Favorite cruise line, least favorite cruise line?

[George C]

Favorite 

Celebrity Edge Class (great suite perks)

MSC yacht club, great suite perks, ship within ship

RCCL oasis class , best overall entertainment 

 

middle of the road

Princess

Hal 

Coasta

 

bottom of the pack

Carnival
NCL 

( note have not cruised carnival or ncl in decades and have no intention of sailing them again)

[Aquahound]

Of the lines I've sailed, Celebrity is my overall favorite with Royal Caribbean a close second.  Carnival is my least favorite.  Princess, HAL, and NCL are all in the middle for various reasons.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

46 minutes ago, George C said:

Favorite 

Celebrity Edge Class (great suite perks)

MSC yacht club, great suite perks, ship within ship

RCCL oasis class , best overall entertainment 

 

middle of the road

Princess

Hal 

Coasta

 

bottom of the pack

Carnival
NCL 

( note have not cruised carnival or ncl in decades and have no intention of sailing them again)

Sounds like you may be ready to move up to a premium cruise line whose inclusive pricing and far better quality might pleasantly surprise you when you compare the true bottom line cost of mass market lines like Celebrity (or those touting “ship within a ship”) with a line like Oceania (or even Azamara).

[George C]

7 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Sounds like you may be ready to move up to a premium cruise line whose inclusive pricing and far better quality might pleasantly surprise you when you compare the true bottom line cost of mass market lines like Celebrity (or those touting “ship within a ship”) with a line like Oceania (or even Azamara).

I would not rule out higher end lines but entertainment is a big factor and I don’t believe I would be that happy with there’s . 

[Cruzaholic41]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Favorite 

Celebrity Edge Class (great suite perks)

MSC yacht club, great suite perks, ship within ship

RCCL oasis class , best overall entertainment 

 

middle of the road

Princess

Hal 

Coasta

 

bottom of the pack

Carnival
NCL 

( note have not cruised carnival or ncl in decades and have no intention of sailing them again)

My opinion on favorites has changed several times over the years. Currently, my favorites are Viking Ocean and Celebrity. I favor them both for different reasons (VO for food and overall quality, and Celebrity for their ships). Also, one of my all time favorite cruises was on Celebrity’s expeditionary cruise Flora. I can’t wait to try VO’s expeditionary ship Octantis. 
 

For overall entertainment, my favorite is Royal Caribbean. I’m always amazed at the high quality and complexity of the shows they manage to provide. 
 

On the low end, the lines I am least likely to book again anytime soon are Carnival and Oceania. Carnival ships are way too crowded, live entertainment is horrible, and I feel I just don’t fit in with the crowd. Oceania is disappointing because they are the typical - if you say it on the internet it must be true - type of business. They used to be a great line but I’ve seen a steady decline since falling under NCL. 

[BklynBoy8]

Best up to now - Cunard

 

Disappointed - HAL

[Mary229]

It depends on where they are going.  I would go freight if they go where I want to go. 

[lenquixote66]

Favorites:Celebrity,Cunard,RCI

 

Least favorite:Carnival

[navybankerteacher]

In descending order: A)Oceania, Azamera (preferred)

  
                                  B) Cunard 

 

                                  C) Celebrity, HAL (but fading fast)

 

                                  D) Princess, Royal Caribbean

 

                                  E) Carnival

 

                                  F) NCL 

    

Edited April 24, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

In descending order: A)Oceania, Azamera (preferred)

  
                                  B) Cunard 

 

                                  C) Celebrity, HAL (but fading fast)

 

                                  D) Princess, Royal Caribbean

 

                                  E) Carnival

 

                                  F) NCL 

    

 

I agree with A & B....

[ExpatBride]

Favorite: HAL, though I haven't sailed with them since 2016 and I'm afraid I'll be disappointed on my upcoming sailing.

 

Least favorite: NCL

[JimmyTheSaint]

Favourite cruise line is Carnival. I know that's not a popular opinion here but we really enjoy the food, entertainment and atmosphere on Carnival. 

