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Cruise Line or Itinerary? Which is more important?


Aquadesiac
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We're hoping to take a WC in 2021, but I'm starting early trying to figure out how to pick the right WC for my DH and me. Some of the lines offer intineraries that hit our bucket list destinations. Others offer the ambience--the style of entertainment and enrichment activities we're looking for on the ship.

 

Which do you consider more important in deciding which world cruise to book?

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I think I do some of each. Since there are relatively few lines that do world cruises that definitely narrows down the choices. I know I cannot afford Crystal, Regent, etc. with a single supplement, so that narrows it down more. When I chose my first world cruise I only had about three contenders after eliminating others for a variety of reasons.

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If you have bucket list destinations and don't do them on a WC, will you do them later ? If so, pick the ambience cruises.

If not, pick the cruise that goes to the bucket list destinations

 

For me, I'd pick the cruise that does the bucket list destinations. A WC is a lot of $$ (for me anyway) so I consider the cruise that does the bucket list ports to be the best value for my money. You'll still get some ambience on that type of cruise, maybe just not as much as another cruise.

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Thanks for your input, Scrapnana & Tom.

 

Money is a consideration, of course. That's why the Princess WC is a top contender. Plus it hits Rome & New Zealand, 2 of our top bucket list destinations. And on Princess, we could afford a nice balcony on a high deck. We've cruised on Princess before--enough to be Ruby level, whatever that is. But, sometimes, we find string quartets on board and sometimes the entertainment is just head-banging noise. I wonder what the atmosphere is like on the Pacific Princess. Plus, it's a very small ship and the Pacific is a very big ocean. I'm a little concerned about the ride. We did the HAL South Pacific cruise last spring & even on the Westerdam (which is 3 times bigger) there were some rocking and rolling days.

 

We like HAL, and the Amsterdam is larger than the Pacific Princess, but their itinerary skips the Med completely.

 

We're trying out Cunard with a 21 day Norwegian Grand Explorer next year, and think the QM2 sounds like a magical destination in itself. But it appears they plan to drop NZ off their WC itinerary for 2019.

 

Decisions, decisions....Oh! I should also mention that we need the cruise to begin & end somewhere in the US. Because I have a lung condition that requires supplemental O2, we'd like to avoid a transcontinental flight.

 

So, with that, I toss my conundrum back to the CC universe. Which comes first--the itinerary or the ship?

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So I'm hearing that line matters. And we haven't completely knocked HAL out of the running, depending on where they're sailing in 2021. After all, there are only a few WC itineraries that start and end in the continental US--Princess, HAL, Cunard & Oceania. Does anyone else know of others?

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For more info on the Pacific Princess, check out the Aussie boards. From what I've read, it's an older ship and small. Maybe you could post a specific question about it on those boards (there are two of them). If it gets bad reviews, I wouldn't take it on a WC even though the ports may be attractive. Otherwise, I would pick the itinerary I wanted.As others have have said, itineraries change from year to year so I wouldn't write any line off just yet. Also, note that the HAL WC for 2018 is already SOLD OUT !! So when you decide what you want, book early !

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For me the itinerary was more important. The one I choose stopped at ports that I always wanted to see and did not stop at places I have no desire to see.

 

I had spent time during my working career in the Middle East and had no desire to go back.

 

 

Don

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Agree with Tom. When Aussies say its bad, believe them. (I briefly explored Pacific cause I like small, ended up on Oceania Insignia which I had previously cruised.) Also, lack of dining facilities. Would you be happy dining in one MDR, every night? Plus, a darth of ports, done to keep costs down. To attract new cruisers, all lines change WC itins every year... I am not a HAL fan but they seem to offer the best value/ product for a WC. Also consider doing Europe separately. I usually do a Transatlantic with a Med. I once did Ruby Princess Transatlantic when Celebrity was sold out.I found they did not have many, or enough for me, activities on sea days.Another consideration.

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Sea day activities are important to consider since on a WC you have more of them than days in port. We love classical music, learning about the cultural and historical background of the places we're about to visit, and I wouldn't object to an art class or two. I've also heard that some WC lines organize passenger choirs for each segment of the journey. Since the DH and I are both singers, this has real appeal if it's true.

 

What I don't want are port talks that focus on where to shop or never ending bingo games.

 

I'm afraid the Regent cruise is out of our budget, but thanks for suggesting it.

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Thanks for the input, Scrapnana & Ekka. We have been thinking about Cunard, though I've heard they are ditching their Aussie & NZ stops from QM2's 2019 itinerary. And to give them a test run, we're booked on the 2018 Grand Norwegian--21 days round trip from NYC.

 

We're going to be in a forward sheltered balcony on deck 6. The spa is above us so it should be quiet by night. We're early risers so morning noise won't be a problem.

 

We shall see how it goes...

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For the number of years that I have been monitoring Cunard World Voyages, they have always had at least one ship visit Australia usually two. Very often QM2 will do an Eastern Hemisphere "World Voyage" and QE or QV will do a complete circumnavigation.

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I wouldn't be opposed to either of the other Queens, but QM2 starts and ends in NYC--important for me since I need to avoid an international flight. I use supplemental O2 because when you fly, it's like being at 8000 ft. I'd be ok with my portable O2 concentrator for a shorter domestic hop, but my days of 14 hour flights are over.

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  • 1 month later...

I will be retiring in 34 weeks (but who's counting?;))....I have been promising myself as a retirement gift, a full world cruise. I would love to take one ship from New York to New York, my home port. I wish the QM2 would do a full circumnavigation as it did a few years ago. I was looking at doing the 2018 Queen Elizabeth New York to Southampton, then transfer to the QM2 for the TA home. The only thing that I didn't like was it missing the Suez and the Med, instead rounding Africa. Since I will probably only do one WC, I am going to hold out and see if they will do that route in subsequent year(s).

I am also considering HAL, Princess, and maybe even Oceania. Oceania has a pricey, but fantastic itinerary....

 

I've sailed on the QM2 and the Amsterdam, and love them both...

 

I will be cruising solo, but if I find someone to share a cabin with me, it would greatly reduce the cost. So the longer I wait, the better that chance will be, too.

 

Reading the various threads on CC has given me some great tips and ideas for planning...:)

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Congratulations on your upcoming retirement. I counted the days for the last year before I retired.:D

 

Finding a cabin mate can cut down on the cost but spending 100+ days with someone you may only know casually - not for me! Sailing solo is really nice (you have twice the space and you do not have to alter your preferred schedule for some one else). On my first WC about 17% were doing it solo. We have quite a few solos on our upcoming WC roll call.

 

If you are not set on a certain year, bide your time. The itineraries change each year and you may find just what you want.

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Once deciding to take a world cruise.. It's so hard to make decisions.. It is so much time and money! We booked Crystal initially based on itinerary, and number of port stops vs. sea days on the other cruise lines. Then Oceania opened up their first world cruise, and it was so many more days and a true around the world, we ended up taking that cruise. I would say, we didn't have so many sea days that we ended up looking forward to them when they did come up! The one thing I would never do again is taking a world cruise cruise that travels to the east, rather than west. The loss of time so often was not good. Making up a day was not worth it.

Also check on inclusions each cruise line offers. Oceania includes visa service, laundry, medical, all non alcoholic drinks, luggage delivery, unlimited internet and free transfers in most ports to the city centers. Also when you board the ship you are given your loyalty status.. Not when you finish your cruise. The ship is small, and is able to dock closer to city centers in many ports.

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