Thinking about Making a Switch

[keijenxs]

Hello Everyone,

 

My family and I have only cruised with Carnival and we're thinking about trying Norwegian. Any thoughts? A little background information: I'm 31, DH 47, DS 11 & DS 8.

[marym933]

I just got off the Dawn this morning. Sometimes the grass looks greener, but really isn't.

 

Food - D, Entertainment - C, Cabin size - C, Freestyle cruising - C.

[Staci0615]

Have sailed both Carnival and NCL as a family as well as Celebrity and RCCL...I am now 46, DH is 47 and DD is 9 but have been at sea since my 20's.(something like 20 cruises under my belt-actually lost count) I find the Carnival is a bit more garish than NCL( gaudier décor, rowdier crowd)...the food choices are not as varied. Carnival does have better desserts but I like the food overall better on NCL(free dining) plus the option of upcharge restaurants if you want a specific type of food on a specific day. Carnival has larger cabins but the public areas are not as nice, NCL small cabins but nicer public areas. The beds were comfortable on both lines. Better Entertainment on NCL. My daughter liked the kids club better on NCL than Carnival- where she was kicked out 3 times for not behaving(following the group). NCL was more accommodating to her eccentricities.

 

A vacation is what you make of it and both lines have their good and bad. I feel Carnival is a cheaper cruise whereby NCL can be inexpensive(if you are easily pleased) but you can pay to upgrade for a more premium experience if you wish. Being very budget conscious I only know of the more inexpensive side of NCL LOL.

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[HarpHarp]

Our last 2 cruises were on these 2 lines, the NCL Star & the new Carnival Breeze in the Med.

We expected totally different experiences, but here is what we thought.

 

Cabin smaller on NCL, however the cabin steward on the Star was the best we ever had. Please transfer him to the Breakaway in November:)

I did really like the Breeze public spaces, but it is a very new ship.

 

Food, about equivelent, though Staci is right, Carnival has better desserts. I like the specialty choices and freestyle dining times on NCL, and could lose the singing waiters on CCL. Guy's burgers were great, but no pretzel rolls!

 

NCL is much better at handling problems when they arise. The entertainment on CCL is for the most part quite a step below NCL's.

Most of it is WAY TOO LOUD. Having to wear earplugs to the shows really lessens the pleasure. The activities on sea days were repetitious on CCL. Too much trivia. That new ship sure wasn't utilized.

 

Traveling with children, I would take a newer ship, no matter what line I choose. The waterparks, the giant WII screens, bowling, climbing walls are fun for kids (of all ages)

 

Enjoy whichever line you pick.

[Oldgoat61]

I have cruised on the Legend, the Star, and the Dawn. Both lines are more similar than different, but what sets NCL apart is the freestyle dining.

 

As mentioned by a previous post, Carnival ships are gaudy compared with NCL ships. I didn't really mind it that much, but it was a tad over board.

 

I found the food to be comparable on both lines, but the buffet on NCL was more varied. But as I mentioned before, freestyle is what draws me to NCL much more than Carnival. You can eat when and where you want, no set times nor tables. We chose ATD and still freestyle is a step above. I will say this...if you prefer set tables, times, and table mates, you won't like NCL.

Another aspect to freestyle is formal attire. If you don't want to dress to the 9's you don't have to, you can wear resort casual and be fine during the entire cruise.

 

The crew is exceptional on NCL.

 

Give NCL a try, you may find that the grass is greener on the side...I know I did.:D

[Love my butler]

I would go with NCL. They do not cut corners with engine maintenance.

[Seshat91]

I tried NCL and personally didn't like it, at all. The crew in general seemed like they just didn't care to be there on the Norwegian Sky. Ask the tables in the buffer were always dirty, the teenage program (as I was 15 at the time) was absolutely horrible (myself and the others ended up making our own schedule since the person in charge was too busy not wanting to do the activities provided), and just nit a fan of freestyle dining at all. I like seeing the same wait staff for dinner so we get to know each other and learn off quirks. Corny dancing can be fun at times too. Everyone likes different things, but I unfortunately had a very poor experience with NCL and will likely not cruise with them in the future since I was more a bother than a guest last time.

