ANyone been on NCL and can give me a comparison

Hi my last 7/8 cruises have ended up only being cunard so I am a bit out of touch on what to expect and what to bring on other liners.

I plan on doing an NCL which is also "all-inclusive" transatalantic and wondered if anyone can give me a comparison in practical/objective terms (if that makes sense) with cunard.

Hi my last 7/8 cruises have ended up only being cunard so I am a bit out of touch on what to expect and what to bring on other liners.

 

I plan on doing an NCL which is also "all-inclusive" transatalantic and wondered if anyone can give me a comparison in practical/objective terms (if that makes sense) with cunard.

Let's see if I can do this without getting deleted. First off other than both lines offer ships to sail on there is no comparison. I have done several enrichment cruises on NCL and you could not give me a free cruise on that line.

For attire you could bring your entire wardrobe for the TA in a gym bag and not be out of place. Very Very Very casual to the point of coveralls and many backward facing ball caps. The food is ok but more in an interesting point of view VS Cunard's offerings. No after teas, no ballroom dancing, lots of strange around the pool contests and much pushing of adult beverages. Unless you are bringing a significant other or are traveling in a pack very difficult to get a sharing table as the consist is very much into themselves and not up to meeting strangers.

Other than that you should have a wonderful time.

If you wanted to find a line as diametrically opposed to Cunard as imaginable, NCL would be it. Type (and volume) of music heard throughout, quality of food in non-charge venues, dress code (that is a non-existent notion on NCL), type of entertainment (hairy leg contests vs. enrichment talks), opportunity to interact (many diners seem afraid to meet others and wait for tables for two), meal times (be prepared to wait quite a while to be seated in MDR unless dining very early or late), compatible passenger mix (people who like NCL are unlikely to like Cunard, and vice versa).

As you might imagine, the ambience is very, very different.

All I can add to Lakesregion is that NCL's freestyle concept is very singles-unfriendly, Cunard does a much better job overall, not just the MDR.

I did one NCL (out of 27 cruises) and wouldn't go again. It was very low budget all around. How about Princess for a main stream line. We enjoy their product very much.

I did one NCL (out of 27 cruises) and wouldn't go again. It was very low budget all around. How about Princess for a main stream line. We enjoy their product very much.

We are crossing on QM2 in November - coming home from a visit to family in England. Our next is Norwegian Gem in February to escape what is promised to be a tougher winter than last year's. Not our favorite line, by a long shot, but the itinerary - starting from a port less than an hour away from home - is hard to resist.

It always is a matter of weighing itinerary against ship and cost. The perfecta has not been matched since HAL stopped their winter sailings south from New York.

Would agree with comments already posted here. We are seasoned cruisers... have been on 9 different lines over past 30 years, over 50+ cruises. Recently we have cruised on Princess, Holland American, Celebrity, Cunard and NCL.

We had not been on NCL in 10 years until about 2 years ago. We found a cruise in the Mediterranean, on the Jade, going to Isarel... we have done many Mediterranean cruises on Princess, Celebrity, HAL and Cunard... the itinerary had 3 days in Israel... and the price by comparison to any other line was very low... got even lower with political unrest in Egypt. We decided to do it even though we knew up front, NCL does not compare to the other lines.

We like a more traditional type cruise, we are not really into "freestyle".

Would we do it again, yes for the right price. Was it our best no. It was okay.

Like others have said, no comparison to Cunard!!!

We went to the MDR the first night, opening seating only... that was our first and last night there. Food and service was not what we would enjoy. Instead we opted for the buffet late afternoon, made our own salads and sandwiches from what was available and were satisfied. Recognizing the price we paid for a mini suite, we happily took our plates from the buffet and enjoyed lunch on our balcony after being in port, most days. We later dressed in our formal or smart clothes for the evening and checked the entertainment on board, it was okay.

Our cabin, a mini suite was very nice, just as nice as any other ship.

The food in the MDR and buffet to not motivate us to try the for fee diningrooms on board.

You can bring on your own wine, the cruise charges $15 per bottle.

