norwegian or carnival

[Mira28]

For a first cruise, leaving from NYC, which ship is more fun, the Gem or the Spkendor? I'm a young 59!

[DDMau]

I'm a few years older than you, I don't feel Carnival is a good fit for me, I prefer something a little more quiet.

But you aslo need to look at the cost as well as the ports of call.

 

Enjoy the cruise you pick.

 

[trish1c]

We're pretty loyal to NCL.

 

I will share that my mom's friends, a group of seniors who sail from NYC regularly, complained about the layout of the Splendor. They found it hard to get around because there are allegedly some decks that don't go all the way across. I have never sailed her so I can't say for sure. I'm just repeating what the ladies told me.

 

I would also need to know where each ship is going. I hate the Bahamas route that Gem sails sometimes.

[sparks1093]

For a first cruise, leaving from NYC, which ship is more fun, the Gem or the Spkendor? I'm a young 59!

 

If the price is comparable for the two I would pick the Gem (and I haven't been on either ship yet, but the Gem is coming up:D). I found NCL's entertainment to be a bit more robust and my family is really partial to Freestyle.

[mizLORInj]

I would go on either! Haven't been on Splendor yet (going in 2014) but many other Carnival ships. And Gem plus other NCL ships.

Haven't had a bad cruise on any!

[Lerin]

They are practically the same, though I'm not a fan of NCL freestyle.

However, if that's your thing then flip a coin. Pick one and then go on the other later. :D

[Aquahound]

6 in one/half dozen in the other, in my opinion. I think Gem is the nicer ship, but in my experience, "Freestyle" is just a euphemism for "here's your pager...your table will be ready in 30 minutes." You said you were looking for "fun," so I'd probably steer you toward the Splendor.

[Gunner22aa]

Neither line appeals to me and we are the exact same age. I've cruised a bunch of lines. NCL has the worst food on the ocean and spends the least amount of money per passenger on food. Google it. Its about 7-8 dollars per day per person. The other mainstream lines are double that. Google it. Carnival is for the young all you can drink in and hour crowd and a lot of families with children because of its low price point. Celebrity, Princess and HAL would be my choices and I'm very active including parachuting regularly.

[Mira28]

I appreciate the responses. I'm still undecided, given that this is my very first cruise. Yes, at my age! Money is a factor in choosing one of these cruises, since flying is so expensive, along with the ease of getting to the port. (I live in NYC suburbs.)

My main concerns are the friendliness of the crew and ship cleanliness, along with the hope of some lively entertainment. (Of the piano bar variety.) I don't want to be falling asleep at 9:00, which is my usual pattern! :) Since I am not very particular about food, that is less of a concern.

The Splendor has a very simple itinerary, so it seems less challenging for a first timer, while the Gem goes to 4 islands, so that is appealing in a different way.

I do realize there are no guarantees...

[barante]

We have taken more than 30 cruises. On all mass-market lines. We go by the itinerary and price.

 

Our first Carnival cruise was from Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires circa 2008 on Spledor. A great cruise on a good ship. This year we returned to Carnival. We took:

 

-- a 15-day trans-Atlantic from Dover to Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland to New York on the Carnival Legend in October.

 

-- a six-day Mecxican cruise in December on the Miracle, followed by a 15-day cruise from Long Beach to Hawaii and back.

 

I think Canival gets a bad rap. I argue that it is a fine budget line. Towel anmals and chocolate on your pillow. Where elese can you get (included in the standard fare) lobster, escargots and froglegs (if those are your thing).

 

I thought the food was quite good. My yardstick is: "Would I be happy with this meal if I ordered it in a restaurant." The verdict always was yes. (We had anytime dining because we didn't want to be burdened with the same table mates every night).

 

I am a cheap charlie. I spend lots of time researching and looking for bargains. Which all of the above cruises were.

 

Another crucial yardstick is the size of cabins. Every Carnival cabin, including the cheapest insides, is of decent size.

 

On the three abovementioned cruises we were lucky to enjoy 4K cabins. They are marketed and priced as insides but in fact are balcony cabins without a balcony. Instead, they have openable french doors that in most cases face lifeboats but in some may offer you a pretty good view of waves. (4122 on the Miracle). In addition to beds (either in twin or queen configuration) they have a full-length couch.

