June 12, 2007
Different cruises: mass market, preminum, deluxe, luxury
This article talks about Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas which we reviewed about a month ago. Liberty of the Seas recently received some bad press. Another article tells us that Royal Caribbean's larger ships are appealing to younger passengers than other cruise lines' ships, possibly because they have more room for sports.
The first article I linked to also talks about a ship I hadn't heard of before, the Azamara Journey although we did touch upon this briefly before (when I wrote about the success of Oceania Cruises I mentioned that Royal Carribean was entering the niche:
The itineraries of the Azamara Journey include more than 200 ports in more than 70 countries. Many of these destinations are not accessible to the larger liners.Azamara does remind me of Oceania... Here's another article on the "deluxe cruise" niche which falls somewhere between premium and luxury:Dan Hanrahan, president of Azamara and Celebrity Cruises, said Azamara -- targeting a new "deluxe" category between "premium" and "luxury" -- is for the traveler who is looking for something "a little more special."
Passengers visiting off-the-beaten-path ports will enjoy enhanced immersion in the local culture and history, after being prepared by the onboard "excursion expert."
For years the cruise industry has split itself into three broad categories: mass-market (think Carnival, Royal Caribbean), premium (lines such as Celebrity, Princess) and luxury (Silversea, Crystal)....My next cruise will be NCL, thanks to my NCL credit card, but after that I'd like to try Oceania or Azamara. I wonder if choosing a particular room is an issue on the smaller ships. Posted by James Trotta at June 12, 2007 8:46 AM | TrackBackThere's also a big price gap between premium and luxury cruises. On Wednesday, Expedia was listing 12-day Mediterranean sailings in August on the mass-market Carnival Freedom starting at $1,499 a person. On a premium ship such as the Emerald Princess, prices in August start at $1,799. But the least expensive cabin available on a 12-day sailing on the Crystal Serenity, a luxury ship, is $5,545 per person — three times as much....
"They're for people who love the sea and love the ports but don't give a hoot about the glitzy nightlife (of big ships) or the personal pampering on the luxury side of the business," Driscoll says.
Don't think you'll like NCL. We just went on cruise in March on a "free style" cruise - was horrible and not worth the money we paid nor the waste of my vacation time. Filed complaint and they attitude is "too bad"..just a heads up~
I recently asked my travel agent about NCL. He first said it was not professional for him to make comments about any one line. Finally, he said we get more complaints about NCL than any other line! Good luck...
Posted by: DON at June 12, 2007 7:50 PMNCL has two different companies the Hawaii product is on American manned ships, the remainder are International cruises, the Hawaii product had some initial service problems, and still isnt at the standard of the rest of the fleet.
Posted by: Ralph Cooper at June 12, 2007 9:42 PMI have heard nothing but bad reviews of NCL. We cruise at least twice a year . Since we live in Galveston we have had alot of choices but NCL being in Houston has never gotten very good reviews from the people I know. Will be interested in what happens.
Posted by: sherry at June 13, 2007 4:50 AMNCL Spirit is the most beautiful of the ncl ships. The ncl star is the pits if you are handicapped. The ncl Dawn was big & nice. I have been on 14 ships, on a variety of cruise lines. I do mostly travel through ncl since they have the date & destination I want. ncl has many dining options all day. The teens love the teen program. It is very safe also. The price is right only through crucon.com. I have paid up to $5000 for 4. Through them, I am paying $3400 for 4 for our trip coming up. Not bad. Good luck & try that site.
Posted by: kathi at June 13, 2007 11:28 AMMy parents had a good expereince on NCL. I'll try to write a thorough review but we are talking summer 2008 at the earliest.
Posted by: James Trotta at June 13, 2007 12:00 PMMy sisters went on a Hawaii cruise in March with NCL and were sooo disappointed. They said the food was horrible. The entertainment was just as bad, they basically ate off the ship and turned in early. Although they did enjoyed the art classes.
Posted by: Jeanette at June 13, 2007 3:33 PMI wish you luck with NCL. I commented on them a while back, and hopefully they've changed or improved since my experience with them. The rooms were cubbyholes, the beds resembled army cots, the dining areas were in total disrepair, and the hallways were narrow and dark. We made our exit before the ship set sail,(an unfriendly member of their limited staff took us through the engine room to the gangplank, for some unknown reason). Here, crew members were lolling around on the floor,half asleep..not sure...didn't stop to find out.
Posted by: Sharon at June 13, 2007 5:52 PMWe are big Celebrity fans but our neighbors went on NCL on their first cruise. Came home and said they loved all of it except having to get up at 5:30 to stand in line to get reservations so they could get in a restaurant on NCLs Freestyle cruising. PLEASE!
Posted by: DrKoob at June 14, 2007 2:28 AMI think it's funny what I am reading here. I have been on the Ncl dawn, star, & spirit. I have Never experienced any of these problems. The inside rooms were great & large enough for a family of 4. The food was terrific & whenever & wherever you wanted it. I am an early riser, so I would go up to the cafe, have a light breakfast while reading a book. The staff was very social & pleasant. The shows were great. Also, the art, shops, fitness center, teen program, & exhibits were wonderful. The 4 of us thoroughly enjoyed the 6-8 day cruises to Nassau & Bermuda. Now, even my parents are using Ncl rather than Celebrity due to accommodating places to visit & date availability. Between the 2 families, we have been on a total of 45 cruises. That's nothing to sneeze at!
Posted by: KATHI at June 14, 2007 8:10 AM