Is bigger better?
It seems like every cruise line is intent on building the largest possible ship, ruining the experience for many would-be cruisers
In the world of cruises, is bigger always better?
According to the giant Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, the answer to that question is a resounding “yes.” The company recently has announced that it will soon be operating the largest cruise ship ever built, known as the Symphony of the Seas.
Although its passenger capacity - 5,600 people - isn’t the largest ever, its length, height and width is the biggest ever built.
Will such a ship be best for you?
I say “no.” To begin with, navigating around such a monstrous vessel will be an unpleasant chore, using up a great deal of your time aboard. Standing in line for every conceivable reason will be a constant condition.
Everything aboard will cost extra money. To make such a vessel profitable, the ship will charge you for every possible added feature; you will be constantly urged to spend, spend, spend. Even when you visit the ship’s doctor for a sore throat, he or she will charge you for the diagnosis.
Because there are very few port cities capable of berthing such a monster, the ship’s itinerary will include at least one and possibly more stops at a fake port village built by the cruise line, or at a “private beach.”
Intent on enjoying a foreign experience, you will instead be placed in a setting built by and staffed by the cruise line. Everyone you deal with will be a cruise-line employee. Yikes!
The entertainment aboard will be of the most sterile, massively designed character, to be enjoyed in a giant auditorium. There will be no weighty lectures, nothing to challenge your mind, nothing of a decent cultural level. About 5,500 people will watch a show on a massive stage, the kind of which the entertainers appear like tiny objects.
In short, your cruise will resemble a football stadium. I, for one, will seek out the smallest - not the largest - cruise ship for my own next sailing. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details Note to the reader: directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. The information in this column was accurate when it was released, but prices are competitive, sometimes limited and can always change without notice.