Comparisons with Other Cruise Lines and Celebrity

[bmw2000]

I've cruised MSC (short 3 night cruise) and Celebrity and absolutely loved Celebrity. I'm wondering now whether any other lines will measure up. How would NCL, Holland and RCCL compare to Celebrity? And if you couldn't choose Celebrity what line WOULD you choose?

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

Bianca

[martinchem]

It's a matter of preference. Try them all.

[arlee]

Your cruising experiences are so impressive! My husband and I just sailed on the dawn - 7 day eastern caribbean. I noticed that you are planning a cruise with the dawn also. We were considering celebrity for next year (2010), but are not sure about having to dress up some nights. We like the idea of freestyle, but the celebrtity solstice looks so much nicer (of course the price is also so much nicer)! This was our first cruise, and except for a few rough sea days, we're hooked!

[agabbymama]

I think HAL comes closest to Celebrity. Princess would be next, RCCL, NCL, and lastly Carnival.

 

I haven't sailed on Costa, Cunard, P&O, MSC, Silversea, Regency, or Disney so can't give any kind of comparison there.

 

The age demographics, size of the ship, quality of food, ambiance of the vessel, the friendliness of the staff, etc. are about equal. For me HAL has the advantage over Celebrity in their beds, size of balcony cabins, and ease of navigation of the ship. HAL is the only one that still has a teakwood promenade deck that encircles the ship. If you get to that promenade deck, you can make your way anywhere on the ship. On Constellation, we were constantly being told "You can't get there from here, having to go up a deck, down a deck." We always seemed to be in the wrong place to get to where we wanted to go.

[DocJohnB]

I think HAL comes closest to Celebrity. Princess would be next, RCCL, NCL, and lastly Carnival.

 

 

I agree with the HAL comment. Not having sailed on Princess, can't speak to it, however, I would have no problem putting Costa and Carnival in line ahead of NCL.

 

(In fact I would put some of the ships I sailed on in the Navy ahead of NCL :D:D:D ;))

[librarylady19]

For me, the fact that Celebrity is non-smoking is the deal breaker. I couldn't consider any cruise line that didn't follow the same policy. From what I can find out from the cruise line websites, it would appear to be the only mass market line with such a considerate, enlightened policy. In Illinois, smoking is not allowed in any restaurants or bars so I am used to not having to put up with 2nd hand smoke. Celebrity will be my cruiseline of choice until others see the light.

[kelmac]

I agree that you should give all cruise lines a chance! After 33 cruises -- this is my evaluation of the larger ship categories:

 

#1 -- Celebrity -- great service, outstanding food; Solstice is head and shoulders above all other ships in this category. 9.6 rating

 

#2 -- Holland America -- warm service, good food; Great itineraries with a super fleet of smaller (large ships). Anytime dining is a set back. 9.1 rating

 

#3 -- Princess -- nice product, good entertainment; too many people and mediocre speciality restaurants. 8.3 rating

 

#4 -- Royal Caribbean -- beautiful ships, mass market feel; large amounts of low quality food. 7.9 rating

 

#5 -- NCL -- Nice looking ships, basic feel about it; everyone just going through the motions to make the cruise work. 7.6 rating

 

This is just one man's opinion. These other lines are going to have to work really hard to catch Celebrity now that they have launched the Solstice class of ships. :rolleyes:

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[cathi]

O.K. here's my 2 cents worth! sailed 19 cruises and have 2 more booked! Having sailed with NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and Oceania.

Once we sailed with Oceania we fell in love with the "small" ships. If 2000 and up pax's are your cup of tea go for it. Any day spent cruising is better than any other day!!

For us - HAL was nice but too much of a much older crowd!! Loved both Celebrity cruises although we haven't tried Solstice yet. Princess has the best of both worlds with the anytime dining and the traditional available. Food is comparable with Celebrity but then I'm not looking for gourmet meals. Any meal I don't have to plan, cook, and clean up after is better than the mac & cheese I just might have at home - (got to save for the next cruise!!!). RCCL has it's place for the family crowd but, IMHO, does not measure up to Princess or Celebrity. As for NCL - been there done that don't need to go back.

And then there's Oceania - changed my mind about traditional dining and loved their country club casual every night dress code. Also decided after 35 days on the Nautica that the "small" ships are just about right!!! Love getting to know almost everyone on board, the food was wonderful (breakfast buffet was the best I've found on a ship and the menu in the main dining room was not repeated in 35 days!), and the staff is super!!!

After that we found the Princess "small" ships and may never go back to the biggies!! Just don't tell anybody or I may never be able to find space!!

[Susie51]

I have been on 18 cruises(HAL, Princess, RCCL, NCL, Disney, Carnival, and Celebrity). There are things I like about each cruise line). Within a cruises line there are different classes of ships and this can make a big difference to your cruise experience. For example I found Infinity easy to navigate and Carnival Victory the worst. Someone else might disagree.

 

I like to check out the price and itinerary. My next cruise(Jan. 2010) is on Celebrity Century and itinerary was the number one deciding factor for the date I could cruise. If there is a deal I can't pass up, I'll book one before Jan.

 

Do lots of research and try something different, then look for the good things about that ship and the cruise. Focusing and thinking about positive things rather than complaining about the negative will increase your enjoyment of the cruise. Have a wonderful time.