The Worst Thing About Every Cruise Line
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Today we are sharing the worst thing about every cruise line. We have sailed the 9 major US cruise lines and we share with you the worst thing about each one. There are many things to love about each one but there are also things we don't like about each one.
In the rundown we discuss Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages, Princess Cruise Line, Holland America, MSC, and Celebrity.
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I love Holland America for the more relaxed atmosphere. I'm surprised you found the quality of the food lacking because I find it superior to virtually every other major line I've cruised on. I just got off a Princess Cruise and the food was very inconsistent and service was poor. As far as entertainment, their music venue is exceptional with B.B King Blues Bar, Rolling Stone and Billboard rock and piano lounges. I have never been one to crave large shows on ships, so that is something I don't miss. I would rather be entertained by a good comedian or musician than an overproduced extravaganza.
We've sailed Carnival, Royal, Celebrity, Holland, and find HAL to be vastly superior in food quality. Celebrity was close as far as MDR, inferior buffet and poolside options. Our last Celebrity sailing was in 2019, 12 nights without vegetables! When you disembark from Vancouver, of course maple syrup is too rare to restock. They couldn't find pineapple in Maui apparently, but they did haul back frozen mixed veggies for the buffet. Entertainment on HAL is going to be a weakness for many. We don't really care, we fly from Vegas so can do whatever we want post-cruise, and enjoy the music onboard.
I don’t agree with your Princess assessment. I believe Princess knows exactly what 50 and older adults want. That’s why Princess is not a Carnival party ship, a Celebrity upper class ship, a Royal mega family ship, nor a MSC disorganized messed up ship. It’s perfect for those who have did/done that. Princess knows that we want quiet and relaxation with some non offensive entertainment, good music and singing. Neighborhood bars where we all gather together to have a nice time with one another. Dining venues that are budget friendly with good food. Staff and cast members who are down to earth and want nothing from you except to have a good time relaxing and enjoying your cruise. No stress. No drama. This is my experience with Princess. And to me, they are spot on!
💯 my feelings as well. We have pretty much narrowed our sailings to Princess for this very reason. We don’t get into the big shows and don’t won’t to be around a bunch of kids. Our time on a ship is to relax and unwind. We spend most of our time playing cards during the day and enjoying the game shows the staff puts on in Princess Live. Haven’t tried Holland yet but I suspect that Holland will also provide us the same level of relaxation without all the fuss.
I agree with you! We just came off the Sky Princess to the Canary Islands cruise, and we found the food to be very good (especially to the Crown Grill, thanks to our travel agent) and the service impeccable. The entertainment, although catered to a British audience (we sailed from Southampton and 70% of the passengers were from the UK). was good. The comedians had British humor (spelled the American way), but the music shows. were good, though not Broadway quality. The Adele tribute singer was amazing. The excursions were as expected, if not better. We especially enjoyed the 4 wheel Jeep drive through the forests of Madeira. There are 2 worst things--the weather (no control). They canceled our trip to Vigo, Spain because of terrible storms that came through, so we missed our excursion to Santiago de Compostela, which my husband and I were looking forward to. The worst thing was that we had paid for Princess Plus, then, in August, they started charging for things like the pizza restaurant and room service. We should have been grandfathered in, since we had paid in full way in advance. Not too classy, Princess Cruises, but a very memorable vacation to the Canary Islands, which had been on my bucket list for a long time.
I agree!
I think Princess is very classy bc of it's subdued atmosphere. If I wanted to party and stay out late with crowds, kids and noisy obnoxious people, I'd just go to the beach in Ft. Laud where I live.
I went back and looked at all of their videos and I did not see any princess ships or princess reviews. I was trying to see what ships they were making their assessment on. But if you notice even in this video they didn't have any pictures of the inside of a princess ship or even the outside.
It makes me wonder if they have based their assessment on sailings from many years ago before they did videos?
They have talked quite a bit about trying to retire on a cruise ship and what cruise ships they went on. There are lots of videos regarding carnival, several about Virgin voyages, two different celebrity ships, MSC as well as Royal Caribbean and a few others... no idea when they were on princess though.
We sailed Princess twice last year and loved it both times. I should add, we are 71.
Good comparison/review. We just got off the celebrity summit a few days ago and thought the food and service was incredible!!!
I was on the Summit about a month ago. It was a lovely cruise, and I'd sail with them again, but I have to say the variety of food in the MDR was limited. Almost every entree had plain old mashed potatoes as the side dish, and the two times I tried a steak it was overcooked. I didn't go hungry by any means, and I loved creme brulee as an option every dinner, but on the 10 days of the cruise many menus were repeated. Service was terrific, though.
We just took our first cruise ever. We went Virgin on Scarlett Lady and didn't realize it was more expensive than others. Didn't know about being upcharged for things on other lines. We just got lucky! If I didn't watch your videos after the fact, I would have thought all cruises were like this.
Everyone we spoke to told us we "chose right". No kids, no hassles, the price seemed reasonable to us and we had a great time! A lady pointed out the lack of mobility scooters on the ship as something she liked.
