Cruising Different Lines

Hello all, I hope this is the right place, as I am not sure where to post this question.

Hubs and I just took our first cruise last week (Valor) and we are HOOKED on cruising. I really enjoyed our trip on the Valor (Carnival). Staff and crew were awesome, food was delicious, generous pours by the bartenders on Lido...we had the Cheers Package.

Anyway, I'm a nurse, Hubs is a cop, we want to stick to local-ish ports like New Orleans, Mobile etc., and we are thinking about other lines so that we can experience the differences.

What are your favorite lines and why?

What we learned on this inaugural cruise: I way over packed. Also bring an approved power strip. Allot more money in the budget for the casino. Avoid the shopping lecture and chasing around those freebies (however the Del Sol tote bag was worth the wait in line at the shop.) We didn't do excursions because we thought we'd just go on our own, that was a bust, but we really weren't sure what we really wanted to do. And honestly, because of how busy we are with our careers, we were really just wanting to read, relax, drink, chill and just spend time together as husband and wife. And we did! I think that fun day at sea was my favorite part! But....

Next trip, I want to do ruins and maybe a beach.

Anyway, Carnival was a great experience, but we want to try other lines as well. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Even within a line, each ship will be a little different. But I encourage you to try as many different lines as possible, before you set in one line and complain because another isn't just like it. We book for bargains, for itinerary. We don't book for the cruise line or the ship. We only once book for the ship, because we wanted to experience the QE2 before she was retired. We also enjoy sailing from close ports, which is why most of our recent cruises have been on Carnival. I suggest you go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose your departure ports, see who is sailing at a convenient time. EM

We have sailed many different cruise lines and only sailed one line that didn't work for us but since it works for others I just chalk it up to a cruise that went wrong.

I always think that if an itinerary presents itself it is a great time to try another cruise line.

Keith

Since the OP has just had their 1st cruise experience and liked it, I would say to repeat the same line but on a different or newer ship than the Valor. I beleieve the Dream is presently out of NOLA? Then to try another line like NCL, or RCCL.

The OP may also like a less family or kid focused atmosphere and try a line that pretty much caters to their desire to "relax, drink and chill" as a couple. That may require expanding the list of departing ports to include MIA or FLL.

If the OP is "hooked" on cruising, they may find that the joy is in the journey, and that cruising never ends.

NCL is bringing Breakaway to NOLA. I think that would be a great choice for you.

If you're willing to drive a little further to Galveston, Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas is, in my opinion, the best ship sailing out of the Gulf Coast ports.

Thank you all for your replies. I think what hooked me the most was the fact that we were unplugged from our devices and didn't have to do anything we didn't want to do. I'm looking at cruises out of Florida ports today, just a short flight from Houston after all, and also looking at The Dream.

I think that the Valor and Dream are switching ports next year, so we may end up leaving out of Galveston again after all. I'm really interested in some of the 7 day cruises I'm seeing offered as well.

All I know is that I've been useless at work this week, lol. At random times I would think of how awesome a margarita and a chaise lounge would be instead of staring at my computer screen.

We have been cruising since l982. Have well over 60 cruises on 9 different lines. Our favorites currently are Princess and Holland America. Have cruised Cunard, Celebrity, Royal Carribbean, Crystal, and NCL over the years plus some lines that are no longer around. We usually tried to new ships over the years, now though the newer ships are very large and not as much our preference because they less traditional in cruise style.

Hi

For your cruise lines...google cruise lines and make a list. Go down the list and see which sail from the ports you want to sail from. That should shorten the list quite a bit.

Now look at when you would like to sail. Again, that will narrow your options, but you likely will a few choices to pick from. I say this often, flip a coin and go on one and do the other next time. That should take care of you for a little while. You will probably notice that ships leaving from the same ports often go to the same places, unless of course it is a much longer sailing.

So after a while if you want to go somewhere else, you might feel the need to travel out of a different port. Now you can start your searches all over again, with different criteria. :)

Luckily this site has a "port of calls" section that talks about the things you can see and do in all the ports that cruise ships frequent. That might help direct you in deciding which cruises and cruise lines to choose.

good luck and happy cruising

We have sailed on four different lines, NCL, Princess, RCI & Celebrity and found that we appreciate Celebrity the best - but that is just us - you may find that some other line meets your desires the best.

