Do most cruisers find a cruise line

[csoud68]

And for whatever reason  stick with it for the most part?

 

For me, I like how Carnival does things.

 

I tried Rci...wasnt for me.

 

Id love to see some answers..

[ldubs]

We don't stick to one line.   We have pretty much spread things among Princess, RCI, and Celebrity.  We have done some Carnival cruises too and will be doing a short one later this month.  Our choices are driven primarily by itinerary.   So far, these lines have provided what we like.    I would be open to others.  I will also admit there are a couple of lines I would tend to avoid based on what I've read here or heard from others.   

 

To add another layer, we also like certain ships (ship classes) within a line.  All things being equal that could be a deciding factor.  

 

As folks develop meaningful perks on a cruise lIne I can see how, other things being equal (again), that would come into play if deciding between options.   We would sure do that.  

 

[leaveitallbehind]

54 minutes ago, csoud68 said:

And for whatever reason  stick with it for the most part?

 

For me, I like how Carnival does things.

 

I tried Rci...wasnt for me.

 

Id love to see some answers..

Just the opposite of you.  Tried RCCL 30 years ago for our first cruise and have cruised with them and Celebrity ever since.  Not that this is a reason to remain exclusive but we have a high loyalty program status with them as a result and enjoy those benefits on board.  Have no interest at this point to try Carnival or NCL of the other mass market lines. Maybe Princess.  Probably will try some of the more all inclusive smaller ship luxury lines however.

Edited May 3, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[pris993]

We have over 60 cruises, lost count, on 9 different lines.  30 cruises with Princess, so I guess that is our cruise line of choice.   We explored a lot of lines.

[LHT28]

Tried some  ..they are one & done

For us  we usually stick with one line  we prefer smaller ships 

we do try other lines but only on smaller ships

Not all cruise line will suit everyone

 

[cruizergal70]

15 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Just the opposite of you.  Tried RCCL 30 years ago for our first cruise and have cruised with them and Celebrity ever since.  Not that this is a reason to remain exclusive but we have a high loyalty program status with them as a result and enjoy those benefits on board.  Have no interest at this point to try Carnival or NCL of the other mass market lines. Maybe Princess.  Probably will try some of the more all inclusive smaller ship luxury lines however.

Princess is mass market. 

[losfp]

I think it'll just depend on each individual person.

 

For us, our first cruise in 2002 was with P&O Australia. They were simply one of the only choices sailing out of Sydney at the time so that's what we did. It was fun enough. Our next cruise was a small ship cruise in Alaska with Cruisewest (now defunct) for our honeymoon in 2007. Amazing cruise, but really a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience due to cost.

 

Then we didn't sail on a cruise for many years - kids will do that - until 2015 on Disney in the Caribbean. Loved it. 

 

When we looked at doing another cruise back in Alaska in 2017 for our 10th anniversary, we wanted to do Disney as we enjoyed it so much but Princess was literally half the price for a much better itinerary so we went with them.

 

Since then we've been on Princess twice more (New Zealand in 2018/19 and Asia in 2020) and P&O one more time (Moreton Island in 2018). So it's just turned out that we have a bit of status with Princess. 

 

Now we have another Princess cruise to New Zealand booked, and also looking to do our first RCL cruise next year as I'd been keen to try them out. If money wasn't a factor I'd love to try out a heap more cruise lines to get personal experience, but for now all we can do is rely on comparisons from people who have tried other lines and can relate it to lines we DO know.

[Aquahound]

1 hour ago, csoud68 said:

And for whatever reason  stick with it for the most part?

 

For me, I like how Carnival does things.

 

I tried Rci...wasnt for me.

 

Id love to see some answers..

 

I have my favorites (Royal Caribbean and Celebrity) but I have not stuck with them exclusively.  I enjoyed my cruises on Princess, NCL, and Holland America.  I'll surely cruise them again, but they are not my preferred lines. 

 

I'm also looking to try a premium line in the near future.  I have my eyes on Viking Ocean and Windstar. 

 

One and done with Carnival.  

[leaveitallbehind]

9 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

Princess is mass market. 

I realize that and meant that they would be one of the other mass market cruise lines I would maybe try other than the two I mentioned that I probably won't. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[Nebr.cruiser]

Not us.  We've sailed on a bunch of different lines and always enjoyed outselves.  We cruise Princess the most, also Celebrity and NCL.  Itinerary and price are the most important things to us.  We do enjoy good entertainment too.

 

Besides the three above we have also liked Carnival, RCI and some others.  The only cruise that was just so-so for us was our one cruise on Holland America.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, csoud68 said:

And for whatever reason  stick with it for the most part?

