NCL vs Carnival

[WandNVacations]

My DW and I are contemplating our first cruise since 2015. We have done 4 Carnival cruises and 1 Holland America. We are interested in NCL but want to know what to expect. We like Carnival as its busy where as HAL was nice but was a ghost town after 9pm. I look forward to hearing from some NCL regulars and opinions to help us out. Looking at the Norwegian Dawn in March. Not super worried about ports.

[bonvoyagie]

A lot depends on when and where the cruise is going. I have been on the Dawn once but it was on a fall New England cruise and it was 14 days - so the majority of the pax were older w/o kids - or a few with younger kids - There was always entertainment in any of the lounges and in the atrium. Because of our schedule we had early port calls almost every day so we were usually back in the cabin around 11:00PM 

[Birdie And Sue]

Carival v NCL is akin to Sizzler v Morton's

[drvmywifecrzy]

No one sleeps before 9pm on NCL.  If they do they hear me knocking on their door.  Seriously though it is just as fun as you make it .  Season and ports and ships determine kids.  Dawn is smaller then the mega ships so getting off the ship is easier.  If you like casinos play the machine to the right

[WandNVacations]

29 minutes ago, bonvoyagie said:

A lot depends on when and where the cruise is going. I have been on the Dawn once but it was on a fall New England cruise and it was 14 days - so the majority of the pax were older w/o kids - or a few with younger kids - There was always entertainment in any of the lounges and in the atrium. Because of our schedule we had early port calls almost every day so we were usually back in the cabin around 11:00PM 

It would be in March out of Tampa

[bonvoyagie]

March is spring break month - there are several sea days beginning and end so I would expect a party almost every night.

[newmexicoNita]

10 hours ago, WandNVacations said:

My DW and I are contemplating our first cruise since 2015. We have done 4 Carnival cruises and 1 Holland America. We are interested in NCL but want to know what to expect. We like Carnival as its busy where as HAL was nice but was a ghost town after 9pm. I look forward to hearing from some NCL regulars and opinions to help us out. Looking at the Norwegian Dawn in March. Not super worried about ports.

Just off the top of my hat I would say NCL is in the middle when it comes to night life. Of course going in March you are going to have a ship more filled with families as that is spring break for many. On the other hand, the Dawn being a smaller ship than the mega ones you will not find quite the number of kids as families are starting to ean toward mega ships, with mega activities. I think you should give NCL a try and judge for yourself. There is rarely a bad cruise, just people who expect too much or look for fault. Our opinion of the 3 lines: HAL and NCL are our 2 favorite lines for totally different reasons: We find HAL a little to lacking in energy, passengers are inclined to just want to relax and don't care about keeping busy, but we love the ships and the service NCL has more energy and very friendly crew members. 

[SlipperyVic]

12 hours ago, Birdie And Sue said:

Carival v NCL is akin to Sizzler v Morton's

Sizzler vs Ponderosa would be a more accurate comparison.

[JamieLogical]

NCL has a lot going on in the evenings/nights. The main theater shows typically have a 9:30 or 10:00 showing. There are live performers in lounges throughout the ship until midnight at least. There will be karaoke until probably 11:00 or midnight as well. The comedians always have their 18+ shows staring around 10:00. Deck parties like the Glow Party or White Party usually run until about 11:30.

[BNBR]

I'd say Carnival and NCL are virtually identical in general experience.  Just small things that make them a little difference (NCL having 24/7 sit down free restaurant, Carnival having lots of free venues like Blue Iguana, etc.).  Little stuff like that.  But overall the vibe and experience, even the ship design is pretty similar.  Go for an NCL sailing.  You'll enjoy it and appreciate the little differences.

 

Another poster suggested it's like comparing Sizzler and Mortons and I can't think of anything more ridiculous.  It's more like Coke vs Pepsi, McDonalds vs Burger King.  Neither is a step above the other.

