HOW LONG ARE CRUISE LINES GOING TO HOLD ON TO OLD SHIPS

HOW LONG ARE CRUISE LINES GOING TO HOLD ON TO OLD SHIPS.
With cruising going like gangbusters right now it seem the cruise lines are holding onto the ships longer than before. with many cruise lines havings ships aproaching 30 years of service. How long do they plan to keep these old ships running?

[@Moosepoot]

We love the older, smaller ships. Those packed mega ships can keep their roller coasters!

[@gennieseaview3656]

Exactly, go to a theme park, no place for them on a cruise ship, even if I was a teenager, I would want to go to a proper theme park, for all the rides, not stuck on a floating warehouse with just one.

[@electrictroy2010]

Clearly you’ve forgotten what it’s like being a teen: “Mom I’m bored. There’s nothing to doooo on these old ships.” - At least waterparks & rides keep them busy for a day at sea. Plus they don’t mind the same 2-3 rides over & over .

[@gennieseaview3656]

No, I haven't forgotten how what it's like being a teen. I would engage my brain and do things when I was a teen to keep myself from getting bored. If they can't cope with a sea day, then perhaps don't take them on a cruise, they have more things than ever to keep them entertained.

[@davidlodato9276]

I just got off of the 21 year old Caribbean Princess. She was absolutely gorgeous. I know that she just went through a dry dock refresh this past fall but everything on this ship was in good condition. I love the older smaller ships. I hope the cruise lines listen and when they do order new builds, throw in a few smaller ships.

[@Girasole5849]

The good thing about the older ships…are the proper promenade decks.

[@jlawrence0181]

@@Girasole5849 agreed. I walk a mile in the AM and one late in the PM to offset all of the food. I want some place to walk without getting pushed down by joggers and runners.

[@smvsspould]

I was recently on the megaship IONA by P&O made in 2020 and they have a full wrap around promenade, theres even a trend for cafes etc to open onto the promenade with some seats etc. I think they are taking notice that people want the lovely outdoor space they provide!

[@jlawrence0181]

@@smvsspould HAL has great Promenade decks on the older ships that are like a walk on a boardwalk on the beach. The pinnacle class promenade decks are like walking through an industrial park

[@RobEisley]

@@Girasole5849 I agree! Love the Centrum style over the Galley style Promenade on the bigger ships.

[@Marvin-P]

I don't see a problem with these old ships. If you don't want to sail an old ship, don't book an old ship.

[@bobbymeyer5306]

Agreed, we were on the Icon last summer and on the little Jewel of the seas over New Year’s. We loved them both for different reasons. Zero issues with either ship.

[@electrictroy2010]

Old refurbed ships get new or rebuilt engines just like a million-mile semi truck gets a rebuilt engine every 1-2 million miles. ALSO if you never turned-off your car its engine would go 1 million miles too. Most damage happens when the engine is started (not enough oil == metal on metal wear). I’ve seen million mile Hondas that still run, because the owners rarely turned them off (delivery guys) .

[@spiritualchic]

I was so happy to hear Disney is building 3 new, smaller ships. I wish the rest of the cruise lines would do the same!

[@donnapee8402]

@@spiritualchic yes but disney is way 2 expensive

[@supertouring1]

Royal Caribbean supposedly said they were going to build smaller ships, stay tuned for the announcement.

[@scorg]

Nah its fine Don, a lot of these older ships do end up getting some good work done on them, I was on Marella Explorer (28 years old likely going to live till 35 or more) in December after a 3 week dry dock that did include new props (so im lead to believe) for smoother operation. It really is just the case that Carnival really need to take Regal Princess off to get the same work done, but sadly as we know revenue is king first. Plus as has been declared, Cunard fully plan to have QM2 around for 40 years so, like Emma has said, long as everything inside is good then it doesnt matter the age of the metal :)

[@johnmang6747]

Our favorite ship is 28 years old. We've been cruising on it for 17 years and would gladly do so in perpetuity as the crew has been quite stable over those years and for us the crew makes the ship.

[@electrictroy2010]

Which ship?

