Princess Cruisers Compare Crystal, Silversea, and Viking Ocean Cruises

[RLK33853]

Today's Discussion points about Crystal and Viking's Demographics, Excursions, Public Spaces, and Overall Ship Conditions can be found at:

 

Crystal - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3014762-princess-cruisers-compare-crystal-silversea-and-viking-ocean-cruises/#comment-67560735

 

 

Viking - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3014762-princess-cruisers-compare-crystal-silversea-and-viking-ocean-cruises/#comment-67556589

 

Enjoy

 

Ray 

 

[kool kruiser]

We are Princess elite but now cruise mainly on Crystal, Azamara and Explora. The OPs postings are extremely fair, reasonable and well made.They should prove really helpful to those who may want a different  luxury or mid-luxury offering.

One small point from me. For us, cabins are not particularly important, we just need a balcony or even a window. As we never eat there, not even breakfast, size is of no great importance. We do not have unlimited means and we find that a significant saving can be made. The OP is staying in an Aquamarine suite on Crystal, which is much more expensive than an entry level balcony. We are shortly embarking on a Crystal Alaska cruise. We are not taking any ship tours so we expect our on board account to be a fat zero, as we do not use the spa or shops and everything else is included.

Hope this helps.

[piper28]

As someone that's also started to move away from Princess at times, I do think the comparisons are pretty reasonable so far.  We've done 1 cruise on Crystal, and 1 on Windstar (leaving for another windstar cruise very soon now).  We did everything with Princess for quite some time, and only really relatively recently started trying other cruise lines.  For me, a good portion of this reason is that quite frankly, I'm getting tired of the larger cruise ships, and I feel that the experience I used to have on Princess is just not really there anymore.  That said, I'm not saying we won't cruise them when the itinerary and timing works out (We just did a panama canal cruise over winter, and have the Sun booked for thanksgiving).

 

Unfortunately, my wife's a teacher, so we can't cruise during the times when schools are in session and avoid the kids.  That's definitely been a factor at times in what we've chosen to cruise.

 

For us, the one Crystal cruise we did was a truly great experience.  That said, we also got it at a really good price.  (And the sailing after us was when the ship got arrested.)  In particular, I found the crew service to be absolutely top notch.  It felt like the days back when we'd cruise the small ships on Princess, when the crew would get to know you, recognize you, and know what you wanted pretty quick.  Entertainment was pretty good for the types of things I was looking for - one of the enrichment lecturers was an astronaut that had done work on the space telescope repairs.  Course, the company then went bankrupt, and we haven't had the chance to try them again since then.  The very small fleet of ships they have makes it tough for us to actually be able to book them in times that work for us in places we might be interested in.

 

We've tried Oceania once, and have another one booked for them.  I'm not really someone that is really in a place to judge whether they offer the finest cuisine at sea, I just don't have the palate to be able to make a judgement on that.  I will say that they were the most thorough cruise line we've ever been on in handling food allergies (Princess does pretty well on this in my experience, interestingly, Celebrity has been by far the absolute worst in dealing with this on the couple of cruises we've done there).  Souffles every night pretty much (something Princess used to do, but which seem to be getting pretty rare now).  That said, variety of those souffles wasn't a standout - and was often something like vanilla with a vanilla sauce, the pairings always seemed off to me. Entertainment on Oceania I didn't find to be all that great, but I don't necessarily need a lot of entertainment.  We were on an Alaska cruise, so we were largely doing other things.  That said, in the evenings, whatever production show they were running only would run one show, and you'd have to work your dining around it if you wanted to see it.  On the R class ships, unless you're in one of the upper categories, the showers are absolutely ridiculously small (even compared to the R class ships when Princess had them).  (The art scavenger hunt they had was also a pretty interesting experience, that ended up with a lot of passengers all comparing notes trying to figure out where the last couple real tricky ones were.  I don't normally do this kind of thing, but it was actually pretty fun.).

