Dealbreakers for booking a cruise

I was just looking at other cruise lines I was considering trying in 2017, and it occurs to me how much I love having a bathtub! I mostly sail on crossings or cruises with many sea days.

As much as I would like to try some of other lines, I am afraid not having a bathtub in the category I sail in (preferably all staterooms so it would not even be a consideration when booking a particular cruise), is a deal breaker for me.

I am aware that my upcoming TP on Millennium I will only have a shower but this is a "last minute, I can't stand it any longer/need to get out of Dodge asap for my sanity", type of cruise so I will have to make due

I am interested in hearing from others what features( or lack thereof), are deal breakers for booking a cruise on either Crystal or other cruise lines???

Other dealbreakers:

1. A liberal smoking policy

2. A cruise with lots of children

3. Nickel-and-diming

4. Not enough sea days

5. Lines & crowds

Carolyn another good reminder that we all have different preferences.

For example, while not a deal breaker we don't use a bathtub and have always thought that say in the category of room we normally take on Symphony and Serenity that if some of the rooms didn't have a bathtub then the space could be used to create more room in the main room rather than the bathroom. :)

I'm happy to travel so there are not many deal makers for us. :)

Keith

For me its dress and dining. If I can not start dinner around 6pm I will not go and if the dress code is too formal I will not go. An example of this is Cunard. Living in NYC I would love to take the Queen Mary however the dress code keeps me off!

For me its dress and dining. If I can not start dinner around 6pm I will not go and if the dress code is too formal I will not go. An example of this is Cunard. Living in NYC I would love to take the Queen Mary however the dress code keeps me off!

I travel to/from NYC on the QM2 every year, and have noticed how the dress code has relaxed. Only three of the evenings are now deemed formal, whereas passengers used to be expected to dress for dinner every evening. It is such an elegant ship that it would spoil the ambiance if it become 'country casual' like so many others. I do recommend it for transatlantic voyages, rather than flying. There is so much to do on board that one doesn't miss the ports of call. My next trip, on 1st September has a 'Fashion' theme to coincide with Fashion Week in NYC.

My main dealbreakers are:

Ship Size - I made the mistake of sailing a mega ship once and it was 11 nights of hell.

Promenade Deck - If a ship doesn't have a wraparound promenade deck, I'm not interested.

Kids - I don't book ships or itineraries that are likely to have a lot of kids.

Buffet Only - I don't book lines where the buffet is the only option outside of dinner.

-any older ship that has many reviews about poor maintenance or in cabin HVAC or plumbing issues, or passenger areas in poor condition

-any ship that has a dark décor, ie small atrium, lots of dark wood etc

-any ship that does not have a casual dining option, limited dining hours, or limited alternate dining venues

-any ship that has consistent poor reviews with regard to food, ship condition, smoking policy, etc

Don't care about bathtubs, clergy on board, library, etc.

Mine is cruising during school breaks - no way!

I mean - I was a kid - I had kids - all done with kids!

We cruise to relax.

I was just looking at other cruise lines I was considering trying in 2017, and it occurs to me how much I love having a bathtub! I mostly sail on crossings or cruises with many sea days.

As much as I would like to try some of other lines, I am afraid not having a bathtub in the category I sail in (preferably all staterooms so it would not even be a consideration when booking a particular cruise), is a deal breaker for me.

I am aware that my upcoming TP on Millennium I will only have a shower but this is a "last minute, I can't stand it any longer/need to get out of Dodge asap for my sanity", type of cruise so I will have to make due

I am interested in hearing from others what features( or lack thereof), are deal breakers for booking a cruise on either Crystal or other cruise lines???

I am with you, love the bath tub... have decided not to book the new HAL ship because unlike their older ships, they only have bath tubs in the suites... so I will stick to an old HAL next cruise where I can get a tub in a delux balcony... I also like to do TAs.

Another issue for us is having a promenade deck... newer Princess and HAL ships don't have a this any longer. Celebrity is the same way... not longer like the newer Celebrity ships.

I was just looking at other cruise lines I was considering trying in 2017, and it occurs to me how much I love having a bathtub! I mostly sail on crossings or cruises with many sea days.

As much as I would like to try some of other lines, I am afraid not having a bathtub in the category I sail in (preferably all staterooms so it would not even be a consideration when booking a particular cruise), is a deal breaker for me.

I am aware that my upcoming TP on Millennium I will only have a shower but this is a "last minute, I can't stand it any longer/need to get out of Dodge asap for my sanity", type of cruise so I will have to make due

I am interested in hearing from others what features( or lack thereof), are deal breakers for booking a cruise on either Crystal or other cruise lines???

Different strokes......I would prefer not to have a tub, provided the shower stall is a reasonable size (i.e. more than 3'x3').

