How does NCL compare to Carnival?

[Pomcoach]

We have only cruised Carnival 3 times. For those of you who have tried both Carnival and Norwegian, how did you think they compared? Thanks so much.

[dhdelrod]

Carnival all the way !

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Carnival all the way !

 

 

That is a pretty strong argument in Carnivals favor.

 

Bill

 

 

Sent from Iphone 4S using Cruise Critic App

[hockeygirl14]

I have cruised on both NCL and Carnival! I'll try to break down the major differences for you.

 

1) Dining: NCL - Freestyle dining is what NCL is famous for! Basically you have no dining times, and freedom to eat where and whenever you want. There's usually 2 main dining rooms - one will be fancier and the other much more casual. I just did the Getaway and there was a large, upscale dining room and two smaller more casual ones. Plus, there are usually 5 + additional dining rooms that cost money. I find that the upcharge restaurants have better food but the MDR is fine too if that's what you want. Room service is 24/7 but the buffet ends around 11, 11:30pm which kind of sucks if you are looking for something late. They do have a 24hr restaurant called Blue Lagoon on some ships, O'Sheehans on others... it has a limited menu after 11pm but the food is good! Overall, NCL dining is good - just different than Carnival.

 

2) NCL is more casual. While people still dress up for formal nights on Carnival, NCL tends to see more "resort casual" or business casual rather than formal. I don't really recall seeing any cocktail dresses per say - more like something you would wear to a wedding for the dress up or not nights.

 

3) Entertainment: I find the entertainment better on NCL to be honest. The shows are more "broadway" style and better done overall. They have a huge range of entertainment - from shows that are on broadway, to comedy, to piano bars and more. On the newer, bigger ships like Epic, Getaway and Breakaway you will find things like the Vodka bar, Grammy Experience, and more! Poolside, I would rank them about the same. There's always dancing and competitions on both. I will say Carnival has the leg up with the seaside theatre, something that NCL doesnt have. The big screen is in the atrium of NCL ships which kind of sucks!

 

Overall, I have had great cruises on NCL and a great one on Carnival. I am looking forward to going back to Carnival on my next cruise, but I love NCL! When it comes to crew and service they are around the same (but who doesnt get good service on a cruise ship, right?) I think if you have cruised Carnival NCL would be a good next choice. It's very different, but in a good way!

Hope this helps!

[champagne123]

I guess it would depend on the ship.

We recently and reluctantly took our first NCL cruise on the Breakaway. Soooo glad we did. Had an amazing time. We were not disappointed. :)

[pe4all]

I guess it would depend on the ship.

We recently and reluctantly took our first NCL cruise on the Breakaway. Soooo glad we did. Had an amazing time. We were not disappointed. :)

I second this. We enjoyed NCL so much we are doing the Gem this summer. Really enjoyed the change in food and especially the shows. After 17 cruises on CCL it was the same old same old - especially with some of the "older CCL ships getting the newer shows. (Divas, Brits, etc.) Still will cruise Carnival, but looking to expand our horizons a bit!:)

[cv322]

I'm platinum with Carnival, but am about to get on my 5th & 6th NCL cruises...and am leaning toward NCL more & more lately.

 

The entertainment is so much better on NCL, including a live band on Lido at sailaway, & on sea days and at night deck parties. There's live music all over the ship!

 

The food choices are fantastic...much more variation than CCL.

 

There's a wonderful "we CARE about you" attitude by all members of NCL crews...on every NCL ship that I've been on. Not that CCL crews are bad, they're not! But the NCL crews seem to personalize it more ;). They dance on the piers to welcome pax back on port days! It's so much fun!

 

Overall, it's a classier experience I think.

[2xprincess]

I agree that both are great - for the most part it is what you make of it. I will continue to cruise both!

[Andoria]

I'm platinum with Carnival, but am about to get on my 5th & 6th NCL cruises...and am leaning toward NCL more & more lately.

 

The entertainment is so much better on NCL, including a live band on Lido at sailaway, & on sea days and at night deck parties. There's live music all over the ship!

