Most people choose a cruise for the destination, which makes sense. Along with that though, is the choice of ship and figuring out when the decision on which ship to sail on outweighs the choice in destination. This really depends on how many times you have cruised, how important the factors of your vacation are, and how unique the itinerary is. After cruising for a while, I have found a nice balance between these two things, but will always weigh more on the ship in most cases. I’m a ship girl!
I have my bucket list itineraries that I'm not really willing to waiver on too much and I also have ships that I really want to sail on and I'm not as particular about the itinerary. For example, I just booked a Norway/Iceland itinerary. I had two choices, one had more ports (and some that are not often seen on more common itineraries) three more total trip days, but was on a much older and smaller ship. The second option was on a brand new ship, still went to quite a few key port stops, plus had two additional countries on the itinerary and had fewer total travel days. The bottom line for me was having quite a few sea days (would be the case on either sailing) and ensuring that my overall experience, considering my vacation preferences was what I wanted. The newer ship won, hands down. NCL Prima here I come!
When I travel, it's about the entire experience, not just the places I go. I lean towards an experience where food is a focus, relaxation is more of a priority than seeing all the sights, and variety is the spice of life. Don’t get me wrong, I love ports and seeing destinations, but I’m not a go, go, go, gotta see all the things type of vacationer. As that pertains to ships, I tend to lean towards a cruise that provides more options and caters to a truly service-focused, relaxing experience. So, let’s break it down by three key cruise experience elements: food, relaxation, and entertainment/variety.
Let’s start with the food. Cruise food is the greatest! Even when it’s not fantastic. The number of options, variety of flavors, and availability make any cruise experience a good one. Let’s also remember that we aren’t cooking or cleaning, and we’re basically being waited on hand and foot (in most cases) and being fed, whenever we want. There are definitely worse things! That being said, I’m a self-designated foodie and definitely like an elevated food/restaurant experience. I worked in restaurants for 28 years, 10 years as a consultant, and to say I have my standards on a restaurant experience is an understatement (my friends reading this are nodding their heads….Trevor).
The food experience on a cruise is important to me. I always book a few nights of specialty dining, ask for a seat by the window (unless the view is blocked by lifeboats), and really take in the ceremonious nature of a high end dining experience (see ????- post on restaurants for my best dining experience – no comparison). The people watching is awesome, too. I love hearing more about certain menu items or specials, anticipating the presentation and flavors, how these will pair with the wine, and one of my favorite parts (besides eating all the yumminess), is when the server describes the dish as they place it in front of me.
I have had some great specialty dining experiences on cruise ships. 150 Central park on Allure of the Seas, and Murano, and Tuscan Grill on Celebrity Equinox are the top picks for fine dining (I have some upcoming cruises that may change this post – stay tuned). 150 Central Park is a beautiful, intimate setting overlooking the Central Park neighborhood and offers beautiful décor and an elegant yet simple menu. The food quality and presentation combined with top notch service makes this an experience to repeat on any Oasis Class ship.
Celebrity also does a fantastic job with specialty dining. Enjoying a tableside presentation of lobster Thermador at Murano, or the most tender filet with traditional steakhouse sides at Tuscan Grille are both experiences worth spending the money on. A special noteworthy moment at Tuscan Grille; I celebrated my 50th birthday on board Celebrity Equinox and had my birthday dinner at Tuscan. Not only was the food phenomenal, but two crew members sang happy birthday to me in both English and Italian with stunning voices that billowed throughout the restaurant. It was a fantastic memory!
For those of you wanting a more private specialty dining experience, the Chef’s Table is a nice treat with food and wine pairings offered on most cruise lines. If you are lucky, many Chef’s Table experiences start with a tour of the Galley. I have always found it fascinating to see how the food operations run on a ship! Of note, typically a Chef’s Table experience runs around four hours. It’s a great to engage with other cruisers over a wonderful meal – just be prepared for the time involved.
Outside of specialty dinning, for me, it’s all about variety. While I am not a huge Carnival cruiser, I need to point out that they have the most included dining options of any other cruise line, including some specialty dining options on their newer ships (Cucina Del Capitano, Chi Bang) as well as a great variety of more casual options (Blue Iguana Cantina, Emeril’s Bistro, Guy’s Burger, Shaq’s Big Chicken, and Street Eats). While the variety on Carnival may be appealing to some, I tend to lean towards a more elevated cruising experience. I am looking forward to sailing on the newer NCL ships and trying their new dining options with Indulge Food Hall and Food Republic, and the great number of specialty dining and al fresco options.
