Previous Carnival cruiser wanting more...

[ryansmama]

I'm hoping some of you more seasoned cruisers can help me narrow down which line would make us happy. Husband and I are 34 yrs old and taking our 3 yr old on our next cruise.

 

We had a wonderful time aboard the Glory in January. That said, we it left us wanting in a few areas.

We loved the balcony, the bed/bedding, the supper club, the smoked salmon at breakfast, the deli sandwiches, the tea time service.

 

We'd love to travel on a ship with more 'classic'/'elegant' decor. Also, we

would love to be 'wowed' by the food. The food is very important to us.

 

We also like a more quiet atmosphere - we enjoy lots of activities, but we are not partyers or into nightlife.

 

The luxury lines are out of our reach, so we're trying to choose between

RCI, Princess, Celebrity and HAL.

 

Help! I'm leaning towards Princess, but I'm not sure.

[wwinfl91]

We have cruised on RCCL, Princess, Celebrity and HAL before. We have most of our cruises on HAL but have multiple cruises on RCCL and Princess.

 

We tried Celebrity once and were not impressed with the food which was supposingly the real strength of that cruise line. But it wasn't a bad cruise and we enjoyed it.

 

You will find all 4 cruise lines you mentioned as great improvements on Carnival IMHO. We have only done one Carnival cruise and it was TERRIBLE. Bad food, poor service, badly maintained ship etc.

 

HAL has an older clientel which you may or may not be comfortable with. It will be like cruising with your parents or grandparents.

 

Princess or RCCL may be good options for you. We have enjoyed good cruises on both lines.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[hubofhockey]

I'm hoping some of you more seasoned cruisers can help me narrow down which line would make us happy. Husband and I are 34 yrs old and taking our 3 yr old on our next cruise.

 

We had a wonderful time aboard the Glory in January. That said, we it left us wanting in a few areas.

We loved the balcony, the bed/bedding, the supper club, the smoked salmon at breakfast, the deli sandwiches, the tea time service.

 

We'd love to travel on a ship with more 'classic'/'elegant' decor. Also, we

would love to be 'wowed' by the food. The food is very important to us.

 

We also like a more quiet atmosphere - we enjoy lots of activities, but we are not partyers or into nightlife.

 

The luxury lines are out of our reach, so we're trying to choose between

RCI, Princess, Celebrity and HAL.

 

Help! I'm leaning towards Princess, but I'm not sure.

 

I love Princess but was not "wowed" by their food. The breakfast and lunch buffets are miles ahead of Carnival. However, dinners in the main dining room are not. But Princess does have two specialty restaurants and both are very good.

 

You will like the atmosphere and more activities on Princess as well as the increased choices of things to do at night. The pools are beautiful too.

 

If food is your thing, I have heard great things about Celebrity. Maybe someone can provide more detail on that. I haven't been. RCI is not quiet. But it's ships are beautiful and there is a lot to do.

[gaylebd]

Hello Ryansmama -

 

I am searching for the same - I've been on RCI twice but it was not up to par with the food - The specialty restaurants - went to both on each Ship - were not even close with The Emerald Room on Glory.

 

But that is the fun part - trying each Cruise Line - I had a GREAT time on RCI and loved the ships - but the food was average.

 

I am now choosing between:

Italy - Oceania or Azamara and

Southern Carib - NCL or Celebrity.

 

I know NCL gets alot of bashing - but after reading their menu it sounds a little sophisticated and I think that is what may turn some off (real raw sushi ... fois gras etc). Most are not that daring!

 

Good luck on your quest ... read all the menus from each line and you should get an indication.

 

BTW - Oasis will have an outstanding specialty restaurant with a tasting menu - check it out - http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/150CentralParkMenu.pdf

[cb at sea]

If food is a main ingredient for your cruiseline choice, you may have to go to a more "luxurious" line than any of the mass-market lines. In the past several years, the food choices have declined....they want to keep the prices the same, but SOMETHING has to give...and it's the food!

A 3 year old can't use most of the "amenities" of a cruise ship, so it won't make much difference to them...Pick a higher end line for your wants.

As your child get older, you'll have to give up the "foodie" part of your cruising experience if you want an older child to have fun!

[Essiesmom]

I have cruised many different lines, and have found the food to be much the same across the board. Keep iun mind that some of the upmarket lines do not have programs for children, and indeed, do not encourage their presence...EM

[hubofhockey]

I have cruised many different lines, and have found the food to be much the same across the board. Keep iun mind that some of the upmarket lines do not have programs for children, and indeed, do not encourage their presence...EM

 

Best thing to do if you really want great food is to book the specialty restaurants multiple times. Carnival only has one on its ships. Princess has two (both are very good). Some Celebrity ships have more. But that is the way to go. Just budget for this extra expense.

[Keith1010]

Princess has a wonderful childs program and they provide a nice traditional cruise. I think they would be a very nice choice.

 

Keith

[Bonnie J.]

Princess is the only line we have seen eggs benedict on the breakfast buffet and after midnight I found avacados stuffed with shrimp on the buffet! They have a plentiful choice on their buffets and not the same old stuff everyday. They have assigned seating or you can choose eat anytime dining.

I like RCCL too but like Princess a bit better.

CRUISE LINES WE"VE BEEN ON:

Dolphin

Commodore

Regency

Premier

Cape Canaveral Cruises

Carnival

Royal Caribean

NCL

Celebrity

Princess

Costa

[uppitycats]

I think almost anything is better than Carnival. We really liked our experiences on Princess, finding that line feelling more "upscale" and classy. NCL was nice, but a different sort of experience altogether. We had considered a HAL cruise next year til something else showed up, which we booked.

