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Choosing a cruise line


sjde
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it is so hard to compare apples to apples when looking at cruise lines. For one thing , when lines like HAL don't include as much as some of these others like Oceania. It's fairly easy to figure the cost or value of added gratuities, internet , even knowing how much alcohol you might drink ( though maybe drink prices are hard to find). But 2 years out , it's difficult to figure which excursions you might do and the cost.

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Sue, I have never tried to make them all apples and apples.

 

It is so difficult and for a world cruise there are so many other factors and that includes amenities offered and all of the special programs.

 

I would start with what lines might you want to sail thinking that through carefully.

 

Also think through what ships would interest you.

 

For example in 2005 we did a back to back cruise on Crystal Serenity and one of the things we loved was the wrap around promenade deck. Shortly after those cruises we booked our first World Cruise on board the ship for 2007.

 

One recommendation I have is to sail the ship you choose many months before the World Cruise. In the case of Crystal you would get benefits if this is your first time on Crystal that could be applied to the world cruise in the way of discounts but also if you are going to spend 100 or so days on a ship you want to make sure you will be happy.

 

Keith

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I am following the Viking Sun which is on its first WC for Viking. It was sold out and no segments were offered. Some of the passemgers have never done a cruise before , but very well traveled. They are currently in NZ.

The next WC on the Viking Sun for 2019 is already 1/3 booked, with a couple of catergories already sold out.

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One recommendation I have is to sail the ship you choose many months before the World Cruise.

I agree with Keith.

 

We did this on Oceania - we booked their world cruise on the Insignia so decided to take a cruise to Cuba on the same ship (our first Oceania cruise). We booked the same cabin category to see if we thought we liked it well enough to spend 6 months in. Well....I'm so glad we did that! The cabin and bathroom turned out to be a much smaller than we had imagined so we decided to get a larger cabin. We got the larger one and are very happy now.

 

I did do a comparison of cruiselines (apples-to-apples as much as possible) before deciding on Oceania. I first took the base cabin price for all the cruiselines that offer world cruises. Then I tried to estimate the costs for things that we want and need (laundry, internet, airfare, etc.) and added those to the base prices if we would have to purchase those amenities separately. Obviously this was not an exact science, but it helped us make our decision. We really didn't care how large or small the ship was but did want the route to be east-to-west and wanted more port days than sea days. Hope that helps.

Edited by Go-Bucks!
d
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That's what I am trying to do Keith but the shore excursions sort of tripped me up.

 

Sue, yes It's not always easy if there are a lot of new ports involved.

 

For those we have been to before we have in our mind what we would like to do.

 

For others we try to see does the cruise line offer them on other voyages and what are they and the cost. We also look at doing them independently and have found that Trip Advisor is a big help on this.

 

One recommendation is to pace yourself.

 

Don't try to do formal excursions at each port stop. Not only can that be costly but after awhile you might find them to be very tiresome.

 

Keith

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That's what I am trying to do Keith but the shore excursions sort of tripped me up.

 

 

What is suggested above is called the "net daily rate" and using that calculation method (all anticipated expenses), you'll find that Oceania has tremendous value in addition to excellent food and service.

As for excursions:

You could make your Oceania "O Life" perk choice the excursions, which would translate to X number of tours (based on cruise length) OR -

You could look at roll calls on. CC that include your ports and research what folks are recommending/paying for private tours.

You can also have your TA get a PDF of the excursions on the cruise your considering (along with pricing (ala carte) or in one of two discount package deals. You could call O and ask for this as well though they may refuse if you have no booking already done.

IMO, use the net daily rate w/o the excursions and then do the research on best bang for your buck with private and/or ship tours.

Also, do not forget the quality considerations which weigh heavily as well.

 

 

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What about internet?

 

 

 

Are you saying gratuities are included or only if you're in a suite?

 

 

 

On oceania, one unlimited internet account is included in the regular cabin price.

We cruise in balconies (not suites). So, uncertain about cabin differences regarding gratuities. However, once you hit "silver" O Club loyalty, gratuities are included. Before that, some itineraries add free gratuities or TA (or their consortium) may add gratuities. In those situations where you're getting gratuities covered by someone other than O but O is offering them, O will give you $250 in OBC (per cabin). IMO then, it's better to get the gratuities from O and convince your TA to provide the value of the gratuities s/he was going to cover as OBC (beyond whatever other OBC s/he may have been providing in addition to gratuities. (E.g., $32/day for 10 days is $320 from TA vs $250 from O)

 

One caveat: Because of O Life, some TAs may say "I'll" give you internet plus choice of excursions or OBC etc, when in fact, that's already in the O Life deal from Oceania. So, when negotiating for TA perks, always specify "what can YOU (TA) ADD to the O Life deal.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

We're on HAL WC now and chose it for the itinerary...none of the other ships had one that included as many ports that we wanted. Yes, we used a TA that included tips, etc. in their price. We don't drink much so all-inclusive ships are not less expensive for us in that way. We prefer to organize our own private excursions that are often less than ship tours...or certainly smaller groups. Lots of comparisons of apples, oranges, and bananas! I totally agree on a mini cruise on your chosen ship...we fell in love with the Amsterdam and still love it!

 

 

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And on Crystal?

 

If you're referring to internet, you get one hour a day included if you have sailed with them before at all. I believe on a world cruise, you are considered to have that status from the outset. Unused time spills over to following days for the duration of the world cruise.

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