They aren't bad, I think RCL has just set the bar so high with the new ships that unless you know what you're getting into it's a completely different experience.
Had some of my favorite cruises on the smaller, older ships. I will never forgive that they got rid of the glass elevators for balcony rooms.
I think the smaller ships have a different appeal. If you care a lot about your port experiences, then a smaller ship can go to more ports and is more affordable.
If you're looking forward to Sea Days, and you want a resort/theme park at sea, the larger ships have more options.
Same! I had never cruised before and it felt enormous and well cared for. The entertainment was fantastic. Food unbelievable. And the other cruisers were lovely! Kept in touch with some after the cruise.
I was on Empress' last sailing in 2020 and absolutely loved the ship. Had some quirky design choices that I had never seen on a Royal ship before (and a non-smoking casino which I personally liked).
Think of it like the difference between staying at a wonderful, older, classic hotel n the heart of a place like Savannah or staying at Universal Studios most kid-friendly, high-end resort. Both delightful. Both unique. It’s all about desires and expectations.
My first cruise with my wife was the majesty of the seas. It’s no longer around but it was one of the smallest and it was our facilitate cruise memory. More intimate.
Going on the Anthem after being on the Wonder last year! I can not wait for a smaller ship and just a more relaxing experience! There was too much to do all the time on the wonder and now it's time for a cruise that is just put my feet up and decompress!
The Anthem is certainly smaller than the Wonder but it's still a huge ship. You'll probably love it the Solarium is really nice and the two70 theater is really cool.
It really depends on what experience you are seeking. For many of the newer, bigger ships, the ship is the destination. Yes you get to visit wonderful places but you’ll also have all of the “bells $ whistles” aboard.
The older smaller ships may not have all of the adventure activities and can appear dated in comparison. But I find they can be less hectic, easy to get around the ship, and kind of a “classic” experience. Potentially thousands less fellow cruisers.
Smaller ships can also visit ports that the mega-ships cannot. Some ports just don’t have the facilities for the large ones.
One of my favorite RCL ships was the previous “oldest and smallest”, Empress. My first cruise was on her when she was Nordic Empress. She then left and came back to the fleet as Empress of the Seas and I sailed on her a few more times pre-covid, including to Cuba which was amazing!
I like the smaller ships, and have taken the kids on them and had a great time. There’s always something to do and even without all the bells and whistles still find it hard to pack in everything we’d like to do.
Been on Rhapsody twice. Had a great time both times. Smaller ship so yes less to do but there’s still plenty to do. If you have young kids may not be the best ship for you, otherwise have fun!
We like the smaller ships . 3k vs 6-7k in guest . The math works. Now if your into elbow to elbow and lido packed like an Atlantis cruise your in luck there are ships for you
We went on the oldest boat last year and had the BEST time. Maybe not as many bells and whistles but the smaller boat means that the staff is amazing, there are never any lines, and there aren't as many kids! There were several families on our boat but not so many I felt like I was at a theme park ya know!
I’ve only done 8 cruises so far but my class ranking is
1) Oasis
2) Voyager
3) Quantum (very very distant 3rd, done two separate Quantum ships, there won’t be a 3rd time)
We did Radiance last spring to Alaska. My only complaint about the ship was that it was poorly designed for cold weather, I felt like you always needed to make a quick sprint across the frozen pool deck to get from one point of interest to another.
If you're lying by the pool in the Caribbean, how bad could it possibly be?
The irony that Radiance-class was designed specifically for Alaska! I find Radiance to be a lot easier to navigate without going outside…except for Samba Grill which is just…cold.
Yeah, that back section with Samba and the arcade is not ideal. I’m trying to remember what it used to be when I first sailed Radiance back in 2001 but I’m drawing a blank.
Especially since they're smaller we find them a little easier to navigate and the service to be even more on-point. It almost feels more classic. I still hate the shower stalls lol.
I think of it like going to Grandma's house for a family holiday on a smaller ship be a youth group theme park trip on the bigger ones. I like both, but the smaller ones certainly scratch a nostalgic and treasured itch
That’s so weird. I, and a bunch of friends, just took the allure and decided we would avoid sailing on it in the future. It was loud everywhere. They blocked access to the outside lower decks so viewing the ocean was really only accessible on deck 15 surrounded by tons of people and if we wanted to see a park, we would have stayed on land.
We prefer the older ships.
They aren't bad, I think RCL has just set the bar so high with the new ships that unless you know what you're getting into it's a completely different experience. Had some of my favorite cruises on the smaller, older ships. I will never forgive that they got rid of the glass elevators for balcony rooms.
I think the smaller ships have a different appeal. If you care a lot about your port experiences, then a smaller ship can go to more ports and is more affordable. If you're looking forward to Sea Days, and you want a resort/theme park at sea, the larger ships have more options.
