OPINIONS NEEDED: Carnival fans who have tried "upgraded" lines. . . what is the advantage and is it worth it?

[firefly333]

3 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Have a great time and send my regards to the cruising contingent as this is something I would love to join but alas can not.  On our only Oasis class cruise, Oasis itself as it happened (the best cruise we ever took overall), Central Park was our favorite area and we envy your position. I shall be with you in spirit and will look for the live threads.

This Alaska 2024  I'm starting to look at is the only pending cruise on my radar though I have two Las Vegas trips this spring. 

There is one RCI ship in the running for it, Radiance of the Seas, which might win since it has the cheapest balcony rooms.  However Royal Princess is the largest and newest of the ships we are considering. There are only 7 doing the run we want, when we want, the other 5 being Celebrity Summit, Norwegian Jewel, HAL Noordam, Sapphire and Grand Princess.

Well radiance isnt that new. I only booked it because its swinging by Galveston and doing some special 9 days to coco cay and 10 days to Panama. I'm a big ship fan I'll be honest. 

 

I also jumped on the 8 day harmony to coco cay in 2024. And have the 14 day carnival dream for the ports. Mostly big oasis class except for some with special ports. Wish you could join us. Feel free to jump in on the Bella thread and join in. Say hi to John and everyone else.

 

It will be a joint live thread. I wouldnt have finished my therapy but hope I can do more for myself by then. Right now I'm typing left handed. 

[Eli_6]

On 7/10/2022 at 11:41 AM, BlerkOne said:

Don't even think about ordering iced tea in the UK. 🙃

But they do have Dr. Pepper! Which is more than I can say for some parts of the US.

[LatinaInTexas]

Tried MSC last year and really liked the experience. Were a couple things that Carnival does better but other things MSC did better. Would absolutely sail them again.

Will be trying NCL in May on a 9 night so looking forward to seeing what they are all about. I decided on NCL over Carnival because I couldn't find a similar itinerary for when I wanted to cruise and because of price being better.

After this cruise I will prob be done trying other lines, just wanted new experiences and this should do it.

[firefly333]

6 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Tried MSC last year and really liked the experience. Were a couple things that Carnival does better but other things MSC did better. Would absolutely sail them again.

Will be trying NCL in May on a 9 night so looking forward to seeing what they are all about. I decided on NCL over Carnival because I couldn't find a similar itinerary for when I wanted to cruise and because of price being better.

After this cruise I will prob be done trying other lines, just wanted new experiences and this should do it.

I've done 3 on ncl and enjoyed the food. Food and shows is my main criteria. Might have come down since but I really liked ncl. Did all the generic lines except msc. I dont eat italian. Afraid of their food. Just me, dont like pasta, cooked tomatoes etc. I love carnival white pizza. No sauce. So good.

 

Carnival jubilee and ncl prima still on my list to book. 

[AtSeaWithChris]

I’ve done 16 on Carnival and a Royal and Virgin. About to sail Virgin again. Carnival has lost its appeal to me. The food and quality of Virgin is hands down the best entertainment and food we have experienced. 

[RoperDK]

I have to admit that I have only scanned the last few pages, but here is my 2 cents worth.  We are basically done with Carnival for a while.  We haven't cruised on Celebrity yet but have one booked.  We have moved over to Royal any enjoy them, especially in sky suite class. We did one NCL years ago and just haven't returned (no particular reason). We have done a couple on Princess and did cruise to Alaska on them.  In general, we wouldn't go back to Princess because we are a bit more casual and fun loving than their target group. HOWEVER, we would sail Princess to Alaska again in a heartbeat.  You need to choose an itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay.  Only Carnival Corporation ships go there to the best of my knowledge.  It is an entire day of multiple glacier views.  They bring on a National Park Service person to narrate for the day. Princess has a lot of nature and history programs during the week.  We learned so much. We would choose Royal Princess over the older ships.  It is beautiful and has extra bells and whistles.  We did the Southbound out of Whittier.  We spent a couple of days in Anchorage and then took the train to Whittier and spent a couple of nights at the Inn at Whittier.  We took the 26 glacier tour out of Whittier and saw Hubbard Glacier from the multi-story high speed catamaran. Boarded our Princess ship and spent a week ending up at Vancouver.  We transferred to Seattle and spent a couple of days touring there.  We all thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would do it again in a heartbeat.           

