I need the boards help with two general questions

[Ryan Wahlstrom]

1) I was hoping the group could help me by sharing their general perceptions of what distinguishes or makes Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL different? Either perceived or from actual experience.

 

2) The second is more Zen like. My question is, why do you think vacations are important? How do cruises, in particular, fulfill that need or role in life?

[phoenix1181]

1) I was hoping the group could help me by sharing their general perceptions of what distinguishes or makes Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL different? Either perceived or from actual experience.

 

Never cruised Carnival & only cruised NCL once. The food and overall service were lacking and we found the ship unimpressive. That was in the late 90's and we've stayed with RCCL since. Love the ships and the staff but have to admit the food isn't what it used to be unless you opt for one of the specialty restaurants.

 

2) The second is more Zen like. My question is, why do you think vacations are important? How do cruises, in particular, fulfill that need or role in life?

 

The most important reason to vacation for us is getting away from everything and having the time to focus on us. It's a time to reconnect and enjoy each other without our jobs, families, or anything else getting in the way.

[paul929207]

2. I love to see new places, especially on a ship where you are not packing and unpacking every couple of days.

[cb at sea]

Everyone needs to stop working for awhile and "recharge"--even workaholics! And being on a ship makes it more difficult to be reached, which is a good thing! Everyone has 24 hour contact nowadays, and it's simply not necessary! Everyone can be "incommunicado" once in a while--the world won't end!

[WeBeGone]

Carnival and RCL have set dining times and more "stuff" for kids. NCL has antime dining. All 3 have salt water pools, good food and service. I prefer Princess because of fresh water pools and anytime dining.

 

We like to cruise because we only unpack once, the "hotel" moves us to a different location each day, and I love being at sea.

[RoofingPrincess]

1) I haven't been on NCL but have been on RCCL, Princess, and Carnival within the last year. Of the three, RCCL is still my favorite. I like the layout of their ships the best, but most of all, they seemed to me to have the best service. The Caribbean Princess always seemed to have traffic jams - you were very much aware of how many other people were on that ship. On Carnival Ecstasy, my room was not clean when I got to it; I had to call the steward to clear away glasses left by the prior occupants, and then did not see him for the rest of the trip. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but my room was not made up till around noon each day even though I cleared out of it quite early!

 

2) Vacations recharge the soul (and sometimes the body as well). I tend to take two kinds - some to do good for others, and some to do good just for me. Both are precious to my wellbeing. Cruises fit the latter category very well as they enable me to have a taste of numerous places without spending too much time in transit, plus I am treated like a queen along the way! All this for the (relatively) low price of an interior cabin!

[wrp96]

Carnival and RCL have set dining times and more "stuff" for kids. NCL has antime dining. All 3 have salt water pools, good food and service. I prefer Princess because of fresh water pools and anytime dining.

 

One correction, RCCL also has fresh water pools on their Freedom class ships. They also are in the process of rolling out an anytime dining program throughout the fleet.

[Bruin Steve]

1) I was hoping the group could help me by sharing their general perceptions of what distinguishes or makes Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL different? Either perceived or from actual experience.

 

Every cruise line does a lot of things alike...the differences are often in small areas. Each cruise line markets toward a particular niche. BTW, I've cruised on all three of these lines and 4 others as well...so, it's a little more than "general perception" with me, but also personal experience and opinion. Of course, remember individual perception and opinion is often based on each of our personal expectations and standards.

 

The "general perception" of Carnival (though loyal Carnival cruisers will often debate it) is that Carnival is sort of the bottom rung of the American mass-marketed cruise market. Carnival tends to market price first. It's often where people go looking for the "bargain" cruise. They market "fun" more than amenities or service. Their cruises tend to be cheaper (though really not always the case). Their ships also tend to be more densely packed than most [i usually look at the "space-per-passenger" ratios, but even those can be misleading on Carnival--they tend to fill more third and fourth berths than any other lines]. Carnival has the reputation of having a "party crowd"--wild, obnoxious, heavy drinkers--though this is not necessarily completely deserved...most Carnival passengers are just ordinary folks on a family vacation...a lot of the same folks you'll find on other lines...

 

My personal opinion of Carnival (and I've cruised them three times, as recently as July 2007) is that I am likely never going back. Far too crowded, extremely poor service, substandard entertainment and facilities. I'm willing to spend a little more money and cruise on Celebrity, Oceania, Princess or Royal Caribbean--all of which I perceive to be better value. But, that doesn't mean Carnival isn't the right line for somebody else. The food on Carnival is surprisingly good, the cabins, though tackily decorated, are quite ample and well-appointed. If what is important to you is a lot of activity and "fun" at a lower price, you can have a great cruise with these guys.

 

Norwegian's niche is to market to those who want--or think they want--something other than the traditional cruise experience. Open, restaurant-type dinner seating, no formal nights, fewer scheduled activities. They market it as "freestyle" and it appeals to some people (I, for one, am a traditionalist--I like those formalities that make cruising different and special--but some folks, I guess, are put off by those things). I've only taken one NCL cruise and wasn't impressed. Their pricing is actually sometimes lower than even Carnival's. General perception by most veteran cruisers is that service is their major weak point. But, again, a cruise is what you make of it...and if NCL's style is something that fits you, you can have a nice cruise.

