No, not at all. I have no desire to go on a megaship. In fact, the more I cruise, the more I like smaller ships. For me, its not so much size of the ship, but the number of pax. I think around 2000 is about my limit.
I just dont care for crowds and I have to imagine the ports are just overwhelmed with crowds when one or more of the behemoths pull up and start to unload people.
Cruising is becoming just like resort hotels. There are the smaller boutique hotels and the mega-resorts. I'll take a 30 room beach hotel on a small island anyday over a 5000 room resort hotel. Granted, there wont be much to do, but that is exactly what I like in a vacation.
Short answer, I will not cruise on any megaship, ever. No matter what the line.
Tim
__________________
As a child, a library card takes you to exotic, faraway places. When you're grown up, a credit card does it.
-- Sam Ewing (Readers Digest, Dec, 1997)
We will be sailing on the Noordam in June and are afraid she will be much too large for us. So, the answer is we will have to resort to a row boat if all cruise ships become that large. We much prefer the smaller more "personal" ships. Don't like to stand in line and don't like to have to walk a mile to get somewhere on a ship.
No thank you! The first time I went on a Vista ship I thought it was too big, but after being on the Noordam a couple of times, I got used to it. I don't know if I'll ever go on the Eurodam - may just be too big for me.
Don't think so. DH already doesn't like the Vista class ships so we're looking to downsize next cruise. Maybe a private yacht charter? Oh, that's right, I didn't win the lottery!!
5400 souls?
I think not.
Carriers have crews and air groups that equal that.
Unless that ship is 2500 feet long, with a beam of 120 feet, displacing 400,000 tons...I'm not interested.
__________________
Dan
Peace through superior firepower.
We will be sailing on the Noordam in June and are afraid she will be much too large for us.
Not to worry! We LOVED the Noordam. She's laid out extremely well, IMO. They tweaked the Vista design on the Noordam and it's really nice.
We thoroughly enjoyed sailing the Prinsendam two times. The intimacy of the ship is really great. But we didn't find the Vistas to be overwhelming. They kept the passenger/space ratio very comfortable.
Don't think so. DH already doesn't like the Vista class ships so we're looking to downsize next cruise. Maybe a private yacht charter? Oh, that's right, I didn't win the lottery!!
It's funny, but I got a mailing the other day from one of the luxury lines ... Seabourne. The prices, while certainly much higher than HAL for a 14-day cruise, were not out of line. Of course, to sail a line like that I would definitely need to share the cabin with someone ... but with an all suite ship, I don't think sharing would present much of a hardship. When you consider that everything is included ... even gratuities and alcohol ... the price didn't seem all that far out of line.
Big Ships for HAL - nada. A MEGASHIP would not appeal to HAL's customer niche. My kiddo might make me take a 3 day inagueral to BTDT, but that's about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhannah
In the Fall of 2009 Royal Caribbean's Genesis Project ship is due. It will have 5,400 lower berths. Makes the new Eurodam appear paltry with 2,044.
Would you enjoy a ship this size if Holland America ever decided to join "the big boys?"
__________________
Amadeus:09 Diamond;Celebrity:10 Summit; HAL: 87 Rotterdam V,89 Nieuw Amsterdam II,93 Nordam III,94 Ryndam III,96 Westerdam III,99 Veendam IV,01 Maasdam V,02 Amsterdam III,03 Volendam III,03 Zuiderdam II,04 Westerdam IV,04 Oosterdam I,05 Zaandam III,06 Statendam V,06 Prinsendam II,07 Nordam IV,08 Eurodam I,08 Rotterdam VI,09 Veendam IV,09 Volendam,10 Nieuw Amsterdam IV,12 Ryndam III;11 P&O:Artemis;RC:07 Splendour of the Seas,11 Navigator of the Seas,12 Majesty of the Seas
Don't think so. DH already doesn't like the Vista class ships so we're looking to downsize next cruise. Maybe a private yacht charter? Oh, that's right, I didn't win the lottery!!
It's funny, but I got a mailing the other day from one of the luxury lines ... Seabourne. The prices, while certainly much higher than HAL for a 14-day cruise, were not out of line. Of course, to sail a line like that I would definitely need to share the cabin with someone ... but with an all suite ship, I don't think sharing would present much of a hardship. When you consider that everything is included ... even gratuities and alcohol ... the price didn't seem all that far out of line.
