Is There A Cruise Line You Are Tempted To Try Sailing Outside of RC?

[shipgeeks]

We have sailed on RC, Celebrity, HAL, Carnival, NCL, and several others.  We chose MSC (Seaside) specifically because we thought it would be different.  It was, we loved it, and MSC is definitely our new favorite cruiseline.

We were not in YC, but lowly Bella.  We came home, booked two more MSC cruises which were to have been right now.  We'll be booking again as soon as we can.

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did!

[mugtech]

6 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Sun is pretty bad

Not as good as the Jewel class ships for sure, would require an excellent itinerary. Was good enough to enjoy the Panama Canal.

[Baron Barracuda]

3 hours ago, island lady said:

Already booked.  

 

Viking 15 day Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise next year.  😉 

We are booked on that one this July.  Received good price including free air.  Would have been our first river cruise and were really looking forward to it.  At this point however if they don't cancel we certainly will.  There's always next year.

[JP82]

I have cruised just twice, DCL and then last Summer a Med on Oasis. I plan on cruising RCI again, but the only rough plan so far is a westbound Transatlantic towards the end of '21.

 

Meanwhile I have turned my attentions to MSC, living in Europe I think (although different and less American) they are the only fleet that can compete with the big lines and offer the same level of options and activities on board. I have very little interest in England's own P&O as their vibe/aesthetic is a bit pedestrian for me, and the ships seem a bit past it, although might sail Britannia or Iona.

 

MSC meanwhile have such a large fleet all year round in Europe, and some great deals and itineraries, including a lot of Mini-breaks that excite me. I was to have been on our first one on Preziosa last week, but that obviously didn't happen, but we do have a Grandiosa four night in November on the cards.

 

Will deffo get around to NCL at some point too. Like I say it's still early days for my Cruising adventure, and I'm not committing to any particular brand yet. I think they all have merit.

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

We have sailed on RC, Celebrity, HAL, Carnival, NCL, and several others.  We chose MSC (Seaside) specifically because we thought it would be different.  It was, we loved it, and MSC is definitely our new favorite cruiseline.

We were not in YC, but lowly Bella.  We came home, booked two more MSC cruises which were to have been right now.  We'll be booking again as soon as we can.

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did!

Would really enjoy reading what you liked about MSC.

[NJsharon]

10 hours ago, Erik101 said:

Virgin Voyages: The Scarlet Lady. Reasons: 

 

1. No children 

2. No buffets 

3. No dress codes for dinner 

4. Fares include just about everything except alcohol. No such thing as specialty restaurants or fees for soda or bottled water. 
5. Unique restaurants. I read about their Test Kitchen and how it’s half restaurant / half cooking classes. 👍

 

I cannot wait to try The Scarlet Lady, just not sure when that will be.  I love the company, Richard Branson has amazing attention to detail, and the ship (from what I have seen of it online, in reports, and videos), looks amazing.

 

Unfortunately I do have 2 underfoot teen girls.  Me & hubby would love to escape to a couples getaway on The Scarlet Lady, but have no family in the US.  😞  So may be a while, until they are able to be home alone when we are out of the country!

 

Totally different to anything so far though.  Whole new & amazing experience!!!

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by NJsharon

[NJsharon]

7 hours ago, Jimbo said:

 

 

We currently only have 2 cruises booked...........1st cruise is  September on Adventure of the Seas from Bayonne, NJ (Canada/New England) which I pretty much know isn't going to sail.........

 

 

Never say never.

 

We are still cruising out of Baltimore on July 9th on the Grandeur... yes I said STILL!  lol

 

Okay, I am keeping my fingers & toes crossed & have a dream, even if it is a dream... I will keep on dreaming & hope it turns into reality!!!

[Megtheblackbelt]

7 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Would really enjoy reading what you liked about MSC.

 

I second this.

 

7 hours ago, JP82 said:

I have cruised just twice, DCL and then last Summer a Med on Oasis. I plan on cruising RCI again, but the only rough plan so far is a westbound Transatlantic towards the end of '21.

 

Meanwhile I have turned my attentions to MSC, living in Europe I think (although different and less American) they are the only fleet that can compete with the big lines and offer the same level of options and activities on board. I have very little interest in England's own P&O as their vibe/aesthetic is a bit pedestrian for me, and the ships seem a bit past it, although might sail Britannia or Iona.

 

MSC meanwhile have such a large fleet all year round in Europe, and some great deals and itineraries, including a lot of Mini-breaks that excite me. I was to have been on our first one on Preziosa last week, but that obviously didn't happen, but we do have a Grandiosa four night in November on the cards.

 

Will deffo get around to NCL at some point too. Like I say it's still early days for my Cruising adventure, and I'm not committing to any particular brand yet. I think they all have merit.

 

Wooohooo, EU buddies! *high-5’s*

[little britain]

10 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Would really enjoy reading what you liked about MSC.

Spotless ships

Buy the cabin at the price point you want so you are not paying for what you don’t use

Cheapest drinks package at sea. You still get nibbles with your drinks.

Flexible boarding points so board where you want (not everyone boarding in the same day makes it easier and quicker)

Italian flair

Great coffee. You get a little chocolate. 

Dance hosts

Mozzarella freshly made onboard. Yum (new ships only) 

Staff are not in your face/no pressure to tip

 

YC: private entrance, elevator, lounge, pool, restaurant...ship within a ship.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by little britain

[L454S]

Agree with above about MSC. Have done 2 sailings, one in a aft balcony on Divina, and a Yacht Club on Seaside. Thought we got our moneys worth+ on both trips. Have already booked another YC trip.

