Is a big Royal Caribbean cruise ship better than a small ship? That's a question many people looking to book a cruise vacation think about when trying a ship.
Royal Caribbean's cruise ships come in three main sizes: medium, big, and really big. The bigger the ship, the more space it has and that allows for more activities, but it sacrifices things smaller ships are known for.
I see many cruisers who have only sailed on the mega ships concerned if they'd be disappointed in going on a small cruise ship. They think because they're used to the biggest and newest ships, would a small and old ship feel lacking.
Of course, all of Royal Caribbean's ships are big ships compared to luxury cruise lines.
In order to categorize them properly, we'll consider the Vision, Radiance, and Voyager Class ships to be smaller, and the Freedom, Oasis, Icon, and Quantum to be big.
Here's what you should know when deciding if bigger is better for a cruise ship choice.
Big ships
Most new cruisers gravitate towards the biggest cruise ships in the world because of how effective Royal Caribbean's advertising is.
When you see a commercial, you're seeing one of the line's newest ships and those happen to be the biggest ones too.
Activities
The bigger the ship, the more space they have to include things to do onboard, and that's probably the top reason to book a big ship.
Royal Caribbean's biggest ships are well-known for having water slides, zip lines, mini-golf, surf simulators, multiple pools, and multiple theaters.
Throughout the day there is a lot happening, so you won't be bored from a lack of things to do. Truly, that's the entire point of a big ship is to offer passengers more to do than they can possibly handle so that a cruise feels like a different kind of vacation.
This works out well for families, especially families with kids. There's more space for kid-focused activities, and even the kids clubs are bigger on the big ships. There are also pools and aqua parks for kids, as well as more programming offered.
But don't look at a big ship as just for kids. Royal Caribbean blends its activities to appeal to adults as much as kids. The difference is there's more for every age group on big ships, especially kids.
The downside to so many activities is it's difficult to fit it all in, especially if you're on a sailing with a lot of port calls.
A big ship will probably cost more than a small ship, but if you're not taking advantage of all that you can do onboard, it could seem like a problem.
Dining
Just like all the things you can do on a big ship, there's lots more dining choices too.
You'll find the same subset of core restaurants on all of Royal Caribbean's ships: Main Dining Room, Windjammer buffet, a snack location or two, and a specialty restaurant.
The difference is on big ships, there's many more choices of each, especially specialty restaurants.
Plus, on its biggest ships, there is an exclusive restaurant just for suite passengers. Coastal Kitchen is available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it's included in the cost of an expensive suite. For some cruise fans, they prefer big ships to have access to Coastal Kitchen.
A great example of the difference in dining choices between big and small ships is with its snack locations. On small ships, there's a single location that serves coffee, snacks, sandwiches, and pizza. But on big ships, you get separate restaurants for the coffee and snacks, and one for the pizza.
On Icon of the Seas, there's Pearl Cafe, Cafe Promenade, and Sorrento's Pizza with separate locations to help spread out crowds.
I think the most noticeable benefit of a big ship are how many specialty restaurants there are, including the newest concepts.
While small ships have specialty restaurants, they lack some of the more popular or new ones. You won't find hibachi, a supper club, or BBQ options on a small ship.
However, if you don't care to spend the money on a specialty restaurant, then the fact there are more of them on a big ship may not be a selling point at all.
Entertainment
There are production shows on every Royal Caribbean ship, along with live music, comedians, and more.
On a big ship, you'll not only have a greater variety of shows, but also higher quality productions. Many of the big ships have full Broadway shows, whereas small ships have musical revues.
I can see a clear difference in the quality of the shows on a big ship compared to a small one. It's not that shows on a small ship are bad, rather, shows on a big ship are better because there's a larger budget for them and some shows actually have a discernable plot to them.
For comedians, live musical performances, and game shows, it's more or less the same between the ships.
Suites
While I think you can make an argument for big vs. small ships in each category, it seems big ships have a definitive advantage for suites.
Royal Caribbean specifically offers a superior suite class program on its three biggest ship classes: Icon, Oasis, and Quantum. If you're booking a suite and staying on these ships, it's a night and day difference in what you get.
Known as the Royal Suite Class, there are far more benefits and more space dedicated to suite passengers. This comes in having Coastal Kitchen, a larger suite lounge with extended hours for drink service, dedicated suite sun deck, and more included in your cruise fare.
The most expensive suites even come with front-of-the-line access via the Royal Genie service that's included.
The downside to a suite on a big ship is it's going to cost you a lot more than a small ship.
Small ships
Big ships sounds wonderful, but small ships have far more x-factors that give them edges in places you might not think about, especially if you don't have young children.
One of the top two reasons anyone books a Royal Caribbean cruise is for the destinations you visit, and small ships have arguably better and more exotic choices in that realm.
Activities
The small ships will still offer a lot to do, especially on sea days. This is one of the advantages of cruising with Royal Caribbean, as they infuse their own "high energy DNA" into all of their ships.
Things to do on a small ship will check the important check boxes: there will be trivia, karaoke, bingo, sports court activities, and dance events.
The major component missing on a small ship are the kids focused areas and "I can't believe they put that on a cruise ship" offerings. Water slides, aqua parks, and thrill attractions aren't included on small ships.
When you talk to people that love to cruise on small ships, they often describe these vessels as offering "a classic cruise experience".
Dining
There's a surprising amount of dining choices on a small ship, especially the Radiance Class vessels.
The menu at the Main Dining Room is the same across the fleet, and the Windjammer buffet experience is pretty standardized as well.
I feel the lack of variety in specialty dining and pool deck food is where you see the biggest difference on small ships. Most small ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet have 2 or 3 specialty restaurants, and a casual complimentary offering. You won't go hungry, and they hit the spot.
Many ships have Chef's Table, Chops Grille, Giovanni's, and Izumi onboard for their dining choices. It's really certain Vision Class ships, like Enchantment of the Seas, that truly lack much choice in specialty offerings.
Entertainment
Adding to the more relaxing atmosphere of a small ship are the pretty darn good daytime and evening entertainment options.
Just like the big ships, there's a sailaway party, DJ dance party at night, piano player, and guitarist onboard.
And you'll still find an evening production show or featured entertainer on small ships. Big ships have two or three theaters, whereas small ships have one.
The one detraction about shows on small ships is they are typically aging musical revues. You'll be able to tell exactly which decade the ship started sailing based on the music options in the show. It's still entertaining, but don't expect Broadway-level performances.
Port variety
The best thing about a small ship is the fact these ships can sail to places the big ships cannot go.
You'll find small ships homeported in places like Tampa, Baltimore, or Boston, which makes it convenient for anyone that can drive to the port to sail to.
But the real value in a small ship is the fact it can get to distant ports that cannot fit big ships. Because these ships are physically smaller, they can get into certain ports and offer more interesting itineraries than mega ships can offer.
Whether it's sailing to the South Pacific, through the Panama Canal, or into historic cities in Europe, small ships have the bucket list itineraries I think a lot of vacationers crave.
When you get to visit amazing places in the world, the ship you're sailing on is secondary.
Price
Another advantage for a small ship is you it will probably cost you less to go on a small ship over a big ship.
In general, the newer (and bigger) the ship, the higher the price to cruise. There are other factors that influence a price of a cruise, but this is a pretty standard rule.
You could end up paying two or three times more to go on Icon of the Seas instead of Grandeur of the Seas.
The price differences are a little less noticeable when you get closer to the "middle", especially between the Voyager or Freedom Class ships.
Ultimately, a lot of vacationers pick one ship over another because of price, and you'll get more for value picking a smaller, older ship.
