If not CCL, what cruise line would you go on and where would you go?

[firefly333]

32 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

I just cancelled my b2b carnival vista cruises for September and am looking at ncl which Ive been on 1x.  Have a 2022 on rccl grandeur out of barbados.

Lol we might have met on vista? I'm still booked for sept. Keeping the faith.

[jean87510]

22 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Lol we might have met on vista? I'm still booked for sept. Keeping the faith.

probably.  I just couldn't take it especially with the new rumored guidelines.  Maybe next year.

[Eli_6]

For all of you RCL fans, what is your favorite boat?  I have only been on their older ships but the giant ones look pretty cool.  I can't wait to get on the Mardi Gras.

[firefly333]

8 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

For all of you RCL fans, what is your favorite boat?  I have only been on their older ships but the giant ones look pretty cool.  I can't wait to get on the Mardi Gras.

Oasis class. I see you are in texas. Allure is scheduled to come to Galveston the end of 2022, but also needs terminal 3 which was put off one year until april 1st. They have asked for even more time and start paying rent by sept 2023. So you might have to go to florida for now.

 

Some love the newer builds like symphony or anthem best. If you are one to buy the UDP the dining pkg, it makes sense to pick a newer ship with more options. I loved oasis. My allure got changed to liberry for my b2b already, so book allure at your own risk right now out of texas. They offered no obc to downgrade ships, just a even price protected switch.

 

I like rcl because they have the best shows. Carnivals went way downhill. 

[SCBarker]

14 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

For all of you RCL fans, what is your favorite boat?  I have only been on their older ships but the giant ones look pretty cool.  I can't wait to get on the Mardi Gras.

Granted I've only done 2, Liberty of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Those two were probably my favorite and least favorite cruises. I personally didn't care for the Oasis class ships. Mainly because I didn't like having to book all the shows ahead of time, and it felt a little crowded. Everybody's opinion will probably vary.

 

Firefly is correct that RCL shows are exponentially better than CCL.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

The nicest ship we ever cruised on was the Sky Princess. it was fantastic. However we love many ships and cruise lines. The older Royal ships are our favorite. They are more old style nautical which we like. The cold feeling of most new ships are not for us.

[Jamesatgsu]

Going on NCL in Greece this summer. 

 

I do like Carnival, but NCL was very similar when I went on them before, and they are cheaper when factoring in the drink package.

 

I hope to try RCL and MSC in the not too distant future.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

21 minutes ago, Jamesatgsu said:

Going on NCL in Greece this summer. 

 

I do like Carnival, but NCL was very similar when I went on them before, and they are cheaper when factoring in the drink package.

 

I hope to try RCL and MSC in the not too distant future.

 

FYI The so called included drink package on NCL is not FREE. This is what NCL says. Unlimited Open Bar (service charges are additional) The service charge is not added to each drink you order. It is a fixed price. That cost is the difference between the cruise cost with, or without the drink package. That is what you are actually paying for the so called included drink package. Once you find that cost you will see that the Drink package you pay for on Carnival is actually a lot less.

[Jamesatgsu]

7 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

 

FYI The so called included drink package on NCL is not FREE. This is what NCL says. Unlimited Open Bar (service charges are additional) The service charge is not added to each drink you order. It is a fixed price. That cost is the difference between the cruise cost with, or without the drink package. That is what you are actually paying for the so called included drink package. Once you find that cost you will see that the Drink package you pay for on Carnival is actually a lot less.

You pay a fixed gratuity on Carnival's drink package too (it is $20 on NCL vs 9.35 on CCL).

 

My 7 day Greek cruise including air fare, drinks, 2 Specialty Restaurants, all gratuities, taxes, and Unlimited premium wifi is $3,544.91. Those gratuities you have a problem with are $138.60 per person compared to the Carnival total cost for a 7 day cruise of $429.11. I think $138.60 is < $429.11.

 

So if I booked Carnival's cheapest possible 7 day cruise for July of next year. it would be $1405.30 for my fare & taxes, $858.22 for Drinks, $101.15 for wifi, $195.86 for gratuity. That totals $2560.53. Doesn't include the Specialty Restaurants, nor does it include flights. If I booked those airline tickets myself they cost about $2,500 (that Carnival cruise would be even more since it would be flying to Brisbane, but chose Athens pricing to be more comparable). Last I checked $3,500 <<<< $5K.

 

And FWIW, on Carnival I tip on my bar tab even with the drink packages included gratuity, but don't on NCL.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

2 hours ago, Jamesatgsu said:

You pay a fixed gratuity on Carnival's drink package too (it is $20 on NCL vs 9.35 on CCL).

 

My 7 day Greek cruise including air fare, drinks, 2 Specialty Restaurants, all gratuities, taxes, and Unlimited premium wifi is $3,544.91. Those gratuities you have a problem with are $138.60 per person compared to the Carnival total cost for a 7 day cruise of $429.11. I think $138.60 is < $429.11.

