Jump to content

Comparisons of cruise lines


sjde
 Share

Recommended Posts

Sue, I know of very few people who have done World Cruises on both Holland and Oceania and as mentioned Viking is getting ready for their first World Cruise. Also when you say a comparison what exactly do you mean. Cost? Itinerary? Amenities?

 

This is one that you will need to do the research yourself. You can read about each World Cruise offering and ask specific questions on the Cruise Line Boards and here about the things that you want to know about.

 

Also do you want a comparison of the three cruise lines or of the world cruises.

 

In terms of the cruise lines Oceania and Viking are more upscale then Holland America.

 

With that said Oceania and Viking are more about ports and don't have big lecture programs whereas Holland would in comparison. These are things to think about for a World Cruise. You also will want to study which ships each line use for the World Cruise.

 

Keith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I agree with both the previous post for us. Itinerary is a big factor BUT on a WC there would be many interesting ports on all lines. and money of course; and the ship. Keith1010 good advice to check out the ships the lines are using for the WC. Oceania will not be using their larger (1250+) pax O class ship that I see you have been on previously but rather their R class ships which is the same size as then AZ ships you have been on. O has added a small "Artist's Loft" to the WC R ship. That is a very popular activity on their O class ships so they tucked in on the one R ship for the World Cruises. Os WC are very popular. HAL too is very experienced on WC and they have a great following.

 

When evaluating the ship and cabin choices unlimited funds would help otherwise have to trade this off for that. Some folks cannot imagine being in an inside cabin for that length of time and for others it is not a problem at all. I recall a discussion on CC a couple of years back where a very experienced traveller replied to that concern describing a little different attitude with world cruisers. She wrote that the whole ship becomes home and the cabin is simply like their bedroom.I like that thought, especially that there is no kitchen for us to cook in or clean

 

Good luck. I expect the research will be fun

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget to factor in inclusions in your comparisons. there will be a special package for those doing the full world cruises. Do they offer the visa service, luggage delivery, laundry, medical, gratuities, internet, free or fee specialty restaurants, shuttles in port cities, liquor, cost of non alcoholic drinks, etc., etc. Sometimes a cruise line that you thought may be out of your budget, ends up being very close. Check out dress code too -- open seating or fixed dining. Also, are there special events for world cruisers?

 

We based our first World Cruise on itinerary as well as port vs sea days. We didn't think about the ship that much, or the cruise line. What we ended up choosing was a very good fit for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friend and I did alot of research a year ago before booking our 2019 RTW cruise. We checked out all the lines that do world cruises and compared them for itinerary, direction of sailing, ships and types of cabins, ship culture, cost, included amenities, and ratio of port days to sea days.

 

Itinerary is most important to us, including which ports, direction (we wanted a westerly cruise) and more port days than sea days. 1 or 2 overnights in ports was a plus too.

 

Cost was also a big factor because we're just middle income retired nurses - not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. We wanted a balcony (we enjoy spending time there), so we compared similar cabins on the different cruiselines. Along with this comparison, we noted which amenities were offered on each line and what services/amenities we would need for a long cruise. We found that most of the cheapest prices naturally came with fewer amenities (and usually more sea days than port days). So, we came up with an estimated cost of the amenities that we needed and added that on to the price of cruises that didn't include them.

 

Size of the ship really didn't make a difference to us, but it is nice that small ships can go to more ports. One thing we've grown tired of is formal nights and a formal ship culture. We were able to eliminate several lines based on a desire for a more casual experience. Since we are taking this cruise to see the world, we wanted port days to be at least 50% or more of the total days.

 

So.....after collecting all this data we chose Oceania. The cost was higher than others, but included amenities that were valuable to us: first class roundtrip airfare, 1-night precruise hotel stay, roundtrip transfers, 36 excursions per person, prepaid gratuities, onboard medical care, unlimited internet, unlimited laundry service, shoreside events in 5 ports, visa package, 8 daily complimentary fitness classes, art studio, all non-alcoholic beverages around the ship and in cabin refrigerator, no charge for specialty restaurants and luggage delivery service. None of these depends on what type of cabin you get. We will travel westerly and have a ratio of 60% port days to 40% sea days. 12 ports have 1 or 2 overnights. Will be gone for 161 days.

 

We will get quite a bit of OBC too - $3,000 each from our TA, $250pp from Oceania, $230pp spa credit, and I get $250 from owning NCL stock.

