princess or NCL

[cruisemuse13]

We have never been on a Princess cruise (have been on NCL in the late 90's, and then RCCL and Celebrity), we are thinking of taking a Hawaiian cruise in Feb. 2011. Would you prefer Pride of America on NCL or one of the Princess cruises out of LA? Thank you for your thoughts.

[papa cruiser]

Have never sailed on NCL but took Princess on the 14 day from CA to Hawaii and back. Great cruise; great ship. If you have 14 days available, go Princess.

[Tom O.]

I have cruised both NCL and Princess, and Princess is easily the better of the two. But, NCL, has it's own following, especially among people who hate formal night. My main complaint with NCL is related to food. The regular dining room has sub-par meals compared to every other line, I suspect this is done on purpose, in order to encourage passengers to pay extra for the meals at their premium restaurants. The NCL buffet is the worst I have seen also.

[Toddy709]

I would always chose Princess over NCL, but on this particular Princess cruise you must love sea days! I do, so it's a no-brainer for me! If you're not a fan of sea days this cruise is not for you!

[Clutterlady]

As the above have said, if you enjoy sea days than Princess is the way to go. If just the islands are your priority than NCL is the right ship and you just use it as your hotel. My opinion on the food on NCL is the same as stated previously......pretty poor:( Just keep in mind that the NCL experience is not for everyone!

[bubbadog]

Hands down,I Would take princess over ncl,have a great cruise:p

[jff50]

We've done Hawaii with NCL and Celebrity (round trip LA). On our Celebrity cruise we had rough seas/overcast weather the first 2 days out and the last 2 days back.

 

Prefer Princess over NCL, but I would want to spend the time in Hawaii (not cruising to/from). For Hawaii; I'd fly over, spend up to a week on one/several islands (preference would be Hawaii and/or Kauai, over Oahu) and cruise on NCLA.

[BalconyGal]

I have cruised both NCL and Princess, and Princess is easily the better of the two. But, NCL, has it's own following, especially among people who hate formal night. My main complaint with NCL is related to food. The regular dining room has sub-par meals compared to every other line, I suspect this is done on purpose, in order to encourage passengers to pay extra for the meals at their premium restaurants. The NCL buffet is the worst I have seen also.

Tom said exactly the same thing I was going to say, without a doubt Princess is the way to go. I agree that NCL just wants you to pay extra for good food. :(

[Richie2pies]

Princess is MUCH the better line, but NCL is usually less expensive. Keep in mind, you usually get what you pay for.

[NicksPhilly]

Tom said exactly the same thing I was going to say, without a doubt Princess is the way to go. I agree that NCL just wants you to pay extra for good food. :(

 

We have just finished a wonderful Princess cruise,And the food was so good in the MDR.

NCl has better bathrooms,and beds,But having done 3 NCL cruises,We found ourselves in the specialty venues more often than the MDR.

 

We have a 9 day cruise planned on the NCL Dawn,And We know we will be in the MDR maybe 2 times,lol.

If It was us,I would want the sea days,as opposed to airfare to the Islands.

Stick with Princess.:)

[morcruzplz]

I am a big Princess fan, but did take one NCL cruise, because I was invited to go with three other ladies. I had my reservations, but went anyway, trying to lower my expectations as much as possible. Not possible! The only way I would take another NCL cruise is if I was looking for transportation only, and didn't care what I ate, how lousy the service or gawd-awful the decor!

[janina]

Hands down Princess ships are better, but with that said, do you have the time to sail from LA? Or would you rather spend it in the islands? Also much is saved in airfare alone if you leave from LA. But if you do chose NCL, and they do pour more money in their Hawaii ships than their others, except the Dawn....book Princess next time, and you will love it even more.:):)

[MetalManCPA]

I've only been on two cruises - both Princess (Emerald Princess western caribbean and Crown Princess eastern caribbean). I thought the Princess ships were elegant.

 

I am going on a Boston-Bermuda cruise on the NCL Spirit in August. I am looking forwad to it because it is a different type of cruise than a port hopping one. I love the cruises I've been on, but always feel I've never had enough time at the ports. On my upcoming NCL cruise I'll get a tast of cruising and enjoying an island for a couple of days.

 

It will be interesteing to compare ship layout, room comfort, food quality, etc between Princess and NCL. My expectations are the Princess boats will be better. I know the Spirit was built in 1998 and renovated in 2008 so I am assuming it will be a pretty ship.

[bermuda triangle]

No question about it--Princess.

NCL food of lesser quality. You don't have to pay more to get a decent meal on Princess.

 

Laura

[jasperess]

I've been on one NCL cruise (Pearl - Alaska) and one Princess Cruise (Dawn - Mexican Riviera) and in my book they are generally comparable. I did have the new menus on NCL though, so this changes my opinion in some ways (these are only available on the NCL Dawn and Pearl). Food-wise, I prefer the dining rooms in Princess because of they have things on the menu that excite me. However, the food can be hit-or-miss although most is generally good to great. NCL with the new dining menus is less exciting, but more consistently good, and the Pearl's buffet is DEFINITELY better than the Dawn's. I have heard, however, that those buffets on ships not set-up in action stations like on the Pearl aren't as good, but I don't have a comparison there.

 

Princess also wins in my opinion as easier to navigate the ships, but otherwise I probably prefer NCL because I like freestyle dining better than the formal/restricted dining or Princess' anytime dining, the shows are imho better on NCL, and there are more events that interest me on NCL. However, depending on your interests you might find Princess events more your style.

