X fans, have you tried other lines?

[librarylady19]

We've done 5 X cruises, one more booked. We can only get away during the winter so we're pretty limited to the Caribbean at this point.

We like to go on 10-12 day cruises. Celebrity didn't have an itinerary that looked interesting (except Equinox but did that one 3 years in a row!). So we're doing a Royal Caribbean for next year.

It looks promising, but even if it isn't as good as what we're used to, it HAS to be better than -20 degree temps in Minnesota in winter!

 

I hear you! This was the first winter in several years that we didn't take a cruise (went to London and Belgium in October instead) and sorely missed it - particularly since we had nearly twice as much snow as usual.

Already booked on RCCI for next January - looking forward to trying them now they have restricted smoking. They sail out of Tampa, which I really like - have an aft cabin for much less than we would have paid on X

Edited April 26, 2014 by librarylady19

[miched]

I don't know about trying other lines as I evolved or progressed. Started out on Carnival, expanded or tried the other lines and then settled for now on Celebrity. Still open to sailing on the other lines or "moving up".

 

If it wasn't for For Carnival I wold have missed out on a lot of great cruises, adventures, and experiences.

 

🌅🚢🇺🇸

[We're The Groupnors]

We've been on Celebrity and Princess several times, and once each on RC, NCL and PG. PG was disappointing for the price, so we won't sail them again. NCL was our first cruise, and we did not like the product. That being said we have many friends who sail NCL all the time and love it, although they always book The Haven. We enjoyed RC, but we found it much more family oriented than Celebrity, and we don't have kids. We would happily sail them again, though, and are looking at the Allure or Oasis for an extended family cruise with kids in 2015. We have also enjoyed our many Princess cruises, but find Celebrity is a notch up in both food and service. Given the right itinerary and price we would sail them again.

[DCguys]

Thanks to all of you, especially Sheffield, for your responses and please keep them coming.

 

NCL breakaway meets a lot of our criteria at the moment:

-we have enough Amtrak rewards to get from home (Boston) to NYC for free, but sadly I don't have enough frequent flier miles to get us to FL at the moment

 

-We're very interested in trying Bermuda (since it overnights in the port and the destination, so we hear, is relaxing and not super tourist tacky. After the winter we are finally starting to come out of, a low key island destination is really appealing, especially one where we can explore on our own and not be tied to excursions.)

 

- Breakaway is a new ship, which appeals to us. We also think trying a really big ship sounds fun at least once.

 

- mostly though, NCL is coming in way less expensive than RCCL and X to Bermuda from NJ for June, when we'd really like to travel. The budget for this particular trip isn't huge.

 

BUT the reviews for NCL are often negative and I do generally trust CC reviewers. We can't afford The Haven section this time or I wouldn't be so hesitant. I'm worried that the lack of the serenity of X's solarium, good MDR food, and nice balconies will be tough to take, and we don't have kids either to enjoy some of the wilder activities. I'm hemming and hawing on spending any amount of money for something I'm worried about. But, perhaps watching the sea go by trumps all else. Clearly I'm torn on this!

[sheffield]

Believe me we were really torn about booking the Breakaway. The reviews were not good but finally we thought what the heck, we'll enjoy it for what it is. We were so pleasantly surprised. If you can afford the little extra for the Spa balcony room, you will have a wonderful peaceful place to sit in. As I said earlier, we found the food of a better variety and quality than Celebrity, and I love food. We were constantly astonished by the meals.

I can only say that for us, it was a relaxing, enjoyable cruise.

[wyknotcruz2da]

We actually loved the Breakaway!!.It was our first NCL cruise and we were also very concerned about the reviews.

Try to get on board early and purchase a Vibe pass..it made all the difference for us. We also purchased the Dining package which was 119 and we ate in specialty dining rooms every night

We wouldn't hesitate to book again

[DCguys]

We actually loved the Breakaway!!.It was our first NCL cruise and we were also very concerned about the reviews.

Try to get on board early and purchase a Vibe pass..it made all the difference for us. We also purchased the Dining package which was 119 and we ate in specialty dining rooms every night

We wouldn't hesitate to book again

 

How much was the vibe pass? Is that for the adults only area?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We like big new ships, so we are fans of Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure, and their Freedom Class ships, Solstice Class Celebrity ships and have considered NCL's two big new ships, even Disney's new ships, but we haven't actually tried those yet.

 

In the past we have tried NCL Pearl and Carnival Liberty. Neither one of those was compelling enough to make us want to seek out further cruises on those lines.

 

We stick to RCI and Celebrity because we know and enjoy their ships and have never been disappointed. I guess I would not want to spend the money for a cruise on an unfamiliar line and be disappointed with the cruise. I know any given ship on any given cruise can have an unfortunate outcome.

 

Maybe sometime in the future some fabulous new ship from another cruise line besides Celebrity or Royal Caribbean will just be too tempting to resist. Holland America has some very attractive itineraries we can't ever seem to get on RCI and Celebrity, so we might have to "jump ship" one day and try one of those itineraries.

