Cruising on the same cruiseline's ships - repetitiveness?

We have often wondered the same thing as the OP :). With more then 100 cruises under our belt, we love variety and have managed to cruise on 14 different cruise lines (the 15th line is booked) and over 60 different vessels. But we know other frequent cruisers who seem to bond with a single cruise line and are happy as clams. You will even find a few cruisers who stick to the same ship (there are folks that have nearly lived aboard some ships like the old Royal Princess and the QE2).

You might consider an interesting factoid. If you look at the vessels of the various Ultra-Luxury lines (Seabourn, Silverseas, Regent, etc) they all have one thing in common. They use small to medium size vessels. There is a huge difference between cruising on the Mega-ships like the Oasis, and a much smaller ship. So we have often suggested to younger cruisers, who are new to the cruise game, that they might try to vary the size ship...early in their cruise lives...just to find out what makes them happy. We have met folks who only want to be on the mega ships...and we know others that avoid the really large vessels.

Hank

We've done Carnival twice (once in 2004, and this year), Disney once, and are booked on RCCL (Oasis) in October. Ive found I'm not a big fan of the Carnival experience, LOVED Disney (no kids came with us, BTW) and am hoping RCCL will be somewhere in between (but leaning toward Disney). I can see how doing one line, or ship, could become monotonous, but to me, it's more about the overall experience. If we end up loving Royal, we'll stick to Royal... had we loved Carnival, we would have stayed there to build loyalty points. I have a friend who sails nothing but Royal... loves it.... he's probably uber-titaniu-platinu-diamondo level by now!

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As you can see by my signature we have cruised several different cruise lines. Now since we have used HAL and are 4 star mariners it is hard to give up the perks that come with cruising with them. (free laundry, discounts on specialty dining and allowing the 3rd and 4th person in the room for just taxes and port fees). Besides Hal dos longer cruises. Our last cruise was 42 days and now that we are retired we tend to like longer cruises.

We cruise out homeports within 90 minutes of our house. Sometimes we change cruiselines, but almost all itins do a variation of a Mexican Riviera run.

For us, it allows DH to decompress immediately, without having to figure out some nothing new, though we almost always find something new in each port. We compare it to having a second home without the upkeep.

A benefit of living at the port.

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WE live two hours away from three ports here in Florida. Last year we did a Med cruise Ft Lauderdale - Med - back to ft Lauderdale. Love it!!!! No flying involved.

WE live two hours away from three ports here in Florida. Last year we did a Med cruise Ft Lauderdale - Med - back to ft Lauderdale. Love it!!!! No flying involved.

We live within two hours of three ports as well: Bayonne, Brooklyn and Manhattan - and a fat lot of good it does: Bayonne is dominated by a Royal Caribbean monster of the seas, Manhattan by two NCL ships, and Brooklyn is largely limited to QM2. That is pretty much limiting the choice to four ships - compared with the dozens out of south Florida.

We live within two hours of three ports as well: Bayonne, Brooklyn and Manhattan - and a fat lot of good it does: Bayonne is dominated by a Royal Caribbean monster of the seas, Manhattan by two NCL ships, and Brooklyn is largely limited to QM2. That is pretty much limiting the choice to four ships - compared with the dozens out of south Florida.

I know the feeling. The 3 ports within driving distance for me are dominated by Carnival. :(

I was so spoiled when I lived in South Florida. It sure was nice having all those choices year-round.

Our last eight cruises have been with Windstar. We originally tried Princess and HAL, but the large ships are not for us. We might consider something in the 400-600 passenger range, but right now are sticking with Windstar for ships, service and value for dollar. Their ships are 150-300. No set dining times or lines are particularly important to us.

WE live two hours away from three ports here in Florida. Last year we did a Med cruise Ft Lauderdale - Med - back to ft Lauderdale. Love it!!!! No flying involved.

