Just got off the Caribbean Princess with 3100 other people onboard. That has done it for me with mega ships. What was I thinking???

We have the Infinity booked for Hawaii for April but are going to cancel. From now on is it either RSSC, Seabourn, Silversea, or Sea Dream Yacht Club for me, even if it means only one cruise every year or two. I know our friends are going to be upset, but that is the way it is.

Even though embarkation and disembarkation weren't bad, there was wall to wall people everywhere. No room by the pool, no room for the shows, a mass of humanity in port, waiting in endless lines at the buffet, waiting for a table for personal choice dining, and then coming home sick with some bad virus that we caught onboard. Not to mention signing all those chits, having to pay for wine, drinks, water, sodas, etc. If you want to go to one of the "Exclusive" restaurants another charge for that. Not to mention tips, etc. By the time it was all over, I would have saved money by booking either the Radisson or Silversea cruise that we wanted to go on.

It is hard to convince our friends that only sail on these mega ships that the smaller luxury vessels are really better deals, especially with all the specials out there. Though they will be upset with us for cancelling our Infinity cruise, our hopes are that they will decide to join us just one time on one of the smaller ships. Then I think they will understand the "true value".

The Diamond Princess gorillaed itself before us into Puerto Vallarta last Tuesday...I took one look and shuddered...there is no way I want to go anywhere on one of those leviathans!! The idea of masses of humanity, lines and nickel and diming just totally turns me off!!

Many years ago... BC (before child_
We took a cruise on the Home line.... very luxury! Italian, amazing food, lovely ship, great service, etc.
Every turn we had to sign for something, then the classes that were offered on who & how to tip.
I felt so nickled & dimed that it was almost 20 years before we cruised again.

Needless to say, we love the Radisson product.

Doug

Don,

We went through a similar experience (not quite so big) on Island Princess. Never again. And don't even get me started on our experiences with the "Anytime Dining".

Maybe your friends will try a more upscale line. If not, it's their choice. No point in you having to be miserable for their sakes. :)

So what are you going to replace Infinity with?

Kathy

All I can say is "Oh my gosh"!

Kathleen, we are trying to decide what to do. Found a really good deal on a Seabourn 11 day Transatlantic, but we are going to Europe already in July, so we may just skip this one and wait.

Hi Don,

When we found the Song of Flower in 92, we decided no Floating Cities. Maybe your friends will understand.

Beth

Don - while I am thoroughly spoiled by RSSC as you are, I most likely wouldn't rule out going on other ships. Though I hate the nickel and diming..and the lines...there are some opportunities (I.e incredibly low prices, etc) that do make it worthwhile to "live dangerously" sometimes. Case in point: we are treating my parents for my dad's 85th bday this May with a RCCL 10 day cruise out of Baltimore (a short drive from our home in Philly). The cost for the four of us is equal to what the cost is for two of us on The Diamond this January. If I had all the money in the world - you bet I would stick to the 6-star lines. But I haven't won the lottery yet.

DH and I have three more cruises on HAL, and then we will be experiencing our first RSSC on the Navigator for 26 days in November. I'm told that I should prepare to be totally overwhelmed by the difference in HAL and RSSC. I can hardly wait.

I did the Queen Mary 2 maiden voyage with 2600+ pax and the only time it felt crowded was on disembarkation (which was a nightmare).
I'm not a fan of mega-ships either but this one was special - HAD to do it and am glad I did, but doubt if I'd ever sail it again, unless they upped the number of crew/staff by 500 or so - service really suffered. I'm booked on the HAL Westerdam in Feb, for a group cruise. I've been on her sister ship and it has 1868 pax but it never felt really crowded to me. Some ships seem to have the crowd dispersion thing down to an art, but there will always be some point at which the masses converge.
On the opposite end, I did a Windjammer cruise on the Mandalay with 45 pax and 30 crew - sure, no crowding, but <i>RUSTIC??

02/22/04 We were on the 50,000 ton Norwegian Dream with 1,880 people on board.
11/12/04 We were on the 50,000 ton Mariner with 648 people on board. DUH!! Gee I wonder which was the most fun? Know exactly what you mean by mega ships.

Yeah, that's where I'm at. I've only cruised on RCI and Celebrity, so I am REALLY looking forward to being spoiled!

DH and I did Alaska last year on Celebrity Mercury, with 1860 pax, and they actually did a pretty good job of having it never feel crowded, except for embarkation/disembarkation, and the occasional buffet line. But that's not 3100 pax! Yeesh! Our previous experience on RCI definitely felt like a cattle call, so I suppose that helped Mercury feel spacious in comparison.

Jim B raises a good point about larger ships, in that they cram so many more people onboard per unit of space. CROWDED.

Then, there is the issue of service. Whether on the PG with 290 aboard, or on a mega ship with 2900 aboard, there is only one pursers desk, only one excursion desk, only one Hotel Director, only one Cruise Director, and only one door to get on and off the ship. We all know what this means.

Thanks,
Richard

Don,

I have booked 6 cruises with RCCL before. It was great for the teen children. It was awful embarking and the same disembarking, also luggage picked up by another guest and taken to Alanta, Ga.

I spent hundreds of dollars more for soda etc...I really understand how you feel. I will never go on a "mega" ship again.

Loved the RSSC Voyager last Christmas and met so many wonderful people.


JPar

I think I could handle a 50,000 ton ship with under 700 people onboard. Really loved the Seabourn Legend with under 200 people and our Silver Whisper cruise with just about 300.

That is part of the problem. Our cruise before this one was the Silver Whisper. I told myself ahead of time not to compare, knowing that there couldn't really be a comparison, but it is really hard to get that out of your mind no matter how hard you try.

Don - Would love to hear about your Seabourn Legend experience as I am booked for the Christmas/New Year's cruise..... Also, I know what you mean about the "mega" ships! My friends won't give them up either......

Claudia

Claudia, we loved the Seabourn Legend it was truly fantastic. Service and food were great. We also have sailed on the Silver Whisper and it really is a toss up which one was better. I think I need to try both again, just to try and decide!!! LOL

Don:

I am certain you could "handle" Radisson's Voyager or Mariner at 50,000 gross tons and max of 700 guests! Since "gross tons" are a measuremet of space, not weight, you get passenger to space ratio by dividing the max number of guests into the gross tons. For these ships, the ratio is 71 -- which is VERY high compared with other ships. For example, the NCL ship Jim B was on has such a ratio of only 29!!! If you mega ship had a such a ratio of 71, you might have like it a whole tlo better. But the megas have this ratio of somewhere in the high 30's. Silversea ships have a passenger to space ratio in the low 70's also. So you would have a similar experience on the Mariner or Voyager ---- even though the ship is physically larger.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Don -

Thanks for the info. Must say however that Seabourn shoreside customer service leaves a GREAT DEAL to be desired. Haven't even boarded yet and already disappointed. At these prices, I would expect much better!

Hopefully, once we're onboard, that experience will erase the pre-cruise experience!

Claudia

Claudia, you are right about the shoreside service. I called our Club rep twice and left a message, she called back two days later and my wife gave her my cell number to call and she never called, so I emailed them after a couple more days and got a response about 3 days later.

I wonder if TA's have the same problem?

Don, I will be chatting with my TA shortly and I will ask her to deal with Seabourn. I'll let you know if she gets anywhere!

Claudia