which cruise line should we try next?

[A2Mich]

We are historically Carnival cruisers, but have finally decided to try RCI, so booked Freedom of the Seas. We've never had a bad cruise, though one 4 day cruise was a little too wild for our tastes, but we knew that going in, so we had still had a good time. We had strongly considered Carnival for our next cruise, but at the time, Carnival only allowed 5 pax in a cabin on their older ships, though that seems to have changed a bit for some reason.

 

Our TA has been trying to get us on Royal or NCL for a long time. We decided to give RCI a chance as we've heard mostly great things about them, and they will allow 5 pax in a cabin. We had also thought about NCL Epic, but when we found that NCL would not allow more than 4 in a cabin without booking a suite, that kind of killed that idea. So, we'll see how Freedom of the Seas pleases us and go from there.

 

That said, we would very likely book another Carnival cruise without hesitation.

[SeagoingMom]

You won't do any better. As you appear to have discovered, price is not not the best criteria. The cruise industry is like most others . . . you usually get what you pay for.

I have heard this before, also without explanation. Would you please explain what it means to "do" Alaska and why Holland America and Princess do it better than anyone else"?

 

Thanks!

[dorisis]

This question is for those that have cruised Carnival and other cruise lines as well. We debarked from our 5th Carnival cruise today. We are ready to try a different line with better customer service. We enjoy the shows, the comedy club and lounging by the pool. We like Caribbean ports but would also like to see Alaska. We are in our mid-late 40's and our youngest is17.

 

We were on the Legend and had better service than most of the higher priced lines. Those lines seem to be cutting back on crew while I saw no cutbacks on Carnival crew.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I have cruised 29 times- 12x on RCI, 6x Carnival, 5x NCL, 2X Disney, and one each on HAL, Princess, Celebrity, & Celebration..I am also a cruise agent and have toured another 30 ships, most recently the NCL Getaway ( very cool), and MSC Divina ( possibly THEE most beautiful ship I've seen so far)..these are MY thoughts & opinions: The nicest ships are Royal Caribbean's Oasis class & Freedom Class ships..certainly compared to any Carnival ship, they have a lot more perqs & attractions for a family ,especially ones with teens..the flowrider ( surf simulator), amazing diving shows in the Aquatheater ( Oasis ships only), ice skating shows with Canadian, Russian & U.S. skaters is lots of fun ( to great music, BTW),rock-climbing wall , Central Park ( Oasis), a zip-line ( Oasis ships) and the Royal Promenade should keep all busy all week..also the private islands of Coco Cay & Labadee have plenty for the family to do..yes, RCI is more $$, but the ships are soooo much nicer IMO..

 

For LOTS of activities and LOTS of dining options, the new NCL Getaway in Miami, and Breakaway in NY cannot be topped..a friend of mine went on the Breakaway a year ago after 15 cruises mostly on RCI & Celebrity and LOVED her..he said the entertainment was the best he ever saw, and he dined 5 nights in specialty venues and all 5 were superb..he STILL talks about that cruise a year later..they have good prices and often lots of ship board credits ( know as SBC or OBC -on board credit)..I love specialty dining..they have a Japanese restaurant ( Teppanyaki), where they cook the food hibachi style ,right in front of you..also an American steakhouse called Cagney's and my fav, a French place called Le Bistro...most of these venues are $20-30 PP ,but you get better food, better service, better ambiance, and things like escargots, creme brulee, surf & turf, fried rice, NY strip, and more..things you cannot get in the main dining room ( MDR)...also they have an Irish Pub called O'Sheehans, which is 24/7 and has FREE food, including fish & chips..there's a great magic /dinner show called "Illusionarium" and a play called "Legally Blonde"....you & your family will NOT be bored on the newer NCL ships .

 

For something a bit more upscale, the Celebrity Solstice class ships are wonderful..great food, top notch service and there's entertainment going on throughout the ship all day..Disney IMO, has the best service, best shows ( especially if the kids grew up with Disney movies), best cabins ( most cabins have TWO bathrooms!!) , best private island in Castaway Cay ( a destination in itself) and the best MDR food IMO..they had shrimp cocktail, crab claws AND coconut fried shrimp in the buffet,wow! Disney has a great 4 night cruise on the Disney Dream or a 7 nighter on the Disney Fantasy, the # 1 rated ship on CC..it's important to know that Disney is about 20% more than most other mainstream lines..we are early 60's, no kids and loved both cruises..there are water slides and water flume rides and Pirate shows with fireworks...Disney DOES know how to do it..

 

Finally, you may want to try Princess for Alaska, they are considered the best for Alaska..BUT, they tend to be a bit older in passenger age ( as ALL Alaskan cruises are) as is HAL..we tried HAL a few years ago, but at 54 & 52 ( wife) we were 25 years younger than the average passenger..we also found the food ( which is subjective) to be mediocre...shows were below average and the ship closed down at 10 or 11 PM..

