Another big vote for MDR breakfast. I hate fighting dozens of other people over some sad scrambled eggs on a buffet line. Bring me a croissant or eggs benedict please with a linen napkin :)
I totally agree with you - I just got off Caribbean Princess and my group dragged me to the buffet for breakfast for 2 days in a row - on the 3rd day I missed meeting them for breakfast, and went to the MDR instead. So much better! The food was hot, tasted better, and I didn't have to wander around trying to find our table again. After that, I wouldn't go to the buffet for breakfast anymore -MDR all the way!
I usually enjoy the buffet for breakfast, but on my last cruise it was painfully crowded. Never seen anything like it - you genuinely could not find a seat most mornings. So I started ordering breakfast to the room and can confirm that it was lovely
I discovered this on my last cruise and OMG, why doesn’t everyone do this?? Why would you shuffle around with the unwashed masses and loiter awkwardly while you wait for your poached egg to be done when you could sit and have everything brought straight to you like you’re some kind of sultan?
Please, just let there be somewhere on the ship without piped music playing on a loop. Used to be that the Solarium was a quiet zone where you could just relax on a sun lounge, and read or look out at the ocean or port scenery. The Solarium on board Ovation of Seas was beautiful, but annoyingly had songs playing over the speakers at all times. But no, apparently now it needs music playing EVERYWHERE so that we know we are Having Fun and Enjoying Our Vacation.
My first time on HAL I thought “this is boring, I’m too young for this ship”. After my last crowded noisy Norwegian trip I’ll take Holland America any day.
Lool. That's the secret of HAL. The con is there isn't much activity going on in your face 24/7.
The pro is *there isn't much activity going on in your face 24/7.*
Contrasted with the "When You Wish Upon a Star" announcement tones. I get tingly every time I hear them. Have them as my notification tone on my phone.
I love that I’m not able to access social media or the news while on a cruise. Putting my phone on airplane mode is the best thing. There is no flipping way I’d get the WiFi package. I don’t care what is happening elsewhere. It’s me time.
I’ve never understood why this isn’t the case. Especially when foreign tourists book an American cruise line and has to deal with tips when they’re not used to it.
Because if Norwegian did it all their cruise fares would go up. If no one else did it than they would lose sales because consumers are stupid and only care about the upfront price.
Here in Germany, its like this. All german brands of cruise ships **AIDA** (which is german branch of Carnival) and **TUI Cruises** (which is german branch of Royal Carribean) do not charge gratuities or tips in any way or form.
There is one advantage for labor of it being an add-on.
Crew members who provide service to passengers have to work a lot harder when the ship is at capacity than when it is at 2/3 full. So at least with the add-on gratuities, they is a little extra compensation for the additional burden.
That being said, I do agree that it makes it more difficult for people to evaluate which is the best deal based on advertised pricing. Although all inclusive packages that people often choose still make that difficult. As they rarely include that in the sale price.
Cruise lines are missing out on opportunities by not:
1. Focusing a bit more on solo cruisers. Some lines like NCL have recognized this but others should get rid of solo supplements and/or design ships with solo cruisers in mind.
2. Tapping into the ocean liner potential. Certainly Cunard's QM2 does this but it'd be great if there were 1-2 more ships that made a 5 day NYC-Southampton or Lisbon crossing that wasn't (exclusively) upmarket and charged $600-1000 one way. I think that would be competitive with airfare. While most cruising is and should be recreational I think there's untapped potential for its role as transportation.
I know! I hate 9-10 hour air line flights but would rather cruise in Europe compared to the Caribbean. I’m retired so last spring we did a transatlantic from Port Canaveral to Amsterdam & on the way back Amsterdam to Reykjavik to Boston to home. Never more than 5 hours on any flight.
Unpopular-er opinion: you don’t need a balcony for Alaska either. The 360 views from the deck while scenic cruising are amazing! (And princess handed out blankets in glacier bay to keep us warm.)
You don't need one, but it was the only cruise I've been on where we could leave the door ajar and fall asleep to the waves without the room getting hot.
Yeah, and not to mention having morning coffee or breakfast out there in your in your pajamas, in your own private space, watching the scenery just hits different, especially in Alaska.
We did interior for Alaska, because I wouldn't be in the room anyways. I was up on deck to get 360 degree views, not just one side. Interiors are great way to save money for excursions...
I agree regarding the cost - and most people do, in fact, only use the cabin for showering, changing, and sleeping. However, the peacefulness of having my morning coffee on the balcony watching the sunrise is worth every penny of the extra cost. I won't sail without a balcony.
We tried an inside cabin for a super-short 3 day cruise just to see, and yeah - not for us. I found that the lack of access to fresh air was the #1 bother for me, followed closely by the lack of daylight.
I'm glad we tried it though to see for ourselves!
I don't think that's so much an unpopular opinion. As inside cabins are simply better for some people than others.
Some people spend every waking moment out and around the ship. Might as well stay in an inside cabin.
Others like to relax a lot in their cabins, maybe hang out have room service in there in the mornings. Look out at the water from an ocean view or a balcony. Or for Alaska cruise, be able to see the scenery.
So just a different strokes for different folks choice.
Agree. The room feels less claustrophobic if you can look outside. Plus I like to have my peaceful quiet, “no people” time on the balcony to have coffee, a drink or just stare out
Does this hold true if you are stuck in your room while young kids have nap time?
We are trying to plan our first family cruise. Before kids we had no issues with interior cabins (including Alaska).
How young are your kids? We used to get adjoining interior cabins and we stashed the kids in the cabin next door (with a door connecting our cabins). It was basically a discounted suite. Life changing.
We have a 2.5 year old and a 7 month old. We’ve taken the oldest on 3 cruises and the youngest just did her first. My #1 recommendation would be to get a balcony. I think it would be cheaper than 2 adjoining interiors and I’d enjoy it more. To each their own, but my wife and I love sitting outside so this made the 3-4 hour nap much more enjoyable. I’d even sneak out to grab some drinks to have on the balcony. It kind of felt like our chance to get a feel for what it used to be like vacationing without kids. I found it worth the extra money as the balcony room was maybe $600 more than an interior for that 6 night sailing.
I honestly really like having the balcony because after my son goes to bed my husband and I can sit out on the balcony and have a drink and couple time before going to bed.
Our rule is our son can only go out onto the balcony with either my husband or I, and he knows he cannot go near the railing. I told him if he falls, he will fall into the ocean and be eaten by a fish. It worked. He follows the rules.
Some of the videos ive seen show a sliding bolt about 6 feet off the ground that can lock the door from the inside, so they would not be able to reach that.
Also, I know my wife has the same fear, but they have never climb the railing of our balcony at home, or our stairwell.
Yea especially if u don’t plan on spending a whole ton of time in it. Like my mom says on cruises I’m in the room to sleep, change clothes and shower/do hair and brush teeth. And the bathrooms are all the same until u get to the suites so why spend so much money on a room ur not gonna spend much time in
Mine is that people spend far too much time trying to find reasons to complain instead of just enjoying their vacation. I get that people spend a lot of money on cruises and expect a certain level of service and all but the nitpicking is getting so tiresome.
My last cruise I heard so many silly complaints. “These pancakes aren’t fluffy like (insert restaurant). They weren’t yesterday either.” We’re not at (restaurant) and Why would you get them again if you didn’t like them the first time?
