If not Royal than.....

[micmacmissy]

You can sail on Celebrity for less than RCCL, and with their 123Go promotion, the deal is even better.

 

Last winter we paid $799/pp for an oceanview balcony, 7 days on Silhouette...deals can still be had on Celebrity (and hopefully the parent company doesn't start messing with their pricing structure too!)

 

Celebrity also has some real upsides over RCCL:

 

Buffet food: far superior on Celebrity. Real eggs, made to order omelets, delicious waffles, yummy pizza. (Sorry, but Sorrentos is HORRIBLE). Plus, there is outdoor seating which is really nice!

 

Solarium: Celebrity's solarium (on M class ships like Summit) has a wonderful spa like bubble pool, with a built in lounging section...it's great!

 

Ice cream: Forget the subpar soft serve coming out of that dirty machine poolside on RCCL. Celebrity has homemade, hard scoop ice cream in several flavors which change daily...plus a load of great toppings. This is located in the buffet as well...no surcharge!

 

Lounges: Live music and great service in the pre-dinner and evening hours...really nice! We had a hard time finding live music before 9:30pm on RCCL.

 

Service: Dining room and room stewards are equal on both lines. But on Celebrity you'll notice little things, like champagne on embarkment, ALL staff saying hello, a tent set up on the pier where you can get a drink or relax in the shade after a port day.

 

Smoking: None indoors on Celebrity ships, which means you can actually enjoy the casino and other areas without disgusting secondhand smoke!

 

Fellow passengers/ambiance: They follow the dress code on Celebrity, which means you won't see some chump in a tuxedo-printed tshirt on formal night. Also, no Bingo announcements or belly flop contests by the pool.

[Laurin612]

Carnival. Laugh or turn up your nose if you want, but DH and I had only cruised on Royal and Princess prior to 2006 then we found an amazing deal on Carnival and decided to give it a try. It was not at all the "Walmart of the Seas" that we expected. In fact, we liked the fun atmosphere better than Princess, which we felt was a bit stuffy. We've only cruised on Carnival ever since. Until next week. We are cruising AOS because our Carnival cruise on Valor got canceled due to repositioning and we had already booked airfare.

 

I haven't cruised Royal since 1997, so it will be interesting to draw comparisons when I am on AOS next week.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Laurin612

[CamaCama]

We are young, active 30-somethings with 2 kids under six. We'd love to stay loyal to royal as we loved our past 3 cruises with them the best but the prices are just way out of our range this time around for our annual thanksgiving cruise. We decided to go with NCL Escape, brand new ship and about $1500 less total for our family than the similar Royal ships for 7 nights. Definitely will always check on royal sailings first b/c of our great experiences but I'm excited to try NCL also.

[mcatmcat]

You can sail on Celebrity for less than RCCL, and with their 123Go promotion, the deal is even better.

 

 

 

Last winter we paid $799/pp for an oceanview balcony, 7 days on Silhouette...deals can still be had on Celebrity (and hopefully the parent company doesn't start messing with their pricing structure too!)

 

 

 

Celebrity also has some real upsides over RCCL:

 

 

 

Buffet food: far superior on Celebrity. Real eggs, made to order omelets, delicious waffles, yummy pizza. (Sorry, but Sorrentos is HORRIBLE). Plus, there is outdoor seating which is really nice!

 

 

 

Solarium: Celebrity's solarium (on M class ships like Summit) has a wonderful spa like bubble pool, with a built in lounging section...it's great!

 

 

 

Ice cream: Forget the subpar soft serve coming out of that dirty machine poolside on RCCL. Celebrity has homemade, hard scoop ice cream in several flavors which change daily...plus a load of great toppings. This is located in the buffet as well...no surcharge!

 

 

 

Lounges: Live music and great service in the pre-dinner and evening hours...really nice! We had a hard time finding live music before 9:30pm on RCCL.