Our only issues were groups of people who would "take over" certain areas. Like, spreading out and taking all the seating or simply not being courteous of others.
But my main complaint was the lack of centrally located restrooms or the lack of proper signage for restrooms. We had to stumble upon them in random locations. Some needed your wrist band for entry and some were CO-ED!! It made me a little uncomfortable to walk into a restroom and encounter a few ladies having their girl time (freshen up/chatting) while I needed to do business. I think they were a little uncomfortable as well. Just not a situation I needed to encounter. Other than those small things, we loved it!
Yes. the adult-only nature (something they share with Viking, also a pricey line) and that everything (included gratuities) is in the price from the outset and there is no nicle-and-diming makes it worth it, especially now after the cruise line has been operating long enough that the early "kinks" have been smoothed out.
I like your honesty - I hate it when in recent videos uploaded by other cruising youtubers the thumbnail is a negative (worst cruise ever?) and then the actual content is all positive, so the thumbnail was just clickbait.
I've only ever been on Mein Schiff cruises (TUI -German cruise line) and I can't really criticise anything - see, they have an all-inclusive concept, in which only a few things are paid extra. WE first went in 2012, and then again this summer - there were a few more announcements, but they could really only be heard in the common areas - we had our balcony door shut and didn't hear anything unless we went outside.
For those who love Holland America we go to relax , the excellent food and less passengers . About price , they are not the most expensive . Seems you need to figure out how and when to book for Holland America
I liked the food well enough on Holland America! The thing I liked the most was the deep pool at the back of the ship!
I would love to do a world voyage on the Queen Mary 2.
Virgin was a bit rowdy as well.
I have sailed HAl’s Nieuw Statendam twice both 14 days voyages. I loved the Pinnacle Grill for lunch and dinner (well worth the cost). The Pan Asian restaurant and Italian restaurant was also delicious. The specialty restaurants were so good, I visited several times. The weekly orange party, BB King’s Blues Club were great. I danced until I was exhausted. The rolling stone rock club was also awesome. Service was great. I hope HAL reinstates it dining packages. I loved the talks about ports to be visited. Honestly, I don’t do much theater on any cruise line. I live in Manhattan, NYC and visit theaters and museums 2-3 times a week. I love HAL, Celebrity, Royal and Carnival never sailed MSC. Princess has been it and miss. I have sailed NCL the most, they have the highest gratuities, nickel and dime, raised prices and have downgraded food and the quality of the alcohol.
06:20 Sad to hear NCL is not too great. Had planned on making NCL's "Pride of America" my first cruise ship experience early next year.
We love NCL and do not feel the same as they do about it. Pride is an excellent option for Hawaii. Don't let someone else's opinion sway you, judge for yourself. What they didn't like, you may not care about. Everybody is different.
Thank you. Since Pride is local to me and this will be my first cruise. I'm going to give it a go! @@julietaylor2497
I took the Pride of America cruise back in 2014 and loved it! Don't be afraid. A few things to be aware of re: the POA. It's an American-flagged ship, so service hours must comply with U.S. labor laws. You may see more American staff, and their on-duty hours may be less than you're used to. Also, they do not have a casino (not permitted in the state of Hawaii), so that drives their costs up a bit. It's a nice, comfortable ship and the itinerary is AMAZING.
Thank you Cathy for the reply. I'm in Honolulu and am an avid traveler to Las Vegas so wondered if I would miss gaming on a vacation. I did know that there was no gambling on the ship. NCL Spirit, that goes to Tahiti does, but 15 days on a ship is a bit long for a cruise newby. POA will be my first cruise. @@CathyEM
I have only cruised with Princess and am quite happy. I have no interest in trying the others. I do have to say though that some of the little perks are missing post COVID
I suspect that where the money goes on Disney is the licensing for the characters and the IP. It's kind of like how a Star Trek theme cruise is twice as expensive as the same sailing on the brand the cruise is on; The money is going to the company who owns the trademarks. I do like NCL because they have the best Access Desk and accommodations and I don't really do any of the upcharge stuff. Thank you for the comparative video.
I don't believe they have to spend a dime on the licensing, they own the licenses. I would imagine the money goes into better production shows, experiences, and they have a captive audience of Disney fans that are willing to pay more so their children are better entertained during a cruise.
#1 - the Disney ships do not have casinos (at least not right now). A casino is a MAJOR revenue driver for a cruise line. Compare the prices for NCL's Pride of America (also no casino) with other seven-day itineraries, and you'll see what I mean.
#2 - Disney also puts a little more into service, in my opinion. No cutbacks (yet) on stateroom service. I just got off the transpacific cruise on the Wonder, and our dining room staff was tremendous - how quickly they learned our names, our likes and dislikes, and I understand that they even cut up food for the little ones (not many of those on our 14-day sailing).
