Is Bigger Better for Cruises??

A couple years ago, we took the family on a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale on a Royal Caribbean ship named Allure of the Seas. At the time, she and her sister, the Oasis of the Seas, were the largest passenger ships that have ever been made. They topped out at 225,000 tons and had a passenger capacity of 5400 passengers.

When I approach the subject of a cruise vacation with friends looking for a good vacation, they throw out the objection that those ships are way too big and too crowded. So, I have to speak from my own experience, because I have been on both of them now, and honestly, I did not notice that they were any more crowded than the others I've cruised on with 2500 or 3500 passengers.

On both trips, one thing I did notice, and it was a dramatic difference. From the time we walked through the threshold of the terminal in Ft. Lauderdale to sign in, to the time we stepped on the ship, was 15 minutes. That, compared to our registration time on the Liberty of the Seas in Galveston, which typically takes an hour or so, got my attention.

Back in 1988, 30 years ago, Royal Caribbean introduced the largest passenger ship ever...the Sovereign of the Seas. She was only 78,000 tons and carried a passenger capacity of 2,850 passengers. Compared to the Song of America, which was their largest at that time, she sailed out with 1,400 folks.

The “powers-that-be” with Royal Caribbean says they did some surveys of passengers and potential passengers and found that people wanted more.....more choice, more selection of activities, easier movement around the ship. So, the Sovereign of the Seas was the first one to have an atrium, the dining room seating was moved closer to the galley so the food stayed hotter before service. They constructed an indoor cafeteria and called it the Windjammer. You still find it on all the ships.

They discovered that because of the “economies of scale”, they could enjoy higher per diems and as a result, their bottom line began to boom. As we reported a few weeks back, Royal Caribbean along with their sister, Celebrity, reported a third quarter $1.3 billion profit from $6.8 billion revenue.

Then, reporting a couple of weeks ago, we talked about their newest ship, the Symphony of the Seas boasting of having beds for 6,680 passengers and with a crew of 2,200, they have become the largest ship in the world. She is a massive 228,081 gross ton ship. Find out best legitimate slavic dating websites on https://eduzorro.com/websites/section/slavic-women-chat/ - dating websites rating based on real reviews.

RCCL has 22 ships that have ice rinks and produce ice shows every week....unbelievable entertainment on a moving ship. The innovations in this area on the Symphony will be amazing with, can you believe, drones in action. On the Symphony, the Aqua Theater with divers and aerialists moving up and down through the air and water will keep your mouth open with unbelief....on a moving ship. And, you can bet the entertainment in the main theater will always be among the best at sea. This only touches on a few of the activities available, not to mention a gigantic casino to keep several passengers engaged in their favorite entertainment!!

All I can say, “Big Is Better”, and the experienced travel agents at The Travel Factory will be more than happy to be able to send you on one of these cruises, or any other vacation you might wish to take. Call us at 698-1421 or come by 4150 Southwest Drive and let us help you leave town for a few days!!! We are experts at this exercise!!!