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Thank you. 

I will email the TA and Celebrity Cruise urgently as I DO NOT WISH TO DINE at the same restaurant every night. 

They have 4 main dining restaurants and ideally I want to try all four of them once.

I believe there are 4 "main" dining restaurants available on the Celebrity Edge available for non suite passengers. 

I have a "fixed" reservation dining time of 20:30 for my booking.

Do you guys know if I need to reserve or specify a restaurant? Or can I just turn up at any of the 4 main dining restaurants at 20:30? 

I agree. 

Very poor website, why the hell did they have to change it as it was working fine before. 

Not very user friendly now and can't book flights or hotels. Can't see all prices in one glance. 

They must have too much time and money. 

Booked on celebrity Edge! Will report back. 

On 9/7/2019 at 1:12 PM, travelwell said:

Perhaps not a Buick but we certainly compare Acura to BMW for useful information. We have driven and enjoyed both.

Acura/Honda vs BMW

You can compare both, but I'm sorry these two brands fall in two different categories. Even their "premium" halo models can't be included in the same segment (Type Rs vs M cars) yes you could "compare" them but eventually they fall in different segment categories. 

BMWs are in the league of Audis and Mercedes  i. e "Premium German brands". The only Japanese brand that could fall into this is Lexus. 

Another topic done to death on car forums where fan boys claim that their tuned Civics are faster than an M3! I'm a fan of both, but make no mistake, an M car (a real one, not the fake ones with badges on) is in a different league. I had a tuned 335i which was faster than an M3, but at no time did I claim that it was a superior car to the M3 (unlike others).

I do appreciate where the luxury cruise police are coming from. As they want to make sure that everyone understands what is "Luxury" and what is "Premium". Just like in the car industry, I think that since the level of service and quality is constantly changing/improving the "gap" between premium and luxury is closing. This is of course just my opinion (Never been on a premium nor luxury cruise, so I could be totally wrong). 

On 8/27/2019 at 3:58 PM, LHT28 said:

I guess  CC needs a forum for  cruises that do not fit  Luxury class but  are not in the main stream class either

There are several lines  that fit in the  class inbetween the 2 levels

Not everyone wants/needs all inclusive like the luxury lines  but they do not want the masses that are on the main stream lines either

Some people are looking for something  different & the Premium lines  work for  some but where can they post  where they are not berated  by  the "luxury "  line folks  or told  that  the Premium lines are too expensive  yada yada

JMO

 

 

 

SPOT ON!!! 

I posted a fairly similar thread a while ago. 

We definitely need a section for the Premium "light" category. 

Off topic - I will be trying my first "premium light" cruise with Celebrity and maybe HAL soon. 😁

Thanks for the comments! 

Glad to hear that some drinks are included! 

What does OVC stand for? 

Does anyone know what drinks (if any) are included in the cruise fare? 

I don't really drink alcohol so not sure if it's worth buying a drinks package. 

Luxury - best food, butler service etc, no water slides or casinos, limited entertainment at night, about £1000 per day (all this is just from reading as I've never been on a luxury cruise)

Premium Plus - Similar to the above but much cheaper? 

Premium Light - Good food, more entertainment options and bigger ships compared to luxury/premium ships, about £300 per day, great buffet.

Mainstream - Long queues, massive ship, water slides, average food, lots of entertainment, cheap buffet.

Please feel free to add or edit the summary above.
 

This is a brilliant thread! As I was about to post something similar!

Can we add Premium "light" cruises to the list?

By premium "light", I believe it would include cruise lines like

Celebrity

Holland and America Line (HAL)

Cunard

Any other suggestions? I'm planning to try Celebrity and HAL next year and currently considering all the premium light cruises.

Some very good recommendations. 

Looking at Celebrity cruise at the moment. Might give them a try for a cruise next year. 

6 hours ago, wripro said:

If you're not bent out of shape as to the difference between luxury and mass market ships then you probably don't care about luxury ships. 

Very confusing statement. 

Guys I have very limited experience of cruising, like I've said before I've only done two Cunards and one P&O cruise. But I can definitely tell/feel/appreciate the difference between them. That's for sure. 

