Would I regret trying another cruise line

[Funbobby68]

Was looking for west coast cruises out of LA , San Diego ....ect , but nervous about spending the money to just be let down with ships and services , any one have any input good or bad , looking at carnival or princess . OK discuss

 

 

 

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[30scruiser]

Can you say what you like about RCL. If your reason for cruising is flowriders, then you will be disappointed. If its food, shows, ports, something else then maybe not. Also if you know specific ships on those lines it may be easier to compare, did you like the lines you sailed previously? I assumenot since your last several cruises have been RCI

[Funbobby68]

Honestly RCI just seams to be the best of what I have tried in the past , really was disappointed with NCL and HAL ,Celebrity was ok I will research the ships that I'm considering ,and list them for comparison , I'm guessing the ship and the staff and of course the food are what make it a good cruise

 

 

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[yogimax]

Carnival has been on a downward spiral that involves entertainment, food, and much more. Yes, you would be disappointed. We have never been on Princess so I don't want to comment even though they are also owned by Carnival.

[jmf123]

Was looking for west coast cruises out of LA , San Diego ....ect , but nervous about spending the money to just be let down with ships and services , any one have any input good or bad , looking at carnival or princess . OK discuss

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I see that you are booked on another Radiance sailing next spring, nice! We had looked at Princess, half-heartedly, and then came the news on CC...! Are you aware of the Jewel's Coastal Cruises, in Sept. and Oct. 2015?! There are three, and I would book one immediately! :cool: Don't even think about Carnival or Princess. :D

 

9/18/15: 8 nt. Pacific Coastal Cruise (Vancouver to Los Angeles). Victoria, Astoria, day at sea, San Francisco (overnight), Monterey, and Santa Barbara.

 

9/26 and 10/3/15: 7 nt. California Coastal Cruise (Los Angeles r.t.). Santa Barbara, San Francisco (overnight), Monterey, day at sea, Ensenada.

[macleay]

I cruised only Princess until my last cruise, which was on RCI. I saw some differences between the two of them, but really loved them both. I liked the entertainment on RCI better than Princess, but liked the food better on Princess. Never have tried Carnival, but would if the itinerary/price made sense. Expand your horizons--give another line a shot!

[matj2000]

We have done Princess & NCL recently, and like both of them.

 

Still waiting to try HAL, Celebrity, Costa, ???

 

Who wants to do the same cruise line over & over again?

 

It gets boring.

 

Especially RC, because there is very little individuality between the ships..

[jmf123]

I cruised only Princess until my last cruise, which was on RCI. I saw some differences between the two of them, but really loved them both. I liked the entertainment on RCI better than Princess, but liked the food better on Princess. Never have tried Carnival, but would if the itinerary/price made sense. Expand your horizons--give another line a shot!

 

I agree, the one Princess cruise we experienced (Canada/New England) was wonderful. When I said "don't even think about...", that's only my excitement- for the Jewel coming to the West Coast! We likely would have booked on Princess, but the Jewel is definitely worth waiting for. We love the Radiance class. :)

[rhuntington3]

If you're going to try Celebrity, find a Solstice class ship. We sailed on Eclipse back in 2011 and it was a beautiful ship. However, I don't think there's any Solstice class ships on the West Coast.

[PLEIKU68]

Was looking for west coast cruises out of LA , San Diego ....ect , but nervous about spending the money to just be let down with ships and services , any one have any input good or bad , looking at carnival or princess . OK discuss

 

 

 

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I guess I am what you call Loyal to Royal. Last year for the first time in 35 years we tried Princes. SF to Hawaii and back. I was very leary about returning to Princess after such a long absence but let me tell you it was one of the best trips I have ever been on and would do it again in a heartbeat. Food was wonderful, ship was beautiful, you can combine discounts, past guest, military discount, stockholder discount, Amex Platinum credit. I walked onto the ship with over $600 in OBC. Get out there and try it !! :)

[CU64]

I guess I am what you call Loyal to Royal. Last year for the first time in 35 years we tried Princes. SF to Hawaii and back. I was very leary about returning to Princess after such a long absence but let me tell you it was one of the best trips I have ever been on and would do it again in a heartbeat. Food was wonderful, ship was beautiful, you can combine discounts, past guest, military discount, stockholder discount, Amex Platinum credit. I walked onto the ship with over $600 in OBC. Get out there and try it !! :)

 

I prefer certain ships and cabins. That being said, I don't want the same ole' decorations, layout, et al and have found that I enjoy a variety of ships, returning mostly to the ones that meet my time constraints, itinerary, and value.

I have the same one scheduled (as the above poster) RT LA to Hawaii next Spring on Princess with the same good deal! No flying and great ship!