Blue skies ...
--rita
We have cruised on Seabourn twice. When you consider the final, all inclusive cost of the cruise, I dont think we really spent much more than we would have on a similar itinerary on HAL. Since we tend to drink a lot, and DW uses all of the spa offerings, we maximized the all-inclusive pricing benefit. I would guess the difference to be much less than $100 per day for 2 people. I didnt actually do the math.
Its a very nice cruising experience. If you enjoy HAL, I'm certain you would really enjoy Seabourn. If HAL keeps changing their ways and raising their prices, we will make the switch to Seabourn.
Tim
__________________
As a child, a library card takes you to exotic, faraway places. When you're grown up, a credit card does it.
-- Sam Ewing (Readers Digest, Dec, 1997)
If you enjoy HAL, I'm certain you would really enjoy Seabourn. If HAL keeps changing their ways and raising their prices, we will make the switch to Seabourn.
Tim
__________________
Amadeus:09 Diamond;Celebrity:10 Summit; HAL: 87 Rotterdam V,89 Nieuw Amsterdam II,93 Nordam III,94 Ryndam III,96 Westerdam III,99 Veendam IV,01 Maasdam V,02 Amsterdam III,03 Volendam III,03 Zuiderdam II,04 Westerdam IV,04 Oosterdam I,05 Zaandam III,06 Statendam V,06 Prinsendam II,07 Nordam IV,08 Eurodam I,08 Rotterdam VI,09 Veendam IV,09 Volendam,10 Nieuw Amsterdam IV,12 Ryndam III;11 P&O:Artemis;RC:07 Splendour of the Seas,11 Navigator of the Seas,12 Majesty of the Seas
I agree with everybody. Bigger is not always better. My favourite is The ryndam. it is the perfect size, almost everything is near you and there
are hardly any waiting .
RCCLs Freedom of the Seas is much too big for me. I would never consider paying to go on that ship. And anything bigger is just out of the question.
about 75,000 to 110,000 is a good size for me.
__________________
Kris
Booked Cruises
NCL Dawn 6/21/06 Bermuda
Past Cruises
10/30/08 X Constellation Caribbean
Costa Fortuna 3/08 Eastern Caribbean
Costa Magica 2/07 Western Caribbean
HAL Noordam 11/06 Eastern Caribbean
X Zenith 6/06 Bermuda
HAL Zuiderdam 5/05 Western Caribbean
HAL Maasdam 6/04 Canada/New England
CCL Triumph 12/03 Western Caribbean
CCL Victory 11/02 Eastern Caribbean
Ships that are over 100,000 GRT too larger for me. It doesn't mean I won't sail a larger ship but they aren't at the top of my list. The mega ships are basically Hilton's of the Sea and are no longer ships but rather "things" on the water. That's great and there are many who prefer that type of ship and the market is moving that way.
I'll take an S class ship any day.
Take care,
Mike
__________________ Cruisemates Community Leader/Moderator
"There is a great difference between being well traveled and just having been to many places." ~Me
Ships that are over 100,000 GRT too larger for me. It doesn't mean I won't sail a larger ship but they aren't at the top of my list.
I will admit that I guess I would sail a big ship, but only if I were part of a group who's sailing was on the bigger ship. For example, a writer's conference at sea or something of that nature. Otherwise, I wouldn't touch them simply because I think a single would get lost in the crowd and wind up not having a very good time. But if you were part of a group with programmed activities specifically for the group, then maybe it wouldn't be too bad.
Rita - Seabourn is fabulous! When you're ready to give it a try, let me know!
I'll tell you ... I might be tempted. The prices they were running in the mailing they sent me were two-for-one. I think a 14-day cruise on the Mexican Rivera was about $6,000 in the lowest category ... which on Seaborne still equals a suite.
Maybe 2009 if we can hook up a deal like that, it might be doable.
After all, since just about everything on Seaborne is included, the price would probably be pretty comparable to an equivalent mass market cruise.
Given the new Airbus jet is bigger than a football field, are the new ships about to become bigger than an island? OK folks, who can name the world's smallest island so we can find out?
