Up next in 10
Which Is The Perfect Cruise Ship Size, And Why?
3K views
Jan 28, 2025
Which is the best cruise ship size, and why? Big cruise ship or small cruise ship? There is a perfect cruise ship size for your cruising vacation. Discover what it is and why ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 85 cruises I have done to date. BUY MY CRUISE-THEMED T-SHIRTs ————————————————- Check out my T-Shirt range: http://bit.ly/TFTStore SUPPORT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS ————————————————————— Become a Channel Member and get perks: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/Join Become a Patron on Patreon and get perks: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=V9STJGYSEMGLJ Buy my book “Cruise Traveler’s Handbook: USA Amazon https://amzn.to/2YVFmG4 and https://amzn.to/3tzIxBn UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3oXbzYc and https://amzn.to/3qawqIQ FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA ——————————————— TikTok: @garybembridge
View Video Transcript
0:00
is big now the right and perfect way to
0:03
go cruising based on what cruise lines
0:05
are doing introducing bigger and bigger
0:06
ships it seems they certainly think so
0:10
even premium and luxury lines that had
0:12
smaller ships like princess cruises
0:14
holland america line silversea and even
0:16
seabourn are shifting from smaller ships
0:19
and are going bigger having been on a
0:21
series of cruises close to each other on
0:24
a mix of big and smaller ships i've
0:26
decided there is a perfect size of ship
0:29
to go cruising on although it's not as
0:32
obvious or straightforward
0:34
making that decision as i thought it
0:36
would be
0:37
if you're new here welcome aboard i'm
0:39
gary bembridge and it's my goal to make
0:41
it easier and more fun to plan and enjoy
0:44
unforgettable cruise vacations i kept
0:47
changing what i thought the perfect size
0:50
was based on whether i was thinking
0:51
about traveling by myself with my
0:53
partner with a group of other people say
0:55
like our mothers or even on a
0:57
multi-generational cruise with my sister
1:00
her grown-up sons there in their late
1:02
20s and their young kids for each of
1:05
those who i want to be surrounded by on
1:07
board
1:08
is absolutely and totally different big
1:11
ships are perfect when i want us to be
1:13
with a younger crowd like if cruising
1:15
with my sister's 20-something year old
1:18
and their kids the average age of
1:20
cruising is absolutely coming down
1:23
and it seems to be driven by ship size
1:25
as much as it is by the individual lines
1:28
although of course they're really
1:29
interlinked because royal caribbean
1:30
norwegian msc and increasingly carnival
1:33
operates many of the biggest ships the
1:36
bigger the ship the younger i find
1:39
passengers on board are because these
1:41
appeal to families young couples
1:43
multi-generational travelers and groups
1:46
of young single friends as ships get
1:48
smaller i find i'm normally surrounded
1:51
by traditional cruise demographics and
1:53
so i find older couples and so basically
1:55
more people like me so why is this
1:58
happening and why are we seeing that key
2:00
difference well first of all big ships
2:02
offer a resort like experience good
2:04
value fares and a wide range of cabins
2:07
they cater for different needs that
2:08
suits families and cost-conscious
2:11
younger travelers the ships they offer
2:13
inside cabins ocean view cabins balcony
2:16
cabins suites they have family cabins
2:18
which multiple people can stay in lots
2:21
of interconnecting cabins for families
2:22
or friends traveling together lots of
2:24
permutations in terms of value each
2:27
grade is usually cheaper than the
2:29
equivalent on smaller cruise ships so
2:32
for example
2:33
if you compare balcony on a big cruise
2:35
ship to a balcony on a small ship it's
2:38
usually significantly cheaper in fact a
2:42
balcony on a small ship often costs the
2:44
same as a suite on a bigger ship
2:47
bigger ships have a wide range of
2:49
activities and entertainment jam-packed
2:52
into them they can keep kids teens any
2:55
young active traveler today busy and
2:57
occupied go-carts video arcades water
3:00
parks rock climbing
3:02
wave riders parties and so on
3:06
there are also large and really busy
3:08
kids and teen clubs and usually
3:10
babysitting services which allow parents
3:12
alone time big ships have a wide range
3:15
of dining options ranging from really
3:16
fine dining to steakhouses to asian food
3:20
to fast food burger joints again
3:23
catering for all tastes and all ages big
3:26
ships do tend to be associated as i
3:28
mentioned with lies like royal caribbean
3:30
norwegian cruise line embassy cruises
3:32
carnival but we are seeing bigger ships
3:36
appearing in premium and more
3:38
traditional lines like princess you know
3:40
for example sky princess i was on
3:41
recently
3:43
3666 passengers
3:45
big ships of course also appeal to those
3:48
worried about or traveling with people
3:49
worried about seasickness
3:51
because they can be much more stable
3:53
than on smaller ships you tend to feel
3:55
much less motion in the ocean on a big
3:58
ship it doesn't guarantee by the way
4:00
that you won't get seasick but bigger
4:02
ships are more stable and move around
4:05
less small ships have much less of all
4:07
