Rethinking my opinion on cruising

[coolbluegreenseas]

Okay, as my signature indicates, hubby and I went on a cruise in 2012 with Celebrity. Overall, I was underwhelmed. I am not sure what it was exactly, but perhaps the stuffiness, or rude lady (passenger, not service) at the bar turned me off, not to mention the faux class so many passengers displayed. Also, we love to immerse ourselves in a culture making the port heavy itinerary we had a mistake. But, after the less than stunning experience with Celebrity, we are considering giving another cruise line a try. What I do like about NCL is the vibrancy and what appears to be an attitude of taking everything less serious. If we decide on this, it will be islands. We have been to the Caribbean several times, so culture immersion is less important or an island itinerary (the Canaries, for example). Why do you cruise with NCL? If you have done NCL and Celebrity, what are the similarities and differences? By the way, I love to dance, and is there lots of dancing on board? Celebrity pretty much went dead about 10:00 PM most nights.

 

:D

Edited May 15, 2014 by coolbluegreenseas

[Medtech2]

there is lots of dancing. usually an outdoor themed party in spiceh2o on the newest ships. also indoor DJ in the nightclub. always lots of fun and things were hopping still when we were too tired to stay...never stuffy. if you want great entertainment try Epic, Breakaway or Getaway.

 

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[garycarla]

With all seriousness and respect, I would think that cruising is not your thing.

 

Celebrity does a great job, slightly better than NCL in many ways. But, cruising is cruising and different than other travel.

 

Just not sure if this is for you. Not much late night dancing, though we may not be the best to judge this... we are either in bed or in the casino after 9pm

[SissasMomE]

Okay, as my signature indicates, hubby and I went on a cruise in 2012 with Celebrity. Overall, I was underwhelmed. I am not sure what it was exactly, but perhaps the stuffiness, or rude lady (passenger, not service) at the bar turned me off, not to mention the faux class so many passengers displayed. Also, we love to immerse ourselves in a culture making the port heavy itinerary we had a mistake. But, after the less than stunning experience with Celebrity, we are considering giving another cruise line a try. What I do like about NCL is the vibrancy and what appears to be an attitude of taking everything less serious. If we decide on this, it will be islands. We have been to the Caribbean several times, so culture immersion is less important or an island itinerary (the Canaries, for example). Why do you cruise with NCL? If you have done NCL and Celebrity, what are the similarities and differences? By the way, I love to dance, and is there lots of dancing on board? Celebrity pretty much went dead about 10:00 PM most nights.

 

:D

 

We had that problem on Princess as well. Celebrity is more upscale than NCL. In fact, NCL isn't what I would call upscale at all. It's not bottom of the barrel, or anything like that ... but it's not stuffy or snobby. It's freestyle, and that in itself makes it more laid back. There are dance parties after 10pm. Most of them don't even start until 10pm, so you should be fine there. I'd suggest one of the newer ships - Epic or Getaway, if you're looking to sail out of Florida, and also looking for the nightlife.

Edited May 16, 2014 by SissasMomE

[kollegekreed]

The fact that celebrity is so upscale and stuffy is part of the problem. You might find NCL is more your taste.

[j&tcruiser]

Celebrity is more "reserved", I have been on NCL twice. Have also been on Carnival, Princess, RCI and Disney....of all of them, NCL is at the bottom. I am in my late 40's and would suggest RCI or carnival.

 

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[Granny DI]

I could relate to the OP until last week. We've sailed on 30+ cruises. We've sailed RCL, Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Cunard, Azamara, River cruises then last week the Breakaway! The Breakaway was such a different experience! We had such a great time that we booked the same cruise and cabin for next year. We've never booked a repeat cruise in 16 years! As to not being upscale evidently those who think this have never experienced the suite life on the Breakaway. We had the best suite and service in our 30 + cruises and NCL was one of our cheaper cruises. We had booked a Crystal Cruise for next year, but cancelled when we arrived home. We decided we didn't need to spend the big bucks for the upscale cruise to have a great time!

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

Have not been on Celebrity myself, but, have heard the exact same opinion about stuffy and snobby folks on Celebrity from others. I hope you do try NCL. It might be unfair to yourself to write off future cruising until you find the right brand for you. The cruise product is more similar than different on all 3 brands that I've sailed. The friendliest passengers were on NCL. There is definitely dancing and other activities late night plus O'Sheehans and the casino open very later, possibly all night.