 

For reference I'm 21 now. Been at sea since 2006. My little sister loves camp carnival, and I had fun the one time I got to go, lol. Club O2 is okay depending on the club director. Most allow the kids to pick activities and most times they just play video games, but a few good ones make them get up and have fun. Can play video games at home, or at least that's my take. :-)

 

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[London-Calling]

Hello Everyone,

 

My family and I have only cruised with Carnival and we're thinking about trying Norwegian. Any thoughts? A little background information: I'm 31, DH 47, DS 11 & DS 8.

 

You will never know what you are missing unless you try.In fact you need to try both RCI and NCL.

 

Epic or Breakaway, RCI's Freedom and Oasis classes may well be best for your age.

 

Personally I DO NOT think Carnival are the best of the three lines.

 

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[Seshat91]

Sorry about some minor spelling issues in my last post. Hard to catch typos on the phone sometimes. :-( Want to try Royal in the future, if I can ever convince someone to go with me. Good luck if you choose Norwegian. I know some people who like it so I might have just been on the wrong ship at the wrong time. :-P

 

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[Quincella]

I think it's more important to compare specific ships rather than entire lines.

 

I've enjoyed all of my cruises, but I'll say that the smaller, older ships for me aren't as appealing as the newer ones, with all of their amenities.

 

If I were on the NCL Sky, I may not like her as much I enjoyed the Carnival Freedom, for example. To judge an entire line by one ship isn't logical, in my opinion.

 

For what it's worth, I enjoy Carnival, but NCL is definitely my favorite line. The fleet is quite new, I've always loved the crew, I enjoy the decor, the entertainment and the food (free and extra). In my opinion, NCL does buffets better in both variety and physical setup, and I generally hate buffets. You wouldn't catch me in one on land. The steakhouses on Carnival are fabulous, but so are the fee-based restaurants on NCL and there are more of them (I like variety). Many people like the food in the main dining room better on Carnival, but I like it better on NCL, again with the caveat that I've had dishes I love and dishes I didn't care for on both lines. I'll agree with the others and give the nod to Carnival on their desserts, but beyond that, the NCL product offering has been very good for my family.

 

In case you're wondering, I'm 41, and I have 16 and 10 year old daughters. DD10 took her first cruise on the NCL Spirit on her 2nd birthday, so this isn't new to us. My husband is 41 today and will be taking his first NCL cruise in April, so he doesn't have an opinion on the subject yet.

[halos]

Hello Everyone,

 

My family and I have only cruised with Carnival and we're thinking about trying Norwegian. Any thoughts? A little background information: I'm 31, DH 47, DS 11 & DS 8.

 

When you get on that ship, you will immediately feel a difference and by the end of your cruise your only regret will be that you hadn't tried NCL sooner.

It's a very different experience...one that my DH and I feel is worlds apart from what is now Carnival.

[luddite]

A cruise on NCL isn't a step down from the Carnival experience.

[sparks1093]

We prefer Freestyle and NCL's entertainment and found the food to comparable.

[emcelh]

I just got off the Dawn this morning. Sometimes the grass looks greener, but really isn't.

 

Food - D, Entertainment - C, Cabin size - C, Freestyle cruising - C.

Yes, sometimes the grass does look greener but isn't. After 1 Carnival cruise I went back to NCL.

[marym933]

Yes, sometimes the grass does look greener but isn't. After 1 Carnival cruise I went back to NCL.

That is why there are more than one cruise line. There is something for everyone!

[GORDONCHICK]

As you can see in my signature, we've cruise all the major US lines except Disney (and that's not gonna happen). The food is comparable to Carnival, though NCL's buffet is much better. I will give the nod to Carnival for desserts. I love having the option of a casual/diner/pub open 24/7 on NCL when you don't want the buffet and it's a weird time of day (like coming back from a port).

 

For us, the service sets NCL apart from the other lines! They are awesome and happy to be there. Not to mention, they do a nice M&G for CC members if someone on the roll call coordinates it with them.

[mom2tcdx2]

Yes, sometimes the grass does look greener but isn't. After 1 Carnival cruise I went back to NCL.

 

I would say though if you look at the Carnival ship you chose, isn't really a good comparison to the other sailings. I don't think I would ever book the Fascination, but greatly enjoyed the Splendor, Dream, Pride and the Glory.

 

Personally I found Carnival to be better than NCL. I don't care for the freestyle dining, I like the set dining times and the waiters that get to know you. Didn't find the service on NCL to be as good as Carnival in terms of the dining rooms. Also there is more variety of the CCL menu, where NCL doesn't have as much variety IMO. From what I remember NCL has more items that remain the same each evening, where Carnival only had 3 that remained the same, with the other 7 (entree only) being different each night.

