Princess, NCL, Holland America or Celebrity?

[markeb]

37 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

This.  I am so over posts that talk about their one time on XXX line 12 years ago that was horrible.  Absolutely horrible. And how they would never sail them again.  And by inference, neither should anyone else.

I find the differences between these 4 lines, although there absolutely are some, in toto far less glaring than would be initially apparent. 

I is important that any prospective cruiser finds what the majority feel is a line's strong--and weak--points and make their decision based on their interest in those strengths and weaknesses. 

 

I hesitated a lot to post a positive experience from so long ago for this very reason! We loved most aspects of HAL at that time, but pretty much realized we weren't ready for them. And the scooter bumper car jokes are overdone. There was age variety, but a lot of that seemed to be multi-generational families.

 

And I love live music, and they had great live music in small bars. We actually struck up conversations with a really cool blues/rock band on their breaks.

[4774Papa]

3 hours ago, Fouremco said:

HAL also goes to the Nordkaap on its Voyage of the Midnight Sun cruise. A great 14-night cruise RT Amsterdam.

 

The Globe, Nordkaap

 

We did the North Cape on Royal C. and it was great.  Also, NCL has a North Cape cruise.

[prish]

5 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

We did the North Cape on Royal C. and it was great.  Also, NCL has a North Cape cruise.

Nordkaap is most certainly on our wishlist. Celebrity offered this about 10-12 years back, on the Connie I believe, but when I looked the next year they no longer had that itinerary.

 

 

[prish]

Royal has an Arctic Circle sailing on the Jewel of the Seas on June 20, 2022, which includes Flam, a port we want to see. I will of course post on the Royal Caribbean forum, but wanted your take on this too.
 

Thanks again, really appreciate your taking the time to tell me about your experiences with these different lines, you guys are the best!

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/?country=USA&dates_maxDate=07%2F31%2F2022&dates_minDate=06%2F01%2F2022&departureCode_AMS=true&destinationRegionCode_EUROP=true&itineraryPanel=JW12AMS-3054981916

[CruiseCrew123]

Looking at the original post - isn’t Millenium in the Caribbean in Feb 22 ? 

[prish]

3 hours ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Looking at the original post - isn’t Millenium in the Caribbean in Feb 22 ? 

You’re right, sorry, my mistake! Celebrity will now deploy Infinity in South America instead of the Silhouette, she’s being diverted to the Caribbean. We took the option of rebooking on Infinity, but aren’t happy with the change and haven’t decided if we want to do this cruise...

[4774Papa]

5 hours ago, prish said:

Royal has an Arctic Circle sailing on the Jewel of the Seas on June 20, 2022, which includes Flam, a port we want to see. I will of course post on the Royal Caribbean forum, but wanted your take on this too.
 

Thanks again, really appreciate your taking the time to tell me about your experiences with these different lines, you guys are the best!

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/?country=USA&dates_maxDate=07%2F31%2F2022&dates_minDate=06%2F01%2F2022&departureCode_AMS=true&destinationRegionCode_EUROP=true&itineraryPanel=JW12AMS-3054981916

Here is my review of our North Cape cruise with Royal C.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659526&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

 

[prish]

3 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

Here is my review of our North Cape cruise with Royal C.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659526&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

 

Thanks a lot, would be most interested to read your review. 

[Tedferg]

Very interesting thread, I learned a lot and will think more about trying other cruise lines. We have sailed Princess (9) and Celebrity (1). We are value cruisers and book a standard balcony. We do not spend much time in the cabin and so love seats are not a big deal for us. We are familiar with Princess, it feels comfortable to us and buying Future Cruise Deposits onboard plus our Loyalty Perks makes it easy to default to Princess for our 'next cruise'. We enjoyed our one Caribbean cruise on =X= Refection but missed the openness of Princess Atrium and Crooners bar as central gathering places.

 

Would not have considered RCL because we feel it is too big, theme park like, but now would look at them for the right itinerary. Thanks for all info

[4774Papa]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Very interesting thread, I learned a lot and will think more about trying other cruise lines. We have sailed Princess (9) and Celebrity (1). We are value cruisers and book a standard balcony. We do not spend much time in the cabin and so love seats are not a big deal for us. We are familiar with Princess, it feels comfortable to us and buying Future Cruise Deposits onboard plus our Loyalty Perks makes it easy to default to Princess for our 'next cruise'. We enjoyed our one Caribbean cruise on =X= Refection but missed the openness of Princess Atrium and Crooners bar as central gathering places.