Pride of America is more expensive mainly because they have to follow US labor laws and pay their workers more than normal, and they work less hours than normal, so they need more crew for the same jobs.
i know you said fifty and sixty year olds, but do you think princess will be okay for sixteen year olds? we usually book royal but, since it's spring break, it ended up being too expensive
I love Carnival! They are the fun ships! Seems like Virgin is more all inclusive.
Translation of your shirt please..?
Carnival is the Walmart/Spirit Airlines of the sea. Hard pass
Food quality is ship to ship.
Regarding Royal Caribbean, I do not want to schedule every little thing on my vacation. If I have to continuously schedule I might as well be working
I love HAL, I don't want them to be like all the others because then I would no longer like them. The food is good, the service is great, I get to meet and talk to interesting people. I don't need to be entertained by the ship. I prefer to relax. Give me quiet, good food, good service, a good book, a puzzle, the amazing ocean views, great music, and interesting people. HAL hits all those points. I know it is not the best choice for everyone, but it is a fantastic option for people with sensory challenges. There are tons of options for people who want to be entertained non stop. I'm glad there is a fantastic option for us that don't.
Thank you for saying this, I haven’t been on one of their cruises yet. But from a lot of the videos, this is what attracts me. Because I really do not like a lot of activity and noise. I can’t relax in that kind of situation. But that’s why there’s so many good different cruise lines. Kind of for everybody in different stages of life and what they want out of their vacation. I also heard that they do a lot of educational seminars about the ports. And that’s kind of my Vibe. 🚢 ❤
I try all cruise ships and Holland American still my first choice
Haven't been on all cruise lines, but here's my negative list:
Disney: price and too many kids
Princess: lack of variety in entertainment
Carnival: other cruise passengers
MSC: hardest beds on the planet, inconsistent food, nickle and diming
Royal Caribbean: fun activites, but not enough staff to operate them, not enough free dining on older ships
Well said!
Agree!
Now u guys should do a video on the best things a cruise ship offers ✅
Try their We Sailed All 9 Major Cruise Lines...Here's How They Ranked
Thank you for your honesty. Many cruise TH-camrs act like there are very few issues with these lines.
We stopped booking cruises on the megaships. We have the time and the resources to spend several weeks a year on a mega ship, but we intentionally cruise half as often on smaller luxury ships. We'd rather have an amazing, memorable experience with personalized attention to detail and no lines for 3 to 4 weeks each year, as opposed to several weeks of mediocre experiences and regret on a mega ship.
Well said
I love mid ships
We love Regent. Everything is included. Small capacity - estimate 700 passengers
I have been on 13 ncl cruises I never had a negative experience. You should reach out to the cruise line and let them know about your soda purchase.. I always reach out to my cruise consultant afterwards and give him feedback
NCL is by far the worst cruise line I've ever been on. We have done 6 NCL cruises and 20 in total with MSC, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival. Never again for NCL.
@johnthyen5599: I agree. I have been on about 25 NCL cruises as well as over 30 on Carnival. A handful in Royal, MSC, Princess and Celebrity. NCL has always been my favorite. The buffet food is so diverse and good. I was recently on the NCL Bliss out of Seattle (Alaskan itinerary). It was full and I always found seating at the buffet. As far as the soda (if you didn't take advantage of the free at sea offers), you can definitely ask for the can. The free at sea drink offer is the best I've seen on any of the cruise lines that are separate. You pay only the gratuities which amounts to about $140 for a 7 days voyage. Other cruiselines are charging over $500. If you are not a drinker, then do 'pay as you drink'. Be aware that an average cocktail will cost about $15 each. That's about $105 if you purchased 1 drink per day. I say pay the extra $45 and drink all week at your leisure.
Have not tried NCL yet. As a non drinker, I Just don't like their pricing structure. Open bar is included. Means you pay for alcohol you won't drink. Supposedly they have a "sail away fare" which is cruise only. Ironically, that option is sold out even 24 months in advance.
@@MAEUNC
You can *unselect* the drinks package of the Free-at-Sea offering if you don't want it (I've just returned from NCL Getaway 2 weeks ago, and this was what I did) and can save on the 20% gratuity for the drinks package.
I kept the specialty dining (this you can unselect as well if you don't want it, but I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want it), the shore excursion credit, and the WiFi (I used it to upgrade to the Premium option.)
@@MAEUNCwhen you book with NCL you can opt out and not buy the drink package. We drink casually but before we would go to the first port and by some sodas and water and put them in the fridge.
In total agreement on Princess, just tried 2 cruises with them this year, total Zzzzzzz. I'm in my 60's, I'm not dead.
Princess seems like the line that rarely gets any praise. Only Don Terris really likes Princess (don't know his opinion as of late).
Hi Guys. Love your channels and will be sailing NCL soon. Having sailed with them for over 20 yrs, you are spot on with the nickel and diming. Definitely changes post Covid.
