How do I find a new cruise line? Please help

But what I think what the OP is looking for is what makes it special to you?

 

I think he's looking for personal experience with cruiselines more than anything else. -Sean

^^^ This! ^^^

I get the same impression. He is looking for a new experience on a different cruise line and is hoping to hear what we enjoy about the cruise lines that we like.

We started cruising on Carnival because at the time it was the only line out of Galveston and we could drive there in a few hours. It was a way for us to "test the water" to see if we would enjoy cruising.

We discovered that we loved cruising but the party atmosphere on Carnival was not for us. We have taken a few cruises on Princess for the itineraries and enjoyed them as well, but it didn't feel like a good fit.

As soon as Royal Caribbean became available out of Galveston, we jumped ship. :D We love the layout of the ships, the food is great, the crew is friendly, and the itineraries are good, and the suite perks are fantastic.

So far, we have enjoyed Royal Caribbean more than the other two. Next year, we will be on our first HAL cruise. We chose this exclusively for the 14 day Alaska itinerary. We have been on two Alaska cruises previously on two different cruise lines, but this one will take us to ports we haven't yet visited. Also, we are looking for a "new" cruise line experience.

I hope the OP will come back and let us know his/her decision.

Happy cruising everyone! It's a great way to see the world!!!!

Our experience is it would be folly to limit yourself to one cruise line.

There can be a lot of variance between ships in the same cruise line and between cruises simply based on itinerary and date.

We select our ship as, or more carefully than we do our cruise lines.

^^^ This! ^^^

 

I get the same impression. He is looking for a new experience on a different cruise line and is hoping to hear what we enjoy about the cruise lines that we like.

 

We started cruising on Carnival because at the time it was the only line out of Galveston and we could drive there in a few hours. It was a way for us to "test the water" to see if we would enjoy cruising.

 

We discovered that we loved cruising but the party atmosphere on Carnival was not for us. We have taken a few cruises on Princess for the itineraries and enjoyed them as well, but it didn't feel like a good fit.

 

As soon as Royal Caribbean became available out of Galveston, we jumped ship. :D We love the layout of the ships, the food is great, the crew is friendly, and the itineraries are good, and the suite perks are fantastic.

 

So far, we have enjoyed Royal Caribbean more than the other two. Next year, we will be on our first HAL cruise. We chose this exclusively for the 14 day Alaska itinerary. We have been on two Alaska cruises previously on two different cruise lines, but this one will take us to ports we haven't yet visited. Also, we are looking for a "new" cruise line experience.

 

I hope the OP will come back and let us know his/her decision.

 

Happy cruising everyone! It's a great way to see the world!!!!

And I am the opposite when it comes to Royal Caribbean. The quality and over saltiness of the food and the fake niceness of the crew are the things that I don't like about Royal Caribbean. Love their ships though. :) It goes to show you that we all have different taste buds and personalities and expectations so trying different lines yourself is the way to go. What you liked 10 years ago in a cruise line may not be what you are looking for now OP. We change and so do cruise lines.

From your responses, I can see where maybe I should have been clearer, although Some of the more recent posts are hitting the target. May be should have asked - What makes your cruise line unique or special to you?

I am a platinum member on NCL. If someone asked me why they should cruise NCL, I'd probably say 2 things.

Freestyle - you don't ever need to dress up. Ever!

Dining options - more than any other cruise line, by far.

Those are facts about NCL that make it unique. I like both of those.

While their newer NCL ships have multiple entertainments options, the older ones don't, so I wouldn't factor that in, unless someone asked about a specific ship.

I will say I've been on Carnival, and HAL. Carnival had nothing that makes it unique, in my opinion, other than neon. I haven't been on a Carnival ship since 2004, so that may have changed.

HAL has the Le Cirque dinner weekly. Also the Culinary Arts Center. Which not our kind of venue, but it still makes HAL unique. They also have Dancing with stars each week. Not our thing either, but exclusively HAL.

Thanks for clarifying. Celebrity has Qsine so if you are a foodie, that is something unique to that cruise line

 

After everything I've read about the Cunard lines, I don't think I'd ever try them but I'd be very curious to hear what Host Hattie loves about Cunard and why she enjoys sailing with them.

 

-Sean

Well since you ask - I love the formality, the food, the service, being able to sail from the UK, the variety of low key entertainment, the sense of history, the fact that they have proper Promenade decks and public spaces with great sea views. I like the fact that they have British roots and traditions (although obviously no longer British owned or built) but that they attract a mix of passengers.

Obviously some of that won't appeal to the OP and many other people, I would never try to convince anyone to try Cunard.

OP - Good luck with finding something you like. I have tried a few other lines but keep coming back to Cunard.

I've cruised 5 lines and have plans to cruise more in the future. If you were to ask me, I'd say..

1. Pick RCI for Broadway quality entertainment, awe inspiring ships and a great loyalty program. Don't pick RCI for the food (free food).

2. Pick Celebrity for a chic South Beach feel with great food and great specialty restaurants, and also a great loyalty program. Don't pick Celebrity for later nightlife.

3. Pick Princess for itineraries. Also, they are a good mix (but not the best) of service, entertainment and ship. Don't pick Princess for accomodations.

4. Pick HAL for excellent service, great itineraries, and being the most traditional of mass market cruising. Don't pick HAL if you're a non smoker because they're the only ones to still allow balcony smoking, and don't pick them for the nightlife.

