Your opinion please

[DolceVita2]

Hello everyone,

 

I would like to do another cruise but I don't know if I should go back to Holland America or try another cruise line. I was more than satisfy with Holland but can I have the same service and confort on another line? I'm curious to try but afraid to be disapointed....I know If I never take the chance I will never know. But you are there Cruise Critic Cruiser and you can help me.

 

Thank you, :rolleyes:

[wieslaw]

Hi,

I for sure could not give you the proper advice and probably no one else can.

In my case - I cruised on many different ships but most of them belong to one parent company and are in two different branches.

All of my cruises were great and I enjoyed every one of them.

But I keep asking myself the same as you - should I try another cruise line ?

Wes

[SuiteTraveler]

Holland America is nice, but I think that Celebrity and Princess are much nicer. I also like RCCL's Oasis class of ships - their shows are fantastic and I loved that there was always something fun going on! I have also enjoyed cruising in a suite on NCL - really a very unique experience. I don't think you will be disappointed if you try a different line. Just research ahead of time to understand the differences and then go from there.

 

Celebrity: Known for outstanding food, understated decor, more traditional than other lines. You can do traditional or flex dining. I was on Celebrity in May and most guests were 70 or above. I'm 49 and my husband is 50 - we got a lot of special attention for being among the youngest on the cruise. LOL!

Princess: Food is excellent, traditional dining and flex dining available, nowadays they have jumbotron's on the top deck so you can watch movies at sea. Great mix of ages on most cruises.

RCCL: Great for younger crowd - mostly under 60, although those over 60 who like an active vacation would also enjoy this line.

NCL: Known for non-traditional dining (you eat when you feel like it and usually are not seated with others unless you request it) and fantastic top suites with butlers and concierge service that make this a very special experience.

[cb at sea]

If you're happy and comfortable, why change now? Eventually, you'll get tired of the ships/routes.....and then you can change!

Or, change now...if you don't like it, you can always go back!!!!

[catergirl]

sometimes it may not be the cruiseline, but say a newer or older ship that may make or break your cruise. just do some research as others have said. in my opinion, i like princess over HAL(done 2).

[mom2sz]

We've sailed on HAL twice and have sailed on other lines but mostly with Princess. You will definitely get the same level of service and comfort (if not more) with the some of the other lines especially Princess. There's also a different vibe with HAL compared to the other ships - a little bit more formal. My opinion is to definitely try another line. You'll never know but another cruise line may be more suited to everything you've wanted in a cruise.

[eh2zed]

Nothing wrong with trying another line. We have done a lot of HAL but many others as well. Never had a bad cruise. For us the itinerary is the number one criteria with the cruise line second and ship third. Of course cost is a factor as well. You will find that certain lines cater to certain markets. Carnival Corporation and pcl owns several lines including HAL, Princess, Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Seabourn, etc and they position each entity to a particular style and clientele although their are more similarities than dissimilarities IMO. RCCL which owns Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara, etc does the same.

Its a personal thing and by trying other lines you will be able to determine which line(s) suits your personal tastes best.

[LarryL]

After starting out with Princess on our 1st cruise we tried Royal Caribbean the next fall. So now we very much enjoy two cruise lines. We will eventually try Celebrity, HAL, and maybe NCL. I'm sure we'll have an affinity for them as well for their special qualities. It's a terribly nice dilema having to chose cruise lines.:)

 

Have fun experimenting.

 

Larry

[Wayfairers]

I cruise the itinerary, not the ship so my first time to repeat with a cruise line is my next cruise. I've only had one bad experience - Carnival - the others were great.

[G.M.T.]

Nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

Instead of concentrating on cruise lines, why not look at where you would like to cruise, select an itinerary and then find a cruise line that will fit your purposes. Then read up on the cruise line if it is OK.

 

Ron

[SuzieSmith]

I have to disagree about the food on Princess...IMO it is NOT excellent. I was just on a Baltic cruise and I got maybe 5 meals that could be considered 'excellent'. The rest were just edible.

If you order pancakes in the main dining room for breakfast you get...frozen pancakes! I won't even eat them at home.

 

I have cruised many times on Princess over the years and the food is getting worse each time.

 

The coffee is undrinkable and you must purchase a coffee card to get real brewed coffee.

The best & consistent fare was at the International Cafe (where we got the brewed coffee)

 

So if food is important to you then skip Princess.

[G.M.T.]

Food is a very subjective subject.

 

One man's meat is another man's poissons.

 

Any meal is great where I don't have to prepare it myself and washup afterwards.