When I go in my 1st cruise someday 😊 I plan on going with Holland America. I want a cruise that is relaxing and has a smaller capacity to minimize large crowds. As always, thanks for your insights ❤
We love Holland precisely because it's a traditional cruise experience. It's an older, more sedate, polite crowd, fewer children, and it's not a "resort ship" - no waterslides, no go cart tracks, no roller coasters, no midnight - 3AM discos, etc. There are fewer big production shows, but we're ok with that. We've done multiple "grand" cruises newer ships and now retired ships. On long passages we go to the talks, play cards, chess, read, and just relax. We've always found the service to be exceptional and the food to be very good. There are some misses but overall, our go to line. Holland, Princess, P&O are not geared toward 30 and 40 year olds. That's one challenge with your liking those brands I would guess.
We are real food lovers. We love HAL food. Great variety and good vegetarian selections. As far as entertainment they have the Music Walk with 4 different types of music. Bb King’s blues, classic and rock!!!
Love your video. I have cruised Carnival the most, nice to see vloggers not bashing them to just bash. Going on a older smaller Royal ship, hoping its not a let down.
Did Celebrity Reflection this summer from Rome, the Greek Islands, Malta, Barcelona and we were blown away with the service, entertainment, and the food (all but one night when our meal was just ok). I guess it really is hit or miss.
I've been wanting to do Virgin. Looking forward to the cruise and seeing what they are doing different. My first cruise was 45 years ago and it seems that the cruise lines have been going down ever since. (Sun Viking- Royal) One of the best cruises I ever took. Great channel. Faster to the point without all that fluff. :)
I want to also but (and this sounds ridiculous) the red - I can’t. Cruising should be relaxing. All that red stresses me out.
Princess was horrible!!! There was a very wide-spread virus on the ship that all staff ignored. Medical personnel and other staff were extremely rude to us. When we got home Princess had billed our credit card an additional $9,000 for medical care for my husband alone without our knowledge!!! We will never do business with Princess ever again! Extremely disappointing!!!
It struck me that the problem with the lines that are more laid-back and cater to an older crowd is that they aren't seeing the same older crowd as before. Gen Xrs have moved into that space and tend to have very different tastes, expectations, and life experiences than Boomers. I think Holland is trying to address this with their Music Walk which I've heard is great; that's where they've poured their entertainment innovation. If your ship didn't have a Music Walk (I thought they all did now?) I'd love you to try a newer ship that does to see if makes a difference.
Could you make a video about cruise ships and mobility issues, and a second one about trains and mobility issues?
Would love to see this also.
Yes please. Newly in wheelchair and finding travel very difficult. Especially getting accessible hotel & staterooms.
*EXTREMELY* informative video!! Thank you. 😊
We are Elite Level on Princess as well. I agree with the nickel and dime comments. I also don’t like all the daily sales. The Princess Patter use to be pages of daily activities and now it’s 1 page with a lot of sales presentations.
I don’t agree with the innovation comment. Princess has always been an older crowd and older crowds don’t like change. Plus they are the first to use wireless devices “The Medallion”.
I don’t agree that they should be trying to innovate to attract the 30 and 40 year olds. In order to cater to them Princess will need to install things for kids and families. There are already cruise lines that cater to them. We go on cruises to relax and unwind. We get enough of the loud noises, the screeching screaming kids running around, we just want to sit and relax. And we’ve been on a few of the other “family” cruise lines and while they have an “adult” area we have found the kids are there also with their parents. The cruise line has no interest in enforcing the “no kids” rule.
You are absolutely right, I think sometimes people that go on certain cruises wants different things like less kids ,less noise and less drama .
Amen
@@silverfox5732I was just in a Royal Caribbean cruise that had my PTSD/anxiety triggered while in some of the crowded confined areas with loud screams and screeches.
While kids should feel free to run around and have fun on those cruises, I should also be able to take a peaceful relaxing cruise. They can have their cruise lines, there are several, and I “we” should have ours. Not every cruise line should be worried about catering to the younger groups just to get higher sales. Keep the ships smaller, less populated, and more activities and I wouldn’t mind paying a little extra and/or paying extra for packages.
GREAT informative video! I love cruising but the massive cost increases coupled with a lot of the "nickle & diming" is causing me to pause from cruises for a while. I've got a B2B coming up in Dec. on Celebrity Summit, but it will be my last for the next few years. Land vacations will keep me busy enough. For me it is really the costs they charge now, and I know I made the decision to pay it but...My Dec. cruise is in Celebrity Suite for 9 nights, $12,400 and that is one level suite below where they include all specialty dining. Oh well, the cruise will be great, I love Celebrity and their crew so there is that.
Our Princess Cruise to Alaska in June 2024 is 14 days at around $11K (for mini-suite) for 2 plus an additional $2.2K for the Premier Package (25th anniversary so doing it up), Airfare is $2.1K round trip from Austin, TX to Vancouver. We still have transfers and hotel stays on both sides of the cruise still to be booked. We will cruise out of Galveston, TX, only 3 hrs drive away, for our future cruises and only for more reasonable prices. All of the various parts for a cruise just add up even without upgraded cabins and drink packages. We are breaking several of our own cost saving rules on our Alaskan cruise since we are treating it as a 2nd honeymoon.
