British cruise goers will shun mega cruise liners such as Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas, in favour of smaller ships, according to cruise guru Douglas Ward.
The author of the 2007 Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, said that larger ships, some of which birth more than 4,000 passengers, do not necessarily equate to a better passenger experience.
In the book Ward warns that being on board vast 100,000 ton ships is like being in a large shopping mall and while the ships have grown, the space per passenger has not.
Freedom of the Seas set a new mark for large ships when it was launched in May becoming the world’s largest cruise ship with 15 passenger decks, 1,800 cabins and enough space for up to 4,370 passenger when fully occupied.
“A major concern is the availability of ports with the infrastructure that can support the invasion of such huge numbers,” he said. “We are already finding that experienced cruise-goers are choosing smaller ships in order to avoid the long lines and somewhat sanitised experience of the larger vessels.”
Ward is president of the Maritime Evaluations Group, an independent agency that rates cruise ships worldwide. Ward spends more than 200 days a year abroad cruise ships, inspecting and evaluating their facilities.
The Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships is published on November 6 and review 276 cruise ships.