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What's your favorite ship and why?


Geoff P

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We are fairly new to cruising, our 3rd cruise is coming up in a couple months, and one of the things we like about it is the things you can do on the ships, from shows to activities, different restaurants and whatnot.  Our first cruise was with Carnival, and our second, which was last year was for our honeymoon and was on Enchantment of the Seas, and in February we are going on Anthem of the Seas.  We liked RCI better than Carnival for a few reasons, but now looking at all the ships RCI offers, just wondering which ones people like the best.  Would like to try an Oasis class just because of the size, but also intrigued by the smaller ships like Mariner of the Seas and also Independence of the Seas now that they have been Amped.

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My favorite ship, and there are others that may give the same answer, is the ship that I'm currently on. All joking aside, you will love Anthem, I've been on her. There are a lot of fun activities and the shows and venues are great.

Each ship has its own "personality" that can vary from sailing to sailing, and a lot of cruising is what you make of it. I was recently on Navigator and had a blast with the recent amplification additions. The slides are great, the food is awesome.

By the end of 2021 I will have sailed on one ship from almost each class of ship in the fleet and look forward to adding more. I feel its good to experience all that RC has to offer and not limit yourself to one class of ship.

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1 hour ago, Geoff P said:

We are fairly new to cruising, our 3rd cruise is coming up in a couple months, and one of the things we like about it is the things you can do on the ships, from shows to activities, different restaurants and whatnot.  Our first cruise was with Carnival, and our second, which was last year was for our honeymoon and was on Enchantment of the Seas, and in February we are going on Anthem of the Seas.  We liked RCI better than Carnival for a few reasons, but now looking at all the ships RCI offers, just wondering which ones people like the best.  Would like to try an Oasis class just because of the size, but also intrigued by the smaller ships like Mariner of the Seas and also Independence of the Seas now that they have been Amped.

I like Radiance Class for a few reasons (we've been on the Radiance and the Brilliance).  I like the chess table and pool table aft, the inside cinema, and the Centrum.  The ship is a little larger than the Vision Class we used to sail out of Baltimore. On the Radiance, the Diamond Lounge was often expanded to the Concierge Lounge, and we had a nice view out the windows.  This was incredible in New Zealand.  I don't object to the Harmony or the Oasis because of Central Park and the many dining alternatives, but I don't really like the larger crowds.  We insist on music with an opportunity for ballroom dancing, and this is easier accomplished in a Centrum-like area than in a lounge with lethal sound levels (like Dazzles on the Harmony).  Despite the ship, my wife and I select cruises based mostly on the itinerary as long as the price is within our threshold.  When we take a cruise that is not Royal Caribbean, it will be because of the itinerary (e.g., we are dying to go to French Polynesia and the RCI ships just pass through on relocation with only 2-3 stops).

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My heart is with the older ships that have the Viking Crown Lounge - what a spectacular space that is.  Our first cruise was on Vision, our next was on Jewel. I guess I'd pick Jewel over Vision, but it's a small margin.  We're kind of small-ship people. That being said, we had a wonderful time on Ovation and cannot wait to sail Symphony.  I like the size of Mariner/Navigator - I'm just not a fan of the Promenade.  But there's not one I wouldn't sail on. They all have their individual charms.

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What's my favorite ship???  lol -- those that know me know the answer to that one, the soon to be, "Late Great Grandeur" ---- But I will say this, I haven't been on anything larger than Voyager Class (Navigator), but one of the features on any ship that I truly loved, was the Outdoor space of the Windjammer on Brilliance.  The way you can enjoy a meal at the back of the ship is amazing.

Now, I'll be on Freedom in March right after it's AMPing.... so we'll see if my opinion on a favorite changes.

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Favorite ship so far is Symphony.  I love the different neighborhoods (Central Park is so peaceful to walk through, Boardwalk so so fun to walk through).  Shows are amazing.  Lots of restaurants to choose from, included and specialty.  Staterooms are new and modern.  Crew great.  So many places to explore.  And I love the overall atmosphere and the decor.  Each stairwell has different interesting fun art.  

But have yet to have a bad cruise or one that I didn't enjoy.  My personal order is

  1. Symphony
  2. Allure
  3. Independence
  4. Navigator
  5. Mariner
  6. Voyager
  7. Grandeur

Going on Adventure soon, and Anthem in March.  Am curious where Anthem will rate...but guessing below Oasis class, above Voyager class.

Someday DH and I hope to try Brilliance for the smaller ship experience (even though I'm a big ship gal).

 

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I guess I could pull a Tom Brady and quote that "my favorite cruise ship is my next cruise ship".

But if I have to answer I would say number 1 is Allure and number 2 is Anthem.