 

Least favourite is MSC. The ship was the best design, fixtures and decor of any ship we've sailed on. That's the positives out of the way, everything else about the cruise was awful. Terrible food and even worse service, evening entertainment could best be described as sedate. Absolutely awful customer service, you couldn't pay me enough to go on another MSC cruise.

[navybankerteacher]

18 hours ago, ExpatBride said:

Favorite: HAL, though I haven't sailed with them since 2016 and I'm afraid I'll be disappointed on my upcoming sailing.

 

Least favorite: NCL

HAL used to be a distinctly superior mainstream cruise line, but the have continually cut corners and given up that which made them special.  Until about 2010 they were my favorite because what they delivered  for the price charged made them compete with premium lines.  Now the are largely just like the others in the Carnival fleet (Cunard excepted) making me wonder why Carnival Corp. maintains the fiction of differing products.

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

HAL used to be a distinctly superior mainstream cruise line, but the have continually cut corners and given up that which made them special.  Until about 2010 they were my favorite because what they delivered  for the price charged made them compete with premium lines.  Now the are largely just like the others in the Carnival fleet (Cunard excepted) making me wonder why Carnival Corp. maintains the fiction of differing products.

 

I lost them to in the past due to the changes.

 

Nooradam was the last. Very disappointing for a new ship when it came out.

 

Took 7 days to get a decent steak from the kitchen.

 

But we did like the mini cabin.

[sparks1093]

We have liked every line we've sailed with so far and haven't disliked any of them, so we don't have a favorite/least favorite. We're willing to sail with the line who can take us where we want to go for the least amount of money. 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

We have liked every line we've sailed with so far and haven't disliked any of them, so we don't have a favorite/least favorite. We're willing to sail with the line who can take us where we want to go for the least amount of money. 

Yes, the idea once you settle on a cruise is to enjoy it, not to see if it is better or worse than any other cruise or cruise line you have sailed.

[runner15km]

I enjoyed all of my cruises, no favorites.

 

 

[ldubs]

On 4/24/2023 at 12:23 PM, navybankerteacher said:

In descending order: A)Oceania, Azamera (preferred)

  
                                  B) Cunard 

 

                                  C) Celebrity, HAL (but fading fast)

 

                                  D) Princess, Royal Caribbean

 

                                  E) Carnival

 

                                  F) NCL 

    

 

Just curious.  When was the last time you sailed on C) thru F).   

 

I've only been on Celebrity, Princess, RCI and Carnival.  I would put them pretty much in the same ranking as you, though for me Celebrity, Princess, and RCI are close enough not to matter.  I do think I would put Princess and Celebrity ahead of the RCI mega ships.  

 

I've also always had the perception that HAL would be very similar to Princess.  We've not avoided HAL as far as I know.  It just hasn't been in the mix so far.  NCL we avoid because of feedback from trusted sources.  

 

Cunard probably is too formal for our tastes.  Oceania, despite some of the posts here, I think I might enjoy.  We might give it a try if we can luck into one of their sales.   I know literally nothing about Azamera other than it is among the high end lines.    

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Just curious.  When was the last time you sailed on C) thru F).   

 

I've only been on Celebrity, Princess, RCI and Carnival.  I would put them pretty much in the same ranking as you, though for me Celebrity, Princess, and RCI are close enough not to matter.  I do think I would put Princess and Celebrity ahead of the RCI mega ships.  

 

I've also always had the perception that HAL would be very similar to Princess.  We've not avoided HAL as far as I know.  It just hasn't been in the mix so far.  NCL we avoid because of feedback from trusted sources.  

 

Cunard probably is too formal for our tastes.  Oceania, despite some of the posts here, I think I might enjoy.  We might give it a try if we can luck into one of their sales.   I know literally nothing about Azamera other than it is among the high end lines.    

2019 for Celebrity and HAL, 2018 for Royal Caribbean, 2017 for NCL - and because they seemed to be continuing on same trend, we decided never bother with them again. 
 

Azamera is very similar to Oceania, and only slightly more expensive - sailing many of the same former 600 pax R class ships. Good service, good size, generally good itineraries.  Because we sail for enjoyment (if saving money were the be all and end all, we’d stay home), “cheap” is not a key decision factor.