[ninjacat123]

6 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I agree with just about everything here. Having sailed Disney (as a cast member, well over 20 years ago), I do realize it's very nice. And the shows aboard were nothing like anywhere else at sea. And the food was excellent. On the other hand, I was a disneyphile for much of my life but have now worked most of that out of my system, and my family is ambivalent about it.

 

As for Carnival, I think 4x in a year was definitely max capacity for me as well.  On top of that, for Alaska, they are not actually usually the cheapest or even close to being the cheapest, plus they don't do the one ways at all that we want. I am good to try something else.

What cast member were you?  I got to be Mickey at Montgomery Wards for Christmas pics.  A long time ago😂

[KmomChicago]

23 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

What cast member were you?  I got to be Mickey at Montgomery Wards for Christmas pics.  A long time ago😂

 

I did not work in the parks but rather at office and technical jobs, first for the 407-W-DISNEY central reservation office and then (mostly) for Disney Vacation Club, the timeshare, which is how I got my first cruise on Disney Magic. We did a telemarketing campaign during the first months as they were off to a slow start with bookings.  People were having a hard time understanding why Disney was 3 or 4x the cost of the main competitor, Big Red Boat, but of course that all fell apart soon after and Disney took over.

 

However, when I first started I was 30 and looked about 20 at 5' 2" and was told that I could probably have gotten cast as Alice if I had really wanted to be a face character.  I wasn't svelte enough to be a fairy and I didn't really look like any of the princesses.

[KmomChicago]

2 hours ago, RoperDK said:

In general, we wouldn't go back to Princess because we are a bit more casual and fun loving than their target group. HOWEVER, we would sail Princess to Alaska again in a heartbeat.  You need to choose an itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay.  Only Carnival Corporation ships go there to the best of my knowledge.  It is an entire day of multiple glacier views.  They bring on a National Park Service person to narrate for the day. Princess has a lot of nature and history programs during the week.  We learned so much. We would choose Royal Princess over the older ships. 

 

This is good to hear. . . I just cut and pasted this and sent it to my group to consider.  One of the six in our party has only taken 2 cruises, Carnival Elation years ago and Carnival Legend with us just over a year ago, and they specifically said they would really like to try a larger and newer ship, and to your point Royal Princess is the biggest of the 7 on the Alaska list. 

[KmomChicago]

5 hours ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

I’ve done 16 on Carnival and a Royal and Virgin. About to sail Virgin again. Carnival has lost its appeal to me. The food and quality of Virgin is hands down the best entertainment and food we have experienced. 

 

I think there is a good chance my husband and I will do Virgin once our kiddo is out of high school and we start taking occasional trips on our own. It looks like the value I want is there and a good fit.  I just feel a bit "been there done that" about Carnival, though we have enjoyed it so much over a total of six cruises since 2017. 

Having been on Carnival Mardi Gras, Vista, and Radiance in the past 2 years, all of which looked great, I don't think the crazy decor and sometimes shabby look of the older ships is a big draw for us anymore. And my husband and I really enjoy good evening entertainment, where neither Playlist or Punchliner are wowing us at this point. 

[KmomChicago]

6 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Well radiance isnt that new. I only booked it because its swinging by Galveston and doing some special 9 days to coco cay and 10 days to Panama. I'm a big ship fan I'll be honest. 

 

I also jumped on the 8 day harmony to coco cay in 2024. And have the 14 day carnival dream for the ports. Mostly big oasis class except for some with special ports. Wish you could join us. Feel free to jump in on the Bella thread and join in. Say hi to John and everyone else.

 

It will be a joint live thread. I wouldnt have finished my therapy but hope I can do more for myself by then. Right now I'm typing left handed. 

 

I am sorry for your injury and that you will not have completed your recovery before the trip. I hope you can still very much enjoy it and that you will be strong and comfortable. 

 

We prefer larger ships as well, all things equal (which they often are not) so Radiance OTS doesn't just scream out to me but at the same time I really think we would not suffer on any of the 7 ships we have available; since we are traveling with another couple their opinions will be the deciding factor and I am sharing all pertinent opinions from this discussion with them.   I can see something to like already about each one of the potential vessels.

 

I have an inkling we will end up on Royal Princess because it's the largest and newest and because of Princess having the best routes and long history with the Alaskan one-way run. It's going to be a pricey bucket lister for us, no doubt the most we've ever spent on a cruise, and we are scaling down the number of trips next year to balance that out. 

