What Cruise Line Should We Try Next?

My fiancé, our daughter & I just got off the Jade on Saturday. This was our first cruise and we loved it! Of course, now I'm ready to start planning our next cruise and, while we'd be happy sailing NCL again, I'm wondering if there is another cruise line that is an even better fit for us?

The non-negotiable reasons we chose NCL this time around were:

1. Total Price Including Drinks. With the KSF promotion, the cost for 3 people in a balcony was less than any other line at the time. Currently, it seems like MSC and Carnival might have competitive prices on some cruises, but I haven't seen any promotions for either that include a drinks package, so we'd need to factor that in.

2. Freestyle Dining. We are not the kind of people who know in advance when we are going to be hungry. We definitely need the flexibility to eat when and where we want for one set price. We're not really interested in specialty restaurants.

3. Relaxed dress code. We like to dress up sometimes for fun, but we don't want to have to dress up while we're on vacation. We want to be able to wear bathing suits with cover-ups to the buffet, shorts to lunch, and jeans to dinner.

Things that we really liked about NCL, and would prefer on our next cruise, but aren't dealbreakers:

1. UBP included. This made it easy to calculate the total cost of the cruise beforehand, but if another line had rates that were low enough to beat NCL, even after purchasing the drinks package, that would work, too.

2. Thermal suite in spa. I really enjoyed having access to these amenities on the Jade.

3. Lots of vegan/vegetarian & healthy food options. We're not picky eaters, but I wouldn't want to sail on a ship that had mostly fast/processed food options. I was extremely disappointed in the food at the Blue Lagoon, but enjoyed the other complimentary restaurants on the Jade.

Things we would like, that we didn't get with NCL:

1. A truly unlimited drinks package, including espresso, fresh squeezed juices/smooties and bottled sparkling water. I was very satisfied with the alcoholic drinks that are included with the UBP, but a few non-alcoholic additions would have made it even better.

2. A kids club that stays open all day. Our daughter loved Splash Academy, but the schedule was all wrong for us. Picking her up for lunch at noon and dropping her off at 2 meant no chance for a nap. If we fed her right away and then put her down for a nap, she would be waking up right around 5, just in time for Splash Academy to close for dinner. If we just powered through without a nap, then she was cranky by the time it was time to return to Splash Academy at 7 pm.

Thanks for any advice!

ETA: I guess I'm really trying to plan our next *2* cruises. An extended/blended family cruise for next winter (which would include our daughter & my vegan best friend) and a honeymoon cruise for the summer after that (kid-free, so no worries about kids club for this one!)

Try Costa outta Venice, Italy-Got us WAY outta our comfort zone and turned out to be the best cruz yet!

Try Costa outta Venice, Italy-Got us WAY outta our comfort zone and turned out to be the best cruz yet!

What did you like about Costa? I doubt we could afford a Europe cruise right now, but I'd like to hear more about why you think it could be a fit for us. I would love to go on a Mediterranean cruise some day.

Try Costa outta Venice, Italy-Got us WAY outta our comfort zone and turned out to be the best cruz yet!

Costa your lifer - I don't think so [emoji6]

You could have her nap, feed her at 5 in the buffet, some ships have kid sized tables there, then back to splash at 7. Would that work?

If she wakes early from her nap, take her to the kiddie pool in between.

I'm biased towards NCL, so ignore my views if you wish,I won't be offended. But your positives seem to totally outweigh your negatives. Book NCL again [emoji4]

Princess offers a beverage package that includes most drinks plus water, coffee drinks and juice

Stick with Norwegian.

They have so much that you like - that other lines don't have.

And no cruise is a perfect match!

Thanks for all the replies!

I agree that nothing is a perfect match in life, but I'm always looking, LOL

Right now, it does look like we'll stick with NCL for our next cruise, just trying to see if there is anything I'm missing. :)

You could have her nap, feed her at 5 in the buffet, some ships have kid sized tables there, then back to splash at 7. Would that work?

 

If she wakes early from her nap, take her to the kiddie pool in between.

We did this a couple of days and it was ok, but somehow our schedule was just *off* all week, and I feel like we could avoid some crankiness on a ship that just keeps the kids club open.

