Mainstream Big Ship Cruises

Allure of the Seas. Royal Caribbean operates the world’s largest cruise ships. Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean

What do you want to do today? Where do you want to eat? On big ship cruises, these are legitimate questions that need to be answered because the choices are not limited to either/or.

The major cruise lines that have been unveiling and sailing larger and larger cruise ships for the past decade take pride in offering so many choices that, for instance, it takes a week to visit every restaurant or dining room for dinner.

Superliners from Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises,  Royal Caribbean International and others provide a cruise vacation that can be wild and wooly one minute and cool, calm and collected the next. The facilities on these floating resorts, which all deserve the state-of-the-art label, will satisfy everyone from the health nut who wants to stay fit to the party animal who wants to dance all night.

How do you choose between, say, Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian?

It’s the big ship cruises that feature the headline-grabbing innovations like surfing and sky-diving simulators, rock-climbing walls, ice skating rinks and wave pools, but because they are newer, they also feature some of the neatest twists on cruise-ship staples such as health spas, libraries and game rooms.

Mix in a few days visiting appealing ports, and a week on a big ship will seem to fly by. What may be most impressive, though, is how these ships can accommodate more than 4,000 people while not seeming crowded. More than anything, that’s a testament to all the different choices everyone is making every day.

Big ship cruises typically offer exceptional value, but get you with the on-board spending. You’ll pay for extra for everything, soft drinks, speciality coffees, wine, beer and spirits. Plus, you’ll need to budget extra, as gratuities are not included as they are on luxury cruises.  Still, big ship cruising can be tons of fun, and they offer up something for everyone in the family.