The reason for my choices is that I remember having the most fun on those ships and both are amazing engineering marvels.  (Besides I am old now and have a short memory)

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We've only been on four ships so far - Freedom in 2007, Anthem in 2016, Harmony in 2018 and Navigator in 2019.  Because she was our first, Freedom will always hold a special place in our hearts. We loved the cantilevered hot tubs over the sides of the ship. As much as we loved Freedom, Harmony was truly amazing! There was so much to do and see and we never felt overly crowded for a ship with so many people on it!  We enjoyed the newly amplified Navigator, but, we didn't think it compared to the Freedom or Harmony.  Anthem has been our least favorite ship so far. The promenade area seemed narrow compared to the other ships. Whenever we walked through it, we always felt crowded. The one thing we did enjoy on Anthem was the Solarium - we felt that it was the best of all the ships so far. Looking forward to Mariner and Oasis next year.  Would love to go back on Freedom soon as well.  

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We agree with @WannaCruise in that we love the Oasis class ships right now for the sheer variety of entertainment, activities and dining options. We too absolutely love the neighborhood concept and especially loved Central Park. Currently prefer bigger, newer and more modern... I love to just stare at each ship in amazement when we're in port! 

We loved every Royal cruise, but this would have to be our current order (follows the bigger bias!):

1. Allure

2. Liberty

3. Explorer

4. Majesty

We currently have Oasis booked for May 2020 and Symphony for April 2021... surprise, surprise! We really want to try Anthem or Odyssey and Navigator or Mariner now too!

 

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I am still working my way through the ships, and have sailed on several more than once, but one thing that the wife and I agreed on was that anything Oasis class was our favorite, if I had to pick a second and third at the moment it would be Brilliance, and Rhapsody.  I have to say that my absolute favorite ship will always be whatever I am currently on, and I have yet to have a bad day at sea.  I have COMPLETELY enjoyed every cruise that I have been on, once I started letting go of the fact that not every ship is anything like an Oasis ship (that was my first cruise ever) and started to sit back, relax, and just enjoy myself and appreciate the ship for what it was vs what it wasn't I found myself having an absolute amazing time.  

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12 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

Sovereign of the Seas, this ship began our love of RC cruises in 1990. I have a print of the ship hanging in my study. We must do Majesty before she is retired. 

NICE!!!

Splendour was our first RCL ship in 1999.  It was awesome.  We did a 14N transatlantic.  I still remember that everyday at lunch our Head Waiter cooked an extra pasta course (table-side) just for his tables.  Fantastic!!!  Also, I read the book Perfect Storm on that cruise.  That book goes into great detail of fishing at George's Bank which we sailed over.  Such a great cruise.  WE WERE HOOKED...

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I've only been on Brilliance and Oasis so far in my memorable adult life.  I would say Oasis was my favorite.  This is because it was such a WOW when we got on and took the cruise.  I didn't dislike our Brilliance trip as it was a great trip with my family.  I still have some wonderful memories with my family on it but I wish we had done more research/been better prepared for our first cruise since the very early 90s (where I was too young to recall anything but dancing on the dance floors).  However, it was obviously a wonderful enough experience that has me LOVING this mode of vacationing.  We cannot wait to try out Freedom very soon!  I know I want to try to do a ship of each class and find our favorite.

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11 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

Sovereign of the Seas, this ship began our love of RC cruises in 1990. I have a print of the ship hanging in my study. We must do Majesty before she is retired. 

I'm so on board with you on this one ..... Sovereign of the Seas was our first cruise too.

In fact, I have a Sovereign T-shirt that I wear as I board the ship every time we cruise ...

FB_IMG_1537528372321.jpg

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I'm not sure I could really answer the question since each class of ship, and each ship within a class, brings unique experiences.

My first was Freedom back in '06 and then Liberty a couple years later.  We are planning on getting back on Freedom in early '21.  I have a fondness for that class, probably because you never forget your first :10_wink: Then we went on an Oasis class binge, going on Oasis/Allure 3 times in a row.  I can;t say anything negative about it  We were on Quantum's first full sail back in '14 and that may have something to do with us not getting back on a Quantum class ship.  We didn't care for the style of dining or the layout of the public areas, along with shakedown issues which dampened the experience a bit.  But I know much has changed since then, so perhaps we'll give a Quantum class another try someday.   We really enjoyed Adventure and wouldn't hesitate to go back on that class, just the right blend of size and activities.  We most recently sailed Serenade and I found the ship a bit too small for my liking, probably my least favorite of all the ones we have sailed.

 

All said, we probably remember Freedom the best and we're anxious to get back on with the recent amping.

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13 hours ago, coneyraven said:

I'm so on board with you on this one ..... Sovereign of the Seas was our first cruise too.

In fact, I have a Sovereign T-shirt that I wear as I board the ship every time we cruise ...

FB_IMG_1537528372321.jpg

NICE!!!! 

Actually the SOTS was not our first but our second. We sailed on the SSNorway which sailed on Saturday's with the SOTS. When we saw the gleaming white "huge" ship we decided we would make this ship our second cruise and the rest is history. Love the Tshirt.

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For warm weather cruises the Oasis class ships are a favorite. For cooler weather cruises you can’t beat the Quantum class ships. Nothing like hanging out in the solarium or the 270 theatre during the day on the Quantum class ships. Inside warm and comfy with a spectacular view of the ocean.

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