Joe01

A possible issue in terms of things to do on EN & SR was that I didn't read the Compass and go to any events. On Harmony, I tried to go to a lot of them. Maybe it would be worth doing the a small ship provided that the Cruise Director is great. People on CC were saying that I should only do Oasis Class, but quite frankly, it would be boring to do the same class every year.

One thing that I never mentioned was that our Anthem cruise had 4 sea days and by the second half of the cruise, I was a bit lost for things to do. Admittedly, I did not like the CD on that ship so avoided the activities but it felt like there wasn't a whole lot to do. Is it really worth doing anything smaller if that is what I thought of Anthem?

It just felt that on Serenade in 2013 (my last "small" ship) all I did was go to the pool, eat, drink and sleep on sea days. A bit dull. Maybe I should spend more time at the Cruise Director's Staff Activities. What also disappointed me on Serenade and Anthem was that the food quality on those two ships was significantly lower than on other ships.

Thanks! He used to be on Oasis, talk about a downgrade in ship.

I would personally never sail Empress. I just think she is too small and not at all what Royal Caribbean is about. Definitely not my cup of tea. You could probably see the whole ship in 1 hour.

Who was your Cruise Director on Empress? I am needing to update the Cruise Director list.

What do people spend their day doing on small ships? There is simply so much to do on Oasis Class that it doesn't matter, but what about smaller ones?

Jewel was my first cruise. Possibly on the small side now, but back in 2009, it was a decent ship for a first timer.

Now that I think of it, I spent more time at Cruise Director related activities on Harmony and intend to do that even more on Symphony. Therefore, does the size of ship really matter as much?

There is so much going on that it is impossible to be bored on a 3 or 4 day cruise. It would be impossible to do one on an Oasis Class.

I did enjoy Explorer and Independence before. Anthem was totally different and the design made it feel small, particularly in comparison to the Oasis Class design. It's the Vision and Radiance Class that I am more dubious about. If I end up on one of them again (which I probably will), it needs to have the best CD, AM and Staff in the business as I will try to spend my time at their activities. Mariner has had so many upgrades that I doubt you will be bored. It's a short cruise as well.

Now that is one that I really want to take. Alaska is one that I hope to do soon, but wish Explorer was coming back next year. Radiance may just feel too small and Anthem wasn't my cup of tea so Ovation would be much the same.

Adventure is on my list, although I have been to New York a lot and one of my least favorite CD's is said to be going there next year, so will avoid that ship for 2019. I am mostly looking at cruises in July, with maybe the occasional chance at an October cruise if we find a good deal and timings. That means that I would stick with Indy in Europe rather than Florida. My group won't sail from Southampton to the Med so if I was to do a UK based cruise, it would likely be Explorer to Scandinavia, but she will be getting tired as well (she looked it in 2012). I didn't think that Liberty would feel out of date, but having seen some photos of Freedom, she is starting to look her age. I would happily sail her from San Juan after her Amplified drydock. It's been a while since I sailed Voyager or Freedom Class, so appreciate your insight. I actually want to give smaller ships another chance, but worry of getting bored.

Empress is way too small for me. I would maybe try Majesty, but not Empress. I would sail Mariner, but coming from the UK, it isn't very practical to fly out for a 3/4 day cruise to CocoCay and Nassau.

My worry with FR is that she may be looking a bit tired. From videos I've seen, that looks to be the case. Did you think that? BTW - CD's change usually after 2 or 3 contracts on one ship.

Couldn't have said it better myself! The reason why AN is so big is because she is tall, but those extra decks only consist of additional staterooms. Actually a very narrow ship. Voyager Class doesn't suffer from overcrowding much.

Explorer felt larger than Anthem. Probably down to ship design.

It does not feel like a Royal Caribbean ship. Very different design, lacked a lot of amenities that I liked on other ships, too much reservations, overcrowded etc. I don't regret trying the Anthem to see what Quantum Class had to offer, but wouldn't do it again.

Indy is my ideal ship. She looks phenomenal with the upgrades but my group won't sail from Southampton (I have no problem with it). Freedom hasn't had much of a refurb yet, but Liberty from Texas looks interesting. It's been years since I last sailed that class. I did Anthem for a mid-size ship experience but it wasn't what I expected.

I am starting to run out of ideas for future cruises. I will be on Symphony in 20 days for a 2 week B2B (can't wait! ), however beyond that, I am wondering what ships to consider for next year. I've been on Oasis, Allure and Harmony. Love that class and look forward to sailing the new world's largest ship. However, beyond that, I don't want to sail the same class of ship every year. Past ships are: Jewel, Independence, Enchantment, Explorer, Serenade, Oasis, Allure, Anthem, Harmony. Pretty much all of Royal's classes of ships. I have always liked larger ships (except Anthem). I feel that it is possibly time to do another small ship, but I do feel a bit hesitant about it in case I end up getting bored. I am also eager to do a new itinerary. My initial thought was Alaska, but the options are Ovation and Radiance. Any other big ship fans that can think of a good cruise? Liberty from Texas is looking possible.

I couldn't agree more. Safety is number 1.

Better safe than sorry! Port Canaveral is one that I would love to sail from.

I am from Scotland. I have sailed from Fort Lauderdale twice and have had no issues. It's a great port and the crowds out of FLL are always fun.

Sure. Maybe I am being a bit harsh on it as Baltimore was my first cruise outside of Europe (actually my first visit to the United States), but right away when we arrived in Washington, the first thing we saw was a "Welcome Home All Americans" banner and those who were non American were completely ignored. That sort of set the tone. So as for cruising from Baltimore, I mainly mean that it attracts a much more mature clientele than what I usually sail with. Even during the summer, it didn't seem to attract much of a young crowd, and it was pretty much made up of only Americans. They didn't seem to try and cater for non American guests on that sailing, and Baltimore is too much of a pain to get to anyway. I would go to New Jersey and sail on AD or AN if I wanted to do those itineraries again (which I do). Then again, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the East Coast.

Having said that, if they could bring Darryl Dyball back to Royal and Lady G, I'll be there like a shot. Other than that, I felt as if they only catered to the American audience when I sailed from Baltimore and I wouldn't suggest going from there if you are non American. Just go to Cape Liberty instead if you like those itineraries.