Comparison of cruise lines

[bendadin]

Is there a fairly comprehensive of the pros and cons of different cruise lines? We have cruise on RCCL and DCL and there are significant differences that might be deal breakers for us. So I am looking for the ins and outs of other cruise lines.

 

[vacationtime1]

Go to: www.cruisecritic.com -- the TUG of cruising.

 

[Passepartout]

+1 on cuisecritic. We've cruised Holland America, NCL, Carnival (never again), Windstar, and are now pretty much Celebrity loyalists due to the age/economic demographic fits us, and we like the ships and itineraries. And since we have acquired Elite status that provides some nice perks, I don't see that changing.

Jim

 

[MULTIZ321]

+2 on cruisecritic.com


Richard

 

[pedro47]

I second that suggestion about www.cruisecritic.com they are the TUG of cruising.
The only cruise line we will not sail on is Carnival. We are not party people.
We have sailed Royal Caribbean, Disney and Celebrity. We are Elite Plus with Celebrity and they are our cruise line of choice for cruising.

There are no fees to join Cruise Critics. You can review all the cruise lines and all the cruise topics for zero dollars.

 

[x3 skier]

My personal choice is Royal Caribbean. Cruise Critic is the gold standard for comparisons.

Cheers

 

[Glynda]

We've sailed Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America, Carnival and Celebrity. Celebrity is our personal favorite too. Carnival our least. However, I am taking our daughter and 16 year old granddaughter on a Carnival Caribbean cruise over Spring Break. I know. It's a crazy thing to do. That's what they wanted and I'm just going along for the ride and to pick up the bill and hope it won't be a bad as I am thinking it will be.

 

[Icc5]

Celebrity has also become our favorite. Over the years we have cruised on about 10 different lines and for a long time Princess was our favorite. They seemed different the last time we used them. We knew Carnival had bought them and we worried about that. Many of the Princess cruisers we were on with still enjoyed them, just not us. Celebrity is and will be our choice as long as things stay as they are.
Bart

 

[isisdave]

Also a Celebrity fan. Found it best to earn points on Royal Caribbean and use them on Celebrity (slightly better perks). I think Holland American has maybe the oldest average age. Friends with kids swear by Disney despite its higher costs. We're about to go on our first Princess cruise in ten years, so I'll be interested to see what's changed.

 

[Passepartout]

Is there a fairly comprehensive of the pros and cons of different cruise lines?

I see that you've received some anecdotal 'reviews' of preferences by TUGgers. Not pro's and con's. This might take answering some questions. As you know, timeshares differ too. So here's some observations of mine. YMMV!
First, it depends a lot on the type of cruising you want to do. Ocean or river? Pretty obvious. Do you want a small, intimate, yacht-like experience, or MEGA ship with multiple restaurants, theme park activities, and Broadway-style entertainment? Do you want the 'boat ride' to be the draw, or the ports of call? Do you want your cruise to be a family affair with activities for kids? Teens? Young adults? How about seniors? Are you OK with multiple accessibility scooters and/or walkers? Do you want to be in a balcony cabin, or to save money in an inside or 'ocean view' cabin?

We choose the cruise line by the type of cruise we are taking. For instance, in the Mediterranean, we like smaller ships- some even 'foreign flagged- smaller ships. Greek or Italian. They know the smaller ports and can get their smaller vessels into them- but don't expect the entertainment and multi restaurants on them. But on a Trans oceanic (Atlantic or Pacific) give me the BIG ship for the full service and the smooth ride and the nightly shows. In the ports, think about what a (or several 3,000 passenger) cruise ships do to the economy of a small island- or Alaskan coastal- community when they show up for a day with all those people wanting a 'genuine' experience.

Others have mentioned that Carnival is not their favorite. Here's why. They are 'party boats'. Think Spring Break. Lots of drinking and party games and the casinos rock. They have people called 'animators'. If you sit quietly, they will try to get you on your feet, dancing, or participating in the revelry. I'd had it when in the dining room, waiting for a waiter to take my dessert order, I saw him leading a conga line dancing through the dining room with many others twirling a napkin! Obviously, with Carnival being the largest cruise line and parent company of many others, some folks REALLY like them, just not me.

Anyway, OP, give an idea what type of cruising you want to do, and I'm sure you'll get opinions about what line(s) might give you the type of experience you desire.

Jim

 

[WalnutBaron]

Here is a recent article from Cruise Critic comparing Royal Caribbean to Celebrity. Both are great cruise lines, but they do cater to different audiences (Royal Caribbean appeals to a younger crowd than Celebrity, for example). Enjoy!

 

[Passepartout]

Here is a recent article from Cruise Critic comparing Royal Caribbean to Celebrity. Both are great cruise lines, but they do cater to different audiences (Royal Caribbean appeals to a younger crowd than Celebrity, for example). Enjoy!

