Gary is at the top when it comes to cruise content. Most others are full of disinformation and clickbait and they don't care as long as they get the clicks and can use their popularity to get perks onboard.

Gary is one of the very top KZfaqrs in cruise space. He always has excellent content!

@@ericafors6039 💯👍 Almost all the other popular vloggers are rubbish. Don't know why he continues mentioning them.

Plus, the more cruises you take on Viking the larger the discount you get for your next cruise with Viking, when you book while you are on your cruise. You don't have to pay when you book then, you usually have months to pay for your booking. I really like the education aspect of the Viking line. For me and my husband there is no point in visiting a place if we aren't learning something about that place. We love educational tours.We also want to do a world cruise-when husband retires.

Have a wonderful time on your world cruise. I envy you! That is on my bucket list. It probably won't be with Viking, even though in many ways they would suit me well. For all their virtues, unfortunately they are not solo-traveler friendly, so I need other options. Have you done any of their river cruises?

Very perceptive! I agree

Don’t forget Stowage Class…..thems my people

THIS. My first NCL was Prima. Very very very terrible crowd, seating and space management and I truly felt it was because of the size of the Haven. Here's the thing, if you have the money to spend for Haven, why deal with the crowds on these ships? Just pay for a giant room on Royal where spaces and layout is MUCH better, plus you get an even bigger room for Haven prices

And?

This is a gross oversimplification. I admit I missed being able to go to the outside bow area, but there is plenty of room on the rest of the ship, no overcrowding in the MDR, overcrowding in the Buffet seems to be a timing issue, all passengers see the same performances. Cunard is the only line I have found to have a true Class system.

Virgin are honestly amazing, just go in with an open mind and enjoy it !

How exciting!!! I also took my first cruise largely due to Gary's information. Took my hubby on Holland and we both loved it. I hope you have a great experience!

Have fun!!

We have just come home from a Viking cruise around Norway and we were completely blown away by the service on board the Viking Mars. I particularly enjoyed the fact that there is always a quiet nook somewhere where you can hide away with a coffee or wine and a good book. I like that there were no kids, we are in our seventies and appreciate the quieter atmosphere. I have dietary issues and the crew went to a lot of effort to find /make special meals for me so that I never felt like I was missing out on anything, and the crew seemed to be aware of my needs wherever I was on the ship. Crew were the best I’ve ever experienced, always remembering our names and doing their best to please. Really sorry if you didn’t have an enjoyable time, as they are not the cheapest cruises, but for us it was worth every cent. There was an excursion we missed out on and getting a refund was no problem. We’ve done several cruises with various cruise lines and Viking is far and away the best of the lot , we are looking into doing another soon. Oh and I meant to say there was never a wait for dinner, but we had spoken to the young lass at the front desk and she suggested dining early to avoid crowding, which we did and so never had a problem. Cannot recommend Viking highly enough!

I'm sad to hear this as we have a Greek Isles cruise with Celebrity in June. Coincidentally, the one cruise we have taken was in 2017 with Princess. We enjoyed the cruise but the food was terrible and we weren't interested in the evening entertainment provided. My daughters and I did try to attend one of the classes/craft sessions but it was only offered once and filled up quickly and left many people unable to participate. I thought Celebrity would be an upgrade from Princess.

We like the smaller amplified Royal ships over the mega ships mainly because of the lack of connection to the ocean. I am dying to try Holland America. So far have been on Royal, Princess, Carnival with a future Virgin and Celebrity on the way.

Agreed. Just tell the me the price, and I'll pay it, then just let me get on with my vacation in peace thanks muchly.

The thousands of passengers probably can’t stand you either. 😂

Wow , how nasty can you be. Let me know what ship you are on, I will be sure not to go@@markreynolds9135

I absolutely love Holland America. I have cruised 8 times with them!@@AronRoss72

The price :)

@deborah, If you price up all the nickel and dime extras on Norwegian against the included on Viking, you will find that Viking come in only slightly more expensive for a much nicer experience.

Sounds like you get that you pay for!

What's not to like? The prices of Viking ocean cruise - it's not a premium line, it's a luxury line.

