Same line but different part of the world, any difference?

We have two cruises booked in the caribbean in feb 2017, but with the Zika virus going on we might not be able to cruise in the caribbean next year.

If we are expecting a baby we won't take the risk of going to there.

That made us look for different areas to cruise in. Since we are booked on RCI we have three options, Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam), the middle east (Dubai, Oman, Abu Dhabi) and Australia (South Pacific, Tasmania, New Zealand).

How different is it to cruise in different parts of the world on the same line?

I understand that the ports is different, but I'm talking about the experience onboard.

The major difference seems to be if the ship is based in a region, or just visits seasonally. If visiting seasonally, the number of changes seems to be very limited. If the ship is based, then more changes are likely...currency used will change to appropriate local currency, food may change some, even electrical plugs may be changed to local standards.

You should ask on the RCI board for specifics.

If you are planning to have children soon, I would choose now the one that would be the most difficult for you to travel to when you do have children. So I would choose Australia first, Asia second, and the Middle East last. Get the longest flights/travel time over when there are fewer of you. As CruiserBruce said, ships that are based in OZ year round have tailored their product/menu/entertainment to the local tastes. But I have not heard anything about the ships in Southeast Asia. Those that spend our winter downunder and come north to Alaska for our summer would have the same product you experienced in the Caribbean. EM

We have two cruises booked in the caribbean in feb 2017, but with the Zika virus going on we might not be able to cruise in the caribbean next year.

If we are expecting a baby we won't take the risk of going to there.

 

That made us look for different areas to cruise in. Since we are booked on RCI we have three options, Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam), the middle east (Dubai, Oman, Abu Dhabi) and Australia (South Pacific, Tasmania, New Zealand).

 

How different is it to cruise in different parts of the world on the same line?

I understand that the ports is different, but I'm talking about the experience onboard.

I'd venture to say (though I have no significant empirical evidence) that you will encounter a different type of clientele on the same cruise line whenever you do an itinerary with a start AND end port that requires international air travel. The Caribbean from/to anywhere in Florida or the Gulf Coast is pretty much the bargain basement selection for many many first time and/or budget minded cruisers, particularly those folks with a large family in tow. Even on premium and luxury lines, there's just a different cosmopolitan vibe on cruises with more exotic/sophisticated destinations.

There will be people from the areas in which you are cruising as well as plenty of Americans and Brits in most cases. Food will be the same, possibly with a few additions in Asia if RCCL has a lot of Asian passengers. Other than that, the onboard experience is the same as usual, although people don't do as much sitting by the pool on these types of cruises - it is more about the ports, so on a port day, everyone will be off the ship early and not come back until about an hour before sail away.

If you plan to do the Australia cruise, then you need to know that getting from Australia to New Zealand can include high seas and the timing of the cruise is all important or you might not make many of your ports in New Zealand. February through early April is generally considered the best time for this cruise when the seas are most likely to be calm and the best chance you will make all your ports. Do take anti-seasickness medicine just in case if you decide on this cruise.

If you plan to do the Asia cruise, November through April is best - you want to avoid the rainy season. If you are cruising out of Singapore, then you also want to avoid the school holidays when there will be lots and lots of kids onboard. The school holidays are listed here:

https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/school-terms-and-holidays

Some people complain about the large number of Asians on Asian cruises. You can read one person's opinion about the cultural differences and how they affected her cruise here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=89481

The Dubai cruise will be similar to any Med cruise except the ports will feel more exotic if you have not done much traveling in Arab countries. You do have to dress conservatively on shore. Typically I wear a high necked maxi dress (your skirt should be below the knee) and a knit sweater with sleeves past the elbow or long sleeves. I have bought some caftans there and I have worn these in public as well. If you plan to visit mosques, you'll need a headscarf. You husband would wear long pants and a plain long sleeved shirt while touring in these countries. Never wear anything with a slogan or picture on it. At private beaches you can wear normal beach attire - just make sure you are not the only woman there in a swimsuit - usually at tourist beaches there will be lots of women in swimsuits. The public beaches are a whole other thing and you cannot wear a western style swimsuit there without attracting a lot of very unfavorable attention. Your husband could not go without a shirt with his swimsuit a the public beaches. For a Westerner it is best to only go to private beaches that you pay to visit if you decide to go to the beach. The onshore shopping is fantastic, btw as are the antiquities and the resorts for pre-cruise are over the top amazing! You just have to dress VERY conservatively. I would do the Dubai cruise during our winter months. The temperature will be great. If you are thinking of Ovation, I expect this would be a great cruise.

I'd venture to say (though I have no significant empirical evidence) that you will encounter a different type of clientele on the same cruise line whenever you do an itinerary with a start AND end port that requires international air travel. The Caribbean from/to anywhere in Florida or the Gulf Coast is pretty much the bargain basement selection for many many first time and/or budget minded cruisers, particularly those folks with a large family in tow. Even on premium and luxury lines, there's just a different cosmopolitan vibe on cruises with more exotic/sophisticated destinations.

