Looking for help finding info on three other lines

[DVC-Don]

I'd also recommend the Cruise Critic boards. In addition to Disney, I've sailed Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. I liked them both but would give the nod to Norwegian.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We really enjoy Princess' pastries, especially the variety at the International Café. And their yummy cold shrimp salad. We've never had a problem with Princess' service. And since their Alaskan cruises include Glacier Bay, I would choose them over DCL.

We cruised HAL several years ago and didn't have a problem with them, although our travel agent says they've gone downhill since then.

Celebrity has a great brunch, much better than DCL's Palo. They present it on a sea day every cruise, everyone is invited, and no up-charge.

OP mentioned loyalty points. We've been on RCCL enough to be invited to the equivalent of DCL's Castaway Club meetings. (Loyalty points from cruise-line sister Celebrity are combined with RCCL.) The food at the RCCL mtgs includes hot and cold hors de ouvres and a wide variety of goodies. DCL's refreshments were a joke by comparison. The Castaway Club meeting just seemed thrown together, like they didn't care about their returning guests.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What ship were you on? We sailed Regal Princess, and the buffet was really outstanding.

I think that may be ship-specific. We cruised on the Crown Princess, and found the buffet quite extensive and good.

 

[FloridaBabe]

I've seen some pretty simple questions being asked on cc and the opp just got beat up. it can get mean over there. I was shocked. the trip reports are great though.
good luck on your search.

Using the search facility can help, you will find the question has probably been asked 100 times before.

 

[Sanchez]

What ship were you on? We sailed Regal Princess, and the buffet was really outstanding.

We sailed on the Regal in January and the buffet was the best I have seen on a mass cruise line.

OP, it might be helpful to share if this is adult only or whether children are involved.

 

[joe strummer]

What exactly are you looking for in a cruise line? You quickly ruled out NCL - just curious as to why? I'm not a cheerleader but am very familiar with their product and have been quite happy with it, regardless of all the recent changes they have made.

 

[aggiedog]

I've been looking at other cruise lines as well. My biggest complaint is the other websites are really hard to navigate to see exactly what is available and when. Maybe it's just me, but cost comparisons are not coming easily when trying to figure out what rooms are available, which dining plans, etc.

 

[perditax]

Terrible websites are a hallmark of the cruise industry, including DCL.

Sometimes I find it easier to do my initial searches on costcotravel.com. They have most of the mass market sailings and you don't have to be a member to see most prices and extras with the search.

 

[cgolf]

Using the search facility can help, you will find the question has probably been asked 100 times before.

I haven't tried their search yet, but have found forum searches to be hit or miss, hopefully theirs is a hit.

 

[cgolf]

We sailed on the Regal in January and the buffet was the best I have seen on a mass cruise line.

OP, it might be helpful to share if this is adult only or whether children are involved.

A 41 year old child, me, my wife and 18 year old daughter. We will see how she does on her first DCL cruise as an adult, she is shy and generally likes to just chill, but really did enjoy the kids clubs.

 

[cgolf]

What exactly are you looking for in a cruise line? You quickly ruled out NCL - just curious as to why? I'm not a cheerleader but am very familiar with their product and have been quite happy with it, regardless of all the recent changes they have made.

We looked at the 3 lines daily activities sheets and based on that she didn't like what she saw for activities compared to Princess and Celebrity. RCCLs ships that went during the time periods we could sail were larger than she wanted to sail on. Not to say we couldn't be convinced, but that was the bulk of the research we did last night and some price compares.

 

[squirrel]

I am doing the Celebrity Solstice to Alaska in a couple weeks and I plan (hope?) to post a review/comparison with DCL when I return.

I would love a review. Looking at doing the same next year.

 

[MousseauMob]

We've sailed DCL, Celebrity, and HAL. We chose HAL for our Alaska cruises as they have the most experience and some of the best itineraries and berth slots. We've enjoyed all 3 lines. The kids always chose HAL as their favorite kids club. I know, shocking huh! They may not have the extensive areas that DCL has, but with less kids there is better bonding and interaction. The Jr. Ranger program in Glacier Bay was wonderful. Don't count a line out because of perception, you may be surprised by how nice they can be. Another experience we have had, everyone talks about how wonderful with the kids DCL CM's are, but we've found the same if not more interaction on other lines. I typically travel in the off season, so fewer kids onboard meant people would go out of there way to interact or do something nice for the kids.

