(Formerly) Loyal NCL cruiser tries Princess - a comparison

[drvalo]

Last February we boarded the Princess Star for the 15-day cruise to Hawaii. Prior to this cruise, we had 11 cruises on NCL. We had a pretty good cruise with nice weather both for the crossings and in the islands. Before we cruised on Princess I looked for posts comparing NCL and Princess. I found a few, but most were somewhat older. Rather that provide a review of the cruise, I would like to share a few differences that I found between the two. I realize this is one cruise compared to 11, but there were some real differences even though both lines are very much alike in many ways.

 

Pre-cruise:

1. I found the Princess website much harder to manage than NCL's even with all of the common problems; starting with finding a cruise. A least one request I had made on the personalizer was not available once on board. NCL, I think, wins here.
   
2. We also bought some CCL stock some months before the cruise. Because of the length of the cruise, we got $250 USD of OBC as share-holder's credit. The process to get this was quick and easy, with no questions asked.

   Princess definitely wins here.

   
   

3. Together with the OBC from booking, what we got from our TA, and this shareholder's credit, all of our excursions were covered, as were one steak dinner, a few soft drinks, and a coffee card, plus we got a few dollars back. Because gratuities were also part of our package, we had no additional expenses on the ship other than what we additionally tipped our steward. The one issue with the OBC pre-cruise was that the OBC is awarded per person rather than per cabin. Since the share-holder's credit was awarded to just one of us, making the reservations for the excursions was more problematic. Again, this is a personalizer issue. I was able to call and have one of us charged for two reservations, but it just made it harder than it needed to be especially because the accounts are combined once on board. On the other hand, NCL does not let you use your OBC to reserve excursions or make reservations until you are on oboard. So, even though there was a glitch, being able to use OBC pre-cruise makes Princess a win.
   

Our cabin: OV deck 5 Piazza

1. We booked our cabin over a year in advance. We had our pick of cabins. The ship had been in drydock a couple of months before we boarded and our cabin, unfortunately, was impacted. About 8 inches was taken up for some conduit. In other words, the room was shrunk. Eight inches is actually a lot in such a small space. In order to have the beds together, one side had to be pushed up against the wall. I complained. Someone from Guest Services came down to see what I was talking about and her words were, "This is a very uncomfortable room." The solution was to move the side table into our closet area so there was some space on either side of the bed for us to slip out sideways. They also offered a meal at the Crown Grill. The one NCL cruise when we had significant issues with our cabin, they apologized and moved us to a better cabin. I am not sure what else Princess could have done, but we did not get what was advertised. NCL wins here for the solution.
   
2. Otherwise, the cabin was OK, if a little bit worn-looking. Both lines have recently upgraded beds. We found the beds on both comfortable. There was enough storage, although I would have liked to have doors on the closet on the Princess. Generally, this is a tie.
   
3. The bathrooms, however are different. Most of the NCL ships have much larger showers. The Princess star shower is much like the one on the NCL Sun, where you soap up and spin around to clean yourself. NCL also has a detachable shower head. I missed that. You also get more and better towels on NCL. NCL wins for showers.
   
4. On the other hand, the bathrooms felt more spacious on Princess, especially the toilet. Too many of the NCL ships, especially the jewel-class ones, have the toilets enclosed with those, for a better description, patio doors. The space is too narrow and too short. Princess wins here for comfort.
   

Food (always subjective):

1. We ate at the buffet, in the ATD MDR, the Horizon Court buffet, the Crown Grill, the Outdoor Grill and the Pizzeria, the Ice cream bar, and the International Café. With the exceptions of the Crown Grill (compared to Cagney's) and the Ice Cream bar soft serve ice cream, we found the food on almost every NCL cruise much better than that on the Star Princess. NCL wins over all.
   

2. On Princess, we had

   
   Anytime Dining (ATD) . NCL Freestyle definitely wins here. .
   

3. The Crown Grill is really a jewel. We ate there twice. The steaks were delicious. The sides were also good. I really liked that salt flavored with Applewood smoke. It actually made the steak taste better. Who knew? Steak restaurant is a Princess win.
   
