Bring back the Small to Medium ship!!!

What’s that saying – size does not matter!!! Well, I tend to agree. As the industry grows it is fantastic that new and more modern ships are being built. But why do they all have to be these mega-ships that carry 5000 to 6000 passengers?  Let’s not let the small to medium cruise ship become something you can only find in the 5 to 6-star niche or the few old tugs still left behind. How about some of the top lines building a medium size ship that still has that original ship feel.

There is nothing like being able to walk around the ship on deck 5 close the ocean, visit ports where the large ships cannot dock. There is something to be said about the more personal and intimate aspects of small ship sailing. Anyone who cruises knows the potential for crowds in ports when numerous large ships have tied up to the pier on the same day. When docking in port, small vessels are often able to moor at the center of town allowing more accessible sightseeing without the big ship crowds. Additionally, getting on and off the ship is much easier, so there are fewer lines and more time to spend in port.

Venice is one of the cities most damaged by tourism in general, but large cruise ships have played a major role in creating an unsustainable volume of tourists in Venice. Any jokes that Venice is sinking seem insensitive when you realize that the weight of said tourists – and the waves made by the large cruise ships are directly contributing to the problem. Similar to Venice, the city of Dubrovnik just wasn’t designed to handle the volume of cruisers who come pouring off the ships that arrive every few days. A naturally hilly city, tourists are bused from the modern port to the Old Town and back each day and are wearing the Old Town away.

So when I see companies like P&O selling their smaller ships and replacing them with mega-ships I get quite sad. Royal Caribbean has some lovely smaller ships – my family and I have cruised on Rhapsody and Vision of the Seas, we can honestly say they were our favorite cruises with Royal to date. Both these ships are old and I fear the day will come for their retirement. My question is will they be replaced by a mega-ship or another new ship of similar size?