Carnival or NCL?

[sparks1093]

When I checked the NCL free drink package - it looked like it cost more than $300 for 2 as a special service charge or something

 

They charge 18% on what the package would have cost if you had purchased it, which is just under $80 a day (they coincidentally raised the price of the UBP when they started charging the gratuities for the "free" perk).

[SadieN]

We want to do a 7 day western Caribbean cruise. NCL has free drinking on basically the same cruise as Carnival. It would save us about $130 to do NCL plus would save us air money since we could drive to New Orleans and not to Miami.

 

 

 

I know nothing about NCL or the ship Norwegian Dawn.

 

 

 

Anyone have an opinion on which would be better?

 

 

 

Does Carnival ever include the "free booze" package on their cruises?

 

 

Did you look at Carnival Dream or Carnival Triumph out of NOLA? Both do Western Caribbean.

 

 

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[SASA13]

Sailing on NCL in January on Epic. Staying in a Studio cabin. No single supplement. Wish Carnival would, at least, not punish me monetarily for sailing on their ships because I'm a single. Yes, I know Blah,Blah, Blah it's an empty bed they need to make up that income.

 

You will have a blast on the Epic. We loved it so much, we sailed her three times. Lots of single cruisers and lots of fun.

[sheila59]

We only done one Carnival ship, Conquest, we have the Magic booked for October. We have sailed many cruise lines, and have sailed NCL 8 times in the last few years, mainly the new ships, the Star being the oldest, the Epic we have sailed 4 times, it is the best NCL ship, you have so many choices of restaurants onboard, you will love the buffet. Last year we did our first Carnival cruise after disembarking NCL newest ship Escape, we did a 12 day transatlantic, I must say coming from a brand new ship and then going onto a older Carnival Conquest was a bit worrying, but we loved it, the cabins are bigger, but our one was a little dated, the entertainment is nowhere near as good, but the crew on Carnival are so much nicer, they are happy and smiley, NCL tend to be quite miserable and not enjoying there jobs as much. Also NCL is a little more sophisticated.

I think you should go for the one that is cheapest, good and bad with both.

[Trumpster]

We loved the Dawn and out other NCL cruises but I did mean loved = past tense

 

I would sail NCL only if it were free these days. And they would even have to pick up parking. :cool: I know why they are giving so many freebies away, and actually you are paying for those freebies.

 

They change their product way to much from the time you book to sail, who knows what new fees or changes will occur...no thanks.

[ready2cruzagain]

Was just looking up the Thanksgiving cruises for this year for Port Canaveral with balconies on the same date. Going nowhere special. These are the prices I found on CCL & NCL's pages:

 

Sunshine - $1,424

Epic - $1,099 Add the free drinks & three free specialty restaurants.

 

Yeah, time for me to check this line out for myself. Even Oasis of the Seas in PC was cheaper than the Sunshine. I think we're being hoodwinked.

We are on the same cruise as you on the 19th, then staying on the 26th and then going on the Sunshine the following week. Our NCL cruises on the Epic, even though we have to pay gratuities on the UBP are still way cheaper than the Sunshine. And from everything I have read, NCL puts Carnival to shame when it comes to entertainment.

[tallnthensome]

Go with NCL. I just took my first one and the deals were way better than Carnival. I laugh at those trying to influence you not to go because of the "service charge" on the free NCL drink promo. If you like to drink and have fun as well with glasses of wine with lunch and dinner then the drink package is worth a lot! The service charge is nothing for what you get. We probably drank $1500 worth of alcohol on the Escape. Those trying to tell you not to are those that drink two drinks the whole week and are lame. We had 6 down by noon every day and loved every minute of it and trying new fruity drinks. NCL is a way better value and the staff was amazing when we went. I'm sailing the Vista next year and my expectations are less then that of what I got on the new NCL Escape ..... You also get nothing free from Carnival. I love how there are those Carnival homers that say NCL nickle and dimes you even when they give you multiple choices of free perks when Carnival gives you NONE! :rolleyes:

[tallnthensome]

Worst of all though, doesn't NCL serve Pepsi! I personally leave restaurants over Pepsi.

...... I bet you really showed them, :rolleyes: <*stomps out of the restaurant like a bratty 2 yr. old *> ;)

[crooooze]

We've been on the Dawn twice and also on the Gem and the Jewel. All about the same age.

 

The main difference we noticed between those and CCL equivilent is that NCL's best food is in the premium restaurants. We felt the buffet and MDR quality to be inconsistent in NCL.

 

Other than that, about the same. We do think the production shows are slightly better on NCL.

 

One thing I like about NCL is that they have purell dispensers everywhere and had people"washy washy happy happy" ladies at the dining venues assisting to make sure everyone uses them.

 

Overall, they're both great cruiselines. Do what we do... book your reservation with which ever gives the best value for that date/itinerary and don't get bogged down with cruiseline loyalty.

