We all have different cruise line favorites, for different reasons.

Which is your favorite cruise line, and why?

Royal caribbean has very elegant boats and high standars in food and service. Carnival doesn't seem as 'nice'. I don't know about Princess but I may be taking an Alaska cruise with them this year.

I have only taken one cruise and that was in 1988 on the Homeric. Many company and name changes have taken place since that time. It was a very large and lovely ship. My main reason for choosing the Homeric was that it left the New York City harbor and docked(??) in Hamilton, Bermuda my very favorite vacation spot. The bonus was that the food and service was top notch. They had a piano bar that had 40's decor. I loved it.

I'm heading to Bermuda in August, with the family. My sister's triplets are turning 18 so it is our present to them <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It should be fun! We're going on Norwegian, because it's extremely easy to go out of Boston and land in the nice, quiet area of St George.

I've taken a cruise on Norwegian - western Caribbean. It was nice - very casual. We have traveled Alaska, Panama Canal, and in Austraia/New Zealand on Princess. They were wonderful. We prefer Princess.

Enjoy the cruising.

Oh whine. I so envy your nieces! What a great present. If you are an early riser, head out on the deck in the early A.M. as the ship is coming into the harbor. If not, you should set your alarm. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Actually there's one girl and two boys in the triplets <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Yes they are all turning 18, they just graduated and one of the boys is heading to Iraq. So we thought it was important to spend family time together with them all, and this was the only way that met everybody's requirements <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I am a very late night owl, I go to bed around 6am. So I might have a better chance if I just stay up ...

Easter 2005 on The Rotterdam. Holland America.
Ok, it was my first cruise so I really have no other to compare it to: White gloved service; 100's of live orchids on tables; Fabulous continental food; Fancy and complex dessert options; and Half Moon Cay, their own private island in the Bahamas.
Cynthia

That sounds lovely <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

We're planning to go to Scandanavia next year. This is not our first time cruise but it will be for that part of the world. We're traveling on Princess.

That sounds like a fun destination, with all the fjords and everything! That's a lot of why Alaska is so popular, you can go in and out of all the little inlets.

Hi All,

My favorite cruise line is Regent Seven Seas. I've been on this line for 114 nights through two other name changes. The other names were Seven Seas (with only one ship) and Radisson Seven Seas. What makes this line special is its small ships (no more than 700 passengers, more balcony suites, it's all-inclusive (which means tips and all liquids you comsume are included). It is considered a luxury line so you will pay more than Royal Caribbean or Princess. But is it worth it!!!!!

I'm leaving this Friday for my next cruise: Venice to Athens.....

All of the cruises mentioned so far in this thread are what are called contemporary, or in the case of Holland America and Princess...they are considered "Premium" lines.

Cruise ships, like people have personalities and the most important thing is to match the personality of the people who are travelling with the personality of the cruise line and the specific ship.

The ships that are rated the highest level in terms of luxury are about smaller ships, greater service, better quality all around and usually more things are included in the cruise price so you are not constantly dipping into your pocket for everything.

Some of my most favorite are Sea Dream Yacht Club (I was on the committee to redesign it from its past life as The Sea Goddess), Silversea, Crystal, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, and some River Boats, barges and other smaller specialty cruise lines.

We've gone on several cruises and all of them were on Princess. We've been very happy with the service, food, staff, accomodations, and destinations.

Because of my husband's work, we can only vacation in the winter. Otherwise, we'd try an Alaskan cruise, which we'd both just LOVE to do!

Cruises don't always have to be on big cruise ships. Two years ago I took a Viking River Cruise on a river boat on the Yangtze River in China for 9 days. It was an amazing trip, the boat was wonderful with great food and outstanding service, and all the daily sightseeing was included. In October I'll be taking another river cruise on an Amadeus boat on the Danube (from Budapest to Nuremburg). This, too, will include daily sightseeing and luxury accommodations. The Viking boat in China had balconies, which we loved, but the European river boats do not have balconies. However, the cabins on the top deck have French doors that open all the way, so we'll be able to enjoy the fresh air from inside the cabin.

