Which Cruiseline is better for Europe Cruise?

[SDCB432]

I am hoping to book a Europe Cruise (Spain to Italy or similar) for Summer 2021 and I think I have narrowed it to Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and NCL Epic.  I know the benefits to "Free at Sea" but we don't drink that much and think maybe the differences in ships might make it worth the cost difference.  

 

Of course, if you have ideas on other lines, I will accept suggestions, however I think these two have what we want (my husband and I along with another couple - 50's)  Things important to me are few:

Food - tasty and selections - we usually don't do the specialty dining - some organization to buffet

Entertainment - Talent and diversity in types of shows - Some lines have had mediocre talent

Not OVERLY crowded - although I know this goes with territory - but do not want college or young children over-running the ship

 

Any help is appreciated!

 

 

 

[mom says]

3 minutes ago, SDCB432 said:

but do not want college or young children over-running the ship

Then I would suggest that NCL or RCCL would be a poor fit, since they market to families.

Have you looked at Celebrity, or one of the premium/luxury lines that tend to not have a lot of families aboard?

[Essiesmom]

When looking at cruises in Europe, look at the number of ports and the amount of time you will spend off the ship in those ports.  Long times off the ship may make a drink package a waste of money.  I think you need to focus more on itinerary and why you want to cruise Europe, rather than the amenities on the ship.  EM

[Markanddonna]

Can you go the in the spring or fall months? There will be many children and teens in the summer, it is more expensive, and it is hot. I agree with Essiesmom about the itinerary being your priority. I just got back from a very port intensive back to back in the Med. We were often too exhausted to use the features of the ship. Personally, with all else being equal, I would choose Royal.

[Heidi13]

If you don't want overly crowded ships with running kids, both RCL & NCL are very poor choices. Although food is highly subjective, they generally don't excel in this area either.

 

Suggest checking out Viking Ocean, which guarantee no kids (18+) have vastly superior space and excellent meals. Yes, the base fare is more expensive, but so is the quality.

[wowzz]

Personally I would look at a Princess cruise.  Having said that, I agree with all the previous comments - the itinerary is everything. If you are more concerned about the ship than the ports, then there doesn't seem much point coming to Europe. 

[SDCB432]

Thank you everyone. I probably should have been more specific with the college and young children. We are not opposed to them we just had a Cruise to Bermuda which was very Heavy loaded college aged and kids who were not being supervised well at all. 
 

very good points on itinerary. We will look at the Princess which we did to Alaska. Never cruised with Celebrity. I hadn’t thought of them - might be a good option. 

[SDCB432]

10 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

Can you go the in the spring or fall months? There will be many children and teens in the summer, it is more expensive, and it is hot. I agree with Essiesmom about the itinerary being your priority. I just got back from a very port intensive back to back in the Med. We were often too exhausted to use the features of the ship. Personally, with all else being equal, I would choose Royal.

I wish we could go in spring or fall - I am a teacher so this is a better option.  We stay away from February and April vacations for that same reason.  It will be nice someday when we can go anytime of the year!

[cruisemom42]

As a veteran Mediterranean cruiser (10 cruises, will be taking 2 more in 2020....) my thoughts/tips would be:

 

• Look at itinerary first, ship second: Mediterranean cruises tend to be port-heavy and you will want to spend LONG days ashore to maximize your sightseeing. Even when I was in my 40s, I was tired after a full day tour. Dinner and a show was about all I could manage before heading to bed in order to get enough sleep to do it all over again the next day. Add to that the summer heat and it will be even more tiring.
• Book as early in the summer season as possible. June is crowded and hot but not as crowded and hot as July. Avoid August at all costs -- this is when many Europeans take their long summer vacations so not only will you have lots of Americans with children but also Europeans with children onboard. 
• Investigate the itinerary thoroughly:  make sure that, for example, you don't end up in Rome on a Sunday (when the Vatican museum is closed). In most ports, major museums are closed (or may have shorter hours) on Mondays. Look at how many hours the ship is in port. You can see a lot more in 10 hours in Athens than in 6 hours.
• Also, find out how far the site(s) you want to see are located from the port. If you dock in Livorno, for example, most of the cruise lines neglect to mention until after booking that Florence is a 90-minute drive away. Rome is also a bit more than an hour from the port in Civitavecchia.

[Markanddonna]

16 minutes ago, SDCB432 said:

I wish we could go in spring or fall - I am a teacher so this is a better option.  We stay away from February and April vacations for that same reason.  It will be nice someday when we can go anytime of the year!

I can relate as I was a teacher before retirement and we could only vacation during the times when families travel and they were the most expensive times, too. 

I think you shouldn't worry too much about the ship because in reality you are going to see many children at the ports even if you travel on the most expensive ships that cater to adults. The worst children we saw were at the ports. Nothing worse than having a whiny ten year old's voice echo through a lovely castle or church. This happened during the OFF season in December. BTW- you'll find kids on almost every ship year round in Europe because it is school break somewhere around the world! 

 

BTW- one of our travel friends brought there 11 year old daughter on our Holy Land cruise and she was absolutely the best traveler you would ever find. Never complained, was sweet, interested in history, etc.

Edited December 31, 2019 by Markanddonna

[SDCB432]

Thank you for these tips! I had not thought to compare the time in port - only the location itself.  I have been in Rome several times so that port was not as important to me before, but had not thought about how far from port it is. Now I can see different parts of Italy.  Hmmmm - lots to think about.

[SDCB432]

11 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

I can relate as I was a teacher before retirement and we could only vacation during the times when families travel and they were the most expensive times, too. 

