When does a cruise ship become to large?

[euroguy]

Every year I see larger and larger cruise ships come out.  The newest one from RCL Icon of the Seas which carries 7,000 guests and with a full crew a total of 10,000 people. Good God that's a lot of people.

Frankly it would make me nervous to cruise on a ship that large one super wave or super strong winds would make it rock to no end. 

Then the logistics of truly not being able to see or do everything on the ship or how about trying to get to one venue that is aft deck 20 to anothe venue fwd deck 6 ugh. Trying to find and get to things would be a workout of its own. I would be exhausted 😩 wonder if it comes with scooters or the moving walkways 🤣

It just seems silly to me to spend $2 billion on 1 ship when you could split that in 3rds and have 3 magnificent ships with more and new exciting itineraries. 

I'm curious what your thoughts are...

Edited January 15 by euroguy

[Woody14]

11 hours ago, euroguy said:

It just seems silly to me to spend $2 billion on 1 ship when you could split that in 3rds and have 3 magnificent ships with more and new exciting itineraries. 

I would agree with you that on the sizes just seem to be getting bigger and bigger and it is getting a bit over the top.

Unfortunately I don't think they could build 3 smaller ships for the same price as 1 big one.   it seems that the cost of a small one to build now is close to a billion on its own.         But I do get your point and tend to agree.

[FJB]

10k people on a ship is way too many for me! 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy That is a lot of people! Although, I'm not as concerned about the safety of the ship. RCL is such a reputable cruise line; I'm certain that the ship has been thoroughly tested to ensure the safety and security of all guests onboard. 

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of overly crowded cruise ships. One of the only perks of masked cruising was the ships sailing at 50% capacity. I did enjoy the ships being less full. The elevators are another huge problem with larger cruise ships. I prefer to walk when possible, but it's not always possible! I'm not a fan of feeling squished while in the elevator. I'm also not a fan of waiting in super long lines at the buffet. I often opt to dine in the MDR or at the off times to avoid the chaos, scoring a better table too! 

A moving walkway is a great thought to get the crowds moving! I would love to see a conveyor belt for the people at the buffet too. That would keep the people moving along! 

I don't see RCL going any smaller with its ships, but you never know! I'm more inclined to cruise on a smaller-scale ship, but Icon of the Seas is a beauty. I'm sure there are endless entertainment opportunities for every age group. That's what's most attractive about the ship!

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas lol 😆 love visual of a conveyor belt idea at the buffet that is brilliant.

on a second note just think how many decks/stairs you could jog 🤣 you could jog to exhaustion 😃

Mardi Gras that is now 30 days away will be largest ship to date that I will have been on.  I suspect that it will be a love hate situation but I have to try it atleast once.

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas just wondering what is the largest ship you've been on and what did you like / dislike about its size?

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy I'm glad it gave you a good laugh. It gave me a good visual too. Mardi Gras is going to be a good time, but I do think you will enjoy Carnival Firenze more. Do you enjoy avoiding the buffet for the most part? When the crowds are so big on larger-capacity ships I prefer to avoid the buffets when possible. When possible I prefer dining the MDR for breakfast too. Everything is as fresh as can be, and I don't have to wait in line to get my food! Do you agree? I have been on a few large ships. Recently I cruised on MSC Seascape. It has a guest capacity of 5,632. The jacuzzis and pools can get quite crowded, and I prefer to enjoy them on port days. Guests would all sneak off and I would enjoy the peacefulness of an almost empty ship. Just avoiding the peak times of any location during the day worked better for me. The shows and entertainment were phenomenal and the evening events were great. The more the merrier for the nightlife. Those are some of the perks of sailing on a large ship. 

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas as a general rule I do avoid the buffet but every rule does have exceptions. A lot depends on what is being served, the crowds, time factor etc. Generally i stick to MDR, specialty or semi specialty places to eat. As for pools and Jacuzzis it seems like every ship gets crowded in those areas and I too will utilize during off peak times or a port I don't get off ship. I'm really excited to see some of the shows on the Mardi Gras as it is a newer set up and ship so suspect it will be grander. Also I think k this ship will be more alive which makes for so much more fun for me. Less than 30 days but who's counting... hehhee yeah I'm starting g to get excited !!!!

[euroguy]

When I see the stairs I will be thinking king of you jogging g up and down them 😂

Edited January 30 by euroguy

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy If you see anyone else doing jogging those stairs just know they are getting a super workout in! Also know they may have forgot their shoes!

The shows will be so entertaining onboard Mardi Gras. Carnival really knows how to entertain guests, and comedy shows onboard are actually hilarious! Less than 30 days is very exciting. I'm thrilled for you and your upcoming adventures! I'm also very excited for the photos I hope to see afterwards. I always prefer the MDR, but lunch by the pool is oftentimes more convenient. Having to get dressed and show up to the MDR during the middle of the day doesn't always work when vacation mode is fully activated!

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas I would say somewhere between 10-12 different ships but I've sailed more than that as I've been on some of the same ships multiple times. Yeah 27 ships is a lot to try and get to as like you said CCL is constantly expanding. But hey you never know what Mike happen.