Quote:
Originally Posted by earl
if the ships get any longer, you will need your passport to go from one end to the other
__________________
Amadeus:09 Diamond;Celebrity:10 Summit; HAL: 87 Rotterdam V,89 Nieuw Amsterdam II,93 Nordam III,94 Ryndam III,96 Westerdam III,99 Veendam IV,01 Maasdam V,02 Amsterdam III,03 Volendam III,03 Zuiderdam II,04 Westerdam IV,04 Oosterdam I,05 Zaandam III,06 Statendam V,06 Prinsendam II,07 Nordam IV,08 Eurodam I,08 Rotterdam VI,09 Veendam IV,09 Volendam,10 Nieuw Amsterdam IV,12 Ryndam III;11 P&O:Artemis;RC:07 Splendour of the Seas,11 Navigator of the Seas,12 Majesty of the Seas
Given the new Airbus jet is bigger than a football field, are the new ships about to become bigger than an island? OK folks, who can name the world's smallest island so we can find out?
"The smallest island in the world - according to the Guiness Book of Records - is Bishop Rock. It lies at the most south-westerly part of the United Kingdom. It is one of 1040 islands around Britain and only has a lighthouse on it. In 1861, the British government set out the parameters for classifying an island. It was decided that if it was inhabited, the size was immaterial. However, if it was uninhabited, it had to be "the summer's pasturage of at least one sheep" - which is about two acres."
"Bishop Rock, in the Isles of Scilly off southwest England, is sometimes called the world's smallest island, but this is an unwarranted claim based on an arbitrary 19th century bureaucratic classification scheme. It is impossible to determine an actual world's smallest island.
Under certain conditions, the criteria for an island—a fairly permanent piece of land surrounded by water and possessing substantial vegetation—can be met by an islet of less than 100 square feet."
__________________
Kris
Booked Cruises
NCL Dawn 6/21/06 Bermuda
Past Cruises
10/30/08 X Constellation Caribbean
Costa Fortuna 3/08 Eastern Caribbean
Costa Magica 2/07 Western Caribbean
HAL Noordam 11/06 Eastern Caribbean
X Zenith 6/06 Bermuda
HAL Zuiderdam 5/05 Western Caribbean
HAL Maasdam 6/04 Canada/New England
CCL Triumph 12/03 Western Caribbean
CCL Victory 11/02 Eastern Caribbean
Indeed Bishop Rock, now uninhabited, is the smallest of the islands. Our modern ships for years have actually been bigger than many islands. And, the populations they discharge daily have been larger than the native population of many islands they visit. Grand Turk comes to mind, among others. As we divers are stewards of the seas, so should we cruisers be the stewards of the rocks we visit. 8)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kristina99
Quote:
Originally Posted by Divemaster
Given the new Airbus jet is bigger than a football field, are the new ships about to become bigger than an island? OK folks, who can name the world's smallest island so we can find out?
"The smallest island in the world - according to the Guiness Book of Records - is Bishop Rock. It lies at the most south-westerly part of the United Kingdom. It is one of 1040 islands around Britain and only has a lighthouse on it. In 1861, the British government set out the parameters for classifying an island. It was decided that if it was inhabited, the size was immaterial. However, if it was uninhabited, it had to be "the summer's pasturage of at least one sheep" - which is about two acres."
"Bishop Rock, in the Isles of Scilly off southwest England, is sometimes called the world's smallest island, but this is an unwarranted claim based on an arbitrary 19th century bureaucratic classification scheme. It is impossible to determine an actual world's smallest island.
Under certain conditions, the criteria for an island—a fairly permanent piece of land surrounded by water and possessing substantial vegetation—can be met by an islet of less than 100 square feet."
__________________
Amadeus:09 Diamond;Celebrity:10 Summit; HAL: 87 Rotterdam V,89 Nieuw Amsterdam II,93 Nordam III,94 Ryndam III,96 Westerdam III,99 Veendam IV,01 Maasdam V,02 Amsterdam III,03 Volendam III,03 Zuiderdam II,04 Westerdam IV,04 Oosterdam I,05 Zaandam III,06 Statendam V,06 Prinsendam II,07 Nordam IV,08 Eurodam I,08 Rotterdam VI,09 Veendam IV,09 Volendam,10 Nieuw Amsterdam IV,12 Ryndam III;11 P&O:Artemis;RC:07 Splendour of the Seas,11 Navigator of the Seas,12 Majesty of the Seas
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