4. The soft serve ice cream was also creamier and more custard-like than that on NCL. It was not self serve however, and no hand scooped ice cream was available at the ice cream shop. Ice cream is a tie
   
5. The buffet was simply horrible. small, and designed poorly. I had heard people talk about cruise ship buffet food that was inedible, but never believed them until I ate on the Star Princess. The pasta, especially, was just terrible. The food also repeated day after day. There was no carton milk or chocolate milk (DH missed his chocolate milk). Some nights the buffet offered special menus, such as the German food night. That was actually much better but not as good as NCL German night. On formal night there was salmon and shrimp which was nice. A positive thing about Princess was that they servers brought your drinks to the table (as well as your omelet if you ordered one for breakfast). That was nice. NCL has those flavored waters that Princess does not have, however. Buffet is a NCL win by a big margin.
   
6. The MDR room was OK. This is probably where our taste might be different than others. One thing NCL still has is a steak on the always available menu. Princess only has a hamburger. There was no night when we thought we really want to eat here tonight on Princess. We did eat there just to change things up some, and the food we had was good, but our table mates sent dishes back. Breakfast in the MDR was better than the buffet. For us, NCL wins for MDR for us, but it could be a tie for others.
   
7. The International Café was right around the corner from our cabin, so we stopped there often. Also because I got a coffee card, I would stop and get a drink in the evening to take back to our cabin. Much of the food could be found on the buffet, but there was a chicken pineapple salad that was just delicious. There was also a good breakfast yogurt parfait. Still, OSheehan's, the 24-hr restaurant on NCL, is better in our opinion. NCL wins for 24 hr. restaurant.
   
8. Desserts are really a weakness on NCL. Gelatin should not be in cake icing. Princess was a bit better, but really they were not all that special, although a number of the chocolate desserts were good. The cookies are great on both lines. Princess wins for desserts but just barely.
   
9. We don't drink alcohol, so I cannot comment on drinks or bar service, although we did order a few soft drinks and the service was fine. Princess does allow you to bring on your own soft drinks for your cabin, however, and we did. Princess definitely wins here.
   
10. We had never cruised when there was a formal night, so we were a bit unsure what to expect. We did not bring any formalwear. We were not alone. We ate in the buffet for every formal night so as not to impact the dining experience of those who did dress, and we were not alone. The buffet was packed!!! So for dress up or not, NCL wins, although for those who love formal night, I am sure you disagree.
    
11. I want to say something about the coffee card. NCL doesn't have anything like it as far as I know. I liked having it, mostly because I could get brewed coffee at no additional charge right around the corner from our cabin. The $35+ cost for a 15-day cruise was not unreasonable although I think fresh brewed coffee should be included as part of everyone's fare. I would not say it would be a good value for a shorter cruise, however. I can't imagine drinking that much coffee to make it feel worthwhile and, because they expire now, even though I might not use up all the punches on a shorter cruise (I don't need that much sugar), it is unlikely that I would use them on another cruise. I don't cruise often enough.
    

Ship activities and entertainment

1. NCL goes all out for CC meet and greets. Not so on Princess. Not a single officer showed up, even though the events coordinator has said to the group's organizer that some might. In fact, we rarely saw the captain for the whole two weeks. I have no idea who the hotel director was. NCL definitely wins here.
   
2. One thing that Princess really did/does right is the on board enrichment. I think Hawaii may be a bit different both because of the number of sea days, but also because of Eula (the Hawaiian ambassadors). There were numerous presentations about the history of Hawaii given by someone who reminded me of a college history professor; lots of information if a bit dry. There was also a naturalist who talked about animals we might encounter. His enthusiasm was contagious. And Tiki Dave gave port talks which included a wealth of useful information, such as where to go, what to see, and how to get there. There was also a women giving talks about Hollywood. I didn't attend any nor did I watch them on the TV, however. I have never been on an NCL cruise that included this many experts sharing this much information. I felt like a was really prepared for each port. NCL mostly has the shopping guide giving the port talks and they have tended to focus on where to buy your diamonds. Princess had that guy, but his talks were advertised for what they were. Princess definitely wins here.
   
3. Participation enrichment activities included things like lei making, hula lessons and ukulele lessons. I learned to play the ukulele. Again, Princess wins here.
   
4. Cruise staff activities such as trivia, golf, pool games, dance lessons and such were similar on each line. We won a few prizes but we brought them back to the last trivia and gave them away. This is a tie.
   
