Carnival Crossover

Greetings!! Long time cruisers here, myself (48 years old) and my DW (47 years old) have been avid cruisers the last 12 years or so. We currently have 16 cruises under our belt, all with Carnival, and are looking to try something new so we have booked a cruise next fall on the NCL Breakaway!!!!

I was wondering if anyone here has ever sailed both Carnival and NCL (especially Breakaway and/or Getaway) that might be willing to answer some questions for us?

What differences, if any, are there in dress code? We are normally dress shorts or jeans/polo shirt on NON-elegant night and dress up for elegant night - is NCL similar? Do you need to reserve shows and specialty dining before you even board? If so, how far in advance? Are the cabins similar in size and amenities to their Carnival counterparts? It looks like the NCL cabins may be slightly less square footage.

If anyone can help us out with some info/knowledge it would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Several cruises on CCL before NCL for me. I didn't notice any difference in the dress code. The cabins are smaller on NCL. The MDR and buffet food is better on NCL. The entertainment is light years ahead on NCL. The amount and quality of live music really stood out. The main shows were great. By all means reserve you dining and shows as soon as you can.

I have cruised a few Carnival and one NCL to date. Not the particular NCL you are referring to. They are pretty much the same. There is one 'formal' night. I forget what it is now called. Some dress up and some do not... There is a cool party on NCL, called the white hot party. If you want, you can dress in white. I just wore a white tshirt, but some people were head to toe white clothing. Then there is a party in the disco. It's fun. The cruise ship crew, get the party started, then of course, they disappear. :)

I was wondering if anyone here has ever sailed both Carnival and NCL (especially Breakaway and/or Getaway) that might be willing to answer some questions for us? I have sailed both Carnival and NCL. Sailed on Breakaway in 2017

What differences, if any, are there in dress code? We are normally dress shorts or jeans/polo shirt on NON-elegant night and dress up for elegant night - is NCL similar? Dress code is pretty much the same. Le Bistro (Specialty French restaurant) might require long pantsvs shorts, but overall it isa very casual cruise

Do you need to reserve shows and specialty dining before you even board? If so, how far in advance? On Breakaway you will want to reserve shows and specialty restaurants online as soon as you are able, I think it is 90 days prior to sailing. You can always make changes or cancel if needed later, but certain restaurants fill up during prime dining times. In our experience, we were able to walk into specialty restaurants if we chose to eat late, after 8:30pm.

Are the cabins similar in size and amenities to their Carnival counterparts? It looks like the NCL cabins may be slightly less square footage. NCL cabins feel smaller, as do the balconies. I like the cabin storage better on Carnival because there are no drawers on NCL. The NCL bathrooms are nicer tho because they have the toilet separated from sink and shower by a door, and the shower has a glass door vs flimsy curtain. I don't remember there being any freebie toiletries on theBreakaway,just pump shampoo and soap in the shower.

Overall NCL and Carnival offer a similar experience. In our experience, the food in the main dining room was actually better on Carnival. Carnival menus change daily where NCL main dining room menus offer a lot less variety.

You will want to get Vibe passes if you are looking to sunbath on loungers- just do a search for Vibe in the NCL boards for info. Happy to answer more questions. Enjoy your cruise!

Greetings!! Long time cruisers here, myself (48 years old) and my DW (47 years old) have been avid cruisers the last 12 years or so. We currently have 16 cruises under our belt, all with Carnival, and are looking to try something new so we have booked a cruise next fall on the NCL Breakaway!!!!

 

I was wondering if anyone here has ever sailed both Carnival and NCL (especially Breakaway and/or Getaway) that might be willing to answer some questions for us?

 

What differences, if any, are there in dress code? We are normally dress shorts or jeans/polo shirt on NON-elegant night and dress up for elegant night - is NCL similar? Do you need to reserve shows and specialty dining before you even board? If so, how far in advance? Are the cabins similar in size and amenities to their Carnival counterparts? It looks like the NCL cabins may be slightly less square footage.

 

If anyone can help us out with some info/knowledge it would be greatly appreciated!!!!

We have done four Carnival cruises and just did our first NCL cruise on the Escape last March and will be doing our second NCL cruise on the Getaway January of 2019.

