Over 50 cruises? Looking for Recommendation

Here is one for the truly experienced. Many members have more than 50 cruises so I would consider them experts.

We are both retired now and have only cruised 6 times. Number 7 will be on Eurodam Jan 28-Feb 4, 1018. Now that we are retired, we'D like to cruise 3 times a year.

My question for the mega experienced is what was your favorite cruise ship that is still operating and why. Please base on ship and not ports. Ports are only what you make of them. In fact, we'D love a 10 day cruise to nowhere.

Moderator, please help.. I meant to post this on a general forum vice HAL. Can you move?

While we do not have 50 cruises under our belt, yet, we have been cruising for almost 40 years. So with that being said, our experience has evolved over the years. Our first cruise was on HAL and after sampling other ships in the 80's had decided to stick exclusively with HAL for many years. But as we got older and cruised more we were continually feeling we were missing out on other experiences because we didn't try other lines. Now we have not cruised on them all, or even a majority of them, but what we have found is sampling the different ships based upon age of the ship, ports and interest they offer up a wide variety of experiences. So sticking to one ship for multiple cruises a year would get boring very quickly.

I know I will get a lot of comments on that last sentence but restricting yourselves to one "perfect" ship limits your opportunities and experiences. Now that you can do or are looking to do multiple cruises a year wouldn't you want to try different products and enjoy deciding for yourself?

Dan

Here is one for the truly experienced. Many members have more than 50 cruises so I would consider them experts.

We are both retired now and have only cruised 6 times. Number 7 will be on Eurodam Jan 28-Feb 4, 1018. Now that we are retired, we'D like to cruise 3 times a year.

My question for the mega experienced is what was your favorite cruise ship that is still operating and why. Please base on ship and not ports. Ports are only what you make of them. In fact, we'D love a 10 day cruise to nowhere.

Why not consider one of the longer cruises or a some B2B on the cruise line of your choice.

Rather than a specific ship, you might think a bit about the size of the ships you might like. The larger ships, and there are many of them, offer a wider variety of on-board experiences. They also require much more walking because they are larger. There are many more people sometimes causing venues to be crowded or noisy.

Small ships, on the other hand, are easier to navigate, distances around the ship are not so great. There are fewer people, and sometimes the service is better and more personal. The on-board experiences might, not always, be more limited.

Smaller ships can often go into ports which cannot accommodate larger ships making the itineraries more interesting and varied.

So, think about what aspects of ships suit you best. That might be a bit better than trying to settle on one particular ship and perhaps winding up bored to death after a few cruises.

In thinking about this, I consider any ship carrying less than 2000 passengers reasonably small. Many cruise ships now routinely carry 3000 or 4000 passengers....large by any standard.

Anyway, three cruises each year is a dream for many people. Enjoy every one.

Rather than a specific ship, you might think a bit about the size of the ships you might like. The larger ships, and there are many of them, offer a wider variety of on-board experiences. They also require much more walking because they are larger. There are many more people sometimes causing venues to be crowded or noisy.

 

Small ships, on the other hand, are easier to navigate, distances around the ship are not so great. There are fewer people, and sometimes the service is better and more personal. The on-board experiences might, not always, be more limited.

 

Smaller ships can often go into ports which cannot accommodate larger ships making the itineraries more interesting and varied.

 

So, think about what aspects of ships suit you best. That might be a bit better than trying to settle on one particular ship and perhaps winding up bored to death after a few cruises...

This Post covers virtually everything that I would consider in choosing a ship (or, more likely, a class of ships) on which to cruise. The only thing I would add to the equation is length of cruise - that is, I would choose HAL's larger ships (Vista & Signature Class) for cruises of 14 days or more and its smaller S & R Class ships for shorter cruises.

Here's a link to another Thread that discusses HAL's ship Classes: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=350993 It may be helpful.

Whichever you choose, here's wishing you Smooth Sailing :ship: :ship: :ship:

... we are just short of 50 cruises ...

We like the HAL S class, so the Maasdam and Veendam. Small and elegant, but the big draw, believe it or not, is the Dining Room tables for two. We have managed to get one of the tables for two on the window, port or starboard, for over 200 days. For us, these make the perfect dinner and the perfect cruise.