Our favorite cruise was the Alaska cruise with Princess. We were very happy with Princess; we really like Celebrity cruiseline. All are other cruises were with Royal Carribbean, and we have decided not to go back with them. I wouldn't recommend RC unless you are vacationing with children. For a more adult cruise, go with the above. My husband was once on a Holland America and said that one is also very good.

Your crucial decision will be small ship or big one.
3400 passengers is not much fun when you want to eat, enter the ship, watch a show in theater, swim in the pool ...

Love Disney Cruises. They have fun/educational programs for the kids - you'd never know they were on board until mealtime. They have so much fun and Disney is all about kids anyway.

The parents can relax and enjoy themselves. In addition to the stuff for kids - there is also quite a lot for the parents to do.

sounds like me might be going on the same ship, lol!
maybe you can wirte me and I will tell you about the European cruise for 2009!


www.evehall.com

Bermuda was nice. It didnt have a lot to do like some of the other islands. NCL was a nice change. Decided to do Carnvial again in 2009 to Antigua:)

Until recently, I would agree with Jilly on Royal Carribbean being my favorite. 7 of my 22 cruises have been with her but we just got off the Monarch of the Seas two weeks ago and while the service and ship was up to standards, the food was definitely NOT. Don't get me wrong--I didn't starve, lol! But the offerings in the Windjammer, which appealing to the eye, left much to be desired, taste wise. I found myself resigned to hot dogs and fries. Unimaginable.
In the dining room,their salads, soups and desserts were ok, nothing spectacular except the tiramisu. But the entrees were mediocre to not only myself but the other 14 adults on our family reunion. The beef was the best but I dont eat beef. Everything else was overcooked, dry, and much arrived cold. My salmon was decidedly old, to the point I tried another entree. The menu was varied with health-wise and vegetarian offerings. Our waiter & assistant waiter could not have been better, nor could the maitre de. They were very solicitous and noticed that we were not enjoying our food and brought other items for us to try. Having cruised the Monarch last year I was definitely surprised at the slippage.
On a positive note, the wine tasting was the very best we'd attended. Instead of trying to rid themselves of wines that didn't sell, like many ships do, they offered some great choices of very enjoyable wines.
The sail away party was also one of the best with every section of the ship's features represented. There were giveaways of massages, cigars, wines, and samples from the sushi bar. Music aboard the ship was varied and enjoyable to all ages. The rock wall was in high demand and the spa was always busy. This was perfect for our multi-generational group.
As a devout reader, I always appreciate the Monarch as she has comfortable, quiet areas where you can read as well as nooks for chatting without clamour and kids running about. As a senior citizen, I like the size of the Monarch better than the big behemoths--easier to get around and you're likely to encounter someone you've met again. Will I sail RCCL again? We'll see. Princess still has two of her smaller ships that I love and we're platinum members on her as well, so it will depend.
What's our next cruise? 10 days in October on HAL's Ryndam to Mexico--Riviera and Sea of Cortez. No kids, less hype, simply relax in the traditional manner of cruising. No wet leg contests, etc.

The main attraction of a cruise for me is no flying lol ! So I would always choose one sailing out from London, Southampton, Falmouth or somewhere from the UK. To me personally, flying out to join a liner would detract from the magic of a ship.

Royal Carribean

Not so many kids
Not so expensive
Great spas
Great food and entertainment
Great itens from the east coast

ohhh I wanna go now!!

Costa Cruises is offering a great deal on family Cribbean sailings from Ft. Lauderdale. Kids sail free including on Christmas and New Year's cruises and adult prices are from $699.

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Best,
Candyce

Ahhh, yes ... Costa Cruises. I think Costa has the best pizza of all of the cruise lines. That's probably not too surprising, since Costa is all about "Crusing Italian Style." My husband used to love going to work out in the gym and then sneaking in to the casual dining area to grab a slice of pizza or two on his way to our stateroom. It's so good! Does anyone else have any favorite cruise line food items? Any favorite specialty restaurants?

I just completed my first cruise on the Costa Concordia. It was awesome. It is definitely an Italan cruise line. There were over 2,000 guests and less than 400 were from English speaking countries. This is one of the reasons we chose Costa.

The service was first rate and the cabins were quite nice. I met a woman who has taken 28 cruises and she commented that Costa was her favorite cruise line and they have the largest cabins.