 

For me, I like how Carnival does things.

 

I tried Rci...wasnt for me.

 

Id love to see some answers..

Though saying “this is a wonderful question” is usually a “dodge,” this actually is a very good conversation starter.

Let’s start with the reality that Italian antiquities do not change (not does the penguin colonies of southern-most South America. In short, many cruise lines do basically similar itineraries though some lines have smaller ships that can visit more unusual ports and some lines are better known for longer itineraries. 
For the proposes of this question, however, let’s talk primarily about the shipboard experience that gets you to/through that chosen itinerary.

Whenever I read a CC comment that the ship doesn’t matter, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that the poster is talking about mass market line #1 vs mass market line #2. For the most part, they are all more similar than they are different as regards that shipboard experience.

And mass market lines have come to understand that the shipboard experience does make a significant difference - so much so that they’ve created ship-within-a-ship programs to address their own deficiencies.

 

The cruise alternatives for those seeking a better way to get to the Roman Forum or to Polynesia or to Cape Town (or anywhere other than “fill-in-the-blank” cookie-cutter Caribbean islands) are premium /luxury cruise lines that offer a significantly different experience - often focused on specific facets of the overall cruise experience.

FWIW: I once attended a presentation by the then CEO of Azamara who, when asked the question “How is Azamara different from Oceania?”, answered “A is about overnights in ports while O is about food.” That says it all!

Of course, O’s food remains the “Finest Cuisine at Sea” while the line has also added many more overnights to their itineraries. On the other hand, all that has changed on Azamara is that it was sold to Sycamore Partners.  
 

In any case, some of the premium/luxury lines take the “different experience” one (or three) steps further. The good news is that some focus on a certain demographic with key components that make choosing those lines to get to wherever is a “no brainer” for their target demographic. 

 

I mention all this because we were mass market cruisers, particularly when our daughter was young and there was no Disney Cruises. Royal Caribbean took care of priority one, which was our kid’s enjoyment. Other than that, other mass market line’s were “one and done” since they just didn’t come close to meet g what we needed, expected and/or preferred in a vacation experience.

 

Fortunately, once retired and able to spend more time exploring the world, we connected with a well-respected cruise TA  in Seattle who “interviewed” us and determined that one particularly cruise line was distinct enough (in all that mattered to us) to deserve our hard-earned-dollars. That was more than a decade ago and, suffice to say we will spend more than 100 nights across a half dozen cruise segments over the next twelve months on that, our preferred, cruise line.

 

FWIW: Are we loyal to that line? Of course not since, once they no longer meet our needs/expectations, we will move on. Rather, we have a “preferred” cruise line that takes us where we want to go with a shipboard experienced that checks off all our “requirement” boxes and does so at a value laden price.

 

So, I recommend that folks don’t buy that “ship doesn’t matter” BS. 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, csoud68 said:

And for whatever reason  stick with it for the most part?

 

For me, I like how Carnival does things.

 

I tried Rci...wasnt for me.

 

Id love to see some answers..

 

We tend to stick with a cruise line that works for us. Spent 40 years, both working for and then cruising as a pax with what is now a mega ship mainstream cruise line. Ditched them in 2015 after a terrible World Cruise.

 

After our final cruise with them, we spent a couple of years researching options, finally selecting a smaller ship cruise line that is our current preference. They will continue as our preferred cruise line until their standards don't meet our expectations.

[mom says]

 I would never be so presumptuous  as to say that "the ship doesn't matter" is BS. There are, in fact people who genuinely feel that way FOR THEMSELVES. Personal preference is just that, personal,  and to in essence call them liars is just wrong. Some people actually look at the ship as convenient transportation and hotel in one and place their emphasis and interest on the itinerary. However these are also not the people likely to go on mass market ships going to the same old ports week after week in the Caribbean and Med.

 

We have no particular loyalty to any one line, although there are certain lines we would be highly unlikely to sail on. Some have been one and done. There are 2 or 3  that we have a preference for,  but we don't limit ourselves to only them. . While we choose our cruises based primarily on itinerary, FOR US, the choice of which line sailing with the itinerary we want comes a close second. Cost comes 3rd.

[donaldsc]

My parameters for cruise line choice are 

 

1) Itinerary

2) Itinerary

3) Itinerary

4) Ship size - the smaller the better.  Prefer ships that are less than 1000 passengers.  I am currently booked on 2 cruises on ships w ~200 passengers each.

5) Absence of the features that make the ship more similar to a carnival w rides than a real ship.  If I want carnival rides, I will go to a carnival (note the use of lower case "c".