I don't think I was clear enough. We have no intention of sticking with 1 ship. Thought if we got some recommendations from highly experienced cruisers, we could pick 4 or 5 and try them all.

I do meet your criterion of having over 50 cruises. Mine have been both short (a 2-day cruise to nowhere) and long (39 days on 4 consecutive cruises), and up to 35 days on a single cruise. I don't have a current 'favorite' ship, although I am very fond of the Prinsendam. I have sailed on all the ships in the current HAL fleet, except the Koningsdam, as well as several ships no longer in the fleet. I have also sailed on six other cruise lines.

What I have found is that I like smaller ships vs. larger, and longer cruises vs. shorter. Both lend themselves to getting to know your fellow passengers much better than larger/shorter do.

On smaller/longer the staff gets to know you better, too. Service tends to pick up more than one notch as your needs are better anticipated and met.

Since you want to cruise more now that you have more time, I would suggest that if you are physically able, you look for cruises further afield while you have the energy to get there, and explore the ports. Too many people (I am one), have started out closer to home; after several visits, you want more variety. By then, you are looking at exhausting long-haul flights, and a harder time getting to the best sites from the ports.

Enjoy your retirement! It's been 12 years for me, and they still can't slap the smile off my face. :cool: I wish you many years of enriching cruising.

Depends on your budget as well. I have done over 70 cruises and if money were no object I would stick with Crystal Symphony/Serenity....but....they will cost considerably more than a HAL, Princess, RCCL, etc. Seabourn also does a very nice job but again price will be a lot more than the bigger cruise ships.

I also prefer smaller ships to floating malls. Prinsendam is an oldie but goodie if you have never tried it but hurry as it will likely be sold off in a few years.

Since money is an object especially doing several cruises per year i prefer the smaller ships of HAL like Volendam, Zaandam, Maasdam, etc.

When we retired we started doing 4 and 5 cruises a year (can't now due to health issues).

We don't have a favorite ship as we choose cruises for itineraries.

You didn't mention where you had cruised to before retiring. Check out full Panama cruises -- usually around 21 days. There is also the Southern Caribbean, Australia/New Zealand, South America, Asia, the Baltic, the Med, etc.

We have been on many ships, not 50 though. Also numerous cruise lines from high end to mass market.

We tend to prefer a mid-larger sized ship simple because they offer more choice in terms of dining venues, etc. Our favourite ship design, by a long shot, is Celebrity Solstice class ships. Within that group, Equinox would be a favourite.

We find that the mass market lines like HAL, Celebrity, Princess, are all very much the same in terms of service. The ship and the itinerary make the difference for us. Indeed, these mass market lines keep cutting and seem to be on a race to get to the same lowest common denominator. You can have a great cruise on one cruise line ship and a not so great on another. Consistency is no longer a constant.

We prefer 14-21 day cruises. We will often intersperse independent land trip with cruises. Since reitrement we find that cruises often do not allow us enought time in port. We also get tired of the food on board. To us, after a time, it all starts to taste the same. Feel the same way out our balcony/verandah stateroom. No local colour, it is like staying in a Marriott inasmuch as you could be anywhere and the rooms are about the same. Three conseq. sea days is our limit now. Any more and we want to jump ship. Two days is preferred.

Final point, now retired we find that we typically book cruises, air, etc inside the final payment window. Prices are down. We have no requirement to plan months ahead.

SInce retirement we have also changed the way we travel. We only go with carry on. For two reasons. The first is physical. We only take what we can each handle-whether it be climbing up a few flights of stairs, getting on a train, or carrying our bag over three boats tied together, then perhaps down a few steps, to our ferry. Second is that it arrives when we do. And we use a European/International size carry on vs. the NA variant. Works for us but it is not for everyone. Got the idea from a retired banking VP and spouse who we met in a Florence laundromat. The gave us some tips and some advice which we followed.

Moderator, please help.. I meant to post this on a general forum vice HAL. Can you move?

You don't mention what kinds of rooms you prefer. The service on a ship does vary by room category, and from line to line for the different types of suites... e.g., butler vs concierge service. These might matter to you..... not to us as we aren't cruising in the suites.

