Are Princess, Celebrity and Holland American really a step above Carnival, RC and NCL? Some seem to think so but others say they are all being bought out and/or blending together price-wise and cruise-wise. True?

We've only cruised Carnival, RC and NCL..mainly because we could drive to the ports they left from. Now Celebrity (Galaxy) and Princess (Grand Princess) are coming to one of those ports - Galveston - and I'm wondering if we will be pleasantly surprised if we take the plunge (no pun intended) or if it will be basically the same-old, same-old.
Would love the opinions of those that have done 'it all'. Thanks!!

I meant to say, too, that we enjoyed all our cruises and by 'same-old' I mean will we be able to tell a difference.

I've cruised on everyone you mentioned except Holland America and Celebrity. I would consider these two, plus Princess, to be a step above the others. Absolutely! It's hard to put a label on it, but Princess is just classier! Two friends and I will be taking the Caribbean Princess in August. My two friends have only been on Norwegian. I've already prepared them for a very pleasant surprise. I've been on Princess twice so far, and do consider it to be my favorite line. But, with that said, the others also have their plus/minuses. I like the festive atmosphere on Carnival, and the food/service is exceptional. Royal Caribbean has those indoor/outdoor pool-atriums that I really enjoy frequenting. NCL goes to my favorite cruise destination, which is Bermuda! Plus, I really like my NCL/Bermuda ship which has only about 1500 passengers.

I should also mention that I've enjoyed everyone of my 9 cruises so far, with number 10 coming up this summer. Can't wait!

Carol

I like Royal Caribbean but I LOVE Celebrity. We will be taking our second Celebrity cruise in April. I find the food is better, served at the correct temperatures, service is more personal, no loud announcements pool side,etc. Often I can book a Celebrity cruise very close or even cheaper than RCCL.

Carol,
Like you I have enjoyed everyone of my cruises....IMO, all the ships you've mentioned are pretty comparable (all being nice).

I think you need to move up another notch into the luxury lines such as Radisson, Seabourn and Silverseas to notice a major difference . Then you really will notice a wonderful difference. On those lines, you are more pampered, don't wait in lines for things like buffets, embarking, disembarking, liquor is included, you can order virtually anything you want at meals (even if it's not on the menu chances are very good that they'll find a way to accommodate you). BUT...with this said, once you experience those lines you get so spoiled, you will most likely not be content to go back to the larger, mainstream cruiselines. It's kind of like being very happy with your Ford until you start driving a Lexus.

For sure Princess, Celebrity and Holland are a step above. I am going on Radisson Diamond on 3/19/04 and I imagine I am going to be spoiled for the lines I mentioned above after this trip.

I can't comment on HAL but Princess is about the same as RCL and Celebrity is above all for food and service. Celebrity is still the only line that I have been on were you are escorted to your state room upon embarkation. This may seem small but I think it is indicative of the commiment to superior service.

Funny, and I thought the escort to the stateroom was typical when I was onboard. =)

I lived and worked on Celebrity's Mercury (in Alaska, Western Carib and some repo cruising), and the Horizon (Western Carib, Eastern Carib repo and Bermuda)... and I currently book all cruise lines as a cruise specialist out of my home.

Celebrity is the higest-rated, most 'sophisticated' of the major mass-marketed lines... the biggest difference will be the service, even more than the great food.

Princess is very close to Celebrity in many ways... I'd say it's a bridge between the fine service qualities of Celebrity and the fun atmosphere of Royal Caribbean.

Holland America is an older clientele overall, so it is a bit more focused on the desires of an older class of guests (certainly not all the time, of course--- families DO cruise on them)

Carnival is VERY glitzy-Vegas style, and Many people I book cruises for now tell me that they went one time and never again... although it's great if you don't mind a party crowd and the noisy decor, or are under 35 or don't want to spend much for the cruise fare.

Norwegian would be a step above Carnival overall, and a step below Royal Caribbean.

Realize that there is a HUGE difference from ship to ship on a fleet, too. I'd tell you to take a cruise on the Carnival Glory over the Celebrity Horizon, for example, as the Glory is new and fully equipped with all sort of new things, while the Horizon is the oldest and least-equipped in the Celebrity fleet. ...unless you prefer the smaller, quainter ships.

(see, so many variables)

anyhow, none of this is cut and dried, but as a general rule many people consider these as guidelines for comparing the lines.

Hope this helps!

Dan
[email protected]

TennisDan:
I have read several of your replies on this board. I am very impressed! Maybe because I agree with most of your suggestions/observations, etc.

You are a great addition to this slow moving forum.

Please stick around and impart your knowledge on us.

Thanks again!

Thanks everyone. Yes, all your information helps and makes for very interested reading.
Well, we are booked on the Galaxy in November. I wish it wasn't so far off but then we booked last years September cruise in January so we're staying true to form.
Anyone have any words of wisdom regarding the Galaxy or the PC? Also, are there any alternative, pay extra, restaurants on board? And when they talk about setting up some tables on one of the decks for some dinner seating, is that just something different that is included or is that additional?
And, just for the record, we were on the Sky to Alaska last year and we were escorted to our cabin. But, come to think of it, we're past cruisers with them and went on board in that first group and so maybe that was the reason. Otherwise, we have always just been pointed in the right direction!!

You're right! We flew round trip to Seattle for the Sky..how soon we forget. Otherwise, we've sailed from NO, Galveston and Houston when the Sea was there the first time.

