World's Largest Cruise Ship "Harmony of the Seas"
We are booked for the Fall on Allure Of the Seas. Suddenly it looks puny
librarylady said:
Weare booked for the Fall on Allure Of the Seas. Suddenly it looks puny
You are gonna love it. We went on the inaugural cruise on her sister ship (Quantum of the Seas). It was awesome. The ship is a technological marvel.
Not my cup of tea, either. If I am on a cruise, I don't want it to be on a floating city - it want it to be on a ship where I can feel the sea and not be surrounded by more people than I left behind. I'm sure this is a very comfortable ship and lots of people will love it, but I won't be one of them.
The writer of that article should try school. It's a ship, not a boat, and it has a stern, not a back.
allure of the seas is not the sister of Quantum. Anthem and Quantum as sister ships. Oasis and Allure are sisters. Oasis & Allure from FL, Quantum now in Asia and Anthem out of Bayonne.
Both classes are very different. Both are great. Big ships with lots to do and nice big adults-only areas. You'll love it, library lady!
"Feel the sea" is not what most people want to do for a week unless you have a very sturdy stomach.
joy said:
Couldn't pay me enough to go on this.
+1! The idea of it makes my skin crawl.
I realize that a lot of people love this kind of thing, but I don't think I'll ever be one.
I've always cruised on the smaller ships, under 2,000 passengers. The kid and I are spreading our wings after my accident (which occurred less than a week before our planned cruise on the Westerdam) and try something different. Well, this looks REALLY different but still less "out there" than the Harmony. Allure it is, Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti here we come!
I do enjoy the feel of the sea - what can I say? My grandfather went to sea as a cabin boy at the age of 12 on a sailing ship out of Genoa in the 1880s. I was raised on his stories about storms at sea, having to repair the rigging after the storms, going through the Strait of Magellan....I don't necessarily want to ride through a gale, but I do like to feel as if I'm on the ocean and not a city street. I took a few cruises in the 70s, and the ships were smaller (Homeric, Oceanic) - I'd love to do one of the smaller ship cruises - perhaps to Nova Scotia in the autumn, or something like that. Takes all kinds! 
I'd like to take a cruise up the Mississippi. Just to have a small comfortable hotel room to take from town to town.
Small cruise ships for me... I understand the draw to all things "bigger and better," but I prefer the feel of the sea, too. What I really want to do is a river cruise, or several river cruises, in Europe. The Rhine, the Canal du Midi... drool.
the river cruise is on my radar too. Looks really pleasant. Great itineraries too
conandrob240 said:
allure of the seas is not the sister of Quantum. Anthem and Quantum as sister ships. Oasis and Allure are sisters. Oasis & Allure from FL, Quantum now in Asia and Anthem out of Bayonne.
Both classes are very different. Both are great. Big ships with lots to do and nice big adults-only areas. You'll love it, library lady!
Cousin then.
they are very different. Quantum and Anthem are the technological wonders and have a completely different design. Allure and Oasis are sisters but very different from Quantum class
Big and small cruise ships are like e readers and real books. It's not either or :it can be both. Sometimes especially when I travel I like the convenience of having many books on my E reader. Other times I like having the feel and texture of a real book.
Sometimes I like the intimacy of a small cruise ship. It's going to be fun trying out the second largest Cruise ship in the world
It's fun to try a lot of different things
I'm sure you will have a wonderful time, particularly given the delayed gratification aspect! 
conandrob240 said:
they are very different. Quantum and Anthem are the technological wonders and have a completely different design. Allure and Oasis are sisters but very different from Quantum class
Second cousins.
if that makes you happy, go for it. Just making sure others considering cruises understand they are completely different class of ship. Sister ships or same class of ship means identical or near identical layouts, amenities, venues.
