Tier Ranking All 11 Major Cruise Lines
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- Today we are tier ranking all 11 major cruise lines. We have made categories for each one ranking them from worst to best. We will also share our experiences on each one. Let us know in the comments what you think and how you would rank them.
00:00 Intro
1:24 Costa Cruise Lines
1:45 Aida Cruise Lines
2:05 MSC Cruise Lines
3:13 Norwegian Cruise Line
5:15 Disney Cruise Line
6:40 Holland America
8:02 Celebrity
9:20 Princess
10:08 Carnival Cruise Line
11:42 Royal Caribbean
12:45 Virgin Voyages
Our UA-cam Course:
groundedlife.thinkific.com/co...
Everything We Use:
www.groundedlifetravel.com/ev...
What We Use To Invest (affiliate link):
a.webull.com/TfjtegHr358AQ3HVtV
Credit Cards We Use:
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card: (affiliate link)
www.referyourchasecard.com/19...
Chase IHG Credit Card (affiliate link)
www.referyourchasecard.com/21...
Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card (affiliate link)
www.referyourchasecard.com/25...
The "Man Overboard" tier is so funny and clever!
Haha!
I really appreciate your opinions. But I’m a solo traveler, so ncl will be my best option. But I don’t travel to “get away”, I travel for the new cultures. Cruising just happens to be the most cost effective way of seeing new countries.
I really hope more lines start including more solo cabins.
You are spot on with NCL. Overpriced and Nickel and Diming should be their new logo.
I found this review *very* helpful as a solo cruiser who has yet to cruise. I've heard so much good about Virgin I'm thinking that will be my first cruise choice. Thanks so much! 🙂
I am SO glad I watched this NOW! Was just about to book a cruise.....You are the BEST!
Great comparisons. Thank you.
Great video and very valuable information!
I really enjoyed this video and I am not surprised at all by your ranking. Job well done...thanks for sharing. 😀
I agree. Royal, Princess and Carnival are my picks🚢❤️
Love this video ❤ and your experience
Thank you so much!!
It's great to view these videos from experienced cruisers who look like us and have the most in common with us! My husband and I have only been on one cruise and are trying to decide which line to choose for our next one. This is such great information! Thank you for helping us make an informed decision.
Was really about to go with NCL for my first cruise but now im so glad i watched this video! Now its definitely RC or Virgin!
On my NCL cruise I could see a lot of attempts at nickel and diming but none of it seemed necessary. Pretty much everything I wanted to eat or drink was covered in free at sea.
Totally agree with Virgin....just got home from a 14 day NZ cruise out of Melbourne. Food excellent, Crew so friendly and helpful, Great bands and Comedians and no kids!!
Awesome! That's a great cruise!
Just found your YT channels. Love the ranking system! LOL
I've not been on several of these lines, but agree overall with what you've said. I think one of the big differences is that I would put NCL in the Man Overboard category. I've not been on them, but a couple of good friends were, their cruise was a complete disaster!
I want to say I appreciate your presentations on this. You didn't seem to be out to trash any cruise line, just gave your pluses and minuses of each.
I also find that Effy has taken over the cruising world and they are crammed down your throat on the cruises and ports I've been at since the COVID restart!
Super video.
I would like more content aimed at the solo cruiser since the price is nearly twice that of the couples price. I understand some lines offer a solo cabin and would love a video comparing those and discussing drink packages. Thank you for your videos. Really enjoy.
I agree with your comments about Norwegian. I’ve sailed with them throughout the years and I’ve seen the brand change. I do have two more cruises book with them simply because family members want to go, and the itineraries worked out for the timeframe. I also agree with your comments about Princess as well. I’ve sailed on nine princess cruises and the ships are similar but the product is consistent across-the-board. I’ve stayed away from carnival since my kids were little now they grown up but at some point maybe I will try it again given your comments. A great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it.
I think Holland America is fairly priced. They have the best mass market food at sea (subjective), nice cabins, music venues, at a relatively cheap price. It is certainly not for everyone, as each line comes up short in different ways to keep the price down. I view Royal as gimmicky with poor food, overpriced, but that's because on a personal level, their weaknesses outweigh their strengths. In a perfect world, we'd have Carnival's prices, with Virgin's food, Princess' pools, Royal's shows, Holland's cabins, NCL's attractions, Celebrity's lounges, on an MSC ship.
