ThursdaysChild Posted August 5, 2012 #26 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Royal Carribbean,Princess,Holland America,Carnival,various small cruise lines. Elite on Celebrity and D+ on RCI but tired of the same dinner menues for the last 7 tears on RCI.The crew and no smoking policy make a huge difference for Celebrity. Bingo! For me, that's the deciding factor: smoking policy followed closely by crew.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joandian Posted August 5, 2012 #27 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I've very much enjoyed our cruises on Celebrity and look forward to our next one, but Royal Caribbean is my favourite. My husband and I enjoy the more upbeat vibe and the different activities offered on RCI. My husband enjoys the drinks package on Celebrity and wishs RCI would adopt it fleet wide. I love the no smoking policy as I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, but RCI just has more to offer us right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stipmom Posted August 5, 2012 #28 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Celebrity is my line of choice. I really liked Azamara,( booked a Black Sea cruise before she changed to adding free wine and gratuities so I got a good deal ) and if it was less expensive would consider going on her more often but dollar for dollar Celebrity gives you the most value. My second line of choice was RCCL but I think their product has cheapened to the point where I would go on Princess again before I would do RCCL. Have also done Carnival . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny01 Posted August 5, 2012 #29 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Yes, my Line of choice is Celebrity. I have cruised on Carnival, Princess, RCL and Cruise West. I've enjoyed all my cruises, but when we start looking for a cruise, we start with Celebrity. We've gone with other Lines mainly for itinerary or to join a group or friends. With Carnival (3), we've gone on a short family Thanksgiving cruise, and with party groups. It was perfect for a cruise over New Years with a 80+ Mardi Gras-type party group. When we cruise personally, we dont enjoy the 'party-hardy' tone of Carnival that much, but was perfect for this group! We did enjoy the dining, it suprised me with good service and acceptable selection. With RCL (1), went with friends out of a local port (New Orleans) and enjoyed it. Cant really think of any big plus or minus of the cruise. enjoyed it, but nothing that impressed or 'depressed' me. Dont think I'd like to try to huge ships, I find Celebrity to be the max size I'd try....do want to feel I'm at sea. We've done 3 Princess cruises, joining friends or because of itinerary. Like Princess as our 2nd choice, but I think Celebrity is a definite step up. I found Princess to be more hardsell, and I found the common areas to be more crowded and not as well set up as Celebrity. I thought the service was excellent, and the dining was comperable except for the Buffett area....thought Celebrity had more options, and enjoy the open islands in the Celebrity buffets. If there are more sea days, we had to book a mini-suite on Princess because the standard SRs aren't set up for entertaining another couple or so...Celebrity standard SRs do have seating and room. So for pricing, I compare Princess mini's to a standard Celebrity. Cruise West (1) doesnt exist anymore, but was a smallship cruising and was nice. Very small SRs and mainly for specialized itineraries such as River cruising. Focused on itinerary. Overall, I find Celebrity (13 and counting) has a better loyalty program than the others, higher quality dining generally and usually a definite setup of service. I find the tone to be adult, low-key and lets me pick what I want to do, not pressing me to join in on group activities. Den Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orlandocruiser Posted August 5, 2012 #30 Share Posted August 5, 2012 We have sailed on Royal an HAL within the past two years. I would sail Royal again but it would have to be a very good itinerary to make me sail HAL again (and maybe not even that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucemcdou Posted August 5, 2012 #31 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Celebrity is our favorite but have also enjoyed cruises on RCCL and Princess. Have cruised on, but not enjoyed or been impressed by HAL or NCL. The reasons we enjoy X are the friendly but old-fashioned service, the food, and the elegant contemporary decor. RCCL and Princess have friendly service and good itineraries but mediocre food and design (I know, subjective topics!). NCL has uneven to unfriendly service and garish ships with mediocre food even in the extra cost venues. HAL has beautiful ships, average service and below-average food. Never tried the luxury lines, nor Carnival. Can't afford the expensive ones and don't want to try Carnival - nothing I've read about them attracts us (donning flame-proof clothing now...). Never had a "bad" cruise as we have fun wherever we are, but when we're spending so much money on a vacation I'd rather be confident we'll enjoy it so we'll likely stick with X, RCCL and Princess for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stelladoro Posted August 6, 2012 #32 Share Posted August 6, 2012 While we prefer Celebrity, our most recent cruises were on HAL and Princess. Sailing dates, itinerary and price were the determining factors in selecting these cruises. On HAL, we were pleasantly surprised by the size of our cabin, service and overall ship amenities, such as culinary centre, beautiful library. We're not