NCL Experience from Princess Regulars

[rayandshirl]

We have sailed on Princess 4 times and Celebrity 3. NCL has an itinerary that is more varied than the one offered by Princess for the Quebec to Florida cruise.

 

We would like any one who has cruised both to say if the NCL experience was enjoyable.

 

Thank you.:)

[Homosassa]

We have done all three lines.

 

The food on NCL is the pits in the main dining room (Denny's on a really bad night). You can pay for the speciality restaurants and have Denny's on an average night. Be careful of any of the seafood - it usually reeks (extremely fishy smelling) and tastes worse.

 

Be prepared for loud, intrusive announcements throughout the day.

 

It should be called "Freeslob" instead of "Freestyle" as far as dress goes.

 

Entertainment runs from bad to OK.

 

NCL prices are low compared to Princess and Celebrity.

 

If you take NCL, don't expect much and your expectations will be met.

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

I don't usually confess this, but I have done one NCL cruise. I had zero intention of doing a cruise on another line than Princess but I was tied to a certain schedule a few years ago and wanted to join my extended family on a cruise that year. I don't spend any time in the casinos, very little in the pools, theaters and shops, so I can't make a comparison on much of anything beyond the cabin and dining experience.

 

Better than Princess: I very, very much liked the split arrangement of the cabin bathrooms with a plexi door on the shower.

 

Not as good as Princess: The dining room experience was not for me. Perhaps it was just our particular sailing, but I did not feel the meals were well-paced and (beyond the podium where we requested a table) there was no organization to the dining room that I could detect. It felt like the whole meal experience in the dining room was just....random. In terms of food, I could not find any difference between the taste of mousse, pudding, souffle semifreddo, etc. -- all of them were flavorless foams. The only food item that stands out in my mind was a German chocolate cake.

 

Everyone in our party had been on Princess...and everyone had exactly the same response, right down to the German chocolate cake. None of us are likely go back on NCL, regardless of price, itinerary or personal schedule.

 

Again, one sailing on one NCL ship a few years ago, so.....

[spirit rev]

We took our first Princess sailing this past January after many on NCL. We had a great time on Princess. I found that the frenetic activity/energy NCL tries for is not on Princess. I personally didn't find much difference in the dining room - we had anytime on Princess. (Food is so subjective.) Yes, we enjoyed not having all the announcements about activities, esp. Bingo, during the day.

 

We have found that often itinerary drives passenger mix and activities. We did an NCL Canada/New England a couple of years ago that was our best cruise - until this past January when we were on Princess through the Panama Canal. On that cruise, the cruise director's staff was much more sedate than I've experienced them on a Caribbean cruise.

[fishin' musician]

I've been on several NCL cruises and would not hesitate to sail them again. The atmosphere is very laid back, the decor is louder, but not as loud as Carnival or Costa. There are more announcements than Princess, but not as many as RCL or CCL. There is a whimsical theme throughout as depicted on signage like, "Don't throw anything overboard, we get complaints from the fish".

 

The best buffet I've had at sea was on the NCL Pearl. DW says Princess has the best deserts.

 

There is a lot more live music on NCL and the production shows are far better than Princess's tired offerings.

[mr green]

We have done all three lines.

 

The food on NCL is the pits in the main dining room (Denny's on a really bad night). You can pay for the speciality restaurants and have Denny's on an average night. Be careful of any of the seafood - it usually reeks (extremely fishy smelling) and tastes worse.

 

Too cute!!!:D

The rest of the post was also ver true.

 

john

[NewPennCruiser]

We have cruised 8 times on Princess and once on NCL with 1 future cruise booked each on Princess and NCL. We chose NCL last spring in the Mediterranean because we preferred their itinerary on the NCL Jade out of Barcelona over anything Princess was offering and decided to give them a shot.