[@jacquelyns9709]

In the 1980s, I sailed on a ship built in 1932. She was at least 48 years old. She had no problems during the cruise. One thing I observed was that whenever they used the ropes, they immediately painted the holes on the ship where the ropes went. They weren't going to allow any rust to start up. Ships can last well past 30 years. What is needed is good, preventive maintenance and replacement of parts. When it comes to passenger cabins, they could use a long dry dock period to replace them all with brand new cabins. Cabins in today's cruise ships are modular, so it would be easy to replace them. This could be done at the 25 - or 30-year mark. They could rebuild or replace engines having severe, constant problems at the same time. Furnishings from the old cabins could be sold, and the metal sold for scrap. That money could be applied to the cost of the brand new cabins.

[@monarusch4087]

I don't cruise on Carnival, but about older cruise ships I LOVED the NCL Spirit built in 1998 and she's a beautiful ship.

[@leslieoconnell2051]

We love the older ships. Cruises are calmer and more space per person. We spent 24 days on the Volendam to Iceland and lots more and we really loved it. You can keep the mega ships.

[@QueenKayKay47]

@@leslieoconnell2051 leave the mega ships for me 💕

[@cherylrucinski1386]

I was recently on The Vision of the seas, Rccl. I was worried about the age but it was great. It was an older crowd and very relaxed. I now know I love the smaller ships.

[@QueenKayKay47]

I don't book old ships, but I think most of these ships are given a thorough makeover! Folks are screaming that they want smaller ships, so I'm pretty sure the old ships are going to stay around a long time!

[@electrictroy2010]

They get new or rebuilt engines just like a million-mile semi truck gets a rebuilt engine every 1 or 2 million miles. ALSO if you never turned-off your car its engine would go 1 million miles too. Most damage happens when the engine is started (not enough oil == metal on metal wear) .

[@QueenKayKay47]

@electrictroy2010 True

[@ernie1178]

I prefer the smaller older ships verses the obnoxious of the seas

[@TwoTuras2]

Nothing wrong with older ships as long as they are maintained well. We were on Oceania Nautica recently and she was great. Loved the smaller ship.

[@todd9056]

I was on the Carnival Legend In November 2024 and it was one of the best maintained and cleanest ship I had ever been on. It was stunning. I have been on the Vista, Panorama in the past 5 years and they were not near the condition of the legend and it was built in 2001. Either way they are defiantly keeping them up.

[@RobEisley]

As for USB plugs. Take a 4 or 6 port USB adapter and Power Packs. Charge the packs during the day and charge your phone on your night stand at night. Everything has a ‘work a round’ :-D

[@aimeerogers4542]

I love so many of the older cruise ships. I like the smaller size. And it seems like a lot of the newer cruise ships are breaking down.

[@rogersargent7232]

Makes sense to me to spend a little on a ship that's well maintained. If I remember correctly, the Icon of the Seas broke down several times in the first 6 months

[@michaelvitale4029]

We're in our 60's, we appreciate that the older, smaller ships don't appeal to families with children as much as the mega ships with all the bells & whistles. Along with all those bells & whistles comes mega cruise fares. Give me Grandeur and Enchantment of the Seas any day

[@sharonmcmickens9853]

Hi Don. I will be sailing on the Sunshine and it is an older ship. I am ok with it. It is in Dry dock right now. I can not wait to see what changes they are doing.

[@twaunniebusse7262]

Other than the mechanical issues I like some of the older ships for their size and decor. However you brought up an interesting question.

[@BTimmer]

We just sailed on a 42 day cruise on the 25 year old Volendam which just came out of a $22 million 3 week drydock. The ship was wonderful and we gave no issue sailing on older ships.

[@scorg]

If you were on the sailing that was in Gibralter in December, I was next door on Marella Explorer! (who happens to be 28 year old!). And I'd agree if an older ship is giving TLC they are totally fine. And considering NCL spent 100mil referb on the spirit, its like new again too and a similar age :)

[@BTimmer]

@@scorgyes it was us. We watched you depart .

[@scorg]

@@BTimmer Oh that is so neat having that coincidental cross over :)

[@BTimmer]

@@scorgWe watched your departure from the Rock .

[@scorg]

@@BTimmer We had some really lovely weather that day, I was up earlier as Volendam arrived in, was really good to watch.