So many people upset at the rain. Three out of four ports had rain. Like it was the cruise line’s fault. Like people ridiculously snippy and acting like their whole cruise was ruined. I mean I get it - you wanted beach-friendly sun. Did I like the rain? No. But it’s just water, I had an umbrella, and I didn’t let it ruin my day.
Etc etc etc.
My favorite thing to do is listen to people at the guest service desk ask for refunds because the weather was bad. On ships where they are near a bar or seating area, I’ll just grab a glass of wine and listen to the call of the Karens shouting about how it’s Disney or Carnival’s fault there was clouds or a hurricane and they want compensation.
I used to work in the corporate office of Viking, from 2006-2010... I shit you not, someone demanded a refund because they were scared to leave their river cruise cabin because we didn't warn them there would be gays on board.
The head of customer relations' response was tantamount to "how did you take all those flights to Europe without one gay flight attendant."
Imagine being afraid of someone who prefers blondes…because that’s all it is, a preference and mental emotional wiring. My kid knew this in 1994, after he asked about our friends kissing in the park.
How can grown ups in the 2000s not grasp that?
Haha yes. I did that for a bit my last cruise. My favorite was the man who wanted refunds for the excursion credit (NCL does a promo 50$ off one excursion per port) and this man wanted 200$ back because “he didn’t leave the ship and didn’t use the promos for excursions so he should get that 50$ per port back”. 😶😶😶
It’s truly the best activity on the boat, lol. Especially the night before you go home. My husband and I will park ourselves close as possible with a drink and laugh and laugh. Then I like to read complaints boards on the way home. I feel bad for the truly awful ones, but most of them are dumb and hilarious.
I once heard a lady say she wanted to take her tips off because the body wash and shampoo containers in her shower were not filled every day. Granted, those things even half full will last multiple cruises. But because they weren’t filled every single day, the woman claimed her cabin attendant was lazy, and wanted to take her gratuities off.
All she had to do was open her big fat mouth *to the cabin attendant* when the toiletries got too low for her taste.
I was *apologetic* with our guy, saying, “I do go through conditioner, sadly.”
He looked at my hair length, and said, oh, like my sisters. Shampoo and conditioner stayed full.
I just didn’t want to run out, and wanted it topped off, once. (It was very low day one, and so I asked about it. Simple.)
So perfectly said. I personally don’t think I would ever pay for anything that isn’t an interior cabin, that darkness is better than any blackout curtains give me
I’m not sure but based on the way cruises are going I think this might be an unpopular opinion:
I like the MDR/set dining seating and dressing up for dinner (esp captains night)
I miss when cruises would do themes
Buffet has its time and place for me, I used to love the midnight buffets or like just to grab a snack in between. But if most ships have places where you can get like pizza or something quick like that I’d rather have that
Yes!!! When I go on a cruise I want to do something that I don't do everywhere else. I have a cruise coming up and the part I'm most excited for is getting my whole family dressed up for a formal dinner and having a picture of it. We are not formal people. This is something that we probably won't ever do again unless it's on another cruise
I love.the main dining.room and dressing up for dinner. My mom has bought my sister, her, and matching dresses and matching shoes for one of the dress up nights and she wanted us to do pictures in them and I think it's gonna be so cute.
That’ll be so great!! I know some of the cruises go overboard on the pics selling but honestly a lot of the nice portraits and group shots my family has are from cruises
I think the older ships are nicer in general on all lines. I hate the mega ships. I want to know that I’m on a ship. I don’t need a floating amusement park
The Wonder was renovated fairly recently and I LOVED it. Going back on it again in a few months. Did an inaugural Wish sailing but would choose Wonder 10x over.
I’m gen z and I like cruising. I wish more people my age would get into it. And no, I don’t mean just those big ships with the water slides and all that
I think it’s just a money thing honestly. Even tho cruising is the cheapest way to travel, most gen Zers can’t even afford fast food nowadays. Same with us millennials honestly. I know the only reason i haven’t been cruising in over a year is money (a lack of it) and no time off work is an issue as well.
Best cruise I ever went on was the last cruise out before the Covid shutdown. It was practically empty. You could stroll out to the pool at 11am and choose any lounge chair you wanted.
Yep. February of 2022. With two music lounges side by side every night was partying and then moving back and forth between them as the night progressed. The first list was so light (821 passengers, 2,660 capacity) that the party ended up being about a third to half crew by the end of the trip. Fun times.
Live entertainment starts too late at night. There's so much live entertainment stuff from 8-Midnight, with only a few early shows dotted throughout the cruise. I think it would help with overcrowding and filling less popular dining times if they spread out more of the shows and concerts from 5-Midnight. Sometimes the early risers and people with polite kids want to see live bands too!
This would be amazing! I would definitely go watch the shows in the later morning to afternoon.
I'm only a couple of years older, but I'm one of those annoying morning people. I will totally be up at 6am to get coffee and walk around the ship, but that also means I'm asleep by 9-10pm most of the time.
I'm a night owl and would like this too. I want to eat dinner at 8pm on vacation, not be in a show. I would absolutely go to things at 5 to have dinner after.
I love Holland America and I think it gets a bad reputation for being a senior citizen line. Yes, it does tend to have an older clientele but a cruise is what YOU make of it. Have fun and don’t worry about anyone else. Also, that reputation keeps many of the drunken idiots away, so I’m fine with it.
Agree! Just finished our first NCL cruise after two on HAL. My TEENAGERS even said they preferred HAL. The food was better. The comedians were better. And it wasn’t as crowded.
Huge HAL fan here. I see all ages on board. Old school, low key cruising. Quiet. Great service. Good food. Good music as a rule!
No rollercoaster. This is key……
I'm 32 and Holland America was the best cruise I've been on. I liked the rolling stone lounge on the öosterdam and it was the same crowd every night because we were the only ones staying up. The food was fantastic as well. They had this amazing burger bar by the pool that on any other ship you'd have to pay a surcharge for.
I love smaller, older ships versus floating amusement parks,and favor exotic ports, and excursions. Number of passengers on my last cruises were 940, 1180, 152, and 98.
I also love sea days, and visiting the spa.i eat breakfast and dinner in the MDR (allergies) and I like to be seated with new people. If I’m around at lunchtime, I’ll have something at the pool.
What lines? A bit of a wait for prime time main dining rooms, and the comedy show. But we just show up last minute for all theatre shows and always get reasonable seats. Never dealing with lines at the buffet. I guess there are sometimes lines at the bars.. Okay, I suppose there are lines. But it's really a very small part of our vacation still.
However, every person makes choices to “customize” their own trip.
Some seek excitement and bustle, others seek quiet corners.
I’m a mix, but lean to quiet.
I’m the generation that learned of modern cruising through the Love Boat. I have zero expectation or interest in water slides, and low interest in shows, but I’ll seek out the duos and small bands in the various bars.
As for more custom experiences, I want to try the Jam cruise. My partner is the experienced cruiser, and loved a prog rock cruise he took.
I also have thought about the wellness at sea (vegan and nutrition/lifestyle) and massage at sea (continuing ed for massage therapists) options.
Cruisers of a certain generation need to accept that the world has moved on, and not everything is aimed at them in perpetuity.
Whether it's cruise lines trying to widen their appeal like Princess changing cigar lounges to arcades – "that's not why we sail Princess!"
Or Virgin offering a non-traditional cruise experience – "the entertainment was in poor taste!" (what did expect on Virgin?! Jersey Boys?)