We’ve done two Viking. Honestly dislike the music in the lounge - level 1. It needs to be mixed up with some soft contemporary music - not just classical. Menu in Manfredi’s never changed in a month Entertainment in the theatre was 99% musical theatre numbers. Very old fashioned to me. Loved the living room atmosphere, cafe and the books. Loved the cabins, laundromat, included excursions, drinks, wifi. The spa area was phenomenal.. as a vegetarian.. mostly the meals were underwhelming.. but still enjoyed it. Staff. Amazing.

That's thr spirit

Remembering your drink preference is standard on Disney Cruise Line, not a surprise.

@@mapamouse I hadn’t been on a cruise since around 2005 or 2006. So I forgot a lot about cruising and it was a first cruise for two of the 4 of us. Therefore, for my friends and me it was a pleasant surprise.

We sailed to Alaska on Millie which we just fell in love with it. I've never been on RC but have sailed NCL and thought Celeb was definitely a cut above. From the design of the open spaces and cabin to the crew which were just amazing. Gonna be heading to HAL on Zaandam next year and hoping we like that smaller ship as well.

I also went on the celebrity infinity Greek isle cruise this past August and it was amazing! All the staff were so friendly to my mum and I! It was a great first cruise experience!

Same.

Not for us..did HA to Hawaii and we were wholly bored. We are 60-70 so the correct age for it but older people were dying right and left. Body bags came off the ship when we docked in San Diego

They look so dull and boring

@@PineGeri Gods waiting room.

@@PineGeri My ex wife recently circumnavigated Africa on HA out of FL, almost 45 years after our honeymoon on HA. She did mention that they must have filled every fridge and freezer with body bags over the course of the 6 weeks or whatever. Dying on a cruise probably isn't the worst way to go, even if you don't get the full value of your drinks package if you expire early in the cruise.

Thanks for your comment. I am drawn to similar lines for similar reasons, and I had wondered if Regent could be worth the astronomical cost. I'm quite pleased to see somebody saying they didn't think so!

@@jeanwatson189 there were few hitches right after COVID ended, but the food is back to being fantastic. Chartreuse, Pacific Rim and Prime Seven all shine in their own ways. The Compass Rose and serried Mari are a standard well above most cruise lines. I don’t cruise any other line.

We LOVE Seabourn! We've sailed all their classes of ships (including the former 3 little sisters sold to Windstar) and prefer the Encore and Ovation over the slighter smaller Odyssey class. I think you'll agree once you've sailed them... sushi restaurant, Seabourn Square is better layout, bigger gym, double pool bars... Next, try the Venture/Pursuit! Absolutely spoiled! Bon Voyage!!

How was it? We have been on the Wonder many times.

@@evwiz TBH it wasn’t as exciting as I expected. Mainly because the beverages were so expensive. For example, the Moka experience was 19 USD, all the other specialty coffee was 7.75 USD, and a pink Cadillac was 25 USD. I’m not too sure about how Americans would find these prices, they were over the top to me, especially we have top notch coffee and high quality cocktails in Melbourne. Also I had a feel that Disney actually inflated all those prices after arriving in Australia, but the prices I found online could be outdated.

@@Laurenlee87721 Interesting. I guess we don't drink alcoholic beverages on board. We just stick to what I consider 'all-inclusive,' which means we also stick to all the main dining options and do not pay for the adult-only restaurants. Yes, those prices are way over the top .. unless you're in Las Vegas or NYC. :-) Cheers!

I have heard the best way to enjoy a MSC cruise is to pay extra for The Yacht Club, as the common areas can become overcrowded.

Viking lose me at that point. $10,000 invested from 2023 to 2025 plus inflation value of money is a $2000 loss in 2years. They are financing the business with early payments!

Agree 100%.

There is a customer base for everyone, even for McDonalds.

Agreed, I've been twice on Celebrity's Millennium. Another big difference in overal experience is the crew leaders. But both times the staff throughout the ship was fantastic!

We also enjoyed rhapsody last year

Go build a massive ship and sell the rooms nice and cheap if it's so easy. If the prices are "extortionate" then sail on another line. There are certainly plenty out there, but even with some of the moderately nicer lines like Celebrity, Princess, or Virgin, there are deals to be had if you are patient and maybe have the ability to sail on short notice. I do understand that that's not possible for many, but there can be a difference of MANY thousands of dollars for similar cruises on the same ship even just a few weeks apart depending on the time of year and such.