I don't get the appeal of a cruise. It seems like a claustrophobic, fake place where you are trapped for days with fattening food and insidious, annoying activities. Of course my usual vacation \ involves things such as camping next to a roller coaster, touring a beer bottling plant in B**F***nowhere, PA, searching out the world's largest filing cabinet or horseback riding over covered bridges to see Amish people hanging up their underwear. So what do I know?
conandrob240 said:
"Feel the sea" is not what most people want to do for a week unless you have a very sturdy stomach.
Weak stomach here, I most certainly don't want to feel the sea. I can last about 45-50 minutes on a boat or ship without motion control.
sac said:
I don't understand the appeal, but "whatever floats their boat"...
We went when my first was a little over a year old. For us it was a way to see different places without having to travel from place to place and not have to pack/unpack every few days.
Why do you care what other people like in a vacation? Lots of options to keep everyone happy. I also think it's funny the never-ending cruise bashing from people who have never been. I love travel- in every form. On a cruise, you can go to bed in France, wake up in Italy and end up in Greece. It can be a great way to see a ton in a short period of time. And if it's a multi- generational group, it has something geared towards every age. The kids clubs on some ships are like an amazing day camp where they are entertained and meet kids from around the world. My nephew has three or four groups of kids he keeps in touch with from cruises over the years. With new options out of NY, it can also make a nice vacation for a large family who can't afford air. And dining is lovely on a cruise- the food is often fantastic and there are tons of wonderful healthy options and speciality restaurants that rival the best on land. One of the best meals we've had in our lives was in Remy abound the Disney Fantasy.
nan said:
I don't get the appeal of a cruise. It seems like a claustrophobic, fake place where you are trapped for days with fattening food and insidious, annoying activities. Of course my usual vacation \ involves things such as camping next to a roller coaster, touring a beer bottling plant in B**F***nowhere, PA, searching out the world's largest filing cabinet or horseback riding over covered bridges to see Amish people hanging up their underwear. So what do I know?
conandrob240 said:
Why do you care what other people like in a vacation? Lots of options to keep everyone happy. I also think it's funny the never-ending cruise bashing from people who have never been. I love travel- in every form. On a cruise, you can go to bed in France, wake up in Italy and end up in Greece. It can be a great way to see a ton in a short period of time. And if it's a multi- generational group, it has something geared towards every age. The kids clubs on some ships are like an amazing day camp where they are entertained and meet kids from around the world. My nephew has three or four groups of kids he keeps in touch with from cruises over the years. With new options out of NY, it can also make a nice vacation for a large family who can't afford air. And dining is lovely on a cruise- the food is often fantastic and there are tons of wonderful healthy options and speciality restaurants that rival the best on land. One of the best meals we've had in our lives was in Remy abound the Disney Fantasy.
nan said:
I don't get the appeal of a cruise. It seems like a claustrophobic, fake place where you are trapped for days with fattening food and insidious, annoying activities. Of course my usual vacation \ involves things such as camping next to a roller coaster, touring a beer bottling plant in B**F***nowhere, PA, searching out the world's largest filing cabinet or horseback riding over covered bridges to see Amish people hanging up their underwear. So what do I know?
I just said I don't get the appeal. I did not say it should not be great for others. My mother loves them and some of my friends do to. If you read the rest of my post you would see that I like to do things most people don't anyway. I've never been on a traditional vacation.
yes, you're right but lots of other "bashers" I just don't get it.
It's not for me, but I get the appeal. The part about not having to pack/unpack your suitcase or change beds every night does sound nice, but the rest (to me) not so much. I would like a cruise on a very small (100-ish people or less) vessel to very scenic, natural wonder type places ... Alaska, the Galapagos, etc. But we're talking really big bucks at that point.
This is not for me. I take vacations to get *away* from the Jersey crowded atmosphere and the stampeding wildebeest herds of children.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3593741/The-cruise-ship-makes-Titanic-look-minnow-docks-Britain-man-braves-thrilling-terrifying-100ft-slide.html
BTW, for cruise fans, a cruise blog run by a maritime lawyer: http://www.cruiselawnews.com/