Differences between lines

[nagster]

What are the differences between lines? I have done Carnival 7 times and have enjoyed myself. If there are not too many differences then I will stick with Carnival until the kids are older then go for something more fancy. What are the groups of lines in terms of fanciness (can't think of another term to use). Ok I know Royal Caribean, NCL, ok that is all I know:o

[Luv4dacruise]

Depends on how you classify them, some will classify them into 3 categories (mainstream, premium and luxury).

 

I myself classify them into 5 categories from personal experience.

 

Budget = NCL.

Mainstream = Carnival, RCI and Princess.

Premium = Celebrity and HAL.

Luxury = Crystal, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas.

Super Luxury = Seabourn, Silversea and Sea Goddess.

 

Some will argue with not putting Princess in the premium category. 10 years ago i would have put them there, but they are far more mainstream than they once were and that is why ii classify them as such.

 

Of course there are more cruise lines on the planet as well, have not experienced them though.

 

Hope this helps.

[firefly333]

Depends on how you classify them, some will classify them into 3 categories (mainstream, premium and luxury).

 

I myself classify them into 5 categories from personal experience.

 

Budget = NCL.

Mainstream = Carnival, RCI and Princess.

Premium = Celebrity and HAL.

Luxury = Crystal, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas.

Super Luxury = Seabourn, Silversea and Sea Goddess.

 

 

I have crystal booked, some think its as high as super luxory, dont know yet. Celebrity is very close to RCL in many ways, but the soltice ship to me might be a bit higher than say century. You can do Celebrity very cheap lately, some great deals.

 

Id say there is very little difference between your premium cruiselines and the mainstream ones. I saw a 4 day on Celebrity for $229, cant convince me its going to be that much better than Carnival which is similar priced for a 4 day.

[MadManOfBethesda]

Id say there is very little difference between your premium cruiselines and the mainstream ones. I saw a 4 day on Celebrity for $229, cant convince me its going to be that much better than Carnival which is similar priced for a 4 day.

 

I agree. I don't think that there is any difference in quality among any of the mainstream lines (CCL, RCCL, HAL, X, etc.) The onboard experience is different because each line caters to a slightly different clientele, but the overall quality is pretty much the same. There definitely isn't a price difference anymore like there used to be 10 - 15 years ago with the so-called "premium" lines.

[nagster]

ok how about putting them in three categories, like mainstream, premium, luxury.

Also I suppose I would be not be looking at price more of quality and atmosphere.

[firefly333]

I tried to edit my post for about 10 minutes, and CC seems to be hanging up.

 

Wanted to say I think I might put a cruiseline like Cunard in the inbetween range. Premier. Prices are slightly higher. You have the choice of opting into a very much more expensive dining room, the grill, princess grill or whatever all the grills are called or just doing them for a slightly upscale cruise.

 

We are doing the 5 day out of NYC, Hallifax, Boston, NYC next year. You can do just one small leg or put them together for a longer cruise experience.

 

I think I would put them with the Celebrity new ship, the Soltice into a similar range price wise and service wise. Still way cheaper than the luxory lines.

[Cruiser23490578]

We sailed on Holland America and the only difference I saw were the passengers.

 

Honestly, IMHO, the food, ship, amenities, were all the same but I thought the service on Carnival was much, much, better. In our case, spending more $$$ did not result in a more luxurious experience.

 

Looking forward to trying Crystal and Cunard.

[ssantow]

Dress conscious people will class them by what you wear.:eek:

 

Suit - HAL, Celebrity, Princess

Coat & Tie - Royal Caribbean

Dressy pants, shirt and shoes - NCL

Just wear something - Carnival

 

 

You can classify by average cabin size.:D

 

Huge - HAL, Celebrity

Big - Princess, Carnival

Small - NCL

Tiny - Royal Caribbean

 

 

Or average age of passenger:rolleyes:

 

Young (20-30) - Carnival

Mid (30-40) - Royal Caribbean, NCL

Old (50-60) - HAL, Princess, Celebrity

Real Old (60-80) - Cunard

 

No mater how you class them, a bad day on a cruise is better than a good day at work.:cool:

[KULPN]