 

Hope that helps others who are also trying to choose a world cruise. No matter what, I'm sure we'll all come home with memories to last a lifetime! :hearteyes:

Edited by Go-Bucks!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friend and I did alot of research a year ago before booking our 2019 RTW cruise. We checked out all the lines that do world cruises and compared them for itinerary, direction of sailing, ships and types of cabins, ship culture, cost, included amenities, and ratio of port days to sea days.

 

Itinerary is most important to us, including which ports, direction (we wanted a westerly cruise) and more port days than sea days. 1 or 2 overnights in ports was a plus too.

 

Cost was also a big factor because we're just middle income retired nurses - not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. We wanted a balcony (we enjoy spending time there), so we compared similar cabins on the different cruiselines. Along with this comparison, we noted which amenities were offered on each line and what services/amenities we would need for a long cruise. We found that most of the cheapest prices naturally came with fewer amenities (and usually more sea days than port days). So, we came up with an estimated cost of the amenities that we needed and added that on to the price of cruises that didn't include them.

 

Size of the ship really didn't make a difference to us, but it is nice that small ships can go to more ports. One thing we've grown tired of is formal nights and a formal ship culture. We were able to eliminate several lines based on a desire for a more casual experience. Since we are taking this cruise to see the world, we wanted port days to be at least 50% or more of the total days.

 

So.....after collecting all this data we chose Oceania. The cost was higher than others, but included amenities that were valuable to us: first class roundtrip airfare, 1-night precruise hotel stay, roundtrip transfers, 36 excursions per person, prepaid gratuities, onboard medical care, unlimited internet, unlimited laundry service, shoreside events in 5 ports, visa package, 8 daily complimentary fitness classes, art studio, all non-alcoholic beverages around the ship and in cabin refrigerator, no charge for specialty restaurants and luggage delivery service. None of these depends on what type of cabin you get. We will travel westerly and have a ratio of 60% port days to 40% sea days. 12 ports have 1 or 2 overnights. Will be gone for 161 days.

 

We will get quite a bit of OBC too - $3,000 each from our TA, $250pp from Oceania, $230pp spa credit, and I get $250 from owning NCL stock.

 

Hope that helps others who are also trying to choose a world cruise. No matter what, I'm sure we'll all come home with memories to last a lifetime! :hearteyes:

 

 

May I ask why the preference for a Westerly direction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keith, I guess we're most interested in not just cost, but value, And itinerary comparisons/pluses and minues for different world cruises.

 

However, you were also comparing 118 - 120 day cruises with your 161 day cruise, which may or may not have affected the comparisons. In any event, you did not explain how the results of the comparison affected your choice; i.e. the total overall cost.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
My friend and I did alot of research a year ago before booking our 2019 RTW cruise. We checked out all the lines that do world cruises and compared them for itinerary, direction of sailing, ships and types of cabins, ship culture, cost, included amenities, and ratio of port days to sea days.

................

 

So.....after collecting all this data we chose Oceania.

 

Thank you for the detailed explanation of your decision making process.

 

I am also looking at Oceania and have a thread going asking the wider question of the differences between Princess (which I have sailed on) and Oceania, which I have not. The thread is here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.phpp=55010340#post55010340

 

For me, the atmosphere on board is important. I like Oceania's approach of smart casual dressing, without formal nights. Of course, that is but one of many factors.

 

Thanks also to YoHoHo for the comment that the perspective on a world cruise can be different, in that the whole ship becomes your home with the cabin only being a bedroom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whatever you do before I would commit to a World Cruise of 100+ days I would sail not only on the cruise line I was considering but also on the ship.

 

I have sailed many World Cruises and on each one some people were on the cruise line and ship for the very first time but given the time commitment and the cost of the cruise I would want to be sure that I was happy with both ship and line before making such a big commitment.

 

Keith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whatever you do before I would commit to a World Cruise of 100+ days I would sail not only on the cruise line I was considering but also on the ship.

 

I have sailed many World Cruises and on each one some people were on the cruise line and ship for the very first time but given the time commitment and the cost of the cruise I would want to be sure that I was happy with both ship and line before making such a big commitment.

