Carnival Cruiser trying NCL

[BlackHullSailor]

I'm looking at a Norwegian Sun cruise in November in an AE suite. We've never sailed Norwegian so really don't know why it would be worth the difference from a regular balcony.

 

Anybody want to give me an idea what to expect:rolleyes:

 

Thanks

[Hogladyrider]

We are thinking the same, trying NCL, I posted the question on the CCL board and got lots of positive NCL responses, you might want to check it out!

[DSIVRN]

We are Carnival cruisers (7) and just got back today from our first NCL cruise on the Jewel. The AE is worth the difference! Lots more room and a nice change from a regular balcony! Just remember that NCL is not Carnival and embrace the differences and you will enjoy! We sure did! Be sure to join your roll call and go to the meet and greet! You will not regret it-NCL treats cruise critic members like royalty! :)

Tal & Diane Strickland

[Hogladyrider]

Thanks, nice to hear positive from another local Floridian........

 

We also would be looking at a suite on NCL and we would embrace the differences.

 

Will you be sharing any photos of your recent NCL cruise?

Susan

[Hogladyrider]

Hey I see from your user profile, not only are your fellow "near by" Floridians you are fellow RVrs like us.........

[DSIVRN]

Yes, we did a lot of RV'ing until we bought a weekend home in Suwannee (town, not county) Now we spend most weekends on the water. But do want to start back RV'ing when I retire and we can sell our main home! I will try to get some pics posted in the next day or 2.

We did get to visit a courtyard villa while on the Jewel as one of our fellow cruise critics had one-I could stay there very easily!!

Diane

[Terrafreaky]

I believe the AE on the Sun are mini-suites.

[flowerchild]

I've had balcony cabins and mini suites on the Star and the Dawn. The mini suite has been referred to here on Cruise Critic as a glorified balcony cabin and I have to somewhat agree. The balcony is a bit bigger, so is the cabin, there is a very small bathtub and a curtain that divides the sleeping area from the sitting area for privacy. No special priviledges, amenities or concierge.

 

If the difference in price from a balcony to a mini suite is small, go for it. We upgraded on the Star for $150 total for 2 of us. Any more $$ than that, I would rather save the money for the spa!

[guyver]

I believe the AE on the Sun are mini-suites.

 

 

Agreed. They are mini-suites and do not receive the perks associated with the "true suites".

You will still have fun though!!

[DSIVRN]

Susan, Here is a link to some of the photos we took on the Jewel and ports-We collected supplies for a public school and orphange on Roatan. Between us, our friends and cruise critic group, we had almost 3 big bags of supplies and goodies! It was great seeing the kids and their reactions! We were also treated to a tour of the bridge (Cruise Critic Group only) that was fabulous! The extra special towel animals was from the hotel manager John O'Hara as an apology for our cabin stewards not intrducing themselves for over 2 days! Boy can they apologize well!

We ate at Cagneys-good, Le Bistro-very good, and Mama's Kitchen-Excellent! The restaurant manager, Mihaela Mocan (Micki) was fabulous-always on the go, and always stopping to ask how our day was going!

The personal service finally swayed my husband (he likes the traditional dining) and we placed a deposit on a future cruise!

Diane Strickland

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161890&id=616959913&l=3bd3774243

[Fun 2 Crz]

Just returned from a short 3 day aboard the NCL Sky I would have to say if all NCL ships are like the Sky I would never sail them again. The food was terrible and had no variety the ice cream was guarded by a patrol officer dishing out 1/2 cup size cones. I guess I didn 't warm up to the "freestyle" dining since our cabin steward would come by around diner time and tell us to leave the cabin so he could clean it I told him we needed 15 mins and he said I had 3 mins at one point we had to forgo the cleaning all together because we didn't get out fast enough and had to wait to get clean towels the next day. The show that we did end up seeing was so bad we didn't go back the next night but we would have missed it anyways since the dining staff toook 2 hours to serve us and we skipped the dessert. I have cruise many times so one bad experience will not spoil the bunch and if I were going on a 7 day or longer I may give NCL another try but only then since I was told by the staff everything was on the bigger ships.

