Which class of cruise ship is suitable for you? Is the smaller the ship better?

Nowadays when we refer to cruises, they are usually called luxury cruises. With high-end hotel accommodations, outstanding gourmet dining, numerous entertainment facilities, a rich schedule of activities, venues suitable for all ages and high-quality services, cruises provide a vacation experience that is as good as or beyond your imagination. , can make you enjoy comfort and satisfaction. But did you know that luxury cruise ships are also divided into classes? Which one is more suitable for you?

Based on our many years of experience in cruise tourism, and based on the development trend of cruise construction and operation in the past decade, we roughly divide cruise ships into three levels:

Don’t be completely strict. When judging the class of a ship based on tonnage or passenger capacity, these boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred. There are other more comprehensive standards, such as space ratio, crew to passenger ratio, as well as food selection and catering standards. Seven, let’s talk about it in order:

1. Modern large cruise ships CONTEMPORARY (Large resort ships, 70,000-230,000 tons, 2000-6000 passengers)

Especially Large-scale cruise ships newly built in the past ten years or so have advanced ship designs and structures, combined with the latest high-tech equipment, to create a fashionable maritime vacation experience. Many new ships have "pod propulsion systems" that replace traditional propellers and rudders, resulting in quieter power that is more fuel efficient. The addition of thrust units at the bow and stern makes them easier to enter and leave ports, and in many ports they rarely require the help of tugboats, reducing operating costs. In terms of route design, except for some transfer voyages or technical adjustment voyages, it is usually a seven-night and eight-day route.

These large ships have more public space and facilities, more reasonable regional configuration and accommodation options, rich and colorful entertainment facilities, and are more in line with the latest safety and operating rules; large cruise ships mean A wider range of room types to choose from also means a wide range of price ranges. The room area has not changed much, but the interior design and configuration have been optimized, leaving more space for the public area; guests usually have more dining options, with as many as 20 to 30 types of dining venues; if you Like computers and high-tech equipment, the latest ships have state-of-the-art electronic interactive entertainment facilities. The areas on the ship with clearly divided functions take care of the needs of guests of all ages. People of all ages will have facilities and activities suitable for them. For families with children, children of different ages will have their own places to go. Seniors People also have their own areas. The latest ships have large water entertainment venues and a large number of sports facilities. There are also duty-free shops, specialty shops, and gift shops where you can choose to buy all kinds of watches you need.

Modern large cruise ships are loved by the most people, but there are also inconveniences caused by their size. The design of the itinerary may be limited due to the size of the ship. Large ships dock at the dock and open two channels for guests to use. Due to the large number of tourists, the waiting time to board and disembark is relatively long, and there may be some ports that cannot dock at. The dock must be parked on the sea surface of the anchorage, and a tender needs to be used, and boarding and disembarkation are restricted. The ship is too big and the cabins are in complicated locations. The interior of the ship is like a huge maze. Finding a room for the first time, especially the inner cabins, is frustrating. Places and facilities like gyms can easily fill up during peak hours. Restaurant staff are trained to provide fast service, so there is no chance of taking your time, the food is likely to be bland, and a meal made in a combi steamer will still be different from one cooked by hand. There will be queues for boarding and disembarking, reception, elevators, buffets, shore excursions, and security checks.

The most representative ships of this class are Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, Princess Cruises’ Emperor-class ships, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Escape-class ships, and MSC Cruises’ Coastline-class ships, all of which are of this class. The latest representative ship type. There are also ships from major cruise companies such as Holland America Line, Dream Cruises, and Celebrity Cruises.

2. High-end mid-size cruise ship UPPER PREMIUM (Mid-size ships, 30,000 to 70,000 tons, 900 to 2,000 passengers)

Mid-size cruise ships have more opportunities to travel around the world routes and some long-distance routes to multi-national tourist destinations, which are more suitable in terms of the size of the entire ship and the comfort of trans-oceanic cruising. The cabins vary greatly in the amount of available space, from large to small. The price difference is not small, and the guest rooms and suites come with butler service. Sailing at sea is more stable than "small boats" because their size and draft can adapt to more ocean conditions. They offer more facilities, more entertainment, and more dining options than smaller ships. Of course, much less than on larger ships.

