The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!

[jray21]

Great pictures! It really is an amazing looking ship, looks like you guys had a great time!

[robbalvey]

Currently on the Disney Fantasy, which has by far exceeded my expectations! Better than our Royal Caribbean favourite ships? It's VERY different, but VERY Disney! If you can imagine what it would be like staying at a Disney Deluxe resort for a week, that's very much what this is like.

 

I think it would be very hard for me to choose one over the other. One is like going to a Busch park, and the other is like, well, Disney! Both very high quality, however different.

 

Anyway, check out our facebook page for loads of photos so far: http://www.facebook.com/themeparkreview

 

and check out this POV we shot of AquaDuck:

While I realize this isn't the most "wild" water slide in the world it's pretty darn cool being about 20 feet above the pool deck and at one point, the slide goes off the side of the ship over the water! It's actually a lot of fun! A mix of a water slide and a "lazy river!"

[Erik Johnson]

I loved the Disney Dream cruise I took last year. The food and atmosphere was amazing. There is also plenty of activities to do even for adults.

[Hotlanta]

I always get all the TPR updates on my Facebook page but somehow these Disney Fantasy updates haven't been showing up. Bummer.

 

It is currently out of my price range but wow the pictures were just spell binding. Thank You Robb for taking time during your vacation to post these pictures.

 

It is really nice of Disney to not only offer free sodas but also for carrying some variety. I did not like the fact that RCL makes you pay for drinks and then only carries Coke & Spirte. Maybe this situation is remedied with the new freestyle machines they have been advertising all over Atlanta.

[SharkTums]

Some thoughts on the Disney Fantasy Cruise we just got back from today...

 

- They have certainly improved as a cruise line since the last time I cruised them 12 years ago!

- Ship was lovely and well laid out for an 'older style' ship.

 

- Food options/times were limited and did not suit me at all. Even Carnival had more food open and more options throughout the day. (thought it was mostly inedible!)

 

- Kids club facilities were amazing, but staff for the most part was terrible. Entertainment staff who seemed to visit the club quite often were great and interacted with the kids...kids club staff was rude to KT and other children!

 

- Character photos were great, photo staff not so much. I don't know why Disney outsources this as I think they could do amazing things with Photopass on the ship.

 

- Enchanted Art and Muppets game were really cool; even after Robb activated the Pirates one for the 257th time!

 

- I like Labadee a lot more than Castaway Cay.

 

- Disney Staterooms were some of the best we've had with the exception of drawer space.

 

- Sarah and Nicki at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique were two of the best cast members I've ever had the pleasure dealing with. I really hope they do well and advance in the company.

 

- I felt there was very little for us 'adults' to do throughout the day or at night. I realize we're not 'normal' adults, but there were several times we just couldn't find anything to do.

 

Overall, I think we'll stick mainly with Royal Caribbean, but I certainly will be back on Disney in the future. I think I'd almost rather stick with a 3/4 day on Disney as opposed to a whole week.

 

Feel free to ask me anything about it!

[_koppen]

I need a tip for Ship choice!

 

My girl and I are planning or first ever Caribbean cruise now for November.

 

Can anyone bring some light to the choice of ship?

 

My thoughts are:

Oasis or Allure of the Seas

Freedom of the Seas

Norwegian Epic

Carnival Dream

 

I kinda wanna throw the Disney cruise ships in there to, but I'm kinda feeling that a couple in our age has nothing to do on those.

Were just looking for a nice ship with lots of things to do on board.

 

Since were booking all inclusive for the food, I would also like to know who has the better options for this.

 

Any tips is greatly appreciated!

[SharkTums]

^More info required...

 

When in November (Thanksgiving Week and Jersey Week mess with this month)?

 

Are you drinkers? Do you like Sea Food?

 

Are you big Disney Fans?

 

Where are you flying into? Do you have transportation? Are you doing anything else or just the cruise?

 

Are you interested in Eastern or Western Ports more?

[robbalvey]

A couple of my thoughts on the Disney Fantasy differ slightly from Elissa's, so I'll post them below....

