What Cruise Has The Best Overall Experience?

Puska on 13/01/2016 - 22:08

Ive been looking at going on a cruise next month with my girlfriend and its the first time we will be going together. The 3 cruises we have a choice between are;
1. Carnival (Legend) 9 night island hopper)
2. P&O (Pacific Jewel) 11 night island hopper
3. Royal Caribbean (Voyager of the seas) 10 night island hopper.

Ive done a little bit of research and its come to my attention that the Royal caribbean is run all in US dollars. A lot of reviews have said this has made their holiday quite expensive onboard.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which cruise i should take? and any pro and cons for each?
Also if anyone has any secrets or tips i should be aware of before i go on.

Thanks. :)

Poll Options

  • 1
    Carnival
  • 1
    P&O
  • 9
    Royal Caribbean
Travel

Comments

  • Mamaof3 on 13/01/2016 - 22:42
    +5

    I'm not a cruise snob but P&O is aimed at budget travellers and catered more for the young crowd. Probably the poorest quality ship out of them all.

    Carnival would be the 2nd down the chain. Still kinda a budget ship but more catered towards families with kids

    Royal Caribbean's Voyager would be the top ship out of all these. Pricier but the passengers on board are more peaceful :-) The ship is a decent size and was recently updated. Purchasing things on board is in USD but we never buy anything (other than maybe a family photo) on board - why would you when one of the big perks of a cruise is you can complete the cruise without having to spend an extra cent beyond what you've paid for your cruise fare. Loved the ship. When we went we pre-paid our gratuities so we didn't have to worry about tipping. Not sure if gratuities is still a thing but check that out.

    • Puska on 13/01/2016 - 23:28

      did you purchase any alcohol or soft drinks while aboard? what did you do for your sea days out to keep the time going?

      • eatwell365 on 13/01/2016 - 23:41
        +1

        too busy. there are always something to do in RC - pool, movies, sports, gym, show, dine all day, read a book, casino, shopping, video arcade, mini golf, flow rider, rock climbing, ice skating, free seminars… we keep looking at the watch so no to miss out on events on the RC Explorer.

        Very often you may get some onboard credit when making a booking, so drinks are no problem. If you can drink more than 7 per day for the whole duration, then may be worthwhile for the drink package.
        Free coffee/tea, water/cordial in windjammer restaurant,

        • Puska on 13/01/2016 - 23:54

          i will received $300US for the room chosen if i travel with the royal caribbean. It totals at $2400 for the twin share for us both (no including gratuites).
          is it worth paying the gratuities or not?

        • eatwell365 on 14/01/2016 - 00:08

          @Puska:

          Wow…how many days? So to tell if you get a good deal. Normally minus 2 days - late boarding, early morning departure = 2 days.

          Think roughly about $9 per day per person on prepaid gratitude, otherwise will add to your final bill on check out but you can line up on guest service and tick it off on the final night.
          Gratitude is supposedly to be at will, so depend on the service/experience you will receive.

        • Puska on 14/01/2016 - 00:24

          @eatwell365:
          for a 11 day/10 night cruise.

          The website was asking for $183ea on graduates for the trip which i think were bit steep.
          Are you able to line up once boarding and have the ailing graduates removed and tip the staff at your own will?

        • eatwell365 on 14/01/2016 - 00:28

          @Puska: yes. speak to the manager on guest service. can always make an adjustment, the staff are very very nice - and they get US wages (lean base + tips).

          Not sure if you noted, 2.5 to 3% overseas transaction payment as RC is base in Miami. Check with your CC company. I paid that, to make me feeling better, I think as if I pay for the compliementary travel insurance my CC provides.
          ATM on board if need.
          Good idea to notify your credit card/ bank that you are expecting to go away between these dates so the online security would not stop your credit card unexpectedly - just my 2 cents.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/01/2016 - 22:58

    No option for none of the above?