Well ALL our cruises requiers international air travel, as long as we not cruise in the Baltic sea ;)

But I don't expect a ship starting and ending in Asia to be filled with 95% Americans like a cruise from Florida would be. But that's the whole point, I want to know the difference. I don't expect the passangers to act the same in Asia as passangers on a sailing from Europe or the U.S. It's not even the same to cruise in Europe as it is to cruise from the U.S...

There will be people from the areas in which you are cruising as well as plenty of Americans and Brits in most cases. Food will be the same, possibly with a few additions in Asia if RCCL has a lot of Asian passengers. Other than that, the onboard experience is the same as usual, although people don't do as much sitting by the pool on these types of cruises - it is more about the ports, so on a port day, everyone will be off the ship early and not come back until about an hour before sail away.

 

If you plan to do the Australia cruise, then you need to know that getting from Australia to New Zealand can include high seas and the timing of the cruise is all important or you might not make many of your ports in New Zealand. February through early April is generally considered the best time for this cruise when the seas are most likely to be calm and the best chance you will make all your ports. Do take anti-seasickness medicine just in case if you decide on this cruise.

 

If you plan to do the Asia cruise, November through April is best - you want to avoid the rainy season. If you are cruising out of Singapore, then you also want to avoid the school holidays when there will be lots and lots of kids onboard. The school holidays are listed here:

https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/school-terms-and-holidays

Some people complain about the large number of Asians on Asian cruises. You can read one person's opinion about the cultural differences and how they affected her cruise here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=89481

 

The Dubai cruise will be similar to any Med cruise except the ports will feel more exotic if you have not done much traveling in Arab countries. You do have to dress conservatively on shore. Typically I wear a high necked maxi dress (your skirt should be below the knee) and a knit sweater with sleeves past the elbow or long sleeves. I have bought some caftans there and I have worn these in public as well. If you plan to visit mosques, you'll need a headscarf. You husband would wear long pants and a plain long sleeved shirt while touring in these countries. Never wear anything with a slogan or picture on it. At private beaches you can wear normal beach attire - just make sure you are not the only woman there in a swimsuit - usually at tourist beaches there will be lots of women in swimsuits. The public beaches are a whole other thing and you cannot wear a western style swimsuit there without attracting a lot of very unfavorable attention. Your husband could not go without a shirt with his swimsuit a the public beaches. For a Westerner it is best to only go to private beaches that you pay to visit if you decide to go to the beach. The onshore shopping is fantastic, btw as are the antiquities and the resorts for pre-cruise are over the top amazing! You just have to dress VERY conservatively. I would do the Dubai cruise during our winter months. The temperature will be great. If you are thinking of Ovation, I expect this would be a great cruise.

Thanks, but I think you missed the fact that I'm a man ;) But I guess that it's good info for my wife.

Thanks, but I think you missed the fact that I'm a man ;) But I guess that it's good info for my wife.

Sorry about that.

You are smart not to go the Caribbean right now if you and your wife plan to have a baby soon.

You think the Middle East is "less risky" than Zika? Really? Whatever...enjoy!

We went on Princess to Asia 16 days. Food choices were more toward Oriental but still all the regular things also. We thought Oriental choices were good, quite a variety and menu changed every day on Smorgasboards. That said, I won't sail RCCL again after a bad cruise with them including being awakened at 3 AM with a flood on deck 8, moving out of our cabin, then being told they would give us some ships credit which was a paltry sum. Bad food and cold lobster etc in the MD.

You don't say what YOU are like as a cruiser. Are you the singlet/shorts/flip flop type that wants to drink beers at Carlos & Charlies? When you go ashore, what are your behavioral patterns? Are you cruising for the ports, the ship experience or what?

The reason being....Caribbean cruises are about party hearty and shopping. It's not where people go to soak up local culture or history. Which is what you get on Asian itineraries - don't think you can find a Senor Frog to save your life.

So, where do you fit in? And how would that work in a different cultural environment other than your Caribbean experiences?

You don't say what YOU are like as a cruiser. Are you the singlet/shorts/flip flop type that wants to drink beers at Carlos & Charlies? When you go ashore, what are your behavioral patterns? Are you cruising for the ports, the ship experience or what?

 

The reason being....Caribbean cruises are about party hearty and shopping. It's not where people go to soak up local culture or history. Which is what you get on Asian itineraries - don't think you can find a Senor Frog to save your life.

 

So, where do you fit in? And how would that work in a different cultural environment other than your Caribbean experiences?

As you can tell by my signature, I have been to several places around the world and I do understand that Asia is different from the Caribbean. But that's not what I'm asking, as I wrote in the last sentence in the topic start: What's the difference onboard the ship?

