Help on Cruise lines

[zhangf]

Is anyone here cruised with different cruise lines and can tell which one is best (food, service, entertainment, room etc..). I had been cruised with Princess (Crown), RCL (Freedom of the sea) etc.. and thinking the next one going with other cruise lines (HAL, NCL, costa, MSC etc..) but I am afraid of these cruise lines are not the same standard as princess and RCL. Any suggestion?

[cherylandtk]

"Best" is a subjective term, and you will find many heated disagreements on just who has the correct opinion, LOL.

 

That said, in general, HAL is right up there with the 'better' lines for food, rooms and service, although with a slightly older demographic. Most folks would rank it at least equal to Princess or RCCL, if not better.

 

Carnival and MSC are towards the other end of the spectrum, but both have their loyal fans and customers.

 

Just curious, but if you have found a cruiseline you like, why do you feel the need to try another, particularly if you are concerned about your expectations?

[Keith1010]

Another cruise line to look at is Celebrity. Celebrity is a premium cruise line.

 

Now when you say best there are a number of luxury cruise lines that are well known for their service and five star food. Examples include, Crystal, Regent, Seabourn, Silversea and Sea Dream. But, they are quite a bit more expensive.

 

Keith

[isujim]

It might help everyone to know what you are looking for? I can't tell if you enjoyed your Princess and RC experience. You probably won't get agreement on what "standards" each cruiseline presents.:) The poster that said "best" is a subjective term is so right..........but you have to take each suggestion as an opinion and do your research.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

You really cannot say that one of the major cruise lines is "better" than another.

 

I am sure that the ulra fancy cruise lines provide a higher level of service and so on but I am not interested in paying huge of money for a cruise. The majors, over 24 cruises , have provided my DW and I with excellent cruises in terms of food, service and entertainment at a reasonable price.

 

If you are pleased with Princess and RCL and both in my opinion provide a very nice cruise experience, why change? If you want to try another cruise line, consider Celebrity. This line combines some of the best of both Princess and RCCL.

 

Hope that this helps,

 

Fred

[barbarah33]

I agree with the other posters - each person will have his/her own thoughts and opinions but you should look into Celebrity. I have been on Princess, RCCL and Celebrity all several times and I think the food and service on X is better than the other two.

[zhangf]

Thanks all.

What I'm asking is for the comparison. I had been on the cruises over the years with RCL and Princess and is looking for a change with different cruise line. Yesterday, I found MCS and the price is very compariable, however, I read some negative reiviewes about it and that gives me the impression that MCS is not on the same quality level as RCL and Princess.

What I aslo found out is that even with same cruise company (i.e Princess), the overall (service, food, entainment etc..) is different in between the ships/and cruise routes. I recently went to Alaska cruise with Star princess, and I noticed that the quality of service is much lower than the previous cruise I had with Crown Princee in Carrbbean. My explanation is that it is because the Alaska cruise, they don't care that much.

 

Does anyone have the sema experience?

[NCTribeFan]

It's been a few years since I sailed RCI, but I've found that the food on Carnival, for the most part, has been excellent. I liked the breakfast food in the Windjammer, but I always get a made-to-order omlette on Carnival ships, which are very good.

 

I'm not sure what "other end of the spectrum" was being referenced earlier. Probably another Carnival basher who's never sailed Carnival. :rolleyes:

 

The Spirit-class ships are very nice, are less crowded, less tacky (for the most part), and do some excellent itineraries. The service on the Miracle was excellent as well.

 

I dont normally go to shows (didn't go to any on Glory), but the couple I saw on Miracle were quite good. There are plenty of things to do on sea days.

 

Their standard cabins are 185 sq ft (larger inside cabins than many other lines), with varying sizes of larger suites.

 

It all depends on what you want from your cruise. My criteria are: itinerary, price, ship.

 

Other people place more importance on other aspects of their cruise.

 

Edit: to answer the last post - yes, the ships all seem to have their own personality. I believe that has a lot to do with the Captain and the Cruise Director. We did the exact same cruise in 2006. In May, we were on the Fantasy. In December, we were on the Elation. Same itinerary, same ship class. Very different "flavor" though and we enjoyed the Elation much more.

[Bruin Steve]

I've cruised on seven different cruise lines: Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Norwegian, Oceania and Premier (the forerunner to Disney) with multiple cruises on several of them, so, perhaps, I can give a fairly comprehensive answer here.