    • eatwell365 on 13/01/2016 - 23:19

      Yeah… The Black Pearl

  • inherentchoice on 13/01/2016 - 23:16

    "Best overall experience" is a subjective concept.

    For a real experience do a trip aboard a cargo ship…

    http://www.freighterexpeditions.com.au

  • Davros on 13/01/2016 - 23:36
    +1

    I prefer to do them on my own boat for several months at a time.

    • eatwell365 on 13/01/2016 - 23:46

      Great, we envy you.

    • Puska on 13/01/2016 - 23:54
      +1

      slow clap

  • Cheeper on 14/01/2016 - 02:27
    +1

    Would not recommend P&O at all. :-( Carnival is very Americanised… ok if you like their ways / food / etc.
    IMO the best for local cruising is the 3 Australian based Princess ships, Dawn, Sun & Sea Princess.
    Because of their popularity they can be hard to book.
    They have no auto tip, superb dining & entertainment and are more suited to cruising in the tropical south pacific area. They use A$ so there is no conversion rip off on board like you may find with royal caribbean.

    Destination.. aim for the ones that get to a couple of stops in Vanuatu and Fiji area. Most heading out that way may stop in the New Caledonia area which is not as interesting.

    Cruising is the best holiday IMO but do plenty of research to find what suits you.
    Everyone has their own preferences too.. some do like p&o… some like the massive yank ships, some like the smaller.
    I prefer a balcony cabin when out in the south pacific but for some the cabin is only a place to shower and sleep so spending the extra $ on a balcony cabin may be a waste?

    Here are a couple of sites where you will find the hard facts…

    http://ozcruiseclub.com.au/Boards/index.php?sid=a3f9a66f7130…

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/forumdisplay.php?f=77

    There may be many more… google cruise forums (Australian)

    • Puska on 14/01/2016 - 09:59
      +1

      We were looking at the princess cruises but the cheapest available at the time we want to go is in the mid 5k :/ so we had to cross that off our list!

      Thanks for the feedback, will look into the forums

  • melgibson19 on 14/01/2016 - 08:58

    Best to read David Foster Wallaces's famous article on cruise ships and why best+ experience = blah

    • Puska on 14/01/2016 - 09:58

      Can you please comment a link?

  • SlickMick on 14/01/2016 - 23:57
    +1

    Things might have changes a lot, but the biggest selling point of the P&O cruise I went on was duty free booze. I had a fantastic time, but I wouldn't do it again now that I don't drink, and now that I'm in a relationship. I'm not sure that everyone on the ship had same attitude, but I think everyone I met did.

    My wife has always wanted to do a cruise, but I'm not interested. I've been encouraging her to go with a friend, but after thinking about what I just said, it won't be P&O! :)

    We're flying over to Vancouver to do an Alaskan cruise. Totally different than a pacific cruise I expect. Hope it satisfies her need for a cruise :)

  • djmatt24 on 17/01/2016 - 04:09

    OP I'm not sure if you've already booked, but I might have a tip for you if you haven't!

    RCI are a great standard of cruising, I just yesterday booked a cruise with them over Easter. I had been hesitating for ages watching the prices change bit by bit.

    Just before I booked, I checked many of the 3rd party sites to see if there was a better deal. Nothing amazing popped up. But I also checked the RCI UK website and ATM they are offering the beer and wine package with many bookings (at a value of US$42/person/day, I think).
    If that interests you and you think youd each have maybe 4+ drinks a day, have a look and see if your cruise is on there too.
    Happy sailing!

  • Mamaof3 on 17/01/2016 - 19:25

    This has been the case with all the cruise liners we've travelled with….if you book direct with them, then at any time between time of booking and your sale date you see a cheaper deal/fare for the same cabin or an offer better than the one you purchased (e.g. beverage package, onboard credit, specialty dining package etc) then you simply call them up to get them to add it to your booking or adjust the fare if its a cheaper/better cruise fare that you find.

    This is not possible with the likes of the travel centres and you would have to actually cancel your fare and rebook to take up the current offer.

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