What is your perfect cruise?

[Denversail]

What makes or breaks a cruise for you? What do you find most important? Is it food, price, entertainment, ports, ship, service, atmosphere, or demographic? Which cruise lines and ships offer your must haves?

[pdmlynek]

2 minutes ago, Denversail said:

What makes or breaks a cruise for you? What do you find most important? Is it food, price, entertainment, ports, ship, service, atmosphere, or demographic? Which cruise lines and ships offer your must haves?

 

My preferences, in order:

(1)  Ports of calls

(2)  Length of cruise

(3)  Price of plane tickets

(4)  Length of time at each port of call

(5)  Destination (Carib. vs Med. vs Alaska, etc.)

(6)  Price of the cruise

(7)  flight connections

(8)  Cruise Line

(9)  Age of the ship 

(10)  Size of the ship

 

Less important: food (can't determine that when selecting the cruise).

Unimportant: on board entertainment.

 

[lenquixote66]

13 minutes ago, pdmlynek said:

 

My preferences, in order:

(1)  Ports of calls

(2)  Length of cruise

(3)  Price of plane tickets

(4)  Length of time at each port of call

(5)  Destination (Carib. vs Med. vs Alaska, etc.)

(6)  Price of the cruise

(7)  flight connections

(8)  Cruise Line

(9)  Age of the ship 

(10)  Size of the ship

 

Less important: food (can't determine that when selecting the cruise).

Unimportant: on board entertainment.

 

For me it is 1,2,4,5,6,8,10

Preferred cruise lines are RCI and Celebrity

[navybankerteacher]

With the emergence of mega-ships, I think size of ship has gained importance.  I think the itinerary, the ease of getting to the port, the cost all start to pale:  If I want to see an area I will go there -- and take the time to see it, not try 4 0r 5 hour drive-by port calls. I do not think I will ever again consider sailing on a ship carrying more than 2,500.  Destination and ports of call are obviously significant --- I do not think a cruise ship is a good way to see the Mediterranean area - but a transatlantic repositioning is a good way to return from a trip there. Mexican ports (Gulf or Pacific) do not attract.  Ease of access to embarkation port is significant - unfortunately the New York market is close to dominated by the likes of NCL (top of my do not sail list) and Royal Caribbean (almost all mega-ships), I am looking forward to an Oceania cruise from Manhattan to Bermuda - calling at St. George and Hamilton, rather than the Dockyard tourist trap at the far west end of the island.

 

Cruising remains a great way to cross the Atlantic -- meaning Cunard's QM2 and the occasional repositioning.

 

I believe that the "success" of cruising has largely destroyed its attraction --- food, entertainment, ports, have all suffered over the past quarter century.

[MBP&O2/O]

For me, a combination of itinerary and ship is the focal point. If the two don't fit then I don't go.

 

If they do then it's a whole lot of research. 😏

 

 

 

 

 

[sverigecruiser]

 

At least one day at sea is a must. When we shall book a cruise we look at:

 

1. Date. First we decide when to cruise.

 

2. Cruiseline. Right now MSC but that can change.

 

3. Ship. We want the newer ships with better Yacht Club.

 

After looking at that we see how much it will cost and where we will go.  

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by sverigecruiser

[cruisemom42]

First of all I have a destination in mind, then I look at itinerary/ports, which for me would also include length of time in port. That would be my basic search criteria.

 

Next I would narrow down (in order) by size of ship, then price, especially whether there is any good solo pricing, and length of cruise -- which if short can often be remedied by booking a BTB if there are two different itineraries.

 

Price of flights and routing is less important to me. I live in the vicinity of one of the busiest airports in the US, a good hub for most anywhere, and I have/earn a lot of FF points I can use.

 

Age of ship means nothing to me as long as it has been well maintained. 

 

Entertainment is not a big deal as I tend to choose port-heavy itineraries. However, I would give extra consideration to lines that offer good enrichment speakers related to the itinerary.

 

I will give food some consideration -- not keen on lines with a reputation for terrible food, but I also let my past experience be a guide as this is one of the more subjective areas. Buffet means nothing to me as I rarely eat there. MDR experience should be good, does not have to be stellar.

 

I'm relatively agnostic on cruise line, although there is one that I would only sail on if it offered an ideal itinerary that was unique to it. Given my much higher preference for size of ship (smaller), many lines are already eliminated from consideration.

 

[LHT28]

13 hours ago, Denversail said:

What makes or breaks a cruise for you? What do you find most important? Is it food, price, entertainment, ports, ship, service, atmosphere, or demographic? Which cruise lines and ships offer your must haves?

