NCL vs CCL

[Dub1487]

I know this has been gone over before but my wife and I have always crusied carnival. We're thinking of ncl this time for something different. What are the biggest differences?

Thanks

[Family Travel Story]

My two favorite things that NCL does is in the dining room. One that they do, and one that they don't.

 

NCL freestyle dining is great and even better is the choice of so many restaurants to choose from. I know CCL has their steakhouse, which I don't think is nearly as good as Cagneys, but for only $10 - $20 you can choose from some really good dining.

 

What NCL does not do: Singing and dancing waiters. It is not that I dislike the shows, as I always go to the evening show, but when I am having dinner, I really don't need my server to stand on tables and sing to me and my dining mates.

 

Also if you can afford it, the suits on NCL are much better and the perks far superior to those on Carnival. My family and I especially like the two bedroom penthouse. Although, it can get very expensive if you don't go off peak.

[katiepe]

I have cruised both Carnival and NCL. But I must admit only once NCL and twice Carnival.

The biggest difference I found was the staff or I should say service.

The service by all on NCL is much better- the crew just seem happier.

I also found at least on our cruise that the embarkation and disembarkation was handled much smoother by NCL.

My opinion of course.

[NYcruzzer]

I am Platinum on both lines and love them both. In my opinion there are more similarities in their products then there are differances. Cruise fares are similar. Food in MDR is about the same. I think a slight nod goes to NCL for food choices and quality in the buffets. As of recently the entertainment is much better on NCL. Carnival has been cutting back in this deptartment. I cruise exclusively from NY and choose which line based on itinerary more then anything else. What ever line you choose, have a great cruise !!

[Warm Breezes]

We have sailed CCL 5x and NCL 2x. We enjoy them both. Here are my admittedly subjective opinions:

 

MDR Food: =

Buffet Food: +NCL

Desserts: +CCL

Pizza: +NCL

Other included Food: +Blue Lagoon/O'Sheehans for NCL, +Deli CCL

Specialty Restaurants: = with more choices on NCL

Freestyle: +NCL

Service: =

Entertainment: +NCL

Bingo: +CCL

Room Size: Regular +CCL, Suites +NCL

Passenger Demographics: =

[sdmike]

If you do a search of "CCL" in the NCL forum you will find pages of threads discussing the differences

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741635&highlight=ccl

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727617&highlight=ccl

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1718354&highlight=ccl

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1510099&highlight=ccl

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1721786&highlight=ccl

 

etc.

 

etc.

[Umbarger]

I have done 6 on each line. Carnival has larger cabins. NCL has better entertainment. Food I would say is about the same.

I am staying away from Carnival for a while. They are cutting back on too many things.

[djacobson]

I am considering NCL for a cruise in Dec 2013 or Jan 2014, on the NCL Jewel out of New Orleans. Looking forward to reading more about NCL and what a cruise experience on NCL is like.

[Winewench1]

I would like to know .. with the any time dining.. how do they deal with people like myself that have food allergies? Thanks

[4774Papa]

I know this has been gone over before but my wife and I have always crusied carnival. We're thinking of ncl this time for something different. What are the biggest differences?

Thanks

We tend to go in the opposite direction, we like Celebrity. We cruise both NCL and Celebrity.

[trish1c]

I would like to know .. with the any time dining.. how do they deal with people like myself that have food allergies? Thanks

 

The same way restaurants on land do. You tell the wait staff about your allergies, they work with you to avoid those things. You may have to have this conversation every night b/c you probably won't have the same staff who "learns" your preferences but you can ask for the same server if you like.

[LoraJ]

The biggest difference for me is the dining. I never really got to experience true anytime dining, or whatever they have now on CCL, or if they do. We did have open seating on the charters, but the service was horrible compared to when I had assigned seating.

 

I used to cruise CCL a lot before I started dating my husband. He was turned off by the though of having to dine with strangers every night and didn't want the buffet for an option. The charters were his first experience with cruising and the open seating worked since we were mostly just seated with different friends every night. We did Princess, which I loved, but we had a suite and mostly did room service. We tried their anytime dining one night and had to wait forever for a table for two.

 

So for us, this is where NCL shines. All the restaurants have lots of tables for two or four making it easier if you want to be on your own, but still giving the option to share with others. We never had a problem getting a table, never a wait more than 5 minutes. I also loved the variety of restaurants. We really don't mind paying extra at the specialty ones.

 

It has been a while since I have sailed Carnival, so I don't know how to compare the entertainment now. But I really do enjoy the entertainment on NCL. So much going on at once, hard to choose.

 

NCL is now my first choice when picking a cruise vacation.

