Thinking of leaving Carnival and trying NCL!?!?!?

[keishashadow]

Been on NCL twice and going on 3rd Carnival in May. I booked our last NCL, the Spirit out of NOLA, for the itin. I looked at Carnival but they were more expensive for that particular time frame. We always book a regular balcony.

MY comparisons

 

Food - I personally prefer Carnival. I found the MDR on NCL to be somewhat tasteless. Additionally I did not really enjoy my meal at Le Bistro all that much. I very much enjoyed Nick and Noras on the (CCL) Miracle. Food is a very subjective topic and my tastes may, and probably do, vary from yours greatly.

Cabins - Again I prefer CCL. The cabins on NCL are smaller and the beds less comfortable. However, the bathrooms are set up much better and are in fact larger on NCL.

Entertainment - This goes to NCL. I enjoyed their shows immensely. The second city players were very funny and the production shows were outstanding.

Crew - Room stewards, basically the same. Wait staff, much better on Carnival. I found the servers on NCL to be brusque, if not rude, or in some cases downright surly. Yes all of the ones I dealt with. Misc. staff most were about the same withthe exception of the customer service people whom I found to be impatient and rude on NCL. Not only with me but with every one else on the line at the same time as I was.

Ships - Again personal taste, Carnival ships are fun and over the top, maybe a little gaudy in places, but I enjoy that kind of ambiance, not everyone does.

I am sure I left things out and many others here will fill them in :D.

 

agree with above poster, only 1 sailing on NCL Star Alaskan itinerary. Had snafu with entire reservation getting cancelled vs a ship excursion week before we sailed, didn't find out until a few days prior and at that point our cabin was re-assigned. If I hadn't checked just one more time not sure what would've happened when we arrived at the ship:eek:.

 

We did have to book what NCL termed a mini suite to have a bed and sofa bed for jr. Nice cabin and had a coffee maker that steward kept well stocked with hot chocolate & coffee.

 

Food was gosh awful in the MDR, tried it 2 nights and steak full of gristle, chicken dry, pasta gummy, indifferent servers. Rest of curise in cadillac lounge for yummy chicken wings and the italian place (curtained off lido deck lol) 3 nights-better strip steak than we had @ cagneys:confused: although jr had a fillet there and said it was great. Breakfast on lido deck slightly better than CCL as to food choices, afternoons they had lots of indian food. The chocolate buffet was also very good.

 

Staff was rag-tag bunch and they proudly referenced it several times that anybody working on that route was a step from termination - a joke? google bingo boy to get an idea of the humor. as to bingo the schill for what seemed to be 5 or 6 games a day was never-ending...probably because weather stunk and too cold to use the pool or much time on outdoor decks - we were captives lol. The entertainment was very good, show numbers, magicians (one who did an afternoon sleight of hand excellent) & comics.

 

only if we ran across an amazing itinerary we consider booking NCL again

[DGP1111]

I am a former Carnival Cruise Lines Milestone customer.

I now exclusively do vacation cruises on NCL and DCL.

I personally thought I deserved better than what I was getting, so I switched the primary loyalty . . . even if it does cost me more.

So far, VERY happy!! :)

 

.

[mrmet1986]

as far as the food goes, mdr on ncl really is a step below carnivals. youll have no choice but to try the paid restaurants. even than cagneys dosent come close to the quality of carnivals steakhouse. that said i think ncl has better ships.

[emcelh]

Our neighbors have sailed numerous times on NCL (their work site gives discounts or something). Anyway, they have nothing good to say about NCL. The food is bad, the service is terrible, the staff is rude, ships seem old, etc. They absolutely hate it when their work books cruises on NCL.

 

We' ve been on several NCL cruises and never had bad food, terrible service, never encountered rude staff and the ships are not old. Actually, our experience is just the opposite.

 

I've only been on 1 Carnival cruise, which probably isn't enough to make a good comparison, but I really didn't find them all that different. If you're considering a suite though, NCL wins hands down.

[emcelh]

as far as the food goes, mdr on ncl really is a step below carnivals. youll have no choice but to try the paid restaurants. even than cagneys dosent come close to the quality of carnivals steakhouse. that said i think ncl has better ships.

 

Maybe it was the ship I was on, (or just a bad week), but I didn't think the food, with the exception of desserts, on my Carnival cruise was any better than on NCL. The fish was always overcooked and dry and the warm chocolate melting cake that I'd heard so much about, was like soup. Someone at our table said it wasn't supposed to be like that.

[lizjoemom]

We have sailed on RCI numerous times, Disney once, Carnival once and Norwegian 3 times, twice before Freestyle and once after Freestyle was implemented.

