NCL vs Thompson

[Noodlesoup]

Just read that someone was interested in a comparison. We have done both this year and both were brilliant in their own ways. We went on the Destiny which is sadly no longer with us and then we went on the NCL Epic.

 

Thompson Destiny1500 guests:

Friendlier, full of Brits, more relaxed and chilled but didn't really get Captain's night. I loved the entertainment on the Destiny and was never bored or unsure what to do or where to go. I thought the service was a bit hit and miss at times, especially for drinks. I thought the main dining room was great and liked being sat next to others. We chatted to loads of people at meal times and it felt more of an event. The entertainment at meal times was fab. Loved the bike excursions.

 

NCL 4000 guests:

Service was fantastic, food was excellent, the ship had everything . Lots of different choices at meal times- lot of speciality restaurants which you had to pay for. Only ever sat with my husband- no table shares at all unless in the buffet when very busy. Full of Americans. Had to pay 12 dollars a day each for gratuities....compulsory. Had to book the entertainment and if you hadn't booked by the first night it was all full for the rest of the week. Music was a bit too clubby for me but was enjoyed by the teenagers. Huge mix of ages. Sat in a hot tub looking out at sea or over a port.

[Julessmiles]

Just read that someone was interested in a comparison. We have done both this year and both were brilliant in their own ways. We went on the Destiny which is sadly no longer with us and then we went on the NCL Epic.

 

Thompson Destiny1500 guests:

Friendlier, full of Brits, more relaxed and chilled but didn't really get Captain's night. I loved the entertainment on the Destiny and was never bored or unsure what to do or where to go. I thought the service was a bit hit and miss at times, especially for drinks. I thought the main dining room was great and liked being sat next to others. We chatted to loads of people at meal times and it felt more of an event. The entertainment at meal times was fab. Loved the bike excursions.

 

NCL 4000 guests:

Service was fantastic, food was excellent, the ship had everything . Lots of different choices at meal times- lot of speciality restaurants which you had to pay for. Only ever sat with my husband- no table shares at all unless in the buffet when very busy. Full of Americans. Had to pay 12 dollars a day each for gratuities....compulsory. Had to book the entertainment and if you hadn't booked by the first night it was all full for the rest of the week. Music was a bit too clubby for me but was enjoyed by the teenagers. Huge mix of ages. Sat in a hot tub looking out at sea or over a port.

 

Thanks it was me! Service & food saound good but NCL ship with 4000 sounds a bit too big & too organised for me (having to pre-book entertainment!) We loved the bike trips on the Celebration this year, too.

[Noodlesoup]

I must admit I was a bit worried about it before I went as I really enjoyed our "cuddly" Thompson Cruise! But once we got our heads round it and booked everything we wanted to do (you can book on line before you go) it was fine. The only time we noticed there were 4000 guests (and thousands of crew..) was in the buffet which got a little hectic and they ran out of tables several times. Also when we went to dinner in the main dining room we often had to have a pager to let us know when a table was free. I much prefer the 2 sittings on Thompson.

Anyway good to try different lines.:)

[Julessmiles]

I must admit I was a bit worried about it before I went as I really enjoyed our "cuddly" Thompson Cruise! But once we got our heads round it and booked everything we wanted to do (you can book on line before you go) it was fine. The only time we noticed there were 4000 guests (and thousands of crew..) was in the buffet which got a little hectic and they ran out of tables several times. Also when we went to dinner in the main dining room we often had to have a pager to let us know when a table was free. I much prefer the 2 sittings on Thompson.

Anyway good to try different lines.:)

 

Will be interesting to hear what the smaller NCL ship will be like - I've been on the P&O Oceana which was lovely but we still love most things about the Thomson ships!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

 

Had to pay 12 dollars a day each for gratuities....compulsory.

 

Are you sure it was compulsory? I think they would like you to think so. If you read the information in the brochures, most cruise companies say it is discretionary.

[rodndonna]

Originally Posted by Noodlesoup

Had to pay 12 dollars a day each for gratuities....compulsory.

 

 

""Are you sure it was compulsory? I think they would like you to think so. If you read the information in the brochures, most cruise companies say it is discretionary.""

 

The gratuities are automatically added to your bill (for your convenience - lol). They can be modified if you request so.

[Noodlesoup]

Believe me - don't even query the "discretionary service charge". Best just to accept and pay IMHO. The service is excellent, mind you. People on the NCL forum practically skin you alive for even considering not paying it- their rants can go on for pages!!!!

[Julessmiles]

believe me - don't even query the "discretionary service charge". Best just to accept and pay imho. The service is excellent, mind you. People on the ncl forum practically skin you alive for even considering not paying it- their rants can go on for pages!!!!

 

lol! :d

[Noodlesoup]

I know! ;)

[joeholiday2]

Julesmiles.

 

We went on the NCL Sun 2 weeks after coming back from the Dream this summer. It was a 9 night Baltic cruise.

