Best cruise line for quiet, laid back types?

[floridalover5623]

There's always THAT one-off cruise. One of our 3day Princess cruises, in November, was wilder than any of our short Spring Break Carnival cruises. (All out of Los Angeles.)

 

Those short cruises, no matter which cruise line, tend to attract the wildest crowd. They have to get in as much fun as possible in the shortest amount of time.(and also spend the most money per person per day) The cruise industry love these types.

[DanJ]

No you don't have to participate but on the cruises I have been on (and I am ONLY speaking of Carnival), you can't "get away" from the party atmosphere unless you pretty much hide in the library the whole time. The party is pretty much going on everywhere else. We'd like a cruise that is less spring break drinking fest and more relaxing, chill on the deck with a cocktail and not hear booty music blaring all day.

 

You must be sailing on short weekend getaway cruises that are known for being party fests. Every Carnival cruise I have been on has had plenty of quiet public spaces and the kids programs have been full. If you sail on a Dream class ship, you have no problem being right out in the middle of Ocean Plaza and having nothing "in your face" almost all day long. And the Serenity deck is truly that, I fell asleep up there.

[SadieN]

Those short cruises, no matter which cruise line, tend to attract the wildest crowd. They have to get in as much fun as possible in the shortest amount of time.(and also spend the most money per person per day) The cruise industry love these types.

 

 

Things must be slightly different over here. Many of our three and four day cruises have been beyond dull. Could have bowled the hallways other times.

[simplelife]

Check prices for Holland America. Though most consider it more upscale than RCI or Carnival, our HAL cruise was actually cheaper than a similar RCI sailing at the same time. The cruise was definitely quieter and was probably the most relaxing we have ever taken.

Prices within and among lines vary widely, depending on time of year and other factors. Shorter cruises (particular 3-4 day ones) and those sailing during school holidays tend to attract a party crowd.

[floridalover5623]

Things must be slightly different over here. Many of our three and four day cruises have been beyond dull. Could have bowled the hallways other times.

We only taken 3 short type cruises from Florida & that was our experience. Mostly party people. We will be doing 3 more in Feb (Superbowl time) & I expect it to be the same.

[SuiteTraveler]

We are also quiet laid back types, but we prefer NCL's newest ships (Getaway, Breakaway, Escape, Epic) or RCCL's Oasis class ships to Celebrity. The reason is that these NCL and RCCL ships have the best entertainment at sea (Broadway shows, high diving shows, acrobatic shows, ice skating shows) and they also have lots of specialty restaurants, so you eat in a different restaurant every night of your cruise. The Celebrity ships, by comparison are drastically lacking in entertainment. They have a comedian one night, perhaps and the rest of the shows are traditional cruise shows: attractive young people in pretty costumes. The food in the MDR on Celebrity is some of the best MDR food, but we really prefer the specialty restaurants on these other ships and eating at a table for 2 in a different restaurant every night.

 

On NCL, we like to be in a The Haven Spa Suite, and we spend a lot of time in the serene and wonderful spa which has a water circuit, steam room, dry saunas and other nice rooms as well as heated tile loungers. It is also fun to go watch people trying the rock climbing wall, ropes course and water slides.

 

On RCCL, we tend to get the least expensive suite and spend time in the Adults only Solarium during the day, although sometimes we might play mini-golf or go watch people on the flow riders.

 

We spend quite a bit of time on our own balcony as well reading and relaxing on both of these lines and then at night we go to a restaurant and possibly a show. On port days, we tend to book our own cabana if possible and relax there with drinks and lunch, do some swimming and otherwise, enjoy the day.

[whataboutport]

There's always THAT one-off cruise. One of our 3day Princess cruises, in November, was wilder than any of our short Spring Break Carnival cruises. (All out of Los Angeles.)

 

Short cruises are usually party weekend getaways no matter what the month or the departure port.

 

I've only had 6 cruises, with 2 of them being on Celebrity. One was 7 night, the other 11 night. Both had an older, upscale crowd who loved to party. Every night was lively. Personally I like more quiet, and next time we will most likely try Princess again.

[Magnum60]

The smaller the passenger load the more likely you are to enjoy a more laid back cruise experience. Laid back does not mean booking an AARP cruise with guests bumping around doing nothing except snoring in deck chairs. Laid back cruising generally means you should focus your cruise line or ship search by looking at smaller ships. Windstar fits that category perfectly, is affordable and an excellent choice for what I think you're looking for. If you can dig a little deeper and don't mind being a bit more formal at dinner, try Seaborne, another outstanding cruise line.

Bottom line? Try focusing your cruise line or ship search by looking at ships that carry no more than 1,000 passengers. Avoid party destination itineraries and cruises that advertise that bringing the kids is a good idea if you can. If you book a cruise during any college or spring break you'll soon discover the true meaning cruising chaos ;). Avoid those. I'm sure glad that I was never young and a party animal :rolleyes::D.

