Celebrity Elite Plus does NCL

[kelmac]

Cruised on the breakaway January 2014. It was horrible. Service was horrendous. The MDR was a joke. Smoke was another problem. The ships common areas were way too crowded. Specialty restaurants and entertainment were good.

 

I will never cruise NCL again.

 

Hi TJG,

 

The trick is to stay away from those things, and NCL becomes a wonderful experience!:)

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Germancruiser]

Oh well I would not have switched from X to NCL, Costa, Carnival oder MSC- because they ofer a much different product, I don´t mean that the mentions cruise lines are not good or " bad" - just totaly different - I thing a cruiser used to X should try Cunard or HAL, because they are more in the line of X. If you want 5 Star, five Star- and 5 Star all inclusive the options would be Seabourn, Regent or Silver Seas- one has just to be prepared for a much much higher cruise fare!

[schlimazel_traveler]

I am coming to the conclusion that I like a smaller ship (Reflection was too big for me), and I'm interested in trying out NCL Jewel or Gem. What were your fellow passengers like? I thought the crowd on Reflection was...maybe a bit "classier" than we'd encountered on our previous cruises on Royal? But I can't say for sure whether that was due to the cruise line, the port (Miami vs Baltimore), or other factors. I'm wondering whether there is a typical NCL cruiser?

[kelmac]

I am coming to the conclusion that I like a smaller ship (Reflection was too big for me), and I'm interested in trying out NCL Jewel or Gem. What were your fellow passengers like? I thought the crowd on Reflection was...maybe a bit "classier" than we'd encountered on our previous cruises on Royal? But I can't say for sure whether that was due to the cruise line, the port (Miami vs Baltimore), or other factors. I'm wondering whether there is a typical NCL cruiser?

 

Hi s_t,

 

NCL cruisers are younger and more have children in tow. I'm not sure a 93,000 ton ship (Jewel) would feel much different then a 122,000 ton ship (Solstice). Remember, the Solstice has 2,850 passengers (two per cabin) and the Jewel has 2,376 passengers (two per cabin), however, the Jewel has more children, so three or four per cabin. I would think that the total number of passengers is about the same. At least it feels that way.

 

Celebrity is more "classy", but it is a cruise of two different worlds on NCL. A couple can "insulate" themselves from the families by using things like the UDP, and where they locate themselves day and night. We found it quite easy to get a Celebrity like experience on our NCL ship.

 

Celebrity is for couples, and NCL is for families, but not totally. NCL is much more like RCL and Princess. Celebrity is more like HAL and Cunard. If you want a smaller ship, look to Oceania or Azamara, but you will pay for it ($$$$).

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[LabGuy64]

I really don't understand people thinking 50.00 for the specialty restaurants are out of line. when my wife and I go to an upscale restaurant we often pay 150.00-225.00 so 100.00 does not seem so much.

 

Michael

 

 

Will chime in here since we have done around 35 days on NCL (Dawn and Jade) and 36 days on Celebrity (Eclipse 3 x) in the last year or so.

 

Most recent experience was on the Jade last month for 21 days.

 

Food: Still find Celebrity's MDR food a notch above NCL in quality but for sure not variety. NCL had up to 13 main choices every night (some ships have up to 15) and about a dozen starter choices nightly. Made it much more enjoyable on a long cruise, since we did on both Jade and Eclipse. Buffet setup on =X= is better but better variety on NCL including more theme nights based on where we were sailing (Greece, Turkey, Mediterranean nights, e.g.). Specialty restaurants slightly better on =X= but we feel the prices (in the $50 range) are absurd. NCL restaurants less than half that price and more than adequate.

 

Entertainment: NCL wins easily here. Much better overall in style, theme, variety and execution. The production show "Elements" was by far the best show we have seen on 60+ cruises. Nothing on =X= compares. Also, more individual entertainment throughout the ship every night in different venues. Celebrity's entertainment is fine, but simply, in our opinion, cannot compare.

