PRINCESS vs NCL OPINIONS/ADVISE

[LAC2]

Have cruised Coral Princess and loved it. Thought our Costa Cruise could not be topped, but was by the Coral. Am thinking of taking a NCL Star cruise in 2006. How does NCL Star rate vs the Coral? Princess vs NCL? Princess prices are higher than NCL. Would that be in direct relation to the quality of the cruise? Know I'm asking alot, but thought this would be the best place to acquire the info. Thanks everyone.

[samjj]

your post is very timely, as I am also wondering. I know that NCL is casual with no formal nights (which appeals to my family). I am open to trying a variety of cruise lines. I think half the fun of vacationing is trying something new!

[zachnlucy]

We were on the NCL Sun to Alaska last year and there were two formal nights (I think just in a select couple of restaurants), just open seating. It was our first trip to Alaska and we loved our cruise. Our minisuite was very nice and the ship was elegant. IMO, the food was mediocre, not nearly as high quality or variety as offered by Carnival and RCI. We also believe in checking out new lines and in 87 days, we're on the Sun Princess back to Alaska.

[Jules1]

Princess is where I belong - we've only taken 1 NCL cruise, but our Princess cruises have been far superior in food, service and entertainment.

[johnql]

To the OP, you'll get a wide range of opinions to your question. Since this is the Princess board, I'm guessing that most people will favor Princess.

 

I, too, have enjoyed all four of my Princess cruises, but I haven't been on the Coral. I can say also that I've thoroughly enjoyed all five of my NCL cruises (4 w/ Freestyle), including the Star. I sailed the Mexican Riviera itinerary this past March on the Star.

 

As everyone knows, likes and dislikes are incredibly subjective. That applies to food, entertainment, service, etc. If you bounce from board to board, you'll read that pretty much every cruise line has its staunch defenders and its critics.

 

Whether you'll like NCL or not depends very much on what you value in a cruise, what your priorities are. If you have a strong preference for traditional dining, you probably won't like NCL. NCL's Freestyle dining gives you the freedom to dine when, where and with whom you like. To some, that's a welcome choice. To others, it's a burden. This latter group would prefer having a fixed time, fixed wait staff, and a fixed set of tablemates.

 

If you feel strongly that a cruise is not a cruise without the specialness of formal night, again, you might not like NCL. Freestyle's dress code deems "resort casual" attire as appropriate every night. Every cruise does have at least one optional formal night, so there IS an opportunity to dress up. But some cruisers feel the ambiance is somewhat ruined by the substantial number of people who opt not to dress up.

 

My experience on NCL: I've only had one unacceptable meal in five cruises on NCL and my entree was immediately replaced by a deliciously prepared steak. I love the wide range of cuisines and venues available, especially on a ship like the Star. I build in the cost of the surcharge restaurants in my budget, so I take full advantage of booking several of them. I've had some wonderful meals in Le Bistro (great filet mignon and marvelous chocolate fondue), Cagney's Steakhouse (great steaks in general), and Teppanyaki (delicious entrees with Benihana-like entertainment in the food preparation).

 

As for entertainment, I would rate NCL's production shows on par with Princess and Royal Caribbean (the other mainstream lines that I've been on).

 

I've never had a problem with NCL's service, but that goes for Princess and RCI as well. Maybe I'm just an easy person to please.

 

Freestyle disembarkation is a small but welcome difference, too. On the final morning of your cruise, you are allowed to stay in your cabin until your color-coded disembarkation category is called. You're not required to vacate your cabin and wait in a public lounge. To me, NCL's process is much more leisurely.

 

These are just some of the differences that I can point to. I hope this has been helpful.

[Cruizer_J]

Our impressions are very similar to Johnql's. We recently sailed the Sun Princess to Alaska after having sailed NCL's Sun and Star to Alaska in previous years. We would happily sail either line again.

[jnc411]

johnql: Thank you for the information , we are also considering a NCL cruise after several on RCL and Princess and was a bit leary after some of the things I have heard about NCL, but it is good to hear a positive report. Thanks You.

Cori

[yancycruiser]

We have been on two NCL cruises, 2 Princess, an RCL, and a Carnival. I would truthfully cruise on any of the four lines if the price and itinerary were right. In my opinion, if we had a choice between the four lines (and it is obvious we aren't experts on any of them) it would be almost a tie between Princess and RCL followed by Carnival and NCL.

[LAC2]

Thank you all. Johnql, a very special thanks. Your comments were exactly what I was hoping to hear.

[cynbar]

We are great Princess fans, Platinum level, but a couple of years back we took a cruise on the NCL Sun, and we loved it. There was absolutely nothing second-class about it -- the ship was lovely and well maintained, the staff was fabulous, the DR service as always good, the food was fine, and we enjoyed the choice offered by the specialty restaurants. I wouldn't hesitate to take another NCL cruise------

[Dolphins]

Having sailed both Princess and NCL we would not hesitate to cruise on either. However, I must add that if Princess had not added Personal Choice dining, it is doubtful I would have tried them. The fact that both cruise lines will be doing more round-trip cruises out of New York make both attractive.

[mr green]

You get what you pay for, I have been on NCL too many times in the past. Go with Princess, even if the cost is higher. john

[jeniceglassman]

We are Plat with Princess & tried the NCL Sun. Biggest drawbacks tubs & pools closed early. No complete promonade deck for strolls. No chairs for enjoying it. Our largest issue was the fact that all the dining venues absorb a large amount of deck space. None of the cosy nooks and retreats that Princess seems to provide.

[MelissaDBA]

Our first cruise was on the Grand Princess, the Eastern Caribbean itinerary in '02. We travelled with our teenage son and daughter and with our best friends who also have teenagers...Being our first cruise, we had nothing to compare it to, but were still blown away and impressed with our shipboard experience. We found the service, the food (and we are pretty well travelled and a bit picky) the daily art auction, entertainment, even Bingo lol - all aspects superior...Add to that the fact that our teenage children were entertained as well, (no "are we there yet, we are so bored" looks) and you couldn't beat the experience! The next year we tried NCL's Norwegian Dawn and travelled around the Hawaiian Islands. Although the experience was a good one, this time we DID have something to compare it to. No glaring complaints that would make for dramatic reading, but in every area we felt Princess did a better job of providing at least what our two families were looking for, a relatively First Class experience with a bit of luxury thrown in for the grown ups, and relaxed fun and non-stop entertainment for the kids..We skipped our cruise last year and we all felt cmpletely deprived for the entire summer! The same nine of us are booked for the Western Caribbean itinerary on Caribbean Princess in July and we can't wait! :cool: :) ;)