But in addition to considering other lines, I would also encourage you, depending on your vacation time and budget constraints, also looking at other destinations beyond the Caribbean. Alaska, Canada/New England, Europe, South America & Asia are so much more interesting with regard to cultures, history and vistas.

Regardless, we are glad that you have become avid cruisers - enjoy!

Hello all, I hope this is the right place, as I am not sure where to post this question.

 

Hubs and I just took our first cruise last week (Valor) and we are HOOKED on cruising. I really enjoyed our trip on the Valor (Carnival). Staff and crew were awesome, food was delicious, generous pours by the bartenders on Lido...we had the Cheers Package.

 

Anyway, I'm a nurse, Hubs is a cop, we want to stick to local-ish ports like New Orleans, Mobile etc., and we are thinking about other lines so that we can experience the differences.

 

What are your favorite lines and why?

 

What we learned on this inaugural cruise: I way over packed. Also bring an approved power strip. Allot more money in the budget for the casino. Avoid the shopping lecture and chasing around those freebies (however the Del Sol tote bag was worth the wait in line at the shop.) We didn't do excursions because we thought we'd just go on our own, that was a bust, but we really weren't sure what we really wanted to do. And honestly, because of how busy we are with our careers, we were really just wanting to read, relax, drink, chill and just spend time together as husband and wife. And we did! I think that fun day at sea was my favorite part! But....

 

Next trip, I want to do ruins and maybe a beach.

 

 

 

Anyway, Carnival was a great experience, but we want to try other lines as well. Any recommendations?

 

Thanks!

I have sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, NCL, Holland America and several now defunct cruise lines. I enjoyed each cruise and have no issues returning to any of them, other than Holland America. I found the quality and variety of food and entertainment options lacking compared to other lines. Royal Caribbean is probably my favorite now, offering a good balance of food and entertainment options at a reasonably good value. Carnival offers the most value for the money, in my opinion, and sails to a variety of ports so you don’t get tired of the same ports.

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Because the choices from Galveston (Carnival and very few Disney and Royal Caribbean), New Orleans (Carnival, and a few Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, and very few Crystal) and Mobile (just Carnival) are kind of slim, it really makes sense to check out Florida ports. The multiplicity of options - and wider cruise areas, plus the possibility of lower prices, make the airfare not that big a thing.

Always research your ports BEFORE you get there, so you know what's available, where it is, how to get to it, and probable costs! A guidebook is a fantastic resource...libraries have them! You don't usually need to pay a guide to have a great day, but you DO need to know something about the places you'll visit!

Ok, after reading all the posts here, I’ve decide put in my two cents. I have cruised over 30 times, 20 of which were with Carnival. Although we had a fantastic experience on NCL for our 25 th Anniversary, that one was special all the way around.

With that said, we have stuck with Carnival. On the budget conscious , in my opinion, Carnival gives the most for your buck. We don’t stick to our local port (Galveston) which is only about a hour away. But have sailed out of LA, NOLA, Fort Lauderdale, NY, Seattle, San Juan, and Dover(UK).

Usually it’s not about the ship but about the embarkation port. NY to Bahamas, it was NY we wanted and stayed 4 days after cruise.

Price wise start with Carnival, then for same or very similar cruise destinations on RCCL, NCL, etc. the rises. I haven’t cruised Holland or Celebrity but with what I’ve read, the clientele is a little older, quieter and slower, [emoji38] lol.

I do agree, don’t confine yourself to your local embarkation port. We have also looked and considered repositioning cruises.

Our next cruise on Carnival Splendor 14 day Hawaii in January 2019. We chose this one because we could fly SW and not have an 8 hour flight.

Just decide on your favorite cruise line pretty quick, then you can start getting perks on it as a repeat cruiser.

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Always research your ports BEFORE you get there, so you know what's available, where it is, how to get to it, and probable costs! A guidebook is a fantastic resource...libraries have them! You don't usually need to pay a guide to have a great day, but you DO need to know something about the places you'll visit!

