NCL Experience from Princess Regulars

[PurpleHays]

We did the NCL Epic over spring break. We've also done the Crown, so one each.

 

The Epic had what I thought was excellent food in the MDR. I did not care for ATD, but it wasn't a deal breaker. The shows were some of the best I've seen. And the medical staff was awesome dealing with the food poisoning I got from my last land-based meal. On the other hand, I did not like the "wave" rooms. It made them really tight. Our bed was against the balcony and the drawers and closet on that end were only about 8" deep (front to back) and one the fixed bar with no hangers made the closet pretty much useless. The split bathroom wasn't a big deal, just different.

 

It was the only cruise that I lost weight on. Stupid food poisoning...

 

We had a standard balcony on the Crown. The room was average, food was good. Our next cruise is the Emerald Princess next April in a mini suite.

[love2bonboard]

I am having Princess withdrawal...

 

We have tried NCL and Carnival on our last few cruises and I gotta say, I miss Princess.

 

NCL... Food okay, but the hours for the buffet are not great. Princess always has something hot on the buffet. I think NCL has better entertainment and I like the freestyle dining. NCL has also provided much better customer service.

 

Carnival...loud, gaudy, food is the worst, but the price is cheap. We have one more Carnival cruise coming up, but that will probably be the last.

 

Princess...I love the art auctions (I prefer the artist Princess uses vs. Park West as on both Carnival & NCL), the Trident grill & pizza (best pizza out there), MUTS, fresh water pools, free steam/sauna, and the openness and class of the ships. We started to try different cruise lines due to poor customer service on a couple of Princess cruises, but we will see.

 

Anyway, I really don't think you will have any problems on NCL...of course, I fall into the camp of no such thing as a bad cruise. Try it out and have fun.

 

I would sail NCL again with the right itinerary, but will always prefer Princess.

[HomelessBear]

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.

 

Yes thanks Caribill, you are absolutely right! I certainly wasn't commenting on the opinions that had been expressed - I was just saying that I had done 10 cruises with Princess and only 1 with NCL. Serves me right for trying to be quick! I never thought it would be misunderstood.

 

I'll try harder next time!

[trojangirl90066]

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.:)

 

I hope you book a full suite. I wouldn't have made it in a mini suite or lower on NCL. The intrusive announcements, loud blaring music, never any peace except in our cabin. No where to sit by the pool (if you could stand the loud music). The food is horrible, I wouldn't ever eat in the buffet. We paid to eat in the specialty restaurants most nights and because we were in a suite we got to eat breakfast & lunch in Cagney's, which was fantastic. The best french toast ever!

[awinte2]

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.:)

 

We have cruised princess 4 times and went on NCL Epic in Feb. We personally found this ship too big but comparing the food, the buffets were even , the MDR, Princess wins hands down as well as the alternative restaurants. Service in the dining rooms better on Princess. NCL is much more casual than Princess and their entertainment on the Epic was the very best we have seen on a cruise ship. We enjoyed our cruise with NCL and I cannot say I would not cruise with them again but I am already checking out Princess itinerary for Feb.

[MCC retired]

If you are an "Anytime" diner on Princess , you should find

that NCL's "Freestyle" dining room choices and availability are far

superior to Princess .

[Clutterlady]

As I'm sure everyone knows that food is subjective. My opinion is that the food in the dining room and buffet is by far superior on Princess compared to NCL. When all the desserts taste the same, then you know there is a problem. The food in the pay venues is good, but I don't appreciate having to put out extra money every day to find decent food. Enjoy your cruise not matter which line you choose:)

[latebloomer56]

I hope you book a full suite. I wouldn't have made it in a mini suite or lower on NCL. The intrusive announcements, loud blaring music, never any peace except in our cabin. No where to sit by the pool (if you could stand the loud music). The food is horrible, I wouldn't ever eat in the buffet. We paid to eat in the specialty restaurants most nights and because we were in a suite we got to eat breakfast & lunch in Cagney's, which was fantastic. The best french toast ever!

Well I'm in the you make your vaction what you want of it court. We have gone on Princess for the last 6 cruises with the 7th. in Sept-Oct.

