Nervous NCL and HAL booked

[Toad]

I am very familiar with HAL and their ships, and am thrilled to be booked on a cruise with DH in November. We always love our cruise getaways! BUT, today, I booked a cruise for October on NCL, Dawn with my parents. We have been on HAL and Princess, but never NCL and I am wondering what we will find. We are booked in a 2 room family suite and it sounds nice. Any thoughts from those of you who have cruised both would be appreciated.

[Lizzie68]

We've been reading lots of good things about NCL lately,so I'm sure you will be fine. Lisa (LAFFNVEGAS) has posted a lot of info about their cruise ships, so try doing a search for her posts.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I am very familiar with HAL and their ships, and am thrilled to be booked on a cruise with DH in November. We always love our cruise getaways! BUT, today, I booked a cruise for October on NCL, Dawn with my parents. We have been on HAL and Princess, but never NCL and I am wondering what we will find. We are booked in a 2 room family suite and it sounds nice. Any thoughts from those of you who have cruised both would be appreciated.

 

Hopefully I can allay your fears. I've only been on HAL for two week-long charters, but I have another "regular" HAL cruise booked for June. I also feel like I have a good sense of HAL's Vista-class ships and their approach to service. More recently I have been on quite a few Norwegian cruises, including a 16-night voyage (in October) on Dawn. I think you and your parents will be fine.

 

The Norwegian "vibe" is livelier than HAL, but the itinerary you've selected will be an older crowd due to the time of year. You might be surprised to find that the proportion of 50- to 70-somethings will be greater than the proportion of 40-something and younger folks. With access to Cagney's for breakfast and lunch, and nice MDR or specialty options for dinner, you should experience a high level of service. Utilize your concierge and take advantage of the reserved seating in the Stardust Theater.

 

You will find a lively atrium filled with activities during the day; and in the evening Bar City towards the aft is a wonderful conflation of piano bar and people watching. I also enjoy the tiered sun deck above the main pool. Entertainment is very good; I particularly liked Bollywood (a stage spectacular). You will miss the forward observation lounge found on HAL ships, and the Dawn also lacks an outdoor space on the aft of the ship, but there's a library and a game room if you get sick of your suite. :p

 

For all the Freestyle hype, I think you will find a nice balance between cruising tradition and innovation. You will see officers everywhere; and line staff are typically very friendly. I hope you will let us all know how you fared.

[Tante Amalie]

Don't Worry- There is no real quality difference between Holland America and NCL at this point. In the past, I would have said that NCL would be a step down from HAL, but things have changed quite a bit. HAL is now a solidly mainstream cruise line and there is no real quality difference between HAL and NCL. There are differences to be sure, but you will probably like some things better on NCL than HAL (and vice versa). The biggest difference is in clientele and the on board activities. For food and service, there is no real difference any more.

[PathfinderEss]

I am very familiar with HAL and their ships, and am thrilled to be booked on a cruise with DH in November. We always love our cruise getaways! BUT, today, I booked a cruise for October on NCL, Dawn with my parents. We have been on HAL and Princess, but never NCL and I am wondering what we will find. We are booked in a 2 room family suite and it sounds nice. Any thoughts from those of you who have cruised both would be appreciated.

 

Well if I was to sail on NCL I would book the same cabin you did. Come back and tell us about your cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We haven't sailed on NCL since they started the Freestyle cruising thing.

But I do know of others who have sailed on them recently and they were pleased with the cruise experience.

Do come back and let us know what you thought on NCL.

[Toad]

I will let everyone know how the trip was after we travel and hopefully before ou4r HAL cruise. I have to say that the price seemed a lot more reasonable for a suite, and there appear to be lots of amenities attached to that. I am nervous because we are very familiar with the HAL routine, but this is certainly worth a try. It is a short 7 day cruise out of Boston, so no planes or hotels involved for us.

[CGYCruisingFamily]

The only thing we REALLY don't like about NCL is that we felt nickel and dimed especially with eating. We found their no charge dining options were so so and we felt like we had to eat in the paid venues more than we would have liked due to lacklustre and lack of appetizing meals in the main dining areas on both the NCL cruises we did. They were good but it can add up when it's $20 here, $40 there etc... We found that when we went back to HAL the food was better and we didn't need to eat in the specialty restaurants.

 

This was our experience on the 2 NCL cruises and others with likely disagree saying they like the more options. For our family if 4, we just found we preferred not being charged on our on board accounts for every meal...

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Toad, I think John aka Cruiser Bruiser answered your question quite well :) I have been on the Dawn and totally enjoyed our suite experience although admit that I prefer the Jewel Class of NCL better.

I think you will find the Dawn to remind you a lot of the Vista Class of HAL. Size wise really the same. But some of the advantages are a lot more crew members. Service is definitely better. Since I took my first NCL cruise 5 years ago I have seen a HUGE improvement in food quality where just the opposite has happened with HAL. Some of the best meals I have had at sea have been on recent NCL cruises. Good quality wine prices are lower. Most definitely use your Concierge. They will make your reservations for the main dining room or any dining venue. You can also make these reservations prior to boarding and not paying in advance being in a suite. The Breakfast and lunch in Cagney's for Suite passengers is quite good and several steps above Pinnacle and especially service and friendliness. I will admit the decor in the cabins is NOT HAL but so many other things outweigh HAL that decor really is not a big deal. The beds are really comfortable. If you are a coffee drinker the Espresso Machine in the Suite is fantastic and the coffee is this wonderful Lavazza Italian coffee.

We are returning to the NCL Jewel the 2nd time this year in 8 weeks and will again have our aft suite. I am so looking forward to being pampered and basically taken care of. Between the Concierge and Butler they do things for you that you just would not even think of yourself yet not being obtrusive.

I will be the first to admit we are not partiers but there are definitely nights on board a ship I do not want to go back to my cabin after dinner because there is absolutely nothing to do. I enjoy a show, or music being played in a lounge and to enjoy a cocktail. Some of the best entertainment I have seen was on the Dawn.

Very true about the average age on the ship every NCL cruise I have been on the average age was late 50's to early 60's We have met quite a few on board that had been either loyal HAL or Princess cruisers.

I think you will totally enjoy your cruise :)

[HokiePoq]

I am very familiar with HAL and their ships, and am thrilled to be booked on a cruise with DH in November. We always love our cruise getaways! BUT, today, I booked a cruise for October on NCL, Dawn with my parents. We have been on HAL and Princess, but never NCL and I am wondering what we will find. We are booked in a 2 room family suite and it sounds nice. Any thoughts from those of you who have cruised both would be appreciated.

 

 

We are three star Mariners on HAL and platinum on NCL. We enjoy both lines and find the service on both to be excellent. We liked the Dawn, even in an inside room. You should have a wonderful experience in a suite. (Don't forget to tip the butler. We had to search CC the one time we had a suite.) We found the "regular" food fine on the Dawn but you will get to eat breakfast and lunch in a special dining room.

Enjoy your cruise!

[buckirj1]

I've enjoyed all my NCL cruises, and hope to book a couple more next year. It's a very lively yet relaxed vibe, not the frantic pace on NCL's current close competitors. Staff and crew are almost always approachable, but never intrusive. I've never understood the nickel-and-dime criticism, and very rarely eat in specialty restaurants or do anything that requires an extra charge beyond a soda card. Toad, I think you'll find much to like about NCL.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It will be different. Have a great time ..