Cruise ships are definitely getting bigger and bigger with cruise lines seeming to compete for who can have the biggest ship.
But is bigger really better? I have a lot of customers that prefer the smaller ships as they find they feel lost on the larger ones. One customer told me at the weekend that she sailed on Independence and it took her the first 3 days to find her way around around the ship and another told me that the smaller ships still have all of the fantastic facilities onboard, just on a smaller scale.
Some customers have said that they find the service better on smaller ships as there are less passengers whereas others find it better on larger ships as there are more crew.
Smaller ships can get into ports that the larger ships can’t so is itinerary more important?
I too have sailed on Independence and I loved her. I’ve also sailed on NCL Epic – another huge ship. I love Oriana (smaller) and this year I’m sailing on Ryndam (even smaller!).
We all know how big Oasis and Allure are currently holding the titles for ‘world largest cruise ships’.
Royal Caribbean’s CEO has just announced that in 2018 they will launch the worlds biggest cruise ship. ‘Oasis 3’, the third ship in their Oasis Class will be built on the same blueprint as Oasis 1 and 2, more commonly known as Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
They’ve not yet announced whether there will be any new features or what they’ll be but both Oasis 3 and 4 are being built at the same shipyard as 1 and 2.
They have confirmed however that the new ships will be more fuel efficient. Oasis and Allure are already the most fuel efficient ships out there but it’s claimed Oasis 3 will be 20% more efficient with Oasis 4 possibly being even more efficient than that!
Are you a fan of the big ships or do you prefer the smaller, more intimate ships?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.