why you chose different shp carriers

[frankb12]

I had notice some of the people use different cruise lines. Do people who sailed alot pick a ship or pricing. Now I'm on NCL and was wondering why so many people use different ship lines. On my next cruise to west/crib. do I stay with the same ship or try a different line?

[mtaylor04]

I think that is entirely up to you. We always sail princess because we have always had an excellent experience - however - if we found a great price on another line - we would probably try it.

[njhorseman]

We've cruised on 8 different lines. Although you may cruise exclusively on one line because you like it, by trying other cruise lines you may find one you like even more.

 

Also, a cruise line other than your favorite may offer a different itinerary that appeals to you.

[DonnaK]

The cruiselines often have the same menus fleetwide, the ships have a similar design and decor, the shows are often the same, the itineraries are all similar, etc. So, even though we have a preferred cruise line and book MOST of our cruises with them, it's nice from time to time to shake things up and experience something new, otherwise we'd get pretty bored even with what we prefer

[okbowler]

I think that like many others who have made several cruises, we have our favorite carriers and ships. We are very price driven, so we have taken several cruises based on price only. Most all of our cruises are to the Carib. in Jan. or Feb. to get some sunshine. If we find severeral cruises close in price, we will choose one of our favorites, other wise we go by price. We have taken a couple of cruises that we felt were not as good as they could have been but for the price we would go again. If you never try another line you have no basis for comparison. No one but you knows what you like, all others can do is tell you what they like. This being said, lots of reviews that are primairly good or bad should be taken into consideration.imho. Bill

[paul929207]

Each person makes their own choice based on what is important to them. For instance some lines have better children's programs. Someone taking children would probably book one of the lines with better children's programs. Our children are grown and gone, so we don;t care.

[uppitycats]

I had notice some of the people use different cruise lines. Do people who sailed alot pick a ship or pricing. Now I'm on NCL and was wondering why so many people use different ship lines. On my next cruise to west/crib. do I stay with the same ship or try a different line?

 

We choose itinerary, then price, and which cruise line the cruise is on is a lesser consideration. When we booked our first cruise, we had no idea about the cruise line (and didn't know about cruise critic!) so it was a "blind choice". Now we know what we like and dislike, and that will factor in to our choices too.

 

Unlike some of the others here, we find the different cruise lines that we've been on to be quite different experiences, and that will factor in to our decision, too.

[Carolin]

I read something one time that I think really nailed this.

 

There are cruise lines for every stage of your life. A line that you might love in your 20's may not be what your looking for in your 30s and 40s.. and so it progresses.

 

What you may take to entertain your kids may not be what you prefer so the cruise where the kids are not coming, you pick the type of cruise you want to take.

 

:D

[goatgoat]

We have sailed NCL, RCL, Princess & Carnival and will be trying Holland America in November. We have sailed NCL the most but it is probably our least favorite. They do often have a great price on an itinerary that is appealing (and no cruise is a bad cruise--some just better than others). RCL was long our favorite but it seemed the departure port, itinerary or price, etc. seemed to often cause us to go with another line. Sailed Princess for the first time in May and liked it just as much as RCL. Carnival was fun and at a great price but service and food seemed a little lesser than RCL. (But my sister absolutely loves Carnival.)

 

They are all a little different, but if you love cruising, I think you will enjoy most any line. After you have sailed several lines, you do start to develop favorites for reasons that are very personal preferences--there is no one line that is best for everyone. We find we look for a cruise 1) in the time frame we are targeting, 2) an itinerary that is appealing to us, 3) a departure port that makes sense considering time, air costs, etc. and 4) the price compared to others similar on the first 3 criteria.

[MadameButterfly]

I'm a bargain hunter with limitations. I've cruised a good bit, so I know what I like in terms of accomodations, ports of call, available services, food, etc. I do however highly recommend experimenting with different cruise lines and ships because each one - right down to each voyage with the different pax will be unique. There are some really great reads out there from big travel publishers that can help you compare lines and ships.

 

When I'm planning a cruise, there's a few things I consider:

- my budget - how much am I willing to spend and how much time off can I swing? I work in sales with regular budgets and deadlines, I can't just GO whenever I want. I'm also not a millionaire or anywhere close, so I work the sales and loyalty programs when I can - we're preparing for another Princess cruise, found a great deal through the Captain's Circle offers!

- where are we going to be sailing from? I'm in Rochester, NY, so it's quite a haul to get to some ports - but often convenience ports like NYC (a six hour drive or train ride, or an hour flight) come with big expensive cities for staying over pre-cruise.

- where do I want to go? New places I haven't been to have an active vacation exploring OR old favorites like the Western Caribbean for a relaxing time with little demand to see and do since I've saw and done

- what do I want to do/have available onboard? Just hubby and I - so I don't have to consider the quality of children's programs. I do love the upscale and gourmet food options available, so I like to try those out. I also like to just read and chill by the pool - I don't care about max square footage dedicated to dance clubs or casinos, but I do enjoy shows, demonstrations, fitness classes and programs, and maybe an excursion or two, so I choose lines/ships that offer what I want.

