So .. Why NCL?

There is so many different cruise lines offering many different options. Why did you pick NCL? Was it the price? Itinerary ? The particular onboard entertainment / dining options? The perks? :)

There are limited choices out of NY. Tried Carnival. It was nice. Got me hooked on cruising. Tried NCL and liked it better. However, it's gotten worse, not better for the customer over the last few years, so I'm looking into other cruising options for 2018. Variety is the spice of life.

Kids sail free and UBP.....no other cruise line could beat the price!

Kids sail free and UBP.....no other cruise line could beat the price!

Same here! Carnival has cheaper base fares, but once you pay for a third ticket and 2 drink packages, NCL is way, *WAY* cheaper.

There is so many different cruise lines offering many different options. Why did you pick NCL? Was it the price? Itinerary ? The particular onboard entertainment / dining options? The perks? :)

The ubp, cruise fares are similar across the three lower end cruise lines but we like to have a few drinks when on vacation and when you factor in that your way ahead on ncl.

We like the night life, the free style dining options and the general vibe. The UBP is fantastic and we enjoy the specialty dining restaurants.

1. I don't like set tables and dining times, so I like Norwegian's Freestyle very much.

2. Studio Cabins: Can't beat that if you're cruising solo.

3. UBP is a nice add on.

4. Norwegian's itineraries in Europe are great (for me).

5. I like the general "vibe" of Norwegian cruise ships (I haven't cruised too much, once on RCC, once on Carnival, and then Norwegian for the first time last year on a Baltic cruise... and I'm booked on my third Norwegian cruise, sailing in 4 weeks and 1 day on the Epic).

There's a "je ne sais quoi" that I like about Norwegian.

I travel solo mostly so this is the main reason for NCL for me but i also like the freestyle dining. Not that i dont like meeting others but sometimes the ones you are sat with are not a good fit and they you are with them all week. I think the food is very good on NCL as well. Wish they didnt charge the $7.95 fee for room service but otherwise NCL is awesome. I think everyone has a different experience but i have loved all my NCL cruises so far (3 in the last 6 months) and have three more booked!!

Well I have not tried other lines - I discovered NCL back in 02 thanks to a TA and now good friend. We are now on our 5th NCL cruise.

We like the product, we don't cruise often and use it as a more of an upscale vacation that we do every few years. So far we have been on the Sky (2x), POA, and Pearl and will soon be on the Dawn. We don't like dressing up for dinner, or set dining times, or dinner companions. Those were the things that attracted us to NCL and will probably keep us there. We cruise for the destination and not so much for the ship. You will probably not see us on a mega ship - the jewel class fits us just fine - and it appears that they intend to keep re-vamping the older ships rather than build more mega ships.

There is so many different cruise lines offering many different options. Why did you pick NCL?

Originally for us it was because of Freestyle Cruising - I hated formality on vacations (later I've started to accept it a bit better) and the thought of having to eat with complete strangers was appalling to me.

As years have gone by, the differences between NCL and other cruise lines have became more scarce and since the new management and the new nickel and diming we have opted to move forward to a new cruise line that suits us better in current situation.

To NCL's defense I have to say that even though others have claimed nickle and diming has existed already years before, we found that for years we didn't have to pay anything extra for the things we wanted and expected to be included, and the speciality restaurants (that exist on all mass market lines) were very reasonably priced.

This is not the case anymore and things like three significant bar price raises during 9 months last year, reducing wine choices available with UBP, pretty much doubling the price of an average speciality restaurant dinner, charging for the room service combined with the most expensive and limited beverage package among mass market lines just add up to the point where we decided already over a year ago that we're done with NCL - at least for now. Unfortunately so far I have not seen any improvements that would entice us to book another NCL cruise.

For the opportunity to dine with who I want, where I want and when I want. That still stands but price is now becoming a factor and also itinerary. Change is on the horizon for us.

I kind of mirror everyone else's opinion.

I've sailed Carnival, Royal, Celebrity and HAL, in addition to Norwegian. They all bring something unique. And, I've liked them all.

Not loyal to any of them as the perks of cruising with one line enough (which amounts to a few free drinks, when all's said and done), aren't nearly enough for me to keep doing the same line over and over and over.........

But, I've been leaning towards NCL having sailed them as much as I've sailed Royal recently.

Price wise, considering everything, NCL is very competitive.

Freestyle, without all the pomp and infernal scheduling is much more to my liking. Even having My Time Dining on Royal couldn't really match Freestyle on NCL.

I like the specialty restaurants on NCL better than on the other lines.

And, I like the entertainment better on NCL (although, I did enjoy the shows in Cafe 270 on the Anthem of the Seas quite a bit, but it became way too crowded in there).

Now, NCL is throwing in the UBP if you want it. So, no more $800-$900 alcohol bills at the end of the cruise to deal with. Really like that perk.

All of these new(er) ships from all the major cruise lines are beautiful in their own right. They all offer wonderful service, and good food. But, even NCL seems to have better "free" dining than the rest (Carnival has been doing a much better job recently, too).

All-in-all, try NCL. You'll most likely enjoy it quite a bit.

Because RCCL canceled our b2b on Empress 10 days before the cruise. NCL had open rooms on the Getaway out of Miami. The 7 day was a tad more than the 9 days we were going to be on Empress but it was either that or cancel vacation.

After all the dust settled we were glad it happened as we used to be loyal to Royal never even considering another cruise line. We will still cruise Royal (we are doing a southern in October on Adventure) but now want to check out other cruise lines too. For 2017 we are thinking Mexican Riviera on Princess or possibly NCL again if they ever release their Mexican Riviera cruises for October of 2017.

I sail on ncl because of the studio cabins,freestyle dining and the nightlife.

