Which cruise line to try? We are not first time cruisers

[jkgourmet]

Our last five cruises have been on the same cruise line (name unmentioned to keep this discussion open to all thoughts).  We have become less enamored with them and are looking at alternatives.  It's been years since we've sailed anyone else, so I'm looking for suggestions.  

 

Let's eliminate itinerary from this discussion.  We've done over 25 cruises over the last 25 years.  Over those years, we've sailed on Princess, Celebrity, HAL, RCCL, MSC, Carnival, and NCL.  Each has their advantages and disadvantages.  We don't care about loyalty perks (in fact, we find them a bit annoying).  We don't care too much about the ship - age or size.   We are seniors, age 76 and 63, well traveled. 

 

Here's a list of the major things that we find less than satisfying with the current cruise line:

 

• The sub-par entertainment
• The MDR food -not as good as it was, the repetitive menus, and serving size (seriously - the plates are often half empty for the entee.)
• Bland, colorless interiors.   We miss something that might be glitz, glamour or classsy interiors.
• The emphasis on a class system where Many areas of the ship are closed for those who do not spend big bucks on cabins. 

 

We are VERY price sensitive.  We happily sail in the least expensive cabins based on the TOTAL cost including an alcohol package and gratuities.  Typically inside or OV, and we're not interested in booking higher end cabins.  We would be willing to pay A LITTLE more for a better experience.  A better experience for us is defined by better food in the MDR, better service in the restaurants and bars, and/or better entertainment. 

 

We do NOT enjoy sailing with lots of kids, and as seniors with joint replacement and bad aching bones, we're not climbing rock walls or zip lining.  We don't participate in the CD games and such, but do enjoy on board experts and lectures.  We rarely book ship excursions.  With rare exceptions, we book cruises of ten or more days.

 

Keeping in mind our cost sensitivity, which cruise lines should we consider? 

[misty57]

I'm at a loss. You've sailed on most of the mainline choices. If you don't  care about itinerary or ship size but want the best food, entertainment, and glitzy decor, the price may not be to your liking. I think it may help you to visit a travel agent that can give you a break down of the remaining cruise lines for you to try. I guess you could look at the least expensive cabin on lines like Azamara, Regent and Crystal. There probably would be fewer children especially for a longer cruise during school months. We also do not rock climb, zip line, play CD games or take adventurous excursions, but we like to,people watch and walk around enjoying the ambience of all the activity. We find that entertainment is unpredictable. We are finding that it is going the way of the food quality. It wouldn't surprise us if the lines starting making the entertainment an added cost one day. 

 

 

 

[amberjohn]

  We haven't taken a lot of cruises (6 in ten years) but will now cruise strictly in the Fall (on a

minimum 10 day cruise).  This allows us to travel on less crowded ships with almost no children.

We enjoy the food in the Main Dining Rooms and the entertainment but everyone's taste is different.

[richmke]

From reviews I see, the best cruise lines for foodies are: Oceana and Seabourn. Note: That is for "foodies". If you just want decent food, then other lines may be cheaper.

 

If you consider "enrichment" a form of entertainment, then Cunard and Crystal.

 

Note: Some of the higher costing cruise lines include alcohol. That is $50/passenger/day. Take that into account when comparing costs. The higher cost lines are also less likely to have a lot of kids.

[SargassoPirate]

Viking Ocean.....No Kids, No Casino, No Formal Nights.

 

 

Add to that no chair hogs, no annoying photographers, no "carnival barkers" trying to upsell everything on enbarkation day, no "naughty room" since you are welcome to bring on your own wine at each port,  no over-amplified music in interior venues, and no annoying Caribbean band on the pool deck.

 

VO does include beer and wine with lunch and dinner, a couple of specialty dinings per cruise, and one included excursion per port, and more.

 

VO is more expensive up front, but when you put the pencil to it, it's doable.

[Missymo]

Looks from your post your looking for more than the big box cruise ships offers.  To be swept off your feet, I would suggest Oceania, Crystal.even Windstar.  Or even a river cruise. Ships are small (about300- 600 passengers) The food is usually excellent, drinks usually included,will probably have some excursions included  but I will say entertainment ,and  nightlife  is not the best.  Small (if any) casinos,   The average cruise is much longer,(more $$) passengers usually mingle  and average passenger is older generation. But you do go to awesome places. 

[cb at sea]

On river cruises, it's all about the ports, and most days will be spent ashore, exploring.  You probably will need rest more than entertainment at night!

[jkgourmet]

On 5/9/2019 at 7:36 AM, cb at sea said:

On river cruises, it's all about the ports, and most days will be spent ashore, exploring.  You probably will need rest more than entertainment at night!

