Thinking of NCL, Tell Me What You Think.

[Sarcastic Mama]

Hello, we have been on several cruises but only on Carnival. This summer I'm taking my daughter and her friend on a 4 day cruise. Both girls are 17 and I have been looking at NCL. I have talked with my travel agent and the way she was selling the line made me ask if they had a commission bonus. My question is how does Norwegian differ from Carnival, how is the teen club, restaurants, and so on? I like Carnival but I'm ready for a change and a little nervous to step out of my comfort zone. Thanks. :)

[ColinIllinois]

Hello, we have been on several cruises but only on Carnival. This summer I'm taking my daughter and her friend on a 4 day cruise. Both girls are 17 and I have been looking at NCL. I have talked with my travel agent and the way she was selling the line made me ask if they had a commission bonus. My question is how does Norwegian differ from Carnival, how is the teen club, restaurants, and so on? I like Carnival but I'm ready for a change and a little nervous to step out of my comfort zone. Thanks. :)

 

 

Mama, which ship and itinerary are you thinking about. You'll get better answers if you provide that info.

 

Cheers.

[Sarcastic Mama]

Oh, I guess that would help. I am looking at the Sun, out of Port Canaveral, in July.

Sorry, I'm asking questions on the boards and watching the hockey game.

[Captain Canuck]

since I assume you are watching the Oilers beat the Habs ( 3 - 1 right now) I will offer my 2 cents

 

NCL way better than Carnival.. Carnival is more of a party ship. Have done 7 or 8 of them/ starting to let little stuff slide so not as good as they were. but a cruise is a cruise

 

love NCl. they started anytime dining which we are big fans of. great chicken wings in the blue lagoon. also pub lunches with Brit style fish and chips...

 

cannot comment on teen stuff as I am an old guy.

 

but I would recommend trying NCL

[Two Wheels Only]

NCL way better than Carnival..

Stop.

End thread.:D

 

If you make a list of 20 things, Carnival may win a few but NCL will win more than half....probably more than 3/4 depending on which 2 ships/stateroom types are being compared.

[GlamorousGirl]

I have sailed on both lines and can tell you emphatically that I greatly prefer NCL. I have liked Carnival better in a couple of categories, but overall NCL is my preference in most categories. I will go through some of them one by one for comparison's sake:

Things I liked better about Carnival:

-The room steward and friendliness of the staff overall. While the NCL crew is very courteous and polite, many of them don't seem to have the enthusiastic, bubbly disposition I found on Carnival (with exceptions, of course). The room steward on my last cruise (NCL) disappointed us. He missed our dirty glasses two days and skipped our turn-down one night, and he was polite but not especially friendly. Carnival staff in general seemed to be beaming with enthusiasm and friendliness.

- Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers. We loved these options when we were too busy for a sit-down dinner, and I particularly enjoyed the breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana, given I have been disappointed with the breakfast buffets and breakfast dining room meals on both lines. (Princess, on the other hand, was even good in the buffet.)

- Specialty coffee and sparkling water are included in the unlimited beverage package on Carnival. On NCL they are not, and we are heavy coffee drinkers so this was a big deal to us. (Carnival has a 15 alcoholic drink limit and NCL does not - but this doesn't affect us since neither of us can chug down 15 drinks in one day, but, again, someone who can may prefer NCL's package.)

- Cheaper service charges and fees, and cheaper excursions.

Things I liked better about NCL:

- Ship maintenance and condition. This is the absolute, single biggest difference in my opinion, and it's the biggest reason I may not book on Carnival any more after I complete the cruises I'm already booked on. I have seen appalling ship decay and wear and tear on Carnival. Although I had a good time on my last cruise with them, I would almost call the ship a rustbucket. It was a shame because she had so much potential. As for NCL, I do not detect even wear-and-tear let alone major cosmetic issues like I experienced on Carnival. That is a big, big deal to me - I find it inexcusable, may not be a big deal to someone else.

- The specialty restaurants. They are outstanding on NCL and there are so many to choose from. I had one of the best meals I've ever had in my life on an NCL ship.

- The entertainment. Night after night the shows were amazing on NCL. Carnival had fewer that I enjoyed, and the ones I did enjoy weren't nearly as entertaining as the NCL shows.

- The crowd. I find the crowd to be less rowdy and rambunctious on NCL. For me a more laid-back crowd is a huge plus, but to others it may be the opposite if they want a party atmosphere.

- The ability to bid on an upgrade. After having a balcony once (an accepted upgrade bid!) it's going to be hard to stay in interior cabins in the future. With NCL I have a shot at getting one even when I can't afford to initially book one.

- The cabin. I found that NCL provided more space in the sleeping area and a smaller bathroom, while Carnival provided a bigger bathroom and less room in the main part of the cabin. Again, this is a matter of personal preference, but I prefer the smaller bathroom where I spend a lot less time.