Granted, my original post was in itself confusing, having posted in the "wrong" section in the first place but also for not being too sure what was on offer with the different cruise lines, the different categories etc and I might be even looking for something which doesn't exist! (Big ship with water slides/3d cinemas/plenty of tech and activities etc but which is to the standard of HAL/Celebrity ships in terms of decor, quality of food and room, common areas etc). 

I've managed to have a look at some YouTube videos for HAL Niew Statendam and Royal Caribbean Independence of the seas. 

Basically, I want a cruise ship/line that would be a "mixture" of those two ships!

Hence why I'm saying that I might be looking for something that doesn't exist! But surely, there must be something out there that could be a close match?

I'm a petrolhead and in my world if someone is looking for a fast car but also something that can provide some practicality, the car to have would be the BMW M5 (or its AMG counterpart). Supercar performance with 4 doors. Granted its no Ferrari but the performance is fairly close.  Although the purist might disagree (but that's a discussion for another time). That's the only way I could find in trying to convey what I'm after. 

Please do keep the suggestions coming as I'm still researching and undecided at the moment. 

If the Admins could please move to the mass "peasant" section please (only joking, please move to the relevant section but please keep this thread open). 

It would be very helpful if we had a section for the premium light/upscale mainstream lines. 

Thank you all once again for the recommendation and insights. 

I looked briefly at HAL and Celebrity (not many pictures on their websites), that's the kind of ships I was after (the interior decor and dining etc). However, they all seem to lack the other facilities/entertainment of the "mainstream" lines.

It does look like I will have to decide between lines like HAL/Celebrity vs Royal Caribbean. 

Will keep you guys posted. 

46 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

Yes, it's subjective, but I do think food is the kind of thing that will be remarkably better on a premium and luxury line than on a mass market line regardless of the category of suite that you're in.  That's because those lines typically don't have better quality ingredients or chefs for the small percentage of passengers in their upper-level suites that give them higher revenue, whereas the premium and luxury lines have greater revenue from everyone, and so generally have better ingredients and chefs to feed everyone.  It's not about whether what they make is "fancy" or not, but whether they make it with good ingredients and a deft touch - I am willing to bet the mac & cheese on Crystal will be better than the mac & cheese on RC, regardless of whether you're in a 700 sq ft suite or a 200 sq ft suite. 

I agree with your thinking. Hence why, I normally go to 5 star resorts when going on all inclusive holidays. 

11 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 What is your budget  & how long of a cruise are you looking at?

That may provide some insight for suggestions for you

When looking at the main stream lines  with the suites  they probably cost just as much or more than a luxury line 😉

 

We just got a good deal on Crystal for  a Dec  Caribbean cruise  ..8 days  $2000 pp  it includes alcohol, gratuities  etc

it is  an outside cabin 

to me that is a good price to try a luxury line

YMMV

 

I just saw your post. 

Probably looking at something like 7 nights. 5 too short and anything over 10 might be "too long" for me. 

Budget would be around £1500pp. But could go up if needs be. 

So far, I've only tried balconies so will stick to that. And probably departing from the UK. 

14 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Interesting that you are looking now at RCI and MSC. These both have amazingly upgraded suite options that provide a much different experience than basic accommodations.

 

The "highest" we have ever gone would be Celebrity and Disney, which admittedly are nowhere near the luxury end of the cruise market.  

 

However I think there is more to the story than just the classification of various lines and separate ships within the line.  What are you really looking for in terms of luxury in a cruise?  If we ever got to the point of having unlimited travel funds and time, we would absolutely get a big suite on a Royal Caribbean Oasis Class ship rather than considering a more exclusive cruise brand.  We really like big ships with lots of bells, whistles, and sensory overload. However we would of course prefer an exclusive, luxurious stateroom rather than the steerage, er, inside stateroom, we had last time.  We understand full well that it's a mass market product with 6,000 of our closest friends aboard ranging from all sorts of demographic backgrounds.

 

Alternatively, we would love to do something like Hurtigruten, say a 2 week in depth visit to the Norwegian fjords.   I don't know what you call this "class" but it seems to me to be more of Explorer or Adventure travel than what I perceive as "Luxury." However, the prices are up in the higher end.  

 

I always had out on my not-very-likely-blue-sky bucket list, some sort of European river cruise like Viking or Avalon. But quite honestly, the point of such a cruise for me, would be the visits to the ports, not the vessel itself, which is relatively small and built for the function of navigating a certain type of narrow, shallow, and often urban environment, while providing very comfortable lodging.  Better quality fellow passengers or upgraded dining just don't add all that much value to me.