[Don Haynes]

Just returned from a short 3 day aboard the NCL Sky I would have to say if all NCL ships are like the Sky I would never sail them again. The food was terrible and had no variety the ice cream was guarded by a patrol officer dishing out 1/2 cup size cones. I guess I didn 't warm up to the "freestyle" dining since our cabin steward would come by around diner time and tell us to leave the cabin so he could clean it I told him we needed 15 mins and he said I had 3 mins at one point we had to forgo the cleaning all together because we didn't get out fast enough and had to wait to get clean towels the next day. The show that we did end up seeing was so bad we didn't go back the next night but we would have missed it anyways since the dining staff toook 2 hours to serve us and we skipped the dessert. I have cruise many times so one bad experience will not spoil the bunch and if I were going on a 7 day or longer I may give NCL another try but only then since I was told by the staff everything was on the bigger ships.

 

I'm sorry, but with food choices from a grilled cheese sandwich to a filet, I don't understand how anyone could claim no variety within a three day cruise. There are multiple choices for salads, fruits, vegetables, and meat entrees, from seafood to steak to hot dogs, but you were still unsatisfied. I can't imagine any more bread choices. Are your taste buds zeroed on caviar only? Me, I enjoy the banana nut bread and soft pretzels....

 

If one chooses an early dinner one can easily watch the late show, and on the other hand if one chooses a late dinner one can easily catch the early show. This is true on every cruise ship I have sailed....

[Djptcp]

DH and I are Platinum Carnival cruisers and are booked on the NCL Sun the week of Thanksgiving. Our first cruises were on NCL and we loved them. Tried freestyle and didn't like it....long lines at dinner. So, we stopped and tried Holland America (the best cruiseline IMHO) and once we moved to Florida in 2005, we were so close to ports we started taking lots of Carnival cruises. Love them, also. We thought we would give NCL a try again and we are looking forward to it. People seem to like the freestyle dining so we are going with a positive attitude that we will also.

[Bars7816]

I'm shocked at your experience on NCL. We're booked on our fourth NCL cruise and would recommend NCL to anyone. You should write a detailed letter to the "Big Norwegian." Without feedback from passengers, good and bad, the people who can make things right can't do much.

[cruisinmeme]

I'm sorry, but with food choices from a grilled cheese sandwich to a filet, I don't understand how anyone could claim no variety within a three day cruise. There are multiple choices for salads, fruits, vegetables, and meat entrees, from seafood to steak to hot dogs, but you were still unsatisfied. I can't imagine any more bread choices. Are your taste buds zeroed on caviar only? Me, I enjoy the banana nut bread and soft pretzels....

 

If one chooses an early dinner one can easily watch the late show, and on the other hand if one chooses a late dinner one can easily catch the early show. This is true on every cruise ship I have sailed....

 

granted there are lots of choices, but who wants to spend all their time going from mdr to buffet, etc to find a decent meal. what ever happen to decent food being served everywhere.

when we first started cruising we made it too much about the food, now we eat because it is time but still want to enjoy it and not troll the ship looking for what is good. also imo we have paid for the cruise and food and i don't care to go to speciality resturants and spend more money doing that. we live in louisiana outside baton rouge and we have plenty of good resturants to pick from.

guess the good side to the decline in quality of food is we cruised in december and i actually lost weight while on cruise. we did eat at all three ports, so had i not done that i would of really dropped some pounds.

[Hogladyrider]

Susan, Here is a link to some of the photos we took on the Jewel and ports-We collected supplies for a public school and orphange on Roatan. Between us, our friends and cruise critic group, we had almost 3 big bags of supplies and goodies! It was great seeing the kids and their reactions! We were also treated to a tour of the bridge (Cruise Critic Group only) that was fabulous! The extra special towel animals was from the hotel manager John O'Hara as an apology for our cabin stewards not intrducing themselves for over 2 days! Boy can they apologize well!