NCL pioneered Freestyle - eat when you want, what you want and where you want. I loved that.

Then I discovered the NCL suite life. It HAS suited me. For several cruises. I will be on the Epic in a suite in February. I thought I had found my "line of choice"... but several factors now has me "shopping around". A little sad about it, because it didn't have to be this way.

Yeah, I will still consider NCL and I am sure I would have a great cruise no matter who I choose. But if I can get the same great "suite life perks" on another line with more value I will venture out.

I've sailed NCL only twice. The first time it was because I was intrigued by all the dining options. I'm platinum on Carnival, and I do love their steakhouses, but that's about the only option other than MDR or buffet. So, I booked NCL and dined in a different specialty restaurant each night. Loved it! My second NCL cruise was on the Epic in a studio. I love the convenience of the studio lounge and not having to pay 200% to cruise. So, two three more NCL cruises booked! As others have said, NCL has a good vibe to it. Because I can dine at a variety of places and find the solitude I'm often looking for, at least for now, NCL is my line of choice.

We fell in love with NCL Freestyle in the Med. So nice to come back to the ship exhausted after a day long tour and NOT have to dress up in order to eat dinner. We were in a suite, and it was just a fabulous experience. We liked having 2 DVD players in our suite and watched movies suitable to where we would be touring the next day at night. I don't know if I would like NCL if I were not in a suite, though. The newer ships have larger Havens, but they feel less special although we love the dedicated restaurant for suites on these ships. Certainly the suites are among the prettiest on any cruise line in the industry. The coffee makers in the suite are also a big perk for us as my husband drinks several per day.

I used to be a Carnival cruiser, but with the solo cabins and included UBP, NCL has got themselves a new loyal customer...

I won't repeat what many others have said, ultimately their pricing is very competitive in general and with the added freebies thrown it, it's a no brainer. That's why my friends and I took NCL for the first time in December (primarily cruising RCI otherwise).

We found NCL to be a lot more 'fun' than RCI and despite having made reservations for all the specialty dining, we still felt the 'freestyle' aspect of the cruise. We didn't have to hurry back after a port call to eat dinner and if we got the slightest bit hungry, there was always somewhere open to eat.

We found the staff generally always smiling, much more friendly and always willing to help. Every member of ship's staff would recognize you as you walked by, something I had missed on recent RCI cruises. Also, the ship was always being cleaned. We sailed on the Norwegian Star and despite it being one of the older ships in the fleet (having been built in 2001), it always looked clean and fresh inside and out. In every port, workers were painting the ship, often making it look better than the newer ships in port with us.

Ultimately, many equate Freestyle Cruising to simply mean anytime dining. I discovered that when they removed the shackles of dining times, it truly opened up everything else. There are a lot more activities and entertainment on NCL (considering they don't have to work around dining) and without set dining times, you're free to enjoy as much (or as little) as you want. I found it a much more relaxing cruise thanks to this.

In the end, NCL is my new line of choice. That doesn't mean I'll cruise them exclusively, but I now look at them first when planning.

I'm so glad you posted this. I joined the board feeling really thrilled about our upcoming NCL Breakaway cruise in October but a lot of the threads had me feeling kinda down about it. I was planning on posting a thread asking people what they love about NCL but this sorta fits the bill :)

I've been on one previous NCL Cruise and we both loved it. The food was lovely, especially in the specialty restaurants but even in the main dining room. I also just liked the great variation in entertainment. We generally had to pick which thing we wanted to do most, rather than got bored. Sipping a drink in the lounge listening to good live music was a really nice chilled out highlight.

For me its the price, that they have ships that sail out of NY and that so far I have not encountered passengers that are extremely loud in their cabin at night.

It might sound odd, but I used to cruise with another line and almost every cruise I took I had to call security because my neighbors were extremely loud and would not let me sleep at night.

When we started cruising I had to convince DH that it would fit his "idiosyncrasies". The Freestyle dining where you don't have to have assigned dining times or companions, and the relaxed dress code pulled him in. We had our first cruise and he agreed that it was a good compromise that allowed me to travel and him to not have to do much he didn't want to do. Shortly after that cruise my parents generously took us on a cruise on Crystal, that at that time required you to be in the dress of the evening after 6 pm. He survived, but that experience locked him into NCL.

For that first NCL B2B2B cruise we were upsold to an Owner's Suite for the final leg. Since then we are hooked on the NCL suite experience. We find the suites on NCL, for us, are worth the expense, and we have looked at other cruise lines' suites and don't feel you get as good an experience.

We like the food in the MDR's and the days that we aren't so interested in the menus we like the specialty restaurants.

Lately, I have been looking at other cruise lines because the increase in fares and DSC for suites on NCL and the relaxation in attire and dining in other lines has evened them up a bit in my mind. We just have to find the right itinerary at the right time.

Value. Diversity. Quality.

Value - promotions make it affordable and provide nice features to add to our experiences

Diversity - we are a 3 person 3 generation family (Grandma, Auntie and teen nephew), there is something for each and some things we can even enjoy together

Quality - NCL's fleet, crews, activities, food, entertainment, itineraries have exceeded expectations so we are happy to continue to sail the line

Freestyle dining and more casual atmosphere

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After a 10 year hiatus from NCL, (didn't like the freestyle dining), we decided to book 2 NCL cruises this year. The reasons were:

1. Price...our 7 day cruises on NCL Epic are cheaper than our 7 day cruise one week later on Carnival Sunshine.

2. UBP, FREE on NCL...when compared to Carnivals Drink Package, it is a no brainer.

3. Entertainment, Carnival's entertainment has gone way down hill and basically non existent anymore. I have read that the Epic has great entertainment.