We have been on eight cruises on seven lines and we find that the older ships on HAL and Celebrity are often cheaper than NCL, RC, and Carnival. While I like the ships on Royal Caribbean, the food has been hit or miss. There does not appear to be proper quality control before product leaves the kitchen. And the entertainment did not materialize on the cruise.
@@jlawrence0181 We genuinely enjoyed Carnival's comedy club and Royal's shows / activities, likely similar for NCL, but we fly from Las Vegas, I can always have fun after a cruise. I'd rather spend a day at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Universal from Port Canaveral or Long Beach, or Sega from Tokyo pre-cruise, than having the attractions onboard some of these ships. We had a bad experience on Celebrity in 2019 (no vegetables), but we loved X prior to this. Food, comfortable cabins, service, all-inclusive pricing, we find premium mass market lines are the way to go. Anything rare (such as the Amazon) can even be cheaper going luxury, because too many loyalists won't price compare, with a larger pool of demand.
Love this comparison! I agree that Disney’s food is not good. We just like the magic and the service.
I enjoyed RCL activities and main dining room food much better (we did not like the pay extra restaurants).
We LOVED Virgin all around, too!! Food, sailors, activities, ship layout/decor, ports- SO fun!!
Thank you. We only cruise Royal Caribbean and princess.
Thank you, enjoyed your overview very much. I will say though, we took an MSC cruise last year because we got a great deal, and although the food was not as good as we have had on other lines, the ship (Meriviglia) was beautiful and the entertainment as good as we have had on NCL, RCI, and Celebrity. Given the cruise’s cost and some lowered expectations we were satisfied and would cruise with them again, should another great deal come along.
Felt the same way. Did a $200 MSC 4 day and felt quite satisfied for what I paid. Also have done Yacht club, paid about the same as Celebrity Aqua class and felt it was more value in the high end space. But I would feel ripped off if I paid $400 for the same MSC cruise.
We booked a Virgin Cruise for next year. We're really excited. Hope it works for them because the industry needs a change from what it is now. Thanks.
I agree with the list .
Thanks for offering your opinions and experiences. I have cruised for the last 55 years, and for the last decade have favoured Holland America due to their ports, food, entertainment and service suiting me very well. That said, I'm going on the Discovery Princess for an 11-day speciality cruise to see the solar eclipse off the coast of Mazatlan in April. Their prices are certainly lower than HAL, so I will be doing some comparisons to see if I book with them again. Your endorsement of Princess is encouraging. I'm not a fan of ships with huge numbers of passengers but you didn't mention that as a criteria you used with your ranking.
Thanks! Yes, the number of passengers doesn't bother us too much either way, so you are correct that it didn't factor in much.
Interesting. I agree 100% with your views on Carnival. I really think MSC is fairly priced for what you get. It is different than others though. So it is all about what the cruiser wants IMO. I do many cruises a year so price is the driving factor for me being retired on a limited budget.
i'm so happy royal got best at sea because i LOVE that line. it's literally so much fun to explore, their food is yummy (in my opinion), and in usually hate watching shows, but their shows are SO GOOD
i'm also really glad princess got so high up. i've seen so many negative reviews that make me worried for my upcoming sailing, so i'm glad to hear it wasn't extremely negative
thank you so much for this!!
I can't wait to sail all these lines so my hubby and I can rank them. This was fun! I dont agree with you on Royal and NCL but isn't that how it is? Have a great day and thank you for this video.
Loved Virgin Voyages, it's a vibe. Did RC last year after a long hiatus and it was awful. Great content!
I have been on two msc ships, no problems at all. Prices are great. Entertainment, food, service was great
Asking why someone would pay extra for a Disney cruise over the other brands is akin to asking why somebody would go to Disneyland when it cost twice as much as Six Flags. While they are technically the same industry, they are not providing the same experience at all. Would adults who don't care about Disney (or maybe even outright dislike Disney) and are not particularly fond of kids have a good time on Disney cruise? absolutely not. Would a family with three children under the age of 10 think virgin was the most awesome? of course not because they don't even allow kids on the boat so it's not for the family vacation they're looking for.