 

Windstar, to me, that almost felt like coming home again finally.  To me, i really thought some of what I'd used to find on Princess that's lacking now was there, and it just felt really comfortable.  Now, there's definitely trade-offs to the smaller ships they run.  The biggest is entertainment - generally they just didn't have much, with basically about a single show of some music by the house band on any given night.  Then again, once night they brought on a local steel drum band on board, which was excellent.  Crew talent night was also very good.  Crew on this ship was excellent, again - back to the small ship Princess, but even smaller ships here.  We seemed to mesh with the passengers pretty well on this cruise too.  Food I thought was really excellent.  My wife thought it was a bit on the fish heavy, but as someone that doesn't eat fish, I didn't run into problems with that myself.  They're not cooking for thousands of people, and it shows.  That said, dining hours were definitely somewhat limited, especially for breakfast and lunch.  And the buffets for those meals, well, they're small.  Now, if you're an RCL fan that loves the 6800 passenger ships and all the activities on those, would I recommend this for you?  Almost certainly not, unless I knew you're someone that likes to just wind down at times.

 

For me, a lot of why I've ventured out to these cruise lines after a long time cruising on Princess (we started I think in 2006, and pretty much did only Princess for probably at least the first 10 years?) just comes down to trends in the cruising industry in general.  Bigger ships, more mass market, more cost cutting, but not cheaper cruises.  I'm also at a different point in life, and find I like different things than I used to.  Plus, quite honestly, I can afford different things that I used to be able to.  We're still both working though, so realistically, my limitations are more that I only have a certain amount of time available, so more cheaper cruises isn't a viable option, so something that costs somewhat more isn't necessarily meaning I'm reducing my travel because of it.  That said, while I do find things like Oceania and Windstar to be more expensive, there's caveats to that.  Both include non-alcoholic drinks in the fare.  Realistically, when cruising on the R class ships on Princess, most of the time I'd be paying a premium to take them anyways because they were smaller.  Which means that the premium to move to the other lines is less than it can appear to be for what we're looking for.  And of course, the smallest ship now for Princess is the Island/Coral.  These days, that's about as large as I really want to get on.  Oceania in Alaska was IMHO a better experience that what Princess now offers in Alaska, because the ships are just too big.   We were able to get a couple of stops that larger ships just wouldn't do.

 

Ultimately, though, people have to find their niche, and sometimes that niche changes over time.  If you'd told me 10 years ago that I'd be doing the Tahiti trip we're leaving for real soon, I probably wouldn't have believed you (and probably couldn't have afforded it).  For me, going forward, I'm definitely open to trying different lines that we haven't been on (although there's a few that I have no interest in).  But realistically, our criteria for what we do for a cruise basically goes along this line:

a) Fitting my wife's schedule as a teacher

b) itinerary

c) ability to get to and from the cruise reasonably, especially with schedule limitations

d) cost

 

For our 1 week thanksgiving cruise, that ended up with us trying the Sun Princess.  Definitely a bigger ship than we'd prefer, but it's a new experience.  Price was reasonable (especially compared to RCL's pricing on newer ships).  Is the itinerary that exciting?  Not really, but it's a one week caribbean cruise, so you're not likely to find much that's interesting.  And I'm definitely not paying things like Crystal prices for a one week cruise to the same islands as everyone else (Even if they offered a one week cruise fitting the time).  Christmas, more flexibilty on longer on time, we decided on an Oceania cruise, largely because it visited a lot more ports that we don't get to as often.  

 

So all I can really say is I'm far less into loyalty to the cruise lines than I used to be, and it's far more looking for the best experience I can make work with our budget and timing.  If that's a Princess cruise, that's fine with me, but it's less often that that's true these days than it used to be.

[TBfrPH]

7 hours ago, kool kruiser said:

...We are shortly embarking on a Crystal Alaska cruise...

 

@kool kruiser  Please consider posting about your experience (on the Crystal Board, I guess).  We would be very interested in seeing a sample daily program from a port and sea day. Thank you.

 

7 hours ago, kool kruiser said:

... We are not taking any ship tours so we expect our on board account to be a fat zero, as we do not use the spa or shops and everything else is included...

Oh yeah, that's the way you do it 🙂

[kool kruiser]

On 6/24/2024 at 10:37 PM, TBfrPH said:

@kool kruiser  Please consider posting about your experience (on the Crystal Board, I guess).  We would be very interested in seeing a sample daily program from a port and sea day. Thank you.

I will be posting my thoughts on the Crystal board when I return in August. In the meantime, there are daily programmes (Reflections ) and MDR menus posted on a number of the ''Live from'' threads.