As for dress code NCL is a dress up or dress down. They have a dress up night that you do not have to dress up for and on our cruise only about 30% or so of the people dressed up for that. I did not bring any formal clothes. I wore jeans and polo shirts for dinner each night. I did bring nice shoes that go with slacks, but that was as fancy as I got. Made packing really easy. Some people miss having everyone dress up. DH and I, though, like not doing this. We are the only ones in our extended family who feel this way, though. Others missed it. And yes you can dress up if you want, but as my 22 year old son said, "It's just not worth bothering if only some people are doing it, but is really fun when everyone dresses up."

Definitely reserve the shows and dining before you board. You can usually get reservations if you don't do this, so if you don't get what you want early, don't be discouraged. I think they hold a bunch of the seats that they only release the date of sailing. But some popular show times and dining do book up. Someone else will jump in, but I think you can actually do all this 90 days in advance. You will get notification about exact days when you book. I would do it as soon as you can after that 90 day mark. But it's not something to skip sleep or go late to work to do.

The cabins and balconies are smaller than Carnival. But the NCL ones are very well laid out. The balconies especially are kind of small, so we on the last cruise got the large balconies on 9 and this next cruise are getting the mini suites (which are not a suite at all, but just a larger room) with the large balcony on 8.

In general we found the cruising experience to be good on both lines.

I thought the entertainment was better on NCL than on Carnival. The NCL shows are really good and are worth making the effort to see. We loved Howl at the Moon too. On Carnival we often like the comedians, but don't consider a lot of the entertainment not to be missed. We liked the décor better on NCL (more subdued). I liked the main dining room food better on Carnival, but in general I thought the NCL food was fine too. We had a free at sea package for specialty dining and the specialty restaurants that we did were good. // I did, though, miss dining the same time every night and knowing the wait staff like we do on Carnival.

In general I think both of the cruise lines do an excellent job for the amount of money that they charge and found staff to be very nice on both. I think perhaps I saw more smiles from staff on Carnival. I think NCL had more music in various areas which I liked. Overall I think I preferred my NCL cruise to my Carnival cruises, but I really don't have negative things to say about either. Like you I kind of like changing things up. And my parents and son are both doing this next cruise with us too and are really excited about it.

If you don't want to feel out of place, I'd suggest wearing pants or jeans to the specialty restaurants, maybe with a polo. If there was a formal night I never noticed it. People will show up at restaurants in their finest cargo shorts but most diners seemed to be, at a minimum, wearing pants. I wore jeans or khakis and a polo.

The shows are better on NCL but I still found them totally lacking. If you want shows, nothing competes with Royal Caribbean. Also note that they don't have a 'Serenity' area. If you want something similar, you need to be one of the first on the ship and rush to a lounge to get a "Vibe" pass that you must pay for.

I had a hard time getting good specialty restaurant times before sailing. So I just booked what I thought I could "live with" - once onboard it was VERY easy to just change the times to almost anything we wanted - 7:00PM, no problem, etc.

We have sailed sailed twice on Carnival, and the rest on NCL. As others posters have mentioned, both lines are very much alike. What drew us to NCL was "freestyle". You can do what you want, whenever you want. No set tables mates/dining times, nor crew. They move the crew all over the ship. The dress code for the large MDR is pants (no shorts). In the smaller MDR's you can wear shorts.

It is best to reserve specialty dining, and you can call to make reservation (90 days before sailing). If you want to use NCL excursions, you can call much further out.

I will say that there are two things that bother me about CCL. With the exception of the NCL Sun, you won't have to stand out on deck for the muster drill, and they don't use shower curtains.:)

Just crossed over myself. 9 time CCL . Just got off the Epic Saturday. Despite so many negative reviews on the Epic we went in with an open mind and grateful to be there. We had a fantastic time. So much, we did purchased 1000.00 in next cruise certificates. The 2 lines are very similar. We enjoyed the food, only ate 1 upcharge restaurant (Maderno) , only seen 1 show (burn the floor). Did not see any comedy. Which is always a must for us on carnival. We just had so much to do we didn't miss or or have time for it.

