NCL vs Carnival

[cdamion]

I am not looking for cheerleaders for either line here. What I am looking for is an honest take on what, in your experience NCL offers compared to Carnival for those that have sailed both.

 

One thing I do like on Carnival is the main dining room and having the same wait staff. Do you miss this on NCL? What are the passengers like on NCL compared to Carnival? How is service, etc.?

 

I'm looking to try a line other than Carnival next time and am considering the Pearl.

[SuzanneH]

I have done both Carnival and NCL...... I do have to admit that I really did miss having the same waiter but I am not big on the shared table, so for me the Freestyle experience beats out everything else! I have heard that other lines now have a dine anytime option but am not familiar if Carnival does now. As for the rest of the experience-- passengers, service, etc, I would have to say they were pretty comparable. Whatever you choose, Happy Cruising!

[Manugit]

Ive only been on a cruise twice, NCL and Carnival.. Our experience was night and day, however, we too liked the same waiter each night, and we enjoyed the dinner entertainment on Carnival, wow what excitment and energy... our table as others got up and dance their butts off, it was a blast, also, the bed was great. I liked the planned dinner and a show right after....Im doing this NCL trip in Aug, because its a fam reunion out of Boston...will do Carnival again for sure "fun ship :D

[big green]

I have just booked a Carnival cruise to find out the same thing-- I do know that I like what I see on their MDR menus and the buffet options they have on the Splendor---I will write a comparison review when we return--we did the same cruise on the NCL Star so we will have a good bench mark to compare.

 

What I do not like is Carnival's recent change on non-alcoholic beverages that can be brought on board and the limit to one bottle of wine per person over 21. It was nice to be able to book the steak house in advance on line and get an email confirmation from Carnival. Also when looking at Carnival"s daily plans at sea and in port for this cruise they have more activities on the ship than NCL--very important for us on sea days, the one thing I do not like about Carnival is the main dining rooms are closed for lunch in port--not so on any NCL cruise I have taken.

 

The one area where this is no comparison is the fact that NCL probably has the best suite perks in the industry.

 

 

BG

[Don Haynes]

As can be seen above, each cruise line does one thing better and another cruise line does another thing better. Its my opinion the cruise lines are more alike than they are different, although they are different. A ship or line doesn't make a great cruise, its really up to you to have a great cruise...

 

Go and have fun! Don't attempt to judge one cruise line over the other, if you do you won't have fun. You will get so distracted by the first tree you won't see the forest behind. I like the old saying variety is the spice in life....

[detwings]

We,ve cruised RCL, Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Carnival. Now mostly NCL. Just got off Carnival Liberty (sailing 4/10). Carnival has very good food, their buffet is lacking in choices for lunch, however, their Mongolian Grill on some of the ships are outstandding. Dinner is very good, no complaints. We do like having the same waiter also. However, on NCL (freestyle) IF you find someone you like, you can request them each night and follow them. We have done this several times so that is an option. We also happen to have found someone we sat with for dinner (table of 4) one night because we said we didnt mind sharing, and came to dinner with them every night and requested the same waiters. Have a blast so there is always away around that.

 

We do not care for their entainment that much on Carnival and have been disappointed on all 4 cruises we sailed on with them. In our opinion, entainment is much better on NCL. NCL employes the Jean Ann Ryan Company and alot of talent comes from London,etc. Always four singers versus two on Carnival. On Carnival, usually Three out of the 7 nights the show didnt start till 10:30 pm. We have early dinner so we like the, usually 9:00 pm, show for the first seating other cruise lines have. Allso more variety.

 

While Carnival is good value, we prefer NCL mostly for freestyle and entainment.

[amistad]

They are more similar then different, but I will give my opinion on both. NCL has Freestyle dining which means you just go when you feel like eating. Carnival has My Time Dining same thing you can eat when you feel like eating, but Carnival is newer at it and some of their waiters are not used to it yet, but still a good option. NCL has several sur charge restuarants and they are good I would recommend trying a few if you choose NCL, Carnival only has the Dinner Club which is very good. NCL's tends to have a little smaller cabin size then CCL, but I would not let that make or break my decision. If you are chosing a suite NCL is much better then CCL, while both offer VIP embarkation and disembarkation, NCL has Butler and Concierge service along with breakfast and lunch in their upscale restaurant, and many other perks CCL does not offer to their suite guests. Both have comfortable bedding, good friendly service, MDR food is better on CCL, buffet food is better on NCL, CCL has the deli, NCL has the Blue Lagoon, entertainment is a toss up for me. I have to say it is a hard decision for me to pick one over the other I love them both.

[Azure Moon]

Sorry to disappoint, but I am a cheerleader for the good things about both Carnival and NCL. :)

 

About having the same wait staff in the main dining room. Just for me, there are positives and negatives about both.

 

Same staff plusses: 1. Attentive. 2. Didn't have to request preferences after the first seating - for example, wanting iced tea and wanting lemon wedges for my salad rather than dressing. 3. Got to "know" them a little bit. 4. Felt spoiled a little more - had waiters that brought additional items that we didn't request. I'm sure they simply had surplus food in the kitchen that would just go to waste if it wasn't served, so better to sample or eat it than not. Also, they would bring a replacement if they saw you weren't loving the dish you ordered.

