Celebrity vs Norwegian

[FLMO]

I've only been on Celebrity cruises in the past. I am now going on a Norwegian cruise thru Alaska. Anyone been on both lines? got any differences worth mentioned? thanks

 

While we were waiting to get on a Norwegian ship a few years ago, I started talking to another passenger. I told her this was our first Norwegian cruise. We had done 5 Celebrity cruises in the past, but the price was right on this one. She told me that I would hate NCL. She was right-never again! Celebrity has it all over NCL. We were in a balcony cabin, not a suite,so I can't comment on the suites which are supposed to be pretty good. The cruise was mediocre-nothing horrible, but just lacking in the small things which makes Celebrity stand out.

 

Alaska is so beautiful. Enjoy your cruise.

[gskimmel]

We've mainly sailed on Celebrity (Aqua class) but decided to try the Epic (suite) for a change. However, the comments about Celebrity's MDR being better than Epic worries me because I thought the food in Celebrity's MDR was horrible. We much preferred the food and service we got in Blu.

[infoprof56]

I will start by saying that I have been on both and I like them both. They are different but neither could be called bad or anything like a cheap motel. I have stayed in some cheap motels and they can be scary. I sure never saw a bug or really anything dirty on an NCL ship.

NCL is livelier, more crowded and to many more fun! Others do not want the more party atmosphere and that is certainly a valid concern.

Celebrity in my opinion attracts and overall more sedate clientele. There isn’t much partying and late night activity.

Food varies from cruise to cruise so a one-time cruiser on any line may have a bad experience which should not be generalized. The entertainment is different, but not that much. With a few exceptions, I find almost all cruise line entertainment to be average at best. If I wanted to see a good show I would go to New York for a week and take in some Broadway shows and clubs. As for the staff, I have found that the majority of the crew members on both lines are excellent. It is actually amazing to me considering the working conditions and pay that they are so cheerful and accommodating. We have had a wonderful time interacting with the bar staffs in particular on both lines.

If you go into it expecting the same experience as Celebrity, you may be disappointed. If you are open minded I think you will find that both lines have things that make for wonderful experiences.

Having said all that, you are going to Alaska. I would take a cabin on a freighter for that trip for all the difference it makes. You will likely be off the ship all day every day doing things. In Alaska the destination will outshine any ship.

[Cruising89143]

I did post on both.. I figured different kind of people would respond to both. I am getting great feedback. This is really a good community.

 

Amazing couple of posts by you on the NCL board and I noticed that you linked this thread to the one over there. If you did not want honest feedback then why did you ask? I don't think anyone called NCL pink slime. Each cruise line is different which is a good thing. If NCL fits your needs then that's great. Some of us just don't think that they measure up to some of the other cruise lines that we have cruised.

[Ghengis Klown]

by no means did I want to create any anger or drama. I just made a observation (maybe a lil to far) and I am sorry for that. I knew these two lines are very different, and I knew the feeling about each line would be different in different forums. I've gotten GREAT feedback from both. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Sorry

[boogs]

It seems that some posters are quick to 'knock' NCL (based on their own experiences and/or what they have heard from others)

 

And what is wrong with that? We all make decisions based on our experiences. If someone has a bad experience, they should have as much of a right to share it as someone who has had a good experience. If I ate at a restaurant and got food poisoning, should I not "knock" the restaurant for fear of being too quick to point out a bad experience? Life isn't always perfect.

[Ghengis Klown]

and just a quick reply after reading your post again. I loved my X cruises, I don't want to bash by any means. It was between X and NCL on this trip, and I decided on NCL cause I had been on X before. once again sorry to offend you

[ariawoman]

Celebrity serves coke products, NCL serves Pepsi products. To some, this doesn't matter, to me, it's a dealbreaker for vacation :-) Love my coca-cola!

[DMH15]

Not comparable - X is day and NCL is night.

 

What a funny statement. I would not want a world with all days or all night!

[wednesday]

I will start by saying that I have been on both and I like them both. They are different but neither could be called bad or anything like a cheap motel. I have stayed in some cheap motels and they can be scary. I sure never saw a bug or really anything dirty on an NCL ship.

NCL is livelier, more crowded and to many more fun! Others do not want the more party atmosphere and that is certainly a valid concern.

Celebrity in my opinion attracts and overall more sedate clientele. There isn’t much partying and late night activity.

Food varies from cruise to cruise so a one-time cruiser on any line may have a bad experience which should not be generalized. The entertainment is different, but not that much. With a few exceptions, I find almost all cruise line entertainment to be average at best. If I wanted to see a good show I would go to New York for a week and take in some Broadway shows and clubs. As for the staff, I have found that the majority of the crew members on both lines are excellent. It is actually amazing to me considering the working conditions and pay that they are so cheerful and accommodating. We have had a wonderful time interacting with the bar staffs in particular on both lines.