I can't think of any single thing that would make me strike a potential cruise off my list. There are many things I've loved on my most recent cruises and never want to do without them again (all inclusive, virtually no overhead messages, fabulous food), I can't say that not having those things would inspire me to pass on a cruise (if it were going somewhere I wanted, or with someone I wanted to travel with). If I was invited to join good friends on a non-all-inclusive cruise with only average food, I'd still go because the focus would be enjoying time with my friends (for instance).

Huge ships with more than 2500 passengers which means crowds and long lines is foremost which is why we sail on Holland America. My other deal breaker is not having a sofa in my cabin. I want a nice place to sit while in my room.

Deal-breakers:

Ships with many more than 2,000 passengers,

Likelihood of spring-breakers,

Child-infested itineraries,

Nickel and diming,

Cheap, flashy decor,

Lack of option for traditional dining,

Lack of ANY effective dress code - (just as attractive surroundings are an enhancement to dining enjoyment, sloppy surroundings - including sloppy attire and the sloppy conduct which often accompanies it - are a negative),

Lack of reasonably desirable ports (staying home is preferable to, say, an itinerary consisting solely of Canaveral, Nassau, and Freeport).

We must have the type of evening entertainment options we enjoy. We simply will NOT book Carnival again for this reason.

Based on our only two experiences with My Time Dining, which we hated, I'm also considering making that a deal-breaker. If we can't get an assigned table at a Traditional seating, we'll just keep looking.

deal breakers for us

Ships with more than 1500 pax

children's programs

set dining

formal nights

liberal smoking

things that do not worry me is the bathtub though DH likes a good soak now & then

promenade deck ..nice but they usually have a walking track or treadmills

everyone has their things they prefer on a cruise line

enjoy the one you choose

I was just looking at other cruise lines I was considering trying in 2017, and it occurs to me how much I love having a bathtub! I mostly sail on crossings or cruises with many sea days.

As much as I would like to try some of other lines, I am afraid not having a bathtub in the category I sail in (preferably all staterooms so it would not even be a consideration when booking a particular cruise), is a deal breaker for me.

Have you looked at Oceania's 2 larger ships they have bathtubs except for the insides

It is not Crystal but might be worth a look

I was just looking at other cruise lines I was considering trying in 2017, and it occurs to me how much I love having a bathtub! I mostly sail on crossings or cruises with many sea days.

As much as I would like to try some of other lines, I am afraid not having a bathtub in the category I sail in (preferably all staterooms so it would not even be a consideration when booking a particular cruise), is a deal breaker for me.

I am aware that my upcoming TP on Millennium I will only have a shower but this is a "last minute, I can't stand it any longer/need to get out of Dodge asap for my sanity", type of cruise so I will have to make due

I am interested in hearing from others what features( or lack thereof), are deal breakers for booking a cruise on either Crystal or other cruise lines???

It's been interesting reading about what others think is important. Thank you for it. My preferences really aren't all that well developed yet; I think any cruise would be attractive at the right price (though that price might be close to zero).

The bathtub discussion intrigues me. I didn't know cruise ships had them outside the suites. They're not very space efficient, and we know ships are all about the efficient use of space these days. I've only had a few hotel rooms with bathtubs in my lifetime. My current accommodations has a tub, but I've never used it (as a tub). I could probably use a good soak. :)

1) ship must take us where we want to go

2) ship must sail at the time when I can get time off work (husband retired)

3) ship must have a desirable (for us) cabin available

4) the price must be right for us

May be not in this order, but these are our deal-breakers.

A big deal breakers for us ....

Not having an INSIDE smoking area on the ship.

Our deal breakers:

ship >1200 passengers

far too casual dress code

ship as destination rather than ports

smoking anywhere except out of way corner outside

No real dealbreakers for us. We stay away from megaships but if the price was right and so was the itinerary we'd sail.

We don't like formal nights and I don't like assigned dining but if the price was right and so was the itinerary, we'd sail.

However, if the only cabin we could get had a tub we would not sail since my mobility-impaired husband cannot step into/out of a tub. If they'd provide a tall enough shower chair though ...

I'm not sure if there is anything that I would say would be a "deal breaker" but if I were looking a short list of cruises meeting the itinerary, embarkation port, timing, and budget we want, the following would move it up the list for us: a casual dress code, anytime dining, night time entertainment. And the following would move it down the list for us: liberal smoking policy, smaller/older ship.

I will not sail on a line that permits balcony smoking.

We're reluctant to cruise again on a ship which looks inward rather than out to sea.

We only choose sailings from the UK, or in cold areas, which have a covered pool.

We're tired of cruise lines which pretend they're doing us a favour by adding tips to our account, especially on drinks which are already over priced, so we've had our last cruises on those lines in favour of pub prices and no additions.

The only deal breaker for us would be a lousy wine list [emoji14][emoji14]

Margee

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I'm pretty adaptable and not a lot bothers me. I cruise three different lines and would stop cruising on any one of them if I don't feel I'm getting the value for my money. Also, I wouldn't cruise on one of the mega ships, too many people, nor would I cruise on a ship that has a liberal smoking policy.