Need help to choose a Cruise Line (Winter 2019)

[Med1terranean]

So we are planning to go on a Mediterranean cruise in December (or possibly November) and we are having hard time to choose what Cruise line/Ship offers the closest experience to RC: Symphony of the Seas that we were on last summer. Also we are looking for newer ships...

 

So here is the list of cruise lines that are available:

- MSC

- Costa Cruises

- Norwegian Cruise Line

- Princess Cruises

 

[KmomChicago]

Well, we need more information on what you particularly liked about your cruise last summer. Nothing really compares with the scale of the Oasis class ships.  Smaller and older RC ships might be less like Symphony than a newer megaship by a competitor.

 

Costa Smeralda will be a new Excellence class ship with a concept somewhat similar to Oasis class.  MSC Grandiosa promises to be as grand as its name suggests.  Both of these are absolutely massive vessels, and yet, still not quite to the size of what you had with Symphony.  There may, however, be some service differences on these Euro-based lines from what you experienced on Royal Caribbean.  Princess and Norwegian typically cater to a US-based clientele and try to meet their expectations which can slightly differ from European standards.

[Med1terranean]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Well, we need more information on what you particularly liked about your cruise last summer. Nothing really compares with the scale of the Oasis class ships.  Smaller and older RC ships might be less like Symphony than a newer megaship by a competitor.

 

Costa Smeralda will be a new Excellence class ship with a concept somewhat similar to Oasis class.  MSC Grandiosa promises to be as grand as its name suggests.  Both of these are absolutely massive vessels, and yet, still not quite to the size of what you had with Symphony.  There may, however, be some service differences on these Euro-based lines from what you experienced on Royal Caribbean.  Princess and Norwegian typically cater to a US-based clientele and try to meet their expectations which can slightly differ from European standards.

The food, Service and overall the style of ship was awesome... But mainpoints for us are the Food and Staff

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

What port are you considering. Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami ?

[FlyerTalker]

7 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

What port are you considering. Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami ?

 

Those might be a bit difficult for a MEDITERRANEAN cruise (as the OP stated in post #1).

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

So sorry. My mistake.

[navybankerteacher]

On 4/21/2019 at 8:05 AM, Med1terranean said:

The food, Service and overall the style of ship was awesome... But mainpoints for us are the Food and Staff

If you want close approximation of food and staff, you should consider Princess.

NCL (in my view) falls short unless you buy specialty dining).  If you want size, you should go for Costa or MSC - recognizing that Costa will be more European- oriented, and MSC much more.

 

I would advise not trying to replicate a previous happy experience - first pick an itinerary you like, then think about ships.  Of course, the Mediterranean can be chilly and rainy in November/December, so the more southern your ports are the better your weather is likely to be.

[capriccio]

According to the Princess website they have no ships in Europe in December.  In November there are 2 ships (the new Sky Princess and the Pacific Princess which is their small 680 passenger ship) with 4 itineraries. 

 

Having lived in Rome for 5 years and Athens for 3 even November wouldn't be a preferred cruising month for me.  I think October would be much better if that is possible for you.  November is one of Italy's rainiest months - and Venice is prone to flooding.  November in Athens can be variable, the rains start and it is definitely cooler than October.  Spanish ports might be better - we were on a cruise with 5 stops in Spain in late October 2017 and the weather was lovely but I don't know about November.

[Med1terranean]

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

According to the Princess website they have no ships in Europe in December.  In November there are 2 ships (the new Sky Princess and the Pacific Princess which is their small 680 passenger ship) with 4 itineraries. 

 

Having lived in Rome for 5 years and Athens for 3 even November wouldn't be a preferred cruising month for me.  I think October would be much better if that is possible for you.  November is one of Italy's rainiest months - and Venice is prone to flooding.  November in Athens can be variable, the rains start and it is definitely cooler than October.  Spanish ports might be better - we were on a cruise with 5 stops in Spain in late October 2017 and the weather was lovely but I don't know about November.

We are from Finland so no rain can stop us , yesterday it was snowing + very strong winds and now its back to normal ''summer weather'' sun is shining and its +6celcius outside... I heard that MSC Grandiosa and Costa Smeralda (both new ships) would starting to sail in November soo...

[Med1terranean]

5 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If you want close approximation of food and staff, you should consider Princess.

NCL (in my view) falls short unless you buy specialty dining).  If you want size, you should go for Costa or MSC - recognizing that Costa will be more European- oriented, and MSC much more.

 

I would advise not trying to replicate a previous happy experience - first pick an itinerary you like, then think about ships.  Of course, the Mediterranean can be chilly and rainy in November/December, so the more southern your ports are the better your weather is likely to be.