 

[MousseauMob]

On CC, I typically only go to the cruise line forum or port of call forum and have not had any more mean or negative comments than I've had here. I have heard they can get that way, but haven't personally experienced it. I think if you go the cruise line thread and post a question, you'll get answers similar to here - the majority nice helpful people, with a few not so nice responses.

 

[bumbershoot]

Is there any other line that particularly stands out for childrens' activities? My guess is that no line will have the multiple and diverse kids clubs like DCL, but who comes closest? RCCL? Anyone else?

I ask only because we have three kids, each four years apart - 5, 9, 14. We really are not looking for a cruise with a "one-size-fits-all" kind of program. Thx!

My son LOVES Royal's clubs. With your ages they won't be in the same groups at all. On our two Royal cruises they were at slow times so the 6-8 group and 9-11 group were put together, but even doing that it doesn't get your kids together. But that's OK!

My son found that even though the club isn't as visually beautiful as on Dream, the counselors are excellent and are very interactive with the kids. He likes that sort of thing, and the counselors were able to get to know the kids, too.

I haven't tried their search yet, but have found forum searches to be hit or miss, hopefully theirs is a hit.

Rather than do a search on any site, I will generally do a google search something like "Radiance embarkation Vancouver cruisecritic" (if I want to know about Vancouver embarkation on Radiance of the Seas, from CC members) or "Disney Dream 12508 disboards" (if I want to know about that stateroom on that ship from Dis members). Make sure I'm reading the newer threads, and read away!

 

[Krissy22222]

What ship were you on? We sailed Regal Princess, and the buffet was really outstanding.

We sailed the Star, out of SF. It's an older ship so I'm glad to hear so many had good experiences with the buffets on other Princess ships. We tend to eat most meals in the MDRs, so the buffet was not really a problem. It was more the poor customer service. The buffet on HAL is fabulous, if anyone is looking into A HAL cruise. By the way, HAL is the only cruise line I've tried not afraid to make their food spicy, if you like that sort of thing.

 

[perditax]

Since this thread may draw people who are considering multiple cruise lines for the first time:

Yes, you are going to see people saying that every single cruise line's food is both inedible and fantastic. Yes, it's confusing and makes it very hard to pick a line when you're first starting out. Your best bet is probably not to weight "food quality" heavily in making your decision, and don't treat your decision as a life or death situation.

Speaking from experience here.

 

[cgolf]

Since this thread may draw people who are considering multiple cruise lines for the first time:

Yes, you are going to see people saying that every single cruise line's food is both inedible and fantastic. Yes, it's confusing and makes it very hard to pick a line when you're first starting out. Your best bet is probably not to weight "food quality" heavily in making your decision, and don't treat your decision as a life or death situation.

Speaking from experience here.

Agreed, we have always enjoyed DCL's food, and there are days on these boards it feels like we are the only ones

One thing I am concerned about with food is that I am on a gluten free diet and DCL has been awesome. They even made me fried chicken I would think other lines handle it well too, but it would definately be a concern going into the cruise.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Agreed, we have always enjoyed DCL's food, and there are days on these boards it feels like we are the only ones

One thing I am concerned about with food is that I am on a gluten free diet and DCL has been awesome. They even made me fried chicken I would think other lines handle it well too, but it would definately be a concern going into the cruise.

I was worried about this with my upcoming Celebrity cruise, but I have read excellent reports on CC that they do GF well. And my sister, who has celiac, just cruised Celebrity for the first time earlier this year and said it was the best GF cruising experience she has had. Of course, she has primarily done NCL. And never Disney.

 

[momof2n2]

My friend and I did a moms cruise in Caribbean Princess last November & we liked it tremendously. I do them again no questions asked for adults. We found the MDR excellent, and buffet so-so. MUTS was fun, and the pools were genuinely usable.

Inside room was a bit small, but for 2 was completely doable. We loved the lido deck forward location.