How do you know which cruise line is right for you?

[MomLC]

We are first time cruisers. Going on a DCL in May. I would love to book another DCL for December, but I always see other cruise lines offering much better deals.
I know there are a lot of experts on here so I am looking for some guidance as to which cruise line we should try next. My husband and I are in our 50s and our dd is 21.
We are not looking for a party type atmosphere. Just something nice and relaxing.

Thank you to anyone who could give me some suggestions.

 

[Drfate102]

Watch YouTube videos and try a few. I know Cunard is not for me as it is too stuffy. I don't think Virgin is a good fit for me as well. I love DCL and I have done a Princess and it was ok, I would do it again but not my first choice as it was a little formal. Looking to try RCL and maybe a Carnival just to see.

 

[shoegal9]

I have only been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. We are doing our first DCL cruise in a couple of weeks.

Carnival was fine because I was in my mid-20s at the time. We did Royal Caribbean last summer because we are Floridians and found a good deal- and it was awful. The food was terrible, ship was dirty and smelled like smoke, could never get a table in the buffet area. We hated it and decided we will gladly pay more for a better experience. A LOT MORE even. Take my money so I never have to experience that cruise again.

I've heard good things about Norwegian and Celebrity. Virgin looks like Vegas on the seas which is not my vibe at 40.

 

[bigAWL]

I recommend finding a travel agent who personally experiences all the different cruise lines. Establish a relationship and let them know what you're looking for. Also talk to other cruisers who have sailed many times on a cruise line and get their advice on what to expect and what to avoid.

I also like Gary Bembridge's YouTube channel where he often makes recommendations about which cruises are best for different types of people. Tips For Travellers

 

[iloveeeyore]

I agree with the advice above and would reiterate use a good TA, watch a ton of vlogs on YouTube, and try a few.

After your Disney cruise, you will know if you like cruising at all. And then you can pinpoint what you love, like, and don't enjoy (if anything) about DCL. Then you can look for others that have commonalities that you like, but lack what you don't.

Hubby and I are in our 50s. We have tried Holland, Royal multiple times, and DCL. So far, DCL is our fave, and we are willing to pay the higher cost for DCL vs those when the itinerary interests us and/or the timing is convenient. That said, we have enjoyed every cruise! We have many friends our age who absolutely adore Carnival....it's all a matter of personal preference and you shouldn't rule out any possibilities until you have done some research.

We are trying Celebrity in June, and also really want to try Virgin and maybe Princess and MSC.

Enjoy your first! Please report back.

 

[soniam]

We pretty much stick with DCL (when our son goes) and Celebrity (when it's adults only). Unfortunately, our son will age out of the DCL clubs next year, so I don't know who we will cruise with when taking him. We have done Royal but prefer Celebrity. I have adult only friends that will only do DCL. However, we find the DCL itineraries limiting, and the prices really high. On Celebrity, we usually get a suite. Won't pay for that on DCL. I think you have to look at reviews and videos. After your first cruise, you can determine what you really like about cruising, and that will help you determine the cruise line. Good luck!

 

[happycamper47]

We did Royal Caribbean last summer because we are Floridians and found a good deal- and it was awful. The food was terrible,. We hated it and decided we will gladly pay more for a better experience. A LOT MORE even. Take my money so I never have to experience that cruise again.

X-2 and our cabin and hall way had a musty smell, cold food on the buffet. Plus they nickel and dime you to death. DCL is well worth the extra money, we also had a good experience with Princess.

 

[beckicnm]

I only tried Celebrity because they had a cruise that ended in San Diego on the exact day that I had to be there for a conference, and I absolutely fell in love with the ship and the line. So sometimes it's just luck and sometimes it is figuring out what you like. I sailed once on Royal Caribbean and did not have a good experience. I have since then watched lots and lots of YouTube videos - Harr Travel does lots of very indepth tour videos - and use those to choose ships. I use Tracey with Dreams Unlimited and she has been very helpful with Celebrity. I have also found that for the most part, Celebrity has the itineraries I want and DCL doesn't. Glacier Bay in Alaska is on my list. So is Egypt.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[kiford]

So much depends on what's important to you: ports, room size, food variety and quality and dining options, smoking/no smoking on board, casino, staff to guest ratio, entertainment, activities, demographic, sedate versus party atmosphere, set dining time versus dine anytime, spa, gym, price, time of year, excursion options, on and on.

We've only cruised Disney, but even when picking which DCL cruise, we take these factors into account. For example, I prefer taking one of the larger ships if travelling to the Caribbean or Bahamas since I'm not really too interested in the islands. If I haven't been to a particular island before, I might do a short excursion, but I'm more likely to stay on board and relax in the Cove Cafe or do some activities or go to the pool. So those amenities will be more important to me than the port selections.

I'm more likely to want pool time on a 7-day cruise than on a 4-day. After our recent cruise on the Wish, I can't say I'm impressed by the adult pool area. On a 7-day, that might be a deal-breaker for me, but on a 4-day, we spent about an hour in that area, and that was enough for us because there were so many other things to do and see. We probably spent more time on the Aqua Mouse than in the pool.