[Merriem]

Yes, we sort of left celebrity! and sailed on Silversea ...save your money. A joke! additionally Crystal was nice...cabins were very small but excellent food. We liked Regent and Seaborn, but frankly I think Celebrity is an excellent value. Booked a Signature in November for my 70th birthday, and will return to the Galapagos in January

[bighairtexan]

I mostly cruise Celebrity. My first RCI cruise was in 2002 and I said NEVER AGAIN. It was AWFUL.

Fast forward to 2012 and a price on RCI that I couldn't pass up and am I glad I took the bait! What an improvement. I've cruised Celebrity since 1992 and IMHO I've seen a decline. I still love Celebrity, but part of me longs for "the good old days." Conversely, I've seen what I feel is an improvement in RCI. The service rivals Celebrity. The food… hmmmmm… not bad, not great… but good. The ships are more LIKE Celebrity than unlike. There are things I actually prefer about RCI, though Celebrity remains my 1st choice usually.

I think that if you can cruise RCI w/ an open mind (it's NOT Celebrity for good or bad) you'll have a great time. Lots more night life. More daytime activities.

 

I've also cruised NCL and for me it's kind of "meh."

[pyrogy]

I love Celebrity but I also enjoy NCL. Based on your age range I would think you would have a great time on NCL, in particular their newer ships. They tend to skew younger and more active although not as active perhaps as RCI. They generally know how to do the Freestyle concept, which most other lines have decided to copy but do not do as well. The Entertainment is good to great. Its a good product overall. Don't worry too much about the NCL haters.

[Aussiepair]

We are actually trying an Alaskan X cruise after cruising with HAL, Princess and RCL.

 

HAL has great itineraries and service plus their food is very good but they rip off Aussies with their pricing policies. Their smoking policy is also very pro smoking.

 

Princess has great service but similar pricing policy for Aussies and their itineraries don't work for us. Their food was reasonable.

 

RCL was a lower standard all round on the cruise we took with them but it probably varies between their ships.

 

We are very looking forward to our Celebrity cruise, just two weeks to go.

[Aquahound]

We've only cruised celebrity S-class ships and love them, but are considering trying something else soon for price and itinerary options and to see the difference. Has anyone tried RCL or NCL and liked it? We're two adults (36 and 42), active, but also looking for R&R. We're specifically looking at Western Carib and Bermuda itineraries on newer ships.

 

We're doing Viking Oceans in 2015 so clearly we're eager to experience very different styles of cruising.

 

I am also a huge fan of S Class ships.....in fact, I think they are my favorite ship class. I have tried 4 other cruise lines and have done dozens of cruises on RCI and several cruises on NCL.

 

First, NCL...My expereinces have not been so good. I've had terrible service, and experienced poorly maintained ships and long wait times for dinner. To be honest, my NCL cruises have been my least favorite. We're kicking around the idea of booking the Getaway in a few weeks due to a good price and lack of alternatives, but for the most part, NCL isn't really a consideration of ours anymore. And even with Getaway, I've been seeing some poor reviews that sound like typical NCL to me.

 

RCI...I think this is your best bet. But consider what you want because the ship classes are very different from one another. If you want to go all out, Oasis and Freedom Classes are the way to go. But if you want a more Celebrity-like experience, look at Radiance and Vision Classes.

 

I also recommend taking a closer look at Princess and maybe even Holland America. I cruised the Niew Amsterdam and found it to be a really nice ship. Activities are lacking but then again, same goes for Celebrity.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Aquahound

[shipshape sam]

We started on Royal Caribbean in 1998, then tried Princess, which we like and then progressed to Celebrity in 2005 for some upscale sailing. We enjoyed Celebrity very much and still do.

 

We have sailed Carnival and HAL and for us, don't see us sailing Carnival again, but HAL has been nice both times. Actually Carnival was nice the first time, but second time, we had too many people drunk and obnoxious behavior.

 

Our preferences are: Celebrity/Royal, then Princess, but would sail on HAL if we really liked itinerary/price/time frame. Our hesitation with trying NCL or other cruise line is we are not sailing as much due to beach house/land based trips, I am not wanting a bad experience, which I know I cannot guarantee, but it is like going to out to eat at a familiar restaurant and ordering something familiar vs something you have not tried before (kinda like that except it costs a lot more!)

 

We are low key sailors now and unlike our first half dozen or so sailings, do not need/want to try and do everything offered. Now we can actually sail and do nothing other than we do support the bars and do donate to the casinos.

Edited May 7, 2014 by shipshape sam

[cruising maniac]

I LOVE to cruise. All cruises. Any cruise. We have been on 26 cruises on 7 different lines and have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. The food may not be as good on this one and the entertainment on that one is not as good. Every ship on every line has a unique special thing and the fun is finding that special thing. We live in Florida so mostly do the Caribbean alternating between eastern and western itineraries. I decide by price and the smoking policy on the balcony. My favorite line is the one I'm booked on next.:)

[Max Circus]

As you can tell from my signature, I've been on many of the lines. Haven't found a line I would never return on. Each one has strengths and weaknesses. I would rate Celebrity as my favorite with NCL second. I love the excellent service we've received on Celebrity - Summit is a great ship!!