Time to relax – regardless if you are someone who wants to spend a large amount of your vacation relaxing poolside or consistently on the go and seeing all the things with minimal down time, everyone wants some relaxation on vacation and cruise ships do a great job in this area. The obvious spot when one thinks of relaxing is the spa. Different cruise lines have different spa amenities and regardless of what ship you are on, there are numerous options from massages and facials, to steam, dry, and salt rooms, acupuncture and other similar treatments, and private thermal water features to enhance your experience. A note about acupuncture, which I feel is not a well-known treatment option amongst cruisers……it can be a game changer. While getting ready for my New England/Canada sailing on Celebrity Summit back in 2019, I developed a pretty nasty ear infection just before my trip. Keep in mind, I had to fly from California to Fort Lauderdale to embark and the ear infection would have made it close to impossible. After being on anti-biotics for a few days and taking a fair dose of Advil before getting on the plane, I made it to my sailing successfully and with minimal pain. About two days into my trip, the ear pain came back. I was at a loss and feeling quite desperate and not wanting to ruin my cruise, I gave acupuncture a try and quickly became a BELIEVER! After the first two sessions, my pain was completely gone. If you need pain relief while on ship, give acupuncture a try!
Okay, back to relaxing – one of the draws for me on a cruise, because I am a lay by the pool kind of gal, are the solariums or adult pool/spa areas. I have to hand this to both Royal Caribbean with their beautiful solariums on the Oasis Class and The Sanctuary on Princess. Two very different experiences but both great options for a few hours or whole day of pool side bliss. Drinks and food brought to you, comfy lounger options, and pools and hot tubs overlooking the ocean. Princess does charge a small fee for the Sanctuary and reservations can only be made on the ship. So, plan for an early embarkation time and RUN to the Sanctuary once you get on board to claim your day. I have not been as impressed with the solariums on Celebrity, although I have yet to sail on the Edge Class and am guessing that experience will also top the list (stay tuned for an updated in 2024).
Another key element of relaxation is finding your own space. For me, it’s my stateroom balcony (once you sail with one, you won’t want to book anything else), while for others, it may be finding a quiet nook on the ship somewhere where you can curl up and read a book, watch the waves, or just unplug. There are plenty of spaces where you can find quiet time and my recommendation is when you are exploring the ship on your first day on board, keep an eye out to where you might want to return to relax or get away from it all.
Entertain Me! Another big draw to cruising is the variety and level of entertainment you can enjoy while at sea. I have three different experiences I need to mention. First, the Aqua Theater shows on Royal’s Oasis Class ships are hands down, the best shows I have ever seen. Acrobats and aerialists galore! The choreography and technical difficulty is beyond complex and Royal has created a huge draw to these experiences. Best dancing though, my most recent sailing on Celebrity Equinox. The dancers were phenomenal, so much so that I changed my dinner time so that I could see both shows each night. They were that good! My experience on NCL (although it’s been a while) was also very good and I remember the comedians and Broadway shows to be exemplary.
There is more to entertainment than shows and comedians. There are many offerings throughout each day and evening to keep cruisers happy and engaged. My rule when I cruise, do ALL the things! Bingo, Deal or No Deal, trivia, towel animal folding classes, glass blowing, dance classes, destination talks, bumper cars, playing pool, foosball, larger than life chess, water slides, dry slides, silent discos, and the many different live music experiences you will find throughout your sailings, are just some of the entertainment options you will find.
While there is always something to do, a draw for me in cruising is that there is also nothing to do. I get to choose! As a solo cruiser I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want, and with whomever I want, or not. I quickly fell in love with cruising for a number of reasons, but the primary draw for me are what I’ve written about here. The phenomenal food and exemplary service, relaxation options galore, and entertainment that keeps me coming back again and again and the fact that I can enjoy all of these things how I want is the absolute best. I meet great people on board, engage a plenty, and recharge while at sea. It is my happy place and I feel so fortunate to have found this obsession that I can share with you. Ready to cruise? Hit me up!
