ship size
 

I did a search but couldn't find an answer so forgive me if this has been talked about recently. We are getting ready to make reservations for our first cruise. Friends have given lots of good advice as well as what I've picked up here. We've been told by many to stay off the really large ships for various reasons. We haven't decided yet but am curious,what constitutes a large ship. Some have 3,600 passengers,some have 2,600 passengers others 1200 passengers. What do you call big,medium and small? Thanks

My definition:<BR>small under 600<BR>medium between 600-2200<BR>large more than 2200<BR><BR>I would probably further subdivide the medium category into those under 1500 and over 1500. I too dislike the really big ships, but some people love them. Depends on what you're looking for... do you need to be entertained 24/7 or are you looking for quiet relaxation?

It's not the size of the ship you sail but how it rocks your world.<BR><BR><BR>Old TA saying....

If that's the case then are there any medium sized ships that go to the caribbean? Everything I've seen are the large ones....Princess,Celebrity,etc.

Julie,<BR>Sea Princess sails the southern Caribbean from San Juan. Dawn Princess sails 10 day itineraries from Ft. Lauderdale. Both are 1950 passenger ships. Celebrity Century holds 1750 passengers and sails eastern/western Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale. Celebrity Horizon sails western Caribbean from Tampa and holds about 1400 passengers. Most of HAL's ships are under 1600 with the exception of the new Zuiderdam. There are many others to choose from also.

More than the size of the ship, I ALWAYS check to see when the ship was built and if it's been refurbished. Our first cruise (10 yrs ago) was on a ship built in the 60's which had been retrofitted with showers and bathrooms in each cabin. It was horrible! (I don't think it sails now) Since then, I check the age of the ship.

"Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships" by Douglas Ward defines them like this:<BR>•Small Ships: 0-500 (0?)<BR>•Medium Ships: 501-1,000<BR>•Large Ships: Over 1,000<BR>Of course, with ships nowadays carrying over 3,000 pasengers, we need another category -- like Mega Ships.<BR>Regardless of what anyone else says, you are the one who has to decide what size ship is going to please you. When you go on vacation, do you like huge hotels -- like the ones in Las Vegas? Do you enjoy vacationing with lots of other people? How do you feel about standing in line? Do you prefer small inns or B&B's? Do you like to be the only couple on the beach? These are the kids of questions you should be asking yourself in trying to decide on the size of the ship. And, may I say, that a good travel agent who specializes in cruises wiill be of enormous help to you in making the right choice.