Princess vs NCL?

[singwithjoy]

We have sailed on Princess and loved it. Please compare to NCL

Never been on NCL. The bowling on the Pearl seems nice.

Not into heavy drinking and late night partying.

What is there to do in the daytime? How is the food?

It seems to cost a lot to do all the special restaurants if you so choose to.

Is the dress code seem too casual? Is it more for the younger crowds?

We are in our fifties. How is the inside cabins? How is the ship decor?

How is the nightime entertainment? Movies? Shows?

Places to slow dance? The Epic decor looks very weird.

Not into "Blue Man Group" or "ice bars"

[Sauer-kraut]

The Epic decor looks very weird.

Not into "Blue Man Group" or "ice bars"

 

Well, NCL has a few other ships that don't have the BMG or an ice bar. Decor is understated compared to a Carnival ship. Bowling has a fee but includes shoe rental. Cabins can be smaller than what you are used to, however there is more than adequate storage space.

 

Food is entirely personal, for me I enjoy the food on cruise ships in general.

 

I've sailed NCL when in my early forties and just as I was turning 50, but it all depends on when and where you are cruising as well as the length of the cruise.

 

Specialty restaurants range in fees from $10-25 per person, BUT if you don't want to spend any money there are many, many opportunities to eat for fee on NCL ships in varied venues.

 

I like casual, don't like having to pack 'extra' stuff when I know I am within the suggested dress code in pants, capris or skirts. I don't usually eat in pay venues so I don't need to consider dressing up at all. What is too casual for you?? You can't dine in your swimsuit unless you're sitting on the pool deck.

 

I like most shows, I never really watched a movie on a ship, and tv programs tend to be limited.

 

These are just my observations, you'll have to do more homework and search the forum for answers to your questions.

[itzmered]

We love Princess and NCL also. I think you will find that there are more activities on NCL compared to Princess. I also think the shows are much better on NCL than on Princess. A little more variety of types of shows than just the song and dance shows that are the Princess staple NCL doesnt have MUTS which we really enjoy but they do show movies in the Theater on occasion. THere are just as many free venues to eat at on NCL as there are on Princess you just get more pay venues on NCL. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on either one. We are in upper 40's and not big time partiers either :)

[danfiveoh]

We are right around 50 and have been on 8 NCL cruises, including the Pearl. We've also been on several RCCL, Carnival and Celebrity cruises but went on our first Princess cruise last year, on the Crown. On Princess, I found the food to be slightly better in the main dining room than on NCL and the average passenger was slightly more dressed up than on NCL. I got the impression that Princess enforces dress codes for evening dining more than NCL does. Based on only one Princess cruise, I think the entertainment is better on NCL, although I will say that I enjoyed MUTS. And I think that there are more activities going on during sea days on NCL. I actually think that Princess is closer to NCL overall than any of the other lines than we have been on, so if you are a Princess cruiser, I think you will enjoy NCL.

[Dawn24]

We were Princess loyalists (even got married on the Golden) until having a kid :) Princess charges full 3rd fare where NCL often discounts the 3rd fare so we now sail with NCL as well.

 

We like NCL just fine. Some comparisons:

 

My cabin stewards were better on Princess (even though I had a suite on one of my NCL cruises). Princess stewards always follow the signage. My steward on my NCL cruise ignored my sign, entering room when DND was out and ignoring the "please make up" sign. I was out of my room for 5 hours on a sea day with no service!

 

Food is better on Princess. If you book specialty restaurants they are on par or better than main dining room food on Princess, so this is an issue easily remedied. I did enjoy the more casual dress code on NCL. It made packing much easier. The shower on NCL was superior as it actually had a glass door instead of a curtain!

 

We like comedians/magicians/pub nighcomedians on Princess. We aren't really into the stage show. If you are sailing on Epic though, the entertainment comparison is moot.

 

Princess has a superior tendering/disembarkation procedure, but in general that is a small part of you trip.