[blindrid]

CCL, the "walmart of the seas" has NCL beat "hands down" on trashy tats (read cartoon figures on the face), "tramp stamps" and more "barbed wire" on the upper arms of females. They also surpass NCL in drunks pukin' in the hallways and snotty nose junior evil spawn running up and down the hallways, banging on doors, in the middle of the night. If you like slimey "human soup" just jump into a CCL hot tube. Now, in all fairness, NCL has been tryin' hard to upstage CCL in our past couple of cruises. My advice, get a suite and avoid what you are trying to get away from.

 

Obviously, the poster is a troll or has no clue and is overly biased.

 

CCL does draw a bit of a unique crowd due to some of their pricing strategies. I would be willing to bet that there are plenty of tramp stamps on cruisers in general. Who cares? It doesn't bother me one way or another.

 

I also believe no mainstream cruise line is immune to the drunks issue (you talking about me and my bucket of beer? ;)). Hot tubs are hot tubs - if you worry about it, just wait til you get home and get in your private tub. The "human soup" comment is total rubbish.

 

I prefer NCL over CCL but will probably use them when the time is right. All cruises take on their own feel and if you go during spring break, there will be a lot of kids - both kids and "kids".

 

To me NCL's dining and entertainment is better. CCL's balcony cabins are a bit bigger (no big deal to me) and service has been fine on both. My last cruise was on CCL and my next one is on NCL.

 

Heck, I may get drunk on my next cruise on the Star and get a tramp stamp. Wait a minute, what do you call a tramp stamp on a guy? :confused:

[alrichards4003]

Enjoy both lines. NCL big pluses for me over Carnival are Freestyle dining, pub crawls and martini tastings, plus their thermal suites.

[#1TravelMom]

Just got off back to cruises - Norwegian EPIC then the Carnival Breeze. Without a doubt, I'd choose the EPIC. It wins in most areas in my opinion. Staff was very friendly on both lines. Carnival definately has more trivia(which I love) - but a very specific positive for me. The food and entertainment are superior on the Epic. The waterslides on the EPIC are MUCH better. The slides on Carnival are not at a steep enough angle. If you don't launch yourself down them - you end up pushing yourself down as you go. The slides on the Breeze were a big disappointment.

[sparks1093]

I would like to know .. with the any time dining.. how do they deal with people like myself that have food allergies? Thanks

 

It depends on what you are allergic to- if you are allergic to shellfish then you need only inform your server who will make sure that you don't order anything with shellfish in it. If you have an allergy that requires special foods (such as a gluten allergy) then you should call the special needs department and discuss this with them a couple of months before your cruise. You would then need to speak to the maitre'd upon boarding to work on the logistics.

[sparks1093]

I know this has been gone over before but my wife and I have always crusied carnival. We're thinking of ncl this time for something different. What are the biggest differences?

Thanks

 

I found many similarities between the two and the differences aren't substantial enough for us to have a strong preference (although we do prefer freestyle dining). Going forward we will probably choose our cruises based on price and itinerary (although my goal to try all of the mainstream lines at least once at some point).

[romrai]

i am one who did experience the little horrors running up and down the halls and sitting in the hall outside our room, having a gay ol' time. older people were nervous on the stairwell, also outside our room, as that was there second choice to gather. mom and dad had another cabin down the hall, and would scream at the kids, when ever they caught them, also a relaxing thing. the cabin was great, if not for above. dining room....well, to start with, we asked for a 8 pm seating with maybe 6. were given an 5 pm seating. changed it to 8 pm as requested. STUFFED into a table of 10 with our sides against the window. winston from kingston, was the worst waiter, we've had land or sea. the dishes were never cleared until next course, couldn't get a coffee with our meal for the entire cruise. meals were generally COLD, (but you could tell they would have been very good if warm) but this was because every time our service had to stop because the "floor show". winston only had 4 tables. he spend more time with the table of 4 behind us, because it was obviously the "friends" of the maitre d'. i have never done this before, but we removed the portion of the tips for the dining room off our tips. this was reported 2x's to maitre d', and also the purser. even our dining companions who were on their 10th ccl, said they had never had an experience so bad. we NEVER were finished in time to watch the show. our meal went to 10:15 to 10:30 every night and we were generally the last in dining room. if it wasn't for the dining room and the kids in the hall, i think it would have been nice. this was our one and only cruise with CCL and will be the last. i will stick to NCL.

[jdvmd]

I would like to know .. with the any time dining.. how do they deal with people like myself that have food allergies? Thanks

I have a severe seafood/shellfish allergy and asked about this during a NCL "Behind the Scenes" tour. There is a separate area in the galley for those that have allergies etc. so there will be no cross contamination. Said it will take longer for your food to arrive. Have never had any problems with having a reaction.

[anthem]

It does seem to me that the Carnival boats have a slightly more boisterous time. . I find the passengers on Carnival are frequently hooting and hollering as they leave port for everyone to know. Dont see that as often on NCL, Celebrity or RCCL. . . But damn - those carnival guys sure know how to cheer when leaving port. ..