We ate at Cagneys-good, Le Bistro-very good, and Mama's Kitchen-Excellent! The restaurant manager, Mihaela Mocan (Micki) was fabulous-always on the go, and always stopping to ask how our day was going!

The personal service finally swayed my husband (he likes the traditional dining) and we placed a deposit on a future cruise!

Diane Strickland

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161890&id=616959913&l=3bd3774243

 

Diane thanks for sharing the photos....I am going to "friend" you on Facebook, we are practically neighbors! I'd like to private e-mail you if you are willing.

 

I see you have sailed on Carnival many times, we also sailed on Glory twice.

 

How would you compare the room size on NCL vs Carnival as well as balcony size.

 

The restaurants you mentioned dining at, how is the fee collected, on your sign and sail or another means? Is it a flat price to dine at the establishments or another means?

 

I have a zillion questions when you have time.......hopefully we can meet up on Facebook..........we too are dog people, we have two rescues!

 

I absolutely loved your pictures, thanks again.

Susan

[DSIVRN]

Hi Susan, I will be glad to answer any questions you have! Please send me another invite to facebook-I "lost" the last one before I could add you!!

The restaurant fees are added to your sign and sail-you can add a tip to the sign and sail also or give this in cash if you so desire! Different restaurants have different fees. The Italian was $10 per person, Cagneys $25 per person.

The rooms on NCL and Carnival seem comparable. I do like the shower doors vs curtains and the separate toilet area on NCL. I missed my robe-on Carnival even inside rooms get robes-our outside room on NCL did not get them. I did appreciate the phone call prior to room service in the am on NCL-Carnival just knock on the door-hence the need for the quick robe :eek:.

Diane

[gtalum]

I can't comment specifically on the AE suite, but we are Carnival frequent cruisers and sailed the Pearl last October. Overall, I'd say the experiences are of similar quality. The cabins were similar (we were in a "Deluxe Balcony" on Pearl, and usually sail balconies on Canrival), food was similar in the main dining rooms, friendly helpful crew on both lines, Camp Carnival is superior to NCL's Kids' Club, and we loved the Freestyle concept. If we didn't bring our daughter on cruises with us I'd probably rate NCL slightly ahead of Carnival, but only because we really enjoyed Freestyle.

[suprracer]

We are also Carnival cruisers but are looking at the Norwegian Spirit.

I would like to know what the difference between a regualar stateroom and a family stateroom. Size? The price difference is only about $10. We are a family of 4. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks:o

[Fun 2 Crz]

I'm sorry, but with food choices from a grilled cheese sandwich to a filet, I don't understand how anyone could claim no variety within a three day cruise. There are multiple choices for salads, fruits, vegetables, and meat entrees, from seafood to steak to hot dogs, but you were still unsatisfied. I can't imagine any more bread choices. Are your taste buds zeroed on caviar only? Me, I enjoy the banana nut bread and soft pretzels....

 

If one chooses an early dinner one can easily watch the late show, and on the other hand if one chooses a late dinner one can easily catch the early show. This is true on every cruise ship I have sailed....

First off let me say that I am not a picky eater but i do enjoy more that hamburgers, pizza and hot dogs. I asked were the pressed sandwiches were and were told only cold on this ship hot on big ship. I looked for Tex Mex I looked for Asain and was told only on big ship after hearing that reply upon all food choices I stopped asking and at salad for 3 days.

 

 

 

Also, this ship only had one show a night only big ship or 7 days or longer have several.

 

Anyways thanks for your input (or attack) not sure which

[garycarla]

Sky is one of the older ships. - fyi, and sailing shorter cruises

 

The AE on the other NCL ships is a true suite and gets lots of perks. Do not be confused with what some might say about being in an AE or Suite. Does not apply here.