Which line(s) wouldn't you cruise with?

[navybankerteacher]

We would ocean cruise with any of the cruise lines if we had money for the cruise. However we would not sail on the ships with upwards of 1800 passengers. That is about our maximum.

Carnival and Disney would be our least favorite because geared to families so too many kids and teens. But if the itinerary and price were right we'd cruise on them.

 

We'd stay away from river cruises only because the included excursions involve too much walking for my mobility impaired husband.

 

We share your view concerning passenger capacity - there is something intangible that changes when you start sailing with thousands. Sadly, it seems that virtually all new ships, with the possible exception of very high end, are in the 3,000 and up range.

[BruceMuzz]

I have managed 28 different cruise ships for 11 different cruise lines over the past 30+ years.

Those lines ranged from the most upscale to the least upscale.

 

During that period of time, hundreds of Cruisecritic members haver informed me that they would never sail any of those cruise lines ever again because the ships were:

 

Too big / too small

Too expensive / too cheap

Too elegant / too plain

Too fast / too slow

Too sophisticated / not sophisticated enough

Too much Norwegian/Chinese/German/Greek/ Italian/Dutch/American/International

Not enough Norwegian/Chinese/German/Greek/ Italian/Dutch/American/International

Too avant garde / too old style

Too many smokers / not enough places to smoke

Child friendly / not child friendly

Elderly friendly / not elderly friendly

Too much like the other lines / not enough like the other lines

Too hot / too cold

Food too spicy / food too bland

Food portions too large / food portions too small

Crew too friendly / crew not friendly enough

Passengers too snooty / passengers too trashy

Too many formal nights / not enough formal nights

 

But they do all agree that cruising is not what it used to be - while completely forgetting that they are paying only about 10% of what they paid many years ago when cruising was much better.

Edited April 20, 2014 by BruceMuzz

[dorisis]

We don't care for NCL or Carnival. Many we have never tried but if the itinerary, timing and price was right...Who knows. never say NEVER.

[Onceuponatime]

Princess. We tried once, but I don't think I would try them again until I'm (MUCH) older. We were the youngest on the ship by at least 20 years! The "nightlife" was done by around 10PM. We didn't really cruise in an off time either, it was the week before Christmas. Maybe I'll give them another try when I'm 50!

[cruisead]

We would not again sail Costa, NCL or MSC. We don't mind Carnival or RCI. Princess and Celebrity are our faves.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I have managed 28 different cruise ships for 11 different cruise lines over the past 30+ years.

Those lines ranged from the most upscale to the least upscale.

 

During that period of time, hundreds of Cruisecritic members haver informed me that they would never sail any of those cruise lines ever again because the ships were:

 

Too big / too small

Too expensive / too cheap

Too elegant / too plain

Too fast / too slow

Too sophisticated / not sophisticated enough

Too much Norwegian/Chinese/German/Greek/ Italian/Dutch/American/International

Not enough Norwegian/Chinese/German/Greek/ Italian/Dutch/American/International

Too avant garde / too old style

Too many smokers / not enough places to smoke

Child friendly / not child friendly

Elderly friendly / not elderly friendly

Too much like the other lines / not enough like the other lines

Too hot / too cold

Food too spicy / food too bland

Food portions too large / food portions too small

Crew too friendly / crew not friendly enough

Passengers too snooty / passengers too trashy

Too many formal nights / not enough formal nights

 

 

ROTFLMAO! This just tells me that there are many different people in this world, thank goodness, and each and everyone of them have different tastes.

 

My first ocean cruise is in December on the Sun Princess. I'm tempted to take this list with me to compare :D

 

We did do a river cruise on the Rhine some years ago, with Avalon Waterways, and really enjoyed it. The excursions were interesting but so much depended on the guide - some were very good, others have too much information and so were tedious. Some cities we just explored on our own.

 

The beauty of forums like this is that there is a wealth of information available to help people choose the right cruises for them.

[BruceMuzz]

Princess. We tried once, but I don't think I would try them again until I'm (MUCH) older. We were the youngest on the ship by at least 20 years! The "nightlife" was done by around 10PM. We didn't really cruise in an off time either, it was the week before Christmas. Maybe I'll give them another try when I'm 50!

 

And here is the perfect example of misconception and mis-information on Cruisecritic.

The 3 weeks before Christmas ARE considered off-season by the cruise industry - on most itineraries. During those 3 weeks, we see a much higher count of older passengers who book for the lower fares and the lack of children onboard.

[tip]

We have no desire to sail with Costa.:eek:

 

We sailed Carnival twice in the 90's, but I think that we are too old now.;)

 

We have absolutely no desire to sail with Cunard. This is the 21st Century, not the beginning of the 20th Century!

 

I do think that NCL gets a bad rap. We do enjoy the casual free style concept.

[Mary Ellen]

And here is the perfect example of misconception and mis-information on Cruisecritic.