 

And that was not without a lot of criticism from folks who knew us, including our own TA who said we would not like it and would be disappointed. We were told we would not like the passenger mix, that the food wouldn’t be as good, etc. That said, we decided to try it anyway. We prefer Anytime Dining and really don’t participate in formal nights with Princess anymore so “freestyle” cruising wasn’t going to freak us out. And again, we really preferred this itinerary so we thought how bad can NCL be? We’re pretty laid back and don’t get too uptight about things so we certainly should still enjoy ourselves; right?

 

Well we really worried about nothing. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed the entire cruise. The ship was very different then what we were used to but it was functional. I mean I really don’t come home from a cruise and say that the Grand Piazza or muted color scheme made my cruise! The staff was exceptional, friendly and every bit as professional as Princess. Restaurants were different, but in our opinion more similar to what Princess offers in quality then we anticipated. The specialty restaurants were exceptional and offered a 2 for 1 special on cover charges for early diners most nights so they weren’t expensive. And finally the buffet on the Jade was the best we have ever experienced on a ship, particularly enjoying the Great Outdoors area out back.

 

As far as entertainment, the ship was generally “fun”. Lots of various things to see and do, pretty similar to Princess and it was nice to see different shows. After cruising on Princess so often, we get tired of the same old/same old so it was nice to mix it up a bit. The Jade is one of their newer ships and it probably has better amenities then some of their older ones, but really, we came away from the cruise thinking that both cruise lines were a lot more alike then they are different. Sure, the NCL cruise was maybe more “meat and potatoes” like then Princess, but there isn’t anything wrong with that and the passenger mix was laid back and friendly.

 

Of course that is only 1 cruise and we know Princess consistently meets our expectations so we will most likely continue to choose Princess for our cruising vacations, but we have booked a future Bermuda cruise with NCL because it’s a location Princess pretty much ignores and we enjoyed our last cruise with NCL enough to sail with them again.

 

If you like traditional dining and are a person who prefers things the way it used to be; NCL isn’t for you. If you like to dress up, take your tux and wear it on “dress up (or not) night” and yes there was a lot of formal dress those nights. Do your homework, NCL may fit your needs for a particular itinerary and if it does, like it did for us, I would suggest trying it because you might be surprised that you actually like it. Dave

[rayandshirl]

I would like to thank everyone for their helpful information and opinions.

 

We are going to give NCL a go. We love the itinerary. Thank you again.:)

[mr green]

I would like to thank everyone for their helpful information and opinions.

 

We are going to give NCL a go. We love the itinerary. Thank you again.:)

 

In that case do what one poster did. Took to eating ashore whenever possible.

 

john

[Love.II.Cruise]

I like this thread. We will are thinking of trying NCL on a Transatlantic in the future. I could se us eating at more "pay" restaurants than any other cruise we've been on. But as long as we know that up front, then we are okay with that.

[Apple5]

We’ve enjoyed our NCL sailings (3) as much as the Princess ones (2). NCL is more laidback and the atmosphere lighter; the decoration is certainly more garish. The lines are different animals, so you should expect some people don’t like NCL and make it clear. However, I would not compare any of the food to a Denny’s, even in the MDRs. We’ve had a few dud meals on Princess.

 

Food in the specialty restaurants on NCL is much better than the MDR, as is the service, and that is the difference between the two lines - on NCL you have up to 14 restaurants to choose from, compared to just 5 or so on Princess ships. Even if a lot of them charge a supplement, your basic NCL cruise fare was probably lower to begin with.

 

As for a previous poster referring to “Freestyle” as “Freeslob” perhaps some people would have thought the same of Grand Princess last week on seeing a couple sitting in the MDR on formal night wearing red t-shirts? :eek:

 

Perhaps you could post a similar thread over on the NCL boards for POVs from the other side?

 

 

[swedish weave]

I have sailed both lines recently, and find them to be very much alike in food quality. NCL offers many more choices in specialty restaurants if you want that, but I find the food very good in the MDR's on all ships I have sailed on both lines.