[John1111]

Just to add my two cents, my wife and I have probably been on 25+ cruises over the last 20+ years.  We cruised primarily on Princess, Holland America and Celebrity.  We started in an ocean view cabin but have worked our way up to suites.  In 2019 we took the Crystal Serenity for a Mediterranean cruise.  At that time the cost of their regular balcony cabin was about the same as a sky suite on Celebrity.  

 

In the end, I was not impressed with Crystal.  Yes, there is no question that the service was a step above the other lines.  The smaller ship was beautiful and did not seem as crowded.  However, that is about where it ended.  I didn't think the food was any better.  I remember in particular I had prime rib one night and it was not very good and on another night I ordered scallops and the dinner consisted of two scallops. When I mentioned it to our waiter he said he could bring me another portion but I declined as I didn't want to wait around while everyone else was done eating.  The entertainment was good but not as good as the entertainment we usually see on the larger ships.

 

Overall I didn't think that Crystal, at about double the cost, was worth it.  Incidentally I have booked a Princess British Isles cruise this summer.  I had looked at a similar cruise that Viking offered.  The cost of the Viking cruise was almost triple and they wanted it paid up front.  

[aimee0715]

On 6/23/2024 at 7:21 PM, cruisermsoon said:

My introduction to the "R" ship was the Pacific Princess, and I loved it. Probably the best Princess cruise I have done. 

Recently went on Azamara Onward [ex Pacific Princess] an a 21-day portion of the World Cruise. The ship is even better after it's refurbishment, and Azamara of course is a superb product offered at a price that is much cheaper than Oceania [as long as you are happy on a ship that doesn't have the "razz-m-tazz" of the new bigger ships]. 

 We have been on Azamara Journey twice.  Really enjoyed both cruises.  I would love to check out the other ships.  Cruise director Eric is such a gem!  Everything is just so top notch.  For anyone who likes peace and quiet, Azamara is an excellent choice.  I'm always amazed when I see people complain about the age of their ships.  I think they look great. 

[memoak]

49 minutes ago, aimee0715 said:

 We have been on Azamara Journey twice.  Really enjoyed both cruises.  I would love to check out the other ships.  Cruise director Eric is such a gem!  Everything is just so top notch.  For anyone who likes peace and quiet, Azamara is an excellent choice.  I'm always amazed when I see people complain about the age of their ships.  I think they look great. 

Too many people think newer is better. Not in my book !!  My favorite Princess ships are the Grand class 

[Coral]

I have been on Crystal Serenity and I absolutely loved the experience. I loved the ship as well. I later cruised on Crystal river cruise (no longer part of the fleet) and it was amazing as well. 

[RLK33853]

     I have now finished posting about us as loyal Princess cruisers comparing Crystal and Viking on those particular boards.  Some here on the Princess board have expressed interest as to our thoughts.  Here they are – please remember these are our thoughts at our stage in life and they may certainly differ from you.

     First off, you can't of course do a true comparison with Princess since we are talking small ship/large ship, mass market/luxury line, mass market/premium line, etc, etc. But some things you can talk about.

     Items like Internet are very similar - good speed, and in some regard Princess doesn't block what Viking does.  Remember though that you have to purchase Internet on Princess, whereas on Crystal and Viking it is included in your fare.

     While you can purchase drink packages on Princess and on Viking, you really can't compare the two, with Viking's package being cheaper and far more inclusive.  Crystal includes a wide variety of liquor but remember it is a luxury line and the price is hidden in your fare.  Staying with liquor though, Princess allows 2 bottles of wine to be consumed in your room.  Viking and Crystal allows unlimited quantities of any liquor and you can drink it anywhere (no corkage say if you take a bottle of wine to dinner).

     Staterooms - actually Princess (as a mass market line) hold their own when you take away the obvious things like butler service, upgraded linens, amenities such as canapés, etc.  We typically book mini-suites or suites on Princess, and we chose similar cabins on Crystal and Viking (slightly bigger but only by 40 sq ft).  Bathrooms, furnishings, linens, etc were better of course on Crystal and Viking, but space and cleanliness were pretty much the same on all three lines.  Balconies, like the bathrooms differ though - Crystal's balcony furniture was luxury wicker and the balcony itself was deep enough to lounge out.  Viking balcony furniture was mesh, but very nice - again with a deep enough balcony to lounge out.  We really dislike how Princes have gone to the narrow balconies on the Royal Class ships.