 

The Sun is very similar to the Oceana, similar size and quite a similar layout, just like the Oceana it's plusher and more modern than Thomson's older ships.

The food was just as good as Thomson, the buffet probably better, not just the Tea, Coffee, or water of Thomson were available, you could get Orange juice and iced Tea for free all day as well. Other than the MDR and the buffets the speciality (note correct spelling) restaurants were chargeable, and there were a lot of them, 11 or 12 I think. They had TV screens all over showing availability, and some of them got very full, we never had a wait for the MDR. Biggest moan about the food is no proper Bacon, we sailed from Denmark for crying out loud.....

 

Freestyle cruising means just that.... I felt out of place in my DJ on the formal night, there weren't many in a lounge suit either.

 

The entertainment was on the whole very good and varied. The showteam (who have an easy life compared to the Thomson grafters) only did 3 shows over 9 nights, the girls did 2, the boys 1. To be honest they were dire, it really made us appreciate the hard work and professionalism that the Thomson team's display. The other performers were very good however, acrobat, magician, type shows. The house band called Sol play were excellent, I am amazed that the singer is not a recording artist, they had to leave 2 days before the cruise ended (visa problems) and the replacements were a very poor substitute. The lounge singer/piano man was excellent too.

 

If you like a drink then save up before you go, the "pop" was the same price as Thomson, working out around £1.70 after the 15% was added on, but a pint is around a fiver. Re-mortgage if you like wine with your meal.

We had the $12 a day reduced by half on the last sea day, the service was fine but not worth £8 a day each!!

 

The biggest downer was the number of Southern Europeans. The American and Canadian guests were great to get along with, but there were a large number of Southern Europeans (who we find are great whilst in their own Country) that were generally rude, obnoxious, and arrogant. Remind me never to cruise Pullmantur.....

 

It's for this reason that we will probably stick to Thomson and P&O, maybe try a Fred. We just prefer the British cruise experience.

 

Joe.

[Julessmiles]

Julesmiles.

 

We went on the NCL Sun 2 weeks after coming back from the Dream this summer. It was a 9 night Baltic cruise.

 

The Sun is very similar to the Oceana, similar size and quite a similar layout, just like the Oceana it's plusher and more modern than Thomson's older ships.

The food was just as good as Thomson, the buffet probably better, not just the Tea, Coffee, or water of Thomson were available, you could get Orange juice and iced Tea for free all day as well. Other than the MDR and the buffets the speciality (note correct spelling) restaurants were chargeable, and there were a lot of them, 11 or 12 I think. They had TV screens all over showing availability, and some of them got very full, we never had a wait for the MDR. Biggest moan about the food is no proper Bacon, we sailed from Denmark for crying out loud.....

 

Freestyle cruising means just that.... I felt out of place in my DJ on the formal night, there weren't many in a lounge suit either.

 

The entertainment was on the whole very good and varied. The showteam (who have an easy life compared to the Thomson grafters) only did 3 shows over 9 nights, the girls did 2, the boys 1. To be honest they were dire, it really made us appreciate the hard work and professionalism that the Thomson team's display. The other performers were very good however, acrobat, magician, type shows. The house band called Sol play were excellent, I am amazed that the singer is not a recording artist, they had to leave 2 days before the cruise ended (visa problems) and the replacements were a very poor substitute. The lounge singer/piano man was excellent too.

 

If you like a drink then save up before you go, the "pop" was the same price as Thomson, working out around £1.70 after the 15% was added on, but a pint is around a fiver. Re-mortgage if you like wine with your meal.

We had the $12 a day reduced by half on the last sea day, the service was fine but not worth £8 a day each!!

 

The biggest downer was the number of Southern Europeans. The American and Canadian guests were great to get along with, but there were a large number of Southern Europeans (who we find are great whilst in their own Country) that were generally rude, obnoxious, and arrogant. Remind me never to cruise Pullmantur.....

 

It's for this reason that we will probably stick to Thomson and P&O, maybe try a Fred. We just prefer the British cruise experience.

 

Joe.

 

Thank you Joe - very comprehensive ;) I think we'll stick with Thomson for now - we always book early & get the AI so don't have to worry about drink prices & yes, we do like wine with our meal; great thing aboout Thomson AI is your wine glass is never empty! We also all like to dress up in the evenings; to us that's part of cruising! (not OTT dressing up but also not really casual!) A friend on mine recently did an MSC cruise and said the same as you about the other southern European passengers too!

 

There's 4 of us that go (including our 2 teens) and they are quite happy without the big teen entertainment/climbing walls etc - just don't need that on holiday and the cabins we have are fine for sleeping & changing which is all we use them for!!

[thebooler]

Believe me - don't even query the "discretionary service charge". Best just to accept and pay IMHO. The service is excellent, mind you. People on the NCL forum practically skin you alive for even considering not paying it- their rants can go on for pages!!!!

 

It's the American way, and unfortunately, they assume we should follow suit.