val111 Posted June 25, 2008 #1 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I have been on 7 celebrity cruises and I am looking into trying another cruise line. I just dont know enough about the others to decide. I am just looking for opinions; I would like to book another cruise soon for this fall. Thanks in advance!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 25, 2008 #2 Share Posted June 25, 2008 It is all about what you are looking for in a cruise ship. A good TA can advise what line suits your needs & lifestyle. Bigger ship, smaller ship, formal nights or none etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb Posted June 25, 2008 #3 Share Posted June 25, 2008 We have been on 9 different cruise lines and basically enjoyed them all. As our tastes have been refined (notice I did not say improved) we now have some favorites. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are at the top of the list. That is not to say that we did not like the others. We had some issues with Holland America which were never resolved, we did not seek any monetary compensation, just wanted things fixed. They also messed up a 4 night post cruise stay in Barcelona which took months to resolve. Since we like 'traditional dining' and NCL no longer offers that, we have chosen not to sail with them again. Costa was pretty much a bum trip compared to others. We were on an old ship and that may have had some influence. I understand that some of their newer ships are much improved. Just have not tried them a second time. We did Tahiti on the old Radisson Paul Gauguin and it was marvelous. A little pricier than some others but we got a two-for-one deal. Would love to do that one again. Windstar's Windsurf was also great. Small, informal and totally relaxing. We have done one Princess cruise and it was very enjoyable. Just have not had occasion to sail with them again, although we do have on booked for August of this year. Another one that was probably pretty bad was on the old Carousel which was Sun Coast Lines, but it was our first cruise and we did not know any better. The ship was antique as far as ocean liners go, built in the early 50's. Needless to say, they are no longer around. Any cruise you take will have many determining factors when it comes to enjoyment. Just what are you looking for? Is it the cruise itself? Destination? Entertainment? Personally, I do not think you can go wrong with Royal Caribbean. There are probably many others who will have another opinion. One thing for sure, here on Cruise Critic you will get as many opinions are there are respondants. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a wonderful time, and always remember to travel with a good attitude and an open mind. Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady_cruiser Posted June 26, 2008 #4 Share Posted June 26, 2008 I have been on Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. I have a 2009 cruise book on RCL and a B2B in 2010 on RCL. My sister and I travel together since she lives 400 miles away it is our time together. We are 59 and 61 years old but we find that even with a rock climbing wall, miniature golf course, ice skating rink and in-line skating ring (none of which we tried) that the Voyager of the Seas has more than enough to keep us happy. The food was very good, the shows better than Vegas and the service is what we would expect in a 4-5 star resort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val111 Posted June 26, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Thanks for the relpies. I am looking for the best deal for the price. Carnival is so cheap and I keep asking myself why? My friend and I travel together every year for our birthdays which are one day apart and we are both in our early 30's. This year money is tight and we wanted to do another mediterian cruise, but with fuel cost and the exchange rate we ruled that one out. I thought about doing two Carnival Cruises back to back but again not sure about the service on Carnival Cruises. Any input would be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted June 26, 2008 #6 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Thanks for the relpies. I am looking for the best deal for the price. Carnival is so cheap and I keep asking myself why? My friend and I travel together every year for our birthdays which are one day apart and we are both in our early 30's. This year money is tight and we wanted to do another mediterian cruise, but with fuel cost and the exchange rate we ruled that one out. I thought about doing two Carnival Cruises back to back but again not sure about the service on Carnival Cruises. Any input would be helpful. Okay, I have cruised 7 different cruise lines...I am an Elite Captains Club member on Celebrity, a Diamond Crown and Anchor member on RCCL and have done 3 cruises on Carnival among the many I've done... Celebrity is, by far my favorite line...but I also enjoy Royal Caribbean for different reasons...and my Oceania cruise the summer before last was nice enough that I'm going back for another cruise with them, again for different reasons than why I prefer Celebrity... Last summer, I cruised Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas and the Carnival Liberty back-to-back...and the experience and comparison was such that I have sworn I will never cruise with Carnival again... All I can say on Carnival's cheap prices is "You get what you pay for"...What I love about Celebrity is the spaciousness, the service and the elegance...which is also a lot of why I detested Carnival...The Carnival cruise was sort of the antithesis of Celebrity...Whereas, with Celebrity, the M-class ships carry around 2,000 passengers on a 91,000 gross ton ship, our Celebrity ship was loaded to capacity (most of the large number of 3rd and 4th berths filled) with 4,000 passengers on a 110,000 gross ton ship...Think of almost twice the density...can you say "MOOOOOOOOO!!!"? The service was incredibly poor...I counted the number of passengers our waiter and assistant waiter were serving on Carnival compared to what they were serving on RCCL and was shocked to find that our waiter had 1.5 times the number of people and was sharing the assistant waiter with another waiter! No wonder we had multiple course brought out hurriedly and at once...and poor service etiquette from the rushed and frazzled wait staff...The buffet was a zoo--no one cleaning and clearing tables, no one helping with drinks and items you forgot like on RCCL And X...We had to wait on lines for almost everything and had to get to the shows over an hour early just to get a decent seat...The entertainment had corners cut as well, though most Carnival cruisers may not notice...Whereas RCCL's production show troupe had four singers, Carnival made do with two--and pre-recorded back-up singing...The shows were nowhere near as imaginative...and some shows were downright bad--the Self-help DVD promoting hypnotist for example...I could go on and on...but, bottom line, if you love Celebrity, you won't like Carnival... Trying something a little different, I would go with Royal Caribbean (I'd also suggest Oceania--but those are more expensive)...Plus, on Royal Caribbean, you will get credit for your Captains Club status--and their perks for Crown and Anchor are pretty good...I love their Diamond Lounge on the bigger ships (which you'll get if you are Elite on CC)...and the coupon booklets are quite good... There's a litlle more "going on" on RCCL--lots of sports oriented amenities that are mostly great for the kids and the younger set, but some worthwhile benefits with those for the grown-ups as well--like the ice rinks mean they have great figure skating shows...and miniature golf and golf simulators are great...The newer, larger shps are really spectacular...As a Celebrity fan, I have no problem adapting to RCCL...But Carnival is a whole other world...and one I don't like...I can't even get accustomed to their gaudy decor... Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clearwater10 Posted June 26, 2008 #7 Share Posted June 26, 2008 I have done 10 Carnival and 5 RCCL and 1 Princess and 1 Disney among others. While I agree that RCCL Liberty of the Seas and their other Mega ships go beyond on the level of activities and things such as water park, rock climbing, flow rider, ice skating rink , etc, not everyone is looking for that. I personally think the food and entertainers on CCL is capable to RCCL. The staff gets more involved with the entertainment on RCCL then CCL does. But if you are choosing a RCCL ship that is not a mega ship then to me they are similar to CCL, if you want to pay the exta 3-$500 dollars per person for the added things that I have mentioned, then do it. Most cruises are better then others because of the people you are with or the people you meet. I don't get hung up on looking for a table or waiting in lines. With so many people, you should expect this. I will say that they say the food and service on Celebrity is the best so if you want to pay extra then go with RCCL megaship so you will feel you are getting what you are paying for. If you want to save a little but still have a good time, then try Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gin_runner Posted June 26, 2008 #8 Share Posted June 26, 2008 If you liked Celebrity, you would be very disappointed by Carnival, Princess, Costa and NCL. RCCL (RCI) is a good middle one. Not as expensive as Celebrity, but better than Carnival, Costa, NCL and Princess. Carnival is the cheapest one - but as someone above said, you get what you pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GORDONCHICK Posted June 26, 2008 #9 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Thanks for the relpies. I am looking for the best deal for the price. Carnival is so cheap and I keep asking myself why? My friend and I travel together every year for our birthdays which are one day apart and we are both in our early 30's. This year money is tight and we wanted to do another mediterian cruise, but with fuel cost and the exchange rate we ruled that one out. I thought about doing two Carnival Cruises back to back but again not sure about the service on Carnival Cruises. Any input would be helpful. What things do you like or dislike about Celebrity, or is it mainly a money thing? If you like traditional dining, then steer clear of NCL and book early on Princess in order to not get Anytime Dining. If you don't like traditional, consider these two. Do you like to dress formally for dinner? If not, NCL has optional formal nights, and Carnival has taken theirs down a notch by calling it "Elegant". This list could seriously go on and on, but you get the picture. If it does boil down to money, just find an itinerary and price that you like, and take a spin. You won't know until you try it. And many people have said, "Even a bad day at sea is better than a good day at work" and I tend to agree with that idiom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AF-1 Posted June 26, 2008 #10 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Recommend you read this book. Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2008. It's author is Douglas Ward, u can get it on amazon.com After reading this book u will be able to make up your mind what cruiseline what ship, and where u want to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDebbie Posted June 27, 2008 #11 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Funny thing about Carnival is that the service can be so different on each ship. Service and food on Triumph were wonderful, far exceeeded our RCCL experience - but the service on Victory was sad to say the least. Worst cruise ever. BUT - it was Spring Break so I give them a few points there. Depending on when you are planning to go in the fall (late September? October?) you will probably get great service on all lines since the kids are back in school. Since you like Celebrity so much I would suggest RCCL first but I must admit that Carnival and Holland have better bathroom layouts than RCCL. (which is kind of important to us - :o ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2girls Posted June 27, 2008 #12 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I have been on 6 Carnival cruises, 2 RCI, and 1 NCL. I have to say that Carnival and RCI are pretty close in comparison. I personally like Carnival better. In my experience I have gotten better service and had better food on Carnival. I really didn't like the service or food on Liberty of the Seas with Royal Caribbean. (It was only the third sailing so maybe that's why.) But, the service and food on Sovereign of the Seas was much better. (Maybe it's easier on Sovereign because there are less people?) Anyway, I have a review of my most recent sailing on Carnival's Legend if you would like to read it the link's in my signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItaliaBella Posted June 27, 2008 #13 Share Posted June 27, 2008 if you love Celebrity, you won't like Carnival... As a Celebrity fan, I have no problem adapting to RCCL...But Carnival is a whole other world...and one I don't like...I can't even get accustomed to their gaudy decor... Good luck... I agree with you on this. I hate Carnival and would never ever sail with them again. I did them twice and that was twice too much. I can't tell you how many times people tell me they love Carnival and I get this urge to whack them over the head with a frying pan! :eek: I have yet to sail with RCCL but hope to do so. Celebrity will always be my #1 choice. The ships, service, food, cabins, etc... are out of this world. It's amazing the attention they provide to make sure you have the best trip of your life. Can't wait to sail Century soon! By the way... how often do you see a Trojan agreeing with a Bruin? :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houch Posted June 27, 2008 #14 Share Posted June 27, 2008 I have cruised on Princess, Celebrity, and RCI. I enjoyed all 3 and found them pretty similar. By far my favorite is Princess which I have sailed the most. Rating them in best service, best food, best meal selection, best entertainment, least crowded, best drinks. best all around cruise, #1 Princess, #2 Celebrity, #3 RCI. None of us could see why folks think Celebrity is so great, it was good but not great. All the flower arrangements around the ship were fake and dusty, got us to thinking what else wasn't clean. (a silly thing to pick on but it really left an impression on us as we are used to the real flowers on Princess) I think you can have good and bad experiences on all the lines, it really depends on the ship's staff. And we all know you find good and bad people in all walks of life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.