NCL will allow you to bring any food from port... I went prepared because there are some food items in the Mediterranean, especially in Israel that we enjoy, brought some in small qualities back to our cabin wrapped in a plastic bag... no one knew difference. Other lines, don't have any problem with guests bring back something to the ship. We usually buy nuts, pastries, some street foods and wine when we are in port.

So if you book NCL, do so only if you get a goooooooooooooood price and accept that you will get what you paid for okay.

By far, we have felt Cunard is more consitent in food, service and entertainment. We are leaving next Saturday on the OM2, for 14 days, from NYC to Quebec City and return. Booked a limited view cabin... Cunard is more expensive but well worth it!

Hope these comments help you. Happy crusiing.

Hi my last 7/8 cruises have ended up only being cunard so I am a bit out of touch on what to expect and what to bring on other liners.

 

I plan on doing an NCL which is also "all-inclusive" transatlantic and wondered if anyone can give me a comparison in practical/objective terms (if that makes sense) with cunard.

There is one way you might be able to compare the experience - that is if you spring for the ship-within-a-ship class on the newer NCL ships (the Haven or Villa suites, I think they're called).

Aside from that, as an earlier poster had mentioned, totally opposite. On our last cruise on the Norwegian Spirit, I withdrew my name from a drawing for a free cruise. Even if free air was included, it wouldn't be worth it. To this day, I think that the one thing that would be considered a reason for immediate divorce would be booking a cruise on NCL.

But that's me.

We also prefer Cunard to NCL, but I think some of the comments above are a little harsh. Yes the ambience is totally different, but that isn't to say that there aren't some areas where NCL do things better. Frankly that's the case with just about every cruise line comparison you could do.

We were on a smaller ship, the Spirit, so the experience might be different on the larger, newer ships, but we expected the worst and were pleasantly surprised.

Considering that most passengers have an all inclusive drinks package we saw few signs of over-consumption and no rowdy behaviour.

We don't drink so swapped our drinks package for a dining one. The food in the speciality restaurants, especially Shogun and Cagneys, was the best that we have ever had on a cruise ship, or just about anywhere else for that matter. We did hear some complaints about the temperature of the food in the MDR, but can't say for ourselves. The buffet restaurant on NCL offered considerably more choice than Cunard.

The ship's own show team were superb and their shows on the whole were of a higher standard than on the QM2. Entertainment other than the show team wasn't on a par with the QM2, but it depends what you want. We prefer lectures and classical music to quizzes and competitions so Cunard wins hands down there.

Both offer dance lessons, though Cunards were of a higher standard and you won't have many opportunities to try out what you have learned on NCL.

NCL offer Zumba and the QM2 didn't, unless we were unlucky.

Like with all lines, when and where you go and the choice of ship will impact on your experience. Go with an open mind and I'm sure you will have a great time.

We have cruised many times with many lines and whilst they have all varied, we don't believe that there is such a thing as a bad cruise.

We did a 9 nights cruise to the Canaries on the Norwegian Spirit a few years ago. It was the most ridiculously cheap price we had ever paid for a cruise (mid-January) and it seemed almost mean not to take up the offer. We enjoyed it, but the food wasn't brilliant or the entertainment and as has been said, despite the majority of people seemingly Brits, they weren't very friendly.

On that basis, comparing NCL with Cunard is like comparing chalk and cheese.

Having said all that, if the right price, right itinerary at the right time came up on NCL, we would consider it. We know what to expect :D

We have done 1 NCL in Hawaii. The ship was very nice good choice of dining food no comparison to Cunard service dreadful entertainment poor ambiance poor. Not a line we would ever consider again but nowhere near as bad as MSC that was like serving a prison sentence

We have been on 2 Mediterranean cruises on Norwegian Epic because our 9 year old grand daughter wanted to go on a cruise (and then wanted to go again!). She loved it we hated it. It was the perfect ship for a 9 year old but it was everything we dislike about cruising. On the first trip we had a balcony cabin and her bed was the couch which was rock hard and a curved shape, the second time we had an inside cabin with a drop down bunk which was fine but these inside cabins were the darkest,dimmest cabins we have ever been in (and we've had inside cabins on a number of ships with no problems) The only way I could put make up on was to balance a hand mirror on the toilet lid and kneel on the floor as the toilet had the best (although still dim) light. There was no hope of being able to read a book in that cabin. We really disliked the policy in the main dining room with no sharing of tables - we are sociable people and love to talk to new people over dinner. Cunard is in a different league to NCL and if you get a deal not much more expensive

Hi my last 7/8 cruises have ended up only being cunard so I am a bit out of touch on what to expect and what to bring on other liners.

