which cruise line is better norwigan, carnival, royal carr, or princess?

Question

im planning on going with my family on a cruise for new year, we are planing on going to the mexican riveira, has anyone been on any of this cruises, and how would you you rate them, thanks for all the answeres :)

Answer 1

If these are your choices then I would rank them as follows:

1. Princess - Premium cruise line. You might also want to consider Celebrity or Holland-America. All these provide nice accommodations, great food, good service and nice itineraries)
2. Royal Caribbean - Mass market cruise line - my favorite in this category as they are right on the edge of being a premium line. They have great ships, nice service, good food and are especially great for families as they have something on board that will appeal to every age group.
3. NCL - Mass market line - Looks nice from the outside - all ships do, but service has been a big issue on NCL, and some people like the food while others don't.
4. Carnival - Unless you're 20-something, are on a low budget and just want to party 24/7, this is not the line for you.

Please make a decision and book your cruise as soon as possible. These cruises fill up fast and are usually booked a year in advance. Prices for cruises over the holidays will be higher than usual too.

Then find a very good travel agent to put all your cruise plans together - there are a lot of details to handle with any cruise to make sure its perfect. How do you know if you have a good agent? If you give them you're info and they don't ask you any questions before making recommendations say "thank you" and keep looking. Besides, if you are a princess, you want someone who will take very good care of you and handle the details for you. You might want to look for an agent affilliated with Virtuoso.
Ask if they are and ask them to explain what this affiliation will mean for you.

Give the agent your options of where you'd like to go, your travel budget, and what you'd like to get out of the cruise (interested in history, music, food & wine, relaxing in the sun, etc) then ask for suggestions. If the price is too high, and you like an itinerary, try asking for a cruise with fewer days - 7 days vs. 10 days.

Another thing to remember is whatever cruise you choose, you'll still have expenses once you book the cruise and air. Have the agent check if they can find air cheaper than the air from the cruise line. Spend your money in the right places - if you can afford it, fly into the port so you arrive the day before the ship sails and overnight in a hotel (even if its a Motel 6), especially if you're flying to the port. If there's a weather delay or you miss a connection the day of the sailing, you might not make the sailing. Make sure you book travel insurance - it cheaper booking independently vs. insurance thru the cruise ship offers - try Travelex or Travel Guard. If you have to cancel your trip or if you miss the sailing, loose your luggage, are injured during the cruise, etc. you're covered and can usually recover most or all of your expenses.

Plan a budget for gratuities, shore excursions, alcoholic & soft drinks, restaurants fees (if you want to eat in the specialty restaurants vs. the dining rooms), shopping on board and in ports, spa/salon treatments, gambling, etc. These are expenses you'll incur besides the cost of the cruise. .

This is about as much info as I think anyone will give you. Know its alot, but, if you follow my advice, you'll have a great trip.

Bon Voyage!

Answer 2

Norwegian is my favorite cruise line. They have a thing called freestyle cruising which allows you to eat where you want, with whom you want, when you want, do what you want. Basically they set you loose on the ship and you can do whatever your heart desires. They also have a homey feel to their ships. On Royal Caribbean/Princess, I always felt like it was a place that you couldn't have fun because that would be considered unfancy. On Carnival, there was too much fun and you get to see a lot of people throwing up all over themselves. Norwegian lets you feel like you can have fun with a luxurious and classy environment. And by the way, the Norwegian cruise to the Mexican Riviera is on the Norwegian Star. I was on that ship this summer in Alaska and it is by far the funnest ship I've ever been on. They make the passengers feel at home with all of their games, prizes, fun events, etc. You will love the Mexican Riviera on that ship. And a lot of people say that the service is terrible but I always was helped very quickly and efficiently. And they also say the food is bad but on the Bon Voyage party, they had a huge barbeque with everything from grilled corn to steak and ribs. The normal days always have something impressive too. One day, they had a whole roasted pig and the chefs would carve it for you to eat. They also had wild salmon, sushi, shrimp. Almost everything you could think of. And only a couple of restaurants make you pay. There's 10 restaurants and only about 4 have prices. Other than that you can eat as much as you want. But I would book your cruise quickly. The cruise lines you mentioned are the leading companies and will probably sell out fast.

Answer 3

"T's" breakdown of the cruise lines was pretty accurate. However, unless your over 60, I would definitely NOT recommend Holland America. I took my parents on one and at 68, I think they were the youngest people on the ship besides me. I spent way too much time in the casino because the dealers were the only people close to my age. I now cruise Royal Caribbean every year and would recommend it to anyone. There really is something and someplace on the ship for anyone. I usually cruise with a group of about 30 people ranging in age from 12 to 68 and everyone has a great time and finds their own things to do.

Answer 4

Princess has a somewhat older clientele, with fewer kids. if kids running around you at the buffet is fine, then Carnival will be okay. If you want a bit more mature experience, and much better food, go with Princess. Princess also doesn't harass people into buying drinks, or anything else either(lottery tickets, etc.). If you decline a drink they seem to remember it. I highly recommend Princess, though I will travel on RCL for the first time next month. All the Princess ships are in Europe and Alaska for the summer.

Answer 5

well i've been on royal caribbean last year on the 4 day cruise to ensenda and i'm going on one again on monday...but i think carnival is much much better they seem to have alot going on, on the cruise verses royal caribbean i was really unhappy cause as soon as the ship starts sailing the music would stop not that much activites.....i think carnival i would rate #1 princess #2 norwigan #3 and royal caribbean #4...and it all depends to on what your looking for on the cruise you want to take....my advice would be look at there activies that they have onboard and go from there....best of luck and bon voyage!!!

Answer 6

Royal Caribbean is the best by far! It is the most classy cruise line between the one's you mentioned. But everything on it is affordable and the ships themselves are much nicer and cleaner than the others.

Answer 7

Royal Caribbean is going downhill. Carnival is full of the beer-drinking, drunken tank-top crowd. Dont know much about Norwegian. For good family fun, I would recommend Princess.

Answer 8

I cruised years ago on the Royal Carribean cruise lines. Top notch really. Very classy ship when I went to the carribean islands.

Answer 9

I have only been on Carnival. If you want to party, that's the cruiseline to go to. The last cruise I had with them was excellent in the service! The Captian made sure we had smooth sailing all the way! Make sure you attend the Captian's party, FREE DRINKS and they are not watered down! Trust me!

Answer 10

OK for the record we use Carnival and they have gotten away from the party ship and are trying for more families. the state rooms are 30% bigger too.

we travel with our 2 sons and they have a blast. and yes Carnival can cost less, but it is not less quality. they still treat you like kings and queens. especially in the dinning room.

if you are 18- 20 you can not get a on unless you are with someone 25 or married