 

DON

Edited May 3, 2022 by donaldsc

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

 I would never be so presumptuous  as to say that "the ship doesn't matter" is BS. There are, in fact people who genuinely feel that way FOR THEMSELVES. Personal preference is just that, personal,  and to in essence call them liars is just wrong. Some people actually look at the ship as convenient transportation and hotel in one and place their emphasis and interest on the itinerary. However these are also not the people likely to go on mass market ships going to the same old ports week after week in the Caribbean and Med.

 

We have no particular loyalty to any one line, although there are certain lines we would be highly unlikely to sail on. Some have been one and done. There are 2 or 3  that we have a preference for,  but we don't limit ourselves to only them. . While we choose our cruises based primarily on itinerary, FOR US, the choice of which line sailing with the itinerary we want comes a close second. Cost comes 3rd.

Soooo..., the ship DOES matter for you. And one would trust that, given the same basic  itinerary at the same cost at the same time, you’d actually have a preference for one line over the other as opposed to “flipping a coin.”

Ergo: “the ship doesn’t matter” is still as much BS as is the choice of a hotel or restaurant or new car or where to live (or a zillion other things).  

[mom says]

12 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Soooo..., the ship DOES matter for you. And one would trust that, given the same basic  itinerary at the same cost at the same time, you’d actually have a preference for one line over the other as opposed to “flipping a coin.”

Ergo: “the ship doesn’t matter” is still as much BS as is the choice of a hotel or restaurant or new car or where to live (or a zillion other things).  

You still fail to grasp the concept of personal preference. At no time did I say that the choice of ship held no importance FOR ME. That in no way negates the idea that the choice of ship holds no significant importance for someone else. To assume otherwise is arrogant, dismissive, and presumptuous.  

 

And BTW, our upcoming cruise very nearly WAS a coin toss between 2 different lines. The winner was cheaper due to a well timed sale.

Edited May 3, 2022 by mom says

[Flatbush Flyer]

22 minutes ago, mom says said:

You still fail to grasp the concept of personal preference. At no time did I say that the choice of ship held no importance FOR ME. That in no way negates the idea that the choice of ship holds no significant importance for someone else. To assume otherwise is arrogant, dismissive, and presumptuous.  

 

And BTW, our upcoming cruise very nearly WAS a coin toss between 2 different lines. The winner was cheaper due to a well timed sale.

I trust that you’d find that the vast majority of situations where the choice of ship involved no pre-conceived preference would be those where the cruiser had little or no experience. Even then, witness the many “new cruiser” posts here on CC asking “which is the better ship” between/among two or more on their “similar itinerary/price” short list. 

Moreover, it’s a sad commentary on the quality of a shipboard experience that cannot be differentiated from one or more of its competitors. 
 

Nonetheless, I do understand your point that some folks may SAY they could care less about what essentially becomes their home away from home for anywhere from a week to a month or more. But, once they have a few cruises under their belt, it would be very difficult to not find themselves giving some weight to factors they enjoyed or disliked on the cruises they had so far experienced.

[DirtyDawg]

6 hours ago, donaldsc said:

My parameters for cruise line choice are 

 

1) Itinerary

2) Itinerary

3) Itinerary

4) Ship size - the smaller the better.  Prefer ships that are less than 1000 passengers.  I am currently booked on 2 cruises on ships w ~200 passengers each.

5) Absence of the features that make the ship more similar to a carnival w rides than a real ship.  If I want carnival rides, I will go to a carnival (note the use of lower case "c".

 

DON

I would add as # 1 Time

If you are time limited for your cruise, it will reduce the itineraries that are available to you. 

That will also affect the ship sizes that are available for those itineraries. Like Don I prefer smaller ships vs bigger ships. But of course you might be different. 

If the OP would like to try other cruise lines try a sister brand to Carnival. Princess for example. Try it and see which you cruise brand you prefer. Afterwards if you still prefer Carnival stick with Carnival. Hey, people stick with the same car brand or laundry detergent brand for years. 

 

But definitely vary your itineraries as much as you can. Ships move around. Take advantage of that. 

 

Have fun planning your next cruise!

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by DirtyDawg

[marco]

For us.....there are 3 lines that are our preferred choice and 2 that we've been on and won't, again.  For those lines in between that we have sailed on in the past, it depends on date, price and itinerary to book or not.

[cruisemom42]

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Soooo..., the ship DOES matter for you. And one would trust that, given the same basic  itinerary at the same cost at the same time, you’d actually have a preference for one line over the other as opposed to “flipping a coin.”

 

It's not necessarily that the ship doesn't matter -- but the reality is that it is often so far down on my list of priorities that in actuality it "doesn't matter" because there is no equivalent choice to be made. 

