HAL cruiser looking at switching Needs Help

[Shadowsmom]

With HAL pulling out of NY and we don't wish the hassles of flying to FL (been there, done that), we are looking at NCL out of NY. I would like to know what differences we would notice switching to Jewel.

 

We sailed on the Nordam and the Eurodam balcony. I'm considering a mid ship balcony. HAL is an older, non party group on the whole, how is NCL in this area.

 

We've always enjoyed the food in the MDR. Is there much difference in the food served? I am looking forward to trying the freestyle dining.

 

If there is something real different between the two lines, I'd appreciate the heads up

[HokiePoq]

I like both lines. That said, a lot will depend on when you choose to cruise. If you go during school holidays, you'll find a lot of families with kids (good or bad depending on your perspective). I love the Gem and Jade and I think the Jewel is of the same class. The theaters are better on the NCL ships I've been on except for the Sun. HAL food is better in my opinion but NCL food is fine. I'm platinum on NCL but have about the same number of days on HAL which requires 200 for the good perks. I am a long way from 4 star mariner/200 days. I love the freestyle dining. That way one can participate in whatever activities and entertainment and not miss out due to set dining. DH loves it as he doesn't have to pack a suit. As You Wish didn't work so well on us on our last HAL cruise although it did okay on the Westerdam in a previous year. Both have good service and are interested in customer feedback for improvement. NCL has better lounge entertainment from my perspective, stage shows about the same. In fact, one act I liked on the Jade in December was on the Rotterdam in January. Entertainment on the whole on HAL is geared toward the older demographic. I don't mind sailing with folks older than me and have met a lot of interesting people on HAL as well as on NCL.

[Starry Eyes]

Well, the main line cruise lines all have more in common than different, I suppose...that said, I'd say NCL and HAL are as far apart as I can imagine among the mainstream lines. As HAL cruisers, please correct me if I am wrong, having only taken one HAL cruise..Anyway HAL seems very traditional, drawing an older crowd of traditional cruisers. NCL tends to break the mold of cruising..NCL is more casual with open dining, less scheduling. On average NCL's ships are larger than HAL's, with funkier, brighter decor than HAL's. HAL diners love their food, I know, though I found it bland...NCL's may or may not suit your taste.

 

If you are a major HAL fan considering other lines out of the greater NY area, I'd suggest looking at Celebrity and Princess (if they still sail from there). Probably RCI is next most similar, NCL least similar.

 

Happy sails, no matter which line you select.

[luddite]

Freestyle Dining is the main difference.

Not everyone likes it.

If the same waiter,companions and dinner time are a big deal for you, Freestyle might be a problem for you.

[Fishbait17]

I will agree that the crowd definitely depends on when you sail. Have taken the Jewel twice from NYC to Bahamas and Fla. The first one, mid-summer, was a much younger crowd and a party atmosphere, plus lots of families. My December sailing (before the holidays) had a much older, more sedate crowd. Don't know how this would apply to Bermuda sailings.

 

Robin

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[stormynow]

Having sailed on all lines mentioned, your right on with your post.

Well, the main line cruise lines all have more in common than different, I suppose...that said, I'd say NCL and HAL are as far apart as I can imagine among the mainstream lines. As HAL cruisers, please correct me if I am wrong, having only taken one HAL cruise..Anyway HAL seems very traditional, drawing an older crowd of traditional cruisers. NCL tends to break the mold of cruising..NCL is more casual with open dining, less scheduling. On average NCL's ships are larger than HAL's, with funkier, brighter decor than HAL's. HAL diners love their food, I know, though I found it bland...NCL's may or may not suit your taste.

 

If you are a major HAL fan considering other lines out of the greater NY area, I'd suggest looking at Celebrity and Princess (if they still sail from there). Probably RCI is next most similar, NCL least similar.

 

Happy sails, no matter which line you select.

[willysgrandma]

Great advice. Unfortunately, except for a couple of New England cruises, Princess has pulled out of NY.

 

Well, the main line cruise lines all have more in common than different, I suppose...that said, I'd say NCL and HAL are as far apart as I can imagine among the mainstream lines. As HAL cruisers, please correct me if I am wrong, having only taken one HAL cruise..Anyway HAL seems very traditional, drawing an older crowd of traditional cruisers. NCL tends to break the mold of cruising..NCL is more casual with open dining, less scheduling. On average NCL's ships are larger than HAL's, with funkier, brighter decor than HAL's. HAL diners love their food, I know, though I found it bland...NCL's may or may not suit your taste.