 

I absolutely loved the cabin. Made no difference whether you have a view since two of our cruises didn't.

 

4K is not available on the Splendor but 4J is, if you are lucky. Go for it. A panoramic view of what the captain sees. (We had a similar cabin on the Crown Princess. Fabulous).

 

Another thing I like about Carnival are the freebies: Free 24-hour pizza, which is excellent; free 24-hour soft-serve ice cream. Free coffee, which is drinkable, and a nice tea selection. Plenty of free lemonade.

 

While we have not been recently on NCL, I think you owe it to yourself to compare. You might be pleasantly surprised if you find a suitable Carnival itinerary.

Edited January 1, 2014 by barante

[Keith1010]

Both are going to be similar.

 

Whatever you decide, have a terrific time.

 

Keith

[marco]

Some people find it the greatest thing since sliced bread, but the only reason we did NOT like NCL and won't go again is the "freestyle dining". Unless we wanted to dine at 5PM or 9PM, we got a beeper and waited up to 45 minutes on average for a table. We NEVER waited less than a 1/2 hour. If you don't want set seatings and choose "anytime" "your time" or "whatever" the other lines want to call it, we've never waited more then 10 minutes for a table on any other line. The joke got to be that you were free to dine when THEY wanted to feed you. Also, we found the MDR's to be WAY understaffed, long waits and poor service. Again...not their fault, they were WAY understaffed! Also many items that are on menus on most other lines we travel on were not on the menu in the MDR, but only in the surcharge restaurants. IE: Shrimp cocktail, escargot, rack of lamb...just to mention a few.

Edited January 1, 2014 by marco

[Mira28]

Thanks everyone who responded. I decided to go with the Splendor, as it just seemed best for me at this point. The price was great, and I'm excited. Can't wait for my first cruise! :D

Next time I will try the Gem for sure. I do like the itinerary from NYC on the Gem. Something to look forward to...

[barante]

You'll love it. When we took the Splendor it had an Indian lunch counter which was very good. Overall, the variety of food was great.

 

On our last day, I rode the Splendor water slide 15 times. On our most recent Carnival cruise, on the Miracle in December, they did not have enough water in the slide. I got stuck several times. Not pretty. Tried it once and never repeated.

[Alyrica]

You will have a fabulous time on the Splendor, I'm sure. We went on our first cruise in August and it was a 5 day on the Triumph. I kept reading derogatory comments regarding the class of passengers and their excessive party habits. I didn't find this to be the case on our cruise. As a matter of fact, the passengers were the best part of the cruise. So many warm, friendly, wonderful people. :D

[Mira28]

I am positive about most things, so I'm sure I will have a wonderful time. It's really exciting to be doing this for the first time and on my own. Happy New Year to everyone. Enjoy!!!

[barante]

Much though I love the Cruise Critic boards and have learned plenty from them over the years, one has to treat information and opinions expressed here with s pinch of salt. It is obvious in many cases that information proffered is outdated. And how coouldn't it be? We took five cruises in 2013, a TA on the MSC Poesia, a Baltic on MSC Magnifica, a TA on the Carnival Legend and Mexico and Hawaii on the Carnival Miracle.

 

That's an unusual amount of cruising, due to my 70th birthday and family gatherings. Yet I know asolutely nothing about how the other lines are doing. The whole industry is in a state of flux.

 

This year we'll revisit HAL (Panama Canal) and RCI (Bermuda, Caribbean) so we'll get some idea about how those lines have changed.

 

My point is that the companies are many and ships plentiful. So any generalizitions are wrought with peril.

 

We have never had a bad cruise because we don't sweat over little things. If your attitude is good, you will have a good cruise.

 

We also spend relatively little money on cruises beyond the basic fare and tips. Since we have prepaid meals, we seldom spend money on major meals in ports where we know absolutely nothing about the restaurant scene. And since we own stock in HAL, sailing on their brands gives us a leg up because we get onboard credits. Every little bit helps.

Edited January 2, 2014 by barante