choosing our next cruise

[canadian1975]

Hi I would like to get some opinions on differnt cruise lines. We have only sailed once on carnival glory 2 years ago. We enjoyed the cruise but found that service was lacking in a lot of areas. We liked the entertainment but they repeated the same shows at the end of the trip. Food was good for the most part.

 

We are early 40s and looking to try a different cruise line to compare. We like going to shows and to the comedians. We have a cruise booked in 2017 on harmony of the seas as this is a family reunion cruise and we would like to try royal carribean.

 

What I guess I'm asking is what are the differences between celeberity, princess, and norwegian. How do they compare to carnival. All 3 have a iteniary that we would like to try but we are having trouble deciding on which one to try as we have only sailed carnival and would like to try a different cruise line for this February or March.

 

Any information or opinions would help.

 

Thank you

[cruisestitch]

Welcome to Cruise Critic -- you will find hundreds and hundreds of very thorough cruise reviews on this site, so sit down with a cup of coffee and read through them. You'll get a pretty good idea about the different lines and their ships. (As at the Olympics, throw out the top scores and the bottom scores)

 

I see you are new here and didn't realize that you chose a "thumbs down" for your post, when you probably meant to chose a question mark. No big deal, but next time you'll know….

[need2cruisesoon]

If you like going to shows and comedians then look elsewhere as X scores low in both categories, in my opinion based on our last cruise on the Silhouette.

Edited October 27, 2015 by need2cruisesoon

[WALKER1313]

New shows coming soon on Celebrity. Comedians have been better recently.

[ScarlettMLB]

Shows and comedians are subjective. I'm a huge Broadway fanatic and was VERY pleased with the shows on the Solstice last year. The Broadway show was the best of any cruise I've been on and overall we found the talent to be excellent. We also adored the glass shows that are on some of the ships (not all). They have an actual glass blowing studio on board and the shows are very well done.

 

We're late 30s and have sailed Celebrity, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. Celebrity is hands down our favorite. It wins for atmosphere, food, and service.

[LabGuy64]

I think you found the best choice for you in Royal....if Celebrity has one bad spot it is the entertainment....they are supposedly addressing the issue but, for now.....Royal should be as good or better than Carnival in all areas.

 

 

 

 

Hi I would like to get some opinions on differnt cruise lines. We have only sailed once on carnival glory 2 years ago. We enjoyed the cruise but found that service was lacking in a lot of areas. We liked the entertainment but they repeated the same shows at the end of the trip. Food was good for the most part.

 

We are early 40s and looking to try a different cruise line to compare. We like going to shows and to the comedians. We have a cruise booked in 2017 on harmony of the seas as this is a family reunion cruise and we would like to try royal carribean.

 

What I guess I'm asking is what are the differences between celeberity, princess, and norwegian. How do they compare to carnival. All 3 have a iteniary that we would like to try but we are having trouble deciding on which one to try as we have only sailed carnival and would like to try a different cruise line for this February or March.

 

Any information or opinions would help.

 

Thank you

[Cruising from Mississauga]

Since you asked.....I've cruised Celebrity, Princess and RCL. For me, itinerary trumps all. After that, my one Princess cruise had the best overall entertainment, but my last Celebrity cruise on Equinox was a big improvement over prior Celebrity cruises. The addition of a more adult comedy venue was a big plus for me. RCL was my least favorite for entertainment (and for other reasons, but that's a different thread). I think of cruise entertainment as existing between Vegas and dinner theater; the needle moves one way or the other but never really goes as far as either end. And the worst entertainment is still....on a cruise.

[true45]

Have tried other cruiselines thinking they might be better than Celebrity but not.

 

Our last sailing on Silhouette -- coffee and entertainment terrific (not sure which is more important) [emoji5]️. Coffee changed over to Lavazza and shows, talent, comedians, guest performers excellent.

 

Try it

Happy sailing

[Rosethorn40]

You are going to get a lot of opinions! I like the poster who said grab a cup of coffee..........