 

Breakfast I found them all to be pretty much the same.

 

Entertainment I have always thought was way better on Carnival. I have done two NCL cruises and can't remember anything in terms of entertainment that we saw that I could say was good or even remember seeing it.

[Cruzface]

I am so happy we tried NCL and probably will not go back unless CCL has a really good deal or itinerary. While I was skeptical about the freestyle dining because I too liked having the same waiter at a set time, I was blown away by how great it was.

 

I didn't miss the dancing nonsense that the waiters are forced to do on Carnival. After going on NCL, now I view that as very humiliating to the waiters. NCL just seems much more sophisticated and professional.

[Dolphins]

After sailing many cruises on HAL, Princess, RCI, Celebrity & Carnival, we decided to give NCL a try when they started sailing year round out of New York. We were very pleasantly surprised and now that we receive Platinum benefits (best in the industry) we sail only on NCL. We enjoy freestyle dining with so many different choices and the friendly staff on all our NCL ships are second to none. Try it, you may like it. We certainly have.

[punkincc]

We have cruised most of the major lines, but not Carnival for several years, and honestly, it would now be my last choice in a long list.

 

We have sailed on the NCL Dawn ( fell in love with Freestyle), Pearl, Star, soon to be on the Sun, and Epic booked for later this year. We love the crews. So friendly! I could not care less whether the waiter knows I like lemon with my tea, or if I am able to "sit" exactly at 7:00 pm, with the same boring folks, at the exact same table.

 

Entertainment is great, and much more than just the show in the theatre. It is all over the ship and we always had a tough time fitting in everything we wanted to do.

 

If you decide to book, just go with an open mind and remember you don't have to plan every second.

[Julienatul]

They are more similar than different. I think NCL has way better entertainment an much more bang for your buck! Carnival has cut so much in recent years and I have sailed them almost 20 times. they used to be my line of choice until we sailed the EPIC. Carnival has cut almost all live bands and gone with a DJ and piped in music. No piano player before dinner or jazz or rock band in the evenings. No reggae calypso band by the pool. Those things for us are what help "make" our cruise. We love relaxing listening to the live music. The buffet on NCL is better than Carnival but the main dining room meals are better on Carnival. Desserts are defintely better. The kids clubs are better on NCL more offerings and more nurturing. My kids like them both equally though. the cabins are smaller on NCL but hey you are never there except to shower and sleep right? We prefer NCL now over Carnival.

[sail2sea]

I found much better bands and shows on Norwegian cruises. Ships look more modern and decor more futuristic. Other than that it's pretty similar. But then again I am not picky about service or food.

 

I used to rank Norwegian lower than Carnival. But in the past few years it has surpassed Carnival in my book.

[tweakes]

I've convinced my family in the last two years to cruise as a family vacation; we did CCL once and NCL once. I don't think they thought there was much of a difference between the two... in the future they're interested in booking whatever has the best itinerary for the price. However, my sister and brother-in-law thought NCL was mediocre, Carnival was bad, and RCCL was superb and they care more about the food options than anything else. They're still happy to go with us in December on NCL because of the itinerary. The crowd is very similar on both I think - enough children, young adults, middle age, and older folks to make every age group comfortable (just maybe not stuffy people who are scared to have a good time!).

 

I think in general they are so similar that it's not going to make a big enough difference. Each line and each ship has its positives and negatives. It's certainly nice to switch it up!

[evandbob]

Just off the Epic - this ship is better than any of my CCL experiences......Food was good at the buffet, in the MDR and the specialty restaurants (I went to 3 of those for $52, as opposed to one on CCL for $30?). Entertainment was much better on NCL, I had Blue Man Group, 2nd City Comedy, and Cirque Dreams was excellent. No lines in buffet and when returning to the ship from excursions. Comparably priced too. The Epic looks ugly and boxy on the outside, but the interior decor is modern and sleek, unlike the gaudy look of CCL. NCL officers attended the CC M&G and explained their departments service to us, gave us their phone #'s to report any problems. Amazing!

[halos]

I used to rank Norwegian lower than Carnival. But in the past few years it has surpassed Carnival in my book.

 

The change happend when both lines got new CEOs...one CEO took the line in a good direction. The other, not so much.