Dress conscious people will class them by what you wear.:eek:

 

Suit - HAL, Celebrity, Princess

Coat & Tie - Royal Caribbean

Dressy pants, shirt and shoes - NCL

Just wear something - Carnival

 

 

You can classify by average cabin size.:D

 

Huge - HAL, Celebrity

Big - Princess, Carnival

Small - NCL

Tiny - Royal Caribbean

 

 

Or average age of passenger:rolleyes:

 

Young (20-30) - Carnival

Mid (30-40) - Royal Caribbean, NCL

Old (50-60) - HAL, Princess, Celebrity

Real Old (60-80) - Cunard

 

No mater how you class them, a bad day on a cruise is better than a good day at work.:cool:

Wow, I didn't realize I was old at 57....

Our last Carnival Cruise was a wonderful blend of ages. Saw lots of people in their 50's & 60's.

Also people who dressed well.

[JXR]

For those of you that have done NCL vs Carnival how would you rate it. I've done 7 Carnival Cruises and 1 Princess. Friends of mine want to do a cruise, and they've been told that they should do (not by me) NCL since they do not want to dine with strangers. I've told them that they should ask for a table for 2 if that is what is holding them back. I think that you can't go wrong with Carnival, Princess or RCCL.

 

Opinions please.

 

Joanne

[Kurbanfan]

Dress conscious people will class them by what you wear.:eek:

 

Suit - HAL, Celebrity, Princess

Coat & Tie - Royal Caribbean

Dressy pants, shirt and shoes - NCL

Just wear something - Carnival

 

 

You can classify by average cabin size.:D

 

Huge - HAL, Celebrity

Big - Princess, Carnival

Small - NCL

Tiny - Royal Caribbean

 

 

Or average age of passenger:rolleyes:

 

Young (20-30) - Carnival

Mid (30-40) - Royal Caribbean, NCL

Old (50-60) - HAL, Princess, Celebrity

Real Old (60-80) - Cunard

 

No mater how you class them, a bad day on a cruise is better than a good day at work.:cool:

 

That's funny......all that is total opposite of my experience in regards to Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess;)

[zqvol]

For those of you that have done NCL vs Carnival how would you rate it. I've done 7 Carnival Cruises and 1 Princess. Friends of mine want to do a cruise, and they've been told that they should do (not by me) NCL since they do not want to dine with strangers. I've told them that they should ask for a table for 2 if that is what is holding them back. I think that you can't go wrong with Carnival, Princess or RCCL.

 

Opinions please.

 

Joanne

 

I have done both, and honestly there is not enough difference between the two that it matters. The only real difference that matters IMO is that NCL has 100% open dining. Four or five free dining venues and for or five upcharge ones.

 

I also think the shows are better on NCL, but I don't cruise to go to teh shows so that is not a big deal to me.

[CWcruisers]

According to my TA who is into stats and figures, the average age on HAL is younger than the average age on Carnival. That's because Carnival draws generations of families. I just sailed my first HAL and did not see the older crowd that I had expected. Oh wait, I'm 51, I am the older crowd! Darn! Guess I better start acting my age. NEVER!

 

BTW Kurbanfan-Nice C6 Victory Red Vette. I have one too. Or is yours a ZO6?

[Luv4dacruise]

I was speaking more in terms of the overall product you receive. I do see what you all are saying as far as like RCI, Celebrity and HAL being pretty much the same, but there are subtle differences that to me justify Celebrity and HAL being a step above RCI.

 

I was not speaking of price at all, just to clarify ;)

[Kurbanfan]

BTW Kurbanfan-Nice C6 Victory Red Vette. I have one too. Or is yours a ZO6?

 

Thanks! 06 coupe......how much power do I need lol! Have you checked out the new ZR1? 620 horsepower.........yeah that won't get ya in trouble lol!

You have the victory red too?

 

Did you sail Hal out of San Diego......Oosterdam? she was right next to us when we sailed on the Elation 2 weeks ago.......

Beautiful ship....

[nagster]

My experience on Hal was that I can't even remember the name, some dam ship though:p I did do the game show, my first ever time on stage. You really get the on stage diehards at carnival, difficult to get picked. Hal gave us free champagne on Christmas eve which I thought was a wonderful touch, crew were more discreet but the ship was smelly.