Not everything is for everyone. And that's ok. Other cruise lines are available. Just do some research instead of assuming all cruise lines are designed to meet your exact needs.
As a frequent cigar lounge person I saw the gradual switch away towards something else. 15 years ago I'd have people to talk to smoking a cigar. Now, it's people vaping and smoking cigs and I am the only one with a cigar. Seems like a place for crew to quick burn one or hit a vape now.
Last sailing (AK) talking with the bar staff there wasn't one on the previous sailing and one of two on ours.
May as well make it something else if nobody else uses it for what it was supposed to be.
I'll miss it, but I'm likely in the minority.
You only get a nibble of the culture you’re visiting when doing a day at each port. It’s like speed walking through an art museum. Sure, you looked at the pieces but did you *see* them? No.
I hate how much technology has infiltrated the cruise system. I loved putting my phone in the safe for a week. Now you need it to check menus, book shows, etc. I miss the low tech cruises.
My main goal on any cruise is to avoid eating at the buffet whenever possible. Breakfast or grabbing fruit or salad at the salad bar are the only exceptions!
I lost 3 pounds on my last cruise WITH specialty dining and a full drink package that I liberally took advantage of by taking those stairs! We also tried to avoid all trams if possible.
I recently went from part time forearm crutch user to full time and I am so not looking forward to this. I cannot safely use my crutches on stairs, but I'm young and my disability is otherwise completely hidden. I've had people get super mad at me before about taking up extra room.
Yeah, they don’t have hardly any options. I think I saw one 8 day, but it’s like $3k just for an interior closet.
Also, they quit doing the loyalty program, so as of right now, there is no reward or incentive to keep booking with them.
I have a Virgin cruise booked for later this year; they are just so expensive, don’t have longer itineraries, and no drinking package. Idk, hopefully they live up to the hype, but I can’t see me justifying the prices for how many cruises I like to take in a year.
Your attitude matters. It's what you make of it.
If you're looking for problems, you'll find them. Sometimes mishaps make for the most memorable trips!
People’s expectations are WAY too high for what they pay.
The food in the MDR on mass market cruises is going to be banquet food. You cannot serve several thousand people with made to order from scratch meals. It probably will not be hot. It will be medium to good, some things terrible and some amazing. Service will likely be far better than a land based chain restaurant experience.
Mass market cruise lines are 3-4 star hotels. Not 5 star hotels. There are 5 star cruise lines and the cost reflects that.
I know experienced cruisers notice that 30 or 20 or 4 years ago you got more and quality may have been better. In the 90’s I paid $750 for a week on carnival for an inside cabin looking for a deal. You can still pay that today.
I feel like the cruise community is pretty diverse, so I've heard some of these before. Truly unpopular opinions would be like "The best deals on board are at the art auction or the watch store!" or "Chair hogs are behaving reasonably and fairly!"
lol my wife was looking at some stuff so I wandered over to the watch section. Asked the worker how much they were asking for a used Rolex explorer they had on display. The man with a straight face told me 20k…….20k for a used watch that sells brand new for half that.
Older / smaller ships are better. I was on Carnival Spirit, Enchantment of the seas, Carnival Panorama, and Carnival Venezia last year, and boy were the venezia / panorama BORINGGG. I love the older unique esthetic of the smaller ships. Less people too. I know it's an unpopular opinion as the new ones have the movie theaters, go karts, roller coasters etc.. But all that's for kids tbh.
I couldn’t agree more. If you love cruising, the cruise itself is the main attraction. Stuff like go-karts and roller coasters are just silly (and often stuff you’ll do once, wait in a long line and pay a fee for) - I have zero interest in them. Give me a nice breezy deck chair and let me stare at the ocean - that’s all the entertainment I need.
Yeah I don’t wanna go on go karts or water slides. I just want trivia or bar crawl or a tasting or class of some kind. But if I was on a ship like that with go karts and such I guess I’d just be happy that likely kids wouldn’t be at the less popular things that I want to do
We go on cruises to sit on our balcony and read and eat in the MDR. We might catch a show if we haven’t seen it yet but we’re there to relax. We live by a less than exciting port. We could drive to the places the ships cruise to so we’re just there to relax and eat. We could not care less about the port or the water slides, go-karts, and rock climbing walls. The crew are wonderful and the food is really good. That’s what we’re paying for.
I agree! My personal rule is if the ship has a water slide, I’m steering well clear of it.
I’m glad families have more avenues for vacations, but I’d rather not spend mine with a bunch of kids.
I wish new smaller ships are being built, but the focus seems to really be on these giant behemoths.
I havent experienced a mega ship yet, but my instincts are saying with young kids, mega ships are better, but for a couple the smaller the better.
Would you say thats true, or false? Planning on doing first family cruise in then next year or 2. We know itll be a different experience
I don't like MDR having to sit at a large table with 10 odd other people I've never met before. Around the ship I'd be pretty social at the activities, events etc, but at break times I just want to eat in peace as a solo traveller (would be the same if I wasn't sailing solo).
The food and service the first night I went was lovely, but the table was awkward as hell
This is why we always reserve a table for two. I don’t really want to explain about my dietary restrictions with a bunch of strangers. Also, dinner time is a time I like to decompress from the day’s activities.
Me too. It might be because it was the first port I ever visited on my first cruise so it always brings back good memories. We’ve been back many times and always have had a good experience.
The buffet has some really great food options if you avoid the main offerings. In particular, the Indian food has always been a highlight on most cruises I’ve been on, and are items that would never be offered in any of the main dining rooms.
I also believe that cruise lines overall could do a better job with offering diversity in food — the main dining rooms are so western; why couldn’t there be one that highlights different Asian cuisines? Or at least a specialty restaurant? I would love to have some Vietnamese or Thai food on vacation. Maybe this is more common on sailings that aren’t based out of North America?
I LOVE The Indian food at the buffets. I also love having it and Congee for breakfast. They are great buffet foods as they stay warm and do not dry out.
Food and service with set time dinings are better than any time dining or similar.
With only two seatings for set time dining, the crew are much more cohesive during service. I found the food fresher, hotter, and better, too, as a result.
The buffet as well as specialty dining are available if people want more flexibility with their meals.
It also allowed the staff to remember preferences for their tables and for us to get used to the same staff members. I wish we could have a set time and table. It also makes it easier for large groups of multiple cabins to just show up at the table rather than wait for the whole party at once.
Yes! We had set time and table dining on our last MSC cruise, and it was great seeing the same crew members every night.
And because everyone had the same tables, no one had to wait no matter how large the group.
Just got off the Discovery Princess and even with reservations, we routinely had to wait for them to seat our group on time.
Getting off the ship in every port is not necessarily a good thing. While most ports are amazing, there are still quite a few that are not worth it. Do some research once you've booked your cruise and if you find a port that is lacking in nice beaches, activities, shopping etc... stay on board the ship and enjoy the amenities. Also, the spa is usually discounted while ship is in port. So if you want a nice message for a decent price, book it during port time.
Virgin doesn't seem like something I would like. Everything I hear and read about it makes me think I'd end up regretting booking it. It's just not my scene and that's okay.
Its shoved down My throat that it is and I WILL enjoy it... but it's okay not to all like the same cruise lines. I don't mind seeing kids run around. They make me think of my own and I smile...
I still can relax on ships with kids.
