What are the different types of ships you can cruise on?
From mega cruise ships that take 6,000+ passengers to small luxury ships that take 200 people, there is a lot to choose from in the world of cruising. This article breaks down the different types of ships and what you can expect to find on them.
THE BIG MEGA SHIPS
ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S ICON OF THE SEAS
This is the biggest cruise ship in the world (at time of publishing) and was launched on Jan 27, 2024. It’s 364 metres long - 66 metres wide, has 2,805 staterooms and takes a maximum capacity of 5,610 people with 2,805 crew to help them through their day and keep the ship afloat and working. It' has 20 decks with 13 complimentary places to eat plus 15 specialty places to eat. There are 18 bars and lounges and the ship is so big it’s split into 8 neighbourhoods, with 7 swimming pools, 6 water slides, Flo-Rider (a surf wave pool), Mini Golf, Vitality Spa and has Internet from Starlink (if you’re a regular cruiser, you’ll already know how important a good internet connection is).
Icon Of The Seas also features what Royal Caribbean claim is the tallest waterfall on a ship in the world, along with the tallest waterslide and largest category 6 water park on any cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean have the top 7 largest cruise ships on the planet.
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After that there’s a bunch of MSC ships and Princess Cruises - Sun Princess which was also launched last year, which takes 4,300 people with a crew of 1,600 - so that’s about 1 crew member for every 1.7 people.
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 which has been around since 2004 is also a big one 345 metres long, takes around 2,700 passengers, with 1,200 crew, which is around 1 crew member for every 2 people.
Other Princess Cruises ships like Sky Princess, Enchanted Princess, Discovery Princess, Majestic Princess, & Royal Princess are pretty big carrying over 4,000 people.
Then comes a couple of the Disney ships Disney Wish and Disney Treasure that have around 1,250 state rooms, so they carry around 2,500 people.
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THE SMALLER MORE LUXURY CRUISE LINES
Now down on the smaller cruise ship area, you’ll find more luxury type cruise ships. Less people, a higher staff to passenger ratio, which generally means your needs are taken better care of. For example Seabourn have 6 ships offer a private, yacht-like atmosphere and fantastic onboard touches to ensure a magnificent voyage. Seabourn Pursuit for example takes only 264 passengers and 144 crew.
Each ship cruise offers all ocean-front suites, luxuriously appointed staterooms, an open-bar policy serving premium wine, champagne and spirits, and a world-class dining experience with their fine dining restaurant, Solis.
Seabourn takes passengers to every continent on the planet, visiting over 400 ports. Guests also experience extraordinary offerings and programs, including partnerships with leading entertainers, dining, personal health and wellbeing, and engaging speakers on their voyage.
Seabourn do some great voyages up to the Kimberley and South Pacific too, so you don’t have to go far to jump on board. And they carry 2 custom built submarines, 24 zodiac boats and kayaks and a 24 person expedition team whose only role is to engage guests throughout the cruise. Of course it costs more, for example you could be paying up to $1,500 a day per person. But it’s important to remember that on cruises like this, everything is included. Meals, fine wine, excursions.
Other cruise lines that are similar to Seabourn are; Scenic Eclipse, Explora Journeys, Crystal Cruises, Oceania, Paul Gaugin, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Azamara, Viking Ocean Cruises and Windstar Cruises. The first two I mentioned Scenic Eclipse and Explora Journeys have expeditions that head to Antarctica as well - so there are some fantastic ways to spend that inheritance.
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EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISES
River cruises offer a more intimate, relaxed way of exploring multiple destinations in just a few days. River cruise ships carry about a couple hundred passengers, and the vibe is generally more low-key than on mainstream cruises. Daily activities usually focus on cultural experiences, such as wine tastings or history lectures, and evening entertainment is more adult-oriented and more chilled than on bigger cruise ships. Chances are fellow cruisers will be couples rather than families with children.
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Common river cruise destinations include Europe, Southeast Asia and the Mississippi.
And the cruise lines to look for in this area are: AMA Waterways, Avalon Waterways, Emerald Cruises, Scenic River Cruises, Viking River Cruises and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
If you need help deciding which cruise is right for you, then don’t hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email to chat about it.
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If you’d like to know more info about any of the 30 cruise lines I can offer you deals on, then just reach out to paul@101cruise.com.au
Depending on loads I can secure up to 80% off cruises for people who work in the travel or airline industry (even your family and friends if they want to also go with you).
However, I can also get big discounts for those who work outside the airline and travel industry. So, either way, it must be time to “get your cruise on”.