https://www.xoxohth.com/thread.php?forum_id=2&thread_id=977870

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#46703549)

1. Carnival. The trashiest. The passengers are mostly proles and/or ghetto ex-con types. Lots of people who saved for three years for a vacation and this is it. Extreme chance of norovirus because these neanderthals love to reach under the sneeze guard in the buffet to caress each chicken finger before grabbing one to stuff into their gob. Fully expect to see grown men wearing this shirt to dinner: https://d2h1pu99sxkfvn.cloudfront.net/b0/9323644/386053640_KqFJzri8EV/P0.jpg

2. Norwegian/Royal Caribbean/Disney. Norwegian sort of sits between tier 1 and 2, but Carnival is so terrifying that it deserves to stand alone in its shame. This tier can provide a decent experience -- the food is better and, most importantly, the passengers are better. Still lots of proles, but these are HIGH PROLES. You are less likely to see a grown man in an airbrushed Scarface t-shirt on this tier than tier 1. The ships also have some more fun amenities (water slides, zip lines, etc) at this level but you'll be standing in long lines to do them. These ships are like Vegas -- lots of screaming big screen TVs and entertainment for the masses.

3. Princess/Celebrity. These are near-luxury cruises and are like catnip to boomers. Overall older crowd and less true proles. No Scarface shirts. You know how you expected to inherit something from your boomer parents? Not anymore. They are spending your inheritance on an annual Princess or Celebrity cruise with excursions at each stop.

4. Seabourn/Silversea/Crystal. True luxury cruises that seem 180. At this level, you actually have less "fun" amenities like waterslides. Instead, you get very nice accommodations, smaller ships, and better food. They sometimes try to call the ships "yachts" so well-paid surgeons can pretend they're really on a private yacht in the Riviera and their "Instagram model" wives can take selfies proclaiming the same: https://www.crystalcruises.com/experience/yacht

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454136)

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/W1W140/5110D.html

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454149)

"Maybe you should stop being a loser and email CSLG."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454177)

The one caveat on Disney cruises, by the way, is no casino.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454458)

Are the recent rumors about Princess cruises being full of bedbugs true?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454190)

Where do you expect Virgin Voyages to rank here? They seem to be billing themselves as really high end

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454211)

Royal Caribbean - I don't find much difference in the quality of passengers from Carnival.

Caveats:

- A lot depends on the ship itself and the departure port. Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have some brand new ships that are amazing. They mostly leave from preftigious ports like Miami or San Juan. They are pricier. When something is expensive, the crowds are naturally better. They both also have shitty ships that leave from shitty ports like Galveston. These passengers will fight you over the last jello bowl. I recently traveled on the Enchantment of the Seas - a Royal Caribbean ship built in 1997. It was shit pure shit but in a funny way. One night, a young nigger and his very cute girlfriend shared an elevator with me. He was drunk as fuck and telling me how important pussy is and that "nothing in life matters but pussy." I could see the shame in his gf's eyes.

- Both these lines do something that I am shocked they haven't been sued for yet. They offer these unlimited drinks packages. So for $50/person/day you can get as many alcoholic drinks as you want from the various bars. Two people cannot share. So if one adult is getting the package, all others in the room have to get it too. Anyway, the result of this is that these proles roam around sauced as fuck. Considerable amount of bad behavior can be traced to this package. People over-drink to make up for the price.

- The food is fine. There are plenty of options that you should find something you like. If you don't then you're just a picky eater. There are free options and there are paid fine-dining places as well. Much of the service staff on these ships comes from India and Indonesia. As a result, both have some Indian food options. You may wonder who gives a shit about Indian food. But it actually gets consumed a lot.

- The service staff on Royal Caribbean are better than Carnival. But I have found the Carnival's ships to be in better shape and cleaner than RC's.

- Overall, I think the reason cruises are popular is because proles get to experience hospitality in a way they could never on the mainland. You have all this staff from Asia that treat these proles like colonial emperors and it feels good.

AMA, I am a frequent cruiser.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454411)

best cruise you’ve ever done?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454422)

Speaking of excursions, you always, always, always want to try to book those on your own. Carnival and RC have private beach excursions that they charge about $100 for and it's crowded as fuck. I spent $25 on a separate beach package, it was another $10 for the four of us to get there by taxi, and it was totally empty with unlimited food and drink. One of the top ten vacation days I've had.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454488)

Also any crazy stories about fights/hooking up/etc on cruise ships?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454501)

A seven day out of Galveston on Carnival Vista (which is a new ship) will run you should about $500/person base for an Ocean view room. Plus tips and any packages you might buy.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454548)

- One morning I stepped out of my room and see a man sitting on a chair outside another room a few doors down. This is unusual. No one sits on the hallway like that. Turns out the occupants of that room were under house-arrest and that man was ship security. The occupants were not allowed leave the room and all nourishment was brought in.

- a couple of fights or passengers getting rowdy. security comes quickly and takes them away. it's funny. the trouble makers are often larger white guys and the security folks are these smaller asian guys. but there's more of them and they neutralize the trouble makers quickly.

- passengers missing the ship after the excursions. you see them all disappointed as the ship is sailing away.

- i actually don't know much about the singles/hookups scene. all my cruising has (unfortunately) happened after i got married. but there are plenty of avenues to meet and mingle. there are singles parties, karaoke, etc. i have met two staff-couples that met onboard. apparently this is pretty common. many international couples form this way.

- not a crazy story. but i should mention it nonetheless. the wife and i were chilling by the pool. our then 1 y/o was with us. i think it was a port day so the ship was empty. this 80 y/o white gramps comes along. the guy is fitter than most people my age. he was taken by our 1 y/o and played with him for a bit. then asked us if we were going to have more kids. we said we were unsure. he said that we should have more kids. that's all there is to life. and then disappeared as soon as he came. he was an inspiration for us to have two more.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454668)

Are they just on the pier looking all frustrated and sad? What happens to them? I imagine just take a plane to the final destination?

I used to take an overnight cruise from Helsinki to Estonia with my then GF. It was essentially a booze cruise. Bunch of Finns and Swedes drunk and throwing up all over the place. I felt so bad for the staff that had to clean up for what I imagine wasn't very much pay.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454802)

newbie xo trash.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454584)

actually here is my thread from last month that got no responses: http://xoxohth.com/thread.php?thread_id=4406898&mc=1&forum_id=2

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39454683)

I just went on a cruise that I saved 3 years for. Loved every minute.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39455453)

Please make sure to view our handy tutorial for new poasters. Don't forget your goody bag and, whatever you do, don't engage a quotemo. Have fun!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39458091)

That's what I don't get. What is the point of being on a giant boat in the middle of nowhere - so you can spend a couple of hours walking around some port in the Bahamas for a few hours?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#39458110)

Royal Caribbean was probably the most fun since they had a lot of outdoor/sports type of activities and I won the singing contest.

Princess was generally decent. Decent food. Decent ship layouts. Decent entertainment.

Disney has the best food and the best entertainment (for families). Ship layout, and especially the pools, sucked.

I've done one Celebrity cruise and it's a little more upscale than the others. Nicest ship, but the food was surprisingly mediocre.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#45531937)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4424880&forum_id=2E#49274582)