[gjt3rd]

The thing about cruising....you don't HAVE to participate in any "party-type" activities. You can be as laid-back as you like! So, pick the cruiseline/ship/cabin based on other criteria. NCL has no "formal" nights, if not dressing for dinner is part of your laid-back attitude. If you don't mind making an effort at dinner, then ANY of the lines will suit you! (We aren't "play well together" folks, either and don't participate in the activities). But, we do enjoy dressing nicely for dinner and evening things....and there's always quiet places on the ship to hang out, if you don't want to be part of the masses!

 

Carnival is loud all the time. Whenever I find a quiet place - others find it too - and they are loud - sometimes drunk and loud. Royal Caribbean is too judgmental. I am seeking a balance between the "fun" of Carnival and the dignity of Royal Caribbean.

[navybankerteacher]

Carnival is loud all the time. Whenever I find a quiet place - others find it too - and they are loud - sometimes drunk and loud. Royal Caribbean is too judgmental. I am seeking a balance between the "fun" of Carnival and the dignity of Royal Caribbean.

 

In what way is Royal Caribbean "judgmental" -- or possessed of "dignity"? My (limited) experience is that Carnival is too loud - as is NCL. But, if you think Royal Caribbean has too much "dignity", or is too "judgmental", then I am confident that you would not be happy on Cunard, Celebrity, Princess, or HAL.

I do think that the Staten Island Ferry sailings are neither very loud, judgmental, nor dignified - but their itineraries leave something to be desired.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Based on the three you have suggested, the "luxury" lines may be more than you are willing to spend, but the atmosphere may be more to your liking. Depending on the sailing and the time, you can sometimes find deals that make a luxury line cruise only slightly more expensive than the mass market lines. Check out Seabourn and Silver Seas, which each use smaller, more intimate ships.

 

 

Given OP's possible cost concerns, premium lines Oceania and Azamara, both with R ships and less than 700 passengers would make more sense. If food quality is important, O would be the best of the bunch.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[CorgiToo]

We enjoy Celebrity Aqua B2 class on Silhouette, Millennium, and Reflection with daily access to the Persian Garden and Relaxation Rooms. Breakfast and dinner at Blu every day is a real treat with exceptional quality and service and "everyone knows your name." We don't even consider the specialty restaurants. Our friends who upgraded to Concierge class preferred dinner in Blu to Luminae, their assigned dining room, and requested two meals with us during our Alaska voyage.

 

Last year we tried an aft room on Norwegian Getaway with a beautiful large balcony, since we were too late to book Aqua on Celebrity. But we missed Celebrity's food, service, and ambience. So Celebrity may be a great choice for you!

[sloopsailor]

.....Our friends who upgraded to Concierge class preferred dinner in Blu to Luminae, their assigned dining room, and requested two meals with us during our Alaska voyage.

 

That is quite interesting. Luminae is for Suite Class guests only. Concierge Class cabins are not suite cabins. How did they get assigned to Luminae when it is only for suite guests and not concierge class guests? :confused:

Edited January 25, 2017 by sloopsailor

[6rugrats]

Windstar

 

Agree, Windstar. You can get some pretty good deals if you look carefully and are willing to book later rather than early.

[CorgiToo]

My mistake. They most likely had a suite. But they preferred the Blu menu choices. The staff also brought featured items from the Main Dining Room menu if they were requested.

[Kartgv]

Yes, this thread is very old, so some of the information is outdated. One post says that if you're a smoker, you should choose HAL. HAL just recently changed their smoking policy to prohibit smoking on balconies - just about the last line to do so. As a result of the change, we're looking at it now for some very nice itineraries and mid-size ships.

[Travelcat2]

Based on the three you have suggested, the "luxury" lines may be more than you are willing to spend, but the atmosphere may be more to your liking. Depending on the sailing and the time, you can sometimes find deals that make a luxury line cruise only slightly more expensive than the mass market lines. Check out Seabourn and Silver Seas, which each use smaller, more intimate ships.

 

IMO, they don't have to move all the way up to the luxury lines (Seabourn, Silversea, Regent or Crystal) since premium-plus (aka luxury lite) cruise lines are very mellow and laid back. These would include Oceania, Azamara and Viking Ocean. These cruise lines are not necessarily as expensive as they seem if they include airfare. Also, Azamara (and I think Viking Ocean) include wine and some drinks during meals. All three include soft drinks, water and most of the things that other cruise lines nickel and dime you for. They also have open seating! (Note: On Oceania you can bring as much alcohol as you wish onboard as long as you consume it in your cabin).

 

Just other options to think about.