If we love Princess will we like NCL?

[pris993]

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.

 

We have cruised Princess 20 times as well, NCL twice. NCL has freestyle cruising, no traditional dining anymore. Will not cruise on NCL. Did not find food and service to our expectations. Have not cruised NCL for 8 years or so.

 

We have cruised Princess, Holland America and Celebrity. These lines are all similar. Prefer Princess and HAL over Celebrity in terms of food and service. We just did a Cunard, Queen Victoria cruise. Cunard is superior to these lines in food and service from our experience. But like you say dress code does require a jacket every evening. We enjoy dressing for dinner and don't mind the dress code.

[SteveH2508]

I have sailed both lines (in Europe) and found them more alike than different. I get the impression that European sailings and US sailings are a bit different (whether in service provided, peoples expectations or both is hard to say).

 

There is a link to my review (NCL v Princess) in my signature block.

 

The main change for me personally, is Princess's change in smoking policy - that is a deal-breaker for me. Thankfully our 'Future Cruise Reward' (or whatever it is called) did not cost us anything.

[loliola]

Same here. I loved Princess, but my husband is a smoker, and the no smoking on his balcony is a deal breaker. So we will be trying NCL next...and then RCCL...

[jools222]

Hi, the comment about the dress code on P&O was from surfing their website, brochure (in UK) and checking with some recent P&O cruisers who have experienced 4 ships, although I appreciate that this experience is only from a small number of people. According to the brochure P&O have 3 different dress codes smart casual, semi formal (which is stated as Jacket, or a suit & tie for men) and then formal (Tux). When I checked with the previous cruisers they said that all 3 dress codes were enforced every time which put us off. It may be that local decisions are made, as with other cruise lines, but would hate arriving for a meal and feeling out of place if everyone else was dressed up and we weren't. I'm the kind of cruiser who tries to follow guidelines regards dress codes and it was the semi-formal bit that put us off. I might try posting on the P&O board to see if the 3 dress code is generally enforced.

 

Sorry if I misled you I dont know if its a new thing but there was no semi formal on our 16nts last year, my husband wears trousers & shirt at night but no jacket but perhaps we missed it without realising! Hope you find something nice anyway

[sunshine nana]

Have sailed Princess 4 times and all have been great. Sailed NCL to get the 7 night Hawaii and it was fine in 2007. Went on NCL in 2008 and 2010 in a suite and really enjoyed the breakfast and lunch in Cagneys, but the MDR went from fair in 08 to poor in 2010. Would not do NCL again unless the price of a suite was comparable to a mini on Princess. Another option is to plan on all specialty dinners on NCL if the cruise price made that affordable.Aside from the MDR, NCL cruises were fine and we had a great time.

[jnc411]

Interesting thread, for many NCL is a no go , and for others , keep an open mind. I am pretty much a Princess cruiser, have done RCCL , Carnival , Holland, but have not tried NCL, have heard many comments re poor cruise experience, and that has swayed me. On one cruise about 2 years ago with Princess, we were in port in Hawaii, having a grand time and met a group of people from the NCL ship in port and they were so unhappy, and asked us about our cruise , we were very pleased with ours. They said never again and just wanted to be done with it. Felt bad for them. But having said that , I know that each persons has their own views and experiences, who knows might try NCL if the itenirary and price is right ?? Love to cruise :)

Cori

[Minoushka]

I recently went on EPIC LOVED it WOW what a ship

I am also PLATIMUM on Princess NCL way of douing things is DIFFERENT from Princess which is what freestyle is all about no time schedules or restraints re meal times It worked very well for us

If you enjoy cruising you will enjoy all lines

 

I liked EPIC SOOOOO much I'm going back for the TRANSAT next fall

Go try it You just might like it

 

michele

[Princess Penguin]

After 3 Princess cruises, we went on a Med B2B on NCL. For a very port intensive cruise, I would book NCL again. We loved the fact that we did not have to dress up after an exhausting day in port. We also liked the fact that we did not have to pack dress clothes.

 

NCL was fantastic in addressing my cousin's Vegetarian/milk allergy food requirements. They met with her each evening to determine what she could eat and frequently made her special dishes.

