Best Cruise Line

What is the best cruise line in your opinion and why? We are looking for a couples cruise, good food, good entertainment, good price. This will be our 6th cruise (all 5 of our others were on Carnival). Just wanting to make sure we are not missing a great adventure on another cruise line!

For the main cruise lines, Celebrity is my absolute favorite.

Have to agree....Celebrity's service, food, entertainment, atmosphere, clientele, cabins...SERVICE....amazing.

While our favorite cruiseline is also Celebrity, everyone's idea of what constitutes "good " or "best", whether it is food, entertainment, and especially price, is extremely individual. There is no overall, everyone agrees, BEST cruiseline. There's only the best for you. And the only way to find that is to try them all.

There is no overall, everyone agrees, BEST cruiseline. There's only the best for you. And the only way to find that is to try them all.

This.

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What is the best cruise line in your opinion and why? We are looking for a couples cruise, good food, good entertainment, good price. This will be our 6th cruise (all 5 of our others were on Carnival). Just wanting to make sure we are not missing a great adventure on another cruise line!

I'm sorry but this is an absolutely useless question without additional info. Other than your choice of Carnival for your previous experiences (and we don't know why you chose that line repeatedly), we have no idea of your travel preferences or other factors.

I suggest you peruse the CC forums with attention to noticing the differences between industry segments, namely Mass Market (e.g., the spectrum from Carnival to Celebrity or Disney), Premium (e.g., Oceania, Azamara and wannabe Viking), Luxury (e.g., Regent, Crystal, etc). Information from the various discussion threads will either appeal to your or not and that will give you a bette sense of "best fit."

Better still, interview several cruise TAs and the good ones will help you to narrow your choices.

Some folks will tell you the line doesn't matter -only itinerary. Usually, many who say this have never experienced other than the mass market. IMO, it's just the opposite. It's easier to find more similarities in itineraries than between/among cruise industry segments.

As for us, we find the best overall experience and value to be in the premium segment and, in particular Oceania, which is considered by many travel writers to have the "best food at sea."

Bottom line: read the threads and talk to the TAs.

I'm sorry but this is an absolutely useless question without additional info. Other than your choice of Carnival for your previous experiences (and we don't know why you chose that line repeatedly), we have no idea of your travel preferences or other factors.

 

I suggest you peruse the CC forums with attention to noticing the differences between industry segments, namely Mass Market (e.g., the spectrum from Carnival to Celebrity or Disney), Premium (e.g., Oceania, Azamara and wannabe Viking), Luxury (e.g., Regent, Crystal, etc). Information from the various discussion threads will either appeal to your or not and that will give you a bette sense of "best fit."

Better still, interview several cruise TAs and the good ones will help you to narrow your choices.

Some folks will tell you the line doesn't matter -only itinerary. Usually, many who say this have never experienced other than the mass market. IMO, it's just the opposite. It's easier to find more similarities in itineraries than between/among cruise industry segments.

As for us, we find the best overall experience and value to be in the premium segment and, in particular Oceania, which is considered by many travel writers to have the "best food at sea."

Bottom line: read the threads and talk to the TAs.

I would normally agree with you .....BUT....back in the 1990'S...having never cruised before and no idea what I was doing, I went to a TA. Guess what? Carnival...4 day....Freeport and Nassau..HORRIBLE. SAME DAY flying into Port Canaveral...STRESSFUL. INSIDE CABIN $800pp...Nightmare....stressful....reputable company and yet steered me and my 3 children into the most stressful situation. First and LAST cruise with a TA. I do my own research and my own bookings and have never regretted one second of it. Research, research, research. This is key.

Best is just an incredibly subjective question. Certainly there are lines which most people would agree offer, better food, exemplary service, nicer amenities, but charge more for that. Even on most lines you can have a very different experience depending on the level of service you opt to pay for and the extras which you order. Ship experience also varies by ship size. Do you want small and intimate or big with bells and whistles. Do you like getting dressed up for formal meals or is casual your preferred attire. I could go on but if you factor in cost, size, service, etc. there are lots of BEST. Ask your friends who travel and cruise, hopefully they know you better than we ever will and maybe they can steer you to where you will be most comfortable.

The best cruise line is the one that has a cruise going where I want to go, when I want to go, with a ship I want to cruise on (no mega-mall/theme parks please!), with an available cabin category/price point I want to pay. It might be one we've already tried many times - Celebrity, Princess, Royal (the Radiance class ships only). Or, it might be one we'd like to try (Oceania, Viking Ocean, maybe Holland America). As others have said, there is no BEST cruise line, but there is a BEST cruise for what you want at a particular point in time.