 

Some thoughts on the Disney Fantasy Cruise we just got back from today...

- Food options/times were limited and did not suit me at all. Even Carnival had more food open and more options throughout the day. (thought it was mostly inedible!)

Elissa is more of a picky eater than me, and yeah, while things were more limited for her, I felt that the food was above and beyond any other cruise line I've sailed. The entrees were like eating at a high-end Epcot or WDW resort restaurant every night. I was well impressed.

 

- Kids club facilities were amazing, but staff for the most part was terrible. Entertainment staff who seemed to visit the club quite often were great and interacted with the kids...kids club staff was rude to KT and other children!

I agree the staff didn't give as much personal attention to the kids as you see on other ships with albeit a smaller number of kids... BUT... there were days where we couldn't tear KidTums away from kids club, and there were days where she was just as happy sitting in the stateroom playing on her iPad. I think the facilities service families with multiple kids better, but you can't deny that having a real Disney Princess come and read your child a story, or getting to play with Pluto or Peter Pan isn't pretty freakin' magical to a five year old!

 

- I like Labadee a lot more than Castaway Cay.

I'm kind of at a draw on these two private islands. While Labadee has the Alpine Coaster going for it, IMO, it's the ONLY thing it has going for it over Castaway. I wasn't a fan of the Labadee zipline and felt it wasn't worth $100. Both islands seemed to have FANTASTIC beaches, if you're into that sort of thing. They both offered Wave Runners, bikes, water play areas, etc. Castaway felt very "manufactured" to me (not in a bad way), meaning it felt a lot like a Disney water park. While Labadee, while still very nice, felt a bit more "island" to me...meaning some of the facilities weren't *quite* as nice. For me, it's a coin toss, but if I had to choose, I'd stay on the ship as I'm not a beach person.

 

- I felt there was very little for us 'adults' to do throughout the day or at night. I realize we're not 'normal' adults, but there were several times we just couldn't find anything to do.

I'm a Disney geek, so I really enjoyed just wandering around the ship at night just looking at stuff. There was actually quite a bit for more "normal" adults to do, like drink in the pub, go see first run movies at the theater (they were even showing Frankenweenie), etc... There were DJ's every night and the Pirate night fireworks and dance party were pretty epic. Again, if you're into that sort of stuff, I think there was stuff to do...but not as much as on an RCCL, NCL, or Carnival ship (again, targeting a different audience here.) Basically, I think most "normal" adults would not be bored at all at night, just don't go in expecting every night to be a raging party or something...

 

Overall, I think we'll stick mainly with Royal Caribbean, but I certainly will be back on Disney in the future. I think I'd almost rather stick with a 3/4 day on Disney as opposed to a whole week.

I think I'm split. I could easily do another week on a Disney ship... or an RCCL ship. I think my set of pros/cons for each cruise line cancel each other out. But really, Disney didn't just exceed my expectations, I was blown away. I really had a much better time on the ship than I had expected. And I can say the same for Allure that we did last year as well....

 

Spending a week on the Disney ship was like staying a week at a WDW Deluxe resort. It *IS* Disney...so you need to be a "Disney person" to really appreciate it. But if that's your kind of thing, then I wouldn't steer you towards any other cruise line.

 

--Robb

Edited October 20, 2012 by robbalvey

[_koppen]

^More info required...

 

When in November (Thanksgiving Week and Jersey Week mess with this month)?

 

Somewheere between the 5th and the 20th.

 

Are you drinkers? Do you like Sea Food?

Would not say that were big drinkers, we usually don't drink at the meals, more like enjoying a beer on a nice bar in the evening.

I don't eat fish of any kind, as I don't like it, but my girlfrienddoes.

 

Are you big Disney Fans?

 

I am, but I not my girlfriend, so I have to say no on this one.

 

Where are you flying into? Do you have transportation? Are you doing anything else or just the cruise?

 

I was planing on flying to Fort Lauderdale, but It might as well be Miami as well, It's no big difference on the cost of the flight from here, it more depends on the port of the ship. I will defiantly book transfer from the airport to the ship. We will be doing the cruise only, as we both start to work the winter season on Dec 1st.