[RDC1]

I have sailed on Celebrity, RCL, Holland America, Princess and NCL.

 

Out of all of those the cruise line that I would not select for a future cruise is NCL.

 

Here are my specific reasons:

 

1. They have used much of the inside space of the ship to create speciality dining. So much that there are few places to just relax and read. If you like speciality dining then you might like NCL, but it did not appeal to us.

2. The food in the specialty dining is really not special. It may be a specific type, but the quality did not rise to the level that one would expect for an additional fee meal on a cruise ship. Two of the worst meals I have ever had while cruising were is specialty dining establishments on NCL.

3. The over branding of "free style". Just about every announcement seemed like an advertisement for the branding of free style. It was over used. Even when what was being offered was not any different than with other cruise lines they had to throw the term into the announcement. The CD could not do an announcement for anything without reminding us of NCL being the home of free style. By the time I got off ship on my last NCL cruise I never wanted to hear that term ever again.

 

With that said the food in the main dining was good. The cabins and service were also good.

[mes531]

The one ship remaining that sails only in Hawaii is part of NCL America, a division that was set up so they could operate solely in with a US itinerary.

 

Most of the crew must be Americans and American wage standards apply.

 

We sailed this itinerary around the Hawaiin Islands, and the only ships that can are the NCL, because they are staffed by Americans. We were upgraded to Penthouse, at a small cost, which was fantastic, with a butler and our own person to book any specialty items. We tried the MDR the first night..horrible service..3 hours and still no complete meal. I felt like I was in a cheap restaurant, no matter what we asked for, it was someone else's job. Bread..one person but no butter, that was someone else. No smiles, no friendliness.:eek: We learned that the only way to eat was to pay for specialty dining, and we had to book and pay for all additional meals. Thank heaven we had the perk of speciality booking, or we would have been out of luck.:rolleyes:

Our room service was also not up to Princess, though our friends had a better stewart than we did. The room was also in need of repair and updating, it looked a little shabby.:(

The butler was fantastic, the balcony incredible, the breakfast in our room super, the itinerary everything we wanted.

If we were to do again, we would do the Princess leaving California and then going around the islands, with a stop in Mexico and then back to California.

Would never do NCL again unless the ports and price were incredible..too good to pass up.

[spyro1952]

The short answer is absolutely not, for the same reasons the majority of the OP's have mentioned. Food is definitely sub-standard, EVERYTHING is an up sell. So while their fares may be less, you are constantly shelling out for a decent meal (which is not even comp to what you get in the MDR on Princess).

[Mema Thompson]

although we have never been on ncl i know many people who have. It seems like the only people liked it was the people that have only sailed on ncl. Just last week i met someone who sailed with them for the first time he said he will never go on another cruise again (any of them) because of his exsperence on ncl. Hope this helps u in making a decision would hate to have someone spend their money and not enjoy the cruise:confused:

[seastheday]

Go try NCL! NCL is the line that brought us (back) to cruising and kept us going so that we had the opportunity to try Princess. The NCL fleet is smaller and we had done most of what NCL offers in NA/Caribbean so we branched out last Christmas/New Years and splurged for a 2-week holiday on the Grand. We loved it, but who wouldn't! We do have a future cruise credit with NCL so will definitely go back.

 

It's fun to try something different, as long as you go with an open mind and heart. How else would you know when you have found your perfect cruise experience? ;)

 

There are lots of posts on CC that make fair comparisons so seek those out if you are really interested.

 

Personally I think we'll avoid Carnival like the plague, not too interested in RCCL, Holland might be a little old for us yet (as with X) and those other little lines are way beyond our budget. But as with everything, if the itinerary & price were right, I don't think I'd EVER turn down a cruise.

[JanetAlice]

I am a Princess fan but had a good time on NCL. I doubt I would use them for an European cruise but it was perfect for a spring break cruise out of NY. (My husband is a professor so we had to go when the college has off. Luckily not many kids, just college young adults who were pretty well behaved) We live a couple of hours north of the city and it was great just taking a bus to the port. The reality is I am paying $1000 per person for a mini-suite for the NCL cruise. Even if you go to an up-charge restaurant every night it is still a reasonable cruise. The entertainment was far superior to Princess. The only downside is finding a quiet place besides the library or your room. I knew it going in that it would be a younger crowd. With that said, we met some lovely people in their 40s and 50s (like us) and had a fun time.

