Costa, Royal, Celebrity, Princess, or MSC? Please help...

[rcheltrvel]

Hi,

 

I would really love some help. Some of my friends and I are trying to plan a cruise. Couples and singles in our 30's. One couple has 4 kids - the rest of us don't. We all went on a cruise two years ago, Carnival Conquest and it was just ok. The food was not so great but it was fun. We left out of New Orleans and the people on the ship were all old and mid western. We are mostly from New York and Pennsylvania. We want to do something a little different this time - something with a little higher quality then Carnival but still with some life to it, not boring. I think kids will have fun on any cruise - so I am not really worried about them.

 

I have personally been on Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, and Costa (twice). Carnival was fun but low end. Royal was comparable food wise to Carnival and it was way too family oriented. Norwegian was very luxurious with great food (I went 18 years ago) but from what I have heard, they have gone down hill. They used to spray you with Avian at the pool. Costa was by far my favorite cruise line (went on them about 20/21 years ago). The food was great, the staff was amazing and the entertainment was great. They were different and all the ship staff were Italian. I have heard over the years that they have gone down hill somewhat. Someone recently told me that they are getting better now. Please help, what line would be best for us? We don't want Carnival food. How is MSC compared to Princess or Costa? I know Celebrity is the best but may be too mellow for us. Help!!!

 

Thanks

 

[caviargal]

I have done all of these lines multiple times, except for MSC, which I cruised once last month.

 

Costa was my favorite line for many years then I felt that they started to decline in the overall experience. I have not sailed them since Carnival took over and it will be very unlikely that I will choose to again as I am not a Carnival fan.

 

I sailed Glory, a Conquest class ship, three months ago and also did not care for the food. I also found the ship to be uncomfortably crowded with lines and masses of people everywhere. Not for me.

 

I would not classify NCL as luxurious. Their new ships are pretty and, if the Freestyle concept appeals to you, then this might be a good choice. Do not expect great food, except in the extra charge restaurants.

 

If you feel RCI is too family oriented, then perhaps one of Celebrity's Infinity class ships would be a good fit. The food and service are very good, and there will be some kids but not as many as on RCI or Carnival. It is a more formal line all the way around and definitely low key. If you need to be constantly entertained, this would not be a good choice.

 

I really enjoyed MSC. The size of the ship was just right - for my taste - and the new ships are very pretty. I found the food to be excellent. It is much like the Home Lines of old, and a bit more upscale than the old Costa. I sailed Costa in the 70s and 80s so we are going way back. There is no casual dining venue in the evening so the formal dining rooms are the only option. For me, this is fine as dinner in the dining room is a highlight and I do not enjoy casual dining. The kids club looked to be busy and the kids having fun.

 

If you have specifis questions, I will try to answer them.

 

CG

[vmom]

Princess might be your best bet. Better overall food than Carnival and not as mellow as Celebrity. I think Celebrity is supposed to have better food (never sailed on them) but I think Princess might have more options for entertainment.

[mrg0433]

We absolutely loved sailing the Norwegian Dawn out of New York last December to the Southern Caribbean. The food was fantastic in all the restaurants we ate at--except the buffet, which I am never a fan of on any ship. Most surveys show that people who have tried freestyle dining prefer it over traditional because you have so many restuarants to choose from and can eat anytime you want. Some restaurants have formal night and others don't. That gives guests all sorts of options besides a buffet.

The Dawn had ten different restauranst (French, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Chinese/Fast Food, English Pub, Steak House, Venetian DR, and 2 American Restuarants plus Buffet and poolside BBQ's). We prefer that to a ship with one main banquet hall dining room eating same table, same people, same waiter, same room, same time every day for ten days. Boring to me. I like variety and enjoyed choosing formal Venetian Dining Room one night and intimate French Bistro the next.

 

NCL's newer ships like Dawn are fantastic for families too. We noticed many people in their 30's and 40's on the Dawn. Next year we are sailing the NCL Spirit out of NY for Thanksgiving. Can't Wait. I really enjoyed the movie theater on the Dawn as well. I think NCL Spirit has one too.

[mr green]

Go princess. Celebrity is in my opinion overated, and the food is not what one expects. john

[TrentS]

If you loved Costa 20 years ago YOU WILL LOVE MSC!!! :)

 

MSC is the closest you can get to what cruising used to be like. The ships they have in the US are new and wonderful! You won't be disappointed!

 

Costa is now just Carnival with an Italian accent - Same ships even, just straight yellow funnels instead of red winged funnels. ;)

 

NCL is NOT "elegant", the newest ships are very nice, but nothing special - Very similar to RCI, Carnival and all of their companies.

