Do you tend to stick to one Cruise Line?

[jewopaho]

We cruise often (at least two or three a year), and the loyalty factor isn't much of a consideration for us. About the only perk we use is Princess' free Internet ... between the two of us, we've got five hours, but why bother cruising if we'll be spending that much time on the computer. We take advantage of some of it, since we're Realtors, and must keep in touch with home base. The alternative on most other cruise lines is a 100-minute package for around $55 ... hardly a deal-breaker.

 

We have our favorites (Princess and Royal Caribbean in that order), and try to stick with those. Once in a while, a competitor makes us an offer we can't refuse (as in $351 for 7 nights, ocean view stateroom) so we book it. Our "status" with any given cruise line doesn't influence our decision ... to others, it's paramount. Ye pays yer money and ye takes yer cherce.

[printingchick]

I agree that, as a newbie, you should try a few lines. I made the mistake of sticking with the same cruise line I started with for six cruises. Maybe "mistake" is not the right word because I LOVED all those cruises. But when I tried a different line, I found it suited me much better. Had I switched sooner, I'd be much further along with my favorite line's loyalty program!

 

Once you find the line that best suits your style, I think it's best to stick with it. You'll have a better experience on a cruise line that caters to people like you! Each line has it's own target demographic. You won't like everything on any specific line or ship, but if you can find the one that comes closest to being what you yourself would have designed, that's your cruise line!! And you'll find you save money by being able to trade in loyalty perks as you add up more cruises with the same line.

[vowsatsea]

We've cruised on Princess, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and next month we're going to try out NCL. We don't fly, so we're limited to whatever cruises leave out of NY, so we book based on availability and price. My first cruise with Princess was amazing and I swore I would only sail with them, but ended up trying other cruise lines instead. I'm glad I did because although I love Princess, I ended up loving Royal Caribbean more. It's ok to have two loves.

 

There's pros and cons of each line/ship we've been on, and we haven't written off any one completely.

[Taxguy77]

These are probably a newbie questions...

 

We have only sailed on 2 cruises...both on Royal Caribbean (Enchantment 11/07 and Freedom 5/09). At the end of the month, we are sailing on NCL out of NY.

 

Do you find yourself sticking to one cruise line? Or do you tend to go for the best deals, regardless of the cruise line?

 

Sue K.

 

Pick cruises based on: different line with good reputation, different itinerary, ports neither of us have been to but always wanted to go, size of ship (must be under 2500 pax, prefer under 1500).

[aohkay]

You might have a favorite restaurant but is that the only restaurant you would ever go to ?

 

Sadly, at least here in the States, most cruisers are "politically entrenched" with one particular line as they might be about their politics or religion.

 

Its funny how people become so beholden to these frequent cruiser programs. The lines know it and surely taken advantage of that, their most effective marketing tool no doubt!

 

HUH? :confused:

[Happy ks]

We've cruised 7 different lines so far and fully intend to cruise on others. Out of all the lines we have cruised, we tend to enjoy RCI the best. But we have not yet cruised HAL, Oceania or Azamara, those are a few we'd like to try. We'd love to be able to cruise Silversea, Regent, Crystal...the higher end lines, but don't know if that will ever happen.

[mizLORInj]

I like variety and sailing different lines and different ships is my preference.

I personally don't want to choose only one.

[cruiselover57]

These are probably a newbie questions...

 

We have only sailed on 2 cruises...both on Royal Caribbean (Enchantment 11/07 and Freedom 5/09). At the end of the month, we are sailing on NCL out of NY.

 

Do you find yourself sticking to one cruise line? Or do you tend to go for the best deals, regardless of the cruise line?

 

Sue K.

 

We tend to stick lately with Royal Caribbean, Princess and Carnival (although we have been on many other lines such as Celebrity, NCL and HAL). Although I feel that Princess offers the best perks to their Elite members (such as free laundry), I don't always weigh that as the factor - more importantly, the places the ship goes and the deals for sure!

[firefly333]

There are only so many cruises you can squeeze in, so I am mainly only doing two right now. I started with someone who convinced me Princess was the only cruiseline to cruise with, no other.. and have moved more to preferring RCL but Carnival is more convenient, and year round from TX.

[jewopaho]

There are only so many cruises you can squeeze in, so I am mainly only doing two right now. I started with someone who convinced me Princess was the only cruiseline to cruise with, no other.. and have moved more to preferring RCL but Carnival is more convenient, and year round from TX.

Decisions, decisions ... and with Carnival bringing the new Magic to Galveston next season, I'm sure we'll give it a try.