Edited July 9, 2016 by crooooze

[soozles]

Entertainment we prefer on NCL. I stopped going to the carnival shows when they went to the playlist productions because in my opinion, they're horrible. People tend to be either good singers or good dancers, very few people are both and it shows. But I do love the comedy club on carnival and I'm very happy skipping the evening show in exchange for the comedy club.

 

I think they're more similar than different. We tend to look at overall cost for the cruise, price plus cost of getting to the pier. So we will factor in cost of the flight vs cost of driving/parking. For our upcoming vacation, it was cheaper for us to fly to miami and leave from there than to leave from our home port which is only a 30 minute drive away.

[sparks1093]

Go with NCL. I just took my first one and the deals were way better than Carnival. I laugh at those trying to influence you not to go because of the "service charge" on the free NCL drink promo. If you like to drink and have fun as well with glasses of wine with lunch and dinner then the drink package is worth a lot! The service charge is nothing for what you get. We probably drank $1500 worth of alcohol on the Escape. Those trying to tell you not to are those that drink two drinks the whole week and are lame. We had 6 down by noon every day and loved every minute of it and trying new fruity drinks. NCL is a way better value and the staff was amazing when we went. I'm sailing the Vista next year and my expectations are less then that of what I got on the new NCL Escape ..... You also get nothing free from Carnival. I love how there are those Carnival homers that say NCL nickle and dimes you even when they give you multiple choices of free perks when Carnival gives you NONE! :rolleyes:

 

That's why we have choices. Your choice is right for you and my choice is right for me. You can think that you are getting a lot of "free" perks all you want to but at the end of the day you are paying for it some way. If you can still get value out of that then it works for you. I don't see the value so I book elsewhere, works for me.

[Rudyard]

You're asking this on a Carnival board? SMH

 

Why not? People ask for comparisons of Carnival and other lines from time to time. The OP is getting a better deal but wants input from Carnival Cruisers who have also sailed NCL to decided if NCL is right for them. If they may not like NCL, then the savings wouldn't be worth it.

[sparks1093]

Why not? People ask for comparisons of Carnival and other lines from time to time. The OP is getting a better deal but wants input from Carnival Cruisers who have also sailed NCL to decided if NCL is right for them. If they may not like NCL, then the savings wouldn't be worth it.

 

Exactly. The OP also asked the same question over on the NCL board (I believe) and is likely getting responses that are the opposite of the ones being given here. When making a decision it's best to gather information from as many sources as possible.

[splintz]

i just got off my first ncl cruise on the sun in Alaska. it was our first ncl cruise. we have been on 10 carnival cruises and 1 royal Caribbean cruise. it was fine. i'm not ready to abandon carnival for it, but i wouldn't hesitate to book ncl again if the price was right. on the alaskan cruise it was a better deal than carnival and it offered the drink package and 4 nights in specialized dining restaurant. the specialized dining was good but not great. we went to the steak house and it was good and the service was good. but it was not as good as the steak house on carnival. the sun was a smaller ship and not one of the mega ships that ncl has. i'm not a big fan of the huge mega ships.

 

if you get a good deal with added bonus like the beverage package i would say book it and give it a try.

[evandbob]

We want to do a 7 day western Caribbean cruise. NCL has free drinking on basically the same cruise as Carnival. It would save us about $130 to do NCL plus would save us air money since we could drive to New Orleans and not to Miami.

 

I know nothing about NCL or the ship Norwegian Dawn.

 

Anyone have an opinion on which would be better?

 

Does Carnival ever include the "free booze" package on their cruises?

 

 

Until Carnival cruisers stop buying Cheers, Carnival will never give up this cash cow. No freebie drink pkgs. here.

 

I'm amazed at how many people don't shop around for the freebie packages (drinks, dining, OBC) on other cruise lines like NCL and Celebrity and believe they are getting value by booking a similar or cheaper fare on Carnival but then wind up paying for a Cheers package.

 

If you book an inside cabin, a Carnival Cheers pkg can double your cruise fare.

 

I don't drink booze, but I do preorder the 12 pack of water @ $3.99, so my "drink pkg" is a cheap one.

 

BTW, I've sailed the NCL Epic and Breakaway, and I appreciated and enjoyed the NCL experience, especially the specialty dining packages. I found some things better on NCL, others better on Carnival, go try the Dawn and decide for yourself.

Edited July 9, 2016 by evandbob

[CozGurl]

Thanks for all of the input. I did ask the same question over on the NCL board. It seems so many of you on both boards have sailed both lines that I'd get good input and I did.

 

I've decided to go with Carnival because I don't like the idea of being trapped on Harvest Caye in Belize. We like to book our own excursions and won't be able to do so in that port. I know it isn't open yet, but it will be by the time we sail.

 

I added the drinks promotions, gratuity and service charges to both and NCL was cheaper for a balcony room by $160.