 

Would not have considered RCL because we feel it is too big, theme park like, but now would look at them for the right itinerary. Thanks for all info

We had that impression about RCL prior to both our cruises on RCL, however, our cruises were on smaller ships that are comparable to Celebrity's Solstice class ships.   Those ships are not like big theme parks, there was more similarity between Royal and Celebrity than differences.   The MDR dining was pretty good and almost as good as Celebrity, but Royal's buffet ranked from mediocre to good.   The Royal buffet served a lot of heavy meats at lunch and we usually look for lighter fare at lunch.  A couple of dishes on one Royal ship were not good at all.   They had something they called moussaka (a greek dish we love) that didn't resemble it at all.  Still the entertainment on Royal was fantastic and the service was excellent.  Their specialty restaurants were cheaper and excellent.

 

Further, we have found Royal's prices to be darn good.

Here are my reviews of both Royal cruises:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=659526&et_cid=3214772&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=620702&et_cid=3065755&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

 

[Tedferg]

4774papa, I read both of your reports, very informative, thank you. Interestingly our bucket list cruise is Princess Transpacific Sidney to SFO including Papeete, Bora Bora, Morea. We are comparing this with an =X= cruise from Sidney that ends in Hawaii. Princess is $399 / day, =X= is $497 / Day. Both standard Balconies with Drink Package etc. perks.

[markeb]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Very interesting thread, I learned a lot and will think more about trying other cruise lines. We have sailed Princess (9) and Celebrity (1). We are value cruisers and book a standard balcony. We do not spend much time in the cabin and so love seats are not a big deal for us. We are familiar with Princess, it feels comfortable to us and buying Future Cruise Deposits onboard plus our Loyalty Perks makes it easy to default to Princess for our 'next cruise'. We enjoyed our one Caribbean cruise on =X= Refection but missed the openness of Princess Atrium and Crooners bar as central gathering places.

 

Would not have considered RCL because we feel it is too big, theme park like, but now would look at them for the right itinerary. Thanks for all info

 

The Radiance Class (Radiance, Brilliance, Jewel, and Serenade of the Seas) are roughly 2000 passenger ships. We've sailed Jewel and Brilliance on longer cruises to the Baltics and Norway/Iceland. Radiance was considered huge when she was launched...

 

The Radiance class, especially on a longer cruise, is a totally different experience from Oasis or Allure. They're very open ships, although that's mostly glassed in. I would say a similar (not the same) as X. Unless somethings changed, unless you book a higher suite, you really get no perks other than more space and double cruise points for status. RCI does have a dedicated lounge for Diamond (X Elite with reciprocity) or above, which is quite nice. Light bites at breakfast, evening happy hour, coffee/espresso/latte machine. Diamond concierge.

[4774Papa]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

4774papa, I read both of your reports, very informative, thank you. Interestingly our bucket list cruise is Princess Transpacific Sidney to SFO including Papeete, Bora Bora, Morea. We are comparing this with an =X= cruise from Sidney that ends in Hawaii. Princess is $399 / day, =X= is $497 / Day. Both standard Balconies with Drink Package etc. perks.

That Sydney to SFO cruise looks great.   Not sure we will be visiting Australia again, we have been there twice and love the country and its people, but getting there involves a long flight to LAX from the east coast, then a 15  hour flight to Sydney.  These long flights for people in their mid-70s gets tougher and tougher.

[Tedferg]

3 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

That Sydney to SFO cruise looks great.   Not sure we will be visiting Australia again, we have been there twice and love the country and its people, but getting there involves a long flight to LAX from the east coast, then a 15  hour flight to Sydney.  These long flights for people in their mid-70s gets tougher and tougher.

Some years ago I had a business trip to Australia and long to take DW to Sydney - the long flight has been the barrier and we are on the West Coast. The cruise means we just fly one way. 

[vswan]

We have cruised on HAL, Royal, NCL, Celebrity, Princess,  MSC and more. For us it's not so much which line, but which itinerary on the dates we want to go at the best value. Our rating system is Celebrity, followed by HAL and Princess in a close tie for second. We put all the rest in the next tier. All have some good and some not. This really depends on when we went, what ship we were on, etc. Have been on the same line two years in a row and have had very different experiences. The last time we were on HAL the food was great. Have had some pretty bad  MDR food on many lines. We generally do not do specialty dining. DH figures food is included why pay extra. We are not big drinkers so the all inclusive will be pushing a number of lines out of our value category. The fun thing about going on multiple lines is that there always seems to be something new.

[Tedferg]

4774Papa I don't want to hijack this thread but do have a follow on question or two. I see RCL Ovation of the Seas, 16 night Sydney to Hawaii at a very nice price. It does not show options to add Drink Package etc. is RCL inclusive ? Also is Ovation between the Radiance and the Mammoth ships ?

[markeb]

Ovation is Quantum class. It's smaller than Oasis, but bigger than Freedom, which is two sizes, for lack of a better word, bigger than Radiance. Haven't been on a Quantum Class. I haven't priced an RCL cruise lately, but they did have drink packages in the past.

