If we love Princess will we like NCL?

[Rascal1]

Hi, We've been on 3 Princess cruises and love the informal relaxed atmosphere with the opportunity to dress up on a couple of nights but like the fact that the remaining nights are smart/casual. We've always found the service to be great and food to be delicious. We wondered whether to try another cruise line but don't fancy P&O due to dress code (don't want DH to have to wear a jacket on non formal nights) and am concerned about the level of children on board Royal Caribbean (we sail outside of school holidays to try to avoid this) so wondered what NCL is like as I like some of their itinaries. For anyone who tried NCL after Princess what were the main differences? Thanks

[paul929207]

I have only been on NCL twice (Princess 19 times) and will not sail NCL again. I found the food and service well below Princess.

[englishbird]

No, you won't:eek:

[woozlebear]

Hi, We've been on 3 Princess cruises and love the informal relaxed atmosphere with the opportunity to dress up on a couple of nights but like the fact that the remaining nights are smart/casual. We've always found the service to be great and food to be delicious. We wondered whether to try another cruise line but don't fancy P&O due to dress code (don't want DH to have to wear a jacket on non formal nights) and am concerned about the level of children on board Royal Caribbean (we sail outside of school holidays to try to avoid this) so wondered what NCL is like as I like some of their itinaries. For anyone who tried NCL after Princess what were the main differences? Thanks

 

 

Go with an open mind and you will enjoy it.

 

Regards

Susan

[quincytoo]

Our first cruise was on the NCL Spirit, I got off that cruise, saying, "NEVER again". Mr.Qt booked the Diamond Princess a year later and had to talk me into going. I got off that ship asking, "When can we cruise again"? :)

 

Food and service are so much better on Princess.

[DMRick]

We're happy with them both. We like the piano areas and small entertainment like Jose and Patti on NCL better than what Princess offers. Other than that, we don't see much difference.

[jff50]

I've done about 25 Princess and 3 NCL (Star, Jade and Epic). While Princess is my favorite (by a good margin), I'd have no qualms sailing NCL again if the itinerary/price were right. All other things being equal, I'd go with Princess.

[cruisefreaks]

AAAHHHH!!! :eek::eek:

Run away......fast!

New motto: NCL.....just say NO!

 

There is nothing free or stylish about "free style cruising"!

[suzyed]

If you like a relaxed atmostphere and anytime dining, I think you would like NCL.

We sailed NCL Star twice to Alaska. Very relaxed atmosphere...we never dressed up, but I think Alaska cruising must be relaxed anyway. They have "Dress Up or Not" nights.

The demographic on Princess seems to be much older than on NCL. We didn't see many children on NCL, but like you, we try not to sail during school vacations like Spring Break. We were 57 and 58 on our first Princess cruise last Oct. and I would say, about 75-80% were older, very very few younger. NCL, I felt had probably more our age, a few older and many younger(25-45).

 

We sailed in an aft/stern suite. The suite perks are really great, and will probably never sail on NCL unless we have a suite. There are at least 8 different specialty dining venues in addition to the MDR. There are surcharges for most of them, from $10-$25, and we felt well worth the money in all cases.

 

The staff and crew are fabulous, the ship is well maintained and very clean. We had a M&G on our second sailing where the Crew who attended outnumbered the passengers. The Captain, CD, Conceirge, Kitchen Manager, Hotel Director, Housekeeping Manager, Chief Chef, etc etc...all attended our M&G. They provided a large assortment of pastries, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, juice! It was very nice!

 

The only thing I do not like on NCL, is the Bingo. They use electronic boxes. I like "real" bingo. LOL

 

Every cruiseline has it good and not so good points. I happen to think it's nice to mix it up and try different things. We usually choose by itinerary.

[denims]

It's great to be on ANY cruise ship....but IMHO NCL does not stack up to Princess in ANY category except casual dress!!!

[doubletree07]

I have only been on NCL twice (Princess 19 times) and will not sail NCL again. I found the food and service well below Princess.

 

I've been on one NCL cruise and would not sail with them again.:(

Unless it was free.:rolleyes: And that was back in the day when in my opinion NCL had a better reputation than it does today.

[curiouscat]

NO.... nowhere close... I would do RCCL anyday anytime over NCL..... RCCL does a good job of keeping the kids in kid places and having adult venues...it is a much higher quality product...and yes cruise lines are CO's and are products:D

 

I lost weight on an NCL cruise...just sayin

 

CC

[synet165]

:):)Hi,

Stick with Princess, you won't be sorry. We sailed with NCL 4 times before trying Princess and probably won't go back.

 

The food and service have gone down on NCL and now they have the nerve to charge for room service after midnight.

 

We too are very informal people but have never eaten in the buffet in the evening. Formal wear is not needed, they won't turn a man away without a jacket, no shorts etc and a man is fine on formal night especially in anytime dining.

 

"Free Style" is very mass market and once you have been on Princess, you really won't like NCL.

 

Enjoy:)

synet165

[suzyed]

Again, I think each cruiseline has it's own flavor....It's just what you are in the mood for.