[@robswan4170]

Icon of the Seas has had propulsion problems and that's a brand new ship, also the older ships have had many many refits since they were first constructed

[@jlawrence0181]

@@robswan4170 and the Regal Princess is only 11 years old which means it has operated only nine years

[@RobEisley]

We mostly go on Grandeur OTS or Vision OTS. We like the smaller ‘friendlier’ ships. Waiting for more news about the ‘Discovery’ class ships for RCL. As for “break downs”. We are retired so that is part of the adventure. :-)

[@electrictroy2010]

Look-up “poop cruise” before you think breakdowns are an adventure. No electricity or water is no fun

[@RobEisley]

@ True!!! Slow speed, (Fresh) water leaks, pool leaks, those ‘adventures’ are just ‘part of sailing’. Sewages issues would be a much different matter!

[@aussiejohn5835]

Carnival didn't dump the P&O Australia ships, they transferred them to Carnival and they will sail under the Carnival banner in Australia. Pacific Adventure will be Carnival Adventure and Pacific Encounter will be Carnival Encounter. The Pacific Explorer has been sold to another cruise line. I am just correcting Don's information.

[@GrandmaPomPom]

💯 not only did we lose 1 ship from the fleet and homeporting from cities not on eastern seaboard. The 3 ships we will have are all old. Personally I liked Explorer and am considering flying to Singapore to sail on her after the refit rather than fly East to cruise.

[@aussiejohn5835]

@GrandmaPomPom It has recently been announced that Carnival will reinstate Melbourne and Fremantle as home ports in 2027

[@Shanacello07090]

For $1000 difference in price, I’ll bring my own usb converter.

[@electrictroy2010]

Yep. Standard 120 volt to USB plug. I always use them. Also old ships get refurbished with new plugs, new or rebuilt engines, et cetera .

[@kelilongmoldovan4698]

Went on the Sun in December and it was really nice. But, I’m on the Grand (1997!) right now and I love it so much! It has so much detail in its decor, as opposed to the stark modernism of the Sun.

[@sherrimcclow188]

The spirit is an awesome ship. Hopefully they do a great refurb.

[@Sharon-it3mb]

The Spirit is a beautiful ship and great size

[@jeanettestolle6706]

The Carnival Miracle is my favorite ship, I hope she stays around long enough for me to sail on her again ❤

[@jeanettestolle6706]

The newer, larger ships are like shopping malls to me.

[@rickygarbe8547]

We just got off the Disney Magic which is 25 years old. Looked very nice to me.

[@marywiethe987]

Don, I am usually in agreement with much of what you say, BUT the smaller, older cruise ships are still needed. IMHO, the mega cruise ships are causing the issues with ports trying to eliminate / reduce te # of ships allowed in port. I LOVE the smaller ships

[@aussiejohn5835]

Totally agree

[@CruisingwithCrystalandMarshall]

Hi Don and all - we are on Royal's oldest and smallest ship, Grandeur of the Seas and it's showing some age but it's producing a great 9 day cruise. The news from the top tier event is that the plan is to run her another 5 years. They have upgraded internal systems and will refresh the interior spaces somewhat over the rest of Grandeur's life. This will give the company time to move forward with Project Discovery. Feel free to check out the ship condition as we begin to post Granduer content next week on our KZbin channel!

[@wardkoppel6704]

Astonia was just retired after 74 years, so the ships you are mentioning are still in their prime. While dry dock and repair costs go up with age, so do profits for cruise lines because the ships have been paid for for decades. And if they can offer a lower price, wonderful way to create entry level cruises in a time for crazy high cruise fares. Interesting comparison with cars, U.S. Post Office is just NOW starting to replace their 38 year old vehicles, so just like a ship, vehicles too can last much longer than most people keep them if kept up. I keep cars 20-31 years myself.

[@electrictroy2010]

Yep. Old refurbed ships get new or rebuilt engines just like a postal truck gets a rebuilt engine every 1-2 million miles. ALSO if you never turned-off your car its engine would go 1 million miles too. Most damage happens when the engine is started (not enough oil == metal on metal wear). I’ve seen million mile Hondas that still run, because the owners rarely turned them off (delivery guys) .

[@fredsmodel3n192]

Don, I’ve been on Carnival Spirit 6 times, it’s a perfect class and it’s a lot of people favorite. The Spirit class ships always sell out. Those are great ships, so glad that carnival is keeping Spirit.

[@5trace]

Not going across to Hawaii we did a 15 day trip and it was horrible. I never get sea sick but I did and so did many other cruisers. Not going on Spirit again.