[Eli_6]

I live on a private golf course/country club and there are still plenty of loud, drunk people.  People with money can be just as obnoxious.  I do, however, agree that much more attention is paid to the greens.  And there is no doubt that at the very high end (like Augusta) there is truly absolutely no comparison. 

 

One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is that on many of the high-end lines, people are avoiding children.  Viking requires 18 and up.  Another of the high-end ones is 12 and up.  Even among some of the others that allow kids, they don't have a place to leave your children or teen clubs or arcades or slides, etc.  One exception is the Ritz Carlton "Yacht Collection" cruise ship. People without kids and whose kids are grown up tend to have more money.  I also think that once you are out of that "zone", you tend to not want to deal with other people's kids who are not related to you.

 

I think many of the more upscale cruises appeal to a demographic who likes different things and isn't cruising with their kids.  For example, Cunard (although, it isn't really an upscale cruise line in the way Viking, Oceania, Silver Seas, etc. is) has ballroom dancing and even a kennel area for your dog.  HAL (although, again, not super upscale) has painting classes.  I think many of them all have a lot of informational talks that tell you about the ports. One of the small ships owned by Celebrity that goes to the Galapagos (and starts at about 15k per person) even has a marine science lab on board.  I don't think too many people cruising with their young kids or teens are ballroom dancing, sitting in on historical information session, or traveling with their pooch in tow...even if they want to be.  This to me is something that childless couples or single people or empty nesters would more do.  

 

I think of it as the difference between staying at the Holiday Inn Express and staying at some place like The Greenrbrier or The Broadmoor or even a Le Meridien, a Ritz or a Waldorf Astoria.  HIE has nice, clean rooms, decent pools, a decent breakfast with basic fare (but nothing exotic), and gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  But those other places are in a different category...most of which is completely lost if you are trying to vacation with my kids or teens.

 

I have actually heard that some of the really high end lines not only attract a more mature crowd, but almost a geriatric crowd.  We met this couple in Europe at the airport just back from their first Viking cruise. I had always wanted to do Viking until I talked to them.  They called it, and I quote, "God's waiting room." 🤣 

[edspec]

11 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

So how was that smaller NCL entertainment (and everything else) experience?

Excellent. They brought in a comedian I’d seen on one of their newer ships but with different material and there was a Frank Sinatra show that I actually watched twice in one evening…that good. We were on the Sun, would sail that ship again in a heartbeat. Clean, kept up, great service, the whole package.  Loved The Great Outdoors, an outdoor bar, buffet, and covered eating area at the aft of the ship.

[Eli_6]

On 7/10/2022 at 10:02 AM, trvlgirlmq said:

 

Yes, in Europe tap water is not served. You are expected to purchase bottled water (still or sparkling) or wine (which is less expensive than a soda here sometimes).  In France if you ask for a carafe d'eau they will bring a small bottle of tap but it's barely enough to get you through a meal. This is just a different way of living and should not be looked down on.  I'm sure when European's come here and see our outrageous portion sizes they are appalled too.  We love travelling to Europe and have been to several countries and experienced wonderful food, sites and experiences.

I don't think this has anything to do with Europe. I am not a fan of "tap" water either and I am most assuredly not French.  

[kctwinmommy]

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I think there is a good chance my husband and I will do Virgin once our kiddo is out of high school and we start taking occasional trips on our own. It looks like the value I want is there and a good fit.  I just feel a bit "been there done that" about Carnival, though we have enjoyed it so much over a total of six cruises since 2017. 

Having been on Carnival Mardi Gras, Vista, and Radiance in the past 2 years, all of which looked great, I don't think the crazy decor and sometimes shabby look of the older ships is a big draw for us anymore. And my husband and I really enjoy good evening entertainment, where neither Playlist or Punchliner are wowing us at this point. 

 

We're in a similar boat. We've done Carnival for years, had fun for sure. We've often cruised with friends and it's fun to hang out with them. But we're tired of doing the same basic thing. We've done RCL to Europe, and we did enjoy that. However, we have made the big switch to Viking for our next one. This also has to do with wanting a very different vacation overall. We're going without our son, we're going to the Med., and we're doing just over 3 weeks. So we needed to have a different experience. It doesn't mean we'll never cruise Carnival again. We just needed a different style for this kind of trip.