All of  the above

But nothing in life is perfect  so we go with  the one that works best for us

Our priority is  less than 1500 pax size ships

YMMV

[Joebucks]

There are so many factors, it's hard to choose. For the last few, we went on price, age of ship, number of activities, itinerary. Sometimes, it's hard to explain, but you just know the right one. The food and service will be fine no matter what.

[Hlitner]

I agree with Joebucks that there are many factors which can make it difficult to choose.  Our ideal cruise is at least a month long, in an interesting part of the world, with many sea days, and begins and/or ends in an interesting area where we can extend the trip with a land trip.  As to ships, we prefer high quality cruise lines and generally prefer a smaller (less than 1000 passengers) ship.  

 

Hank

[Heidi13]

Ship - looking for ships with pax capacity of 750 to 1250 and a pax/space ratio of at least 45, preferably over 50. Also looking for a traditional ship with regular pools, no waterslides/wave riders, etc. Also not interested in ships with graffiti painted on the hulls. Inside - looking for clean and understated.

 

Crew/Pax ratio - looking for 2:1 or better.

 

Itinerary - I've been to most of the ports at least once already, so I look for multiple days in ports and longer hours, if only a single day. Preference is smaller ports, without multiple ships in port, especially mega ships.

 

All-inclusive - preference is for a more inclusive cruise, not interested in the constant nickle & diming.

 

Victuals - looking for good quality and service. All restaurants to be included, including 24/7 cabin service

 

Entertainment - not interested in glitz shows, as we can get them ashore. Prefer good performances from the entertainment team, singers and band, supplemented by reasonable guest entertainers. Not interested in wacky pool games, marriage shows, etc.

 

Lectures - want to attend lectures learning about the destinations

 

Laundry - option for ship's laundry or self-service machines.

 

Flights - will embark anywhere with a maximum of 1 flight connection. 

[Shmoo here]

Hmmmm.....

(1)  Length of cruise

(2)  Destination (Carib. vs Med. vs Alaska, etc.)

(3)  Ports of calls

(4)  Size of the ship

(5)  Price of the cruise

(6)  Cruise Line

(7)  Price of plane tickets

(8)  flight connections

(9)  Length of time at each port of call

(10)  Age of the ship 

[Aquahound]

19 hours ago, Denversail said:

What makes or breaks a cruise for you? What do you find most important? Is it food, price, entertainment, ports, ship, service, atmosphere, or demographic? Which cruise lines and ships offer your must haves?

 

Depends on why I'm booking the cruise.  For a destination cruise, like Europe, I'm looking at itinerary first and then finding a ship/line that I enjoy.  My most-likely lines of choice would be Celebrity or Holland America. One of my all-time favorite cruises was on Holland America, sailing 14 nights from Venice to Barcelona.

 

For a getaway cruise, I'm looking at mega ships for all the amenities and entertainment.  For these, I love sailing Royal Caribbean.  My last few cruises have been on RCI Quantum Class ships, and I have had a blast on every one of them.  

[evandbob]

Casino comped balcony cruises are at the top of our list.  We've done about 60 cruises, but on our last 10 or 12 we only paid taxes, port charges and tips.

 

Next is length, preferably 10 days or 2 weeks, but 7 nighters are our minimum. We wouldn't do a fully comped balcony if it was only 5 nights.

 

Lastly, we need to drive to the port of embarkation if USA - that means FLL, MIA, TAM or Canaveral.

[George C]

We like to be spoiled on vacation , love entertainment, we now book nothing but suites, most of our cruises are Caribbean and after about 60 of those cruise we stay on ship for lots of them. Love celebrity suite perks suite dining room and suite lounges , just as good is MSc yacht club which has the same . For entertainment we do a music charter on celebrity every year with musicians from the 1970’s we have seen and talked to many of them, America, Michael McDonald,  Boz Scaggs, Rita Coolidge, Mellisa Manchester, B J Thomas and many others . We also enjoy rccl oasis class for the entertainment.

  About once a decade we do a Mediterranean cruise our last was fantastic, had a corner aft suite , left from Barcelona and had 5 stops in Italy, Dubrovnik, Kotor and more . We also fly first class. Have done approximately 75 cruises. But did our share of inside cabins mu first couple of decades .

[ldubs]

We kind of just keep an eye out for decent prices for itineraries we find appealing.  Most of the time when we do target a specific area, a cruise won't really serve our needs.   Right now Mrs Ldubs is looking into a Sicily trip.  It won't involve a cruise.   

