Which cruise line has the most interactive cruisers Celebrity , Princess or HAL ?

[MicCanberra]

I don't necessarily disagree, I think people can go with whatever option they wish, it doesn't have to be one or the other. If people want the zodiac experinces then they should do it. If they do not then the cruise by is perfectly good as well.

[Hlitner]

I have always wondered how many folks thought that seeing NYC via a cruise by was a great way to see the city.  Or driving through Yellowstone Park and seeing what you could see through a bus window was the best option.  Most folks would want to actually walk around NYC, and we have not seen anyone enjoying Old Faithful from their bus window.   I wonder how many cruisers stay on the ship when they get to a place like Santorini?  So, assuming folks have mobility I do not understand why they would be content to see Antarctica from a cruise ship.  Just wondering.

 

Speaking of cruise bys, the first time we saw Milford Sound (South Island, NZ) was from the deck of a Princess ship.  The 2nd time was when we were on a rental car driving trip of South Island and drove ourselves down to Milford Sound.  After enjoying what there was to see on land, we took a small boat (about 50 passenger) cruise into the Sound.  Rather then looking at a waterfall form 1/2 of a mile away on a cruise ship, our small boat went right under the falls (and a few fools went on the bow and let the water pour over them.  We saw lots of wildlife including some fascinating birds that were nesting along the shoreline.  From our cruise ship we could not see that kind of thing unless we used very powerful binoculars...and then we still would not heard them talking to us :).  

 

My point is that if the only way to see Antarctica was from a ship then that would be the best way to do it.  But if one has the chance to go ashore, interact with Penguins, Seals and other wildlife, hear their sounds, experience their smells...well that would be my preference.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

On 10/10/2019 at 8:12 AM, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

We're trying to get the word out for people who have considered cruising there . We did book Greenland and Iceland for next Summer .

When it comes to Greenland (we recently returned from our 2nd cruise to that island) I strongly recommend going on the smallest ship you can book.  The reason is that with the exception of Nuuk, all the ports are tender ports and the shoreside facilities can be inadequate.  Trying to tender 3000 passengers into a single tender dock at Nanortalik is not a fun day (many on the Caribbean Princess never even made it ashore...giving up after waiting over 2 1/2 hours for a tender).   Iceland does much better with larger ships since that island and several of its ports do have some infrastructure.

 

Hank

[clo]

45 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I don't necessarily disagree, I think people can go with whatever option they wish, it doesn't have to be one or the other. If people want the zodiac experinces then they should do it. If they do not then the cruise by is perfectly good as well.

Oh, the zodiac was just a fraction of it.  Actually standing there was so cool.  And getting the instruction that if a penguin walked by/through we were to stop and give them right of way 🙂  But or and you DO have to be on a smaller ship and that may not be what some people would want.  It was perfect for us.

 

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

My point is that if the only way to see Antarctica was from a ship then that would be the best way to do it.  But if one has the chance to go ashore, interact with Penguins, Seals and other wildlife, hear their sounds, experience their smells...well that would be my preference.

 

Hank

You can still do all of that with a cruise to and through Antarctica though, there are ports (Falkland Islands and Ushuaia) where interaction with the penguins is possible without the need to walk on ice/snow. And all the other wildlife is easily seen smelt, and heard from the ship. Admittedly, you are not 1m off the water to see some of these things.

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, clo said:

Oh, the zodiac was just a fraction of it.  Actually standing there was so cool.  And getting the instruction that if a penguin walked by/through we were to stop and give them right of way 🙂  But or and you DO have to be on a smaller ship and that may not be what some people would want.  It was perfect for us.

 

Looks like a helipad, our ship had one of those too.

We stood among, and walked around with the penguins at Volunteer point (Falklands) and Martillo Island (Ushuaia).

[scubacruiserx2]

My point is that if the only way to see Antarctica was from a ship then that would be the best way to do it.  But if one has the chance to go ashore, interact with Penguins, Seals and other wildlife, hear their sounds, experience their smells...well that would be my preference.

 

Hank

 

Hank , we did get to go ashore and see , hear and smell them from the Zaandam .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

42 minutes ago, ducklite said:

 

I agree--I can't imagine going to Antarctica and not stepping foot on the ice.  Too me it's like going to Australia and skipping Tazmania.

 

We did walk on ice both Glaciers and snow . We can't imagine people going only to Ushuaia and skipping Glacier Alley or Patagonia . But that's their choice and we respect it . Why won't people respect ours ?

 

 

 

 

Romanche

 

 

Alemania glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MicCanberra]

They are very good indeed.

[geoherb]

I find the different itineraries attract different demographics. Our recent transatlantic cruise on the Crown Princess had a very active roll call, a meet and greet with over a hundred people attending, book club meetings, slot pulls, several independent tours arranged, etc. In contrast, my Alaskan cruises on the Island Princess had dead roll call threads. One did have a meet and greet that around 20 people showed up for. That was nice.

 

On board the ship, I find that Princess had the most activities going on. Holland America is more relaxed, and it has done away with a lot of the cruise director's staff. Our last HAL cruise had a cruise director, port lecturer, DJ, and culinary hostess to run the few activities. My last Princess cruise had a cruise director and five assistant/junior cruise directors. It's been too long since we sailed on Celebrity for me to know how it's doing now with entertainment and activities.

[DarrenM]

5 minutes ago, geoherb said:

On board the ship, I find that Princess had the most activities going on. Holland America is more relaxed, and it has done away with a lot of the cruise director's staff. Our last HAL cruise had a cruise director, port lecturer, DJ, and culinary hostess to run the few activities. My last Princess cruise had a cruise director and five assistant/junior cruise directors. It's been too long since we sailed on Celebrity for me to know how it's doing now with entertainment and activities.

I believe that the Celebrity entertainment is first call. I can say that because very little of it was my cup of tea, but I watched a show every night, and each had their own merits.

 

They brought a classical quartet called Incanto on board they were stunning. Singing Classical music, and yes some Opera.🤣

 

Like I said not my cup of tea, yet I loved the entertainment in Eden. Which was whacky, quirky, slightly raunchy, and quite personal, but for a reason I cannot explain, I loved it.