[chisoxfan]

We are not super experienced cruisers (3 Princess, 2 NCL, 2 Celebrity). IMHO all are midline cruise experiences and have their good and bad. I was impressed that NCL greeted us upon boarding with champagne and gave us a personal tour of the ship. Specialty dining was excellent. What I really liked was that balcony rooms were able to eat in a dedicated dining room for breakfast and the layout here was first class. So yes overall I think that Princess had a higher 'rep' than NCL and perhaps Celebrity is 'higher' than Princess but the overall experience is similar and probably depends more on ship, cabin, itinerary, and weather than on the cruiseline. JMHO.

I would not hesitate to cruise NCL but, yes I would probably expect the fare to be lower and/or a higher category cabin before I would choose over Princess or X.

[Deer3649]

We got such a great deal on cruising with NCL in September 2009 to Alaska, we had to take it. We felt that they charged for every little thing and hid some of the additional charges in the Spa. The only way I would cruise with them again is if we got such a good deal we couldn't say "no" and I would watch every penny I spent.

[SteveH2508]

We are not super experienced cruisers (3 Princess, 2 NCL, 2 Celebrity). IMHO all are midline cruise experiences and have their good and bad. I was impressed that NCL greeted us upon boarding with champagne and gave us a personal tour of the ship. Specialty dining was excellent. What I really liked was that balcony rooms were able to eat in a dedicated dining room for breakfast and the layout here was first class. So yes overall I think that Princess had a higher 'rep' than NCL and perhaps Celebrity is 'higher' than Princess but the overall experience is similar and probably depends more on ship, cabin, itinerary, and weather than on the cruiseline. JMHO.

I would not hesitate to cruise NCL but, yes I would probably expect the fare to be lower and/or a higher category cabin before I would choose over Princess or X.

 

A couple of updates/corrections/clarifications. You do not get a glass of sparkling wine on embarkation with NCL now. Suites get to eat breakfast in Cagneys (ordinary balconies and mini-suites do not).

 

Having said that - a lot of the negative reps for NCL seem to come from the POA to Hawaii. In my experience (European cruises with NCL), these complaints are not justified in my experience. JMTPW.

[traveler525]

We liked NCL just fine (of course it was a cruise to Bermuda, what is not to like?:)). We have done 8 on Princess and loved all of them as well. A lot of times it is what you make of it. My DH has to eat gluten free and NCL had the best food items available for him. We really liked their Freestyle Dining too (no lines like we have on Princess). Their entertainment surpassed Princess (and Celebrity and RCL as well in our opinion of course). And the bathroom shower much better :).

[bermuda triangle]

IMHO I'd don't enjoy NCL...unless it is super cheap..because you are going to spend extra money to dine in their specialty restaurants ... if you enjoy food that is ;)

The cabins on the Norweigan Spirit (built originally for the Asian market) are smaller than cabins you will be used to. I'm assuming the other NCL ships have larger cabins.

The shows are high school quality. Not that high schoolers can't sing or dance..but the outfits are very low budget looking.

Freestyle dining is great..if you enjoy seeing people in tank tops and short shorts at dinner..and that's just the men...:eek:

Laura

ps If you want a tattoo airbrushed by the pool..no worries..its a sure thing on NCL! On the Spirit we lucked out and there was a bar brawl..our disembarkation was delayed while the man who not so nicely broke a beer bottle over another man's head was removed by the NYPD..fun times!

[goinjettin]

I agree with the person who said they are more alike than they are different.

 

I have cruised Princess once (soon to be twice) and NCL twice. The Princess ship was the Star Princess and the NCL ships were the NCL Star and the NCL Pearl.

 

I cruised Star Princess and NCL Pearl back to back so they are easier to compare.