I agree with this. I probably over research and plan too much, but I also don’t recall ever being disappointed in a port. I have friends who cruise that laugh at me for over planning and say they like to be spontaneous and be surprised when they get there. Of course these are also the same people that complain about many ports saying there was nothing to do and they will never go back there or just stay on the ship the next time they are there.

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We cruise for itinerary. Of course several lines will have similar itineraries. Look for the places you want to see and visit and go from there.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Smiled when reading your post because we had the same feeling as you when we were younger...busy with careers and family.

Then we discovered cruising...and got addicted. Much like you, it was nice to simply go "braindead" for a week and not worry about anything. Food and activities are there if you want it. You can do as much as you want or as little as you want.

We made tons of mistakes but can laugh now just thinking about it. (I've said this many times, but I wish we had known about Cruise Critic sooner...wonderful people giving advice here.)

When we were younger, our vacation time was limited and getting time off the same week was difficult, not to mention always being budget conscious....our cruise selection was dictated by what was available and what we could afford. For many years, it was only one cruise per year and without really trying, we ended up cruising on various cruiselines. We couldn't have enough...it was so much fun, so many nice people. We have friends today that we met on trivia 20 years ago!

Sail and cruise on as many different ships or cruiselines as you can (limited only by your vacation time and money)......you'll be able to compare, and hopefully decide on the cruiseline that best suits your lifestyle. Happy Sailing! :)

The more you cruise, the more you'll find that cruise lines are one measurement, the itinerary is another measurement and also the ships themselves can sway you. So much depends on what your looking for in a cruise. Some like to party, some like to explore and others like a little peace & quiet.

We've sailed on Princess, RCCL & MSC.

We've done Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean & Southern Caribbean.

In the future we want to try the Mediterranean, Hawaii and maybe Alaska.

For us, the more ports the better. Others prefer more sea days.

Loved Princess & RCCL, but our favourite ship was Navigator OTS with 3900 passengers. We were also on Oasis OTS with 6300 passengers which is the third largest cruise ship in the world and actually has more to offer than Navigator even though it's the same cruise line, but we found it too crowded.

We have a cruise coming up on Royal Princess which is about the same size as Navigator.

Really looking forward to trying Princess again.

We too are newbies, our first cruise was on the Norwegian Pearl out of New Orleans this last Oct. We choose this line because we didn’t want to do the formal thing. We are jeans and T-Shirts people. Our group is my husband 59, his sister 64, her husband 72 and me 54. We do like to dress nicely casual, if that’s a thing, just not slacks and ties!!

We choose this port because we live in Kansas and driving to New Orleans was a lot cheaper for the 4 of us than flying. It also gave us more time in New Orleans with a vehicle.

Also we wanted 4 port days instead of 3. We went zip lining, snorkeling, parasailing, on a Mayan ruins tour and a all inclusive beach.

The money we saved flying made the excursions affordable, we didn’t go though NCL but through a tour company.

We are retired and so we could go any time but we choose Oct hoping to avoid all kids and crowds.

We had a fantastic time, this ship is a smaller ship but perfect for us. It was relaxing, no lines, the average age on the ship was definitely over 50. We literally only saw maybe 10 kids the whole week. Don’t get me wrong I love kids but we wanted an adult vacation and that’s what we got.

The next cruise we go on will probably be Alaska on the same boat. Hopefully the same rooms!! This boat was easy to navigate and our rooms were nice and quiet. The food was great, we ate at 4 speciality restaurant and the unlimited drinks were great.

I would like to try one of the mega ships so maybe our 3rd cruise will be to Bermuda.

I think like the other posters, it depends on what you are wanting out of the cruise! I think my favorite part was just spending a week without cell phone and tv shows. For us we will probably stay with NCL, because we really loved the causal atmosphere and the unlimited drinks, the great food, oh yes even our room steward was awesome. Even though the weather did not cooperate with us, it rained on us all day for basically 2 1/2 days and rained some more, we really only had one warm(75 degrees) day. Next time I will do more research on the average weather in ports. Oct is the rainiest month in Belize and Honduras.

Good luck and happy cruising!!

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