NCL from a Carnival Cruiser's Standpoint

[soccersharon]

delete. dang phone!



Sent from my GT-S5830D using Forums mobile app Edited December 6, 2013 by soccersharon

[Warm Breezes]

[quote name='riffatsea'][SIZE=2]Hmm? I wonder if NCL has changed a lot since our one Alaska cruise??? At that time the buffet was just horrible so I was amazed to hear people say that it was now equal to what is offered on Carnival! I also thought the MDR food choices were boring. The only really decent food was in the specialty restaurants for which you had to pay extra!! We have never wanted to try another NCL cruise after our first experience so it is interesting to read these positive comments.[/SIZE][/quote]

I actually find the food in the buffet better with more choices than CCL. The MDR room I find to have similar quality but lacking in choices, except for the desserts where CCL has the edge...although the Blue Lagoon has an awesome brownie sundae served at lunch.

[pe4all]

[quote name='mm3386']Thank you everyone for the informative responses! Does anyone know about the Vibe section on NCL? I loved Carnival's Serenity deck on the Miracle and Pride, but was really disappointed in the Splendor's. I'm wondering which the Vibe is more comparable to. We're big fans of the hammocks and clamshells (the Splendor Serenity area had neither :( )[/QUOTE]
We also got Vibe passes in August. For us, it was fantastic. Always pretty empty, great service, 2 nice hottubs, plenty of loungers for us, and they brought around skewers of fruit, sprayed us down with water, etc. Really felt pampered. We were the first group boarding, and got Vibe passes 16-18. Within 5 minutes the passes were sold out. ($79 pp) Best money I ever spent. Spent a lot of time everyday up there. People also liked Spice H20, which is more comparitable to the Serenity section on CCL. We found it to be crowded and noisy each time we went there, though the waterfall area was nice to dunk in!

[Betsybill]

[quote name='Warm Breezes']I don't mean to argue with you, but this just seemed contradictory to everything I have read so I looked up the oceanview room size for those 2 ships on NCL and CCL's websites. NCL stated that the Stars oceanview rooms were 159 SF and CCL stated that the Fascinations oceanview rooms were 185 SF. This is in line with what I have read about the oceanview rooms and what I experienced on our own cruises on NCL and CCL in inside and balcony rooms.[/quote]

We've never brought a tape measure on any of our cruises. Besides the seperate desk and countertop there was a third tall closet with a door. We never used this it just had the life vests on the top shelf. CCL only had two closets with doors and a small open space on the end. CCL had a third bed that stuck out from the wall. It sure seemed bigger to us, mabey just the way it was set up. We've been on some NCL OVs that were much smaller then CCL cabins.

[Andoria]

[quote name='Warm Breezes']I actually find the food in the buffet better with more choices than CCL. The MDR room I find to have similar quality but lacking in choices, except for the desserts where CCL has the edge...although the Blue Lagoon has an awesome brownie sundae served at lunch.[/QUOTE]


They only offered pound cake and cheese cake on the Dawn's Blue Lagoon. The service was mind boggling awful though and I only got dessert once because I flagged down four severs to ask them. The other two times I left after fifteen minutes of waiting.

[Warm Breezes]

[quote name='Andoria']They only offered pound cake and cheese cake on the Dawn's Blue Lagoon. The service was mind boggling awful though and I only got dessert once because I flagged down four severs to ask them. The other two times I left after fifteen minutes of waiting.[/QUOTE]

They had the brownie sundae in Epic's O'Sheehans in Dec 2011 and NCL Jewel this last October....but it was only served at lunch on the Jewel, I don't recall on Epic. We had good service every time at both restaurants. Experiences can very from ship to ship or even on the same ship, same restaurant...just like in land restaurants. You can get poor or awesome service anywhere anytime....it is the luck of the waiter draw and IMHO your own personal patience level. Personally we have no problem waiting 15 minutes and would never consider that something to complain about. I've waited that long at many land restaurants. We use that time to talk and reconnect and 15 minutes goes by in a flash when you are enjoying your company.