Everybody's preferences really come in to play on stuff like this. Personally, while Carnival is cheap, it also feels cheap and I'm not looking for the absolute cheapest option. For me, saving a little longer, taking fewer cruises, and enjoying celebrity or virgin with their more elevated experiences is what I prefer to do. Somebody who is looking for a hotel with free food on the water for four days and nothing else? Sure I guess carnival is fine. 🤷🏻♂️
agree 100%
I have to agree, Disney’s price point is high for sure BUT it the cruise line we choose for a couple very specific to us. First, we don’t gamble. We are not against it, we just don’t do it. So cruise lines that have a large focus on that are an automatic NO for us. The second is that some of the lines have a large focus on drinking and partying. We don’t do that either, and if I saw a fight on my cruise, it would really be a big negative for the overall experience. You just don’t have that on Disney.
I think the most important thing for a would be cruiser is to pick a line based on how well it matches what you like and NOT simply on price. For us, it is Disney every time.
I've never been on a cruise, but the only one I would consider as a solo traveler is Virgin. Thanks for your honest opinions!
You were spot on! RCL and Virgin are definitely the best at sea. I have not been on any of those Man Overboard cruises however, I have heard the same negatives about MSC, so I will not be cruising those lines. I have been on many Carnival cruises and several Princess cruises and you definitely get your money's worth. Ultimately, the all adult experience on Virgin and the incredible food make them my 1st choice..
Been on Virgin, Carnival and Disney. Virgin is in a class of its own. Going on Royal with kids this summer. I ain’t never mad at a Carnival cruise because of the price of entry.
NCL is still my line. There are more extra things to pay for, but they are for things I don’t care about and would never use, like the go-karts so they’re my first pick.
I agree with most everything you guys said. Virgin Voyagers is without a doubt the best. I absolutely loved everything about that ship. I’ve been on a few other brands afterwards and I was so disappointed.
I’ve only been on DCL and we went on their newest ship. We loved it, but number one reason was that our young kids had a blast. And we didn’t have to worry about them seeing anything inappropriate or encountering belligerent cruisers. I am concerned other cruise lines won’t cater to kids as much. For us, that’s why the price was worth it.
Agree 100% on Disney. Was very disappointed with our cruise on the fantasy. While the shows were good there were no actual activities that we could do during the day. The movies they offered were either early in the morning or late at night and during the day the theater just sat empty. Going with Royal next time for hoping a better experience
After doing 4 DCL cruises since March 2022, I just took a RC cruise on Wonder of the Seas this past December. It blew Disney out of the water at about 2/3 of the cost.
@@ADLeatherman That's great to know because we are sailing on wonder of the seas. Our granddaughter will be 9 at the time and I think it will have more for her to do with the zip lining and rock wall
So much hate for Carnival for some reason so I was glad to see you ranked them high. We love them. Dare I say best overall cruise line!
It would be interesting to know when you took your last MSC sailing. I have to say that most recently, MSC has improved a great deal. I was actually quite shocked! Embarkation and food were actually really good, and the entertainment has gotten much better too. We were on MSC Seashore in January 2024. We departed from the port of Orlando, we've found that that makes a huge difference. Sailing out of Miami always seems to be a nightmare. And, MSC still gives you the most bang for your buck, especially with the private island - it's amazing! We've also sailed MSC when it wasn't the best, but maybe you should give them another try.
I LOVE Virgin Voyages!! Won’t go on any other I also love the Rockstar suites so yeah I’m kinda hooked on it😂
I agree. Sailed twice on Virgin; both experiences were A1, Top notch.
I agree with this ranking. My top 2 currently are Celebrity and Virgin but Virgin wins out for me because it's almost all inclusive, adults only, great food and staff. I haven't had to pay for anything extra or owed $ upon leaving yet. I hate the extra charges with NCL and recently had to upgrade to the premium drink because bottled water and specialty coffee are no longer included. My friends would put MSC overboard quickly.
Interesting perspectives. We haven't sailed that many lines with Carnival being 3 , Princees and RCL each once. But while Carnival may be a good value, they really nickel and dime you to the point of ridiculous. And their vibe isn't geared towards us seniors! Our limited experience puts Princess ahead of RCL and Carnival. Would like to see info on Viking ocean cruise.