We have been in almost every (European) mediterranean countries so basically itinerary doesn't matter. We are more focused to Service, Ships and Food. We don't have many actual cruise ships in Finland (Almost all cruise ships here are just ''modified'' ferries) 

[Velvetwater]

 

NCL's outlook and passenger base is more Royal style than the other lines. Although my guess would be they have smaller ships with less of the bells and whistles you would like.

 

However, if it's a large,newer grand ship you are after then MSC are most likely a good bet.

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, Med1terranean said:

We have been in almost every (European) mediterranean countries so basically itinerary doesn't matter. We are more focused to Service, Ships and Food. We don't have many actual cruise ships in Finland (Almost all cruise ships here are just ''modified'' ferries) 

If you are most interested in the sort of service and food you enjoyed on Royal Caribbean, I would suggest Celebrity Constellation - Venice to Rome , November 8; or Royal Caribbean Jewel - Rome to Rome , November 11 - both earlier in the year when weather might be better.  These ships are not as new or large, but they would provide the service and food.  If size and newness are more important , MSC and Costa might be what you want.

 

[capriccio]

5 hours ago, Med1terranean said:

We are from Finland so no rain can stop us , yesterday it was snowing + very strong winds and now its back to normal ''summer weather'' sun is shining and its +6celcius outside... I heard that MSC Grandiosa and Costa Smeralda (both new ships) would starting to sail in November soo...

Well, that certainly makes everything relative 😀! 

 

We haven't cruised MSC or Costa before but do have an MSC Caribbean cruise booked for January 2020 on the Meraviglia in a Yacht Club cabin.  I've only read great things about that experience.

 

 

[SRF]

Maybe a stupid question, but if you enjoyed RC so much, why not do RC again??????????????

[Med1terranean]

8 minutes ago, SRF said:

Maybe a stupid question, but if you enjoyed RC so much, why not do RC again??????????????

Err... There is just 1 or 2 RC ships sailing in Winter season and only up till November (Mediterranean) Also they are old, and almost same age as many other ships that are doing 2 day cruises from Finland (those ''modified'' car ferrie luxury ships 😄) and don't even get me started on Retro decor 😄 😄 

[flamomo]

I'm booked on the Pacific Princess for a cruise beginning in late November, from Venice to Rome, and then staying on from Rome to Ft Lauderdale, for a total of 29 days. I've cruised on the Pacific Princess several other times ….. she's a real gem and rather unique …. a small ship with only space for 670 passengers. She's my favorite ship in the Princess fleet!!!

[Hlitner]

Comparing cruise lines is more difficult then you might think since there can be a big variance between the vessels of the same cruise line.   In this case there are no ships, other than RCI ships, that compare with the Symphony in terms of size.  But perhaps you should give a lot of consideration the Sky Princess which is a very new and beautiful ship (we have cruised a few times on one of her sister ship).  That being said, you are not going to find the scope of entertainment on any of the other lines of your list...compared to what they offer on the Symphony.  As to food, Princess can certainly hold its own against RCI...with the exception of the alternative restaurants (the one's where you pay extra) which we think is a big weakness on Princess.  

 

Hank

[geocruiser]

It sounds like you are planning a great cruise.  The food on Princess it good.  But lately Princess cabin comfort is making me choose other line now for our cruises.  Just so you know, (and it might not make a difference to you), But Princess does not have two places to sit in the balcony, outside and inside cabins.  So if you are cruising with some one else in your cabin, sharing a chair may get difficult.

 

The food and service of Princess is very good.

[George C]

I have cruised all four lines , only line I will not sail again is ncl. We are looking forward to our msc yacht club cruise in November out of Miami. 

[navybankerteacher]

16 hours ago, Med1terranean said:

Err... There is just 1 or 2 RC ships sailing in Winter season and only up till November (Mediterranean) Also they are old, and almost same age as many other ships that are doing 2 day cruises from Finland (those ''modified'' car ferrie luxury ships 😄) and don't even get me started on Retro decor 😄 😄 

Since itinerary does not matter and the most (perhaps only) important thing seems to be an experience similar to your Royal Caribbean sailing, why are you focusing on the Mediterranean?  Why not fly to Florida and sail on Anthem, Harmony or Symphony to the Caribbean?  They are all newer, larger RC ships — and you just might enjoy seeing Caribbean ports in stead of the Mediterranean ports you do not care about.

[George C]

Poster is from Europe huge difference in price and time from cruising in Europe compared to Caribbean , same reason we normally cruise Caribbean and not Europe 

[navybankerteacher]

17 minutes ago, George C said:

Poster is from Europe huge difference in price and time from cruising in Europe compared to Caribbean , same reason we normally cruise Caribbean and not Europe 

Poster made it clear that she had seen most Mediterranean ports and was not really interested in itinerary, and she made no reference to cost/affordability. All she really wants is a new , large ship with experience similar to that on RC Symphony:  why not think about the new, large RC ships I mentioned?