 

Just thought I'd give a slightly different opinion :)

[denims]

We have never been on a Princess cruise (have been on NCL in the late 90's, and then RCCL and Celebrity), we are thinking of taking a Hawaiian cruise in Feb. 2011. Would you prefer Pride of America on NCL or one of the Princess cruises out of LA? Thank you for your thoughts.

 

Just for kicks...I'd ask the same question on the NCL board!

[Grumpy100]

We have done NCL 5 times and Princess 3 times. I like both ships. If you like alot of sea days then take Princess because NCL does not offer that kind of cruise to the Hawaiian Islands. If you are short on time, fly to Honolulu and do the 7 day cruise and see the islands that way.

 

We did the NCL - 7 day cruise and we enjoyed it very much. Like someone else said you are docked every night so there is not much sea time at all on this cruise, plus there is no casino on the NCL ship so that might also be a deciding factor for your cruise.

 

I think both cruise lines have their good and bad. We like the freestyle dining but the food is a little better on Princess.

 

No matter which cruise line you pick you will love the Hawaiian Islands.

They are beautiful. I would not recommend the Road to Hana if it is offered. It was all day, very beautiful but the roughest, bumpiest road (like the moon) in the world. :p:p:p

[Tatka]

We haven't sailed on NCLA, only on NCL and Princess.

 

We liked Princess more, but we also like her more than all other lines, and somewhat equal to Celebrity.

 

Food in regular MDR on NCL (Spirit and Sun) was good, but buffets were definitely poor in comparison to ALL other lines...

 

One other note, we felt NCL was understaffed in cleaning department.. While our stewards did a good job, it was always late to very very late.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Personally, my family enjoys sea days. Princess has many activities that we like or we can just relax. So the islands are a bonus for us. And we can drive to the port. Beyond that, I can't see liking freestyle dining. I don't want to worry about getting "stuck" in one of the lesser dining situations unless I'm willing to pay extra and willing to play reservation tag early in the morning.

 

We're thinking about going on the Hawaii RT again, and if we want to spend more time in the islands, it would probably be as a land trip. Just using the ship as a hotel and nothing more is not of interest to me if it's not moving.

[quincytoo]

Our first cruise was NCL Spirit and I got off the ship saying, "NEVER again"

Unless you were in the paying restaurants, the food and service was not good, kids camp was a joke, and public bathrooms were horrific.

The speciality restaurants on the Spirit were very very nice and the food very good otherwise I would have starved.

 

DH booked us on the Diamond and I got off that ship, "WHEN can we cruise again?"

Many Princesses cruises later I have to say I would not cruise NCL even if they paid me.:eek:

[Umbarger]

It depends. Do you just want to cruise or do you really want to experience Hawaii? On Princess most of your time is spend cruising to and from Hawaii. Only 4 days are actually in Hawaii. On NCL you are in Hawaii 7 days. There are two overnights in Maui and Kauai. Also, if you have the time you can add pre and post nights at a hotel in Honolulu. NCL also does sailbys of the Napali coast and the Volcano at night. By the way I have done NCL in Hawaii twice.

 

Sure on Princess you might get a little better food and a fancy ship however if you really want to see Hawaii you will want NCL.

[centurycruiser]

I am not a fan of NCL and I love Princess.

 

That said, if your intent is to cruise, then definitely select Princess. But, if your intent is to see the Hawaiian Islands, than NCL is the way to go. You must depart from Honolulu so that gives you the option of visiting a couple of days before and/or after your cruise to visit Oahu. If yoiu have the time, fly into Oahu and out one of the other islands. After you leave the ship, go to the other island and spend a few days. There is so much to see on each island and they are all so different.

 

You don't get the island time on any cruise but the Pride of America, unfortunately.

[Zubsin]

I thought Rodrunner83 comments were right on. We've cruised both a few times and like both. NCL is trying to upgrade POA with a 1/2 international crew and better food. We loved our last cruise on the NCL Jewel. The food was great and I'm a food snob and amateur chef. I like Princess too. Prettier ships for one. BUT I LOVE THE NCL HAWAII INTINERARY... and if you read enough of the comments on CC most people tell you the pick the intinerary you like. Just remember POA is an older ship but NCL new president is trying to bring her up to standards. Cruise On! Donna

[Asil65]

Why doesn't Princess have a ship that just does the islands? I would love that? Does NCL have the rights?

[jff50]

Why doesn't Princess have a ship that just does the islands? I would love that? Does NCL have the rights?

Federal law dictates that a foreign flagged/crewed ship sailing to/from an American port has to visit a foreign port. That's why Hawaii round trip cruises from LA have to stop in Ensenada and Seattle round trip cruises to Alaska have to stop in Victoria.

NCLA (a NCL subsidiary) is the only American flagged cruise line/ship, and can sail round trip from Honolulu without visiting a foreign port. No other cruise line has followed NCL's lead and set up an American flagged subsidiary--not exactly sure of what is involved in setting up an American flagged subisidiary, but at least one requirement seems to be that a high percent of crew is American.

We were on a NCL Hawaii cruise pre-NCLA, round trip from Honolulu, when they had to visit a foreign port. There is no foreign port near the Hawaiian Islands. We had to sail about 1 1/2 days each way to Fanning Island. Very undeveloped, but we thought it was very interesting.

From what I understand, NCLA's American crew makes for a different atmosphere/experience. I love Hawaii, and am looking forward to taking one of those cruises with extra time on one/more of the Islands