 

I personally prefer Carnival for a few reasons, mostly since they are so similar, I'd rather sail for a lot cheaper on Carnival and I like the 8 day itineraries they have plus the drink package is much better on Carnival.  But if pricing was similar, you can practically flip a coin.

Edited May 20, 2019 by BNBR

[debgreg]

Just now, BNBR said:

I'd say Carnival and NCL are virtually identical in general experience.  Just small things that make them a little difference (NCL having 24/7 sit down free restaurant, Carnival having lots of free venues like Blue Iguana, etc.).  Little stuff like that.  But overall the vibe and experience, even the ship design is pretty similar.  Go for an NCL sailing.  You'll enjoy it and appreciate the little differences.

I actually looked at Carnival for a winter cruise but they seem to get so much bad press in the US, why is that , this ships looked Fab ?

[BNBR]

1 minute ago, debgreg said:

I actually looked at Carnival for a winter cruise but they seem to get so much bad press in the US, why is that , this ships looked Fab ?

 

I have no idea!  Especially compared to NCL.  Carnival does have a lower budget reputation and their short sailings aren't my cup of tea, but overall these mass market cruise lines are remarkably similar.  On a 7 day sailing on similar ships, you would almost be hard pressed to notice a difference between the lines.

[graphicguy]

I think it depends on how many ports you'll be on, where the ship is sailing and what you like to do.

 

I haven't sailed NCL's smallest ships (which I think Dawn is one).  But, I have sailed their next size up (GEM) and found it to be quite busy all the time.  They had the usual main entertainment at night in the main theater.  Throughout the ship, they had musicians playing near the bars and restaurants usually until the bars closed (late....midnight-ish).  They had the comedy shows.  There was usually always something going on in the Atrium, too.

 

NCL is knows for their great entertainment.  @JamieLogical also mentions the parties they have during the evenings, too.  Glow Party was my favorite.  

 

NCL's main entertainment is usually better than the smaller shows on Carnival.  That's a generality as I haven't sailed Carnival in a couple of years, though.

 

I only took one HAL cruise, and quite frankly, don't remember anything about their entertainment.  Not sure if that's a good thing.  Nothing really stood out.  And, I do remember being back in the cabin early every evening.

 

Good luck.  I think you'll have fun on the Dawn.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, SlipperyVic said:

Sizzler vs Ponderosa would be a more accurate comparison.

I was going to say this so I'm glad I'm not alone.

[debgreg]

9 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I was going to say this so I'm glad I'm not alone.

Does that mean they are both bad ???

[davy jones]

2 hours ago, SlipperyVic said:

Sizzler vs Ponderosa would be a more accurate comparison.

Throw in Golden Corral and you have a comparison of NCL, Carnival, and Royal.

 

The point here is that they are very similar.

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by davy jones

[sparks1093]

23 minutes ago, debgreg said:

Does that mean they are both bad ???

Nope, just that they are more alike than they are different. The difference is not as great as the previous poster suggested (I've never heard of Morton's but I looked at their website and they are a top tier steakhouse being compared to Sizzlers, a much lower tier steakhouse. 

[debgreg]

13 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Nope, just that they are more alike than they are different. The difference is not as great as the previous poster suggested (I've never heard of Morton's but I looked at their website and they are a top tier steakhouse being compared to Sizzlers, a much lower tier steakhouse. 

Oh Ok ,gets confusing for those of us in the UK although I know the Ponderosa from visits and its not good ha ha

[GrabMyWrist]

Have only sailed NCL, so my opinion is based on my experience only. That said, I've seen plenty of Carnival ships in port and wouldn't set foot on one.

[Birdie And Sue]

5 hours ago, BNBR said:

I'd say Carnival and NCL are virtually identical in general experience.  Just small things that make them a little difference (NCL having 24/7 sit down free restaurant, Carnival having lots of free venues like Blue Iguana, etc.).  Little stuff like that.  But overall the vibe and experience, even the ship design is pretty similar.  Go for an NCL sailing.  You'll enjoy it and appreciate the little differences.