I prefer a room with a couch: so on HAL that means on S and R class most any room although the Lower Promenade OVs have a love seat; on Vista class ships there are some really small inside rooms with no couches and some large insides which are quite nice. HAL balcony rooms have couches or loveseats, the lengths are different on different ships. etc. But not familiar with Prinsendam.

On Princess ships (except the very small one(s) built by Renaissance) you only get couches at mini-suite level and up.

Celebrity and NCL ships also vary by class as to rooms with couches....

Dining venues? especially the specialty dining venues vary also by ship, if that's of importance to you...

If you can tell us more about what's of importance to you, we can be more specific in addressing what you want to learn more about.

We find the pros of all types of ships and lines... and push the cons aside. For us, itinerary and price have guided us more than cruise line, ship size or layout, and we find a room category that makes us comfortable. m--

What I have found is that I like smaller ships vs. larger, and longer cruises vs. shorter. Both lend themselves to getting to know your fellow passengers much better than larger/shorter do.

On smaller/longer the staff gets to know you better, too. Service tends to pick up more than one notch as your needs are better anticipated and met.

 

Since you want to cruise more now that you have more time, I would suggest that if you are physically able, you look for cruises further afield while you have the energy to get there, and explore the ports. Too many people (I am one), have started out closer to home; after several visits, you want more variety. By then, you are looking at exhausting long-haul flights, and a harder time getting to the best sites from the ports.

We've got 48 cruises on the books so far, and I agree with every word of Ruth's post.

We have been on many different ships (truly lost count after the first 60) of many lines....and our favorite ship is usually the one upon which we are cruising :). Among HAL vessels the Prinsendam (with all of its age related issues) remains our favorite. Overall we really love the S-Class (Solstice Class) ships of Celebrity for numerous reasons. The Queen Mary 2 is an amazing vessel and if it wasn't for their very disappointing cuisine....we would rate this ship very high for its design, tasteful interiors, etc. We have excluded the small ultra luxury class vessels from this post, but that is an entirely different world (and a darn good world).

Hank

This is sooooo personal.

Re: the 10 day cruise to nowhere - We like the sea days on the Transatlantics. That being said, the larger ships do offer a lot more choices as to what to do.

I have to agree with so many on this board. Also it depends on if we are traveling with others. Of the main stream lines, I do prefer Celebrity's Solstice Class ships. However I think it is fun to experience other ships and really like Royal's Oasis class ships. If budget allows there are some really nice luxury line ships, but quite frankly I prefer to do more cruises than to spend twice as much for one. All that said, I look for the best overall value for the price. I tend to not be too picky if the price is great. Also the itinerary is important. If I am just going to the Caribbean to enjoy some sun and warm weather, it does not matter as much. Going to the Greek Isles and Israel next month on the Silhouette so had to find that itinerary. Maybe others will not agree but I have not cruised Carnival since I was in my twenties and I tend to avoid it. Perhaps it is much better now.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Only 43 cruises so far, but my favorite ship is Prinsendam. I think the atmosphere on the ship is superior to the others I have sailed on. I found it attracts more interesting and engaging passengers than the other ships I have been on. The very small size of the ship coupled with the superior passenger/crew ratio also adds to the experience.

My absolute number one favorite cruise was the 2002 Volendam's Maiden Asia Pacific Cruise. The size and public room layout of the R Class ships is very cruiser friendly. The ports were of great interest and King Neptune demonstrated his many moods as to sea conditions during the cruise, including the first morning after departure from Vancouver. (Even Captain Harris had not expected what the Volendam encountered.) Being a Maiden Voyage to new ports, maiden arrival ceremonies added to the enjoyment of the cruise. And, Cruise Director Gary Walker, Captain Jonathan Peter Harris, and our very experienced Hotel Director Hans (regretfully I don't recall his full name) were an excellent management team and perfect for our cruise.

So, what's my bottom line for a suggestion for you? The excitement and on-board energy generated by crew and by guests on a "Maiden Voyage" to a new area of the world and, I imagine when a ship initially enters service, ought to factor into your thoughts as you select a cruise.

After I retired, having the luxury of being able to travel any time of the year and not be restricted to a time when I could do so because of my profession was, and is, a wonderful perk of retirement.