 

Ron

[onespots]

Our first question is the ship the destination or the itinerary ? Our perferance is itinerary, shore excursions, & fewest days at sea. We generally look for trips that are 10 days & longer in the early fall. This eliminates most school children & draws a more mature passenger. This also means using different lines, due to the ports of call. By all means try them. Yes there are some differences, but certainly not enough to impact your overall trip. Cost is always a factor, however it doesn't mean you have you use the " mass market lines " Hal, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, etc. Within the cruiseship lines, many offer several ship choices. Example Celebrity, has three choices of ships & Azamara. You may find some advantage to this, as it will provide the type of vessel you want to try with an acceptable itinerary.

If it were me taking a re-positioning cruise or a trip that involved 3 days or more consectively at sea, I would choose a vessel that offered the most on board activities. This would help in passing the time on sea days.

Most passengers are happy on their cruise. Do the research & all of your expectations will be met. A good travel agent is always a plus. Anyone can have a negative experience on a cruise & some like to write volumes about this. We find one makes its own time. Being friendly & polite on & off the ship will go a long way to enhance your holiday. Good luck, as you have many choices. John

[catlady922]

I've only cruised once so far and that was on NCL's Pearl. I had a great time, thought the food was very good, the crew friendly and helpful and the ship was beautiful. I love the freestyle concept and have booked another cruise for 1/2013 on the NCL Star. I might try a different cruiseline in the future, but for now it's NCL all the way!

[wieslaw]

Food is a very subjective subject.

 

One man's meat is another man's poissons.

 

Any meal is great where I don't have to prepare it myself and washup afterwards.

 

Ron

 

Hi ,

I am with you - two people at the same table eating the same thing: one loves it the other one hates it.

I do have to agree with most of the posters that food in general is not what it used to be a year , or two or more ago, regardless what ship you are on in the same large group of cruise ships of the mass market.

 

But what do 'we' want for the $100 ( more or less) per day: they do feed us all day and all night long - as much as we want ( maybe that is a bad thing ? ),

they do provide transportation from one place to another, they give me a place to sleep, they give me some entertainment - either on the stage or watching my fellow cruisers, ( they watch me too - so it is an even game).

they give me a place to read a book and watch the sea, or a chance to loose some money either playing bingo or donating money in the cassino, and many other things ......

So the $15 ( some ships a little more or less)per each day that they buy my food and feed me can be streached only so far - it might costs me more at home .... and I have to cook it ........... so I am not complaining.

And I do have option to go to their 'specialty' restaurants and get something different for additional money ( and contrary to what most of us think - they do not make a big profit there - on some items they actually loose money).

Wes

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Hello everyone,

 

I would like to do another cruise but I don't know if I should go back to Holland America or try another cruise line. I was more than satisfy with Holland but can I have the same service and confort on another line? I'm curious to try but afraid to be disapointed....I know If I never take the chance I will never know. But you are there Cruise Critic Cruiser and you can help me.

 

Thank you, :rolleyes:

Holland is very nice try Princess

[dpump]

I have to disagree about the food on Princess...IMO it is NOT excellent. I was just on a Baltic cruise and I got maybe 5 meals that could be considered 'excellent'. The rest were just edible.

If you order pancakes in the main dining room for breakfast you get...frozen pancakes! I won't even eat them at home.

 

I have cruised many times on Princess over the years and the food is getting worse each time.

 

The coffee is undrinkable and you must purchase a coffee card to get real brewed coffee.

The best & consistent fare was at the International Cafe (where we got the brewed coffee)

 

So if food is important to you then skip Princess.

Couldn't agree more. Our most recent cruise was on Princess and the coffee was swill. Bought a coffee card, looks of the long lines, most folks do. Found the food to be ok............nothing notable. For us, we chose Holland for our upcoming cruise. Wanted to try out a 'suite' (SA category on Holland). There was nothing on Princess to compare unless we went all the way up to a Penthouse Suite ($$$$$$). We stood in line for embarkation for 1 1/2 hours on Princess.

Now, onto the crap they call beds on Princess!!!!! Don't get me started!!!

[EGG]

As far as service and comfort, I've been on HAL, X, RCCL, Princess and Carnival. They are more alike than different as far as service.

 

We choose our cruises for itinerary and price. There are other differences relating to food, entertainment, etc. Decide what is important to you and go for it. Each cruise is unique and ships within each cruise line are different.

[zoncom]

I will never understand with all the cruise line/ ship choices out there you all sail the same one, even itinerary, over and over. I think it may be a comfort zone thing. Also read average cruiser never strays further than 6 blocks from port. Sad. Change is good.

[Wayfairers]

I will never understand with all the cruise line/ ship choices out there you all sail the same one, even itinerary, over and over. I think it may be a comfort zone thing. Also read average cruiser never strays further than 6 blocks from port. Sad. Change is good.

 

WOW! I had never heard that the average cruiser stays so close to port... no wonder so many places have a mini-shopping mall at the port!