NCL to CCL adjustment

[Seafan22]

So far we have only cruised on Norwegian Cruise Lines, and now have a Carnival trip to Alaska planned for late April/early May.

 

For those of you that have traveled on both lines, what if any "adjustments" will there be to trying this new line? And I will say, we are very much looking forward to the trip.

[shof515]

if you like NCL freestyle dining, make sure you select your time dinning on carnival. it is similar concept. Otherwise on carnival, you will have to select an assigned dinning time.

[RuthlessBoss]

I find the question might not be answered accurately because of it being an Alaska cruise. The makeup will be mostly adult.

I've only been on Getaway with NCL, many more on Carnival. Carnival is more relaxed. I'm not a foodie, so I'm happy with whatever is available.

[sparks1093]

We've found them to be much more similar than they are different. NCL's entertainment is more robust, especially on the larger ships.

[Seafan22]

We're not particularly foodies either, and the food set-up on the Legend looks to be pretty interesting. It looks like there are a lot of things to try.

[Jaco5NC]

We've sailed mostly Carnival. We honestly prefer NCL for the food, entertainment and service. We've never had a bad cruise though, just our preference.

 

 

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[rjrpar]

First, you will love Alaska. The ports can be fun but make sure you see inner Alaska, it is beautiful. I find that all the major cruise lines are similar. People will state differences but they really are minor and won't change the overall experience.

[beerman2]

Agree there are more similarities than differences.

 

Food is so subjective , let's just say you won't go hungry.

 

Carnival if you select a specific dining time you will be seated with the same people and have the same waitstaff nightly. Anytime is just that show up and they will seat you when they can.

[Seafan22]

We're in a balcony room. Are the room amenities and size about the same?

[hockeyguru32]

I was on the Escape last year and I liked Carnival better. I liked the food better on Carnival. With NCL you had to book what day and time the shows you wanted and book dining times.

 

If I want to see a show I will just go at the time and day specified early bird gets the worm instead of waiting to be seated at a certain time. Also I liked the adult area on carnival

[winddawn]

We're in a balcony room. Are the room amenities and size about the same?

Carnival cabins tend to be larger on average than NCL. I've cruised most of the main cruise lines.

 

I've cruised to Alaska on NCL, Princess, and Carnival. Honestly, while I prefer Carnival in the Caribbean, I preferred NCL in Alaska, but NCL Alaska was several years ago for me. My standard balcony cabin on both Princess and Carnival were both larger than my mini suite cabin on NCL.

 

If I were you though, I'd spend more time thinking about which excursions you're going to take because that is MUCH more important in Alaska. Cruising Alaska is all about excursions, and let's face it, unless you are doing a small ship experience, the ships all take you to the same ports.

 

My favorite Alaska excursions: Misty Fjord float plane, Mendenhall Glacier helicopter, and Skagway Yukon train, and the Tracy Arm Fjord Explorer.

 

While Carnival is moving toward the pay-for-food venues, NCL is much more oriented toward the pay food venues. So that may be a plus for you on Carnival.

 

I wouldn't expect much difference in cabin amenities, but on average, I'd expect a larger cabin on Carnival.

 

Hope you have a great cruise to Alaska! That is must-do cruise destination.

[ABQrobin]

CArnival Legend to Alaska.... probably my least favorite ship so far. It is just awkward in layout and fugly in decor. There are mirrors everywhere... like a really old hotel from Las Vegas, too much gold and mirrors!

There is a steakhouse, but no other fancy restaurant. There is a sushi restaurant though we never tried it. No Guys or Blue Iguana so lunch is more limited than most other Carnival ships.

Pool is covered and filled with kids all the time. Top deck has a basketball court that is filled with teen boys all the time.

 

But.... going to Alaska is all about the ports and the views. Enjoy your balcony room, keep your curtains open all day. It is amazing! Do excursions. Have a blast. Go to the Playlist and Comedy shows.

 

and of course....

Take your camera and shoot until your fingers bleed. No kidding, all day every day, take photos and videos. It is AMAZING.

 

We can't wait to go back...

[katiel53]

We're in a balcony room. Are the room amenities and size about the same?

 

We have sailed to Alaska on NCL twice. Once on NCL Star and once on NCL Pearl. Both times we had a junior suite, which to me, was the size of a standard balcony on Carnival.

 

The food on Carnival is better than what we had on NCL. I thought the dining room food was cheap in that there was some kind of hamburger thing nightly, whether it was meatloaf or burgers or something of that nature. The second time we had all dinners in specialty restaurants. I do have to say that food was really good, and if I ever sailed NCL again, all my dinners would be extra as I would again go to the specialty restaurants.

 

I did think the entertainment on NCL was better than that of Carnival. I also enjoyed meeting some officers in the Meet N Greet. It was a nice touch.

 

One thing I also liked about NCL was that we went to Glacier Bay and most other cruise lines didn't do that. We sailed the end of May, beginning of June each time. Our weather was perfect with no rain, not cold etc.