5. The nightly entertainment was similar on both lines. Some we liked and some we didn't. Entertainment is a tie.
   
6. Related to the nightly entertainment is the theatre experience. While there seemed excessive numbers of steps to get to the theatre, the seat rows had handrails. We have never had handrails on NCL, so this was a huge safety plus. Princess wins for handrails in the theatre.
   
7. We watched a few movies in the theatre and in our cabin. We did not take advantage of MUTS as it was usually too cold, but there were often movies showing during the day. These were usually older ones. I don't cruise to see movies, but Princess wins on movies.
   

 

 

Did we enjoy our Star Princess cruise? Absolutely. In fact we bought a Future cruise credit. The on board experience was very similar. There are aspects we liked much better and NCL and aspects we liked better on Princess. So between the two, we would choose based on price and itinerary rather than what's on the ship.

[WanderlustJourney]

Thanks for your comparison!

I actually agree with a lot of your statements...

[Gershep]

Thanks for posting!

[bigblue1952]

Very informative, thanks for posting.

[dogboy]

Very helpful, thank you. How is the price comparison between the two- generally speaking.

[Motegi]

Thanks for your review! Pam and I are definitely NCL fans but my parents are big Princess fans.

 

That said, we all went on the NCL Pride of America in Hawaii last April as a group and had an amazing time. I think we’ve turned my parents into NCL fans!

 

On the POA there are also Hawaiian cultural ambassadors with enrichment activities during the cruise. We all did the lei making class with the kukui beads. Some of the evening shows are Hawaiian themed as well. The ship’s sail by the Kilauea lava flow at night is accompanied by the Hawaiian Ambassador’s narration and prayer. This was an absolutely breathtaking moment that sent chills down our spines.

 

We really liked the very port intensive itinerary on the Pride of America with every single day in port and overnights on Kauai and Maui that meant we could have plenty of time to take an excursion AND explore on our own.

[Mslmesq]

We typically sail princess. I just booked ncl instead because we have a three year old, and I think they win for entertaining children. If we didn’t have a child, we’d probably be back on princess. Or upgrading to oceania, viking, or seaborn.

 

I find princess slightly more classy than ncl. BUT, my first cruise on princess was in 1976, as a young child. Next one was in 1991. After that 2000. Subsequently, princess has continued to steadily decline over the years in service, food quality, entertainment, and frankly, fellow passengers. It’s not as good as it used to be.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I liked your comparisons and agree with many of them; we have cruised with Princess a lot more than Norwegian.

 

I would like to say though that there was no need to eat in the buffet on Princess 'formal' nights. Unless you just wanted to wear sweats or gym wear you would be fine with normal nice clothes.

 

On Princess, some people really dress up, with long gowns and tuxes, by far the most dress up somewhat; nice casual would be ok, or step it up a bit with a sports coat for guys and a nice dress or slacks and sparkly top for women.

 

We haven't taken true formal wear on Princess for quite a while, although we try to look nice, not sloppy or like we are eating fast food.

 

Some nights we do go to the buffet, but usually because we just don't want to spend the time the dining room takes or the menu is kind of 'meh'.

[Mslmesq]

I liked your comparisons and agree with many of them; we have cruised with Princess a lot more than Norwegian.

 

I would like to say though that there was no need to eat in the buffet on Princess 'formal' nights. Unless you just wanted to wear sweats or gym wear you would be fine with normal nice clothes.

 

On Princess, some people really dress up, with long gowns and tuxes, by far the most dress up somewhat; nice casual would be ok, or step it up a bit with a sports coat for guys and a nice dress or slacks and sparkly top for women.

 

We haven't taken true formal wear on Princess for quite a while, although we try to look nice, not sloppy or like we are eating fast food.

 

Some nights we do go to the buffet, but usually because we just don't want to spend the time the dining room takes or the menu is kind of 'meh'.

 

I agree. This also has changed over the years. I remember in our 1991 cruise they had three types of nights. Formal, semi formal, and smart casual. Everyone dressed accordingly.

 

Honestly, I dislike how casual everyone is nowadays. I think I belonged in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. Lol.

 

I belong to a local club that requires all women to wear cocktail dresses and men in full suits. You’re not allowed to enter without appropriate attire. I love that place.

[drvalo]

Very helpful, thank you. How is the price comparison between the two- generally speaking.

 

Princess seems to be a bit more expensive in terms of fares. Optional on board expenses seem pretty comparable.

