Have any Celebrity cruisers done a 2 week+ on NCL?

We're looking at 3 week cruise next year on NCL, having never sailed with them prior. We've heard about the flaws of bedding and MDR food, but figure we can go around that by booking a mini suite, and getting the dining package. Should we expect any letdowns, or pleasant surprises? Based on the itinerary, cost, and perks included, it would not take much for us to be impressed.

Our 2 week cruise on the Carnival Pride last year, was underwhelming to say the least. Major maintenance issues, poor food options (especially for lunch, or if you didn't order sea food in the MDR), and a condescending, politically vocal - cruise director. They also completely dropped the ball placing or stocking hand sanitizers in the Buffett, which is a horrible idea on a 2 week repo. Of course this portion is a review of the ship or the cruise line itself, but it becomes more bothersome on a 14 day cruise, over let's say a 5 day.

The major problem with the length of that cruise, was that not everyone could handle being on a cruise ship for 2 weeks. About halfway through, when all the major ports were behind us, at least 25% of the passengers got visibly grumpy, restless, and spiteful. The F bomb became common discourse around the pool area, spousal abuse went public, and tensions increased over seats in the comedy club. By day 14, people were literally pushing, shoving, and shouting their way to cut in line in the buffet area. Someone threw a plate at staff. Some were purposely coughing and sneezing on each other, or grabbing buffet food with their hands, that they had just wiped their nose with.

We're hoping to not repeat anything like what we experienced.

We're looking at 3 week cruise next year on NCL, having never sailed with them prior. We've heard about the flaws of bedding and MDR food, but figure we can go around that by booking a mini suite, and getting the dining package. Should we expect any letdowns, or pleasant surprises? Based on the itinerary, cost, and perks included, it would not take much for us to be impressed.

 

Our 2 week cruise on the Carnival Pride last year, was underwhelming to say the least. Major maintenance issues, poor food options (especially for lunch, or if you didn't order sea food in the MDR), and a condescending, politically vocal - cruise director. They also completely dropped the ball placing or stocking hand sanitizers in the Buffett, which is a horrible idea on a 2 week repo. Of course this portion is a review of the ship or the cruise line itself, but it becomes more bothersome on a 14 day cruise, over let's say a 5 day.

 

The major problem with the length of that cruise, was that not everyone could handle being on a cruise ship for 2 weeks. About halfway through, when all the major ports were behind us, at least 25% of the passengers got visibly grumpy, restless, and spiteful. The F bomb became common discourse around the pool area, spousal abuse went public, and tensions increased over seats in the comedy club. By day 14, people were literally pushing, shoving, and shouting their way to cut in line in the buffet area. Someone threw a plate at staff. Some were purposely coughing and sneezing on each other, or grabbing buffet food with their hands, that they had just wiped their nose with.

 

We're hoping to not repeat anything like what we experienced.

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You'll find some people here on the Celebrity boards who would never sail NCL and loudly say so. We don't feel that way. We have sailed NCL three times, mainly for the itinerary, and we enjoyed every one. The decor is brighter, the entertainment is better and more extensive, the staff has been very friendly and efficient. True, we usually avoid the MDR, but we just figure the cost of the specialty restaurants into the cost. There is plenty to do, more than on Celebrity, so that should help keep the passengers occupied and happy on a longer cruise. I do find that passenger mix varies, even on ships within the same cruise line, so I certainly can't promise that you won't find obnoxious on NCL or anywhere else . We prefer Celebrity and Princess but would not hesitate to sail NCL again. Hope this helps.

You'll find some people here on the Celebrity boards who would never sail NCL and loudly say so. We don't feel that way. We have sailed NCL three times, mainly for the itinerary, and we enjoyed every one. The decor is brighter, the entertainment is better and more extensive, the staff has been very friendly and efficient. True, we usually avoid the MDR, but we just figure the cost of the specialty restaurants into the cost. There is plenty to do, more than on Celebrity, so that should help keep the passengers occupied and happy on a longer cruise. I do find that passenger mix varies, even on ships within the same cruise line, so I certainly can't promise that you won't find obnoxious on NCL or anywhere else . We prefer Celebrity and Princess but would not hesitate to sail NCL again. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your input. Based on the 2018 itinerary (2019 still not released yet), $2,500 for a Mini Suite, seems like an incredible deal. A week in Alaska is included, which would cost nearly that if booked separaetly. I figure we'll have to add specialty dining to the cost of the cruise like you suggested, but free alcohol and shore excursion credit, sweetens the pot. Celebrity's repo to/from Japan next year, does not include many ports, and perk promotions are exempt from reposition cruises.