[agabbymama]

My first cruise was on an old Carnival ship. They advertise as "the fun ship" and that is certainly what we found. Lots of young folks, families, etc. with beer drink contests, belly flop contests, etc.

 

2nd was on Holland America to Alaska. The difference was like day and night (considering Carnival owns both). But we fell in love with the smaller ship. The elegance of old ocean liners with all the wood and brass. Fresh flowers on all the tables (even outside in Alaska we had orchids).

 

I've now been on Princess (their ships are just too big for us), Celebrity (was a close 2nd to HAL until they instituted their new smoking policy), NCL and RCCI (the smaller Empress of the Seas, which I don't think they even have anymore). I'm not interested in RCCI behemoth ships that are holding 3000-5000 people with the amphitheaters, Central Park, waveriders, rock climbing etc.

 

I mostly choose the itinerary first, then look for the best deal on whichever cruiseline. I wanted to do Greece & Italy in '08, and when I started looking HAL was almost double the price of Princess, thus went with Princess. The same as in '06 Canada/New England, HAL was on the smaller beautiful Maasdam but it was double the price, so went with Celebrity. I had wanted RCCI (they had a fabulous itinerary in '05, but alas didn't run it in '06, so the cruise consultant recommended Celebrity).

 

Disney, Silverseas, Oceania, etc sound lovely, but they are even more costly than HAL, so don't see them in my future.

 

Everyone has to decide for themselves what is important to them. I sometimes am just as happy on a land vacation as a cruise. Isn't it nice we have so many travel choices out there.:rolleyes:

[cruisin'tex]

No allegiance to any particular cruise line, except I do prefer some over others. To me, it's not the line but where it's going. Itinerary is #1.

[Krazy Kruizers]

for a number of years we sailed various cruise lines -- the last few years we have stayed with hal

[GORDONCHICK]

Our 7th cruise coming up - on the 5th line for us to try. We shop for timing, price and itinerary first. If one of our favorite lines is in there, we would probably pick them over others. We booked our current with HAL because our DS is free (except for port charges and taxes) and that saved enough to cover some excursions.

 

We find the lines more alike than different and have found positive in all.

[jewopaho]

My first cruise was on an old Carnival ship. They advertise as "the fun ship" and that is certainly what we found. Lots of young folks, families, etc. with beer drink contests, belly flop contests, etc.

 

2nd was on Holland America to Alaska. The difference was like day and night (considering Carnival owns both). But we fell in love with the smaller ship. The elegance of old ocean liners with all the wood and brass. Fresh flowers on all the tables (even outside in Alaska we had orchids).

 

I've now been on Princess (their ships are just too big for us), Celebrity (was a close 2nd to HAL until they instituted their new smoking policy), NCL and RCCI (the smaller Empress of the Seas, which I don't think they even have anymore). I'm not interested in RCCI behemoth ships that are holding 3000-5000 people with the amphitheaters, Central Park, waveriders, rock climbing etc.

 

I mostly choose the itinerary first, then look for the best deal on whichever cruiseline. I wanted to do Greece & Italy in '08, and when I started looking HAL was almost double the price of Princess, thus went with Princess. The same as in '06 Canada/New England, HAL was on the smaller beautiful Maasdam but it was double the price, so went with Celebrity. I had wanted RCCI (they had a fabulous itinerary in '05, but alas didn't run it in '06, so the cruise consultant recommended Celebrity).

 

Disney, Silverseas, Oceania, etc sound lovely, but they are even more costly than HAL, so don't see them in my future.

 

Everyone has to decide for themselves what is important to them. I sometimes am just as happy on a land vacation as a cruise. Isn't it nice we have so many travel choices out there.:rolleyes:

You've brought up some excellent points. While cruise lines are more similar than different, there are other considerations ...

 

If you smoke, avoid Celebrity. It has the most restrictive policy of any line. It's closer to Holland America than any other cruise line. The ships are more elegant than most mass-market lines, but larger than all but the the newer HAL vessels. Service is a bit on the refined side.

 

If you prefer the more traditional cruising style, the smaller (and older) HAL ships are for you. Understand, though, that older travelers gravitate toward it.

 

If you're more the casual type, NCL is worth a look. It's pretty much a love-it-or-hate-it cruise line ... more negative reviews than others, but those who are positive about the freestyle concept really rave about it ... no need to dress for dinner.

 

If you believe that bigger is better, Royal Caribbean has a bunch of ships for you ... especially the two Monsters of the Seas. We're most content with the Voyager class. Royal Caribbean's smoking policy is a bit more liberal than Celebrity's (smoking is permitted on balconies, not so on Celebrity ... in both cases, you can't light up in your stateroom) but more restrictive than most others.