 

Hands down NCL beat Carnival BEFORE Freestyle, however about 2 years ago we sailed on the Dawn to Bermuda. I can honestly say that I was totally turned off by the Freestyle dining and other things to the point that I will not return to NCL.

 

The biggest problem was that Freestyle is sort of a misnomer, you need to make reservations to eat at the pay restaurants of which there is a pretty good variety on board, however by the time I would call to make the reservation there werent any available for that time, that amount of people etc...so some nights we were forced to split up or go to one of the MDR's and wait for a table with all the other folks who couldnt get into the pay restaurants. Usually it was so crowded in the MDR that the wait was pretty long and our group of 8 could really only sit together twice in the MDR.

 

The food on the Dawn was just awful, especially in the Main Dining room and up on the deck, really some of the worst I have had on a cruise. To tell you the truth, I was shocked, since we had such good experiences on the Norway (BEST food I have ever had on a ship) and the Seaward.

 

The pay restauarants werent terrible, the best being the French restaurant which we ate at twice. As for the Lido deck choices and the Buffets, I thought they were not good. Very few omlette stations, and the eggs on the buffet were definitely powdered and inedible, the cold cuts at lunch on the buffet and even in the made to order sandwiches were pressed meat. I had never been on a ship were they didnt serve real turkey breast or ham on a sandwich, my DH was particularly disturbed by this as he loves him a good sandwich. He was quite pleased with Carnival's deli however when we sailed on the Freedom 3 years ago.

 

The rooms were nice, pretty on par with Carnival, but definitely smaller than Carnival's at least comparing the Dawn with Freedom.

 

Layout of the NCL Dawn wasnt bad, but I did feel that Carnival's ship was roomier on deck and enjoyed the deck movies.

 

The entertainment was pretty good on Carnival and the ship/trip that we went on we had excellent cruise directors! They were involved and fun and always around on the ship. NCL Dawn I rarely saw the CD and they didnt really do to much interacting with the regular passengers. The one thing that the whole family really enjoyed on Dawn was the Second City troop, they were hilarious, really one of the best comedy shows I have seen on a ship.

I guess it is a personal opinion, and many people enjoy this style of cruising. My DH and I prefer to go to dinner on a schedule and since when I am home I am on a perpetual diet, when I go on a cruise I look forward to indulging on delicious food and on the Dawn I was sorely disappointed:(

Needless to say, the trip wasnt terrible, I love Bermuda and a bad day at sea is better than a good day at work:D

 

Good luck in your choice, happy sailing whomever you choose to go with!

 

I will see if I can find any pics to post from the NCL cruise so you could see the layout, pools, room etc.

[jonbgd]

Ive been cruising with CCl for years and will again but I see a B2B on NCL this year. So does that answer your question

 

BTW cruising out of NOLA is a must do

[sparks1093]

I always read these threads with interest because I am doing the opposite- going from NCL to CCL. The consensus seems to be there are few major differences between the two lines.

 

The key to enjoying freestyle dining is to be hungry when everyone else isn't. The staff in the mdr's on NCL won't be calling you by name nor will they know that you like certain things- the experience is more like going to a restaurant. If you eat during off times you don't need reservations in the specialty restaurants.

[Tapi]

But to be honest, with the Platinum benefits, and our travel agency benefits, we get more on Carnival, than if we started over on another line.

 

Free laundry and cutting in line on embarkation and debarkation is enough to keep you from trying other cruise lines and itineraries? :confused:

 

We are Carnival Platinum, yet we have chosen NCL for our upcoming cruise to Alaska! In addition to sailing on an itinerary that truly meets our needs (instead of forcing ourselves to sail on Carnival out of loyalty), we are truly looking forward to experiencing a different ship and cruise line.

 

Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed cruising on Carnival, but now that I'm more interested in cruises in other parts of the world, I NEED to look at what the other cruise lines offer, and I'm thrilled about trying something new.

[iluvdoxies]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED NCL from New Orleans and the ports you mentioned. The crew and even the passengers were friendlier on NCL. The food was better. The entertainment was better. (the 7 night turned into 9 nights because of the tropical storm Lee) I sailed on Carnival out of New Orleans in Nov and it was the worst cruise of any. (my friend who was with me had been on 14 Carnival cruises and she agreed it was the worst also) There wasn't enough to do during the day on the ship. The food wasn't all that good. The crew was rude. The entertainment was very lacking.

 

we have been on 4 NCL cruises= love them ! If you can afford it, go for a suite - the perks are awesome :)

 

Love the food, pools and entertainment. Sogn up for tour roll call = NCL gives you a room with snacks, non alcolic drinks and the ship's officers are there including the Capt to answer questions. They each give a card with their phone ext on it to call if y jave a problem, even the Captn.