foodies, but we thought the food was also quite good. We booked the Princess for the British Isles cruise, simply because Celebrity did not offer this itinerary. Having sailed previously on a Princess ship, we knew what to expect. Not quite the same service as on Celebrity or HAL, but still quite decent, especially on a port intensive cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muushka Posted August 6, 2012 #33 Share Posted August 6, 2012 1. Celebrity 2. Disney 3. RCI Disney is too $$$ usually and we have only cruised on Freedom of the Seas and were not that impressed with RCI. I think we are just used to the Celebrity product and it is more comfortable for us (plus we are non-smokers, so love their policy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAV Posted August 6, 2012 #34 Share Posted August 6, 2012 As you can see by my signature, we have the most cruised days with Celebirty and Crystal. Anxious to try Oceania and Azamara, though, and hopefully sooner than later. And for spice and a change of pace, we'll be on Disney in about a month for a 6-night repo cruise Vancouver to LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindobeast Posted August 6, 2012 #35 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have cruised on Royal and Carnival previously. Both were AMAZING experiences. They are both just so fun and laid back. Next month, I will be sailing with Celebrity for the first time to Bermuda. I have been constantly reading reviews and feel excited yet nervous too... I heard the service is great and the ship is just beautiful. However, I also heard that the formal nights are very strict compared to the Carnival/Royal. For the formal nights on the other cruises, a button up shirt for a guy was fine but for Celebrity I heard guys usually wear tuxes/suits! I know a lot of people respect formal night and think it's not that hard to dress up for a few nights, but to me, a cruise is something I don't want to have to be forced to be formal. Most people have to already dress proper for work so a vacation is just somewhere you can just relax! Yes, I heard others say 'Well if you dont want to dress up, just go to the other restaurants or buffet'.. WELL, someone who paid for the cruise as well shouldn't have to be forced out! My boyfriend is heavily tattooed with gauges ears, etc so.. we gonna do some shopping this month for some nice clothes ha. Don't him to be embarrassed and get handed a jacket when we arrive at the MDR! Sorry for the rant! I'm really looking forward to this Celebrity cruise, and see where it stacks up against Royal and Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmagnolia Posted August 6, 2012 #36 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Hello, its mrs magnolia, I just spotted you on cruise critics, remember us (Maryanne and John) from Mazlatan yrs ago when we did and excursion together? Looks like you have done many cruises from that time, so have we, and are going in March to Eastern XCaribbean on the Equinox., nice "seeing your post". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City_Woman Posted August 6, 2012 #37 Share Posted August 6, 2012 If Celebrity is your favorite cruise line, what other cruise lines have you sailed recently? As per my signature, started with Carnival, moved to Princess, then to Celebrity. Don't see us changing cruise lines anytime soon. Love Celebrity! Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade13 Posted August 6, 2012 #38 Share Posted August 6, 2012 deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelmac Posted August 6, 2012 #39 Share Posted August 6, 2012 We've cruised Oceania and Azamara, but they are more upscale and in a different category, so I will leave them out of my rating. For mass market and Premium lines: (only lines I have cruised) #1 -- Celebrity #2 -- Cunard #3 -- Holland America #4 -- Princess #5 -- Royal Caribbean #6 -- NCL Of course, this rating is never current because we no longer cruise certain lines. Enjoy! Kel:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WELSH WIZARDS Posted August 6, 2012 #40 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have reluctantly decided to express my opinion because of some previous remarks about Azamara and Oceania being so superior. We have sailed with Hal, Princess, RCCL , Oceania , Azamara, MSC, and now just mostly with Celebrity. Of all the other lines there are three only that we would not sail with again, and they are RCCL , Oceania and Azamara This decision to avoid Oceania and Azamara is mostly because we have decided we do not like small ships, but also because on both lines the food choice, especially for b/fast and lunch was very limited. There is also very little to do , both in the day and the evening, unless you are going on trips. My husband and I are not drinkers so sitting in a bar every evening with nothing much else to do has little attraction . Celebrity has so much more to offer for all tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise a holic Posted August 6, 2012 #41 Share Posted August 6, 2012 If Celebrity is your favorite cruise line, what other cruise lines have you sailed recently? While my husband and I love Celebrity for many reasons, the food, cabin and service, we truly enjoy Royal Caribbean- especially the Oasis Class. The entertainment is much better on Royal Caribbean, broadway shows, icecapades, water ballet, comedy club, etc. The ships have so many different dining venues. Disney is nice for families, especially with young children. We put Carnival as a medium grade cruise line for a budget minded family crowd. Princess, we felt was at the bottom of the list, as the food