cmcclelland

indeed, as to Charleston, SC - we live 2 hours south - so would definitely sail from there - Grandeur does come in as a day stop;  we cannot bring ourselves to try Carnavel - haha

They are the only mid size ships in the fleet and well, lets face it, they will be the first to go when the right opportunity comes along.  You don't see them included in the AMPED program so let the speculation begin.  Since I projected into 2021 to include the future OA and Quantum class I left Vision class off on purpose.  Even with Vision, Soverign and Empress class counted out the rest of the non OA/Quantum class still out number them.  

Hey, Mr. twangbot, you missed the Vision class.  Your coding must ha slipped a 0 or a 1.
???

Totally agree.  As long as the ships continue to sail full, there's no incentive to build anything smaller.  It makes a whooooole lot of sense to bring the Mariner in to the Majesty's old route out of Canaveral, and we're going to see similar shuffles with smaller ships sticking to routes that wouldn't sail full on something bigger or that the ports can't handle.

It wasn't about new...it was about the size.......or maybe we are both wrong.
 
But if they wanted new ships and newer amenities, there are lots of them and that is all Royal is building. Hence the reason people stating they wish that Royal would build mid size ships as well. Don't think it was about new ships for the same of  newer amenities.
 
 

I'm good with the re-fits, bring on more O and Q class, I can't wait to see the new Icon class and/or ship which ever is the correct term, because until I can cruise more than the twice a year that I do now, or retire, or win the lottery, or become Super Mario ( @twangster ), I won't be able to keep up with the new builds and Re-fits anyway, I'm going to miss out on something...

I think it just stems from a perceived lack of interest from Royal in building new ships smaller than a Quantum.  It won't happen for a while, but eventually the older gals will age out of the fleet and the average gross tonnage and number of berths per ship marches ever upward.

Ok, ok I will seek the OA when I  get back! LOL- I still think I'd like Freedom better! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a mixed bag for me.  They should totally change up venues and activities to keep things fresh.  I don't want to repeat sailing a ship or itinerary years later and have everything be identical again.  But I also don't want half the public areas on the ship behind a velvet rope and an upcharge when they weren't before . . . which unfortunately has seemed like the direction they're going.

So did I, 2000 is when I started cruising with Royal

Honestly I think you hit the nail on the head. It really boils down to personal preference.  While my friend @Lovetocruise2002 loves her larger ships, she's young and has children that accompany her and there is so much to do for everyone and be happy.  Hubby and I  are at the point where you want less children (please not haters, we love children, he taught for 30 years!), but casino, a few drinks and relax and that's about it.  So I think you are right. We don't need the bells and whistles.

I don't think people who like and enjoy the midsize ships like or want or care about adding all these bells and whistles...or at least that's the impression that I get.
 
People that like and enjoy them..like and enjoy them for what they currently are like. Not looking to cram more stuff to do and pay for on the smaller ships.
 
Or am I way off course here??

Which is why I'm booked on 4 Celebrity sailings and only 2 RC at the moment. Dollar for Dollar, Celebrity was less money with the 4 perks. But then again, I like their size ships and the demographic of their customers so it's a bit different for me. Who knows, if I do book Oasis I may fall in love and say what have I been missing! LOL

I am interested in checking out a Voyager or Freedom.  So far, I've only sailed Sovereign class & Oasis class which is almost as extreme as you can get.  After the Enchantment, I'd like to try out the Mariner once she's running 3 and 4 nighters out of Canaveral. 

If I remember correctly, when I first started cursing Royal (2000), I switched over so that I could cruise on "The biggest cruise ship in the world""Voyager", I had previously been on the NCL Seaward, so they may be Mid sized now but they were not always...

Royal is investing in their mid-size ships bringing new Oasis like features to them.  
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/04/30/royal-caribbean-releases-royal-amplified-fleet-upgrade-schedule
Freedom and Voyager class. 
With these modernizations there is plenty to chose from across the fleet. 
 

sad, but true 

indeed, as to Charleston, SC - we live 2 hours south - so would definitely sail from there - Grandeur does come in as a day stop;  we cannot bring ourselves to try Carnavel - haha

They could even transfer over a Celebrity ship if they really wanted, but I don't see that happening until they start seeing empty cabins on a bigger ship's run.  Seems like the medium ship experience is going to cost Celebrity money for the foreseeable future.  But to be fair, X doesn't always cost more than a comparable itinerary on Royal, especially when you figure in sales and perks that X seems more generous with.

Royal Caribbean does build medium sized ships....they're on Celebrity Cruises

I lean toward the medium to smaller ships myself, but understand the economics don't work out for new builds when retrofitting an existing ship seems so much more economical when almost every sailing is virtually sold out, and when the huge ships are selling out as well. I think the market has to change pretty substantially for us to see mid-size ships being built for RC any time soon. They are squeezing their ROI out of Majesty and Empress,, so I think the same will hold true for Vision, Radiance and Voyager Class ships when they get to the same age.

For Royal, mid-size would be Voyager class, not sure about other cruise lines. Even though Voyager is quite a bit larger than Radiance, from the overall fleet it is right in the middle.

What do ya'll classify as a mid-size ship? Like what class? Would Voyager class (Mariner, Adventure, etc.) be considered mid-size?

Also, and you would think this would make economic sense ...... Not every port can accommodate the larger ships, so, wouldn't it make sense to have smaller ones to increase the number of destinations and embarkation points?  I love that New Orleans is back in the picture, but I was thinking of Charleston, SC as a good midway point between Florida and the Mid-Atlantic...... We already go there as a destination, so perhaps we can build on that.

Agreed...but these medium size ships do not appeal to new cruisers or millennials......and that is the target market...Mega ships with mega stuff to do that cost mega bucks.......