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Any potential problems going from largest to smallest ship ?


Kpak

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We have just come off Symphony 24th August Caribbean/ Bahamas sailing. And we absolutely loved it. So much that we have booked 2 more cruises. The 2 new cruises are on much smaller ships. We are sailing Enchantment for a New Year sailing ,  we needed to sail out of Galveston this time and this seemed the best one for us. I was a little worried that it may be too small a ship after Symphony but we went for it anyway. A few days later we realise  we have cruise credit to use and flight credit too so we started looking again. This time the best port option for us was New York and we’ve always wanted to try New England so we are now booked on Empress the smallest ship of the lot. 

We are coming from the Uk so Port locations were probably the most important factor . I’m just hoping that we love these two ships as much as we loved Symphony.  There were many things on Symphony we did not take advantage of so I’m hoping we won’t feel like there is too much missing. We didn’t use any speciality dining , we didn’t use any slides, casino. We only sat on pool deck once and found quieter places lower down like deck 5. We didn’t go on the boardwalk much but loved Central Park and did use flow rider and the climbing wall . 

I’m hoping that as long as both ships have some nice quiet out door space, good MDR and some nice cafes we should be ok. Does anyone have experience of going from the largest to the smallest ? Any thoughts ? 

Im still excited that we ve never cruised before and we ll have  done 3 in a year ??

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Wondered the same thing after booking Allure but we next booked Mariner.  And have now been on Symphony which is amazing, but also smaller ones too.  I think every ship brings something unique and special and although I may have missed the incredible shows, etc, but there are so many other things to enjoy...pros and cons with each ship.  I'm a big girl ship as I love the facilities and shows and food options, but even then, I even have Brilliance on our bucket list.  I also prefer to try new ships...so when booking, we'll book one we haven't been on yet if its an option.

Haven't been on Enchantment or Empress so can't comment personally, but just search for twangster's recent review on Empress.  He sold me, and would have no issue travelling on it.

P.S. - The one comment I'll make though is that we probably wouldn't bring our kids on the smaller ships with less amenities, but the loved Symphony, Mariner and Navigator.

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The key is managing expectations and understanding what Enchantment has and doesnt have. 

1 hour ago, Kpak said:

I’m hoping that as long as both ships have some nice quiet out door space, good MDR and some nice cafes we should be ok.

They definitely do. I think what you will notice the more is the variety of activities Symphony had, versus the relative less amount of things to do.

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29 minutes ago, WannaCruise said:

search for twangster's recent review on Empress.  He sold me, and would have no issue travelling on it.

P.S. - The one comment I'll make though is that we probably wouldn't bring our kids on the smaller ships with less amenities, but the loved Symphony, Mariner and Navigator.

Thanks I ll definitely look for twangsters review. 

And it’s just myself and the hubby so no little ones to entertain. 

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29 minutes ago, Matt said:

he key is managing expectations and understanding what Enchantment has and doesnt have. 

I’m hoping we ve done that and glad to hear they seem to have what we enjoyed the most , just minus Central Park . I will read others reviews too. 

 

Thanks 

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12 minutes ago, Kpak said:

I’m hoping we ve done that and glad to hear they seem to have what we enjoyed the most , just minus Central Park . I will read others reviews too. 

 

Thanks 

We have sailed Enchantment and Grandeur.  You will enjoy the shows, the food, the Centrum, Deck 5, the pool deck, and assorted lounges for music and dancing.  Have a great cruise!

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Our last cruise was Adventure after the previous 4 cruises were Oasis class and Quantum class.  After our initial walk-through , the size difference was clear, but once we got underway, I never gave it another thought.  We found plenty to do.  It was a bit more relaxing not having to run from venue to venue, coordinating show times and dinner seatings.

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I have sailed both Allure and Enchantment and as much as I adored Allure and how many things there were to do, one thing I found was that I enjoyed much less live music than I did on Enchantment. I mean, there were options a plenty to listen to it on Allure, but in my mind I wanted to see the bigger shows I couldn't see on smaller ships. I'm really looking forward to my Grandeur cruise where we can enjoy music in the centrum and Schooner bar without feeling that FOMO. 

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Our first cruise was Oasis of the Seas, the next two were Grandeur and Majesty.  We were told we were doing backwards, that we would be disappointed with the smaller ships.  This was absolutely not the case.  We loved the Grandeur and even the Majesty; these two ships can't be beat for relaxing and enjoying the ship.  On the smaller ships you feel more connected to the seas and feel more like you are cruising. The Oasis was great and had lots to do; the smaller ships more laid back.  You can't go wrong with either.

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Any ship is a pleasure to be on. Our first ever cruise was on Enchantment.  She has since been stretched and refurbished a couple of times.  We thought that ship was big.   LOL   Have been on all sizes since.  They are all unique and it is really all about the itinerary.  Smaller  ships have better food and service.  Talking to most employees the majority of them prefer the smaller classes of ships.  All of the above posts are spot on.  

