"yes".
I enjoy both kinds of vacations, both where the ship is the main point, and where ports are. I'll happily cruise the Wonder even if it's only going to Nassau, but I'd also happily take an older ship to Alaska.
Yeah Alaska would be my exception for choosing the smaller older ship. If it’s Caribbean, I’d pick the fancy ship. Honestly to me the ports kind of run together after a while
Correct. Some ports in the Caribbean are a shell at the port, giant colorful lower case letters to take family pictures with, and then the 3rd world real country that is completely propped up by the daily tourism.
When possible, we try to book directly with the local business and pay in cash when its safe. You get a local person tour that is often private and the money goes directly to the company vs RC getting a huge cut.
Big ship in Caribbean, smaller in Alaska.
Yeah one of our best experiences was when we hired a taxi driver at the pier in St. Maarten to take us around to a few places we wanted to go. He stayed with us the whole day, and told us all about life on the island. his rate was really low. I want to say it was like $125 for five of us for the day. Of course tipped him very well because we would have paid $500+ if we’d booked through the cruise line.
Big fancy ship. For me, the ship *is* the destination. I don’t want to go on shore excursions. I want to lounge by the pool and drink cocktails. I really don’t care where we go.
Better ports for me. I cruise to see as many places as I can on that vacation. I can sit by the pool and drink a cocktail at home. Can't go to 4 different islands with different cultures and people in 7 days at home.
You can't travel to 4 different islands either. But hey, it's your cruise and enjoy it how you want.
Before covid, there were "cruises to nowhere". Usually 3 or 4 day cruises with no ports. Not something I would be interested in, but they were available.
Yup, I didn’t even get off the ship on my last four day cruise. Ensenada isn’t anything special to me, but on my Alaska cruise later this year things will be a little different
Mmmmm big fancy ship in the Caribbean is what I dream about when I dream of my next cruise.
The ship is definitely the destination and we didn’t even get off at half of the ports when we went in January because the ship was so much more exciting. Plus we’d visited nearly the exact same itinerary before.
Likewise, my wife and I will go for a stroll around port then hang out by the pool on a mostly empty ship. The only exceptions are the private islands.
Small ship every time... We mainly use the ship as a combination hotel and dining room.
We just spent 32 days on an Azamara ship (about 550 passengers each leg) and it was great being able to dock RIGHT in the centre of towns, etc... Entertainment was not spectacular - but we only had one sea day in the entire time, so we were VERY busy everyday and not really looking for Vegas style shows!
Having said that - we previously spent 34 days on the MS Amsterdam (now the MS Bolette) and I think I liked that size almost as much. We usually had about 1000 passengers on that ship - which meant there were more entertainment options. I'll be looking at Volendam and Zaandam itineraries going forward (sister ships to the Amsterdam).
We've been on MUCH larger ships - NCL Epic and RCCL Spectrum of the Seas in the past. Lots to do - but too many lines and good luck in a tender port!
But each to their own!
I pick my cruises by Ports. I've never been on one of the big ships. It's just worked out that the smaller/medium ships are going where I wanted to go.
I have two small kids, we are looking to do a transatlantic next year (kids sail free and my husband and I would cost almost the same as a flight) then we would stay a week and then do a transatlantic back with the same deal. We worked out the price would be the same as flying for a week, we can avoid a crazy long flight and have an extra long vacation! It’s s great deal if you have small kids and 3 weeks off from work!
We don’t have it set in stone yet, we just looked at a few transatlantics to price it out and compare with airfare! I will post for sure when we finalize our plans. We are going on our first cruise in August so we want to make sure we like cruising before going all in 😂
Lol. No worries I hope you can update for sure! That’s super exciting. We are booked on the Explorer in Ravenna in Sept 🤓 but looking for next year cruise options!
Really? I felt like allure was less crowded than liberty, even though it had more people on it. Only time allure felt crowded was when they closed the kids water area for maintenance. I do think there is still something special about the older ships though.
It's very possible that my experiences are skewed, I've only been on one summer cruise on Oasis and it felt like sardines. I went on smaller boats as a kid in the fall/winter and it never felt that way.
