Disney vs. Norwegian

[Jvsbaby]

We have only sailed with Disney but considering trying Norwegian due to cost. Does anybody have any experience with both?

[jrsegrl]

These are the 2 lines we sail on and actually just did the 11/29 Magic followed by the 12/5 NCL Escape. We enjoy both for different reasons. Did you have specific questions or do you just want a run down of the basics. Also were you looking at the Breakaway class ships or Jewel class.

[Jvsbaby]

I wanted to compare the kids club, the entertainment, service, and overall experience. We are looking at trying the Escape.

[Loonbeam]

We've done both. We do not have kids, but Disney's kids clubs seem to win, they have significantly more features and are open longer. Using the Escape as a baseline, I'd say top deck on escape may be a little better for older kids because of the ropes course and slightly more advanced slides.

 

The big difference is the characters. Of course, NCL doesn't have Mickey, Anna, Elsa, etc with manageable lines.

 

Entertainment - NCL and Disney show quality probably pretty close, but Disney shows are far more family friendly. For example, Breakaway shows Rock of Ages as a main show, and it was raunchier than the Broadway version (Escape is Million Dollar Quartet, have not seen yet)

 

Service - all depends on who you get, have had good and bad service on both lines.

 

Food - you didn't ask, but personally I find NCLs offerings to be better than Disney. Two caveats, food is subjective and personally I hate fixed dining times. On NCL there are far more options, but many are for-fee.

 

We're sailing the Escape instead of Disney in 2016. For about 40 percent less than a concierge balcony, we have a 2 room Haven spa suite on NCL with all 4 current promos (free bevs, 250 mins wifi, shorex credit and 4 free specialty meals), which includes access to the private haven courtyard area/restaurant and thermal spa, double balcony and in room jacuzzi, and apparently a butler...

 

The itinerary was the same, the only thing we will really miss is Castaway Key.

 

If you look at Moki's thread about Princess, while many of us love Disney its very very hard to justify the price differences. Honestly, I see us sticking to shorter cruises on Disney in conjunction with a park visit, just to get Castaway key in, but I would be surprised if we did any longer ones unless pricing changes.

[DakotaDisneyLover]

We booked NCL's Epic for a family Christmas 2016 cruise. We have been on three Disney cruises, and love the service, experience, cleanliness, larger cabins, etc. We wanted to try a different line, and went with NCL due to pricing & perks. I hope we aren't disappointed with the smaller cabin, but have a balcony. How is embarking and disembarking on NCL compared to DCL? DCL has always been smooth and easy, even on the bigger ship Fantasy. Really, as long as the ship is clean, and the food and service is good we will be happy. 13 of us in 4 cabins, can't wait!

[slightlysilly]

My experience on the NCL ships is limited because our NCL cruise (Pride of Aloha) was super port intensive. I can say that I thought the kids club was more... Intimate? Just by numbers there were less kids on this cruise than on your typical Disney cruise. My son (age 3 at the time) loved the kids club and kept asking to go back. So thumbs up on the kids club.

[jrsegrl]

The Escape is a beautiful ship. The décor is very modern (not usually what I go for but the overall look is polished, classy and beautiful). Since you are already familiar with Disney I'll just mention the things that are different on the Escape.

Atrium - lobby really has a large screen on one wall and a lot of activities take place here - wii stuff, dance class, trivia, etc. On off times there might be a movie or just slides of different places in the world. Nice place to hang out too.

Kids Club - Deck 5 (decks are numbered 4 -17 ... DCL starts at Deck 1) No experience with them but did check them out. I was told that they close from 12 - 2 though and after a certain time at night it switches to paid babysitting. Think it was very late at night but if you ask on the NCL section I'm sure someone can help.

Deck 17? - Sports stuff like DCL basketball...Minature golf, Huge ropes course with a zipline and walk the plank feature. Water slides.

Entertainment - some kind of arts and crafts thing. Think there were other family type activities during the day but didn't pay too much attention. They have two major shows on the Escape. Million Dollar Quartet and a dance show After Midnight. Don't think kids would find either very interesting...and think both ran about 90 minutes each. When those aren't playing they will have something else - Magician, comedian, ventriloquist, etc.

Staterooms - Balconies and Minisuites are about the same size as DCL. No split bath if you are a fan of that, glass shower doors rather than that curtain and most do not have a tub if you need one. I think the rooms that specify they are family staterooms might have a larger bathroom and tub though. The insides and oceanview are much smaller than DCL with no sofa - but again there are family ones of those too that might be bigger but I don't know. The suites are in a class by themselves.

