Cruise Questions. Big or small?

[hanumanx]

I’m planning a cruise to the Caribbean on Royal Caribbean. Is it better to plan a long cruise on an old, smaller ship, like Brilliance of the Seas, or to plan a short cruise on a big, newer ship like Navigator of the Seas? KineMaster Mod App

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[AshleyDillo]

Depends on what you are looking for out of your trip..there are a lot of variables that come into play here.

[smokeybandit]

That's a very very subjective question.

Though Navigator would be tickled that someone called her "newer"

[Ryan79]

The larger the ship the more crowds, action, noise and kids. When I cruise with my kids…that’s what I want to keep them occupied. When it’s just me and the wife, we like smaller ships. Personally on a cruise more than 5-7 days with many seas days, a ship that is too small may be boring.

[Bowen]

Totally subjective, as others have said, and I agree with Ryan as well. When my kids are with me I want stuff that will entertain them, waterslides, flow rider, golf, bumper cars, etc. When my husband and I go alone we really enjoy the smaller ships. We've done Rhapsody and Serenade and both were great. Another thing to think about is your destination, the smaller ships can go some really cool places that the larger ships can't.

[Al Miller]

Youtube is an awesome tool for this. Ship tours and cruise vlogs abound for basically every ship at this point. Only you know what you will like and stuff you don't care about. 

[mom2mybugs]

I will tell you…I like both, but I like to mix them up.  My last 2 cruises were on small ships so I’m trying a big one next time.  It really depends on what you want to do…all the ships are amazing for adults and teens (I can’t speak for little ones since we started cruising when my youngest was 13).  Jane

[ChessE4]

I would pick the itinerary first, ship second.  I think others have described the differences among ship classes.  Folks who really like specialty dining select ships with more restaurants while I am always looking for a chance to speak a second language.  Have a great cruise, and remember to have FUN!

[Psycho and Barb]

As for us…The longer the better.  However, the ships not as important as the destination. 

[AandD]

We have been on 12 cruises. Our last cruise was on Symphony of the Seas. We picked this ship and a 7 day cruise to experience the ship. We got off at the destinations and did excursions but also wanted to see all the shows and eat at all the restaurants on the ship. 

[jeffmw]

For your first experience I definitely would choose new(er) ship. The older ships do often have more interesting destinations but if you're cruising for the first time I'd concentrate on the experience itself being nice so you don't get turned off by cruising if the ship is looking a bit older or has fewer things to do. I'd avoid Radiance or Vision class ships (there are 8 of them total), but just about anything else I think would be fine. 

[leesam82]

I think it really depends on many different factors. I would ask yourself the following questions

1) What is the make up of the traveling party? do you have a multigenerational group or is it mainly adults? seniors? I personally find the bigger ships better for multigenerational family trips as there are larger venues for all ages (eg large casinos, larger theaters, largers adventures ocean kids club etc). 

2) What are you looking for when you travel? Are you looking for all the bells and whistles? then definitely go to larger oasis class or quantum class ships. If you are looking for more of a low key just hang out by the pool type of vibe, then a smaller ship maybe better for you. 

My last piece of advice would be look at the youtube videos from royalcarribeanblog.com or other travelers to get a sense of the ship. This will also help you decide what works better for you and your family.