Leeza_K

LOL!!! Fair enough. We didn't have anything to compare it to when we sailed on Carnival so it was a starting point.

We're not party animals. 😂 That said, the live music singers on the Carnival ships we sailed on were one of the most awesome parts of the cruise. They were wonderful entertainers.

Definitely nothing wrong with sticking with what you like.... but we want to explore and try out something new.

Thank you for clarifying. This is helpful.

Thank you, this is helpful. We are narrowing it down and will likely pick something else than NCL. That said, unless it's REALLY bad service, I think it's hard to have a bad time on a cruise. Just relax and have fun, right? (Not an invitation to send bad cruise experience stories...please.)

Can I ask what you mean by "nickel and diming?" Meaning - extra costs up front when booking the cruise, or extra costs while you're onboard? I don't mind paying gratuities as long as it's clear up front what's being charged. Overall, just curious. Thanks!!

Thank you!!

Thank you! Very helpful. We don't mind dining in the large, main dining rooms. We just want to be seated at our own table. That's all. 🙂

Fair point. What I meant by "we're not picky" is it doesn't need to be 5 star, high end gourmet cuisine. The food was fine on Carnival and we had a great time. On the 2nd Carnival trip, some of the dinners were so-so, meaning it looked like something I could have picked up from the frozen section of Walmart. Edible? Yes. Impressive? Nope.

My first-ever cruise was in 2018 on Carnival. We had a really good time. (I was skeptical I would like cruises. lol) We did Carnival a 2nd time to take my mother-in-law and we again had fun and really enjoyed it. We'd like to cruise again in 2025 but am overwhelmed about which cruise line to try next. We'd like to try something other than Carnival. We'd likely sail out of Miami or Ft. Lauderdale and looking at something 7 day to the Caribbean. We're flexible on the places it stops, to a point. We are considering Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, or Oceania but like I said, it's overwhelming. Don't know where to begin and I don't want emails and sales phone calls from 5 different cruise lines. lol Folks on our Carnival ship were advocating we should try Norwegian next... We'd book a balcony room on an upper deck. We also want to book a drinks/alcohol package and access to a spa with steam rooms, etc. Good food is important to us, but we're not picky. The food on Carnival was good, but maybe not mind blowing good...? We also don't want to be seated at dinner with total strangers if we don't have to be. We're not cheapskates, but I looked at prices for Virgin cruises and it was way above what we want to spend on a cruise. For that, I'll fly first class to Europe! lol Advice and suggestions from cruise experts welcomed!! Thank you!!!!