 

Same staff minuses: 1. Don't get to meet new servers. 2. Since we've only done fixed seating on Carnival, the rush of service with dessert and after dinner coffee near the end of the meal so the waiters can sing and dance (sometimes I like the show and sometimes I don't :confused:).

 

Dining with the same table mates each night - Sometimes I like it, sometimes I find it a bit uncomfortable.

 

Different staff plusses (in my husband's and my experiences): 1. Get to meet new servers. 2. If you have a waiter/ess that isn't quite as good as you'd like, you're not stuck with them the rest of the cruise.

 

Different staff minuses: 1. Attentiveness varies. 2. Though definitely not a hardship to have to do, but any special likes have to be stated each seating.

 

Dining Freestyle - I like it because we can eat by ourselves, request to dine with others (if others are wanting to do the same), or we can go to dinner with friends we make while doing other things on the ship.

 

I looked at a picture of a tradition dining room the other night, and I did have mixed feelings about it.

 

I guess my ideal dining experience would be a fixed waitstaff, being able to dine at whatever time we want, and be able to choose whether we have table mates or not during that meal. Maybe one day that will happen :).

 

Passengers are more alike than different, but I do think and feel there's a very slight difference between the passengers of the two cruise lines - but that could be based on the itineraries, times when we've sailed, weather, security, who knows?????

[Browezilla]

...A ship or line doesn't make a great cruise...Don't attempt to judge one cruise line over the other, if you do you won't have fun...

Don, I don't agree with this. I don't think one should be overly critical of every little mistake or nuance on a cruise, but there can be quite a bit of variance in cruise lines. For example, Azamara and HAL are quite different from NCL and Carnival. Cruises aren't commodities, so one really does need to consider the cruise experience offered. The experiences are just different. I do agree that what the lines focus on, they in general do an excellent job.

 

For the original poster, I've been multiple times on each line:

Carnival:

- slightly better food, better service, I prefer the traditional dining, better children's programs, bigger cabins, feels more "family-like"

 

NCL

- happier crew, better entertainment but Carnival's is very good as well, more "surcharge restaurants", more casual attire, feels more couple oriented with more adult options (e.g. the Bliss Ultra Lounge)

 

These are similar lines in terms of the age group they attract

[beetle9]

we have been on 15 ccl cruises and 1 on ncl and have one booked ncl like someone said you can request the same waiter on ncl if you prefer ncl better entertainment. just my opinion but ccl service sems to have taken a hit since they put the auto tip in effect ether cruise you will have a great time we was on the peral and will be on it again :)

[DreamzTerra]

So far, I've only been on Carnival and will be taking the NCL Epic Cruise in August. I went on Carnival for a 4 night "girls" cruise and had a blast (stayed in an inside cabin). It was exactly what we wanted - fun and good price. We enjoyed having the same waitstaff nightly - it made for some of the best entertainment on the cruise, actually. However, I was not really impressed with the food. I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the beds were. I also felt like the "options" whether it be dining, entertainment, or otherwise were much more limited than I expected. However, I have no complaints, as I didn't actually have enough time to check out everything on the boat and still had tons of fun.

 

I'm going on the NCL cruise in August w/my husband which will be a full week cruise (staying in a balcony cabin). In this case, I have different expectations, and felt that NCL might suit better, but we'll see ...

[peg013]

As you can see from my signature, we have been on NCL, CCL, RCI, and HAL. I listed them in "our" order of preference. If you enjoyed CCL, IMHO you will enjoy NCL. They are much more alike than different. CCL's cabins are bigger, but NCL's are more than adequate. Both have great entertainment with a slight edge to NCL. I believe CCL now allows shorts in the MDR for dinner....NCL does not. CCL has more inside places to smoke. NCL's only places indoors are the casino and your cabin/balcony.

 

If the cost is comparable, why not try NCL?

[pixiedustdawn]

I am not looking for cheerleaders for either line here. What I am looking for is an honest take on what, in your experience NCL offers compared to Carnival for those that have sailed both.

 

One thing I do like on Carnival is the main dining room and having the same wait staff. Do you miss this on NCL? What are the passengers like on NCL compared to Carnival? How is service, etc.?

 

I'm looking to try a line other than Carnival next time and am considering the Pearl.

 

We sailed on NCL once and requested the same waitstaff all week long. No problem.

 

Something NCL has that Carnival doesn't, would be the Butler and Concierge Service, with breakfast and lunch in a speciality restaurant.

 

If you can afford it, check out NCL's suites or better yet, their Courtyard suites.

 

 

 

[flowerchild]

I've sailed both, plus other cruiselines...

 

I like the food on Carnival much better. The buffet has great stations and variety. I am not a fan of the fixed menus being experimented with on NCL and Carnival is adapting to Anytime dining, so there are definite pros and cons with both lines. I like NCL's specialty restaurants, but do not need to dine in them each time I cruise, it really depends on $$. I like the afternoon tea on Carnival. All in all, food is better on Carnival.