 

 

 

Service: Dining room and room stewards are equal on both lines. But on Celebrity you'll notice little things, like champagne on embarkment, ALL staff saying hello, a tent set up on the pier where you can get a drink or relax in the shade after a port day.

 

 

 

Smoking: None indoors on Celebrity ships, which means you can actually enjoy the casino and other areas without disgusting secondhand smoke!

 

 

 

Fellow passengers/ambiance: They follow the dress code on Celebrity, which means you won't see some chump in a tuxedo-printed tshirt on formal night. Also, no Bingo announcements or belly flop contests by the pool.

 

 

My only problem with celebrity is that the company tend to attract a more mature crow

[geocruiser]

We just got off Regal Princess and all I can say is "WOW".

[Laurin612]

Celebrity fits the bill, but they are slightly more expensive.

 

I suggest you avoid Carnival at all costs. You can try NCL, but will probably be disappointed.

 

Best bet is to watch prices on RCCL and jump on a bargain (which still do exist).

 

I'm curious, yogimax. If you are recommending that people "avoid Carnival at all costs", why, then are you Platinum on Carnival?

[Cuizer2]

In this class of cruising, the Diamond & Concierge lounges beat anything the competition offers -- defectors will surely miss them, and return eventually.

 

Before I was diamond I didn't have access to the D & C lounges except the one time I booked a suite. On that cruise the concierge and the Concierge Lounge was a joke.

 

Now I am D+ and on my last cruise I used the Diamond lounge once. On a prior cruise I met someone in the Diamond lounge that I was concerned she was going to ruin my cruise. It would have been the first time I every requested a table change (yes, we met the first night in the Diamond Lounge and then found out we had the same table) except she found someone she knew at another table and changed tables before I did.

 

I don't need the lounge and I will not miss it. In fact, there are more reasons to avoid it then to use it - IMO. And if it is suite perks you are interested in, then I suggest that you try NCL. There you are truly treated like Royalty when you are in a NCL suite.

[Cuizer2]

Celebrity fits the bill, but they are slightly more expensive.

 

I suggest you avoid Carnival at all costs. You can try NCL, but will probably be disappointed.

 

Best bet is to watch prices on RCCL and jump on a bargain (which still do exist).

 

I've been on Carnival ten times. The main reason I don't cruise Carnival more often is because Carnival has very few cruises that last more than eight nights, and I like the longer cruises. I've been on NCL twice. Other than I don't like Freestyle Dining, there is nothing wrong with the cruise line. In fact, if NCL offers the same itinerary that I found recently in 2017, I'll book it (I've already got my cruises booked for 2015 and 2016).

[Cuizer2]

I'm curious, yogimax. If you are recommending that people "avoid Carnival at all costs", why, then are you Platinum on Carnival?

 

Because it took Yogimax ten (or more) cruises to figure out (s)he didn't like Carnival.

[Dave85]

I'm curious, yogimax. If you are recommending that people "avoid Carnival at all costs", why, then are you Platinum on Carnival?

 

You should also bear in mind that Carnival's product has changed significantly lately (major cutbacks, particularly in entertainment). I too am Platinum on Carnival but no longer sail with them because of those cutbacks. I prefer the products of other lines these days.

 

I enjoyed each and every one of my Carnival cruises -- but the product no longer appeals to me. So, it's really not that surprising if you think about it that someone who has achieved Platinum status on Carnival no longer sails or recommends the line.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Dave85

[Laurin612]

You should also bear in mind that Carnival's product has changed significantly lately (major cutbacks, particularly in entertainment). I too am Platinum on Carnival but no longer sail with them because of those cutbacks. I prefer the products of other lines these days.

 

I enjoyed each and every one of my Carnival cruises -- but the product no longer appeals to me. So, it's really not that surprising if you think about it that someone who has achieved Platinum status on Carnival no longer sails or recommends the line.

 

Fair enough. But "avoid at all costs" sounds pretty extreme, coming from someone who has cruised the line enough days to attain Platinum status.

