Cruise line comparison chart

[masspector]

I found the chart below on a TA site for river cruises.  Does anyone know of a similar chart for ocean cruise lines?  Specifically, I am trying to determine what items are included in advertised fares.  I have seen some comparisons on websites that luxury cruises actually end up costing less per day when you compare with all of the expenses that a cruise entails included.  Specifically, I am interested in the following information (all in one place for as many ocean lines as possible) Basically looking for best bang for the buck, not necessarily the most luxury. Thanks

 

Airfare included

Pre cruise Hotel included

Transfers Included

Wi-Fi Included

Excursions Included

Tips Included

Drink Package included

Specialty Dining Included

 

River Cruise Comparison Chart

[masspector]

Here is an example of a comparison that I found online just making an argument for a specific type of cruise.  I am looking for this information, in one place, for all of the major cruise lines.  Thanks

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, masspector said:

….Specifically, I am trying to determine what items are included in advertised fares.  I have seen some comparisons on websites that luxury cruises actually end up costing less per day when you compare with all of the expenses that a cruise entails included.  Specifically, I am interested in the following information (all in one place for as many ocean lines as possible) Basically looking for best bang for the buck, not necessarily the most luxury. Thanks

 

Airfare included

Pre cruise Hotel included

Transfers Included

Wi-Fi Included

Excursions Included

Tips Included

Drink Package included

Specialty Dining Included

Bingo! You’ve figured out that what I call “net daily rate” is the better cost comparison than is cabin fare. And, very often, you will find that premium lines (which are mostly inclusive - some even including air fare or air credit), that have a menu of inclusions that allow you to custom design your cruise offerings, are a far better value (with far better quality) than you’ll ever find on mass market lines.

 

As for your list above: check out Oceania’s “O Life” program.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, masspector said:

Here is an example of a comparison that I found online just making an argument for a specific type of cruise.  I am looking for this information, in one place, for all of the major cruise lines.  Thanks

 

Though it is a dated (2017) chart, that comparison is an equal “eye opener” today.

Look at the Oceania fare. O includes airfare or an air credit (sometimes >$1500/person on intercontinental routes), internet, specialty restaurants, all non-alcoholic beverages and a choice of booze, tours or SBC (sometimes - like right now- all three). Their FF program is arguably the best in the cruise industry. With only a few cruises under your belt, you get gratuities paid, onboard SBC, discounts on onboard purchases, and at the milestone platinum level (and upon reaching each level above that), a complimentary cruise for two weeks anywhere O goes.
Add to that - excellent cuisine and stellar service on small ships with great crew and space ratios, long-serving crew and high quality cabin amenities as well as numerous unusual itineraries that are hard to come by on many other lines.

 

 

[mom says]

I hope you realize just how  massive such a spreadsheet would have to be, since inclusions or prices vary greatly according to type of fare, class of cabin, class of ship, and itinerary; not just cruiseline. It's not a one size fits all even for Flatbush Flyer's touting of his beloved one and only O. 

 

I've never seen such a chart.

[Aquahound]

Something is very wrong with that chart. I’ve never seen a celebrity suite cost $11k unless there was something very special about that sailing. Don’t even get me started on the other 3. 
 

I’ve booked nearly 60 cruises over the course of a few decades and in all my searches, my comparison results have never looked like that. 
 

And, how does it take into account other factors that might be important to the cruiser such as entertainment, itinerary, or other amenities?  I agree with mom says. I don’t know how such a chart could be made and at the same time, be totally accurate. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

16 minutes ago, mom says said:

I hope you realize just how  massive such a spreadsheet would have to be, since inclusions or prices vary greatly according to type of fare, class of cabin, class of ship, and itinerary; not just cruiseline. It's not a one size fits all even for Flatbush Flyer's touting of his beloved one and only O. 

 

I've never seen such a chart.

Actually, about eight years ago, O had a similar promo chart Showing a comparison with two other cruise lines (that have become main “feeders” for O). They were Celebrity and HAL.  If I remember correctly, the cabin class was comparable balcony cabins and the chart items were similar to the river cruise chart above. 
Of course, not everyone needs or wants every single item. But, that’s the beauty of premium lines (not just Oceania): choice vs all-inclusive at luxury lines.

