which cruise line should I choose

[tobecool]

Hi, everyone,

 

which cruise line is running better or best business in Europe? Not North Europe. Thanks for any reply.

[moyaroo]

Thre are a lot of factors and personal choice matters in any question involving best. Most upscale Regent/SilverSea/Seabourn. Best food most would say Oceania but Crystal is excellent. Best Value I would say Azamara Club Cruises. Best Mass Market, my fave is Princess but others . . .

Ones I would avoid for first timers and in general MSC and NCL but those are my prejudices yours may vary.

[tobecool]

Thre are a lot of factors and personal choice matters in any question involving best. Most upscale Regent/SilverSea/Seabourn. Best food most would say Oceania but Crystal is excellent. Best Value I would say Azamara Club Cruises. Best Mass Market, my fave is Princess but others . . .

Ones I would avoid for first timers and in general MSC and NCL but those are my prejudices yours may vary.

 

 

Thank you so much for your reply. You tell us a lot. Yes, we are the first time cruiser to Europe. We had only experience with RCCL in caribbean area. and one of my friends had experience with Queen Mary(?) in west Europe, and she said it's not bad. But she can not compare it with others, no experience. If we go, we'd love to eastern Europ, we really care about the ship itself, we don't like very old ship, that being said the ship with poor condition. And of course, reasonable rate is important.

 

Any recommendation? Thanks again.

[moyaroo]

for mid range I like Princess, because I am not a fan of the rock climbing, surfing and other damn the port we are cruising in our own world activities on Royal Carib. Celebrity is also good in the price range and both have many balconies nice even in the Baltic for breakfast and evening sail aways.

[tobecool]

for mid range I like Princess, because I am not a fan of the rock climbing, surfing and other damn the port we are cruising in our own world activities on Royal Carib. Celebrity is also good in the price range and both have many balconies nice even in the Baltic for breakfast and evening sail aways.

 

OK, got you and we'll do some research and come back with more questions later.

Cheers!

[Susan-M]

Joanna,

 

You might find this Cruise Critic article helpful: How to Pick a Cruise Ship

[tobecool]

Joanna,

 

You might find this Cruise Critic article helpful: How to Pick a Cruise Ship

 

 

Thanks, Susan.

 

It really helps. I should say that in our age now, we prefer to sail with RCCL with family and friends, we love the activities on their ships, especially freedom and oasis. Meanwhile, we're pretty sure that we love Princess as we heard a lot of her romance. we'll definitely try with Princess at Alaska, probably in Europe as well.

 

By the way, I didn't find anything about Cunard in that article. I also heard it's kinda special from other lines. Will find some ideas on forum later.

 

Thanks and have a good day!

[Susan-M]

 

By the way, I didn't find anything about Cunard in that article. I also heard it's kinda special from other lines. Will find some ideas on forum later.

 

 

You're welcome.:) There's some info on QM2 (re Grill Class) in this article: Finding a Luxury Cruise that Fits

 

Also, the member review section is very good for getting feedback from others on particular ships. Here's a link to Member Reviews/Cunard:

QM2

QV

[tobecool]

You're welcome.:) There's some info on QM2 (re Grill Class) in this article: Finding a Luxury Cruise that Fits

 

Also, the member review section is very good for getting feedback from others on particular ships. Here's a link to Member Reviews/Cunard:

QM2

QV

 

 

Thanks:o a lot.

 

Another question is we are thinking to cruise in eastern mediterean area. Do you have any recommendation on any particular ship you enjoyed in with that itinerary? :rolleyes:

[TLCOhio]

Thanks:o a lot. Another question is we are thinking to cruise in eastern mediterean area. Do you have any recommendation on any particular ship you enjoyed in with that itinerary? :rolleyes:

 

There are lots of great options in the eastern Med. We did Athens to Istanbul in 2006, our first cruise. We saw the Greek Islands, Turkish Coast, plus added time before and after in these two great and super historic cities. Much on your choices depends on that "magic" trade-off of size/style of ship . . . versus . . . your budget. The smaller ships are nicer, more personal and can be less rushed and crowded. BUT, maybe you like lots of people and activities? Where do you fit on that spectrum of size/style versus budget?

 

There are also many options on sailings from charming Venice to Istanbul that allows a nice sampling in these areas. Many cruise lines offer those options.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Susan-M]

Thanks:o a lot.

 

Another question is we are thinking to cruise in eastern mediterean area. Do you have any recommendation on any particular ship you enjoyed in with that itinerary? :rolleyes:

 

We really liked Azamara ... small ship (700 passengers), great food, open dining with various dining choices, nice decor & cabins, smoking is very limited (no cabin/balcony smoking...just 2 small designated smoking areas), and port-intensive cruises. They continuously get rave reviews for excellent on board service.

 

Since we cruised with them in '08, they now include gratuities, shuttles in some ports, a selected wine (red and white) at lunch and dinner. Celebrity was also nice, but Azamara would be my first choice.

 

Also recommend looking at Oceania because they have the same ships as Azamara (other than their new one, Marina, which is larger), as well as a very good reputation. Azamara now has a lot of 7 day cruises, so you have to do back to back ones if you want a 2 week cruise ... Oceania has a good selection of 10-14 day cruises in the Med.

