Wanting to book a cruise on an older ship but not sure if it’ll be the right choice for you? Read this list of the top pros and cons!
Cruising on an older ship definitely has it’s great aspects and not so great parts as well.
The oldest cruise ship I have been on is now 25 years old. Cruise lines will keep ships in operation for decades before selling them off.
If you aren’t sure if you’re someone who will prefer an older ship or a newer ship this is the post for you.
Read below to find out the top reasons you may or may not love cruising on an older ship.
This post is all about the pros and cons of taking a cruise on an older ship.
CRUISING ON AN OLDER SHIP PROS:
1. It’s cheaper
First and foremost, when you’ve got cruise lines making bigger and better (subjectively, depending on what you like) cruise ships every year or couple years, usually you now find the best deals on their older fleet.
The cruise world has gotten much more expensive post pandemic. Companies are trying to make up for money they lost and also pay back their debts for these huge and new ships they’ve ordered.
If you’re trying to stay within a budget or just make your money go further while on your vacation, you should consider cruising on an older ship.
You can find drastic differences in pricing when comparing an old ship to a new ship.
Related Content: ARE CRUISES EXPENSIVE?
2. Show reservations
One great thing about older ships is normally you don’t have to make reservations for any of the shows/entertainment they have on the cruise.
If you haven’t been on a newer mega ship the way many of them handle shows is by making cruise passengers make a reservation to be able to see the show.
The mega ships have thousands of passengers more than some of the older and smaller ships. There isn’t a guarantee that there will be enough room for everyone to see a show at the same time at that level.
When you book a cruise on an older ship that’s something you don’t need to worry about! If you see a show on the schedule you decide last minute you want to go to, there will most likely be room.
That’s a nice pro when you’re on vacation, want to go with the flow and don’t have to stick to a schedule.
3. Main dining rooms
If you’re someone who likes the big, grand dining rooms on cruise ships then an older ship might be the one for you!
Not all cruise lines, but some, as they are rolling out newer and larger ships, seem to be going for a different design or a more modern theme for dining rooms.
They don’t have the same multiple story, magnificent dining rooms anymore that some people really love.
The cruise industry is always changing. It’s a very different experience than it used to be when cruise lines first were established.
If the main dining room decor and style is very important to you on a cruise, consider an older ship when booking.
4. Some old ships have been revamped
If you are someone who wants some of the new ship features but like the smaller size and feel of an older ship, there are options for you!
A lot of the time cruise lines will put their older ships up for dry dock to make some improvements.
They could add waterslides, ice skating rinks, mini golf and more.
If you don’t want to cruise on the largest ship in the world or can’t spend the money to do so, you can still get some of the new features you know and love on an older cruise ship.
You can get all of that still at a better price too. It can be a win win situation.
5. It’s more personable
One pro I have seen countless times when talking to other cruisers or on cruise Facebook pages is they prefer older cruise ships since they tend to be smaller.
When a cruise ship is smaller you can get to know your fellow passengers and crew so much better.
If you’re someone who likes to make friends on vacation or learn more about other people and cultures, a smaller and older cruise ship might be the right fit for you.
Not saying you can’t do the same thing on a larger cruise ship but there are a lot more people and a lot more crew so it may be hard to run into the same people across the ship.
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CRUISING ON AN OLDER SHIP CONS:
1. Entertainment
If you’re cruising on an older ship, most of the time the entertainment really isn’t up to par compared to the newer and larger ships.
The reason for this? The ship is simply older so they didn’t have the technology/idea back then.
Another reason is just the amount of space on the ship. Since older ships are generally much smaller than the newer ships there just isn’t enough space to have as many entertainment options.
It also would cost a lot of money to add certain aspects to the older ships so I’m sure cruise lines pick and choose what the best options are for them and the consumer.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be a con. It all depends on what you like and what you’re looking for on a cruise.
If you want huge aqua shows you know are offered on Royal Caribbean’s oasis class ships, you might not be happy on an older ship that doesn’t offer those things.
Make sure you do the research so you can know exactly what you want out of a cruise and can find a line and ship that matches that criteria.
2. Food
One con of going on an older ship is there are typically less food venues and options.
Especially if you just want to eat what is included in the cost of your cruise fare and not have to spend money on specialty dining. Your options could be limited.
Common venues on older ships for included food would be: main dining, buffet, pizza (which may or may not just be in the buffet) and potentially a cafe.
Whereas, if you go on a cruise on a newer ship you’re more than likely to have so many more choices when it comes to where and what you can eat.
Read more about cruise food: ROYAL CARIBBEAN FOOD: A NO NONSENSE REVIEW
3. The ship is dated and it shows
If you decide to go on a cruise on an older ship you might look around and see it is a little run down or just not as exciting.
Cruise lines do a good job of keeping their ships clean and well maintained.
However, when you cruise an older ship you will still see that is is dated.
From the main area decor to your stateroom, it is clear that the ship is not new. For some people this might not be a big deal and does not outweigh the pros.
Others, this might make them not as excited for their vacation or feel like they could’ve gotten something better.
4. Cabins
As metioned above, you may not be impressed with your cabin accommodations because the decor is extremely dated.
However, there are a couple other improvements that cruise lines have made to their staterooms that you will have to deal with on older ships.
Outlets
A common complaint from seasoned cruisers is not having enough outlets in the staterooms. Especially not by the bed so they can’t easily charge their devices the same way they do at home.
It can also be inconvenient to only have a couple outlets right at the desk area and nowhere else. If you have a bunch of people in one room who all want to charge there devices, you simply will not have enough outlets.
Storage
Another upgrade you’ll see in newer cruise ships that you won’t have if you book an older ship is the amount of storage in your stateroom.
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If you just have 2 people in your room, you’ll most likely be able to get by with the amount of storage. If you have more however, especially kids, it could be very crowded with nowhere to put all of your belongings.
Newer ships have taken this into account and while they still are small, they have a few better storage options.
Bathrooms
On a few older ships instead of having a shower that has plastic or glass, it could have a shower curtain.
Many crusiers will complain about this feature because the shower is extremely small so the curtain will stick to their body. Not something you necessarily want to deal with on vacation.
5. Overall experience
If you are someone who enjoys all of the features and everything the newer, largest ships have to offer you might not have the best experience that you thought you would.
This could cause some people to swear off cruising without trying several different types of ships and cruise lines to find the right fit for them.
Not saying that you can’t have the absolutely best cruise on an older ship because you 100% can! A lot of people prefer to only cruise on the older ships. I don’t want to deter anyone from giving an older ship a shot.
This is simply just laying out the most comment pros and cons.
This post was all about taking a cruise on an older ship.