[Philly Steve]

Have had good experiences on both cruise lines.

 

I noticed the median age of cruisers tended to be older on our NCL cruises.

I enjoyed the flexibility of "Freestyle Cruising," especially debarkation when you can choose what time to leave the ship from your stateroom instead of a holding area.

 

I wish NCL cruised out of Baltimore.

[MrPete]

We tried NCL on our second cruise sailing on their newest ship.

 

We came screaming back to Carnival, vowing never to return.

 

We have kept our promise.

[Tapi]

We tried NCL on our second cruise sailing on their newest ship.

We came screaming back to Carnival, vowing never to return.

 

Uuuh, no offense but you sailed on the Seaward in 1989....

 

That woud be the equivalent of me telling people not to sail on Carnival because we had a horrible time on the Tropicale almost 20 years ago!

 

:confused:

[Chigirlcruzin]

Go for it! If you look at my signature, I did my first NCL last April. I enjoyed it so much I booked another one for New Years Eve. The food in the MDR was much improved between April and December. I loved all the specialty restaurants. Crew overall seemed very happy. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend NCL to anybody.

[tiffygirl]

One of the things that really irritated our party is that when you get back on the ship from port from your excursions, the very weak buffet was closed. Now, this wasn't important to me so much as the husbands. They would dive in several ports while us ladies shopped so they'd be famished by the time they got back. When we were on Carnival the buffet was open and they could eat. And they would, lol. And then we'd get ready for dinner and they'd eat again. But they did burn calories all day and even though they ate onshore, they were starving, and very thirsty. This is one of the things we really disliked about NCL. Between 2-5 on port days there seemed to be nothing going on at all either, they wanted us all in our cabins then it seemed. Weird.

 

 

i sailed on the Pearl in January, on Port days full buffet was in effect. Live music on deck and plenty of food options. i made it a point not to eat in port because of the huge selection of food I would be getting.

[fergusonvt]

Yes very little difference. Atmosphere the same.

 

Glass of champagne (sparking fluid) on embarkation on NCL is a nice touch.

 

Corkage fee on NCL at embarkation security for the two bottles you are allowed to board with is disappointing. ie You pay corkage whether you consume it in your room or one of their venues.

 

Good or Bad dependant upon your preference are no formal, sorry, elegant nights on NCL.

 

Food not as good in MDR on NCL as Carnival but you have a number of choices to pay extra $$ to get good food.

 

Same itinerary NCL vs Carnival I would have to see the NCL cruise be $100 per person less than Carnival before I would book with NCL.

 

 

Sorry to say no embarkation Champagne, wine or anything free on NCL. You can of course buy something. I love NCL and will be trying Carnival for the first time next year. For those that aren't a fan of YTD (freestyle on Carnival) it may not be a good fit but I love it. There are usually two dress up or not nights on a 7 night cruise and on our 2 NCL cruises I saw lots of folks dressed up to the nines. Tuxes, gowns etc. You can if you want to but don't have to. There is usually 1 MDR and 1 specialty restaurant that doesn't allow shorts but night jeans are allowed everyone on any night.

 

The Carnival cruise I just booked (7 night) is more expensive than the NCL cruise I took in 2011 and almost as expensive as the one we took in Jan. of this year. It would have been if I hadn't upgraded to a suite.

 

Try it and keep and open mind. That is what my plan is for next year.

[tiffygirl]

I listened to the NCL naysaayers for years and refused to sail NCL because of the 'freestyle' concept. I was a travel agent and I would steer clients away from NCL.

 

I finally sailed them, the Pearl, I had a blast. I realized I was sooo wrong in my prejudgement of them.

 

The food was great. Sure there were dishes i didnt like but trust me, you wont go hungry. I can eat at a local establishment on land and pick a dish i dont like but i wont make a general comment and say the every dish on the menu is just 'god awful'...REALLY??:rolleyes:

 

I thought the entertainent was great. Always something to do. i am solo traveler so that is a deal breaker for me.

 

The staff was super friendly, they knew me by name and i knew them. Probably the friendliest I have ever encountered. Customer service was always friendly.

 

I will say although I enjoyed freestyle, i prefer traditional dininig. But with that being said its not a deal breaker. I have booked the Epic and the Breakaway so I will adjust...and when in Rome...do as the Romans...:D

 

A cruise is what you make it. So enjoy. If you decide that NCL is not for you after you tried it, then don't sail them again. But at least you know.

[MrPete]

Uuuh, no offense but you sailed on the Seaward in 1989....

 

That woud be the equivalent of me telling people not to sail on Carnival because we had a horrible time on the Tropicale almost 20 years ago!

