Looking for a new cruise line...

[safar4me]

I love the service on Celebrity cruise line, we have been to Alaska and all over Europe with Celebrity and enjoyed it very much. We are trying RCC next month hoping the crowd will be younger and more activities for our sons ages 20 & 21.

[dfishner]

We also needed a little break from RCL and we have tried different cruise lines. We like X quite a bit food is superior to any other cruise line we have taken so far.

 

I would say Princess reminds me of RCL, we liked the activities on Princess it seem a little different from RCL found more things to our liking.

 

We have done NCL Pearl which was a big surprize to us on how much we really liked it. Our next cruise is on Azamara doing the southern carib route and are looking forward to trying something that is really different for us..It all depends upon what is important to you on a making your choice and finding what you think works for you.

[rubrrick]

Interesting that this discussion is going on..........on the Royal Caribbean site.

 

In 1998 we first tried MSC.........Mediterranian Shipping Lines, on the Melody. We did back to backs in the Caribbean.......to islands that were not serviced by other lines.

 

Now they are pushing for Americans to try their line. They have hired the ex president (Rick Sasso) of Celebrity to help make this happen. MSC now has new ships........and are really pressing to get the american market share.

 

We are only a 2 people........that happen to be Pinnacle......and also happen to think that Mr. Goldstein only counts coins......and in a very short time........his candor.....unless Mr. Fain gets rid of him.......will see Royal Caribbean starting to slip rather badly.

 

We will welcome ourselves back on Royal Caribbean......when he is out of office. If we elect to come abaord before then.........it will be under the radar!!:D

 

Rick

[Swath]

Oooooooooo! Good to know about Celebrity. I thought they were very expensive. Ditto Princess. Guess it's time to expand our horizons a bit.

 

Our kids are grown, but we're in a child centered business, so the number of kids on board don't factor in either way. We love kids and enjoy having them around, but can manage to go a week or two without them and have no fear of suffering crippling withdrawal symptoms.

OF NOTE:

You HAVE to be ABOVE C&A Gold to get Captian's (sp?) Circle Recognition

[StarSong]

Interesting that this discussion is going on..........on the Royal Caribbean site.

 

In 1998 we first tried MSC.........Mediterranian Shipping Lines, on the Melody. We did back to backs in the Caribbean.......to islands that were not serviced by other lines.

 

Now they are pushing for Americans to try their line. They have hired the ex president (Rick Sasso) of Celebrity to help make this happen. MSC now has new ships........and are really pressing to get the american market share.

 

We are only a 2 people........that happen to be Pinnacle......and also happen to think that Mr. Goldstein only counts coins......and in a very short time........his candor.....unless Mr. Fain gets rid of him.......will see Royal Caribbean starting to slip rather badly.

 

We will welcome ourselves back on Royal Caribbean......when he is out of office. If we elect to come abaord before then.........it will be under the radar!!:D

 

Rick

 

I don't understand exactly what you're trying to say here. Are you recommending Mediterranean Shipping Lines?

 

What is a Pinnacle, who is Goldstein, who is Fain, and why should I care? This question is asked in earnest - I don't know the principals of cruise lines - their corporate structure has never factored into my decisions. Should it?

 

I posted on the RC forum because I figured I'd catch other RC fans who have had similar frustrations with port choices, but otherwise enjoy the RC line.

 

Thanks.

[cdamion]

I would differ on several counts but many of the differences will really depend on a number of factors: ships involved in the comparison, ports of embarkation, the itinerary.

MUTs - good concept but virtually destroyed when it became Movies Under the Sun and Stars with programming beginning in the early morning and continuing during the entire day and into the evening - tends to intrude on some who want to lie by the pool in quiet contemplations. As far as service goes, it depends very much on the individuals who will be serving you but overall we found the servers on RCI ships to be more outgoing and friendly than many on our Princess cruises. I definitely agree with ranking Princess' pizza superior to what is offered by RCI but I did find that some Princess ships offered different and more interesting onboard activities. Bars and Lounges on RCI's ships were far superior to those on the Princess ships we sailed on, but again that may vary from ship to ship. The wake view bar on Sapphire Princess had no view of the wake unless you were eight feet tall or stood on the circular staircase to look out, and the dead end routes to get from one spot on a Deck to another, coupled with elevators which didn't go to some floors was annoying. Our outside balcony rooms on Princess were noticeably smaller than a similar category on RCI and the closet on Sapphire Princess did not even have a door on it. Having to move the barrel chair in our stateroom when we had to get into the refrigerator or out to the balcony, was a minor irritant. Apparently you need to book a mini-suite if you want a reasonably sized room.:) And Anytime Dining has so many flaws that I was hesitant to try RCI's My Time Dining when it was first introduced. RCI took the Anytime concept and eliminated those flaws and we are now strong proponents.:) Not everyone will agree with my comments, but I wanted to offer some of my impressions.