Do you have a series on your Holland America cruise? Can you give more detail about what you did like about the food? Have you cruised a sailing that wasn't transatlantic?
You guys are quite good at this. Excellent Video
Nice video. Thanks for sharing. I don't have enough cruises on most lines to definitively say what's worst about them, so I won't do that. Instead, I'll talk about some points about some of the cruise lines you mentioned here:
* Celebrity - I've only been on M-class ships (their oldest and smallest). I've found the food to be of high quality, especially in the buffet. There's enough entertainment for me, at least on the charters.
* Princess - You should give one of their 80s themed cruises a try if they have those again. I was on two of them and they were really good.
* Carnival - My next two cruises are on Carnival, so we'll see what's changed since I was last on there about 4 years ago.
Thank you professional travelers this information is helpful and gives us amateur travelers things to watch out for ,but people like me that don't travel alot are really just happy to finally get away with family to enjoy our time together, it's been very hard getting my husband out after covid going on wonder of the seas with grandchildren and our grown kids and wow are things expensive...but I'm sure the memories and fun times will be talked about more than the cost or food😅
You should have stated that these are your views. My 2 worst cruises ever (out of 50+ cruises) we’re in NCL. You said NCL is your favorite. Everyone has different views. Your priority seems to be food and cost. Mine is ports and relaxing atmosphere, which Holland America and Princess are the best, in my opinion.
Mine is the ports and atmosphere too.....I like good food as well...
100% correct regarding Celebrity Cruises, we found exactly the same as you on our first ever Celebrity cruise on the Eclipse. I nearly swore of cruising for life. However Virgin Voyages are finally coming Downunder and we are eagerly looking forward to our first ever cruise with Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady which is costing us the same as our Celebrity cruise in 2022 👍
Our first Celebrity cruise was on the older Summit and was absolutely great. Makes me really excited to be booked on the Ascent.
@@MAEUNC I would be interested to hear if you see a change in quality on sailing with Celebrity on one of their newer ships compared to their older ships. If I ever had money to throw away I would try one of their newer ships out of curiosity but I would never spend my hard earned dollars again on one of their older ships. I’m an Aussie so it’s not as if I’m hard to please as we Aussies are an easygoing mob and we don’t have high expectations. We are about to go on our Virgin cruise so it will be interesting to see how it is different. Wishing you another great cruise 🚢
Have done 91 cruises all over the world and feel the staff on Holland is so gracious. The music walk has multiple venues every night. We really enjoy there venues. Food is good not great, but I don’t know a regular cruise that truly offers excellent food since the Covid cut backs. We average over 70 days a year on multiple ships throughput the word.
I have cruised a fair amount...my favorite are the Royal Caribbean reburbishment/repositioning cruises they are schedulted May or October so no kids aboard, occupancy is low , no problems getting into the really good entertainment. I have to say the first one was tremendous, the best food EVER. A female chef and alot of Italian high end specialties (not spaghetti amd lasagna)in the main dining room at night fabulus desserts jy mate ate 2 a night...I dont think it was merely first timer "WOW syndrome" either. We took an older smaller ship later Boston to Bermuda,again Royal Caribbean no entertainment just a four piece band and tiny dance floor, nothing else at all. BUT we are sailors...lived aboard/sailed in the Caribbean nearly a decade and the ship felt a good bit lile a sailboat...I was thrilled. I love the motion but if you dont, stick to larger ships. I 'd go again just for that beautfiful real at sea experience...never been seasick in my life...my mate has issues rarely so therefor a different opinion..he still lived aboard and sailed a decade.
Holland America was the worst by far (we avoided Carnival.ugh, not our vibe). The staff is mostly from Dutch former possessions and not customer service oriented, just very remote and odd. Again no entertainment and food was not good...odd dishes we were not crazy about and we have traveled widely and enjoy different cusines, just not that one. You could give me Thai forvever for example. Not repeating either of those cruise lines not even for free.
You are right, very limited entertainment on HAL. We were on Koningsdam and fortunately the band in the Rolling Stone room was great. Other than that there wasn't much of anything. Booked on Volendam this year and it could be a real problem. NCL we didn't like...nickel and dime plus dinky venues. Carnival we like the fun vibe. Trying Virgin in March....dirt cheap...we shall see
We went on Holland America for an Alaska cruise and I totally agree that the entertainment was lacking. We ended up playing a lot of pingpong and talking in the dining room.
Happy to have gone to Alaska on Holland in 2019 before they started cutting back on things.
And that's a bad thing?
Going on a MCS Seashore cruise out of port Canaveral thanksgiving. Hope your MSC evaluation doesn’t hold up. Our first cruise in 20 years. Loved Carnival back then. This time we are taking our 3 kids and 6 grandkids on Seashore. What troubles me we hear people who love the seashore and people who hate everything about it. At this point not sure what to expect.
Me myself and I think different strokes for different folks ,if you stop doing things and going places because of someone else's opinions you will be stuck at home,so go and experience things for yourself and enjoy your vacation that's what we are going to do I appreciate the information given but everyone have different likes and dislikes.
