2nd choice

[pna]

We are Celebrity fans, but had to cancel our cruise leaving today due to unexpected surgery.    Want to cruise next February, but none of 2020 work for us with the dates we check into our Florida rental.   All you Celebrity fans, what is your second choice in cruise lines.  We prefer more than 7 nights, Caribbean, and out of a Florida port.

[Knighton]

Princess is pretty good compared to Celebrity.

[GUT2407]

Just now, Knighton said:

Princess is pretty good compared to Celebrity.

Yep, I think there very similar.

[jelayne]

I would check Aamara.

[davekathy]

We like Royal Caribbean. Different but in a good way. Disclaimer, we do not do the Oasis or Quantum class ships. Way to big! 

[panoramaofthepast]

Princes or Holland America

[NantahalaCruiser]

8 hours ago, pna said:

We are Celebrity fans, but had to cancel our cruise leaving today due to unexpected surgery.    Want to cruise next February, but none of 2020 work for us with the dates we check into our Florida rental.   All you Celebrity fans, what is your second choice in cruise lines.  We prefer more than 7 nights, Caribbean, and out of a Florida port.

From the available Celebrity cruises with more than 7 nights that return either well before or after the end of February, I'm guessing that you will be checking in around 3/1/20.

 

Looking at Princess and Holland American, their >7 night cruises are similarly problematic:

Crown Princess 10-N 2/15/20 to 2/25/20

Zuiderdam 11-N 2/15/20 to 2/26/20

Koningsdam 10-N 2/23/20 to 3/4/20

 

Have you considered a B2B 14-N cruise?

 

Equinox has a B2B Eastern & Western 14-N from 2/15/20 to 2/29/20

 

The Sky Princess and Nieuw Amsterdam also have B2B 14-N cruises from 2/15/20 to 2/29/20

 

Best of luck

[PhoenixCruiser]

Check out Holland's new ships

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1 hour ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

Check out Holland's new ships

 

I agree, we enjoyed Holland America far more than we expected last summer.  The food, service, and cabins were impressive.  I'm not sure if they would have been for us 10 years ago, but the line is changing to our benefit, including the live music venues and activities.

[chemmo]

Firstly, I hope you are recovering well!

 

If I was you I would look for something special as a treat for missing the cruise you should presently be on!  I was in a similar situation last year and booking a new cruise at least took away a bit of the disappointment of the missed one.

 

Our second choice is usually RC. We prefer the better dining and quiet ambience on Celebrity but do enjoy the entertainment on RC.

 

One of the reasons we have never tried Princess is that so many have described it as very like a Celebrity....If I can’t have Celebrity I think I prefer a contrast....Another positive of RC is the wide variety of room choices, we did love the Aquatheatre suites on RC with wonderful wake (and show) views.

 

Whatever you choose sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery and a fantastic cruise to look forward to...

[Gordoncruickshank]

4 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Firstly, I hope you are recovering well!

 

If I was you I would look for something special as a treat for missing the cruise you should presently be on!  I was in a similar situation last year and booking a new cruise at least took away a bit of the disappointment of the missed one.

 

Our second choice is usually RC. We prefer the better dining and quiet ambience on Celebrity but do enjoy the entertainment on RC.

 

One of the reasons we have never tried Princess is that so many have described it as very like a Celebrity....If I can’t have Celebrity I think I prefer a contrast....Another positive of RC is the wide variety of room choices, we did love the Aquatheatre suites on RC with wonderful wake (and show) views.

 

Whatever you choose sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery and a fantastic cruise to look forward to...

We did a few cruises on Princess before we started with Celebrity and they were good but the suite inclusions were sparse and absolutely nothing like you get on a Celebrity Ship sailing in a suite.

[Gordoncruickshank]

13 hours ago, jelayne said:

I would check Aamara.

Azamara are not in the Caribbean at that time. I checked for ourselves not long ago.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

We did a few cruises on Princess before we started with Celebrity and they were good but the suite inclusions were sparse and absolutely nothing like you get on a Celebrity Ship sailing in a suite.

 

Thanks for that...Another reason for choosing  an alternative line for a ‘difference’ rather than a similarity!

[Gordoncruickshank]

1 minute ago, chemmo said:

 

Thanks for that...Another reason for choosing  an alternative line for a ‘difference’ rather than a similarity!

Princess isn't bad its just that Celebrity do things much better if you are in a suite.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

4 minutes ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

Princess isn't bad its just that Celebrity do things much better if you are in a suite.

 

Another option for something different is MSC, especially the Yacht Club.  I'm personally hesitant over the BBB "F" rating and food photos and reviews.  The decor is breathtaking, and the entertainment looks intriguing.

[hiccups]

We did an Oceania Caribbean cruise two years ago and really enjoyed it.  Definitely much quieter in the evening, but a beautiful ship (we were on Riviera, which is 1250 passengers), and excellent food.  Specialty restaurants are included, as well as all non-alcoholic beverages.  Their drawback now is that that during February and March, their shortest Caribbean cruise is 10 days.

Oceania has three levels of pricing--cruise only, "O Life" that includes perks and airfare, or "O Life" that excludes airfare.  With airfare prices high for us to FL in the winter, we got the best deal by taking the included air.  However, air is only from "gateway" cities, so you may have to drive or pay extra if you aren't close to a gateway (we booked under a promo that included flights from non-gateway cities).

[grandgeezer]

We don't even have a first choice when it comes to a cruise line. Celebrity has morphed into what we left the other cruise lines for. Our last two cruises were in suites, the Grand Suite on the Allure of the Seas, and the Yacht Club Deluxe Suite on MSC. We absolutely loved both of them but even though they were much cheaper than a comparable suite on Celebrity, it was still a lot of money. We are going on MSC again in October, in the same suite, and reevaluate it again after we get home.

[Decpl]

Wife and I enjoy Princess alot. I think they would work for you.

J and K

[pna]

Thanks for all the comments.    Will start checking some of those!

 

[4774Papa]

We found Royal Caribbean more similar to Celebrity than different.  Also, their cruises are usually cheaper than Celebrity's.

We avoid the mega ships.

Royal's entertainment is awesome.  Dining is not quite Celebrity level, but close.  

 

NCL is another line we have used.  Their entertainment is excellent, dining is great in specialty restaurants that are cheaper than on Celebrity.  MDR dining is not Celebrity's level.

 

Never done Princess, because we never found a cruise where the price beat one of our three favorites.

 

Never done HAL, largely due to their former smoking policy that was terrible.

[PhoenixCruiser]

16 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

I agree, we enjoyed Holland America far more than we expected last summer.  The food, service, and cabins were impressive.  I'm not sure if they would have been for us 10 years ago, but the line is changing to our benefit, including the live music venues and activities.

 

 

We enjoyed our two sailings with Holland as well - and that was on an older ship!  Looking forward to trying their new ships but first we are checking out Celebrity this November on the Summit!

[helen haywood]

Absolutely look at MSC’s Yacht Club!