Ship: what is "old"

[WannaCruise08]

For example, RC Rhapsody dates from 1997--is that "old"?? I just have no idea what the life expectancy of a ship is!

 

:o

[Essiesmom]

Old depends on your expectations. For those of us who started cruising in the 70's, on ships that were not new then, any ship less than 20 years old is 'new'. But because the bar has been raising steadily, in regards to size and amenities, many cruise regulars consider any ship older than five years to be 'old'. But consider this: There are many older, smaller ships sailing from Europe for cruise lines you have never heard of because they don't market over here. And for those people, when a US based cruise line, such as Carnival or Celebrity, send their oldest (and usually smallest) ships over there to sail for other brands, those people rejoice at the addition of a 'new' ship to their menu! Celebrity sent Zenith to Pulmantur in Spain last year, and they rejoiced; Carnival is sending their second oldest ship, Celebration to Spain this year, and she is eagerly awaited...Ships are not necessarily culled because they are old and worn out, but because with technology improving and prices rising, the economy of the carpool prevails: The more people you can put on a ship, the more economical it is to run. Plus, the newer the fuel efficiency, the more economical...Ships sailing from our ports typically spend more time getting to their first port, using fuel. So the smaller ships become a liability. But in the Med., distances can be shorter, ships spend more time in ports and less time sailing, so it is worth it to send the older, less fuel efficient ships there. EM

[cb at sea]

It's sort of like airplanes--they remain in service for years and years. The upkeep on a ship is rigorous, so they stay in good shape for a loooong time!

[WannaCruise08]

Thanks for the insight! What you said makes a lot of sense.

 

Appreciate it!

 

Maggie

:)

[wrp96]

I'd rather be on a well-kept up "older" ship than a "newer" ship that has not been kept up.

 

Most of the major cruiselines do a good job of keeping up even their "older" ships. The only reason to be concerned about an "older" ship versus a "newer" ship is there will sometimes be a difference in amenities available onboard and sometimes in cabin size. But even with their older ships, many of the cruiselines have been going through and updating those ships, and adding additional amenities.

 

For example, on RCCL their older ships tend to have smaller cabin sizes than their newer ships. And the older ships tend not to have specialty restaurants onboard or concierge lounges. Now, they've been slowly going back and adding specialty restaurants and concierge lounges to some of their older ships, but you can't do anything about cabin sizes. They even stretched one ship and added cabins and new features to the pool deck. I can tell you that they do a great job of keeping up their older ships, and I've had great cruises on some of those "older" ships (interspersed with cruises on their newer ships). In fact, my next cruise is on Rhapsody of the Seas - she's a great ship, well kept up, and I know I'll have a great time.

[Plant]

I'd rather be on a well-kept up "older" ship than a "newer" ship that has not been kept up.

 

Most of the major cruiselines do a good job of keeping up even their "older" ships. The only reason to be concerned about an "older" ship versus a "newer" ship is there will sometimes be a difference in amenities available onboard and sometimes in cabin size. But even with their older ships, many of the cruiselines have been going through and updating those ships, and adding additional amenities.

 

 

I agree! The age of the ship really isn't important to us. As long as it's well kept and service is good, we're happy! On all of our cruises there have been people scrubbing, painting, deep cleaning, etc., and just generally keeping the ship in shipshape!