 

The food choices are fantastic...much more variation than CCL.

 

There's a wonderful "we CARE about you" attitude by all members of NCL crews...on every NCL ship that I've been on. Not that CCL crews are bad, they're not! But the NCL crews seem to personalize it more ;). They dance on the piers to welcome pax back on port days! It's so much fun!

 

Overall, it's a classier experience I think.

 

 

So funny, I found the staff on the Dawn to be less helpful and friendly. I did enjoy the variety of food though.

[Mysticks1]

I enjoyed both my cruises on CCL and NCL but I would have to rank Norwegian higher and would pick them over Carnival. I enjoyed the shows and really liked the crew on the NCL Star. I had the best ever room steward and if you sail in Suites NCL puts Carnival to shame with what is included. Due to price drops I was able to upgrade to a suite with no extra money so I don't know how their prices normally compare.

 

I really enjoyed the Freestyle dining. Not having to change(dress up) for dinner was really nice and I really liked Blue Lagoon as an alternate dining choice. Their breakfast was somewhat limited but cooked fresh and very good.

[Bostonjetset]

Both lines offer a good product and I will continue to sail both [although I am leaning towards RCI's Allure OTS for next March just to try it out]

 

I do agree that NCL offers a bit more of a "classier" experience, at least on the new ships like the Breakaway; she is a gorgeous ship with very nice decor and the fellow pax on my voyage were a bit more cosmopolitan than I have found on most CCL cruises.

 

That said, I found the crew to be friendlier on Carnival. It could be because I sailed the Breakaway during maiden season so the staff was still adjusting [the Gem was a 1 nighter so I didn't expect service to knock my socks off anyways] but Carnival crew have always been fabulous.

 

I prefer the MDR food on Carnival but feel NCL has a higher quality buffet.

 

The entertainment was far better on NCL although I just got off the Carnival Freedom and the shows were pretty good.

 

NCL had less pushing of the drink on the Lido deck which was a nice change.

 

I also like the option to have fixed dining times; it makes planning out our day easier. Carnival still offers this.

[KCinBAMA]

It depends on what you like and the value you place on those things.

 

For me, cruising with NCL after a few Carnival trips clearly put NCL ahead. But that is only because I don't like eating with strangers at 10 person tables at set times and because the shows were scheduled after 10pm. NCL offered anytime dining and earlier shows.

 

Over the years, things have changed and Carnival is paying attention. Now that Carnival offers these same features, I am putting Carnival ahead of NCL since they offer more itineraries out of more ports that are within driving distance of north Alabama.

 

However, NCL suites are considerably more affordable when compared to Carnival.

 

I will continue to sail both lines.

[jackparts]

Comparing line to line is difficult. Ncl should be above Carnival but it is better to compare ship to ship. Another comparison is expectation. Overall, food was better on Carnival but service better on NCL. NCL screwed me on the past cruise in Nov. so I cannot be objective on complaints. I did like the anytime dining timewise on NCL but the dining room was SMALLER and had to wait or eat elsewhere. Organization wise, Carnival has it over NCL by a landslide. I tried to pick something different to comment on, hope it helps.

[jakeT]

NCL has better shows, and entrainment hands down, drink are cheaper on NCL.

The NCL crew are friendly and there more of them. Lots more of,them. Senior officers always in signt going around the ship check on everything. NCL prices are higher but worth the additional cost., NCL is coming out with a new MDR menu that puts Carnivals to shame.

[mpcaruth]

We took our fist NCL family cruise in January. I wrote a detailed picture review of that cruise (see link in my signature). At the end of my review i sumarized how our NCL Jewel cruise compared generally to our previous Carnival and Royal cruises. Here is an excerpt:

 

NCL Jewel

Ship:

Honestly below average, but still very nice. (Now you NCL fans, please don’t hate me for this!). My ranking of cruise line ships will be somewhat skewed, as we have not sailed on any of the newest mega ships in any fleet. But of the ships I have sailed I rank Royal Caribbean as top (beautiful décor, classy, and stunning, and lots of outdoor activities like mini golf, rock wall, and inline skating), Carnival as second (fun, flashy, lots of outdoor activities like waterparks, more pools & hot tubs, and mini-golf), and lastly NCL (The hull decor says FUN and party, but the inside just doesn't match. Much of the ships indoor space is dedicated to eating, eating, and more eating, and there are not many fun outdoor activities).