[masspector]

Sorry if I was not clear.  I KNOW promotions change.  I was looking for a quick and dirty.  Most of the mainstream lines can be left out as they do not "give" you anything extra included.  Looking at RCCL, Carnival etc.  I know NCL has Free at Sea.  Sounds good but it is limited.  Right now, I am just going to each lines website and trying to gather the information.  If you notice on the chart I posted there are a lot of asterisks.  I know there are limits and exceptions.  The article I drew from tried to be as clear as possible with listing the details.  

 

This is from O's website.  Notice shore excursions included.  

 

But here is the legal:

 

OLife Choice free shore excursions vary by voyage and exclude Oceania Select, Oceania Exclusive, Executive Collection, Food & Wine Trails, Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar, Go Local and Culinary Discovery Tours. Voyages up to 9 days receive 4 free shore excursions; 10-13 days receive 6 free shore excursions; 14+ days receive 8 free shore excursions, except for a single traveler booked in a Concierge Level Solo Veranda, amenity is at the per guest rate. If shore excursion amenity is selected, all excursions must be chosen at least 14 days prior to sailing.

 

We are going on a 10-day NCL cruise with a port every day.  So based on O, I would only get 6 free excursions, and is that 6 per cabin or per person?

 

Maybe I am asking too much.  I agree one spreadsheet would have to be huge, but a website should be able to do it.  Like I said I can look it all up myself, which is what I am doing, but was just trying to find a better solution.  Thanks for your inpput.

[Flatbush Flyer]

19 minutes ago, masspector said:

Sorry if I was not clear.  I KNOW promotions change.  I was looking for a quick and dirty.  Most of the mainstream lines can be left out as they do not "give" you anything extra included.  Looking at RCCL, Carnival etc.  I know NCL has Free at Sea.  Sounds good but it is limited.  Right now, I am just going to each lines website and trying to gather the information.  If you notice on the chart I posted there are a lot of asterisks.  I know there are limits and exceptions.  The article I drew from tried to be as clear as possible with listing the details.  

 

This is from O's website.  Notice shore excursions included.  

 

But here is the legal:

 

OLife Choice free shore excursions vary by voyage and exclude Oceania Select, Oceania Exclusive, Executive Collection, Food & Wine Trails, Wellness Discovery Tours by Aquamar, Go Local and Culinary Discovery Tours. Voyages up to 9 days receive 4 free shore excursions; 10-13 days receive 6 free shore excursions; 14+ days receive 8 free shore excursions, except for a single traveler booked in a Concierge Level Solo Veranda, amenity is at the per guest rate. If shore excursion amenity is selected, all excursions must be chosen at least 14 days prior to sailing.

 

We are going on a 10-day NCL cruise with a port every day.  So based on O, I would only get 6 free excursions, and is that 6 per cabin or per person?

 

Maybe I am asking too much.  I agree one spreadsheet would have to be huge, but a website should be able to do it.  Like I said I can look it all up myself, which is what I am doing, but was just trying to find a better solution.  Thanks for your inpput.

That would be six per cabin.

 

On O, the O Life allowable tours are basically all those under $200 pp. At the same time, there is the YWYW program, which provides a 25% discount on any paid tours if you meet the minimum number of tour purchases required for your cruise. And the “no extra cost” O Life tours you select count towards meeting that minimum.

 
The benefit of this as opposed to mass market lines at one end and luxury lines at the other, is that you can custom design your own perks package before you cruise and avoid an “all or nothing” situation once onboard. 

BTW: if you have good O Club status level, the significant SBC perk can cut your tour costs down even further. On a longer cruise of a month +\-, this can save you $ thousands in ship tour costs while still providing you with all their conveniences (and, as we do, you can mix and match them with appropriate private tours from third parties).