     There is no way to compare food, customer service, etc between luxury, premium, and mass market.  Although we also did try Silversea (luxury) who has the worst customer service in our opinion.  Their attitude is that you are on a luxury cruise line, therefore nothing can be wrong.  Princess beats the crap out of Silversea.

     Another comparison that can be made is the fitness areas - all are similar.  

     Entertainment - Princess being the bigger ship of course has more going on.  We found Viking's entertainment to be quite poor.  Crystal of course only has 600 passengers and thus while entertainment options are not as intensive as Princess, what they do have is spectacular.

     Costs – (rounding the numbers when we were booking) we compared Princess pricing to the pricing we had on Crystal, Silversea, and Viking - similar itineraries, times, stateroom sizes, included drink packages and tips if required, etc.  Crystal and Silversea were around 40% more per day, and Viking was 20% more.  Although these were our numbers for these particular cruises in shoulder season, future cruises for these companies are all over the map.  We have a Japan cruise booked with Princess and Viking's price is double, but just for the Japan leg.  Viking is 30-40% more in other parts of Asia.  Thus I don't think you can make a general statement when comparing prices - pricing is itinerary and date dependent.

     Crystal of course is luxury and the ship itself reflects this in appearance, appointments, furnishings, etc.  Viking as a Premium line is over the top clean, crisp, and very Scandinavian.  Princess tries hard but their older ships are showing their age, while the newer ones have done things we dislike - an example is how they have made the balconies quite narrow.

     Overall - now that we have tried some of the more upscale options (Crystal, Paul Gauguin, Silversea, Scenic, and Viking), as loyal Princess cruisers we will probably take the following approach when looking to book cruises in the future.  We will always look to Crystal first (although limited to only two ships at present), then Paul Gauguin (really limited – one ship, only in the South Pacific), then Viking.  We will compare Viking with Princess and if the pricing isn’t out of line (yes it will be more) we will cruise Viking.  Will we still cruise with Princess – yes, but only when family or friends are going, or in the rare case of Princess having an itinerary that is very specific to where we want to go and Viking or Crystal doesn’t.

[ssawjo]

1 hour ago, RLK33853 said:

     I have now finished posting about us as loyal Princess cruisers comparing Crystal and Viking on those particular boards.  Some here on the Princess board have expressed interest as to our thoughts.  Here they are – please remember these are our thoughts at our stage in life and they may certainly differ from you.

     First off, you can't of course do a true comparison with Princess since we are talking small ship/large ship, mass market/luxury line, mass market/premium line, etc, etc. But some things you can talk about.

     Items like Internet are very similar - good speed, and in some regard Princess doesn't block what Viking does.  Remember though that you have to purchase Internet on Princess, whereas on Crystal and Viking it is included in your fare.

     While you can purchase drink packages on Princess and on Viking, you really can't compare the two, with Viking's package being cheaper and far more inclusive.  Crystal includes a wide variety of liquor but remember it is a luxury line and the price is hidden in your fare.  Staying with liquor though, Princess allows 2 bottles of wine to be consumed in your room.  Viking and Crystal allows unlimited quantities of any liquor and you can drink it anywhere (no corkage say if you take a bottle of wine to dinner).

     Staterooms - actually Princess (as a mass market line) hold their own when you take away the obvious things like butler service, upgraded linens, amenities such as canapés, etc.  We typically book mini-suites or suites on Princess, and we chose similar cabins on Crystal and Viking (slightly bigger but only by 40 sq ft).  Bathrooms, furnishings, linens, etc were better of course on Crystal and Viking, but space and cleanliness were pretty much the same on all three lines.  Balconies, like the bathrooms differ though - Crystal's balcony furniture was luxury wicker and the balcony itself was deep enough to lounge out.  Viking balcony furniture was mesh, but very nice - again with a deep enough balcony to lounge out.  We really dislike how Princes have gone to the narrow balconies on the Royal Class ships.

     There is no way to compare food, customer service, etc between luxury, premium, and mass market.  Although we also did try Silversea (luxury) who has the worst customer service in our opinion.  Their attitude is that you are on a luxury cruise line, therefore nothing can be wrong.  Princess beats the crap out of Silversea.

     Another comparison that can be made is the fitness areas - all are similar.  

     Entertainment - Princess being the bigger ship of course has more going on.  We found Viking's entertainment to be quite poor.  Crystal of course only has 600 passengers and thus while entertainment options are not as intensive as Princess, what they do have is spectacular.