 

Service and marketing: Celebrity still better overall but the gap has shrunk considerably in the last 4-5 years. MDR service definitely better on =X=. That will probably never change. Specialty restaurant service definitely comparable, so combined with the excellent food and the huge price difference, we give the nod to NCL there. There also was the intangible feeling, somehow, that we were more appreciated on NCL than on =X=. Can't exactly say why, but felt more like a customer than a "mark" for being sold something. Yes, there are lots more announcements on NCL than =X= but the Captain doesn't become a shill for the Jewelry store (the big "ribbon cutting" ceremony, e.g. which we consider beyond bush league). One page insert in the NCL Freestyle Daily basically listing upsell opportunities as opposed to a barrage of paper (including the obnoxious "letters" that are nothing but marketing spin). No marketing emails on the interactive TV on NCL (well, that would probably be because they don't HAVE interactive TV :)) They don't stand outside the buffet trying to sell Specialty dining (or worse, approach you in other venues).

 

The "Smoking Thing": Yes, more opportunities for smokers but never an issue for us (and we are very sensitive). Never walked in the casino once, so no issue. Used the promenade deck but a very slight problem. Really feel that the "problem" is overstated. Plus, we were last on a European based NCL ship (Jade) with a large percentage of European passengers (and thus a much higher incidence of smokers than Americans and Canadians).

 

Summing up: We've sailed Celebrity and NCL both fairly frequently over the last dozen years (20+ on Celebrity and 12 on NCL) and will continue to do so without qualms (3 long cruises booked on both in the next couple years). Never was able to see the reason for the NCL bashing that sometimes goes on here, especially from those who have very limited (or worse, NO) experience sailing the line.

[Olive1950]

Thanks for your review of NCL, Kel.

 

I cruised many times on Norway in the 1980s; of course those were pre-freestyle cruises. LOVED THEM.

 

When they announced Freestyle cruising would be the direction they were taking, we stopped cruising on NCL. Then, in 2002, we saw a Tahiti-to-Hawaii, then a sail around the Hawaiian islands; and decided to try them again.

 

Cabin was lovely; Freestyle sucked to high heaven. Back to boycotting NCL....

 

Since I live 90 miles east of Houston, I have been thinking of alternatives to RCI (NEVER Carnival, or Disney....) I'm almost the equivalent of Elite Plus on NCL and HAL, and have only sailed on Princess a couple of times.

 

After reading your review, I might be willing to once again give NCL and Princess a go, especially since they are so close now. But I do wish that, with the Panama Canal widening, that Celebrity would consider either Houston or Galveston as a starting point for westbound canal cruises.

 

I don't like flying; and a 100-mile drive is certainly more attractive to me than the 1100-mile trek to FLL....

[4774Papa]

I really don't understand people thinking 50.00 for the specialty restaurants are out of line. when my wife and I go to an upscale restaurant we often pay 150.00-225.00 so 100.00 does not seem so much.

 

Michael

Michael, what you say is true. However, we find the MDR food to be so good on Celebrity that we don't use the specialty restaurants. We ate an Murano once and it was excellent, but frankly, did not feel that the cost was work upgrading while the great food in the MDR was still free.

 

On NCL the MDR food is not consistently good and their specialty restaurants are far less expensive ($10-$30) so we tend to eat several meals there when on NCL.

[kelmac]

Thanks for your review of NCL, Kel.

 

I cruised many times on Norway in the 1980s; of course those were pre-freestyle cruises. LOVED THEM.

 

When they announced Freestyle cruising would be the direction they were taking, we stopped cruising on NCL. Then, in 2002, we saw a Tahiti-to-Hawaii, then a sail around the Hawaiian islands; and decided to try them again.

 

Cabin was lovely; Freestyle sucked to high heaven. Back to boycotting NCL....

 

Since I live 90 miles east of Houston, I have been thinking of alternatives to RCI (NEVER Carnival, or Disney....) I'm almost the equivalent of Elite Plus on NCL and HAL, and have only sailed on Princess a couple of times.

 

After reading your review, I might be willing to once again give NCL and Princess a go, especially since they are so close now. But I do wish that, with the Panama Canal widening, that Celebrity would consider either Houston or Galveston as a starting point for westbound canal cruises.

 

I don't like flying; and a 100-mile drive is certainly more attractive to me than the 1100-mile trek to FLL....

 

Hi Cheryl,

 

I too would love to see Celebrity come back to the Houston area! It's a short 1 1/2 hour non-stop flight for us. We did the Navigator last November, and the Jewel last week; we do prefer this new "Bayport" cruise terminal. Closer to Houston, IAH and Hobby.