[@fredsmodel3n192]

@ you do realize that this can happen on any ship, pacific ocean are one of the roughest waters out there.

[@5trace]

@@fredsmodel3n192 Yes it is rougher that's why I will never take a smaller older ship again across that distance or particular ocean. A larger ship you would not feel the motion as much.

[@ruthkringle1353]

I’m going on the Caribbean Princess this year and can’t wait. The new ships are too big and expensive.

[@paulascappini1509]

Caribbean princess is my favorite ship in the fleet. I don't mind it being older at all!! Enjoy your cruise!

[@ivanmorley3735]

We usually book the older ships since they are cheaper as they don't have all the latest family fun features. Also, they tend to be smaller than the mega ships, which means less port restrictions.

[@bdesalis]

NCL Spirit went into service in 1998, so is now 26 years old. NCL last refurbished her in 2020 and is a gorgeous ship. I would happily sail on her again.

[@gerard..m]

Hi Don, P&O Australia is just losing 1 Ship, Pacific Explorer. There other 2 Ships are transferring to Carnival - Adventure & Encounter. Those 2 Ships only came to P&O in 2021 from Princess

[@Nicho_Ldn]

P&O Aurora was launched in 2000 and is to this day one of the fleet‘s most popular ships. It was launched in 2000 and recently had a big refurb, I believe.

[@C7Zaol]

One possible reason to keep an old ship going is their relative mechanical simplicity compared to all of the modern propulsion systems and their pollution controls, alternative fuels, parts availability and so on. Also, if you can eek out 10 more years from a ship for $150 million, that is a bargain compared to the billion-plus dollar cost of a new ship. Also, cruise lines can offer lower price fares on the old ships to attract more new cruisers and keep the veteran cruisers happy too.

[@kenyattaclay7666]

Part of the problem is that these cruise lines keep wanting to build bigger & bigger ships that have water parks, roller coasters & go carts with a bunch of up charge dining and at the same time still have 4k to 5k passengers on them. Well a lot of these cruise ports either don’t want that, can’t support a ship of that size or both so they have to keep theses smaller older ships that to do those itineraries. I think instead of just focusing on building resorts at sea they need to take an auto industry approach to building new ships which is build for different categories. Not everyone wants to be on the biggest ship or cares if there’s a roller coaster or not. However they do care about having modern updates without feeling like they are getting the brown end of the stick.

[@joeseatac331]

Disney Magic is over 25 years old and seems to run smoothly. I’d have never known its old age, it’s beautiful and the perfect size.

[@disneyval776]

Disney Magic and Wonder look better than some of Royal's newer ships. NCL and Princess also do a great job at refurbishment of older ships.

[@tcmw779]

I’d say as long as a ship is properly maintained AND passes all appropriate inspections, let them sail. When maintenance and repairs get “crazy” then scrap them.

[@melvinjacobs2328]

I have no problem with the older ships, plus they're affordable.

[@davidhoffman8122]

I hope that the cruise lines KEEP the smaller OLDER ships. I enjoy the older and smaller ships. I have cruised the LARGER and newer ships and I am NOT happy with them. They had more places stuffed into the ship but there is normally less space to relax. I have been on the Spirit class many times, the Pride, Legend, and the Miracle, Also we will be on the Luminosa this June. I may stop cruising if the ships keep getting larger. Hey, Carnival have ships that are between 90,000 and 110,000 tones constructed! You know the mid size ships!

[@julieochoa5342]

Awww, older is beautiful!

[@johnwooten1210]

something to think about... they built Spirit Class and Fantasy Class ship very well... they are one tough ship and you look at them they don't break down as much as the newer ships. I think older sailers still like them and the ships still stay fully booked

[@SeaTravelr123]

The "older" ships are comfortable, easy going ships.. While I want to see the Excel Class of Carnival, that is NOT the kind of vacation I want. Im looking forward to doing a bunch of cruising on the Coral/Island Princess, Elation/Paradise, Rhapsody/Vision/Granduer/Enchantment, Margaritaville's ships, Millennium/Constellation/Ifninity and Summit... Volendam/Zaandam, Aurora/Arcadia, Bolette/Borealis..Renaissance/Celestyal Journey.. You can't compare the wonderful feeling on these smaller ships to ships like Icon!! I want an old style feel, I want to get dressed up for dinner... I hope the lines do keep their ships in service or decide like RCI, to build a few smaller vessels to keep that charm, with out all the gimmicks...