When going to Europe, we prefer the smaller ships so that you can get to more ports, fewer ports require tenders, and those that do are not as busy, there's enough on the ship to keep me occupied for the short time that I'm not in the port, and the rooms are a little larger than those on the Dream and Triton class which is important for storage because it's usually a longer cruise.

We've looked at other cruise lines and, for us, any cruise line that allows smoking in the interior is a no-go for us. That cuts out a lot of lines. Food is important to us, so any cruise line that doesn't have what we consider to be decent options in the main dining room will be a no-go because I don't feel like being forced to go to specialty restaurants for a decent steak or more than the average chain restaurant fare and to also have fight for bookings. I want a reasonably all-inclusive cruise where I can have a good experience without having to constantly fork out for things I think should be included (e.g., shows, movies on TV, room service, etc.) or where I'm constantly hounded to buy.

I don't need roller coasters and skating rinks (so probably not any mega Royal Caribbean ship), but I do want some decent entertainment options that aren't limited to nightclubs or Vegas-style shows and raunchy comedy (so not Virgin). I'm not looking for a party atmosphere, booze cruise, or one that caters to largely very young crowds (so not Carnival). But I do want a decent selection of higher-end spirits and wine. I'm also not looking for a retirement home at sea (so not Holland America). We may be in our late 50s/early 60s, but we're relatively active people, and we regularly weightlift and exercise, so I don't want excursion options that are limited to, or geared for, people who just want an easy stroll (so many river cruise lines are a no). And while we don't always go to the gym when on a cruise, I do want one available to me with reasonably good equipment, just in case. I'm not big on beaches or water sports so cruise lines that cater to that are not interesting to me (so no mega yacht or uber small cruise ships). This is the type of analysis of your own preferences and needs you have to do and then look at the different cruise lines and see which are a definite no for you. There are lots of videos from bloggers on YouTube as well as the cruise line website and promo videos.

So far, the only reason we've even been looking at other cruise lines beyond DCL is the ports. There are lots of other places I'd like to go, but it still has to be on my terms. IMO, a less expensive cruise line isn't a good value if it doesn't also provide you with the experience you want. So we start with the experience and then look at the price. If your requirements aren't as picky and rigid as ours, you may find many more options than we currently have found.

 

[Marthasor]

If you like a quieter experience on a bigger ship - look at Celebrity

If you want a quieter experience on a smaller ship (or yacht) - look at Windstar (we've done the Star Plus Class motor yachts - beautiful rooms, great service)

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

After 14 DCL cruises, we finally tried Royal Caribbean (Allure of the Seas). In a few weeks, I'm trying Princess, and this summer HAL. I think we're going to like Princess and HAL more than RC due to size, noise and ease of relaxation.

Here are some random thoughts (note that the DCL comments don't necessarily apply to the WISH):

• We like the smaller ships better. RC was HUGE!
• DCL has a LOT of kids. RC did not.
• RC is LOUD! The music in public areas was always super-loud. Except in the Solarium.
• We did like the Solarium on RC--nice, quiet, tons of chairs, plenty of pool space.
• I did think RC had a party atmosphere--lots of loud music, though not really a ton of drunk people. I don't expect this to be the case on Princess or HAL.
• RC did not have a lot of places to go where you could just relax and see the ocean other than sundecks with no shade. On DCL there's deck 4, big portholes in some of the lounges, shady spots especially by the adult pools, windows in the MDR. On the other hand, we all had balcony cabins on RC for the price of inside on DCL and we ended up there a lot.
• Way more dining options on RC, but MDR and buffet are not as good as DCL.
• DH loves hearing the Disney music in the hallways on DCL.
• On other lines, you have to book a "suite" or something like that to get a room the size of a regular DCL room.
• RC had more varied entertainment, and a lot of it was top-notch. The Aqua show was terrific, Mama Mia was excellent, the bands playing in the lounges were better than what I've seen on DCL. But also louder.
• The sheets on RC were worn-out (two of our 4 staterooms had this issue).
• For Alaska this summer, we chose based on itinerary (wanted Glacier Bay).

Totally agree with others who suggest watching YouTubes for ships you are thinking about trying.

Have a great trip in May!

 

[Tink3815]

My opinion Carnival- terrible food but great shows and comedians.

 

[tidefan]

Just to throw another thought in. Sometimes it’s not the line, but rather the ship.

On RCCL, you will have a very different experience on the Wonder OTS vs. say the Grandeur OTS.

On CCL, you will have a very different experience on Mardi Gras than on the Elation.

On Princess, there is a difference (especially in the buffet) between the Royal class ships and the Grand class ships.

 

[RysMomma]

We've done 5 Disney Cruises and decided to do our first Royal in December. We wanted a cruise that left from NY/NJ during Christmas time and this was the one. We're excited to try something new, but we're also not sure how much we're going to love it as we have been spoiled by Disney. My kids will be 16 and 13 and are HUGE Disney nuts (like their momma!) so we know it'll be a difference. But we're willing to try it out. If we hate it, hey, at least we tried something new and we will have stories to tell for the rest of our lives. If we love it, then we discovered we love it as a family. We're pretty easy to please, so I don't see us being too upset about things.

 

[DCLMP]

I prefer cruise lines that are more geared towards families. Disney, Royal, and Carnival are more my type. My kids are adults now, but I still don’t see myself cruising on more adult centric cruises.