Your question is absolutely 100% unanswerable. Even if we know more about you which we don't and what you are looking for in a cruise, it is still unanswerable. You need to do your own research and then come back w some specific questions. My suggestion is to read the reviews and cruise line descriptions on CC. Go to the library and take out one of the many books on cruising and cruise lines. Talk to people whom you know who have cruised. I could tell you how I pick cruises and what lines that I like but I can almost guarantee that they will be different from the ones that you would probably like.

Sorry that I can't be of more help.

DON

I have done 60 plus cruises and favorite by far is rccl, entertainment is amazing, celebrity has really nice buffet , mdr is no better than rccl, princess also is decent for entertainment , there currently is a very large thread on celebrity board on the food not being good. If you can afford it celebrity suite dinning room and perks are excellent

Our favorite now is Celebrity. In earlier years it was RCI. So Celebrity followed by RCI. Just suits our preferences the best.

Our favorite is Princess for their itineraries. We have been fortunate to sail all over the world with them.

If Carnival is your thing then Royal or NCL.

Carnival were excellent until we realised their itineraries were really limited. That means the two lines above beat them.

The "best" is in the eyes of the beholder, however for the mainstream I agree with Celebrity.

It's like anything else in the world: cars, restaurants, phones, whatever. "Best" is very subjective. On this forum, one person will tell you it's a $10,000 cruise where you wear a tux. One person will tell you Carnival because it's the the cheapest. One person will tell you Disney because of the experience. Etc, etc. As you can see, Celebrity is pretty popular. It's a great cruise line where premium experience meets affordability.

At this stage in my life, I am not hard to please. I, too, have been sticking to Carnival. Is there something out there that offers better food, better ship, better entertainment, and better rooms? Absolutely. However, Carnival does everything I need it t, and I can do it twice per year for what a "better" cruise line would cost for one. Two, solid, vacations are a higher value to me than one with a bunch of bells and whistles. There's better houses than what I live in, there's better cars than what I drive. I have what I have for a reason.

Wow, I didn't realize I would get so many nasty comments, I was asking for other people's opinions so I could start my own search. What every happened to if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all? :(

Wow, I didn't realize I would get so many nasty comments, I was asking for other people's opinions so I could start my own search. What every happened to if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all? :(

At the risk of being accused of being "nasty", I have to ask for your definition of the term. A few people mentioned (with good reason) that your question was unanswerable because "best" means different things to different people.

I should warn you not to discuss tipping or dress codes if you are sensitive to reasonable reactions to your posts.

Back on topic: my preferred lines are Celebrity, Cunard and HAL - for general quality of food, service and itinerary - and also for the passenger mix those aspects seem to attract more than do Carnival, Royal Caribbean and (certainly) NCL.

Wow, I didn't realize I would get so many nasty comments, I was asking for other people's opinions so I could start my own search. What every happened to if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all? :(

I did not see one nasty comment. Just saw a bunch of people giving their opinions and trying to help you

For us Princess(6 times) wins all around. Beautiful ships, great food, nice entertainment and ambiance.

Celebrity (5 times) feels a bit more upscale. Provides great food, although not as many seafood choices as Princess. Love all cushioned loungers and pool setup. Nice ambiance and entertainment

Cunard (We only sailed on QM2). Beautiful ship, cozy with tons of history on the walls. Planetarium!!! Uncrowded. Wonderful lounge entertainment. Nice cabins. We were a bit disappointed with unimaginative mdr food.

Holland (2 times) ... don't have enough of experience with only two cruises. Overall it was nice, good food and ambiance, but we did have service issues during the first one and ship maintenance issues during the second.

Royal Caribbean (10 times with 3 coming) we sailed the most due to geographical convenience. Overall very nice experience. Beautiful ships, some with pretty amazing innovations. Food is pretty good in MDR, but on weaker side in buffets. Nice to great entertainment. Unlike with 4 lines above ships can get pretty crowded.

NCL(7 times with 1 coming) is another convenient line for us. Maybe a bit lower in our opinion than RCCL, but still fun. Very nice entertainment and festive atmosphere. Not as refined as 4 first lines on my list. Again food as pretty good in MDR, although weaker than first four(except for Cunard in Britannia), and weaker buffets.

MSC (2 times) is similar to RCCL and NCL. Ships are beyond beautiful. Loved every night production shows and opera. Food is more limited and steaks/meats are weaker.

We loved Italian flare, especially during the first cruise, and opportunities to meet international guests.