The 3 weeks before Christmas ARE considered off-season by the cruise industry - on most itineraries. During those 3 weeks, we see a much higher count of older passengers who book for the lower fares and the lack of children onboard.

I once cruised in early December (date picked because of a friend's birthday). I've been cruising on HAL for over 30 years. This was the only time in all that time that I'd describe the other passengers as "elderly". I felt that most of them were on vacation from their assisted living center or nursing home.

 

On the CC I've noticed most complaints about how "old" the other passengers are, are mainly from cruises in early-mid December.

[MrsPete]

No thanks to Carnival.

 

I've heard too many negative stories from too many sources, both online and real life. The stories have too many similar details to all be false.

[josumello]

I will pass on Carnival & NCL

 

 

Ditto

 

 

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[OzKiwiJJ]

And here is the perfect example of misconception and mis-information on Cruisecritic.

The 3 weeks before Christmas ARE considered off-season by the cruise industry - on most itineraries. During those 3 weeks, we see a much higher count of older passengers who book for the lower fares and the lack of children onboard.

 

The week before Christmas is peak cruise time down here in Australia. School holidays start mid-December and parents would probably pull their kids out of school a day or so earlier if they had to.

 

The cruise we have booked is very expensive compared with other ex-Sydney cruises outside of our summer school holiday period (mid-Dec to end-Jan).

[Honolulu Blue]

It's been interesting seeing the responses to this thread.

 

CCL seems to be #1. I'm not surprised.

NCL seems to be #2. Again, no surprise there.

 

My first cruise was on Carnival last month and it couldn't have gone better, so they must be doing something right. I really want to give my money to the boys from Scandinavia, but they need to work on their itineraries.

 

I'll never say never, and my tastes will change as I age and experience, but there are several that are currently on the "avoid" list. I'd tell you all, but I don't feel like getting jumped on.

[Tosara21]

Never again with Island Cruises (Thompsons). If this had been our first cruise,it would definately have been our last. Luckily we had previously cruised with RCI and will continue with them. Roll on september and "Indy" can't wait.

[psbtrvlr]

We no longer look at Princess cruises. Horrible customer service experience both onboard and at corporate.

[edi1140]

We won't cruise with NCL. Reason being, my sister in law and her husband worked for them and the tales I heard about how poorly NCL treats their people are a major turn off.

[roothy123]

 

But that reminds me, I am a little hesitant to sail Costa/RCL due to their tipping policies (Ie paying before your cruise if you have anytime dining and whatnot) being a bit odd.

 

Celebrity has same policy for anytime dining. That was not a deal breaker for us, however, and we went on 2 Celebrity cruises. They were OK.

[meggie711]

While you might not get everything you pay for, you can be pretty sure that, especially it comes to cruising, you will not get anything you do not pay for.

 

While I am inclined to avoid Carnival - and NCL (more so) because of the quality of the product - I would never absolutely rule them out: for the right itinerary, the importance of the shipboard experience might have lesser importance.

 

Both Carnival and NCL offer value for their price - but there is a reason why their prices are generally so low relative to other lines. Sadly, NCL seems to have priced virtually all competitors out of the New York market.

 

I'd have to disagree with you there. We received top-notch service on our last cruise, which happened to be NCL. We received a great price, had an aft-facing balcony, and could not have possibly received better service. Although I know that this isn't everyone's experience and YMMV, we laughed at the thought of paying for a room which would offer a butler as we felt that we were waited on hand and foot everywhere we went. Not to get in an outright disagreement with you, but just wanted to point out that money doesn't always buy good service, and sometimes excellent service is given without having to pay that extra. ;)

[Mermen]

I used to say "Princess" but we gave them another shot last year and had a good cruise, and pretty good service in a Penthouse suite. We're confident with =X= and the great service we have always received there, but if we try Princess again, or any other line, would book a Grand / Penthouse Suite or higher...:D

 

For us, it's a combination of itinerary and service level.

[roothy123]

We share your view concerning passenger capacity - there is something intangible that changes when you start sailing with thousands. Sadly, it seems that virtually all new ships, with the possible exception of very high end, are in the 3,000 and up range.

 

I'm also one of the people who like the smaller ships. I love the ones with 700-800 passengers, and tolerate about a thousand, but then it gets iffy. However, I just wanted to point out that some lines that generally have huge ships (like Princess) also have one or two smaller ships. Therefore, if the number of passengers is important to a cruiser, he/she should not automatically rule out the big mainstream cruise lines!

