Over 55s Which cruiseline is your favourite

[iancal]

We use a number of sites for last minutes-including some on line agents with names akin to vacations to go.

 

We signed up for Princess last minute offers. The best to date, have been those that Celebrity does on their Tuesday specials. We have had five or six Celebrity cruises based on this pricing-four in the Med, a San Juan, and our 14 day Equinox cruise over this past Christmas.

[Priya2]

We use a number of sites for last minutes-including some on line agents with names akin to vacations to go.

 

We signed up for Princess last minute offers. The best to date, have been those that Celebrity does on their Tuesday specials. We have had five or six Celebrity cruises based on this pricing-four in the Med, a San Juan, and our 14 day Equinox cruise over this past Christmas.

I think perhaps the Celebrity Tuesday specials may be a US thing (some of their offers are). I'm in the UK and haven't come across them. When I see discounted cruises here, they never seem to be much less than the original price. May I ask how much you generally save?

[nursemom2]

All the cruise lines have positives, and negatives, but for us We prefer Royal Caribbean first, then Celebrity, and Princess. We have over 60 cruises under our belt, and I write about them on our family blog.

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2014/03/traveling-on-budget.html

[iancal]

Priya2:

 

We live in Canada. We book thru an on line TA in the US. We generally enjoy an OBC of between 8 and 12 percent of the commissionable fare on any cruise. We only want OBC's or cash discount. That is all we take into account...none of this free bottle of wine business.

 

Our target price for 10-12 Med cruises( balcony cabin) in Sept/Oct. over the past two years has been $100. per diem each, not including gratuities (these are added to our shipboard account at the rate of about $11. per diem) Over the past 2 years we have booked 4 cruises at this rate, or slightly over-perhaps $110 per day. Our last cruise was an Xmas 14 day Caribbean cruise. Booked a balcony, 40 days out, @ $110. per day for a balcony gty. All numbers based on USD.

We do expect to pay higher per diems for other destinations. It is really down to supply and demand. We tend to take advantage of the offers when they are there.

 

We are hoping to get another Sept/Oct. Med or Black Sea cruise this year. The prices seem to be a little higher. If we can get a deal we will book, if not we will just have more time for a land tour.

 

I know that folks in the UK often pay more. You might want to try booking through a US TA. Some cruise lines will allow this.

 

If we book far ahead, we monitor price decreases. If there is a price decrease, outside of the final payment window, our TA, on request, reprices our cruise at the lower amount. In some instances the price has not changed but the category bands have...and we ended up with a better cabin location.

 

We actually do the same for UK booked vacations because we have a UK address that we use to get things like holiday vouchers (for air travel) sent to us. Some UK travel firms insist on a UK address or they will not complete the booking.

 

Good luck.

Edited April 12, 2014 by iancal

[Priya2]

Priya2:

 

We live in Canada. We book thru an on line TA in the US. We generally enjoy an OBC of between 8 and 12 percent of the commissionable fare on any cruise. We only want OBC's or cash discount. That is all we take into account...none of this free bottle of wine business.

 

Our target price for 10-12 Med cruises( balcony cabin) in Sept/Oct. over the past two years has been $100. per diem each, not including gratuities (these are added to our shipboard account at the rate of about $11. per diem) Over the past 2 years we have booked 4 cruises at this rate, or slightly over-perhaps $110 per day. Our last cruise was an Xmas 14 day Caribbean cruise. Booked a balcony, 40 days out, @ $110. per day for a balcony gty. All numbers based on USD.

We do expect to pay higher per diems for other destinations. It is really down to supply and demand. We tend to take advantage of the offers when they are there.

 

We are hoping to get another Sept/Oct. Med or Black Sea cruise this year. The prices seem to be a little higher. If we can get a deal we will book, if not we will just have more time for a land tour.

 

I know that folks in the UK often pay more. You might want to try booking through a US TA. Some cruise lines will allow this.

