Ratings to cruise line companies and their ships

[Madmax.69]

Was wondering what people would rate their top cruise line and their ships and the reasons why have cruised on carnival spirit 3 times now and found it tops just looking to see what other people's views are and if it's worth trying another cruise line or ship thanks in advance

[GUT2407]

Was wondering what people would rate their top cruise line and their ships and the reasons why have cruised on carnival spirit 3 times now and found it tops just looking to see what other people's views are and if it's worth trying another cruise line or ship thanks in advance

 

For me it's Princess.

 

Just love their product.

 

Celebrity is currently our second pick.

 

Favourite ship, we'll still Pacific Princess, but she doesn't sail here anymore. We love the small 680 passenger intimacy. (so suspect there are a few other lines we'd like, would love to try -Azamara and Silverseas).

 

But then we don't need all the activities, we enjoy spending time together and being pampered. No real interest in rock climbing walls, fake surfing and water slides at sea.

 

But one great thing about cruising is that there is something for just about everyone.

[windsor26]

Princess Favourite ship/s Emerald and Diamond

Celebrity but expensive

CRI again a little expensive

P&O UK

Carnival

P&O Australia giving them another chance next month

HAL at this time not willing to try them again

[Brisbane41]

Was wondering what people would rate their top cruise line and their ships and the reasons why have cruised on carnival spirit 3 times now and found it tops just looking to see what other people's views are and if it's worth trying another cruise line or ship thanks in advance

 

Its not worth even discussing or contemplating a rating system.

 

There are people who consider Carnival a mass market line and beneath them and would not travel on it and they would probably feel more at home on a Princess ship or Celebrity ship. All the lines cater to a different demographic and have done so for years. Some people would not know the difference and some do.

 

If you are happy where you are then stay where you are.

 

The thing about cruise lines is that you need to look at who they are marketing for. Some cruise lines cater more to families, others cater to singles and couples and are more sociable and encourage interaction between passengers. Some cruise lines target the extremely wealthy while others target the average person while others aim for middle class.

 

One could safely suggest that Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P&O Australia all appeal to families and the average person.

 

Cruise lines like Princess, P&O UK are more middle class and lines that try to go a step above mass market.

 

Then there are the premium lines like Celebrity, HAL, Cunard that cater to upper middle class and wealthy at the same time.

 

Then you have cruise lines like Crystal and Regent that cater to the super rich and extremely wealthy and the type of people that would have a Mercedes or BMW or expensive car in their garage that costs more than the average persons house.

 

The best way to access a cruise line is look at who it caters to opposed to ratings. Ratings are very subjective and answer no questions at all.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Princess and Celebrity are neck and neck for me.

 

Princess is winning so far, mostly because they are in our region year round.

 

It very much depends on itinerary too. For a relaxing cruise I'd choose Princess as it has The Sanctuary. That costs extra but I'm happy to have an inside cabin on Princess whioch counteracts that cost.

 

For a port-intensive cruise I'd choose Celebrity, especially with the included perks which means I can get a balcony cabin with drinks package included. Celebrity has nicer cabins IMHO, especially the bathrooms.

 

We tried Royal Caribbean but it's not a good fit for us. Haven't tried the others. We probably won't try Carnival and P&O, but would like to try Cunard.

[Blue Elephant]

We are favouring Princess at the moment because their itineraries have the WOW factor. But we have also cruised with Royal Caribbean and I have also done a cruise on Carnival Spirit.

 

Itinerary, timing and pricing are all that I look for.

[mum and son]

I like Celebrity and really enjoyed my only Princess cruise on the Diamond. Looking forward to the Emerald B2B in January, but am expecting Celebrity and Princess to be more similar than different.

 

I would say that the only cruise ship I didn't really enjoy was Voyager of the Seas. I felt very little connection to the ocean and felt like I was in a US shopping mall the entire time. For me, personally, I see no use in waterslides, zip lines or ice skating rinks.

 

While they don't travel to Oz (yet) I had a wonderful cruise onboard the Norwegian Jade. This was helped by a spectacular upsell to a Courtyard Villa... because on NCL they let you phone them and make an offer to upgrade, not only the other way around ;). The Suite perks on NCL are superior to every other cruise line I believe. It was an amazing experience.

 

While I understand that P&O Aus are considered to be second rate, especially the ships we usually have sailing out of Brisbane, I still enjoy a 7 day break with them when the opportunity arises. I only go on them when I can grab a last minute cheap deal in any cabin category except inside, and I'm happy to report that I always feel like I'm getting much more than I paid for.