 

I plan on doing an NCL which is also "all-inclusive" transatalantic and wondered if anyone can give me a comparison in practical/objective terms (if that makes sense) with cunard.

I posted this same reply on the NCL board.

I'm Platinum on both Cunard and NCL, so obviously I enjoy both lines but for very different reasons.

Cunard is all about formality, history, tradition, Britishness, and structure. Taking a transatlantic crossing on QM2 is like stepping into a bygone era. It's quite spectacular. Cunard is very adult oriented and you see very few children onboard. I LOVE this aspect of Cunard since I don't have kids and don't want to be surrounded by them. Cunard is a very civilized way to travel. There are no gimmicks like rock climbing walls and water slides. Instead there are enrichment lectures during the day, the largest libraries afloat complete with librarian, traditional afternoon tea at 4pm, and dinner and a show for the evening entertainment. There is a nightclub and it can be hopping well into the wee hours. There is also ballroom dancing to big band on the largest dance floors afloat, and this is very popular. There are even themed balls and gentleman dance hosts to liven things up. Cunard is formal and on formal nights you will see almost all gentleman wearing tuxedos. Jackets are required pretty much every night after 6pm in the dress code is enforced. Standard accommodations, service, and cuisine are decent and tasteful, but nothing I would call luxurious unless perhaps you are in one of the Grills (think Haven on NCL). Another nice thing about sailing on Cunard is space. The space ratios are high, you don't feel crowded onboard, and rarely do you have to wait in line for anything. QM2 for instance is around 149,000 gt and only carries 2620 passengers (dbl occ) giving her a space ratio of 56.9.

NCL on the other hand is the polar opposite of Cunard. It's casual, untraditional, and there is almost no structure. You eat when and where you want. It's very family oriented and good portion of the ship is geared towards families with features like rock climbing walls, ropes courses, and water slides. The atmosphere onboard is frenetic, vibrant, and even loud. There are far more dining options than Cunard and the entertainment is more Vegas than West End. Upper decks can get very crowded and you may have to wait in line for certain features and attractions. You never have to dress up. The ships are much more high density and crowded than Cunard. NORWEGIAN ESCAPE for instance is around 165,000 gt and carries 4248 passengers (dbl occ) given her a space ration of 38.8. Add in all the kids which Cunard doesn't carry, and space becomes a premium.

One thing I find similar about both Cunard and NCL is that both are affordable. I can sail on QM2 for 8-days on a crossing for the same price as a week on a new NCL ship. Both in balconies.

Hope this provides you with a little insight.

FYI I'm sailing on the NORWEGIAN ESCAPE maiden crossing next month. If that is what the OP is booked on perhaps we will run into each other.

Diametrically opposed, poles apart, chalk and cheese. Other posters have used the expressions I might have. So let me add like night and day.

I can't imagine a cruise line that I've experienced that's as different from Cunard as NCL. Once upon a time, we loved NCL. When freestyle started, we tried it, and didn't care for it. Since then, friends' stories of NCL experiences have convinced me that NCL is no longer for me. So much so that a few years ago when Macy's flower show had a drawing for a free cruise, I picked up the entry form and when I saw the prize was a cruise with NCL, I put the form back.

The Haven sounds like a good idea, and the one good review I've had of HAL came from people who were in the Haven. But I've since heard stories of family reunion groups booking lots of Haven cabins and then they treat the Haven areas as their own.

One other comment. OP is talking about a TA on NCL. Is this a northern route? I wouldn't do that on anything but a Cunarder.

