Your second choice for a Cruise Line

[JanetRose]

First, I know there are other threads with this information, and I also plan on looking for those.

Just wanted to ask again for another suggestion for a cruise line.

We are seniors, do not drink, not that interested in gambling; but do enjoy good food and entertainment.

We have been on a few Disney cruises and just want to see what else is out there.

Thank you!

 

[soniam]

Celebrity. We went without our son and didn't gamble at all. Had great food, music, and friendly people.

 

[tvguy]

We found HAL very good as far as service/food/entertainment, maybe a hair better than Disney in some areas. We did 2 Alaska cruises with them.

Celebrity is also very good, on par with Disney and HAL in service and food. Only negative was the intense sales pitches to sign up for the extra cost dining. We did a Vancouver/Victoria/San Francisco/Santa Barbara/Los Angeles cruise with them.

We also found NCL and RCCL to be very good but those cruises were so long ago not sure those experiences are still valid.

NCL America, a division of NCL that operates just one ship, the Pride of America around Hawaii was a bit lower than the rest, but that cruise really isn't a cruise. The ship isn't a destination like other cruises, the ship is much more just your hotel as it overnights in two of the ports and the cruise line expects passengers to spend a lot of time overnight dining, drinking and touring.

 

[MomOTwins]

I keep hearing great things about Viking and have watched some videos and it does look pretty awesome, but I won’t be able to test it out until my kids are 18+.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Ive been watching a lot of Virgin Voyages YouTube videos. They are very much NOT the traditional cruise line, and people need to research to manage expectations . But they are adult only and they dont have a casino and they have very different entertainment and food / dining options.

 

[RedHead0186]

I've only cruised DCL, Carnvial, and Princess. Would not recommend Carnival, but enjoyed Princess more than I expected to. At least on our cruise, the average guest age was pretty high (but it was a fully vaxxed cruise before vaccines were available to children). But, that didn't bother me much. I appreciated all of the experiences and had a good time (and will be doing Princess again next year for an Alaskan cruise).

 

[Marthasor]

Celebrity. We went without our son and didn't gamble at all. Had great food, music, and friendly people.

I agree with this. When not doing DCL, Celebrity is our go-to. It's very laid back and doesn't have a party atmosphere. They also have some very interesting itineraries. If it's in your price range, consider a "Retreat" stateroom. Retreat guests can eat in a special restaurant for lunch and dinner and we found the food to be very good.

 

[imahistorygeek]

While we still sail Disney, we branched out to Celebrity. Great food, decent entertainment. The ships are very nice.

Virgin does have gambling, but no drink packages. The entertainment is mediocre, but the food is outstanding.

Their fares come with internet, tips, and fitness classes.

 

[tvguy]

I keep hearing great things about Viking and have watched some videos and it does look pretty awesome, but I won’t be able to test it out until my kids are 18+.

My neighbors have been on a couple of Viking cruises and say they are the best. But they should be for the price.

 

[hrhdhd]

I agree with this. When not doing DCL, Celebrity is our go-to. It's very laid back and doesn't have a party atmosphere. They also have some very interesting itineraries. If it's in your price range, consider a "Retreat" stateroom. Retreat guests can eat in a special restaurant for lunch and dinner and we found the food to be very good.

Just a note that the Retreat restaurant, Luminae, is also open for breakfast. Lunch is usually on sea days.

Some of the Celebrity ships, including the 3 current Edge-class ships, also have a Retreat area on deck that's for suite (Retreat) passengers only.

 

[allaboutthemouse]

While we still sail Disney, we branched out to Celebrity. Great food, decent entertainment. The ships are very nice.

Virgin does have gambling, but no drink packages. The entertainment is mediocre, but the food is outstanding.

Their fares come with internet, tips, and fitness classes.

I would agree with this with the exception of the Dual Reality show, awesome. Their other entertainment is more random. Like you’re sitting at the Dock House eating the best shrimp ever and a guy walks up with a guitar, sits down and starts to play. Then someone else walks over and starts to sing with him…that kind of thing. Which I thought was awesome, but some might not appreciate.
They do have a casino, did not smell like smoke when we went there in our bar crawl, so i think there is a separate smoking section. I think Virgin might get a bad wrap for some of their “out there/different “ kind of ways, but you don‘t have to participate in stuff if it’s not your thing, and still have a great time. We didn’t do any of the late late night parties, spent lots of time in the hammock on our verandah lol Bought one onboard and now it’s on my back deck…
Their food is wonderful. Their crew is too. I like the smaller ship size, like Magic/Wonder size. We’re booked in a Rock Star suite next, but had the XL Sea Terrace and that was great. DCL beds are much more comfy, though.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Viking Ocean