Thanks! Keep me posted on what you end up thinking about HAL!!!

@@tipsfortravellers I'll be telling you daily (Eurodam April 6)

I've thought it the opposite where the budget lines are moving upmarket. NCL and Celebrity are pushing upmarket with their new ships. Everyone also keeps expanding their ship within a ship experience too. I think though the reason the premium market rates so highly is it's the best value while still delivering high quality. Luxury people expect a lot and are very critical if its not met. Budget is just budget so its never going to review that highly.

There's even distinctons between the three where customers from RC, Celebrity, & Disney couldn't imagine going on the others.

I think the common thread is that each of these lines does their "thing" very well. Their "things" happen to be different from one another.

I’m current booked on the Silhouette for February and looking forward to it. Have a great cruise.

Great to hear. I did that on Viking Sky last year, it is such a great itinerary!

Expensive tho? 🤔

​@@simonstones1918Just take it out of your family's inheritance. You only live once.

@@shanson786 I have no family! The moneys all mine 😅

Yes please I would love this type of review 🙏

Agree 100%! Especially for a cooler weather cruise like Norway

I can see why you cross oceans on ships rather than airliners, then. You'd feel terrible every time the flight attendant told you to turn right when boarding.

Totally agree. There's a snob value I either like or agree with

The prices they charge for drinks, even charging for soft drinks at bars yet people will still tell you its “soft drinks included” its not!

To have Mickey Mouse™ aboard ship doesn't come cheap.

For what it offered, Disney was terrible - packed with screaming kids, pools smelled heavily of pee, food was mediocre, price way too expensive. My granddaughter liked it though so....

Disney? My worst nightmare!!!!!! 😱😱

I offered to take my daughter and granddaughter on a cruise this past summer. As the trip was a reward for the granddaughter for getting good grades and practicing her piano, we let her pick. Disney was offered as an option, along with Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. She took one look at the water park on RC and picked that one. I am so glad she did. Saved us a ton of money, and we all had a ball. We had a Central Park balcony cabin on Harmony of the Seas. It smelled lovely and we had jazz every night. I would probably never pick Disney--I don't think I could stand a whole week of Mouse immersion.

We sailed 3 cruises on Holland America, and they were indeed a premium cruise line; one was an Alaska cruise which has been our favorite cruise so far.

To me, the lack of water slides and such also is a plus! I don’t want to be stuck on a floating fun park.

Which are the traditional aspects that virgin doesn’t have? I’m curious

@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 Hey there- really it's the shows (I am showing my age..lol). I do like the sit down auditorium "broadway" like productions. Virgin's productions are great- just a bit different in regards to content and delivery. If you are interested, I hope you explore more to get an idea. I really appreciate how many folks post content so you can see what you are getting into:)😊

And correspondingly high prices - definitely a luxury line.

Glad it was helpful!

I am hearing that Disney is very woke so I just can’t waste my money to support that.

Thanks for that, and sorry to hear though that your trip was not what you enjoyed. Hopefully your next line choice will be perfect !

@@tipsfortravellers I've since cruised to Norway on Norwegian and New England and Eastern Canada on Princess and loved both cruises.

A front view on Edge class ships is available to everyone by going into the exercise room and getting a workout! Almost 180° of view.

Agree with your assessment regarding the Edge class ships on Celebrity. I’m not a fan of the infinite balcony.

@@mrlund686 Clearly (but subtly) you’ve called me out for not exercising while cruising! Shame on you. No, actually scratch that last bit. Shame on me, 😂

We've been on 20+cruises including high-end. Yet our next one will be our 3rd on Marella. You get what you pay for. It's great in many areas and so-so in others. Select an adult only cruise, add on premium drinks and you will be surprised how much of a cruise you get for your money. Here's a tip...check out if doing the cruise-only price and booking your own flights and a pre-cruise stay works better for you, especially if you have a choice of flights to the departure destination.

I guess for people with kids and teens who want all that stuff like water parks and so on it's worth the aggravation. It sounds like my idea of hell, but each to their own.

I absolutely loved the Delta Queen! Did 6 different cruises on her. It made me sick when she was mothballed.

Would love to go on a river cruise.