athompson
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WHICH CRUISE LINE IS BEST? Comparing the PROS & CONS of each!
The question we get the most is… which cruise line is your favorite or which cruise line is the best? While this may vary from person to person, we are going to dive in and give our likes and dislikes of each of the major cruise lines.
We will compare:
Carnival Cruise Line
Royal…
source
21 comments
Which is your favorite… and why?
I do not like sports ‼️👎
Ncl for solo cabins when cruising for yourself.
My views: CARNIVAL Best Thing [nothing]; Worst Thing – the unsupervised children! It's as if parents let their kids go wild. Also serving "mini tater tots" as "hashbrowns" for breakfast and with hotdogs at lunch, and with burgers for dinner. NORWEGIAN – Best Thing [Not really "best" at anything, but very good at everything!] Worst Thing [Once again, nothing rates a "worst", but nothing is bad.] CARIBBEAN Best Thing – Service is stellar! Crews are amazing! Chocolate Night!!! Good Food! Worst Thing – [really nothing rates a "worst"]. HOLLAND AMERICA – Best Thing Having the entire ship to yourself after 7PM. Because most people are over 70 [despite what the authors of this post stated, and what they said is disingenuous IMHO], if you're a mid-age adult [around 45-60] and you can stay up past when the sun goes down, you'll find EVERYTHING on the ship open and available for your use [except the spa and gym]. Worst Thing is that EVERYTHING is made for elderly people, so don't expect excitement. AND, their cruise ships are old and although amenities are upgraded, the decks of the ship are rather unkept, as very few 70 years old want to do outdoor by the pools stuff. So some parts outside are in need of refurbishing, worse than Carnival. There's more to maintenance than a paint job, and although HOLLAND does great paint, the decks are "weathered". As for live entertainment, it's was really BAD. "Lay Back" is stating is politely, "deathly boring" is more accurate. I would also like to add my biggest pet peeve, which is "Talent Night" where cruise guests are allowed to go on stage and do some form of entertainment. I strongly advise everyone NOT to go to any of these so-called "shows" so that maybe cruise lines will stop doing them, as they have been taken over by Christian fanatics who take up more than half the show singing "bloody Jesus" songs [poorly], and doing Ted-Talks about being "saved by the blood of the lamb".
Never sail the "shake-out" cruise. There's always bugs and kinks to be ironed out. Is why is called "shake-out."
I love Princess, because it has fresh water/chlorinated pools. Food and entertainment is great.
This was a very fair assessment of each line. It does depend on the specific ship. Especially, for the quality of the food. On Royal Caribbean, in Europe, I was served a raw lamb shank, I do not mean a braised piece. It never was touched by any heat. It was the worst food ever. We had traveled with RC numerous times. Two other times had bad experiences, we stopped traveling with them. We were Diamond level. We have been traveling with Carnival and now are Diamond level there. Food and shows are weak, on just about every ship. We're Sapphire on NCL, found everything, has above average on every ship. They seem to be the most consistent. My favorite line is Princess and my wife's is Celebrity. Loved the Artsy Fartsy phrase!!!
Never been on a cruise. Can you tell me which rooms are best bang for buck between inside, window, deck, suite?
Most but not all Royal ships have Playmakers yet. Harmony of the Seas I know does not have one yet.
This is my first time watching your videos. My husband and I are starting to look at cruises to try out. I appreciate your honesty! it's going to really help us out in the future.
I was just on Mariner of the Sea to the Caribbeans. The food was terrible too (ie. Watery cream brûlée and no taste overcooked risotto). But after seeing your video, I’ll give RC another try.
Once every 3 years or so I research cruise ships. I never have or probably every will go tho haha.
I am dragging mum on a Alaska cruise next spring. We don't need the shows or wifi or glitz . We arent that food orientated. We are going for the scenery. I did not want a party ship.
Want to go on my first cruise. Port of call is Galveston. I'm 71 years old, widower.
Cruise line?
Cabin location?
Which deck is better?
Is balcony worth extra $$.
Thanks in advance.
Wait til you go on the Icon of the Sea. It will blow you away! My only drawback to it was no iFly. Happy cruising! Greg from Ohio
So weve only done Virgin! But we sometimes finding ourselves spending SO MUCH! we dont drink/ do entertainment, do you have any options? We from the UK
You guys nailed it great job my favorite cruise line is Norwegian
I have never cruised. I greatly fear the idea of "Hidden fees," You know, expenses charged after it is all over, costs and fees that I did not expect and then it is too late.
Not me waiting for mention of Virgin Voyage…. Lol
I love Carnival. I’m old, I don’t drink and I don’t party much, but i still find Carnival fun. I want drink packages because I don’t drink and I don’t want to pay for someone else. I think I’ve enjoyed their food more than NCL. I’ve enjoyed Carnival’s shows too. Maybe I’ve been on the wrong Norwegian ships, but I don’t remember them having outstanding shows. I don’t keep notes, but my wife and I tend toward longer cruises and we prefer staying away from the Caribbean.
I do enjoy Royal Caribbean’s skating rinks. I’ve found the sports bars lacking because I can’t find the games I want. Sometimes I can’t find a small group on Royal Caribbean to listen to.
We’re about to do a 31-night cruise on Princess. I’ve only been on one Princess before and I don’t remember anything distinctive about it.
A couple years we did multiple cruises on Carnival Pride, which spent all season doing non-repetitive cruises around Europe, just everywhere. The show were repeated, which got old, but always new comedians.
You didn't mention whether or not you used the Princess Plus or Premium package on your cruise.