     Costs – (rounding the numbers when we were booking) we compared Princess pricing to the pricing we had on Crystal, Silversea, and Viking - similar itineraries, times, stateroom sizes, included drink packages and tips if required, etc.  Crystal and Silversea were around 40% more per day, and Viking was 20% more.  Although these were our numbers for these particular cruises in shoulder season, future cruises for these companies are all over the map.  We have a Japan cruise booked with Princess and Viking's price is double, but just for the Japan leg.  Viking is 30-40% more in other parts of Asia.  Thus I don't think you can make a general statement when comparing prices - pricing is itinerary and date dependent.

     Crystal of course is luxury and the ship itself reflects this in appearance, appointments, furnishings, etc.  Viking as a Premium line is over the top clean, crisp, and very Scandinavian.  Princess tries hard but their older ships are showing their age, while the newer ones have done things we dislike - an example is how they have made the balconies quite narrow.

     Overall - now that we have tried some of the more upscale options (Crystal, Paul Gauguin, Silversea, Scenic, and Viking), as loyal Princess cruisers we will probably take the following approach when looking to book cruises in the future.  We will always look to Crystal first (although limited to only two ships at present), then Paul Gauguin (really limited – one ship, only in the South Pacific), then Viking.  We will compare Viking with Princess and if the pricing isn’t out of line (yes it will be more) we will cruise Viking.  Will we still cruise with Princess – yes, but only when family or friends are going, or in the rare case of Princess having an itinerary that is very specific to where we want to go and Viking or Crystal doesn’t.

Great comparison, thank you.  We have been on Princess numerous times, Oceania four times, and Silversea once (several years ago).  We do have a Viking cruise in the Far East scheduled in the future.  I would suggest trying Windstar in the future.  Small 312 person yachts and smaller sailing ships.  Everything was perfect.  From the crew, excursions, food, cabin, etc.  The choose is yours, of course. 

[cheezenip]

4 hours ago, ssawjo said:

We have been on Princess numerous times, Oceania four times,

Could you elaborate on your impressions of the food on O? Very curious on the quality of O's buffet as well as the MDR.

[JF - retired RRT]

On 6/21/2024 at 10:14 AM, RLK33853 said:

On Viking we had a Penthouse Veranda at 340 sq ft, which is approximately 70 sq ft bigger than a Princess mini-suite.  Viking includes a tour (pretty standard and nothing special) in every port, and free wine and beer with lunch and dinners, and our cost was around 40% more than Princess.

You left out the Viking mini-fridge: stocked daily for DV and up with drinks and snacks. PV and up gets beer, etc, as well. Also, no photographers, no casino, no kids, bigger shower with glass instead of a curtain, heated bathroom floors, WiFi included...I'm in.

Edited Saturday at 09:00 PM by JF - retired RRT

[TRLD]

6 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

     I have now finished posting about us as loyal Princess cruisers comparing Crystal and Viking on those particular boards.  Some here on the Princess board have expressed interest as to our thoughts.  Here they are – please remember these are our thoughts at our stage in life and they may certainly differ from you.

     First off, you can't of course do a true comparison with Princess since we are talking small ship/large ship, mass market/luxury line, mass market/premium line, etc, etc. But some things you can talk about.

     Items like Internet are very similar - good speed, and in some regard Princess doesn't block what Viking does.  Remember though that you have to purchase Internet on Princess, whereas on Crystal and Viking it is included in your fare.

     While you can purchase drink packages on Princess and on Viking, you really can't compare the two, with Viking's package being cheaper and far more inclusive.  Crystal includes a wide variety of liquor but remember it is a luxury line and the price is hidden in your fare.  Staying with liquor though, Princess allows 2 bottles of wine to be consumed in your room.  Viking and Crystal allows unlimited quantities of any liquor and you can drink it anywhere (no corkage say if you take a bottle of wine to dinner).

     Staterooms - actually Princess (as a mass market line) hold their own when you take away the obvious things like butler service, upgraded linens, amenities such as canapés, etc.  We typically book mini-suites or suites on Princess, and we chose similar cabins on Crystal and Viking (slightly bigger but only by 40 sq ft).  Bathrooms, furnishings, linens, etc were better of course on Crystal and Viking, but space and cleanliness were pretty much the same on all three lines.  Balconies, like the bathrooms differ though - Crystal's balcony furniture was luxury wicker and the balcony itself was deep enough to lounge out.  Viking balcony furniture was mesh, but very nice - again with a deep enough balcony to lounge out.  We really dislike how Princes have gone to the narrow balconies on the Royal Class ships.