of these things and they tend therefore
4:09
to have a more classic and traditional
4:11
cruise ship layout and naturally fewer
4:14
facilities due to their size many won't
4:16
even have kids clubs and i find
4:19
therefore you tend to have an older
4:20
crowd it's more couples maybe solo
4:23
travelers for me
4:25
these are often the perfect size for
4:27
many of my cruises which is why i like
4:29
lines like oceania azamara viking
4:31
seabourn windstar and so on
4:34
especially when i'm traveling solo
4:36
another real big consideration for
4:38
perfect size is if you or people in your
4:41
group are much less mobile or perhaps
4:43
not keen on having to walk long
4:44
distances to get to things big ships can
4:46
be a really big challenge small is much
4:49
more manageable
4:50
but if choice and range is important to
4:52
you and the people you're traveling with
4:54
then big absolutely is beautiful if you
4:57
want lots of cabin choices lots of
4:59
dining options lots of entertainment
5:01
activities you want to be surrounded by
5:03
a younger crowd more families
5:05
big is definitely going to be beautiful
5:08
however i did decide that it's actually
5:11
maybe too simplistic to focus too much
5:13
on age and facilities to decide a
5:16
perfect size because all ages of course
5:19
can enjoy big and small ships there's
5:22
much more to consider
5:23
like this so much hinges on what you
5:26
want in a vacation for example my
5:28
partner mark likes to lay about in the
5:30
day but wants to be entertained in the
5:32
evening he wants good food in a really
5:34
smart restaurant a big show with big
5:37
production values a busy casino with
5:39
lots of choices of gaming that's why for
5:42
example on a land-based vacation he
5:44
loves going to las vegas because it has
5:46
all of those things me
5:48
i like a quiet more laid-back vacation
5:51
busy days
5:52
out exploring with earlier nights and a
5:54
bit more chilling in the evenings big
5:56
ships are perfect if you love a vacation
5:59
to be in a busy bustling environment
6:01
with lots of people busy bars venues
6:04
pools
6:05
if you don't mind a noisy environment
6:07
with kids and you know loads of people
6:09
around you you like choice
6:11
you don't mind set dining times you
6:13
don't mind playing to books specially
6:15
dining theater go-karting flow riders
6:17
whatever activities and you're not
6:19
fussed with even lining up for things
6:21
perhaps a slower embarkation and
6:23
disembarkation because of the number of
6:25
peoples
6:26
you don't really bother about those
6:28
things because you're on vacation and
6:30
you much prefer the energy the buzz an
6:33
action-packed resort vacation the wide
6:35
choices and constant things to do is the
6:38
thing that's key for you the ship
6:40
is as important or even more important
6:43
than the place and the ports that you're
6:45
going to you want to be entertained
6:46
without having to think about or finding
6:49
things to do to keep you and your travel
6:52
party busy and occupied you want great
6:54
kids facilities you want to keep them
6:56
busy because that's really important to
6:59
your overall vacation experience you
7:01
want babysitters you want you time
7:04
big is going to be a perfect size if
7:06
that's the kind of vacation you want but
7:08
small is perfect if you like me
7:11
because you want something more cozy
7:12
more intimate lower energy a bit quieter
7:15
and slim to no chance depending on the
7:17
line of having kids and families on
7:20
board you know smaller ships and the
7:22
lines that run smaller ships are either
7:24
adults only so saga viking and so on or
7:27
they don't even have kids clubs or
7:29
activities so like azamara oceania for
7:31
example i'm personally happy with less
7:33
choice on ships because for me the
7:35
destinations are the key to a good
7:38
vacation the ship is important but not
7:40
the key a main dining room a buffet
7:42
maybe one or two speciality dining
7:44
restaurants a slimmer daily program
7:46
which is more enrichment focused no big
7:48
production shows that kind of thing
7:49
suits me
7:50
and another small ship feature that's
7:52
important to me is open seated dining i
7:54
can sit when i want
7:57
on whatever table size i want i don't
7:59
have any fixed dining times
8:00
and critical having no lines is a big
8:03
plus for me when i'm on lines like
8:05
oceania azamara silversy viking windstar
8:08
and so on there's no queueing up for
8:11
anything there's easy and fast embarking
8:14
and disembarking
8:15
now as i travel solo a lot i also find
8:18
small is easier to meet
8:20
and make friends now on a big ship i can
8:22
interact with lots and lots of people
8:24
but i find it's much easier to meet and
8:26
get to know people really well on small
8:28
versus big ships because you see the
8:31
same people more often the downside of
8:34
course is if you want to be anonymous
8:36
small is definitely not great for that
8:38
big seems perfect when i want that
8:40
resort experience and the on-ship
8:43
experience is absolutely key to making
8:45
the vacation a success
8:47
a really key consideration when you're
8:49
traveling with others especially for
8:51
multi-generational trips
8:53
because it would be really stressful
8:54
trying to ensure my nephews their wives
8:56
and and so on were happy and busy
8:59
when i'm on anything other than a big