As you can tell by my signature, I have been to several places around the world and I do understand that Asia is different from the Caribbean. But that's not what I'm asking, as I wrote in the last sentence in the topic start: What's the difference onboard the ship?

RCI is the only cruiseline we sail (and regardless of the itinerary not much changes)...except the Asia itinerary we did Singapore-Shanghai on Mariner the differences were mainly seen in the promenade. More high-end shops and no pub and the casino was always packed...little to no one by the pool.

Can't speak for other lines, but on Costa, Caribbean out of Fla/Mediterranean out of Italy was like being on two different lines.

In my experience the on-board environment can actually be quite different. I am Australian but we also have lived in parts of Asia for many years. I have cruised globally. Some lines go to quite some effort to adjust their on-board experience if they are cruising from a particular region for some time. For example Diamond Princess out of Japan has an entire part of the buffet with Japanese food which is fantastic for me, and a lot of Japanese style entertainment, and also an on-board onsen. I really enjoyed this because to my mind it's a no-brainer that you travel to experience something different. On the other hand the dawn princess is marketed as an Aussie experience. To Princess this evidently means worn out old ships that are not well maintained and catering to the lowest common denominator of Australian culture, with atrocious food, and football on the main screen during the day. We absolutely loathed it, and we are Australians. So in summary yes ships do make some effort to adjust to their seasonal home ports but the results can be very mixed.

I have cruised out of Australia and the only thing that was different was there were a lot more Aussies and Kiwis than in other locations, which is only natural. As far as the ship there was no differance then any of the other cruises we have taken.

Edit to add, we have only cruised with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

2 Princess cruises from Sydney to NZ and circumnavigation of Australia: Passengers mostly Australian, food the same as in the Caribbean out of Florida.

Ponant cruise from HongKong to Japan: Passengers mostly French and some Australians, food French.

Ships based in mainland China are said to cater to Chinese tastes with food, casino and shopping. Behavior patterns of passengers are said to be mainland Chinese. I have been on a short Yangtze river cruise with mainly Chinese and once you know what to expect, it's perfectly fine.

2 Princess cruises from Sydney to NZ and circumnavigation of Australia: Passengers mostly Australian, food the same as in the Caribbean out of Florida.

 

Ponant cruise from HongKong to Japan: Passengers mostly French and some Australians, food French.

 

Ships based in mainland China are said to cater to Chinese tastes with food, casino and shopping. Behavior patterns of passengers are said to be mainland Chinese. I have been on a short Yangtze river cruise with mainly Chinese and once you know what to expect, it's perfectly fine.

Once upon a time Princess would adjust their menu when in Australia, doesn't seem to happen to the same degree now.

The biggest difference will be seen in the cruise director staff and entertainment. Next up is the food. It is really driven by the on board population of guests. The biggest change is on a ship, from the perspective of an English speaking site, when English is at best the second language of the majority of the passengers on board. I thought the Costa post above pointed this out well.

It's even different on the US West Coast (Southern California) v almost any other US port. Our preferences in entertainment are very different over here on the left coast.

I have cruised different lines, different parts of the world. The activities are similar, the food pretty much the same. As another poster stated it is the demographic that changes. If you go to different parts of the world accept that cultures and behaviour will be different. It is all part of the experience. I loved the Japanese bath in the Diamond Princess, I couldn't go into the pool on MSC in the Mediterranean- too many Italian mamas and bambinos throwing beach balls around. Some lines in Asia have a dedicated Asian food area in the buffet, great to try samples of food you wouldn't generally try. The ports offer great variety, research on line to narrow down your favourites.

Just go and enjoy the differences, after all it is up to you what you do and how you enjoy your cruise. I have never found it difficult to find someone to chat with, even with language barrier, I only speak English unlike so many passengers who are multi lingual.

Thanks for all reply.

Hello Kim,

If you are worried about the Zika virus you might want to reconsider visiting Singapore, see http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37211647

We have two cruises booked in the caribbean in feb 2017, but with the Zika virus going on we might not be able to cruise in the caribbean next year.

If we are expecting a baby we won't take the risk of going to there.

 

That made us look for different areas to cruise in. Since we are booked on RCI we have three options, Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam), the middle east (Dubai, Oman, Abu Dhabi) and Australia (South Pacific, Tasmania, New Zealand).

 

How different is it to cruise in different parts of the world on the same line?

I understand that the ports is different, but I'm talking about the experience onboard.

Congrats on the new baby. Personally, I'd go with South Pacific/New Zealand/Australia. Just curious, you're shooting for 50 countries and haven't visited Canada?

Congrats on the new baby. Personally, I'd go with South Pacific/New Zealand/Australia. Just curious, you're shooting for 50 countries and haven't visited Canada?

We are not expecting, but you never know in february.

Well no I haven't been to Canada, I think that it would take me atleast 14hrs to fly there, not including the stop over time...