[kona_wahine]

We finally tried NCL for our anniversary trip to alaska last year. Big ship, the Encore. The decor was nicer, food was definitely better. It was still early, so the ship was pretty vacant so that was nice. But I still like carnival. Took my GD on the Spirit in July (sale was too good to pass up) and had just as good of time. My complaint about NCL was their customer service dealing with excursions was HORRIBLE. Like, enough I swore I would never cruise with them again. 

[aml3679]

We prefer Celebrity 

but, because we are retired, Carnival fits our budget 

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, aml3679 said:

We prefer Celebrity 

but, because we are retired, Carnival fits our budget 

I get that. . . for Alaska in May, we can actually do Celebrity Summit one way (they do have another ship doing the shorter route as well) cheaper than Carnival.  There have been several conversations on these threads about Carnival only doing the Seattle round trip route in summer to please their loyal customers, not because it's the usual great value or a better option than the competitors. Of course it's Carnival's own Princess brand that is sort of the gold standard for Alaska, outside of the super luxury options, and time and again Princess is equal or better in cost for this one destination.

[ninjacat123]

13 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I did not work in the parks but rather at office and technical jobs, first for the 407-W-DISNEY central reservation office and then (mostly) for Disney Vacation Club, the timeshare, which is how I got my first cruise on Disney Magic. We did a telemarketing campaign during the first months as they were off to a slow start with bookings.  People were having a hard time understanding why Disney was 3 or 4x the cost of the main competitor, Big Red Boat, but of course that all fell apart soon after and Disney took over.

 

However, when I first started I was 30 and looked about 20 at 5' 2" and was told that I could probably have gotten cast as Alice if I had really wanted to be a face character.  I wasn't svelte enough to be a fairy and I didn't really look like any of the princesses.

I was 15, wearing a Mickey head that my mom Lysoled clean and the Mickey suit.  My uncle was the MW store manager and needed Mickey to sit with the kids in a bean bag chair and take Christmas photos.  It was an incredible feeling walking into the store with the head on (Disney rules, head always on if you have the Mickey outfit on) and people waving like mad yelling "hey it's Mickey!  Hi Mickey!"  Now I know kinda what Jennifer Aniston feels like in public.🤣

[Prometheus1]

I have cruised on Carnival 15 times and agree about wanting a slightly elevated experience. I have 2 more Carnival cruises paid in full and after that i think i will explore other options. I still like Carnival but want to try something different. I do really like all the free dining options on Carnivals newer ships.

I like Princess, have found it to be relaxing, food generally good, and good itineraries.

Have a cruise booked on Celebrity in 2024 but think im going to Cancel and try Virgin Voyages instead. Would also like to try Oceania at some point. 

I'm preferring to do longer cruises but fewer per year. Other lines seem to have more options to choose from in regards to longer cruises. (Carnival does have some longer cruises)

Would like elevated and fun but not snobby!

Edited January 31, 2023 by Prometheus1
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[Vacationdreamer<><]

Late to this discussion, and certainly no cruising pro - but I can speak to having tried many lines. 

I first did DCL in 2001 and foolishly believed the Disney lie that once you'd done DCL, nothing else would do.  It took 13 years (and a MUCH bigger family) to finally get back onboard our second DCL cruise.  After we disembarked, my husband commented on how much he enjoyed cruising and suggested that other lines couldn't really be "all that bad."

 

In 2016, I coupled a week long WDW trip with a 7-night NCL on Getaway.   Our fare (for 8 of us in two connecting verandahs) cost 45% of what the same trip would have been on DCL in connecting interiors!  

 

Since then, I have done 2 child-less Princess trips with my friend(s), and another family cruise on Carnival Valor out of NOLA pre-pandemic   It was the cheapest cruise leaving from a port we could drive to (we then lived in NY) for the dates we had available.  It was the least "fancy" ship I'd ever been on, and we had a blast. I had a lot of people suggest I was scraping the bottom of the barrel, but we had a wonderful time and I wouldn't hesitate to book them again.

 

Our family has a 5-night Royal cruise out of Galveston coming soon in May, and DH and I are doing our first kid-less cruise on Elation in March.  It was dirt cheap, and I am counting on enjoying Blue Iguana til I burst.