NCL doesn't have to become our favorite cruise line, and I don't expect everything to be perfect, but as long as they meet me in the middle, and most of the passengers are pleasant, I wouldn't mind cherry picking itineraries like this.

I’ve never been on a two week cruise but I don’t think you’ll have a repeat of your carnival experience. My biggest complaint on NCL is the MDR food. But there are soooooo many dining options that it doesn’t bother me. There’s no other cruise line that has a sit down restaurant with a wide menu open 24 hours a Day.

I do think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Norwegian’s entertainment. It’s definately better than carnival and IMO better than celebrity.

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NCL ships can vary, but we did 12 nights on NCL for Med and 9 for Baltics, plus several 7 nighters. Platinum on NCL and have a 14/16 b2b booked for NCL South America 2019. Our last X was Panama Canal 13 months ago for 15 nights but boarding Equinox in 2 weeks. Just like any cruise, we can come across ups and downs. However, when looking at itinerary and budget (we almost always cruise with our two children ages 11 and 7 now) we have to look at the whole family perspective. We have RCCL 23 night transpacific in April and did Princess for Japan this past August, so we definitely aren't loyal to any specific line and go where the moon and stars align for ports, schedule, and budget. We feel it's all in the attitude one takes onboard [emoji106]

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I loved my cruises on Getaway and Escape and I'm Elite + on Celebrity! Just keep in mind that NCL's mini-suites are just slightly larger cabins, not true "suites" and with no suite perks.

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I loved my cruises on Getaway and Escape and I'm Elite + on Celebrity! Just keep in mind that NCL's mini-suites are just slightly larger cabins, not true "suites" and with no suite perks.

 

 

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Great to hear. No doubt I could get insight on the NCL forum too, but it might be hard to distinguish the cheerleaders. Celebrity being our favorite cruise line, your opinions carry more weight. We're planning to get a mini suite for the extra room, and superior mattress. A couple hundred dollars for 3 weeks at sea, sounds like a great deal. An actual suite with a butler, I'm way too frugal for that, and wouldn't want to get myself hooked :o.

Great to hear. No doubt I could get insight on the NCL forum too, but it might be hard to distinguish the cheerleaders. Celebrity being our favorite cruise line, your opinions carry more weight. We're planning to get a mini suite for the extra room, and superior mattress. A couple hundred for 3 weeks at sea, sounds like a great deal. An actual suite with a butler, I'm way too frugal for that, and wouldn't want to get myself hooked :o.

Which ship and itinerary are you considering ?

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I have only done one 12 day cruise on Celebrity and that was 7 yrs ago. Loved Celebrity and we are doing a 21 day cruise next year on Celebrity.

We sailed 14 days on NCL last year and are sailing 21 days on NCL in 10 days. We are Platinum on Princess and Carnival so have sailed them many times.

On the Epic, not sure which ship you are considering, I want to say that a mini suite on NCL is nothing more than a balcony cabin with a slightly larger bathroom. Some minisuites have a very small tub instead of a shower and some of the minisuites have a larger shower. That is the only difference between a balcony and a minisuite on the Epic.

I must say that while Celebrity's food was the best I have ever had on a ship, NCL's food is definitely better than Carnivals. NCL has a ton more of options and the MDR food was quite a bit better. I did not care for Carnival's MDR food after they went with the comfort menu (meatloaf, fried chicken, etc). To me, I can get the food in Carnival's MDR at a local buffet. If you do a search you can find recent menus for NCL MDR.

I agree with the lunch choice on Carnival, they don't really have a choice. On sea days they have a brunch...I did not care for it. On NCL on sea days you can go to the MDR or there are several other places to eat. Never went hungry on NCL that is for sure.

As far as restaurants go it would help to know what ship you are going on.

I have only done one 12 day cruise on Celebrity and that was 7 yrs ago. Loved Celebrity and we are doing a 21 day cruise next year on Celebrity.

 

We sailed 14 days on NCL last year and are sailing 21 days on NCL in 10 days. We are Platinum on Princess and Carnival so have sailed them many times.

 

On the Epic, not sure which ship you are considering, I want to say that a mini suite on NCL is nothing more than a balcony cabin with a slightly larger bathroom. Some minisuites have a very small tub instead of a shower and some of the minisuites have a larger shower. That is the only difference between a balcony and a minisuite on the Epic.

 

I must say that while Celebrity's food was the best I have ever had on a ship, NCL's food is definitely better than Carnivals. NCL has a ton more of options and the MDR food was quite a bit better. I did not care for Carnival's MDR food after they went with the comfort menu (meatloaf, fried chicken, etc). To me, I can get the food in Carnival's MDR at a local buffet. If you do a search you can find recent menus for NCL MDR.