     There is no way to compare food, customer service, etc between luxury, premium, and mass market.  Although we also did try Silversea (luxury) who has the worst customer service in our opinion.  Their attitude is that you are on a luxury cruise line, therefore nothing can be wrong.  Princess beats the crap out of Silversea.

     Another comparison that can be made is the fitness areas - all are similar.  

     Entertainment - Princess being the bigger ship of course has more going on.  We found Viking's entertainment to be quite poor.  Crystal of course only has 600 passengers and thus while entertainment options are not as intensive as Princess, what they do have is spectacular.

     Costs – (rounding the numbers when we were booking) we compared Princess pricing to the pricing we had on Crystal, Silversea, and Viking - similar itineraries, times, stateroom sizes, included drink packages and tips if required, etc.  Crystal and Silversea were around 40% more per day, and Viking was 20% more.  Although these were our numbers for these particular cruises in shoulder season, future cruises for these companies are all over the map.  We have a Japan cruise booked with Princess and Viking's price is double, but just for the Japan leg.  Viking is 30-40% more in other parts of Asia.  Thus I don't think you can make a general statement when comparing prices - pricing is itinerary and date dependent.

     Crystal of course is luxury and the ship itself reflects this in appearance, appointments, furnishings, etc.  Viking as a Premium line is over the top clean, crisp, and very Scandinavian.  Princess tries hard but their older ships are showing their age, while the newer ones have done things we dislike - an example is how they have made the balconies quite narrow.

     Overall - now that we have tried some of the more upscale options (Crystal, Paul Gauguin, Silversea, Scenic, and Viking), as loyal Princess cruisers we will probably take the following approach when looking to book cruises in the future.  We will always look to Crystal first (although limited to only two ships at present), then Paul Gauguin (really limited – one ship, only in the South Pacific), then Viking.  We will compare Viking with Princess and if the pricing isn’t out of line (yes it will be more) we will cruise Viking.  Will we still cruise with Princess – yes, but only when family or friends are going, or in the rare case of Princess having an itinerary that is very specific to where we want to go and Viking or Crystal doesn’t.

Crystal has just ordered 2 more ships for 2028 delivery.

[ssawjo]

9 minutes ago, cheezenip said:

Could you elaborate on your impressions of the food on O? Very curious on the quality of O's buffet as well as the MDR.

The Terrace (buffet) is very good with grilled to order items (steaks, lobster, shrimp), pasta station, craving station, salad bar, etc.  They usually have a regional night, e.g., Indian cuisine or German food.  Breakfast is standard things with an egg station and so on.  Lunch is very good and the Pool Grill has hamburgers, hot dogs, and an excellent surf (lobster) and turf sandwich.

 

The MDR is good but it can be hit or miss, I'm afraid.  I am not a foodie by any means but I like what I like.  Really can't recall the "bad" things or the "good" things to be honest.  The Specialty restaurants are very good, especially, Red Ginger if you are on the bigger ships, Vista, Riviera, and Marina.  However, I found Polo Grill (steaks) to be again hit or miss.  Some of the sides can be undercooked/overcooked.  Tuscany (Italian) is always good and Jacques is good but I am not particularly a fan of French food.  They also have a Pizza bar in the evenings that is again hit or miss.  I had a burnt crust pizza and the next time it was prefect.  

 

You will not go hungry, and you will probably enjoy your meals.  

[JF - retired RRT]

On 6/22/2024 at 1:07 PM, TRLD said:

The loyalty obc was every cruise, not every 5th.  

Poster meant to say the OBC increased with every 5th cruise.

[JF - retired RRT]

On 6/22/2024 at 5:42 PM, memoak said:

As long as Princess has ships without water parks or restricted deck areas we will stick with them

The Sun AFAIK has restricted areas...are water parks the next innovation?

[TRLD]

8 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Poster meant to say the OBC increased with every 5th cruise.

Not according to his reply in post 30 when he could have said that.

