Please share your opinion

[WandaKruze]

I'm totally new to cruising and am trying to decide which cruise line to book our cruise with. I don't want the TA BS ... I want the straight info from someone who's been there. We may never take another cruise, so I don't mind paying. I don't like a lot of the fru fru formal stuff. Is this the best line for me?

[MIcruisers3]

If you want a summary of whether certain cruise lines satisfy your preferences, you should observe the cruisecritic boards and go to the bookstore and look at cruise guide books. I've only cruised Norwegian so I can't compare to other lines. Norwegian seems to be a good mix of formal and informal. I think Norwegian satisfies many preferences people may have. From what I've been reading, it is easy to get involved and meet people and at the same time, since I enjoy relaxing with my family and don't care to meet other cruisers, I never feel like I've been pressured to join activities or have been bothered with cruise staff asking if I need anything every 5 minutes. Norwegian also caters to people who enjoy freestyle dining. If you choose to be seated with someone for meals you easily can (but may have to ask), and if you want to eat with your friends, you can. You can sit on deck and read a book or observe the ocean and go to dance parties in the bar later on at night. Not TOO much action and not too boring. It's a good mix.

[calmac]

We (husband and I are both in our early 40s and 1 son, then age 9) took our first cruise this summer. We chose NCL based on the Freestyle dining. We did not want to "dress up" for dinner nor did we want to be told when to eat and who to eat with (on other lines you are assigned either early or late seating and people to share your dining table with).

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on the Dream to Alaska and have already booked to sail with NCL again at Easter (on the Dawn this time) and hope to sail on the Dream again to the Baltics next summer. As a family, we find Freestyle really suits how we want to spend our vacation time - eat when you are hungry, where you want (choice of several or many different restaurants) and just the three of us.

 

Disembarking was the other area where Freestyle is different from other lines but this was not part of our decision making.

 

Having been on an NCL ship and experienced Freestyle dining we just can't contemplate going to a more traditional style of dining.

 

Our only problem now is trying to decide where to go on future NCL cruises. :D

[Goldryder]

Having done several cruises when a teenager (and younger) in what was then classed as extremely formal atmosphere, I was very pleasantly surprised by NCL's Freestyle cruising when I tried it out on their new ship NCL Jewel. Its a far more relaxed atmosphere all round. There are no stipulated mealtimes or where you have to eat those meals, its entirely your choice. Dress wise too its very relaxed, something that often puts people off is the sometimes strict formality - especially the younger cruisers. I am 41 and I travel alone, I honestly cannot fault NCL in any way whatsoever. I was very impressed with Jewel and although much smaller and older, I feel confident that my coming cruise around South America on NCL Crown will be just as enjoyable. I agree with previous posters, do as much research as you can, ask questions and you should find the cruise that fits your requirements. :)

[signman]

Wanda, see my comments on the Cunard and Celebrity boards where you asked this same question. Also on RCCL, Carnival, and HAL.

[newmexicoNita]

freestyle is gaining in popularity all the time but still is not for everyone. If you do want a friendly crew, good itinerary and relaxed atmoshphere you can't go wrong with NCL especially the newer ships. If what you are looking for is a chance to be waited on and pampered from the minute you reach the pier til your cuise ends you may want to choose a more formal type of line. For what we look for in cruising NCL wins hands down. The entertainment is the best at sea, the food certainly good to very good and in some cases outstanding!! Though many of NCL ships do not feature large cabins they do have very well layed out ones with comfy beds. There are lots of activities, from trivia games, golf instruction, bridge and other fun daytime features to the delightful music in varies bars each evening not to mention the casino tables, slots or just walking on the deck. You will find quite an age variety on NCL compared to some lines that are geared more to certain ages. Again if you want to climb rocks, ice skate, etc NCL does not offer those types of things, but there is always something to do and a choice of where to eat. Even if you choose the specialty restaurants you won't spend much. Hope this helps some. NMNita

[gxchan]

I'm totally new to cruising and am trying to decide which cruise line to book our cruise with. I don't want the TA BS ... I want the straight info from someone who's been there. We may never take another cruise, so I don't mind paying. I don't like a lot of the fru fru formal stuff. Is this the best line for me?

 

WandaKruze,

 

I took my first cruise on NCL this summer to Alaska and loved it. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. I'm not a gown type of gal, so the more casual dress, even on special nights, was great--I wore a cocktail dress. And during the day jeans/t-shirts and sweaters worked well. On the non-special nights I wore dressy slacks and tops.

 

Free Style dining allowed me to eat on my own (I was traveling alone) or join new friends I met on the cruise for dinner. I'm not a foodie so my opinion about the food may not really count, but I found it good. I especially like LeBistro the extra cost ($15) restaurant.

 

The crew was incredible, as were most of the passengers (some were cranky because we missed Sitka). The boat (the Dream) was clean, well maintained and large enough to find some quiet places but not so large that I got lost/couldn't hook up with the people I wanted to.