I think you shouldn't worry too much about the ship because in reality you are going to see many children at the ports even if you travel on the most expensive ships that cater to adults. The worst children we saw were at the ports. Nothing worse than having a whiny ten year old's voice echo through a lovely castle or church. This happened during the OFF season in December. BTW- you'll find kids on almost every ship year round in Europe because it is school break somewhere around the world! 

Haha - I am not opposed to children (hence the teacher in me). They are actually fun to watch, but those whiny ten year olds can get to me if it is constant - and why I teach high school 😉

[Aquahound]

14 hours ago, SDCB432 said:

I am hoping to book a Europe Cruise (Spain to Italy or similar) for Summer 2021 and I think I have narrowed it to Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and NCL Epic.  I know the benefits to "Free at Sea" but we don't drink that much and think maybe the differences in ships might make it worth the cost difference.  

 

Between those 2 choices, I recommend Harmony.  Oasis Class ships are pretty awesome.  

 

2 hours ago, SDCB432 said:

We will look at the Princess which we did to Alaska. Never cruised with Celebrity. I hadn’t thought of them - might be a good option. 

 

You mentioned crowding in your first post.  In that case, I do not recommend Princess.  My Princess cruises have been some of the most crowded feeling ships on which I've ever sailed; second only to the NCL Escape.  Celebrity, on the other hand, is an excellent choice.  The ships are beautiful and don't feel crowded at all.  

[ducklite]

Keep in mind that if it's a tender port you might have 2000 people in line before you to get shore. 

 

Even if it's just a large ship, most of them can't dock "right in town" and are at an alternative location that can be 30 minutes from town and require a bus ride that the line may or may not provide for free.  That can significantly cut down on time in port, and add significant costs.

 

 

[Donray]

Best Europe cruises we have had have been on AZAMERA.  Small ships 900 or so passengers and go into ports the larger ships do not.  Viking would also be a choice for the same reason. 

[Bizmark'sMom]

Honestly, I'm usually too tired after a day in port to do more than dinner and a cocktail before heading to bed to get up early and do it all again the next day.  Itinerary is everything - the ship's amenities take second place.

[George C]

Rccl has the best entertainment but Europe you spend so much time on long excursions in ports , not sure if that’s that big a factor.  Really do not like rccl buffet, celebrity is excellent. For us most important thing in Europe is the ports. 

[Hlitner]

If you cruise Europe/Med in the summer, during school vacation, there are going to be many families (with children of all ages) on any mass market line...especially RCI (very good kids programs) and NCL.   The only way to minimize children during the summer holidays is to cruise on the more expensive upscale lines.  So, the OP should consider cruising in the "shoulder seasons."  May and September are both excellent months to be cruising or traveling in Europe.  October can also be very good, but that time of the year seems to increase the chances of rainy weather.

 

Hank

[ldubs]

On 12/31/2019 at 4:51 AM, SDCB432 said:

Thank you everyone. I probably should have been more specific with the college and young children. We are not opposed to them we just had a Cruise to Bermuda which was very Heavy loaded college aged and kids who were not being supervised well at all. 
 

very good points on itinerary. We will look at the Princess which we did to Alaska. Never cruised with Celebrity. I hadn’t thought of them - might be a good option. 

 

My two cents -- regarding the kids (college and otherwise) I think you will generally find Med cruises to be different than what you experienced on your Bermuda cruise, especially if they are longer than one week.  We have been on about 20 Med & Europe cruises on Princess, RCCI, and Celebrity and do not see the same "youthful rowdiness" we have seen on Caribbean or Mexican Riviera itineraries.     

 

I think others have give terrific advice about itinerary as the priority.  Me personally, I would remove "kids" from the decision process, or at least make it a low priority.  

Edited January 2, 2020 by ldubs

[MamaFej]

@SDCB432, since your original post mentioned Europe, not just the Med, and you've been to Rome multiple times, you might want to consider the Baltic. The Med is hot, hot, HOT during the summer. The Baltic can be downright lovely that time of year. A "British Isles" or Ireland/Iceland itinerary may be worth considering as well. 

 

No matter what you choose, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Anyone who is fortunate enough to be able to travel and cruise has much to be thankful for. 

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, MamaFej said:

@SDCB432, since your original post mentioned Europe, not just the Med, and you've been to Rome multiple times, you might want to consider the Baltic. The Med is hot, hot, HOT during the summer. The Baltic can be downright lovely that time of year. A "British Isles" or Ireland/Iceland itinerary may be worth considering as well. 

 

No matter what you choose, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Anyone who is fortunate enough to be able to travel and cruise has much to be thankful for. 

 

 

"Anyone who is fortunate enough to be able to travel and cruise has much to be thankful for. "

 

Best quote so far in 2020!

[CouponMom]

On 12/31/2019 at 7:27 AM, cruisemom42 said:

As a veteran Mediterranean cruiser (10 cruises, will be taking 2 more in 2020....) my thoughts/tips would be:

 

@cruisemom42 - thoughts on a Mediterranean cruise in September?  Hubby & I want to go in 2020. 

Also, if you have reviews on any of the Med cruises (line, ship, etc) would LOVE your thoughts. 

I was looking for a general Med cruise forum but it appears to be organized by port. 

 

[iancal]

I would not focus on cruise line.

 

I would focus on itnerary and port times in those ports.   Next I would consider ship and price.  Keep in mind that it may be a port intensive cruise.  Decide on the ship, the size of ship.  Any time we look at Med cruises, ships aside, we see little difference between Celebrity, Princess, RCI, or HAL.  There can be a huge difference between ships in their fleets.

[geoherb]

If you look at longer cruises, you'll find fewer families with children. There were hardly any on our 12-day British Isles cruise in August 2017.

[OCruisers]

Princess would be our choice ... or Celebrity ... for what you want.