Decorated doors and Fish Extenders - non-existent if that's important to you.

Overall -found both lines to have a similar friendly, we are family vibe even though NCL is more relaxed and DCL is more regimented. Although we've made lasting friendships with a few fellow DCL passengers overall we've found the people a little friendlier on NCL. Every cruise is different but that observation was made after doing 49 cruises on 4 lines -so no flames.

I'll touch on service and food in another post but a few last comments. The price difference between DCL and other lines might have more to do with their lack of a casino, and although reduced but more liberal alcohol policy than anything else. There is smoking in the casino.

[jrsegrl]

service food and misc

 

SR Host is pretty much the same. Friendly, towel animals.

 

Dining - There are 3 main dining rooms all serving the same menu, a buffet and a 24hr place called O'Sheehans. O'Sheehans is comfort food but they also have dinner specials. The 3 I remember were prime rib, ribs and an all you can eat seafood bucket. Felt the current food quality was better on NCL and there is more variety, esp. at the buffet. Although food is subjective there were a few items we had on both the Magic and Escape within days of each other so it was easy to compare. Calamari - lighter, crispier and more tender on the Escape. Crab cake - similar size and seasonings but fishy tasting on the Magic. And a beef dish my husband commented on being much better than when he had it a few days earlier forgetting that the first time was on the Magic. Overall though both have decent food. Biggest dining difference is the setup. NCL you are not assigned anywhere, you just go when you want. You can sit alone or with others. Service is more like a restaurant so you won't have a dining team follow you. I did notice that you can now reserve a dining time and restaurant at the complimentary venues too. Families or people with specific dietary needs may find this helpful but we've never done it so can't comment. People love the interaction with their dining team on DCL and when you have a good team its great but more times than not we've had a not so great one. Aside from the complimentary venues there are several pay restaurants. Its not necessary to go to them but they do provide a nice change.

 

Misc - No self service laundry. Excursions are basically the same with same providers. In room tv does not have all the choices DCL has. There is a channel that plays a variety of movies, one that does a variety of tv shows, one that was kid friendly, one home improvement and a few news and sports. No free soda. Most of the things DCL charges a fee for are the same except for the soda and near O'Sheehans there is a specialty ice cream bar that incurs a charge. Otherwise ice cream is free - soft and hard with toppings. There is some kind of room service charge too - but not for everything. With food available 24 hours a day I never felt the need to order in.

 

This is probably more than you wanted to know but hope someone finds it useful. If you have a specific question I'll try to be more concise. LOL.

 

 

p.s. someone asked about embark/disembark. DCL Pt Canaveral terminal is welcoming and gets you in the cruising spirit. Port of Miami is not the same. The terminals are more like warehouses with seating areas. The process itself is the same - for both lines -just not so fancy.

[e2011]

We have done many cruise lines including NCL. (Epic X2, Getaway, and we are booked on Escape in January) NCL had Sponge Bob and other Nick characters but they have been phased out for 2016. As far as food, NCL wins by a long shot. They have some incredible pay restaurants and the free ones are better than Disney in my opinion. There are simply many more choices on NCL.

Entertainment on NCL was very good in the past. On Epic we saw Blue Man Group and Legends in concert but I think they are gone now. I would guess they will be replaced with as good entertainment options. For things to do for older kids 7 and up there is more on NCL.

 

To me the only draw of Disney Cruise Lines is the Disney characters. We like Disney and love the DVC Member cruises but I would not book one other than those. Disney is too expensive compared to NCL and RCCL for what you get in my opinion.

[moki'smommy]

NCL has recently instituted a bunch of "nickel and dime" charges. You need to be fully aware of these before looking at costs. THe one I find most odious is that certain entrees in the main dining room now carry an upcharge (typically $15-20 per item). You can get prime rib, lobster, etc., but not at the base cruise fare.

[jrsegrl]

There are 2 upcharge items and they are the same in all the restaurants. A whole steamed lobster for 19,99 and a large prime rib for maybe 14.99?

 

Prime rib is available at no charge at other times just not the large cut.

[moki'smommy]

I only saw an online report of various upcharges. They placed a charge on ALL room service for a while. My understanding is that there was so much guest outcry that it was revoked within a couple of months. I do not remember what the other "additional charge" items were...but there were several in many aspects of the ship. It seemed that the goal was to get people on board with as low a cruise fare as possible but to then apply upcharges to goods and services they may want. Since it has been a rapidly evolving area over the last few months, I would suggest that anyone contemplating a booking on NCL should probably check the current policies before booking.