 

First, I'll give a similar standard caveat to what everyone else has said: We all have different criteria, different standards, different needs and different expectations. What is important to you may not be important to me and vice-versa...And quality evaluations--such as to food or entertainment are often a matter of personal taste--Food that I think tastes great may taste awful to you...

 

That said, here is my run down of the major mass market lines (In no particular order)...and I'll try to give specifics where I can rather than mere opinion:

 

Carnival: The Carnival aficionados don't like it when you make this comparison, but they really are the "Wal-Mart" of cruise lines. They aim their marketing toward the cost-conscious, the people looking to get a cruise for the lowest price. They generally accomplish the low price by a number of methods, mostly by jamming the most people on each ship. Most ships have very high passenger to space ratios, so they often seem crowded (though some people don't seem to notice or mind the crowds, to me it's of paramount importance). They do have their good points, though--the cabins are mostly quite ample with good storage space, the food (IMO) is actually surprisingly good...but, with the high number of people, the service really suffers (though some people won't notice since it's still better than you'd get at most mid-priced restaurants back home. The ships are extremely gaudy (and, again, some people like the overdone decoration and loud colors). They generally appeal to more families, younger people, people with less expendable budget.

 

Norwegian: Norwegian's niche is nontraditional cruising. Whereas most cruise lines offer a very traditional dining experience (assigned tables and times, same waiters every night, etc.), Norwegian does not have this even as an option...It's like going to a restaurant every night--you may wait for tables, the waiters don't know you...The idea appeals to some, but more traditional cruisers hate it--just not "special" enough. Also, no formal nights. But the reputation is not great...service suffers a bit and the product is generally viewed as slightly inferior to some of the other lines.

 

Royal Caribbean: Royal Caribbean's mark is in the ship's amenities. The newer, larger RCCL ships are flat-out incredible--Rock Climbing walls, Ice skating rinks, 9-hole miniature golf courses, golf simulators and wave-generating surfing pools...These would be my dream ships when I was 10-25 years old. Even as an old codger, there are some nice advantages. The ships with the ice rinks have the added bonus of outstanding figure skating shows. Entertainment is first rate. Food and service are good. RCCL caters to a lot of families willing to spend a little bit more than the Carnival cruisers for an ideal family vacation.

 

Princess: Really a solid, middle of the bunch, nice cruise experience. The ships are generally very nice, though lacking in the amenities of the RCCL ships--except the standard--bars, lounges, pool, spa, etc. There are some varied Princess ships--most of the larger ones are fairly high capacity--more people than the Celebrity ships but less crowded than Carnival--though a couple of them (Sapphire, Diamond) have very spacious space-to-passenger ratios...Then they also have some of the smaller ships akin to Oceania or Azamara (more on those later). Princess does have an option of EITHER traditional or "anytime" dining. Very good food and service. Ample cabins for the most part, especially on the higher categories.

 

Holland America: This is one line I haven't ever cruised on, so I am going by reputation here. HAL has a very good reputation for food and service and an elegant, traditional cruise experience. The ships are nice and very adult-oriented. They also have a longstanding reputation for attracting a much older demographic (which may be changing a little).

 

Disney: The ultimate "niche" cruise line. Obviously aims toward families with young kids and combines a lot of their theme park elements into the cruise.

 

Celebrity: My personal favorite. Very elegant, very tasteful, very traditional. The larger M-Class ships have outstanding space-to-passenger ratios--very spacious. Food and service are excellent. Attracts a slightly more upscale crowd. Cabins are ample.

 

Oceania and Azamara: I group these two together because they are, in many ways, very similar. Oceania is independent, Azamara is owned by RCCL/Celebrity. Both operate on the smaller 30,000 gross ton, 700 +/- passenger former Renaissance ships. A little higher priced so mostly a more affluent crowd. Open seating dining, no formal nights. Food is excellent. Itineraries typically more exotic. Entertainment not as good since ships lack the big production-capable stages and theaters. Can get fairly quiet at night.

 

Past these, there are the true luxury lines: Seabourne, Regent, Silverseas, Crystal, etc. I won't get into these here as they are truly a whole other category...and, frankly, I don't have experience with them as I could never see wanting more, personally, then I get with the mass-market lines...at least not that I would want to pay 3-5 times the price for my cruise...

 

Hope this helps.

[want2cruiseagain]

Personally, I like trying different cruiselines. If the price is right and at the time that I want to go, I'll try it. We haven't been disappointed yet. But we have the attitude that a good cruise is what you make it.

[Maorah]

We took the MSC Lurica and loved the carribean trip