New to NCL

[whatcruiseisnext]

We want to go to Bermuda! We have decided on NCL and the Breakaway. We are not new to cruising but have cruised mostly on Princess. This will be the first time on NCL. Anyone who has been on both lines have any comparisons for us? What is the best time to go to Bermuda? We are thinking June or July. Is one month better than the other? What is the dress on NCL? How casual for dinnertime? Any recommendations on the specialty restaurants?

 

Any info or hints for a first timer on NCL will be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Edited July 18, 2015 by whatcruiseisnext

[fshagan]

We want to go to Bermuda! We have decided on NCL and the Breakaway. We are not new to cruising but have cruised mostly on Princess. This will be the first time on NCL. Anyone who has been on both lines have any comparisons for us? What is the best time to go to Bermuda? We are thinking June or July. Is one month better than the other? What is the dress on NCL? How casual for dinnertime? Any recommendations on the specialty restaurants?

 

Any info or hints for a first timer on NCL will be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

We cruised primarily on Princess and DCL before moving over to NCL. The main difference for us was the more casual dining. NCL truly has mastered the idea of "anytime" dining that they pioneered as "Freestyle". There are no formal nights at all. They usually have one night where the captain will pose with families for pictures in the atrium and they call it either Norwegians Night Out or Dress Up or Not night, and you'll see a few people take advantage of that. But no one really cares how casual you are. They do have a main dining room where they say they don't allow shorts, although I think on the cruise to Bermuda you can wear Bermuda shorts anywhere.

 

How does it work? When you want to go to dinner, you walk up to one of the main dining rooms and say "Party of Two" and you get seated. You don't have the more formal seating in the same place each time, with the same servers. For the food itself I think Princess has better presentation, but it all tastes pretty much the same; food for the masses (or "banquet food" if you will).

 

I think the specialty restaurants are over-rated for what they are, but a lot of people love them. Cagney's is the usual recommendation but I think they have been really spotty on both service and the quality of the food lately. LeBristro is the other common recommendation. If you are used to fine dining along the coasts in the north, New England or CA, or are from a large city in the rest of the country you would probably be disappointed in the specialties. It's good, but it's not four star dining.

 

There is also a complementary "pub style" place called O'Sheehans which we found really tasty. We ate there for a few breakfasts and a couple of lunches (and the inevitable late night snack when we wanted some fries).

 

The buffet on NCL is pretty good; we haven't been on the Breakaway yet but on the Epic (the ship built just before the -away series) the buffet was the best we had seen at sea. Lots of variety with different "food stations" set up for different types of food.

 

We found the entertainment on NCL to be much better. More live music and the stage shows are enjoyable. We always sit in the back so we can get up and leave if they get horrible, but on NCL we rarely leave.

[Sizzlechest]

Any info or hints for a first timer on NCL will be greatly appreciated!

 

My Bermuda on the Breakaway review with tips: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2074156

[SuiteTraveler]

The Breakaway is a gorgeous ship. It reminds me a bit of a new casino hotel in Las Vegas.

 

NCL is always resort casual unless you WANT to dress up and there are 2 nights when you can dress up if you want. Usually I wear a sundress or maxi dress and sandals and my husband wears trousers and a shirt with a collar for the nicer restaurants. He might wear nice shorts with a golf shirt in the more casual restaurants. The buffet is amazing! You will have to see for yourself how great it is.

 

My husband and I usually get a The Haven Spa Suite which gives us access to The Haven, The Haven restaurant and lounge, butler service and access to the incredible Thermal Suite in the Spa - our favorite place to hang out! So peaceful! Plus the water circuit is AMAZING! If you can afford a suite - Penthouse or above, definitely give it a try - but you need a Spa Suite or Spa cabin for access to the thermal suite OR you can head to the spa the minute you board and try to buy a spa pass - but they sell out quickly, so hurry! You will love NCL's suite life which is better than on any other mass market cruise line! I know, I've tried HAL, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, RCCL and even Uniworld.

 

The other thing I love about NCL are all the specialty restaurants. Even the MDR's feel special. But we usually go to all the specialty restaurants with Le Bistro, sushi and Cagneys being our favorites. (Tip: make reservations online in advance as with the UDP, the restaurants get booked up by the end of the first day of the cruise.) Another thing we love is the great entertainment. For daytime, there are the water slides, a great casino, mini golf, rock climbing and more. At night, there are some really terrific shows. They also show movies frequently including 3D movies in the main theater and a broadway show. The Cirque show is GREAT! Don't miss it! I've never experienced anything like this on a Princess cruise. The thing is, you can't do it all in a week. Enjoy!