Yup. You're not likely to find a climbing wall or water slide or surfing simulator on Celebrity. Or a classical string quartet and original artworks from an award winning collection scattered around RCCL- though they're owned by the same company (RCCL)

 

[Glynda]

We found the food to be better on Celebrity than any line we've cruised. However, recently we went on the same Celebrity ship as we'd been on 5 months earlier and the food and service were not the same. We suspect that was because we were on a chartered cruise. The whole ship was booked through a specialty cruise agency. It was The Moody Blues Cruise with 19 bands from the 60's and 70's. Had a great time but was so disappointed in the food and the service in the dining room. We also wondered if there was a difference in quality because we were in the Caribbean instead of the Mediterranean. We also like that Celebrity is smoke free in the casino. When we sailed on Carnival before we were two floors below the casino and six or seven doors down from the elevators and the smoke from above was evident in the hall near our room and elevator area. Holland America seemed a little too old for us. Royal Caribbean had the worst food in the dining room that we've had.

 

[artringwald]

We've taken several Princess cruises and liked them, but recently took a Viking cruise in the Caribbean. It was a completely different experience, which was great for us, but others might not like it. Viking ocean ships have less than 1,000 passengers, no one under 18 allowed, not much entertainment, no formal night, no fixed seating, and no casinos. The emphasis is on the ports of call. Viking might seem to cost more, but the price includes round trip airfare, ground transportation, free wine and beer, free wifi, free laundry machines, and one free excursion at every port. Princess charged extra for all of those.

 

[geist1223]

We do not Cruise. Patti gets sea sick standing on a Dock. But all our friends cruise and they all say avoid Carnival. If a ship is going to have a problem - Engine, Air Circulation, Electrical, Fire, Crashing into Land, etc - it is most likely going to be a Carnival Ship.

 

[VacationForever]

We do not Cruise. Patti gets sea sick standing on a Dock. But all our friends cruise and they all say avoid Carnival. If a ship is going to have a problem - Engine, Air Circulation, Electrical, Fire, Crashing into Land, etc - it is most likely going to be a Carnival Ship.

...and don't forget this... what happened, how it was handled, or rather - NOT by the captain, it can only happen on a Carnival cruiseship.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-into-violent-anarchy/?utm_term=.fe7dcf79bcf4

 

[Karen G]

We've taken several Princess cruises and liked them, but recently took a Viking cruise in the Caribbean. It was a completely different experience, which was great for us, but others might not like it. Viking ocean ships have less than 1,000 passengers, no one under 18 allowed, not much entertainment, no formal night, no fixed seating, and no casinos. The emphasis is on the ports of call. Viking might seem to cost more, but the price includes round trip airfare, ground transportation, free wine and beer, free wifi, free laundry machines, and one free excursion at every port. Princess charged extra for all of those.

That was also our experience with a Viking Ocean cruise. We loved it and would consider it our favorite cruise line now for all the reasons listed. We did the Viking Homelands cruise to countries around the Baltic Sea, and it was spectacular. Although we have enjoyed every cruise we've ever taken on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and even Carnival, Viking is superior to all of them in my opinion.

 

[VacationForever]

We have been cruising on Celebrity and still have several reservations for this year with them. We decided to branch out to Oceania and Cunard for next year and had been particularly excited with experiencing Oceania, with the reputation of having the best food in the cruise industry, and great service. Unfortunately, our travel agent baited us to join him for a cruise during the same time and in an Owner's suite on Royal Caribbean for a great price. We are sad to cancel our reservations with Oceania and Cunard for 2019 but we are already planning to book with Oceania for 2020.

 

[mjm1]

We are taking our first cruise in May. It will be a seven day cruise with Holland from Vancouver to several stops in Alaska and includes going through the inside passage. We decided to get a room with a balcony.

We have been timeshare owners since 1985, so are interested to see how we like the cruising experience as compared to timeshares. We will go in anticipating a great trip, including a couple of nights beforehand in Vancouver. We’ve never been in Canada either, so look forward to seeing the sites there too.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[Luanne]

Dh and I took our first cruise together last year. Either it was the wrong itinerary, the wrong cruise line, or we're just not cruise people. Most likely we won't do another, at least for a long time.

 

[bogey21]

Different strokes for different folks. I've never taken a cruise (other than the USS John Pope to Korea in 1954) and have no desire to do so.

George

 

[Passepartout]

Different strokes for different folks. I've never taken a cruise (other than the USS John Pope to Korea in 1954) and have no desire to do so.

I've got news for you, George. A troop ship is NOT a cruise! I know. USNS Buckner, Brooklyn Navy yard to Bremerhaven Germany 1966. I can also tell you that after more than a score of cruises, I've not met one person did NOT want to be there! And on the Buckner, not one person who DID want to be there!

 

[Ken555]

We found the food to be better on Celebrity than any line we've cruised.

Windstar has the best food I’ve had on a ship to date.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[CalGalTraveler]

This thread interesting. We receive postcards periodically from Princess Cruises inviting us to a free/low cost 3 - 7 night cruises but have never pursued this. It sounds much like a timeshare presentation offer.

Does Princess sell timeshares of their ships cabin? If so, would love to learn more about these promo programs if worthwhile.

 

[VacationForever]

Dh and I took our first cruise together last year. Either it was the wrong itinerary, the wrong cruise line, or we're just not cruise people. Most likely we won't do another, at least for a long time.

Which cruise line and itinerary? It makes a world of difference if you picked a wrong cruise for your first experience.