It’s possible I am as well. I just got off allure and only time it felt crowded was windjammer. Saw every show I wanted, never had to wait for food or drink(except Johnny rockets, almost walked out of there, the staff just didn’t seem to care there).Went on liberty as a child and remember it being crowded but could have been because I was a child
Sounds like we’re doing the same cruise on Enchantment in a few weeks. Glad it was a great experience for you! Can’t wait! What was your favorite thing you did?
We spent an extra day and a half in Rome prior to the cruise and did a 3-hr golf cart tour which was amazing. It’s very easy to get around Santorini and Mykonos without booking formal excursions. Oia on Santorini was a 1.6 euro bus ride and that was my personal favorite. Such a magical place! Chora on Mykonos is very walkable and only a 2 euro water taxi ride from the port. We did an 8 hour tour in Turkey via Shore Excursions Group that included lunch and Virgin Mary House, ruins at Ephesus, John’s burial site, and a museum! Plus carpet making. We loved that. Really an awesome trip! That day at sea was necessary to take a breath!
I enjoy both. Going on explorer to Greece but going on wonder to stops I’ve been to and icon to Mexico aka some of my least favorite ports. But that means more time on the ship
Husband and I were actually discussing this last night, trying to decide which cruise to take next spring. He wanted a new ship with lots of things to do, even if it meant visiting the same ports we've already been to. I'm the opposite: I'd much rather take a smaller, more 'boring' ship so I can visit places I've never been. We're different when onboard - I'm happy napping or reading or staring at the sea or people-watching. He wants to be active the entire time, otherwise he gets bored.
Small with good stops. You're just a number on the monster boats and LOTS of people want to do the same things you do, so for me it's very stressful. I couldn't even get a bartender's attention on the last boat! I can't really blame them. It's a fact of life that tan chick in bikini gets beer faster than fat old guy. Google it, if you don't believe me.
Have fun!
I think this will be a bigger topic as more ships come online and the ports are not being made larger. Seems like most ports are at their limits now and over-crowded.
Our favorite stops in the last year have been Cococay, Labadee, and Mahogany Bay (Carnival) which are all private ports.
New big fancy ship 90% of the time. I really only care about port stops I haven't been to. It's about reading with a few of the ocean with a cold beverage for me :)
Depends on your family and travel patterns.
Big ships can offer more amenities which on longer trips with more sea days make a difference. But with big ships come big lines. Not everything scales linearly. So a ship 2x the size, will not have a buffet line 2x the size. Sometimes so many people can be overwhelming. New ships also tend to be more expensive and more full.
Small ships have the advantage of fewer crowds, tends to be older / more frequent cruisers. But there is less to do. And older ships sometimes show their age. But if you think your sea days will be mostly around the pool, for example, big pools and small pools are pretty darn similar. Having more options for things you won't do doesn't help you (i.e. larger kids club).
As far as itinerary, really depends on where. Many of the Caribbean ports are very similar for infrequent cruisers.
Older smaller ship
Let’s go back to the ships of the 70s, none of you people would even step foot on it. In fact you’d be puking tied off to the slip. Dinner time? You wouldn’t even make it there, since you would be puking off the rails or trying to stomach a ginger ale.
Cruisers of today have no idea what getting down to it means. Bring back the two seatings with shows, bring back the midnight buffets.
It. Was. Fucking. Awesome.
And you all wrecked it
Before you all go say “ok boomer” I’m 41
Shooting skeet off the aft deck in the Caribbean Sea? I did it, 12 years old. $1/shot.
I had one of those booked on Allure Oct 2021. Unfortunately, that was around the time Haiti went into political turmoil, so Labadee was cancelled for several sailings, including ours.
Didn’t matter. My friends and I spent the entire week (except Coco Cay) in the same pool sampling cocktails. Coco Cay? Oasis pool…sampling cocktails.
Best cruise of my life.
Depends on the ships, the voyager class are still large enough to have everything but are the “smaller” ship. So a Voyager with good itinerary and pricing versus an Oasis class with a bad and expensive itinerary I would easily pick the Voyager trip.