 

If I wanted to try something with a young family, I would try RCI ( Oasis class, Freedom class or Voyager class only) or NCL ( just the Epic, Breakaway or Getaway, not the smaller ships) , or Celebrity ( Solstice class ONLY) or Disney, if $$ is not an issue ..also ALL of these IMO, would be an upgrade from Carnival- Carnival is fine, but IMO, there's a lot out there much better...many don't like the cutbacks CCL has made like a DJ at the pool instead of a live reggae band, and mediocre shows at night..anymore specific questions, let me know..I've been doing this a long time and as you can see, cruised a lot of different lines..good luck..

 

Big Al

 

Wow! Thanks for all the information!! We decided on the Oasis, the price wasn't too bad with their BOGOHO sale. All it took was reading one very in depth review, along with all the beautiful ship pictures to convince me. We will also get to see two new ports. We booked a boardwalk balcony on deck 8 right by the AquaTheater. I think we will love it!! :D

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We have sailed Disney, NCL, CCL, and Princess, but have researched most cruiselines when searching for our cruises to pick. With a 17 year old my suggestion would be NCL or RCCL....IMHO there just seems to be more for teens to do than on the other lines mentioned on here.

 

He will be 18 by the time we cruise again. While he enjoyed the teen club, at least for meeting other kids his age, CCL doesn't offer anything for the 18-20 age group. Just another reason we went with the Oasis. They have things planned for that age group. That was the one thing he was concerned about...he kept asking what he was going to do on our next cruise when he would be too old for the kids club and too young to drink/hang out in the dance clubs but most importantly, no easy way to meet other "young adults". He is looking forward to this and I'm ready for something different.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Try NCL for shows and entertainment; for Alaska, go with Princess, they have the best access and most experience in that state.

 

When your kids are a few years older or married/engaged , experiment with Celebrity for a family cruise.

 

I applaud you for branching out to other lines. After 5 cruises on Carnival, you've probably have the CD spiels and "entertainment" down pat.

 

We decided to wait and do Alaska when it's just the two of us. We promised our son a cruise for his graduation present. All he requested was that it goes to Cozumel because he had heard so much about how much we loved Nachi and how beautiful the water was there. Also, he is taking Honors Spanish 4 next year and has been at the top of all his Spanish classes. He really enjoys it and is looking forward to using it with the locals...or at least attempting to. ;)

[big al]

Wow! Thanks for all the information!! We decided on the Oasis, the price wasn't too bad with their BOGOHO sale. All it took was reading one very in depth review, along with all the beautiful ship pictures to convince me. We will also get to see two new ports. We booked a boardwalk balcony on deck 8 right by the AquaTheater. I think we will love it!! :D

 

Fantastic!! You will LOVE the Oasis..I'm going on her again in Oct ( Halloween cruise) to celebrate my wife's 60th b'day with 6 other family members...make sure you reserve your shows & dining specialty on line 60-90 days out..any questions on her, give a shout here..when are you going? East or Western Caribb?

 

Big Al

[sunnydaygirl]

Wow! Thanks for all the information!! We decided on the Oasis, the price wasn't too bad with their BOGOHO sale. All it took was reading one very in depth review, along with all the beautiful ship pictures to convince me. We will also get to see two new ports. We booked a boardwalk balcony on deck 8 right by the AquaTheater. I think we will love it!! :D

 

 

Congratulations the Oasis is marvelous!!! I second the advice about scheduling. We picked the shows we wanted to see, and then made our dinner reservations according. We were most always in the same dining area with the same table staff, even tho we ate early or late. Love love that ship. Keep close eye on the schedule of events. There are often wonderful things going on in smaller venues. Have fun!!

 

 

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[NCteacherlovescruising]

Fantastic!! You will LOVE the Oasis..I'm going on her again in Oct ( Halloween cruise) to celebrate my wife's 60th b'day with 6 other family members...make sure you reserve your shows & dining specialty on line 60-90 days out..any questions on her, give a shout here..when are you going? East or Western Caribb?

 

Big Al

 

Nice birthday present! We are going in Aug of 2015, doing the Western. We have been to all the Eastern ports but not to Jamaica or Haiti and Cozumel is one of our favorites. Nachi is our idea of paradise. :D. And yes, I plan to book things ahead of time. Thanks!

Edited July 16, 2014 by TJV123

[Soloist]

This question is for those that have cruised Carnival and other cruise lines as well. We debarked from our 5th Carnival cruise today. We are ready to try a different line with better customer service. We enjoy the shows, the comedy club and lounging by the pool. We like Caribbean ports but would also like to see Alaska. We are in our mid-late 40's and our youngest is17.