 

Given all of this, I think you will be happy on NCL if you are used to Carnival. Of course, your experience may vary depending on the specific ship. Now that I've tried NCL I'm not going to be booking any more Carnival cruises, although I will probably book on Princess again which I also preferred. (I will take the cruises on all lines that are already booked.)

[Sarcastic Mama]

since I assume you are watching the Oilers beat the Habs ( 3 - 1 right now) I will offer my 2 cents

 

 

No, Flyers/CBJ and the CBJ seem to enjoy winning in OT.

 

From what I have heard NCL is a better line with food. We were on the Valor at Christmas last year and it was a party. Great people watching.

I have never cruised in the summer and know there are going to be kids galore, is there an adult only deck on the Sun, or any of the ships?

[Sauer-kraut]

since I assume you are watching the Oilers beat the Habs ( 3 - 1 right now) I will offer my 2 cents

 

 

No, Flyers/CBJ and the CBJ seem to enjoy winning in OT.

 

From what I have heard NCL is a better line with food. We were on the Valor at Christmas last year and it was a party. Great people watching.

I have never cruised in the summer and know there are going to be kids galore, is there an adult only deck on the Sun, or any of the ships?

 

The SUN is not a mega-ship, so there aren't many bells and whistles on it. She does have a couple of pools but they don't have any slides or things like that.

 

You will not have Howl at the Moon, and the other top shows that the big ships have but you will have the traditional type shows in the theater.

 

The SUN's balcony cabins are about the largest in the fleet, but the showers do have clingy curtains.....

 

She is a special ship with a lot of dining options and a LOVELY extension of the buffet on the aft deck. Also on deck 11 is the wonder observation lounge with floor to ceiling windows forward, its a great space!

[EmeraldCoastCruisers]

Every ship is different as are people’s experiences. We were on the NCL Dawn last year for 9 Days and had a blast. Hated the trip was ending. This year we cruised the NCL Pearl for 9 Days and by day 7 we were ready to leave. It was mostly due to the lack of decent musicians and things to do around ship in the evening. The staff wasn’t nearly as friendly to us as the Dawn. We still enjoyed our time (as we always do cruising), but the Pearl could have been a 7 Days vs longer for us. Enjoy!

 

 

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[APDMOM]

I also recommend trying a different line. We have cruised on 5 different cruiselines. Royal is our favorite, with NCL coming in a close second.

 

GlamorousGirl has an excellent summary, which I second. I will add that I LOVE the crêpe station on NCL!

 

I find it a little fishy that your TA is pushing the NCL cruise. They may just want you to experience something different, but I know Carnival had restrictions in the past about what a TA can offer as incentives. Don’t know what that currently looks like, but just make your decision independent of that influence [emoji6]Enjoy planning your cruise, whatever you decide!

 

 

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[deliver42]

I've been ob both, and highly recommend NCL over Carnival. The food and service were terrific.

[Jshanleypt]

Great comparison - one question: which speciality restaurant did you dine in where you had such a great experience?

 

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[tallnthensome]

Hello, we have been on several cruises but only on Carnival. This summer I'm taking my daughter and her friend on a 4 day cruise. Both girls are 17 and I have been looking at NCL. I have talked with my travel agent and the way she was selling the line made me ask if they had a commission bonus. My question is how does Norwegian differ from Carnival, how is the teen club, restaurants, and soin?I like Carnival but I'm ready for a change and a little nervous to step out of my comfort zone. Thanks. :)

sailed the Norwegian Escape and Carnival Vista ...... to keep it short and sweet I'll tell you that the MDR and buffet food on Carnival sucks compared to NCL. I'd never sail Carnival again for plenty of reasons and I'm not loyal to any line.

[newmexicoNita]

I certainly admit to being partial so my view is probably slated but to me there is no comparison; it is NCL hands down. The food, the entertainment, the condition of the ships, especially the older ones and yes, the service.

 

Both Carnival ships we have been on did have outstanding and very personal cabin stewards but our dining room experience has been just fair and the spa, holy Cow, you sign up for one treatment and you are lucky to get out without being told how much you need to purchase their products. I was not happy with the high pressure product pushers. I did like the casinos.

Overall my feeling is NCL is just a step up. Oh, for the teen program, just from our one experience with our granddaughters and talking to other kids, the older teens really just hang out together, they are not interested in organize activities. Again, that is just what I have witnessed.

Each of us is different, and the only way you will ever know is by giving the cruise line a try. BTW, though it is an older ship, the Sun is my favorite ship and we have been on about 40 cruises now.

I will add just one more thing, a 4 day cruise isn't going to give you the same feeling as the longer ones.