I can't (yet) get excited about Princess, but we would love another try on NCL. The UDP changes everything, and NCL's alternative restaurants are better than those of Princess, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, and Holland America. (IMO) I think NCL "bumped up" the quality of these restaurants because of their Haven suites. It would be difficult to attract people willing to pay that kind of money if the food didn't match. Just my hypothesis.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[kelmac]

Michael, what you say is true. However, we find the MDR food to be so good on Celebrity that we don't use the specialty restaurants. We ate an Murano once and it was excellent, but frankly, did not feel that the cost was work upgrading while the great food in the MDR was still free.

 

On NCL the MDR food is not consistently good and their specialty restaurants are far less expensive ($10-$30) so we tend to eat several meals there when on NCL.

 

4774Papa,

 

I agree about Celebrity's MDR -- for the most part, it is excellent. Blu is very nice as well. We've eaten many times in all of the alternative restaurants and they are great, but yes, pricier than most. Our new strategy with Celebrity involves checking the menus after lunch, and if it doesn't look great for that evening, we will rush down and make a reservation at one of the alternatives. Works well on the longer cruises. On a 14 day Celebrity cruise we think there are two or three evenings where parts of the menu seem a bit weak. Having the Elite Plus discount helps with the price.

The UDP gets your NCL cost down to $17 p/p per evening. A bargain!

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Danish]

I did my first NCL cruise in February at Getaway. I think the ship was really nice. I am not a big fan of all the "private" areas - pay extra if you want a more quite zone at the pool. Pay extra if you want decent food etc.

I am mainly a MDR person, and do normally only go to Speciality restaurants 1-2 times on a 7 nights cruise. But on NCL the food in the MDR was disapointing. There was only a slight change in the meny every night, so already after 2 nights, I found it difficult to find new opportunities. We had dinner in the Teppanaki restaurant. Nice show etc. but the food was not what I expected.

We was at the Illusionarium - it was a set menu (vegetarian or steak - no other choices), and the serving was so fast, that you have to eat very fast, before they took the plates away again. Again the food was nothing special.

 

The buffet was not impressive. I sometimes had troubles to find something I really would eat at lunch time (I am not pickie, I just want the food to look tempting), and I find the selection very limited. i love the pasta station on Celebrity, the afternoon small sandwichs and the early evening sushi, and I was a little bit dispaointed not to find the something simuler at NCL.

 

We saw the Burn the floor show - very impressive (eventhough I felt at sleep, but it has to be blamed jetlag and not the dancers) and Legally Blonde, that was more like seeing a musical Production in the local High school (I might not be the huge show person).

 

The service was okay, but you never get the WOW feeling.

 

I will be back at Celebrity in July, and I am looking forward to have a nice dinner in the MDR room again. I must say, that I am not a big fan of the Freestyle concept. Even before going at the cruise, you had to plan your day, as many shows were getting sold out. I am not a big fan of over planning. I am on vacation, and I do not want to take a lot of descisions all the time (I do that everyday at work), but just wants to relax, have good food and good service.

 

But I would not say, that I will not cruise with NCL again, I just like RCCL and Celebrity (and Azamara, they are just a little to expensive for me) better, and will prefer to cruise with them at any time.

[luv2cruisecats]

After achieving Platinum status on NCL after around 7 cruises we "discovered" Blu on Celebrity. It is now our hands down favorite (now are Elite strictly from booking AQ cabins) but as we all know they are really escalating the A1 and A2 pricing. We recently tried NCL Getaway (late January) when we were offered an outright bargain for a GTY balcony with the drink package and an OBC to boot. (I suspect -X- caught NCL off guard with the popularity of the 123 offers and they are scrambling to match.)

 

With Platinum status on NCL each passenger gets a free meal for 2 with a bottle of wine in any specialty restaurant except Cagney's I believe. Then for $30 each you can go to Cagney's two nights (great food); the remaining 3 nights on a 7 day cruise go to one of the 2 small free restaurants that emulate the MDR daily features. These offer much better service levels and less of a "cattle call" hurry up and order attitude which we find is the case on all Celebrity and NCL MDR facilities. These small venues seem to be on all NCL ships.