[@jB-wv4qj]

That one of the reasons why I'm taking one more cruise with Carnival (Jubilee) and switch up how my family take vacations. We're also tired of going to the same places (We sail out of Galveston). We like sailing on large ships.

[@CrisRanzenberger]

I have sailed on the Regal Princess and the NCL Gem in the last 3 years. The Gem had a drydock in between the first time I sailed on it and the 2nd time. Looks wise it was great with the updated interior. Except that they got rid of the hallway fish carpeting. Refurbishing the ship can extend its life by a number of years at a fraction of the cost of replacing it. The extreme costs of building new ships has gotten so high and no one is building what would be the 1800 to 2500 passenger ships. Being over 65, I don't need or want the amusement park mega ships.

[@Solo_Traveling]

These old ships are needed because they are usually smaller than the new ones. I read sometime ago that RCI was considering building new small ships so they can get to some ports where new ships can't get to.

[@fuzfoz]

Love the old ships! How soon until we send Don out to pasture? 😮😅

[@joelsense9031]

Gee Don, I keep getting refurbished, lol.

[@bobskullster]

Carnival Corps annual report lists the expected useful lifespan of their ships at 30 years. Of course that requires a lot of maintenance to achieve and business conditions will impact how long they actually keep them in their various fleets.

[@obriancruiseandtravel857]

Love the older and smaller ships

[@sandrawilkinson4733]

I love some of the older ships as they are smaller.

[@MikeEMT609]

Well Carnival scrapped several Fantasy Class ships during the pandemic. Regarding the Spirit Class ships, they have a few home ports where only the smaller ships can fit (like the Spirit Class)…there’s bridges the ships have to go under so the newer, bigger ships can’t fit. If they retire the older smaller ships how can they service the home ports with low bridge clearance?

[@Lamb9491]

Love the smaller ship.

[@edvaira6891]

I’m about to board Navigator of the Seas in three weeks… she came on line 23 years ago and it’s in pretty nice shape…I’m guessing she’s got about four years or so left, which is about when… they’re looking to add the mysterious new “Discovery class”

[@scherzva]

I love the Navigator, she’s the perfect size.

[@brendabrinkley8029]

The sunshine just went through month long dry dock. Going to Norfolk VA

[@cynthiareifsnider5794]

As long as the ships are getting refurbished and updating mechanics, they should be ok.

[@MrCriches6]

I've cruised on the Legend, Pride, and Celebration. So two of the smallest and the biggest in Carnival's fleet. I love the small ships. I don't mind the gaudy decor and smaller spaces. I like the intimacy of these spaces. The new ship on a ship concept isn't my thing. The Celebration was a good ship but give me a small ship any day of the week.

[@DennysPlantBasedJourney]

yep, we were on the Carnival Dream in December. It's birth date was in 2009, refurbed in 2012, and was last in dry dock in 2017. It showed its age everywhere: rust, chunks of wood missting from cabinets, cracks, peeling paint, and more. We were disappointed in the condition. Won't go on their older ships anymore. New or nothing

[@sakriso]

Hi Don! This is a concern. Not only is it the age, but also the size of the ships. Right now, there seems to be no plans on building similar sized ships to replace them. We all know that certain ports can's take the new bigger ships, so something needs to be done and I think this is what is being explored. Meanwhile, the older ships are getting older. We know that Royal Caribbean Group has hinted at a new class to replace the aging Vision and Radiance Classes of ships, but we probably won't see anything for a few years at this point. Hopefully, we'll get some breaking news soon.

[@khardy1801]

Carnival is only getting rid of 1 of the P&O ships. I’d love to try some of the newer ships but some cruise lines don’t ever send their new ones to Australia. Some do though. Love the character of some of the older ships, some more than others. Some have strange layouts.

[@joewines3883]

Maybe the cruise lines are gonna phase them out as the new ships come online. And like you said some people just like the older ships, the price is definitely better and in some cases the itinerary's can be better also.

[@scorg]

Oh we at least did get Queen Anne which is a smaller midsize ship last year and Brilliant Lady will be active this year which is also thankfully not a megaship. So these ships will do wonders on itinaries that call for the smaller sized ships.