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18 hours ago, Kpak said:

We have just come off Symphony 24th August Caribbean/ Bahamas sailing. And we absolutely loved it. So much that we have booked 2 more cruises. The 2 new cruises are on much smaller ships. We are sailing Enchantment for a New Year sailing ,  we needed to sail out of Galveston this time and this seemed the best one for us. I was a little worried that it may be too small a ship after Symphony but we went for it anyway. A few days later we realise  we have cruise credit to use and flight credit too so we started looking again. This time the best port option for us was New York and we’ve always wanted to try New England so we are now booked on Empress the smallest ship of the lot. 

We are coming from the Uk so Port locations were probably the most important factor . I’m just hoping that we love these two ships as much as we loved Symphony.  There were many things on Symphony we did not take advantage of so I’m hoping we won’t feel like there is too much missing. We didn’t use any speciality dining , we didn’t use any slides, casino. We only sat on pool deck once and found quieter places lower down like deck 5. We didn’t go on the boardwalk much but loved Central Park and did use flow rider and the climbing wall . 

I’m hoping that as long as both ships have some nice quiet out door space, good MDR and some nice cafes we should be ok. Does anyone have experience of going from the largest to the smallest ? Any thoughts ? 

Im still excited that we ve never cruised before and we ll have  done 3 in a year ??

Just curious, if you’re sailing out of Galveston, and you’re concerned about how small Enchantment is, why not book on Liberty ??  She’s a great ship, my fav, and has all the bells and whistles. Certainly she’s not Oasis class, but she’s an awesome ship. 

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@Michael Vitale.  I might be wrong, but I believe Liberty is being repositioned to Florida, so that might be the reason.

@Kpak  we did Enchantment 3 yrs ago this Nov.  This was after her being stretched.  Empress is her sister ship.

I have both positive and negatives about the ship.

Positives.

  1.  I love the lay out of schooners bar  More windows to watch the sea.
  2.  I did like the WJ, because again due to the design and size of the ship, there are a lot more areas with ocean.  
  3.  Our itinerary was more port intensive than larger ships which need bigger ports to dock.  
  4.  Not a lot of kids because the ship does not have the bells and whistles.  This is a plus because it made it so we never had problems finding a pool lounger
  5.  White night party was held on the pool deck which gives it a unique vibe
  6.  The staff really get to know you, and you them.  

Negatives

  1.  I did not really care for the shows.  They just lacked umph!   I think by night 3 we stopped going to the shows.
  2.  Our CD was not great, eh at best.   I am a huge fan of their 70s night and Quest.  To me this is where the CD can make or break it.  If you have a good CD than that is a different story

Goes both Positive and negative

  1.  Solarium pool has the café in it for snacks in the back of the area, so really isn't adults only because kids will come in and grab food and sit down to eat, which means the tranquility level is not the same like other Solariums.
  2.  MDR food was fine, but I am someone that is just as content to eat in the MDR as I would be in a specialty.  I do feel due to the size of the ship, your waiters really  get to know you faster than the larger ships.  They truly will do everything to make you enjoy your meal.  However, what I did not like about their MDR was the size, shape of the room.  Of all the ships I have been on it just felt squashed.  Basically don't think about backing out your chair if the chair at the next table is backed out.  We did not like the location of our table on the 1st night because of this issue, so we asked to be moved for the next night.  The 2nd table was better bc it was adjacent to the balcony, but again, the tables were just as close.  I think this might be due to the fact there are very few specialty restaurants, so more people are using the MDR
  3.  Loved the Centrum.  Great place to hang and have your morning starbucks.    Again, has amazing ocean views.  Negative is formal nights, it gets crazy there, almost like a human parking lot.  This is where they set up the photo stations, or at least when we sailed her.  they use both sides of the staircases, which is right next to the elevator banks.  They than have more stations set all around that small area.

Hope my review of Enchantment helps.  

For me I think everybody has to find their sweet spot when it comes to cruising.  My husband and I will be doing Oasis next yr. because it is a 1 season only positioned in NJ.  We would rather drive to port than fly.  We have done both Anthem and Adventure (Liberty's sister ship, but has yet to be stretched).  For us if it was same itinerary as Enchantment I would go on Liberty.  That size ship is our sweet spot.  Nothing against Anthem, but basically a lot of their things on the ship is been there,  done that and collected the check after you do it 1x.  IE North Star, I Fly, bionic bar, whereas, Adventure, although smaller, has more things to do over and over again, such as the slides, mini golf, ice skating.  

OBTW you will love sailing out of Cape Liberty, especially when you go under the Verrazano bridge (@30 mins after leaving the port).  The NE cruise is a great cruise.  I don't know when you will be sailing on Empress, but beware.  The ship is smaller, and if the water is rough, sea sickness is more likely than on a ship like Symphony.  Right now Dorian will hit NJ as a Tropical Storm or Nor'Easter.  The ocean will be rough.  We did the NE on Anthem after Hurricane Jose, and you could feel it on that ship.  We were all laughing that everybody was walking like a drunk due to the rocking.  