 

We took this cruise because we could fly to LA and cruise to HI as opposed to the POA cruise around the islands. We enjoy sea days and really hate longish flights, so it worked for us.

 

But you can often find bargains on both lines, we haven't seen any lately though. :(

[tx121]

Enjoyed reading your well balanced comparison. I think all the cruise lines have their own strengths and weaknesses and that’s what is great about having a variety of companies to choose from. I am a cruise line hopper and enjoy the different or the same activities from each line. Like you said, if the price and itinerary fits, that will be the deciding factor. Sometimes I don’t understand why people are only loyal to one line and if they do choose to try another line they have a negative attitude because they don’t “want to” like it. Anyways again thanks for your review!

[Gizmosmum]

Thank you for you review and comparison of NCL and Princess. My parents are die hard Princess cruisers and my mother criticised almost every aspect of the NCL Jewel to Australia/NZ we went on in January.

My DH & I have sailed Carnival, Celebrity & NCL. The naturalist on our Celebrity cruise was absolutely brilliant. Our last two cruisers were on NCL and we enjoyed them both. I guess you get what you pay for.

[mugtech]

Did 10 days on the Sapphire Princess in February out of Singapore, have done 10 cruises on NCL including the Gem, Sun, Spirit, Breakaway and Pride of America. I can agree with much of your comparisons, but the entertainment on Princess was not good, they had a juglar billed as back by popular demand, cruiser told me there were less people there for the return performance. They did have a lecturer who gave fine 50 minute talks, but they had nothing to do with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand or Indonesia. One was about Julius Caesar? Formal night only required me to wear a shirt with a collar and long pants with no holes. Did the MDR more than usual because buffet was disappointing. We are only doing Princess again if the price and itinerary are what we want, won't sail them for the ship or the brand name.

[EllieinNJ]

We are pretty much NCL people but did the Grand Princess out of San Francisco last October. It was only 7 days but we were so happy that we got the coffee card. Only bought one for the two of us. We picked up coffee each morning to bring into either the buffet or MDR, had some coffee after coming back from excursions, had some after dinner and had cappacino each night after the shows. Wish NCL had it.

 

Why would you go to the buffet on formal nights and miss the LOBSTER???? As said before, just a collared shirt and maybe tie is good for the boys and a nice top and slacks are good for us girls.

 

We also had a meal in the Crown Grill and they had LOBSTER too.

 

We love shows and went to the Showroom every night. But they also have full shows in the Vista Lounge and we really needed roller skates to catch everything. One is forward and one is aft.

 

We also would do Princess again if the itinerary, date and price fit us.

[Manbo]

Thanks for a great post!

[newmexicoNita]

Last February we boarded the Princess Star for the 15-day cruise to Hawaii. Prior to this cruise, we had 11 cruises on NCL. We had a pretty good cruise with nice weather both for the crossings and in the islands. Before we cruised on Princess I looked for posts comparing NCL and Princess. I found a few, but most were somewhat older. Rather that provide a review of the cruise, I would like to share a few differences that I found between the two. I realize this is one cruise compared to 11, but there were some real differences even though both lines are very much alike in many ways.

 

Pre-cruise:

1. I found the Princess website much harder to manage than NCL's even with all of the common problems; starting with finding a cruise. A least one request I had made on the personalizer was not available once on board. NCL, I think, wins here.
   
2. We also bought some CCL stock some months before the cruise. Because of the length of the cruise, we got $250 USD of OBC as share-holder's credit. The process to get this was quick and easy, with no questions asked.

   Princess definitely wins here.

   
   

3. Together with the OBC from booking, what we got from our TA, and this shareholder's credit, all of our excursions were covered, as were one steak dinner, a few soft drinks, and a coffee card, plus we got a few dollars back. Because gratuities were also part of our package, we had no additional expenses on the ship other than what we additionally tipped our steward. The one issue with the OBC pre-cruise was that the OBC is awarded per person rather than per cabin. Since the share-holder's credit was awarded to just one of us, making the reservations for the excursions was more problematic. Again, this is a personalizer issue. I was able to call and have one of us charged for two reservations, but it just made it harder than it needed to be especially because the accounts are combined once on board. On the other hand, NCL does not let you use your OBC to reserve excursions or make reservations until you are on oboard. So, even though there was a glitch, being able to use OBC pre-cruise makes Princess a win.
   