 

Unlike many others, we do enjoy dressing for dinner. I like that it is always an option, but not required.  I also prefer set dining and assigned waitstaff.  I do think DCL offers the best of both worlds with rotational dining, but not at the 3x price tag.  Their ships also don't have as much to do as most other family-oriented lines.

 

NCL Getaway was a thrill - ropes course was the best thing we've enjoyed on a cruise.

 

I pick our cruises book on dates, cost, and if I can find connecting staterooms.  I would have preferred Vista for this May out of Galveston, but I couldn't find connecting rooms.    I am not loyal to any lines, but there are none I wouldn't do again!

 

[KmomChicago]

23 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I live on a private golf course/country club and there are still plenty of loud, drunk people.  People with money can be just as obnoxious.  I do, however, agree that much more attention is paid to the greens.  And there is no doubt that at the very high end (like Augusta) there is truly absolutely no comparison. 

 

One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is that on many of the high-end lines, people are avoiding children.  Viking requires 18 and up.  Another of the high-end ones is 12 and up.  Even among some of the others that allow kids, they don't have a place to leave your children or teen clubs or arcades or slides, etc.  One exception is the Ritz Carlton "Yacht Collection" cruise ship. People without kids and whose kids are grown up tend to have more money.  I also think that once you are out of that "zone", you tend to not want to deal with other people's kids who are not related to you.

 

I think many of the more upscale cruises appeal to a demographic who likes different things and isn't cruising with their kids.  For example, Cunard (although, it isn't really an upscale cruise line in the way Viking, Oceania, Silver Seas, etc. is) has ballroom dancing and even a kennel area for your dog.  HAL (although, again, not super upscale) has painting classes.  I think many of them all have a lot of informational talks that tell you about the ports. One of the small ships owned by Celebrity that goes to the Galapagos (and starts at about 15k per person) even has a marine science lab on board.  I don't think too many people cruising with their young kids or teens are ballroom dancing, sitting in on historical information session, or traveling with their pooch in tow...even if they want to be.  This to me is something that childless couples or single people or empty nesters would more do.  

 

I think of it as the difference between staying at the Holiday Inn Express and staying at some place like The Greenrbrier or The Broadmoor or even a Le Meridien, a Ritz or a Waldorf Astoria.  HIE has nice, clean rooms, decent pools, a decent breakfast with basic fare (but nothing exotic), and gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  But those other places are in a different category...most of which is completely lost if you are trying to vacation with my kids or teens.

 

I have actually heard that some of the really high end lines not only attract a more mature crowd, but almost a geriatric crowd.  We met this couple in Europe at the airport just back from their first Viking cruise. I had always wanted to do Viking until I talked to them.  They called it, and I quote, "God's waiting room." 🤣 

 

I get all this and since I had my only child at age 39, I was in fact beginning to enjoy a few of the finer things before my life totally changed course along with priorities and preferences.  About 20 years ago for instance, I stayed at the Pulitzer Hotel in Amsterdam, a 5* joint built out of several old canal houses on the Prinsengracht just a short walk from the Anne Frank House.  I actually chose it myself and paid for it with my own money and it was a very special experience.  It's not the only time I treated myself to nice things, though, but even then, I still often chose a more frugal route and rarely suffered for it. I have always liked a broad range of stuff from a bit shabby/gritty up to nice and occasionally very nice.

 

Then all kinds of life changes happened, I ended up where I am now, 56 years old with a 17 year-old, having spent most of middle age in both mom and grandma mode (I doubt I will get any real grandchildren and I think I have approached parenthood with a somewhat more grandparentlike outlook). 

 

So yeah, to your point, you're spot on. I would no way, no how, have gone on probably ANY of my Carnival cruises without this kiddo. I had lost interest in cruises during my 30s and I just never brought it up during their single digit years. It was said kid who requested a cruise 6.5 years ago, and then they and DH were both hooked, and here we are. 

 

I really don't mind all the screaming rugrats being around, but I certainly wouldn't miss them, either. On our last cruise we were in the Cloud 9 rooms and our hallway was noticeably silent compared to all our prior locations as it was almost entirely child- and riffraff-free.

Edited February 1, 2023 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

22 hours ago, edspec said:

Excellent. They brought in a comedian I’d seen on one of their newer ships but with different material and there was a Frank Sinatra show that I actually watched twice in one evening…that good. We were on the Sun, would sail that ship again in a heartbeat. Clean, kept up, great service, the whole package.  Loved The Great Outdoors, an outdoor bar, buffet, and covered eating area at the aft of the ship.

