trooper

That would be the cruise route for me.......ex navy man... never suffered from motion sickness (and that was on frigates!) ,,If I go to sea I want to know I'm AT SEA!

bicker

However, as you indicated, they are different products: There really are at least three segments of the mass market: The economy segment, served by NCL, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival; the mid-range segment, served by Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity; and the upscale market, served by Seabourn, Silver Sea, Regent Seven Seas. These distinctions are real, despite the sometimes childish objections from those who don't like where they favored cruise line falls in the market. Facing the reality and understanding precisely where in the market you want to be, and what cruise lines are in the market to serve that segment... AND what the cruise line being within that segment entails, can make all the difference between being a bitterly-disappointed passenger and being a happy, satisfied passenger.

For the reasons Mary gave, my spouse and I avoid bumping ourselves up to Seabourn, even though we could afford it. We felt slightly abrated by Holland America's pretensions eight years ago, but it has very clearly taken its place in the mid-range segment, with all that that means. (Now, it is those who wish Holland America was like Seabourn, just without the higher price tag, who are abrated, I suppose.)

You shouldn't. However, the flip side of what I wrote above is also true: Cruising is affordable because of the economies of scale afforded by the mass market. The way economies of scale work is that the market gets segmented as I outlined above into a small number of products - i.e., not a separate product for each person, but rather a small handful of products that each customer must choose between and be satisfied with the product as it is offered. Expecting the mass market to work like everything is custom designed for you personally is a sure-fire path to being upset and disappointed. The more you can acknowledge the value that the mass market affords you, and parlay that into a recognition that you're choosing between a small number of choices for which you can expect not necessarily what you might want but rather what they have promised, the better your chances of being satisfied.

There are niche cruise lines that offer different combinations of characteristics. They aren't a good value by comparison to the mass market, almost by definition. They don't benefit from the same economies of scale, so naturally they have to be more expensive.

Randyk47

Nice post with some good observations. Certainly cruising is not a "tube sock", one size does not fit all. Admittedly we gravitated to Silversea five years ago after some 17 years of mostly cruising on Holland America and Celebrity. There were several factors that went into that decision. Key issues for us are itineraries, service, quality of food, entertainment, and the size of the ship. Hard to rank them but formality, or the lack thereof, was not one of the factors.

Badenoch

Varying levels of "pretentiousness" are part of what mid-range and above mass market cruise lines are selling. Those that aren't are at the lower end of the market and unfortunately too often overrun with lager louts and other over-refreshed adolescents.

I share your aversion to "pretentious" and particularly the people who are attracted to it.

Mary2e

Exactly. The problem lies with wanting the amenities and lack of over-refreshed adolescents with the dress code/pretentiousness.

Hence, I don't think cruising is for me

wrp96

If you are trying to avoid pretentious but also avoid being overcrowded by kids, look at a suite on NCL - which offers private areas of the ship that are less crowded. Also, timing is important. A cruise longer than a week that occurs when school is in session (like late January) is going to have a lot less kids or a party atmosphere than a cruise during spring break or summer, as parents are less likely to take their kids out of school for a cruise. I've been on cruises on Royal (another mass market line) where there were almost no kids onboard - simply because they were longer cruises and at times when school was in session.

Mary2e

I looked at the Haven on NCL, and it really is quite pricey... so pricey I could go on Crystal

The cruise I'm looking at is 10 or 11 days out of NYC, so I think the kid factor would be low.

Jasper2009

As I like to say: There's the right cruise for everyone. *

E.g. Regent Seven Seas is quite nice
Scenic Yacht Cruising
Tauck River Cruises
etc.

*As long as budget isn't a concern

Jaimito Cartero

Just remember most cruise lines are 100% non-smoking/vaping in cabin and balcony. There are very limited smoking areas on most ships.

If you have flexibility, some January dates can be pretty reasonably priced. Most TA's can give you the repeat customer discount.

Drink, gratuity and exclusive dining packages are often promos given with bookings at certain times.

Mini-suites and above often have much better cash back and promo deals from some TA's. Generally, I would put on a small downpayment when initially booking. Cruises often will reduce the fare, and you want to be able adjust the rate.

Mary2e

It's not that much of a concern... but I like my vacations so spending the year's budget on one cruise isn't going to work for us But the budget is more than adequate for some of the cabin classes on the higher end ships.

I discovered that and don't mind going where it's allowed as long as it's not too far.
I'm still going to look, and given some of the negatives I have about the mass-market ships, if the price gets low enough, my concerns will also decrease. See above about liking my vacations

ijkh

Balance that off with no airports waiting for flights. No checking into hotels. No rental car issues.
Just the feel of the sea breeze as you cruise the ocean is so peaceful. Take a Bonine and you'll feel ok.
The joy not having to figure out where to go to dinner or select one of the optional restaurants on board if you chose.
The quiet relaxation of being alone on your balcony or a walk along the teak deck watch the world go by.

We chose Crystal because it is consistent and relaxing. No charge for an optional restaurant, espresso or a drink. We find fellow cruisers to be interesting and well traveled for the most part. They have done away with black tie and made it "optional" usually for only one night. Last of all the price was competitive. We have a great agent who always seems to get us extras. PM if you need her help.

Bow Rider

The UA travel portal has lots of bonuses and multipliers, if that is of any interest. I think I turned a $3k cruise into 21k miles. It was a cheap cabin that priced out the same everywhere I looked. But they don't sell all cruises, even within a given cruise line.

747FC

I've been on Seabourn twice, and while I haven't had caviar and champagne in the water, our itineraries were not set for that type of adventure.

I think that the caviar/champagne vision is part of their branding, and the image does nicely portray a lifestyle to which many aspire.

The reality on Seabourn is that you can order caviar for room service at any time, and can have it served at a bar if you desire. While champagne is freely available at any location, they no longer provide more than one bottle in your room free of charge.

The problem I have with Seabourn is that that the alcohol that is freely available rarely is of the quality that their clientele would purchase at home.

So much for branding...

BTW, one other poster mentioned pretentiousness. I have not found the staff on Seabourn to be pretentious, nor are the vast majority of the guests. Of course, you can find pretentious people anywhere, even on a low-budget line.

Randyk47

Interesting observation about the quality of the freely available alcohol on Seabourn. I hadn't heard that before and thought Seabourn and Silversea were pretty much the same. Now admittedly we're not exactly demanding but our typical standards at home are Flor de Cana rum (7 or 12 year old), Bombay Sapphire gin, and minimally Absolut vodka though we have been experimenting with some local Texas handcrafted vodkas like Titos and Enchanted Rock. We're not big scotch or whiskey drinkers so really don't have a preference or preferred brand. Generally we've always been able to get our favorites on Silversea as standards at no additional cost. Wine is a bit different and have to say we've had everything from great but not well known wines to bilge cleaner wines as the standard included wines. Luckily they have a pretty good cellar and are often able to find us something, frequently at no charge, from their standard stock.

Mary2e

I believe I failed to thank many of you who wrote such lengthy and thoughtful responses. Accept my apologies for that. They are most appreciated.

Still haven't decided what to do, but all of your comments will make it a bit easier to do so.