We have been on NCL before but it's been awhile. We booked it for next May in cabin 15550 of all things. Never anything but mini's now this. We were booking Ocean Princess for fall of 2013. But the deal for this cabin at this time of year out of one of my favorite ports.

Sorry Princess had to go for it you only live once. We have decided to travel every year for as long as we can. Making memories such sweet memories :).

Thank you one and all for the posts. You have helped more than you know with information and even a good laugh on occasion.

Laura

[cherrypop]

We just recently got off a twelve night NCL cruise there were a total of 10 adults. We all agreed that the food we had onboard by far was the best we had ever had on any cruise line and we have been on Princess, RCL, Holland and Carnival. Like all cruise lines the food varies greatly from ship to ship. Try something new you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Besides the only " bad cruise" is no cruise!

 

Cherie

[Tatka]

My first favorite line was Celebrity, then attention switched to Princess, which is still imho the best out of all.

 

Recently we had two great cruises on NCL Dawn and Jewel. Cabins are smaller (showers are larger and with sliding doors). Food not as good as on Princess but we always found something tasty even in regular restaurants. You don't have to wait even in pick time. There is a nice Blue Lagoon (kind of fast food) restaurant opened 24 hours a day overlooking atrium... chicken wings, fish&chips, soups, cheesecake etc. Deserts in buffet imho are weak, last two cruises they were a bit better.

 

Most memorable of all is entertainment. There is always something going on in all lounges. Music-music-music. Shows in theater are spectacular, especially circus. Loved it.

 

Overall we had very memorable vacations with NCL and will sail with them in the future.

[pmd98052]

We've sailed twice with NCL (to Alaska both times, once in a suite, once balcony). Once to Mexico with HAL and once to Hawaii with Princess. So we're just amateurs compared with many here!

 

We've enjoyed each of the above lines. They all have pros and cons but they are all much more similar than not.

 

NCL Pros: Entertainment, Customer Service and Dining choices/waits times were excellent. Suite experience is truly incredible. Kids loved their kids club!

 

HAL Pros: Like the daily "newspaper", MDR food delivered to any cabin, Least food "choices" and dinning seemed to end early - especially in buffet though they did offer a very limited late night selection. Being able to bring your own wine on a huge plus. Kids loved their kids club! One flat (~$50) fee for unlimited laundry was also great.

 

Princess Pros: We had great entertainment on the Hawaii cruise - good variety and best band we've ever seen too. Food maybe, maybe slightly better than NCL but not much in it and obviously less variety of choices in restaurant. Good up to date movies. Pizza was excellent and International cafe was nice to have. Being able to bring own wine on was a huge plus. We didn't take the kids on this cruise so cannot compare kids club.

 

Overall we now just select on price and location/ports and go with any cruise line. We'll try RCL and Carnival at some point too.

 

The perks you get for loyalty don't really seem to be worth the lock into one set of options and experiences for us.

[PunkiC]

 

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.

 

 

LOL, that was my reaction exactly. :)

 

We have taken lots of Princess cruises and only 1 on NCL. That was enough for us. :( It started when the made a fuss about our bringing wine on board and went downhill from there.

 

The buffet was dreadful and the dining room not much better. When we asked to be seated at a sharing table for eight the maitre d' looked at us like we were from outer space and advised that people don't often want to share. How weird is that?

 

The worst thing for us was the dancing. The dance floor was packed with hoards of "shake your booty" types and that made any attempts at ballroom dance virtually impossible.

 

On the other hand, my cousin (not a dancer) took an NCL trip to Alaska with a group of 10 old classmates and had a ball. Different strokes.

 

I suppose it all comes down to what you are looking for, but NCL is definitely not our cup of tea.

[clarkg]

I have taken lots of NCL and lots of Princess cruises, I have met people on both lines that will not sail with anyone else. All I can say is, try it. I tried RC last year for the first time and liked it so much we booked another. It may be your new favorite cruise line.

[nycruise]

Don't let the Princess snobs scare you off.

 

Since we sail for itineraries, you can see from my signature, we have tried all of the "mass market" lines. Yes Princess is a mass market line also.