Princess offers a beverage package that includes most drinks plus water, coffee drinks and juice

What are their kids club hours? Do they have freestyle/anytime dining options?

I just booked yesterday on Celebrity for the first time in a balcony. Their prices were comparable to my cruise on the Escape. And I got the following thrown in during their promotion:

Beverage Package

$400 OBC

Unlimited Internet

Pre-paid grats

*Also, $25 deposits had me sold!

This was an excellent deal for me, which is why I dd it. However, I think you would like RCCL as well, their ships are beautiful and from what I can tell, very family friendly.

I just booked yesterday on Celebrity for the first time in a balcony. Their prices were comparable to my cruise on the Escape. And I got the following thrown in during their promotion:

 

Beverage Package

$400 OBC

Unlimited Internet

Pre-paid grats

 

*Also, $25 deposits had me sold!

 

This was an excellent deal for me, which is why I dd it. However, I think you would like RCCL as well, their ships are beautiful and from what I can tell, very family friendly.

Do you mind me asking how much you paid for all of that? Also, is the OBC refundable or do you have to spend it on the ship?

It was about 1400 each. To pick to promotions it was 1100 each.

I was going to suggest Celebrity as well as they currently are offering drink packages as a promotion. They include coffee and juice and bottled water. They also are a bit less as Celebrity doesn't charge the 18% gratuity to you when the package is a perk whereas NCL does.

I was going to suggest Celebrity as well as they currently are offering drink packages as a promotion. They include coffee and juice and bottled water. They also are a bit less as Celebrity doesn't charge the 18% gratuity to you when the package is a perk whereas NCL does.

Exactly, and to pick two promotions it was cheaper than getting all four. However, I found it to be a better deal choosing all 4 promotions! I'm looking forward to trying Celebrity as I've never cruised on them before.

With a small child, I'd go with Royal over Celebrity.

Royal has the same drink packages as Celebrity since they're sister lines. I like their premium non-alcoholic because you get water bottles & coffees. If you want alcohol they have a premium package that includes water bottles & then their ultimate which includes alcohol, water & coffee. You can pre-buy the packages and pay them off before the cruise. If you price out the Celebrity room vs adding the package options there really isn't that much difference in buying them.

I personally like their Freedom class ships they have a nice sized pool area, plus the splash zone for kids. They have really good kid's programs too.

The problem with Royal is I have not seen their drink package being included and it is expensive, as are the actual cruise fairs.

As well, they also close for certain periods unless you want to pay extra I believe (I could be wrong, as I went on a cruise with my cousin and I think that is why we picked him up at noon).

Celebrity is comparable in price and amenities but I am thinking the children's program could be lacking. Plus I have heard the night life is not as lively.

I have cruised Carnival, Royal, Princess and NCL. NCL is my favorite, but I chose Royal when traveling with the 4 year old and I have booked celebrity with my parent next year to try something new. If you want to explore (which I think everyone should) pick royal for the family - there is something for everyone and celebrity for the adults only.

This is a no brainer. It seems like an included drinks package is at the top of your wish list. At this point, NCL and Celebrity are offering such inclusions, whereas Royal and Carnival are not. When it comes to your next cruise with others in your family, stick with NCL and then you'll be able to get the drinks package that you had on the Jade. You can even upgrade to the new Escape for a new experience. Check out the recent live feed from Doug, it's fantastic.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2307885

When it comes time for your honeymoon, you were not specific about whether it was summer of 2017 or 2018. If it's summer of 2017 and you wish to try Celebrity, you will not be able to sail the Caribbean because they only do it from late October through April. Your choices would be 1 ship in Bermuda, 2 in the Baltics, 3 in the Mediterranean or 3 in Alaska. Celebrity's included drinks package includes fresh squeezed juices, bottled water and espresso based coffee drinks.

On the other hand, if it's summer of 2018, there is the brand new MSC Seaside that will be begin it's inaugural in December of 2017, so it would have 6 months of service under it's belt. They had a promotion that just ended on 1/31 that had an included drinks package, so that could be something to be on the lookout for.

Best of luck

Disney might be an option. Yes, they are more expensive, but they do not nickel and dime at all. You can bring all the alcohol on board that you like; the only catch is that you have to put it in your carry on. The kids clubs also have much more extensive hours for no extra cost. For example the Oceaneer Lab for ages 3-12 is open 10am-12am.