 

:confused:

 

Why? Many people got hooked on Carnival sailing the Tropicale, as well as other Carnival ships that were once new.

 

I don't see the analogy at all. Nor would I mind those posting that they swore off Carnival because whatever they experienced kept them from coming back.

 

NCL was just an extremely poor imitation of Carnival, IOO.0

[Lets Ride]

Anytime dining while wearing blue jeans attracts many. Kinda like flys to honey. I would stick with Carnvore as free fruit baskets are plentiful.

[nbsjcruiser]

We've done 4 Carnival cruises and just recently came off the NCL Pearl, sister ship to the Star. IMHO, you'll find the service better on NCL. They really stress that and it is apparent almost the minute you walk on the ship. The food is noticeably better in the main dining rooms and the anytime dining is something they have down pat. The multiple dining options are nice too. Many restaurants to pick from with great food. I also found the ship just looked nicer without that disco look of the Carnival ships. Lastly, the entertainment was very good on NCL. I've found that on Carnival it tends to lean toward the amateurish side whereas NCL (and RCI for that matter too) tend to being in professional entertainers. I will say the comedy club is pretty good on Carnival - got to give them props on that.

 

As you can see from my sig below, we're going back on the Pearl next year so that should tell you how I feel about it.

[jules815]

Back when we had only sailed with RC, if I had paid attention to the negative things posted about Carnival on the RC board, I never would have tried Carnival. I'm really glad we did. :D (Not all RC cruisers bashed Carnival; it seemed like the majority sailed both lines; depending on itinerary and price.)

 

If the itinerary is good, you should go for it!

[nbsjcruiser]

Free laundry and cutting in line on embarkation and debarkation is enough to keep you from trying other cruise lines and itineraries? :confused:

 

We are Carnival Platinum, yet we have chosen NCL for our upcoming cruise to Alaska! In addition to sailing on an itinerary that truly meets our needs (instead of forcing ourselves to sail on Carnival out of loyalty), we are truly looking forward to experiencing a different ship and cruise line.

 

Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed cruising on Carnival, but now that I'm more interested in cruises in other parts of the world, I NEED to look at what the other cruise lines offer, and I'm thrilled about trying something new.

 

Well said. I often look at people's signatures to see what cruises they've taken and I'm surprised to see that many people keep doing the same ships and itineraries cruise and cruise and I can't imagine doing that. We did 4 RCI cruises in a row and enjoyed everyone of them but we switched to Carnival for a while to see what it was like. We did 3 on Liberty, Valor and Destiny and by then I was tired of the same style ship, same layout same food same entertainment. That's why we've switched to NCL. Variety is the spice of life.

[TrinaLC]

Our neighbors have sailed numerous times on NCL (their work site gives discounts or something). Anyway, they have nothing good to say about NCL. The food is bad, the service is terrible, the staff is rude, ships seem old, etc. They absolutely hate it when their work books cruises on NCL.

 

I hope I never have the very dubious pleasure of encountering your neighbors.

 

Why don't they just stay home if this is their attitude?

 

FWIW, I have never had a bad cruise on NCL. I give it the edge over Carnival because of the freestyle dining and the many restaurant choices. The staff has always been wonderful. The food is certainly as good as Carnival, if not better.

[rednose83]

Done NCL 3 times- CCL I think 6 times.

 

My NCL Spirit cruise from NOLA- I loved.

 

The 2 on the Sky not so much.

 

On the Spirit, I thought NCL's food was better than CCL's. About = when on the sky.

 

I've never had to wait on nNCL to get in the dining room or not been able to get reservations at the $ options.

[lizjoemom]

I always read these threads with interest because I am doing the opposite- going from NCL to CCL. The consensus seems to be there are few major differences between the two lines.

 

The key to enjoying freestyle dining is to be hungry when everyone else isn't. The staff in the mdr's on NCL won't be calling you by name nor will they know that you like certain things- the experience is more like going to a restaurant. If you eat during off times you don't need reservations in the specialty restaurants.

 

I agree, our experience was the same. If you could not get a reservation, you could try to go and walk in, but it was impossible with a party of more than 4. You could put your name on a list or try back later, but if you were planning on seeing a particular show then that could screw up that plan. Then after that, you were relegated to going to a MDR, in which we really did not care for the food at all, and sometimes we would have to wait for a table there.

I think that for some people Freestyle cruising works out well, maybe younger couples who are more flexible, people who like to hang out in the bar or eat dinner late, big time gamblers who get caught up in the casino, etg., but for us a family of four traveling with my brother and his family, it just didnt work for us. That and the quality of the food were disappointing.

As I said we certainly enjoyed our cruise but would not do NCL Freestyle again.