[Dave85]

Fair enough. But "avoid at all costs" sounds pretty extreme, coming from someone who has cruised the line enough days to attain Platinum status.

 

 

Lol true, I would not avoid Carnival at all costs. If they offers me a free cruise I'd be there :p

[cruiselvr04]

We have sailed with Carnival several times in the past three years and we are done. I would rather do an AI then go back on them. But with RCLs prices too high we will be looking at Princess, NCL and Celebrity. Celebrity may be at bit higher like RCL but at least I think you may get a higher quality product. I never used to even price other lines - just went with RCL, but no more.

[Susie51]

I have sailed with NCL, Royal, Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Disney, and Carnival.

 

NCL: I like many of the ships, but I think Spirit is my least favorite. I have sailed most frequently with NCL. I don't like the pools on Jewel or Pearl.

 

Royal: I like all of the ships I have cruised on. The same for Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and Disney.

 

Carnival Victory is the ship I like the least of the 25 cruises I have sailed on, but other CC members say the newer ships are much better than Victory.

 

HAL tends to be a more relaxing cruise. I like the décor the best of the cruise lines and the food. Very nice wrap-around promenade decks with water fountains on Vista class ships.

 

Celebrity has the most tables in the buffet. Never had a problem finding a table. RCCL is the hardest buffet to find a table. The rooms seem bigger comparing cabin types on other cruise lines.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Princess: I like the many choices of pools.

[alonzo14]

I have sailed on RCCL, NCL, HAL and Carnival. I have never had a bad cruise but with that being said I would not sail on Carnival again. Add that to the fact they have cut back on entertainment. Carnival was ok. Had towel animals AND chocolates on pillows. Food options on the ships buffet were not bad. I thought the food was not bad either in the MDR. The steakhouse was the best of any cruise line yet but I did not like the atmospher or the seating on the Carnival Magic. Pools were fine. Just like Princess does they offered a movie EACH night on the outdoor movie screen with popcorn available and blankets you could check out. But unlike Princess there were no padded loungers. It was a decent value for the price we paid. We were in a Spa Balcony and had access the the Thermal Suite rooms. The pool deck had decent seating even padded patio furniture in some places. The adults only pool section had only hot tubs and really no view but nice seating. It was close to the water slides so at times could be noisy. Met several friendly people. You have heard of signs on business doors that say no shirt, no shoes, no service? Well I saw some of those in the Atrium lobby on the ship. I would not avoid Carnival at all costs but would be my last choice.

 

Celebrity's ships are classy and gorgeous like Royal. The very newest ship, Soltice class and above have a younger demographic although there are plenty of 45+ age group aboard. The food is the best of all main stream lines in my humble opinion. The Aqua class staterooms can be a good value as they have their own dining room. You also get robes and slippers, iced tea and water including bottled in stateroom, a spa concierge to help with spa treatment and access to the spa thermal area. The room bath amenities are nicer and you get bigger and better towels! Best towels of any ship hands down! The entertainment is hit or miss. Production shows except for one are weak. And as stated by someone above the welcome on return to the ship is nice and welcome aboard champagne or orange juice is nice also.

 

Holland America is harder to review as we had a aft suite. There is an older demographic although we saw a few younger ones. The ship is classy. It was the Westerdam so they do have newer ships but the demographic is the same on those as well. Entertainment again is hit or miss. They had the best room service of any line we have sailed. You could get anything from the main dining room menu for dinner and it was hot. Lido buffet was very good and they had tablecloths in the evening. Like Celebrity you could get scoop ice cream with toppings in the Lido buffet. They do have a disco but it's not active. Not much to do later in the night. As I've stated we had a suite. At the time suite perks were plentiful. Our balcony being an aft was bigger than any of any ship we have sailed including Royal's suites. The stateroom decor was not as nice as Royal's. You got a lounge with a concierge that would make any arrangements, take care of business or anything else you needed. The offerings were great and the coffee machine great. We got free laundry, stationary, shoeshine, priority tendering, preferred dining etc. they did not have a dedicated section of pool deck or show lounge seating however. HAL would be my next to last choice.