 

I have cruised; Princess, Carnival, Holland America, NCL, Royal Caribbean, and I'm finally trying Celebrity next July. Since you say you are looking to cruise February or March I am guessing you are looking to cruise in the Caribbean. I will give you my opinions, for what they are worth,

 

Carnival-I like Carnival for the Caribbean. The Glory was a tired ship 2 years ago, and I wouldn't go on one of their older ships. If you are considering the Breeze or Magic you should have a better experience. We sailed on the Magic 2 years ago and loved, loved, loved it!

 

NCL-Their entertainment is very good. We sailed on an older ship, and the entertainment surpassed anything we have ever seen on another line. The food was also excellent. I found the morning and lunch buffet wonderful (For a buffet), dinner time not so good. They do have a large number of specialty restaurants, for which there is an upcharge. They do run promos in which you can choose an all you can dine specialty restaurants for "free". I also think their relaxed dress code all evenings make them a good choice for the Caribbean. The only real downside is that they serve Pepsi products, and I'm a Coca-Cola girl.

 

Princess-I love Princess, fewer children (Usually), and I adore their adult only space called the Sanctuary. However, the Sanctuary has a substantial fee to use it, and the weekly passes sell out very fast. If you don't have priority boarding you probably won't get in. Food is just average IMO, and entertainment is okay, lots of choices, but nothing that will blow your socks off.

 

You didn't ask about Holland America, but I give you the scoop anyway. Personally, Holland America is a great fit for us; service is top notch, food is good, and I like their smaller ships, but lets face it, after 9 PM the public areas become a ghost town. Just not much happening at night.

 

Good luck and have fun choosing your next cruise. You won't know for sure which cruise line is the best fit for you until you've tried a few.

[canadian1975]

Thank you for all your posts.

[macaroni]

I have tried many of the different lines...I am a Celebrity and Princess person....Celebrity for food and less kids and Princess for their different pool areas and entertainment.....NCL is good for a lower cost cruise...do not like Carnival and Holland America is OK...would cruise them based on an itinerary I really wanted....would not do RCL...way too many activities and kids around....I prefer a little bit more relaxing type cruise....

[dkjretired]

Thank you for all your posts.

 

You can also find a difference on different ships within a particular cruise line.

[Big_G]

You can also find a difference on different ships within a particular cruise line.

 

...and that's why it's hard to button whole any line as better than another. I say try them all until you find your niche.

[K.T.B.]

Hi I would like to get some opinions on differnt cruise lines. We have only sailed once on carnival glory 2 years ago. We enjoyed the cruise but found that service was lacking in a lot of areas. We liked the entertainment but they repeated the same shows at the end of the trip. Food was good for the most part.

 

We are early 40s and looking to try a different cruise line to compare. We like going to shows and to the comedians. We have a cruise booked in 2017 on harmony of the seas as this is a family reunion cruise and we would like to try royal carribean.

 

What I guess I'm asking is what are the differences between celeberity, princess, and norwegian. How do they compare to carnival. All 3 have a iteniary that we would like to try but we are having trouble deciding on which one to try as we have only sailed carnival and would like to try a different cruise line for this February or March.

 

Any information or opinions would help.

 

Thank you

 

I have sailed both Carnival and Celebrity, and I like Celebrity better. That does not, however, mean I won't sail Carnival again. But if given the choice and all costs being equal, I'd go with Celebrity.

 

Celebrity a bit more lad back, there's not a lot activity going on like on Carnival. They do have their moments, but it's not constant.

 

Food is pretty much equal in terms of "fast food" type items (I think Carnival is better there, especially the pizza), but I Celebrity has a larger menu on the buffet, as well as having better healthier options with their AquaSpa Café. Celebrity has more options for specialty dining, but the quality is on par with Carnival's steak house. And the main dining room food is definitely better than Carnival's in most cases, and no silly "waiter dancing" going on.