..We really disliked the policy in the main dining room with no sharing of tables - we are sociable people and love to talk to new people over dinner...

Wow! That's even worse for solos! "Free style" never appealed to me and having to find people for dining company would make it a cruise from hell for me.:(

Wow! That's even worse for solos! "Free style" never appealed to me and having to find people for dining company would make it a cruise from hell for me.:(

Did three enrichment cruises (I was the presenter - Note they dropped these programs in favor of more hairy leg type contests - cheaper for them) and in the course of 21 days on board managed to find two couples willing to share a table. Otherwise, I had to dine alone and be subjected to staff pity every evening. No - NCL prefers couples and groups. Singles need to look elsewhere.

Funny I feel just the opposite about NCL and solos. NCL is one of the few cruise lines that absolutely embraces solo travelers. So much so that on their newest ships (EPIC, BREAKAWAY, GETAWAY, ESCAPE) they created a solo studio complex, created exclusively for the solo traveler. It's keycard access only and includes studio single cabins (no single supplement) which are really cool but small cabins with just about everything you could ask for (even mood lighting), and the Studio Lounge. Every night in the Studio Lounge there is a singles gathering to meet fellow solo travelers and socialize. There is also a bulletin board where single travelers can post requests for a group dinner sign up, shore excursions, even spa outings. Between the bulletin board and the nightly singles gatherings if you don't want to dine alone, you will never have to. There are always other singles looking for dining companions. I might add the Studio Complex is very popular and these single studio cabins usually sell out pretty quickly. Some of the best coffee on the ship is only available in the Studio Lounge 24/7 and at no charge, along with other goodies like cookies. At night during the singles gatherings NCL supplies a bartender so you can order wine and drinks (those you have to pay for). It's such a cool concept.

Attached are pics from the Studio Lounge on EPIC, but it's very similar on other new NCL ships. We are starting to finally see cruise lines take notice of the single traveler with single cabins being added on lines such as Cunard and Royal Caribbean, but so far NCL is the only line which has the single's Studio Complex.

The singles/solo space looks good. I don't think I'd be too interested in such a space on a Cunard ship, nor am I a huge fan of single cabins (those NCL ones look tiny!) - especially when it is often cheaper to book a regular one on the Queens.

But it is pleasing to see cruise lines think more about this demographic (to which I do belong).

Funny I feel just the opposite about NCL and solos. NCL is one of the few cruise lines that absolutely embraces solo travelers. So much so that on their newest ships (EPIC, BREAKAWAY, GETAWAY, ESCAPE) they created a solo studio complex, created exclusively for the solo traveler. It's keycard access only and includes studio single cabins (no single supplement) which are really cool but small cabins with just about everything you could ask for (even mood lighting), and the Studio Lounge. Every night in the Studio Lounge there is a singles gathering to meet fellow solo travelers and socialize. There is also a bulletin board where single travelers can post requests for a group dinner sign up, shore excursions, even spa outings. Between the bulletin board and the nightly singles gatherings if you don't want to dine alone, you will never have to. There are always other singles looking for dining companions. I might add the Studio Complex is very popular and these single studio cabins usually sell out pretty quickly. Some of the best coffee on the ship is only available in the Studio Lounge 24/7 and at no charge, along with other goodies like cookies. At night during the singles gatherings NCL supplies a bartender so you can order wine and drinks (those you have to pay for). It's such a cool concept....

I took a look at this since you mentioned it, it the concept appears to be working better in theory than in practice. There's a thread in the solo cruisers section with complaints that:

* solos that didn't pay for the category that includes lounge access want in because they're solo

* solos who get upgraded to a balcony still want to use the lounge because they're solo

* solos who paid for access letting in solos who didn't pay

* solos who are traveling in a Studio as part of a larger family group bringing in kids who devour the cookies and adult couples who drink the coffee and tea.

Since NCL has this "freestyle" dining system I suppose they have to do something for solos. For me however, having to seek out dining companions three times a day is neither cool nor convenient. But to each his/her own. If a solo wants to travel in an accommodation other than this Studio complex they're out of luck.