 

I like the rooms and pools better on Princess. I like the fact that the pools are spaced out throughout the ship on Princess rather all in one place on one deck like NCL. I liked the fact that the running/walking deck went all the way around on both NCL ships.

 

I thought the buffet on the Pearl was leaps and bounds above Star Princess. The buffet area was a lot bigger and more open so people could move around more easily. As far as the food the NCL Pearl had a lot more variety (espcially fruits, veggies, cheeses, and breads) and seemed much fresher. The desserts were much much better on Princess. The main dining room food I would consider pretty equal on both ships.

 

I enjoyed the entertainment on the Star Princess, but I liked the entertainment on the Pearl much better. Sharkbait was hilarious both nights I saw them perfom and Second City was just great. I think those entertainers are specific to that ship though. I don't remember any standout entertainment the NCL Star so it must not have been anything great.

 

As far as "nickel and diming" I can't think of anything off the top of my head that NCL charged extra for that Princess does not and they both charge about the same for the extras. The pluses are that the gratuities were less and there is a substantial drop in price generally for a 3rd and 4th person in the room.

 

I like them both equally and my decision to sail on one or the other would depend on the itinerary and the price. I have heard some not so great reviews of the Hawaiin route and don't belive I'd ever choose NCL for that. I would however love to check out the Epic. Good luck, I'm sure you will have a great time whichever you choose!

[DMRick]

If my Hi trip on NCL had been my only trip, I would say no to NCL (it was newish with an all American crew, who seemed very upset at the hours they agreed to work). Luckily we did others and have been very happy with them. The one within HI still wasn't that bad. I'd go again if the price was good. But I do like the sea days going to HI on Princess.

Having said that - a lot of the negative reps for NCL seem to come from the POA to Hawaii. In my experience (European cruises with NCL), these complaints are not justified in my experience. JMTPW.

[chisoxfan]

A couple of updates/corrections/clarifications. You do not get a glass of sparkling wine on embarkation with NCL now. Suites get to eat breakfast in Cagneys (ordinary balconies and mini-suites do not).

 

Having said that - a lot of the negative reps for NCL seem to come from the POA to Hawaii. In my experience (European cruises with NCL), these complaints are not justified in my experience. JMTPW.

 

Thanks for your comments. On two cruises we were on, the balcony cabins in certain category's were invited to a breakfast dining room for them. This wasn't Cagney's which was for suite passengers. I thought it was a nice touch as it was a very quiet room and they had a fantastic buffet as well as table service. I have no idea if they do this routinely or if was discountinued (our last NCL cruise was over a year ago).

I didn't care about the champagne so much as was surprised with a greeting and personal tour of the ship by a pleasant young lady upon boarding. Again, have no idea if this is typical but i was a nice touch.

Overall my point being that each ship, voyage, crew may leave different impressions.

[suzyed]

Thanks for your comments. On two cruises we were on, the balcony cabins in certain category's were invited to a breakfast dining room for them. This wasn't Cagney's which was for suite passengers. I thought it was a nice touch as it was a very quiet room and they had a fantastic buffet as well as table service. I have no idea if they do this routinely or if was discountinued (our last NCL cruise was over a year ago).

I didn't care about the champagne so much as was surprised with a greeting and personal tour of the ship by a pleasant young lady upon boarding. Again, have no idea if this is typical but i was a nice touch.

Overall my point being that each ship, voyage, crew may leave different impressions.

You are so right about different impressions....

We sailed the NCL Star twice, both times in a suite, but still the experience was a bit different each time.

 

I have to say, we felt valued as customers on NCL, the crew and staff would always take time to talk to you if you had a question or comment. The hotel manager saw us eating dinner and celebrating our anniversary and sent Champagne over to our table...very nice touch!

 

I like NCL. I also like RCCL, Princess, Cunard and yes, even Carnival(best food of ALL of them in my opinion). We love cruising and we love experiencing different ways of doing it! :)

[tonit964]

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.

 

This is the reason we sail on NCL for the free offers and we upgrade to the suite for those perks.

 

We are going to Vegas next month to pick up another cruise certificate from Total Rewards and will use that for Bermuda next summer.