From Carnival to…..?

[Busta1n2]

My wife and I are seasoned cruisers recently returning from an 8 day Southern Caribbean aboard the Carnival Horizon. We are in the 50 to 55 age group and find ourselves at a crossroads as we look to plan the next cruise.
We may have outgrown CCL?

 

The crowd on the Carnival ships seems to be changing quite rapidly. People arguing and fighting on board….. it’s just not our cup of tea. 
 

The question I have is what cruise line do we transition to?

 

NCL? Celebrity? Princess? Holland?

 

We enjoy evenings out and drinks at a bar, but we aren’t into the nightclub scene.

 

I want a relaxed environment on the lido during sea days.

 

We typically do specialty restaurants three or four evenings and the balance in the MDR. 
 

Bottom line is we are ready to try something new but we are also nervous about making the wrong decision. 
 

Any guidance or personal experience is appreciated.

[Aquahound]

Celebrity. Checks all those boxes and is a really nice step up from the mainstream lines like Carnival. The ships are beautiful. 

[lenquixote66]

11 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

Celebrity. Checks all those boxes and is a really nice step up from the mainstream lines like Carnival. The ships are beautiful. 

Celebrity Silhouette is my all time favorite ship.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Busta1n2 said:

My wife and I are seasoned cruisers recently returning from an 8 day Southern Caribbean aboard the Carnival Horizon. We are in the 50 to 55 age group and find ourselves at a crossroads as we look to plan the next cruise.
We may have outgrown CCL?

 

The crowd on the Carnival ships seems to be changing quite rapidly. People arguing and fighting on board….. it’s just not our cup of tea. 
 

The question I have is what cruise line do we transition to?

 

NCL? Celebrity? Princess? Holland?

 

We enjoy evenings out and drinks at a bar, but we aren’t into the nightclub scene.

 

I want a relaxed environment on the lido during sea days.

 

We typically do specialty restaurants three or four evenings and the balance in the MDR. 
 

Bottom line is we are ready to try something new but we are also nervous about making the wrong decision. 
 

Any guidance or personal experience is appreciated.

That you only name mass market alternatives may mean that you have not looked fully at cruise line pricing practices. There are other industry segments including premium, luxury, expedition and even yacht charter.

If all you are doing is comparing cabin fares across cruise lines and industry segments, you  need to relook at how you’re shopping.

A far better quantitative comparison is what I call the net daily rate which is the total cost of all required and optionally desired costs for your cruise vacation divided by the number of days involved. When you do this, you may find that what appears to be a “more expensive” cruise on a premium/luxury ship includes some if not all the options for which you’d be nickel/dimed on a mass market ship (charged for a specialty restaurant or internet or even a bottle of water? LOL!)

A perfect example involves our preferred premium cruise line which include airfare or an air credit. For an intercontinental air transit, that could mean $1500+\- per person that would incur an extra charge on a mass market ship. The other truly nice thing about the cost of a premium line is that the inclusiveness is usually flexible with a menu of options to choose. (So you don’t pay for booze if you don’t want it).

Of course, there’s also the qualitative items like food, service and cabin amenities as well as crew and space ratios as well as maximum passenger loads that seldom would approach 1500 people (would you prefer 700 fellow passengers to 4,000?). Add to all that far more interesting itineraries other than the Caribbean, Med and Alaska “milk runs.”

 

Of course, premium/luxury cruises would not have floating amusement parks, phony art auctions, speakers hawking shopping sites, pesky photogs, and thundering herds of humanity and the aforementioned nickel/diming for every little thing.

All that said, do the research and find a well respected TA who specializes in cruising - particularly premium/luxury cruising. That TA will interview you regarding you experiences, preferences and expectations and help you to zero in on a short list of possibilities. (And that costs you nothing). Just from your opening comment on this thread, I’m betting that carefully chosen TA will reinforce the reality that Carnival is not the right line for you.

[Cruzaholic41]

2 hours ago, Busta1n2 said:

My wife and I are seasoned cruisers recently returning from an 8 day Southern Caribbean aboard the Carnival Horizon. We are in the 50 to 55 age group and find ourselves at a crossroads as we look to plan the next cruise.
We may have outgrown CCL?

 

The crowd on the Carnival ships seems to be changing quite rapidly. People arguing and fighting on board….. it’s just not our cup of tea. 
 

The question I have is what cruise line do we transition to?