 

I agree with the lunch choice on Carnival, they don't really have a choice. On sea days they have a brunch...I did not care for it. On NCL on sea days you can go to the MDR or there are several other places to eat. Never went hungry on NCL that is for sure.

 

As far as restaurants go it would help to know what ship you are going on.

The itinerary is not yet released, but we are looking at the Norwegian Jewel, Tokyo to Seattle, May of 2019. The 2018 version is 20 days, nearly a week in Japan, stopping in Russia on the way, and a week in Alaska. The Italian, French, and Teppanyaki restaurants look especially delicious, but we will not turn down the Brazilian and traditional Steakhouse either.

We are picky sleepers, preferring firm pillow top mattresses, such as a Serta. We prefer hotels such as Marriott, Sheraton, or well kept La Quinta's. We could also get a normal balcony and bring egg crates on board, if that's even necessary. We did this on the Carnival Pride, after an unbelievable experience on Carnival Elation. On Elation, crew were swapping mattresses around the first couple days, cabin to cabin, trying to keeping up with complaints!

I can tell you that it wasn't hard losing weight on my last cruise, mainly from lunch. On a 2 week cruise, I didn't each lunch in the buffet once! I tried to eat in port, or grab brunch and tea time, which weren't impressive as you mentioned. Blue Iguana was ok a couple times, and Guy's Burger was unhealthy and gross (like eating 3 quarter pounders at McDonalds in one sitting). I finally figured that a BLT sandwich from room service was the best alternative.

You answered one of my questions, is NCL's MDR open for lunch on Sea Days. It sounds like there will be quite a few interesting options, with food and entertainment.

The itinerary is not yet released, but we are looking at the Norwegian Jewel, Tokyo to Seattle, May of 2019. The 2018 version is 20 days, nearly a week in Japan, stopping in Russia on the way, and a week in Alaska. The Italian, French, and Teppanyaki restaurants look especially delicious, but we will not turn down the Brazilian and traditional Steakhouse either.

 

We are picky sleepers, preferring firm pillow top mattresses, such as a Serta. We prefer hotels such as Marriott, Sheraton, or well kept La Quinta's. We could also get a normal balcony and bring egg crates on board, if that's even necessary. We did this on the Carnival Pride, after an unbelievable experience on Carnival Elation. On Elation, crew were swapping mattresses around the first couple days, cabin to cabin, trying to keeping up with complaints!

 

I can tell you that it wasn't hard losing weight on my last cruise, mainly from lunch. On a 2 week cruise, I didn't each lunch in the buffet once! I tried to eat in port, or grab brunch and tea time, which weren't impressive as you mentioned. Blue Iguana was ok a couple times, and Guy's Burger was unhealthy and gross (like eating 3 quarter pounders at McDonalds in one sitting). I finally figured that a BLT sandwich from room service was the best alternative.

 

You answered one of my questions, is NCL's MDR open for lunch on Sea Days. It sounds like there will be quite a few interesting options, with food and entertainment.

I will let you know about the mattresses in the minisuite when we get back since we do have a minisuite cabin.

Haven't been on the Jewel (just the Jade in that class) but the different restaurants are certainly a great way to vary it up :) We always enjoy Cagney's for sure. The chocolate fondue dessert at Le Bistro is a must.

And spending time in Tokyo is great pre-cruise for sure. We spent a few nights there in August before our Diamond Princess cruise. Definitely somewhere we want to return to.

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What I liked about Getaway and Escape (my only NCL experiences.) I liked that a MDR was open for lunch on embarkation day. I liked that there were three MDR's....the big one and Taste and Savor. The latter two serve the same menu but are smaller venues and have the feel of a specialty restaurant. I liked having a coffee machine in the cabin; I like some caffeine before I inflict myself on the world. I loved that O'Sheehans was open basically 24/7....you could get a cooked to order burger anytime. Not true on Celebrity where the Mast Grill closes at 6 pm. Getaway and Escape had iphone charging pods on the bedside lamps which was great. Of course I really loved the Waterfront but that is only on those Away ships.

I thought the shows were great and I really enjoyed the food. Both are subjective but if you have cruised one line primarily (Celebrity in our case) it is really fun and nice to see some different menus and different shows! Also the specialty restaurant prices are much lower than Celebrity's.