 

It really comes down to what kind of person YOU are, what do you want? What style of vacation is your favorite? Perhaps one of the most valuable resources you could develop is a relationship with a seasoned travel agent and a thirst for knowledge, google it, read all the reviews and keep your ear to the ground. This website is also phenomenal to that end... pick our brains, that's why we're here!

 

Happy Cruising, where ever you go!

S

[chipmaster]

Price is one factor, schedule is another, then there is the style of the cruise as well.

 

Funny as I got a advertisement in the e-mail for Princess recently. I think there theme is "escape completely" or something like that. The top of the mail was "strenuous or sooothing" and showed a picture of some guy straining to climb a wall side by side with a couple lounging in recliners reading a book and getting served a drink. Then talked about how other lines have rock climbing walls, waterslides or merry go rounds.

 

Everyone is looking for something different even in same/similar pricing. There is no wrong or right, just each person with strong opiniion of what is our favorite depending on why we choose our vacations and when we choose to cruise what we are looking for. I'm no different and have my strong preferences depending on when and where and why I'm picking a specific cruise. I have no favorite but when I do have a choice in regard to lines depending on why I've decided on a cruise I have a strong idea and opinion of what is best for me. Believe it or not the activity stuff like rock climbing, water slides, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks or other speed adventures my family gets enough of on many other vactions so when picking a ship/line or cruise vacation overall that is the bottom of our swing factors.

 

If you love NCL and it has what you want then might be worth sticking with it. Or if you things like excape completely, fun ships or the RCCL focus on activity pique your interest give them a go too.

 

I had notice some of the people use different cruise lines. Do people who sailed alot pick a ship or pricing. Now I'm on NCL and was wondering why so many people use different ship lines. On my next cruise to west/crib. do I stay with the same ship or try a different line?

[frankb12]

Thank you to all! I really did get the info from you all that I was thinking about. Does anyone know where you can find "what type of cruise are you looking for?" Again thank you all for your help.:)

[mikewrit]

Frankb12, the Cruise Critic main page has more articles and suggestions about types of cruises than I can readily digest. We wanted to sail the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay. NCL had the best deal at the time, itinerary and price, so we started there and have not seen sufficient reason to try another line. We just got promoted to Latitudes Platinum and are regularly offered seductive deals. Other lines do not know we exist.

[Pennypocket]

I chose by the level of formality the higher the better which leaves me with basically only Cunard left for what I am seeking. I also find that those who tend to be more formal in their attire and their interests in ship board entertainment, also seem to have more to offer in the way of conversation, life style experiences to share and travel depth. I am certain that the majority will find this approach to be stuffy and that is why Cunard is the last hold out for real formal style cruising even HAL has gone down market in this respect.

[LindaKE]

Each cruise line has it's own character, so read posts on these boards. You will get an idea of what each line is like. Are you young and the life of the party? Are you older and prefer a quieter environment? Do you prefer casual dress or do you like to dress up? Once you have an idea about what each line is like, you'll have an idea of what line you prefer. It's often said that all the major cruise lines offer pretty much the same product. We have been choosing based on itinerary and price, but we don't always choose the cheapest. We know what we like and what we don't, so we prefer to not cruise on some lines, but will look at all itineraries once we decide where we want to go. Then we choose the one that we think will give us the best cruise for the best price.

[Donray]

I look at the ports and then price to determine what cruise line gets my business. In the Caribbean not much difference in ports so I select these on time of year, amount of sea days (I want less), price, then ports.

In the Med it is ports first then the ports then the departure port, then price. Ports is the important thing.

I have no favorite cruise line, but have been on Princess the most. Used carnival for the Med cruises and Azamara for a Barcelona to Copenhagen cruise.

So, bottom line is the cruise line is not important in a cruse selection.

I think they all have about the same quality of food, but the smaller the ship it seems the better the food.

All the cabins are about equal.

[Taxguy77]

Ports and ships. We will not sail on the big cruise ships. Interested in seeing new ports, not the same.

[PROCRUISE]

I had notice some of the people use different cruise lines. Do people who sailed alot pick a ship or pricing. Now I'm on NCL and was wondering why so many people use different ship lines. On my next cruise to west/crib. do I stay with the same ship or try a different line?

 

As you can see, we like CCL and HAL. However, in March we're going with Celebrity for the first time. Have cruised with NCL and just didn't care for it but would never bad mouth them because they have many loyal passengers just like all the other lines. I personally think one tends to stay with the cruise line that they cruise with first, and then after awhile they want to branch out and try other cruise lines. Enjoy your next cruise!

[Deckhandoug]

We have tried a lot of different lines because we wanted to try a lot of different lines and see what they are all about!:)

 

As with others, first comes itinerary, then price, then among all other things being equal we decide which line and ship is the better value and interests us the most.