 

If you are a major HAL fan considering other lines out of the greater NY area, I'd suggest looking at Celebrity and Princess (if they still sail from there). Probably RCI is next most similar, NCL least similar.

 

Happy sails, no matter which line you select.

[debnjoe1438]

I've sailed once on HAL and enjoyed it, however other than the freestyle, I didn't see much difference. DH likes to tell people he was spoiled on HAL and had more fun on NCL:D

[Seago2]

Of the six lines I have sailed, I would say that HAL and Cunard are the farthest away from NCL in terms of the entire ship experience. NCL food used to be great, then good, then fine, and now? I can always find something very good on the menu, but the desserts are absolutely vile. Breakfast is not great. The cost cutting across the board is very obvious to me. I sailed the same ship (Spirit) three years in a row and was able to pick up on the changes from year to year- none of them good. This last cruise on the Dawn made me run to HAL and I don't think I will look back.

 

That said:o, it's still a cruise! It's still the most fun you can have without breaking the law:p. The price sure is right. People are nice. The upsell restaurants are all quite good- try Cagney's. If you have kids they will have a lot more fun.

 

If I had to save money and get to a nearby port I would take the eyeball-searing Pride out of Baltimore or the Glory. IMHO Carnival actually has a classier act going on than NCL.

[flashdog_1]

I have had several NCL cruises, and only one HAL. My other cruises have been with Celebrity and Princess.

 

You want point by point comparisons?

 

Cabins: larger on HAL older ships, on their newer ones, not much difference, I don't think. You can find those on any travel site.

 

Dining: Fixed dining on HAL w/same tablemates etc. is nothing like NCL which allows you to eat whenever you want, and in whatever restaurant, too (some are extra charges). I think all the main cruise lines are copying NCL and now offering an any time dining, but it will still be slightly different than the traditional dining. For instance, we did our own choice dining on Princess, but we could not use one dining room which was reserved for fixed dining. oh well. We were pleased, and always got a table for 2 if we wanted, even on Princess. We like NCL food. And with half a dozen surcharge restaurants there are lots more choices than on HAL. Yes, we liked HAL's food, too.

 

Entertainment: NCL has more, and more variety, but nothing as classy as say Celebrity with their string quartets. I was not impressed on HAL. (I hAve two music degrees).

 

Room Stewards: efficient, friendly ones on NCL, no bowing and scraping.

 

Price? Generally you can get a better cabin for the same price as a lesser cabin on HAL. If you want to use the difference in fares on specialty NCL restaurants, it may even out.

 

NCL has all types of passengers from old to young. For the most part they are friendly and do know how to have fun (or not as in freestyle).

 

Passenger elevators are NOT used on for the delivery of room service on NCL, so your room service should be faster since there's no giving way to passengers when a crew member was on the elevator with your room service order as on HAL.

 

Safety (muster) drill: NCL takes roll.

 

It's a cruise on either line, and you can't go wrong if your only criteria is picking a port near NY!

[Prada Cowboy]

YES it all depends on the passengers!

HAL is a lot more classy and much more is included. The biggest difference is the food! While you can eat wonderful in HAL's main dining room you can not do this on NCL. That means calculate into your cruisefare already the many Specialty Restaurants. The cruise will come cheaper though from the beginning so it won't be a stretch. Also for example little extras like the ELEMIS Bathroom Ameneties on HAL ships you find only on NCL Suites! There is not even a bar of soap or conditioner in a regular NCL cabin.

[Richie2pies]

NCL is worth the price, but HAL is much better. The food on NCL has become pretty bad, although you will always find something to eat. NCL tends to have more kids if that concerns you, but if you rent a suite, NCL is best. It all depends on how much you are willing to pay and how important food is to you.