 

Our only NCL ship in the running for this Alaska deal is Jewel, which was completely renovated right before the pandemic. It is definitely still on the short list as I have never tried NCL and our friends might enjoy getting their deal with all the free at sea stuff - and yes I know you have to pay grats and stuff and that nothing is really free anyway.

[jsglow]

When we choose to pay more and go 'upscale' our preference is to go smaller and more intimate.  Windstar is an absolutely wonderful product and fits our casual nature with very personalized service. We love Star Clippers too and need to do it again before wet landings become too difficult because of age.  We've found Princess perfect for Alaska for the reasons cited here but would likely never choose them for the Caribbean. I literally saw Magic Flute performed last year and we are most assuredly not refined 'county club' types. We're anxious to try the seemingly 'newly positioned' HAL (less, God's waiting room, more Rock and Roll) as their smaller ships, diverse ports and emerging emphasis on live music are right up our alley.  We know what Carnival is and what it isn't.  It still fits us quite well for most of our cruising needs.

[clskinsfan]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:55 PM, Eli_6 said:

I live on a private golf course/country club and there are still plenty of loud, drunk people.  People with money can be just as obnoxious.  I do, however, agree that much more attention is paid to the greens.  And there is no doubt that at the very high end (like Augusta) there is truly absolutely no comparison. 

 

One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is that on many of the high-end lines, people are avoiding children.  Viking requires 18 and up.  Another of the high-end ones is 12 and up.  Even among some of the others that allow kids, they don't have a place to leave your children or teen clubs or arcades or slides, etc.  One exception is the Ritz Carlton "Yacht Collection" cruise ship. People without kids and whose kids are grown up tend to have more money.  I also think that once you are out of that "zone", you tend to not want to deal with other people's kids who are not related to you.

 

I think many of the more upscale cruises appeal to a demographic who likes different things and isn't cruising with their kids.  For example, Cunard (although, it isn't really an upscale cruise line in the way Viking, Oceania, Silver Seas, etc. is) has ballroom dancing and even a kennel area for your dog.  HAL (although, again, not super upscale) has painting classes.  I think many of them all have a lot of informational talks that tell you about the ports. One of the small ships owned by Celebrity that goes to the Galapagos (and starts at about 15k per person) even has a marine science lab on board.  I don't think too many people cruising with their young kids or teens are ballroom dancing, sitting in on historical information session, or traveling with their pooch in tow...even if they want to be.  This to me is something that childless couples or single people or empty nesters would more do.  

 

I think of it as the difference between staying at the Holiday Inn Express and staying at some place like The Greenrbrier or The Broadmoor or even a Le Meridien, a Ritz or a Waldorf Astoria.  HIE has nice, clean rooms, decent pools, a decent breakfast with basic fare (but nothing exotic), and gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  But those other places are in a different category...most of which is completely lost if you are trying to vacation with my kids or teens.

 

I have actually heard that some of the really high end lines not only attract a more mature crowd, but almost a geriatric crowd.  We met this couple in Europe at the airport just back from their first Viking cruise. I had always wanted to do Viking until I talked to them.  They called it, and I quote, "God's waiting room." 🤣 

On our last cruise we waited to board our plane with a couple that was heading to a Viking cruise. The gentlemen was a guest speaker for them on their Panama Canal cruises. Really nice couple. We enjoyed speaking with them. But he basically said the same about Viking. Older demo for sure. Now my wife and I are no spring chickens, being in our mid 50's. But we arent dead either. 🙂

 

As far as other lines go, we started on Royal way back in 1997 on Granduer. Our next few cruises were with Carnival. Then we did a NCL, HAL and Celebrity. We fell in love with Celebrity. Everything about their product fit us perfectly. So we stuck with them for a few cruises. And then they changed. And lost us. So last year we tried one of the mega ships. RCL Allure. It was the worst cruise we have ever taken. The ship is huge. But so are the number of people on it. It was madness. The food was poor. But that just seems to be the norm now with cruise lines. The product has basically been reduced by all lines. So we said screw it and are going back to Carnival on the Magic in September. They provide just as good of a product for far less money in our opinion. And the passengers are more fun as well.