I wish more people thought that way. I love VV, but it is definitely not for everyone and some cruisers would just plain hate it. People should do their research and choose the cruise that best suits them.
Formal night dress code should be very strictly enforced.
Cruisers who treat the staff badly should be kicked off the ship and blacklisted from all cruise lines.
What gets me is that people complain about the food on Facebook and then say they can wear anything they want to formal night. You want to dress like you’re homeless but want to eat in a Michelin star restaurant.
As someone who doesn’t do formal nights, I actually agree. My husband and I were on a RCCL cruise that had a last minute itinerary change and they changed the second formal night. We missed this somehow, rocked up to the MDR in jeans and were let straight in. We were early and as people started coming in dressed up, I felt so embarrassed! We would have had zero issue with the staff telling us it was formal night. I don’t want to ruin someone else’s fancy experience.
Celebrity is still nice but it is a shadow of its former self. Oceanview cafe used to be a very civilized atmosphere where the staff would carry your tray to your seat and bring your drink order to you. It is now a free-for-all and the penny pinching is annoying. I remember trying to find some granola in Oceanview for my wife’s yogurt. Eventually I gave up looking and asked a staff member. She went behind a counter and got out a bag, and said granola is “by request.”
Hate to admit it, but you're speaking the truth about Celebrity. I've been loyal to them as a solo cruiser, but the recent decision to charge us *more* than a couple has got me seriously reconsidering. I have a couple cruises booked that I plan on keeping, but I just don't know that I can book another one in good conscience since they are actively hostile towards my business at this point.
And I also agree on the infinity balconies - I don't hate them, but I think of them more as an oceanview cabin than a balcony cabin. I will not pay balcony prices for one. In fact, on my upcoming cruise, I opted for an oceanview for this very reason
Alcoholic drink packages are a scam. Shortly after each cruise line started selling drink packages, they reduced the number of bar staff. Get the money up front, pay less staff, serve less drinks - easy money.
Afternoons on the ship can be boring. I don't like lying around all afternoon doing nothing. I can do that at home, where I have Netflix. I don't need to be kept busy all the time, but I hate it when the only activity at 3:00 is to get my footprint analyzed or go to the shops for a sale on overpriced watches.
No. You don’t, unless you order the specialty cookie that wasn’t available previously. It’s a new menu item if you want it. Everything that was free, still is. My last two cruises were celebrity, on two different ships. You definitely don’t have to pay at Cafe al Bacio for the cookies that they’ve always had.
Cruising is a great way to see the world, yet so many people seem to do the same itinerary over and over.
Going to a cruise line's private island does not interest me at all.
If you aren’t sailing Disney, don’t wear mouse ears to the buffet.
Invest in [pink bunny ears](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nv2Pj2vd0Fs/UhJNqOvlERI/AAAAAAAAAlE/WCEdRnA49ws/s1600/louise-belcher-bobs-burgers-18672486-188-256.jpg) instead.
That all mass market lines no longer care about brand loyalty. Full stop. Its all about chasing the 1st time cruiser market which is largest market in U.S. appox 70% of US havent cruised. Its capturing this segemnt that has no previous knowledge how different cruises to covid were equals more profit for lines. Bye bye loyalty passengers who cost more.
The buffets need sections that showcase the local dishes of the cooks they employ.
Celebrity has a very small Indian section that is fantastic. More food option like that would be amazing.
Gonna trigger some cruisers: People who bash on Carnival are cruise snobs without much sense of fun.
But I am okay with people bashing on a couple of Carnival’s MDR dishes. There are some MDR dishes that objectively are terrible even if you’re not a food snob.
We're going on Carnival this year for the first time in 20 years to give them another chance. We kept being woken up by sales announcements every day at 8am that we couldn't turn off. That was my main complaint. We're hopeful it is a better experience this time.
We'd never have been able to cruise if not for MSC!
Managing your expectations is important. Yes it's multigenerational, multinational and European style service but I like being in bed by 2, learning about different cultures and not being fussed over.
We did a segment of a repositioning cruise last year and it was bliss. Not too busy, fantastic atmosphere and an interesting itinerary with lots of sea days to enjoy the ship and actually relax.
Breakfast in the dining room is very nice, calm and peaceful and doesn’t take that long.
Another big vote for MDR breakfast. I hate fighting dozens of other people over some sad scrambled eggs on a buffet line. Bring me a croissant or eggs benedict please with a linen napkin :)
Don’t tell people about MDR breakfast. It’s the best secret. 🙃
I totally agree with you - I just got off Caribbean Princess and my group dragged me to the buffet for breakfast for 2 days in a row - on the 3rd day I missed meeting them for breakfast, and went to the MDR instead. So much better! The food was hot, tasted better, and I didn't have to wander around trying to find our table again. After that, I wouldn't go to the buffet for breakfast anymore -MDR all the way!
I love all 3 meals in the dining rooms!
Same here, one of my favorite aspects of a cruise is the MDR.
Same! I'll usually dabble in the buffet once or twice on a cruise, but we always prefer the MDR.
The joy of hot breakfast handed to you rather than doing loops of a busy buffet!
Plus if you are mobility impaired, it's so much better than the buffet schlep.
Plus it’s usually pretty empty!
AND they usually have few enough people that everyone gets seated by a window! It makes for such a lovely view on sea days.
I usually enjoy the buffet for breakfast, but on my last cruise it was painfully crowded. Never seen anything like it - you genuinely could not find a seat most mornings. So I started ordering breakfast to the room and can confirm that it was lovely
I discovered this on my last cruise and OMG, why doesn’t everyone do this?? Why would you shuffle around with the unwashed masses and loiter awkwardly while you wait for your poached egg to be done when you could sit and have everything brought straight to you like you’re some kind of sultan?
Please, just let there be somewhere on the ship without piped music playing on a loop. Used to be that the Solarium was a quiet zone where you could just relax on a sun lounge, and read or look out at the ocean or port scenery. The Solarium on board Ovation of Seas was beautiful, but annoyingly had songs playing over the speakers at all times. But no, apparently now it needs music playing EVERYWHERE so that we know we are Having Fun and Enjoying Our Vacation.
I wouldn't mind a very light ambient or instrumental, calm something played at low volume. But I agree.
Holland América is wonderful for this. Such peace and quiet.
My first time on HAL I thought “this is boring, I’m too young for this ship”. After my last crowded noisy Norwegian trip I’ll take Holland America any day.
Lool. That's the secret of HAL. The con is there isn't much activity going on in your face 24/7. The pro is *there isn't much activity going on in your face 24/7.*
*DCL has entered the chat* Try hearing "The Little Mermaid" soundtrack on repeat everywhere you walk. 😵💫
Contrasted with the "When You Wish Upon a Star" announcement tones. I get tingly every time I hear them. Have them as my notification tone on my phone.
I love that I’m not able to access social media or the news while on a cruise. Putting my phone on airplane mode is the best thing. There is no flipping way I’d get the WiFi package. I don’t care what is happening elsewhere. It’s me time.
I agreeeeeeeeeeee! I love the extra quiet. Staring at the ocean. Playing cards or reading to pass time instead of scrolling.
Gratuities should be built into the price instead of advertising a lower fare then adding it separately.
Recently took a virgin cruise and having gratiuty included was amazing.
I’ve never understood why this isn’t the case. Especially when foreign tourists book an American cruise line and has to deal with tips when they’re not used to it.