 

Royal Caribbean, for my money, has the most remarkable ships with the most incredible amenities on the seas. They tend to aim a little higher in the market than Carnival though still well within the budget of most working families. Their ships are distinguished by the innovative amenities--Ice Skating rinks (and some incredible Figure Skating shows), Rock Climbing walls, Miniature Golf and Golf Simulators, Wave Generating Surfing pools, etc. The main promenades of the newer ships are flat-out beautiful. They tend to have a great balance of activities and amenities for all ages. The kids have more to do than just a kid's room and a teen disco that they have on some of the other lines...RCCL also has the best repeat customer club of any line--my favorite is the "Diamond Lounge" for Diamond level Crown & Anchor members...Of the three lines you mentioned, RCCL is easily my choice...

 

1) 2) The second is more Zen like. My question is, why do you think vacations are important? How do cruises, in particular, fulfill that need or role in life?

 

I work 47 weeks a year...long hours, high stress, etc. When I get time off, I need to get away as far as possible--really change things up...I want to accomplish two things--1) To relax and relieve stress and 2) to enrich my life and experience--to visit exotic and unusual places, to learn, to enjoy other cultures, history, art, etc. My vacations are the high point of my year--something I can look forward to those other 47 weeks when all I do is commute from home to work and back, sit behind a desk and deal with people's issues and problems...I keep a coundown clock on my desk that counts the time until my next cruise and no matter how depressing everyday life gets, I can see that there's only so much time until my next cruise...If I couldn't do this, life would be pretty depressing...

[CC Help Michell]

1) I was hoping the group could help me by sharing their general perceptions of what distinguishes or makes Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL different? Either perceived or from actual experience.

 

We've sailed them all and think they are more alike than different (though on nearly every itinerary Royal Caribbean is priced significantly higher than the other two). They are mainstream cruiselines offering a product intended for a mainstream cruising customer. For us, the differences between them are largely cosmetic (how they package the same type of thing).

 

We do like Freestyle dining on NCL, because even with a surcharge we like having a choice of so many kinds of food -- nobody else offers that, and we like it (plus we like the fact that there are no formal nights on NCL). I agree with the poster above that at this time RCI offers a great repeat customer program.

 

I never opine regarding which cruiseline has better food -- that is totally in the eye of the beholder. I've read people saying that "X restaurant on Y ship is gross" but when we tried it we thought it was wonderful. Food is probably the most subjective area of cruising. I CAN say that a "bad" meal on a cruiseship has been rare for us, and even a mediocre one has been unusual. The vast majority have been good to excellent on every line.

 

Service is another fairly idiosyncratic thing. I'm happy if my room's cleaned every day and I have clean towels when I want them. I don't need a room steward to dance a fandago to impress me, or make me towel animals I'm going to rip apart to wash my face. That said, I've never experienced "bad" service on any ship -- but I've also never experienced a service quality on these three lines approaching that we found on our first HAL cruise last summer. CCL, RCI, and NCL are within a few degrees of each other based on our service experiences with them -- and HAL is looking at ALL of them in the rear view mirror.

 

Even so, we will sail with anybody if the itinerary is what we want and the price is right.

 

2) The second is more Zen like. My question is, why do you think vacations are important? How do cruises, in particular, fulfill that need or role in life?

 

Vacations are to allow me to rest up and recharge, and to expand my brain and life experience by seeing new places and doing new things. Cruises are a great way to do both those things, and they are VERY efficient at it. For me, the second I step foot on a cruise ship I'm disconnected from my "every day." It's instant relaxation (well, once I have a foo foo drink! :D). Land vacations always take me a few days to get to that point, for some reason.

 

My replies are above -- is this for a class or a grad school paper? :)

[cruiselover57]

1) I was hoping the group could help me by sharing their general perceptions of what distinguishes or makes Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL different? Either perceived or from actual experience.

 

2) The second is more Zen like. My question is, why do you think vacations are important? How do cruises, in particular, fulfill that need or role in life?

 

Hi there,

 

Here are my perceptions. I've been on all 3 cruise lines mentioned plus many others. Out of the three, I believe RCI would be #1, Carnival #2 and NCL #3. IMO, RCI seems to have great service, food and activities. Although I was on the Carnival Freedom to the Med. this past August, I felt it was lacking as far as more adult-like entertainment at night - like a midnight show-they had these on the shorter cruises but nothing like it overseas. Just something different than the usual like piano bar and karaoke. Been on NCL 3X but not really into freestyle cruising - I'd go if there's a good deal out there but first choice of the 3 is definitely RCI. PS - Going on Princess though in December!

