We’re so used to Princess now, that we don’t want to try other lines

We have cruised Princess more than any other line, but I would never limit myself to just one line; we enjoy trying new ships/cruise liens.

One reason we cruise Prince so often is that we usually find great prices and good perks. But we have enjoyed at least 5 other cruise lines also. Holland America is the only one we didn't care too much for, but we would still book with them under the right circumstances, ie, great itinerary, price, etc.

Carnival offers trips to Cuba, one with overnight stay. They have robes and laundry rooms. I find their regular balcony rooms to be usually larger than Princess, and the shower area is certainly larger. Their prices are lower. Be careful the dates that you book if you do not wish a party atmosphere (which can occur on any ship). We are in our 60's.

I like their food; the soft serve ice cream is better than that on Princess.

I like the entertainment better on Princess; I am not a comedy or casino person.

I did not think we would like Carnival until someone made us try it 3 years ago. Now we are going on our 3rd Carnival cruise this spring. We also still sail Princess. It is wonderful to have a cruise on each line booked this year.

Try new things; you might like it. Never say never.

Over the past few days, I’ve tried to plan a cruise to Cuba in 2019. Princess doesn’t sail there, so we looked at other options, but once we realized that we’d have to pay for coffee and there would be no robes or no laundry rooms, we came to really appreciate what we’ve taken for granted for the past cruises.

Princess is still our favorite cruise line for the value it gives us--and the perks we receive. Our most recent cruise on another line was a Holland America ship to the Panama Canal last year. We had a great time. We missed our Princess perks (especially the free internet minutes) and the variety of entertainment and activities that Princess ships have, but we enjoyed the things HAL does better, such as the Culinary Arts Center events.

Which line charges extra for coffee?

MSC

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We've cruised Princess exclusively since 2008. I personally think that Princess has better itineraries. I know I've ranted in the past about some things on Princess, but overall I have enjoyed all of my cruises on the line. As far as booking with other lines, I've had several cruises booked on Celebrity over the past several years that I've unfortunately had to cancel for one reason or another. I am however looking to book a fall Canada/New England cruise on Celebrity for 2020. DW has been after me for years to book one. I have resisted because I grew up in Seneca Falls NY and already know what colors leaves look in the fall. I am however in debt to her as she signed off on me booking our fifth Western Med-T/A (Sky Princess) for next year.....:):):)

Bob

I am going on my first Princess Cruise next September. Previously, I have sailed many times with Norwegian and had no complaints. Last year I did the cruise around Cuba on the Celestyal Crystal and it was wonderful. Yes, there were no laundry rooms or robes but it was one of the best cruises I have taken. The Crystal is a smaller, older ship with a morning and lunch buffet and one dining room. The food was very good and the attention our group received in the dining room was fantastic. There were several different ethnic foods offered on the pool deck for lunch each day and lots of activities. It has a great theatre and the shows were spectacular. After the shows the entertainers came out into the lounge and started dancing with the passengers and the party was on. Our balcony cabin was very comfortable. We boarded the ship in Havana and had a wonderful tour of the city. All the tours were included in the price as were the drinks. Next stop was Cienfuego, followed by Montego Bay, Jamaica and Santiago de Cuba, and each town offered a fantastic included tour. If you are from the US, there is a different program for you as required by US law but ours was great and you should be able to find reviews of the US trip on the net.

What works for you and what works for me are two different things. That’s what makes life so interesting. You enjoy your life and I’ll enjoy mine, but I’ll never say your preferences are silly.

 

 

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Exactly.

For some, 'Familiarity may breed content', and for others, 'Familiarity may breed contempt'.

My personal take is that: 'Variety(good and bad) is the spice of life'.

For some, in trying new things, 'The reward may be worth the risk', and for others, 'The risk may not be worth the reward'.

Some may have larger 'comfort zones' than others. To each their own. If one knows exactly what one likes, and is set on what their priorities may be.....

Personally, I would never put having to pay for coffee and the availability of robes ahead of an opportunity to visited a desired location, but that's me and where my priorities lay.

Really enjoy Princess, but will cruise other lines if the opportunity is right.

May actually have to look around. Appears that Princess has stopped offering the Vancouver to Hawaii or California cruises that we would take each year.

Was time to look at other cruise lines anyway. All of them have something to offer.