[jrsegrl]

A lot of the 'outcry' was not accurate. Some of the changes weren't much of a change either. I don't even get the nickel and dime stuff because they charge for the same things other lines do. DCL is the only one I can think of that provides soda free of charge and they used to charge and offer a soda card but that changed quite a while ago.

 

The only thing that was changed due to outcry was when NCL tried to institute a no takeout policy from the restaurants. Personally I had no problem with that because I hate seeing all the wasted food people take and don't eat and leave out in hallways. It never included the buffet like people were complaining about. What was horrifying to me was to read that people were taking what amounted to extra meals from the specialty restaurants. Just gluttony. They did back peddle on this one. The only change that concerned me was specialty restaurants going ala carte. I want an easy, uncomplicated vacation and although it sounds really stupid it just seemed like it was just more decisions for me to think about. Honestly, the price for a regular meal in one amounted to about the same with either the new ala carte or old prix fixe and added gratuity made the whole thing easier. For those who don't get an app or desert they saved with the new plan. And those that want 2 dinners can pay for them. Probably most people have some sort of dining plan anyway so they are not affected at all.

 

I think the OP just wanted to know the big differences between the two lines so she could decide what was best for her family. Hopefully I covered them. One last comment - if the DCL ship you were comparing was the Magic out of Miami (only say this because that;s where the Escape sails from) love the new Tangled show. The other surprise was the new version of Disney Dreams. I was never a fan of the original show and have avoided it for years. I dragged my unhappy husband to it because it was renewed. Both the AnneMarie and Peter Pan actors were fantastic. My husband even liked the show. Just something else to think about.

[Maddysdaddy]

This doesn't 'exactly' answer your question, but is something I posted in a different thread below regarding spring break pricing on DCL.

---------------------

 

I hear you, loud and clear.

 

My family has loved sailing on Disney, and have been ok paying the premium for the Disney touches and kids clubs (I'm known as "safety dad" and figured that if any company wasn't going to let something happen to my kid while in their care, it was Disney), but we've gotten to a point where my daughter is much more interested in spending her days laying on deck with her ipod and a book, than in going to the clubs. So....

 

Back in February when I started looking at a spring break cruise for 2016, and saw that I could get a "mini-suite with a large balcony" room (plus the unlimited 'beverage' package) on the Norweigan Escape for almost half the price of an oceanview room on DCL (which turns out to be significantly less than half, given that I could book NCL in Canadian dollars at a very favorable rate), I decided to give Disney a pass.

 

That being said, we love Disney and have loved our previous sailings on DCL, and I'm sure that your granddaughter will have an absolutely fantastic time. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about DCL (other than the cost).

 

Have a great trip

[e2011]

I have not noticed any "up charges" on NCL that were troublesome. Having said that we always stay in the Haven suites on NCL and a lot of the small things are included including sodas. I cannot comment on the regular cabins. Disney does have the free soda for all which is nice if you are a soda drinker which we are not. I found the premium pay restaurants on NCL to be very reasonable and we got a promotional package on our upcoming Escape voyage that included 5 free visits to our choice of premium dining as well as a two free drink (alcohol) packages and free wi-fi. And we are in a Haven Penthouse suite and our price was $2,000 less than a comparable 1 bedroom concierge suite on the Disney Fantasy. That is significant!

Edited December 17, 2015 by e2011

[Rob_Jen]

What are the shows like on NCL compared to Disney. My kids like going to the shows before dinner and I dont think they would like going to just a basic musical play compared to the Disney shows. Which means we would probably not go to most of the shows if I can remember what the shows were like on cruises before we had kids.

 

Also I have seen (please correct me if I am wrong) that after 10:00 NCL (RCCL/Carnival) charge for the clubs. that is another $20+ dollars a day if the kids stay until midnight so the adults can go see an adult show to hang out in the lounges. or do most people with kids go to their rooms at 10 and that's it for the night on other lines?

 

I agree Disney pricing is nuts but compared to allot of other vacations we looked into its not that far off. Look at an all inclusive resort and a family of 4 for a week is about the same price as the cruise.

[Capt_BJ]

a few years ago we cut up our NCL 'frequent flier' cards and sent them

 

certified mail to the president of the company

 

this was after TWO disaster trips where the the staff just

 

did not care

 

the tipper was a cruise where there was a water leak that flooded our compartment (room) and we asked for a move every day ... for 3 days ... "nothing is available"

 

we're in ankle deep water ..... with a fan to dry things out . . .

