Size of ships

[CaroleF]

Does everything have to get larger and larger? I have just been reading a posting on FB from someone saying that she and her partner have booked their first ever cruise and it's on Arcadia. She goes on to say that she knows it's a small boat. I have to bite my tongue to resist saying, it's a ship not a boat but I suppose that's just being pedantic. It just surprised me that Arcadia was being classed as small.
When we first went on Arcadia after being on Oceana Arcadia seemed much bigger. I suppose when put against Iona or Arvia she does seem small. My first cruise ship was Fred Olsen's Braemar which I would classify as small but back in 2003 at first sight she seemed huge to John and me. Our first P&O ship was the old Adonia and I suppose now-a-days she is considered small. I wonder just how much larger ships will get, there must be a limit.

Carole

[Onelife]

Hi Carole…I don’t know but I suspect limitations will be determined by the ports capacity to birth them, otherwise they’ll have to do an awful lot of tendering.

[barney]

We were talking about this when on Ventura last week.
We liked Oriana and Oceana and then Aurora.
When Ventura came on line, we both said it’s not for us and resisted for some time.
Then we tried it and liked it.
The same with Azura.
It’s just a case of getting used to it.
We’ve had three Arcadia holidays and enjoyed every one of them.
I’d consider it mid size.
We’re yet to travel on the new ships but will.

[Kendhni]

I suppose these days Arcadia (84K tonnes) would be classed at the small to medium end of the scale. Even Azura (116K tonnes) and Britannia (140K tonnes) are little more than medium-to-large against the likes of Iona (185K tonnes) or Wonder of the Seas (237K tonnes). There was a concept designed a few years back, I can't remember the exact size but remember thinking it was more than double the size of Oasis of the seas (225K tonnes).

I remember on the old P&O site when Arcadia came out several posters were saying how it was temporary, nobody would like it, it didn't fit in with the brand, it was too big etc. etc. ... some even claimed that they had it 'on very good authority' that it was to be 'moved on at the end of the season'. Now it is a firm favourite with many. Similar happened when Ventura and Azura were announced with cries of 'too big' and 'not for me'.

I suspect that these large modern ships are not being designed for the stereotypical grey haired retiree demographic, but are instead being designed for the younger next generation ... although many of us approaching a more wrinkly and crumbly era of life will, I am sure, still enjoy them.