Virgin does it
Because if Norwegian did it all their cruise fares would go up. If no one else did it than they would lose sales because consumers are stupid and only care about the upfront price.
Here in Germany, its like this. All german brands of cruise ships **AIDA** (which is german branch of Carnival) and **TUI Cruises** (which is german branch of Royal Carribean) do not charge gratuities or tips in any way or form.
Same for P&O UK and probably P&O Australia too.
Not only this, but crew should be paid more so that gratuities are not expected and only given for truly outstanding service
There is one advantage for labor of it being an add-on. Crew members who provide service to passengers have to work a lot harder when the ship is at capacity than when it is at 2/3 full. So at least with the add-on gratuities, they is a little extra compensation for the additional burden. That being said, I do agree that it makes it more difficult for people to evaluate which is the best deal based on advertised pricing. Although all inclusive packages that people often choose still make that difficult. As they rarely include that in the sale price.
They do it because we tolerate it.
Cruise lines are missing out on opportunities by not: 1. Focusing a bit more on solo cruisers. Some lines like NCL have recognized this but others should get rid of solo supplements and/or design ships with solo cruisers in mind. 2. Tapping into the ocean liner potential. Certainly Cunard's QM2 does this but it'd be great if there were 1-2 more ships that made a 5 day NYC-Southampton or Lisbon crossing that wasn't (exclusively) upmarket and charged $600-1000 one way. I think that would be competitive with airfare. While most cruising is and should be recreational I think there's untapped potential for its role as transportation.
I agree with #1! Especially as boomers are aging and so many widows/widowers would like to cruise solo. I think it's a huge untapped market.
I know! I hate 9-10 hour air line flights but would rather cruise in Europe compared to the Caribbean. I’m retired so last spring we did a transatlantic from Port Canaveral to Amsterdam & on the way back Amsterdam to Reykjavik to Boston to home. Never more than 5 hours on any flight.
Interior cabins are fine to stay in, and you save a lot of money over choosing other cabins.
Yeah especially for Caribbean cruises where all you do is sleep in the cabin. Alaska I would do a balcony though for the fjord cruising.
Unpopular-er opinion: you don’t need a balcony for Alaska either. The 360 views from the deck while scenic cruising are amazing! (And princess handed out blankets in glacier bay to keep us warm.)
You don't need one, but it was the only cruise I've been on where we could leave the door ajar and fall asleep to the waves without the room getting hot.
Yeah, and not to mention having morning coffee or breakfast out there in your in your pajamas, in your own private space, watching the scenery just hits different, especially in Alaska.
I saw so many whales from that balcony while just sitting and enjoying. That cruise is a whole different animal then the Caribbean cruises.
We did interior for Alaska, because I wouldn't be in the room anyways. I was up on deck to get 360 degree views, not just one side. Interiors are great way to save money for excursions...
I get much deeper sleeps in them with the pure darkness which is needed after excursions/drinking etc.
Yeah my spouse and I went on our first cruise this year and we slept better in our pitch black room than we often do in our own home
I agree regarding the cost - and most people do, in fact, only use the cabin for showering, changing, and sleeping. However, the peacefulness of having my morning coffee on the balcony watching the sunrise is worth every penny of the extra cost. I won't sail without a balcony.
We tried an inside cabin for a super-short 3 day cruise just to see, and yeah - not for us. I found that the lack of access to fresh air was the #1 bother for me, followed closely by the lack of daylight. I'm glad we tried it though to see for ourselves!
I don't think that's so much an unpopular opinion. As inside cabins are simply better for some people than others. Some people spend every waking moment out and around the ship. Might as well stay in an inside cabin. Others like to relax a lot in their cabins, maybe hang out have room service in there in the mornings. Look out at the water from an ocean view or a balcony. Or for Alaska cruise, be able to see the scenery. So just a different strokes for different folks choice.
Agree. The room feels less claustrophobic if you can look outside. Plus I like to have my peaceful quiet, “no people” time on the balcony to have coffee, a drink or just stare out
Does this hold true if you are stuck in your room while young kids have nap time? We are trying to plan our first family cruise. Before kids we had no issues with interior cabins (including Alaska).
How young are your kids? We used to get adjoining interior cabins and we stashed the kids in the cabin next door (with a door connecting our cabins). It was basically a discounted suite. Life changing.
6 months, 2 and 4. Probably will wait till the youngest is 2.
We have a 2.5 year old and a 7 month old. We’ve taken the oldest on 3 cruises and the youngest just did her first. My #1 recommendation would be to get a balcony. I think it would be cheaper than 2 adjoining interiors and I’d enjoy it more. To each their own, but my wife and I love sitting outside so this made the 3-4 hour nap much more enjoyable. I’d even sneak out to grab some drinks to have on the balcony. It kind of felt like our chance to get a feel for what it used to be like vacationing without kids. I found it worth the extra money as the balcony room was maybe $600 more than an interior for that 6 night sailing.
I honestly really like having the balcony because after my son goes to bed my husband and I can sit out on the balcony and have a drink and couple time before going to bed.
I feel like I’d have crazy paranoia about the kid falling off the balcony. Have you ever felt that was a concern??
Our rule is our son can only go out onto the balcony with either my husband or I, and he knows he cannot go near the railing. I told him if he falls, he will fall into the ocean and be eaten by a fish. It worked. He follows the rules.
Some of the videos ive seen show a sliding bolt about 6 feet off the ground that can lock the door from the inside, so they would not be able to reach that. Also, I know my wife has the same fear, but they have never climb the railing of our balcony at home, or our stairwell.
Yea especially if u don’t plan on spending a whole ton of time in it. Like my mom says on cruises I’m in the room to sleep, change clothes and shower/do hair and brush teeth. And the bathrooms are all the same until u get to the suites so why spend so much money on a room ur not gonna spend much time in
This opinion isn't "unpopular" really. Many people think this.
Mine is that people spend far too much time trying to find reasons to complain instead of just enjoying their vacation. I get that people spend a lot of money on cruises and expect a certain level of service and all but the nitpicking is getting so tiresome. My last cruise I heard so many silly complaints. “These pancakes aren’t fluffy like (insert restaurant). They weren’t yesterday either.” We’re not at (restaurant) and Why would you get them again if you didn’t like them the first time? So many people upset at the rain. Three out of four ports had rain. Like it was the cruise line’s fault. Like people ridiculously snippy and acting like their whole cruise was ruined. I mean I get it - you wanted beach-friendly sun. Did I like the rain? No. But it’s just water, I had an umbrella, and I didn’t let it ruin my day. Etc etc etc.
My favorite thing to do is listen to people at the guest service desk ask for refunds because the weather was bad. On ships where they are near a bar or seating area, I’ll just grab a glass of wine and listen to the call of the Karens shouting about how it’s Disney or Carnival’s fault there was clouds or a hurricane and they want compensation.
I used to work in the corporate office of Viking, from 2006-2010... I shit you not, someone demanded a refund because they were scared to leave their river cruise cabin because we didn't warn them there would be gays on board. The head of customer relations' response was tantamount to "how did you take all those flights to Europe without one gay flight attendant."
Well you know how the old saying goes. What you don't know won't convert you
Imagine being afraid of someone who prefers blondes…because that’s all it is, a preference and mental emotional wiring. My kid knew this in 1994, after he asked about our friends kissing in the park. How can grown ups in the 2000s not grasp that?
