CRUISE ships are getting larger, with the biggest vessel on the horizon, Royal Caribbean’s Project Genesis,due for launch in 2009, carrying up to 6,400 passengers, nearly 4,000 more than the largest currently afloat.

A knee-jerk reaction is that this is just too big, although Royal Caribbean thinks the extra passengers will simply be absorbed into the huge ship. People like to claim that they are either a big ship or a small ship person but for inexperienced cruisers it is more complex than that. There are benefits and disadvantages to both large and small ships.

If you are less mobile, consider a smaller ship. Getting around a big ship can take a long time. There is pressure on the lifts at busy times and you may find yourself traipsing around endless corridors, or arranging your whole day to minimise trips back to your cabin. This is no way to enjoy a holiday.

Small ship aficionados claim that the food is better on a smaller ship as it is not “mass-produced”. This is not necessarily the case; the quality of the food on board depends on the level of luxury of the ship, not its size.

Some lines with big ships, Carnival and Princess for example, have a reputation for excellent food. Larger vessels have more restaurants and some of the speciality outlets offer some of the finest dining at sea – the elegant Olympic Restaurant on Celebrity Cruises’ ship Millennium, for example, or the magnificent steaks in the Crown Grill on Princess ships, where you can dine for a small supplement.

Large vessels inevitably have more facilities – bigger spas, more activities, more pools, high-tech theatres offering Broadway-style shows – none of which you are likely to find in abundance on a small ship. If you like round-the-clock casinos, entertainment and choice, go for a larger vessel. A lot of cruise lines operating big ships have introduced giant movie screens on deck, a great diversion at night but highly intrusive at breakfast time.

Children love them, though, which is one of many reasons for families to opt for larger ships, alongside fantastic children’s clubs, water slides, evening babysitting and shore excursions tailored to children. The best lines for families are Princess, P&O, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Ocean Village and Carnival, which all operate big ships.

Another misconception about ship size is stability. The biggest ships are not necessarily the most stable and anybody worried about seasickness is advised to choose a ship with a deep draught, especially for long ocean crossings. Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2 and the new Queen Victoriaare built for long voyages and even on a rough day you can barely feel them moving. Some of the vessels built for short cruises in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, on the other hand, can be quite bumpy on the long ocean crossings sold at bargain prices as the ships reposition between their summer and winter cruising areas.

An important factor in choosing a ship is the other passengers. At the end of a cruise on a 3,000-passenger ship, you will still be seeing people for the first time. On a 100-passenger ship, travellers quickly mix and gossip about one another. On some upmar-ket vessels, the wealthy and reclusive stay in their suites for a lot of the voyage, which does not do much for the atmosphere in the evenings.

Big ships often hold social events for single travellers. Having said that, though, small ships have a great environment for singles, as the atmosphere is like a jolly house party. As for the service, size is irrelevant. On a good ship with a happy crew, you will get personal service regardless of size.

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