What Cruise Line Do You Want to Try Next and Why?

[mom says]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Which parts of those lines do not involve mega ships?  

Fine. I take back what I said earlier. You are exactly as you seemed to be.

 

In fact every one of those lines have at least one class of ships, and in most cases 2, which don't come close to the definition of a mega ship. But by all means continue with your own preconceived biases.

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have sailed HAL, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Celebrity (among others) which all seem to be introducing ever larger ships with ever decreasing levels of overall quality -- so I think likening bloating of cruising to bloating of retailing is not altogether inappropriate.  "Woolworths of the seas" somehow does not (these days) make the point, given shortening memory spans.

NCL is actually going smaller building their new ship, the Prima. I would not call 3215 capacity small, but compared to the Epic and the Breakaway, it is definitely a move away from going bigger and bigger.

 

Norwegian Prima: 9 Must-Know Things About the New Ship | Cruzely.com

[navybankerteacher]

9 hours ago, mom says said:

Fine. I take back what I said earlier. You are exactly as you seemed to be.

 

In fact every one of those lines have at least one class of ships, and in most cases 2, which don't come close to the definition of a mega ship. But by all means continue with your own preconceived biases.

What is your definition of a mega ship?   And what is your definition of a “preconceived bias” — perhaps as opposed to a simple personal preference?

[ldubs]

41 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

What is your definition of a mega ship?   And what is your definition of a “preconceived bias” — perhaps as opposed to a simple personal preference?

 

These days a mega ships seems to be 5000+ passengers.   Not so many years ago it was probably 3500+. 

 

So, what is your personal preference when it comes to cruise lines?  

[DirtyDawg]

11 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have sailed HAL, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Celebrity (among others) which all seem to be introducing ever larger ships with ever decreasing levels of overall quality -- so I think likening bloating of cruising to bloating of retailing is not altogether inappropriate.  "Woolworths of the seas" somehow does not (these days) make the point, given shortening memory spans.

The last time I was in a Woolworths was around 1970.

Stick with "Walmarts of the seas".

 

But "Costco cruise ships" and "Bezo's boats" have a nice ring to them too.  😊

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

These days a mega ships seems to be 5000+ passengers.   Not so many years ago it was probably 3500+. 

 

So, what is your personal preference when it comes to cruise lines?  

Once a mega ship, always a mega ship.  To put it another way:  the fact that a new batch of hard boiled eggs were in the boiling water for several minutes longer than the old batch does not mean that the old batch are no longer hard boiled.

 

Personal preference is based upon quality of experience and desired itinerary.   I would say that Azamera and Oceania offer the quality of experience I prefer (often accompanied by a superior itinerary), while Cunard’s QM2 offers regular crossings from England to New York (a trip I make fairly frequently) —- a larger than ideal ship, but one facet does not fulfill all wishes.

 

I realize that expressing such personal preferences seems to expose me to charges of being biased,  but I am not inclined to take such silly criticisms seriously.

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

These days a mega ships seems to be 5000+ passengers.   Not so many years ago it was probably 3500+. 

 

So, what is your personal preference when it comes to cruise lines?  

 

While I don't necessarily agree with the total premise of NBT's posts, I do agree that there is a significant "creep" over time regarding what is considered a mega ship. 

 

My preferences may be skewed because I started cruising such a long time ago, but I consider any ship "big" that carries more than around 1,000-1,200 passengers and "mega" for me starts around 3,000.  Anything beyond 4,000 I would put into a class called "Terrifyingly huge" (or maybe "Incomprehensibly Jumbo".  😁

 

I like small ships because they can offer more unique itineraries and also because, as a solo, my experience has been that it is a friendlier environment with people more apt to start up a conversation. And you stand at least a fair chance of seeing them more than once.

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by cruisemom42
can't type

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

While I don't necessarily agree with the total premise of NBT's posts, I do agree that there is a significant "creep" over time regarding what is considered a mega ship. 

 

My preferences may be skewed because I started cruising such a long time ago, but I consider any ship "big" that carries more than around 1,000-1,200 passengers and "mega" for me starts around 3,000.  Anything beyond 4,000 I would put into a class called "Terrifyingly huge" (or maybe "Incomprehensibly Jumbo".  😁

 

I like small ships because they can offer more unique itineraries and also because, as a solo, my experience has been that it is a friendlier environment with people more apt to start up a conversation. And you stand at least a fair chance of seeing them more than once.

 

 

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Once a mega ship, always a mega ship.  To put it another way:  the fact that a new batch of hard boiled eggs were in the boiling water for several minutes longer than the old batch does not mean that the old batch are no longer hard boiled.