RE: Escorts to room upon embarkation; Weve never been on Norwegian or Hollan but have been on Cunard, Carnival, Princess, Royal Carribean, Regency along with Celebrity. And Celebrity was the only cruise line that had this additional service. As I said maybe not a big thing but it was nice to have someone help with the carry on luggage. They even rolled my sons stoller to the room when we did one of our Bermuda runs. And the service is provided to every level of passenger. Im wondering if NCL does this for all its passengers...
RE: The Galaxy. We did a 10 day cruise on the Galaxy last August out of Baltimore and we had a great time. We hadnt sailed (or cruised ?) Celebrity in awhile so I curious to see if the service level changed and I can happily say imho it did not. We ate in the dining room because but I do believe this is an alternative restaurant on board. We also got to witness a medical evacuation at sea and was very impressed by the ships officers and doctors handled the whole situation. My son had a great time in the kids progam. It was my understanding that the ship was going into dry dock for awhile. So although there were no signs of wear on the ship youll problably have a new paint job...I think you will enjoy you cruise and the galaxy....

We booked our cruise this August last September....

I have never been escorted to my Cabin on NCL even when we had the AD Penthouse Suite (oversight possibly??).

We have been escorted to our cabin on HAL every time. I would rank HAL the best of the 3 cruiselines you mentioned, with Celebrity and Princess tied for 2nd (Celebrity would get the edge on food and Princess would get the edge on entertainment).

To Petlover,
I really would like to try one of the truly upscale cruiselines, and have looked at Radisson, but I get freaked out when I see the prices. It would seriously reduce the AMOUNT of travel I could do, especially with retirement looming in just a few months.

I like the analogy you made, re: different cruise lines being like that of going from a Ford to a Lexus. For me, it would be stepping from my Lincoln into my little Mercedes! But I love to be able to go more or less at the drop of a hat, and I don't think I could do that if I try Radisson and get soooooo spoiled that I refuse to go on anything LESS.

I think Carnival would be my Ford, RCCL would be a Buick, Princess is my Lincoln, and Radisson my little Mercedes. My Linooln is quite comfortable and I drive it a lot, although getting in the little SLK with the top down on a nice day can't be beat (much like Radisson probably can't be beat once you try it).

Love to travel, can't get enough of it!

Carol

Carol, We have yet to pay anywhere close to the brochure/website price that you may be seeing. We've been on 2 for 1's mainly or free air or other promotionals. As in all cruiselines, do NOT go by the brochure price...those prices are enough to scare everyone away! We have found that when you're able to cruise for a week and get by without a shipboard bill at the end of the week, the cost is not much higher then other nice cruiselines that you're paying for an upgraded cabin with a balcony. If you cruise in the least expensive, inside cabin than you're right....the price on a Radisson ship would definitely be much higher.

We just were getting so tired of all the nickle and diming on many of the other cruiselines, along with the fact that my husband hates waiting in lines...this is what made us try other upscale cruiselines such as Radisson to begin with. Charging us for bottled water on an NCL cruise was really the clincher that just made me say "NO MORE".

I was ready to give up on cruising all together then decided to give it one more try...I'm sure glad I did. We each have different tolerance zones, mine was wearing thin.

We always book with a wonderful TA who is actually the #1 Radisson booking agent and she seems to always have the best prices and excellent service. Another plus that we have is we have the AmEx Platinum card which always gives us a $300. shipboard credit. BIG HELP!

Again, we all need to find our own comfort level and what works best for us.

Petlover,
I really appreciate your latest posting. I will try my excellent TA, who is with a nationally known agency, and will have him check prices for us. We also have AmEx platinum cards. When I retire in June of this year, we'll be able to travel during the off season also. That should save us some $$$ as well.

I think Radisson would be my #1 choice. Have you taken their Baltic cruise? That would be the one of most interest, as we want to see St Petersburg.

Thanks again.
Carol

Petlover,
I just thought of another question. We like casual better than a more formal feeling. Will Radisson feel too formal for our tastes?
Carol

Oh Carol, the Baltics is a fabulous cruise!! We loved St. Petersburg. If you go there (no matter what cruiseline) I'd try to get an itinerary that gives you 2 overnights in St. Petersburg. We were only on the 1 overnight there (2 full days) and regretted we could not have had one more day! There is just so much to see.

As to the formality, it really depends upon where you're cruising. On a 7 night cruise, you will have 1 formal night where a dark suit or tux is worn by the men. If you don't want to go for that, you could eat in an alternative restaurant (they don't charge extra for that) or room service which allows anything and is served course by course just like the main dining room.

On the Alaskan cruise or the Tahiti cruise they don't have any formal nights. You might want to browse on the following website just to get ideas and then you can compare etc. with your own private TA.
http://www.brownandkeenetravel.com/

We're booked on the June 7th Voyager from Monte Carlo to Dover (free air or take $1,000 off per passenger) and then on November 12 to Mexico from Los Angeles (2 for 1). We always get the least expensive cabin and have found that they're AT LEAST as nice if not nicer than the cabins that we've been paying extra for on other ships. I love having all the same amentities with so many fewer passengers. The Diamond ship has lots of good specials it seems. This is what we just returned from and loved the ship!

Anyway, good luck with whatever your cruiseplans are or become!! Feel free to email me anytime if you have questions: [email protected]

Petlover,
I'm going to add your email to my list! I think you'll be hearing from me. Mine is [email protected]

Where does the Diamond sail? You mentioned Tahiti... I've looked at that cruise for spring break before.. but was freaked by the price. NEXT time I'll ask my TA for a deal! Although, next time it won't have to be on a spring break! Yipeeeee! (don't get me wrong.. I still LOVE teaching, but I'm looking forward to retiring)
Thanks again.
Carol

I've also been on a Radisson ship (one that is no more, I'm afraid) on the Baltic trip, and highly recommend it. As mentioned, there is one formal night on a 7 or 10-day cruise, but that's the only real formality about it. I've sailed Radisson Seven Seas 3 times, and have always found a laid-back, unpretentious group.