 

The upscale restaurant pricing on -X- is way out of line...but we go sometimes just to expend the OBC allowance. On the other hand the Classic drink package on -X- is much more liberal than the one on NCL.

[ECCruise]

I really don't understand people thinking 50.00 for the specialty restaurants are out of line. when my wife and I go to an upscale restaurant we often pay 150.00-225.00 so 100.00 does not seem so much.

 

Michael

 

Because when you spend $150-$225 (which honestly is pretty high for no drinks anywhere in the US for 2 people) you didn't pay $4000-$10000 to get in the restaurant's front door. Or leave a perfectly acceptable meal that you already paid for in another restaurant. The true cost is far more than $100.

[dgparent]

We just got off the Sun and normally cruise on X - I agree with the posters comments. We had the UDP on the Sun it was really good, fantastic food all week long. Also we were in a suite and the suite restaurant was great for breakfast and lunch, the filet and eggs were much better than the normal NY strip and eggs, very yummy.

 

My wife really missed the X buffet, not something I normally eat at, she said the difference was amazing in favor of X

 

Room service on X is much better, if you do not have a suite on NCL there are no hot things like eggs available.

 

Overall I would give X the advantage but I did enjoy NCL, and the price difference almost makes them equal.

[kelmac]

Hi Everyone!

 

One other item I should have added:

 

The Ugly:

 

--pretty much every window on the ship needed to be cleaned. Great views to be had all over the ship, but the windows….,:(

 

Still, all and all, a super week onboard the Jewel. I guess the Jade is moving to Houston next year -- is this the same class ship as the Jewel?

 

Thanks,

Kel:)

[debshomespun]

We are Elite on Celebrity, and have sailed on NCL several times. We sailed the Jewel 1.5 years ago out of New Orleans. We enjoyed our cruise. NCL offers a more relaxed atmosphere than Celebrity (tends to be a bit more upscale). We tend to eat mostly in the MDR. We have eaten at Murano on Eclipse and it was a nice dining experience (we got 30% off). We have eaten in Moderno on NCL Dawn, and it was just ok (compared it to Samba Grill from RC Allure which was much better). We have done Chops several times on RC ships, and it is always a great dining experience.

 

As others have said, passengers on NCL tend to be more families. We will be sailing NCL Dawn this October for it's repo for the 3rd time, and it is mostly older passengers (50's and up, with a few younger, as it is a 14 night cruise). We sail NCL for the variety it offers in their itineries. We have been on 6 different cruise lines, and many times, we will try the different cruise lines for the different ports, and sometimes, there are great deals.

 

It is hard to compare NCL to Celebrity, IMO, they offer very different experiences. Celebrity is more of an upscale experience, whereas NCL offers a more relaxed experience. It's nice to try out the different cruise lines for a variety. Different ships in the same Cruise line can also offer a very different experience. Dining can also be very different on the same cruise line. The chef can prepare the meals in a very different way for the same dish, making the dining experience vary by ship for the same menu.

 

Personally, we enjoy sailing on different cruise lines to experience a variety of sailings. We always go into it with an open mind, and have had very good experiences with the different cruise lines, and also with the different ships.

[LabGuy64]

Not good when you have to intentionally avoid things on your cruise.....

 

 

 

Hi TJG,

 

The trick is to stay away from those things, and NCL becomes a wonderful experience!:)

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[happyscmom]

Thank you so much for this review. I have never cruised NCL, but we recently booked a 7 night cruise on Getaway for June 2016. Funny, I wanted to book a 7 night cruise while on board Reflection 2 weeks ago, but the Future Cruise lady annoyed me so much by acting like my questions annoyed her that I didn't book it. She basically just wanted to pull up the price and have me sign on the dotted line. In the end we took to estimate and decided to think about it. Ultimately, we didn't book. When we got home and started comparing prices, we realized we could book one on NCL for $1300 less, so we did that. I am excited about the cruise, and your honest "good, bad, and ugly" only makes me more excited!

[Ruthk]

happyscmom - this past winter we sailed the Getaway on Jan24 and then immediately got on Eclipse for B2b 4 wk sailing for the whole month of Feb. We are Elite Plus and have also sailed RCCL and Oceania.