 

So if I booked Carnival's cheapest possible 7 day cruise for July of next year. it would be $1405.30 for my fare & taxes, $858.22 for Drinks, $101.15 for wifi, $195.86 for gratuity. That totals $2560.53. Doesn't include the Specialty Restaurants, nor does it include flights. If I booked those airline tickets myself they cost about $2,500 (that Carnival cruise would be even more since it would be flying to Brisbane, but chose Athens pricing to be more comparable). Last I checked $3,500 <<<< $5K.

 

And FWIW, on Carnival I tip on my bar tab even with the drink packages included gratuity, but don't on NCL.

I am not considering anything other than the drink situation. When you purchase the Carnival drink package there is a 15% gratuity added to the package. Sol you are very close at $ 9.35. The gratuity added to your NCL included drinks (NOT a separate package purchase) is the difference between the price of the cruise without the included drinks or with. That can be many hundreds of dollars depending on the length of your cruise. That is a fact, because I accidently purchased the inclusive package and then found out later how much the cruise would ahve need without it. $400.00 That is not $20.00 a day.,

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Just took this off of both web sites. So NCL is 20% and Carnival is 15% what is the beverage service charge they are talking about and not saying how much that is?

Purchase outright the drink packages. Not the included ones. 

NCL Premium Prepaid @ $99.00 USD per person per day x Cruise Days plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge.

NCL top shelf Premium Plus Prepaid @ $128.00 USD per person per day plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge.

Carnival $51.95 / Person per Day plus a 15% gratuity charge. Save 10% vs onboard pricing by purchasing before you sail.

[Jamesatgsu]

22 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

I am not considering anything other than the drink situation. When you purchase the Carnival drink package there is a 15% gratuity added to the package. Sol you are very close at $ 9.35. The gratuity added to your NCL included drinks (NOT a separate package purchase) is the difference between the price of the cruise without the included drinks or with. That can be many hundreds of dollars depending on the length of your cruise. That is a fact, because I accidently purchased the inclusive package and then found out later how much the cruise would ahve need without it. $400.00 That is not $20.00 a day.,

Carnival's gratuity is 18%, not 15%. I'm not very close, I'm on the penny. If you want to sound like you know what you are talking about, I'd start with making sure you use the right numbers.

 

NCL's is 20% on the $99 value they charge on the drink package if you don't have it included, which how you get $20.

 

They do offer a non-inclusive rate, which was about $200 cheaper (and obviously does away with the gratuity cost). So that would be $480 on NCL vs $858 on Carnival, and I'd be losing my internet, my specialty dining, & my $50 excursion credit in addition to spending an additional $378. The rate difference certainly varies sailing to sailing, but unless you get a special rate code or Casino offer, unlimited drinking is a better deal on NCL. Especially if you want more than 15 drinks (Personally 15 is plenty).

1 minute ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Just took this off of both web sites. So NCL is 20% and Carnival is 15% what is the beverage service charge they are talking about and not saying how much that is?

Purchase outright the drink packages. Not the included ones. 

NCL Premium Prepaid @ $99.00 USD per person per day x Cruise Days plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge.

NCL top shelf Premium Plus Prepaid @ $128.00 USD per person per day plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge.

Carnival $51.95 / Person per Day plus a 15% gratuity charge. Save 10% vs onboard pricing by purchasing before you sail.

The 20% is the gratuity and service charge, not a 20% gratuity + a separate service charge. 

 

The $51.95 on Carnival is after the 10%. 

 

The Cheers package is slightly more inclusive than the Premium package on NCL (other than the 15 drink limit) because it includes a slightly higher drink cost (recently increased). So I know I will miss the specialty coffee, bottled water, & milkshakes that Cheers offers. If I was traveling with kids, I do believe I'd have to purchase the soda package for them, while Carnival doesn't make you. 

 

But do you want to know the #1 best thing about the drink package on NCL vs Carnival is? If you go to their respective private islands, NCL includes drinks there and Carnival does not. I realize it only applies to specific sailings, but it is so nice when you are there getting free drinks on the beach.

[skywonder]

On 5/11/2021 at 11:36 AM, Eli_6 said:

For all of you RCL fans, what is your favorite boat?  I have only been on their older ships but the giant ones look pretty cool.  I can't wait to get on the Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gra is going to be a blast I can not wait myself, it is going to be fun. As far as RCL we really liked the smaller ships like Radiance and Brilliance best. Biggest RCL we have been on was Freedom, it was great with the kids and we had a fun time. Have not been on the Oasis class but looking forward to trying them one day. Had Oasis and Allure scheduled last year before the Covid thing but we all know how that worked out.

[kona_wahine]

We just did a land vacation to Hawaii for 13 days. It was SO good to be back in a real vacation mode. Had a great time, masks only required indoors. Even 5 hours on a plane with a mask wasn’t bad. Funny, it’s just become such a habit it really doesn’t bother me anymore.