rp1004

I believe CD can make a difference on the major lines that are basically floating resorts because they host many activities, and are the face of the operation. That being said, it is rare that I actually notice a CD because most of them that I have sailed with just blend in and do their job. In 25 cruises, I remember several, but only remember 2 that I would pick a ship just to sail with them again, and 1 that I would avoid. So overall in my experience, in most cruises it doesn't matter but it certainly can.

I think it is a combination of factors. I just finished my 25th cruise and the last 3 were just not meeting the expectation so I have also been digging into this in my spare time and this is my current conclusion(s): 1-Yes those of us that have been cruising a long time are spoiled, no doubt about this. 2-The cruise industy as a whole has changed and are still facing challenges with both labor and supplies post covid, and that should work itself out in time. 3-Some lines have actually used the pandemic to change their target audiences and onboard experiences, therefore a line that appealed to you at one point, may no longer appeal to you. 4-The people who complain are always the loudest, and it is very difficult to find unbiased reviews 5-The gap in value that cruising used to offer compared to an all inclusive has been diminshed, but cruises are still a better value in my opinion 6-It is natural for cruisers to change lines over time as they age. Even if they don't, they are often changing ship size or itinerary to better suit what they want. The loyalty programs would have you think otherwise, but this is very natural. 7-There is a line out there that will offer you an experience that is closer to what you want, but you will most likely have to pay a higher fare. Keep in mind the higher fare also includes more so you may not spend much more at the end of the day.

An interesting aside, as a result of this whole quandry my wife and I have started having more conversations about quantity vs quality. It was always our dream to retire and cruise 6-8 times a year. Currently we are doing about 3 and have a few years until retirement. After all this, we are both on the same page that if we had a budget for cruising, we would rather take half the cruises and pay for an upgraded experience in order to do so. We had just gotten in a routine with cruising and it seems as if the experience not meeting our expectations may actually end up pushing us to take more ownership of finding the experience we want instead of accepting the one we are accustomed to. Silver linings and all that............

I really appreciate all of the great feedback on this. I also spoke with a travel agent that I know (do not currently use) and got what seemed to be genuine feedback and never felt like she was selling me on any particular one. Her feedback closely aligns with a good deal of what I have read from all of you so our plan is now to not cancel what we have currently booked, but going forward we are going to try all of the other major lines to see if any of the experiences are better fits. One thing that really clicked that she said was "with some lines you pay more and get a nicer room and the same basic experience, while with others you pay more and get a totally different experience."

Just curious, have you tried the Haven on NCL? I was wondering how it compares service wise to MSC Yacht Club or Celebrity Suites with that same concept.

The beer (or anything really) would have been more of a gesture that doesn't cost them much. Certainly wasn't necessary or as important as the follow up. I spent $10k on the cruise for 4 of us so I wasn't looking for a hand out, just good hospitality and an acknowledgement that it had been addressed.

Yeah that was my intent to hold it together without going too far off the rails. As a little update, the rep I deal with (and have for years) at the cruise line has put me in contact with management to try and talk through the issues, so maybe there will be some good karma heading my way from that, but I still want to do my research and have a better understanding of the broader market.

I am really just trying to ask for an unbiased resource without completely slamming my current line of choice. That does lead to some plot holes, I know, but I am just not going to be that guy to use this forum as my therapy session. I think the list of requirements is a good starting point and a way to narrow down the search, and I will work on that for sure. But I have been so entrenched in one line for so long that I really don't know what else is out there. I value service. I mean basic quality service, not like a private butler. I love my perks from my loyalty points, but I think everyone on board should receive the same level of service regardless of what color your card is. However, it does get frustrating when you pay a little more for this room over that room because our expectations automatically go up. I detest rudeness or a condescending tone from team members and I value consistency. I lump those together because I do realize that COVID changed everything, and it changed the cruise industry the most. It is a challenge for all cruise lines to have strong systems in place on a normal day but even more so now. I fully expect there to be some bad apples in every bunch, but in my most recent experience, I had what was a pretty minor issue (easy to fix) and went to guest services. They referred me to another manager and said they couldn't do anything personally. I spoke to the other manager about the interaction in question and she did apologize and said she would speak with the team member in question. Neither the manager nor guest services even took my cabin number to follow up with me. It really wasnt a big deal and they could have made it right with just acknowledging they had taken care of it and give me a beer on the house and I am happy.

Thank you all for the great advice. I will start with what you have given me and get to work. It is just frustrating as it is very difficult to know what is unbiased and what is a sales pitch disguised as unbiased. Price really is not a concern. I don't mean that to say that I am wealthy becuase I am not. But no normal cruise experience is going to be turned down because it costs another few hundred per person. What is VERY important to me, however, is that I get what I am paying for and I am am made to feel valued. I have a strong belief that there is an answer out there that will be a good fit, I just have to start looking elsewhere. I really do appreciate all of the comments!

I am not really a new cruiser as I just did my 25th, but we are thinking as a family it may be time for a change. I don't want to post about anything specific or bash any particular line or ship because I understand they are all good in ways and all have problems. I just want to understand the fundamental differences between lines a little better and haven't really found anything that is complete and unbiased. Plenty of Line A v. Line B banter out there to read, but there are so many lines out there I want to find the right fit for us. I am pretty open minded about any of the lines but also know it could be just the cruise industry as a whole, and that is ok too. I just want to find the best value for my money and my current line of choice just doesn't give that, and when I have spoken to them directly it doesn't seem to do much good. I probably should have started this discovery process sooner as it has been the last 3 cruises (different ships and itineraries). I think I have been in denial because I am pretty loyal and still love being on a cruise, but after spending enough on the last cruise to put a kid through a semester at a good college and still getting consistently poor service on a "flagship" vessel, I have to at least look. I also understand maybe it isn't a different line, but a different size ship, different intineraries, etc could be the answer, and that is completely fine. I just need some sort of resource to better understand all options as I love cruising and plan on doing it for another 30 yrs. Any help is appreciated.