22 days 2 hours and 37 minutes 🤣

Next Friday I get to check in on line....yep okay its official, im getting excited!!!!

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy That's so incredible! Not many guests can say they have cruised on that many CCL ships. The fleet is large, but ships do retire overtime. At the same time, new fleet members are being built all the time. It can be hard to keep up actually! I haven't been on any of the newer ships, which is one the reasons I'm excited for your Mardi Gras review. I love how you have a countdown down to the hour and minutes. I'm cruising out now in less than 15 days. I got some delicious smelling reef-safe sunscreen, and I can't wait to get back to the beach! I'm not sure if you do the same, but I always grab a special sunscreen and haircare products for my cruise. I look for tropical smelling, higher quality products that I typically wouldn't use everyday. It's one way I spice up my vacation by treating myself with fun new items!

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas so cool your trip is getting g close same as mine 17 days 2 hours and 17 minutes and my cabin is waiting 😍

 

Yeah all that smelly stuff is for girls I don't do that lol not sure how many guys do that as well.  We are simple give us a pair of shorts, tshirt ball cap and spray on some sun screen and we are out the door lolol. 

I'm sure you will be loving the feeling of warm sand in-between the toes.

 

[FJB]

I’m less than 5 days away from my next outing on the sea!  

[Old Cruiser]

On 1/18/2024 at 9:32 PM, euroguy said:

@Kendall James-Vargas lol 😆 love visual of a conveyor belt idea at the buffet that is brilliant.

on a second note just think how many decks/stairs you could jog 🤣 you could jog to exhaustion 😃

Mardi Gras that is now 30 days away will be largest ship to date that I will have been on.  I suspect that it will be a love hate situation but I have to try it atleast once.

Mardi Gras is a great ship. Only thing that I didn’t like was the Center Stage area. Great idea but the sight lines are horrible. To get a good seat you need to get there about an hour or more before the show starts.

[euroguy]

@FJB 5 days put very cool. What ship? What stops?

[FJB]

20 hours ago, euroguy said:

@FJB 5 days put very cool. What ship? What stops?

Celebrity Silhouette for 10 nites stopping at St Maarten, Grenada, St Lucia, Tobago, and Antigua.  

[euroguy]

@FJB wow nice trip congrats you should enjoy that a lot.

Have you been on that ship or ports before?

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy You will be vacationing, living the dream before we know it. What's the current countdown? I do like the mildly smelly things. It's nice to get a waft of my hairspray in the breeze. I want all the same things, plus fun smells and makeup and a cute coverup/hat/hair clip. Now that I think about it, my packable pool tote will be filled with things I probably won't end up needing, but you never know! Why have one type of sunscreen when you can have three? Those cabins are so amazing! That looks larger than the typical balcony cabin! Did you book a suite this time around? 

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas 10 days 22 hours and 50 minutes 😴 😪 that's actual time to sail away, however I'm flying out the day before and  I get VIP boarding which means I will be on ship around 11ish and sail away is 4pm 

No I didnt get a suite, but its a larger balcony cabin for the same super duper discounted rate. I love the new cabin colors as well, a super nice change to the normal CCL orange and the new lighting designs a pretty cool as well.

OMG I'm getting so excited!!!! I already started going through clothes and picking out what to take...this weekend start the packing... very unusual and bit premature for me.

Yeah you can have all the girly stuff...that why you're a girl 😆 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy I can't believe it! I thought you were cruising out before me, but I'm actually cruising out before you. This is definitely a larger balcony. It's one of the biggest, non-suite balconies I have seen actually. The colors are so modernized and tropical. It is perfect for the theme of being out on the ocean with a warm, salty-air breeze. How delightful! I love the early packing so no judgement here. I do enjoy the girly stuff. The coverups and the floppy hats, I can't wait to get on my cruise; you are right. I cruise out Sunday! I'm clearly more than ready. 

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas im so jealous lucky you for getting on before me, I'm so ready already... we are only a week apart how funny is that.

It will be nice to have the extra space, my CCL personal assistant set it up for me and best part was the price...FREE!!! 🤣 

I don't remember which post it is on but one of the very recent ones people were showing their CCL offers and I decided to post 4 of my most recent ones, however I have 22 offers to select from...sigh

You must be getting so excited with so few days left before you are on the ship.

[euroguy]

@Kendall James-Vargas the offers I posted is under "new cruiser" post

[FJB]

On 2/8/2024 at 7:47 PM, euroguy said:

@FJB wow nice trip congrats you should enjoy that a lot.

Have you been on that ship or ports before?

We have been on the sister ships but not this one.  We had not been to St Lucia, Tobago, or Antigua before this cruise.  

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy Your personal assistant really get's it done! I'mm impressed, and slightly jealous, at how good CCL is to you, but I can only imagine you deserve it. You are extremely loyal to the cruise line, and rightfully so! You are an awesome cruise guest to have onboard any ship. Also I have never seen more than like five offers at a time through CCL. The offers aren't anything out of this world either! I guess I need to prove my worth to the line!

@FJB Those are somme really lovely and unforgettable ports, so different than the traditional Caribbean ports. What did you think of these first-time stops for you? Which one was your favorite?  I absolutely loved Antigua when I visited. I look forward to returning soon.