 

Carnival is a mixed bag ... we've experienced everything from Animal House at sea to wonderful family outings. The older ships, which sail the shorter cruises, tend to attract the former.

 

Princess ships have a certain style ... understated elegance. Basically, they're pretty much the same, save for the older and smaller ones, which sail more exotic (and longer) itineraries. We don't find them too big, although others obviously do. Overall, they're our favorite ... although we don't rule out others.

 

If money is no object, there are several smaller cruise lines that will pamper you to no end ... at a price.

 

If it's more about the kids, it's Disney (although a good number of adults also enjoy it). No casinos, though. You'll need that money you won't be losing to pay for the cruise ... about 40% to 50% higher than the mass-market lines.

 

So there you have it ... something for everybody. Choose one or choose them all ... you're still cruising, and that's what matters!

[SeaTeach]

I have a favorite cruiseline (RCI), but they don't always offer what I want , when I want it and at the desired cost. Thus, I will step-out on them, as reflected below.

[aohkay]

You've brought up some excellent points. While cruise lines are more similar than different, there are other considerations ...

 

If you smoke, avoid Celebrity. It has the most restrictive policy of any line. It's closer to Holland America than any other cruise line. The ships are more elegant than most mass-market lines, but larger than all but the the newer HAL vessels. Service is a bit on the refined side.

 

If you prefer the more traditional cruising style, the smaller (and older) HAL ships are for you. Understand, though, that older travelers gravitate toward it.

 

If you're more the casual type, NCL is worth a look. It's pretty much a love-it-or-hate-it cruise line ... more negative reviews than others, but those who are positive about the freestyle concept really rave about it ... no need to dress for dinner.

 

If you believe that bigger is better, Royal Caribbean has a bunch of ships for you ... especially the two Monsters of the Seas. We're most content with the Voyager class. Royal Caribbean's smoking policy is a bit more liberal than Celebrity's (smoking is permitted on balconies, not so on Celebrity ... in both cases, you can't light up in your stateroom) but more restrictive than most others.

 

Carnival is a mixed bag ... we've experienced everything from Animal House at sea to wonderful family outings. The older ships, which sail the shorter cruises, tend to attract the former.

 

Princess ships have a certain style ... understated elegance. Basically, they're pretty much the same, save for the older and smaller ones, which sail more exotic (and longer) itineraries. We don't find them too big, although others obviously do. Overall, they're our favorite ... although we don't rule out others.

 

If money is no object, there are several smaller cruise lines that will pamper you to no end ... at a price.

 

If it's more about the kids, it's Disney (although a good number of adults also enjoy it). No casinos, though. You'll need that money you won't be losing to pay for the cruise ... about 40% to 50% higher than the mass-market lines.

 

So there you have it ... something for everybody. Choose one or choose them all ... you're still cruising, and that's what matters!

 

Good, concise, summation. Thanks!

[Hlitner]

We have been fortunate to have cruised on 12 different lines and more then sixty different ships (some multiple times) and love variety. After thirty-five years of cruising we have never tired of being a ship. Using several lines gives us a tremendous variety in cuisine, entertainment, atmosphere, etc. We often meet other frequent cruisers who tell us they are tired of seeing the same shows, eating the same meals, etc. and wonder why they do not simply try a different cruise line. As to the perks of staying with a single line, we have reached the top repeater categories on several lines but seldom make decisions based on the extra amenities given to frequent crusiers. On some lines, such as HA, the frequent cruiser benefits are not really much of an incentive. Other lines such as Celebrity do offer some nice extras, but other factors such as price and itinerary are what drive most of our decision making.

 

Hank

[marco]

I think I've sailed on everyline that is or was in business. There are 2 or 3 that I prefer and 2 or 3 that I won't sail on again, and a lot inbetween that if the timing, itinerary, and price are good, I'll go. I've been enough times on my favorite 3 lines that I'm a top tier repeat passenger, so that is not an issue for me, but on some lines the perks or the top tier repeaters is appealing enough to make folks stick ONLY with that line.

[tiyana4]

We cheat.:D

 

For us, variety means everything. We love traveling to new destinations and we like newer ships. We are currently booked on RCI, CCL, and NCL's newest ships, so you can see where our loyalty lies. We don't like to repeat itineraries, so we look at itinerary first, then price, and the ship in that order. I wish there were more variety in sailings from the Mid-Atlantic..the choices are very limited.

 

We would like to try Celebrity's newer ships and the Disney Dream in the future...not sure about HAL.