 

 

[RLK33853]

6 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

You left out the Viking mini-fridge: stocked daily for DV and up with drinks and snacks. PV and up gets beer, etc, as well. Also, no photographers, no casino, no kids, bigger shower with glass instead of a curtain, heated bathroom floors, WiFi included...I'm in.

 

Actually there is a lot of specifics that I didn't cover.  I was just trying to be as fair as I could to all the lines by comparing the bigger items.  But you are right, I should have mentioned the bathrooms specifically.  Crystal's is huge, granite, two sinks, and the shower rivals anything you would have at home.  Viking is a little smaller, but very nice as well.  Princess of course is very utilitarian.  And of course, no casino or kids on Viking.  Other things like walkin closets and shoe racks, makeup tables and mirrors, etc on Crystal are some of the little things that make Crystal a luxury line.

[memoak]

12 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

 

Actually there is a lot of specifics that I didn't cover.  I was just trying to be as fair as I could to all the lines by comparing the bigger items.  But you are right, I should have mentioned the bathrooms specifically.  Crystal's is huge, granite, two sinks, and the shower rivals anything you would have at home.  Viking is a little smaller, but very nice as well.  Princess of course is very utilitarian.  And of course, no casino or kids on Viking.  Other things like walkin closets and shoe racks, makeup tables and mirrors, etc on Crystal are some of the little things that make Crystal a luxury line.

The no casino is a real loser for us. We cruise suites on Princess and always have either a walk in closet or multiple closets with doors. Also always get make up tables and mirrors 

[Hlitner]

Just my two cents on this fun topic.  Count us as among the folks that cruise many different lines (our 18th line is coming up in Dec) ranging from budget to high-end luxury.  To say we simply enjoy being on cruise ships would be an understatement supported by more than 50 years of extensive cruising

 

The lines mentioned by the OP range from luxury to mass market.  We find pros/cons to each line, and enjoy mass market, luxury and premium lines.  Consider that we recently cruised on Oceania for 35 days, our next two cruises are on Seabourn and Silversea, last year we cruised on Explora Journeys, and today, we are on the verge of booking a future 14 day cruise on Princess!  And by the way, that Princess decision is made after considering options with Explora Journeys, MSC (Yacht Club), Seabourn, and Silversea.  For the moment, after considering all those lines our thinking is to head back to Princess (it would be our 34th Princess cruise).  

 

Why would we choose Princess...likely in a low category mini-suite?  DW and I really enjoy the variety of entertainment on Princess (Production Shows, jazz club, piano bar, etc) and I have always been a big fan of the IC where I spend most mornings sipping cappuccino, eating a donut, people watching, etc.  And by the way, the idea of paying extra for a reserve collection mini-suite is not even a consideration.  We seldom go to a dining room for breakfast (usually are fine with the IC) so the only real advantage to the reserve thing would be dinner.  And on the Enchanted Princess (the cruise we are considering) we see no advantage to the reserve seating for dinner and do not get excited about paying extra for the same menu (plus one item).  Since we dine after 7:30, we can usually walk into any of the MDRs, with no queue or delay, so that reserve stuff is a big nothing!  As to cabin location, we could care less if we are up near the bow or amid ships.  The only part of any ship we tend to avoid are far aft cabins, because on many vessels (at certain speeds) you can get an annoying "shimmy" not to mention vibration from the props.    As to the larger suites, we need a cabin to sleep, shower, get dressed, and leave (we like to socialize outside our cabin).  While a large suite is always nice, the extra space goes to waste since we spend very little waking time in the suite.  We would rather spend the extra money on a good bottle of wine, an extra dinner in The Catch, etc.

 

As to the luxury lines, we are assuming that the large majority of Princess cruisers have never been on a small ship luxury line.  We are talking lines like Seabourn, Silversea, EJ, Sea Dream, Scenic, and even Crystal.  We love those lines and particularly favor the small ships (fewer than 600 passengers), the better cuisine, the refined atmosphere, slow pace of life, etc.  But I will tell you that when we were cruising on the new Explora Journeys 1 ship, although that vessel had the best cuisine we have ever had at sea (by a mile) there were times when we missed the pizza on Princess :).  And we have always enjoyed Crooners (whoever decided to leave that off the Sky Princess should be strung up on the yardarm).    Some of our Seabourn cruising friends have remarked that they find it shocking we can enjoy Princess after cruising on Seabourn...but that is their loss :).

 

Hank