 

We are sailing again on Princess next spring....we really enjoyed our last sailing.

[Rascal1]

Thanks for all your replies, my DH originally said "why risk it when we've enjoyed Princess and have plenty of Princess itineraries that we haven't done yet" but I thought there is no harm checking with the experts i.e. you guys. I guess your replies will make his mind up for sure and it looks like Princess here we come again :)

[Princess Patches]

I had not sailed on NCL for at least 10 years until last year when I sailed on the Pride of America in Hawaii. We really wanted that itinerary for the Na Pali coast sail by and the night time sail by of the lava flow (Princess does not do either of these things). We were also sailing with a third in the cabin and NCL's third and fourth person rates are very cheap (about $200 for the week on the Pride for our third person). Aside from itinerary or some incredible price deal, I would not sail NCL over Princess. The food, the decor and the overall shipboard experience is much superior on Princess.

[billet]

I agree with Woozlebear, go with an open mind and you will have a great time. It is a different experience which does not mean it is dreadful, just different. If you posted this on the NCL board I am sure you would be flooded with positive replies instead of negative ones. Go, take a cruise on NCL and judge for yourself! I am in the same position and I am looking forward to going on the Pearl in September.

[KruzPrincess]

I personally had decided that I probably would never go on another NCL cruise after reading so many negative reviews. However, recently, I've read quite a few good reviews and these were from people who had cruised Princess before. They all said they were really surprised and enjoyed their cruises. I've seen thar the NCL people are very diligent at trying to upgrade the cruise experience. They make every effort to make Cruise Critic folks welcome and ask them to honestly tell them what they think. They even did an Undercover Boss episode. While Princess is usually my first choice, I think I might give NCL another try sometime just to see what it's like. You never know unless you try it. I think it's good to check out other options just so you know you like what you like.

[gooch47]

We prefer Princess but since my DH keeps getting free NCL cruises from the Harrah's chain, we have managed to survive on the NCL ones. Just kidding ... mostly.

 

Horrible service a few years ago on the Pride of America. Our latest one on the Spirit out of NOLA started really bad. The ship was about 8 hours late starting to board. We stood in line for about six hours and didn't get into our cabin until midnight. A medical emergency the day before was the main cause and we don't fault NCL for that, but lack of organization after the ship finally arrived in port was at least part of the problem.

[cruise pup]

We prefer Princess but since my DH keeps getting free NCL cruises from the Harrah's chain, we have managed to survive on the NCL ones. Just kidding ... mostly.

 

Horrible service a few years ago on the Pride of America. Our latest one on the Spirit out of NOLA started really bad. The ship was about 8 hours late starting to board. We stood in line for about six hours and didn't get into our cabin until midnight. A medical emergency the day before was the main cause and we don't fault NCL for that, but lack of organization after the ship finally arrived in port was at least part of the problem.

 

Princess isn't any better at handling these types of unforeseen delays. About a year ago or so the first sailing out of San Juan on the Caribbean Princess was a nightmare. It was severely delayed and they had to use a different facility to accommodate the passengers waiting to board. The passengers were told they would be taken back to the ship to board according to check-in time but that didn't happen.

[DonnaK]

NO.... nowhere close... I would do RCCL anyday anytime over NCL..... RCCL does a good job of keeping the kids in kid places and having adult venues...it is a much higher quality product...and yes cruise lines are CO's and are products:D

 

I lost weight on an NCL cruise...just sayin

 

CC

 

I was just about to write the same thing. I wouldn't shy away from RCCL because our of concerned about kids (exception: the two largest vessels, Oasis/Allure), especially if the OP is sailing when school is in session. RCCL's kids clubs keep the kids/teens rather well-occupied so that they aren't underfoot.

 

IMO: RCCL and Princess have some differences, but it all balances out to a relatively equivalent cruising experience.

[cruise pup]

Princess is my favorite cruise line but I've sailed more often on NCL due to the prices. I travel solo and once in a while Princess will throw me a bone and give me a break on the single supplement. They've also been swell about offering me future cruise credits when things didn't go wrong and some generous obcs which have made their cruises more affordable. So, if money was no object I'd be on Princess more than NCL. But that's not the way things are. Also, Princess is not in the short cruise market so I have used NCL for that. I have some terrific NCL cruises and some mediocre ones but I still continue to sail them. But if you have the bucks for Princess, I'd say stick with them unless you want a totally informal cruise and not have to take any formal clothes.

[caribill]

I have not saileed on NCL myself, but a close relative has and says she would rather not cruise if NCL was the only choice. Sort of the opposite of "any day at sea is better than a day at work."

 

You might want to ask the following question on the NCL board where you will undoubtably get a diffrerent set of responses than you received here:

 

"For those of you who have also sailed with Princess, why do you prefer NCL?"

[crusinpeg]

I would rather be a stowaway on Princess then in a balcony on NCL!

[billet]

I would rather be a stowaway on Princess then in a balcony on NCL!

 

What was so bad about your balcony on NCL? I am curious since I have a balcony booked. thanks.