Funny I feel just the opposite about NCL and solos. NCL is one of the few cruise lines that absolutely embraces solo travelers. So much so that on their newest ships (EPIC, BREAKAWAY, GETAWAY, ESCAPE) they created a solo studio complex, created exclusively for the solo traveler. It's keycard access only and includes studio single cabins (no single supplement) which are really cool but small cabins with just about everything you could ask for (even mood lighting), and the Studio Lounge. Every night in the Studio Lounge there is a singles gathering to meet fellow solo travelers and socialize. There is also a bulletin board where single travelers can post requests for a group dinner sign up, shore excursions, even spa outings. Between the bulletin board and the nightly singles gatherings if you don't want to dine alone, you will never have to. There are always other singles looking for dining companions. I might add the Studio Complex is very popular and these single studio cabins usually sell out pretty quickly. Some of the best coffee on the ship is only available in the Studio Lounge 24/7 and at no charge, along with other goodies like cookies. At night during the singles gatherings NCL supplies a bartender so you can order wine and drinks (those you have to pay for). It's such a cool concept.

 

Attached are pics from the Studio Lounge on EPIC, but it's very similar on other new NCL ships. We are starting to finally see cruise lines take notice of the single traveler with single cabins being added on lines such as Cunard and Royal Caribbean, but so far NCL is the only line which has the single's Studio Complex.

 

 

 

 

 

Those pictures of the Epic studio lounge simply confirm my disinterest in ever sailing Epic.

After seeing this thread, I started a comparable one under NCL. It does seem that most Cunard posters showed very little fondness for the NCL product, while many NCL posters simply reflected upon the difference between "their" NCL and Cunard.

After seeing this thread, I started a comparable one under NCL. It does seem that most Cunard posters showed very little fondness for the NCL product, while many NCL posters simply reflected upon the difference between "their" NCL and Cunard.

NCL clearly has a product that delivers a casual, low cost vacation for those so inclined. NCL and Cunard are examples where one person's paradise can be another person's hell.

I like the way Cunard "mingles the singles" and takes care of us by seating with couples and other solos. Nobody has to dine alone unless they chose to do so. It's the opposite on NCL where the solos are "ghettoized" and left to fend for themselves. Freestyle is not for me.

NCL clearly has a product that delivers a casual, low cost vacation for those so inclined. NCL and Cunard are examples where one person's paradise can be another person's hell.

 

I like the way Cunard "mingles the singles" and takes care of us by seating with couples and other solos. Nobody has to dine alone unless they chose to do so. It's the opposite on NCL where the solos are "ghettoized" and left to fend for themselves. Freestyle is not for me.

Not only are the atmospheres so very different on the two lines; as a logical extension, the demographics are very different as well. Someone who prefers the Cunard ambience may feel somewhat out of place among a thousand or so fellow passengers who prefer the (virtually enforced) casualness of NCL.

I took a look at this since you mentioned it, it the concept appears to be working better in theory than in practice. There's a thread in the solo cruisers section with complaints that:

* solos that didn't pay for the category that includes lounge access want in because they're solo They are able to get access during the SOLO GATHERING time period before going to the communal dinner seating.

* solos who get upgraded to a balcony still want to use the lounge because they're solo See above. Also many have reported back that they were able to get their key cards changed to allow "Living Room" access.

* solos who paid for access letting in solos who didn't pay

* solos who are traveling in a Studio as part of a larger family group bringing in kids who devour the cookies and adult couples who drink the coffee and tea. Okay this is really bad, and should have been brought to the attention of the Solo Coordinator.

 

Since NCL has this "freestyle" dining system I suppose they have to do something for solos. For me however, having to seek out dining companions three times a day is neither cool nor convenient. But to each his/her own. If a solo wants to travel in an accommodation other than this Studio complex they're out of luck.

I thoroughly enjoyed my solo studio cruise and never had a hard time finding dining companions when I chose to dine with the group. I also met a few singles up in the Spa and we chatted there as well.

As for the OP, Norwegian is very casual ... and there is no regimentation for dining and shows. If you are planning to cruise it will be a new experience for you and it might not be as bad as some paint. :D