What is your favorite cruise line other than Carnival?

[Theosprey247]

We’ve cruised Carnival, RCI, Disney, Paul Gauguin, Viking (river), Regent, and Celebrity.

if we’re taking the kiddos then it’s carnival otherwise my wife prefers Regent or PGC (if doing SP)

[Eli_6]

13 hours ago, Sif said:

I've done Carnival and Royal Caribbean, with a tentative future booking on Norwegian. I'd say if you really, really like Celebrity and don't mind the smaller space, you can save money by booking an inside stateroom and it might encourage you to explore more and get the most out of the ship since you'll be more inclined to spend time outside of the room.

On the Fjord cruises, so much is based on the scenery that I really want a balcony. 

 

The RCCL is like 10k for 4 us all in one room for JUST a balcony...not even a suite!  

 

We can do Celebrity for about 5k for 2 or 7500 for 4 in a balcony. Still, dates aren't the best.

 

These are all 7 days.

 

By comparison to, Carnival is 5600 for a Grand Suite for a 9 day Fjords cruise for 4 people.  Or we can do 2 rooms (aft balcony and inside) for about 6500.  The date just doesn't work.  There are more dates for 2021, but it's hard to plan a trip out that far as my husband and I are still on the fence about a third child.  

 

MSC has the best dates and it looks like we can do yacht club for 2 for about 5800 or a whirpool suite (not YC) for about 5400.

 

MSC seems to not get the best reviews, though and a lot of them are related to service.  Honestly, I can put up with a lot if the food is good and service is decent. My biggest beef is bad food and rude workers.  We went on NCL in 2008 and the food was horrible. 

 

 

[Eli_6]

13 hours ago, Sif said:

I've done Carnival and Royal Caribbean, with a tentative future booking on Norwegian. I'd say if you really, really like Celebrity and don't mind the smaller space, you can save money by booking an inside stateroom and it might encourage you to explore more and get the most out of the ship since you'll be more inclined to spend time outside of the room.

On the Fjord cruises, so much is based on the scenery that I really want a balcony. 

 

The RCCL is like 10k for 4 us all in one room for JUST a balcony...not even a suite!  

 

We can do Celebrity for about 5k for 2 or 7500 for 4 in a balcony. Still, dates aren't the best.

 

These are all 7 days.

 

By comparison to, Carnival is 5600 for a Grand Suite for a 9 day Fjords cruise for 4 people.  Or we can do 2 rooms (aft balcony and inside) for about 6500.  The date just doesn't work.  There are more dates for 2021, but it's hard to plan a trip out that far as my husband and I are still on the fence about a third child.  

 

MSC has the best dates and it looks like we can do yacht club for 2 for about 5800 or a whirpool suite (not YC) for about 5400.

 

MSC seems to not get the best reviews, though and a lot of them are related to service.  Honestly, I can put up with a lot if the food is good and service is decent. My biggest beef is bad food and rude workers.  We went on NCL in 2008 and the food was horrible. 

 

 

[Eli_6]

11 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Have only been on 5 cruises, 3 Royal, 2 Carnival, and so far prefer Carnival. Cant wait to try MSC and Norweigan next.

I am really curious about MSC.  They seem to have by far the most Northern European sailings and the yacht club looks really interesting. And unlike the Havana area, they allow kids. My only reservation is the reviews are really mixed.  

[Eli_6]

2 hours ago, thesmiths said:

We did 2 Disney cruisewhen the children were younger and loved them.

May do another one if we ever have Grand Children And we are still around 🙂

 

Carnival is our go to. Vista Class, love the Havana Area and love the ABC islands.

 

 

 

 

I am a huge fan of the Havana area.  It makes the cruise IMO.  

[Eli_6]

14 hours ago, Bases5 said:

After Carnival would be Princess then MSC followed by Royal

 

Did you like MSC?  

[thesmiths]

39 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

I am a huge fan of the Havana area.  It makes the cruise IMO.  

 

I totally agree.

Total R&R...

 

 

 

[LPYRCRUISER]

We tried Celebrity a couple of years ago.  Loved it, but their prices have jumped significantly.  I am always looking to get the best bang for my buck.  NCL has better entertainment, but Carnival is often my go to.

 

[havanadaydreaming]

14 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Have only been on 5 cruises, 3 Royal, 2 Carnival, and so far prefer Carnival. Cant wait to try MSC and Norweigan next.

MSC is very different.  The MDR service isn't necessarily SLOW but it takes considerably longer to complete meal than other cruise lines.   Like 90 minutes or so, if memory serves.  so long as that's expected its a non-issue. 