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10 hours ago, Michael Vitale said:

Just curious, if you’re sailing out of Galveston, and you’re concerned about how small Enchantment is, why not book on Liberty ??

The dates didn’t match our other commitments . 22nd was too early and 29 th too late. But maybe next time ?

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9 hours ago, Pima1988 said:

@Michael Vitale.  I might be wrong, but I believe Liberty is being repositioned to Florida, so that might be the reason.

@Kpak  we did Enchantment 3 yrs ago this Nov.  This was after her being stretched.  Empress is her sister ship.

I have both positive and negatives about the ship.

Positives.

  1.  I love the lay out of schooners bar  More windows to watch the sea.
  2.  I did like the WJ, because again due to the design and size of the ship, there are a lot more areas with ocean.  
  3.  Our itinerary was more port intensive than larger ships which need bigger ports to dock.  
  4.  Not a lot of kids because the ship does not have the bells and whistles.  This is a plus because it made it so we never had problems finding a pool lounger
  5.  White night party was held on the pool deck which gives it a unique vibe
  6.  The staff really get to know you, and you them.  

Negatives

  1.  I did not really care for the shows.  They just lacked umph!   I think by night 3 we stopped going to the shows.
  2.  Our CD was not great, eh at best.   I am a huge fan of their 70s night and Quest.  To me this is where the CD can make or break it.  If you have a good CD than that is a different story

Goes both Positive and negative

  1.  Solarium pool has the café in it for snacks in the back of the area, so really isn't adults only because kids will come in and grab food and sit down to eat, which means the tranquility level is not the same like other Solariums.
  2.  MDR food was fine, but I am someone that is just as content to eat in the MDR as I would be in a specialty.  I do feel due to the size of the ship, your waiters really  get to know you faster than the larger ships.  They truly will do everything to make you enjoy your meal.  However, what I did not like about their MDR was the size, shape of the room.  Of all the ships I have been on it just felt squashed.  Basically don't think about backing out your chair if the chair at the next table is backed out.  We did not like the location of our table on the 1st night because of this issue, so we asked to be moved for the next night.  The 2nd table was better bc it was adjacent to the balcony, but again, the tables were just as close.  I think this might be due to the fact there are very few specialty restaurants, so more people are using the MDR
  3.  Loved the Centrum.  Great place to hang and have your morning starbucks.    Again, has amazing ocean views.  Negative is formal nights, it gets crazy there, almost like a human parking lot.  This is where they set up the photo stations, or at least when we sailed her.  they use both sides of the staircases, which is right next to the elevator banks.  They than have more stations set all around that small area.

Hope my review of Enchantment helps.  

For me I think everybody has to find their sweet spot when it comes to cruising.  My husband and I will be doing Oasis next yr. because it is a 1 season only positioned in NJ.  We would rather drive to port than fly.  We have done both Anthem and Adventure (Liberty's sister ship, but has yet to be stretched).  For us if it was same itinerary as Enchantment I would go on Liberty.  That size ship is our sweet spot.  Nothing against Anthem, but basically a lot of their things on the ship is been there,  done that and collected the check after you do it 1x.  IE North Star, I Fly, bionic bar, whereas, Adventure, although smaller, has more things to do over and over again, such as the slides, mini golf, ice skating.  

OBTW you will love sailing out of Cape Liberty, especially when you go under the Verrazano bridge (@30 mins after leaving the port).  The NE cruise is a great cruise.  I don't know when you will be sailing on Empress, but beware.  The ship is smaller, and if the water is rough, sea sickness is more likely than on a ship like Symphony.  Right now Dorian will hit NJ as a Tropical Storm or Nor'Easter.  The ocean will be rough.  We did the NE on Anthem after Hurricane Jose, and you could feel it on that ship.  We were all laughing that everybody was walking like a drunk due to the rocking.  

Yes, you are wrong ?    There’s been much speculation about Liberty being replaced by a larger ship at some point, but nothing has been announced yet. Liberty will be in Galveston until at least the end of the spring 2021 season. 

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We went from the Allure to the Empress in the same week and I really enjoyed the Empress.  We just had to have our minds set that we were going to get bigger and over the top on one and a classic cruise on the other.  What I missed most on the Empress was the shopping and restaurants but liked the Windjammer much better on the Empress.  Staff on smaller ships seem to be really personable and love their ship and jobs.

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We did Oasis 3 cruises in a row then did Freedom last year. I did miss Central Park. ? 

However, Freedom’s itinerary was all about the ports. We had one Sea day. (Southern Caribbean). 

On the Oasis Class ships, the ship is part of the vacation as much as the ports which is why you get 3 sea days.

Like Matt said, adjust your expectations. You’ll be cruising more for the port experience than the ship. 

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Trying to manage my expectations also, but after 23 years in the Navy and cruise ship is better (maybe not liberty ports) First cruise was on Carnival and the ship was just ok but the entertainment was horrible (never again). Next, Oasis, fantastic ship and the entertainment was top notch. This time it will be the Explorer of the Seas out of Southampton, going more for the ports of call and hoping the entertainment will be worth seeing

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