If you go into it expecting the same experience as Celebrity, you may be disappointed. If you are open minded I think you will find that both lines have things that make for wonderful experiences.

Having said all that, you are going to Alaska. I would take a cabin on a freighter for that trip for all the difference it makes. You will likely be off the ship all day every day doing things. In Alaska the destination will outshine any ship.

 

Well said! :)

[loubetti]

I've never been on NCL, but my quality experience with Celebrity was very similar to my quality experience with Cunard, maybe in some ways better! But overall, and aside from Cunard's Grill classes, and the fame of the name, I would put Celebrity pretty much on par with Cunard. Cunard isn't quite what it used to be either unless you are in the Grill cabins.

[NiaNirvana]

I dined in Cagney's my first night of the cruise (4/1) and the food was HORRIBLE. I have eaten steak at restaurants from Ponderosa to the Capital Grill and I have never come across the poor consistency and quality of the ribeye I was served. The truffle fries were laughable. They weren't even steak fries and the truffle oil and parsley were hard to discern. The salmon appetizer was good but that was the highlight. The ribeye served at Indidgo was better and didn't require an upcharge. After that experience, I was reluctant to try the other speciality restaurants. Good luck and remember, they do have a 24 hour cancellation policy on the speciality restaurants.

[KaththeTaff]

We have sailed on NCL and Princess, but have yet to sail on Celebrity (booked for June). The debates about the different lines ar ealways very itneresting, and each brand has it's cheerleaders who think the other lines are not do good as their favourite. And there is absolutely nothign wrong with that, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

 

That said, we have had two cruises on the same ship, which have had vastly different atmospheres. Whether this is down to the length of cruise, the region, the port of embarkation or something else entirely I don't know. Suffice to say we have enjoyed every single cruise we have been on, although they have all been different.

 

As we haven't yet sailed Celebrity, I can't comment on them, but we although we found a great many differences between NCL and Princess, we can't say that one or the other are better for the prices we paid. Yes, the food was generally better on the latter, with the exception of breakfast, but other things were better on NCL.

 

The main thing, as others have said, is to go with an open mind and focus on having a great time!

[ISABELLA]

I haven't been on Celebrity yet, but have been on NCL and I just don't understand all of the totally negative comments.:confused: (dirty days inn??) We had great service, the ship was clean and it was one of our favorite cruises to date. We did book when we got an onboard credit and we used it to eat in the specialty restaurants every night and made the most of the freestyle concept. We also enjoyed the fact that the MDR was open on embarkation day. We were in a mini-suite on the GEM.

 

Next time if you try regular room and eat in MDR, wonder if the opinion will change....

[fairext11]

We have cruised only once (so far)-Alaska. We chose Celebrity because is seemed a good fit for us. We also went with Consierge Class- mostly due to the cabin location. Any "Perks" were a joke. Celebrity certainly did not live up to our expectations. The staff were almost "surly"-Actually the girl at Cova was outright ignorant for the first two days, until I mustered up the nerve to go to customer service. Afterward she was over the top happy-uncomfortably so. Other places we found the staff to be very unfriendly were the fresh juice bar, the MDR, the spa cafe,and well, pretty well everywhere. The worst was our room steward, who didn't say more than a grunted hello, and sarcastic smile each day. I still don't even know what is name was, and he, I'm sure, had no idea of ours. The bathroomwas not cleaned each day, the bed haphazardly made with handfuls of their cholcolates thrown over them., and onto the floor. The bucket full of melted ice, sat on the desk for two days, before we dumped it. The one time we did order room service breakfast, they brought it an hour early, and then made us feel like it was our fault. I have never felt so unwelcome on a vacation.I filled in my comment card on board, e-mailed my concerns when we got home, and received nothing from Celebrity-other than a barrage of mail, for future sailings. We loved cruising. Are hooked, and looking to the Caribbean. It most certaily will not be with Celebrity

[Warmer Climes]

Next time if you try regular room and eat in MDR, wonder if the opinion will change....

 

A "mini suite" on NCL is just a somewhat larger regular balcony room.

[NLH Arizona]

It is so funny, some of the things I hear about NCL here, are the same things and worse my friends, who will only cruise on Crystal Cruises, says about Celebrity, a cruise line they would never think of taking (and trust me, I've tried to get them on Celebrity). I for one think each and every cruise line has their good and bad and that you make what you want out of a cruise. I’ve been on a number of cruise lines, from Crystal to Celebrity to Princess to Costa and more and I have had good experiences on them and some not so good experiences on them, but never bad enough to ruin my vacation. Do I expect my upcoming NCL cruise to mirror what Celebrity does, no just like I didn’t think Celebrity would mirror what Crystal does. Did I have fun on both Celebrity and Crystal, you bet I did and I’m sure I will have just as much fun on my first NCL cruise this month.