 

 

Are you interested in Eastern or Western Ports more?

Eastern would be the preferable one. But I'm defiantly open minded if people here have had better experience's on the eastern side.

 

I have been following you're RCCL trip reports, and I have to say that I'm a bit biased toward them as they look amazing, but I really don't wanna overlook anything.

[SharkTums]

I would go for the 10th - 17th or 11th - 18th. That's the week between Jersey and Thanksgiving. Crowd-wise and price-wise it should be the best for you.

 

If you're heading to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami I would stick with either Epic or Allure. Dream and Freedom are a good 3+ hours away.

 

I am NOT a fan of the Norwegian Cruise Line product so with that choice I would instantly go with Allure. I'm sure you could probably get Epic a bit cheaper though and they have similar big act entertainment options if you like shows and stuff like that.

[KBrylczyk]

^Wow, I wonder if that will prompt a change in the type of rope or number of tethering points used in future.

 

Nope, not a chance. This happens way more often than you'd think. High winds snap mooring lines like they're tissue paper, hahaha. The reason this happened was because the storm came out of nowhere and no precautions were implemented. Generally, if there are adverse weather conditions at the dock or there are storms rolling in, the ships won't dock at that location. Isla Roatan in Honduras is notorious for this. They have one mass-market port (Coxen Hole (yes, I've heard all the dirty jokes, haha)) and one owned by Carnival (Mahogany Bay). While Coxen Hole (hehe) rarely has a problem, the location of Mahogany Bay is crap when it comes to weather. I don't know how many times the ship I'm working on has had to be re-routed to the other side of the island to dock at Coxen Hole (still funny!) because of the winds at Mahogany Bay.

 

Also, not just mooring lines snapping, but ships hitting each other happens a bunch, too. Not enough to say it happens regularly, but it does happen. The majority of the time it's just like in this video and it's a love tap, but other times, depending on the ships involved, much larger damage occurs. Like the time one of Carnival's Holiday Class ships, the Celebration (still on the water with a different cruise line now), decided to get intimate with a Cuban freighter...and promptly cut through it like a knife through butter. Let's just say that a Finnish-built ship made of the strongest metals on earth meeting the hull of a Cuban-built rust bucket isn't a pretty sight.

 

Proof? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Celebration

[_koppen]

I would go for the 10th - 17th or 11th - 18th. That's the week between Jersey and Thanksgiving. Crowd-wise and price-wise it should be the best for you.

 

If you're heading to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami I would stick with either Epic or Allure. Dream and Freedom are a good 3+ hours away.

 

I am NOT a fan of the Norwegian Cruise Line product so with that choice I would instantly go with Allure. I'm sure you could probably get Epic a bit cheaper though and they have similar big act entertainment options if you like shows and stuff like that.

 

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it.

 

So we had a vote after looking into both ships.

I voted for Allure and my girl voted for Epic, so then of course were going to go with Epic... (Insert face palm smiley here).

 

Was is it that you don't like with Epic? Is it anything serious I should worry about?

[robbalvey]

^ Just be sure you know what you are getting into with NCL. First off all, with their "Freestyle Cruising", you won't have the same dinner staff every night. One of the things I personally like about cruising, especially on a longer cruise (7+ nights), is that the staff really get to know you... have your drinks prepared for you, get to know if you have any special requests (plain pasta, etc).

 

On an NCL ship, you don't get that special attention. It's different staff every night, because you can dine wherever and whenever you want.

 

There was just something about NCL that left me feeling that I didn't need to ever sail them again, and I think it was mostly the customer service (or lack thereof).

 

Has the girlfriend read our Allure trip report before she says no?

http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=570&linkid=10080

 

--Robb

[SharkTums]

^What he said mostly. There are a lot of upcharges for dining, and the service in the 'included' restaurants (and even some of the upcharge ones) left a lot to be desired. The staff isn't 'working for tips' as much on this line so they don't really have that extra incentive to go above and beyond. It's more like eating at a normal resort. Nothing wrong with it, I'm sure it will be great and you'll both enjoy it, just not my preference.

