Does size matter when it comes to cruising?
The answer depends on who you ask. For many, large cruise ships such as Royal Caribbean‘s Allure of the Seas is just right, while others prefer the intimacy of a small ship such as the 490 passenger Seven Seas Navigator from Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Whatever your ship taste is, there’s a vessel for everyone.
The largest ship I was on is the current holder of the “world’s largest” title – Allure of the Seas. Originally planned as a 7-day cruise, the trip was shortened to a 5-day journey due to a storm lingering in the Caribbean which prompted the cruise line to delay the return of the previous cruise.
I took that cruise to chalk “sail on the largest cruise ship in the world” off the cruising to-do list. While the ship was beautiful, the two-story Crown Loft Suite simply amazing, and the food somewhat so-so, I did not feel as crowded as I thought I would being on a ship that holds more than 6,000 vacationers.
That’s a good thing.
Granted, there were times when I did stand in line for longer than I wanted to, or felt the occasional “get me out of here” need to find a secluded spot devoid of people, but that is to be expected when on a ship of that size.
The second largest cruise ship I was on was another one of Royal Caribbean’s – Quantum of the Seas. While not the size of Allure or Oasis of the Seas, Quantum and sister-ship Anthem of the Seas, are pretty close. I enjoyed the time I spent onboard Quantum and never felt like I was one of the 5,000 onboard.
The smallest ship I’ve had the pleasure of sailing on, several times, is the previously mentioned Seven Seas Navigator. With just under 500 guests, the service and attention to detail you get is second to none. But, on the other side of the coin, you need to keep reminding yourself that the ship is small and there are less things to see and do while onboard.
There’s no question that cruise lines are going to keep building ships that are bigger and bolder. It’s what the majority of cruise fans expect and want. They want a waterpark at sea, ropes courses, two dozen different dining venues, more bars than you can count and attractions such as the FlowRiders, skydiving simulators, iMax theaters and whatever else they can dream up and put onboard.
Cruise ships are becoming more and more destinations in themselves and ports-of-call secondary, whereas years ago, you boarded a ship to experience the stops on land.
While Allure, Oasis and the soon-to-be-launched Harmony of the Seas from Royal Caribbean hold the title for the largest cruise ships, Carnival Corporation and plc recently announced they are building ships that will accommodate more passengers than Royal’s Oasis-class fleet, but will be smaller by gross tons.
The Oasis-class ships weigh in at 225,282 gross tons and have a maximum capacity of 6,296 passengers. The ships Carnival Corp announced they are building will weigh in at 180,000 gross tons but will have a passenger capacity of 6,600. Now before Carnival Cruise Line fans get excited about this, two of the four ships ordered are confirmed to be going to Carnival’s AIDA Cruises brand and the other two speculatively going to Carnival’s Costa Cruises brand.
Carnival Corporation has more ships on order, but they have not announced which brand those additional ships will be built for, but as of now Carnival Cruise Line will not be seeing one of these four mega-ships being built in Germany.
One interesting side note concerning these four new ships: they will all be powered using liquified natural gas, or LNG. These will be the first cruise ships to be powered by LNG and usher in an new era of “green cruising.” According to Cruise Industry News, these new ships will “use LNG in dual-powered hybrid engines to power the ship both in port and on the open sea. LNG will be stored onboard and used to generate 100 percent power at sea. Using LNG to power the ships in port and at sea will eliminate emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides.”
For those wondering which lines have the biggest ships, here’s the top 10 largest cruise ships:
- 10. Norwegian Breakaway, 146,600 gross tons, 3,988 passenger
- 9. Queen Mary 2, 148,529 gross tons, 3,090 passenger
- 8. Freedom of the Seas, 154,407 gross tons, 4,475 passengers
- 7. Liberty of the Seas, 154,407 gross tons, 4,475 passengers
- 6. Independence of the Seas, 154,407 gross tons, 4,375 passengers
- 5. Norwegian Epic, 155,873 gross tons, 5,183 passengers
- 4. Quantum of the Seas, 168-666 gross tons, 4,905 passengers
- 3. Anthem of the Seas, 168,666 gross tons, 4,905 passengers
- 2. Oasis of the Seas, 225,282 gross tons, 6,296 passengers
- 1. Allure of the Seas, 225,282 gross tons, 6,296 passengers
The new Carnival Corporation subsidiary ships will not take away Royal Caribbean’s legacy of having the largest ships at sea. When the third Oasis-class ship, Harmony of the Seas launches in 2016, it will be slightly larger than Oasis and Allure weighing in at 227,000 gross tons and will accommodate 6,360 passengers and will take over the title of “world’s largest.”
So does size matter? For me, my sweet spot is ships that accommodate 2,000 – 2,500 passengers, What is it for you? Share in the comments!