looking for advise on which line next from carnival cruisers who have tried others

[Sh1035]

Celebrity loved the concierge service and the food.....but unless you want to just nap and eat it was dead. We had 4 people in the club and about a dozen in the casinos most night. They turn the lights out at about 9!

[Blurgh]

I have not been on Celebrity for a long time but I think it's the best fit for your criteria.

 

On a stripped down level RCCL and Carnival are not that different as basic activity/crowd goes. Celebrity is to RCCL as what Princess is to Carnival.

[richstowe]

I have not been on Celebrity for a long time but I think it's the best fit for your criteria.

 

On a stripped down level RCCL and Carnival are not that different as basic activity/crowd goes. Celebrity is to RCCL as what Princess is to Carnival.

Hmmm...

 

From all I've experienced and read, the gap between Princess and Carnival is significantly larger

then the gap between Celebrity and RCCL . The pricing also reflects this.

[Blurgh]

Hmmm...

 

From all I've experienced and read, the gap between Princess and Carnival is significantly larger

then the gap between Celebrity and RCCL . The pricing also reflects this.

 

I agree. I mean that it's the "upsell" line offered by both companies, nothing more. So if you were looking for that kind of experience and RCCL and Celebrity were both on your list, you might as well go straight to Celebrity.

[ccruisequeen]

Holland America, celebrity, and Princess are more sophisticated with an older clientele. Even trivia contests are more intellectual.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Aside from Carnival, I've been on a 14 day cruise with Celebrity & a 4 day with HAL. Both older, smaller ships.

 

I thought the MDR food on Celebrity was not better, & in some instances it was not as good as Carnival. The menus sounded gourmet & described the food in a delicious way but it did not taste great. I ordered a crab louis that came with no lettuce. Just a very fine chop of seafood, possibly crabmeat that was not fresh & incredibly salty - it looked like dog food. Maybe the food is better on a newer ship like the Solstice class. I thought the service though was excellent, even though most of my cruises the wait staff was good - my waiter was outstanding on Celebrity. I wish our waiter Sweetish could be my waiter on all my cruises!

One night we had dinner in Murano - even there I wasn't impressed with the food. The service was very fancy but I preferred my waiter in the MDR. The food was beautiful & with large portions but I expected it to taste better for the price.

 

Excellent fitness classes, although I didn't like the dance classes because it was all ballroom.

 

I loved the ship & thought it was beautiful & liked the decor.

 

I did love the aqua spa for lunch & the room service menu was excellent.

 

On HAL, I thought the food & service was pretty similar to Carnival for the MDR. The buffet though had much more variety & better offerings. My friend had the same dinner there that was offered in the MDR. The desserts were not as good as I am used to on Carnival. The 2nd cabin steward (first cabin had a bad problem with smelling like sewage - they put us in a comparable cabin with a different steward assigned) was good - comparable to the stewards I've had on other cruises. This ship was not a favorite of mine, not just the 1st cabin we had booked but the whole aft end of the deck stank like raw sewage. I don't know if there was a noro outbreak, the whole ship did not smell clean. I got a mild stomach bug after the cruise, when I had disembarked. I will say the pursers desk & concern of the hotel director was outstanding when I met with them about the problems in our first cabin.

 

But then people who were frequent cruisers on HAL said the short 4 day cruises don't compare to the usual experience. Quite possible.

[Jolimont]

Your likes/dislikes match our own and we're also mid 40s and live in France. We've tried 3 other lines: Princess, RCI and NCL.

 

Princess: never again until we're seriously old, classy ships.

 

RCI: better ships than Carnival (they don't seem to break down as often either ;-), entertainment not as cheesy, a bit pricier than Carnival, but still a good value and a great vacation. Would definitely go again if price and itinerary are right.

 

NCL: we've only tried the Epic--a really ugly ship from the outside, but wonderful from the inside. Professional entertainment similar to what you find on land which cannot be said with the other 2 lines. Priced lower than Carnival for the week, but they charge for some things while on-board (such as Cirque and some restaurants), so overall it works out the same as Carnival or RCI price-wise.

 

We're also considering MSC because they have itineraries that are new and interesting to us, but I'm not sure it'll be a good match as far as culture on board.

 

What I'd really love is for NCL to make stops in Portugal and the Canary Islands as well as Western Africa, but that will probably not happen any time soon. But yeah, for now our favorite is NCL.

[Heatherco]

We have sailed RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity and Princess and like them all.

 

RCCL...love their ships...lots of wow factor, great for families, something for everyone

Celebrity, beautiful ships, great food and service, but a little too sedate for our liking

Carnival, fun for families, ships are very colorful, like the pool grill, didn't like constant announcements.

Princess, nice ships, great food, good entertainment.....would probably pick this line for just Dh and I next time.

 

When we sail with our three kids we pick Royal Carribean for their sports decks.

 

Hope this helps!

[Mulege]

Celebrity Solstice class ships are beautiful. You get free room service that includes hot entrees such as omlettes, eggs benedict, eggs your way, bacon, ham, etc. for breakfast and you can order off the MDR menu for dinner room service. Free pastries and mini sandwiches at the coffee bar. Cloth hand towels in the restrooms. These are some of the things that make Celebrity great to sail.

 

Try it you never know what you'll find.