Looking for advice to help me choose:NCL Getaway W Carib or Carnival Conquest E Carib

[tusconcam]

Hi there. I'm hoping people can chime in on their experiences on one and or both (if possible) of these 2 cruises my spouse and I are in disagreement about for our next cruise.

 

I know that experiences are many/varied and subjective, but I would love it if you could put in your 2 cents worth about what you know/have experienced to help us make our decision.

 

First of all they both are sailing out of Fla-NCL out of Miami, and Conquest out of Ft Lauderdale so flight time is not an issue. We will be flying out of Toronto.

The itineraries are: NCL Getaway: Day at Sea,Roatan Honduras, Harvest Caye Belize, Costa Maya Mexico, Cozumel Mexico then finish with a day at sea.

 

How were the Port days with this itinerary for you? Any recommendations for things to do on this cruise? I hear that the NCL excursion options are quite pricey. Aren't they all lol. I would look to local private companies as an alternative. What did you find the ports were known for?

Their promotion is an inclusion of the ultimate beverage package(alcohol and soda) and covering the gratuities/tips, so some savings there.

What I think I like about this cruise is: Getaway looks to be a reasonable ship. Carnival Conquest looks fine too, but maybe just a different style. We have both sailed Oasis class ships with Royal Caribbean before and enjoyed those, so it would be nice to know how they compare.

My spouse really wants the cruise to be more ship centered, with mostly beach days. I am less about the ship and more about the ports visited. I have told her that her expectations re the ship may be a bit skewed as she is used to Harmony of the Seas (gigantic ship with various neighborhoods etc.). She thinks NCL Getaway will be closer to the RCL Oasis class ships more so than Carnival Conquest. From what I have heard/seen online that seems to be a fair statement. Is this correct?

 

The NCL cruise is a bit more inexpensive than the Carnival one, but not too much less.(depending on what we do on excursions too I guess) Both are balcony cabins we are looking to book.

Can anyone comment on your balcony cabin experience on any of these two? Is the NCL Getaway cabin larger?

 

Food is definitely subjective, but how was the Buffet on Getaway? The Dining room? Ditto for the Conquest? (it says it is open 24hrs?) It appears that there are quite a few more Free restaurants on Carnival than on NCL. Were they any good? How crowded were they? I imagine Guy Fieri's Burger joint would be very busy for instance. Who would you give the edge to (if you've been on both) between the 2 ships? What about hours of operation for venues and snack options (must be free of course)? Besides the free Dining room and Buffet, I was hoping to have a few fun, interesting restaurant options. Any ideas about this?

 

Entertainment: What did you think about your options on the Getaway? Do they require/have in place reservations for shows or 1st come/1st served? How was it getting in to what you wanted?The same question goes for Carnival Conquest.

We are late 40's/50 and not ready for the old age home yet, but what was the music like on either ship? Will we feel a bit old on either? Age range appears lower though on Conquest. The list of entertainment appears a bit low in detail in their descriptions when I looked up both ships, but I guess Carnival's Lido deck party and DJ Irie don't need much more description. What did you enjoy/recommend on either? Which ship has better entertainment choices for nighttime and more informal entertainment director led things in your opinion?

 

The Ports! Apples to oranges or apples to apples- not sure.

Getaway does (see above): Honduras- opinion and recommendation? Harvest Caye Belize? Same Q's Costa Maya Mexico? Ditto. Cozumel (have been here already and would do the Cozumel bar Hop again). Did you find that there was good value (I know most things related to travel aren't great value) to the excursions?

Carnival Conquest does: 2 days at Sea then: St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan PR, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, finishing with a Day at Sea. This is my preference really, but I really hope for feedback on these Ports' excursions- opinions and recommendations and value please.

 

The actual ship experience: Both appear to have smallish pools. Is that true? What was it like trying to get a lounger on the pool deck on At Sea days? We will have a beverage pckge on either ship; however on Conquest we have to pay so we may opt just for the soda pckge there vs both alcohol and soda package on NCL included. Not a huge deal to me. Do they offer waiter drink service poolside on either?

On RCL in the past, the soda package came with a thermos type mug and Soda machines that only work with these type of mugs, at a few spots on the ship+ you could get soda at poolside and at any venue, restaurant or bar. Do they have those machines on either ship? (It was a nice way to bring soda up to the cabin to stay cool in the mini fridge) Just curious; not a deal-breaker.

Activities: What other things are there to do that you enjoyed on either ship, besides drink and lay in the sun (a very good option of course). Any comments on what was offered? Lame events, amount of choice? etc.

