Experienced cruisers....Holland America, Princess or Carnival?

[Chris&Jose714Victory]

Please tell me which and why.

TIA!
Chris

[dst]

Well here is my take on it: Depending on why you are going on a cruise and your ages itwill greatly affect which one you choose. My first ever cruise was on RCCL loved it and sailed 5 more times with them. RCCL is a very nice line with varying ages and higher end staterooms, food is wonderful and more space in open area to get away from it all, less kids than some lines and superior customer service!

Then sailed Princess to try something different from RCCL: was disapointed did not like the service and the ships are plain; also not as much of a lively crew/crowd (could have been my ship) Will not cruise Princess Again.

Carnival we did last January; took that cruise for my fiance's Birthday and he had never cruised before; wanted him to get his feet wet and appreciate cruising while having some fun and a younger crowd. This was also my first time on Carnival (Paradise) and I have to say I did not have very high expectations but was very plesantly surprised: The service was great, people friendly food was better than expected (not as good as RCCL) and funny enough we made friends on that cruise that we have done other vacations with sence......!

In july we are going on HAL and I have never cruised them; however was told to try them for our honeymoon. So thats what we are doing, hopefully it will be as pleasant as the other cruises we have taken.

Anyway hope this helps you, if you could tell me your ages and the reason for your trip maybe I could be more specific. I really think any cruise you go on is as good and fun as you allow it to be; I have never met a person who did not like a cruise! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

[DesrtDrmr]

Hello,
The above cruiser did have a point about deciding why you are going on a cruise. If it is for a special occasion, you might want to choose available dates and itineraries. We usually choose by itinerary. We have been on RCCL ships that have been overrun with children, and since we were going to celebrate an anniversary, that did not suit our purpose for that trip. We liked HAL, crowd was older, but crew was WONDERFUL, and Cruise Director and staffs (in charge of entertainment and activities) were very lively and made things a lot of fun, as did our fellow passengers. We love Princess, as we prefer a more classic look to the interiors. Haven't been on Celebrity. Have heard good and bad........but have heard good and bad about all the cruise lines. Why not check out all of the cruiselines websites, look at their stateroom photos, and find the one you wish you were in!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] That way, you will probably find a ship that you will be comfortable on. Most will let you choose whether you want to eat early or late, or whenever you want to, with "personal choice" dining. You can choose how many people you want to sit with at dinner. You have a lot of choices on a ship. My suggestion is to choose an itinerary you'd like to try, see which ships are going there on the date you'd like to go, and check out the ships pictures.
Good luck, and have a great cruise!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2005;4;4;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Hawaii - On the Island

[Another ship trip]

I ve sailed on 15 cruises, 6 lines, 14 ships. My first statement would be not to choose a ship based on the line, but choose it for 1) IT HAS THE ITINERY YOU WANT, and 2) choose it based on reviews of the specific ship. I have had awesome trips and so-so trips within the same lines. I think Princess is great although I have only sailed twice on this line. Granted, I sailed for the places they went. I love a large ship and the Grand Princess I really loved. I have sailed on a number of intimate ships too and even older ships. I am willing to sacrifice glitz and art collections for ambiance in other ways. I want good food though because that is important to me. Cleanliness is also important as is a fair sized cabin. My next trip is on an older ship that has mixed reviews; therefore, I am purposely booking one of the larger cabins because I know that anything smaller than 150 is just to clausterphobic for me. RCCL has many small cabins and this particular one I am going on is older and has cabins as small as 110 sq ft. For many that is not an issue. For me it is, so I plan accordingly. I have been on Carnival and liked it although I find that if you sail a particular class ship, they are all alike. I like NCL overall but have had 1 cruise with them out of 8 that wasn't that good. It was the ship--not the line. Celebrity, while food was good, did not meet my expectations in other areas. Again, I believe it was the ship, not the line. Check reviews for the specific ship you want and make comparisons that way. One other thing. Freestyle dining is now common on NCL and some Princess ships. I love this way of dining rather than sitting the same time each night, so if that matters, plan accordingly there too. Good luck!

[JanetMarie]

[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=darkorchid]Well, for us, we have found Carnival to be too much of a party ship with a younger crowd. We're both 47 and by no means party poopers, we simply do not drink and care for the rowdiness.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#9932cc][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#9932cc]Princess has always been our preference. :p We find the staff to be accommodating and the food to be good. I have always liked the way the ships have plenty of activities and the simple layout of the ships make it easy to be crowd free IMO. :p [/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#9932cc][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#9932cc]No matter what line you choose, I don't think you can go wrong sailing on the high seas! [/color][/size][/font]

[vermonter16]

I happen to lean towards Carnival. My husband and I thought Carnival was a bit more fun with the shows and comedians and games then RCCL (even though you weren't asking about RCCL). We also liked the food a lot better than on RCCL and the service. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time on RCCL but again it just depends what you are looking for and what you are accustomed to.

Some people would prefer going to a fancy restaurant where presentation is everything and I'll take the place with the food on my plate ;)
vermonter16

[serene56]

I have sailed Royal and Carnival. I had a great time on every cruise. Carnival gave me better choices of my night life. With choices of game shows, comedians, karaoke. etc.etc every night of the week.