My wife and I actually have a deal - we cruise once, and then go on a more adventurous trip. She picks the cruise, and I pick where we will bicycle or hike. Princess is great, but so many things to do.

While we like Princess best, we do cruise on other lines from time to time.

On Cuba ... think we'll wait until if/when Princess goes there.

I've had 9 Princess cruises and enjoyed them all...but I also enjoyed 3 Carnival and 3 Celebrity.

Last year my friend and I wanted to go to Cuba. We chose Oceania to see how a premium line would compare to mass market lines....Cuba was fantastic and we loved Oceania! There are many things "included" in the cruisefare that are extra cost on Princess, which makes it a great value.

OP: I would suggest you try Oceania to Cuba.....it's only 7 days. And their food is known to be some of the best at sea (they have lobster tails freshly grilled in the buffet daily as well as in all restaurants daily). All specialty restaurants are no-fee.

Really enjoy Princess, but will cruise other lines if the opportunity is right.

 

May actually have to look around. Appears that Princess has stopped offering the Vancouver to Hawaii or California cruises that we would take each year.

 

Was time to look at other cruise lines anyway. All of them have something to offer.

 

My wife and I actually have a deal - we cruise once, and then go on a more adventurous trip. She picks the cruise, and I pick where we will bicycle or hike. Princess is great, but so many things to do.

My wife has us doing land trip in the summer rather than cruises. Last year we did a 7 week camping trip in our "big rig" (teardrop trailer :)). This year we will be doing maybe 3-4 weeks. She's "collecting" US National Parks. Last year on the camping trip she scored 3 new parks - Kenai, Wrangell/St. Elias, and Northern Cascades (as well as revisiting Denali). This year she got Virgin Islands National Park on a cruise and last year got Haleakala in Hawaii (we already had the other one in Hawaii) and American Samoa on a cruise. She will snag another 3 or 4 this summer on the land trip.It's a tough job but someone has to do it. We actually met a couple in American Samoa who were having their picture taken with a ranger and a sign that said "50/59". They were at the last US National Park they hadn't gotten yet. They had even taken a small plane in Alaska to get Gates of the Arctic and I forget the other one that you have to fly to in a small plane. I doubt we will ever get those but she's working on the list. :cool:

After completing 5 cruises with Princess which we enjoyed all of them we did our first cruise with NCL. This cruise came about via a comp from a local casino and led to 5 more NCL cruises all equally enjoyable as our Princess cruises. Very glad we had the opportunity to cruise multiple times on both lines, and what one line may have lacked over the other each had something special to make up for it. And additionally, had I only stuck with Princess I would have never cruised to Bermuda from NYC on the beautiful NCL Breakaway which we loved both island and ship, or did a unique NCL coastal Italy itinerary that included stops in both Sicily and Sardinia.

With us being people that cruise more for the itineraries than ship or line moving around works for us. But for someone that enjoys more of the onboard experience of cruising then maybe staying put with one line is your best bet because cruising involves time and $$$ and nobody wants to waste either.

MSC

 

 

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Except for US based ships. There it is included.

We love Princess. It is one of our favorite lines out of 8, with Carnival being the least favorite to the point that after 3 times we aren’t sailing with them anymore even though they do have robes which beat every other line robes in quality. [emoji4]

Each line has own advantages and disadvantages to sail only with this line, but unless you try you have no way of knowing this. We cannot “afford loyalty”, even though we are slow to reach membership perks because of this.

If I was to go to Cuba, I would probably do a land trip there.

 

Many of us here have tried multiple lines. No reason not to. You will either find a line you like better or it will reinforce the fact you like Princess. Or a third option, you like multiple lines.

 

One other option is to step up to one of the higher lines for this cruise such as Azamara, Oceania, etc....

+1 on that. We did a 15 day land trip in Cuba. Started in Santiago de Cuba and ended up in Havana. Spent 2 days in several of the cities we visited. On our overnights, we got to wander around the city and to see more of the "real" Cuba. Even got to stay in 1 or 2 of the smaller towns that the cruises would never stop at. I don't think that any cruise could match our experience.

DON

Thanks for the multiple tips about Oceania. I’ve asked my TA to get me quotes for a few sailings.