 

We'll also need very deep pockets (as compared to our usual OV on X with alcohol, tips and $300 OBC).  

[Lois R]

 I agree with the higher end cruise lines for a better culinary experience...…..but if you are talking about being inexpensive that won't happen on those lines.  Those lines also offer (in my experience) an overall better experience.....size of the ships are smaller, less people, higher quality ingredients and staff/guest ratio is much closer % wise.

[Tom47]

For river cruises, try Vantage, Grand Circle, or ACL(American Cruise LInes).  Ocean cruises, Azamara, but all of these could be more pricey than you want.   Azamara is owned by Celebrity.   Good luck!

[fly2themoon]

On 5/5/2019 at 10:51 AM, jkgourmet said:

Our last five cruises have been on the same cruise line (name unmentioned to keep this discussion open to all thoughts).  We have become less enamored with them and are looking at alternatives.  It's been years since we've sailed anyone else, so I'm looking for suggestions.  

 

Let's eliminate itinerary from this discussion.  We've done over 25 cruises over the last 25 years.  Over those years, we've sailed on Princess, Celebrity, HAL, RCCL, MSC, Carnival, and NCL.  Each has their advantages and disadvantages.  We don't care about loyalty perks (in fact, we find them a bit annoying).  We don't care too much about the ship - age or size.   We are seniors, age 76 and 63, well traveled. 

 

Here's a list of the major things that we find less than satisfying with the current cruise line:

 

• The sub-par entertainment
• The MDR food -not as good as it was, the repetitive menus, and serving size (seriously - the plates are often half empty for the entee.)
• Bland, colorless interiors.   We miss something that might be glitz, glamour or classsy interiors.
• The emphasis on a class system where Many areas of the ship are closed for those who do not spend big bucks on cabins. 

 

We are VERY price sensitive.  We happily sail in the least expensive cabins based on the TOTAL cost including an alcohol package and gratuities.  Typically inside or OV, and we're not interested in booking higher end cabins.  We would be willing to pay A LITTLE more for a better experience.  A better experience for us is defined by better food in the MDR, better service in the restaurants and bars, and/or better entertainment. 

 

We do NOT enjoy sailing with lots of kids, and as seniors with joint replacement and bad aching bones, we're not climbing rock walls or zip lining.  We don't participate in the CD games and such, but do enjoy on board experts and lectures.  We rarely book ship excursions.  With rare exceptions, we book cruises of ten or more days.

 

Keeping in mind our cost sensitivity, which cruise lines should we consider? 

Love this post!

[delliemd]

Like you we have been on many cruises over 20 years & most cruise lines,my how they have changed(gone down hill)my only advice is if you want better food etc. you need to stay in more expensive cabins,we felt there was no choice & now can never go back.If you book on an older ship you can still get a good deal on a suite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Heidi13]

With 40 years of both working and cruising as a pax, I have seen many changes, sadly few were to the benefit of the customer. Our 2015 World Cruise was our final cruise with any mainstream line.

 

We researched most of the luxury/premium brands - Crystal, Seabourn, Regent, Silversea, Azamara, Oceania & Viking. Suggest this would be a meaningful exercise for the OP, as while they are generally smaller ships, have better service and quality meals, each of the Lines have specific appeal.

 

Our final choice was Viking, with the following points standing them apart from some of the other luxury/premium lines:

 - More casual atmosphere, with zero formal nights. We used each Line's website/FAQ dress code and not info posted on reviews

 - No kids, Viking is 18+. While kids are rare on these lines, Viking stands alone at 18+. Note that Oceania is actively promoting kids on some Alaska cruises.

 - No Casino, we have no desire to use a casino, so on other ships it is a waste of space. Viking's ships with no casino use the space for other purposes.

 - Alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks - Viking has zero restrictions on bringing drinks aboard at any port. They will even open and serve your bottles of wine in the restaurants, with no service charges.

 - Excursions, they provide a free excursion in each port.

 - Enrichment - Viking ships have a resident historian and/or astronomer. In addition, they screen informative TedTalks on cabin TV's and the Theatre.

 - Ship size - at 930 pax the size was right in the middle of our desired range of 750 to 1200. The really small ships have less entertainment options, so with 930 pax, Viking was a good a good compromise. All ships are identical and < 4 yrs old.

 

When looking at any premium/luxury line, look at what is include, as the base fare will be significantly higher than a mainstream line. Our next World Cruise with Viking next year is about 60% higher base fare than our 2015 cruise, but since the Viking Cruise is all-inclusive, I predict the daily cost will be virtually identical.