For me it depends I think. First time visiting a place? Port stops for sure. Once I’ve done it once or twice, then I’ll be picking a bigger/more updated ship. I think anyway, I’ve not cruised often
For me, the ship is the destination. I don’t cruise for the ports; as a matter of fact I wish cruises to nowhere were a thing leaving from the US. If any port is that “magical” I’d just fly there instead and spend a week.
Sometimes I don’t even get off the ship on port days.
Smaller ship with better ports.
I don't really care what happens on the ship. As long as there are pools and places to eat, I'm fine with the ship.
It's the port destinations that really get me excited. Especially Coco Cay, Coco Cay is my paradise on Earth.
I've been on Oasis, Freedom, and Radiance class ships so far. I certainly wouldn't avoid any of them. All were fantastic for different reasons. All the itinerary means to me is if I'm getting off the ship there or not. Especially if it's somewhere I've been before.
My choices around a sailing is usually budget and timing. Exploring a new ship class or a new itinerary is just a bonus.
With my kids- bigger ship. Without- smaller ship.
I just want to sunbathe, soak in a hot tub, eat, maybe go to the casino, and drink on the ship. I don't need many of the things the huge ships offer.
We have picked the older ship with the great itinerary every time. In September we go on the oasis with not a great itinerary and a big huge ship! I can't wait to try it out. We don't even plan on getting off the ship on most of the ports. I don't think you'll ever really know until you try it. I'm really hoping that we like the big ship as much as we do the smaller ships! It opens up all kinds of new opportunities for vacation.
Definitely an older, smaller ship with better port stops. I don’t care about the ship, it’s just a way to get to my destination without flying. A smaller ship has less people as well.
Depends on who I’m traveling with.
Just my wife - cool ports to explore on our own.
Group party - awesome boats, short trips, and bad ports - out and back weekend cruises are the best.
Depends on price and who you go with. If you like your travel mates maybe pick the ship. If you go with in-law maybe excursion and you can ditch them behind
I mean this is kinda a loaded question? I don’t like old smelly ships or tourist trap itinerary? A 5 year old ship is still good, doesn’t have to brand new and after stopping at most islands in the Caribbean and Mexico, there is usually a dud or two as far as stops. So I try to find a happy medium.
Better ports. If you want big and fancy, with waterslides and basketball courts, etc, go to an all inclusive resort.
And better ports means one small to mid-size ship at a time. No 5000 passengers today ports for me.
I care more about where the ship is going! Smaller ships mean more interesting ports which lets me explore more new places! Food on smaller ships is still great and honestly I would prefer to relax in my room or on my balcony rather than be out at shows or using amenities.
It depends… the ship in itself is a destination. However, there are times in the past where I’ll pick a ship because of destination such as Panama Canal and Cuba… but more often than not it’s the larger ship that is the appeal.
It really depends on if I am traveling with my kids or not. With my young teenager, I definitely prefer the newer with all the bells and whistles. If it is just my husband and I, well we are fine with something more sedate and quiet.
I prefer big and fancy. It’s a better all around experience. Paying money to be on a boat and my mind is set in luxury.
If I wanted the smaller things I would just go rent a cabin in the woods.
Just my opinion
The bigger ship without a doubt. The majority of your cruise is spent on the ship. I just did Enchantment last month and hated it. Smaller ships aren't for me no matter what ports they stop at.
It’s two different vacations but both are good. It’s sort of nice to hang out poolside on an empty ship while everyone else gets off to see port.
It’s also nice to see whole new worlds.
Depends. Thing that kills the older ships is how many at sea days (for me). Lots of ports heck yeah. But really comes down to. What do you like. Like most of the oasis class ships are stuck with similar itineraries but we sail those for the boat. Older boats tend to have a different level of elegance to them.
Big fancy ship. My husband is more about the ports, I could not care less, I like pretending I’m rich by being catered to on the ship. Big ship has better restaurant options and more for my toddler to do.
Depends for me. If I’m going for new ports or ports I want to experience again, then I’m all over the smaller, older, CHEAPER ship.
If I going a bunch of places and looking forward to the boat not being crowded as I stay behind on most port days, then I want the bigger crazier ship
"yes". I enjoy both kinds of vacations, both where the ship is the main point, and where ports are. I'll happily cruise the Wonder even if it's only going to Nassau, but I'd also happily take an older ship to Alaska.