Haha yes. I did that for a bit my last cruise. My favorite was the man who wanted refunds for the excursion credit (NCL does a promo 50$ off one excursion per port) and this man wanted 200$ back because “he didn’t leave the ship and didn’t use the promos for excursions so he should get that 50$ per port back”. 😶😶😶
It’s truly the best activity on the boat, lol. Especially the night before you go home. My husband and I will park ourselves close as possible with a drink and laugh and laugh. Then I like to read complaints boards on the way home. I feel bad for the truly awful ones, but most of them are dumb and hilarious.
I once heard a lady say she wanted to take her tips off because the body wash and shampoo containers in her shower were not filled every day. Granted, those things even half full will last multiple cruises. But because they weren’t filled every single day, the woman claimed her cabin attendant was lazy, and wanted to take her gratuities off.
That is god awful.
All she had to do was open her big fat mouth *to the cabin attendant* when the toiletries got too low for her taste. I was *apologetic* with our guy, saying, “I do go through conditioner, sadly.” He looked at my hair length, and said, oh, like my sisters. Shampoo and conditioner stayed full. I just didn’t want to run out, and wanted it topped off, once. (It was very low day one, and so I asked about it. Simple.)
A rocking ship in rough waters is the best way to fall asleep.
In a pitch black interior cabin. It’s like returning to the womb.
So perfectly said. I personally don’t think I would ever pay for anything that isn’t an interior cabin, that darkness is better than any blackout curtains give me
And the room stays so much cooler interior. I stopped paying for balconies.
The adults only pool/spa should be enforced for adults only. Kick the middle schoolers out!
Reprimand the parents for not properly supervising their kids.
Oh I’m a Karen I’ll cause a scene to get those kids out lol
I’m not sure but based on the way cruises are going I think this might be an unpopular opinion: I like the MDR/set dining seating and dressing up for dinner (esp captains night) I miss when cruises would do themes
MDR every single day for me. Seat me with others always enabled too
Agreed about MDR. We go to breakfast there too. I’ve just never been into buffet food.
Buffet has its time and place for me, I used to love the midnight buffets or like just to grab a snack in between. But if most ships have places where you can get like pizza or something quick like that I’d rather have that
Yes!!! When I go on a cruise I want to do something that I don't do everywhere else. I have a cruise coming up and the part I'm most excited for is getting my whole family dressed up for a formal dinner and having a picture of it. We are not formal people. This is something that we probably won't ever do again unless it's on another cruise
I love.the main dining.room and dressing up for dinner. My mom has bought my sister, her, and matching dresses and matching shoes for one of the dress up nights and she wanted us to do pictures in them and I think it's gonna be so cute.
That’ll be so great!! I know some of the cruises go overboard on the pics selling but honestly a lot of the nice portraits and group shots my family has are from cruises
The older Disney ships are far nicer to cruise on than the new Disney ships. The Magic, Dream, and Fantasy are much nicer ships than the Wish.
I think the older ships are nicer in general on all lines. I hate the mega ships. I want to know that I’m on a ship. I don’t need a floating amusement park
The Wonder was renovated fairly recently and I LOVED it. Going back on it again in a few months. Did an inaugural Wish sailing but would choose Wonder 10x over.
What makes them better?
I have zero interest in cruising on the Wish, but I am DYING to sail on the Treasure. But Magic for the win.
This is great to hear as someone sailing the Magic next month
I’m gen z and I like cruising. I wish more people my age would get into it. And no, I don’t mean just those big ships with the water slides and all that
My kid is gen z and enjoys the quieter cruise experience but they’re an old soul. They knit so that tells you all you need to know I think.
I think it’s just a money thing honestly. Even tho cruising is the cheapest way to travel, most gen Zers can’t even afford fast food nowadays. Same with us millennials honestly. I know the only reason i haven’t been cruising in over a year is money (a lack of it) and no time off work is an issue as well.
Cruising isn't fun if the boat is sold out
Best cruise I ever went on was the last cruise out before the Covid shutdown. It was practically empty. You could stroll out to the pool at 11am and choose any lounge chair you wanted.
Yep. February of 2022. With two music lounges side by side every night was partying and then moving back and forth between them as the night progressed. The first list was so light (821 passengers, 2,660 capacity) that the party ended up being about a third to half crew by the end of the trip. Fun times.
I was on Symphony of the Seas last year that was short 500 cruisers. It was amazing.
This opinion isn't "unpopular" really. Most people think this, don't they?
Live entertainment starts too late at night. There's so much live entertainment stuff from 8-Midnight, with only a few early shows dotted throughout the cruise. I think it would help with overcrowding and filling less popular dining times if they spread out more of the shows and concerts from 5-Midnight. Sometimes the early risers and people with polite kids want to see live bands too!
I would love matinees on a sea day. And I’m 43 for the record.
This would be amazing! I would definitely go watch the shows in the later morning to afternoon. I'm only a couple of years older, but I'm one of those annoying morning people. I will totally be up at 6am to get coffee and walk around the ship, but that also means I'm asleep by 9-10pm most of the time.
I agree! So many things start at 8 or 9. That’s too late!
I'm a night owl and would like this too. I want to eat dinner at 8pm on vacation, not be in a show. I would absolutely go to things at 5 to have dinner after.
I love Holland America and I think it gets a bad reputation for being a senior citizen line. Yes, it does tend to have an older clientele but a cruise is what YOU make of it. Have fun and don’t worry about anyone else. Also, that reputation keeps many of the drunken idiots away, so I’m fine with it.
Agree! Just finished our first NCL cruise after two on HAL. My TEENAGERS even said they preferred HAL. The food was better. The comedians were better. And it wasn’t as crowded.
Huge HAL fan here. I see all ages on board. Old school, low key cruising. Quiet. Great service. Good food. Good music as a rule! No rollercoaster. This is key……
I'm 32 and Holland America was the best cruise I've been on. I liked the rolling stone lounge on the öosterdam and it was the same crowd every night because we were the only ones staying up. The food was fantastic as well. They had this amazing burger bar by the pool that on any other ship you'd have to pay a surcharge for.
I love smaller, older ships versus floating amusement parks,and favor exotic ports, and excursions. Number of passengers on my last cruises were 940, 1180, 152, and 98. I also love sea days, and visiting the spa.i eat breakfast and dinner in the MDR (allergies) and I like to be seated with new people. If I’m around at lunchtime, I’ll have something at the pool.
Cruising is a mass market experience, no matter how hard a cruise line tries to provide an exclusive experience. Everyone is on the same ship.
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What lines? A bit of a wait for prime time main dining rooms, and the comedy show. But we just show up last minute for all theatre shows and always get reasonable seats. Never dealing with lines at the buffet. I guess there are sometimes lines at the bars.. Okay, I suppose there are lines. But it's really a very small part of our vacation still.
I rarely wait line! But I don’t take huge/mega ship cruises.
However, every person makes choices to “customize” their own trip. Some seek excitement and bustle, others seek quiet corners. I’m a mix, but lean to quiet. I’m the generation that learned of modern cruising through the Love Boat. I have zero expectation or interest in water slides, and low interest in shows, but I’ll seek out the duos and small bands in the various bars. As for more custom experiences, I want to try the Jam cruise. My partner is the experienced cruiser, and loved a prog rock cruise he took. I also have thought about the wellness at sea (vegan and nutrition/lifestyle) and massage at sea (continuing ed for massage therapists) options.