 

Cabin:

Nice, clean, plenty of storage, but small. Carnival clearly wins this category because they have the biggest cabins (and typically cheaper). In general, Royal Caribbeans cabins appear to be the same size as the Jewel's. Disregarding size, they all are pretty much the same, in my opinion. (Please remember, we only book the cheaper IS and OV cabins).

 

Food:

Very good to excellent (Did I make up for the earlier ship comment, NCL fans?). Loved all the options, the buffet was probably the nicest of any ship we have sailed. And the Blue Lagoon is a great free and anytime alternative, especially with children. How do I rank the cruise lines in the food category: NCL 1st, Carnival 2nd , and finally RCL. I ranked Carnival higher than RCL, just because we like the larger variety of food on Carnival, especially the lunch time options. Honestly, I have only been on one ship where the food quality overall was disappointing: RCL’s Grandeur of the Seas.

 

Entertainment:

The Jewel had above average Main Theater shows. I enjoyed the variety. However, and this is a huge however for me and my husband: we missed our date night to Carnival’s nightly comedy club shows after the main theater shows. The kids would go off to camp, and my husband and I headed off to see a couple of comedy shows and enjoy cocktails in the club. If I were to just compare the main theater shows the cruise lines would rank in this order top to bottom: NCL, Royal, and lastly Carnival. I also really enjoy the ice skating shows on Royal. But since I put such a huge weight on the comedy club and the lounge atmosphere, I rank carnival as top in entertainment overall.

 

Kids Club:

I was so disappointed with this aspect of our Jewel cruise. I had such high expectations, being it was a Nickelodeon cruise. The Splash Academy just did not meet our expectations for the Tweens program. It may have be great for the younger kids, but my kids were BORED. We all hated that they could not check themselves out until after 2 hours. And we had pumped ourselves up pre-cruise for the big Slime Time Live Show, only to be told that since there were only 120 kids onboard, they cancelled it. In my daughter’s eyes, it was like planning a trip to Sea World and they cancel the Shamoo show. As far as ranking the kids program, NCL definitely falls last for this family. My daughter has always raved about Camp Carnival, and loves their nightly parties. She always attends the super late night party and comes back to the cabin at 3:00 AM all smiles.

 

I did not get the feeling that NCL was, by any means, "classier" than Carnival. Now Royal ships, yes, but not the Jewel.

[UATLB]

i have found my family likes carnival much more the ncl. ncl is nice just not our cup of tea

[soccersharon]

Sailed CCL 4 times and NCL once on the Epic (review in my signature).

 

Preferred NCL's entertainment, and buffet. Blew CCL away on both counts. Crew was OK, but not as friendly as I had read. Cagney's steakhouse was awesome - as are the steakhouses on CCL.

 

We prefer CCL: "vibe" for us more friendly and fun. Prefer MDR food on CCL, and set dining time. We have always found our wait staff to be outstanding. They really get to know your preferences, and spoiled our kids :)

 

We would consider sailing on NCL in the future, but on a smaller ship.

 

Sent from my mobile device. Typos are inevitable.

[cdamion]

I guess it would depend on the ship.

We recently and reluctantly took our first NCL cruise on the Breakaway. Soooo glad we did. Had an amazing time. We were not disappointed. :)

 

Funny you use the word "reluctantly". I am reluctantly booked on the Star (I know it is no Breakaway) for next spring break because I refuse to be the first on board the Carnival ship for the port I need after a drydock.

 

The only thing I can see that will be difficult for me is the Freestyle dining. Everything else sounds fine. I am a traditional dining person.