 

What we have learned is price isn't everything, time in port and even which weekday in port can make an immense difference in cruise satisfaction, so examine the offerings closely, what looks like a great price may not be what it seems at first.

 

There is a reason the bigger lines are, well, the bigger lines...we probably won't sail MSC or NCL again, just not our cup of tea. and i say probably because I never say never when it's a cruise.

 

As of now, our favorites are HAL & CCL...but I think what really makes us happy is cruising the months May & September...Not too many kids or spring breakers onboard for us and the weathers perfect!

[maryann ns]

For my first cruise I started by looking at itineraries and then spent time here reading reviews. It also helps to know yourself and what you know you want or don't want.

 

Look at itineraries very carefully. Also look at how much time you are in ports. Some 'bargain' lines skimp on port time.

[LindaKE]

As you can see, we like CCL and HAL. However, in March we're going with Celebrity for the first time. Have cruised with NCL and just didn't care for it but would never bad mouth them because they have many loyal passengers just like all the other lines. I personally think one tends to stay with the cruise line that they cruise with first, and then after awhile they want to branch out and try other cruise lines. Enjoy your next cruise!

 

How odd. Our first cruise was on CCL because we lived within driving distance of New Orleans. We came back saying we'd probably cruise again but probably not on CCL. (I'm not saying "never," especially since our town is now a CCL homeport.) We're about to try HAL, so your comment about liking CCL and HAL concerns me because I thought they would be very different. While that first cruise was during the summer, now we, too, tend to cruise during the school year. So maybe that would account for our not really liking CCL on our first cruise.

 

On the other hand, while we would give Princess slightly higher marks, we didn't find NCL very different from Princess. And, so far, Princess is our favorite.

[madelinerose]

Does anyone know where you can find "what type of cruise are you looking for?" :)

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ftc/

[Deckhandoug]

How odd. Our first cruise was on CCL because we lived within driving distance of New Orleans. We came back saying we'd probably cruise again but probably not on CCL. (I'm not saying "never," especially since our town is now a CCL homeport.) We're about to try HAL, so your comment about liking CCL and HAL concerns me because I thought they would be very different. While that first cruise was during the summer, now we, too, tend to cruise during the school year. So maybe that would account for our not really liking CCL on our first cruise.

 

On the other hand, while we would give Princess slightly higher marks, we didn't find NCL very different from Princess. And, so far, Princess is our favorite.

 

If I may offer an opinion, both CCL & HAL are favorite but totally different lines of ours too. Both lines are at the different ends of the spectrum all right, and both lines offer a high value product, just different and we know the differences and what to expect. Both meet their targeted market & business plan extremely well and is reflected in their success.

 

Both lines offer quality food and service, Carnival is much more informal and Children friendly and is a better choice for the Caribbean and people that like to have a good time and a few drinks while keeping it in the budget. It does it very well.

 

HAL is more formal and it's service is oriented in spending a little more time with it's older guests, it's library and speakers more geared for the true traveler rather than vacationer and it's Alaska, Europe & world voyages are some of the best out there.

 

Of, course this is just my opinion and these are generalizations but we have never been disappointed on either one, but we know what we are buying so there are no surprises.

 

I'm sure others wouldn't like one style or the other but all cruises and regions aren't to be treat the same IMHO.:)

[beachchick]

I had notice some of the people use different cruise lines. Do people who sailed alot pick a ship or pricing. Now I'm on NCL and was wondering why so many people use different ship lines. On my next cruise to west/crib. do I stay with the same ship or try a different line?

 

Do you want to stay with the same ship and cruise line or do you want to try a different line? There are no "rules" about it. As with all travel, what you decide to do is based entirely on what you prefer.

 

Some people prefer to cruise with the same cruise line and often have a favorite ship. They like the consistency, the comfort and familiarity, and they know what they like. Some people have favored cruise lines, but will cruise on nearly any ship in the line. They often like the style of the cruise line and enjoy the variety of ships and itineraries within that line. Some people, including my family and me, are not loyal to any one cruise line. We prefer variety and base our cruise choices on dates, itinerary, fare, and then cruise line as a lower priority. Certainly we have preferred lines and would choose them over others if all else was equal.

 

In any case, you are the only one who can decide whether to stick with the cruise line or ship you've done or try something new.

 

beachchick

[grandmato4]

We have different criteria for different cruises. Sometimes its more about the itinerary, or amount of days we can to be away, or other times cost may be more of a factor and different cruiselines may better fit what our criteria is for different cruises.

 

Some people prefer to stay with the same cruiseline to increase their status in a cruiselines loyalty program which will gain them some perks along the way.

 

Others just want to cruise and look for the best deals and sail on whichever cruiseline will give them that best deal.

 

There is no right or wrong for everyone about staying with the same cruiseline or switching to different ones for different cruises. It's all about what you want to do. :)