 

The only thing I agree with here is that Anytime Dining is a mess with long waits.

 

If you do not want to hear the Movies Under the Stars and relax by the pool, you can go to one of the other 3 pools. They did a great job of containing the MUTS area. You will not see or hear the giant TV at any of the other pools.

 

The crew is certainly less outgoing - unless you initiate a conversation, then they are very friendly. I feel like they are trained to offer polite, formal service and not be outgoing until the passenger initiates friendly communication.

 

The wow factor is much more prevalent on RCI as Princess ships are very understated - nice, but understated.

[cdamion]

He forgot to tell you about the HARD beds which will give a back ache when you wake up.

 

I found the beds to be comfortable. If they are too firm for you, the cabin steward will put egg crate on the bed for you.

[cdamion]

I would recommend looking at the itineraries the Caribbean Princess offers this winter out of San Juan. I believe they are the best itineraries in the Caribbean right now. Also, there are some great deals for January cruises on the ship.

 

Unfortunately, this is the last winter they will have these itineraries as the Caribbean princess won't be returning to San Juan.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

My two cents ...

 

RCI: most beautiful ships

Celebrity: best food and best suite experience (although we haven't tried NCL which supposedly excels here as well)

HAL: not really best or worst at anything

Carnival: best prices

Princess: best all-around experience for the $$

[cdamion]

The only thing I agree with here is that Anytime Dining is a mess with long waits.

 

If you do not want to hear the Movies Under the Stars and relax by the pool, you can go to one of the other 3 pools. They did a great job of containing the MUTS area. You will not see or hear the giant TV at any of the other pools.

 

The crew is certainly less outgoing - unless you initiate a conversation, then they are very friendly. I feel like they are trained to offer polite, formal service and not be outgoing until the passenger initiates friendly communication.

 

The wow factor is much more prevalent on RCI as Princess ships are very understated - nice, but understated.

 

Wow, Im actually quoting myself (narcissistic isnt it?)

 

Here are a couple of pics from Caribbean Princess.

 

This first one shows one of the 2 main pools. The sound from the giant screen (MUTS) is not audible here because MUTS is contained in that circular area at the top of the photo where there is another similarly sized pool. Additionally there are two smaller pools to relax at towards the front that has a current, and aft overlooking the wake.

 

 

Here is are pics of a balcony cabin (Cat BC) for size comparisons to your own experiences:

 

 

[StarSong]

cdamion: Thanks for the photos (and for underscoring your previous post:D). I'm not a sun worshipper so whether or not there is overflow movie noise at a pool won't factor into my cruise line decision. Movies under the stars do sound appealing though - especially since mosquitoes are bound to be at a minimum.

 

We do book balcony (or verandah) rooms, so the picture of that was especially appreciated.

 

While we have been pretty loyal to RC, the truth is that the Crown & Anchor benefits aren't enough to tip the scales very far in their favor. Methinks we'll be giving Princess or Celebrity a whirl after our this next cruise. We're booked for a nine day-er on the Mariner out of Galvaston to Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel and Grand Cayman (not in that order) come November.

 

As for ships, I love the RC Voyager Class enough that it weighs almost as important as the ports, but recognize that this is a RC exclusive and don't expect the same on other lines.

 

With itinerary, sea time is of prime importance. I know that likely seems counter intuitive considering that this thread regards port choices. Still... we'd like to see new ports, if only as short interruptions in our open sea voyages. :D

[Shangrila Seeker]

I agree with you about the MUTS on princess. Why on earth would you play a documentry about snow skiing on a carribean cruise during the daytime. Why not just put a camera on the pool and let that play.

[dadatsea]

Interesting that this discussion is going on..........on the Royal Caribbean site.

 

In 1998 we first tried MSC.........Mediterranian Shipping Lines, on the Melody. We did back to backs in the Caribbean.......to islands that were not serviced by other lines.