 

We had an absolute blast on the Getaway! Now, we had heard such horror stories about NCL and our expectations were low, the price was excellent and we just wanted to add on a cheap week in the south, it is cheaper to cruise than stay in a nice Florida hotel. We even said that when we get on board the Eclipse we will probably kiss its floor. Well, were we wrong. There were so many things we loved about the Getaway. Their main atrium is the ship's hub - lots of things always happening there. It is the equivalent to Eclipse's 3rd floor. NCL is thoughtful enough to bring out folding chairs when something is drawing a larger crowd than normal, so that no one has to stand. Then when the event is finished they fold up and put away the chairs. I wish Celebrity would do that. This year on the Eclipse there was a man on his knees watching the Dancing with the Stars show - he was tired of standing - and I didn't notice him or his legs sticking out and tripped over him!! I am a tea drinker and everywhere I ordered tea on NCL it came in a nice china tea pot - can't get that anywhere on Celebrity, other than Murano and the Cafe. I loved their fireworks, every Tuesday leaving St. Maarten - a really nice touch! At the pool they came out with frozen fruit and their attendants around the pool even had spray bottles to spritz people to cool them off! I found their staff enthusiastic and friendly.

 

The cruisers ranged in age, at that time of year there were not very many children at all and there were many more seniors than I expected - lots of canes and walkers. Everyone got along and there were many passionate people about NCL. We were like two school kids, we left our cabin in the morning and didn't get back until late in the evening - we laughed a lot!

 

Now there were some stuff on the Getaway that were so-so. Their balconies are very small. Room service sucks. Celebrity does have a much better buffet and the layout is also better with the food stations.

 

We loved dining on NCL. They do not have a main dining room, but instead have 3 smaller restaurant-style rooms to dine - I loved it so much better than feeling I am in a noisy banquet hall, and the service felt more personal. One of their main dining rooms have dining and dancing - how nice is that! Also they had a great pub, and unlike Celebrity, their pub food is free, all you pay for is your alcohol. The pub had great burgers, pot pies, fish and chips... And was open 24/7! We ate in 3 pay restaurants and the food was great. I really couldn't complain about any of the food on NCL. And being fair, the food on Celebrity is great also (but what is with the beef cheeks and pork cheeks???).

 

The NCL casino offered us free drinks meanwhile we spend much more money on Celebrity and have never been offered a free drink!

 

And we all know entertainment is lacking on Celebrity. I, for one, love live reggae music by the pool. Celebrity had a one man steel band (poor guy!). I never saw any belly flopping contest or beer drinking fest or drunken people.

 

So, you will love the Getaway and I hope you have the same great experience we had. I would sail the Getaway again in a New York minute.

[ECCruise]

Hi Everyone!

 

One other item I should have added:

 

The Ugly:

 

--pretty much every window on the ship needed to be cleaned. Great views to be had all over the ship, but the windows….,:(

 

Still, all and all, a super week onboard the Jewel. I guess the Jade is moving to Houston next year -- is this the same class ship as the Jewel?

 

Thanks,

Kel:)

 

Yes, both are Jewel class ships. We were just off 3 weeks on the Jade and were very happy. The ship has been in exclusively in Europe for years and coming back stateside might make it even better.

[dodger1964]

-- A 360º wrap around promenade deck!!!!! :D Celebrity's epic failure -- no true promenade deck. This is a big deal to us! We can only hope the Edge class of ships adds this excellent feature.

 

...

 

That is one of the reasons we like the M class ships on X...not 360, but at least there is a promedade deck near the water line.

 

What "elite plus" benefits did you get while onboard? do they have the 2 hour elite gathering each night??

 

Thanks for review!

[luv2cruisecats]

Yes, both are Jewel class ships. We were just off 3 weeks on the Jade and were very happy. The ship has been in exclusively in Europe for years and coming back stateside might make it even better.

 

The Jade, Jewel, Pearl, and Gem are the 4 in this class and many would argue they are the best in the NCL fleet; about the size of the M class ships and wonderful fantail top deck outdoor eating areas. They are all extremely nice with the Pearl being a real favorite of ours. You cannot beat Cagney's, Le Bistro and La Cacino specialty restaurants compared to other NCL ships and all are very reasonable upcharges. Of course none compare to Blu in our humble opinion (!)