 

If you set aside the posts that are obviously "brand biased", you will find better entertainment on some NCL ships. That said, there is more variety in all facets of cruising on the different ships on the same cruise line than there is between the cruise lines.

 

If the itinerary suits you, you would not be disappointed in either line.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Our last NCL cruise was in 2006 so things may have changed drastically since then. We found the food in the DR at the time to be almost as good as Princess is today with less selections available in the buffet then I would prefer. The desserts were OK- not great but OK.

Entertainment as I recall was maybe a notch below Princess but still better than seeing the same old shows over & over like Princess presents. Princess is still running some of the same shows today as they had in 2006.

[pris993]

We are elite on Princess, going on our 21st Princess cruise in September. We are also elite on Celebrity and 3Star on HAL.

 

We last cruise on NCL in 2000. Found a cruise next April on the Jade that we have booked. Will give it a try. Reviews on the Jade in the Mediterranean have been pretty good, so we are optimistic.

 

Will do a review after our cruise next year.

[grape farmer]

We just recently were on the NCL Jade from Venice/Venice. In the past 5 years (I think) we've cruised the Crown Princess once and the Caribbean Princess twice on Caribbean itineraries.

 

We like nice decor, good food (but we're not foody snobs) and a comfy bed.

 

We chose NCL for their 7 day itinerary. I wish Princess had offered this, we would have picked them first.

 

Hands down I would give NCL staff a better grade-they were overall the friendliest crew we've ever had and best cabin steward by far.

 

Food I would give the nod to Princess. We were used to anytime dining since that's what we prefer. We didn't eat in any of the specialty restaurants on NCL, the menus just didn't appeal to us. The NCL buffet became very same old/same old after several days and when we ate in the MDR for breakfast one morning we were offered the exact same choices as what the buffet had-I expected something different I guess. They had a chocolate buffet one night-that was fun, visually appealing, but I believe lacked flavor. Buffet was always VERY crowded.

 

We had a mini suite on NCL and mini suites with Princess. Princess cabins are bigger and they're balconies are bigger too. Thought the bed on NCL was much more comfy.

 

I like the aft pools on the Princess ships we've been on.

 

Overall, the itinerary is what we were looking for, and if Princess didn't offer what we are looking for and NCL did I'd go with NCL again, but it just didn't "fit" us for the most part.

[lamchops]

I've been on both Princess and NCL and I would choose the line with the best itinerary and price. You're on holidays and either line will be great.

 

I find the people that don't like NCL are ones that like going to "resorts" where the amenities are more important than the ports. The people who like NCL are people who like "road trips" and focus more on the ports than the ship.

 

Food is basically the same "assembly line" hotel/convention food on both lines. (I've worked at a convention center)

 

I have found the staff to be more approachable and friendly on NCL and I like freestyle dining.

 

I love "Movies under the Stars" on Princess and have booked the "Grand" for our TA.

 

I said earlier that I would book based on itinerary but if the cruise had many "sea days", I would book based on the specific ship not line.

[wizard-of-roz]

Since we prefer cruising to land vacations, I've tried them all!

NCL has a problem with keeping up with the furnishings. If something is tattered and torn it should be discarded or repaired - We found that NCL will use the item until someone complains.

The buffet is set-up and looks like a school cafeteria with the dispensers being exactly what you would find in the cafeteria in High School. It's economical because it will last forever but it's so cold and hospital looking.

NCL has lots of fake plants/garish colors and loud announcements.

The entertainment was good/the food so-so/the crew was tired and so were our holey sheets.

I'm not a very critical person.......I just saying it as it was!

[HomelessBear]

Princess 10, NCL 1. Says it all!

[fishin' musician]

Princess 10, NCL 1. Says it all!

 

Hey Homeless, please double check your math; this tread clearly indicates that the majority of posters would cruise NCL.

 

I too would urge the OP to start a similar thread on the NCL board.

 

Both of these lines have brought some great innovation to the industry.