How quickly did you get back from Europe? Not many trips from Europe to FL in the spring

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I cruise more for the itinerary than for the ports -- most of my cruises are ex-US destinations. Having sailed with a good many lines, I find I really prefer small ships with interesting itineraries. Onboard entertainment is less important to me, although having good enrichment lectures is a huge plus. I don't really cruise often enough (about 1x/year) for the food or spaces to get boring....

How quickly did you get back from Europe? Not many trips from Europe to FL in the spring

 

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I would bet he was on HAL's Grand Med Cruise. We were also there last year for our 2nd time. It is a round trip cruise from Ft Lauderdale to the Med...and the length varies but its about 60 days long. The long standing joke about that cruise is that they empty the nursing homes in the South of Florida, roll the ambulances up to the Prinsendam...and then two months later return to pick up their patients.

Hank

I just booked what will be my fourth cruise and third with Carnival. I was just telling my friends, who I'm cruising with this time, that the thrill of exploring the ship is gone, because it practically has the exact same layout as the ships on my previous two Carnival cruises. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited to go on a cruise again and there is much to get thrilled about, but I will miss the thrill of exploring an unfamiliar place.

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Yes, there is repetitiveness within a line and/or ships, but I've also seen guest entertainers perform on more than one brand. For example one comedian performed on Princess one week, and Royal Caribbean the next week. It was the exact same act.

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Yes, there is repetitiveness within a line and/or ships, but I've also seen guest entertainers perform on more than one brand. For example one comedian performed on Princess one week, and Royal Caribbean the next week. It was the exact same act.

 

 

It might even be three. They changes ships in the ports.

Burt

There are 3 lines we prefer. Different ships and different itineraries are enough to keep us going back, especially after we did take a cruise on another line and we won't EVER sail with that line, again.

Whether or not it repetitive for me depends upon why you are cruising. I live 4 hours from Galveston, so from there you go to Cozumel and a couple of other places. I cruise Liberty of the Seas more for a getaway when I find a good rate. It's a lot more cost effective to grab a friend and take a cruise for a week than it is to rent a house or condo at the beach. If your point of cruising is to visit different locations, repeating would get old. If your point of cruising is a relaxing week away from real life where somebody makes your bed, cooks your meals, and provides you with entertainment (and drinks if you have enough points with them) then repeating is no issue.

Although we had a wonderful time on the Oasis last year, I wouldn't want to do the Allure or other RC ship this year due to many similar restaurants, performances, activities like rock climbing, zip line, etc. this year.

 

We were on the Equinox 2 years in a row and decided on the Reflection this year. I recently saw a recent video and was disappointed to see that they have the same performance by their dancers on the Reflection that we saw on the Equinox.

 

Wondering if frequent cruisers find it a bit repetitive if they cruise the same cruiselines' ships within a few years.

Hi tb,

It's kind of a moving target on all cruise lines. Things are added, some things change, and we all have expectations that evolve.

After 61 cruises my wife and I have this current take on these cruise lines:

Celebrity -- our favorite for many reasons, and after 29 cruises with them, they still are the best "bang for the buck" out there.

NCL -- we rediscovered them a couple of years ago. Their basic cruise is not that great, although they have some of the best entertainment at sea. Everything is an upcharge with NCL, but we do purchase their UDP (ultimate dining package) and eat every evening meal in one of the their great alternative restaurants. This makes all the difference! Great food. Our last Escape cruise (inside cabin) was more expensive than our last Equinox cruise (balcony cabin); we did these back to back this past June.

HAL -- seems to be dying a slow death. A Carnival step child, with great service and pretty good food. I must say our last visit on the Westerdam, the Pinnacle Grill was excellent.

Princess -- We don't get it. Many people love this line, but we can't figure out why. Nothing bad, but nothing that great. We will however, give them another try down the road.

Royal Caribbean -- love their ships; entertainment is pretty good; they handle crowds very well. So so food in the MDR and buffet. The alternatives are pretty good. Love their new Q-class ships.

Oceania and Azamara -- yum, yum on the food! Small ships with loads of ports of call. Got to entertain yourself, but that's okay. Not sure the extra expense is worth it? Food is outstanding! No kids really.