[K32682]

I may have already taken it. Smaller ship, places I'd never go otherwise, a couple of very remote port stops that few cruisers get to, a couple of moderately rough sea days, almost all tender excursions, fun casino and okay entertainment. The only downside was dreary dinner table companions but the size of the ship precluded anytime dining.  

[cruiseaholic777]

The A B C islands on Royal or Princess ship. Curacao is my favorite island and Aruba isn't far behind.

[Honolulu Blue]

On 3/3/2023 at 7:29 PM, Denversail said:

What makes or breaks a cruise for you? What do you find most important? Is it food, price, entertainment, ports, ship, service, atmosphere, or demographic? Which cruise lines and ships offer your must haves?

Like a few others here have said, I think everything is important to me when enjoying a cruise - but some things are more important than others, and it's different things at different times.

 

Lately music themed cruises have taken up an increasing share of my vacation time. This year it will be three of four cruises. For those, ENTERTAINMENT (mainly who's playing) is by far the most important thing, and I hope everything else is good enough.

17 hours ago, George C said:

We like to be spoiled on vacation , love entertainment, we now book nothing but suites, most of our cruises are Caribbean and after about 60 of those cruise we stay on ship for lots of them. Love celebrity suite perks suite dining room and suite lounges , just as good is MSc yacht club which has the same . For entertainment we do a music charter on celebrity every year with musicians from the 1970’s we have seen and talked to many of them, America, Michael McDonald,  Boz Scaggs, Rita Coolidge, Mellisa Manchester, B J Thomas and many others . We also enjoy rccl oasis class for the entertainment.

I like the way you travel. 🙂 I'm some years behind you in that I'd rather be on three music charters in interior cabins than one in a suite.

14 hours ago, cruiseaholic777 said:

The A B C islands on Royal or Princess ship. Curacao is my favorite island and Aruba isn't far behind.

In the funny coincidence department, one of the charter cruises I'm eyeing for next year goes to both Curacao and Aruba and they'll be using a Royal Caribbean ship (Mariner OTS).

[Markanddonna]

One thing that is seldom researched by most is how many ships will be in port when yours arrives. You might be arriving on a ship with 2,000 others, but parked next to you are five megaships with 20,000 new friends who are competing for the cable cars, tendering positions, taxis, tours, etc. There are several websites that can inform a cruiser about their "competition" at port.

[Z'Loth]

As a solo traveler, I would love to be able to book a Verranda and not pay a small fortune because I travel solo. I can understand a small upcharge for the missing passenger, but when I paying for Harvey the Pooka, well....

 

[Essiesmom]

3 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

As a solo traveler, I would love to be able to book a Verranda and not pay a small fortune because I travel solo. I can understand a small upcharge for the missing passenger, but when I paying for Harvey the Pooka, well....

 

Actually, I find a balcony a waste because I seldom use it.  I’m happy with any cabin that they will sell to a solo.  Sometimes a TA or cruise line rep will sell it to you, but you can’t book it online.  Especially last minute cruises.  Any cruise with a medium to small ship, good beds, and decent food.  And no requirement to participate in anything but the muster drill.  None of the behemoth ships.  Don’t want to spend half my day getting from one venue to another.  EM

[lenquixote66]

11 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

One thing that is seldom researched by most is how many ships will be in port when yours arrives. You might be arriving on a ship with 2,000 others, but parked next to you are five megaships with 20,000 new friends who are competing for the cable cars, tendering positions, taxis, tours, etc. There are several websites that can inform a cruiser about their "competition" at port.

The more the merrier

[K32682]

On 3/6/2023 at 7:42 AM, Markanddonna said:

One thing that is seldom researched by most is how many ships will be in port when yours arrives. You might be arriving on a ship with 2,000 others, but parked next to you are five megaships with 20,000 new friends who are competing for the cable cars, tendering positions, taxis, tours, etc. There are several websites that can inform a cruiser about their "competition" at port.

 

That's why my ideal cruise is off the beaten path with mostly tender ports. Both reduce the likelihood you'll be at a port with many thousands of other cruisers. 

[lynncarol]

Interesting comments.  I like our loyalty perks on several lines but primarily book for ports. I must admit I always check to see how many other ships will be there on the same dates.  Incidentally, I also check for number of ships in a port when we travel independently on land.  I once planned our whole week-long trip to Croatia around the one day when no cruise ships were in Dubrovnik.