was mediocre at best, too many people and average to below average service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda-E Posted August 6, 2012 #42 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Azamara is by far my favorite. The service, food, and ship size are outstanding! (And wine with lunch and dinner doesn't hurt, either!) I love their itineraries that include smaller ports where large ships can't go. Celebrity and Princess tie for second. We'll go with whichever has the best itinerary. The no-smoking in cabin or on balcony policies are definitely a plus for us! The biggest drawback on my last two Celebrity cruises was the lack of activities on sea days - just trivia, bingo, and more trivia. I don't do either! We've done many Transatlantics on Celebrity, and the last one we did was the very first cruise on which I was ever bored. I think Princess has better food but the theaters are much too small for the number of passengers. Celebrity has better specialty restaurants. Princess wins for longer cruises for free unlimited laundry and dry cleaning and more free Internet time for Elite level cruisers. Looking forward to trying the "solsticized" Summit two months from today. NCL - bad experiences in the past, but really liked a short cruise on the Gem a couple years ago. The restaurant concept is really more fun than a main dining room every night and the buffets were terrific (and we never had a problem finding a seat there). Lines I avoid: Royal Caribbean and HAL - didn't care for the food on either one. On our cruise this spring, RCCL didn't enforce the rules banning kids from the adult pool. I would not choose RCCL again because I hated the smell of smoke on my balcony. Cunard - I didn't like being a second class citizen, with different food and lounges than the higher category cabins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelmaye Posted August 6, 2012 #43 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Hi, Holland American, Princess andCrystal still ofer duplicate bridge on sea days. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooraq Posted August 6, 2012 #44 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have done Royal Caribbean for majority of my cruising up until 3 years ago when I tried Celebrity for the first time. I like both Royal and Celebrity for different reasons. I will consider both cruise lines when choosing an intinerary for my next cruise. Next 4 cruises linded up include 1 Royal and 3 Celebrity. Sometimes it all falls on timing, itinerary and price. But I'm happy using both cruiselines. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lady Arwen Posted August 6, 2012 #45 Share Posted August 6, 2012 We love Celebrity, HAL, Princess, but Carnival not so much. Next cruise will be on the Summit in April. Most recent was HAL Westerdam in January.........lovely cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted August 6, 2012 #46 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Not everyone, but some, usually answer the question they are posing. So is your favorite cruise line Celebrity? And have you sailed other cruise line recently that you prefer or find lacking? Say, did you ever get an answer to this question? Seems some posters are long on questions and short on answers. It's all a mystery. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richsea Posted August 6, 2012 #47 Share Posted August 6, 2012 How about yourself? The OP asked ifCelebrity is your favorite cruise line, what other lines have you sailed recently. In that case, I don't think the OP needs to answer their own question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted August 6, 2012 #48 Share Posted August 6, 2012 The OP asked ifCelebrity is your favorite cruise line, what other lines have you sailed recently. In that case, I don't think the OP needs to answer their own question. How do you know it's not her favorite cruise line? She certainly is here a lot and starts many posts and polls on the Celebrity website. I personally don't spend any time on the boards of the lines I'm not cruising, or have cruised and didn't really care for. I agree with Petoonya, most people that are starting a thread with preference questions will generally list their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridge Maven Posted August 6, 2012 Author #49 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Since several people asked, we have sailed on Celebrity, Holland America, Disney, Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival, and the defunct Italian line (Leonardo da Vinci). The Italian line cruise on Leonardo da Vinci was my favorite, but that was during the middle seventies, which was a different era of cruising. Disney is my favorite cruise line now, but it is not a fair comparison because it is so much more expensive than Celebrity. Of the mass market cruise lines we have sailed, I like Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and NCL the best (equally). However, there are other cruise lines we plan to try which include Regent, Oceania, and Princess. In addition, now that some of the new river boats have suites, we plan to take a river cruise, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatSomeMore Posted August 6, 2012 #50 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Favorite small ship line: Regent (love their food, service, and ambiance) Favorite large ship line: Celebrity Had great experiences with HAL except for the smoking Dislike Princess immensely - always on the microphone selling something even in your stateroom! Food is not good either.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.