We're looking at 3 week cruise next year on NCL, having never sailed with them prior. We've heard about the flaws of bedding and MDR food, but figure we can go around that by booking a mini suite, and getting the dining package. Should we expect any letdowns, or pleasant surprises? Based on the itinerary, cost, and perks included, it would not take much for us to be impressed.

 

Our 2 week cruise on the Carnival Pride last year, was underwhelming to say the least. Major maintenance issues, poor food options (especially for lunch, or if you didn't order sea food in the MDR), and a condescending, politically vocal - cruise director. They also completely dropped the ball placing or stocking hand sanitizers in the Buffett, which is a horrible idea on a 2 week repo. Of course this portion is a review of the ship or the cruise line itself, but it becomes more bothersome on a 14 day cruise, over let's say a 5 day.

 

The major problem with the length of that cruise, was that not everyone could handle being on a cruise ship for 2 weeks. About halfway through, when all the major ports were behind us, at least 25% of the passengers got visibly grumpy, restless, and spiteful. The F bomb became common discourse around the pool area, spousal abuse went public, and tensions increased over seats in the comedy club. By day 14, people were literally pushing, shoving, and shouting their way to cut in line in the buffet area. Someone threw a plate at staff. Some were purposely coughing and sneezing on each other, or grabbing buffet food with their hands, that they had just wiped their nose with.

 

We're hoping to not repeat anything like what we experienced.

Hi SS,

My wife and I are Elite Plus on Celebrity, and we recently started cruising NCL as well. In fact, we just got off the Pearl this past Saturday (16 days total), and had a wonderful time. We have nine cruises total with NCL, but we have a few requirements:

--we never eat evening meals in the MDR; we purchase the Ultimate Dining Package and eat all evening meals in their wonderful alternative restaurants. They have several, so don't worry about menu fatigue.

--the "free" UBP requires a payment of + - $14 a day for service charges, but their drinks are great.

--We make reservations for dinner online before leaving home (weeks before).

--The buffet used to be really poor, but has improved in the past two years. We eat lunch in the MDR.

Cabins are a bit smaller than Celebrity, but well designed. We prefer their mid-sized ships (Jewel Class) which have a pretty good space ratio. They are similar in size to Celebrity's Millennium Class. Very smooth riding ships. The larger ships are nice, but very crowded and expensive. They also have a design flaw that allows smoke from the casino to flow into the entire atrium area. The larger ships also have mini-suites with balconies so small it's hard to situate two chairs without them facing each other (silly small:confused:).

NCL's entertainment is actually better than Celebrity's. Passenger demographics feels similar to RCL and Princess, with a good number of kids during holiday cruises.

We like their itineraries which are different than Celebrity's. We now prefer NCL to RCL, HAL and Princess, which even surprises us.

Enjoy!

Kel:D

Hi Stateroom Sailor.

Bob and Chris from Australia.

Have been on 3 NCL ships, Jade, Star and Spirit.

We found the 3 ships to be perfect for us. Loved the size of them all. We personally found the food to be good to excellent even in the MDR. We also use the Specialty restaurants and found them excellent.

The entertainment on board is the best we have experienced to date and we have cruised quite considerably. The staff are also extremely good to.

We thought the Jade and Star were the best 2 ships and I think they are sister ships to the Jewel your going on. I wouldn't hesitate on doing that ship and itinerary.

PS. Any chance of finding out that particular cruise you have planned for 2019, might look at that ourselves.

Kind Regards Bob.:)

Strange...We were on the same Pride sailing as the OP and did not experience anything like she reports. We did know to bring our own egg crates (although we haven't needed them on our subsequent Carnival cruises). EM

Strange...We were on the same Pride sailing as the OP and did not experience anything like she reports. We did know to bring our own egg crates (although we haven't needed them on our subsequent Carnival cruises). EM

The worst of it we didn't actually see ourselves, but we were on social media, and heard other's reports. I honestly avoided the lido deck the last 3 days, with all the sick and grumpy people, and profanity. We watched our friend get sneezed on, without so much as an apology, and someone grab jello with their hands, after wiping their sniffy nose. That was during the midnight Buffett, and I figured I had seen enough.

Sure, you can bring your own Egg Crates. We picked some up at a Tampa Walmart for $12 each. The mattress situation was much better on the Pride than the Elation (2015), but they were still a help.

The worst of it we didn't actually see ourselves, but we were on social media, and heard other's reports. I honestly avoided the lido deck the last 3 days, with all the sick and grumpy people, and profanity. We watched our friend get sneezed on, without so much as an apology, and someone grab jello with their hands, after wiping their sniffy nose. That was during the midnight Buffett, and I figured I had seen enough.