 

then ... "OK, we'll move you"

 

since no one can come and go mid cruise from a US originated cruise

 

WT .........

 

NCL offered us $25 OBC on our next cruise .......

 

previous to this, poor food, lousy service

 

after our first problem I'm embarrassed to admit we went back .....

 

IMO NCL is the K-Mart of cruise lines .... just a HAIR above Carn .... and THAT depends on the day of the week.

 

***********************

Disney costs a BUNCH

 

but USUALLY they satisfy .....

[e2011]

a few years ago we cut up our NCL 'frequent flier' cards and sent them

 

certified mail to the president of the company

 

this was after TWO disaster trips where the the staff just

 

did not care

 

the tipper was a cruise where there was a water leak that flooded our compartment (room) and we asked for a move every day ... for 3 days ... "nothing is available"

 

we're in ankle deep water ..... with a fan to dry things out . . .

 

then ... "OK, we'll move you"

 

since no one can come and go mid cruise from a US originated cruise

 

WT .........

 

NCL offered us $25 OBC on our next cruise .......

 

previous to this, poor food, lousy service

 

after our first problem I'm embarrassed to admit we went back .....

 

IMO NCL is the K-Mart of cruise lines .... just a HAIR above Carn .... and THAT depends on the day of the week.

 

***********************

Disney costs a BUNCH

 

but USUALLY they satisfy .....

 

Sadly I read this same story on other boards. Princess, Celebrity, RCCL, NCL, Holland and MSC. About the only cruise line we travel that I do not see this is Seabourn. Cruise ships are like any other hotel. Sometimes they are in disrepair, sometimes the staff is bad, food bad, or all of the above. If I had your experience on NCL I would have done the same thing. Too many other choices. Our worst cruise was on the brand new Princess "Royal Princess" when it made its first cruise in the Caribbean. Horrible food, rude guests and a horrible tender experience to the island. I will never go on Princess again because of that yet I know others say they are one of the best. Live and learn!

Edited December 18, 2015 by e2011

[hunterjackson]

a few years ago we cut up our NCL 'frequent flier' cards and sent them

 

certified mail to the president of the company

 

this was after TWO disaster trips where the the staff just

 

did not care

 

the tipper was a cruise where there was a water leak that flooded our compartment (room) and we asked for a move every day ... for 3 days ... "nothing is available"

 

we're in ankle deep water ..... with a fan to dry things out . . .

 

then ... "OK, we'll move you"

 

since no one can come and go mid cruise from a US originated cruise

 

WT .........

 

NCL offered us $25 OBC on our next cruise .......

 

previous to this, poor food, lousy service

 

after our first problem I'm embarrassed to admit we went back .....

 

IMO NCL is the K-Mart of cruise lines .... just a HAIR above Carn .... and THAT depends on the day of the week.

 

***********************

Disney costs a BUNCH

 

but USUALLY they satisfy .....

 

Funny, I'm platinum and never had a 'frequent flyer card' from ncl...

[jrsegrl]

The show schedules depend on which ship you are on. The NCL Jewel class ships follow the more traditional ...shows 7/7:30 and 9/9:30, They range during the week from song/dance variety to things like comedy, magic juggling or acrobats. On these you would probably want to eat early, go to a show and then the buffet is open late so seems there are a lot of families that go for a snack. The Breakaway, Getaway and Escape are another story. These have the big musical shows and a dance type show. The nights these don't play there are the more traditional options. These 3 ships also offer a dinner show that is extra. The Breakaway has a Cirque show, Getaway -Illusionarium and the Escape a music? show but don't; know much about it because we skipped it.

[cruisingmba]

I haven't been on Disney yet, we will be going in October out of NYC. We took the NCL Breakaway out of NYC in December 2014. One thing I like about Disney is that kids for 3-12 can be in the same kids area. At NCL they are separated into several groups and I know my girls would not want to be separated. Also, the price looks like it will be similar since NCL charges for so much more than Disney. With the included park hopper ticket, we don't plan to book any excursions. We spent $5,400 for a minisuite on NCL. With all of the excursions and paying for a character breakfast and the upgraded dining package we spent closer to $6,500 which is what we will be spending for a balcony room on Disney.