 

Personal preference is based upon quality of experience and desired itinerary.   I would say that Azamera and Oceania offer the quality of experience I prefer (often accompanied by a superior itinerary), while Cunard’s QM2 offers regular crossings from England to New York (a trip I make fairly frequently) —- a larger than ideal ship, but one facet does not fulfill all wishes.

 

I realize that expressing such personal preferences seems to expose me to charges of being biased,  but I am not inclined to take such silly criticisms seriously.

 

 

I've not been on any but have heard good things about those lines (Asamera, etc).  If I had to name a preference, I would say mine is ships of the 2500 to 3500 passenger size.   I find they have a good balance of variety.   If we are in our large family group, the larger ships could have some appeal too.  Though, we don't gravitate towards those.    That my preferences might vary from someone else's is of no concern to me.  I have no need to be critical. Though, it would be nice if everyone came to their senses and liked the same things I like. 

 

CruiseMom, I agree -- anything over 4000 is jumbo sized.  

 

NBT - how do you define a mega ship? 

 

BTW, I prefer soft boiled eggs.   

Edited November 10, 2021 by ldubs

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

But "Costco cruise ships" and "Bezo's boats" have a nice ring to them too.  😊

 

🤣     Thanks for adding some humor to this thread.

 

46 minutes ago, ldubs said:

BTW, I prefer soft boiled eggs

 

😃   Cooked for how long?  😃   

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

I like small ships because they can offer more unique itineraries and also because, as a solo, my experience has been that it is a friendlier environment with people more apt to start up a conversation. And you stand at least a fair chance of seeing them more than once.

 

You do not have to be a solo traveler to find that on small ships, you tend to find friendlier people, and that you often run into the same people.

 

The only real mega ship we have sailed on was the NCL Epic, and it was definitely the unfriendliest ship we ever traveled on. For instance, lots and lots of cruisers signed up for the meet and greet, but only a few showed up. And one of those who did not show up was the one who organized it! We also never ate with other people as the first night when asked we said yes we'll take a larger table, and then after waiting and waiting, and no one else wanted anything but a table for 2, we gave up and said we'd dine alone.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

 

 

I've not been on any but have heard good things about those lines (Asamera, etc).  If I had to name a preference, I would say mine is ships of the 2500 to 3500 passenger size.   I find they have a good balance of variety.   If we are in our large family group, the larger ships could have some appeal too.  Though, we don't gravitate towards those.    That my preferences might vary from someone else's is of no concern to me.  I have no need to be critical. Though, it would be nice if everyone came to their senses and liked the same things I like. 

 

CruiseMom, I agree -- anything over 4000 is jumbo sized.  

 

NBT - how do you define a mega ship? 

 

BTW, I prefer soft boiled eggs.   

I seem to recall the term “mega ship” first being applied to anything much larger than 2,000-2,500 passenger capacity - when such ships started coming on line - in the first few years of this century.  I still think of them as “mega ships” and still do not particularly like them.

 

I agree on the soft boiled eggs:

Medium - about 4 minutes

Large- about 4.5 minutes

Extra Large - about 5 minutes

Jumbo- about 5.5 minutes

Super Jumbo (usually double yolk) - about 6 minutes.

These times presume you are boiling them somewhere very close to sea level.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said: We also never ate with other people as the first night when asked we said yes we'll take a larger table, and then after waiting and waiting, and no one else wanted anything but a table for 2, we gave up and said we'd dine alone.

This has been my regular experience on NCL ships generally

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

This has been my regular experience on NCL ships generally

I don't doubt that as I remember before sailing on the Epic reading many comments in the NCL section of cruisecritic sayin "why would I ever want to eat with other people.".

[cruisemom42]

35 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I don't doubt that as I remember before sailing on the Epic reading many comments in the NCL section of cruisecritic sayin "why would I ever want to eat with other people.".

 

Because NCL pioneered the idea of "freestyle dining" (and still emphasize it), they attract many people who do NOT want to share a table. I agree that reading their forum makes it pretty clear. It's one reason (among several) why I generally avoid them -- not fun as a solo to dine alone every evening.

 

[FredT]

24 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Because NCL pioneered the idea of "freestyle dining" (and still emphasize it), they attract many people who do NOT want to share a table. I agree that reading their forum makes it pretty clear. It's one reason (among several) why I generally avoid them -- not fun as a solo to dine alone every evening.