[mrg0433]

If you and your friends live in the NY and PA area, you can turn a seven day cruise into a ten day cruise by sailing out of New York instead of Florida with what you save on airfare, hotels, and cabs. We definetely noticed more young couples (35-45)sailing from New York than most other cities we've sailed from (Florida and California).

 

We have done alot of cruising over the past 20 years and felt the Norwegian Dawn out of New York was one of the most elegant exciting cruises we've sailed. We loved cruising past the Status of Liberty and seeing New York at sunset. The Venetian Dining Room and LeBistro French Restaurant are gorgeous and have wonderful food--not to mention the other eight restaurants to choose from. The entertainment was fantastic. We danced every night until 1am. They had a fabulous band in their main dancing lounge.

 

A friend told us that on their recent Princess cruise that people were in bed by ten. Our last cruise was on Royal Caribbean in Hawaii in March and had only one dining room and one buffet for dining options on a ten day cruise. We won't sail any ship with less than four restaurants in the future. Freestyle dining on NCL or Princess sure beats assigned dining when having to be there on schedule like you are at work or something. I won't be doing that again.

 

Mary

Plymouth, MA

[montgomeryfamily]

I suggest that you consider Princess. There are lots of activities for adults and kids, very good food, and less formality than Celebrity and HAL plus more adult focus than RCI. The Princess grand class ships typically are less expensive, have lots of balcony cabins, and generally a younger crowd with more children than the smaller Princess ships. Also, the ten day cruises on any cruise line usually have fewer children and often an older group of passengers.

 

The Caribbean Princess is a grand class ship and offers loads of activities onboard, including various games, trivia contests, Movies under the Stars, evening shows, fun shows for adults like the Liars Club, Princess Idol contest, and theme nights like the Island Party and 50s sock hop. And the children and teens will love the children and teen centers, special programs and activities just for them.

 

There is a sizeable library with books to check out to passengers, so you don't have to bring your own books, a world-class art collection, a card room/game room and an internet center. Other facilities include a well-equipped gym, freshwater pools and hot tubs which stay open very late (one pool and hot tub open 24 hours), a nine hole putting green, golf simulators, and the luxurious Lotus Spa with a Thermal Suite and even special Spa treatments for couples. There are also lounges/clubs where you can just listen to music or you can dance the night away. There is a Princess soda package and a drink sticker for a discount on drink/mocktail of the day. And how about the Princess bar crawl, with a special T-shirt prize!

 

Princess has both traditional and anytime dining in the dining rooms. In addition, on the Caribbean Princess there is the Horizon Buffet , the Caribe Café, and two (for fee) specialty restaurants. The Caribe Cafe has a cold seafood buffet on embarkation night with all you can eat lobster, cracked crab legs, etc. They also have a hot seafood buffet on one formal night with “all you can eat” lobster. Many people who eat in the Cafe Carib don't dress up on the formal night, although some do. So you could dress casually on this night and still have the lobster. I have a link to some fantastic pictures of this buffet. To see the pics, Click here and go to the thread that is entitled "Don't look at these photos". Also on this site are loads of photos and information about the Caribbean Princess.

 

If you go in late August on the Caribbean Princess, there will be fewer children and better rates than during spring breaks and earlier dates in the summer. I suggest that you consider joining the August 19, 2006 Caribbean Princess Cruise Critic group cruise and take advantage of group pricing and amenities including shipboard credit! By joining our group cruise, your group can meet other Cruise Critic members and their kids on-line before you get on the ship. You also have the opportunity to share shore excursions! Plus, we're going to have a group sailaway party, a CC meet and mingle, and perhaps other parties/activities depending on what the group would like to do. You can do as many or as few of the group activities as you choose. Some people join the group for the group pricing and amenities and choose to have their own cruise experience without ever meeting with other group members. That is ok too. The group does not dine together either.

 

This seven day cruise also has a fabulous itinerary, visiting St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and the beautiful private Princess island, Princess Cay. These islands offer lots to do on your own, including many free beaches, or you can book a private excursion or a tour through Princess shore excursions. Also St. Thomas is one of the very best places to shop in the entire Caribbean. Another great aspect of this itinerary is the only tender port is Princess Cay. For more information, click on the links below or email me at kacruiser@ev1.net.

[laughoutloud]

I think everyone is going to bombard you with their preferences, and that is just going to confuse things even more.

 

NCL, however, does stand out for one major reason: freestyle. You can dine when, where & with whom you'd like, and you dress more casual than almost any other ship. IMO this feature makes for an extremely relaxing vacation. I've been on Carnival & Celebrity (and both had thier plusses & minuses) but I will never cruise the traditional way again. Hopefully, more cruiselines will pick up on this trend.

 

PS the kid's club on the Dawn was fantastic...