Convince Us to Try Cruising Again

[Toofarfromthesea]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The only way to avoid crowds and queues on cruises is to cruise on small ship luxury lines.  The down side is that you will spend a lot more money and not have the kids programs found on massive vessels.  
 

Hank

 

I don't agree.  You can avoid both in MSC Yacht Club and still have the kids programs found on massive vessels and only pay a little more, not a lot more.  Granted your point is generally applicable, but YC is, perhaps the exception that proves the rule.

[K32682]

Mass market cruising on mega ships is what it is and there won't be major differences among the lines. If you want a less crowded experience spend more on a luxury line, choose a smaller ship and don't sail the Caribbean. Cruises there tend to be lout magnets on the mass market lines. 

[Silver Sweethearts]

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

Regent seven seas and celebrity beyond would be good choices, or their equivalent in the Caribbean. 

Curious which Regent ship caught your interest.?

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I don't agree.  You can avoid both in MSC Yacht Club and still have the kids programs found on massive vessels and only pay a little more, not a lot more.  Granted your point is generally applicable, but YC is, perhaps the exception that proves the rule.

We agree that the YC is an exception.  Love the YC and think it is the best value in the cruise industry.

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, DarrenM said:

On our last cruise we were docked alongside various ships throughout.

 

To name a few

 

Regent seven seas

Virgin resilient lady

Enchanted Princess twice

Tui Mein Schiff 3, I think.

Oceania Vista

And we passed close by to Disney Dream.

 

Oceania vista looked too small and seemed to have very little outdoor spaces.

 

Regent seven seas looked beautiful. Quite small in comparison to celebrity beyond that we were on.

 

I did not like the look of enchanted princess at all. Big and cumbersome looking.

 

Resilient lady looked stunning.

 

Mein schiff was awful.

 

Disney dream looked magnificent.

 

Regent seven seas and celebrity beyond would be good choices, or their equivalent in the Caribbean. 

 

 

Looks can be deceiving. 

[jsn55]

7 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

May be more often true but not exclusively. Just returned from a 5 nt on RCI Freedom of the Seas with capacity for 4800. The only time we ever stood in line more than a couple minutes was debarkation and that is a given. We were constantly moving. Embarkation took 20 minutes from leaving the car to our first drink after completing muster.

We could enter a show just before start time and find good seats, always a couple seats together in any bar, always found seats easily in the windjammer with several empty tables and we went at regular times. MTD was never a wait when we showed up at 6:00-6:30.

We rarely saw stewards in the halls and NEVER food plates or scooters. There was a line for the flow rider but we were not planning on it (with all those people watching) but there may have been better times.

We were thankfully not bombarded with cruise director announcements. He made one in the morning, one at noon, and one late afternoon.

There is a solarium area for adults and it was never full. I didn’t look at the other pool but there were chairs at least close by. It was one of the quietest cruises I have been on except for right after the start up when the ships were empty.

I did have the drink package but my bill at the end of the cruise was $20 for the casino and gratuities. No nickel and diming if you don’t want and still good food and entertainment. 

Very happy to read this ... NCL Epic in October will be the biggest ship I've sailed on by far ... and everyone goes on and on about 'crowds'.  Well, they go on and on about the cabin bathroom configuration too, but the descriptions I've read sound like a good plan.  Can't wait to find out!  Do you know the percentage/number of cabins on Freedom that were empty?  How does one find out if the cruise you're on is at capacity?  I've always wondered about that.  

[2wheelin]

24 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Very happy to read this ... NCL Epic in October will be the biggest ship I've sailed on by far ... and everyone goes on and on about 'crowds'.  Well, they go on and on about the cabin bathroom configuration too, but the descriptions I've read sound like a good plan.  Can't wait to find out!  Do you know the percentage/number of cabins on Freedom that were empty?  How does one find out if the cruise you're on is at capacity?  I've always wondered about that.  