Cruisers of a certain generation need to accept that the world has moved on, and not everything is aimed at them in perpetuity. Whether it's cruise lines trying to widen their appeal like Princess changing cigar lounges to arcades – "that's not why we sail Princess!" Or Virgin offering a non-traditional cruise experience – "the entertainment was in poor taste!" (what did expect on Virgin?! Jersey Boys?) Not everything is for everyone. And that's ok. Other cruise lines are available. Just do some research instead of assuming all cruise lines are designed to meet your exact needs.
As a frequent cigar lounge person I saw the gradual switch away towards something else. 15 years ago I'd have people to talk to smoking a cigar. Now, it's people vaping and smoking cigs and I am the only one with a cigar. Seems like a place for crew to quick burn one or hit a vape now. Last sailing (AK) talking with the bar staff there wasn't one on the previous sailing and one of two on ours. May as well make it something else if nobody else uses it for what it was supposed to be. I'll miss it, but I'm likely in the minority.
Carnival is actually pretty cool.
You only get a nibble of the culture you’re visiting when doing a day at each port. It’s like speed walking through an art museum. Sure, you looked at the pieces but did you *see* them? No.
I wouldn't mind multiple port days at the same port more, that's true. It'd be lovely to see a sunset at some of these places.
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So do some Hawaii ones and some West Coast ones. I like them. But three nights in Bermuda is wonderful.
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I agree. I always tell friends that cruising is like visiting a country but just peeking through the key hole.
I hate how much technology has infiltrated the cruise system. I loved putting my phone in the safe for a week. Now you need it to check menus, book shows, etc. I miss the low tech cruises.
The buffets, outside breakfast, are generally overrated.
My main goal on any cruise is to avoid eating at the buffet whenever possible. Breakfast or grabbing fruit or salad at the salad bar are the only exceptions!
We hit the buffet for a quick sweet here and there. Otherwise always the MDR or occasional specialty dining.
Even for breakfast I like the MDR
The buffet had the best food on my last cruise lol they gave me a plate of like 40 perfect shrimp it was insane
More cruisers should take the stairs and leave the elevators to those that have mobility issues.
I always take the stairs. I like to think it evens out a little bit of all the excess food I’m eating. Plus, crowded elevators are NOT my jam.
I lost 3 pounds on my last cruise WITH specialty dining and a full drink package that I liberally took advantage of by taking those stairs! We also tried to avoid all trams if possible.
I recently went from part time forearm crutch user to full time and I am so not looking forward to this. I cannot safely use my crutches on stairs, but I'm young and my disability is otherwise completely hidden. I've had people get super mad at me before about taking up extra room.
Bear minimum, more people should take the stairs when going down. I NEVER use the elevator to go down; it's just so easy versus climbing.
I feel more stability going up stairs and can do them faster despite gravity. Def prefer climbing stairs.
Nothing irks me more than seeing 13 year olds using the elevator to go down one deck.
Eh, it’s a novelty to them. We all geek out in different ways.
This is a kind take. Thank you for sharing.
Def remember feeling that way as a kid.
The drunks aren't as funny as they think they are. That drink package doesn't make you more fun a lot of times. It makes you hard to be around.
I wish there were more adult-only cruises. Tired of cruise lines catering towards kids, specifically Royal
Virgin is the way for you.
I wish they would improve their itineraries and offer more 7 days out of Florida.
Yeah, they don’t have hardly any options. I think I saw one 8 day, but it’s like $3k just for an interior closet. Also, they quit doing the loyalty program, so as of right now, there is no reward or incentive to keep booking with them.
I have a Virgin cruise booked for later this year; they are just so expensive, don’t have longer itineraries, and no drinking package. Idk, hopefully they live up to the hype, but I can’t see me justifying the prices for how many cruises I like to take in a year.
Princess charging for pizza seems to be a deal breaker for me. Free pizza is a must for 4-5k cruise fees.
Pizza is still free up on the open deck!
Your attitude matters. It's what you make of it. If you're looking for problems, you'll find them. Sometimes mishaps make for the most memorable trips!
People’s expectations are WAY too high for what they pay. The food in the MDR on mass market cruises is going to be banquet food. You cannot serve several thousand people with made to order from scratch meals. It probably will not be hot. It will be medium to good, some things terrible and some amazing. Service will likely be far better than a land based chain restaurant experience. Mass market cruise lines are 3-4 star hotels. Not 5 star hotels. There are 5 star cruise lines and the cost reflects that. I know experienced cruisers notice that 30 or 20 or 4 years ago you got more and quality may have been better. In the 90’s I paid $750 for a week on carnival for an inside cabin looking for a deal. You can still pay that today.
Needs more shelter from the sun in outdoor areas. My pasty Canadian skin needs the shade, but I want to be close to the action too
I feel like the cruise community is pretty diverse, so I've heard some of these before. Truly unpopular opinions would be like "The best deals on board are at the art auction or the watch store!" or "Chair hogs are behaving reasonably and fairly!"
Oh, that would be signs of madness, nu?
lol my wife was looking at some stuff so I wandered over to the watch section. Asked the worker how much they were asking for a used Rolex explorer they had on display. The man with a straight face told me 20k…….20k for a used watch that sells brand new for half that.
Older / smaller ships are better. I was on Carnival Spirit, Enchantment of the seas, Carnival Panorama, and Carnival Venezia last year, and boy were the venezia / panorama BORINGGG. I love the older unique esthetic of the smaller ships. Less people too. I know it's an unpopular opinion as the new ones have the movie theaters, go karts, roller coasters etc.. But all that's for kids tbh.
I couldn’t agree more. If you love cruising, the cruise itself is the main attraction. Stuff like go-karts and roller coasters are just silly (and often stuff you’ll do once, wait in a long line and pay a fee for) - I have zero interest in them. Give me a nice breezy deck chair and let me stare at the ocean - that’s all the entertainment I need.
Yeah I don’t wanna go on go karts or water slides. I just want trivia or bar crawl or a tasting or class of some kind. But if I was on a ship like that with go karts and such I guess I’d just be happy that likely kids wouldn’t be at the less popular things that I want to do
We go on cruises to sit on our balcony and read and eat in the MDR. We might catch a show if we haven’t seen it yet but we’re there to relax. We live by a less than exciting port. We could drive to the places the ships cruise to so we’re just there to relax and eat. We could not care less about the port or the water slides, go-karts, and rock climbing walls. The crew are wonderful and the food is really good. That’s what we’re paying for.
I agree! My personal rule is if the ship has a water slide, I’m steering well clear of it. I’m glad families have more avenues for vacations, but I’d rather not spend mine with a bunch of kids. I wish new smaller ships are being built, but the focus seems to really be on these giant behemoths.
I havent experienced a mega ship yet, but my instincts are saying with young kids, mega ships are better, but for a couple the smaller the better. Would you say thats true, or false? Planning on doing first family cruise in then next year or 2. We know itll be a different experience
I don't like MDR having to sit at a large table with 10 odd other people I've never met before. Around the ship I'd be pretty social at the activities, events etc, but at break times I just want to eat in peace as a solo traveller (would be the same if I wasn't sailing solo). The food and service the first night I went was lovely, but the table was awkward as hell
This is why we always reserve a table for two. I don’t really want to explain about my dietary restrictions with a bunch of strangers. Also, dinner time is a time I like to decompress from the day’s activities.