 

Kids club hours are more liberal on NCL, but I think the quality of the Princess kids club was superior.

 

Pools are freshwater on Princess. They are Saltwater on NCL. However waterslides are fun :)

 

Coffee Bars are comparable. NCL does not have anything that compares to the International Cafe though.

 

NCL has an awesome chocolate buffet that i absolutely ADORE however the rest of the week is lacking in quality chocolate desserts.

 

We do our own shore excursions so I cannot compare those.

 

all in all, since we pay quite a bit less on NCL, and we are at sea, we feel the cost/ROI on our experience to work out about the same:) We did book another sailing while onboard NCL.

 

Carnival, I would not personally sail again. But NCL and Princess, yes please :)

[4774Papa]

Based on my research on Princess cruises, they appear to be more expensive than NCL>

[CrazyCanucks]

My wife and I have been on both lines. And just came back from NCL Dawn.

 

For booking with children NCL is cheaper.

 

Some differences we noticed are:

 

1) Princess is less casual - Not uncommon to see sweat shorts and t-shirts in the main dining room on NCL. Not my thing.

2) We really like Movies Under the Stars - Only on Princess

3) Food was great on both lines. Never had bad food, however variety was limited on NCL. By that I mean main dining room fair. 4 of our 11 nights the "Chef's Special" was chicken breast.

4) No conditioner on NCL. This wasn't as important to me as it was to my wife. It couldn't even be purchased at the gift shop.

 

Ultimately, either line you will eat great food, have a great time, and (in my case especially) drink too much.

 

Cheers.

[justcake]

I was a huge NCL fan until I sailed on Princess. The food was better, I love MUTS, the International Cafe is amazing, the cabin was larger etc. etc. etc. If Princess was still sailing from Brooklyn I would be sailing only on Princess from now on but unfortunately they only sail Canada/New England from Brooklyn now. NCL is still a good choice (although I hated the Epic....too big, didn't care for the entertainment other than the Circus dinner) food is good and available all the time and the ships very nice. I would sail on the Spirit again in a second as it is a smaller more quaint ship. It really is personal choice though. If you love Princess you will most likely like NCL. Any cruise is what you make of it IMHO.

[jasperess]

I've sailed on both NCL and Princess, and overall, while there are pros and cons to both, we prefer NCL.

 

I feel like NCL had far more to do during the daytime, and a lot more varied activities. However, Princess has slightly more adventurous food (although sometimes the entrees were hit or miss). Generally what I've had on NCL for food has been decent to pretty good in the dining rooms consistently and excellent at Le Bistro, one of the specialty restaurants (definitely recommend!). I feel like it's worth the upcharge, and is much better than Princess' free food or extra charge restaurant.

 

I felt that the dress on NCL was casual, but not too much so. I enjoyed being able to wear whatever and then dress up (if we wanted) on Dress Up or Not nights (or whenever, it's up to you!). The casualness in no way distracted me from our trip - guess I just don't pay as much attention as some people on here.

 

Can't speak to the inside cabins on NCL, as I only had them on Princess. As far as the decor, it's more understated on Princess and a bit more lively on NCL, but in no way over the top.

 

The nighttime entertainment is much superior on NCL - better show, more nighttime games (if you're into that), and they also show movies during the day and in the evening sometimes.

 

Can't really comment on places to slow dance, though. Otherwise, hope this helps! :)

[Richie2pies]

I cruise on both lines and find Princess to be better. The price is better on NCL and the entertainment is better and dress is more casual. Princess has much better food (although I never starved on NCL) and larger cabins. It will come down to your personal preference.

[SteveH2508]

We have sailed both. They are more alike than different. I have done a review comparing the two lines (link is in my signature block).

NB - Princess's smoking policy is now a lot more restrictive than NCL's.

[sunshine nana]

We have been on Princess 4 times and NCL 3 times (last 2 in a suite which made a big difference). Both had great stewards, but Princess has better service throughout the ship and much better service and food in MDR. Entertainment on NCL was a little better.