[408jillybean]

I have always cruised with Carnival until this year. We choose to go with NCL instead. Worst mistake! Food is not nearly as good as Carnival and the customer service is not the same. We had the Ultimate Beverage Package as well and if your not a Pepsi drinker than you will want to stick with alcoholic beverages. The package does not include bottles of water, specialty coffees, or Red Bull. Despite the fact that all of these are less than $15 a piece.

[sunnydaygirl]

I have always cruised with Carnival until this year. We choose to go with NCL instead. Worst mistake! Food is not nearly as good as Carnival and the customer service is not the same. We had the Ultimate Beverage Package as well and if your not a Pepsi drinker than you will want to stick with alcoholic beverages. The package does not include bottles of water, specialty coffees, or Red Bull. Despite the fact that all of these are less than $15 a piece.

 

 

I'm a Carnival fan, but except for the Pepsi thing, I love coke products, I also am a NCL fan. I think we all like and dislike different things. I had the Carnival drink pkg and it didn't include those things either.

I'm just glad I'm floating on water with someone else doing the cooking, cleaning and waiting on! 100% cruiser.

[sparks1093]

I'm a Carnival fan, but except for the Pepsi thing, I love coke products, I also am a NCL fan. I think we all like and dislike different things. I had the Carnival drink pkg and it didn't include those things either.

I'm just glad I'm floating on water with someone else doing the cooking, cleaning and waiting on! 100% cruiser.

 

Cheers now does include bottled water, specialty coffees and milkshakes so it is a better plan than NCL's (unless of course you want to drink more than 15 alcoholic drinks a day).

[tallnthensome]

Buy the Cheers on CCL vs. or get the free UBP on NCL and see which is the better value at the end of the cruise. There is no question that NCL's is better regardless of the promo charge unles you drink $500 worth of bottle water or coffee to make up for what NCL's doesn't include for free. Also, don't always buy the notion that you "pay for it" somehow when it comes to included perks. I got a balcony on the Escape, two free adult drink packages (no promo charge) and 2 free kids soda package and still paid $500 less then my inside Cloud 9 spa on the Vista next year that included nothing as far as perks go. Also, the Vista won't be as good as the Escape either even if I am choosing to sail it .....

[sparks1093]

Buy the Cheers on CCL vs. or get the free UBP on NCL and see which is the better value at the end of the cruise. There is no question that NCL's is better regardless of the promo charge unles you drink $500 worth of bottle water or coffee to make up for what NCL's doesn't include for free. Also, don't always buy the notion that you "pay for it" somehow when it comes to included perks. I got a balcony on the Escape, two free adult drink packages (no promo charge) and 2 free kids soda package and still paid $500 less then my inside Cloud 9 spa on the Vista next year that included nothing as far as perks go. Also, the Vista won't be as good as the Escape either even if I am choosing to sail it .....

 

Yes, if one is flexible and shops around there are still some good deals to be had on NCL but every time I've priced a cruise NCL's price is higher by the amount of the "included" perks.

[SadieN]

Found the below post on

Can You Bring Bottled Water on Board?

 

 

As mentioned from previous posters, its now $3.99 for a 12 pack of water. Norwegian cruises charges $40.00 for a 12 pack and you are absolutely not allowed to bring any liquid refreshments on board: water, canned sodas, and if you bring wine on board, you are charged $15 on embarkation. Yea for Carnival!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50451720

 

 

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[TruckerDave]

Now that Norwegian is known as NCL and dime, I see no reason to try them. I knew they were off my list as soon as they started charging for room service and banning food from the buffet in the cabins.

 

Worst of all though, doesn't NCL serve Pepsi! I personally leave restaurants over Pepsi.

 

 

Except you are wrong.....NCL only serves Pepsi products. :rolleyes:

[TruckerDave]

...... I bet you really showed them, :rolleyes: <*stomps out of the restaurant like a bratty 2 yr. old *> ;)

 

Except he/she is wrong as NCL only serves Pepsi products. :cool:

[jdemps]

We like a more lively atmosphere than NCL Dawn offers so I would choose carnival. We did that cruise on the Dawn out of NOLA last December.

 

We were really disappointed in the comedy - it was pretty bad SNL type of skits versus a comedian. Their "activities" were mostly sell you stuff kind of seminars...lame. We jut felt like it was geared toward a more mellow crowd - the nightclub was dead at 9:30pm, even the white hot party just wasn't all that lively.

 

Our penthouse suite was nice on the aft and the butler was a nice touch.

 

I think I remember there is only one very small pool so that was packed most days.

 

They say it's freestyle cruising but if you don't make reservations for every dinner, you'll be stuck with the buffet or waiting for the MDR. You can't just decide what you want when you want it.

 

It depends on what you like about cruising. for us, its all about the action so Carnival is just more fun.