[TLCOhio]

We really liked Azamara ... small ship (700 passengers), great food, open dining with various dining choices, nice decor & cabins, smoking is very limited (no cabin/balcony smoking...just 2 small designated smoking areas), and port-intensive cruises. They continuously get rave reviews for excellent on board service. Since we cruised with them in '08, they now include gratuities, shuttles in some ports, a selected wine (red and white) at lunch and dinner. Celebrity was also nice, but Azamara would be my first choice. Also recommend looking at Oceania because they have the same ships as Azamara (other than their new one, Marina, which is larger), as well as a very good reputation. Azamara now has a lot of 7 day cruises, so you have to do back to back ones if you want a 2 week cruise ... Oceania has a good selection of 10-14 day cruises in the Med.

 

Good suggestions by Susan on Azamara and Oceania. We considered strongly both of them for our upcoming Norway Coast cruise. Both looked like they are focusing on giving a good value and travel experience. We didn't use them as the itinerary worked better for us on Silversea, plus the room size with both of them can be a little cramped on some cruises. Their standard oceanview rooms are at 170 sq. ft.

 

As we have compared options during the past couple of years, the Holland America offerings might be worth looking at. They have a number of good options in the Med. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Susan-M]

As we have compared options during the past couple of years, the Holland America offerings might be worth looking at. They have a number of good options in the Med. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Hi Terry,

I read recently that now that some lines have implemented much more restrictive smoking policies, the smokers are gravitating to HAL (from Celebrity in particular). I like HAL itineraries, but the one thing that keeps me away from them (and a few other lines) is the liberal smoking policy.

[tobecool]

Thanks for Terry and Susan. You gave us a lot of opinions. We are newbie in cruising, we have a lot of plans to see the world, but we have to make every trip valued and affordable. Let's learn it by care and make our decision. we'll come back with questions.

 

Enjoy!

[TLCOhio]

Thanks for Terry and Susan. You gave us a lot of opinions. We are newbie in cruising, we have a lot of plans to see the world, but we have to make every trip valued and affordable. Let's learn it by care and make our decision. we'll come back with questions. Enjoy!

 

Great approach. We've all been "newbies". Don't forget to FIRST, scroll back through all of the earlier postings. You will see items on the appropriate board for your upcoming cruise. SECOND, do a search on this board by each city and you will see lots of postings on various subjects connected with each port stop. Many of the best stuff might be a little farther back in the files.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[UKBayern]

A European cruise is all about the ports of call, and much less about the ship. You are not going to spend that much time on the ship as you will do in the Caribbean for example. First find your dream itinerary for the right price and then decide on the ship. It also depends on your budget. All nice and good that some people are recommending really top-notch lines...

Also consider the time of travel. The months November to March are colder in the Med and thus cheaper. July and August are extremely hot in Southern Europe and there will be a lot of tourists around.

Once you know what you would like to see, what month you would like to travel and what your budget is, browse through an internet cruise site and see what is on offer that fits these requirements. THEN chose the ship.

 

You are going to have a problem getting to Eastern Europe by ocean liner, as it is mainly landlocked. You either have to do a Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg, Tallinn, etc (what you absolutely don't want, you stated first of all) or a river cruise.

[TLCOhio]

A European cruise is all about the ports of call, and much less about the ship. You are not going to spend that much time on the ship as you will do in the Caribbean for example. First find your dream itinerary for the right price and then decide on the ship. It also depends on your budget. All nice and good that some people are recommending really top-notch lines...

Also consider the time of travel. The months November to March are colder in the Med and thus cheaper. July and August are extremely hot in Southern Europe and there will be a lot of tourists around.

Once you know what you would like to see, what month you would like to travel and what your budget is, browse through an internet cruise site and see what is on offer that fits these requirements. THEN chose the ship.

You are going to have a problem getting to Eastern Europe by ocean liner, as it is mainly landlocked. You either have to do a Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg, Tallinn, etc (what you absolutely don't want, you stated first of all) or a river cruise.

 

Excellent summary and points. We have done twenty different countries in Europe, many of them by land. The cruises work great for some areas such as the Greek Isles, Baltics, etc., as this approach saved lots of the ground transportation hassles, plus no time losses with packing/unpacking, etc. If you have not been to Italy, a cruise is a very good way to get a "QUICK SAMPLER" to decide what you want to do more of later by land.

 

For many of the great parts of France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Prague, etc., a cruise is just not going to reach many of the key inland highlights. Lots of good points to consider.

 

Then what and how do you want to “ENJOY" and "EXPERIENCE" things in France, Italy, etc? Rush-rush and gulp it down like soda pop or beer . . . OR . . . sip and savor the moment like fine wine, doing people watching, sensing an enjoyment of life and the humanity, the architecture, history and charm? It's all your choice.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[bardstowntraveller]

We like Celebrity.Their Solstice class ships are new and they offer a refined experience. They are sister ships to RCCL and Azumara so if you have status on RCCL you will enjoy the same benefits. We have found their itineraries and prices to be competitive. If you need a lot of one ship activity -- climbing walls, skating rinks etc, Celebrity is probably not for you but they do offer things to do for all ages

[CruisingGoddess]

I can't really answer which cruise line is best in Europe since I've only sailed one but you might be interested in reading my review of our Royal Caribbean cruise in November:

 

http://moonprincess.com/travel/royal-caribbean-mediterranean-cruise-2009/

 

Hope it helps!