I don’t know the actual passenger count but shortly before I went, I checked for upgrades and there were very few available. Quite a few kids too so potentially many cabins with more than two people. I forgot to mention the kids were well behaved as well. 

I have never sailed NCL but saw the Epic in port once and was not impressed with the look of the balconies. I guess every ship has things one likes and things one doesn’t especially care for. But then my house is that way too. 

[DarrenM]

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Looks can be deceiving. 

So I gather.

 

I am taking it that they are not a great company then. 

 

Genuinely have no idea.

 

I was sat on the deck above the pool deck on Beyond looking down at it.

 

 

[DarrenM]

7 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Curious which Regent ship caught your interest.?

It didn't catch my interest it was just that it looked really nice looking down on it.

 

I think it was voyager.

 

I am gathering they are niot a great outfit.

 

[LHT28]

32 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

I think it was voyager.

 

I am gathering they are niot a great outfit.

 

Why would  you say that?

Most premium & luxury lines have smaller ships  & port personalized services

 

[DarrenM]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Why would  you say that?

Most premium & luxury lines have smaller ships  & port personalized services

 

Sorry but I am confused.

 

It appears to be others saying they are not great. I was just commenting on that.

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, DarrenM said:

So I gather.

 

I am taking it that they are not a great company then. 

 

Genuinely have no idea.

 

I was sat on the deck above the pool deck on Beyond looking down at it.

 

 

Sorry but, the way you are going about this is relatively clueless.

if space is important to you, look at the passenger/space ratios. And then there’s the crew ratios too. The physical size of the ship is far less important than its naval architecture and sea-worthiness.

If you’re interested in items like unique itineraries, excellent food, value-laden inclusive fares and stellar service, you may want to look closer at Oceania ships (from the smaller 670 passenger R ships to the 1200 passenger O ships and new similarly sized A ships (e.g., Vista).

[DarrenM]

This is getting funny now.

 

For the last time, I wasnt looking at it, or anything else.

 

I only commented that from a distance the ships looked nice. Or didnt.

 

I know what I like and I stick to it.

[DarrenM]

17 hours ago, K32682 said:

Mass market cruising on mega ships is what it is and there won't be major differences among the lines. If you want a less crowded experience spend more on a luxury line, choose a smaller ship and don't sail the Caribbean. Cruises there tend to be lout magnets on the mass market lines. 

love the expression Lout magnets.

 

Sure I was one until I grew up.

[jsn55]

Does anyone know how to determine how full your ship is while on the cruise?  Just curious.

[DarrenM]

3 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Does anyone know how to determine how full your ship is while on the cruise?  Just curious.

I know it was announcesd either by the captain or cruise director on our last cruise that we are at near full capacity. This was celebrity beyond.

 

Other than that, no idea.

[SPacificbound]

I'm curious what RC ship the was on.

 

There is a huge difference between RC Oasis and RC Jewel. 

[lf4UA]

We cruise Holland America in a verandah cabin with the Have It All package and add on Club Orange, which means we rarely, if ever, have a wait to dine.  CO guests also receive priority embarkation and debarkation. The HIA package is a great deal, and CO allows you to choose a less expensive cabin and upgrade to the cabin of your choosing within the same meta-category, e.g. obstructed verandah to a non-obstructed verandah. The pool situation may be another story depending on how crowded the ship is. There were times in April 2022 on Rotterdam when we couldn’t get a seat by the pool. We have also sailed on the smaller Eurodam, but that was in Alaska where there wasn’t much demand for sun bathing. We are in our 50’s and like the vibe on HAL, relaxing but with great music venues at night. We have no desire to cruise on “resorts at sea”.  

 

 

 

 

[happy cruzer]

Celebrity might be a good match.  They have the "always included" pricing that you may want.  Their buffet is organized with serving stations that don't tend to have long lines.  Not as many children as the other lines that have things like water slides, etc.

[Cdn_Traveller]

I agree with you. I do not like lineups on cruises or crowds. I need to find a smaller ship with less people and fewer children.