Norwegian vs Princess

[MsJ]

Hello,

 

We have been on both Princess and NCL. Also Royal Caribbean, HAL and Celebrity. We will be doing our 4th NCL next week on the Breakaway. Last year we did the same route on the Jewel. We also went on the NCL Sea and Windward when they were still sailing. On Princess we have been on the Crown, the Grand and the Ocean Princess. The Ocean one was in 2001 to Alaska but that ship is no longer with Princess. We sailed RC one many years ago to Bermuda, Celebrity Mercury, Constellation and Eclipse. HAL Zuiderdam. I can say that every cruise has been fun, food was good, service was good, Crew was always friendly and we always had a wonderful cruise. When we were booked on the NCL Windward all I read was bad reviews. We had a great time. Last year we were on the NCL Jewel and it seemed like good reviews were far and few. I loved that ship. It is beautiful and fun and great service. We have sailed Princess the most being on the Grand twice and the Crown( my favorite ship) 4 times. I am partial to Princess as I like the huge decks on the Caribe deck, the understated decor and it started feeling like home! I also like their spa and adult pool. And as we are now in our 60's we are not looking for much in the way of partying. Princess does have older passengers but that is fine with us. As for food...there has never been a problem with quality. Last year I read about how the food on the Jewel was not hot, salty, bland etc. We always had a delicious hot meal. And service in the MDR was excellent. I loved the Jewel and would most definitely sail it again despite all the negative reviews. When we were on the Celebrity Constellation in 2003 when it was only 6 months old we kept running into 2 couples who were complaining ALL the time...every time we saw them. At one point I hear one guy say to the other " write up a report, number it and file it" We joked about that the whole cruise. "oh no!! The stewart in the hallway did not smile and fall all over us. Write up an report, number it and file it".......in the barrel

The absolute BEST food I have ever had on a ship was on the Eclipse. We had a spa cabin which meant we could eat in the special restaurant called Blu. It was a special treat every night. The food was made to order and was true cuisine. The service was the best we have ever had. That being said I enjoyed the food on all our cruises.

Right now it seems that the negative reviews far outnumber the positive ones on the Breakaway. I know that we will have a good time. Not much bothers us when it comes to travel. I am always happy and feel lucky to be able to travel. We are doing the Breakaway as we liked being able to drive to the ship from MA. And getting off the ship and driving back 4 hours home. We also are sailing the BA as we had such a good time last year on the Jewel. The whole week last year I kept thinking why were there so many negative reviews? I love this ship!

My husband speak many different languages and likes to talk to the international crew members. One he starts talking to them and asking about their home they could not be more gracious and we enjoy extra special service.

I just ignore the negative stuff and go with an open mind and the attitude that I am going to enjoy myself.

Which ever you choose.... have a wonderful cruise.

[sfo2008]

Princess - beautiful ship, good food & services

 

NCL - We prefer "freestyle" and also, NCL offers more entertainment we like

 

We were in the Grand Suite on Princess, suite services and "perks" were not even close to the amazing NCL Haven Suite amenities

 

Opinions Vary......

 

Ironically we've had the NCL suite life and a Princess suite. I felt the NCL suite while more attractive as a room (fancier) and the dedicated concierge+butler on paper were better, ultimately I preferred the total package on Princess better.

 

More generally, I would say NCL's big win is Freestyle and for me that's also the big losing point since the service and the (non-surcharge) food suffered compared to Princess. But again your mileage may vary (YMMV).

 

Either way pick an itinerary that interests you (time of year, ports) and pricing that works for you and go from there.

 

For us, Princess has stationed a ship in SF now and that's made it a no brainer for us to do more cruises. If NCL had a ship out of SF we would think hard(er) about it.

[rajones007]

Ironically we've had the NCL suite life and a Princess suite. I felt the NCL suite while more attractive as a room (fancier) and the dedicated concierge+butler on paper were better, ultimately I preferred the total package on Princess better.

Yes, I had forgotten about the great suite perks on Princess too. The suites on NCL are bigger and nicer (in my opinion) but the overall package of perks had a couple big differences.

 

At the time of my Princess cruise the big difference between NCL and Princess (as far as suite perks were concerned) was:

 

NCL's Butler & Concierge vs. Princess's Free Unlimited Laundry and Free Unlimited Internet

 

So it's all what is more important to the individual.

 

Personally, I would take the Free Laundry and Free Internet. We got more value out of that than anything any Butler and Concierge could do. The B&C of NCL are nice and all, but every service they provide is already provided by someone else on the ship, in one form or manner. More or less, the B&C just give the passenger a single contact person for things inside the cabin (the butler) or things outside the cabin (the concierge). That's pretty much it.

 

In a suite and want room service? Call the Butler and s/he brings it up and serves it to you. Are you in an ocean view and want room service? A ships employee brings it to you too. Honestly, other than the 3 piece suit and white gloves that the butler wears, what's the difference?

 

In a suite and want excursion tickets? Call the concierge and they take care of it and leave your tickets in your cabin. In a balcony cabin and want excursion tickets? Call the excursion desk and they take care of it for you and leave your tickets in your cabin. What's the difference?

 

However...Princess has recently removed the Free Internet from the perks of suite passengers. It was being abused by suite passengers so they cut it out. (I'm told that suite passengers were sharing their cabin numbers and passwords with their family/friends who weren't in a suite. It was an ongoing issue for years, but it was getting way out of hand. So they cut it out, and I don't blame them a bit. But that's just what I heard.)

 

So now that Princess took away the Free Unlimited Internet perk, I'll give the nod to NCL for Suite Perks.

[NH Cruisers]

I like both lines.

 

But now I perfer NCL due to less expensive suites.

I too love the overall specialty resturaunt experience on NCL. Many more choices. The food in the MDR on Princess seems more fancy and it is, but taste wise about the same to me.

Entertainment and activities on NCL get the nod.

Behind the scenes tour Princess has hands down (you get a lot of souvaniers to bring home.).

 

I really want to sail on the new Royal Princess and would in a heart beat if they would sail out of Boston.

 

I have not been dissapointed with either line. Though I do wish the ships on both lines would have multilevel MDR's. Feels much more grand.

 

Also Princess usually will have a large observation lounge up high. NCL seems to be getting away from them.

 

I would say deffinitly Princess if going to Alaska for the above reason. Bermuda or the Caribbean it would be a toss up. Both are a great vacation.

 

Jon

Edited February 8, 2014 by NH Cruisers