 

Although Princess is our favorite line, we have found that all of the lines offer a good cruise experience. They may have an off week, but that can happen on Cunard and Yachts of Seabourn too. We always consider itinerary, cost, age of ship & good cabin placement, before we worry about food & service. Although those are important criteria, if you don't consider yourself a "foodie" you'll have a good experience on all of the cruise lines. For us it's about seeing the sights.

 

Enjoy you're NCL cruise.

[swedish weave]

I see comments about the buffets on NCL, and it needs to be explained to those seeking information.

 

The buffets on the various NCL ships bear no resemblance to each other. For example, the Pearl buffet is set up with serving stations like some of the Princess and Carnival ships. The Star buffet is more like others have described as a school cafeteria except that it has four separate segments with some different items at each station.

 

As I stated earlier, there are more differences between the ships on a cruise line than there are between the cruise lines.

 

I would not discount an entire cruise line because I saw something on one ship I wasn't totally fond of.

 

That is also true with food. The food may be vastly different from one cruise to another on the same ship. That depends a lot on the Chef.

[geoherb]

Our first cruise was on NCL many years ago. Once we tried Royal Caribbean, we knew we'd never go back to NCL. And we haven't. After three cruises on Royal Caribbean, we upgraded to Celebrity, Princess and HAL. We've stuck with those three ever since--until this past spring when we sailed on Carnival. It is what it is. I wouldn't go out of my way to take another Carnival cruise, but it's enough fun that if the price is right we'd do it again. It's even convinced me that we could go back to NCL if we found the right cruise. The big cost savings is that we drove to Charleston to catch that cruise. And the only NCL cruises we'd consider would be ones that we could easily drive to the port the day of--from Charleston to Baltimore.

[tinaclose]

We have been on one Norwegian cruise - Boston to Qubec which we chose because it cruised from our home port. Were not expecting much from Norwegian but it turned out to be one of our favorite cruises ever, because of the itinerary and because the atmosphere was friendly, laid back and relaxed. The big drawback, like others have said, was the poor quality of food and service in the main dining rooms. Because of that we chose to eat in the specialty restaurants 5 of the 7 nights. Since Norwegian was so much less expensive than other cruise lines' comparable itineraries we felt the extra $180 for the meals was worth it for the two of us. If the price and itinerary were right I would sail Norwegian again.

[pmd98052]

Yes should add our two NCL trips were on the Pearl. Much better buffet than HAL's Oosterdam and arugably better than Princess's Sapphire.

[calikak]

We have done cruises on both lines, and are elite with Princess. Overall, I'd say I prefer Princess and find the more subjective stuff (food, service, decor) to be better on Princess. But one thing I think NCL does way better than Princess is taking care of people who pay the premium for a suite. It starts with suite embarkation--you wait in a lounge with coffee and pastries and fresh fruit and you sit down at a desk to check-in, then someone escorts you to your suite. I also like the special dining room for breakfast/lunch for suite passengers, way more attentive service and sometimes way better food. Then there's the butlers, which, if you have a good one, that makes for a truly amazing experience (if you have a mediocre one, then it doesn't). And the concierge to make dining reservations for you and get you good seats in the theater. And you can get room service from any of the restaurants onboard, so if you don't feel like leaving your balcony, no problem, they'll bring a fancy meal to you. It's just head and shoulders above what Princess does for suite guests, and for a similar price point. That said, I'm certainly not in a position to book a suite every time I cruise, so when I'm not in a suite, Princess is what I prefer.

 

Oh, I also think that on most ships, the production shows are better on NCL. (Norwegian Sky is a notable exception.) Although, it's been a while since we've sailed with NCL, so maybe they've gone downhill recently?

[Tatka]

No it is still great. I thought Princess shows and smaller scale entert. cannot be beaten till our last two cruise with NCL. Princess is great in this department, bu NCL is even better.

[JanetAlice]

NCL works for us for a winter cruise because we don't have time to fly since we can't leave until Sunday morning of my husband's spring break. We had a mini suite which was just fine. Larger bathroom, plus a couch (more like and old fashioned hi-riser) but the closets were right next to the bed. No big deal really. Entertainment was superior to Princess especially in the main theater. Food is really sub-par. We even ate in the specialty restaurants. Way too much salt. I think when we go next year I will ask them not to salt my food. The Gem was a great ship with a fun cruise director.