[@jayholiday256]

We just spent 2 weeks on the Grandeur of the Seas, it’s 29 years old and everyone seemed to love it. The shower valve wasn’t to good. Great value

[@joannke7727]

Raising a lot of good points. Wondering what they are thinking

[@kristenkroes9649]

One good thing about the older ships is the smaller size a lot of the time.

[@angelathomas6770]

Agreed. Some new technology is great while others leaves you wondering what in the world were they thinking about when designing it.

[@karengatz3022]

I always book my cruises based on price. No matter which cruise it is, it is always better than being at work.

[@janicewestcott9844]

I can’t wait for Disney’s new smaller ships.

[@jfmezei]

Listened to long interview with the naval architect of the Queen Mary 2. One prime aspect is hull lifetime/stresses. The Queen Mary 2 for instance, is designed for ocean waves and is built as a pyramid so less weight to support when a wave hits the bow and lifts it up. Newer cruise ships make use of all of the hull so there are greater mechanical stresses on hull when it encounters rough weather, and this, along with type/thickness fo steel use will dictate lifetime of hull before it needs to be patched/fixed. Another thing to remember' between 2020 and 2022, cruise lines sent a LOT of ships to the scrapyard, so their oldest ships are alreaady gone ad since they only ordered "mega" ships since then, they need to keep their normal ships longer. A ship my be a 24 hours a day 365 day a year operation, but it doesn't mean there aren't constant repairs and upgrades being done to its systems without passengers knowing it. They can replace a generator while the ship is at sea with the other one keeping the ship running for instance and passengers would be unaware of it. They can shutdown one elevator for repairs/refurbishement during a cruise. They can block a set of rooms for upgrades during which USB plugs can be added an progressively update the ship. It all depends on how much money the cruise line is willing o spend on a ship to keep it modern. Once they have decided the ship is to be retired in X years, this is when you start to see the ship allowed to get old. Note that some of the brand new ships have had reliability problems too.

[@darryld_009]

Carnaval a while back said they were not building new ships then they changed their minds. This put them back in the que at the shipyards (2027, 28 Meyer Werft, 2029 Fincantieri) so they have to make the older ships last as long as possible.

[@lisabowenhospital]

I'd suggest follow the money. Refurbishment maybe cheaper than buy new. Are there delays coming out of the build yards due to Covid?

[@kevinp1904]

Keep up the good work!

[@donnapee8402]

I love the old ships, but I wish they would upgrade the entertainment on the old ships as well as the new ships.and. Maybe the word upgrade was harsh . What I really mean is more current entertainment.

[@Flint92]

Touchy subject for me. It's not how many refurbishments these companies keep doing, but the fact of why can't they continue to build mid-sized ships like the NCL Pearl or Carnival Fantasy (which no longer exists). I understand the trend is complete vacations on these ships for family crowds, but people like myself do get old and there will always be a demand for nice well kept ships with a nice pool deck and loungers, and no need not being able to get into certain ports because of the ships size. By doing that you eliminate the hourse of lines for tendering which are not fun. I really wish the mid-sized ships would still continue to be built.JMO.

[@MaxGrey03]

Off-topic, but I find it funny when I hear the Carnival Fantasy called a mid-sized ship. The Fantasy was the first ship I cruised on. My cruise was during her first year of service and at that time it was advertised as being the largest (or 2nd largest) cruise ship in the world, now a 60,000 ton ship is considered mid-size bordering on small.

[@burningblue1254]

Cruise ship senior officer. Why do cruise lines keep older ships? There are several reasons. The big one is that they are paid for and therefore the cruise fare can be lower and the company can still make money. Guests that are willing to sail on an older ship get a lower price. Smaller ships are still in demand and tend to be used on cruises where a smaller ship makes sense. A lot of times these older ships are sold to smaller cruise lines that want older cheaper and smaller ships or sold to more boutique cruise lines that completely refurbish them. The trend to larger ships is for 3 main reasons, there is more to do on larger ships, economies of scale ie crew/passenger ratio, one navigation crew, one harbor pilot, one mooring crew. Third reason is profitability. Real estate on a cruise ship is finite so the revenue per square foot is maximized. It's a business.....