 

I liked Karaoke on Carnival much better. NCL doesn't do half the job that Carnival does. And I love the show with all the Karaoke winners on the last night of the cruise. I only attend one or two shows a cruise, so in my opinion, the shows are comparable. Carnival is definitely the fun ship, and I notice that alot more activites are offered.

 

The service is comparable. Prices are comparable. Loyalty program on NCL is better than Carnival. Carnival's option of one bottle of wine being carried on per adult for no charge is very nice. My only complaint about Carnival is having to dress up twice per 7 day cruise. I love freestyle for that very reason.

 

I will say that if NCL adopts the fixed menu fleetwide, I will definitely be considering Carnival before NCL, despite the loyalty program. We were on the Dawn during one of the first weeks of the new menu and we did not enjoy it. Others have reported that they like it, but we did not.

[ManyMore]

I think people need to try out other cruiselines to see what best suits them as each has their good anf bad points. I have cruised CCL, RCL. NCL and Disney. I probably won't sail NCL again or surely not in the near future as I didn't like the food as much, the drinks are higher priced and I feel the service isn't as good as the others. I will not say I will never sail them again as I love to cruise and if the price were right I can suckup the issues I found lol. Disney as far as service is far superior then the others but the prices are crazy so I doubt I can afford them again soon.

[spacewoman]

Here's our cruise history - Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend, NCL Dawn, NCL Spirit, Princess Crown Princess, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Miracle. We could kind of take or leave a set seating time for dinner why? we're on vacation. DH is world's fussiest eater so a LOT of the time we do eat in buffets to keep him happy. Going from CCL to first NCL I liked the fact that there were different restaurants to choose from. We ate a lot at La Trattoria and one night I hit the Asian restaurant ($10 cover, well worth it) and let him eat in the buffet. The shows are the Dawn were awesome, acrobatics, etc. we really liked them. Carnival's we felt the same, they put on a really good show.

Quick comparisons - bottle beer on NCL, cans on CCL. CCL last two cruises ran out of Coors light, NCL never ending supply. CCL suites bigger than NCL. NCL we had a coffeemaker in the cabin, CCL no. CCL has mini bar refrigerator, NCL no. Balcony cabins seemed to comparable although I know CCL is larger. In 2006 an apple martini on NCL was $10.75, last year on CCL $9.75. Staff on all the lines we've been on fantastic. Like the fact I can check my sail and sign account on CCL, no can do on NCL. The NCL Dawn and Spirit had larger pools than the Spirit class ships of CCL.

 

Our trips were this, Pride was to Bermuda, Legend was PR, St. THomas Tortolla; we didn't want to do same ship and itinerary so we chose NCL Dawn for new ship to try; NCL Spirit was a radio station group cruise, Princess we loved the itinerary and got a decent price, and the two Miracles were couldn't beat the price we got.

 

I'm looking at NCL Jewel versus Miracle again for this September. They're both pricing out the same per day but TA is offering $200 OBC for NCL. Jewel is a fairly new ship and date fits better into our schedule so I think we're going to be trying the Jewel this year.

 

Although DH is a difficult eater he always finds something to eat. All the lines I've been on have been one fantastic vacation. Compare the ones you're looking at and see who is offering you the best deal for where you want to go.

 

As far as the upgrade fairy goes, our very first cruise they put us in a Junior Suite for no extra charge. That darn fairy hasn't visited since on CCL. We were offered a suite on deck 11 on Dawn for an additional $250 for the cabin and we went with it and felt it was worth what they offered.

[Milaandra]

I liked Karaoke on Carnival much better. NCL doesn't do half the job that Carnival does. And I love the show with all the Karaoke winners on the last night of the cruise. I only attend one or two shows a cruise, so in my opinion, the shows are comparable.

 

I agree about the karaoke and the Legends show.

 

When it comes to the professional shows, though, I can only guess you saw the best on Carnival and the worst on NCL!! :D Huge difference. Enormous. NCL buries Carnival when it comes to the theatre shows.

 

I like the food better on NCL. The salads in particular. I also enjoy the variety of sit down restaurants.

 

I hate dancing waiters. I'm eating over here! :D I found traditional dining makes the dining room extremely noisy (maybe we were just in a bad spot), and crowded in the entranceway as people waited for the seating. We were also unfortunate in that most of our table only showed up for one meal, so it was just the four of us night after night... Nice people, but we ran out of stuff to talk about. On NCL there were times when there was a wait for tables in the main dining rooms, but at least you had the option of heading out to another restaurant.

 

I was on the Carnival Triumph, which is a horribly designed ship, so my view may be skewed. The NCL Dawn was vastly superior in layout and traffic flow, and that impacted our cruise in a big way. The cabins varied. Carnival had a bigger bathroom counter and storage there, NCL had a great layout with good clothing storage. I didn't notice a size difference. (inside both) It was also much easier to go outside on the Dawn...another huge plus.

 

Carnival's service charge was $10, NCL's is $12.

 

I can't talk about the differences in people, because Carnival was Canada/New England and therefore older and more formal, and NCL was Bermuda.