 

Our NCL cruises were all good. The newest ship we have sailed is the Norweign Jewel which was new at the time. The stateroom was decent. We had a mini suite which does have a couch unlike the lower category staterooms. I like the fact that Royal has sofas as it makes relaxing in the stateroom no matter how long more comfortable. They revamped the Lido buffet starting with the Jewel so they have stations. Food is decent. MDR room was meh to very good. Specialty restaurants were very good. NCL has some of the best entertainment at sea next to SOME of Royal's ships except ,for the ice show, and perhaps Disney. You can decide on formal nights wether you wish to dress up. There is or was one dining room designated for those who wished to dress more formally. The pools were ok as well as the pool decks. No padded loungers anywhere. If I were cruising NCL I would choose their very newest ships the Breakaway, Getaway and especially the newest ship coming out the Escape. NCL has some good sales now. Celebrity can have good sales as well and can be cheaper than Royal.

 

Whatever you decide go with a positive attitude determined to have a good time. Let us know which ship you decide on. Happy cruising!

[roseshayit]

It's been very enjoyable reading everyone's candid views and comparisons of the cruise lines. With Royal being more pricey with their promotions as of late, I have looked long and hard at trying other cruise lines. My husband is not interested in giving Carnival a chance, and with a toddler, we are limited in some of our choices. I am tempted by Norwegian's current promotion looking into 2016, but we aren't quite ready to pull the trigger.

 

Has anyone else been comparing prices of cruise lines? Is Royal the only one that seems higher than usual or is it my imagination?

[Cuizer2]

You should also bear in mind that Carnival's product has changed significantly lately (major cutbacks, particularly in entertainment). I too am Platinum on Carnival but no longer sail with them because of those cutbacks. I prefer the products of other lines these days.

 

I enjoyed each and every one of my Carnival cruises -- but the product no longer appeals to me. So, it's really not that surprising if you think about it that someone who has achieved Platinum status on Carnival no longer sails or recommends the line.

 

You can substitute "Royal Caribbean" for "Carnival" in your post and it would still be accurate except for the never again part.

 

I'm also platinum on Carnival. I have not booked Carnival recently because I enjoy longer cruises and Carnival's selection of cruises going more than eight nights is very limited. I'm D+ on Royal Caribbean. After my 2016 cruise I'll be looking at NCL even though I don't like Freestyle dining and Princess.

[Strangerush]

I too have enjoyed reading everyone's opinions and thoughts on this. Before I wrote it I was afraid that I was going to get a lot of "Royal is the best how could you go" but I feel like I have learned a lot. I was worried to read the boards on the other lines for fear they would be biased and I would not get a true picture of what else was out there.

 

For those who are interested, I think we have it narrowed to Carnival Breeze or Valor, or NCL Jade or Spirit. Now just to decide which itinerary we want!

[Dave85]

You can substitute "Royal Caribbean" for "Carnival" in your post and it would still be accurate except for the never again part.

 

 

 

 

 

I respectfully disagree for the most part. I think RCI's entertainment is as good as it's ever been, and that's critically important to me.

 

To be fair, I think RCI has other problems right now. They're becoming increasingly obsessed with nickel and diming. Their IT systems are a disaster. They're adopting increasingly customer unfriendly pricing schemes and are being absurdly secretive at times to the detriment of their guests.

 

The difference between recent changes at CCL and RCI, IMHO, is that RCI's on board experience -- the cruise itself -- is still a very strong product. Beautiful ships, good service, excellent entertainment. Food is average, but that's not a major change. CCL has really compromised its on board product by slashing entertainment and packing their newest ships to the gills with people. If you want to see an alarming space/PAX ratio, check out the new Vista! No thanks.