I really enjoyed my cruise on the Carnival Splendor BUT I don't like the way that perhaps 10-15% of the people behave when they are on the ship. Byes, I realize that you can find those people on other ships but it does not seem as noticeable.
We have been on lots of Royal cruises (and one Princess) but we’ll be cruising on Disney Dream in a couple of weeks. We’ll report back with our findings!
We used to be regular Celebrity cruisers, doing seven mostly Aqua class cruises. But then during Covid, prices shot up, in most cases doubling. So we moved to princess and now it has been three in a row with a mini-suite for less money than a Celebrity balcony , and about half the price of Celebrity Aqua which used to be our favorite. So yes, in general we agree with your video and have moved away from the overpriced lines. MSC though was not instant regret. One cruise was Yacht club and was an amazing experience. The other was a dirt cheap cruise and it provided exactly what we expected.
Have a question. Have you any ideas about booking closed loop cruises
I agree with most of your comments, however in the three cruises that I have had the opportunity to enjoy on carnival, it was the worst food that I have had. I have sailed on Holland America, celebrity, Royal, MSC, princess.
I've done Disney, Carnival and most recently Celebrity. Even though we got a great price on Celebrity, we were comparing everything to Carnival and, in the end found we like Carnival better.
I as you have cruised with Disney, Carnival and recently Royal and found myself comparing Royal to Carnival…I have two more cruises scheduled this year first time in each “Princess in June/Norwegian November TA” and hoping for a positive experience like Carnival!
Thanks. I have limited cruise experience. Not including shore excursions, how are you defining "worth our money". Do you define it $s per day cost to compare the various cruise line on-board experience?
Thanks so much for the video. I'll be a first-time cruiser and I remember when Virgin started to advertise their cruise line. I was turned off by their attitude toward older cruisers so I never considered them. I'm fifty-four, so I'm in your age group, and I'm glad to hear they've changed their attitude. However, as a first-time, solo cruiser, should I do another cruise line first and then, try them? Any thoughts would be most appreciated. Thx!
The icon of the seas is insanely expensive! For that price, I want impeccable food!
For us, Disney had had the best food and service we’ve ever had. We’ve been on 6 of the 11 on your list. I’m actually surprised about your Disney review as I consistently hear the experience I had. Agree on MSC…awesome ship and actually great shows and activities. But the food and service were awful
It's really that bad? I'm going on my first cruise with MSC and I'm scared because everyone is saying that the food is bad
yeah I have checked prices of other cruise lines.. what I like about when booking NCL is that when you book and include the free at sea I feel is a great value. like other cruise lines where you pay for you booking then you have to choose if you want to upgrade to a different level, then you have to choose your drink package, and pay for any extra specialty dinning. when you book with NCL you get a decent drink package, and usually some specialty dining and some internet to use to check you email and send messages with. Yes they have cut back on their entertainment especially with the bigger ships with their Broadway shows. but other cruise lines have done some cut backs such as food quality and ext. I feel NCL food quality is ranked high compared to other cruise lines. I feel that Cagney's has one of the best steaks at sea if not on land. I feel like they do try to nickel and dime you at times on the ship. I believe this is because when you book your cruise you are pretty much done if you choose the free at sea. the only other up-sale on the website is shore excursions you want to go on and the spa packages. I also like NCL because they cater to Solo Travelers more than any other cruise line. which being single I travel solo a lot.
My first cruise was in 2022 with carnival... worst cruise of my life. My second Cruise is this Feb with princess. We'll see how that goes
We love carnival for all the reasons you mentioned. Went on our first princess cruise the food was horrible and no shows or entertainment big let down only thing we liked is we bought the soft drink package which allowed us to have as many alcohol free fancy drinks as we wanted !!!! never had that on any other ship
Seabourn and Silversea the only ones I travel on, you should try their new ships
Our last Carnival experience was like a floating day care! Mega ships are not our jam so no RC, again too many kids! Those 2 would not be our top. Agree with Princess however with Virgin (Never been on them) they seem like a weird cruise line how they do things and when we price them out they typically fall into the luxury category pricing so we shop them against Regent, Silver Sea, and Seaborn and they always end up 4th.