[ldubs]

17 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

2019 for Celebrity and HAL, 2018 for Royal Caribbean, 2017 for NCL - and because they seemed to be continuing on same trend, we decided never bother with them again. 
 

Azamera is very similar to Oceania, and only slightly more expensive - sailing many of the same former 600 pax R class ships. Good service, good size, generally good itineraries.  Because we sail for enjoyment (if saving money were the be all and end all, we’d stay home), “cheap” is not a key decision factor.

 

I always say Celebrity is my favorite but it occurs to me our last cruise with them was 2018.  I doubt I would change my mind, but that is a lot of time.  More recently I have been very happy with Princess.  

 

I wouldn't say cheap is a key factor, but cost definitely is.  Not just from a budget or affordability standpoint. More like a mental exercise about what seems like a reasonable amount, I guess.  We have a Northern Italy land trip this fall.  We missed out by a few weeks tacking-on an Oceania cruise that would have been in our "cost window".     Maybe next time.  

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I always say Celebrity is my favorite but it occurs to me our last cruise with them was 2018.  I doubt I would change my mind, but that is a lot of time.  More recently I have been very happy with Princess.  

 

I wouldn't say cheap is a key factor, but cost definitely is.  Not just from a budget or affordability standpoint. More like a mental exercise about what seems like a reasonable amount, I guess.  We have a Northern Italy land trip this fall.  We missed out by a few weeks tacking-on an Oceania cruise that would have been in our "cost window".     Maybe next time.  

Of course cost has to be a factor - there are very few people who are in a position to decide to purchase any product or service without considering cost.  
 

But when cost becomes an overwhelming consideration quality has to suffer.   Until about a dozen or so years ago lines like HAL, Celebrity and Princess (about 25 years in the case of NCL) offered cruises whose prices included good food, service, entertainment and itineraries.  Yes, the mass market lines have made cruising more affordable to millions (largely by cutting entertainment and adding surcharges for well prepared and served meals) — I simply prefer to cruise less, in less crowded environments, and continue to enjoy the experience.  Ports like Nassau, St. Thomas and even St. Maarten which used to be uncrowded and delightful are now mob scenes. Ports like St. Barth’s and Venice are now off limits to most ships.

[Oakman58]

I've enjoyed all the cruise lines I've been on with the exception of Princess.  On Princess the music was boring, the theater entertainment was just OK, and our standard balcony cabin only had one chair to sit on in the cabin.  When we ordered room service breakfast I had to drag a chair in from the balcony.  Princess was a one and done for us.

[George C]

1 hour ago, Oakman58 said:

I've enjoyed all the cruise lines I've been on with the exception of Princess.  On Princess the music was boring, the theater entertainment was just OK, and our standard balcony cabin only had one chair to sit on in the cabin.  When we ordered room service breakfast I had to drag a chair in from the balcony.  Princess was a one and done for us.

We also booked mini suite on Princess which is nice but was really surprised on how small basic balcony cabin was . 

[9tee2Sea]

U have always had a good time not mater what the cruise line is.  Some are a little bit regimented. Some are more Party atmosphere. Some are just, do want you want.  I cruise for the scenery and the escape, so if a ship is not to my liking, at least I am still on the open seas and away from what i want to be away from.

[navybankerteacher]

12 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

...  We have a Northern Italy land trip this fall.  We missed out by a few weeks tacking-on an Oceania cruise that would have been in our "cost window".     Maybe next time.  

I just noticed your mention of Northern Italy land trip.  Are you renting a car?  Best way to see small cities like   Lucca, Montefioralle, San Gimigiano, Perugia, Urbino, Ravenna, Greve,  the hill towns and  countryside of Tuscany.  Of course if its the larger cities: Milan, Turin, Siena, Venice, Florence, Genoa - trains are the way to go.  I've done both - best to focus on the desired target areas to decide transportation mode.

 

Also, if time permits, consider a trans-Atlantic repositioning (fares usually favorable) to come home -- most lines arrange cheap one way air eastbound --- we've done that several times after Fall travel in Italy -- great to not have work  schedule cramping things.