We dressed cruise casual for everything. We did notice a lot of people dressed "up" but never felt out of place.

Staff was accommodating and friendly for the most part.

I'm thinking of booking the Breakaway for Nov 2019. Hope you have great time!

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We just completed a back to back NCL cruise followed by Carnival last month.

We usually prefer Norwegian but have sailed with Carnival twice in the last two years.

The differences that we noticed on our back to backs were:

1) Theater shows. They are much better on NCL. The shows were MUCH better attended as well. The seats were nearly full each night. On Carnival it seemed that the shows were only attended by those who chose to remain in their seats from bingo. The theater was mostly empty with maybe 30-40 people at most.

2) The stand up comedy shows on Carnival seemed to be the preferred entertainment. The adult comedy shows on NCL were crude at times but the Carnival comedians went to an entirely different level. Definitely adults only and don’t sit near the front if you don’t want to be called out. We enjoyed both but give the edge to NCL.

3) Dining. While we did enjoy the song and dance routines by the servers on Carnival we prefer the food quality, taste and main dining room atmosphere on NCL. Carnival never seemed to be able to cook my meat properly. It was either extremely over cooked or very rare. On NCL my steak was consistently medium rare. The MDR sea day brunch was very good on Carnival and better than MDR breakfast on NCL. For a casual lunch Guy Fieri’s Burger joint on Carnival was fantastic.

3) Ship decor. We prefer the more subdued and relaxing color palette and decor on NCL as opposed to the vibrant color scheme on Carnival. Carnival made me think that I was walking into the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz wheras NCL gave more of a Hawaiian resort sort of feel.

4) Cruise Director Staff: We heard but never saw the Cruise Director on Carnival. On NCL the director, Philly Joel, was everywhere from the game shows to the main theater performances. We enjoyed the scavenger hunts, trivia, and karaoke on NCL but they didn’t seem as well attended on Carnival.

5) Cabin service: Our stewards on both ships were extremely friendly and would greet us by name every time we would come and go from our cabins. However the level of service was noteably different. On NCL our room was cleaned every morning and and turned over again every night with fresh bath towels each time and a different towel animal each day. On Carnival the room would only be cleaned and towels replaced once a day. We got a towel animal only once. Our steward on Carnival explained that they require him to maintain 30 cabins each day. I don’t think NCLs stewarda are assigned as many so that probably explains why they can get to each cabin twice a day.

6) Officers: We always enjoy getting a photo with the Captain on our NCL cruises and the officers are very approachable as well. On the other hand we never saw the Captain or the officers on Carnival.

sailed NCL and Carnival multiple times.

NCL has significant edge in food and entertainment.

CCL has edge in nighttime outdoor cinema and diversity of ports.

ncl by the drink is considerably more expensive. if you get free at sea ubp that negates cost differential.

rooms comparable.

muster drill was way better on ncl.

carnival seemed to have much more daily trivia and daily activities. and that guy fieri burger joint keeps me from lunch buffet every day at sea, a big plus for me.

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We just completed our 23rd cruise on Carnival, and have our 7th NCL cruise coming up in August. We have been on Getaway and Breakaway. We have been using NCL for more "exotic" itineraries lately - Western Med., Hawaii, and Baltics upcoming in August. We found we were getting "bored" with CCL itineraries and entertainment. We find NCL a nice change in food, entertainment and ports.

We love the freestyle cruise atmosphere, and actually find the dress code less formal than Carnival. A few of the specialty restaurants on NCL need long pants, shirts with collars, etc., but no elegant wear needed at all. I definitely would suggest reserving your dining venues before boarding, or 1. You will be standing in a long line at Guest Services to make a reservation and 2. you may be closed out of specific dining times you want.

If you can also schedule your show reservations before boarding you will find it time-saving, and again - you will get into the shows you want instead of possibly standing on the stand-by line to get in.

We love Howl at the Moon (dueling piano bar) and O'Sheehans. (pub food - free)

They also have Spice H20, which is a free adult area on the pool,(like Serenity on CCL, but nicer) and Vibe Beach Club, which is a fee ($99 for the week) adult area - well worth it as they only sell a limited amount of passes, and there are 2 hottubs, shower area, and dedicated bar just for that area.