 

The entertainment, as described to me from cruise director, is intended to be non-verbal focus so patrons from different countries can appreciate the show.  The songs were still in English but there wasn't a lot of scripted talk.  Kinda cool!

 

some folks were agitated that the announcements from the captain were in 4 languages.  I found it fascinating. 

[sprint180]

I really like NCL.  We did not like Royal, neither did our kids.  Well one out of five kids liked Royal.

Edited November 14, 2019 by sprint180

[pacruise804]

On 11/13/2019 at 2:52 PM, Eli_6 said:

Just curious.  I am wanting to take a Norwegian Fjords or Iceland cruise and this isn't a route Carnival normally takes.  (They have one, but dates don't work.)

 

I was looking at Celebrity and had a little sticker shock.  We like to do a Havana room, Vista balcony or Suite on Carnival and a comparable room on Celebrity is at least twice the price.

We have sailed Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Princess in addition to Carnival.  There have been parts of each that we have liked, but find Carnival gives us the best overall experience.

 

We are booked on Viking Ocean for next year (totally different than Carnival) and I was going to recommend checking them, but it sounds like you might have children and VO doesn't allow under 18.  All cabins are balcony or better, but I think they only book 2 per cabin.

 

Overall NCL was my least favorite, but what they did well I felt they did very well.  I might consider them for your itinerary.

[kikimom]

My first cruise was on Cunard waaaay back around 1982.  Then a transatlantic crossing on the QE2 in 1983.  Holland American Panama Canal cruise around 1985 and Princess to Bermuda around 1987.  Princess Alaska inside passage in 1993 then a huge gap (adopted 3 kiddos from China) and cruised Carnival Fascination to Bahamas in 2011 and Carnival Ecstacy in 2017. Sailing on the Breeze in a cove balcony next January.  

 

Loved them all!!!  I prefer a smaller ship, definitely balcony (love the aft ones), don't need lots of activities, but love good food.  Tentatively booked on Princess to South Pacific December 2020 (couldn't resist the $1 deposit), but have my heart set on the Paul Gaughin.

[bmc alabama]

Princess and Disney

[sgttami]

Next to Carnival my favorite would be RCL.

 

14 on RCL

14 on Carnival

1 each on Celebrity, MSC and Norwegian

The only one I'd NEVER sail again would be Norwegian even if it were free for life...LOL 

[Bases5]

9 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

 

Did you like MSC?  

It’s a very different product. We really enjoyed our cruises with them. It’s more European based so it gets a bad rap from Americans.  
 Even cruising from the states you find a lot of European guest,  

Announcement are done in multiple languages 

There is no stand up comedy more improve comedy. 
shows are outstanding. Food is very good but Italian based.  
 We have cruised twice with them. Planning another in 2021 since 2020 is booked

  The status match is also a bonus. We status match from Platinum Carnival to Gold MSC which is 1 from the top with MSC

[Eli_6]

3 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

We have sailed Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Princess in addition to Carnival.  There have been parts of each that we have liked, but find Carnival gives us the best overall experience.

 

We are booked on Viking Ocean for next year (totally different than Carnival) and I was going to recommend checking them, but it sounds like you might have children and VO doesn't allow under 18.  All cabins are balcony or better, but I think they only book 2 per cabin.

 

Overall NCL was my least favorite, but what they did well I felt they did very well.  I might consider them for your itinerary.

I have actually looked at Viking.  If we do a 7-8 day cruise, we will go without the kids.

[finoky]

The great majority of our cruises have been with Carnival. We have also cruised Royal Caribbean and Princess. Our next cruise is booked with Carnival but we also have one booked with Princess. We will most likely alternate between these two lines in all future cruises.

[Tapi]

38 years, 32 cruises, and 12 cruise lines. I still haven’t sailed on a cruise line which I wouldn’t sail on again (unless they are out of business 😂).

 

 I don’t say that I have one favorite cruise line simply because there are things that I like and dislike about each one. Also, a cruise, even on the same cruise line, can vary so much from destination to destination, and from ship to ship. 
 