9:01
ship for example however
9:04
this comes with a massive big compromise
9:08
that needs to be really carefully
9:10
considered before actually settling on
9:12
what is the perfect size big
9:15
and small ships on the surface anyway go
9:17
to the same places
9:19
but there's a really big catch while
9:21
both big and small go to the caribbean
9:23
the mediterranean alaska asia
9:26
australasia norwegian fjords baltics and
9:29
so on and so on it is a very different
9:32
experience
9:33
how and where i want to go plays a
9:35
really big role in deciding what is the
9:38
perfect size
9:40
big ships have to stick to deep water
9:42
ports they have to stick to ports that
9:44
can cope with the large numbers of
9:46
people that are going to be pouring off
9:48
the ships so if there's a couple of big
9:50
ships in ports there can be between 15
9:52
000 and 20 000 people in a port off
9:57
those big ships so that really severely
9:59
limits where they can go
10:01
they have to avoid kind of small out of
10:04
the way places which are going to
10:05
require tendering for example because
10:07
tendering
10:08
thousands of people is just too
10:10
time consuming and too complicated
10:13
celebrity though with celebrity edge
10:15
they're trying to with those classes of
10:17
ships solve that problem they have the
10:18
magic carpet it comes right down to the
10:20
water's edge and means they can use much
10:22
bigger tenders so speeding that process
10:24
up
10:25
so overall although on a big ship you're
10:28
going to go to those main regions
10:31
i can always see that the ports differs
10:34
enormously when you look at the
10:35
itineraries so there are four
10:37
key considerations before i choose a big
10:40
ship as ideal for a cruise first of all
10:43
if i'm happy to only go to the mass
10:46
tourist places which have deports and
10:48
can cater with those big numbers so in
10:50
the caribbean for example that means the
10:53
big islands like saint thomas barbados
10:55
martin and so on
10:58
secondly
10:59
if i'm happy with going to some of the
11:01
places that have perhaps been
11:02
specifically designed
11:04
and crafted and catered to deal with big
11:06
ships so costa maya for example is a
11:08
great example that's really been created
11:10
just for big ships and the cruising
11:12
industry many of the cruise lines of
11:14
course as you know have private islands
11:16
which are designed to take their big
11:18
ships and the numbers
11:20
the third consideration or third issue
11:22
is when i'm happy for my big ship to be
11:25
docked far away from the center of town
11:28
often in kind of container shipyards and
11:31
i'm going to transfer in which could be
11:32
an hour or longer so for example
11:35
in ho chi minh city i went there on a
11:37
bigger ship which was queen mary 2. we
11:39
were docked about an hour maybe a bit
11:41
longer than an hour from
11:44
the actual city whereas silver sea i
11:46
could see was right in the heart of ho
11:48
chi minh city people on this obviously
11:50
could step off and just walk into the
11:52
saigon area and explore we had to do the
11:54
whole transfer
11:55
however in saint petersburg i went on
11:57
silversea and we were slap bang right
12:00
next to the hermitage museum where all
12:02
the other bigger ships were right out
12:04
again about an hour or so further away
12:06
in a key working harbor i've just come
12:09
back from the greek islands on seabourn
12:11
ovation
12:13
now while we were there we were able to
12:14
go to small little out of the way
12:17
islands and places where the bigger
12:19
ships like celebrity apex and other
12:20
bigger ships they only went to the big
12:23
tourist places so they could only call
12:24
on say mykonos santorini they went to
12:27
rhodes or cyprus we were going to all
12:28
those kind of less visited islands many
12:31
travelers i talked to have a favorite
12:33
line and definitely a favorite ship and
12:35
they stick with that
12:36
but asking what is the perfect size trip
12:40
by trip may throw up a different answer
12:43
the revelation i had is that perfect
12:46
size is pretty complex and probably
12:49
will and should change by trip now i've
12:52
not thought about it in a structured way
12:54
like i've done here
12:56
but i realized that i was actually
12:58
without thinking about it making those
12:59
decisions
13:01
and i don't stick to one line or ship
13:03
size and i vary it now this discussion
13:06
also helped my partner mark who's been a
13:07
big ship fan and has also had a kind of
13:10
anything as long as it's cunard for any
13:12
cruises we do together
13:14
and even with those that we do with our
13:16
mums but he started to realize
13:18
that he needs to look at these issues
13:21
cruise by crews and consider why we're
13:23
going
13:24
who we're going with and what we want
13:25
from the vacation because that throws up
13:28
a different perfect size now to find out
13:31
more about choosing the right cruise
13:34
line once you've decided on the right
13:36
size i have these rather unusual tips on
13:39
how to do it in this video starting with
13:41
the role believe it or not of one night
13:43
stands and affairs in choosing the
13:45
cruise line in treat i'll see you over
13:47
there
#Adventure Travel
#Cruises & Charters
#Luxury Travel
#Specialty Travel
#Transportation
#Travel Guides & Travelogues