 

I ve only done RCCL and Carnival, but service is as much a crew component as it is a company issue. You could just switch between ships or between the other mass market lines

 

NCL, Carnival, and RCCL(despite what they want you to believe) are mass market lines. And are more similar than different as far as attention to detail, crew to passenger ratio, pampering and service recovery. If this is the aspect of customer service you want to improve then move up to next level cruise lines.

 

Your next level would be Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, Disney.

Princess and Holland America are owned by Carnival. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean.

 

Plenty of choices out there. Find a travel agent you trust, thats why even in the internet age the cruise lines still pay travel agents to bring people to their line.

[dancinman66]

Cruise quality is part the line and part the ship based on crew

If for some reason crew are not happy then poor service and not so good a cruise

 

So all lines can be an issue

Personally royal Caribbean. Celebrity. Princess holland America. Cunard. And po uk are good

 

 

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[big al]

Nice birthday present! We are going in Aug of 2015, doing the Western. We have been to all the Eastern ports but not to Jamaica or Haiti and Cozumel is one of our favorites. Nachi is our idea of paradise. :D. And yes, I plan to book things ahead of time. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the info..I like your idea of paradise, lol...Nachi is wonderful!! I can not help you if you are going to Falmouth, but Ocho Rios or Montego Bay, yes...and Labadee is a great beach day..don't miss Dragon's Breath beach & listen to the Dragon breathing..zip-line is nice, too..you can read about all the private islands on the "ports of call" section under "private islands"..LOTS of info there if you need it...and yes, we are all very excited about my DW's cruise with her 2 sisters & hubbies and our newlywed niece & husband, who has never been on a ship- he's very excited..I have a Junior Suite ON THE HUMP, with my SIL next to us, and another SIL 6 cabins down and my niece 6 cabins down the other way, all on deck 9..there is an ABBA tribute band as the headline act, which should be great fun...have a great cruise, and anymore info needed, please post!!

 

Big Al

[AlwaysReadyToSail]

I suggest Celebrity. I liked Carnival just fine but after being on Celebrity three times now Carnival just doesn't perform in comparison.

 

 

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[sunnydaygirl]

I suggest Celebrity. I liked Carnival just fine but after being on Celebrity three times now Carnival just doesn't perform in comparison.

 

 

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I read a thread on here about Celebrity's restaurants. They recommend getting a specialty dining pkg because food in the MDR doesn't change each night and isn't very good. This worries me. Never been but footing the bill for two balcony rooms in Jan, and excursions and drink pkg(although that was included). Don't want to throw in money for restaurants too. Please tell me you like the MDR food!!!

 

 

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Edited July 18, 2014 by sunnydaygirl

[EvelynAlexa]

Princess or RCL.

[AlwaysReadyToSail]

I read a thread on here about Celebrity's restaurants. They recommend getting a specialty dining pkg because food in the MDR doesn't change each night and isn't very good. This worries me. Never been but footing the bill for two balcony rooms in Jan, and excursions and drink pkg(although that was included). Don't want to throw in money for restaurants too. Please tell me you like the MDR food!!!

 

 

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I have actually always dined in the MDR. I never had a problem with the food, so there wasn't too much draw for me to go the specialty dining route if I was satisfied for free.

 

Some of my family did specialty dining on our last cruise and said it was fantastic, but seemed to thoroughly enjoy their MDR experiences as well. I felt there was good variety.

 

The menu changed from night to night, but also had a section of classic dishes that remained the same. On occasion you would see them repeating ingredients but they were always prepared differently so I didn't see a problem with that. (Note I haven't been on Celebrity in a little over a year so things may have changed some since then).

 

I would say that from my experience the food on Celebrity is as good or better than Carnival. My biggest culinary disappointment was the brunch.

 

 

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Edited July 21, 2014 by AlwaysReadyToSail
typos

[sunnydaygirl]

I have actually always dined in the MDR. I never had a problem with the food, so there wasn't too much draw for me to go the specialty dining route if I was satisfied for free.

 

Some of my family did specialty dining on our last cruise and said it was fantastic, but seemed to thoroughly enjoy their MDR experiences as well. I felt there was good variety.

 

The menu changed from night to night, but also had a section of classic dishes that remained the same. On occasion you would see them repeating ingredients but they were always prepared differently so I didn't see a problem with that. (Note I haven't been on Celebrity in a little over a year so things may have changed some since then).

 

I would say that from my experience the food on Celebrity is as good or better than Carnival. My biggest culinary disappointment was the brunch.

 

 

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Love your name. It's exactly how I feel!! Glad you enjoy MDR. In retrospect it may have been NCL where food in MDR never changed. Sorry I mixed that up. But gots of good info because of it. Thanks all. My first is in Feb. And if all goes well, may be booking on board!!

 

 

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