Can anyone give me a comparison between NCL and other cruiselines?

[graphicguy]

Hoo-boy.....loaded question!

 

I've sailed the biggest and best of just about all the "major" cruise lines, including Carnival Breeze, Royal's Allure, Celebrity's Solstice, and NCL's Epic and Breakaway.

 

You're going to find loyalists to all of the above cruise lines. I'm not loyal to any of them. I kind of feel that the few free drinks, and little soirées that are offered for the repeat customers just aren't worth it.

 

I'll start by saying I'm still coming off of what I consider the best cruise I've ever taken via the Spa Haven Suite on the Breakaway last month. So, I'm still a little biased right now.

 

But, if you're sailing the newer, mega ships from any of the cruise lines, there are going to be some differences. None of them are bad. You'll like them if you do choose any of them because they represent the best that each of the cruise lines offer.

 

I'll be in the minority here, but for a ship and cruise line that were supposed to be "premium", the Celebrity Solstice was our worst cruise experience. Still a good time. But, the staff couldn't have been any less accommodating and surly as they were on the Solstice. Entertainment was....well......tame. Best entertainment on the ship was a glass blowing display. Now, some might be fascinated for hours by watching people blow glass and make nice glass pottery. Me? Not so much. That said, it's a classy, beautiful ship....probably the prettiest ship I've ever sailed on.

 

Carnival Breeze was fun. Lots to do....all the time. Ship was a welcome departure from the "old style" Carnival ships which seemed to decorated by Liberace's personal interior decorator. There are a lot of smaller free dining venues outside of the buffets and MDRs (like Jimmy's BBQ, Guy Fierri's Burgers, etc). There are entertainers everywhere (acoustic guitar player by the pool, jazz combo, seemingly constant trivia, in addition to the typical "belly flop" contest and pool games). The Breeze had a nice outdoor area you could stroll down and see the water.

 

I enjoyed the Allure of the Seas (actually enjoyed the smaller Liberty of the Seas more). But, it had a "Mall of America" vibe to me. Shops, Merry-Go-Round, Starbucks, pizza place, a bar that doubles as an elevator, etc in their main promenade. If you're a mall lover, the Allure is the ship for you. It's like they tried to duplicate a mall and put it on a ship.

 

The Allure also seems to try to shut you out of seeing the water. Any of the areas I mentioned seemed to try and keep you focused on what's inside the ship, not that you're actually on a cruise. I don't quite get that. You're on a ship, on the water, celebrate that. It wasn't a bad cruise....not even close. But, if I want to go to a mall, there are plenty around me I can go to. The Allure (and Oasis) tend to be overpriced for what you get, at least when I was looking to book them. Apparently, RCCL is getting the message, too. As their revenues are down, even though the cruise prices are up. Clearly, some rethinking/readjustment is required there.

 

So again, keeping in mind I'm still on the high of the Breakaway last month, NCL kind of wraps all that I like about cruising from all the other cruise lines and wraps it up. My comments cover both the Epic and Breakaway.

 

I've never experienced better entertainment, on any ship, any cruise line, than what I experienced on NCL......Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor, Second City, Fat Cats Blues Club, etc. None of the cruises I've been on with other cruise lines comes close. Service is always offered with a smile. Food is good, extra fee restaurants are even better (best meal I've ever had on a cruise ship was in Cagney's on the Breakaway). The outdoor areas are wonderful (loved sitting in the bar at night outside Fat Cats). Ship has visually pleasing architecture and art throughout.

 

Plus, if pricing is still the same, getting a Haven Suite on NCL for less money than an ocean view balcony on Royal, that's the pinnacle of mainstream cruising.

 

Kind of easy to see what I prefer.

 

I'll continue to sail the other lines. They're all fun. Pick the itinerary and price level you feel comfortable with, and go with the ship/cruise line fits the closest.

[marco]

Some folks love it...others not so much. I say, "Go.....and see for yourself" Then you be the judge as to whether it's a good fit for you or not.

[dna529]

We have sailed with NCL, RCI, and Carnival. I like all of them, but we do prefer NCL. The Freestyle concept fits our family the best when we are on vacation. I agree with previous posters that the MDR service is sometimes slower in comparison to other cruise lines I have been on, but the food has always been excellent on NCL. The entertainment is always outstanding. I still think they are more alike than different, but after my recent RCI cruise, I will say that I prefer eating with just my party at any time of evening that I want. This is "freestyle". We also believe that the buffet on NCL is set up much better than on Carnival and RCI.

[4774Papa]

We first sailed on NCL and have done a total of three cruises. Went to Celebrity because they have great itineraries that NCL doesn't (or didn't offer).

 

We still cruise both NCL and Celebrity, depending on itinerary and cost.

The food is better in the MDR on Celebrity, but NCL has many more specialty restaurants that are not to expensive.

 

Entertainment is about the same.

 

NCL's excursions seem to cost more than Celebrity, but we generally try to go with private tours or DIY.

 

Service is about the same, but NCL does more of the irritating announcements and sales.

 

Celebrity is more laid back, NCL with a bit younger crowd more attuned to party.