[tarheelmjfan]

This is one of those CC threads I wish I wouldn't have opened. :o We're taking our first Princess cruise in October. I really hope the food is better than NCL's. I would sail on NCL again, but would eat in a Specialty restaurant every evening & anytime it was possible for lunch. The food in the main dining room was definitely sub-par in my opinion. The service at it's best was comparable to a typical chain restaurant. If Princess food is on the same level as NCL, we won't get much use out of our traditional dining table. I was expecting better food & service, similar to what we've experienced on Celebrity.

 

On a positive note for NCL, the guests on our cruise all dressed nicely & the non-food related service was excellent. If they'd improve the food quality & service, NCL would be able to hold it's own with the other mass market cruise lines.

[caribill]

Princess 10, NCL 1. Says it all!

 

Hey Homeless' date=' please double check your math; this tread clearly indicates that the majority of posters would cruise NCL.

 

[/quote']

 

 

I think Homelessbear was saying he/she has taken 10 cruises on Princess, 1 on NCL.

 

I do not think the post was trying to tabulate this thread's opinions.

[wizard-of-roz]

This is one of those CC threads I wish I wouldn't have opened. :o We're taking our first Princess cruise in October. I really hope the food is better than NCL's. I would sail on NCL again, but would eat in a Specialty restaurant every evening & anytime it was possible for lunch. The food in the main dining room was definitely sub-par in my opinion. The service at it's best was comparable to a typical chain restaurant. If Princess food is on the same level as NCL, we won't get much use out of our traditional dining table. I was expecting better food & service, similar to what we've experienced on Celebrity.

 

On a positive note for NCL, the guests on our cruise all dressed nicely & the non-food related service was excellent. If they'd improve the food quality & service, NCL would be able to hold it's own with the other mass market cruise lines.

 

You will not be sorry you picked Princess. You will always find something you like to eat on any ship......I've never heard of anyone starving.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Your attitude will make all the difference in the world to your cruising experience.

[Jeepers385]

We just did a 17 day repositioning cruise from NY to LA on Norwegian Jewel and really enjoyed it.

We are Princess and RCCL regulars but after this cruise we will cruise NCL again.

We really enjoyed the food and the entertainment was second only to our Celebrity cruise. The bed was comfortable although our room was small (no one's fault but our's we booked an inside room last minute and went cheap). We did the Teppanyaki ?? (spelling) and enjoyed it but not sure if it's worth $25 each compared to Sabatini's.

We did not have a lot of announcements seemed the same amount as the other shps and the staff were really friendly and went out of there way.

We actually had an emergency at home and had to leave the ship 3 days early and the staff couldn't do enough for us and we had free access to there telephones and internet service for 2 days before we could get to a port to depart. A big shout out to them for their access.

I always say go with an open mind. :D

 

[shepp]

As for a previous poster referring to “Freestyle” as “Freeslob” perhaps some people would have thought the same of Grand Princess last week on seeing a couple sitting in the MDR on formal night wearing red t-shirts? :eek:

 

If you had the same HW I did on the Grand...I wish he would make some attempt to enforce a minimal dress code. But at least their T-shirts matched.

[tarheelmjfan]

You will not be sorry you picked Princess. You will always find something you like to eat on any ship......I've never heard of anyone starving.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Your attitude will make all the difference in the world to your cruising experience.

 

My DH & I are generally very laid back people. We take most things in stride. Quality food is the most important criteria for our vacation. We'd be fine missing all the ports. If the shows, etc. get cancelled, no big deal. Entering the cabin to see an unmade bed wouldn't bother us. We don't care if our cabin steward never introduces himself, & the officers never look our way. You get the picture... :p The one thing we do care about is quality food. From everything I had read, I got the impression a combo of specialty dining, balcony dining, Chef's Table & the main dining room on Princess would satisfy our needs. Reading that Princess food isn't any better than NCL's is making me second guess that. Regardless, I'm going to continue to build my excitement for the cruise & hope the food is indeed much better than NCL's.