[richsea]

Thanks for your honest comparison Kelmac. We sailed the NCL only once so far, on the Breakaway and agree with your comparisons. I went because it was with family, but expected the worst, & came back impressed with our experience. We did find that the MDR experience left much to be desired, but the specialty dining more than made up for it, & at a reasonable cost, unlike Celebrity's grossly overpriced restaurants. NC is a great alternative, particularly if you are tired of playing dress up, as I am.

[happyscmom]

happyscmom - this past winter we sailed the Getaway on Jan24 and then immediately got on Eclipse for B2b 4 wk sailing for the whole month of Feb. We are Elite Plus and have also sailed RCCL and Oceania.

 

 

 

We had an absolute blast on the Getaway! Now, we had heard such horror stories about NCL and our expectations were low, the price was excellent and we just wanted to add on a cheap week in the south, it is cheaper to cruise than stay in a nice Florida hotel. We even said that when we get on board the Eclipse we will probably kiss its floor. Well, were we wrong. There were so many things we loved about the Getaway. Their main atrium is the ship's hub - lots of things always happening there. It is the equivalent to Eclipse's 3rd floor. NCL is thoughtful enough to bring out folding chairs when something is drawing a larger crowd than normal, so that no one has to stand. Then when the event is finished they fold up and put away the chairs. I wish Celebrity would do that. This year on the Eclipse there was a man on his knees watching the Dancing with the Stars show - he was tired of standing - and I didn't notice him or his legs sticking out and tripped over him!! I am a tea drinker and everywhere I ordered tea on NCL it came in a nice china tea pot - can't get that anywhere on Celebrity, other than Murano and the Cafe. I loved their fireworks, every Tuesday leaving St. Maarten - a really nice touch! At the pool they came out with frozen fruit and their attendants around the pool even had spray bottles to spritz people to cool them off! I found their staff enthusiastic and friendly.

 

 

 

The cruisers ranged in age, at that time of year there were not very many children at all and there were many more seniors than I expected - lots of canes and walkers. Everyone got along and there were many passionate people about NCL. We were like two school kids, we left our cabin in the morning and didn't get back until late in the evening - we laughed a lot!

 

 

 

Now there were some stuff on the Getaway that were so-so. Their balconies are very small. Room service sucks. Celebrity does have a much better buffet and the layout is also better with the food stations.

 

 

 

We loved dining on NCL. They do not have a main dining room, but instead have 3 smaller restaurant-style rooms to dine - I loved it so much better than feeling I am in a noisy banquet hall, and the service felt more personal. One of their main dining rooms have dining and dancing - how nice is that! Also they had a great pub, and unlike Celebrity, their pub food is free, all you pay for is your alcohol. The pub had great burgers, pot pies, fish and chips... And was open 24/7! We ate in 3 pay restaurants and the food was great. I really couldn't complain about any of the food on NCL. And being fair, the food on Celebrity is great also (but what is with the beef cheeks and pork cheeks???).

 

 

 

The NCL casino offered us free drinks meanwhile we spend much more money on Celebrity and have never been offered a free drink!

 

 

 

And we all know entertainment is lacking on Celebrity. I, for one, love live reggae music by the pool. Celebrity had a one man steel band (poor guy!). I never saw any belly flopping contest or beer drinking fest or drunken people.

 

 

 

So, you will love the Getaway and I hope you have the same great experience we had. I would sail the Getaway again in a New York minute.

 

 

Wow!!! Thank you for all of this!!! I really appreciate all of this detail. Right now we are just booked in an OV room, but I was considering booking a balcony. I think I will stick to OV if the balconies are small. You just saved me $$! I'm even more excited now. Thank you.

[kelmac]

That is one of the reasons we like the M class ships on X...not 360, but at least there is a promedade deck near the water line.

 

What "elite plus" benefits did you get while onboard? do they have the 2 hour elite gathering each night??

 

Thanks for review!

 

Hi d64,

 

 

I'm Elite Plus on Celebrity; this was only our third NCL cruise, with the last one in 2001. So, no status on NCL.

Celebrity does have a 5 -- 7 happy hour with free drinks + 240 minutes internet per person + 4 free laundry 30 item bags + discounts to alternative restaurants…, '

 

Enjoy!

Kel