stardust3000

Hi

I am thinking of booking a cruise on MSC, primarily because of price, but I keep seeing the comments that they are more European than American. However, I can't quite work out what this actually means!

In what way did you find the cruise to be more 'European'. Was it the food, the entertainment, the service? I am European, by the way, but have only sailed American lines in the past.

Also, I have never sailed a line that had fixed dining times. On the Bella or Fantastica packages, I can see that you have fixed dining, this doesn't bother me, but would me and my other half be able to get a table for two, or do we have to share a larger table?

Hi

We (husband and I) have done several cruises (both with and without kids) with NCL in the past. We are in our late forties.

We are looking to do a cruise out of Miami early next year, without the kids, and a 9 day cruise on Silhouette has caught my eye. However, I'm a bit nervous of 'jumping ship' from NCL.

I know that the demographic on Celebrity will be a bit older, and I'm fine with that. But my main concern is about dining. I like to be able to choose when to eat (although I don't mind having to book this in advance). We, as a couple, also prefer to have a table for two, rather than sharing with a bigger group. If I choose Celebrity Select, does this mean we can choose a table for two? And is it guaranteed?

Lastly, we are not big party people, but do like musical entertainment in the evening - such as bands, or Howl at the Moon on NCL. Does Celebrity have any of this kind of entertaiment?

Many thanks

We stayed in an oceanview family cabin on deck 5, we found it to be very quiet. We occasionally could very faintly hear music drifting down from the Atrium, but it wasn't loud enough to cause a problem. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

To me, the Haven is lovely, but it's not worth the cost of a whole second cruise! But to you, it might be.

We had a Haven suite on the Epic, and it was lovely. But we got it for a steal, and I don't think I would ever be able to justify the cost again. The cabin was great, but we were hardly ever in it. We hardly saw our butler, because we never requested anything. The snacks were great, but there is so much food on a cruise that we didn't need them at all (still ate them though!) The food was lovely in the Haven restaurant, but we prefer to eat in the specialty restaurants in the evening, and we are more than happy with the buffet or MDRs for breakfast and lunch.

To us, the Haven is worth a little bit more, but definitely not 4K. But I can see that to some people it's worth every penny. I'd rather spend the extra on a Spa balcony room, to me, that's worth splurging a bit on .

Hi, we will be sailing from Venice next month on the Jade. We've got an inside cabin, so no balcony to watch sail away from. Does anyone have any recommendations where is the best public space to watch sail away from? Thanks

I have had nothing but great cruises with Norwegian. I don't sweat the small stuff. I don't care if I have to drink Pepsi rather than Coke. I'll happily drink tap water. There has been a reduction in the choices of wine, but I find those that are included in the UBP to be perfectly ok, and there's an almost unlimited choice of cocktails, so I'm happy! I've never used room service, but if I decide to, then I'll just pay the fee and not worry about it.

I've always found the service to be great. Most staff are very friendly, and those that aren't, well, everybody has an off day. The cabins are comfy, the ships are beautiful, the food is good to excellent, and you're on a cruise! What's not to love.

Yes, I can see that some of the changes may be mildly annoying, but the value for money, at least to me, is still there, and I can't wait for my next cruise on NCL in two months.

Thanks, Swoopy, that's interesting, will hang on for a bit then and see what happens.

Scootch, I've found NCL prices to be very similar to RCL, but at the moment they include the drinks offer, making them overall better value, at least for me!! :) I quite fancy trying RCL for a change, but I'd be a bit annoyed to book, and then find that I could have had the drinks for free! It's not that I'm a huge drinker, but I do like the freedom of not having to count the pennies on holiday.

Hi, I'm looking to book a cruise for December 2017, and I am torn between an RCL cruise from San Juan, or an NCL cruise from Miami. Both are similarly priced, with itineraries that appeal to me.

We have cruised with NCL before, and have had a drinks package included as a 'free' offer.

Does RCL ever offer a drinks package as a special offer? With a family of 5, the cost of drinks on board really does add up, so it is a factor when considering which cruise to pick. Not sure whether to book the NCL cruise now, or hang on and see if RCL do this type of offer.