 

Entertainment, depending on the cruise, has been overall better on Celebrity in my experience, but it's a limited sampling in my case.

 

The crew, overall, is more outgoing and readily available to assist on Celebrity. The exceptions being the bars, where i feel Carnival wins hands down (Martini bar excluded), and service in and around the buffet. Celebrity just seems to lack in the service there.

 

Getting back to the martini bar for a bit, that is one of the unique thing you will find on Celebrity that Carnival does not have. In all my cruises, it's probably one of my favorites places to be, even if I am not drinking.

 

The overall service is pretty much equal, especially when it comes to the room stewards and front desk area of the ship. Dining room service is better on Celebrity; buffet service, as I mentioned above, is better on Carnival.

 

Customer service, when they're having to deal with helping you or correcting an error of some sort, is severely lacking for Celebrity. At least in the 2 cases I had to deal with, neither of which resulted in anything getting resolved to my satisfaction. Whatever issue I have had on my Carnival cruises had nothing to do with Carnival, but with other outside issues. (i.e. bad weather cancelling an excursion)

 

Both are very smooth when it comes to embarking and disembarking. Never an issue with either of them.

 

Hopefully some of that helps. :)

[eandj]

From your initial thoughts and questions, I would go Royal Carib and then Princess next. I am basing that on entertainment as you mentioned that as important. We use Royal when traveling with multigenerational family cruises. seems there's something for all.

Princess doesn't have all the bells and whistles that Royal offers, but we find it has more lively entertainment than X.

We enjoy and frequent both Princess and Celebrity.

[stratixman]

Well there are so many variables to consider: itineraries. actual costs, entertainment, food, service levels, etc. and of course the fact that everyone's tastes are going to be different. Having sailed only once perhaps itinerary is not so important, but I would encourage you to opt for either eastern or southern itineraries as the ports in my opinion are more interesting. As for ship board activities I think that Carnival and RCCL are a bit more lively than Celebrity. We enjoyed RCCL activities but Carnival stuff tends to be a bit too juvenile/sophomoric for us. Celebrity is more laid back and refined, and tends to appeal to an older demographic than the other two. We think food and service on Celebrity is elevated above the other two. Entertainment on Celebrity is fine, but RCCL is a bit more varied. The Celebrity S class ships are overall just plain gorgeous and never feel crowded to us. . RCCL goes for the shopping mall vibe, which is cool the first time you experience it, but we felt more crowded on their ships. Carnival, eh. At the right price and right itinerary we would go. Regarding NCL, we have never found a cruise from NCL with the itinerary that interested us at a better price than what we could do with Celebrity, so we have stayed with Celebrity. No regrets and will be booking our next Celebrity cruise this week.

[ShawninFL]

I concur with those that say to grab a drink and start reading through the reviews. There are thousands of them and obviously you won't be able to read everything, but you can narrow down to some preferred ships/ports of call. As you read them, you'll start to be able to tell quite quickly those that can be discounted and those that you should read all the way through. When someone states an opinion, I'm always looking for them to then quantify that opinion. Why did you think the entertainment was bad? Was it the performers? Was it because you just don't like a broadway show, comedian, or local cultural talent? I frequently read reviews, not so much for a particular ship anymore, but more for shore excursions and things to do on a trip. Good luck in your search.

[cmalagngl]

Before you make a choice remember the smoking policy on Celebrity. We have sailed Carnival, RCCL, Princess and Celebrity and keep going back to Celebrity for all the things mentioned above, the itinerary but the no smoking always comes into play. We were on Carnival last March and had a great time at a great price but our clothes reeked of smoke. If you frequent the Casino at all the no smoking policy is a big plus on Celebrity. Although I have yet to come home a Casino winner on Celebrity but have done it a few times on Carnival. The one man act on Carnival who frequented various bars and lounges on our cruise was outstanding. All things considered for us Celebrity always starts way ahead of the others. Also, if you pick a Carnival ship with a Molecular Bar it is as good or better in my opinion to the Martini Bar on Celebrity. I must admit I really enjoy both of them.