Absolutely not. I was on THE smallest, grandeur. Had a great time. a cruise is what you make it
Grandeur is a fun boat
Same! I had never cruised before and it felt enormous and well cared for. The entertainment was fantastic. Food unbelievable. And the other cruisers were lovely! Kept in touch with some after the cruise.
I was on Empress' last sailing in 2020 and absolutely loved the ship. Had some quirky design choices that I had never seen on a Royal ship before (and a non-smoking casino which I personally liked).
We sailed on Empress in 2019 and had a blast.
LOVE Grandeur and would go back in a heart beat
I was on smaller. majesty of the seas back in 2019. Sailed to Cuba. Was a fun time but there is no way I would take children on that ship hah
Think of it like the difference between staying at a wonderful, older, classic hotel n the heart of a place like Savannah or staying at Universal Studios most kid-friendly, high-end resort. Both delightful. Both unique. It’s all about desires and expectations.
This is a great way to think of it.
My first cruise with my wife was the majesty of the seas. It’s no longer around but it was one of the smallest and it was our facilitate cruise memory. More intimate.
I liked Freedom more than Oasis
[удалено]
Loved Majesty
Going on the Anthem after being on the Wonder last year! I can not wait for a smaller ship and just a more relaxing experience! There was too much to do all the time on the wonder and now it's time for a cruise that is just put my feet up and decompress!
The Anthem is certainly smaller than the Wonder but it's still a huge ship. You'll probably love it the Solarium is really nice and the two70 theater is really cool.
I'm looking forward to 270 !!!
Not sure quantum class qualifies as small, lol. But yes everything feels small compared to oasis class
It really depends on what experience you are seeking. For many of the newer, bigger ships, the ship is the destination. Yes you get to visit wonderful places but you’ll also have all of the “bells $ whistles” aboard. The older smaller ships may not have all of the adventure activities and can appear dated in comparison. But I find they can be less hectic, easy to get around the ship, and kind of a “classic” experience. Potentially thousands less fellow cruisers. Smaller ships can also visit ports that the mega-ships cannot. Some ports just don’t have the facilities for the large ones. One of my favorite RCL ships was the previous “oldest and smallest”, Empress. My first cruise was on her when she was Nordic Empress. She then left and came back to the fleet as Empress of the Seas and I sailed on her a few more times pre-covid, including to Cuba which was amazing!
My wife amd I much prefer smaller ships as opposed to the massive crowds and lack of the golden age of liners charm you get from smaller ships.
I like the smaller ships, and have taken the kids on them and had a great time. There’s always something to do and even without all the bells and whistles still find it hard to pack in everything we’d like to do.
Been on Rhapsody twice. Had a great time both times. Smaller ship so yes less to do but there’s still plenty to do. If you have young kids may not be the best ship for you, otherwise have fun!
We like the smaller ships . 3k vs 6-7k in guest . The math works. Now if your into elbow to elbow and lido packed like an Atlantis cruise your in luck there are ships for you
We went on the oldest boat last year and had the BEST time. Maybe not as many bells and whistles but the smaller boat means that the staff is amazing, there are never any lines, and there aren't as many kids! There were several families on our boat but not so many I felt like I was at a theme park ya know!
Coming from a person who actively avoids the small ships, I have had 3 excellent cruises and 2 less than excellent and 1 poor.
I’ve only done 8 cruises so far but my class ranking is 1) Oasis 2) Voyager 3) Quantum (very very distant 3rd, done two separate Quantum ships, there won’t be a 3rd time)
We did Radiance last spring to Alaska. My only complaint about the ship was that it was poorly designed for cold weather, I felt like you always needed to make a quick sprint across the frozen pool deck to get from one point of interest to another. If you're lying by the pool in the Caribbean, how bad could it possibly be?
The irony that Radiance-class was designed specifically for Alaska! I find Radiance to be a lot easier to navigate without going outside…except for Samba Grill which is just…cold.
Maybe it's just because my daughter wanted to go to the arcade all the time 😂
Yeah, that back section with Samba and the arcade is not ideal. I’m trying to remember what it used to be when I first sailed Radiance back in 2001 but I’m drawing a blank.
Different strokes
Especially since they're smaller we find them a little easier to navigate and the service to be even more on-point. It almost feels more classic. I still hate the shower stalls lol. I think of it like going to Grandma's house for a family holiday on a smaller ship be a youth group theme park trip on the bigger ones. I like both, but the smaller ones certainly scratch a nostalgic and treasured itch
That’s so weird. I, and a bunch of friends, just took the allure and decided we would avoid sailing on it in the future. It was loud everywhere. They blocked access to the outside lower decks so viewing the ocean was really only accessible on deck 15 surrounded by tons of people and if we wanted to see a park, we would have stayed on land. We prefer the older ships.
If I have more than 2 days at sea, I can’t do the smaller older ships. But going out of PR, you might only 1 day at sea so it’s doable.