Medium-sized cruise ships are neither too big nor too small, and they tend to strike a satisfying balance of size and amenities. It's easy to find an atmosphere close to that of a large resort ship, and it's easy to find access to well-located ports of call like a smaller ship. The space is relatively large, and the catering standards are much higher than those on large ships. Both the exterior and interior look more like a traditional boat.

The atmosphere of medium-sized ships is still not as lively as that of large ships, and single travelers will not feel the fun. If it were not for the route design, dining temptations and outstanding themes, it would be difficult for tourists to choose medium-sized ships.

Representatives of this class of cruise ships include the Crystal Cruises fleet and the Oceania Cruises fleet

3. Luxury small cruise ship LUXURY (Small ships, 15,000-30,000 tons, 200 – 900 passengers)

Choosing a smaller ship for a more private trip, many passengers spend a lot of time every year on some of the world’s most exclusive cruise ships. If you don’t need a lot of entertainment, the facilities of a large resort boat, noisy entertainment parties, numerous restaurants, if you don’t have much idea of ??large-scale water entertainment, or drinking champagne in a hot bubble pool, you want quieter, For more comfort, more meticulous service and more exquisite food and wine, you can choose this luxurious small ship.

Most of the small luxury cruise ships are truly all-inclusive. All restaurants are open and there are no designated dining times and seats. This means that you can choose your favorite restaurant to dine with whomever you like. The restaurant offers a completely unrestricted approach to service, offering a level of service not found on most mid- to large-sized cruise ships. They are able to offer true haute cuisine, specialty restaurants and even Michelin-starred restaurants, all with just a reservation in advance. Fees apply. There are also some small boats that have their own water dock at the stern, providing water sports or diving and snorkeling equipment. Small boats can enter the inland port and dock at the pier in the city center. Boarding and disembarking is very convenient and there is no noise from too many people. Shore excursions, on-board drinks and gratuities are included in the ticket.

Because the ship does not have enough volume, the stability of the ship is not as good as that of a large ship in bad weather conditions, but this does not mean that a small cruise ship will be less comfortable to sail than a large cruise ship. It will not , otherwise luxury high-end cruise ships would not choose small ships. Small ships do not have the public space that large ships can provide with more entertainment options, so in order to solve these unfavorable situations, small cruise lines are now building larger and larger ships with unprecedented comfort levels. Therefore, compared with medium and large ships, The cost is high, and the intuitive price is also high.

The cabins on luxury cruise ships are very beautiful, and now I spend much more time in luxury cruise cabins than on large cruise ships. On luxury cruise ships, all or most of the cabins are large suites with balconies. The service is convenient and fully equipped, including an oversized bathroom, high-end toiletries, luxurious bedding, butler service, minibar, suite dining (24 hours), laundry service and daily fruit basket. It's rare to see groups of people on the boat, and the atmosphere is elegant.

Representatives of this class of cruises: Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Ponlo Cruises, etc.

Xiao Qi will briefly introduce the classification of cruise classes here, and Some reference companies and ships are given, but the tonnage and passenger capacity are not strict limits. Some shipping companies are targeting small luxury cruise ships, but the ships are being built larger and larger but the standards are getting higher and higher. Xiaoqi also Classifies it as a small luxury boat. If the size of the ships is not too different, it should be considered more based on the market positioning standards of the cruise company. Of course, there are also special shipping companies like Queen Cruises, which are both large ships and have a luxurious positioning, so they are not reflected here. Of course, there are also some cruise companies whose fleets are too small, or are not open to bookings for tourists from the Chinese market at all, so they are not involved. to, or some adventure cruise companies. In short, this classification is to give everyone a general understanding and a clear positioning when choosing cruise travel in the future.