[bottomfeeder]

Before you make a choice remember the smoking policy on Celebrity. We have sailed Carnival, RCCL, Princess and Celebrity and keep going back to Celebrity for all the things mentioned above, the itinerary but the no smoking always comes into play. We were on Carnival last March and had a great time at a great price but our clothes reeked of smoke. If you frequent the Casino at all the no smoking policy is a big plus on Celebrity. Although I have yet to come home a Casino winner on Celebrity but have done it a few times on Carnival. The one man act on Carnival who frequented various bars and lounges on our cruise was outstanding. All things considered for us Celebrity always starts way ahead of the others. Also, if you pick a Carnival ship with a Molecular Bar it is as good or better in my opinion to the Martini Bar on Celebrity. I must admit I really enjoy both of them.

 

On the Sky I really noticed the smoke in a lot of public areas though on the Getaway I did not notice it as I walked through the ship. I'm not a casino person so I can't speak to the smoke that may or may not have been in the casino.

 

And interestingly, though I know it's just the luck of the draw, in spite of smoking on balconies being okay on the Getaway but against the rules on Celebrity, I smelled no smoke, ever, while on my Getaway balcony. Yet on every Celebrity cruise I've taken, I am bothered by someone nearby smoking on their balcony when I'm on mine.

[Bruin Steve]

Hi I would like to get some opinions on differnt cruise lines. We have only sailed once on carnival glory 2 years ago. We enjoyed the cruise but found that service was lacking in a lot of areas. We liked the entertainment but they repeated the same shows at the end of the trip. Food was good for the most part.

 

We are early 40s and looking to try a different cruise line to compare. We like going to shows and to the comedians. We have a cruise booked in 2017 on harmony of the seas as this is a family reunion cruise and we would like to try royal carribean.

 

What I guess I'm asking is what are the differences between celeberity, princess, and norwegian. How do they compare to carnival. All 3 have a iteniary that we would like to try but we are having trouble deciding on which one to try as we have only sailed carnival and would like to try a different cruise line for this February or March.

 

Any information or opinions would help.

 

Thank you

 

I have cruised over 40 times and on 8 different cruise lines...

 

Every cruise line does a lot of the same stuff...but there are also some distinct differences.

 

Personally, I think Carnival is the "bottom of the barrel" (and I have cruised them four times). They crowd too many people on their ships, service is lacking, entertainment poor, etc.

 

So, any other cruise line you try will likely be a step up.

I've cruised NCL only once...and that was a long time ago. Decided not to go back...and everything I have heard since confirms that to me. NCL markets itself as, basically, the anti-establishment cruise line--pushing the idea that they don't make you do things on a schedule. But, of course, they do...show times are show times...activities are still scheduled. Yes, there are no traditional dinner seating times--but, just about every cruise line now has the "anytime" seating option. About the one plus, for me, is no formal nights...but, most are unimpressed with their food and service.

 

I do love Royal Caribbean...especially for two things: Their ships/amenities are outstanding--zip lines, surfing pools, ice rinks, etc. and...their entertainment is unsurpassed, especially on the bigger, newer ships--Broadway shows, Cirque d' Soleil style water acrobatics shows, World Class Figure Skating shows, dedicated small venue comedy club...

 

But, let me say something here about comedians onboard: Every cruise line has them--but it's usually just one per cruise...sometimes one stand-up and one comedy based magician or ventriloquist. Depends on length of the cruise. Cruise lines like to give you a variety of entertainers...So, on a typical 7 night cruise, you'll get, maybe three "production shows"--singers and dancers, one comedy show (and maybe a second late night in one of the lounges with the same comedian), one "headliner"--typically a has-been singer, a magician or ventriloquist or impressionist and one variety show of sorts--maybe a combo of the singers and dancers, and an acrobatics duo...Nobody gives you comedy every night...All cruise lines mix it up about the same.