[Sarcastic Mama]

Thank you for all the info. We will be sitting down over the next few days and getting a plan ready. I know we are looking to go longer later in 2018, but the summer has me at 4-5 days max. :)

[dexddd]

Thank you for all the info. We will be sitting down over the next few days and getting a plan ready. I know we are looking to go longer later in 2018, but the summer has me at 4-5 days max. :)

 

We've sailed Sun and while we had a great trip (Baltics) the Sun is one of the oldest in the fleet. Many people like the Sun but we don't. It has a very small buffet, the Sports Bar (as of now) has limited dining times and the furniture in the cabin was pretty beat up - not sure if that has been replaced recently.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I certainly admit to being partial so my view is probably slated but to me there is no comparison; it is NCL hands down. The food, the entertainment, the condition of the ships, especially the older ones and yes, the service.

 

Both Carnival ships we have been on did have outstanding and very personal cabin stewards but our dining room experience has been just fair and the spa, holy Cow, you sign up for one treatment and you are lucky to get out without being told how much you need to purchase their products. I was not happy with the high pressure product pushers. I did like the casinos.

Overall my feeling is NCL is just a step up. Oh, for the teen program, just from our one experience with our granddaughters and talking to other kids, the older teens really just hang out together, they are not interested in organize activities. Again, that is just what I have witnessed.

Each of us is different, and the only way you will ever know is by giving the cruise line a try. BTW, though it is an older ship, the Sun is my favorite ship and we have been on about 40 cruises now.

I will add just one more thing, a 4 day cruise isn't going to give you the same feeling as the longer ones.

 

You should add a disclaimer That you haven't cruised on Carnival in 20 years just to be fair.

 

Things do change in the cruise industry very fast. 20 years NCL was horrible while today it is so much better.

 

I would at the end of the day suggest NCL though too especially if it's a shorter cruise.

 

Bill

[Linda the Book Lover]

My DD and I would take the 4-day on Carnival out of Long Beach during the summer. While the ships are old and have no bells and whistles, no balcony unless you book a suite, it was a 4-day vacation and fit in during DGD's time with her father. If NCL had a 4-day during the summer we would both jump at it. I prefer the food and entertainment and a nice place to read quietly while at sea. Carnival's food was lackluster but we finally found good places to read when we did not cough up the big bucks for a suite that afforded you no perks as NCL suites do. I can only compare to a 5-day NCL also leaving from the west coast and it was heads and shoulders a better experience. It's 4-days try NCL and if you don't like it return to Carnival. Enjoy whatever your choice.

[ray98]

The entire cruise industry model has remarkable similarities. Each line will do some things better, some things just as good and some things not as good as the others. There is no clear winner in my view.

[newmexicoNita]

You should add a disclaimer That you haven't cruised on Carnival in 20 years just to be fair.

 

Things do change in the cruise industry very fast. 20 years NCL was horrible while today it is so much better.

 

I would at the end of the day suggest NCL though too especially if it's a shorter cruise.

 

Bill

Bill that is not true: I haven't updated by profile as i don't know how and I haven't cruise on Carnival or any other line the past few years as we are only cruising a few times a year and are limited to what we can do because of my hustand's walking problems but we or I should say my daughters and myself cruised the Glory about 6 years ago. A lesson for all of us, me included don't pay too much attention to what people put in their personal profiles. I have from time to time been able to make corrections on my profile, but then I go to make a correction or add something and I can't get it to work. getting old have it's drawbacks.

Edited December 26, 2017 by newmexicoNita

[1stimecruiser]

One more thing to add to the great information shared so far. We love NCL because of the "formal optional" dress up. We sailed on the Carnival Vista in a Hanvana Cabana in November and loved the cruise (just not the formal nights). We will be sailing on NCL for the 6th time in February on a Panama Canal cruise and looking forward to casual attire. May not make a big difference on a 4 day cruise but still a difference between the lines.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

One more thing to add to the great information shared so far. We love NCL because of the "formal optional" dress up. We sailed on the Carnival Vista in a Hanvana Cabana in November and loved the cruise (just not the formal nights). We will be sailing on NCL for the 6th time in February on a Panama Canal cruise and looking forward to casual attire. May not make a big difference on a 4 day cruise but still a difference between the lines.

 

formal nights aka cruise elegant nights are really no big deal on Carnival. A pair of long pants and a collared shirt will do the trick.

 

Bill

[grandmarnnurse]

Try the Getaway! Fabulous NCL ship!

 

 

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[corley05]

Love the Sun. ITs been 10 years since we were on her but we were on the sky (sister ship) 3 times recently. The Sun has a lot to offer. I think she is a great intro to NCL. Hopefully you will be stopping at GSC on your cruise.

 

 

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[Karyn RN]

I like both cruise lines and have been on multiple cruises on both. Try out NCL so you can judge for yourself. Hope you have a great trip and don’t eat too much.

 

 

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