I wish there was more shaded lounge chair areas outside
I actually like Nassau. Last time I went I rented a car and went to the underwater statue garden and had an amazing time.
Me too. It might be because it was the first port I ever visited on my first cruise so it always brings back good memories. We’ve been back many times and always have had a good experience.
People should NOT cruise with toddlers and children in diapers
The buffet has some really great food options if you avoid the main offerings. In particular, the Indian food has always been a highlight on most cruises I’ve been on, and are items that would never be offered in any of the main dining rooms. I also believe that cruise lines overall could do a better job with offering diversity in food — the main dining rooms are so western; why couldn’t there be one that highlights different Asian cuisines? Or at least a specialty restaurant? I would love to have some Vietnamese or Thai food on vacation. Maybe this is more common on sailings that aren’t based out of North America?
I LOVE The Indian food at the buffets. I also love having it and Congee for breakfast. They are great buffet foods as they stay warm and do not dry out.
Interior cabins are the best. They’re cheap and if you want to see the ocean etc just go to the deck.
Food and service with set time dinings are better than any time dining or similar. With only two seatings for set time dining, the crew are much more cohesive during service. I found the food fresher, hotter, and better, too, as a result. The buffet as well as specialty dining are available if people want more flexibility with their meals.
It also allowed the staff to remember preferences for their tables and for us to get used to the same staff members. I wish we could have a set time and table. It also makes it easier for large groups of multiple cabins to just show up at the table rather than wait for the whole party at once.
Yes! We had set time and table dining on our last MSC cruise, and it was great seeing the same crew members every night. And because everyone had the same tables, no one had to wait no matter how large the group. Just got off the Discovery Princess and even with reservations, we routinely had to wait for them to seat our group on time.
All cruises should be non-smoking - unpopular, I'm sure!
Virgin Voyages is overrated.
Getting off the ship in every port is not necessarily a good thing. While most ports are amazing, there are still quite a few that are not worth it. Do some research once you've booked your cruise and if you find a port that is lacking in nice beaches, activities, shopping etc... stay on board the ship and enjoy the amenities. Also, the spa is usually discounted while ship is in port. So if you want a nice message for a decent price, book it during port time.
Virgin doesn't seem like something I would like. Everything I hear and read about it makes me think I'd end up regretting booking it. It's just not my scene and that's okay. Its shoved down My throat that it is and I WILL enjoy it... but it's okay not to all like the same cruise lines. I don't mind seeing kids run around. They make me think of my own and I smile... I still can relax on ships with kids.
I wish more people thought that way. I love VV, but it is definitely not for everyone and some cruisers would just plain hate it. People should do their research and choose the cruise that best suits them.
Americans might disagree with this but they get all the best deals and prices compared to everyone else.
The drunks aren't as funny as they think they are. That drink package doesn't make you more fun a lot of times. It makes you hard to be around.
Carnival is a fun and enjoyable cruise line and not the “Walmart” or “spirit airlines” of the sea.
Formal night dress code should be very strictly enforced. Cruisers who treat the staff badly should be kicked off the ship and blacklisted from all cruise lines.
What gets me is that people complain about the food on Facebook and then say they can wear anything they want to formal night. You want to dress like you’re homeless but want to eat in a Michelin star restaurant.
Really great point!
As someone who doesn’t do formal nights, I actually agree. My husband and I were on a RCCL cruise that had a last minute itinerary change and they changed the second formal night. We missed this somehow, rocked up to the MDR in jeans and were let straight in. We were early and as people started coming in dressed up, I felt so embarrassed! We would have had zero issue with the staff telling us it was formal night. I don’t want to ruin someone else’s fancy experience.
Trying to save your upvotes. Formal-lovers unite
Celebrity is still nice but it is a shadow of its former self. Oceanview cafe used to be a very civilized atmosphere where the staff would carry your tray to your seat and bring your drink order to you. It is now a free-for-all and the penny pinching is annoying. I remember trying to find some granola in Oceanview for my wife’s yogurt. Eventually I gave up looking and asked a staff member. She went behind a counter and got out a bag, and said granola is “by request.”
Hate to admit it, but you're speaking the truth about Celebrity. I've been loyal to them as a solo cruiser, but the recent decision to charge us *more* than a couple has got me seriously reconsidering. I have a couple cruises booked that I plan on keeping, but I just don't know that I can book another one in good conscience since they are actively hostile towards my business at this point. And I also agree on the infinity balconies - I don't hate them, but I think of them more as an oceanview cabin than a balcony cabin. I will not pay balcony prices for one. In fact, on my upcoming cruise, I opted for an oceanview for this very reason
Alcoholic drink packages are a scam. Shortly after each cruise line started selling drink packages, they reduced the number of bar staff. Get the money up front, pay less staff, serve less drinks - easy money.
I feel like most of y'all don't understand "unpopular opinion".
Afternoons on the ship can be boring. I don't like lying around all afternoon doing nothing. I can do that at home, where I have Netflix. I don't need to be kept busy all the time, but I hate it when the only activity at 3:00 is to get my footprint analyzed or go to the shops for a sale on overpriced watches.
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No. You don’t, unless you order the specialty cookie that wasn’t available previously. It’s a new menu item if you want it. Everything that was free, still is. My last two cruises were celebrity, on two different ships. You definitely don’t have to pay at Cafe al Bacio for the cookies that they’ve always had.
No, you don’t. They ran a ‘test pilot’ on just one ship for a couple of weeks that failed miserably
Cruising is a great way to see the world, yet so many people seem to do the same itinerary over and over. Going to a cruise line's private island does not interest me at all.
The whole "I'm removing my tips and instead giving cash to people" is just a cheapskate excuse to make your self feel better.
If you aren’t sailing Disney, don’t wear mouse ears to the buffet. Invest in [pink bunny ears](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nv2Pj2vd0Fs/UhJNqOvlERI/AAAAAAAAAlE/WCEdRnA49ws/s1600/louise-belcher-bobs-burgers-18672486-188-256.jpg) instead.
That all mass market lines no longer care about brand loyalty. Full stop. Its all about chasing the 1st time cruiser market which is largest market in U.S. appox 70% of US havent cruised. Its capturing this segemnt that has no previous knowledge how different cruises to covid were equals more profit for lines. Bye bye loyalty passengers who cost more.
The buffets need sections that showcase the local dishes of the cooks they employ. Celebrity has a very small Indian section that is fantastic. More food option like that would be amazing.
Dress codes should actually be enforced, especially for formal night.
Gonna trigger some cruisers: People who bash on Carnival are cruise snobs without much sense of fun. But I am okay with people bashing on a couple of Carnival’s MDR dishes. There are some MDR dishes that objectively are terrible even if you’re not a food snob.
We're going on Carnival this year for the first time in 20 years to give them another chance. We kept being woken up by sales announcements every day at 8am that we couldn't turn off. That was my main complaint. We're hopeful it is a better experience this time.
MSC cruises are awesome and offer a fantastic experience/ship for the price.
We'd never have been able to cruise if not for MSC! Managing your expectations is important. Yes it's multigenerational, multinational and European style service but I like being in bed by 2, learning about different cultures and not being fussed over. We did a segment of a repositioning cruise last year and it was bliss. Not too busy, fantastic atmosphere and an interesting itinerary with lots of sea days to enjoy the ship and actually relax.
I absolutely love MSC. The food was incredible, Ocean Cay was nice, the ship was nice, the staff was great.