 

Now they are pushing for Americans to try their line. They have hired the ex president (Rick Sasso) of Celebrity to help make this happen. MSC now has new ships........and are really pressing to get the american market share.

 

We are only a 2 people........that happen to be Pinnacle......and also happen to think that Mr. Goldstein only counts coins......and in a very short time........his candor.....unless Mr. Fain gets rid of him.......will see Royal Caribbean starting to slip rather badly.

 

We will welcome ourselves back on Royal Caribbean......when he is out of office. If we elect to come abaord before then.........it will be under the radar!!:D

 

Rick

Great post!! WE are D+ and have always wanted to try Princess And sail more Celebrity trips..Royal is making it so much easier for us to try the other guys.;)

[cruzsnooze]

We've been (mostly) loyal RC cruisers, and rather like the Caribbean, but don't want to repeatedly go to the same ports.

 

We tried Carnival, but it didn't um, float our boats. So I'm looking for some advice about other moderately priced cruise lines serving North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. I've done some looking around and see a lot of lines, but am hoping to hear from seasoned cruisers about which lines they like and which they don't.

 

RC's amenities are appealing, but we need some new adventures in this hemisphere. Due to seasonal business, our travel opportunities are from early November - May, excluding Thanksgiving through New Year's.

 

HAL, Norwegian, Princess and the others are a mystery to us.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I like the top tier perks on Princess better. I like Princess because they aren't catering to kids as much as RCL. If you have kids RCL I think is a better fit. Without kids Princess or NCL might be a better fit.

[kt0331]

Celebrity Solstice class are just sensational.

 

You can try Solstice or Equinox out of Port Everglades, Eclipse out of Miami, or Silhouette out of New Jersey. Reflection (2012 out of Miami) will be the largest of the Solstice Class ships with some major additions. Should be spectacular.

 

I agree - Solstice class is Sensational - and not that much more expensive than RCI - in fact much cheaper than Allure was! (And without some of the added fees they're adding on Allure)

[skandls]

It would be so nice if Royal or Celebrity could bring a ship back to the West Coast. I was not happy when the Mariner left Los Angeles as we could take last minute cruises on a great ship.. However, with the turmoil in Mexico and the inability to do all US port cruises that is a big problem. We are also from CA and have tried Carnival and did not like the ships. We now realize that to cruise we need to fly so we are trying to make the most of our vacation budget. You might consider the Oasis or Allure - the ship is the destination - lots of good entertainment.

 

This year we did a Celebrity cruise on the Solstice. We had not sail with X for a few years and we were both blown away by the food and service. We did Aqua class and ate in Blu every night.

 

We have done one Holland America cruise and found the age of the passengers to be on the old side - I am in my sixties. More walkers and scooters than kids on that cruise. Princess is nice similar to Royal without the wow ships. I watch for bargains with the other cruise lines. Oceania has a great product when doing port intensive cruises. It is so nice to come back to the ship and wander to dinner on ones own schedule.

[dadatsea]

Like you we got tired of the Royal Caribbean caribbean itineries so, after 45 RCCL cruises we've been doing a lot more Celebrity and Princess to the southern caribbean. Celebrity is generally more expensive and are 14 dayers, whereas Princess has had some real good bargains in Sept. thru December, ie $299 & $399 for 7 & 10 dayers , last year at least. These were last minute deals, for first time bookings only, and might not occure this year, but we are waiting and hopeful. Either way, I think you'll enjoy the islands of Aruba, Antiqua, Barbados, St kitts et.al.

 

We still do an occasional RCCL (RCI) but enjoy everything onboard Princess and Celebrity equally as well.

Right On..I am D+ also and with fewer RCI options in the Caribbean the competition has a leg up and much betterdeals this fall. If you insist remaining Loyal to Royal than you will miss some great bargins on Celebrity and Princess.;)

[StarSong]

Hmmm... I'm also seeing that booking far in advance works against me a bit. If we can take advantage of last minute cruise deals and are flexible about cruise lines, we can probably score some exellent deals.

 

Like skandls, we used to go on the Mexico 7 day trips when the prices were right and our schedule allowed. If I didn't leave the ship (other than at Cabo), it wouldn't bother me in the slightest... I miss having RC on the west coast, but agree that Mexico is just too sketchy these days.