We will be on this sailing as well. We just did MSC Meriviglia in September and had a good experience even when we saw people make complaints about the sailing, I think there will always be complainers who are never happy and every cruise is what you make of it.
@@silverfox5732 I agree with getting out & keep on going. We really are looking forward to our cruise with family
On my last RCL cruise, the service and food had taken a huge dip from what it was earlier in the year. They just didn't have enough staff in the cabins nor in the MDR or buffet. Their number of activities had also dropped. The cutbacks were palpable.
I disagree about MSC, I would sail again with them.
I totally agree with you about Holland America. We were so disappointed by the food. I think your assessment of Royal Caribbean should come with a caveat - what you describe is true on the Oasis class, and was definitely a major frustration for us - but I have had wonderful experiences on the Voyager class ships where the venues are larger and you can just show up and get a seat at any show or game with no problem.
Thank you for your critiques. I have heard several of these comments from other youtubers as well. I appreciate your age group perspective as I fall in to that as well.
I love Holland. Never did transatlantic, but did the Panama Canal. That was on the Rotterdam. The entertainment was great. I think maybe try again. Sorry about your experience.
"Every Cruise?" What rubbish, I can think of a dozen lines you didn't mention. Most of the ones you mentioned seemed to be the American ones sailing out of Miami. Broaden your horizons. What about Cunard, Azamara, Fred Olsen, P&O or Saga?
Sorry, we were on the Equinox last July and it was VERY nice, food was great.
We went on NCL cruise around Hawaii. The food and staff were way below par. Never again.
My last NCL cruise in October. They pushed us a walk excursion on a stormy day.
I asked the excursion staff whether I could cancel, but they won't refund the money anyway. Even sold a cheap rain poncho for $5.
They cannot control the weather! Do you also expect a refund if it rained every day of your cruise? I was on that exact cruise and went on an excursion to visit a fortress on that day. Got soaked but otherwise had a good time. Life is too short to moan about minor things.
I should add I am in my 50s. The reasons I LOVE Princess so much.
The staff are wonderful
Love the games and quizzes
Love the ample pools and spas
Loved the entertainment
The worst thing about Princess
The buffet food, very repetitive and some of it bland
Completely wrong about Celebrity... but Every cruise line uses their older ships to train. But since you love Virgin ... that says it all for me... unsubscribe!
Disney could certainly improve on their food at the restaurants, but I wouldn’t say it’s as bad as cafeteria food. Buffet and adult restaurants are outstanding though. Also Holland America: yup. I went at the age of 20 and can’t remember most of what I did on a week long cruise. I don’t even remember their pool. Totally forgettable. Waiter in the restaurant was awesome though.
I know I am a little late to the party here, but I have some thoughts. While I love the informative content you usually put out, I did not love this one. The reason is because I don't believe what you are stating here is valid for all cruisers on these lines, it is your own personal preferences. What you find of value on a cruise is not the same for everyone. The good news is you found what works for you and that is fantastic. You like the entertainment and experience lines like Royal or Virgin offer so that means those lines are your style. Every cruise line offers a different experience for a reason. While those are what you enjoy, not everyone wants a floating amusement park packed to the hilt with families or a trendy and innovative experience. Some of us enjoy a smaller, more intimate, more relaxed and chill vibe that lines like HAL offer. I don't think what didn't work for you makes that the "worst thing" about those lines...it just wasn't your preference. I think this may have hit the mark a bit more if you had stated that this is what YOU did not enjoy on these cruise lines. I also have to disagree with the statement that HAL "doesn't know what people in their 50's and 60's enjoy"...I am in my 50's and my husband is in his 60's and we like it just fine. We love the service and the food (Ii have not cruised on the Zuiderdam, so I cannot speak to the level of quality on that particular ship, but I am about to go on my 3rd HAL cruise next month and have not been disappointed yet). I will agree that the entertainment could use a boost but much of my entertainment doesn't come from shows or activities, it comes from sitting down and getting to know people and talking for hours on end on every cruise. This was my 2 cents anyway for what it's worth. Happy cruising and I am glad you found what works for you.
HAL is not for 50 and 60 year olds, it caters to a much older crowd. I would say the average age on our cruise was closer to 70. We went on HAL for Alaska as they have the best parking spots at all of the ports and since the embarkation port was our home town, it was one of our cheapest cruises. The MDR food on the Koningsdam was pretty good maybe because it was their 50th Anniversary to Alaska last year in which the menu was focused around seafood. I agree with you about the lack of entertainment as we were basically waiting around for the next meal but thankfully, we only had 2 sea days. The best part of the Koningsdam ship was the service, the Dutch Cafe which had the best food and desserts on the ship and Tamarind, the asian specialty dining restaurant! Thanks for your content!
