Are they worth it?

[lancet]

Hi again,

 

I am looking at cruises for 2011. We are booked on the Princess Grand this Nov. and Celebrity Infinity 4/10. We are now looking at 2011. I have never sailed on a 5 star line (have been on one as a guest while in port--back in the olden days). The costs are significantly higher, to say the least. The question is: are they worth the cost. I will probably have 3 drinks the entire cruise, so booze is not a draw. I am not into 'pampering' but am into courtesy and helpfulness. Is the food that much better? One line is offering free shore excursions and air with a cruise--Now that is of interest!

 

Anyone experienced in this subject? One who can compare Princess with the 5 star lines.

 

Thanks for any input

Lancet

[wizard-of-roz]

Reason for cruising on 5 Star lines:

1. Air fare included

2. Excursions (some) included

3. Alcohol [all drinks] included

4. Bedding was superb (if I ask for a top sheet [with the duvet] and some extra pillows-Princess can be made to feel the same-IMHO)

5. Service was the same as Princess

6. Food was the same (IMHO)

7. Princess does a good job on decor and cleanliness

8. Entertainment was better on Princess

9 Activities on ship it's a draw

If the air fare is a draw and the excursions are that important to you.....Let me just remind you that you're truly paying for it in the 5 Star price.

We cruise, now, for the "cruise experience" and, we have found, having done both 4 and 5 star......Princess meets our needs, for now!

[Sandytoes]

Are they worth it?

 

Too each their own.

 

Would I rather sail on a 5 Star cruise verses a 2 Star?

You bet your sweet bippy I would. :D

Taking a 5 star cruise is the ultimate vacation.

[TomCruises]

Hi again,

 

I am looking at cruises for 2011. We are booked on the Princess Grand this Nov. and Celebrity Infinity 4/10. We are now looking at 2011. I have never sailed on a 5 star line (have been on one as a guest while in port--back in the olden days). The costs are significantly higher, to say the least. The question is: are they worth the cost. I will probably have 3 drinks the entire cruise, so booze is not a draw. I am not into 'pampering' but am into courtesy and helpfulness. Is the food that much better? One line is offering free shore excursions and air with a cruise--Now that is of interest!

 

Anyone experienced in this subject? One who can compare Princess with the 5 star lines.

 

 

Only 15 posts in 5 years? 5 star is perfect for very mature people with lots of time and $! Yes "everything" may be included,however, the cost is considerably more. I don't see where comments from others will help you. If your that curious give it a try!!!!

[lancet]

Wizard and Tom and Sandy

 

Thanks for responding. The purpose of my question was to tap the knowledge of someone who has sailed in 4 star and 5 star ships. I wanted to know if the large difference in costs were justified, or a waste of money. I have always been more than satisfied with the quality of food, ships and staff on 4 star ships; and couldn't see how they could be that much better to warrant a doubling or tripling the cost. BUT having never sailed on a 5 star ship, I was hoping someone could reinforce my thinking, or tell me why it is worth it.

 

I am sure you know that there are lower cost lines than Princess or Celebrity or HAL, but you choose Princess for the higher quality. Is it worth it to you? I am sure it is. It is for me. Thank you wizard for breaking down the comparison in your post. I think you are probably correct. Obviously there are not a lot of 5 star cruisers on this site, or no one is interested in joining in.

 

Will I sail on 5 star line? Probably not. Certainly not if the margin of difference is not that much. And free air and excursions are not the deciding factor!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to respond

 

Lancet

[California Native]

This is hard to answer...

If your money is discretionary...

then by all means 5 star!!!

At least to try it out once in your lifetime!!!

If you are viewing an itinerary for specific ports...

I've sailed on some crappy "ships" to do that .. I'm there for the destination and will make my own bed and go into port to hunt and gather my own food

If you want to have a nice well rounded cruise experience,

I think a 4 star is just perfect!

But if I win the lottery..I promise to give you a "live from" response while sailing in a FULL SUITE onboard a 5+star ship! :D

[Coral]

I think we would need to know what cruise line you are considering sailing.

 

I have sailed Crystal and I have to say it was a fabulous experience and I would sail it again. I recently tried to book a balcony for this fall on Crystal but they were out the week I was interested in and all they had was outside cabins left so I booked with Princess.

 

I have a friend who just returned from Regent and they didn't think it was worth the extra cost. They thought Princess food was better.

 

Some better lines include tips, or alcohol or shore excursions - if you can be more specific, we could probably answer better.

[lancet]

Coral,

 

The line I was looking at is Regent Seven Seas. They have a cruise from Auckland to San Francisco. It is actually in Dec 2010. Glad you commented on the Regent line. Crystal Harmony was the ship I had lunch on years and years ago. The lunch was great, but I don't remember it being that much better.

 

I guess if I had money to burn, I would try one just for the experience, but alas, that is not the case. There are some interesting cruises with Princess first part of 2011, which I will choose from

 

 

Thanks, Lancet

[California Native]

Regent...

Well, when we were on the Pacific in Tahiti..we had passengers that had sailed on Paul Gaugin 2 years prior..

they said it was very nice but for the money they saved sailing on Princess

they could afford a B2B in a full suite....

and were just thrilled with that and the whole Princess experience!

Still, you might want to ask this question on the Regent board just for fun and see their responses!

[jhannah]

I know that the "included" stuff is really being paid for by a higher fare. I would rather sail Princess or HAL at a lesser price, purchase my own extras that are important to me, and sail more often.

[Coral]

I know that the "included" stuff is really being paid for by a higher fare. I would rather sail Princess or HAL at a lesser price, purchase my own extras that are important to me, and sail more often.

 

Hey Jim -

 

The question bears - would you prefer to sail in a Suite on Princess or a balcony on a better line? If the cost and days were similar.

 

I personally would prefer the balcony on the better line.....

 

theresa

[Coral]

Coral,

 

The line I was looking at is Regent Seven Seas. They have a cruise from Auckland to San Francisco. It is actually in Dec 2010. Glad you commented on the Regent line. Crystal Harmony was the ship I had lunch on years and years ago. The lunch was great, but I don't remember it being that much better.

 

I guess if I had money to burn, I would try one just for the experience, but alas, that is not the case. There are some interesting cruises with Princess first part of 2011, which I will choose from

 

Thanks, Lancet

 

The first thing I would look into personally would be the ship size. I personally think I would love the size of Regents ships but am not necessarily sure I would want to sail across the Pacific in a ship that size.

 

I am assuming on that trip, there would be a lot of sea days. I am perfectly happy with 10 books and reading on deck. Would you be happy on a ship that size with minimal entertainment during the day?

 

My friend who just returned from Regent is used to larger ships and was bored to death in the evenings (it was Europe so her days were filled). She wasn't impressed with the food but heck, that ship may have had a bad chef that week.

 

I personally think it is worth doing one luxury cruise - that is why I was looking at Crystal for taking my mom in the fall as she has not done one. I booked an outside cabin and her response was "I would rather cruise Princess in a minisuite" - so we are back on Princess. One day I will get her on a luxury cruise.

 

One day - I hope I can compare Regent to the other lines. Hopefully you can come back and report also :)

 

If you email me at cruise-coral@usa.net - I have my Crystal review comparing Princess to Crystal.

[Coral]

For anyone interested - I found the review of the Crystal cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=489031&highlight=crystal