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I too am hoping Princess adds Cuba. I went to Cuba on a Southwest flight after a Caribbean cruise on Princess in January 2017, when it was easier to travel there. Carnival and Holland currently travel to Cuba and a Carnival spokesperson mentioned they are seeking permission for "another of their lines." My hope is that they are working to get permission for their Princess line. https://skift.com/2018/04/17/cuba-is-attracting-more-cruise-visits-as-traditional-travel-gets-complicated/

Over the past few days, I’ve tried to plan a cruise to Cuba in 2019. Princess doesn’t sail there, so we looked at other options, but once we realized that we’d have to pay for coffee and there would be no robes or no laundry rooms, we came to really appreciate what we’ve taken for granted for the past cruises. All of the little things like the captain’s reception, the platinum/elite lounge, etc....they all add up.

Cuba will have to wait, we are “Princess People”.

 

 

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Didn't read the other posts.....

But a wise person once said never be sentimental with a cruise line....;):D

If I was, I would have never discovered Princess...I cruise for itinerary.......Land trips, river cruises, small ships, large ships...what wonderful experiences ....

....BTW..I recently looked at a brochure from Oceania it offers a combo to Cuba, check into it.

the world awaits don't limit your choices

But the positives I see with Princess presently.....refundable deposits, good itineraries and flexible air...Princess works into my unpredictable lifestyle right now....and with the of ability to cancel they have hooked me for a few years.

Also the sip & sale sucked me into a 3 week Asian, majestic cruise...that I just booked because......and with the cruise price dropping and new promos my sip & sale became a bogo......that's alright though, cause even though we had visited that part of the world before by land we greatly enjoyed the cruise and I needed a get away.....

EDIT>>>>>>>But OP ...be honest...You Love VOICE OF THE SEAS......

EDIT>>>>>>>But OP ...be honest...You Love VOICE OF THE SEAS......

Yes, the Voice of the Ocean is always a fun experience...win or not. Singing with a live band made up of professionals is well worth the cost of the cruise. Sooooo much better than karaoke.

Over the past few days, I’ve tried to plan a cruise to Cuba in 2019. Princess doesn’t sail there, so we looked at other options, but once we realized that we’d have to pay for coffee and there would be no robes or no laundry rooms, we came to really appreciate what we’ve taken for granted for the past cruises. All of the little things like the captain’s reception, the platinum/elite lounge, etc....they all add up.

Cuba will have to wait, we are “Princess People”.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone while I probably should be working.

You don't know what you're missing until you try some other lines. It may well be you prefer Princess but how do you really know? I'm also looking at Cuba and think Viking will get my business . Viking includes most things you either have to earn or pay for on Princess. Wine , Beer, soda by the can, is included at meals as an example. Last trip I took a couple of extra diet coke cans back to my cabin. Also free wi fi and one shore excursion in each port. Also they have self laundromats. Take a look at several different lines before deciding.

If I was to go to Cuba, I would probably do a land trip there.

 

Many of us here have tried multiple lines. No reason not to. You will either find a line you like better or it will reinforce the fact you like Princess. Or a third option, you like multiple lines.

 

One other option is to step up to one of the higher lines for this cruise such as Azamara, Oceania, etc....

I like Princess a lot and I have also enjoyed sailing on the Celebrity S Class ships but neither line is going to Cuba in their current long-range schedules . It's a bucket list destination for me. So many cruise ships but only One Cuba to explore. The best itineraries I found on Azamara and booked a cruise on the Journey for next January. More expensive than Princess by a long shot in an aft balcony cabin but they are going to Cuba and Princess is not. I don't want to wait until Princess schedules visits there. I am ready now and Princess can't take me.

Norris

It's been close to 8 years since I travelled on Royal Caribbean; but when we decided to go to Cuba, that was our best option. I have relatives who recently returned from there on a land trip; they encouraged me to visit via ship. And in the last 8 years, I have sailed 4 times on Princess and 4 times on Celebrity so it will be interesting to see how RCCL rates.

I'm a foodie. Disney had the best food and Royal Caribbean had the worst. Princess and Carnival were real similar.

I'm a foodie. Disney had the best food and Royal Caribbean had the worst. Princess and Carnival were real similar.

Celebrity, Holland are pretty close or equal.

Royal is next

NCL,

Carnival

MSC (mostly because of meats quality and preparation)