Our cabin: OV deck 5 Piazza

1. We booked our cabin over a year in advance. We had our pick of cabins. The ship had been in drydock a couple of months before we boarded and our cabin, unfortunately, was impacted. About 8 inches was taken up for some conduit. In other words, the room was shrunk. Eight inches is actually a lot in such a small space. In order to have the beds together, one side had to be pushed up against the wall. I complained. Someone from Guest Services came down to see what I was talking about and her words were, "This is a very uncomfortable room." The solution was to move the side table into our closet area so there was some space on either side of the bed for us to slip out sideways. They also offered a meal at the Crown Grill. The one NCL cruise when we had significant issues with our cabin, they apologized and moved us to a better cabin. I am not sure what else Princess could have done, but we did not get what was advertised. NCL wins here for the solution.
   
2. Otherwise, the cabin was OK, if a little bit worn-looking. Both lines have recently upgraded beds. We found the beds on both comfortable. There was enough storage, although I would have liked to have doors on the closet on the Princess. Generally, this is a tie.
   
3. The bathrooms, however are different. Most of the NCL ships have much larger showers. The Princess star shower is much like the one on the NCL Sun, where you soap up and spin around to clean yourself. NCL also has a detachable shower head. I missed that. You also get more and better towels on NCL. NCL wins for showers.
   
4. On the other hand, the bathrooms felt more spacious on Princess, especially the toilet. Too many of the NCL ships, especially the jewel-class ones, have the toilets enclosed with those, for a better description, patio doors. The space is too narrow and too short. Princess wins here for comfort.
   

Food (always subjective):

1. We ate at the buffet, in the ATD MDR, the Horizon Court buffet, the Crown Grill, the Outdoor Grill and the Pizzeria, the Ice cream bar, and the International Café. With the exceptions of the Crown Grill (compared to Cagney's) and the Ice Cream bar soft serve ice cream, we found the food on almost every NCL cruise much better than that on the Star Princess. NCL wins over all.
   

2. On Princess, we had

   
   Anytime Dining (ATD) . NCL Freestyle definitely wins here. .
   

3. The Crown Grill is really a jewel. We ate there twice. The steaks were delicious. The sides were also good. I really liked that salt flavored with Applewood smoke. It actually made the steak taste better. Who knew? Steak restaurant is a Princess win.
   
4. The soft serve ice cream was also creamier and more custard-like than that on NCL. It was not self serve however, and no hand scooped ice cream was available at the ice cream shop. Ice cream is a tie
   
5. The buffet was simply horrible. small, and designed poorly. I had heard people talk about cruise ship buffet food that was inedible, but never believed them until I ate on the Star Princess. The pasta, especially, was just terrible. The food also repeated day after day. There was no carton milk or chocolate milk (DH missed his chocolate milk). Some nights the buffet offered special menus, such as the German food night. That was actually much better but not as good as NCL German night. On formal night there was salmon and shrimp which was nice. A positive thing about Princess was that they servers brought your drinks to the table (as well as your omelet if you ordered one for breakfast). That was nice. NCL has those flavored waters that Princess does not have, however. Buffet is a NCL win by a big margin.
   
6. The MDR room was OK. This is probably where our taste might be different than others. One thing NCL still has is a steak on the always available menu. Princess only has a hamburger. There was no night when we thought we really want to eat here tonight on Princess. We did eat there just to change things up some, and the food we had was good, but our table mates sent dishes back. Breakfast in the MDR was better than the buffet. For us, NCL wins for MDR for us, but it could be a tie for others.
   
7. The International Café was right around the corner from our cabin, so we stopped there often. Also because I got a coffee card, I would stop and get a drink in the evening to take back to our cabin. Much of the food could be found on the buffet, but there was a chicken pineapple salad that was just delicious. There was also a good breakfast yogurt parfait. Still, OSheehan's, the 24-hr restaurant on NCL, is better in our opinion. NCL wins for 24 hr. restaurant.
   
8. Desserts are really a weakness on NCL. Gelatin should not be in cake icing. Princess was a bit better, but really they were not all that special, although a number of the chocolate desserts were good. The cookies are great on both lines. Princess wins for desserts but just barely.
   
