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Advice on our next cruise line please, we are looking for a different cruise experience from a mass line.


Mike981
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7 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

It is absurd to insist that a la carte pricing automatically downgrades a line.

 

It is also silly to compare AI’s inclusions and pricing with that of a cruise line.

I repeat — and hope that the repetitive advocate of Oceania will simply (and quietly) enjoy the quality that line provides - and that his repetitive adversary will simply give it a rest.

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1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

I think the vast majority of hard working, well mannered, accomplished folk are not obsessed with high social status and would avoid snobs like the plague.  I've also observed (and been cornered) by a few.  But  only a few, thankfully.  

   

My experience is that there are far more people who fear snobs than there are practicing snobs.  

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7 hours ago, sanger727 said:


thats your opinion. Not being constantly charged fees at every corner is a a cornerstone of ‘luxury’ for me. One of the best ‘luxury’ vacations I’ve taken was at a couples resort. I wouldn’t consider them ultra premium, but certainly premium in the AI world. All the restaurants and drinks were inclusive. They set up the minibar daily for free and customized to your preferences (even if you don’t drink there’s a variety of juices, sodas, snacks, etc). Several excursions were included. No gratuities and they were very vocal that the staff were paid and forbidden from accepting gratuities. For me that stands out much higher than at the advertised rate I get just the room; at a higher rate I can have shore excursions OR drinks OR gratuities.

 

how I look at it is that I’m paying money for an elevated experience. Not that X% of the price is for drinks I’m not drinking or shore excursions I’m not taking.

I'm curious. When you go on a cruise or to an AI resort, do you head off on your own to hang with the locals? Do you go back to the ship every day for lunch?

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43 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

My experience is that there are far more people who fear snobs than there are practicing snobs.  

Perhaps the "practicing snobs" are just far more obvious than those who fear 🙂

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12 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

My experience is that there are far more people who fear snobs than there are practicing snobs.  

 

I would not use the word "fear" in that way, but yes, fortunately.   

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16 hours ago, clo said:

I'm curious. When you go on a cruise or to an AI resort, do you head off on your own to hang with the locals? Do you go back to the ship every day for lunch?


when we do s cruise we do independent tours or DIY. We don’t return to the ship for lunch.

 

when we go to an AI we usually do 1-2 excursions. 
 

I wouldn’t say we ever go ‘hang with the locals’. I’m not really a hanging out with strangers person. I don’t ‘hang out’ with strangers on the ship either. We enjoy going off the beaten path and eating in local restaurants and shopping in local shops.

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5 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I would not use the word "fear" in that way, but yes, fortunately.   

 

Neither would I use the word "fear" in such a context.  In my own way, I have learned how to deal with those who feel that they are "a bit better than me".  

 

1 hour ago, sanger727 said:

I don’t ‘hang out’ with strangers on the ship either

 

Well, I guess I do.  One of my greatest pleasures during a cruise is attending HH at a popular ship's watering hole.  When there are those who frequently are in attendance, "strangers" become "friends"!  

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On 9/15/2021 at 2:32 PM, Mike981 said:

Would you please look at the items listed below and let me know what you think? We have cruise Carnival with our kids, Princess and Celebrity with friends and a couple of Celebrity trips with just the two of us. At the moment Celebrity is our first choice, but we are looking at something different, smaller and...not so salesy.
 

  • We are mid 50's
  • Not fond of the big production shows
  • Like smaller more intimate acts
  • Casual atmosphere and attire, friendly folks
  • Very good food (since food is subjective it doesn't have to be labled great or outstanding)
  • Very good service
  • We want to try a non mass market line, something smaller
  • Do not want snobby
  • Some option of nightlife
  • We are drinkers and use/need WiFi
  • Most likely cruise in the winter to the Caribbean, possibly the Mediterranean
  • Preferred length of cruise 8-11 days (if we did Mediterranean it would need to be a 7-8 days for pre and post hotels)
  • Cost less than $500 per day pp
  • Would be flying out of Minneapolis

 

Thank you in advance for your help, I hope I gave enough information to get things started.


I know what you’re going through. Same was for me several years ago. Since then, I’ve cruised numerous premium and luxury lines and without hesitation my first recommendation is Viking Ocean. They are by far my favorite.  I also like Azamara but I don’t know what has changed since their sale. 
 

I used to love Oceania but after 2 awful experiences that coincidentally occurred after NCL bought them, I have sworn them off for a while. 

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27 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Neither would I use the word "fear" in such a context.  In my own way, I have learned how to deal with those who feel that they are "a bit better than me".  

 

 

Well, I guess I do.  One of my greatest pleasures during a cruise is attending HH at a popular ship's watering hole.  When there are those who frequently are in attendance, "strangers" become "friends"!  


I’m an introvert. I enjoy going new places and doing new things. But I don’t enjoy meeting new people. Perfectly content to explore new places and things with the person I traveled with.

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Lived our Viking experience - no kids or casino or photographer or art sale.  Decor with lots of light and neutrals - the view outside is wonderful.  Excellent food.  Included tours with excellent local guides (as expected in life some are not that great).  Evening shows are less spectacular than many lines but that it not important to us.  Having said that I do not see as much value in a luxury line for Caribbean cruising but love it in other parts of the world.  And a totally different experience which we really love - a European river cruise.

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57 minutes ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

I used to love Oceania but after 2 awful experiences that coincidentally occurred after NCL bought them, I have sworn them off for a while. 

Could you elaborate a smidge please?

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2 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:


I know what you’re going through. Same was for me several years ago. Since then, I’ve cruised numerous premium and luxury lines and without hesitation my first recommendation is Viking Ocean. They are by far my favorite.  I also like Azamara but I don’t know what has changed since their sale. 
 

I used to love Oceania but after 2 awful experiences that coincidentally occurred after NCL bought them, I have sworn them off for a while. 

Unfortunately, this was our experience exactly with Oceania - our go-to line prior to the sale, and then two really bad experiences post-sale.  

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