[e2011]

I haven't been on Disney yet, we will be going in October out of NYC. We took the NCL Breakaway out of NYC in December 2014. One thing I like about Disney is that kids for 3-12 can be in the same kids area. At NCL they are separated into several groups and I know my girls would not want to be separated. Also, the price looks like it will be similar since NCL charges for so much more than Disney. With the included park hopper ticket, we don't plan to book any excursions. We spent $5,400 for a minisuite on NCL. With all of the excursions and paying for a character breakfast and the upgraded dining package we spent closer to $6,500 which is what we will be spending for a balcony room on Disney.

 

Wow! If you spent $5,400 for a 7 night mini suite on NCL you need a new travel agent!

 

My sister just booked the Nov. 13th sailing of the NCL Breakaway for 7 nights with 2 adults and 2 children in a mini suite for $3,243. And that INCLUDES the Ultimate dining package for adults (eat for 5 nights at any Premium restaurant) AND the Ultimate Drink Package for everyone. (Free soda, beer wine and mixed drinks for the adults for the entire cruise and free sodas and smoothies for the kids.) The similar October 29th sailing on the Disney Magic for a family balcony stateroom in the back of the ship is quoting $7,036 as of today.

Edited February 15, 2016 by e2011

[Ash_11]

...but there were several in many aspects of the ship. It seemed that the goal was to get people on board with as low a cruise fare as possible but to then apply upcharges to goods and services they may want. Since it has been a rapidly evolving area over the last few months' date=' I would suggest that anyone contemplating a booking on NCL should probably check the current policies before booking.[/quote']

 

This. 100x this.

 

They are priced to get you on the ship. Sort of like spirit airlines. Be aware of the true cost before you choose them for price. Great ships. Clean, nice, and new. Good food, decent show.

 

I never want to sail on NCL again unless they changed their policy. I almost felt harassed to spend money. Sitting on the pool deck, their servers weren't assigned to areas so we would be saying no thank you to no drinks, even with a full bucket of beers every 5 minutes. At shows, now at dinner. Every way you turn. Further, their costs (when I went years ago) were higher. So a drink that might cost you $9 on RCCL would be $13 on NCL.

 

The only people I would recommend it for are budget cruisers that are well disciplined not to spend on ship and who wouldn't feel bad about getting more stuff.

[fshagan]

They are priced to get you on the ship. Sort of like spirit airlines. Be aware of the true cost before you choose them for price. Great ships. Clean, nice, and new. Good food, decent show.

 

<snip>

 

Further, their costs (when I went years ago) were higher. So a drink that might cost you $9 on RCCL would be $13 on NCL.

 

I think things have changed in the intervening years, if I'm reading your comments right (I snipped out the other comments, but hope I've retained why it looks like you haven't been on NCL in years).

 

From what I read, drinks on NCL now are less expensive than RCCL, with the vast majority of drinks falling into their "drink plan" price. For the last several years the complaints about pool side and show drink service has been that it is too light, not too heavy. So I think your information is outdated now. NCL has increased prices in the last year and there are some differences with DCL that might make the price differential a different type of calculation for some people.

 

NCL now charges 18% mandatory gratuity on drinks and specialty dining; that's up from 15% on drinks and zero on specialty dining. Specialty dining now charges the same price for children and adults (they used to have 50% off for children), but the children can still order off a standard children's menu for free. Some specialty restaurants are going "a la carte" with individual prices for appetizers, desserts and entrees (which should help with the bill with kids, but probably will cost more for adults).

 

The daily service charge has risen from $12.00 a day per person (mini-suites and lower) to $13.50 per day per person. Suites are $15.50 I believe.

 

NCL has tightened up their cancellation policies, but they are still more generous than DCL's, especially for suites.

 

I don't think any of those small price increases are going to make up for the price differential in the base cost of the cruise. When we price DCL it is usually twice what we would pay for an equivalent NCL cruise (we are a couple, without kids traveling with us). I'm sure there are cases where a family of four sees a better overall value with DCL on certain itineraries, but we have never seen a single DCL cruise that was cheaper than an equivalent NCL cruise, even considering the 3% extra on drinks and $1.50 higher per day per person daily service charge.

 

You choose Disney for the value it provides, which is more than just cost vs. competitors. For the same reason I would pay more for Disneyland than I would Knott's Berry Farm, I see DCL as a premium product and worth extra. If we were traveling with kids, I think the DCL children's programming would be part of the equation too.

 

We like NCL because of value, and absolutely love the Freestyle concept for dining. A close second to NCL's dining is DCL because, while you're still at a set dining time, with other table mates you have never met before (both negatives in our view), you at least rotate through the restaurants.

 

 

Those are the major price differences.

[moki'smommy]

If you don't want tablemates on DCL, you can put in a request to be seated as "just our family."