[cruisemom42]

Keeping in mind that so many things -- like food and decor -- are subjective, here are my thoughts.

 

All of the lines you are considering have their pluses and minuses. I happen to think Celebrity has the best food of the bunch. However, like another poster said, it may be better to budget some $$$ to go to specialty restaurants on board rather than expect any mass-market main dining room food to "wow" you. You have to realize how many diners are being served on board.

 

In terms of decor, HAL has what I consider beautiful understated decor that reminds one more of the ocean liners of the past. HAL also tends to have the oldest demographic, though, and I find it a bit dull at night.

 

I have cruised with my son since the age of 7, and he has always liked Princess' kids clubs and activities. I'd rate Princess food 2nd to Celebrity. We mostly cruise Princess now because it's his favorite, but if I were to choose I'd happily go on Celebrity. Or HAL, if the itinerary was great.

[GottaLuvCruising]

...we're trying to choose between

RCI, Princess, Celebrity and HAL.

 

 

We have cruised more than two dozen times on Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Disney & Celebrity. We have enjoyed all of our cruises.

 

Of the options you are considering and based on your criteria, I'd recommend Celebrity first (food #1) and Princess second. I think you'd be impressed by Celebrity's cuisine, service and more subdued atmosphere (although it isn't the best fit for us). We personally love Princess and would also recommend it, although the food is very good, it's not quite as good as Celebrity. We find Princess a little more relaxed (less stuffy) than Celebrity, the reason we prefer it.

[ryansmama]

Thanks for the wealth of information....I really am thinking Princess may be the best fit. The great thing is, I think no matter what, it will top our Carnival cruise. I'm surprised not a lot of people mentioned RCI -- I hear the ships are amazing, but the food may be below Carnival.

[DonnaK]

Thanks for the wealth of information....I really am thinking Princess may be the best fit. The great thing is, I think no matter what, it will top our Carnival cruise. I'm surprised not a lot of people mentioned RCI -- I hear the ships are amazing, but the food may be below Carnival.

 

 

RCI's ships do have that WOW factor, and we've always found their food to be excellent, and service to be outstanding. However, we aren't gourmet foodies. I suspect that to find the level of food quality that you seem to be looking for, you'll have to step above the mainstream lines.

 

We enjoyed our Princess cruise, but we found the food to be on par with RCI. They have more seafood/shellfish options on their menus, but much less variety and quality in their buffets. Their ships are more subdued compared to RCI...no WOW factor at all.

 

These remain our two favorite cruiselines.

[kerri1jill]

I have been on two RCCL cruises before, decided to give Carnival a try. It was ok, nothing fancy and definitely alot more classier. Seemed to be alot of unsupervised kids on this ship also, specially during dinner. Kids running around the dining room and parents just sending their other kids after the younger ones. It was very distracting and made the experience less than desireable. I found myself watching over these young kids to make sure they weren't getting hurt or wandering too far because it was evident the parents weren't watching.

 

That being said, the experiences we have had on the RCCL far surpass the Carnival and have decided never to stray from RCCL again. Their food in the dining room was always excellent, so there was no need to go to the specialty dining rooms. And the food in the Windjammer was always great, much better than the buffet on the Carnival. I hardly ate breakfast on Carnival because the eggs were runny and the toast was soggy, and I'm not a big sweat eater, so the syruppy stuff was out. They dished out the bacon, and put two pieces on your plate, so it made you feel like they were rationing your portions.

[hubofhockey]

Thanks for the wealth of information....I really am thinking Princess may be the best fit. The great thing is, I think no matter what, it will top our Carnival cruise. I'm surprised not a lot of people mentioned RCI -- I hear the ships are amazing, but the food may be below Carnival.

 

It all depends on the ship, the itinerary, and how much you want to spend. You should keep in mind that your cabin will be smaller (if you get a typical balcony cabin) on Princess. If you want a sofa in the room, you'll have to upgrade to a much more expensive mini-suite.

 

I don't know why you would think RCI's food isn't any good. It's actually pretty similar to Princess'. They both have very good buffet restaurants for lunch and breakfast and not so great MDRs.

[momofmeg]

HAL is the best fit for you if you want a nice tea on sea days. Celebrity also has a tea-but it is buffet style in their lido restaurant. I think those 2 are your best choices for what you want.

 

HAL's specialty restaurant also offers a luncheon on sea days. If you had dinner one there, and luncheon once there, I stink you would be happy.

[cruisemom42]

HAL is the best fit for you if you want a nice tea on sea days. Celebrity also has a tea-but it is buffet style in their lido restaurant. I think those 2 are your best choices for what you want.

 

HAL's specialty restaurant also offers a luncheon on sea days. If you had dinner one there, and luncheon once there, I stink you would be happy.

 

Princess has a very nice seated tea in the MDR as well. I thought it at least the equivalent of HAL's. (My mom, a devoted HAL cruiser, actually liked Princess's better.)

[momofmeg]

Princess has a very nice seated tea in the MDR as well. I thought it at least the equivalent of HAL's. (My mom, a devoted HAL cruiser, actually liked Princess's better.)

 

You are right-our last Princess cruise only had one sea day-so I forgot-but they did do nice teas. However, HAL and Celebrity are nicer lines overall. Unless you do a smaller Princess ship I mean-the grand class ships are too much like Carnival or RCI.