5. Pick NCL for casual cruising and good entertainment. Don't pick NCL for service or for the food (free food).

This is exactly what I wanted to know. While, based on Host Hatties comments on history and formality, I wouldn't want to cruise Cunard, now I know. Perfect! It reduces my list of possible new lines. Lulu and Paul also gave me something to think about.

Thanks!

I have only been on 2 cruise lines (RCL and Celebrity), and will be trying HAL on an upcoming cruise. I chose them for the itinerary and medical conference on board as that gives me the ability to combine work and holiday.

RCL - Nice ship, mediocre food, lots of activities on board (rock climbing wall, mini golf, ice rink). Average service.

Celebrity - good food (for the MDR I would place it at a 3.5/5 - good for mass production in my opinion). Beautiful ship, elegant, good service. Entertainment was decent on both - the cirque de soleil style show on Celebrity was great. This was an Alaska cruise and the naturalist on board was Ah-mazing. I definitely preferred Celebrity, and, interestingly, my children far preferred Celebrity over RCL, though the ship had less structured activities.

We always choose anytime dining and dress up and attend formal nights. That may not be for everyone, but there were always alternatives like the buffet or room service. Fewer people dressed up on RCL.

The upcoming HAL cruise is just my Mum and I - a port-intensive Med cruise, so I don't think entertainment will be too important as i will likely turn in early and be busy most of the day. I am looking forward to giving it a try.

Good luck finding a cruise line that suits you!

Cheers

Ok I will play

Oceania is our cruise of choice

Open dining, no formal nights, country club casual people do dress nicely for dinner no sweats or shorts in the GDR or Specialties, no jacket or tie required

Included non alcoholic drinks, no children's programs (so limited number of children if any)

more port intensive cruises, smaller ships, less line ups if any, no charge specialty restaurants

Negatives for some, smaller cabins, not as many dining venues, entertainment is low key, excursions are pricey, small pool

some people find the cruises overpriced but you get a lot more than the mainstream lines

unique

Hands on Culinary centre on the O Class ships

La Reserve- wine pairing dinner (fee) on O class ships

Well travelled friendly passengers & friendly attentive crew

works for us ;)

This is exactly what I wanted to know. While, based on Host Hatties comments on history and formality, I wouldn't want to cruise Cunard, now I know. Perfect! It reduces my list of possible new lines. Lulu and Paul also gave me something to think about.

 

Thanks!

Glad I was able to help you narrow down the choices !

It's easier for us to give you suggestions if we have an idea of what you are looking for.

All cruises are good, all cruises are bad. It depends on what you are looking for.

Sincerely,

A family who have sailed 9?(I think) different lines and several ships within them. Sized ranged from 100-4000 passengers. Locations include the Carb, Med, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, and New England.

Our favorite lines are Star Clippers, Windstar and Carnival. Least favs are Princess and Celebrity though we wouldn't object to sailing them again. Our last cruise was HAL which was good and our next will be our first time on MSC.

the fake niceness of the crew are the things that I don't like about Royal Caribbean.

You may have a point. Since we sail in OS and above, perhaps the "fake niceness" may come from the fact that I am generous with tips. :D

On the other hand, I think most crew members are friendly and helpful to passengers who are respectful to them, regardless of the stateroom category or preferred cruise line.

We feel food and customer service aren't determining factors when selecting a cruise. Itinerary is first, and price and cruise line are a secondary.

Happy cruising.

I have only sailed on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. I have been on RCI's Majesty, Mariner and Freedom. I have been on Celebrity Solstice.

My husband and I are mid 40's and early 50's. We have cruised several times with other family members, so some of our dining and entertainment choices have been made to suit three generations. My parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my nieces ages 4 and 10. We like to have the time to spend together, but we also don't mind splitting off during the day or in the later evening. Our experiences on Majesty (honeymoon 1995) and Freedom (April 2015) were just my husband and I.

We found that both lines offered plenty to do for all ages. There is enough entertainment and pretty good kids clubs from the feedback from my nieces. The food is decent on both lines. It is palatable enough in the MDR on both lines that you could eat there nightly without the extra expense of specialty dining. We enjoy the specialty dining restaurants though, to add a little something to the experience. Of course, I have found that the experience in the specialty restaurants has much to do with the crew members who serve you.

My husband and I are not all that picky about things, so I don't have a lot of complaints. We don't ask a lot of our cabin attendant. We don't have any special dietary concerns that require special attention from the dining staff.

We just enjoy our vacations. We have a place to stay, only have to unpack once and have plenty of "free" food options.

So what is good about Royal? Great family friendly activities, friendly crew members, varied itineraries, variety of cabins- big enough yet not too expensive.

What is good about Celebrity? All of the above, but a bit quieter and a little more polished.

Hubby and I loved the spa on NCL Epic. We hated the smoking, the wait for "anytime" dining and the crowds. no deck chairs anywhere. Poor customer service. Hubby refuses to try any other ship on that line.

Loved Celebrity Summit size (lots of deck chairs available), food good, entertainment good, spa was small but enjoyable.will try another Celebrity ship for right price and itinerary.

Can't beat Carnival cruise price and convenience. Ships leave from California to Mexico. salon had friendly staff and services. Comfortable vibe on board. None of the "I'm in the super secret deluxe private king size double better cabin area". that some cruise lines market. Although I hear they are putting in such an area on the new ship Vista.

Trying Princess cause they sail out of California. Reasonable prices although not cheap by any means. Looking forward to trying their spa.

Instead of focusing on finding a new cruise line, you could focus on finding the best itinerary and then following the itineraries to the cruise line.