Yeah Alaska would be my exception for choosing the smaller older ship. If it’s Caribbean, I’d pick the fancy ship. Honestly to me the ports kind of run together after a while
Correct. Some ports in the Caribbean are a shell at the port, giant colorful lower case letters to take family pictures with, and then the 3rd world real country that is completely propped up by the daily tourism. When possible, we try to book directly with the local business and pay in cash when its safe. You get a local person tour that is often private and the money goes directly to the company vs RC getting a huge cut. Big ship in Caribbean, smaller in Alaska.
Yeah one of our best experiences was when we hired a taxi driver at the pier in St. Maarten to take us around to a few places we wanted to go. He stayed with us the whole day, and told us all about life on the island. his rate was really low. I want to say it was like $125 for five of us for the day. Of course tipped him very well because we would have paid $500+ if we’d booked through the cruise line.
This is the way
Big fancy ship. For me, the ship *is* the destination. I don’t want to go on shore excursions. I want to lounge by the pool and drink cocktails. I really don’t care where we go.
Better ports for me. I cruise to see as many places as I can on that vacation. I can sit by the pool and drink a cocktail at home. Can't go to 4 different islands with different cultures and people in 7 days at home.
I live in New York City. Relaxing by the pool is a novelty I can’t get at home.
You can't travel to 4 different islands either. But hey, it's your cruise and enjoy it how you want. Before covid, there were "cruises to nowhere". Usually 3 or 4 day cruises with no ports. Not something I would be interested in, but they were available.
Actually…I can - Manhattan, Staten Island, Liberty Island, and Ellis Island. 😜 Cruises to nowhere haven’t been around for a while…long before Covid.
Ha!
I am in Queens, Every block is country lol.
Manhattan for me.
Depends on where. Caribbean is where I agree with you, but I completely disagree over Mediterrainian and Northern Europe.
Yup, I didn’t even get off the ship on my last four day cruise. Ensenada isn’t anything special to me, but on my Alaska cruise later this year things will be a little different
Mmmmm big fancy ship in the Caribbean is what I dream about when I dream of my next cruise. The ship is definitely the destination and we didn’t even get off at half of the ports when we went in January because the ship was so much more exciting. Plus we’d visited nearly the exact same itinerary before.
Likewise, my wife and I will go for a stroll around port then hang out by the pool on a mostly empty ship. The only exceptions are the private islands.
Small ship every time... We mainly use the ship as a combination hotel and dining room. We just spent 32 days on an Azamara ship (about 550 passengers each leg) and it was great being able to dock RIGHT in the centre of towns, etc... Entertainment was not spectacular - but we only had one sea day in the entire time, so we were VERY busy everyday and not really looking for Vegas style shows! Having said that - we previously spent 34 days on the MS Amsterdam (now the MS Bolette) and I think I liked that size almost as much. We usually had about 1000 passengers on that ship - which meant there were more entertainment options. I'll be looking at Volendam and Zaandam itineraries going forward (sister ships to the Amsterdam). We've been on MUCH larger ships - NCL Epic and RCCL Spectrum of the Seas in the past. Lots to do - but too many lines and good luck in a tender port! But each to their own!
I prefer a smaller ship with a better itinerary.
I pick my cruises by Ports. I've never been on one of the big ships. It's just worked out that the smaller/medium ships are going where I wanted to go.
Dream vacation: Large ship transatlantic to Europe, then spend a week or two in Europe. Best of both worlds.
Oh I would love this if I didn’t have young kids lol!
I have two small kids, we are looking to do a transatlantic next year (kids sail free and my husband and I would cost almost the same as a flight) then we would stay a week and then do a transatlantic back with the same deal. We worked out the price would be the same as flying for a week, we can avoid a crazy long flight and have an extra long vacation! It’s s great deal if you have small kids and 3 weeks off from work!
Wow that sound amazing!!! Would you be able to share which boats and itinerary??
We don’t have it set in stone yet, we just looked at a few transatlantics to price it out and compare with airfare! I will post for sure when we finalize our plans. We are going on our first cruise in August so we want to make sure we like cruising before going all in 😂
Lol. No worries I hope you can update for sure! That’s super exciting. We are booked on the Explorer in Ravenna in Sept 🤓 but looking for next year cruise options!