[Aplmac]

Comparing line to line is difficult.

Ncl should be above Carnival but it is better to compare ship to ship. Another comparison is expectation.

Overall, food was better on Carnival but service better on NCL.

NCL screwed me on the past cruise in Nov. so I cannot be objective on complaints.

I did like the anytime dining timewise on NCL

but the dining room was SMALLER and had to wait or eat elsewhere.

 

Organization wise, Carnival has it over NCL by a landslide. ===> KEY phrase!

 

I tried to pick something different to comment on, hope it helps.

I'm so glad for the above comments by Jack, and for this entire thread!

 

 

When Breakawy sailed into my Caribbean port

I got all excited and considered booking a cruise on her, out of New York.

 

 

We've done Carnival Glory ex Manhattan twice now,

a holiday trip that could be repeated -just go to a different West Side pier instead, to board Breakaway.

 

Balancing out all of the views provided in this thread and in others

I think I'll stick with good-value Carnival as a known quantity

-and keep improving my mid-Gold status (42 VIFP points)

rather than "waste" a 7 day cruise(potential VIFP points) on some other line with smaller cabins. :cool:

 

 

 

.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Aplmac

[champagne123]

Funny you use the word "reluctantly". I am reluctantly booked on the Star (I know it is no Breakaway) for next spring break because I refuse to be the first on board the Carnival ship for the port I need after a drydock.

 

The only thing I can see that will be difficult for me is the Freestyle dining. Everything else sounds fine. I am a traditional dining person.

 

And it is funny that you are "traditional" diners, as are WE....LOL...and guess what? We absolutely loved going to dinner when WE were ready. Never worried about rushing back from port....missing a show we wanted to see...etc. Absolutely loved it...so stress free.

[Bostonjetset]

And it is funny that you are "traditional" diners, as are WE....LOL...and guess what? We absolutely loved going to dinner when WE were ready. Never worried about rushing back from port....missing a show we wanted to see...etc. Absolutely loved it...so stress free.

 

It's interesting how people are all so different. I find the traditional dining [we always do late seating so the port issue is non-existent to us for the most part] to be much less stress. You always know what time you are eating so can easily plan around it. With the "freestyle" dining I found we were always eating at different times and stressing out about how to maximize our time for other activities. Also, it is so nice not having to wait for dinner. Luckily we didn't have that problem on the Breakaway but I have heard horror stories from friends on other NCL ships.

[Luvtoeat]

We have been on 8 Carnival cruises and 1 NCL. Thought that buffet breakfast and lunch were better on NCL but Carnival had the better dinners. Really liked the freestyle concept as it is so much more casual. Carnival has the bigger cabins and the thought the way the toilet was set up on NCL Dawn was a tight squeeze. We are looking at booking the Liberty later this year but would not hesitate to pick NCL if the price is right.

[Pomcoach]

I loved reading every bit of the opinions. You all were so kind to take the time to write! We have decided to take a chance on the NCL cruise. We happen to have 6 days left from our Florida trip and will try to fit in a 4 day cruise on the Norwegian Sky. Before we book this, I'll read some reviews from everyone about this ship. We are getting excited to try a new cruise line.

Thanks again Everyone!

Happy Cruising to all!

[cocoabeachcruiser]

We have only cruised Carnival 3 times. For those of you who have tried both Carnival and Norwegian, how did you think they compared? Thanks so much.

 

 

Just off CCL 2 weeks ago and off NCL 3 months ago.

 

I like NCL better 6 cruises and I have taken 20 CCL cruises

 

Food is better buffet wise,entertainment is better.

 

Dining for dinner is better CCL

 

Cabins larger on CCL

 

Price is the same as we cruise off season

 

Next up NCL B2B Med

[RMcoolX]

I give the edge to Carnival. We just have more fun on CCL, and enjoy the overall dining experience better. NCL has better food choices, but CCL has better food quality.

 

But both are great cruise experiences for the money.