 

I don't jump around much, as I've found my perfect line, but I guess if I had to list "ruled out lines" I would say Princess, Carnival, NCL, RCCL (mostly due to size), HAL, Regent and Crystal (perception of too formal and/or dislike of dressing for dinner, plus we don't drink and don't take too many ship's shore excursions, so inclusiveness on any line usually means we're overpaying for the cruise!) Windstar is expensive and sounds a little more refined than we would want (not that we're boors, just casual people!) I think we've just moved Celebrity to the "ruled out" list, mostly due to size/people everywhere/big party atmosphere (at least in the Caribbean - could be different in other areas). Costa and the European lines I've pretty much ruled out just because I can't speak any foreign language well enough to feel comfortable booking with them! I also don't like smoke, although they may restrict that (not sure). Thompson goes to unusual places and English is spoken, but I've seen bad reviews about them, so I've ruled them out. River cruises are definitely NOT ruled out - love them! We're old (early 60s) so the "older passenger base" that turns off some people is not a turnoff for us. We're looking forward to going on the Viking Star (ocean cruise, a first for Viking, and small ship) next year.

 

Yes, some of the cruise lines attract a majority of younger or older people, but I think a person's lifestyle (party animal vs. more sedate, etc.), cruise budget, and cruise style (interested more in places you'll see than what you'll do on the ship vs. don't care that much about itinerary, just want to relax/enjoy more on ship) is more important in picking a cruise line than age of the passengers.

[h-sar]

One Carnival cruise, on the Dream, has put me off Carnival forever. Too many chair hogs, smokers in non smoking places, drunks in public areas, rude behaviour, and the worst buffet food I've experienced on a cruise ship means that if I won a free Carnival cruise, I would take the free flight down south to escape winter and then pay for a Best Western for the week rather than get on the ship. Nope, not kidding, not exaggerating. My sister and I actually made that pact as we got off the ship. :eek:It was THAT bad. And this comes from a pretty easy going 40something gal.

 

Question asked and answered. No flaming, please. One person's humble opinion.

 

***In the spirit of full disclosure: I have been posting under a different user name the last two years. The previous user name had my full last name in it, so I've gone to this current one as I wish to regain some semblance of anonymity in the cyber world! Hope I haven't broken any CC laws with the change.

[Warm Breezes]

We have sailed DCL, CCL, NCL, and Princess. I am willing to sail any line that meets our criteria for what we want out of cruise (ship, itinerary, embarkation port, price). What we want can vary from cruise to cruise. I will say that it may be a while before we choose Princess again. Our last cruise on them just didn't feel like a good fit for us at this time. I'm not ruling them out in the future...just putting them off for a while. Just like I don't expect to be sailing HAL/Cunard in the near future. IMHO we aren't in the right demographics for us to be completely enjoy them yet.

[fortinweb]

I'd have to disagree with you there. We received top-notch service on our last cruise, which happened to be NCL. We received a great price, had an aft-facing balcony, and could not have possibly received better service. Although I know that this isn't everyone's experience and YMMV, we laughed at the thought of paying for a room which would offer a butler as we felt that we were waited on hand and foot everywhere we went. Not to get in an outright disagreement with you, but just wanted to point out that money doesn't always buy good service, and sometimes excellent service is given without having to pay that extra. ;)

 

For some of us, excellent service is only one aspect of a cruise. While NCL may provide excellent service, the rest of the product is unappealing to many of us (as evidenced in every "worst cruise line thread" I have ever read, including this one with 481 responses http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1481929&highlight=worst+cruiseline).

 

No one I have ever talked to who cruises NCL would ever call it an "elegant" experience. Instead, what they describe isn't much different than hanging out at the mall or local water park, both of which I can experience any weekend at home. I have never read on these boards anyone saying that they felt the experience was unique. Instead they seemed excited about how much the experience resembled what they usually enjoy anywhere else they go for vacation, and how little difference there is from what they would typically do on summer weekends.

 

There are many of us who see cruising as unique and special, something over and above our normal activities. We want something different, something rewarding, something we will remember. We tend to avoid those cruise lines that minimize those traits by designing their product to be too much like the same thing we can have at home.

 

Interesting note: about a third of the way through the thread mentioned above someone counted the votes for "worst" cruise line. That voting trend stayed pretty much consistent for the rest of the thread. Here is that count:

 

#1 - CARNIVAL = 35

#2 - NCL = 33

#3 - ROYAL CARIBBEAN = 11

#4 - MSC = 6

#5 - HAL = 5

Tied for sixth place:

#6 - CELEBRITY = 1

#6 - DISNEY = 1

#6 - PRINCESS = 1

[Warm Breezes]

Princess. We tried once, but I don't think I would try them again until I'm (MUCH) older. We were the youngest on the ship by at least 20 years! The "nightlife" was done by around 10PM. We didn't really cruise in an off time either, it was the week before Christmas. Maybe I'll give them another try when I'm 50!

 

We just had that same experience and we are 47:eek:. We sailed during prime spring break time on a 5 day cruise and I swear the majority of the passengers were 60-80 years old. They seemed to be either groups from retirement communities in FL or Snow Birds. I just stated in my previous post that it may be a few years before we decide to try them again. It just wasn't our cup of tea.

[OrlandoMom55]

Carnival. Once was more than enough!! Even a free one wouldn't be worth it!!

 

 

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