 

I didn't know how I would feel about the Freestyle approach on NCL, but really liked it. They also had the best deck party I've ever seen - including the fireworks and Captain Jack Sparrow party on Disney.

 

Carnival is a great value cruise line. I have wanted to try RCCL again, but never found their product to be that far superior than Carnival. But their prices are sometimes two times what Carnival shows for the same sailing dates and ports - so hard to justify.

 

Princess is next. I've read most of the reviews and heard the good and bad. I can remember reading terrible reviews about Carnival before I went - and had great cruises on most my Carnival salings (food poisoning on Paradise puts that cruise at the bottom of my list :rolleyes:).

 

I plan to enjoy them all. Holland is one I am looking at next. They have some great NE/Canada cruises which I would like to try. Some day soon.

[KellyW25]

I've sailed on Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Carnival. While I prefer Celebrity, they all have their good and bad. I think Princess comes close to Celebrity, and I love the outdoor movies. I wish they would bring back a ship to sail out of the NY area during Spring/Summer. Carnival has been hit and miss for me, but I have liked more sailings than not. I would be least likely to ever sail with NCL again. I gave them 4 chances, and each experience got worse. Won't say "never", but I can't see myself on another NCL ship.

 

I'd love to sail with RCI, but their new Mega ships are quite unappealing to me. I usually sail with my parents, and they are more suited to smaller ships as well.

[Tiggertastic]

We've tried 5 different lines and they rank 1,2 and 3 as celebrity, ncl and royal and 1 and 2 are so close as they give us very different experiences and both excellent but RCL has lost it for us recently, the officers especially need a foot up their rear end

[TomTN]

We've done 5 X cruises, one more booked. We can only get away during the winter so we're pretty limited to the Caribbean at this point.

We like to go on 10-12 day cruises. Celebrity didn't have an itinerary that looked interesting (except Equinox but did that one 3 years in a row!). So we're doing a Royal Caribbean for next year.

It looks promising, but even if it isn't as good as what we're used to, it HAS to be better than -20 degree temps in Minnesota in winter!

 

We sailed the Med in Jan on NCL in 2010. Great cruise, decent weather most days, no difference in NCL passengers and X passengers. Food was ok, beer was cold.

We were able to see the departure from Valetta, Malta after dark. Wow!!!! Our departure from there on X Silhouette last June during daylight hours was a real letdown.

We have also sailed on RCCL, HAL and Princess. Would sail on all 3 again, but the overcrowding on Caribbean Princess was horrible. Would have to be the right ship.

[wyknotcruz2da]

How much was the vibe pass? Is that for the adults only area?

I think it was around 80 bucks each, but soooo worth it. It is a member only area with comfy padded loungers, only allow 80 people max and no kids. There are 2 hot tubs and your own private bar and bartender. .never saw more then 20 people up there at one time. They come around with fresh fruit skewers also. .Loved it:)

[iancal]

Absolutely, we cruise on other lines....Princess, HAL, RCI, NCL, Carnival, Crystal so far.

 

There are so many great ships/cruise lines and itineraries out there that we cannot even think of limiting ourselves to one cruise line.

[jjjbr]

We have sailed on Celebrity 8 times, but also on Silversea (including their expedition ship), Azamara, Seabourn, and Regent. We enjoyed all of the cruises, but most recently have preferred the Aqua Class on Celebrity for a "small ship" experience on a big ship. It's a great value!

[gosport11]

Weve been on ,PO ,MSC ,NCL ,Thomson and Azamara all got good and not so god points,we cruisse for the itenary then the line,have done quite a few with celeb,mostly ex UK :):) almost forgot RCCL

[Lastdance]

We would not sail on NCL again! It just isn't our cup of tea. RCCL was very enjoyable, but now we prefer Celebrity, especially in Europe when combined with a land trip. That being said, we would be open to other cruise lines, but only if they were a step ahead of Celebrity. We don't smoke; never have and never will! It is totally unhealthy and not worth the risk factor. However, I have learned to never say never!:eek:

[PoppyandNana]

We would not sail on NCL again! It just isn't our cup of tea. RCCL was very enjoyable, but now we prefer Celebrity, especially in Europe when combined with a land trip. That being said, we would be open to other cruise lines, but only if they were a step ahead of Celebrity. We don't smoke; never have and never will! It is totally unhealthy and not worth the risk factor. However, I have learned to never say never!:eek:

 

We have, at one time or another, sailed on Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean , Holland America, Regent Seven Diamond and Celebrity. Without a doubt Celebrity is our absolute favorite and will not sail on any other line regardless of itinerary. Our Baltic and Adriatic cruises were memorable as will our upcoming Norway cruise on the Constellation, number 28.