If RCI does order 4 more Freedom Class ships, I think we can expect to see several Vision Class and the MONARCH OF THE SEAS leave the fleet as the new Freedom Class ships are delivered.

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Originally posted by Atlcruiser:
This is getting as bad as Carnival using the same design over and over. I love RCI but this will cause me to look at other lines if they keep using the same old designs. I was hoping for something new with a size around the Solstice class.

Gordon

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Gordon,
I don't think it's nearly as bad as Carnival because Carnival basically uses the same design across several different brands. At least we are not seeing the Freedom Class modified for Celebrity Cruises. Also, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are both building brand new designs so exciting ships are on the way.

I don't mind a successful repeated design within a single brand (within reason). It's when cruise companies (basically Carnival) use the same design across multiple brands that are supposed to appeal to different market segments that bothers me. I don't like the "one size fits all" mentality. It's cheaper for certain, but not very interesting for a ship buff such as myself.

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Originally posted by AKer builder:
Sorry, my mistake, what i meant was ordering freedom class ship number 4, not 4 ships.
Sorry one more time!

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Ok. Much more sensible. Four more Freedom Class ships would really be overkill. One seems more reasonable.

Ernie, did you enjoy the Oosterdam? I am on this ship next month. I am looking forward to my first cruise on HAL but am a little nervous about trying this line.

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Originally posted by AKer builder:
RCCL is about to order 4 Freedom class ship from Aker Yards.

The deal is rumoured to be true in next 2 moths.
Good for aker, good for the eourpean cruise people.

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Four Freedom class ships !!!!??? I would have expected more Genesis order... After all, instead of 4 Freedom you can easily fill 2 or 3 Genesis, capacity speaking.

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Originally posted by eroller:

Ok. Much more sensible. Four more Freedom Class ships would really be overkill. One seems more reasonable.

Ernie

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Originally posted by Atlcruiser:
Ernie, I guess for me, Carnival at least changes the themes on their ships but RCI changes little.

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Gordon,
I totally understand your point. I used to LOVE the fact that every Carnival interior had a different theme and design. You instantly could tell one ship apart from another. Unfortunately as of late the Farcus designs don't seem so distinctive anymore. They have almost become boring. He basically uses the same applications over and over again, and frankly they have started to look alike. As an example I can't tell the difference between the CARNIVAL LIBERTY and CARNIVAL FREEDOM. The ships have pretty much blended together in my view. That never used to be the case. I'm not sure what has happened, but somewhere along the line Farcus has lost his touch, at least in my book. In the past you would see a new Carnival ship and the interiors would evoke such a strong reaction (good or bad). These days it's just 'ho hum'. Dare I say Carnival is becoming a bit bland in it's midlife?

Truthfully I think Carnival needs something like Pinnacle to really spice things up. To put it back on the map so to speak. We really haven't seen anything truly new or innovative from Carnival since the CARNIVAL DESTINY was introduced over a decade ago.

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Originally posted by Atlcruiser:

Ernie, did you enjoy the Oosterdam? I am on this ship next month. I am looking forward to my first cruise on HAL but am a little nervous about trying this line.

Gordon

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Gordon,
I really don't want to put a damper on your upcoming vacation, but personally I did not care for OOSTERDAM. In fact my cruise on her was one of my least favorites in recent memory. Mind you no cruise is a bad cruise, but OOSTERDAM just wasn't my cup of tea. The food and service were very good, but not much else wowed me with this ship. I thought the decor was very dark and even tacky in places. The entertainment was dismal. The passenger demographic was very elderly which meant absolutely no nightlife past 11pm (even earlier sometimes). I also didn't like the covered pool (smelled like a YMCA) and I was surprised at the cheap plastic chairs by the aft pool for a "premium" line. All in all I enjoyed myself, but for the most part the experience was forgettable. I probably won't return to HAL for a few years, then I will give it another try.

I truly hope you will come away with different impression then I did.

Here is a link to some photos I took of the ship:
OOSTERDAM Photos

I will be interested in reading your comments on the Solstice as that is on my list for next year along with the Genesis.

Thanks for the link to your photos.

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Originally posted by Atlcruiser:
Thanks Ernie. I am going with an open mind but the photos that I have seen thus far have not wowed me at all. I wanted to cruise out of San Diego and didn't want Carnival plus I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and try some other lines to see what else is out there.

I will be interested in reading your comments on the Solstice as that is on my list for next year along with the Genesis.

Thanks for the link to your photos.

Gordon

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I know you like the Spirit Class with Carnival and so do I. It's one of my favorite classes of ships. Frankly I don't think the Vista Class compares. Of course they are related but I feel the Carnival version is so much nicer and better laid out. Especially the pool areas, atrium, and gym. The Vista Class felt a lot smaller to me then the Spirit Class. On my OOSTERDAM cruise, whenever I saw the CARNIVAL SPIRIT or CARNIVAL PRIDE along the way, I wished I was on one of those ships. You live and you learn.