 

If we book far ahead, we monitor price decreases. If there is a price decrease, outside of the final payment window, our TA, on request, reprices our cruise at the lower amount. In some instances the price has not changed but the category bands have...and we ended up with a better cabin location.

 

We actually do the same for UK booked vacations because we have a UK address that we use to get things like holiday vouchers (for air travel) sent to us. Some UK travel firms insist on a UK address or they will not complete the booking.

 

Good luck.

thanks iancal, that's all useful to know. I'll try to employ some of your suggested strategies :)

[American Bear]

thanks iancal, that's all useful to know. I'll try to employ some of your suggested strategies :)

 

Our unofficial comparison,,,

We sat at dinner with a couple from England and compared prices we both paid over the years, and we found that cruises were about 40% cheaper for Americans than Brits for the same cruise! And that doesn't even include the air fare!

We also looked at cruises out of Florida comparing them to all of Europe, and the difference is even more,!

Edited April 12, 2014 by Russian Bear

[Priya2]

Our unofficial comparison,,,

We sat at dinner with a couple from England and compared prices we both paid over the years, and we found that cruises were about 40% cheaper for Americans than Brits for the same cruise! And that doesn't even include the air fare!

We also looked at cruises out of Florida comparing them to all of Europe, and the difference is even more,!

we pay 20% tax on everything in the UK :(

[Floridiana]

We did the Oceania Istanbul to Rome last May and loved it! It was on their newest ship, the Riveria, which is gorgeous! The things we love are: there are no children (one cruise did have one child), VERY limited smoking, no photographers, no charge for the specialty restaurants, no lines, no formal nights, dress code is country club casual, quality food and wonderful service! In our opinion, perfect for the 'more mature' crowd.;)

 

I fully agree and would like to add that Oceania beds are super comfortable. I also love the real French bread, real French croissants and the berries for breakfast. Super desserts, delicious ice cream. No stuffy formal nights.

 

One cruise with NCL and I swore off cruising altogether. Azamara got me back into it, but I haven't found another itinerary I liked.

 

Our 2 last Princess cruises were down under and the ships were completely overdue for refurbishing, dirty carpets, unhygienic buffet. The mattresses were flat. Food varied from excellent to inedible. I have no desire to return to Princess.

 

Our HAL cruises were b2b around South America and through the Panama Canal. Ships ok. Food often boring and bland. HAL has excellent itineraries and we might go back for that, maybe. It's difficult to do because we liked Oceania much better.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Floridiana

[American Bear]

we pay 20% tax on everything in the UK :(

 

We spent about 10 days in the UK about 20 years ago, and all our visits since then have been weekends or less, so my experience/knowledge of the UK is dated, but we compared what your citizens got for their taxes to the U.S., and yes you may pay more, but you also get a lot more!:)

Sort of like the old saying goes, 'you get what you pay for'!:)

What we found in our visits to the UK was your cost of goods/service was extremely high, double what we pay for in the states!

'example': we stopped in London for a quick lunch/fast food(same company in the US), and left with a bill 2x higher then what we would have paid in a US city! They say Moscow is the highest cost city, and it is high, but we found London to be higher!

[Priya2]

We spent about 10 days in the UK about 20 years ago, and all our visits since then have been weekends or less, so my experience/knowledge of the UK is dated, but we compared what your citizens got for their taxes to the U.S., and yes you may pay more, but you also get a lot more!:)

Sort of like the old saying goes, 'you get what you pay for'!:)

What we found in our visits to the UK was your cost of goods/service was extremely high, double what we pay for in the states!

'example': we stopped in London for a quick lunch/fast food(same company in the US), and left with a bill 2x higher then what we would have paid in a US city! They say Moscow is the highest cost city, and it is high, but we found London to be higher!

Yes, all true. Of course though taxes on purchases don't fund our public services, we have regular taxes on earnings graded from 20% to 45%, and 'National insurance' a tax all workers pay for the nations healthcare and Council tax for local services!