 

Sure, you can bring your own Egg Crates. We picked some up at a Tampa Walmart for $12 each. The mattress situation was much better on the Pride than the Elation (2015), but they were still a help.

SS,

Oops, I forgot that NCL's beds are great (firm) and in good shape. The Pearl had new everything, as it just came out of dry dock this past year, but I remember good beds and beddings on the Jewel, the Jade, the Getaway, and the Escape.

Enjoy!

Kel:D

Hi Stateroom Sailor.

 

Bob and Chris from Australia.

Have been on 3 NCL ships, Jade, Star and Spirit.

We found the 3 ships to be perfect for us. Loved the size of them all. We personally found the food to be good to excellent even in the MDR. We also use the Specialty restaurants and found them excellent.

The entertainment on board is the best we have experienced to date and we have cruised quite considerably. The staff are also extremely good to.

We thought the Jade and Star were the best 2 ships and I think they are sister ships to the Jewel your going on. I wouldn't hesitate on doing that ship and itinerary.

PS. Any chance of finding out that particular cruise you have planned for 2019, might look at that ourselves.

Kind Regards Bob.:)

Hello Bob,

We had actually considered Celebrity for 2019, Perth to Aukland, but we're looking forward to seeing Japan first. You guys are definitely talking us into trying NCL, specially the smaller ships. We had already had our eyes on Pride of America for Hawaii, and Getaway or Breakaway, for the Western Caribbean.

The cruise we're planning isn't released yet, but hopefully it is similar to May 6th, 2018 on the Jewel. No other line has such a port intensive itinerary, at such a great value. I'll come back here and post the details when it does. :D

Thank you stateroom sailor. Looked at this years trip and it looks great. Would be able to do 2019 trip if available. It would really suit us as we did Japan in 2016 and loved it and Alaska is on our bucket list especially with glacier bay in it. Can't find this cruise yet so if you find it, it would be much appreciated if you let us know. I could give you our email address if required.

Kind regards bob and Chris.:)

We're elite on X and tried NCL a few years ago on a 2 week Medeterranian (sp) cruise on NCL. The ship physically was fine as was the entertainment and service.The food in the MDR was only fair. Specialty restaurants were very good. While I think NCL is a step below X, it still is acceptable.

The itinerary is not yet released, but we are looking at the Norwegian Jewel, Tokyo to Seattle, May of 2019. The 2018 version is 20 days, nearly a week in Japan, stopping in Russia on the way, and a week in Alaska. The Italian, French, and Teppanyaki restaurants look especially delicious, but we will not turn down the Brazilian and traditional Steakhouse either.

Find out when her last dry dock upgrade was. We love NCL, and actually prefer it over X, but the Jewel was the worst ship we have sailed on in the fleet (we sailed her in late 2016). We have sailed on the Sky, Sun, Gem, Jade, Epic, Star, Pearl and Jewel, and the Jewel definitely needs an update. The deck on our balcony was sticky (the cork granules had worn off), the remote didn't have numbers or letters on it, the upholstery was torn and faded, the carpet very faded and worn, etc.

The minisuites are nothing special, as someone else mentioned. They have a larger bathroom, sometimes with a tiny tub + shower that may be hard to get into as you have to step over the tub side to get in. There are no suite benefits attached to them. My main problem with them is they tend to be under the pool deck or other busy public areas, so you get a lot of noise early in the morning and late at night (NCL usually has a pool party going on at night, depending on how many young adults are on your cruise).

I have sailed 3 longer cruises on NCL > 14 days - around South America and pacific coastal Panama - enjoyed NCL so much!!!! Loved the Sun and Pearl - size of ship is perfect. Have sailed celebrity more than 5 times but in March 2017 did celebrity on Melininium and though I had great time - was not impressed with Celebrity. Really not impressed with the segregation - elite cruises and regular. Ropes that separate you in lounge as you watch all the service go to them as you have to go bar to get a drink as no staff for other tables. The ship was not impressive. I’m trying celebrity once more on the Soltsice in a couple weeks but I think NCL has a great product and excellent customer service and is more my style !

We're looking at 3 week cruise next year on NCL, having never sailed with them prior. We've heard about the flaws of bedding and MDR food, but figure we can go around that by booking a mini suite, and getting the dining package. Should we expect any letdowns, or pleasant surprises? Based on the itinerary, cost, and perks included, it would not take much for us to be impressed.

 

Just off of the Epic last week had an inside for 2 weeks then moved to a mini suite. Just wanted to say that if you think the mini suite has a better mattress then you are mistaken. The mattresses in both cabins were the same type, no difference at all.