 

I, too, like to immerse myself and a short port visit feels like a tease so port calls are very unimportant to me overall. The short visit does help me decide if I'd like to revisit an island for a stay. Look at the bigger ships for the most activities and diverse passenger base. Look for less port intensive itineraries to minimize that feeling of an inadequate visit in port. I fell in love with cruising after my first for the feeling of total relaxation it provides me, but, it's not my exclusive vacation choice by any means.

 

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Edited May 16, 2014 by Steeler Nation At Sea

[Cruise_More_Often]

Celebrity is more "reserved", I have been on NCL twice. Have also been on Carnival, Princess, RCI and Disney....of all of them, NCL is at the bottom. I am in my late 40's and would suggest RCI or carnival.

 

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Wow, if the only NCL cruises you've been on were in 1996 and 2005, you have no idea what NCL is like today. I've been on HAL, Princess and RCI, and I think NCL tops all of them.

 

NCL is definitely not stuffy or reserved, and that's a very good thing.

[tlreze]

We cancelled our celebrity cruise after reading they were dead at night as we too love to dance and spend time in the clubs at night.......We just returned from the Dawn out of Tampa and it was dead at night as well...many said it is usually like that on cruises out of Tampa. luckily we had a group of 7 and we were in the Garden Villa so we still had a great time but now sticking to cruises out of NYC, Miami or Ft Lauderdale.

[fishywood]

I was on Celebrity Infinity in 2012 (first ever X cruise) and Norwegian Star last summer (first NCL since the SS Norway) and while I consider myself a "traditionalist" cruiser I would choose NCL over X in a heartbeat. I will second all of the above comments about Celebrity, especially how dead they are at night--even HAL and Princess are hotbeds of activity in comparison. My impression was that Celebrity wants you to feel like you are at one of those artsy-fartsy boutique hotels rather than on a cruise ship. Now you might think that "freestyle cruising" doesn't sound like a good fit for me, but I found it very easy to just sit back and go with the flow onboard the Star--especially with how friendly both fellow passengers and crew were. Right now I am contemplating grabbing a last minute deal for a Studio on the Getaway, mainly to check out if such a large ship would appeal to certain family and friends who I have taken on other cruises--the issue being having to pre-book evening entertainment most nights which (to me) doesn't seem to jibe with "freestyle" :confused:

 

I think the OP would be best choosing a Caribbean cruise with an even split of port and sea days. It is a common mistake of first time cruises to pick the most port-intensive itinerary they find thinking that sea days are boring. But the rat-a-tat-tat of the routine of off-the-ship-early/see-everything-as-fast-as-you-can/do-it-again-tomorrow can be overwhelming. (Though I did enjoy the HAL repositioning cruise I took in October that started with 8 straight days in port--so who really knows)

Edited May 16, 2014 by fishywood

[figgifumi]

Celebrity for us was an older more upscale crowd (not our thing) but the food was wonderful. .. it was our honeymoon so we made do ;) , we prefer NCL and the more relaxed freestyle concept

[Bloom9]

With all seriousness and respect, I would think that cruising is not your thing.

 

Celebrity does a great job, slightly better than NCL in many ways. But, cruising is cruising and different than other travel.

 

Just not sure if this is for you. Not much late night dancing, though we may not be the best to judge this... we are either in bed or in the casino after 9pm

 

Celebrity has some beautiful ships and good service, But I also felt the stuffy atmosphere. Probably would only book Celebrity if it was a charter which changes the guest demographic substantially from the norm.

 

Cruising is cruising but if you're on a ship that roll's up the carpet early and you still want to party it might be time to pick a new line, NCL or RCI would be good options in my experience.

 

Celebrity is more "reserved", I have been on NCL twice. Have also been on Carnival, Princess, RCI and Disney....of all of them, NCL is at the bottom. I am in my late 40's and would suggest RCI or carnival.

 

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Since you have not been on NCL in several years the company has had a lot of change in those years. I must admit I was apprehensive on sailing NCL from what I have read and heard. But was pleasantly surprised with my Getaway cruise, very good mix of guests on board, dining options were very good and awesome shows and nightly parties. I would definitely book another NCL cruise - at least on the new ships.

[GORDONCHICK]

X and NCL are our favorite lines. We aren't night owls or dancers (DH can't clap on beat to save his life or my toes) though. I think you can encounter stuffy and snobbish people on all lines - hang out on any of the cruise lines' boards here and you will be able to pick them out without much trouble. X caters to a slightly older passenger mix, but my experience has been that it strongly depends on when & where the cruise is as to what the passenger mix is.