 

Who was it that said nothing is certain but death and taxes?

[SandraDJ]

We spent about 10 days in the UK about 20 years ago, and all our visits since then have been weekends or less, so my experience/knowledge of the UK is dated, but we compared what your citizens got for their taxes to the U.S., and yes you may pay more, but you also get a lot more!:)

Sort of like the old saying goes, 'you get what you pay for'!:)

What we found in our visits to the UK was your cost of goods/service was extremely high, double what we pay for in the states!

'example': we stopped in London for a quick lunch/fast food(same company in the US), and left with a bill 2x higher then what we would have paid in a US city! They say Moscow is the highest cost city, and it is high, but we found London to be higher!

 

I have found that it can be quite reasonable to eat in London, it's just knowing where. I once found a fantastic Turkish restaurant, very cheap, in Covent Garden. There's a lot of competition in some places, so prices reflect this.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

60/60 Holland is ours ..

[Ladysilver]

Royal Caribbean is our favorite. We are 66 and 60. :D

[Oppalopa]

Royal Caribbean is our favorite. We are 66 and 60. :D

Mine too love the Brilliance. :)

[dorisis]

I'm brandy new to Cruisecritic, altho I've cruised 6-7 times in the past. So, we're trying to decide whether to go to the Greek Isles and Turkey with Azamara in Sept (perfect season) or Oceania in May.....neither one have we sailed before. They both offer the itinerary we want, just in different seasons. I was happy to hear you so enthusiastic about Oceania, since it confirms what I read repeatedly about the R ships. Anything else to add?

and Thanks!

 

I PREFER THE MED IN THE FALL!!! Welcome to Cruise Critic and be sure to join the Roll Call for whichever you choose.

[dorisis]

we pay 20% tax on everything in the UK :(

 

But you get National health care and free schooling. We pay so much more just for those 2 items.

[dorisis]

we have only been on 1 Disney cruise, so maybe we will consider that for a quick getaway. we are within driving distance of Pt. Canaveral.

[Priya2]

But you get National health care and free schooling. We pay so much more just for those 2 items.

Its true, we do. Your healthcare system looks pretty scary from this side of the pond. I think you have a public school system too though yes? Anyone who is employed also pay National Insurance to fund the NHS and tax - 20%, 40% or 45% depending upon earning level.

[Quasar1011]

3. Princess... for the Elite perks and because they allow us to combine all our OBCs. They also give an OBC to veterans.

Can you get the 55+ discount, as well as the Veteran's OBC? I'm a vet who turns 55 next year... never sailed with Princess.

[Galaxy02_99]

I just returned from cruise on this ship. The ages were generally in the 40's but there were several women (including me) and a couple of men in their sixties and one woman who was 81. Our NCL activities coordinator (Jesy) was friendly to all and very inclusive. I had a great time.

[wishIweretravelling]

I've cruised mostly Regent (and its predecessors) for the past 15 years or so. I like the smaller ships and larger cabins, and the conviviality of the all-inclusive approach. However, they've recently started including excursions in the all-inclusive, which has driven the price up too high, overcrowded the excursions (which seem to be pretty uninspired anymore), and made me feel like I'm wasting money by going off on my own. So, I am going to be trying out Crystal later this year.

[reallyhooked]

Our 1st cruise was on Royal in 1997( Majesty). We tried Holland America (Westerdam) in

1999. Went back to Royal in 2000 & haven't left. We liked the diversity of the crew. We're empty nesters (66) DH retired ( 10yrs). like meeting new people. We haven't really been bothered by kids on board.

[KirkNC]

HAL and Celebrity for us but we are trying Crystal soon.

[Kreader]

Hi I have been on Carnival,Princess,Royal Caribbean,MSC,Norwegian,and Holland America. Holland America is still my favorite!

[robroy123]

I enjoy the Princess line. I've been fortunate with all that I've been on.:)