wanting your input on picking the right WC ship

[travelbug615]

Would love to get input on picking the right WC ship. We are a couple ages 54 and 64 who are looking for a true WC that goes around the globe. We have cruised HAL and Princess. Princess being the best fit of the two. In looking at what ship/line to choose for a WC, I am stumped.

 

We usually get a minisuite or balcony room and would want equivalent.

We want more ports and less sea days.

We don't drink, we don't care about free alcohol

We are not foodies. We are more interested in healthy food versus gourmet

We want to have cheap internet available on board

We are interested in learning based lectures not shopping based lectures

We are interested in a younger demographic of passengers.

We are "nerds" not "partiers"

 

My husband thinks a larger ship will give us a smoother ride and a better chance to have fellow passengers and entertainment that we will enjoy. However the larger ships seem to have fewer ports and more days at sea.

Our last Princess cruise had poor entertainment in our opinion, but we liked the mix of passenger ages.

 

We are willing to look into different cruise lines to best meet our needs

 

Would appreciate any input.

[BarbaraM]

We are not sailing our WC until January (Oceania Insignia). In our decision making process, we also were looking for more port intensive itineraries, and this line and small ship for closer docking in cities seemed to fit the bill. Oceania does not include alcohol, but for the world cruise does include things such as unlimited internet and laundry. The only thing it doesn't have on your list -- it is known for its great food -- but it is possible to eat healthy! It's a low key line, no formal nights, guest lecturers, and fairly limited entertainment.

 

We did take a 49 day Princess cruise this year around South America -- and we (same ages as you) felt among the youngest passengers on the cruise. I suspect that any line is going to be skewed to the older age ranges for the length of cruise that a true around the world is going to be. That being said, we don't mind being younger, and enjoy ourselves without checking anyone's ID. We didn't do much in the way of entertainment on the ship, but after so many weeks, it's going to be repetitive, no matter the offerings. I'm not sure if the large Princess ships do an actual around the world trip, but I could be wrong. If ship size is your main focus, that narrows your choices.

 

Anyway, enjoy the selection process. We initially booked a Crystal cruise, but felt that it was a little too formal for our lifestyle. We have just graduated to "premium plus" , and love it -- but still love to cruise on other lines as well.

[trinaM]

We have just graduated to "premium plus" , and love it -- but still love to cruise on other lines as well.

 

what is "premium Plus?"

[Keith1010]

Would love to get input on picking the right WC ship. We are a couple ages 54 and 64 who are looking for a true WC that goes around the globe. We have cruised HAL and Princess. Princess being the best fit of the two. In looking at what ship/line to choose for a WC, I am stumped.

 

We usually get a minisuite or balcony room and would want equivalent.

We want more ports and less sea days.

We don't drink, we don't care about free alcohol

We are not foodies. We are more interested in healthy food versus gourmet

We want to have cheap internet available on board

We are interested in learning based lectures not shopping based lectures

We are interested in a younger demographic of passengers.

We are "nerds" not "partiers"

 

My husband thinks a larger ship will give us a smoother ride and a better chance to have fellow passengers and entertainment that we will enjoy. However the larger ships seem to have fewer ports and more days at sea.

Our last Princess cruise had poor entertainment in our opinion, but we liked the mix of passenger ages.

 

We are willing to look into different cruise lines to best meet our needs

 

Would appreciate any input.

 

As someone who has taken lots of World Cruises whatever you decide I would sail on that ship before taking a world cruise.

 

Please note that on a full world cruise that most of the passengers will be in their 70's with some being older than that and some being younger than that. This is true across all of the cruise lines.

 

I would find a ship that offers a lot of activities on those sea days.

 

I think a good mix is 50/50 between sea days and ports.

 

I would take a look at all of the ones that offer world cruises. Prices will vary quite a bit. They include:

 

Princess, Holland, Cunard, Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea and Regent.

 

Keith

[Scrapnana]

The mainstream cruise lines are likely to have more sea days than port days. The premium lines tend to have smaller ships which are able to dock at more ports.

 

On any cruise line you are going to be among the youngest doing a full World Voyage.

 

"Cheap" internet is pretty much non-existent. Some of the premium lines include internet but it is part of the premium price you pay. On a World Voyage there are going to be times (sometimes a couple of days) when there is no connectivity at all.

[zoncom]

First, are you aware of segments on WCs? Most lines offer them to fill their WC ships. Over 100 nights on any ship is long. So, assuming a luxury liner is not necessary for your wants/ needs, you are down to Pacific or Sea Princess. the Queens, HAL Amsterdam or Oceanias Insignia .Pacific not the greatest. Sea has been in Pacific for long time so pretty much Brit ship by now.. Both have many sea days. Queens are formal. Amsterdam seems like excellent choice, both by itinerary and pricing.Lots of ports .Looks like 8 segments on her too. But my choice would be Insignia just like Barbara. More inclusive too if you book early. I did 3 or 4 segments recently. Do not hesitate if you are serious. Bon Voyage.

[babs135]

Strangely enough I was thinking of posting a similar question to that of the OPs.

 

I would like to add one further question:

 

Would you chose itinerary over ship or the other way round? for example; we love the QM2 and would sail on her in a heartbeat, but her 2016 world itinerary doesn't appeal at all. Similarly some smaller ships have interesting itineraries but we wouldn't normally even vaguely consider sailing with them.