Bottom line is: How was your cruise? If you can compare both, which one would you recommend?

Thanks so much.

[khewston]

following

[Kermarkim]

Definitely go with Carnival. They call it the Funship for good reason. NCL is more a la carte. We had to pay extra for the good shows, paid to bowl, out of 19 restaurants in the NCL Epic, most you had to pay extra. Lastly not as ma Bhai y activities. I am 50 and have been in 11 cruises and I keep going back to Carnival. Carnival never disappoints and is all inclusive for most part. Had a good time in NCL but always have a great time in Carnival.

[bellbtm]

I have done the exact itinerary on Carnival Freedom. Loved it! I would choose Carnival.

 

 

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[Tapi]

Based solely on itinerary, I like the Conquest itinerary more. San Juan is a fantastic destination and St. Kitts will give you a better glimpse of what the Caribbean is truly about. St. Maarten is a perennial favorite port of mine with its Dutch/French influence, as well as Maho Beach.

 

Can't give you any feedback on how these ships compare since I haven't sailed on NCL. We have sailed on Conquest's sister (Liberty) and enjoyed her very much. In fact she's our favorite Carnival ship to date. However, I have some friends who sailed on Conquest a few months ago and they said that the ship was showing its age and was a bit of a letdown, specially since their previous cruise was on the Oasis of the Seas.

 

 

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[S.S.Oceanlover]

Definitely go with Carnival. They call it the Funship for good reason. NCL is more a la carte. We had to pay extra for the good shows, paid to bowl, out of 19 restaurants in the NCL Epic, most you had to pay extra. Lastly not as ma Bhai y activities. I am 50 and have been in 11 cruises and I keep going back to Carnival. Carnival never disappoints and is all inclusive for most part. Had a good time in NCL but always have a great time in Carnival.

Other than the one show where you get dinner served with it what other "good" show did you have to pay for?

 

The show is optional and if you choose not to see it there is still other free entertainment in the main showroom.

 

There are also lots of for fee restaurants as you say but there are 3 free main dining rooms just like Carnival.

 

Bill

 

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[drvmywifecrzy]

Both cruises will be great. If you really want a treat you cant beat the NCL suite experience. Drinks on Carnival are more festive, NCL gives you a small clear solo cup . Food is subjective. Entertainment on NCL will more closely match RCL.

 

End of the day you should compromise and do both

[Siora7777]

The Getaway. Beautiful ship, food was so good, rooms are nice and comfortable especially the bathrooms. Balconies are small but some of them are not, just have to do your research. Lots of stuff to do on the ship.

[jakesnana]

I would go with the Conquest because of the itinerary. The Getaway is going to Roatan (O.K. port stop), Harvest Caye (NCL's private "resort" where you pay for everything), Costa Maya (another man made beach escape) and Cozumel (been there done that a couple dozen times). I much prefer the E. Caribbean stops.

 

About the ships - I haven't been on the Getaway, but have been on the Breakaway. I have also been on the Conquest. On NCL there are plenty of free dining options and I REALLY loved having O'Sheehan's available 24/7, however, I did not like paying $7.95 for each room service delivery. The food was comparable with the edge going to Carnival. The cabins are larger on Carnival. Entertainment (free) was better on NCL. Both ships had a good variety of music options and activities at night.

 

If you have any specific questions, let me know and I'll see if I can remember enough to answer for you.

[sailingthrulife]

Definitely go with Carnival. They call it the Funship for good reason. NCL is more a la carte. We had to pay extra for the good shows, paid to bowl, out of 19 restaurants in the NCL Epic, most you had to pay extra. Lastly not as ma Bhai y activities. I am 50 and have been in 11 cruises and I keep going back to Carnival. Carnival never disappoints and is all inclusive for most part. Had a good time in NCL but always have a great time in Carnival.

I could not agree more. We have been on both NCL Getaway and the Carnival Conquest. The NCL cruise was by far the most expensive cruise we have been on so far (10). It was the least enjoyable. The ship layout was not ideal and the nickel and diming was insane. We loved the Conquest, the layout, food, fun and entertainment and spent WAY less money.

[evandbob]

I'll be in the minority here and say I would book NCL. You're getting a newer bigger ship, which you said you enjoyed. The entertainment on NCL is fantastic, with dueling pianos, 2nd City Comedy, the theater shows and the Cirque dinner.