[Ms RealBoss]

Hello I' ve only sailed with two cruise lines carnival and ncl. Since my experience w ncl I would recommend cruising with Norwegian carnival was nice but Norwegian goes all out for their passengers.when you step on the ship they immediately start catering to you. The staff are extremely friendly and welcoming. I also appreciate how they stress hygiene in washing your hands before and after entering the buffet, they even have a song washy washy lol I've been on three of their ships gem, jewel and the breakaway I love it! Give them a try.:)

[crusinpsychRN]

Can you give a comparison of ships sizes? (class--i.e., Spirit class, Dream class, Fantasy class)

[cruiser1955a]

General comparison of NCL Dawn & Carnival Glory (similar in size)

 

NCL is generally quieter on all decks.

 

NCL buffet is MUCH larger, with MANY more selections, but Carnival has a deli, pizza place (24 hrs), a mexican buffet (at times), and Guy's Burgers during the day. Carnival buffet was about 30ft long, with 4 hot entrees to choose from, while NCL's is probably 100 yards long, with dozens of hot entree choices.

 

Dining rooms seem comparable on both lines.

 

Entertainment seemed better on NCL. Stage shows are much better, and bands played throughout the ship.

Carnival has cut back on live bands. There was only one, and they only played in the casino, with seating for VERY few people. But the band was very good. Several large nightclubs with stages sat empty all week. It seemed odd.

 

Love the wrap-around promenade deck on NCL.

 

Carnival really did feel more like a "party cruise", which is fine if you prefer loud music and a more roudy crowd. You can find a party atmosphere on NCL, but you can also find more quiet areas.

 

These are just my impressions. Not trying to bash Carnival.

[Ms RealBoss]

I've been on carnival and Ncl i prefer Ncl to carnival

 

 

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[sanger727]

Of the lines you mentioned, we have sailed Carnival, Norwegian, and Celebrity. We currently have another Norwegian cruise planned.

 

My feelings about it are that the cruising concept started with the fixed seating main dining room with the theater show afterwards. The concept is slowly evolving across all the lines to add choices with a variety of shows (theater show, game shows, comedy show, etc) and a variety of specialty restaurants and the choice of fixed time or any time dining.

 

Norwegian created the concept of freestyle, especially on the newer ships, where it literally is a floating city. If you go into it with the idea that you want to go with the traditional concept and made a reservation at the same restaurant for the same time every night, you will miss out on what they have to offer. They have several restaurant choices, usually 2 main dining rooms (same menu, one is more casual than the other), a few complimentary sit down restaurant alternatives (O'sheehans, etc), and several specialty restaurant alternatives. All of these are just like restaurants at home, few have a fancy dress code, can show up when you want with whatever party size you have, or make a reservation. The newer ships have certain shows at different times on different nights so, you aren't necessarily just going to the theater show at 7:30 every night. But since the shows are known, you can plan out which nights you want to go to which shows.

 

We like Norwegian and Celebrity equally and Carnival the least. What we like about Norwegian was the specialty restaurant choices (didn't go on Celebrity because the prices were all $50ish) and the nightly entertainment. On Celebrity, I went to the show every night because that's something we really enjoy about cruising, but walked out of 3 of them because it was too far off the entertainment we enjoy. One was a single singer doing very very old songs (like, I was traveling with my stepmother and she said they were songs of her mother's generation!), One was opera style singing, and think one was a small set of stringed instruments doing classical music. But we thought Celebrities daytime activities were better.

 

The biggest thing that draws us to one or the other is price, itinerary, and "perks". We booked a 10 day Norwegian cruise at a competitive price, and got free drinks and free specialty dining. As far as the drink "specials", I don't recall specifically, but I am sure they offer the "margarita tastings" and "martini tastings" because we went to one of those.

[riclop]

NCL is the worst.

[AdoraBelle]

Thread is from 2014.

[Jana60]

To clarify...reservations that can be made prior to the cruise are only for the specialty restaurants which you are charged an extra fee ($15-$30 per person). You cannot make reservations for the MDR - and I believe that if you do require a reservation for the MDR (as in a larger group trying to sit together) that needs to happen once on board.

Actually you can make reservations in the main dining rooms also. For my upcoming Norwegian Escape Cruise there are eight dining options that I could schedule in advance if I desire. 3 of those are the complimentary (no added charge) dining rooms.

 

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[mrobstad]

My first cruise, fifteen years ago, was on Carnival. They did a nice job matching people at tables. They sat families with teens together.

Next, I converted to RCCL. My sons wanted amenities like basketball courts, and I love the Solariums on the Freedom class. We felt it was a step up from Carnival.

Then, I became a solo traveler when college schedules didn't work out, so I switched to NCL, the most solo friendly cruise line because of the studio cabin concept. I enjoyed the speciality restaurants and love dining on the waterfront. But, I miss the Solarium, and freestyle has resulted in a less friendly dining crowd. Not the line to pick if you like dining with others.

And finally, Princess. Service a little better, passengers friendlier and a little more interesting and welcoming.....but I miss the amenities of the newer ships and the quality of the speciality dining. And, there's rarely a good perk, like free drink package.

So which do I choose? I use price and debarked port for Caribbean, and price and itinerary overseas in Europe...

So the answer to your question is that each line offers a little something different....enjoy the time with your friends!

 

 

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[lamchops]

I choose cruises based on itinerary and prices. the onboard experience just needs to be adequate and not suck. Based on the ships that I've been on my preferences are: (none of them sucked)

Celebrity

Norwegian

MSC

Costa

Princess

Royal Caribbean

 

I base my rankings on:

Service

Food quality

Atmosphere

Passenger interaction

Amenities