Princess vs NCL for Panama Canal ?

[The Other Tom]

Normally we sail on NCL and we want to do a Panama Canal cruise this spring. We are looking at the NCL Pearl but we sailed her a couple of years ago and she was getting long in the tooth then and is probably more worn now. Princess seems to have more sailings and their balconies are about $200 cheaper as of now. I don't know anything about the Princess ships that sail the PC. We really love the freestyle cruising on NCL but are considering Princess for this cruise. For those who have sailed both, how do they compare....ship condition, food, entertainment, and hassle free (freestyle) cruising ?

[FraudBroad]

Normally we sail on NCL and we want to do a Panama Canal cruise this spring. We are looking at the NCL Pearl but we sailed her a couple of years ago and she was getting long in the tooth then and is probably more worn now. Princess seems to have more sailings and their balconies are about $200 cheaper as of now. I don't know anything about the Princess ships that sail the PC. We really love the freestyle cruising on NCL but are considering Princess for this cruise. For those who have sailed both, how do they compare....ship condition, food, entertainment, and hassle free (freestyle) cruising ?

 

I've sailed the Pearl twice and done the Panama Canal on the NCL Star. It was probably one of my favorite cruises of all time.

 

When it comes to comparison, imho....Princess has NCL beat hands down. There is a level of service on Princess that you just don't find on NCL.

 

I'm Platinum with NCL and have sailed quite a few times with them but to be honest, I'm pretty much done. I don't like the changes NCL has made and am doubtful that I will be back again.

 

You will LOVE Princess. The ships are beautiful, the service is amazing....if you want a "Freestyle" experience then chose "Anytime Dining" and you won't be disappointing. The food on Princess is about 100 times better than the free restaurants on NCL. You can't go wrong!

 

Good luck making your decision. You will love sailing through the canal. It's an amazing experience!

[nw_man]

I concur with FraudBroad.. also Platinum on NCL but now veering towards Princess ( and others ).

 

I dont know about the food being 100 times better though :D

 

Stick to anytime dining and you cant go wrong.

[swedish weave]

I have done both NCL and Princess several times, and I prefer Princess because of the recent changes NCL has made. Examples in the food are Princess still includes lobster and escargot on their regular menus while NCL charges extra for the lobster and I haven't seen escargot on the menus.

 

Some of the Princess ships (Island and Coral) have small viewing decks which I like very much. They also have the buffet at the front of the ships with large viewing windows.

[MrKenFL]

Might want to add that the Island & Coral Princess were designed to cruise the Panama Canal . They just fit through the old locks ! They have the Pamama Canal cruise down to a T.

Have done the partial (10 day) on the Island and will do it again on the Coral next Feb.

The viewing area forward on the Caribe deck is outstanding while going through the locks !

Enjoy the cruise !

[spirit rev]

We have been long-time NCL cruiser - really have enjoyed sailing out of NYC in the winter, usually on the Gem. We are also platinum on NCL. By and large we have enjoyed our NCL cruises, including the POA this past January (before dry dock.)

 

In 2012 we wanted to do a full transit of the Canal. Princess was about the only game in town. We sailed the Coral. Prior to sailing we were a bit apprehensive about switching cruise lines since we had sailed another line with a more upscale reputation than NCL and been very disappointed. We had no reason to have been so apprehensive. It ranks up there as one of our best cruises. We returned to the Coral in 2015 for a partial Canal transit. We will be on the Island for a full Canal transit in January.

 

We felt the MDR food was only slightly better than MDR food on NCL. The service was excellent on Princess with Anytime Dining and did not seem either as rushed or as slow as on NCL with their Caribbean sailings we've been on.

 

As has been said earlier, use Anytime Dining and your MDR experience will be very similar to NCL.

 

Both lines have an energy. Princess' seems to be a more sophistacated energy.

We will sail with either line, but if itineraries are equal, we will choose Princess over NCL.

Edited August 1, 2016 by spirit rev

[msmoger]

We only have 2 NCL cruises under our belt, one on the Jewel and one on the Breakaway, but both out of NYC. These of course tend to have quite a different vibe than all Princess cruises and many cruises from different ports. (read that as a much more party atmosphere). We've had good times and don't rule out doing it again someday.

 

Having said that, I also think the food is significantly better on Princess. This has been our experience. I realize food is very subjective. I'm also not a fan of so much emphasis on specialty dining and definitely dislike the a la carte model now in place. I also think the Princess specialty dining food is much better than NCL (again, just my opinion).