Totally disagree with assessment on Princess. Passengers who are looking for the "traditional" cruise experience love Princess. We are not looking for all all the "bells and whistles" currently found on new mega ships. Princess has fantastic Enrichment Lectures, and Port Lectures. Their ships are extremely well maintained and we have been on two of the newest ship this past year. We have cruised on all three Princess Ship classes and found consistency. The crew has always been excellent which is one HUGE consistency we look for. Have sailed NCL, HAL and will be sailing on Celebrity for the first time this year.. Always go back to Princess. Looking into Azamara. Here is the GREAT news....there is something for everybody's taste/style. That is why there are so many Cruse Lines available. Find the one you like and go enjoy yourself!
For us, we have sailed three brands so far & the Disney food for us was MUCH better than Carnival (Mardi Gras) or Royal (Wonder).
What cruiseline has better food?
Well, I do agree with you on MSC. You will not catch me on a Carnival Cruise, I gave up the booze cruise idea nor to have kids crawling all over the ship especially the only 21 areas that other reviewers have said. Being a retired teacher I am done with babysitting. That goes for Disney as well. Any thoughts on some of the more expensive lines like Viking.
Hey guys! I have to respectfully disagree with you guys on the virgin voyages part. Comparing balcony rooms all across all cruise lines, i believe virgin still comes out as expensive as many other cruise lines. It just looks expensive because virgin charges everything upfront. Now isint that a better way to get customers? I love it because i dont have to worry about extra charges later. Except for alcohol of course! And their drinks are cheaper too!
I disagree with the comments on Celebrity cruises. We have been on four cruises with two booked for 2024. We have been on the Summit and Millennium. Both of these ships had excellent service with people checking on you for drinks at poolside. Often, they remembered your drink there and in the main dining room. Food was good in the main dining room and the buffet. However, on newer ships:Equinox and Ascent, staff was not as receptive, food was inconsistent, and shows were lack luster at best. I am due to go on the Beyond. I'm worried it will be similar to the Ascent. In my opinion, to make statements, you must experience a variety of ship classes. For us, the Millenium class was so much more enjoyable. While the boats are older, they offer cool things in the adult pool area like hydro message loungers in the pool, fun shows, and attentive staff. On the Solstice and Edge class ships we've been on, they are nicer looking ships, but not great shows or staff. You are more invisible. Agree to diagree.
Entertainment for me is the least important .The ship itself is enough for me. I've never tried HAL ,but the food and music really appeals. I like quiet. I have to say we love Princess,newer ships,but I hate the screen around the main swimming pool.
I'm going on a cruise hopefully next year need lot of information on packages with food and drink packages. Thanks love your video very informative
Has anyone heard that a lot of the staffing wasn't allowed back to the US during COVID, and that is why we are seeing poor service on many ships?
Thank you! I’m looking at going on another cruise so your video was very informative!
I found the people that book excursions on RC not knowing enough about them to give advice. I also found, sometimes Indian staff don’t seem to like white Americans that much, and when they’re polite, seems contrived.
Subjective opinion, but Holland America has the best food in the traditional mass market. The MDR to some extent, but especially the buffet, Dive-In, and breakfast menu.
Entertainment is lacking, 100%. Don't sail HAL unless it is port heavy, you are low key, love live music, or enjoy crafts and art classes. The bait and switch itineraries are true, sometimes not letting people know until after final payment! They still have the most exotic itineraries despite this, before jumping to luxury.
This is low-key one of the most useful comments, I think.
I couldn't care less about the entertainment, doting staff or large quantities of heavy, unhealthy food being available around every corner of the ship. The less of all that the better.
Health is important in life.
The bitter disappointment is hearing about the port switches. That sucks because transportation between ports is the point of it all.
Still seems like Holland America is the best choice, though. Thanks for these tips.
@@tw9535 Thank you. We've sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity, with no intention to return to any of them. X was great for 3 cruises, but our 4th in 2019, 12 nights with almost no vegetables. I actually paid for specialty dining for a normal portion of green beans! That's not to say this happens on every cruise, but it happens often enough to be a gamble. Recently Tips for Travelers mention that Celebrity removed free gratuities from purchased all inclusive packages, which I find despicable. HAL runs different Have-It-All promotions, and you're locked into that particular offer, as it should be.
We eat at the Dive-In about twice a week for lunch, similar to what we do at home, but I otherwise eat healthy the entire cruise beyond that. Fish, Mediterranean, Asian, salads for lunch, Pan Asian and Indian breakfast, dessert once after dinner.
HAL is our main cruise line, but we're open to Virgin Voyages, Viking Ocean, Viking River, and Azamara, especially on reposition cruises.
I choose my cruise based on the itinerary. The rest is not very important to me. It is what you make of it after all. Never have high expectations of the food (especially on American ships) and entertainment.
Dislike casino's and too many bars with loud and drunk people. So the less of this, the better.
I am Muslim. I think it’s a woman’s what she wants to wear. My mom mostly wore the hijab and didn’t in many situations. My sister does but my nieces and wife don’t. The choice is theirs. And that’s freedom, hijab isn’t oppression, force of any kind is. So France and Iran are same on this issue. Let. Women decide.
Royal Caribbean has no self service laundry, you have to check out pool towels, and the shower shampoo/conditioner/body wash is atrocious.