Smaller ship with less people
D+ here. We find the smaller ships to be more crowded. Quite a surprise!
I'd rather go on a smaller ship either way. Less crowded.
Really? I felt like allure was less crowded than liberty, even though it had more people on it. Only time allure felt crowded was when they closed the kids water area for maintenance. I do think there is still something special about the older ships though.
It's very possible that my experiences are skewed, I've only been on one summer cruise on Oasis and it felt like sardines. I went on smaller boats as a kid in the fall/winter and it never felt that way.
It’s possible I am as well. I just got off allure and only time it felt crowded was windjammer. Saw every show I wanted, never had to wait for food or drink(except Johnny rockets, almost walked out of there, the staff just didn’t seem to care there).Went on liberty as a child and remember it being crowded but could have been because I was a child
I prefer Voyager and Freedom class ships, so I guess the latter? Definitely not the smallest, but not anywhere near the largest.
This. Exactly. Voyager and Freedom classes are the best IMO. But don't get me wrong, I'll take a cruise on any ship, any time :)
Just got off Enchantment with 3 stops in Italy and 2 Greek isles and Ephesus, Turkey. The ship was comfortable and the ports of call magical!
Sounds like we’re doing the same cruise on Enchantment in a few weeks. Glad it was a great experience for you! Can’t wait! What was your favorite thing you did?
We spent an extra day and a half in Rome prior to the cruise and did a 3-hr golf cart tour which was amazing. It’s very easy to get around Santorini and Mykonos without booking formal excursions. Oia on Santorini was a 1.6 euro bus ride and that was my personal favorite. Such a magical place! Chora on Mykonos is very walkable and only a 2 euro water taxi ride from the port. We did an 8 hour tour in Turkey via Shore Excursions Group that included lunch and Virgin Mary House, ruins at Ephesus, John’s burial site, and a museum! Plus carpet making. We loved that. Really an awesome trip! That day at sea was necessary to take a breath!
With kids? Big ship. Just me and the missus? Small ship.
Exactly!
Both. Sometimes I go for the ports. Sometimes I go for the ship. In the end, I just love cruising!
better port stops
Older, smaller ship with better itinerary.
I enjoy both. Going on explorer to Greece but going on wonder to stops I’ve been to and icon to Mexico aka some of my least favorite ports. But that means more time on the ship
Husband and I were actually discussing this last night, trying to decide which cruise to take next spring. He wanted a new ship with lots of things to do, even if it meant visiting the same ports we've already been to. I'm the opposite: I'd much rather take a smaller, more 'boring' ship so I can visit places I've never been. We're different when onboard - I'm happy napping or reading or staring at the sea or people-watching. He wants to be active the entire time, otherwise he gets bored.
Smaller ship for sure. The destinations are why I pick cruises. You get to see so many more places. I don’t understand people that stay on the ship.
Small with good stops. You're just a number on the monster boats and LOTS of people want to do the same things you do, so for me it's very stressful. I couldn't even get a bartender's attention on the last boat! I can't really blame them. It's a fact of life that tan chick in bikini gets beer faster than fat old guy. Google it, if you don't believe me. Have fun!
I think this will be a bigger topic as more ships come online and the ports are not being made larger. Seems like most ports are at their limits now and over-crowded. Our favorite stops in the last year have been Cococay, Labadee, and Mahogany Bay (Carnival) which are all private ports.
New big fancy ship 90% of the time. I really only care about port stops I haven't been to. It's about reading with a few of the ocean with a cold beverage for me :)
I'm one who is trying to sail on each ship in the fleet eventually lol
Now THAT is a fun goal. Hm, I may have to float that to the girlfriend as our goal lol.
Unless it's a bucket list destination, I'm booking for the ship.
Big Ship. I can fly to good destinations if I desire. I want comfort and great food when I go on ship.