If you are adventurous, they have a great ropes course (make sure you "walk the plank") and water slides.

Cabins are smaller, but their "large balcony" cabins are great, if you want a balcony!

Hope this helps.

I pretty much agree with the other posters.

Comparing the Breakaway and Carnival Breeze, each vessel has areas in which they are better than the other. Both have a relaxed vibe. You will have a good time on either one.

Thanks everyone for the replies - this will set the DW mind at ease that we will "fit in" on an NCL cruise and have a great time!!!

Just crossed over myself. 9 time CCL . Just got off the Epic Saturday. Despite so many negative reviews on the Epic we went in with an open mind and grateful to be there. We had a fantastic time. So much, we did purchased 1000.00 in next cruise certificates. The 2 lines are very similar. We enjoyed the food, only ate 1 upcharge restaurant (Maderno) , only seen 1 show (burn the floor). Did not see any comedy. Which is always a must for us on carnival. We just had so much to do we didn't miss or or have time for it.

 

We dressed cruise casual for everything. We did notice a lot of people dressed "up" but never felt out of place.

 

Staff was accommodating and friendly for the most part.

 

I'm thinking of booking the Breakaway for Nov 2019. Hope you have great time!

 

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You just helped me make a decision! Have cruised Carnival 27 times. Have been tossing around CCL Breeze or NCL Epic...think we will jump ship!

Do you need to make reservations for all dinners including Taste & The Manhattan Restaurants?

Do you need to make reservations for all dinners including Taste & The Manhattan Restaurants?

No. But it could save you a wait.

Greetings!! Long time cruisers here, myself (48 years old) and my DW (47 years old) have been avid cruisers the last 12 years or so. We currently have 16 cruises under our belt, all with Carnival, and are looking to try something new so we have booked a cruise next fall on the NCL Breakaway!!!!

 

I was wondering if anyone here has ever sailed both Carnival and NCL (especially Breakaway and/or Getaway) that might be willing to answer some questions for us?

 

What differences, if any, are there in dress code? We are normally dress shorts or jeans/polo shirt on NON-elegant night and dress up for elegant night - is NCL similar? Do you need to reserve shows and specialty dining before you even board? If so, how far in advance? Are the cabins similar in size and amenities to their Carnival counterparts? It looks like the NCL cabins may be slightly less square footage.

 

If anyone can help us out with some info/knowledge it would be greatly appreciated!!!!

I have been on at least 16 Carnival cruises, and after just 2 Norwegian cruises (1 on Getaway and 1 on Escape) I am now a Norwegian convert! The food on Norwegian, in my opinion is leaps and bounds waaay better than Carnival. Whether it is the main dining room, specialty restaurants, O'Sheehan's, Food Republic, or any of the other eateries, the food we had on both Getaway and Escape blew Carnival out of the water. The only way Carnival's food could be better is if I compared Norwegian's current food to Carnival's food from ten or twelve years ago.

With regard to the bits I highlighted in red:

Dress code: Norwegian is mostly casual, but many people dress up a little. If going to the specialty restaurants, long pants (or maybe even Bermuda shorts) and at least a polo shirt for men should be fine. Women can do well with cocktail dresses or dressy Bermuda shorts and a nice top, or slacks or capris and a nice top if going to a specialty restaurant. If not going to a specialty restaurant, then shorts or jeans and a nice t-shirt will be fine on any night; but no beach wear in the evening.

We reserve our shows in advance.

With regard to the cabins: Carnival, by far, is my favorite cabin design (and I've been on Carnival, Norwegian, Royal, and Princess). Carnival has the most closet space and drawer space, no question. Having said that, I do like Norwegian's cabins, as they are very comfortable (I've cruised an inside cabin on the Getaway and a balcony cabin on the Escape). But, Norwegian's inside cabin is a tighter fit than Carnival's inside and not nearly the same amount of storage space. However, Norwegian's cabin bathrooms are very nice and the shower has a door not a curtain! Also, on the Getaway, the cabin shower has a foot bar for us ladies to more easily shave our legs!