 

Itinerary will always win out over ship -- for me.  Heck, I had an O cruise booked that went to Iceland/Greenland and then ditched it for a better itinerary on a line that I once swore I'd never cruise on again -- NCL -- because their itinerary was closer to my "ideal". 

 

[csoud68]

As a young new cruiser at 30 going on Carnival i had a blast. I had no idea what a cruise was like. All i know was that it was fun..

 

I then went on rci and was blown away by the upgraded ship. I was so excited for that week. But i found the ship wasnt for me when i was bored at 9:45 pm. I also felt nickel and dimed. 

 

I find, even though i am older and  Slowing a bit, i still like like im a young guy at heart. But carnivals ships were tiresome and i was open to rci oasis ahips as a change 

 

And now Carnivals new excel class ships are pulling close to rci when it comes to decor.  We booked a week on the new "celebration" and expect an upgraded experience in every way..

.

I can see though that a norwegian alaska cruise is starting to appeal to me these says and im looking forward to that change. 

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

It's not necessarily that the ship doesn't matter -- but the reality is that it is often so far down on my list of priorities that in actuality it "doesn't matter" because there is no equivalent choice to be made. 

 

Itinerary will always win out over ship -- for me.  Heck, I had an O cruise booked that went to Iceland/Greenland and then ditched it for a better itinerary on a line that I once swore I'd never cruise on again -- NCL -- because their itinerary was closer to my "ideal". 

 

I too have itinerary as Priority number 1.

However, part of that prime consideration is a “configuration” preference not readily found on all cruise lines. Priority number 2 is the quality of the shipboard experience and Priority number 3 is the value inherent in the experience.

 

Regarding “configuration,” whatever are the ports we want to visit, we prefer to visit them on a one way route (from/to interesting favorite or new cities where we add extra land days and get the most out of intercontinental airfare) covering at least 3-6 weeks on the ship and including both occasional sea days and overnights in those ports where we want more time to explore. Note as well that, in many ways, our cruises also serve as scouting trips for future land travel.

 

And, if for no other reason than the preferred duration of our cruises, the quality of the shipboard experience necessarily claims an almost equally important priority.  Cuisine, service and a satisfying sleep experience become paramount considerations in the selection of a home away from home (particularly if an average year finds you on ships 25% of the time AND if anything less than the quality of your normal day-to-day life would be unacceptable). Shipboard “deal breakers” for us are mediocre food, floating amusement parks, nickel/diming, thundering herds of passengers facing poor space and crew ratios.....  

 

As for “value,” we focus on the “net daily rate” of the cost of a cruise vacation. IMO, one of the rookie mistakes both new and seasoned cruisers make is to only compare basic cabin fares in cost comparisons. Cruise value  is an arena where we have found that a “menu of optional inclusiveness” addresses the needs of most folks, many of whom have had quite the “Aha!” experience when they finally do the real “bottom line” math. (But, that’s a whole other discussion thread).

 

Considering the above criteria, many cruisers in our geezer demographic find themselves relying on a “rule out” process in making a decision about the desired combination of itinerary, ship and value. And, from my experience, getting to a “short list” (very very short) of preferred cruise line(s) will find few and far between candidates that “fill the bill” in a consistent way. We’ve done the exercise (and revisit the process on a fairly regular basis).

The result keeps coming back to our preferred cruise line.

[cruizergal70]

8 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

Ergo: “the ship doesn’t matter” is still as much BS as is the choice of a hotel or restaurant or new car or where to live (or a zillion other things).  

The ship really doesn't matter to me. My focus is on itinerary.  I don't burden cruises with trying to meet needs they can never meet.

 

Where to live, cars, are a different type of decision making.

Edited May 3, 2022 by cruizergal70

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

It's not necessarily that the ship doesn't matter -- but the reality is that it is often so far down on my list of priorities that in actuality it "doesn't matter" because there is no equivalent choice to be made. 

 

Itinerary will always win out over ship -- for me.  Heck, I had an O cruise booked that went to Iceland/Greenland and then ditched it for a better itinerary on a line that I once swore I'd never cruise on again -- NCL -- because their itinerary was closer to my "ideal". 

 

I think there is a difference between cruises where the itinerary is very important and those that are just a fun vacation. A port heavy Mediterranean or Baltic cruise is very different from just visiting Caribbean Islands.

[cruizergal70]

3 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I think there is a difference between cruises where the itinerary is very important and those that are just a fun vacation. A port heavy Mediterranean or Baltic cruise is very different from just visiting Caribbean Islands.

Exactly.  I  don't sail the Caribbean Islands. We focus on Mediterranean,  Northern Europe, etc.

Edited May 3, 2022 by cruizergal70