Best at Sea: Silver Sea. Man Over Board: Carnival Bang for the buck: Princess
It would be interesting to know on which ships and itineraries you based your opinions. In order to compare like-products, I am limiting my first set of rankings to the mega/resort types ships. Its just not fair to compare, say, Wonder of the Seas with Enchantment of the Seas. So for me, best at sea in the mega/resort style ships are Celebrity's Edge class ships and Royal's Oasis class ships. Worth the money goes to Princess, NCL, Carnival, and MSC. You pay more for Princess and NCL than the other two but it's worth what you get. Similarly, Carnival and MSC are less expensive but the experience received for the small price tag is definitely worth the money. Moving on to the smaller, older ships, I think NCL is best at sea for their imaginative way of retrofitting those small ships to add many additional venues and the rest are all worth the money. As you can tell, I have never regretted any of my 45 cruises to date and have found every cruise line to be overpriced at one time or another. It's all about doing the research and finding the deal for the itinerary you want and just enjoying what you paid for.
You really made me think. I'm booking a European cruise and was looking at MSC, Royal, celebrity. I definitely agree with the Disney pricing. Went on inaugural cruise before the pandemic and worth the money. NOW....I can't see spending all that money on a cruise. Definitely gotta do more research. Love the video👍
Princess offers numerous excellent European cruises.
They don't seem to offer enough activities onboard from what I've seen. But this trip is about the destination and not the boat. Definitely will look at their sailings. 👍
Cunard Queen Victoria has a full summer schedule in the Mediterranean and it’s not too expensive and is an absolutely beautiful ship if you’re looking for a traditional experience rather than a floating resort. Service was impeccable and, in my opinion, best MDR food out there.
I didn't find NCL overpriced, especially compared to what you can get. Carnival, IMO, is immediately man overboard. It is what it is, the "Walmart of the Seas", no debating! I lived Celebrity, especially when we cruise in the Retreat. I loved Royal as well, great for kids and our son has a blast.
Like for the grid 👍🏻
I'm curious, but have you gone on Viking Cruises? If so, how would they be ranked in your opinion? Great content, by the way! ❤
Viking is our favorite cruise line. The great food, the uncrowded facilities and the included extras set Viking apart
I have to agree with you 100% the prices are going through the roof with these cruise lines and royal is not behind they’re starting to raise dramatically
I think for a broad overview, you evaluations make sense but there are exceptions to your outcomes such as, in the case of Holland America, when my wife and I reviewed the various lines, we have been on a Carnival cruise and while it certainly was well worth what we paid but at 80 for me and 69 for my wife, the demographic didn't match our life style and as far as Holland is concerned, as we got a pretty good deal on a fall cruise and while this will be our first with them, from appearances it feels like it will be very comfortable and affordable. Thanks for your excellent presentations!🙂👍
Did the NCL free at see 3 weeks ago. Second time doing NCL, food was average in main dining room & a little better specialty, buffet was bad. Lots of nickel & dining, staff seemed overworked. Usually cruise HAL, much better food, cabins & service, I like smaller ships though, less waiting in lines.
What was disappointing on the buffet was a complete lack of variety - how many stations of hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza do you need on one buffet.
HAL is the top of my list. Premium service and excellent food quality. They do have less activities but the small ship sizes are great. Carnival is average.
Agree with your comments on MSC for the general population, but once you go yacht club, all your issues, go away, and the experience is on par and better than royal Caribbean, NCL, princess and Carnival. Yacht club food is like being in a specialty restaurant every night, the service is impeccableand you get a 24 hour Butler.
MSC Maraviglia was a beautiful ship. Loved the steak and tacos. Gelato amazing. Great big room. Free Wi-Fi and drinks. Nice people and very relaxing. Idk. We thought it was just fine.
Free WiFi???!!
While I respect your opinions, I have to disagree where you put NCL. Our cruise experience is very limited; only 6 so far, 1 on Carnival and the other 5 on NCL. We were in our 40s for Carnival in 1999, we went to NCL in 2020 (just before Covid got crazy) and loved it (we're now in our 60s). We've been on the Dawn and Sun (non Haven) and the Encore and Joy (2X) in the Haven. The problem with these kind of comparisons is that different things are important to different people. While I agree NCL may be a little pricey, to us it's worth our money. By being a little pricey it minimizes the first time, party hardy, possible troublemakers that Carnival sometimes attracts.