Carnival (3 times)... honestly we didn't have any problems with a service or cabins. Food wasn't a strong thing, but we would've overlooked it..

Ambiance, decor, overcrowding, common feel etc.

Wow, I didn't realize I would get so many nasty comments, I was asking for other people's opinions so I could start my own search. What every happened to if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all? :(

With apologies to Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore.

What is the best cruise line in your opinion and why? We are looking for a couples cruise, good food, good entertainment, good price. This will be our 6th cruise (all 5 of our others were on Carnival). Just wanting to make sure we are not missing a great adventure on another cruise line!

I smell what you're stepping in. ;) I actually think your question was pretty clear because you gave your criteria and you stated your cruise history. Besides, you could say that you're looking for a cruise line that starts with "P" and ends with "rincess," and at the end of the day still not like your cruise on Princess. Some people just need to understand this is nothing more than a chat and you're asking for advice.

So to answer your question.....my favorite line for the criteria you mentioned is Celebrity. Also, if you look at the pattern of people suggesting Celebrity, I think it's safe to say they are a good start for your research. I also think Princess is a good option, but I think Celebrity has the superior ships over Princess.

However, if entertainment is the most important element of your criteria, I suggest looking at RCI Oasis Class. I've yet to see that caliber of entertainment on any other line/ship. I'm comfortable saying it's the best at sea.

We are Diamond on Carnival- 84 cruises with them- but do look at Princess! They are our next favorite! Food is better than Carnival, evenings are fun and we like their cabins better too.

We have been on Celebrity and think of that cruise line as more of a country club cruise. A lot of Tuxes and much more formal wear, not as relaxed as Carnival or Princess, more formal for everything.

Royal Caribbean is OK, food not that good except at dinner.

We do not like NCL at all. Once had to wait 40 minutes for dinner. Twice asked to share a table and ended up with table for 2. (We have eaten together for, now, 56 years, we like to meet others.)

We have been on 5 Costa cruises and 1st 4 were OK. It is the BIG ships of the Mediterrane. The Europeans discovered it in the Caribbean on a 5th cruise. When you go the dining room for breakfast or lunch, you are asked if you want your menu in English. French, Spanish, Italian or Dutch! And muster is in 5 languages too!

Again look at Princess, you will not be disappointed on them!

What is the best cruise line in your opinion and why? We are looking for a couples cruise, good food, good entertainment, good price. This will be our 6th cruise (all 5 of our others were on Carnival). Just wanting to make sure we are not missing a great adventure on another cruise line!

For us, at this point in our lives, Carnival Pride is a good fit for us. I think the ship and departure port can be as important as the line, although I do think each line has its own "flavor." We like the ability to drive to the port, plus parking is cheaper and traffic isn't as nerve wracking in Baltimore as in NY. We are easily able to do things as a couple and didn't notice very many children on board (might have been where we spent time on board or the time of year). We typically want a laid back cruise, and there was plenty of music to enjoy between Red Frog Pub, Piano Bar, and even Playlist Productions (we sometimes like a little cheese with our wine;)) - I've heard the comedians are very good but we didn't go. Some food was great, most was at least good (and some not so good), but I find that on most mainstream lines. As you have likely noticed, Carnival tends to offer reasonable base fares.

Not knowing your age or what "good" means to you, it is difficult to advise. I understand wanting to get advice though so I will give some input too:

• couples cruise - you can likely make any line work, but some of the higher end lines have age restrictions if you are wanting to avoid children. I'd probably avoid Disney;) unless it is a big draw for you. Carnival draws in families, but I think the kids are often in the children's camps. I often see Royal Caribbean recommended for families due to their activities (flow rider, rock wall, etc), but that could mean more families together in public areas vs. kids at the children's clubs.
  
• good food - this is soooo subjective. The best food we had on a ship was Regal Princess Winemaker's Table, but the rest of the food was on-par with the other mainstream lines. We haven't sailed luxury lines yet, but it makes sense that the smaller ships could offer better food. Mainstream lines is mostly banquet hall/catered dinner quality food.
  
• good entertainment - again this is a subjective area. Are you looking for musical theatre, comedy, games, casino, educational lectures, music? Determining what matters to you for entertainment might help your search.
  
• good price - it's important to look at total price and what you are getting for your money. Carnival often has low fares, but if you add a drinks package another line might be less total cost for the same itinerary. If food is important then I would rather spend $50 for a really nice meal but only be able to have it occasionally instead of getting a $10 meal that I didn't really enjoy.
  

I hope this helps:)

Princess is the best fit for us. (y)