9. We don't drink alcohol, so I cannot comment on drinks or bar service, although we did order a few soft drinks and the service was fine. Princess does allow you to bring on your own soft drinks for your cabin, however, and we did. Princess definitely wins here.
   
10. We had never cruised when there was a formal night, so we were a bit unsure what to expect. We did not bring any formalwear. We were not alone. We ate in the buffet for every formal night so as not to impact the dining experience of those who did dress, and we were not alone. The buffet was packed!!! So for dress up or not, NCL wins, although for those who love formal night, I am sure you disagree.
    
11. I want to say something about the coffee card. NCL doesn't have anything like it as far as I know. I liked having it, mostly because I could get brewed coffee at no additional charge right around the corner from our cabin. The $35+ cost for a 15-day cruise was not unreasonable although I think fresh brewed coffee should be included as part of everyone's fare. I would not say it would be a good value for a shorter cruise, however. I can't imagine drinking that much coffee to make it feel worthwhile and, because they expire now, even though I might not use up all the punches on a shorter cruise (I don't need that much sugar), it is unlikely that I would use them on another cruise. I don't cruise often enough.
    

Ship activities and entertainment

1. NCL goes all out for CC meet and greets. Not so on Princess. Not a single officer showed up, even though the events coordinator has said to the group's organizer that some might. In fact, we rarely saw the captain for the whole two weeks. I have no idea who the hotel director was. NCL definitely wins here.
   
2. One thing that Princess really did/does right is the on board enrichment. I think Hawaii may be a bit different both because of the number of sea days, but also because of Eula (the Hawaiian ambassadors). There were numerous presentations about the history of Hawaii given by someone who reminded me of a college history professor; lots of information if a bit dry. There was also a naturalist who talked about animals we might encounter. His enthusiasm was contagious. And Tiki Dave gave port talks which included a wealth of useful information, such as where to go, what to see, and how to get there. There was also a women giving talks about Hollywood. I didn't attend any nor did I watch them on the TV, however. I have never been on an NCL cruise that included this many experts sharing this much information. I felt like a was really prepared for each port. NCL mostly has the shopping guide giving the port talks and they have tended to focus on where to buy your diamonds. Princess had that guy, but his talks were advertised for what they were. Princess definitely wins here.
   
3. Participation enrichment activities included things like lei making, hula lessons and ukulele lessons. I learned to play the ukulele. Again, Princess wins here.
   
4. Cruise staff activities such as trivia, golf, pool games, dance lessons and such were similar on each line. We won a few prizes but we brought them back to the last trivia and gave them away. This is a tie.
   
5. The nightly entertainment was similar on both lines. Some we liked and some we didn't. Entertainment is a tie.
   
6. Related to the nightly entertainment is the theatre experience. While there seemed excessive numbers of steps to get to the theatre, the seat rows had handrails. We have never had handrails on NCL, so this was a huge safety plus. Princess wins for handrails in the theatre.
   
7. We watched a few movies in the theatre and in our cabin. We did not take advantage of MUTS as it was usually too cold, but there were often movies showing during the day. These were usually older ones. I don't cruise to see movies, but Princess wins on movies.
   

Did we enjoy our Star Princess cruise? Absolutely. In fact we bought a Future cruise credit. The on board experience was very similar. There are aspects we liked much better and NCL and aspects we liked better on Princess. So between the two, we would choose based on price and itinerary rather than what's on the ship.

Read your very objective comparison and appreciate your honestly even though it did get a bit long. thanks, it is always good and fun to compare how others feel. I do disagree with you on a couple of issues and again only opinion: we were not at all impressed with the Princess steak restaurant and gave it 2 tries. I do agree about bringing on soda but my guess, this will soon change. still it is nice while it lasts, especially for those who prefer one brand of soft drink over another.

 

 

Dogboy: my opinion: ship class per ship class, Princess is more expensive. But there isn't a lot of difference. When we cruised them the last time about 3 years ago, the drinks were a little less expensive.

[jdvmd]

Thanks for sharing your comments.

[deliver42]

We sailed the Regal Princess and the Escape back to back in December. I too, agree with just about all of your comments. The food on the regal was good the first 2 days, then something happened, and it went down hill from there. This was in the MDR. The Horizon Court and Horizon Bistro were disasters in my opinion. Would sail NCL again in a heartbeat. I doubt we'll try Princess again. Enjoyed the cruise, but it left a lot to be desired.