I do have friends who are like you and if they are kept waiting 15 minutes they start complaining to anyone they can. It is hard for their family to sit through a formal dinner as it just takes too long for them and they want to go. I'm a slow eater. I find myself barely starting to eat my dinner while they are done and antsy to go. I prefer to enjoy my food and the company of my tablemates. I don't get why everyone has to be in such a hurry...especially when we are on vacation. Edited December 7, 2013 by Warm Breezes

[halos]

[quote name='Warm Breezes'] I prefer to enjoy my food and the company of my tablemates. I don't get why everyone has to be in such a hurry...especially when we are on vacation.[/quote]
I'm like that as well, but I think my upbringing in a large Italian family has a lot to dow ith that. Because we're close to Christmas, I think of our 7 course holiday dinners that stated around 2 in the afternoon and went on forever....we all sat and talked and laughed. Those are my favorite memories :)

I hate being rushed through a meal which is why when I eat Chinese food, we always take-out. I have never been in a Chinese restaurant that didn't seem to want you out of there before you even sit down. Feeling rushed through a meal is not pleasant. Edited December 8, 2013 by halos

[sail2sea]

Norwegian's live entertainment stands out, and shows are much better.

Food is similar. If you like Your time dining, you will like Norwegian's freestyle. I am no longer interested in MDR dining and slightly prefer Norwegian's Garden Cafe over the Lido. I might be in the minority but I don't like Norwegian's Blue Lagoon. If I need food late night, I want to grab and go, not sit down and order. As far as late night /24 hr dining goes, I think Royal Caribbean got it right. They have Cafe Promenade, a grab and go place offering a decent selection of hot pizza, fresh sandwiches, cookies, brownies, and in a mid deck location so it's easy access for everyone on the ship.

Carnival has larger cabins but for some reason I always find Norwegian's cabins more comfortable.

General ship design wise, neither Splendor nor Breakaway is known for generous public spaces. Breakaway has the new "water front" concept. Sounds interesting. But I am not convinced it's better than Breeze's lanai yet. If you are not in a suite on a Norwegian ship you will not be able to access the suite area. Carnival ships don't have such restrictions, but Conquest or Dream class ships (Splendor is similar to a Conquest class) are not the easiest to navigate, always give me that "can't get there from here" feel and the top deck is choppily designed.

[Warm Breezes]

[quote name='halos']I'm like that as well, but I think my upbringing in a large Italian family has a lot to dow ith that. Because we're close to Christmas, I think of our 7 course holiday dinners that stated around 2 in the afternoon and went on forever....we all sat and talked and laughed. Those are my favorite memories :)

I hate being rushed through a meal which is why when I eat Chinese food, we always take-out. I have never been in a Chinese restaurant that didn't seem to want you out of there before you even sit down. Feeling rushed through a meal is not pleasant.[/QUOTE]

I had the opposite family upbringing. My DF was a truck driver who was on the road most of the time. My parents divorced when I was 12 and my DM worked after that. I rarely remember any family sit down dinners. Holiday meals that I remember where all potlucks. My family life has been extremely hectic. DH and I both work full-time. DD is a junior in high school active in the school choir and 6 dance teams after school. DH is a sophomore in college (living at home). We are rarely home at the same time to eat a meal together...between the kids school, sports, and our work, this has been the case for the last 10 years at least. One thing we have always enjoyed about cruising was the time we were able to spend together as a family....including eating our meals together. If it took longer than normal that was no problem, we were enjoying each others company for a change. It was always a real treat for us.

[halos]

[quote name='Warm Breezes']IOne thing we have always enjoyed about cruising was the time we were able to spend together as a family....including eating our meals together. If it took longer than normal that was no problem, we were enjoying each others company for a change. It was always a real treat for us.[/quote]


:) I can see why you enjoy it so much.

[SadieN]

[quote name='Betsybill']We've never brought a tape measure on any of our cruises. Besides the seperate desk and countertop there was a third tall closet with a door. We never used this it just had the life vests on the top shelf. CCL only had two closets with doors and a small open space on the end. CCL had a third bed that stuck out from the wall. It sure seemed bigger to us, mabey just the way it was set up. We've been on some NCL OVs that were much smaller then CCL cabins.[/quote]

The Fantasy Class closets are as you described. The closets on the other ships we've been on (Splendor, Miracle, Conquest) all have had doors.

The Fantasy Class OV are small at 185ft. The OVs on the other ships usually include the balcony space, so they measure around 220ft.

[ManyMore]

I can understand you wanting a bit of a change from Carnival but for sure NCL would not be my choice, I would take RCL. I have cruised NCL only because our friends were doing big birthdays on NCL and we wanted to go with them. None of our experiences matched Carnival, although other cruise lines have.