 

I'd probably ask for experiences on the RCL board. It "could" be a nice ship for that cruise, but it is going to be a bit of a theme park ship...

[prish]

The Nordkaap sailing is on the Jewel, which Celebrity ship would you say she’s like? The refurbished Millie or the pre-revolution Infinity and Summit? We did Alaska on the Millie in July 2019 and she was lovely.

 

 

[4774Papa]

3 hours ago, Tedferg said:

4774Papa I don't want to hijack this thread but do have a follow on question or two. I see RCL Ovation of the Seas, 16 night Sydney to Hawaii at a very nice price. It does not show options to add Drink Package etc. is RCL inclusive ? Also is Ovation between the Radiance and the Mammoth ships ?

We have never been on Ovation, but I think RCI uses its smaller ships in Australia.  I think most of its larger ships are stationed in the Caribbean.  We had the choice of a TP from Sydney to Seattle or Sydney to Hawaii.   The airfare was way more expensive back home from Hawaii and the one ending in Seattle was longer and cheaper per day, so we picked that one.

[markeb]

2 hours ago, prish said:

The Nordkaap sailing is on the Jewel, which Celebrity ship would you say she’s like? The refurbished Millie or the pre-revolution Infinity and Summit? We did Alaska on the Millie in July 2019 and she was lovely.

 

 

 

I haven't sailed those, so I'll stay away from comparisons, other than they have similar capacities to Jewel. 

 

We sailed Jewel to St Petersburg. The Radiance class' probably most notable feature is the huge atrium that opens from the 3rd or 4th deck to the 10th or 11th deck with midship elevators that extend into essentially a wall of glass. The Radiance class, including Jewel, is the last of the RCL ships without the Royal Promenade, essentially an indoor dining and shopping (almost like a boardwalk) area. Jewel has a lot of nice features that RCL eliminated as the ships got bigger. The Schooner Bar is nice on its own, but essentially becomes a lobby for the specialty restaurants. The aft opens into public space/bars that are used for Crown & Anchor receptions, and offer a great public space overlooking the ocean. Honestly, she's a great ship for that itinerary. Probably the most similar feel to Celebrity, but different.

[lyndarra]

3 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

We have never been on Ovation, but I think RCI uses its smaller ships in Australia.  I think most of its larger ships are stationed in the Caribbean.  We had the choice of a TP from Sydney to Seattle or Sydney to Hawaii.   The airfare was way more expensive back home from Hawaii and the one ending in Seattle was longer and cheaper per day, so we picked that one.

I have cruised on both Ovation and Radiance in Australia and New Zealand. Ovation is  twice the size of Radiance - 5000 pax v 2500 pax. Ovation has long queues when tendering. It was like cruising in a shopping mall. I liked both but prefer the size of Radiance as fits like a comfortable old shoe.

[Miaminice]

9 hours ago, prish said:

The Nordkaap sailing is on the Jewel, which Celebrity ship would you say she’s like? The refurbished Millie or the pre-revolution Infinity and Summit? We did Alaska on the Millie in July 2019 and she was lovely.

 

 

More like an unrefurbished Millenium-Class.

Radiance class (like Jewel) are nice and almost "cozy" but have a different vibe than Celebrity ships - a bit more traditional.
They are, although RCG ships,  also very different than the big amusement park like  mega ships.

We did Norway and Alsaka on a Radiance class and it was great. Plus, the passengers doing those cruises, are different than the ones doing the standard cruises on the big ships. More destination oriented than party cruisers.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Miaminice

[prish]

Thank you markeb and Miaminice for the detailed description of the Radiance class ships. I read yesterday that the Jewel had been refurbished in 2017, do you know if the interiors were redone, especially the staterooms?

 

I agree that people on these itineraries aren’t looking to party, nor would I except to see many children. My experience is that the majority on European sailings is looking to explore the ports. 

[Miaminice]

9 minutes ago, prish said:

My experience is that the majority on European sailings is looking to explore the ports. 

 

On Royal´s smaller ships or Celebrity that´s likely. However, you can also find ships and cruise lines (like MSC or Costa and sometimes NCL) with a majority of European passengers and families just looking for a fun vacation.

[dani negreanu]

On 1/27/2021 at 9:39 AM, prish said:

Royal has an Arctic Circle sailing on the Jewel of the Seas on June 20, 2022, which includes Flam, a port we want to see.

 

I'm also interested in the Arctic Circle sailing, it's not offered often, sometimes just once in the season. I've sailed twice on Jewel (lastly, just the sailing before the refurbishment) and twice on Radiance -- lovely ships for this itinerary, where you'd like to see the scenery from everywhere in the ship.

 

There is the mentioned above sailing, and also one on July 26th, which doesn't include Flam.

 

Curious as to why you prefer Flam over Geiranger, which is THE highlight of the fjord cruises?