 

As for vacations, they are definitely important because I work all the time - yes, pretty much 7 days a week - the extra job (bartending) helps pay for my cruising habit! It's well worth it too! If I don't have a cruise on the books, then I get what's called CWS (cruise withdrawal syndrome)! LOL

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

As i have not sailed on NCL, have not been on Carnival for a long time and like RCCL because this cruise line does provide me with a nice experience at usually a reasonable price, I cannot answer your first question.

 

My answer to your second question...I am incurable romantic. My DW really enjoys being on the ocean, and we both like to travel. It takes just one sunrise or sunset while on a cruise for me to be recharged and ready for whatever life throws my way.

 

Fred

[CruzinFamilyof5]

Carnival and RCL have set dining times and more "stuff" for kids. NCL has antime dining. All 3 have salt water pools, good food and service. I prefer Princess because of fresh water pools and anytime dining.

 

We like to cruise because we only unpack once, the "hotel" moves us to a different location each day, and I love being at sea.

 

WeBeGone, I have a question about a post you had on Egypt and the tour guide. I have the Eyewitness Book on Egypt. What should we not miss on an overnight in Cairo. We're on a budget and wondering if we should go with a certain tour company because the quote is very good. Our email is portsofcall at rocketmail dot com :confused:

 

thanks

 

...

[katyjeka]

We've cruised both Carnival and NCL. We love NCL and are looking forward to our 3rd cruise with them in December. NCL's new ships are beautiful and traveling with 3 children its hard to keep within the airlines luggage policy, so no formal clothing equals a lot less luggage. We had a great time on Carnival as well and would sail with them again. Food was good on both, but the Blue Lagoon on NCL has great snack options, something we felt Carnival was lacking. We found the entertainment onboard both lines good. The shows are not Broadway, but we were entertained. Casinos were the same, they generally pay out very little, but it makes for a fun evening. We feel NCL has the edge with spa services. The spa on the NCL Dawn and Spirit are great. You can buy a weekly pass for $75.00 pp, and enjoy the facilities. The pools are the same, but traveling w/children, I have to say NCL has better childrens pools. The slide on Carnival was closed more than it was opened, but maybe it was just the week we cruised. Staff has been great on both lines. We like to take a vacation every year, if possible, to reconnect as a family. A cruise is a perfect way to do this. Our cell phones are off and we are able to just enjoy each others company. It refreshes our family, and makes for some wonderful memories. Janice

[Go-Bucks!]

My question is, why do you think vacations are important? How do cruises, in particular, fulfill that need or role in life?

 

 

I think taking time occasionally to unwind and de-stress is important in our fast-paced society. Relaxing and getting away from the day to day grind is good for your health (mental and physical).

 

Cruises are a good way to accomplish that because once you're there, you have very little to worry about or arrange. Your transportation, room & board, entertainment, and leisure activities are ready for you to enjoy. Just unpack and repack once. And the crew is at your service.

 

That said, I also enjoy land vacations if I want to spend more time in one area. Europe is a place where I enjoy land vacations. But I have to live out of a suitcase because I don't stay more than 3-4 days in one place; I have to arrange for all the travel between cities; get on and off trains, subways, and buses; make reservations and get tickets for shows, concerts, or museums; pick out and go to different restaurants for each meal; and haul my suitcase up and down stairs going from one hotel to another. It's culturally fulfilling, but definitely not nearly as relaxing as a cruise.

[DAGVBSB]

I have been on RCCL and NCL. I found the food on NCL to be much better than that on RCCL. The food on RCCL didn't have any flavor and the choices seemed much more limited.... it was basically the same thing every night, just with different names. The RCCL buffet however far surpassed that of NCL.

 

As far as service, I found the crew on the NCL's to be more friendly and more likely to engage you in conversation. The crew on the Explorer, especially the Captain and Senior Officers seemed very aloof and almost non-existant. If you passed them, they tried not to look at you. I thought it was out of fear of having to speak to you. On NCL, the Senior Officers were much more outgoing.

 

NCL also seemed much more organized in every aspect of the ship...moving the people, activities, shows, and especially shore excursions.

 

I also felt that the Passengers who sailed on NCL were more friendly and polite. I have never met a ruder, more arrogant bunch of passengers than I did on the Explorer of the Seas on the July 3 cruise. They pushed to the front everywhere and generally didn't care about anyone but themselves.

 

My mother, who has sailed on all the major lines many times, even said that this RCCL cruise was no where as good as her past RCCL cruises. As she said: "it appears RCCL is going downhill fast."

[Ryan Wahlstrom]

My replies are above -- is this for a class or a grad school paper? :)

MichellP, thanks for reply. This is for neither a class or grad school paper - although you have certainly identified the "researcher" in me. I've come to find two important things in life: 1) I should always be asking questions and 2) I should always be providing something of value. I've developed a website http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com or http://www.ryanwahlstrom.com as a means of learning about the industry and building relationships - hopefully by providing cruise industry people something of value. I started some research onboard and asked these questions as a way to help round things out. Please let me know if there is anything you would find useful or want to know cruise related so I may return the favor.