My husband and I do not even have any kids, and we always talk about how Disney Fantasy was the best cruise we have had. Their rotational dinning is really spectacular. One big bonus for parents,is that the kids food is brought first. Midway through the meal, the kids club staff will come and get the child and take them to kids club. Also the waitstaff is really awesome at entertaining the kids, and they even cut up the kids food for them.

Disney is a little more upfront cost, but actually probably about the same due to no extra charges.

Disney might be an option. Yes, they are more expensive, but they do not nickel and dime at all.

Disney is a little more upfront cost, but actually probably about the same due to no extra charges.

When you factor in the UBP as a perk, the fact that you can carry on all the booze you want in your carry on while sailing Disney is a non factor. I want a variety of alcoholic beverages to choose from over the course of my 7 day cruise, not the limited choices that I can mix on my own in my cabin.

Disney might be an option. Yes, they are more expensive, but they do not nickel and dime at all. You can bring all the alcohol on board that you like; the only catch is that you have to put it in your carry on.

I don't believe this to be true anymore. Their policy states that you are permitted 2 bottles of wine (or 6 beers) when boarding or at each port. No liquor, and $25 corking fee when consuming wine in dining rooms.

We had friends that received the notice of change just days prior to boarding - and nobody was grandfathered in. The change obviously caused quite the uproar. You would have thought a slide was closed or something.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/carrying-alcohol-onboard/

This is a no brainer. It seems like an included drinks package is at the top of your wish list. At this point, NCL and Celebrity are offering such inclusions, whereas Royal and Carnival are not. When it comes to your next cruise with others in your family, stick with NCL and then you'll be able to get the drinks package that you had on the Jade. You can even upgrade to the new Escape for a new experience. Check out the recent live feed from Doug, it's fantastic.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2307885

 

When it comes time for your honeymoon, you were not specific about whether it was summer of 2017 or 2018. If it's summer of 2017 and you wish to try Celebrity, you will not be able to sail the Caribbean because they only do it from late October through April. Your choices would be 1 ship in Bermuda, 2 in the Baltics, 3 in the Mediterranean or 3 in Alaska. Celebrity's included drinks package includes fresh squeezed juices, bottled water and espresso based coffee drinks.

 

On the other hand, if it's summer of 2018, there is the brand new MSC Seaside that will be begin it's inaugural in December of 2017, so it would have 6 months of service under it's belt. They had a promotion that just ended on 1/31 that had an included drinks package, so that could be something to be on the lookout for.

 

Best of luck

I guess we are actually going to need to go with the Escape next, since my fiancé and my bridesmaids and many of our friends are all obsessed with beer. (I don't drink the stuff myself; give me a Tanqueray & Tonic any day.)

ETA: The extended/blended family cruise will be winter 2016-2017. Wedding will be June 2017, but now we're looking at a destination wedding, so due to financial considerations we'll just do a combo wedding/honeymoon, then do a romantic cruise in winter 2017-2018

I don't believe this to be true anymore. Their policy states that you are permitted 2 bottles of wine (or 6 beers) when boarding or at each port. No liquor, and $25 corking fee when consuming wine in dining rooms.

 

We had friends that received the notice of change just days prior to boarding - and nobody was grandfathered in. The change obviously caused quite the uproar. You would have thought a slide was closed or something.

 

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/carrying-alcohol-onboard/

Yeah, I used to think I might pony up the cash for Disney someday in the far future, but then I just found out about this change. Now it's definitely not gonna happen.

(The slide comment cracked me up, BTW)

I don't believe this to be true anymore. Their policy states that you are permitted 2 bottles of wine (or 6 beers) when boarding or at each port. No liquor, and $25 corking fee when consuming wine in dining rooms.

 

 

 

We had friends that received the notice of change just days prior to boarding - and nobody was grandfathered in. The change obviously caused quite the uproar. You would have thought a slide was closed or something.

 

 

 

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/carrying-alcohol-onboard/

Thanks for the updated info. It has been 3 years since we sailed Disney, and I haven't followed the Disney boards in a long time. Too bad. That was a major perk & offset the higher price. Although I much prefer cruising with either the X or NCL drink package as a perk.