 

Another poster suggested it's like comparing Sizzler and Mortons and I can't think of anything more ridiculous.  It's more like Coke vs Pepsi, McDonalds vs Burger King.  Neither is a step above the other.

 

I personally prefer Carnival for a few reasons, mostly since they are so similar, I'd rather sail for a lot cheaper on Carnival and I like the 8 day itineraries they have plus the drink package is much better on Carnival.  But if pricing was similar, you can practically flip a coin.

 

 

Not even close.  CCL is for penny pinchers who cannot afford a decent cruise, as is often said, they are the WalMart of the seas and that is EXACTLY the type of people you see on their ships in most instances.  The food on CCL is absolutely horrid.  I have had better food in the Marine Corps chow hall than what I had on CCL.  The crews are about the same although NCL crew members are a bit more attentive to any passengers with special needs or ADA passengers in general.  CCL ships are not as well maintained as NCL ships are.  Lots of rust and many places badly in need of paint.

Lastly if you are a casino player do not even consider CCL.  Saying tehir casino is 3rd rate is an insult to 3rd rate casinos everywhere else in the world.

[BNBR]

16 minutes ago, Birdie And Sue said:

 

 

Not even close.  CCL is for penny pinchers who cannot afford a decent cruise, as is often said, they are the WalMart of the seas and that is EXACTLY the type of people you see on their ships in most instances.  The food on CCL is absolutely horrid.  I have had better food in the Marine Corps chow hall than what I had on CCL.  The crews are about the same although NCL crew members are a bit more attentive to any passengers with special needs or ADA passengers in general.  CCL ships are not as well maintained as NCL ships are.  Lots of rust and many places badly in need of paint.

Lastly if you are a casino player do not even consider CCL.  Saying tehir casino is 3rd rate is an insult to 3rd rate casinos everywhere else in the world.

 

NCL is hardly the "step above" line.  They are a bargain line no different than CCL.  Royal is similarly situated however their mega ships are a step above both Carnival and NCL.  The smaller ships are similar experiences.

 

Your overly embellished rant about CCL holds no water and nobody is going to take your insults about Carnival food seriously.  If anything, Carnival is known for having the better food options of the mass market lines.  NCL is in no way a step up from Carnival.  Even the ship designs/layouts are almost identical.  Carnival is by no means my favorite line, but to suggest they are cut rate compared to NCL is laughable.

[debgreg]

4 hours ago, GrabMyWrist said:

Have only sailed NCL, so my opinion is based on my experience only. That said, I've seen plenty of Carnival ships in port and wouldn't set foot on one.

Why, how can you tell from them being in port ?

[Cruiser_1977]

I have sailed both NCL and CCL in the past year. They are, in my opinion, more similar than different. I don't do casinos, so I can't speak to that. Both had entertainment well after 9pm 🙂 I am not sure what @Birdie And Sue   consider a "decent cruise". In addition to the ones previously mentioned, I have cruises booked on RCCL, Princess and Celebrity (so money is not the primary factor). While I don't think the food on either was 5 star it wasn't "horrid". I have reviews of both in my signature. @WandNVacations - Happy Cruising

 

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by JennyB1977

[2bthere]

I find the comparison from BnS to be strange.
Over on the CCL forum they posted a question about getting casino literature constantly and wanted to know how to get it stopped.
It seems a couple of posters did a content check and reported that BnS is going on their FIRST Ncl cruise coming up.
BnS then said they won $10,000 in their casino on their last CCL cruise.
Things that really make you wonder..

 

[sid_9169]

Wow, I'm not even sure if I want to jump in the middle of this one... I've sailed about twenty times, switching back and forth between Carnival and NCL... I've found the food to be overall pretty good on both lines, with CCL having more included lunch options, and NCL having a greater variety of upscale (for fee) dining options. NCL ships are a bit more elegant in their design, while CCL tends to be more basic. You can have just a good time on either line if you go into it with an open mind... My two cents...