[3GR8Sons]

Dress conscious people will class them by what you wear.:eek:

 

Suit - HAL, Celebrity, Princess

Coat & Tie - Royal Caribbean

Dressy pants, shirt and shoes - NCL

Just wear something - Carnival

 

 

You can classify by average cabin size.:D

 

Huge - HAL, Celebrity

Big - Princess, Carnival

Small - NCL

Tiny - Royal Caribbean

 

 

Or average age of passenger:rolleyes:

 

Young (20-30) - Carnival

Mid (30-40) - Royal Caribbean, NCL

Old (50-60) - HAL, Princess, Celebrity

Real Old (60-80) - Cunard

 

No mater how you class them, a bad day on a cruise is better than a good day at work.:cool:

 

What happened to people between 40-50?

[Luv4dacruise]

What happened to people between 40-50?

 

You didn't here?.....Your not allowed to cruise between the ages of 40 and 50 :p

[CWcruisers]

Thanks! 06 coupe......how much power do I need lol! Have you checked out the new ZR1? 620 horsepower.........yeah that won't get ya in trouble lol!

You have the victory red too?

 

Did you sail Hal out of San Diego......Oosterdam? she was right next to us when we sailed on the Elation 2 weeks ago.......

Beautiful ship....

 

I was on the Oosterdam on 12/13, sounds like we went out together. My first and last HAL, I was just not a fan. Don't want to go into details because it is just my opinion. Must be that part of me that refuses to act my age.

 

Yup I have the Victory Red and I just finished on-line traffic school, so I think I best stay away from the 620 horspower (for 16 more months at least!)

[hubofhockey]

What happened to people between 40-50?

 

All lines are open to us. :D In my 40s, I will have cruised on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and maybe Celebrity once I hit 50.

[GottaLuvCruising]

Commenting with regard to my experience only:

 

NCL (4 times) - OK food, great service, poor entertainment, nice decor, casual atmosphere

DCL (3 times) - good food, great service, excellent entertainment, wonderful decor, casual atmosphere

RCL (3 times) - good food, great service, very good entertainment, wonderful decor, slightly more upscale atmosphere

CCL (12 times) - good food, good service, very good entertainment, lousy decor, casual atmosphere

PCL (2 times) - very good food, great service, very good entertainment, wonderful decor, more upscale atmosphere, but not stuffy

CEL (once so far) - excellent food, very good entertainment, wonderful decor, upscale atmosphere (somewhat stuffy)

[Kurbanfan]

I was on the Oosterdam on 12/13, sounds like we went out together. My first and last HAL, I was just not a fan. Don't want to go into details because it is just my opinion. Must be that part of me that refuses to act my age.

 

Yup I have the Victory Red and I just finished on-line traffic school, so I think I best stay away from the 620 horspower (for 16 more months at least!)

 

Yep we were on the Elation 12/13. As a matter of fact the couple next door to us at the Holiday Inn were on the Oosterdam. Their daughter was to get married on the ship that day.......

 

Speeding ticket huh? Ouch......

Just curious........did they write you up for no front plates?

Sorry for the hijack op:o

[CWcruisers]

Commenting with regard to my experience only:

 

NCL (4 times) - OK food, great service, poor entertainment, nice decor, casual atmosphere

DCL (3 times) - good food, great service, excellent entertainment, wonderful decor, casual atmosphere

RCL (3 times) - good food, great service, very good entertainment, wonderful decor, slightly more upscale atmosphere

CCL (12 times) - good food, good service, very good entertainment, lousy decor, casual atmosphere

PCL (2 times) - very good food, great service, very good entertainment, wonderful decor, more upscale atmosphere, but not stuffy

CEL (once so far) - excellent food, very good entertainment, wonderful decor, upscale atmosphere (somewhat stuffy)

 

This is a very good summary.

 

Kurbanfan-send me an email at wmiller9999@yahoo.com

[5waldos]

Yikes- REALLY old. I protest mightily. I am creaky in the knees for sure, but really old- hardly. Now my 97 year old father is really old- even he will admit to that.