 

Princess ships are much less flashy. Some like that, some don't. We prefer it. I think the service on NCL was pretty good, but the feeling I get on Princess is a bit more personalized and it has a bit less of a mass market feel (again to me).

 

We haven't been through the canal yet, but have one planned on the Coral Princess next April. As others have mentioned, this ship was specifically designed with the Panama Canal in mind and gets very high praise on the Princess Boards.

 

Even if you're inclined to sail NCL, I'd give Princess a try for this particular itinerary.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise. :)

[Torence]

My wife and I have been on both Princess Cruises and NCL over the years and we like them both. My wife likes NCL a little more as it seems it has a higher energy level, a little more of a "party ship". I prefer Princess, as I think it has a bit better food and service, and is a little more refined.

 

It has been mentioned elsewhere that Princess has been doing these Panama Canal cruises longer; so all other things being equal, you may want to go with Princess.

 

We have not been on a Panama Canal cruise, but its on our "to do" list. Let us know how you make out.

[moki'smommy]

I loved our Panama Canal cruise...but 2005 was a long time ago. I may have to do another one. 35+ cruises, 4 lines.

 

I have only one NCL experience. It honestly didn't compare with the other lines we've done. I had no desire to book.

 

After our first Princess cruise, I booked 4 more. That's not as wild as it sounds--the reason for the 7 night first cruise was to try it out before booking some long cruises that we were interested in. Princess met our expectations and got our bookings. Can't wait for the new mattresses. That was our only real gripe about Princess.

[easyboy]

Right choice with Princess!

[OCruisers]

NCL Pearl is nice but Coral or Island Princess are WAY better for the Panama Canal. :)

[The Other Tom]

Thanks for all the replies !

[Astro Flyer]

I enjoyed my first cruise 30 years ago on NCL's Starward but since then have primarily sailed Princess. For us Princess continues to provide the best overall cruise experience at a reasonable cost for cruises described as casual elegance.

 

I continue to read about all cruise lines to explore other options but NCL is at the bottom of my list. I've read about too many fee based options & things like their "no food removed from the buffet" experiment that failed & more recently banning all types of drinks from being brought on the ship.

 

Sometimes Princess passengers get upset by nickel & diming fees but that's better than all of the extra fees on NCL.

 

If the price & dates are similar & you have the choice between the Coral & Island, then I'd highly recommend the Coral. The Island is no longer an identical twin since some public spaces were removed to be replaced by additional cabins. The wonderful uncrowded aft viewing decks are now only available on the Coral.

 

Here's a link to a recent discussion about cruises using the new Panama Canal locks. Currently the Caribbean Princess is the only ship scheduled to regularly sail using the new locks which begins in Fall 2017 on 10-day partial canal crossings roundtrip from Ft Lauderdale.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2385390

 

If you decide to try Princess & served in the military, their great Military Benefit Program provides up to $250 of onboard credit for each eligible veteran. :D

 

http://www.princess.com/military_benefit_program/

Edited August 2, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Skai]

Full Transit - I personally would go with NCL...More ports of call, with the admonition that I'm primarily an itinerary based cruiser. The ports-of-call are as much (or more) of the destination than the ship is for me.

 

Partial Transit - I personally would go with Princess...Better overall experience on board.

 

As for comparisons.....

 

'Long in the tooth' means? Worn/frayed carpets? Railings in need of new coats of varnish? Scuff marks on the cabin hallway walls? Rust spots on the bulkheads in need of fresh paint?

 

This can be found on Princess ships too, for those looking hard enough.

 

As for freestyle? Does that mean shorts in the MDR? Well that's frowned upon and discouraged on Princess. However. the everyday dress during the day on board Princess ships is generally pretty casual. (Dressed casual)One might only ever feel underdressed while dining in the MDR on formal nights.

 

Princess does offer 'anytime dining' as an option instead of 'fixed-time dining' which in effect is 'freestyle'/dine-when-you-please. It deserves noting that waiting times for private tables can vary. Often one can get seated fairly quickly if they are willing to share tables with other passengers.

 

Princess does have some good variety for entertainment, and we've enjoyed some good acts on board. However IMHO, NCL offers much better shows and variety in the theater and has Princess beat in that dept.