[robbalvey]

It's interesting that I don't know a lot of people who are "regular" cruisers with NCL. I hear a lot of people who do them to "try them out" or because they got a good last minute deal, etc. But most of the people we know who do a lot of cruising are usually RCCL, Disney, Princess, or even *gulp* Carnival regulars. Again, nothing really wrong with NCL, as they are certainly much better than Carnival, and probably closer to RCCL, but our one cruise with them didn't encourage us to do it again.

 

--Robb "And we don't hang out with those Carnival people!" Alvey

[KBrylczyk]

I--Robb "And we don't hang out with those Carnival people!" Alvey

 

Not even employees?

[robbalvey]

I--Robb "And we don't hang out with those Carnival people!" Alvey

 

Not even employees?

There's a HUGE difference from the people who collect the paycheck and the ones who willingly give them their hard earned dollars!

[KBrylczyk]

There's a HUGE difference from the people who collect the paycheck and the ones who willingly give them their hard earned dollars!

 

Whoohoo!

[disneyfan1313]

It's interesting that I don't know a lot of people who are "regular" cruisers with NCL. I hear a lot of people who do them to "try them out" or because they got a good last minute deal, etc. But most of the people we know who do a lot of cruising are usually RCCL, Disney, Princess, or even *gulp* Carnival regulars. Again, nothing really wrong with NCL, as they are certainly much better than Carnival, and probably closer to RCCL, but our one cruise with them didn't encourage us to do it again.

 

--Robb "And we don't hang out with those Carnival people!" Alvey

 

That is exactly how I feel about NCL as well. We have done it twice, both times were OK... even GOOD in some regards, but there are just so many better options. I would do NCL again for an amazing deal but thats really the only reason why.

[ahecht]

If you're heading to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami I would stick with either Epic or Allure. Dream and Freedom are a good 3+ hours away.

 

There are some great deals on 5-night Liberty of the Seas cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale in November (under $300 for an inside), and the ship is going to be virtually identical to Freedom of the Seas. Check out http://vacationstogo.com/ticker.cfm?sort=v&r=13&l=14&d=320&sd=1&sm=201211&tm=201211&md=5&xd=90&sp=y for prices of Royal Caribbean cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale in November (use email address none@none.com to log in)

[DirkFunk]

I can't speak for NCL's "normal" product. That being said, their "upscale" suite product and the whole ship-within-a-ship concept is absolutely fantastic if you can afford it. I've sailed twice in suites and I don't know that I could book in anything less than that or the Haven (depending on the ship). The freestyle dining thing can be a turnoff to some, but considering how it has migrated to much of the rest of the industry, obviously there's a market for it.

[robbalvey]

^ I wouldn't say it's migrated to the rest of the industry at all. NCL is still the only one that does shipwide "Freestyle" dining. Sure, some of the other cruise lines offer additional upcharge restaurants and some of them do have an "Anytime dining" option, but that is not quite the same as what NCL does, and upcharge restaurants have been offered for years.

 

I hear more people complain about the "anytime" dining type of plans than I hear compliment it.

 

As for the suite thing, that goes for ANY ship, not just NCL. We've done suites three times now on RCCL and they bend over backwards for you.

 

Not saying that NCL is doing anything right or wrong, but the numbers tell me that they are by far not the "first choice" cruise line for many people. And like Reed said, I would gladly sail them again, but it would have to be a great deal, and they would not be my first choice.

 

--Robb "I'd still rather sail NCL over Carnival any day, though!" Alvey

Edited October 22, 2012 by robbalvey

[DirkFunk]

I wouldn't say it's migrated to the rest of the industry at all. NCL is still the only one that does shipwide "Freestyle" dining. Sure, some of the other cruise lines offer additional upcharge restaurants and some of them do have an "Anytime dining" option, but that is not quite the same as what NCL does, and upcharge restaurants have been offered for years.