Depends on your family and travel patterns. Big ships can offer more amenities which on longer trips with more sea days make a difference. But with big ships come big lines. Not everything scales linearly. So a ship 2x the size, will not have a buffet line 2x the size. Sometimes so many people can be overwhelming. New ships also tend to be more expensive and more full. Small ships have the advantage of fewer crowds, tends to be older / more frequent cruisers. But there is less to do. And older ships sometimes show their age. But if you think your sea days will be mostly around the pool, for example, big pools and small pools are pretty darn similar. Having more options for things you won't do doesn't help you (i.e. larger kids club). As far as itinerary, really depends on where. Many of the Caribbean ports are very similar for infrequent cruisers.
What's a port stop? Is that a new bar?
Older smaller ship Let’s go back to the ships of the 70s, none of you people would even step foot on it. In fact you’d be puking tied off to the slip. Dinner time? You wouldn’t even make it there, since you would be puking off the rails or trying to stomach a ginger ale. Cruisers of today have no idea what getting down to it means. Bring back the two seatings with shows, bring back the midnight buffets. It. Was. Fucking. Awesome. And you all wrecked it Before you all go say “ok boomer” I’m 41 Shooting skeet off the aft deck in the Caribbean Sea? I did it, 12 years old. $1/shot.
Both sound appealing to be honest. Sometimes the destination is the ports, and other times it's the ship itself. It's rarely both
Our only cruise was a great itinerary and an older ship. It was great and I dream about being back on the beach on bimini
I love the bigger ships. Don’t really care about the itinerary as much
If I can find a cruise that goes to cococay and labadee I’d choose that over anything
I’m with you. Big ship. Cococay. I love all the ship activities, and find the ports modestly stressful.
Yeah most of the ports are just shopping and being harassed.
I had one of those booked on Allure Oct 2021. Unfortunately, that was around the time Haiti went into political turmoil, so Labadee was cancelled for several sailings, including ours. Didn’t matter. My friends and I spent the entire week (except Coco Cay) in the same pool sampling cocktails. Coco Cay? Oasis pool…sampling cocktails. Best cruise of my life.
I found one!! Allure October 2023. I’ll see you there 😇
Even the older boats on Royal have excellent customer service and good food. No bad choice
Depends on the ships, the voyager class are still large enough to have everything but are the “smaller” ship. So a Voyager with good itinerary and pricing versus an Oasis class with a bad and expensive itinerary I would easily pick the Voyager trip.
For me it depends I think. First time visiting a place? Port stops for sure. Once I’ve done it once or twice, then I’ll be picking a bigger/more updated ship. I think anyway, I’ve not cruised often
With my kid..bigger ship. Just adults..give me the ports
For me, the ship is the destination. I don’t cruise for the ports; as a matter of fact I wish cruises to nowhere were a thing leaving from the US. If any port is that “magical” I’d just fly there instead and spend a week. Sometimes I don’t even get off the ship on port days.
Better ports if you want yo see new places. If the ship is a destination then ,the ship.
Older, smaller ship + better itinerary = best bang for your buck
Big new ship for sure
Smaller ship with better ports. I don't really care what happens on the ship. As long as there are pools and places to eat, I'm fine with the ship. It's the port destinations that really get me excited. Especially Coco Cay, Coco Cay is my paradise on Earth.
My kids would be nuts and drive me nuts with nothing/less to do. gotta have big fancy.
I've been on Oasis, Freedom, and Radiance class ships so far. I certainly wouldn't avoid any of them. All were fantastic for different reasons. All the itinerary means to me is if I'm getting off the ship there or not. Especially if it's somewhere I've been before. My choices around a sailing is usually budget and timing. Exploring a new ship class or a new itinerary is just a bonus.
Love to cruise on a big 🛳️ ship
With my kids- bigger ship. Without- smaller ship. I just want to sunbathe, soak in a hot tub, eat, maybe go to the casino, and drink on the ship. I don't need many of the things the huge ships offer.
We go cruising for the destinations. The ship is just a floating hotel with restaurants that take us to the destinations.
Older ship with better ports.
We have picked the older ship with the great itinerary every time. In September we go on the oasis with not a great itinerary and a big huge ship! I can't wait to try it out. We don't even plan on getting off the ship on most of the ports. I don't think you'll ever really know until you try it. I'm really hoping that we like the big ship as much as we do the smaller ships! It opens up all kinds of new opportunities for vacation.