 

If you book NCL now, you can get a freebie pkg, your choice of paid tips, DOU, specialty dining, cruise tour credit of $50/day or an internet pkg. With a balcony you get to pick 2 of these perks.

 

The Conquest is an adequate ship, and I've sailed it several times, maybe been on Conquest class ships 15x or so. Nothing really wrong with it, but it doesn't compare to the Magic or Vista or Getaway or Breakaway. If you want a drink pkg on Carnival, it will bring your fare well over NCL with its perks.

 

The service is comparable, the casino on NCL may be more spread out (and just as smoky) than Carnival's. The buffet lines on NCL are much shorter than Carnival's having a better layout, plus you have OSheehan's to boot.

 

You get a brand new port with Harvest Cay private Island, in Roatan you dock in Coxen's Hole which is much closer to West End and Tabayana Beaches, and from Costa Maya you can quickly shuttle to Marahuel for lunch, drinks, beach and massages.

 

I've sailed the Breakaway and Epic and have a totally refurbished NCL Dawn 10 day booked. I am Diamond on CCL, but don't mind losing those perks to sail NCL's (or Celebrity's) newer ships.

Edited June 1, 2017 by evandbob

[OceansOfTravels]

I would have to go with Conquest. I have not ever been on the Getaway, and although I do love the Western Caribbean, St.Maarten is my favorite Caribbean island ever, with Puerto Rico and Barbados following shortly behind. I did this exact cruise on Conquest over Christmas, and it is tied with my cruise on the Carnival Liberty from San Juan as my favorite. Grand Turk is an amazing free beach day, San Juan has so much Puerto Rican culture oozing out of ever corner in OSJ (whatever you do, make sure you have some food in Puerto Rico! Some of the best in the world!), plus the adventure in the rainforest. St.Maarten has both the influences of the French and the Dutch, and Pinel Island, Grand Case and Mullet Bay are amazing beaches to lounge on. Of course, there's Maho Beach if you're up for the thrill, and the shopping in SXM is second only to St.Thomas I believe. St.Kitts has not been spoiled by immense amounts of tourists, and I really ended up enjoying my day there. I went to the beach and I wish that I did so much more, there are many local attractions, plus the island of Nevis, that you could take advantage of. I still really enjoyed our beach day as well. Also with Conquest, you get the additional day of vacation, which is a plus.

 

I filmed the cruise with my GoPro, and made a montage video of it for YouTube. Here is the link, check it out to get a feel for what we did!

 

[Aquahound]

I'll be in the minority here and say I would book NCL.

 

+1. I haven't been on Getaway or Conquest, but I've been on their sister ships. This one isn't even close in my mind. I'd pick Getaway.

 

Contrary to an earlier post, the entertainment on Getaway is free. You do not pay extra for the good shows. There is a dinner theater show that cost extra, but also comes with dinner so its more of a specialty restaurant. In my experience, the talent in the main shows on NCL are far better than Carnival's.

 

I also have to wonder about the funship comment. Escape (Getaway's sister) was one of the most lively ships I've sailed....more so than my last cruise on Carnival (Liberty). Plus, the ship itself is beautiful. The Waterfront is my favorite feature on NCL's "Away" class.

[kswill]

We sailed out of New Orleans Feb 2017 and hit all of the ports with NCL. We loved all the ports and are looking at booking the same itinerary in a few years. Yes the excursions are pricey but we only booked 2 through the ship (dolphin encounter in Cozumel and paddle board in Harvest Caye). Cozumel we shopped outside of the mall area and found several neat and unique things. Roatan was an adventure as we went to little French Key. Very beautiful there and the food was good. Harvest Caye was beautiful. Food and drinks are pricey but pool and beach very relaxing and paddle boards were fun. I think next time we will do the zip line too. Costa maya was our favorite. We reserved beach chairs at tropicante (they have a Facebook page). Food and service was exceptional. Massage was awesome. Everything was reasonably priced and the shops around there were unique.

 

 

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[jakesnana]

Just to clarify and correct an earlier post, pre-paid gratuities is not one of the options available in the "Free at Sea" promotion. There are 5 options:

 

UBP - Ultimate Beverage Pkg.

UDP - Ultimate Dining Pkg.

Shore Excursion Credit - $50 OBC per cabin to be used to purchase a shore excursion

Internet Pkg. - 250 internet minutes

3/4 person sail free - self explanatory and only available on some sailings.

 

If you are in an inside cabin you get to pick one option, in an ocean view or above you get to pick 2 options, in a suite get all 5 options.