Back in the late 1990s, when a leading cruise line announced that it was building a 2,500-passenger vessel, I decided that cruise ships had simply become too big. That size was unimaginable ... I envisioned long lines and an interminable wait while waiting to board and disembark. Certainly there would be crowds at the lido café, since passengers always seemed to show up for breakfast and lunch at the same time. And a day at sea would be unbearable with so many people sunning themselves by the pool.
If you feel as I did and don’t want to cruise aboard a big ship, odds are you’re as wrong about what to expect now as I was then.
The two largest ships afloat – Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seassm and Oasis of the Seassm – carry up to 6,000 passengers and 2,000 crew members. And they’re the most popular ships ever built. Huge hits with families, they’re also turning out to be wildly popular with couples of all ages seeking a romantic escape at sea.
A larger ship doesn’t just mean more passengers. It means a myriad of dining choices, too. Rather than spend every evening in their ship’s main restaurant, guests can opt to make reservations and “go out” for dinner instead – at a more intimate steakhouse, for example, or at a specialty venue serving up Asian, French, or Italian fare. And superb vessel designs ensure that there’s no more of a wait aboard a big ship than there would be aboard a significantly smaller ship (even on a day spent entirely at sea).
Passengers aboard a smaller cruise ship can typically expect to find a single theater for Vegas- or Broadway-style shows, a bar/disco or two, and a casino. The mega-ships, however, have taken nightlife to entirely new levels. In addition to everything mentioned above, you’re likely to find comedy clubs, champagne and martini bars, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and live performances by world-renowned entertainers like Blue Man Group© (Norwegian EPIC), surfing simulators, ice-skating shows, and carousels (aboard Royal Caribbean’s newest vessels), or sing-along piano bars and elaborate aqua parks (aboard Carnival’s “Fun Ships®”). Part of the fun is strolling from one entertainment venue or bar to the next, just to check out all of the action (Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships built over the last decade feature central promenades that help connect all of the different offerings).
If you feel as I did and don’t want to cruise aboard a big ship, odds are you’re as wrong about what to expect now as I was then.
The two largest ships afloat – Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seassm and Oasis of the Seassm – carry up to 6,000 passengers and 2,000 crew members. And they’re the most popular ships ever built. Huge hits with families, they’re also turning out to be wildly popular with couples of all ages seeking a romantic escape at sea.
A larger ship doesn’t just mean more passengers. It means a myriad of dining choices, too. Rather than spend every evening in their ship’s main restaurant, guests can opt to make reservations and “go out” for dinner instead – at a more intimate steakhouse, for example, or at a specialty venue serving up Asian, French, or Italian fare. And superb vessel designs ensure that there’s no more of a wait aboard a big ship than there would be aboard a significantly smaller ship (even on a day spent entirely at sea).
Passengers aboard a smaller cruise ship can typically expect to find a single theater for Vegas- or Broadway-style shows, a bar/disco or two, and a casino. The mega-ships, however, have taken nightlife to entirely new levels. In addition to everything mentioned above, you’re likely to find comedy clubs, champagne and martini bars, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and live performances by world-renowned entertainers like Blue Man Group© (Norwegian EPIC), surfing simulators, ice-skating shows, and carousels (aboard Royal Caribbean’s newest vessels), or sing-along piano bars and elaborate aqua parks (aboard Carnival’s “Fun Ships®”). Part of the fun is strolling from one entertainment venue or bar to the next, just to check out all of the action (Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships built over the last decade feature central promenades that help connect all of the different offerings).
by Anne Campbell
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