 

NCL? Celebrity? Princess? Holland?

 

We enjoy evenings out and drinks at a bar, but we aren’t into the nightclub scene.

 

I want a relaxed environment on the lido during sea days.

 

We typically do specialty restaurants three or four evenings and the balance in the MDR. 
 

Bottom line is we are ready to try something new but we are also nervous about making the wrong decision. 
 

Any guidance or personal experience is appreciated.

I’m a former partner of a large travel agency and I can give you recommendations from having actually sailed all these lines, unlike others who will bash them despite never having actually sailed them. 
 

I agree with the first couple responses, and I first recommend Celebrity. IMO, they have the most beautiful ships at sea. Plus, they still have great entertainment and nightlife that you will not find on the so-called higher end cruise lines. The martini bar is one of my favorite venues. You mentioned specialty restaurants. I also think Celebrity has the best specialty restaurants. Also, fwiw, I’ve sailed numerous luxury lines and yet my most favorite cruises in recent years have been on Celebrity. The new Edge Class ships are amazing. The Solstice Class ships are also stunning. 
 

Holland America is another good option if relaxation is your focus. The nightlife is lacking, and gets stale after a few nights though. 
 

Also, consider Royal Caribbean. While still mainstream, I always thought they were a step up from Carnival. If you’re looking for “wow,” this is the line to book, especially Oasis and Quantum Class…..and predictably the new Icon. 

[ldubs]

Our cruise experience is with Carnival, Celebrity, Princess and Royal Caribbean.  We also like Celebrity and, if forced to, would probably name it as our favorite.  

 

Truth is, we would be happy to take a cruise with Celebrity, Princess, or Royal Caribbean.  Our decision is then based on itinerary and fares.      

[Aquahound]

4 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

Also, consider Royal Caribbean. While still mainstream, I always thought they were a step up from Carnival. If you’re looking for “wow,” this is the line to book, especially Oasis and Quantum Class…..and predictably the new Icon. 

 

14 minutes ago, ldubs said:

Our cruise experience is with Carnival, Celebrity, Princess and Royal Caribbean.  We also like Celebrity and, if forced to, would probably name it as our favorite.  

 

Truth is, we would be happy to take a cruise with Celebrity, Princess, or Royal Caribbean.  Our decision is then based on itinerary and fares.      

 

I totally agree with Royal Caribbean.  My Carnival experience is very limited, but it was enough to not go back.  On the other hand, I always have a great time on RCI.  My last 4 cruises have been on Quantum Class ships and I loved every one of them.  

 

To the op, you mentioned a relaxed lido experience on sea days.  The Solarium pools on RCI are heavenly.  

 

But all that said, I still think Celebrity is the line I recommend first.  

[SRQbeachgirl]

7 hours ago, Busta1n2 said:

My wife and I are seasoned cruisers recently returning from an 8 day Southern Caribbean aboard the Carnival Horizon. We are in the 50 to 55 age group and find ourselves at a crossroads as we look to plan the next cruise.
We may have outgrown CCL?

 

The crowd on the Carnival ships seems to be changing quite rapidly. People arguing and fighting on board….. it’s just not our cup of tea. 
 

The question I have is what cruise line do we transition to?

 

NCL? Celebrity? Princess? Holland?

 

We enjoy evenings out and drinks at a bar, but we aren’t into the nightclub scene.

 

I want a relaxed environment on the lido during sea days.

 

We typically do specialty restaurants three or four evenings and the balance in the MDR. 
 

Bottom line is we are ready to try something new but we are also nervous about making the wrong decision. 
 

Any guidance or personal experience is appreciated.

 

Celebrity. MY DH and I are in your age range and have cruised Carnival for many years, but we were looking for something with all of the things you listed. We chose Celebrity Reflection and LOVED it, so much so that we booked the same ship for later this year. I posted live about our experience:

 

  

[Busta1n2]

Thanks for all the great input. This detail is exactly what we were looking for.

[Cruzaholic41]

1 hour ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

Celebrity. MY DH and I are in your age range and have cruised Carnival for many years, but we were looking for something with all of the things you listed. We chose Celebrity Reflection and LOVED it, so much so that we booked the same ship for later this year. I posted live about our experience:

 

  

Reflection is a great ship!  Behind Edge Class, those Solstice Class ships are some of my favorites. I’m glad you were equally as impressed with your first X cruise.