 

While I agree with the thought (Freestyle dining attracts more people who do NOT want to mingle)   Our last NCL cruise (Just as the pandemic was ramping up) proved the opposite.  We always asked for a large table, 17 nights) and found them populated with REALLY nice and friendly people.   Of course this was on a Med/mid east cruise, so maybe the "class" of people was different? 

[FredT]

But, no going back to the original question,   we would really like to try Viking Ocean, BUT, given their cost, it will have to be a really fun(Unusual) itinerary.   And there lies the issue, as Viking seems to be VERY "vanilla" on their ocean itineraries . There was one (pre pandemic) that has their ship go up and over the top in Norway (into the White Sea) that we really liked but it was solidly booked.   If we ever see that again, we'll jump.      

[marco]

Marella Cruises.  They are primarily a UK line, but they are going to start in 2023 sailing out of Pt Canaveral  I've seen a few U-tube posts and they appear to be complimentary. 

[ilikeanswers]

I'd love to try Ponant or Lindblad once. They have interesting itineraries and uniquely specialised ships. Unfortunately they will most likely always be out of my price range especially if I have to add single supplement to the cost 🤑. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, FredT said:

While I agree with the thought (Freestyle dining attracts more people who do NOT want to mingle)   Our last NCL cruise (Just as the pandemic was ramping up) proved the opposite.  We always asked for a large table, 17 nights) and found them populated with REALLY nice and friendly people.   Of course this was on a Med/mid east cruise, so maybe the "class" of people was different? 

Our cruise where we found no one wanted to dine with others was a Western Mediterranean cruise on the Epic. I always thought that the huge size of the ship also contributed to that attitude as we found the ship less friendly as a whole, not just for sharing dining.

[MamaFej]

On 11/9/2021 at 5:52 PM, mom says said:

I'm going to give NBT the benefit of the doubt and say he was referring to the advent of the huge mega ships (which are only a part of those cruise lines), rather than being as elitist as his post sounded. 

 

However I also think he may have misinterpreted the other poster; that she was referring to types of cruises that were new to her.

You are correct. I had thought that it was overwhelmingly obvious, given the context of my post, that I meant tyes of cruises that are new to me. 

A 4000+ passenger ship would also be new to me, but it's not something I'm interested in. That might change when we have grandchildren to take on 3 generation cruises, but that's a considerable way off in the future. 

[FredT]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Our cruise where we found no one wanted to dine with others was a Western Mediterranean cruise on the Epic. I always thought that the huge size of the ship also contributed to that attitude as we found the ship less friendly as a whole, not just for sharing dining.

You may be right there.    We were on the Spirit (2000 pax) and found that the guests/dining/entertainment were just fine.  (But then again, we have not been on anything larger since our kids stopped cruising with us in High School)   If any complaints, it would be NCL's well known policies of nickel and diming you for EVERYTHING on board.  (But as we knew this going in, it was not really an issue for us) 

 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Crentist the Dentist said:

I want to try Crystal because they are struggling and have some great deals to get fannies on their ships. I may have missed the best deals already, but I keep checking for new ones.

 

I'm also very afraid that inflation is going to catch up on cruise line fares. The cost of food is going through the roof, or at least through the buffet. So maybe booking sooner rather than later is a good idea.

 

I'm thinking the same. I have several cruises now -- booked out to Fall 2023 and may book one more while special exist. 

 

Celebrity just announced a sale for solos (today being international singles day, i.e., all ones or 11/11) but the special does not include the cruise I'm considering.

 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Crentist the Dentist said:

I want to try Crystal because they are struggling and have some great deals to get fannies on their ships. I may have missed the best deals already, but I keep checking for new ones.

 

I'm also very afraid that inflation is going to catch up on cruise line fares. The cost of food is going through the roof, or at least through the buffet. So maybe booking sooner rather than later is a good idea.

Fares are virtually certain to go up substantially.  Not only are the costs of fuel and food on a strong upward trend, the pent-up hunger following the past couple of years will increase demand, while the recent cancellations/postponements of new construction paired with the scrapping of older ships will have limited supply.

 

That increased demand against a limited supply must force prices up.

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

not fun as a solo to dine alone every evening.

 

Agree, but the service can be very attentive!  

[ontheweb]

On 11/10/2021 at 5:36 PM, navybankerteacher said:

This has been my regular experience on NCL ships generally

Earlier today, I posted in the NCL section and asked if people wanted to meet others at dinner or dine alone. Basically, the responses were all we would rather just eat as a couple. The closest to I want to meet others at dinner was someone who said she liked that as a solo, but her husband would be with her on their next cruise (his first cruise), and his attitude was the exact opposite.

Edited November 12, 2021 by ontheweb