But from the cruises that I’ve taken most recently, here are my most memorable and why: (in no particular order)

 

1) MSC Meraviglia - Mediterranean (amazing ship, fantastic destination, our first full suite)

2) Empress of the Seas - Cuba (mesmerizing destination)

3) Disney Fantasy - Caribbean (beautiful ship, unrivaled Disney experience)

4) Golden Princess - Pacific Coastal (perfect cruise for an anniversary getaway without the kids)

5) Westerdam - Alaska (amazing destination)

6) Allure of the Seas - Caribbean (inaugural season sailing on the largest ship at sea, at the time)

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Tapi

[Djptcp]

We have sailed on Carnival 37 times, 5 on NCL, 1 on Royal Caribbean. Our next favorite line is Holland America. We have taken 8 cruises and have 3 booked for 2020.  We find the Holland ships very elegant while Carnival ships are glitzy and not elegant. The food is superior on Holland and we fit their demographic and very few kids are ever onboard while Carnival can be overrun with kids. Having said that, Carnival is fun and I receive constant casino offers for deeply discounted fares with onboard casino cash. We live close to Tampa and sail mostly on Carnival from there so it's very convenient and we are close to becoming Diamonds. I also receive lots of casino offers from Holland and have been fortunate to sail in their exclusive Neptune Suites at very discounted prices the last 5 Holland cruises. Holland is returning to Tampa in 2020 and will save us from having to always drive to Ft. Lauderdale to sail on it. NCL was great as our first cruises, but NCL and Royal Caribbean have gotten just too expensive and we like to sail 4+ times a year. We also prefer medium size ships and would never sail on the huge Royal and NCL ships, also too many kids.

[scpirate]

11 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

On the Fjord cruises, so much is based on the scenery that I really want a balcony. 

 

The RCCL is like 10k for 4 us all in one room for JUST a balcony...not even a suite!  

 

We can do Celebrity for about 5k for 2 or 7500 for 4 in a balcony. Still, dates aren't the best.

 

These are all 7 days.

 

By comparison to, Carnival is 5600 for a Grand Suite for a 9 day Fjords cruise for 4 people.  Or we can do 2 rooms (aft balcony and inside) for about 6500.  The date just doesn't work.  There are more dates for 2021, but it's hard to plan a trip out that far as my husband and I are still on the fence about a third child.  

 

MSC has the best dates and it looks like we can do yacht club for 2 for about 5800 or a whirpool suite (not YC) for about 5400.

 

MSC seems to not get the best reviews, though and a lot of them are related to service.  Honestly, I can put up with a lot if the food is good and service is decent. My biggest beef is bad food and rude workers.  We went on NCL in 2008 and the food was horrible. 

 

 

Europeans don't tip if you want service tip a little here and there and you will get your results.we did msc last April and I had drink coupons and that buck or two  has them checking on you frequently otherwise they get to you when they get to you.they are not going to kiss your butts .msc requests that you don't tip.like I said a buck or two changes things.celebrity is #1 msc#2 haven't tried Norwegian but after 2021 I'm not planning on cruising.i bought a motorhome when I retired and I need to put it to use.we can do a lot of short trips and car shows with the money I spend even on one 5 day cruise.

[GailnBrad]

Any

 

[deweytrader]

1. NCL

2. Carnival

3. MSC

4. Royal Caribbean

[Tapi]

11 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

MSC has the best dates and it looks like we can do yacht club for 2 for about 5800 or a whirpool suite (not YC) for about 5400.. 

We were in a similar situation when we sailed on the MSC Meraviglia. Yacht Club or an Aurea Suite with a hot tub. We opted for the Aurea Suite because we were a family of 4 and we considered the bigger accommodations to be more desirable than the Yacht Club benefits. 
 

Long story short, it was the correct decision. Our suite was fantastic, and even though we didn’t have Yacht Club access, we still had a decent list of perks, like priority embarkation, complimentary drink package, free massages, access to the thermal suite, dedicated section of the MDR with open seating, and access to a private solarium for suite passengers. 
 

We had also read the mixed reviews about MSC, but we had an absolutely memorable cruise. Easily one of the best cruises I’ve ever taken in my life. 
 

 

[beerman2]

Started with Carnival , now NCL fans.

 

When you add in drinks /Specialty dining as Perks I think NCL is just a little bit less expensive.

Plus you choices of Specialty Restaurants is much better on NCL.

 

Have yet to find RCI can compare in price, when you add in drinks/specialty dining to either Carnivsl or NCL.

 

MSC looks interesting though.

[RWolver672]

We have cruised on Carnival 11 times and RCI once.  We only cruise every other year and really look forward to each cruise.  We did not enjoy the RCI one for several reasons.  Rude staff, having to make reservations, fellow passengers that acted like they were better than you if you spoke to them, etc.  We went back to Carnival and will stay with them because we have always had fun and enjoyed our cruises with them.

 

If we ever stray away from Carnival again, I would like to try the American Steamboat Co's paddle wheel boats.  It looks like it would be fun other than the ports they stop at are not on the top of my list to see.

Edited November 15, 2019 by RWolver672