Those who’ve cruised with multiple cruise lines

[foxyfour]

We’ve mainly done RCI but I am looking at other cruise lines for our anniversary next year. I like the look of MSC yacht club for a bit of extra space etc. Has anyone got experience of MSC or indeed any other concierge class onboard? MSC does look good but I am not sold on the itinerary.

MSC YC is lovely, really enjoyed it but for me, the rest of the ship was awful. Too crowded, queues everywhere, very noisy. I would only go MSC again if a) it was in YC and b) MSC were the only line visiting a port I really wanted to visit.
What do you like / dislike about RCI?
Are DC travelling?
If no DC, I would look at Seabourn or Regent, or Explora for an adults only celebratory cruise. Haven't sailed RSSC or Explora but the Seabourn cabins and service were amazing, better than MSC YC. However, not if you enjoy the facilities and entertainment that RCI offers, the smaller ships are no good.

My wife and I have been on MSC cruises a few times. They are busy and there are lots of children around but we have always enjoyed the cruises. We are both well retired, OK elderly, but coped fine with the bustle.
For quiet cruises the river ones are best I think. We particularly liked the French ones; the food and wine were better! Neither of us wants evening entertainment which generally speaking one does not get on small river cruising vessels.

We did Seabourn a few years ago, around the med. very nice but loads of loud Americans and Australians abroad Food and drink was excellent with caviar on demand. Lovely pool and I splashed out for 1 day in the cabanas deck when I was fed up with the port trips.
Butler service was excellent and you get a choice of spirits and wine for your cabin.

Thanks. No kids which is why we have a reasonable budget but not to the extent that seabourn charge. That’s coming in at £5/6k min each. It does look lovely though.

We’ve loved RCI because the kids were well taken care of. They’ve also worked well with specific ports we have wanted to see. We’ve not done Greece or Norway so considering those itineraries at the moment. May be Croatia/Greece. We’ve done Italy, Spain and France and the Caribbean so would rather not revisit ports. Canada and New England is another strong possibility.

Azamara does some lovely Greek and Adriatic itineraries.
Prices seem to jump up and down like mad so need tracking unfortunately. You can usually get around £200pppn.
Cabins are very small is the downside. Especially the showers. (Unless you upgrade).
Upside is small ship so you can get into ports and minimal queues. All drinks and tips included, great food, nice 'country club' atmosphere.

i wouldnt cruise with MSC personally. Id rather spend money with other cruise liners. However a family member loves it, but she does have a toddler in tow.
There are alot of you tube videos on MSC yatch club (ben & david) worth a watch to get a visual idea etc.

We’ve been Disney with DCs, regent (fantastic) got a great 40% Black Friday deal, and celebrity. With celebrity we’ve done all manner of cabins but my red line in a balcony. Lots of Americans though. Regent by time you factor in the included excursions, drinks and specialty restaurants at the offer we had wasn’t that different

Thanks. I’d forgotten about Ben and David. Will take a look.

Eastern Med with Celebrity is fab.

I liked MSC, the food in the restaurants was great as long as you ordered most of the courses! It’s Italian style so salad and carbs served in separate courses from the meat.

The downside was the multilingual announcements. Every announcement repeated in French, Italian, German, English and Spanish. That’s a long announcement!

And do they still have smoking onboard?

We did celebrity edge in May last year - round the Med - it was very quiet - only a handful of children - lots of Americans but we had a lovely time

@FearistheMindKillerr I don’t remember that- wait, maybe in the casino? And perhaps there was a smoking deck?
It wasn’t intrusive, I’d have struggled with that.

I like Celebrity but don't think it is a step up from RCI? Unless you have the budget for a suite & are dining in Luminae (which is excellent IMO).

You could try:

• Virgin Voyages (no kids, good food)
• Celebrity - owned by the same parent company as RCI I think so the sort of next "step up" and less child focused
• Cunard (I think Queen Anne is the newest and least 'traditional' ship)

We stick with Regent, Silversea or Seabourn. Yes, it’s expensive in comparison when you book but when you look at what’s included and what you DON’T spend on board? It actually isn’t much more money.

Agree but we were really blown away by Splendor rssc. Would do again if budget allowed, we usually do suites on X but have done aqua on S class and balcony. E class only suites as I don’t like the IV. M class Penthouse for a big birthday (inheritance) Which was amazing and spoilt us for a few years.

Have a look at Azamara. I would describe them as Seabourn-lite. Small ships that get into some great locations, pricey but not bonkers pricey.

For you who’ve been on multiple cruises, where does marella fall on the scale ?

I personally wouldn’t go on Marella, but I also would not go on P&O.

Look at cruise critic great forums and reviews.

Marella and P&O are both at the lowest end of the scale. Good value for money though!

I would says Princess is a step up from RC/P&O and then Celebrity is a step up from there…especially the newer ships (although I do love Constellation) a step up from there would be premiums - Viking/oceania/explorer etc

I would try Celebrity for a bit if a step up but not £££££££ step up. I would avoid MSC like the plague.

I like Princess, but i don't think it's a step up from RSC. You could do a princess cruise with the premier fare and then you get unlimited speciality restaurants included so could feel like a better cruise that way without the price tag.

You see I loved marella! Heard awful things about celebrity.

I have cruised numerous times with the following:

Princess
Cunard
P&O
Marella
RC
MSC
Celebrity

the only two I wouldn’t consider cruising with again are Marella & P&O (P&O is a shame as they used to be brilliant 10/15 years ago!)

MSC are very good but personally, if I was going child free - I’d look at Princess/Celebrity/Cunard