 

We like the casualness of Norwegian, and freestyle as well. The service is very friendly yet professional. We've found the service on X to be great, but a tad more formal. The particular ship has a lot to do with the feel on the cruise. The newer larger ships of X have a completely different atmosphere than the older ships, so please keep that in mind.

[coolbluegreenseas]

I love the responses, and thank you for taking time to write. I agree we should not have done a port intensive cruise. I did not think sea days would be boring, but when hubby and I went to dance at 10:00 PM to find about 10 people in the "club", it was disappointing. Also, I believe my first mistake in booking it (I picked it) was not treating the cruise as a vacation in itself, but a conveyance. A cruise of the Caribbean would be good as we have been there several times and more than familiar with the culture, or even a Trans-Atlantic. Bermuda has hit the radar because of the consecutive days in port.

 

I have done cool boutique hotels in NOLA, NYC, Chicago, London and other places. Class and fun are not mutually exclusive and it seems NCL just might understand that concept.

[JeanfromBNA]

We're in a similar position. We've cruised Disney and Celebrity. We were underwhelmed by X. They completely missed the mark on service, despite the emphasis on high-end features. Fellow pax weren't very friendly. Disney ships are beautiful, and they have customer service down to a science, but they are expensive for what you get. I'm researching NCL, trying to decide if we'd like Epic or the Sun better for a Western Caribbean cruise. I hope service is good, because that can make all the difference.

 

I think when we start looking at European itineraries in a few years, we'll look for luxury lines and smaller ships. Oceania and Seabourn sound appealing. But until then, we're looking for a solid, happy experience.

[coolbluegreenseas]

Service was fine, but not what I would expect for a "premium" product. Hubby and I would get room service breakfast, and sometimes we received exactly what we ordered, and other times things were missing (butter, milk, melon). It had nothing to do with tipping as we tip well, so it was probably not my butler. Also, during our second night in the MDR (we ate at various places on the ship), the nice couple next to us could not get a Pinot Grigo, but when I ordered, it was brought to us. In other words, service was haphazard. When I walk into my local Chinese place, I know exactly what to expect. When I go to the local upscale restaurant, I know what to expect. And when I fly Southwest Airlines, I know I will get peanuts, a seat, and maybe a funny safety announcement. In other words, if you promise to deliver something, do it. Celebrity to some degree fell short. And that is besides a certain stuffiness.

[WintrHawk]

I'm not sure what kind of cruiser to call myself. I am definitely not the typical party-dance type of person. I enjoy the cruise for the journey, the destinations, the scenery and really couldn't care less about things like shows, dancing and casinos. So one might wonder why I like NCL...

 

Simply put, it's because I feel that cruises are what you make of it and NCL offers more flexibility and freedom to make it what you want. I've also sailed Carnival and while it proposes to be the fun party ship, I felt constrained by things like set dinner times and formal nights.

[biker@sea]

I love the responses, and thank you for taking time to write. I agree we should not have done a port intensive cruise. I did not think sea days would be boring, but when hubby and I went to dance at 10:00 PM to find about 10 people in the "club", it was disappointing. Also, I believe my first mistake in booking it (I picked it) was not treating the cruise as a vacation in itself, but a conveyance. A cruise of the Caribbean would be good as we have been there several times and more than familiar with the culture, or even a Trans-Atlantic. Bermuda has hit the radar because of the consecutive days in port.

 

I have done cool boutique hotels in NOLA, NYC, Chicago, London and other places. Class and fun are not mutually exclusive and it seems NCL just might understand that concept.

 

3 Days Bermuda in Bermuda is the Best !!

 

The Boston to Bermuda is so easy from the North East too . :D

[meatball_nyc]

I could relate to the OP until last week. We've sailed on 30+ cruises. We've sailed RCL, Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Cunard, Azamara, River cruises then last week the Breakaway! The Breakaway was such a different experience! We had such a great time that we booked the same cruise and cabin for next year. We've never booked a repeat cruise in 16 years! As to not being upscale evidently those who think this have never experienced the suite life on the Breakaway. We had the best suite and service in our 30 + cruises and NCL was one of our cheaper cruises. We had booked a Crystal Cruise for next year, but cancelled when we arrived home. We decided we didn't need to spend the big bucks for the upscale cruise to have a great time!

 

 

Cool. Thanks for the post. Glad you had a great cruise!

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

[khaide612]

I'm going on my 6th NCL cruise next week. There was only one where the dance club was not packed with dancing all hours of the night and that was a cruise where there were a ton of families with small children and we followed a hurricane and had very rough seas so people kind of stayed in their rooms. The club was still open and pumping music until very late and I had the dance floor all to myself.