 

I honestly think what means "luxury" to one traveler may or may not equate to the official classifications of these cruise brands and ships.  You can find luxury on mass market ships or feel standard accommodations on a luxury line are only "average" to you.

Spot on!!! 

I think I got the "luxury" classification all wrong and the more I read, it looks like maybe I wasn't after a "luxury" cruise line after all (not to mention that they are out of my budget anyway). But wasn't too keen on the smaller ships and too much of a "personal" butler kind of service. 

What I'm actually after is good food (I know very subjective, but I'd like to think I can tell when something has been well prepared etc and my reviews on TripAdvisor normally is in line with other "senior" reviewers... ). I would like great variety but also quality, from freshness and sweetness of the fruits in the buffet restaurant to the fine dining etc I would like it to be of "above average" standard. 

I would like a modern ship aswell, with lots of facilities, new decor and fancy cool stuff like, maybe some massive water slide or 3D cinema etc... The cabins don't have to be spacious, but I like modern and good quality fittings etc. Having said that, I don't want to end up in a "mass market" cheap theme park with queues of rude people shouting and screaming etc. Or some cheap buffet all you can eat restaurant. 

I'm really tempted to give Royal Caribbean a go. About £1500 pp, so hopefully won't be too bad. I'm a novice with cruises as you can see from my posts and not even sure what is a "decent" budget for a 7 night cruise. 

21 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

neither would be luxury  ...JMO

Look at Oceania. Azamara, Viking Oceans  for more upscale  than "mass market/main stream"  lines

 

but if you are looking at  lots of activities & places to eat onboard  the main stream lines  have it

be sure to factor in the "extras"  that you will pay for on the main stream lines EG: sodas. bottled water. specialty coffees etc

Thanks I will look at the ones you've mentioned. 

Looking at the luxury ones, they are definitely out of my budget range. Even the premium ones are still high. 

So I think, I need to start considering the "mass market" ones but ones that will be slightly better. Maybe something that will be just under the "premium" /premium light category. 

Ah thanks for this. 

I'm currently looking into Royal Caribbean and maybe MSC. 

Will have to keep reading I guess. 

Very interesting! 

I'm a foodie too. Very keen to read on people's views on this topic. 

Very new to cruising (done 2 cunard and 1 P&O). Now looking at doing one next year but struggling to find a cruise line that will meet my requirements. 

Anyone got recommendations for a cruise line for a "foodie"? I'm looking for something slightly above the cunard level, would prefer larger ships with plenty of facilities and entertainment but also want the quality. I didn't really enjoy the P&O cruise I did. 

I'm finding it quite hard to navigate my way around the forum and would be grateful if someone could post links to the different classes/types /ranking of cruise lines there are etc and where would you class Cunard and P&O lines? Whether Cunard is considered "premium" etc. 

Hi again

Been trying to do some reading on the different "ranking" of cruise lines. 

Could someone kindly please give me a breakdown? 

Assuming "Luxury" would be at the top? With "premium" after? What would be next down? Etc

Thank you all for your comments and very useful advice. 

I will have a look at the cruise lines mentioned. 

Maybe I shouldn't have said "cheap" but a "step up from cunard" would have been more appropriate. 

1 hour ago, wripro said:

Please look at "value received" rather than just amount paid when booking a luxury cruise. So many things are included (like tips and alcohol) for which you'd have to pay extra on a premium line.

Thanks will do. 

Really struggling to find a cruise line at the moment that is in the "premium" range or at least slightly better than Cunard. Don't really know much about all the different cruise lines out there. 

I did a P&O one and thought that it was very average. 

Thank you for all your comments. 

Any recommendations for "premium" lines that I could consider? 

Not going solo but with family. 😀

Hi all

Great forum as always and very friendly members. 

I know cheap and luxury don't go together but what cruise lines offer a luxury type cruise at relatively lower price? I have done two Cunard cruises (not sure if they fall in the luxury band) and the prices per person weren't too bad. 

Silversea and seabourn definitely out of my budget! 

I'm a very keen foodie and 38yrs old. 

Thanks for all your advice and recommendations. 

We are in the UK aswell and would prefer something less than 10 days.