for them right now to earn their bonus, figuring they won't still be around later when these decisions turn out to be disasters and the stocks start falling.  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

More and bigger ships,  but not  very many new ports!   The private islands will have to take on more pax!

I pass on the private islands and only do Caribbean ports if it is on a TA , not our thing 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I think they are being squeezed.  But they are putting it all on their credit cards, which have the largest debt in their history.  I keep thinking something has to give sooner or later

It will be 2009 all over again, some pretty good price for cruise than 🤣

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, Escruiser1962 said:

Well it was crowded, and I did intuitively avoid those times of year. That didn’t work. 

travel further and use local holidays to your advantage.

for example our grandson lives in Dallas and is already on summer vacation. In the UK schools don't finish until mid July so June and early July will be a lot less crowded.

Also some lines have adult only ships (P and O for example).

The longer the cruise the less kids also cruises that start and end in different ports.

[LouChamp]

9 hours ago, Escruiser1962 said:

Which upscale lines do you recommend? Thanks!

Aloha. Regent and Silversea not in any particular order. Have enjoyed Crystal but not sailed with them since they restarted. My parents sailed with them regularly when they first started and loved them so there are options it just depends on destinations, length of voyage etc etc. I still like Holland and we have several longer voyages scheduled with them but in general only longer cruises as there are less children and large affinity groups.  Hope my thoughts help! 

[NMTraveller]

You could always do a river cruise.  There were 150 cruisers on our last cruise ...  Better service, better food, etc...

Edited May 29 by NMTraveller

[the penguins]

9 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Regent and Silversea not in any particular order. Have enjoyed Crystal but not sailed with them since they restarted. My parents sailed with them regularly when they first started and loved them so there are options it just depends on destinations, length of voyage etc etc. I still like Holland and we have several longer voyages scheduled with them but in general only longer cruises as there are less children and large affinity groups.  Hope my thoughts help! 

HAL has also sold off it's smaller ships, Fred Olsen snapped up 1, possibly 2. 

[Tattycoram]

How about a Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic? You can even bring your dog because Cunard has kennels!  I believe they're the only line to do so.

 

(Other upsides:  By all reports, the QM2 never feels crowded and has virtually no lines.  

 

Downsides:  the kennels sell out far faster than the rooms.  And the TA departures are from Brooklyn, not your preferred Florida.)

[Escruiser1962]

1 minute ago, Tattycoram said:

How about a Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic? You can even bring your dog because Cunard has kennels!  I believe they're the only line to do so.

 

(Other upsides:  By all reports, the QM2 never feels crowded and has virtually no lines.  

 

Downsides:  the kennels sell out far faster than the rooms.  And the TA departures are from Brooklyn, not your preferred Florida.)

Interesting! Thanks for the info!

[Fly and Sail]

22 hours ago, asctony said:

You can now charge it. Years ago you had to pay via $CASH$.

 

When was that? Credit cards and financing has been around forever.

Edited May 29 by Fly and Sail

[ScottC4746]

On 5/25/2024 at 8:02 AM, Escruiser1962 said:

We just returned from the Summit last fall and Reflection this spring. We really don't want to return for another cruise with the crowds we've found when trying to find a table for meals and for trying to find a lounger anywhere. 

 

Are there any Celebrity or RCCL ships that are best for feeling less crowded? I think cruising is back to 100% which is great for cruiselines but not so much for vacationing on one. Thanks!

The Galapagos Islands has three ships Flora with 100, Xpedition with 48, and Xploration with 16, but as you can imagine with this itinerary, this is very expensive.

[asctony]

1 hour ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

When was that? Credit cards and financing has been around forever.

1986. Yes, CCs were available, but couldn't use. 

[Escruiser1962]

34 minutes ago, asctony said:

1986. Yes, CCs were available, but couldn't use. 

Well I know they’ve been used for at least 20 years. I used to book travel.

[C-Dragons]

18 minutes ago, Escruiser1962 said:

Well I know they’ve been used for at least 20 years. I used to book travel.

Escruiser does not live in the US.

Keep in mind that payment requirements are not always the same as in the US. 😉

Edited May 29 by C-Dragons

[Escruiser1962]

12 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Escruiser does not live in the US.

Keep in mind that payment requirements are not always the same as in the US. 😉

What the heck? Where do I live then? 😂

I live in Florida. 🙄 

[mrgabriel]

We find that repositioning cruises feel less crowded. People tend to settle in to whatever they're doing, especially on sea days, and there isn't the rush to get to breakfast before the ship docks, and likewise the crush of people wandering around when the ship sails from a port. 

[C-Dragons]

7 minutes ago, Escruiser1962 said:

What the heck? Where do I live then? 😂

I live in Florida. 🙄 

My apologies I mistyped. Of course I was referring to asctony.

[Escruiser1962]

6 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

My apologies I mistyped. Of course I was referring to asctony.

No worries

[asctony]

46 minutes ago, Escruiser1962 said:

Well I know they’ve been used for at least 20 years. I used to book travel.

This is 2024. 2024-20≠2004.

What difference does it make now?

Without CCs how would we service? LOL

[Escruiser1962]

Just now, asctony said:

This is 2024. 2024-20≠2004.

What difference does it make now?

Without CCs how would we service? LOL

Read the whole thread. 

[Tom and Ingrid]

20 hours ago, Escruiser1962 said:

Exactly - that's what I have come away with since posting. I appreciate your responses.

I wish you luck in those other areas as well. 😞

 

In the US, the National Parks are overflowing and poor folks wait in lines for hours to enter some of the best (or circle endlessly in the parking lots after getting in). Venice, Amsterdam, and many  other world cities are considering or already enacting measures to address overcrowding. Natural resource issues or extreme weather plague several cities/regions nowadays like Barcelona, Mexico City, and others.  Gone are the days of Rick Steves' easy to find "back doors" to travel.

 

There are great opportunities out there to get off a beaten path and/or to explore at a slower, less hectic pace, and there is one super easy path - spend a LOT more MONEY for it - and one tougher (but economical) path - spend a LOT more TIME planning & researching.   

 

It all can be done - in cruising it is super simple and just involves the more exclusive cruise lines. Heck, Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons are joining the mix, and the Celebrity Galapagos ships are a great example of fewer (passengers) is more (relaxing).  

 

For us, it's more of setting reasonable expectations and also having the relative freedom to plan around the worst time - summer and US school holidays. 

 

Good luck in any case - taking a break, adjusting expectations, or going more upscale. We all need vacations, so I hope yours are great ones.