booking my next cruise with another line

[librarycin]

Hi. I am hoping to do my next cruise in Fall 09 to Canada/New England. I still need to convince a friend to go with, so the itineraries I have picked out may not be the one we go with, but I thought I'd get some comments anyway. The Celebrity cruises to C/NE are all longer and more than I think I can afford, which is why I'm looking at other cruise lines.

 

I'm asking here because my first two cruises have both been on Celebrity, so I'm sort of looking for comparisons, I suppose. Once I finally decide on which one I want to do, I'll head over to the board for whichever cruise line I go with.

 

My top choice (if I can convince my friend) is Royal Caribbean, on Explorer of the Seas. Any thoughts on RCCL and/or this ship?

 

A couple others I like the price and itinerary for, but I'm not sure I really want to try this cruise line, is NCL. One is on the Majesty and one on the Jewel. Comments?

 

These are really the ones that appeal to me for price and itinerary. I'm really hoping to convince my friend of the RCCL cruise, as I'm quite unconvinced I'd like NCL. But, I'm looking for opinions anyway.

 

Thanks! :)

 

Oh - a little about me. I am 35. I do like the assigned seating times, and I like knowing my waiter and tablemates (which is partly why I'm hesitant to try NCL). I don't drink, so I'm not looking to "party" or anything. Not crazy about dress codes, but I do follow them.

[Deeliteful]

My best ever cruise was on RCCL - I thought it was great. (Transatlantic on the Legend of the Seas). The food is not up to X standard but is very good nonetheless, service was fabulous and extremely friendly.

 

I would go with them again no problem but don't want to go on their mega ships.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Pat

[Host Anne]

We sail RCI and Celebrity ships pretty interchangably. We've sailed on Explorer twice and have been on her sister ship, Mariner, once. I prefer smaller ships but we had a great time on all of the Voyager class ships (Explorer and Mariner) as well.

 

We have also sailed NCL but prior to them becoming completely free-style. Of the five major lines we've sailed, they were our least favorite and now that they are totally free-style, we have no interest in sailing with them. We just prefer the more traditional type of cruise experience.

 

So if we had to choose between a Royal Caribbean and NCL ship, it would be an easy choice for us...we'd chose Explorer.

 

Have a terrific cruise no matter what you choose to do! ENJOY!

[chessbriar]

Take the Jewel of Seas, it's the closest thing RCCL has to offer to what you will find on X. It's still not quite up to X standards, but it's a great class of ship with great service. We did the Explorer last year and it's just too big. You did feel like a guest, you felt more like a passer by. So many people and so many crew, you just don't build the same kind of relationships.

 

I will not cruise NCL. Freestyle just isn't for me. I like having the same waiter each night and I like the option of giving tips, not an automatic surcharge.

[madelinerose]

Take the Jewel of Seas, it's the closest thing RCCL has to offer to what you will find on X.

I will not cruise NCL. Freestyle just isn't for me. I like having the same waiter each night and I like the option of giving tips, not an automatic surcharge.

 

I believe the op is speaking of the NCL Jewel.

[librarycin]

We did the Explorer last year and it's just too big. You did feel like a guest, you felt more like a passer by. So many people and so many crew, you just don't build the same kind of relationships.

 

That was a concern I had with Explorer - the size. Madelinerose is correct - Jewel of the Seas isn't one of the options I'm looking at right now. I did mean NCL's Jewel when I mentioned the Jewel. I'm sorry if it wasn't clear.

 

So, I'm still debating between Explorer of the Seas (RCCL), NCL Jewel or NCL Majesty. This is based on itinerary and price.

 

Thank you all for your replies so far. When I meet up with my friend, I'll do my best to sway her towards RCCL (unless someone appears and manages to convince me about NCL!), but we'll have to see. If only I could afford to cruise solo, I wouldn't have to worry about convincing someone else! :D

[FunCruiser56]

We have cruised several classes of RCI ships and enjoy the Voyager Class size alot. We felt there was plenty to do, if you want it, and we were not overpowered by the size or number of people onboard. We enjoyed our cruise on the Navigator very much. Food is fine on RCI- we never went hungry that's for sure and service has always been good for us..