Cunard -- like a step back in time; good MDR food, but the buffet is one of the worst at sea. Very, very formal, but a good thing I have a couple of tuxedos that still fit. We are thinking of doing an 80 day world cruise on the Victoria. Adult atmosphere.

Never had a bad cruise!

Kel:D

We sail on the same ship and the exact same cruise every winter, from the UK to the Caribbean and back again. It's because we want a month in the warm, without long flights, and that is the only ship doing this cruise in January. This is not about itinerary; the ship becomes our home, and we meet many others from previous cruises.

The other cruise we do in the year is always about itinerary, and often a new line- this time with Fred Olsen to Norway, from a port not so far away.

Just a note here for Kel,

Regarding Cunard, we had the same feelings regarding the Queen Mary 2, that the MDR was pretty good and the buffet awful. However, you are probably aware that Cunard recently did major renovations to their buffet area (during their last major drydock). Friends of ours (from the UK) were recently visiting and they went home (2 weeks ago) on the Queen Mary 2. They e-mailed us that the buffet was one of the best they have experienced at sea. So perhaps Cunard really did make some positive changes.

Hank

Just a note here for Kel,

 

Regarding Cunard, we had the same feelings regarding the Queen Mary 2, that the MDR was pretty good and the buffet awful. However, you are probably aware that Cunard recently did major renovations to their buffet area (during their last major drydock). Friends of ours (from the UK) were recently visiting and they went home (2 weeks ago) on the Queen Mary 2. They e-mailed us that the buffet was one of the best they have experienced at sea. So perhaps Cunard really did make some positive changes.

 

Hank

Hank -- thank you so much! That's great news as we may spend 80 days on the Victoria and 7 more on the QM2. The last time we were on the QM2 we couldn't believe how sad the buffet was. We really don't spend much time there, but it's nice to know things are getting better.

Enjoy!

Kel:D

Whether or not it repetitive for me depends upon why you are cruising. I live 4 hours from Galveston, so from there you go to Cozumel and a couple of other places. I cruise Liberty of the Seas more for a getaway when I find a good rate. It's a lot more cost effective to grab a friend and take a cruise for a week than it is to rent a house or condo at the beach. If your point of cruising is to visit different locations, repeating would get old. If your point of cruising is a relaxing week away from real life where somebody makes your bed, cooks your meals, and provides you with entertainment (and drinks if you have enough points with them) then repeating is no issue.

Great reason and totally agree! (y)

We're "Royal Loyal". We loved our very first cruise on the Indy 9 years ago, and have (with one exception) stuck with them. We like their offering, and sometimes think that if we tried another line we'd consistently be comparing it to RCL. The one time we strayed, onto Celebrity, was itinerary driven, and yes, we did keep comparing....... nothing wrong with Celebrity, but we kept.saying things like "I wish they had a Royal Promenade".

We've made it up to Diamond C & A now so probably will.stick with them.

 

... nothing wrong with Celebrity, but we kept.saying things like "I wish they had a Royal Promenade".

 

We've made it up to Diamond C & A now so probably will.stick with them.

Interesting difference of reactions to the central motif of a cruise line: the Royal Promenade is probably the primary reason why I will never set foot on another Royal Caribbean ship: the ultimate shopping mall experience.

We like Princess ships--and are going on our 20th Princess cruise next month. But our last cruise was on Holland America. I shop around, and for similar itineraries, the HAL cruise was a lot less. We missed the Princess perks, but the price made up for them. I usually look at Princess, HAL, and Celebrity. It's been several years since we sailed on Celebrity. Our last Celebrity cruise was a letdown. If the price is great, though, I'm willing to try Celebrity again.

I don't mind the repetition of sailing on Princess. When I see a menu item that was exceptional, I'll order it again. If it's something that wasn't great last time, I'll try something new. The shows have different casts, so it can be fun to watch them again. They're just a bit of fluff anyway, not serious musical theater. Sometimes we don't remember a guest entertainer by name--and realize during the act that we've seen it before.