 

Keith

Thank you Keith,

 

That is excellent advice!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another benefit of a shorter cruise to test out a ship is that, if the line offers a discount for on-board bookings, you can book the world cruise while on the shorter cruise and get the discount. Some will even let you take the discount if you’ve already booked the world cruise, provided your category isn’t sold out. I’ve done this twice, and it more than paid for the shorter cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
My friend and I did alot of research a year ago before booking our 2019 RTW cruise. We checked out all the lines that do world cruises and compared them for itinerary, direction of sailing, ships and types of cabins, ship culture, cost, included amenities, and ratio of port days to sea days.

 

Itinerary is most important to us, including which ports, direction (we wanted a westerly cruise) and more port days than sea days. 1 or 2 overnights in ports was a plus too.

 

Cost was also a big factor because we're just middle income retired nurses - not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. We wanted a balcony (we enjoy spending time there), so we compared similar cabins on the different cruiselines. Along with this comparison, we noted which amenities were offered on each line and what services/amenities we would need for a long cruise. We found that most of the cheapest prices naturally came with fewer amenities (and usually more sea days than port days). So, we came up with an estimated cost of the amenities that we needed and added that on to the price of cruises that didn't include them.

 

Size of the ship really didn't make a difference to us, but it is nice that small ships can go to more ports. One thing we've grown tired of is formal nights and a formal ship culture. We were able to eliminate several lines based on a desire for a more casual experience. Since we are taking this cruise to see the world, we wanted port days to be at least 50% or more of the total days.

 

So.....after collecting all this data we chose Oceania. The cost was higher than others, but included amenities that were valuable to us: first class roundtrip airfare, 1-night precruise hotel stay, roundtrip transfers, 36 excursions per person, prepaid gratuities, onboard medical care, unlimited internet, unlimited laundry service, shoreside events in 5 ports, visa package, 8 daily complimentary fitness classes, art studio, all non-alcoholic beverages around the ship and in cabin refrigerator, no charge for specialty restaurants and luggage delivery service. None of these depends on what type of cabin you get. We will travel westerly and have a ratio of 60% port days to 40% sea days. 12 ports have 1 or 2 overnights. Will be gone for 161 days.

 

We will get quite a bit of OBC too - $3,000 each from our TA, $250pp from Oceania, $230pp spa credit, and I get $250 from owning NCL stock.

 

Hope that helps others who are also trying to choose a world cruise. No matter what, I'm sure we'll all come home with memories to last a lifetime! :hearteyes:

 

You did EXCELLENT research and it sounds like you had a good TA. May I ask for the TAs contact information? Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You did EXCELLENT research and it sounds like you had a good TA. May I ask for the TAs contact information? Thanks

It's against forum rules to post TA info. And, this forum does not have a PM feature. So you're kinda stuck unless one of you posts an email.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any comments about Cunard?

 

Hi Sue,

 

After all our research, we booked with Cunard. Dollar for dollar, this seemed like the best option. We had a booking with Oceania, but were placed on "wait list" and after a couple of months, I just cancelled that booking. We love the food on Oceania, but their older small ships are very slow (18 knots max) and have old technology (no azipods). They do more ports, which is nice.

 

Many people are intimidated by the formal nature of Cunard, but it does set an old school feel to their cruises. We find that dressing formal is not that cumbersome and like most things, we make it fun. There is much more going on as the ships are larger, newer, and offer additional venues compared to the smaller ships.

 

Our world cruise came in at less than $160 pp per day, which fits our limited budget well. We could never afford the luxury lines, and are usually limited to inside cabins, so it came down to Cunard or HAL. We have much more experience with HAL (ten cruises), compared to Cunard (two cruises), but have had issues with the older fleet of Holland America. (A/C problems; cabin quality...,). Not a deal breaker, but we got a much better price on Cunard.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We love the food on Oceania, but their older small ships are very slow (18 knots max) and have old technology (no azipods).

 

Why would this be a criteria for not sailing on a ship?? Apparently it was ok with you when you originally booked the Oceania world cruise.

 

Many people are intimidated by the formal nature of Cunard, but it does set an old school feel to their cruises.

Can you sail on Cunard and not dress formally? Can't imagine why not. Would they make you walk the plank?? :')

 

As far as the real total cost of a world cruise, the base cruise fare is just the start. You also need to add the cost of the many things that you'll need while traveling for months.....laundry, medical care, internet, excursions, visas, luggage delivery, taxes/fees, gratuities, OBC, airfare, etc. Some cruiselines include these things in the base cruise fare and others don't, so you'll need to add them onto the base fare if not included.

Edited by Go-Bucks!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...