 

As I haven't won the lottery this week, I must point out that this question is purely hypothetical.

[travelbug615]

Thanks for all the replies. I started working on a spreadsheet to compare all the WC ships on cabin size/ queen or king bed/dining/attire for dining/ smoking/internet/on board activities etc... After I rate the ships to how they suit our needs I will then compare the sailing itineraries. I hope that the top choices that appear in ship and itinerary will match.

 

With the limited choices and lines seeming to use their oldest ships for WC, I don't think I am going to find the perfect WC sailing. So I am going to have to decide if ship features or ports visited are more important to us.

 

I do realize that we will be among the youngest on a WC. We are not age prejudice, but realize that on board entertainment is geared for age demographics... I am now guessing that all the lines are going to be geared for the same demographic on a WC.

 

From the work I have done so far, Regent seems to have a lot of what we want on a ship. A couple of people suggested Oceania, but the Insignia has such small rooms/bathrooms. My husband is 6' 3" which makes a small room/bathroom even less appealing. Holland allows smoking on balconies, which doesn't appeal to us if the balconies next to our have smokers.

 

Again I do appreciate the input and hope that this thread will help someone else as well. We are not picky or intolerant people in selecting a vacation room. However with spending 100 plus days in the same vacation room, we want our choice to be a good one.

[roscoe39]

Thanks for all the replies. I started working on a spreadsheet to compare all the WC ships on cabin size/ queen or king bed/dining/attire for dining/ smoking/internet/on board activities etc... After I rate the ships to how they suit our needs I will then compare the sailing itineraries. I hope that the top choices that appear in ship and itinerary will match.

 

With the limited choices and lines seeming to use their oldest ships for WC, I don't think I am going to find the perfect WC sailing. So I am going to have to decide if ship features or ports visited are more important to us.

 

I do realize that we will be among the youngest on a WC. We are not age prejudice, but realize that on board entertainment is geared for age demographics... I am now guessing that all the lines are going to be geared for the same demographic on a WC.

 

From the work I have done so far, Regent seems to have a lot of what we want on a ship. A couple of people suggested Oceania, but the Insignia has such small rooms/bathrooms. My husband is 6' 3" which makes a small room/bathroom even less appealing. Holland allows smoking on balconies, which doesn't appeal to us if the balconies next to our have smokers.

 

Again I do appreciate the input and hope that this thread will help someone else as well. We are not picky or intolerant people in selecting a vacation room. However with spending 100 plus days in the same vacation room, we want our choice to be a good one.

 

I hope you don;t mind me interjecting here., I have booked my first World Cruise and we sail on the Queen Victoria on 10 January 2016 for 120 days. The most I have done previously is 57 days.

 

I think choosing the ship/line is the most important factor and the itin is second.

 

Each line caters to a different market, a different demographic and their ships different features including the stateroom/bathroom sizes and ambience.. I favour Cunard as the best fit for me and started sailing with them when I was 40 which was reasonably young to be on board. I have friends that wouldn't been seen dead on board but that is because they are looking for different things when cruising.

 

I had always wanted to do a WC and it just happens that the 2016 Itin fitted exactly the route i had always wanted to do....but it took a few years for the two to come together. Its definately worth waiting for the two to come together, its a lot of money and I would not be happy being on a ship for that length of time when i knew either the ship or the itin was not my ideal.

 

The spread sheet idea sounds like a good one, its the sort of ADHD thing I'd do....

 

Roscoe

Edited October 4, 2015 by roscoe39

[BarbaraM]

I agree with Roscoe that it is a big chunk of change and time to either be on a ship that was not compatible, or an itinerary that missed the mark.

 

A Penthouse on Insignia would give you the room you are looking for,but it is more $$. On Regent, you are paying for the included alcohol and excursions, that may not interest you. BTW, the Insignia was refurbished last year, and I think you would find the decor very nice. But, I don't think Regent and Oceania have the track record of a world cruise that the other lines mentioned do -- who knows, I was booked on the ill fated 2015 Insignia world cruise. If I were doing the planning again, I would look at the reviews from the 2016 World cruise on Insignia before I would book it again with Oceania.

[zoncom]

Travel Bug. You threw me off with the cheap internet request.Thought we were talking Pacific Princess. Regent and Oceania now the same line. Both with plenty of great ports for 16. Seems all the future WCs now including internet as a perk. Regent includes alcohol.I like Os 16 itin better than 17; just my preference. Oceania has a Canyon Ranch menu, very healthy.Used to do it for lunch in MDR, followed by sundae of day. The Insignia was completely refurbed after its stint with the German line and feels new.

Edited October 5, 2015 by zoncom

[take us away]

Strangely enough I was thinking of posting a similar question to that of the OPs.

 

I would like to add one further question:

 

Would you chose itinerary over ship or the other way round? for example; we love the QM2 and would sail on her in a heartbeat, but her 2016 world itinerary doesn't appeal at all. Similarly some smaller ships have interesting itineraries but we wouldn't normally even vaguely consider sailing with them.

 

As I haven't won the lottery this week, I must point out that this question is purely hypothetical.

 

I am definitely a itinerary person as 1st in importance as love the adventure and have a bucket list. Any ship that does a WC should be good and if itineraries were equivalent, would sail based on price and amenities (but am a HAL lover) as I also did not win the lottery....