I know Boardingarea.com is really about frequent flying… but I love cruising as much as I love flying. Therefore, I post about it from time to time. The world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, recently set sail from Turku, Finland. There’s a certain bridge between Turku and the open ocean. Check this out.
One more reason I love Royal Caribbean.
What size is too big?
I don’t cruise very often, but I have been on two RC cruises, and I’d never voluntarily book on a monster this size.
Do these super-sized cities-at-sea anything I need that can’t be found on a much smaller ship?
I don’t know the answer to the question of what size is too big? It certainly seems that we are at least approaching the maximum workable size for a cruise ship with the launch of Oasis of the Seas if for no other reason than they can’t fit in many cruise ports. I tend to favor the smaller ships, but I have to say, my experience on Liberty of the Seas (then one of the 3 largest cruise ships in the world) was nothing short of fantastic. Frankly, I couldn’t find a thing wrong with it, and I was looking for problems related to crowding. There were none. It “seemed” a bit busy getting on and off the ship in port, but I can’t honestly say that it took any longer than smaller ships I’ve cruised on.
Do these ships offer anything that can be found on smaller ships? I’d say their sheer size offers more opportunities to stuff various attractions into. You won’t find Flowrider, the Rising Tide Bar, or the number of entertainment venues Oasis offers on smaller ships, but if you’re like me, you can be entertained enough by the sheer joy of being away from it all aboard a less state fair like vessel. It’s apparent to me that the larger ships are becoming destinations themselves with the ports as a bonus.
While I prefer Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Class ships above all others, I can honestly say that I look forward to the day when I can sail on Oasis of the Seas or it’s forthcoming sister-ship, Allure of the Seas. I suspect I’ll still be a small ship fan after that first Oasis/Allure cruise, but I also expect that I’ll enjoy the experience very much.