If you see a cruise line commercial or visit their websites, you’ll be greeted with images of their latest and greatest ships. They are bright, shiny, and big. But the truth is that the majority of a cruise line’s fleet is actually made up of older ships.
For example, of the 28 ships currently in the Royal Caribbean fleet, 18 of them (nearly two-thirds) were built more than a decade ago. So if you were to select a ship at random to sail, the chances are better than even that you’d end up on one that’s more than ten years old.
This is similar across cruise lines. The useful life of a cruise ship is around 30 years, so even as new ships are added to fleets, there are still lots of older vessels sailing with tens of thousands of passengers each day.
However, there are big differences between a ship built today and one built 10, 20, or even 30 years ago. Here’s what to know, and if sailing on these older ships is worth it.
Older Ships (Generally) Have Cheaper Fares
For many people, the best feature of an older ship is that it can help you save money. With the newest ships, cruise lines offer the latest amenities and also see the most demand. Just like a new restaurant, people are eager to try something new.
But lines still want older ships to sail full, so they drop the prices and often it can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars in savings.
For instance, we found a July 2025 cruise aboard Icon of the Seas (Royal Caribbean’s newest ship) selling for $2,173 for a 7-day cruise. But the same exact month, you can sail from Port Canaveral aboard Adventure of the Seas (built 2001) on an 8-day cruise starting at $1,131 — more than $1,000 cheaper and with an extra day.
This difference is more dramatic than most, but as a rule of thumb older ships have less expensive fares compared to new ships.
You’ll Find Fewer Amenities & Things to Do on Older Vessels
On the downside of cruising older ships, while you might find cheaper fares you also don’t get the same experience. Case in point is that you will have fewer amenities on older ships.
Cruise lines are constantly pushing the boundaries on the ship. With newer ships come not only more space (meaning more room to put more things for passengers to do), but also the latest restaurants, amenities, and things to do.
For instance, Carnival Jubilee, the cruise line’s newest ship, features 19 different places to grab a meal or a snack. Carnival Elation, built in the ’90s, has just 10.
Then there are things like roller coasters, wild waterslides, multiple pools, hi-tech theaters and more that are seen on the newest ships, but absent on older ships, depending on the age.
Older Ships Are Easier to Navigate
We will be the first to admit that the newer ships — with upwards of 20 decks and nearly 1,200 feet long — can be a bear to get around.
There are so many decks to go up and down, but also the length of the ship. Getting from one venue to another, or even just exploring the ship, can take time and lots of walking. And the more decks you have, the more often you’ll need to take the elevator to get from spot to spot, taking even more time.
Older ships were built much smaller and for those wanting to get around the ship, it’s much easier. For instance, Carnival Valor — built in 2004 — has just 13 guest decks. It’s safe to say there is much less walking and it’s faster getting around the vessel.
You Can Expect Fewer Kids
If you’re traveling on a mass market cruise line like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or NCL, one aspect of older ships you might find is that there are fewer kids onboard… at least compared to the newest ships.
With the newer ships, the cruise lines pull out all the stops in the design in order to make them appeal to families. This can include full waterparks, go-karts, multiple pools, bumper cars, and more.
These newer ships turn into kid magnets with families seeking out these vessels for their vacation. If you don’t care about those items, then you can sail on older ships without these amenities. Given they don’t have as much to do for kids, there are definitely fewer children onboard.
Dated, But Kept Up Well
If you’ve never cruised before, you might have a preconceived notions about an older ship. After all, if a ship has sailed constantly for 20 years and has thousands of people coming and going each trip, then it’s going to show a lot of age, right?
In truth, we find cruise ships kept up much better than, say, a resort hotel. During your cruise you’ll find crew constantly cleaning, painting, repairing, and generally keeping up appearances around the ship. As well, ships are refurbished regularly to give them an update and keep them looking good with the latest amenities.
Do they show wear and tear? Of course, but you’ll likely be impressed at how well older ships are maintained.
We will say that while they are kept up, older ships can still feel dated in design and décor choices.
Are Older Ships Worth It to Sail?
So is it worth it to sail an older ship or are you missing out by not paying up for the newest ships?
To us, what matters most is if you are sailing with kids. If you are sailing with kids, then we think the newest ships are going to be a big draw. Ships have come a long way to where ships built in the past 10-15 years have a lot to offer kids, so you don’t have to sail something brand-new to have it still be attractive to families with lots to do.
But if you aren’t sailing with kids, then those older ships may not just be worth it… they may be even preferable to sailing new ships for many passengers.
Over the years, we’ve noticed that more and more passengers are not fans of the biggest and newest ships. They complain that the ships are too large, there are too many people, and it’s too hard to get around.
Typically these tend to be older passengers and those that are more interested in a cruise where disconnecting and relaxing are the goal of the vacation. For these people, the fact that older ships are also cheaper to sail is just icing on the cake.
Bottom line: If you’re someone that isn’t excited by things like waterslides or the biggest ships, then older ships may be perfect for you. If you have kids, however, we’d suggest the newer ships that offer more things for everyone to enjoy during the trip.
Great Article. We LOVE the older ships for exactly the reasons listed. We’re older, experienced cruisers and the older ships fit our style perfectly.