I agree 100% with you. We have done 12 Carnival and 12 NCL. Both are great for their specific audience. NCL’s value is in the Free@Sea. When you add those fees to even Carnival the price is similar. I like both but prefer NCL.
I would like to know what was the issue with MSC, I have cruise with them once and had a nice time. Still I cruise just to get away and relax.
How would you place cunard in there?
Princess new WiFi price is deadly for us. Was about to book a 33 day cruise until I calculated the total cost of WiFi for the total trip.
We were fans of Princess for many years and reached platinum level in their loyalty program, but we have not sailed with them since 2018 because they keep repeating the same itineraries. When we cruise, we like to visit new ports that we have never visited. Azamara is our favorite line now because they are a small ship that can go to unique destinations, and they offer a couple of overnight stays during a typical sailing.
Princess and Azamara is an apples and oranges comparison. Princess being a premium line, and Azamara being a luxury line with much smaller ships and substantially higher prices. Not surprisingly, Azamara is able to go places that Princess can't, because the larger Princess ships can't get in some of the smaller ports that Azamara can.
Substantially higher prices?? Hardly, if you consider that Azamara includes gratuities and a drink package in the price, the difference is not much higher. Also, Azamara does not have a casino or art auctions to fleece its customers, nor do they nickel and dime you throughout the entire cruise.@@RanSan1
Not only is Azamara considerably more expensive than Princess, but Azamara's much smaller ships have far fewer amenities and activities for their customers. Don't go in the casinos and don't attend the art auctions while you're on Princess Cruises, and there's no way they can fleece you.
We love Celebrity, but in several ways, including pricing, they seem to have lost their way. We're booked on the Ascent for 2025, but I don't think there will be any more Celebrity cruises after that.
For me, I would put Royal in the overpriced category, not NCL. I love NCL and actually don't think they nickel and dime with free at sea. Virgin is definitely tops. They've got it all right.
i think the same
Love NCL and have never experienced the nickel and diming people talk about. With Free at Sea everything is covered. We have never had to buy anything we didn’t want to.
Royal bundles nothing and charges $7-8-900 to select your own room
Agree that Royal belongs in overpriced. In comparison NCL is much less expensive.
It would be great if you could break your assessment into non-suite and suite categories.
We already have our reservation and our whole itinerary planned around our cruise on the MSC Seascape Mar. 16 - 23. Please tell us anything we can do to make this a memorable and wonderful experience
Can't compare, as I've only done one cruise line -- Disney. We've done 3 cruises, each in conjunction with a visit to the parks. Enjoyed them, and the food is generally GOOD, especially at their "fancy but costs extra" restaurant. But I would not fly down to Florida just for a Disney cruise.
You and others have expressed concerns about Costa and MSC. Do you guys have any opinions on Cunard?
I just returned from 12 days aboard Queen Victoria. Stunning traditional style ship, sooo elegant (compared to the modern glitz of MSC which some like but I don’t) and the food and service was fabulous, an absolute world away from the questionable quality of MSC and Costa.
I found this video very helpful. I totally agree with you on NCL and DCL. We've cruised both, as well as Royal Caribbean, and we found NCL and DCL way overpriced compared to RC. The food, the entertainment, the staff on RC has been the best we have found so far. NCL would be my man overboard choice. The food was just awful, the staff was rude, the ship was boring.
Why is MSC on the instant regret, just wondering if have more details on this since I am cruising with them soon so can go prepare.
I been on 2 NCL cruises( 2004,2023) and have 1 booked for September. I am solo itinerary value cruiser. did the Encore in Alaska and doing Canada in the fall. I feel both were not 'overpriced' $905 total ( out the door, with gratuities) is a good price for a 7 day solo cruiser. That being said the sale pitch is always on. the direction of bigger ships and push for money fr everything ( even more so) is disheartening. Trying a smaller ship as the bigger ones are too many people( and kids). My mantra: less people means less assholes. I generally like NCL, but want to try Hal, small ships and less 24/7 sales pitch. RC, is all about families and big big ships, and Carnival is way way to parting ships, for my taste.
Being a solo cruiser is more expensive ( per person). This fallacy that NLC is making cruises signifitly cheaper for solo cruiser, sometimes the "solo" rooms are more expensive than 2 in an interior room. These are my thoughts for me: a solo older value oriented cruiser. but as I cruise more, I will see which line is good for me.
