Disney Cruiser... debating Cheap Norwegian Cruise. Help!

Hi there,

So we are a family of four, daughters are 3 and 6. We have cruised Disney before and enjoyed it. We are going on a short Disney cruise in February again - but just messing around looking at future cruises/vacations I found a super cheap deal on Norwegian - The Norwegian Breakaway - leaving from NYC - this November. Has any disney cruisers done the Norwegian Breakaway (or a sister ship?)

Since its NYC its a quick drive to port, saving us on airfare. For a week in a mini-suite with balcony, with free alcohol it's 2500$ total - so pretty much a steal.

But now I"m reading reviews that aren't great - and while I liked the Disney shorter cruises - I honestly worry about 7 days on a boat with two little kids, let alone a boat I don't love.

We weren't planning on vacationing but now that it's in my head I'm not sure if I should just go (how bad can it be?) , save the money and put it towards a future vacation, or upgrade to a different vacation (Although the fights that week are so high because its NJ school conference) - so four nights at "beaches" turks and caicos will be more than double what our 7 night cruise would have been. And the 7 night disney cruise would literally be 3x as much as Norwegian.

To be blunt, NCL is not Disney, no one is, BUT Disney knows that and charges accordingly. There are many threads on this topic you may wish to review.

That said, the Breakaway is a great ship, we have been on her, with lots to do, plenty of dining options, etc. Pools are a little small for the ship, but what mega ship doesn't have that problem now.

My biggest issue is the itinerary, because it leaves from NYC, the Breakaway has limited port options, some of their runs are several days in Bermuda, which is fine, I guess.

The kids clubs are NOT up to Disney levels, but I see very few complaints on the NCL forums.

I've been spending time over at the NCL board, and they are a nice and helpful bunch. There is some adjustment going from Disney to NCL, but it's nothing a little research can't help (for example, what is included and what isn't). I'm also cruising NCL in November (on the Getaway though) so I'm eager to do a comparison.

I think a lot of the complaints about the Breakaway (besides the standard pool/atrium/casino complaints) are more to do with the cruisers than the ship. A good chunk of the people on the ship are from the NE and have the NE attitude (I'm from here, so I can say that).

If you are going during Jersey week, the ship will be crowded and filled with kids. Just be aware of that.

In general, there are very few complaints about the kids club on NCL. Most of those have more to do with the operating hours than anything to do with the club. One thing they do that most love is they practice all week for a circus performance that is usually held the last sea day in the theater.

Besides the "free" alcohol package (which you will have to pay service charges on), they are also offering 3rd and 4th guests free on a lot of sailings.

As above, NCL isn't DCL. There are A LOT more "not included" charges--NCL went thru a time a few years ago when they started many addition charges and faced a lot of complaints; at least some of these were reversed. Thus, you have to check currently what is and what is not included.

There is no problem with kids on a ship for a week; again the question is what ship and how much kid programming is included in the cruise fare. My suggestion would be that you get a lot of current info before booking--like what hours the programming is available; is there a fee for evening hours, other times, etc. Are there any fees for activities in the kid programming? How many restaurants are included without upcharge and what are they? (there was a time when most of the good ones had a charge...or was that RCCL?) Do you pay gratuities on the "free" beverages? What adult activities have extra fees? People have lots of good to say about the Haven, but that is concierge level. There were concerns that this is essentially a "mini ship" within the large ship. Just be sure you know all you need to know before booking!

You are trying to compare apples and oranges...they are different. I found a fantastic deal on a cruise line that I had never considered before. I kept in mind what I paid and I got great value for my money. Would I cruise again on that ship...not sure but I do know I had fun and that was my goal.

Disney is amazing but at a cost....only you can decide if you want less cruises and more Disney.

Good luck figuring it out.

Odd man out here. We were faithful Disney cruisers until about a year ago when we started trying other lines. Love, love NCL. Thought we would feel like we were sacrificing, but not at all. Now we just feel riped off on DCL. Food, activities, staff we thought superior on NCL. Went on DCL a couple of weeks ago and compared it to other lines and DCL fell flat. Breakfast has become almost inedible on DCL. Staff seemed miserable. Only thing we still like on DCL is the kids club. But it is great on ncl too.

Thanks so much! Yes - it's a tough call. I could literally take three of these cruises (even without the alcohol included) for the price of a Disney one. And to fly anywhere good for the four of us is almost the cost of the cruise!

I'm usually pretty easy going so maybe I just won't take the bad reviews to heart and instead approach it as 7 days phone free with my family.

My 3 year old didn't love the kids club anyway on Disney so ... who knows. I'm a bit concerned though as she totally relies on her big sis and they are in different age groups for Norwegian kids club so separated. :(

I've been spending time over at the NCL board, and they are a nice and helpful bunch. There is some adjustment going from Disney to NCL, but it's nothing a little research can't help (for example, what is included and what isn't). I'm also cruising NCL in November (on the Getaway though) so I'm eager to do a comparison.

Yes- I need to figure out an easy way to see what is included!

Odd man out here. We were faithful Disney cruisers until about a year ago when we started trying other lines. Love, love NCL. Thought we would feel like we were sacrificing, but not at all. Now we just feel riped off on DCL. Food, activities, staff we thought superior on NCL. Went on DCL a couple of weeks ago and compared it to other lines and DCL fell flat. Breakfast has become almost inedible on DCL. Staff seemed miserable. Only thing we still like on DCL is the kids club. But it is great on ncl too.

Not odd man out at all. We started exploring other lines a couple years ago due to the high cost and limited itineraries on DCL. We've found lots of good things on other lines....many things better than on DCL. We've also found areas where DCL is superior. The biggest thing we've learned is to take each cruise as it's own thing--evaluate a Princess, Celebrity, or NCL cruise as a cruise rather than "how does this compare to Disney?" True that we can't help making some comparisons, but constant comparisons spoil the point of a cruise. Example--our first night on Princess, my daughter sat on her bed and said that "There is nothing wrong with this cruise. I didn't expect to like it, but this is a perfectly OK ship and cruise." This from the "didn't want anything but Disney" person. We've done 3 lines in addition to DCL and now choose cruises based on dates and itinerary rather than looking at what DCL is doing. We also make references to "back when the food on DCL was really good." Sad....

Things I DO like on DCL--very little "non-included" items. The only upcharge restaurants are the adult only locations. I do not like ships that have 13 restaurants but only 2 or 3 are included in my cruise fare. Paying a room service charge is irritating to me. (charge in addition to tip) On the other hand, paying for a soda package doesn't bother me when I'm saving serious money on cruise fare.

The trick with NCL is it varies for person to person because of Free at Sea promos.

Depending on type of cabin, length of cruise, etc, cruisers (same cabin has to match) can choose a number of perks. So if you pick the Drink Package, you pay the gratuity once then all drinks up to $15 are free for the cruise, alcoholic or not. If you don't you pay for sodas, unlike Disney. There's also a dining package option, wifi option, etc.

NCL has way more specialty paid dining options, but with the promo (almost everyone takes the beverage and specialty dining ones) they become complementary or a lot cheaper.

But the basics are the same on both lines, MDRs are free, buffet is free, iced tea, etc free, on deck ice cream free, main entertainment free (there is a supper club option on some NCL ships that is extra). Kids clubs free except for some extended hours.

The big differences are really no characters, no Disney shows, and the more basic dining venues in terms of theming (and NCL is freestyle dining only). And the cabins have single bathrooms, not all with tubs. Right now, not worth the premium in my book.

Yes- I need to figure out an easy way to see what is included!