Opinions on cruise companies please

[anna68]

Originally Posted by danisleigh

We have sailed with NCL and RCL. We much prefer royal and if the itineraries were both good would choose them every time. However NCL do have great itineraries so I would sail
With them again for that reason. NCL we have been on the Jade, the star and the Epic. RCL we have been on the independence and the Anthem and will be on the symphony at Easter.

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What makes you prefer rci over ncl?

[Floridag1rl]

Whatever you book don't book MSC they are awful. Holland america are very good, I haven't been on Princess cruises but people I now say they are good, My family have been with celebrity and say they are good. royal Caribbean tend to cater for family so you do get a lot of children on their ships but they do have some adult only areas.

[Steeko]

Oven sailed with Royal Caribbean, Disney, P&O, Celebrity and Marella (Tui). We really didn’t enjoy the Tui cruise, based on your requirements I’d recommend P&O or Celebrity.
We loved our Celebrity cruise & have booked with them again for this year. There are quite a few offers on at the moment so worth looking about.

[Pootle]

I’ve cruised on Celebrity and Princess multiple times and I agree with others that they do sound like a good fit for you. Possibly HAL too, but I’ve never tried them. HAL has the reputation of being especially suited to the much older client; but I suspect that is not the case when they are sailing in the Med.

Also agree with others about timing being they key to a quieter cruise. A few years ago we did a back to back in the Med with Celebrity. The first cruise was in English school holidays and the second was mostly in September. Both cruises were good but the atmosphere and demographic changed considerably during the second cruise. It was much calmer.

We sailed on Ventura last year (and will do so again this year) and I seem to remember that P&O lays out tables especially for solo passengers who wish to take afternoon tea together, which I thought was a nice idea. I’m only recently off a Celebrity cruise and I don’t remember seeing anything similar on there, but I have feeling that Princess might also arrange informal get togethers for solo passengers. If that sort of thing would be of interest to you, then I would suggest you visit the relevant forums on Cruise Critic for up to date information.

Happy planning Eric’s mum.

[duchy]

Originally Posted by Floridag1rl

Whatever you book don't book MSC they are awful. Holland america are very good, I haven't been on Princess cruises but people I now say they are good, My family have been with celebrity and say they are good. royal Caribbean tend to cater for family so you do get a lot of children on their ships but they do have some adult only areas.

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What did you find “awful” about MSC when you sailed with them ?
The ships are gorgeous but they do allow you to book in sectors in Europe rather than the more usual herd all passengers on and off at the same port so it can feel more transient.

[pdcdad]

We are just coming up to 60 and had never cruised before. We didn’t want a big ship with all the amenities that they provide. We did want great food comfort and pleasant easy going environment. We went with Fred Olsen to Caribbean and loved every minute. Yes the age was on the mature side but there were still plenty in our age group as well. Food was amazing and lots of choice. The crew were so friendly and welcoming nothing was too much for them. We loved it so much we are going again this year.