 

I am fairly easy to please and believe any day on a cruise is a good day :).

[GUT2407]

I like Celebrity and really enjoyed my only Princess cruise on the Diamond. Looking forward to the Emerald B2B in January, but am expecting Celebrity and Princess to be more similar than different.

 

I would say that the only cruise ship I didn't really enjoy was Voyager of the Seas. I felt very little connection to the ocean and felt like I was in a US shopping mall the entire time. For me, personally, I see no use in waterslides, zip lines or ice skating rinks.

 

While they don't travel to Oz (yet) I had a wonderful cruise onboard the Norwegian Jade. This was helped by a spectacular upsell to a Courtyard Villa... because on NCL they let you phone them and make an offer to upgrade, not only the other way around ;). The Suite perks on NCL are superior to every other cruise line I believe. It was an amazing experience.

 

While I understand that P&O Aus are considered to be second rate, especially the ships we usually have sailing out of Brisbane, I still enjoy a 7 day break with them when the opportunity arises. I only go on them when I can grab a last minute cheap deal in any cabin category except inside, and I'm happy to report that I always feel like I'm getting much more than I paid for.

 

I am fairly easy to please and believe any day on a cruise is a good day :).

 

Celebrity v Princess.

 

About as much difference between two ships from either than one from each.

 

My opinion anyway.

[mum and son]

Celebrity v Princess.

 

About as much difference between two ships from either than one from each.

 

My opinion anyway.

 

Maybe what I should have said was that I prefer the atmosphere and amenity offered by Princess and Celebrity, and always look to them first. While I have not travelled on many ships in their fleet, I believe they offer the style of vacation I am looking for.

 

Still enjoy P&O for a short break, but have not had reason to consider Carnival or Royal Caribbean for a longer holiday, although I might consider some of RCI's smaller ships. As I can only take a maximum of one longer break per year, and I travel with my school aged son, I am restricted to Xmas holiday cruises most of the time and I don't want to risk my annual break on something I don't think I would enjoy. I do as much research as I can to determine which ships/lines suit me best before I commit.

[GUT2407]

Maybe what I should have said was that I prefer the atmosphere and amenity offered by Princess and Celebrity, and always look to them first. While I have not travelled on many ships in their fleet, I believe they offer the style of vacation I am looking for.

 

Still enjoy P&O for a short break, but have not had reason to consider Carnival or Royal Caribbean for a longer holiday, although I might consider some of RCI's smaller ships. As I can only take a maximum of one longer break per year, and I travel with my school aged son, I am restricted to Xmas holiday cruises most of the time and I don't want to risk my annual break on something I don't think I would enjoy. I do as much research as I can to determine which ships/lines suit me best before I commit.

 

Again no argument from me. Currently for us it's Princess first Celebrity second, trying Cunard next and keen to try Azamara (but so few Sydney to Sydney and for us that is a must).

[mrs and mrs]

For us its princess,but how can we judge others,when we have never sailed them.I read the reviews,and as is human nature,we read the bad ones first and then try and balance it out with the good ones.We find that by reading the average reviews,you get a good indication,and i also take notice of the % of likes.Say if a cruise line has a 65% like,and One has a 85% like,um well the figures do the talking.But when reading the reviews,you really have to read between the lines.One line we would not cruise is p&o Australia.Princess fits us beautifully,so much so that we are almost to scared to try others fearing disappointment:):).Everyone finds their fit.

[lyndarra]

Was wondering what people would rate their top cruise line and their ships and the reasons why have cruised on carnival spirit 3 times now and found it tops just looking to see what other people's views are and if it's worth trying another cruise line or ship thanks in advance

Its rare for anyone to have a bad cruise on their first cruise. Mostly they enjoyed it enough to go again with the same line. It worked well enough for them first time so why change?

We've cruised five different lines. We prefer Celebrity followed by Holland America. We would still consider the other three (Princess, Carnival, RCI) if they had an itinerary that suited us at a price we would be comfortable with.

[pattle66]

For us it is Royal Caribbean but we have only tried Carnival Spirit and Pride of America on other lines.

 

Our first cruise was our honeymoon on RCI and we loved it. We have continued to cruise on RCI because we don't want to be disappointed on another line if we don't like it. I would love to do a world cruise so it is about time we spread our wings and try out the other lines.