[yoyocruiser]

Honestly, give it a try. I think people here have given great advice. (From my standpoint, I have never had any vile food or even marginal food.) That said, an NCL is likely to be less expensive. So take that extra money and eat in specialty restaurants--the Italian one is as little as $10 extra per person. I think most folks agree that the food in the specialty restaurants is quite good--I think it would certainly be on par with the food in the HAL MDRs. Go with an open mind. Check out the suites--given that NCL is a bit lower cost, you may be able to go in a suite for a similar price to an HAL balcony. If that is the case then you can have breakfast and lunch in Cagney's with extra charges. The suite experience on NCL is really nice. But to be realistic--I think you will need to put a little extra money into it to upgrade the experience--and then you will likely be quite happy. (And likely still pay less than on HAL). There is a chance that you may like the entertainment even better--we have been wowed by some of the entertainment. And as others said--do be careful of your dates. Because NCL is more affordable you are goign to run into more families--I myself like that. But if you are use to HAL and an older more sedate crowd, you might be very unhappy. But I truly think there is a way to make it work well for you.

[swedish weave]

Honestly, give it a try. I think people here have given great advice. (From my standpoint, I have never had any vile food or even marginal food.) That said, an NCL is likely to be less expensive. So take that extra money and eat in specialty restaurants--the Italian one is as little as $10 extra per person. I think most folks agree that the food in the specialty restaurants is quite good--I think it would certainly be on par with the food in the HAL MDRs. Go with an open mind. Check out the suites--given that NCL is a bit lower cost, you may be able to go in a suite for a similar price to an HAL balcony. If that is the case then you can have breakfast and lunch in Cagney's with extra charges. The suite experience on NCL is really nice. But to be realistic--I think you will need to put a little extra money into it to upgrade the experience--and then you will likely be quite happy. (And likely still pay less than on HAL). There is a chance that you may like the entertainment even better--we have been wowed by some of the entertainment. And as others said--do be careful of your dates. Because NCL is more affordable you are goign to run into more families--I myself like that. But if you are use to HAL and an older more sedate crowd, you might be very unhappy. But I truly think there is a way to make it work well for you.

 

I think you meant to say "breakfast and lunch at Cagney's with- no -extra charges."

[knitlady037]

We like both lines. When HAL's Noordam left NY we flew to Florida to cruise. Had a wonderful cruise ruined by a airport day from hell experience on the way home. When we got home, cancelled the next cruise we had booked on the Noordam and went with the NCL Gem. We booked a suite on both ships. The difference in price between a HAL suite + the codt of airfare + the cost of a hotel room the night before still was less than a NCL cruise in an aft penthouse suite eating in the specialty restaurants every night.

The dining experience between the two ships is very different. I love HAL's set dining. Their food is wonderful and the experience is much more elegant than NCL-especially on formal nights. I ate in the main dining room on NCL one night and had to get a sandwich afterwards, but that is just me. My DH had no problem with the food and other passengers I spoke with dined everynight in the MDR and loved it. Foos is subjective. I am a foodie and love elegant plating and unrushed service. You will get that on HAL. I loved the pay restaurants on NCL. Also the suite perk of being able to eat in Cagney's for breakfast is a really big perk.

When we were going on a late afternoon shore excursion with a couple sailing in a non suite we ordered a Cagney's lunch for 4 delivered to our room and had a great lunch.

If you can afford to upgrade to even the lowest priced full suite on NCL I would say go for it. You will be royally spoiled. This is where NCL wins over HAL.

[flashdog_1]

NCL has dress up or not night. Some people go formal, and others just wear whatever they were wearing on an excursion. No restaurant is set aside as a formal venue. If formal is important to you, then definitely book Le Bistro on dress up or not night.

 

I think everyone is forgetting that people new to NCL may be totally charmed with this new freedom. It happened to us, and we are glad it did. We feel comfortable on ANY cruise line. We just adapt. I think we all get stuck in ruts by pinholing a cruise line as a "type" and need to loosen up in evaluating our experiences. Yes, of course you want the best fit, but unless you've tried it, how can you know for sure? I thought I was a snobby stick in the mud, preferring X, but found I loved NCL, too even though it is very different.

 

If not flying is that important to you, take a ship out of the New York area and see if you like it. You are not committing to a lifetime of sailing with the new line! Just have fun on a new line. As others have said, perhaps Celebrity would be a better match to your HAL preferences. But don't be scared to try NCL if you want to sail right out of Manhattan instead of New Jersey.