 

Also, recently returned (Nov. - Dec.) from a 29 day on Princess with an itinerary and price that RCI does not do.

 

We rate RCI and Princess as being very close in value for the dollar.

 

Top Pic is Divina Aft balcony.

Edited May 3, 2020 by L454S

[4774Papa]

On 5/1/2020 at 5:51 PM, Megtheblackbelt said:

If you weren’t booking “loyal to royal” - is there a cruise line (or experience!) that has piqued your interest? If so - which/what/why? What would convince you to book with another cruise line?

 

I just booked - today - my first MSC cruise because I found such a deal on a Yacht Club deluxe suite that the cost of this (all-inclusive with drinks, wifi, etc.) is actually lower than booking a standard OV balcony on a similar itinerary with RC. I recently re-located from the US to Barcelona, Spain, so I’m in a period of “well, might as well try it out!”. 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

What about you?

We added cruising on Royal after being primarily Celebrity cruisers.  Also, we have done some on NCL.  NCL has adopted price bundling so that their prices always consider promos that we don't want, so they are non-competitive.  NCL only offers stripped down pricing close to the cruise date and we always book early.

 

We usually compare Celebrity and Royal, sometimes look at Princess.  We won't do Carnival.

 

We love the Diamond happy hour, it is the very best loyalty benefit ever.  We never have to buy any alcohol on our Royal cruises.

Celebrity has slightly better dining, but Royal's entertainment is best.

[Ocean Boy]

11 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

 

Celebrity has slightly better dining, but Royal's entertainment is best.

I agree that RCI has excellent entertainment. However, people also need to be aware that it is very dependent on class of ship. There is a world of difference in entertainment between being on Oasis and something like a Vision or Voyager class ship.

[4774Papa]

8 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I agree that RCI has excellent entertainment. However, people also need to be aware that it is very dependent on class of ship. There is a world of difference in entertainment between being on Oasis and something like a Vision or Voyager class ship.

We are not in to the huge mega ships.

We have enjoyed our cruises on Explorer of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas.  Explorer was larger and had an ice rink (we loved both the ice shows).  Serenade was smaller, but still had great entertainment.

[island lady]

15 hours ago, Baron Barracuda said:

We are booked on that one this July.  Received good price including free air.  Would have been our first river cruise and were really looking forward to it.  At this point however if they don't cancel we certainly will.  There's always next year.

 

This year...July 2020?  I thought Viking canceled all of their European river cruises for 2020?  

[LXA350]

17 hours ago, MADflyer said:

 

Hapag Lloyd is actually half owned since February of this year by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. through their joint venture with TUI.

 

Unless you speak German, you just need to make sure you book a bilingual sailing. 

 

One of their new Hanseatic expedition ships is aimed at a English speaking crowd? Europa 1 or 2 is probably only aimed at a german speaking crowd on all cruises I guess.

[luvabargain]

I am not loyal to any brand.  Pretty sure I would love them all.  I've cruised Carnival, RC and MSC.  I have an upcoming cruise booked on Celebrity. 

[OnTheJourney]

On 5/1/2020 at 6:03 PM, Baron Barracuda said:

We tried Viking Ocean and loved it.  When price comparing need to factor in all the inclusions (beer / wine with meals, wifi, self-serve laundry, shore excursion in every port, etc).  No casino and no kids under 16

 

Agree totally. We did our first Viking Ocean and really enjoyed it (well, until things got crazy near the end) and have several more booked. Loved the relaxed, quiet feel to it - as per the things you mentioned. Did not miss having kids on board. 

[Cruise a holic]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I agree that RCI has excellent entertainment. However, people also need to be aware that it is very dependent on class of ship. There is a world of difference in entertainment between being on Oasis and something like a Vision or Voyager class ship.

We def. agree.  Also the Quantum class entertainment wasn't as good as the Oasis class IMO>

[FlowBroTy]

Ok I know this is a cruise line not many people have heard of but I really do want to try Bahamas paradise. There ships look very nice for there age and they always had some very nice deals!

[Cruise a holic]

57 minutes ago, FlowBroTy said:

Ok I know this is a cruise line not many people have heard of but I really do want to try Bahamas paradise. There ships look very nice for there age and they always had some very nice deals!

Aren't they old celebrity ships?  I thought they only do short gambling type cruises.

[Biker19]

59 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Aren't they old celebrity ships?  I thought they only do short gambling type cruises.

They use old Carnival ships - not sure if you'd call them gambling, but, yes, they are short.

[Baron Barracuda]

3 hours ago, island lady said:

 

This year...July 2020?  I thought Viking canceled all of their European river cruises for 2020?  

At this point they have only cancelled sailings through 6/30/20.   Expect decision on rest of '20 season will be coming shortly. 

[island lady]

13 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

At this point they have only cancelled sailings through 6/30/20.   Expect decision on rest of '20 season will be coming shortly. 

 

Ahh..OK thanks.  Must have read that email from them wrong.  Hope you are able to make your cruise with them!  I am very excited about our first adventure with them next year.  🙂 

[FlowBroTy]

44 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

They use old Carnival ships - not sure if you'd call them gambling, but, yes, they are short.

They Were both old costa ships. Only one was a former Carnival ship in one time during its past life.

[MADflyer]

4 hours ago, LXA350 said:

 

One of their new Hanseatic expedition ships is aimed at a English speaking crowd? Europa 1 or 2 is probably only aimed at a german speaking crowd on all cruises I guess.

Europa2 is now sailing bilingual on all sailings.