What is your favorite cruise line and why?

[ClaudiaF]

We just returned from our first cruise, liked it far better than we had anticipated, and plan to do more.

 

Our first cruise was on Princess--a Class Reunion Cruise--so our initial thought was to continue with Princess so we can eventually get free internet service, which is a big deal to us.

 

We are, BTW, in our early 60s, in great physical shape, love to work out and dance every day on a cruise. We also love to dress up and go to shows. Small amounts of really good food would be preferable to massive amounts of average food. We thought Princess had massive amounts of average food.

 

Which cruise line do you like best and why?

 

Also depends how many people you want to go on a cruise with.. we feel that 650ish is a great amount.. so we don't go on the mega liners any longer and have to deal with 1000s..so we vote Oceania ( or Radisson).

[CONVERT94]

I've been on approx 100 cruises, starting as a child in the 60's and I've probably sailed on all of them at least once from Dolphin to Silversea. Honestly, I don't have a "favorite". Yes, one might have better dining options, one better shows, one more ammenities, one bigger cabins, but they ALL provide what I really go on a cruise for: a shady corner in a deck chair watching the ocean go by, beautiful sunsets on the water in the evening, the salt air on an early morning walk, a pretty harbor scene when entering a port, a nice beach to spend an afternoon at or an interesting sight to go visit, a cozy corner for a cocktail and a little music before dinner. It's really not all that important to us that on "ABC" line, the balconies are 5 feet bigger, I have to pay (or not) for ice cream, the chocolate buffet is to die for, there are cloth hand wipes in rest rooms, the towels are bigger, someone hands you a tray in the buffet line, the elevators are slow, some guests don't dress up on formal night, they do or don't make little animals out of towels to leave on your bed in the evenings, and on and on and on.

 

Amen, Amen, Amen.

[PunkiC]

Ship size doesn't seem to be a big issue at this point in the game. One of the most interesting things that we noticed on our cruise on the Island Princess, which I believe carries 1900+ passengers, was that we never felt crowded, despite the fact that the ship was sold out. We never had to wait to eat. The line to check in was maybe a minute or two, and once we had to wait maybe 3 or 4 minutes to clear security when we reboarded at a port. We really don't like waiting in line.

 

The ship was also amazingly sound proof. We never once heard any of our neighbors while in our state room.

 

Since the other things that matter most to us--good dance bands and floors, and ample room to work out--are available on Princess, we will probably work on getting over five Princess cruises so we can get free internet service. Free internet connectivity is another big plus for us.

 

We could care less about ice cream and chocolate, but do like to bring our own wine on board.

[Jolimont]

I've only been on 2 cruises. The first was amazing (Carnival Triumph) the second a big dissapointment (Princess Diamond). I fully intend to try all of them to see for myself!

[PunkiC]

Most interesting, Jolimont.

 

What did you enjoy about the Carnival cruise?

 

Why were you disappointed in the Princess cruise?

 

If you don't mind my asking, what is your age bracket?

[Daw6id]

We're veterans of RCCL and Renaissance - which has come back to life as Oceania. We loved the R7 for all of the reasons stated above. Then last summer we went to Alaska on Radisson's Seven Seas Mariner - gulping at the up front cost, but we were going with friends so I went along. Now we're hooked - and just back from a fantastic week on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti. All of the advantages of Oceania, no tipping, no nikeling and diming - bottles of iced water to take with when you leave the ship, Diet Coke in every venue at no charge, no surcharge for the fancy restaurant, free drinks at all kinds of events and good wines with dinner every night. It is pricey - put not as pricey as it seems, and it will be difficult to go back to any ship with fixed seating and $2 cokes again.

 

David

[PunkiC]

Is wine at dinner complimentary?

 

How about internet service?