 

I don't think I would take NCL for any other cruise besides the one I mentioned. Princess is still my favorite for decor, food and overall cruise experience. NCL is a much louder ship BUT I did opt for the spa package this past March and that made all the difference. I loved it and will book it again when we cruise on NCL next March. I'm sure you will have a good time.

[Tatka]

We figured out a rule for ourselves, which allows us to have great cruises with most of the lines. We are trying to avoid at all cost comparison between the lines during cruises. So far we couldn't fully enjoy only one line, and this is not NCL. :)

[Pamster]

After 7 NCL Cruises we did a Princess cruise because of the itinerary and because it started and ended at our home port.

 

Embarkation was a breeze - we were onboard within 15-20 mins after arriving at the port. Same port as we had had one of our worse embarkation ever with NCL. We know that there are lots of variable that NCL has no control over regarding this, but we have had 4 out of 7 bad experiences. We arrived at our assigned staggered boarding time and slid right on.

 

Balcony cabin: Was about the same size overall as NCL, except we had a much larger balcony on Caribe deck. NCL had a couch in the room, which I really missed on Princess. The closet location was more convenient and we liked the arrangement of the bathroom so much better on Princess. Those little closets that they put the toilet in require that you be either small or a contortionist to get into without hurting yourself. NCL always had the towel animals.

 

Food: We don't usually MDR. I thought the buffet on Princess was much better, although there was more seating on NCL. The specialty restaurants on NCL made a big difference, the Asian, French, and Blue Lagoon were our favorites, and I did miss that variety on Princess. But the Princess pizza on Lido deck was the best!!! Hubby like the strawberry shakes, too. The service in the specialty restaurants was wonderful. I liked that on NCL the "washy washy" crew at the entry to the buffet made sure everyone did. Almost no one used the dispensers at the buffet on Princess, and the crew would be standing right not to the dispensers and not say a word to them. The Horizon Court was a smaller area than on NCL and would sometimes get kind of crowded.

 

Casino: I liked NCL better, maybe because I had some REALLY good luck on a couple of cruises at 3-card poker. I found the staff much more friendly, they were more free with the comp drinks if you played there a lot. When they received a tip, there would be a chant of "for all the boys and girls" that encouraged more people to tip and lightened the spirit in the room. Also NCL didn't have a smoking lounge in the casino.

 

Atrium: We LOVED the atrium on the Sapphire. The coffee at the International Caffe and having lots of comfortable seating and good service made it a favorite after-breakfast hangout. Most NCL ships would have maybe 1 or 2 couches/large chairs in the atrium but the rest of the seating was uncomfortable chairs.

 

We loved the overall decor of the Sapphire. I liked the more subdued colors versus the gaudy NCL colors in the rooms and atrium.

 

We don't do formal nights, but it did seem that Princess had more options for photo shoots around the ship than NCL.

 

It seemed like deposits for Princess cruises were more than NCL, ,and I like NCL's future cruise offer - buy a future cruise certificate for $250 and get $100 OBC for the current cruise - and the $250 certificate is good for the full down payment for a cruise for a cabin.

 

Overall we prefer Princess, but would not avoid NCL if there were an itinerary and/or pricing that was too good to pass up.

[quincytoo]

We did a NCl Spirit cruise about 7 years ago....I hated it....food and service was way beyond any Denny's..except in the restaurants for a fee. The NCL kids club was a law suit waiting to happen .... we had our 13 year old booked with a friend for the pajama party at 10...got there at 9:50 to sign him in and waited almost an hour with the parents of Lil Mr.QT's friend, so many kids there but no Kids camp cruise workers..turns out they were all leaving the ship the next day and had a "I don't care about the last night" regard totheir job. Not one of the cruise staff showed up despite all the bookings.

 

 

Got off that ship saying, "Never again will I cruise". Tony booked the Diamond Princess almost a year later, I was madder then all get go and now, 6 years later, we are Platium for Princess so I guess I can say we found the cruise line we love.:)