 

The freestyle dining is a big turn off for us so we don't even check out anything on NCL.

 

Have fun planning and good luck convincing your friend.

 

Bev

[drsb]

I have been on the Explorer of the Seas and it is just too big for my liking. My teenaged kids loved it. I prefered the RCCL Radiance of the Seas. I happen to be a big fan of NCL's freestyle cruising and I am looking forward to trying their new NCL freestyle 2.0. I love having the option of what and when to eat, and if you meet some folks you like and a particular server you like, you can eat at the same time with the same people and request that waiter. I have done this on the nights I went to the main restaurant, but with so many options, I tend to switch restaurants at least half the nights. I have not been on the majesty, but it is an older ship. It has had some upgrades, but it is still not par with ships that were built for freestyle. I would go with the Jewel in a heartbeat over those choices of ships. It is also the newest of the three in your lineup.

 

Good luck deciding! I live in NH and at first thought the idea of cruising up here was strange, but now I am hoping to take one myself. And if it leaves out of Boston I would be only 45 minutes from the port!

[Duanerice1]

We usually cruise Celebrity but took a 4 day on the Navigator a while back. Even though it was a big ship it didn't feel like it. It was laid out very nicely.

 

Still prefer Celebrity but I wouldn't hesitate to take the large RCCL again.

 

enjoy,

DUane

[budfred]

we have been on Celebrity Rccl and NCL, it is true that the best service and food is on the Celebrity ships, Rccl was close to it. We have liked the newer NCL ships, which the Jewel is. I do like the free style dinning that they offer. The food and service is not up to Celebrity but is still very good. Have fun shopping

[RickT]

Consider Princess. After having done ten cruises on RCL and Celebrity we wound up doing a Princess cruise because of the itinerary. We thought Princess was slighly below Celebrity but above RCL. We are cruising Princess again this year partially because of the itinerary (maybe it's me but RCL and Celebrity don't seem to change their routes much) and partially because we were able to find an excellent price on Princess.

 

Unlike Celebrity and RCL, you can find TA's who will discount your cruise fare on Princess.

 

We sailed NCL a few years ago and while we would cruise them again, we prefer Celebrity and Princess.

[cruisequeen10]

Have you checked into Princess Cruises. They have quite a variety. Also, NCL has the dual dining, where you can eat at a set time and with a certain waiter or dine anytime.. We enjoyed our NCL cruises so much.

[crazybus]

My favorite cruise line is Celebrity. I have sailed on NCL and I didn't have any problems. NCL was my very first cruise and I enjoyed myself very much. The Majesty is a small ship, the Jewel is much larger.

 

I enjoy Celebrity because I feel like I am going home when I get on one of thier ships. There is always crew on board that I have met before and they always seem to remember you. Also, you run into passengers that you have cruised with before. It's this reason that I love Celebrity!:D

[Tatka]

Consider Princess. After having done ten cruises on RCL and Celebrity we wound up doing a Princess cruise because of the itinerary. We thought Princess was slighly below Celebrity but above RCL. We are cruising Princess again this year partially because of the itinerary (maybe it's me but RCL and Celebrity don't seem to change their routes much) and partially because we were able to find an excellent price on Princess..

 

 

I agree!!!

 

We love Celebrity, but cruise on Caribbean Princess was the best overall.. Great combination of activities and class. Explorer didn't feel as classy.

[librarycin]

Thanks again for all the suggestions and comments.

 

To those who spoke well of NCL, thanks for letting me know some differences between the Jewel and Majesty. I'll look further into both, but if I do end up going with NCL, based on the comments here, I'm thinking Jewel is higher up on my list than Majesty.