[ChiGal1962]

Haven't been on Celebrity yet, and was just on one NCL last fall to the Caribbean. My cruise was essentially free, so that helped :)

 

We were in a regular balcony cabin. Room was fine, no complaints there. Rowdy but not "out of control" group by the pool, which was always packed. Lots of activities to do during the day, which was good. I'm not a late night person as a rule, but did attend a few late night things which again were rowdy but fun. Entertainment was what I would expect. Casino was decent.

 

My biggest disappointment was the food. Preparation was mediocre in the MDR, but worse, the selection was very boring. Reminded me of places like Applebee's. The chef's specials were things like a pork burrito. Service was ok. In the buffet, they were not well organized. The "make to order" stations (omelet, wok, pasta, etc.) were way too small and slow. Lines would literally go out the door. And again, the selection was mediocre. We did do the steakhouse specialty restaurant one night and the food was really good (although oddly, the service wasn't great that night!).

 

Since the dining experience is one of the things I look forward to most on a cruise, I doubt that I'll be anxious to sail NCL again. But if another free cruise came along, I don't know that I'd turn it down, either!

 

Enjoy Alaska - that's one of my "must do soon" destinations!

[cruiser82]

Most of my 15 cruises have been on NCL and I've sailed in everything from an inside cabin to the Garden Villa. I have my first Celebrity cruise next week and I'm not expecting that experience to be like NCL at all. I'm hoping some things will be an improvement over NCL but I'm not going into it open minded and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. I don't remember when OP's cruise is but I'll be writing a review once I return from the cruise and I'm sure there will be some comparisons between the two lines.

[KaththeTaff]

Most of my 15 cruises have been on NCL and I've sailed in everything from an inside cabin to the Garden Villa. I have my first Celebrity cruise next week and I'm not expecting that experience to be like NCL at all. I'm hoping some things will be an improvement over NCL but I'm not going into it open minded and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. I don't remember when OP's cruise is but I'll be writing a review once I return from the cruise and I'm sure there will be some comparisons between the two lines.

 

It's impossible not to make comparisons, but I'm sure you are right that the experience will be different. It would be so boring if every line was the same, that's why we like trying out different ships and lines!

[happygran]

Hi

We did a back-to-back in February. Celebrity and then NCL. It was totally different. As soon as we boarded NCL we noticed the tomato ketchup on the tables!!

 

We knew it was going to be different and we prepared for that. On Celebrity the cabin steward called us 'Sir & Madam' but on the NCL they called us by our christian names.

 

We enjoyed both, but I must say that Celebrity was great................ NCL we 'put up with' but enjoyed it (not wanting to do it again). The NCL dining room was noisy, beyond belief, and although the food was fine, I wouldn't want to relieve that experience.

 

Celebrity for us!!!

[happygran]

Hi

We did a back-to-back in February. Celebrity and then NCL. It was totally different. As soon as we boarded NCL we noticed the tomato ketchup on the tables!!

 

We knew it was going to be different and we prepared for that. On Celebrity the cabin steward called us 'Sir & Madam' but on the NCL they called us by our christian names.

 

We enjoyed both, but I must say that Celebrity was great................ NCL we 'put up with' but enjoyed it (not wanting to do it again). The NCL dining room was noisy, beyond belief, and although the food was fine, I wouldn't want to relieve that experience.

 

Celebrity for us!!!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Celebrity by a mile ...

[helpthejuggler]

Celebrity by a mile ...

 

Sorry I can't take the opinion of someone who refuses to plan a cruise during march or april 2013....

Must try harder ;)

[smtcan]

We took our first NCL cruise in January with friends who suggested we join them. The price was too good to turn down, so we went, although with rather low expectations. We were in an ocean view cabin which was kept immaculate by our steward. Our friends in the next cabin had a different steward who was not so obliging or friendly. We usually ate in one of the main dining rooms and found the food adequate but not exciting. The noise level was very high and after the first night we asked for the quietest possible spot. The hostess remembered us and seated us in the quiet area every evening, which impressed us.

 

Our only real criticism was the loud music all around the ship. It was impossible to find a comfortable seat to read or just relax. This cruise had five sea days, with cool weather. If the itinerary had been more port intensive the differences would not have been so important or obvious. We will be introducing our friends to Celebrity in the near future and will be interested to observe their reaction. We would cruise NCL again if the price was right.

Sheila