I have been on 3 carnival ships and one was one that I would never get on again. I was bored on it, but they well entertained my daughter. They had hot tubs that were warm, kinda cold and that was concerning because I was in the adult area and the hot tubs weren’t good. There weren’t a lot of food choices and I was kind of upset….
Royal has definitely gone up in pricing but you can still get good deals out there especially if you can get in on a bulk rate such as Cruises n More offers. I still do Cruise Compete for most cruises but we prefer Royal Caribbean because as Diamond Plus members we get a lot of perks. I don’t like the lack of am and pm stateroom service but a number of cruise lines are going that route.
I disagree with you placing NCL in the overpriced category especially with the free at sea. Royal Caribbean is much more expensive and you don't get the inclusions you do with NCL. I agree with almost all you said but you seem off base with NCL - they are absolutley worth the money especially with all you get with Free at Sea.
I agree with you. The pricing with Royal has gotten out of hand. I'm cruising on the Prima next month with all the free at sea and the same cabin on Royal would cost me almost 1.5 times as much with nothing included. I love royal though and am booked on Star of the Seas but that will most likely be my last royal cruise and will book more NCL voyages to travel to some places the large ships just can't touch
Currently looking at a Norwegian 12 day cruise from Orlando to Rome at $500-700 with a current sale. Wondering what end cost will be. We don’t drink but would like some spa services and variety of restaurants. Any helpful info is appreciated!
I understand what you’re saying, the price to get on board is good but once you’re on the ship, the constant sales pitches, and the extra charges do add up.
@@markt9805 I hear you. We just ignore those. With the drink package and specialty dining really don’t need anything so we don’t pay extra. Only add on we do is spa.
@@SomewhatRetired that is a great price. If you don’t drink the drink package can be removed but still may be cheaper to keep it as you pay only taxes and grats on it. Sodas are expensive and add up so even for my spouse who doesn’t drink at all it is worth it. The spa is pricy so be prepared. It is much more expensive than on land but very similar to other cruise ships. We have always found it to be a great value for our money. Also the ships are beautiful and a good mix of fun and relaxation. Hopefully you book and enjoy!
How was the food on Disney?
Lol I was waiting for a surprise "Worse Than The Titanic" category and have you bring up Margaritaville!
Fun video!
I sailed on the NCL quite a bit in the past. Not anymore, for the same reason as your assessments, overpriced for what they offer. I am heading to the Celebrity and the Royal now.
Fun categories. Lol
include excursion offerings and prices; entertainment and activities
What about the more high-end all-inclusive Viking and Regency? Do you recommend them at all?
Viking is bette me value for money then regent or Silversea
can you please point us to your videos on your Costa Cruise and Aida Cruise experiences to review - I tried searching your videos but could not see them - thanks
what didn't you like on Costa Cruise?
After one Costa cruise, I decided that I would not cruise again. Average to mediocre food. Limited things to do on the ship. Inattentive service. It is a very European line.
Needs more Cunard.
Being a senior, I am going to disagree with you a wee bit. The Best at Sea goes to Viking, but I won’t quibble about Virgin. Royal Caribbean and Holland, I would put at Worth the Money. Sorry, sorry, but Carnival? No question about it: Man Overboard! I’m trying Cunard this year, so we’ll see where I put that one. I did so like this video though-thanks. I’ve not tried Costa, Aida, P & O or Disney.
For MSC, a friend of mine said the European cruise was a lot better than his experience on the US cruise. I think that’s interesting.
We haven’t sailed MSC Caribbean. The Mediterranean was really good.
I’ve sailed on carnival and Norwegian. I still prefer ncl. Travelling from Canada with the airfare deal makes ncl very attractive. And ncl seems to have fewer sea days and more ports of call. I agree that ncl is overboard on the sales pitches.
I think there are large differences between Europe and the USA around value for money and a great variation between ships in the same cruise line now too. RCCL for us recently have not been good value and the experience has gone downhill on the smaller ships and RCCL are in Europe one of the most expensive lines. NCL hasn’t started to nickel and dime here as yet and still do their Free at Sea package at good money although it has gone up recently. I think a lot that we have learnt ourselves is that things changed a lot after COVID and any experience pre covid are now on a different planet.