 

For those who recommended Princess, I wouldn't mind trying Princes at some point, but for Canada/New England, I've looked at the itineraries. I found one I liked and asked my TA for a quote, but it's WAY more expensive than either RCCL or NCL. If I was going to pay that much, I'd probably go with the Celebrity cruise (or I could go solo on the RCCL cruise), but both the Celebrity one and the Princess one (as well as one HAL cruise) I looked at are more than I am looking at spending.

 

:) Thanks again for all the comments. I hope to meet up with my friend next weekend, but she's very busy at the moment, so we'll see. Of course, I'll be spending way too much time on these boards in the meantime anyway!!! :D

[hcat]

Best Bet is Royal carib Jewel of the Seas--has a great itin from Boston & it is a wonderful ship. We are booked for Fall 09 but as a back up in case we can't afford the airfare to our E Medit cruise at the same time period...

 

The ship has a great size & layout.

[librarycin]

Best Bet is Royal carib Jewel of the Seas--has a great itin from Boston & it is a wonderful ship.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but it wasn't one I was looking at. The Jewel I was looking at was NCL. There are two specific ports I wanted on my itinerary - PEI and somewhere/anywhere in Quebec. I'm not sure if the cruise you mention includes those or not. Of course, I need to compare with what my friend wants to see, too. (I think she did mention Boston, but I'm not positive about that.)

 

Maybe I will check where this one goes, though, and see if it might be an option. Someone else also mentioned RCCL's Jewel as a nice ship, not realizing I was referring to NCL. Thanks again!

[Tatka]

Keep in mind Explorer and Jewel don't have solarium pool with the roof.. It could be pretty cold in NE/Canada in the Fall.

[librarycin]

Keep in mind Explorer and Jewel don't have solarium pool with the roof.. It could be pretty cold in NE/Canada in the Fall.

 

Thanks for the tip - I don't swim much anyway, so it probably won't be a problem for me!

[flashdog_1]

That's good, because Majesty's pool is outdoors. We returned in April from a trip on her to Bermuda. Although it was fun with cruise critic friends, I do not prefer freestyle dining because of the lines. I like to go right in (which you may be able to do at breakfast and lunch, but expect a wait at dinner). But it was unique not to dress for dinner!

 

She has only one specialty surcharge restaurant which would be comparable to the regular dining room on X and you may have a reservation for this. Food was nicely presented, but fewer courses and utensils!, meat tough and not thoroughly cooked (my crab and lobster ravioli was raw dough that had been boiled a minute), no sommelier, very poor beds, smallest cabins afloat.

 

There is a free specialty restaurant, requiring reservations, too, the pasta (Italian) one. Same problem with the food not being done.

 

But the dining room (Seven Seas) is beautiful, the service is friendly. There is a second "free" dining room (Four Seasons) with the same menu. If you go early you may get in without too much wait time. I asked for a table for 1 and got in at 6 p.m.

 

Lots of bingo if you want to spend $100 to possibly win, go for it (they have electronic things).

 

Someone above said there was the option of fixed dining or freestyle. Not so. That's Princess, and HAL has also started it. Very large parties may reserve in the regular dining room, but not for couples or 4somes. Sure, you may request a certain waiter you liked, but he may be assigned a different dining room or shift.

 

Please afford yourself the experience of past C.C. passengers, and read their reviews before you decide.

 

I have seen some pretty good bargains for Princess to New England but do not remember if they included your two ports. Happy hunting!

[hcat]

Thanks for the suggestion, but it wasn't one I was looking at. The Jewel I was looking at was NCL. There are two specific ports I wanted on my itinerary - PEI and somewhere/anywhere in Quebec. I'm not sure if the cruise you mention includes those or not. Of course, I need to compare with what my friend wants to see, too. (I think she did mention Boston, but I'm not positive about that.)

 

Maybe I will check where this one goes, though, and see if it might be an option. Someone else also mentioned RCCL's Jewel as a nice ship, not realizing I was referring to NCL. Thanks again!