[ShannonSC2]

Okay, as my signature indicates, hubby and I went on a cruise in 2012 with Celebrity. Overall, I was underwhelmed. I am not sure what it was exactly, but perhaps the stuffiness, or rude lady (passenger, not service) at the bar turned me off, not to mention the faux class so many passengers displayed. Also, we love to immerse ourselves in a culture making the port heavy itinerary we had a mistake. But, after the less than stunning experience with Celebrity, we are considering giving another cruise line a try. What I do like about NCL is the vibrancy and what appears to be an attitude of taking everything less serious. If we decide on this, it will be islands. We have been to the Caribbean several times, so culture immersion is less important or an island itinerary (the Canaries, for example). Why do you cruise with NCL? If you have done NCL and Celebrity, what are the similarities and differences? By the way, I love to dance, and is there lots of dancing on board? Celebrity pretty much went dead about 10:00 PM most nights.

 

:D

 

I have never done a Celebrity cruise so I cannot really compare NCL/Celebrity. But I have done a Carnival cruise and I will tell it was horrible. It was literally the cruise from hell! Horrible weather, sickness, and being stuck on a ship with no where to go because everything was closed. Thank goodness it was only 5 days. I kissed the ground when we finally got off. You can only play trivia so many times. Plus no communication from the captain or anyone. And nothing from Carnival. With that being said we had decided cruising wasn't for us.

 

Well last year (close to spring break 2013) we decided to give it another try. We wanted to do something different. We booked a cruise within a week. I researched everything I could and we were set to sail on the Pearl. I was amazed. It was like and day from what we sailed on with Carnival. Everyone was so friendly. The theme parties were so much fun. The whole atmosphere was great. After we got home we were hooked. WE booked another cruise afterwards because we bought the cruise credit they offer. We booked an Alaska cruise for June 2013. We had the same experience. This time we were on the Sun. The parties were great (but still love the experience of the Pearl), the shows and everyone just went out of their way. We bought another cruise credit and decided we were going to take a break. Well we booked another cruise for Europe this June. We are going on a much bigger ship (the Epic) but I hear it is a good experience.

 

I personally think the whole cruise experience is neat. Where can you see so many different places within a week. You can choose to relax by the pool or go into the ports. You get entertainment all in one.

 

Cruising isn't for everyone but I have been very pleased with NCL!

[Susie51]

NCL might be a better choice for you. There are dance parties that are well attended. Several members of the cruise staff are there to keep the party going on. I have been on 24 cruises and 7 different cruise lines. IMO NCL has the best dance party experience.

[Granny DI]

Service was fine, but not what I would expect for a "premium" product. Hubby and I would get room service breakfast, and sometimes we received exactly what we ordered, and other times things were missing (butter, milk, melon). It had nothing to do with tipping as we tip well, so it was probably not my butler. Also, during our second night in the MDR (we ate at various places on the ship), the nice couple next to us could not get a Pinot Grigo, but when I ordered, it was brought to us. In other words, service was haphazard. When I walk into my local Chinese place, I know exactly what to expect. When I go to the local upscale restaurant, I know what to expect. And when I fly Southwest Airlines, I know I will get peanuts, a seat, and maybe a funny safety announcement. In other words, if you promise to deliver something, do it. Celebrity to some degree fell short. And that is besides a certain stuffiness.

 

We had the royal suite on the Millennium a few years ago. The service and the suite weren't to the standards of our suite on the Breakaway. Google NCL Breakaway Suite 12304 and that will give you a taste of the suite life on the Breakaway. Someone posted this on you-tube almost a year ago. The category is an S6/H6...there is only one suite category cheaper on the Breakaway. I booked a H6 immediately after viewing the video. The cabin and butler were amazing!!!! We also loved the three days in Bermuda...played golf all 3 days. Ship has a golf pro on board for the golfers.

[nutzo]

I'm not sure what kind of cruiser to call myself. I am definitely not the typical party-dance type of person. I enjoy the cruise for the journey, the destinations, the scenery and really couldn't care less about things like shows, dancing and casinos.

 

Sounds like me.

 

I've only been on one cruise so far, and we booked it due to the convenience and lower cost (it was cheaper/easier than multiple flights, hotels, meals, etc.)

We don’t drink or dance, and didn’t care for the shows they had. Even the couple movies they were showing where not something we would care to watch. I found myself bored on the 2 sea days. Still, it was a good cruise, mainly due to the destinations & excursions.

We’ll be on our 2nd cruise in a couple months, and we booked it because of the destination. Not too worried about the sea days this time, as there will be lots of scenery to watch. :)