 

My husband felt that Alaska was his favorite cruise destination. We would have gone a few more times, but living in FL and having to go to Seattle for boarding, was a long time in the air and my love was claustrophobic.

 

There are so many interesting excursions. One of our favs was the White Pass Yukon Railway from Skagway. The first time we went we did this and the second time we did a tour that followed the tracks but stopped at scenic locations. Both were great.

 

We also had fun "downtown" Juneau where we went to a local saloon. I know it was a tourist location, but it was fun as was going to Mendenhall Glacier. The scenery is so beautiful and mostly unspoiled. I would go again in a NY minute. Enjoy your trip.

[Computer Nerd]

So far we have only cruised on Norwegian Cruise Lines, and now have a Carnival trip to Alaska planned for late April/early May.

 

For those of you that have traveled on both lines, what if any "adjustments" will there be to trying this new line? And I will say, we are very much looking forward to the trip.

 

You will love the "adjustments". Pizza and food in general in the MDR and buffet is much better on CCL. Pizza is open 24 hours instead of 2-3 hours on NCL. CCL actually plays movies almost every night on CCL instead of the "fish screen saver" that NCL played all the time on the Epic. You'll get to know you waiters if you select early or late dining. Gratuities is included in your specialty restaurant pricing. Drink gratuities are only 15% instead of NCL 18%. CCL won't try to nickle and dime you at every turn.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Computer Nerd

[mistycruiser]

Carnival still has "elegant" nights that NCL doesn't. On a 7 night cruise there will be 2 so check Carnival's FAQ's for more information.

[sprint180]

My kids couldn't tell the difference between the two lines and I guess I can't either. I liked carnivals rooms better

 

 

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[Nilbog]

We did the NCL Pearl to Alaska a few years ago and had a blast. We've done cruises on both NCL and Carnival and haven't found that any "adjustments" needed to be made to get used to either line. Carnival has better food options while NCL is more structured for meals. NCL has gone away from the assigned dining times, while Carnival gives you assigned dining times but also gives you the option for Any Time Dining. If you're into suites, NCL is definitely the line to cruise on, as they know how to provide decent suite perks while suites on Carnival just get you a bigger cabin and priority boarding. Both lines provide outstanding service, and some stewards are better than others, but we've never had bad service on either line. Our NCL cruises were both in Junior Suites, which, as has been mentioned before, is about the same size as the standard balcony cabin on Carnival.

 

We're not particularly line-loyal, when booking a cruise we decide where we want to go, then see who goes there when we can go. Alaska was a great cruise, and you'll enjoy it. It's about the sights and port calls, and not so much about the cruise line.

[RMcoolX]

The biggest difference that I've noticed is that Carnival provides better entertainment options, and gives you more bang for the buck. Nothing else stands out IMO.

[luvtovaca]

We felt slightly less "laid back" on NCL. Also didn't like having to prebook the shows we wanted to attend. I'd rather get there early grab a good seat and have a drink and relax than have to decide before I've even boarded the ship where and when I want to be each night for entertainment. That being said we enjoyed both lines and would cruise both again! For us its itinerary and date based choices followed of course by cost. I also agree with the previous poster who noted the Legend was an awkward layout. My family would laugh as they saw me going round and round the pool decks when I was just trying to get back to the cabin! (I don't have a great sense of direction though.) But again, would still sail that ship again! We have thoroughly enjoyed all of our CCL and NCL cruises! Have a great trip, we would love to do Alaska some day!

[Nilbog]

I've not been on NCL in four years. I've read above how people have to pre-book seats at shows. When did they start this? The two NCL cruises I've been on, suite guests could pre-book seats in special sections through the concierge, but us minions just showed up and grabbed a seat. Has that changed? If so, I may not head back to NCL...

[sparks1093]

I've not been on NCL in four years. I've read above how people have to pre-book seats at shows. When did they start this? The two NCL cruises I've been on, suite guests could pre-book seats in special sections through the concierge, but us minions just showed up and grabbed a seat. Has that changed? If so, I may not head back to NCL...

 

I believe this is only done on the bigger ships with multiple venues and only for certain shows. The shows in the main theater are still first come, first served the last I knew.

[Seafan22]

This has been good information from everyone, thank you, I appreciate it.

[zdcatc12]

I believe this is only done on the bigger ships with multiple venues and only for certain shows. The shows in the main theater are still first come, first served the last I knew.

 

No, on the Escape earlier this year, ALL of the shows were reservation required regardless of the venue.

[sparks1093]

No, on the Escape earlier this year, ALL of the shows were reservation required regardless of the venue.

 

That sucks.

[Computer Nerd]

No, on the Escape earlier this year, ALL of the shows were reservation required regardless of the venue.

 

And the Escape is one of the bigger ships. I was on the Sun last year and no reservations were ever required for entertainment. Only the big ships (Epic and up) require reservations and the Epic actually has a standby line for those who didn't make reservations.