 

We also had a nice trip on QM2--we did a short hop just to Halifax but she also does a longer trip that includes Quebec-- it has a great spa & although it is a huge ship it is cozy inside--going north hits some rough waters at times...

 

another good choice would be Celebrity Constellation--we took that one & it stayed overnight in Quebec--not sure about PEI--it was fabulous..

[librarycin]

another good choice would be Celebrity Constellation--we took that one & it stayed overnight in Quebec--not sure about PEI--it was fabulous..

 

Thanks! I'd love to do one of the Celebrity ones, but because they are longer, they are more pricey and a little bit out of my price range. The Celebrity ones did include both Quebec (overnight) and PEI, which would be wonderful, but it's a little more than I can spend this time.

 

I suspect QM2 is probably out of my price range as well. Now if only I could win the lottery!!! ;)

[dolfansam]

Hi. I am hoping to do my next cruise in Fall 09 to Canada/New England. I still need to convince a friend to go with, so the itineraries I have picked out may not be the one we go with, but I thought I'd get some comments anyway. The Celebrity cruises to C/NE are all longer and more than I think I can afford, which is why I'm looking at other cruise lines.

 

I'm asking here because my first two cruises have both been on Celebrity, so I'm sort of looking for comparisons, I suppose. Once I finally decide on which one I want to do, I'll head over to the board for whichever cruise line I go with.

 

My top choice (if I can convince my friend) is Royal Caribbean, on Explorer of the Seas. Any thoughts on RCCL and/or this ship?

 

A couple others I like the price and itinerary for, but I'm not sure I really want to try this cruise line, is NCL. One is on the Majesty and one on the Jewel. Comments?

 

These are really the ones that appeal to me for price and itinerary. I'm really hoping to convince my friend of the RCCL cruise, as I'm quite unconvinced I'd like NCL. But, I'm looking for opinions anyway.

 

Thanks! :)

 

Oh - a little about me. I am 35. I do like the assigned seating times, and I like knowing my waiter and tablemates (which is partly why I'm hesitant to try NCL). I don't drink, so I'm not looking to "party" or anything. Not crazy about dress codes, but I do follow them.

 

I have been on Grandeur of the Seas three times. I loved each of them. I am taking my first Celebrity Cruise to Alaska in September so I cannot compare the two. My parents have been on Celebrity and say that Royal Caribbean is fairly close to Celebrity, but Celebrity is better.

 

I liked the Princess Cruise we took last summer, but the any time dinner was not my cup of tea. Like you, I like knowing the people I am sitting with every night. I did not like having to make reservations or standing in line for a table assignment. I missed having a waiter know what my preferences were and having them at the table when I arrived. A good waiter can make a huge difference in your cruise experience.

[Tatka]

I liked the Princess Cruise we took last summer, but the any time dinner was not my cup of tea. Like you, I like knowing the people I am sitting with every night. I did not like having to make reservations or standing in line for a table assignment. I missed having a waiter know what my preferences were and having them at the table when I arrived. A good waiter can make a huge difference in your cruise experience.

 

You can use traditional dining room on Princess with the same rules as on X.. but you have to request it during booking.

[Cathy Maneri]

I'm an avid RCL and Celebrity cruiser. Celebrity being my first choice.

 

My first cruise was on the Explorer and was on her twice. It's a very nice ship with good food, service and lots to do.

 

I did the 13-night Celebrity Canada/New England cruise a few years ago and it was one of the best cruises I've done. The highlight was an overnight in Quebec. On this cruise go for the intinerary. Newport RI is fabulous as well as Halifax and Quebec.

 

My sister-in-law wanted to do a Canada/NE cruise with Quebec but didn't have 13 days of vacation. She asked me which one she should do and I suggested the "Explorer of the Seas" because this itin goes to Quebec for the day. She booked it and is going this October.

 

My suggestion would be in this order:

 

13-night Celebrity Constellation

9-night Explorer of the Seas

 

Sorry, I wouldn't go on NCL, just my preference, but if the itinerary is what you like, then consider it.

 

Good luck and happy cruising.