[newmexicoNita]

I liked your comparisons and agree with many of them; we have cruised with Princess a lot more than Norwegian.

 

I would like to say though that there was no need to eat in the buffet on Princess 'formal' nights. Unless you just wanted to wear sweats or gym wear you would be fine with normal nice clothes.

 

On Princess, some people really dress up, with long gowns and tuxes, by far the most dress up somewhat; nice casual would be ok, or step it up a bit with a sports coat for guys and a nice dress or slacks and sparkly top for women.

 

We haven't taken true formal wear on Princess for quite a while, although we try to look nice, not sloppy or like we are eating fast food.

 

Some nights we do go to the buffet, but usually because we just don't want to spend the time the dining room takes or the menu is kind of 'meh'.

Our experience and as I said a little while ago, it has been a few years,, is: if you do not dress up in relatively formal attire you might feel out of place. We saw people even eating in the buffet wearing long dresses and tux. This was one of the parts about Princess we didn't like. You might not need to dress in formal attire, but you may feel uncomfortable if you do not. At least we did. Our choice not to dress up had more to do with the type of cruise we were on. it was a 12 day repo, from Quebec to Ft Lauderdale. Knowing we would be going from pretty cold weather to very warm we had a lot of luggage and didn't want to lug anything more. Otherwise we would have brought 1 dressy outfit. at least.

[drvalo]

I agree. This also has changed over the years. I remember in our 1991 cruise they had three types of nights. Formal, semi formal, and smart casual. Everyone dressed accordingly.

 

Honestly, I dislike how casual everyone is nowadays. I think I belonged in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. Lol.

 

I belong to a local club that requires all women to wear cocktail dresses and men in full suits. You’re not allowed to enter without appropriate attire. I love that place.

 

Because of the length of the cruise, many of the cruisers were older and REALLY DRESSED. That said, we did try to clean up when we ate in the MDR on non-formal nights and I was surprised by the degree of casual-ness of some of the other diners. We often eat in the more formal MDR on NCL, so people do tend to dress a bit better there. To me all of the Princess MDR seemed more like the more formal NCL one. Prior to the cruise, I thought we might be the Clampetts cruising on Princess, but clearly that role is held by others, LOL. All that said, we have never starved on a cruise!

[Level six]

I agree, nice objective review. I always get a good chuckle when someone is so dedicated to a certain cruise line, because, honestly there is very little difference, IMO. I am Elite on Princess and Platinum on NCL. They are pretty much the same really IMO. I just go with itinerary and price. But, free internet(250 minutes each for cruises over 14 days) and free laundry on Princess!! Can't beat that.

 

OBC is nice too. We just got some NCL stock to see how it works with OBC. On Princess you can use OBC for gratuities and also casino. From reading here, that is not the case with NCL, but we will see soon enough. Thanks for the review!

[Zeno]

I really enjoyed this comparison review - it seemed very reasonable and fair to both cruise lines

[oncruisecontrol]

Thanks for your balanced review. I've taken one Princess cruise (on Crown Princess in 2013) and we had a great time. The ship was beautiful, especially since it was decorated for Christmas. The one thing I didn't like about it was the cabin, especially the bathroom. The shower was way to small and did not have a detachable shower head. In 2016, I cruised my first NCL trip on the Getaway and loved it! Last year we cruised on the Escape and loved that too. So much so that NCL is now our new favorite line. I love the cabin bathrooms: they are spacious and have a shower door instead of a curtain. The cabin shower on the Getaway even had a foot bar mounted about a foot or so from the floor to aid us ladies in shaving our legs! Sadly, this feature was scrapped for the Escape. I've been meaning to e-mail NCL about this. Thanks again for your thoughts on the two lines.

[BirdTravels]

We have kinda given up on Princess.

 

Curious about the stockholder benefits on CCL vs. NCL. When I submit a NCL stockholder request, I get an OBC within 1 business day. No questions asked. Not sure how CCL could be faster.

 

The NCL website has always been clunky. But, not as bad as the current RCL website since their "upgrade". On a recent RCL cruise, customer service was emailing us "back doors" into their system so that we could complete our check-in and pre-sail bookings.

[Something fun!]

One point of misinformation is regarding shore excursions. You can reserve without paying shore excursions by calling NCL's shore excursion office and then use your obc for payment onboard.