 

Many of the theater shows on Princess, are of the song-and-dance production variety, and are often era-themed(ie. 50s/60s/70s/80s) medley shows. However in recent times, Princess has tried to step it up with some newer offerings that are trying to be more visually appealing and/or more Cirque-ish avant-garde -- ie. "Magic-to-do"(which I didn't personally care for at all).

 

That stated, we've enjoyed some funny comedians in the Princess Theater and also had some fun evenings in the Explorer's Lounge viewing various variety acts. MUTS(Movies Under The Stars) can also provide for a pleasant relaxing evening in a deck chair under a blanket w/ popcorn, cookies and milk provided.

 

Food? Princess wins here hands down and it isn't really close. To get a decent meal, we found ourselves having to eat in a specialty restaurant almost every evening on NCL...and some of them weren't even that special truth-be-told.

 

Sailing Princess can be as 'hassle-free' as one wants to make it. The only hassle (for some) might be having to don some shoes, pants and a sleeved/open-neck shirt if one chooses to dine in the MDR.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Skai

[Loonbeam]

A couple of thoughts..

 

First, experience depends on the ship - in my book the Coral Princess is one of the best ships at sea for a trip like this, the Island a bit behind that because of changes they made... So if the Coral is in play that's a no brainer to me.

 

Food has been covered. It's worth noting that Princess has less specialty dining overall than NCL but that's not necessarily a negative.

 

However (and I am not very familiar with the Pearl), one area you will find different is the ship design as regards activities. Princess ships are more sedate, in there are no water slides, minimal kids pools, no rock walls, etc... For an itinerary like this, not a problem for us, but if you have kids for example, its a consideration. On the plus side, not having all that stuff means a fairly decent pool size for the pax count.

 

And, to be honest, Princess entertainment may not be on par with NCL, though they are working to improve it. Again, depends on how important this is to you...

 

Not completely on point, but here are my notes from the Breakaway as compared to the Royal Princess which we had cruised a few months prior.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2153272

 

It's in 2 parts, so scroll down..

[kitkat343]

We've sailed the Coral twice (Panama Canal roundtrip, and Alaska) and NCL star to the Baltics. Could you tell us a little more about what you like best on the ship?

 

We personally prefer Princess since the food is generally better in the main dining rooms (although the specialty dining on NCL was excellent). The Coral is a great ship for both Alaska and the Panama Canal. I think the newer NCL ships will have more bells and whistles than the Coral (which is older, but was in great shape both times I sailed it) but it was not that different than the NCL star, although I had a 3 year old on that sailing so I couldn't compare the shows or bars. I'd go for the itineraries/price. Both lines seemed fairly similar.

[cruzsnooze]

Princess will have at least 3 formal nights on a Panama Canal cruise and 4 if it's a 14 nighter. Anytime dining is still formal on those nights. Last year we sailed the Jewel and had specialty dining every night which was good. Over all I prefer Princess for it's service and under stated decor. Room service is still included in your cruise fare and you can bring soft drinks on board.

NCL buffet is the worst I've ever encountered and the seating reminds me of high school cafeterias. Princess will serve you a beverage in their buffet, NCL does not.

[Pamster]

We did the Panama Canal - and we had done a 14-day Alaska cruise on the Coral. We decided to go with NCL for the Panama Canal, mainly because of the specialty dining. There are so many more dining options on NCL, and for a long cruise we decided to go back to NCL rather than the 2 specialty restaurants on Princess.

 

Another consideration, if you're doing a suite, is that the NCL suite-life is definitely better on NCL. Concierge, butler, espresso coffee machine in the room, restaurant for breakfast AND lunch.

 

Also, I think the kids program on NCL is better.

 

However, we did come back to Princess after a few NCL cruises, and there are things about Princess I definitely prefer. And, with the Crab Shack and Salty Dog there are a few more dining options than there used to be. Plus the Princess pizza is by far the best at sea!!!

[joeyancho]

Can't speak to NCL, but we cruised the Coral last December on a ten day partial transit. It was amazing. Best cruise of 36 cruises. The Coral is a fantastic ship with a great crew. Would go again in a heartbeat.

[caribill]

Princess will have at least 3 formal nights on a Panama Canal cruise and 4 if it's a 14 nighter.

 

2 formal nights for 7-13 days.

3 formal nights for 14-20 days

[easyboy]

Not completely on point, but here are my notes from the Breakaway as compared to the Royal Princess which we had cruised a few months prior.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2153272

 

It's in 2 parts, so scroll down..

Thanks for the links.