[big al]

Was looking for west coast cruises out of LA , San Diego ....ect , but nervous about spending the money to just be let down with ships and services , any one have any input good or bad , looking at carnival or princess . OK discuss

 

 

 

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When you tried NCL, did you go on the Epic, Breakaway or Getaway? That's the REAL NCL- lots of options for dining, shows & entertainment- the other smaller ships, like the Dawn,Gem,Spirit,Pearl,etc., are much smaller and although they are nice, they are not in RCI's league...Princess is very nice, but make sure you try their newer, larger ships ( 110,000 tons or more)..same with Carnival- I have issues with them NOT playing Caribbean music at the pool now ( they use a LOUD DJ), and although the Dream class ships have gotten some good reviews, the jury is still out on entertainment...we have tried all ( # 30 will be Oasis Oct) ,except Costa & MSC, and the latter will be soon because I LOVED touring the Divina and prices are soooo low on her...you should ALWAYS try new cruise lines- do you also go to the same chain restaurant every time you eat out? VARIETY is the spice of life- do your research and make a decision based on your needs & reviews here, BUT remember to have an open mind when you look at new cruise lines- Celebrity's Solstice class ships are MAGNIFICENT, but like most other lines, you will most likely have to fly to Florida to catch the majority of the big, new ships..also, do you have kids? If so, then even Disney is a KILLER cruise experience...you don't give much info, and that's important to determine your next cruise, IMO...

 

Big Al

[baggal]

IMO the food quality (meats, etc.) is far superior on Princess than RCI. Service is about equal. Entertainment is a mixed bag on both. Cabin bathrooms are about the same, but the closet area on Princess (not so important on a shorter cruise) is amazing!

[30scruiser]

I loved Princess, but I also loved HAL, so since you didn't I'm not sure. Princess sometimes bills itself as the opposite of RCI, pure relaxation instead of lots of athletic activities, so you may miss those kinds of things on Princess. I've heard good things about some of the newer Carnival ships, but I've heard the old ones are horrible

[time4u2go]

Why not add some variety? You should try other lines. We've been happy on all the ones we've tried.

Edited September 9, 2014 by time4u2go

[shutterbug63]

I am usually loyal to Royal, but they're pricing themselves out of existence for me. We're sailing Princess next year because the March cruises on Royal were too pricey. Looking forward to trying something new; to be honest, we're ready for it after four cruises on RCL. Staying with RCL in 2016, though, since we got a great deal on a JS.

[dancinman66]

Just remember the grass is greener on the other side of the fence

Till you get there :)

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Give Princess a try. We enjoy cruising on a variety of cruise lines (per signature) ... but always find Princess to be the best fit for us. It's still fun to "sleep around" from time to time. :D

LuLu

[OKC Cruisers]

Variety is the spice of life. We have had great experiences and bad experiences on both Royal and Carnival. We prefer Royal and right now are sticking with them solely because we are getting close to Diamond...but once we reach that, we will look for the cruises and cruise lines that offer the itineraries we want for the price we feel we can afford. Haven't done Princess yet, but we have no qualms about giving them a shot. Any day on a cruise, no matter whose logo is on the side of the ship, is better than any day at work! :D

[Funbobby68]

I would love to book one of the jewel sailings. ,but the timing is not right , was looking for either July Aug or Dec 2015 in December , I'm looking at the RCL sailing out of Baltimore , but the others are competitors cruise lines , I do like the trivia on rcl and other events that keep us occupied as well

 

 

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[PSCruiser]

From reading many posts here on CC, the consensous appears to be that fans of RC also like Princess, and this has been my experience also.

I find the shipboard experience to be just about equal with RC, their downfall is their weak loyalty program.

You will find some new things on Princess that you will really like, and a few that you don't like as much, similar to comparison of two equally-rated land resorts.

I rate them (and Celebrity) a good bit above NCL, and Carnival? - don't get me started!

[yogimax]

We prefer Royal and right now are sticking with them solely because we are getting close to Diamond...but once we reach that, we will look for the cruises and cruise lines that offer the itineraries we want for the price we feel we can afford.

 

Just curious since I don't quite understand your logic.

 

The point of reaching Diamond is to enjoy the perks that go with it. Why stick with RCCL to reach the level and then cruise other lines?

[davy jones]

Was looking for west coast cruises out of LA , San Diego ....ect , but nervous about spending the money to just be let down with ships and services , any one have any input good or bad , looking at carnival or princess . OK discuss

 

 

 

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I don't know your preferences..... but

 

If you look for a good time, you will find it. If you look for the bad, you'll likely find something.

 

I've sailed Carnival, Royal, Princess, and others. I enjoyed them all. If you get a good price and itinerary, go for it.

[OCruisers]

FunBobby .... It's just one cruise, not a life long commitment. You can always go back to RCCL if you don't like it. ;)

LuLu

[Elvis1209]

As you can see by my signature info I've only taken Celebrity and RCI cruises. Last month I went on a Carnival cruise. I found the accommodations to be below RCI standards. The food wasn't as good, and the over-all ship set up left something to be desired. It just didn't "flow". Also the kids on this cruise were running rampant! On the plus side, the prices were cheaper.

 

Elvis