 

When I started the process of looking for a cruise I was referred to a TA that only wanted to sell me Princess and gave me a load of reasons why I shouldn't go on NCL. She was wrong on all counts, so you are right to check with people who have cruised on NCL before.

 

You say this may be your only cruise. LOL. I thought the same thing but am now preparing to book my next cruise to the Panama Canal. Unfortunately, NCL doesn't have a cruise to PC with the dates/length I want, so I'm going on Holland America. I hate to give up Free Style dining but believe the cruise experience on HAL will be similar, at least in my enjoyment of it.

 

Wherever you go/whatever CL you go on, enjoy it!

[mortysmama]

I've sailed on Princess, Costa, Holland, Celebrity and NCL. Each line has it's own personality and along with that comes the good and the bad. I'm extremely comfortable on NCL because of the Freestyle concept. Because each day brings a new experience it's a much better idea to eat where and when you choose. If an afternoon nap is in order, there is no problem with dinner because there is no assigned time or place to eat. You go with your mood of the day. If you decide to "do the town" that night, an early dinner followed by shows, some casino then dancing could be ticket. It's all up to you and each day can be different. That's not to say that other lines aren't wonderful in their own way. The "24 hour" oportunity for eating is great for those late night snacks or dinners "in between" activities.

We were on the Dawn this past Feb. and enjoyed it so much that we are going on the Jewel in "28 days". Needless to say we can't wait.

 

Whatever you decide...I wish you blue skies and calm seas.

 

Happy cruising!

[boards]

As has been indicated to you by others, you will not enjoy cruising on most of the cruise lines you have put this thread on. Hal, Celebrity, Radisson, etc, etc., if you don't like to dress up for the evening, well I'm not sure which one you will enjoy going. Even on the islands, on a land vacation, you have to dress properly for dinner. You may not be going anywhere from the looks of it. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do.

[Happy ks]

Kind of funny, I checked your profile and you asked this very same question on severl lines, but NCL was not one of them!

 

I've sailed on a few of the lines you inquired about and I, too, would probably recommend NCL over the others, based on the little bit of info you have given.

 

Almost all lines offer pretty much the same thing as far as entertainment, dancing, a casino, a pool. There are people here who have a preference for one line over the other, so far mine would be Celebrity, but I don't think you would care for it. Many of us enjoy the formality of the nicer lines and dressing nicely for dinner every night. However, the one NCL cruise we have taken really surprise me, how much we enjoyed it. You can dress up for formal nights, if you wish, you can choose where and when to eat and with whom. From what I've read, you may want to choose one of the newer ships, they are more suited to Freestyle dining than the older ones.

 

We choose most of our cruises based on the ports, but there are some lines in some areas we would not be happy on. Give a little more info regarding where you want to go, how long a cruise you wish to take, even if you are going with a large group. The more info you give, the better answers you will get.

[caviargal]

If you are not looking for an upscale experience I agree that NCL, their newer ships only, would be a good choice. While I do not care for Freestyle dining, many folks do. I prefer the traditional, arranged seatings for dinner.

 

For country club casual (with a high price tag) Radisson and Oceania are well worth considering. No formal nights, excellent food and service.

 

RCI's Voyager class have lots of options for activities and dining. They are too big for my taste but have multiple dining options that would work for formal nights when you do not want to dress up. I also find them to be more casual than RCI's Radiance class of ships.

 

Stay away from Crystal, Celebrity, HAL if you do not care to dress for dinner. These lines are a bit more formal.

 

CG

[trish1c]

We may never take another cruise, so I don't mind paying. I don't like a lot of the fru fru formal stuff. Is this the best line for me?

 

What do you like? That will help us answer your Q.

 

As has been said, NCL is always resort casual.

 

On other lines you can opt out of formal night if you chose to & eat else where )(Other than the main dining room).

 

On almost all cruise ships you are expected to somewhat dress for dinner -- no shorts or jeans allowed in the dining room.

 

I suggest to everyone new to cruising who claims to hate all that "formal stuff" pack a suit, tie & nice dress anyway because once you experience the atmosphere of the ship you may want to get involved & not be excluded from anything. At least you'll have a choice on board.

 

There was just a great article from one of the editors of Independent Traveler on cruise critic. It was her first trip on a mass market line. It was an interesting read on cruising in general.

 

If you really want casual but active try a Windjammer cruise.

 

For truly no-frills you may want to check out a new line called Easy Cruise -- look under "other" on these boards. They are the big orange boats & a new to the carribbean thsi year. Nothing is included in your cruise; you pay extra for all meals & drinks.

[masterbaker]

NCL is a good choice for a non fofo cruise experience as long as you choose one of their newer ships designed for freestyle. Some other cruiselines offer a casual alternative dining option. We just returned from a Celebrity cruise to Alaska and did not dress up for dinner on formal nights. We just used the casual dining alternative those nights. It saved a ton of space in our suitcases which really helped since we had to pack warmer clothing that took up more room than usual. RCI also has a casual dinner alternative. The casual alternatives also give you freedom to dine at whatever time you would like instead of being stuck having dinner at an assigned time.