Are Cruise Ships Getting Too Big?
Posted by thetraveldoctor on August 3, 2008
Relaxing on Royal Caribbean
This past week I have been reading up on Royal Caribbean’s new ship the Oasis of The Sea. This engineering marvel will weigh in at 220,000 GRT when it debuts in December of 2009. It will tower over the sea 16 stores. It will host 5200 people every week for 7 night Caribbean cruises out of the Port of Miami. The Oasis of The Sea will be the World Largest Cruise Ship ever built.
I am looking forward to seeing this ship. As a veteran of 86 cruises and 30 of them on Royal Caribbean, I am questioning if cruise ships have gotten too big? With more than 5200 people on board, will there be quiet places to relax? Will there be places to meet new people and make new friends? Will there be massive lines for everything? Will you need a segway to get around?
I love a smaller ship after sailing on all size ships. The reasons I like the smaller ships, you are able to make friends with the crew and passengers much quicker on a small ship. The walk from your cabin to the pool or anywhere else on the ship is much shorter then on the large ship and the smaller ships are able to get into some seculded ports that are not available on the large ships. But there are lots of pluses for sailing on a large ship and that is why the cruise lines keep building them.
The jury is still out on what people will like and dislike on the Oasis of The Sea, but I am sure the Royal Caribbean will do a “Royal” job on this new vessel.
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Paulineh said
I love the big ships as there is so much to do in comparison with the smaller ones but I do agree that smaller ships give you a more intimate experience.
I am surprised that the cruise companies are still building these mega ships with the price of gas bound to keep rising. Are they filling these big ships now? Will people have the money to pay the extra fuel surcharges?
We will probably have to wait and see.
Kenneth Posey said
Larger cruise ships come with great job opportunities, because the bigger the ship the greater number of ship crew needed to run the ship.