 

That said, the chance of getting really good comedians or mediocre comedians is pretty much hit and miss...and depends on your individual taste in comedy...

 

Okay, all of that said, let's get back to cruise lines...

 

Celebrity. Celebrity is my favorite line...and I usually explain that with the following underlying basis: The key to a cruise, IMHO, is how much space there is per passenger. Cruise lines like Carnival like to cram in as many paying guests as they can onto a ship...The better cruise lines put fewer passengers into the same sized ships...Take a look at the gross tonnage of a ship versus the number of passengers at full double occupancy. Note first that gross tonnage is a measure of volume (or space), not a measure of weight. Also note that most ships operate at AT LEAST full double capacity--all first and second berths filled...they rarely sail with empty cabins. Some cruise lines--like Carnival--tend to fill ALL berths (Carnival does this since they market heavily to families on a budget who tend to bring their kids along in the same cabin). But, using just the gross tonnage and full occupancy numbers, you can quickly see that Celebrity has some of the best ratios in the business.

 

Now, how does that translate to a better cruise? Well, first, you notice that all of the venues seem more spacious...seats n lounges or on the pool deck are easier to find. Same with seats in the showroom. I just did a comparison in another thread on the Princess board between Celebrity and Princess. The Ruby Princess, for example, carries, at full occupancy, 3,600 passengers--but their show room only has 1,000 seats. The Celebrity M-class ships carry 1,950 passengers--but their showroom has 900 seats. With two showings of the main show each night, seats ion that Princess showroom are hard to come by...people have to get to the show well in advance of curtain to hope to find a seat. On the Celebrity ship, with two seatings, there are ample seats for over 90% of the ship (and not everyone attends the shows)...never a problem finding a seat for a show.

 

The better ratios also translate to better service and a more comfortable atmosphere.

 

I was always amazed at the differences in the dining room. On Carnival, tables are jammed in very close together...and they rely on a lot of booths to squeeze in more people--which makes things hard for the servers to deliver proper service. On Celebrity, the dining rooms are spacious and waiters have lots of room to maneuver. We also went, once, on back-to-back Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises and were shocked when we counted the number of people our waiters were serving on each line. Our Carnival waiters were having to serve twice as many passengers at each dinner seating than our RCCL waiters!

 

Bottom line, I rank the cruise lines (at least the ones I've cruised) like this:

 

1. Celebriity

1a. Oceania (matches Celebrity on many criteria, even better on some dining but a little lower on entertainment...but at higher prices)

3. Royal Caribbean

4. Princess

5. NCL

6. Carnival (and it's a distant 6)

 

(I left out of the rankings Viking--since they're an entirely different animal--and Premier, the forerunner of Disney, since it has been so long and the new Disney is an entire re-invention).

 

Good luck.

[PNW Traveler]

For entertainment, Royal Caribbean varies with the ship and the itinerary. Larger ships are well set up for more lavish production shows, often have better house bands, and will have a good mix of shows, comedy, and individual performers. The smaller ships still do the production shows, but they are not as complex. Additionally, comedy performers and music oriented shows may be tailored to the passenger mix - for example, a cruise out of Southampton may have more British music and comedy. (I'm from the U.S. and am still trying to figure out some of the jokes!)

 

We have found Celebrity's entertainment to be of a slightly lesser quality than Royal's. It may be that this is just individual preference, but there has not been a single memorable performance.

 

In choosing a cruise, the itinerary, the ship, and and the length of the cruise all make a difference. Cruises of 10 days or more generally draw more retirees. 7 day cruises draw a mix of passenger ages. Short cruises that offer great prices will draw more "twenty-somethings" who may be on their first cruise. (All are good and all can be great cruise experiences.) The larger ships with more activities draw more families. Regardless of cruise length, Celebrity's Aqua class cabins and the BLU dining room will likely be mostly couples and very few children, if any.

 

There is no perfect cruise line. The good thing is that there are many choices.