 

I would disagree. NCL basically invented the upcharge restaurant in 1988 and I'm fairly certain they instituted the concept of "anytime dining" in the cruise industry at the mass market level back in 2001. Obviously there's an appreciable difference between how NCL operates and how someone like RCCL does with their dining. In the mass market world, everyone except NCL and Disney operate around having a couple of main dining rooms and traditional dining is still enormously popular. That probably won't entirely change because there's so many people that like it. Generally I like set seating. Depends on the ship, my cabin, etc. I won't use it in a month on Celebrity. Then again, I have a butler to bring me food from the main dining room and reservations in all the specialty restaurants. YMMV.

 

As for the suite thing, that goes for ANY ship, not just NCL. We've done suites three times now on RCCL and they bend over backwards for you.

 

NCL (and MSC, to be fair here) have very different suite products on the market than what RCCL has. Freedom and Voyager Class ships have very similar amenities to what you'd find on the Jewel class ships for NCL and they're probably about even in that respect. If NCL has an edge, it's that the butlers will bring food from specialty restaurants in addition to the main dining room, and RCCL may do that also. The newer builds or those refitted for Havens on NCL are markedly different situations more comparable to the Grills of Cunard in terms of separation of class. At that point too it is probably about time to start talking about straight up deluxe/luxury lines as comparisons.

 

Not saying that NCL is doing anything right or wrong, but the numbers tell me that they are by far not the "first choice" cruise line for many people. And like Reed said, I would gladly sail them again, but it would have to be a great deal, and they would not be my first choice.

 

It all depends what you're looking for, what your budget allows, what you're looking for in a cruise, etc. I think NCL offers a good value in a particular segment, but again, I admit I can't really vouch for what it is like to be an average person in an average balcony/oceanview room with them. If you value on board entertainment and activities more, RCCL is probably a better choice. You can't compete with what they have in that arena.

[robbalvey]

^ You obviously didn't quite "get" what I was saying and took a more analytical route to "prove me wrong." Whatever. I hope you're happy with yourself.

 

I won't use it in a month on Celebrity. Then again, I have a butler to bring me food from the main dining room and reservations in all the specialty restaurants. YMMV. I can't really vouch for what it is like to be an average person in an average room.

Wow... Let me just rant for a moment here...

 

I HATE when people throw around the whole "I can afford a better stateroom, so therefore I'm better than you" attitude, which is exactly how you sound in your post. You can't vouch for what it's like to be an average person? Seriously? You said these words??!?! Guess, what... in my eyes... you're BELOW average for even saying that. Because those words tell me that, in your head, you're a better person, you're above everyone else, because you chose to spend your money on an expensive stateroom. Wow.

 

Here's the reality check that you need, dude... Personally, we could also afford that butler, as can many others here, but some of us just choose to spend our dollars differently. We've done suites, we've done first class, etc, here's an eye opener for you - THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON!!!! Or, if we DO spend those dollars on expensive cabins or whatever, we don't go around calling everyone else "average people", because that's REALLY f**cked up.

 

We did a lot of expensive upcharge stuff on the Disney Fantasy...but you won't see me throwing it in everyone's faces in our report...because we don't think we're above the rest of the world.

 

"YMMV" lol Once again....

 

--Robb "Seriously, you're coming off like a rich a$$hole...no one likes people like that..." Alvey

 

EDIT: Sorry for the rant, but this guys post really rubbed me the wrong way. Sorry if anyone disagrees with me calling him out, it's just really a pet peeve of mine the people on ships who go around waving their "gold stateroom keys" as though they standing on the shoulders of everyone else on the ship calling themselves tall. It's just really, really, really obnoxious. Seriously, I can't tell you how many times I've stood at a bar on a ship next to someone who was in a suite, and they are waving their "gold card" to try to get attention from the bartender as though it's like an "I'm better than you" FastPass or something. When we are on a ship in a suite, and we have the gold card, I try NOT to show it often, because I don't want people think I'm a "Dirk Funk." Thanks for your understanding.

Edited October 22, 2012 by robbalvey

[JEdMc91]

How do cruises really work out? What I mean is...are the meals included (free) with the tickets you buy? Also, are the movies, entertainment and all free?