[Russell21]

Well we're Princess fans but next Monday we'll be trying out Carnival Spirit for 10 nights. At $100.00/night each for a midships deck 8 balcony cabin we couldn't say no.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Russell21

[Blue Elephant]

 

I would say that the only cruise ship I didn't really enjoy was Voyager of the Seas. I felt very little connection to the ocean and felt like I was in a US shopping mall the entire time. For me, personally, I see no use in waterslides, zip lines or ice skating rinks.

 

We went on a cruise on Voyager of the Seas in January and didn't quite have the same "good vibe" that other cruises have had. There seemed to be much more queuing, both for the dining room, buffet breakfast and tenders. We have also sailed on Allure of the Seas and it was just fine for these things. There was some queuing for the Windjammer at times, but the Allure had a touch screen thingy at the lifts that told you how full each dining venue was.

 

I think the flow riders and water slides etc are a great feature for older children through to those in their twenties. My daughter went on Voyager about 6 weeks before we did and she was totally impressed with cruising as a result (will cruise any time we can pay for her).

[Missusdubbya]

Royal Caribbean is my preferred line - and while I enjoyed the Oasis, I particularly like the Radiance.

[icat2000]

Princess for me. I like Diamond and Golden. Grand class ships too. But Sun class had a nice time too. Crew very friendly on those ones.

 

Celebrity is nice. But there add on grats at 18% and I don't think the dining experience in MDR is any good. Nice buffet. But you pay for a lot of stuff on board.

 

I'm tending to steer away from cruiselines that operate in USD out of Australia at the moment. Especially with the dollar dropping again.

Edited May 18, 2016 by icat2000

[OzKiwiJJ]

Unfortunately Princess doesn't do many one way cruises between Auckland to Sydney as Celebrity does. We find this itinerary is very good for catching up with friends and family in NZ, starting with a few days in Auckland.

[jspqld]

Was wondering what people would rate their top cruise line and their ships and the reasons why have cruised on carnival spirit 3 times now and found it tops just looking to see what other people's views are and if it's worth trying another cruise line or ship thanks in advance

 

We are all very different and like different things. As you can see in my sig below I have cruised a few lines and many ships. All great in their own way & happy to sail on most of them again for the right price &/or ports.

My fav ship would be the Allure, but I also have a soft spot for the Carnival Freedom as it was the first of the big megaliners I sailed on. Carnival & Costa I think have provided me with the most fun/atmosphere on board. Royals ships have the most wow factors. Celebrity the best overall food, MSC very modern decors.

If you havene't already done so I would suggest doing a cruise in the Med or out of the US. Cruising there is on a whole different level to what we are used to here in Australia. Mostly for the better.

[linanles]

Of the cruise lines we have sailed with top of our list is Princess.

Second in HAL. On a par with Princess as far as the cruise but they don't have the same incentives like future cruise credits and benefits for past cruisers.

Carnival was OK but better for younger families. We are a retired couple and found it very noisy and kids running wild. We were amazed at how many kids there were when it was out of school holiday time and end of year exams were coming up.

P&O was our first cruise and with nothing to compare with we thought it was good at the time but after cruising with other lines we realised how much better it can be. Went on another P&O cruise early this year because of the itinerary but it was worse that the first cruise.

Bottom is RCI after a terrible Xmas cruise, in fact after reading reviews it's almost like we were on another cruise line to what they describe.

Reluctant to go on Celebrity as it is part of the RCI group.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Reluctant to go on Celebrity as it is part of the RCI group.

 

Apart from the similarity of (high) drinks prices, Celebrity is quite different from RCI.

 

Since you like Princess, you'd probably enjoy Celebrity.

[GUT2407]

Apart from the similarity of (high) drinks prices, Celebrity is quite different from RCI.

 

Since you like Princess, you'd probably enjoy Celebrity.

 

Totally agree Princess and Celebrity are very similar.

[sailing canary]

 

 

 

 

Then you have cruise lines like Crystal and Regent that cater to the super rich and extremely wealthy and the type of people that would have a Mercedes or BMW or expensive car in their garage that costs more than the average persons house.

 

The best way to access a cruise line is look at who it caters to opposed to

We're not super rich nor extremely wealthy and we've been on a Crystal cruise!!:D

[GUT2407]

We're not super rich nor extremely wealthy and we've been on a Crystal cruise!!:D

 

Haven't been on Chrystal yet, but have had a BMW in the shed (a couple in fact) and certainly not super rich.

[sonia2509]

Haven't been on Chrystal yet, but have had a BMW in the shed (a couple in fact) and certainly not super rich.

 

 

Not cruise related but what BMW's do you have in your shed? My husband has a 1985 E24 635 and it is his pride and joy [emoji3]

 

 

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