BIG vs. SMALL SHIPS - IS CHOOSING BETWEEN THEM A REAL DILEMMA?

Not so in this writers view. The mega liners of today, defined as ships over 100,000-tons, do more than just outweigh their smaller counterparts. As they grow bigger so do the onboard activities and entertainment making them a more likely competitor of land based resorts than smaller ships. Between 1996 and 2010, 43 mega-liners with a combined passenger capacity of just over 142,000 guests have been added to the cruise market. Eleven more will enter service between 2011 and 2014 adding another 48,000 berths. All were scheduled for construction before the current economic downturn. If anything, I predict we will experience a decline in small ships which already appears to have begun. Earlier this year the only remaining U.S. cruise line, Cruise West, sold its flagship, “The Spirit of Oceanus”, to a Danish company. Their remaining seven ships were either sold or surrendered to their lenders. Cruise West had been in business for 64 years. Three years earlier the once popular “Windjammer Barefoot Cruises” closed its doors.

It takes three years from concept to completion to bring a new mega-liner on line. None are envisioned at this time other than those currently under construction indicating that we may be seeing an end to their growth with more than enough in use or soon to be added to the worldwide fleet to cover current and future demand. It is difficult to imagine anything larger than Royal Caribbean’s two 225,282-ton Oasis Class Ships being built in the future. My guess is that they will continue their reign as the world’s largest.

In an earlier review, recorded in this blog, I described in detail the innovations and accommodations my wife and I experienced aboard the Oasis of the Seas. I thought it might be appropriate in this review to show some photos taken on our very first cruise aboard the 20,000-ton Sea Venture in 1972 and contrast them with our 2009 Oasis cruise. Though limited in number and prospective I believe they dramatically reveal the stark differences:












Eleven Sea Ventures would fit nicely inside
the Oasis of the Seas. 720 vs. 5400 guests























Two portholes and very limited space vs.
roomy cabins - many with balconies.























Small single level showroom vs. stadium
theater seating for 1,380 guests.























A single small pool vs. 4 pools, 10 whirlpools
and 2 flow-riders for onboard surfing.












Having established by tonnage alone big ships have so much more space to enable new activities doesn’t mean that there aren’t significant differences among mega-liners themselves. My wife and I have sailed on one out of four that have been built to date and four of the nine cruise lines that operate them including Carnival, Cunard, Princess and Royal Caribbean. The Carnival Destiny was the first on the scene in 1996 at 101,353-tons but was eclipsed by the Grand Princess just two years later. The race to build the biggest and best had begun. In 1999 the RCCL’s Voyager of the Seas claimed the title of the world’s largest cruise liner and began an unsurpassed record of building the industry’s most innovative ships. The Voyager introduced us to Rock Wall Climbing, Ice Skating, Professional Ice Shows and their now signature Royal Promenades. In 2003, Canard’s Queen Mary 2 took over the title and introduced the first shipboard Planetarium. In 2006, however, RCCL once again recaptured the title with the first of its Freedom Class ships and adding another unique first – onboard surf riding. Then, in 2009, RCCL’s Oasis of the Seas was delivered with more of just about everything plus a full size carousel, AquaTheater and a zip line crossing the ship from starboard to portside.

That leaves the question as to when we would choose a smaller ship. Ships averaging half the size of mega-liners have been our windows to the world throughout the 38 years we have been cruising. We have visited just over 100 ports world-wide with destinations in Alaska, Eastern and Western Caribbean, Hawaii, New England, Canada, the British Isles, Eastern and Western Mediterranean, Australia, South America and the South Pacific from exotic Bora Bora to mind boggling Cairo and its pyramids at Giza. Most recently our trips have been repeat cruises aboard the mega-liners sailing the Caribbean. Seldom do we get off the ship and simply enjoy the weather, the pools and the food. We are finding more and more repeat cruisers enjoying the same thing. Unsettling times, overcrowding and beaches no longer as pristine as in the past all seem to be contributing factors. If you have never been there however the aforementioned do no apply.

Happy Cruising!

CRUISING FROM GALVESTON -A REAL DEAL FOR NORTH TEXANS

It was an especially cold winter in 2010. Any other time, when taking a Caribbean Cruise, my wife and I would be headed for DFW Airport and a flight to a port in Florida. This time, however, we were scheduled to leave from the Port of Galveston, an easy five and a half hour drive from the Dallas area.

