Cruiseline Association

[Mr. Luckytoo]

I was wondering about this and wanted to see what others were thinking. When I think about a specific cruise line a specific word-phrase comes to mind - what about you?

 

Example:

 

Carnival - fun ship/party boad

 

Celebrity - Service/better food

 

Princess -

 

Royal Carribean - family ship/rock wall/flowrider

 

Holland America - old people/walkers

 

NCL - Freestyle

 

Before I get slammed for my HAL comment - NO I haven't been on Holland America but I have heard great and wonderful things. However I just became a Diamond on RCI, Elite on =X=, Silver on NCL, Platinum on Princess and I don't want to experience HAL.

 

Remember it's word association......

[lady_cruiser]

Here's mine with the first thoughts the come to "my" mind:

 

Carnival - ship for the young - party crowd

 

Royal Caribbean - My kind of ship

 

Holland America - a little more upscaled than Royal Caribbean

 

Princess - don't even want to try them

 

Celebrity - can't wait to sail on them

 

Costa - out of my price range

 

NCL - first to coin the phrase "free style"

[marco]

I'm wondering if "lady cruiser" was not thinking "Crystal" rather than "Costa" when she said "out of my price range". I've seen some Costa "bargains" that are comparable or better then many other lines.

[cb at sea]

Short cruise=party cruise...on most lines!

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Short cruise=party cruise...on most lines!

 

Note to self: Don't forget the above when thinking about those weekend getaway trips! :cool:

[Cruzaholic41]

It's tough to associate words with cruise lines, but my opinion would be:

 

Carnival - Bargain

 

Celebrity - Enrichment

 

Princess - Escape

 

Royal Caribbean - Innovation

 

Holland America - Retired

 

NCL - Freestyle

[Cruzaholic41]

Short cruise=party cruise...on most lines!

 

I cruise frequently on the Majesty and rarely do I find it to be a party cruise.

[Hlitner]

We have cruised on all those times (many times on most of em) and do not ascribe to the generalizations by the OP. For example, we have been on some Carnival cruises that had a somewhat older crowd then one would expect and the ship was pretty dead most nights by midnight (typical of many cruises). Much depends on what time of the year, the area being cruised, and the length of the cruise. A 10 day Carnival cruise in the Med is totally different then a 4 night in the Caribbean. As to Celebrity, we think their food is marginally better then some other lines such as RCI, but not nearly as good as what we experience on HA. Oh, and as to HA it is true that this line tends to generally attract an older, better traveled, more sophisticated cruiser...but even this varies by cruise. A 41 day Prinsendam cruise is totally different then a 7 day Alaskan cruise. As to NCL we would call them a budget cruise line that works harder then most to maximize on-board revenue (not sure they work harder on this then RCI). As to the comment about "not wanting to experience HAL" we can say with no hesitation that after cruising on 12 cruise lines, more then 50 different ships, and more then 2 years on cruises, HA is currently very high on our personal list because of its excellent cuisine, amazing crew (mostly Indonesian and Filipino) and terrific and varied itineraries.

 

We would caution our fellow cruisers not to judge a cruise line based on "what you hear" but rather on what you actually see and feel. In other words, try it and you might like it. On a recent RCI Cruise we were sitting in the Concierge Lounge and overheard the following, " I would never lower myself to go on Carnival. we know they are an awful line because we have heard this from other people." I turned to this lady and asked if she had ever been on a Carnival ships and she told me know and was certain that nobody in a RCI Concierge Lounge would be caught dead on a Carnival Cruise. We informed her that we had recently been on a Carnival cruise and thought the food and entertainment was far nicer then on that particular RCI cruise (Explorer of the Seas). Very quickly a few others in the lounge also defended Carnival against this "basher" who truly had no clue except "what she heard." When people start giving me advice on cruise lines we quickly ask three questions, how many times have you cruised with that line, when, and on which ships. Those three questions usually are enough to shut up an awful lot of critics :)

 

Hank

[lady_cruiser]

I'm wondering if "lady cruiser" was not thinking "Crystal" rather than "Costa" when she said "out of my price range". I've seen some Costa "bargains" that are comparable or better then many other lines.

 

I probably was. If you look at my past and present cruises you really can't call me an experienced world traveler :p

[luvs2travl]

The best "Word Association" for cruise lines are the words you yourself express AFTER you have experienced sailings on the individual lines/ships. Far too many people, IMHO, express completely unfounded opinions of cruise lines and ships on which they have never sailed, simply based on what they have heard expressed by others. This does both the cruise line and the future passenger a great disservice, as all cruise lines can vary greatly by itinerary, time of year, and even by ship.