What about Costca? We had a cruise scheduled, my husband had a heart attack, and we lost $2000+. They were heartless.
I've sailed Constellation and Apex. Excellent food both times.
I think what is forgotten about is now cruising is very ship dependent not necessarily brand only.
Virgin is all inclusive, no extra charge for specialty dining, gratuities .. no nickel and diming and best of all…no kids
Agreed that MSC’s food is by far the worst of any cruise line. They use zero seasoning
My question.... overall which line is your favorite?
Hi. We have cruised celebrity, rccl carnival and we did MSC in January . I feel you get what you pay for. You did not like MSC. We loved it because we really loved the yacht club. Had the best service. Loved the servers in the dining room and pool area. They brought us our drinks as soon as we sat down. The ratio of staff in yacht club was amazing. Totally different experience then the rest of the ship. Same with rccl and celebrity. We did celebrity Edge and we were in the suite level and it was amazing. Separate dining and pool area but I have to say service was better on MSC Yact club. Food better on Celebrity. That was our best service and food experience so far. If you pay the upgrade of “ship within the ship” experience, you would have a totally different opinion. Have you tried Oceanic? That is our next cruise. Heard it’s the best food overall on any cruise ship and all specialty restaurants are included.
My wife and I love Holland American. We been on Norwegian, Royal and Holland by far beats them on food and service. Now, we love the older crowd so they do not have a party atmosphere, but that's what makes them different. If you enjoy the party ships, HA isn't the one. But I'm surprised you had a bad experience with their food.
Lots of smoking all over the MSC ship I was on. Awful.
I find booking early helps with cost of virgin
I really enjoy your posts - please keep them coming. Have you ever tried smaller cruise lines with much smaller ships? Like Windstar? Variety Cruises out of Athens? River cruises within Europe or the Far East? Very different experiences. Would be interested in your impressions of them. Keep well and keep cruising!
Msc seascape out of Miami is the worst and yes I'm American
I will be on MSC for the first time on a European cruise. Since most of the ports we visit have around a 12 hour time block, I'm pretty sure my interactions with staff will be limited, as I plan to eat and drink more in the ports then I do on board. Even if the service is somewhat respectable, I'll take it. Almost like taking a budget flight. Do I get IFE? No. But I do get where I'm going. The destination in this case means more.
Great video! I’m a new subscriber after watching two of your videos. We’ve cruised with NCL for the last 9 years and find the nickel and dimming and constant downgrade of service and entertainment is noticeable and irritating! It started with stopping the chocolates and towel animals to removing the toiletries, robes, coffee makers, ice buckets, free breakfast room service, one room service, and much higher prices for gratuities. It turned from “Welcome to your luxury cruise” to “Welcome to Motel 6”! That said, as you build from Bronze to Sapphire members, the perks make up for some of the amenities that were taken away. We can get the robes/coffee machines/ice buckets if asked and sometimes pleading, but it just feels bad to have to ask!
Glad we are sailing on the Apex on our next cruise. We arent loyal to one line but decide based on itinerary or ship or both. Sailed on NCL last Fall and didnt experience the nickel and dimimg. In fact, they ended up sending us a check because we had a credit leftover on our account.
Hello Michelle our next cruise is on the Apex as well next April. Enjoy 😊 I’m looking forward to this sailing!!
We've tried Carnival, Royal, Holland America and NCL, and I think you two are spot on. While we enjoyed our itinerary on Holland America (port intensive, NO sea days), the ship was lacking entertainment. I would never take a Holland America ship on an itinerary with a few sea days. Simply not enough to do. We're trying out a Celebrity cruise next year, but it's not a newer ship, so you've given good info to know going in. Won't sail Disney or Virgin, and we might not sail MSC, so I can't speak to any of those.
I think Virgin is worth the money and I wouldn't want them to cut costs to the detriment of the current experience. Really appreciate the lack of up-selling compared to other lines.
Eleven HAL cruises to many different places in the world. Service and food were consistently great! Enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere on board and the immersive experiences. Loved our sea days which often included lectures. We take things to occupy ourselves if we aren't doing something the ship offers. We don't need water slides and other bells and whistles unless we are cruising with grandkids. We've also loved our 8 Carnival cruises. Our one RC was a family Christmas cruise and considering that it was during Christmas and had 500 kids aboard, it was overall a great cruise though we wouldn't seek RC out too often in the future. Our one NCL was on the new and lovely Prima which had great food and lovely cabin. But the venues are small, service was inconsistent, and they do nickel and dime.
With all this being said, after two weeks on any cruise we are ready to make our own grilled cheese sandwiches and have our DVred options to watch on TV!
The overall theme on most lines is the newer ships are better staffed with better amenities, better entertainment options, etc. HAL and NCL are definitely that way. I agree with you that Virgin is my new favorite but it’s not for everyone (but with popularity comes higher fares so 🤫). And let’s be honest, on MSC the Yacht Club is the only way to go.
I loved Princess Regal.