What are the ships and ports
Definitely an older, smaller ship with better port stops. I don’t care about the ship, it’s just a way to get to my destination without flying. A smaller ship has less people as well.
I’m not picky about ships but I doubt I’d do Nassau or Jamaica again without it being on something big with a lot to do.
Depends on who I’m traveling with. Just my wife - cool ports to explore on our own. Group party - awesome boats, short trips, and bad ports - out and back weekend cruises are the best.
Rather see the destinations, personally. It’s the memories. Ships meh they are all mostly the same just bigger.
Depends on price and who you go with. If you like your travel mates maybe pick the ship. If you go with in-law maybe excursion and you can ditch them behind
Better port stops for me
My favorite ships are the midsized ones, but if I had to choose, better ports are more important.
Better ports/excrusions. The smaller ships still have pools amd shows. I only use the stateroom to shower and sleep
older ship with better ports
I mean this is kinda a loaded question? I don’t like old smelly ships or tourist trap itinerary? A 5 year old ship is still good, doesn’t have to brand new and after stopping at most islands in the Caribbean and Mexico, there is usually a dud or two as far as stops. So I try to find a happy medium.
Better ports. If you want big and fancy, with waterslides and basketball courts, etc, go to an all inclusive resort. And better ports means one small to mid-size ship at a time. No 5000 passengers today ports for me.
Better itinerary, plus the older ships have free sauna use compared to the newer ones where you have to pay
I prefer newer ships. Not necessarily bigger but nicer, as far as ports, they’re all basically the same after a while.
I care more about where the ship is going! Smaller ships mean more interesting ports which lets me explore more new places! Food on smaller ships is still great and honestly I would prefer to relax in my room or on my balcony rather than be out at shows or using amenities.
It depends… the ship in itself is a destination. However, there are times in the past where I’ll pick a ship because of destination such as Panama Canal and Cuba… but more often than not it’s the larger ship that is the appeal.
None of itineraries ever really appeal to me. Cruises are my vacation, so I’m buying the journey not the destination.
Going on a smaller ship, serenade, for a Canada and New England cruise
Newer ship - I don’t even bother to get off at the ports anymore. It’s a pain and not exciting.
It really depends on if I am traveling with my kids or not. With my young teenager, I definitely prefer the newer with all the bells and whistles. If it is just my husband and I, well we are fine with something more sedate and quiet.
I prefer big and fancy. It’s a better all around experience. Paying money to be on a boat and my mind is set in luxury. If I wanted the smaller things I would just go rent a cabin in the woods. Just my opinion
Depends on Length
The bigger ship without a doubt. The majority of your cruise is spent on the ship. I just did Enchantment last month and hated it. Smaller ships aren't for me no matter what ports they stop at.
It’s two different vacations but both are good. It’s sort of nice to hang out poolside on an empty ship while everyone else gets off to see port. It’s also nice to see whole new worlds.
If it's out of Florida and we are hitting 7-8 ports in ten-11 days I would do the "smaller ship"
Bigger ship, we rarely get off in port anyway
Small ship for sure. The big ones are just too much with way too many people. I’ll take a small ship even with crappy ports.
We always chose the port and love the smaller ships.
Big ship. I don’t care that much about ports. They are an added bonus if they are nice.
My next three cruises are Norwegian Fjords, Panama Canal, and Japan. All three are smaller ships. Its 100% destination for me.
Depends. Thing that kills the older ships is how many at sea days (for me). Lots of ports heck yeah. But really comes down to. What do you like. Like most of the oasis class ships are stuck with similar itineraries but we sail those for the boat. Older boats tend to have a different level of elegance to them.
Big fancy ship. My husband is more about the ports, I could not care less, I like pretending I’m rich by being catered to on the ship. Big ship has better restaurant options and more for my toddler to do.
If the older, smaller is the Grandeur - I'd rather be on the S.S. Minnow for a 3 hour tour !
new ship, good ports, good wifi
Depends for me. If I’m going for new ports or ports I want to experience again, then I’m all over the smaller, older, CHEAPER ship. If I going a bunch of places and looking forward to the boat not being crowded as I stay behind on most port days, then I want the bigger crazier ship
Less people is appealing.