Thread: Deciding on Cruise Line and Cruise Trip Vacation

Hello All,

I myself have been on 4-5 cruise ships, but then again after traveling a lot, I still need to ask questions and get others opinions on a cruise line.... I want to sail the Caribbean again and I was just wondering on a couple of things.
first.

I am deciding on 3 Cruise Lines, but I want to get Cruise Experts who has the best service, food, and overall ship.... Not so much the destinations as I love to see new places all the time, so here are my top 3 cruise choices. For me, I love bigger and much larger ships. I have been on small ones from the FORMER SUN CRUISES Sunbird and Sundream, although they had incredible service and stuff, but small ships don't really interest me. When I went on Costa Atlantica, now that was a huge ship and so much to do, but due to recent events, Costa will never be my choice of cruising again, but here are my choices....

1. Royal Caribbean International, Oasis, Allure, Jewel, Freedom of the seas....
2. Celebrity Cruises -- Possible the Epic or Solstice ships
3. Norwegian Cruise Lines --- Jade, Jewel, or whichever big ship they have

So now, whats your IDEA? would love to hear them. Thanks!

Oasis class is my favorite class of ship RCL has - sailed Oasis twice and thinking about the Allure. Only thing that might keep me off Allure is the ports - same thing as done on Oasis.

Freedom is a great ship and might sail the Liberty - only thing is the length when we want to go.

Explorer is a great ship too. Sailed it twice and thinking about one of the Voyager classes for a Med cruise in the future.

Sailed NCL Gem -- disliked the layout, 50/50 if I would sail again - NCL had some good things to offer and a few ships are local to me (NY).

Check out my review of Oasis.

Oasis of The Seas User Review | cruiselinefans.com

We thoroughly enjoyed The Freedom of the Seas. I would sail on her again in a heartbeat. I also like the smaller Radiance class ships. I actually like any ship Whatever you choose, a cruise is the best way to travel, IMHO.

I think some of it depends on what you want out of a cruise vacation. Here is just my breakdown of your choices:

Royal Caribbean- Great for active people who are excited about the rock climbing, surf simulator, zip line etc. Oasis and Allure will be the most expensive of your choices with the Freedom being somewhat less, and the Jewel considerably less. The Jewel also has the least on it with no grand promenade. I have not been impressed with the regular dining on Royal Caribbean ships: quality or availability. But, certainly the biggest wow factor of your choices.

Celebrity- Solstice class. If you want class, beauty, quality food and activities such as cooking demos and enrichment, this is what I would pick. The ships are gorgeous, and food gets top marks, even in the main dining room. You won't find the bells and whistles like waterslides or rock walls, as those things don't seem to fit with Celebrity's model.

Norwegian- Epic is the newest and largest ship with a bowling alley, amazing waterslides, tons of restaurants and entertainment, and even an ice bar. Norwegian cruising is different: much more casual and not traditional. You choose where and when you eat with no set dining times or table. It is less formal, and the Epic has received some criticism, but is still very impressive. Their other ships have the same cruising style and some of the amenities, but it varies. Here is a review that a guest blogger did for my site on the Epic Norwegian Epic Review by Cruize Cast: A Cruise Podcast with an Emphasis on Travel - Cruize Cast- Cruise Podcast

If you want to read our review of a Royal Caribbean ship, click here
Voyager of the Seas Review - Cruize Cast- Cruise Podcast
We also did a podcast review of the Voyager of the Seas
Cruize Cast

I hope some of this helps, and good luck with your choice!

Best service and food, I would have to go with Celebrity since that is what they excel in. We just got back from a cruise on the Millennium and loved it. Here is my write up. If you want more pictures of the food, just ask- I took pictures of everything. http://www.cruiselinefans.com/live-c...caribbean.html (Live from the Millennium - Western Caribbean). And here are the menus. http://www.cruiselinefans.com/celebr...nner-menu.html (Celebrity Millennium dinner menu). Very little that I did not like about the ship and the Solstice class is even better from all the reports.

RCL has it in spades if you want the ship to be the destination - especially the Oasis and the Allure. The dining venues are varied and very comprehensive especially the specialty restaurants.

I am not a fan of NCL since they specialize in a very relaxed atmosphere on board their ships. Nothing against them, I just prefer to be pampered and treated royally with set dining times. I have heard that the food is very good in the specialty restaurants but only average in the main dining room and the buffet.

I agree with Neal!

No question in my mind, if you're trying to decide between those three, Celebrity has it hands down.

But you also didn't mention Princess. Quite frankly, in my opinion, Princess is MUCH better than NCL and definitely has better food than RCCL.

But remember, opinions are like bellybuttons - everyone has one! And what one person loves, another will hate. And that's the fun part of cruising - trying them all until you find the one that fits you the best.

So, with that said, and this is just my personal opinion based on what I like and not necessarily what you or anyone else likes; NCL - 2 stars, RCCL - 3 stars, Princess - 3-1/2 stars, Celebrity - 4 stars.

It really does depend on what you're looking for based on your age, your budget, the itinerary, whether you're active or sedate, whether you want good food, and whether you want alot of amenities.

Talk with your travel agent and let them provide you more information and give you more options so you can decide what's best for you. But definitely book with a travel agent, preferably a cruise specialist - much wiser than booking online or directly with the cruise line.

Pete

Pete, I have heard nothing but good about Princess, should not have left them off the consideration list, and will probably try them myself one of these days. But, aren't their cabins a bit smaller than RCL or Celebrity?

Princess is actually a little bigger than Royal Caribbean. By comparison, I looked on the websites at the Allure of the Seas and the Caribbean Princess, both of which we've been on. An inside cabin on the Allure is posted as 150.7 square feet and an inside cabin on the Caribbean Princess is posted as 163 square feet - 8% bigger.

Obviously, it'll depend on the ship. For example, the Jewel of the Seas posts inside cabins at 158.2 square feet, so theirs are bigger than a ship twice its size.

It also depends on the type of cabins. For example, the Celebrity Solstice-class ships post their inside cabins at 183 - 200 square feet, which is larger than the Caribbean Princess. However, when you look at the balcony cabins, they come out to 233 - 285 on Princess versus 194 for the Solstice.

So, if size is important, it always pays to shop around.

Pete

Hmm, so the balcony on Princess is quite a bit BIGGER. Interesting.

I would agree that of the 3 Celebrity would be the more upscale choice.

If it is big you want the Oasis and Allure can not be beat but they come at a price..

NCL is the most casual of the 3

My choice would be the Jewel of the Seas. Compared to the Sunbird it is a big ship. The Radiance class ships are reasonably large but have the feel of a ship. It does not have a Promenade but does have a very nice large atrium.