Arriving at Terminal 2 where our ship, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas was docked, dropping off my wife and our baggage at the terminal , continuing on to the dock’s adjacent parking lot where a shuttle bus awaited to return me to the ship is a process both simple and efficient when compared to the ever increasing cost and hassle of flying.

A comparative look at the costs of flying to Florida vs. driving to Galveston reveals more savings than one might expect. For example, the lowest airfare for two round trip tickets to Ft. Lauderdale, that I was able to find at the time, amounted to $986 including taxes and fees - checking two bags added $120, DFW airport remote parking, at its lowest rate, for seven days added another $56 and a time consuming bus ride to the terminal, transfers in Florida from the airport to the ship and return - a pricey $61 - bringing the total two person cost to $1,223. In contrast, the cost of parking at the Galveston pier for seven days is $70. Adding the cost of gas for the 672 mile round trip in our Prius hybird - $48 - bringing our total outlay to $118 - a savings of $1,105!

The total cost of the cruise, of course, depends on the type of accommodations, number of days and time of year but in most cases are the same in each port with the exception of the newest mega-liners like RCCL’s Oasis and Allure of the Seas which command premium rates making the savings even greater. As one might expect, interior cabins are the lowest in price with Ocean View, Balcony and Suites requiring incrementally higher fees. Discounts are always available for seniors age 55 and over.

During the remainder of 2010 three ships will be operating out of Galveston. They include Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas with six seven-day cruises during November and December. Carnival’s Ecstasy with both four and five day sailings in October and the company’s Carnival Conquest which will be operating seven day cruises in November and early December.

For 2011 RCCL’s Voyager is scheduled for sixteen seven day cruises from January through April and in May a one way fourteen day transatlantic crossing to Barcelona, Spain to reposition it for the European market. Carnival will use its Conquest for seven day cruises from mid August to early December. The Carnival Triumph will offer ten five day cruises from October to December and in mid-November through mid-December the brand new, mega-liner, Carnival Magic, will arrive in Galveston for three seven day and one eight day Caribbean cruise.

In this writers view, the next fourteen months present an uncommonly wide range of Galveston based cruises especially attractive for North Texans and nearby residents of Oklahoma and Arkansas who together currently make up 97% of the port’s patrons. Detailed information on dates, prices and ports of call are readily available on the web at www.rccl.com and www.carnival.com.

The photo gallery below shows the five ships serving Galveston during the remainder of 2010 and throughout 2011, their gross tonnage, the year they entered service and passenger capacity.



At 137,276 tons Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas is the largest ship serving Galveston. It has a passenger capacity of 3,138 and has been refurbished twice since its completion in 1999. This photo clearly shows the close proximity of parking at the port – a plus factor available to both cruise lines.


The Carnival Magic, shown here in an artist’s rendering, is scheduled for completion in 2011. It will weigh in at 130,000 tons and will be capable of carrying 3,652 passengers – the largest capacity of the ships currently serving the port.


The 110,000 ton Carnival Conquest, shown here docked at the port’s Terminal 1 entered service in 2002 and carries 2,974 passengers.


The Carnival Triumph was completed in 1999, carries 2,974 passengers and weighs 101,509 tons.


Last but not least is the 70,367 ton Carnival Ecstasy, the smallest ship serving the port with a passenger capacity of 2,056. The Ecstasy spent six months in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina serving as a hotel for refugees and relief workers after which it was refurbished and upgraded with new features.

My wife and I have had the pleasure of sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager, Carnival’s Conquest and the Imagination, a sister ship of the Ecstasy. We rate the Voyager as the best buy from the standpoint of service and its range and quality of age specific activities for children and adults. It is the ship that introduced cruisers to such innovations as rock climbing, roller skating, ice skating, international ice shows, miniature golf and the lines’ now signature multi-storied Royal Promenade with shops, eateries and elaborate parades at the beginning and end of the cruise. Whatever your choice, you will find worthwhile land excursions at the Caribbean Ports they both visit and the substantial savings accrued by sailing from Galveston.
HAPPY CRUISING!