[@GrandmaPomPom]

All we get offered in Australia on P&O are cruises on 20+ years old ships, and now with the rebrand to Carnival, not only did they sell off Explorer, they also took away the only homeport option for cruises in Adelaide, Perth, and Cairns. These smaller ships were perfect for these cheap and cheerful short duration cruises. Now consumers from the above locations have no option but to embark in Brisbane and Sydney at considerable added time and expense. The shortest flight from Adel - Melbourne is an hour, no one from Adelaide will do that to cruise back to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island which is 40 min by ferry. We have had 10 cruises on these old smaller ships and enjoyed them. We have a cruise on Oasis to NZ from Brisbane soon and it cost $2k for flights and accom, 5000 passengers is a LOT, not sure we will like that. I’d rather be able to cruise from my home state in a smaller ship. The lack of loyalty and market research on/to their existing passenger base is extremely disappointing. There are a lot of people who don’t live in Sydney.

[@richardracette-w6w]

Agree Don. Thanks

[@jeffreyclinard2002]

I've been somewhat curious what Royal Caribbean is planning to do. Their older, smaller ships are used for the more exotic runs. That's nice, but as they age out, do they think there is enough demand on some of those routes to fill their older megaships?

[@sjhanksaz]

Cruise ships are built a lot different than cars. They have a lot more long term engineered into them

[@frankpasini4304]

Look how long airline keep their airplanes going? The 747 was almost 50 years when it was retired.

[@kylady1959]

I like new big ships but going to go on a small old ship in April, don't know how that is going to go.

[@furudanuki6835]

Since it seems like everybody is building nothing but oversized megaships these days, I hope they hang onto the older ships until I have to give up cruising.

[@BeefromSC]

I love the older ships too! Do you recall if Horizon was one of those ships without a USB plug? I’m thinking we used our adapter because there wasn’t a USB, a few years ago? I guess Carnival and other lines, doing the same thing most are doing, refurbishing, recycling, etc., trying to get more life out of products, before throwing them away!! As long as the engine gets us from here to there, and back home, “safely”, I can deal with older ships unless the cost goes up closer to the newer ships😎😎🛳️🛳️

[@937553]

Keep them as long as customers keep booking sailings & the ship remains profitable

[@markt9805]

The older cruise ships are more profitable for the cruise lines, I live in Miami and I know many people who work for Royal Caribbean and Carnival and they share with me the older ships are paid off, no mortgage. It’s like when you pay off your house and you have more disposable income. It’s cheaper for the cruise lines to renovate the older ships than to build new ones.

[@Nicho_Ldn]

If you are already writing off Royal-class ships then I’d argue that the problem lies with you, Don, or the maintenance practices of Princess.

[@electrictroy2010]

Possibly. Old refurbed ships get new or rebuilt engines just like a million-mile semi truck gets a rebuilt engine every 1-2 million miles. ALSO if you never turned-off your car its engine would go 1 million miles too. Most damage happens when the engine is started (not enough oil == metal on metal wear). I’ve seen million mile Hondas that still run, because the owners rarely turned them off (delivery guys) .

[@travelfun911]

I was just on an older ship and although it was refurbished, the ship had major plumbing problems. I think it is time to put the old ships to sleep!

[@supertouring1]

Maybe the old ships just need a longer drydock. So instead of 3-6 weeks the younger ships require. Maybe they just need to be brought in for a longer drydock. Since the ships are paid off, the longer drydock will still be cheaper than building a new ship.

[@jlawrence0181]

Some people prefer the older ships over the new monstrosities.

[@joemichaels4231]

We sailed on Carnival Valor last April. We had a good time, but the ship REALLY looked it's age!!!

[@cmpj519]

When the old ships start breaking down or causing as much to fix as the new ships do, then its time to look into retiring them. Until then, I don't see a problem with the older ships.

[@RustyEtzwiler]

If they would make more of the smaller ships, i.e., under 1100.pax, they wouldn't need to refurbished the old ones. Many of us don't want to cruise with 3000 or more of our closest friends.

[@jeanettachurchill4203]

I ride NCL because of the exotic ports... they always use very small ships in order to get into those ports. If they retire the oldies, are they going to have to stop going to Africa, SouthEast Asia, etc? I only see NCL investing in larger and larger ships. I want to sail on a ship that goes more places than Bahamas and the Caribbean...

[@shirleyg.2133]

When was the last small ship built? I’ll never get on another large ship.