 

We have sailed with HAL, Princess, Celebrity, NCL, Disney and Carnival. Each is unique in its own way and yes, I could rank them from our favorite to least favorite, or pick a word to associate with each one, but that would be our opinion only. Each has it's own unique set of criteria that makes it suitable for one group and possibly not so much for another group. The lines that suit us the best get our business.

 

Generalizations, like stereotyping, can become very contentious and most unfair. The worst day cruising is still better than the best day at work, so just put me on board and set sail. :) Again, my opinion only and not intended to offend or inflame.

 

Smooth Sailing Always, on every cruise line, to everyone. :D

[Working 2 Cruise]

Here's mine with the first thoughts the come to "my" mind:

 

 

Princess - don't even want to try them

 

 

Just curious - Why wouldn't you want to cruise with Princess?

[Mr. Luckytoo]

We have cruised on all those times (many times on most of em) and do not ascribe to the generalizations by the OP. For example, we have been on some Carnival cruises that had a somewhat older crowd then one would expect and the ship was pretty dead most nights by midnight (typical of many cruises). Much depends on what time of the year, the area being cruised, and the length of the cruise. A 10 day Carnival cruise in the Med is totally different then a 4 night in the Caribbean. As to Celebrity, we think their food is marginally better then some other lines such as RCI, but not nearly as good as what we experience on HA. Oh, and as to HA it is true that this line tends to generally attract an older, better traveled, more sophisticated cruiser...but even this varies by cruise. A 41 day Prinsendam cruise is totally different then a 7 day Alaskan cruise. As to NCL we would call them a budget cruise line that works harder then most to maximize on-board revenue (not sure they work harder on this then RCI). As to the comment about "not wanting to experience HAL" we can say with no hesitation that after cruising on 12 cruise lines, more then 50 different ships, and more then 2 years on cruises, HA is currently very high on our personal list because of its excellent cuisine, amazing crew (mostly Indonesian and Filipino) and terrific and varied itineraries.

 

Hitner, my purpose of this thread is not to "bash" any one cruiseline nor was it to elevate any cruiseline over another. I posted a 1-word association with each and every line that I have PERSONALLY sailed. Sure you can come up with an exception to anything but that wasn't what I was after. I simply wanted to see what others thought about these cruiselines. With regard to HAL my wife has experienced HAL prior to our marriage and speaks highly of them but I feel that I want to be more "loyal" to brands that I've cruised and since we do 3-4/year it makes more sense.

 

We would caution our fellow cruisers not to judge a cruise line based on "what you hear" but rather on what you actually see and feel. In other words, try it and you might like it. On a recent RCI Cruise we were sitting in the Concierge Lounge and overheard the following, " I would never lower myself to go on Carnival. we know they are an awful line because we have heard this from other people." I turned to this lady and asked if she had ever been on a Carnival ships and she told me know and was certain that nobody in a RCI Concierge Lounge would be caught dead on a Carnival Cruise. We informed her that we had recently been on a Carnival cruise and thought the food and entertainment was far nicer then on that particular RCI cruise (Explorer of the Seas). Very quickly a few others in the lounge also defended Carnival against this "basher" who truly had no clue except "what she heard." When people start giving me advice on cruise lines we quickly ask three questions, how many times have you cruised with that line, when, and on which ships. Those three questions usually are enough to shut up an awful lot of critics :)

 

Hank

 

Hank you are correct about people making assumptions based on heresy - that is one reason I wanted to open a dialogue about people's association with a cruiseline. More importantly I was interested in how people viewed a cruiseline vs. how the cruiseline markets/perceivs themself.

 

Let's be real - HAL doesn't market themselves to a young couple (20's) with an infant. Celebrity doesn't market themselves to that same couple either. However RCI & NCL both seem to market themselves that way with the introduction of Shrek and Nickelodean, respectfully.

 

I prefer to discuss things with people and find common grounds rather than "shut them up". I believe you can have your cake and eat it too! :cool:

[luvs2travl]

Hitner, my purpose of this thread is not to "bash" any one cruiseline nor was it to elevate any cruiseline over another. I posted a 1-word association with each and every line that I have PERSONALLY sailed.

 

I am now confused. You say in your reply to Hitner, that your word-association is based on your personally cruising with each line. Yet, you state in your original post:

"Before I get slammed for my HAL comment - NO I haven't been on Holland America but I have heard great and wonderful things."

 

Yet your "word association" with HAL is: "Old people/walkers"

 

This is exactly what Hitner, and me, were trying to explain and to avoid. Color me....:confused: by your opposing posts.