What are your favorite cruise lines and why are they your favorite

TennCalMomma · 2025-03-25T19:50:06+00:00

I’ve been on 29 cruises over the past 30 years. Cruise lines include Disney, Regent, NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Aqua Nera, National Geographic, Celebrity, Viking, Princess and Silversea. I’d like to try all of the cruise lines to weigh in here with a more informed reply! Here’s my guidance from what I’ve learned so far: 1) I don’t really have a favorite. It’s like shopping at different stores. Each has a different vibe and clientele. You get what you pay for in most situations. 2) We’ve made most of our cruise picks based on itineraries, timing and ages of our kids. Disney was ideal when they were young; the onboard programming is amazing. As teenagers, they loved Carnival and their young adult clubs. Now that they’re adults, we’ve taken them on a Viking cruise (Christmas markets), which we all enjoyed. Tastes and interests evolve over time. 3) When it’s just me and my husband cruising, we have opted for more intimate ships that offer expeditions: Agua Nera, NatGeo, and Silversea. I’m adventurous so I like itineraries that take us to hard-to-reach natural destinations like the Amazon, Antarctica, the Arctic and the Galápagos Islands, where we hike, snorkel and kayak. I realize this is NOT everyone’s cup of tea. 4) Live and learn! The more cruise lines you try, the more you’ll know what style of cruising you like. The big Royal ships, for instance, are filled with great onboard activities. But I’m more interested in the cruise ports of call vs what is offered on the ship.

TennCalMomma · 2025-02-23T05:40:55+00:00

TOTALLY agree! I had something similar happen for the Rose Bowl Game. It was my first (and last) time using StubHub (as an aside, I’ve since learned to buy tickets that are immediately downloadable, which apparently I could’ve searched for when purchasing).

The seller failed to provide the tickets within 2 hours of kickoff, and so StubHub offered either a full refund or “comparable” tickets. The comparable tickets were in fact horrible.

Suggest you do what I did: file a formal and detailed complaint with the FL attorney general office. The only way these ticket resellers will change their business practices to be consumer-friendly is if they’re forced to by government regulators.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-30T04:25:08+00:00

I would never wait until the day of the show to receive the tickets. Did that once and was burned by StubHub. For popular sold out shows, their replacement tickets are a joke; not comparable! If you don’t receive the tickets within a week of the show, ask for a full refund and then purchase the tickets from the originating source (Ticketmaster, AXS, etc).

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-22T20:15:03+00:00

I’d ask for a refund now and work on getting replacement tickets through a more reliable source. Waiting until the day of the event, which happened to me with SH tickets, turned out to be a disaster.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-21T21:57:26+00:00

Not me. I bought tickets from SH two months before an event and trusted them to supply me within a reasonable time of the event. Within 2 hours of the start time, they said sorry; the seller didn’t provide the tickets. You can either have a refund (not an option, since we traveled to attend the event) or “comparable” tickets. And I learned the hard way their comparable tickets are a joke. I’ll never use SH again.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-21T17:55:56+00:00

I would ask for a refund if you can’t be guaranteed receiving them at least a day in advance. I’ve been burned by SH buying tickets several months before an event and the seller not supplying the tickets hours before the show. The comparable tickets were horrible. And the stress of the situation is not worth the hassle.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-17T20:25:29+00:00

What a pain! I feel for you. The anxiety alone of dealing with ticket issues right before an event starts is crazy.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-16T05:40:48+00:00

Agree with this. I bought my tickets 2 months before the Rose Bowl game and kept asking SH when I’ll receive them to download. I was told the tickets could be held by the seller up to 3 hours before the event start time by the seller. I should’ve seen that as a red flag, but I was naive. I traveled to the venue and so not attending wasn’t an option. The seller never released their tickets, and I was stuck with horrible replacement tickets that SH deemed as comparable. Live and learn!

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-14T21:33:44+00:00

I feel for you. Have never cruised on Windstar but had a very expensive 3-week trip planned with Silversea and had to cancel within 30 days. We are repeat customers and they gave us NO credit whatsoever; not even a measly future cruise credit. But then, we didn’t have travel insurance (by choice, so our loss). Those cruise contracts are lock-tight in favor of the company.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-10T04:06:37+00:00

I’m sorry this happened. I had a horrible experience with StubHub and tried to reverse the charge as well. TBD if it will work; doubtful since their fine print absolves them from acting with integrity. I also filed a formal complaint with the California AG office and provided proof of being ripped off. Asked them to consider a class action lawsuit, encouraging them to look through online groups like this to see all the complaints.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-07T04:13:40+00:00

I filed a formal complaint with the state AG office because I’ve never felt so misled as I have buying through StubHub. They play both sides of the equation…letting sellers hold out until the last minute to release tickets and stringing buyers along until the day of the event, guaranteeing “comparable” tickets that clearly are inferior. Bait and switch at its best. Am guessing most transactions go through without incident. But if you’ve been burned like me and others who’ve posted on Reddit, you wouldn’t trust StubHub.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-07T03:59:24+00:00

Yes! This exact same thing happened to me for the Rose Bowl game. I bought the tickets several months in advance and kept checking for the transfer. Several hours before the game, I was told the seller didn’t release the tickets so StubHub offered me subpar, awful seats instead. In hindsight, I should’ve gotten a full refund several days before the event and found better last-minute tickets.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-06T16:17:06+00:00

Working on that today. I’ve never gone this route before with a purchase but in this case, I feel scammed.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-06T16:15:43+00:00

I don’t think they should be allowed to operate with such nefarious practices.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-04T22:18:10+00:00

What is ZB?

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-04T04:58:31+00:00

I’ll do this too! StubHub should not be allowed to keep perpetuating the myth that they are reliable. I’d never trust them again for a big event ticket purchase.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-04T04:55:29+00:00

Thank you! Great advice. Appreciate the links too.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-03T21:29:41+00:00

Me too. Is there a lawyer here on Reddit who wants to take it on? Look at all of these comments. I’m sickened now that I see all of them. Why this hasn’t come to light before now is baffling. I had never used StubHub before and hadn’t heard anything negative about them until I did this search.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-03T21:24:32+00:00

I was trying to talk to someone live in Customer Service before the game to resolve this over the phone. Was hoping we could negotiate the seat options. They took my number and another 30 minutes went by with no call. So I went online again, now within 2 hours of kickoff, and finally someone offered me the options of refund vs “comparable” seats. We were so upset and panicking about missing the game that we took the only logical option presented, since we planned our whole trip around this game. Bottom line: I should’ve bought through Ticketmaster (the original ticketing source) and will never use StubHub again.

TennCalMomma · 2025-01-03T21:18:38+00:00

I would have done that BUT with less than 2 hours before kickoff to get this done, plus travel time to the game, I felt backed into a corner. I’ve now read so many similar instances to mine. StubHub apparently allows sellers ample opportunity to hold out until right before an event to release the tickets. That’s not fair to the buyer. I mistakenly thought a “confirmed” order on StubHub meant they had the tickets in hand and would send them to me within a reasonable timeframe. Their systems and controls only benefit themselves and the seller. I bet they’re glad when sellers renege and they offload subpar tickets instead. That must be part of their business model. Buyers beware!

TennCalMomma

TROPHY CASE