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Flatbush Flyer

[LHT28]

57 minutes ago, masspector said:

 Most of the mainstream lines can be left out as they do not "give" you anything extra included.  Looking at RCCL, Carnival etc.  I know NCL has Free at Sea.  Sounds good but it is limited.  Right now, I am just going to each lines website and trying to gather the information.  If you notice on the chart I posted there are a lot of asterisks.  I know there are limits and exceptions.  The article I drew from tried to be as clear as possible with listing the details.  

 

 

We are going on a 10-day NCL cruise with a port every day.  So based on O, I would only get 6 free excursions, and is that 6 per cabin or per person?

 

Do you get  free excursions on NCL  for your  10 day cruise?

 

  If you want a free excursion every day   then look at  Viking or regent

 

NCL is a main stream line

 

I am not  understanding your question 🤔

 

The Oceania chart is marketing gimmick

do your own spreadsheet on the lines you might be thinking of trying

[masspector]

11 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Do you get  free excursions on NCL  for your  10 day cruise?

 

  If you want a free excursion every day   then look at  Viking or regent

 

NCL is a main stream line

 

I am not  understanding your question 🤔

No.  I was using that as an example.  NCL and O both advertise "free shore excursions", but they are limited.  That is why all the ads and hype are so confusing.  A novice sees the NCL free at sea ad and thinks, wow everything is included, but it is not. If a line, such as you mentioned above, truly offered free excursions, then that is an added value to what you are paying for the cruise.  I am just trying to compare apples to apples, not oranges.  From my research so far, I think Regent is the only truly all inclusive, with the others offering varying degrees of included amenities.  I am just trying to figure out which line offers the most bang for the buck.  I know included extras value varies from person to person.

 

My question was "is there a document or website with a chart that compares all included amenities for each ocean cruise line?" I posted a chart from a TA website that appears to do this nicely for river cruise lines.  IE it shows "are tips included in the fare?, are shore excursions included in the fare?".  

 

Obviously, there is something to this inclusion or bundling as Celebrity, NCL, HAL, Princess, etc. all have some form of Have it All, Free at Sea, Princes plus package or fare.  

 

I know each person cares about different things, but I would think most cruisers would be interested in whether their fare included drink pkg, excursions, Wi-Fi, specialty dining, and tips.  With the chart it would be easy for someone that cares about dining and not drinks to see which lines include dining in the fare you are paying, especially for more novice cruisers.

Edited April 25, 2023 by masspector

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, masspector said:

No.  I was using that as an example.  NCL and O both advertise "free shore excursions", but they are limited.  That is why all the ads and hype are so confusing.

 

My question was "is there a document or website with a chart that compares all included amenities for each ocean cruise line?" 

One of the real challenges is that even within a line such as Oceania, the benefits can change each month. When I first booked a cruise for November I could have a choice of $600 credit or $600 shore excursions. The next month I changed it to a package they offered that included both, so $1,200. Both included up to $1,100 airfare for each passenger (another thing they don't tell you: the $1,000 limit).

 

So I think it might not be possible to do a real comparison. When I looked at the costs of cruises I was considering, having been on Viking twice and a Neptune suite on HAL once, I decided that Oceania was the way to go, as the total ended up making it a good deal.

 

In deciding between the UPC package and the YWC package, I called Oceania rather than my travel agent, and the representative was very helpful calculating which would be the better price for the excursions we chose. YWC worked for us.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, masspector said:

My question was "is there a document or website with a chart that compares all included amenities for each ocean cruise line?" I posted a chart from a TA website that appears to do this nicely for river cruise lines.  IE it shows "are tips included in the fare?, are shore excursions included in the fare?".  

 

 

River cruises are more alike between the different line  some include gratuities  but most do not 

Easy for  some company to make the comparison charts for marketing  purposes

 

Ocean going cruise lines are much more complicated

there are main stream lines, premium lines , luxury lines & expedition ship

 all have their pro's & con's

 Usually the upscale lines cost more but may have less  to offer  as the ships are smaller  so not as many shows/things to do  as the main stream lines

 

Depending on what is important to you   

main stream lines seem to offer  more bang for your buck 

Back to your question though

No I have not seen any comparison charts except for the Oceania  one you posted  but  you still need to read between the lines

JMO