Pros and Cons for Norwegian

[travelling_txgal]

I am considering booking the Norwegian Getaway for March 2020. My previous experiences have been with Carnival so I am looking for the pros and cons of Norwegian. Are there any priority boarding options? What are some dos and don'ts of booking with them? I am doing my research but also like to get first hand accounts. Any advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance. 

[Two Wheels Only]

As a new customer, you can get priority boarding by booking a suite/Haven. This does not include mini-suites.

 

When booking, decide on which (if any) promos would benefit you. The beverage package and dining package are popular but they aren't "free". In addition to paying a 20% service charge on those 2 promos, the cruise fare is also higher. To save, you can avoid all promos and select a Sailaway Rate. It will cost less and you can select your stateroom category (in most cases) but you cannot select your stateroom.

 

Personally, I prefer NCL over Carnival in just about every category but you will probably find the opposite opinion on the Carnival forum. The lines are more similar than different.

 

What type of stateroom are you considering?

 

[oncruisecontrol]

2 hours ago, travelling_txgal said:

I am considering booking the Norwegian Getaway for March 2020. My previous experiences have been with Carnival so I am looking for the pros and cons of Norwegian. Are there any priority boarding options? What are some dos and don'ts of booking with them? I am doing my research but also like to get first hand accounts. Any advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance. 

We cruised Carnival almost exclusively for more than a decade from 2003 thru 2015.  But we began to tire of the food on Carnival, and so tried Norwegian.  2016 on the Getaway was AMAZING....the food, the entertainment, the ambiance.  However our inside cabin was a lot smaller than on Carnival. 2017 we cruised the Escape; same thing...we were blown away with the food, the entertainment. This time we had a balcony cabin so we had more room.  However......in 2018 we sailed on Getaway again and it was not the same experience as we'd had the first time we sailed her. The main disappointment was the food.  NCL had just recently, before our sailing, changed their fleetwide menus (and not for the better).  It was clear to us the the new menus were a cost-saving measure and the lack of food quality negatively affected our enjoyment of the cruise. Don't get me wrong, we still had fun and it is still a nice ship with great service.  It just didn't come close to our previous voyage on her.

Our next cruise will be on Princess again.  Been 6 years since we've been on Princess and want to see what their newer ships have to offer. We will not go back on Carnival only because of the food (otherwise we like Carnival's product). 

While I cannot answer your specific questions because my friend handles all of our bookings, I would say that this [me] former Carnival cruiser thinks that NCL is a nice alternative if you want to compare and try a cruise line that is relatively similar to Carnival. 

[BNBR]

Nowadays I've probably consider NCL a slight step up from Carnival.  I wouldn't pay much more for it, though.  Ships have similar layouts but all the stuff is generally just a bit nicer.  Entertainment, to me, is pretty similar (both are lousy for big stage shows but do a good job with smaller stuff).  Food and all that pretty similar.  Drink package on NCL not as good.  But otherwise if pricing is similar, I would actually take NCL.

 

Note that Carnival is pretty much the worst mass market line in the US market.  We kind of laugh because my wife works with Carnival, and when she mentioned we were sailing Carnival, even a VP said "why would you do that?"

 

So if you haven't sailed other lines, you generally should have quite a bit to look forward to.  It only goes up.  Carnival is a good product, others are just better.

Edited July 8, 2019 by BNBR

[travelling_txgal]

Thanks for the responses. We are considering a balcony or a suite. We received a quote on a balcony in the BX category (not sure what that is yet).

Another question, are there any hidden costs we should expect to incur? We know about gratuity, taxes, insurance, etc. I am meaning more along the lines of food and entertainment. Is it all inclusive or will we pay more for specialty restaurants and events?  

[imacruiser99]

What has drawn me to NCL is freestyle cruising,  period.  My wife and I are not formal folks at all and really enjoy the freedom to dine when we want to.  Our first cruise was was on RCI and was very disappointed with the whole dining experience.  If we missed our assigned dining we were at the mercy of the buffet.   I am on vacation and do not want to be told when to eat or how to dress.  I will never bring a suit on a cruise and really try to pack as lightly as I can on any Caribbean cruise.  So the concept of even bring work "causual" clothes is something I try to avoid.   

[geomancer]

8 minutes ago, travelling_txgal said:

Thanks for the responses. We are considering a balcony or a suite. We received a quote on a balcony in the BX category (not sure what that is yet).

Another question, are there any hidden costs we should expect to incur? We know about gratuity, taxes, insurance, etc. I am meaning more along the lines of food and entertainment. Is it all inclusive or will we pay more for specialty restaurants and events?  

You will pay more for specialty restaurants (quite a lot actually) and some events (but most are free).

There are still free food options, and NCL has a lot more than some other lines (looking at you Royal Caribbean) but as is common on all these lines the specialty restaurants charge full land prices (and sometimes more). It could be said that the included food options have gotten worse over the last decade specifically because of the popularity of these specialty restaurants. What better way to drive people towards them than make the "other" food terrible?

[CruisingNole]

48 minutes ago, imacruiser99 said:

What has drawn me to NCL is freestyle cruising,  period.  My wife and I are not formal folks at all and really enjoy the freedom to dine when we want to.  Our first cruise was was on RCI and was very disappointed with the whole dining experience.  If we missed our assigned dining we were at the mercy of the buffet.   I am on vacation and do not want to be told when to eat or how to dress.  I will never bring a suit on a cruise and really try to pack as lightly as I can on any Caribbean cruise.  So the concept of even bring work "causual" clothes is something I try to avoid.   

 

None of the “big 3” cruise lines actually requires assigned dining times, shared tables, or enforces “formal night” if there is one. Those requirements are a thing of the past. Are the available? Sure. Mandatory? No.

 

Royal Caribbean has my time dining, you can make a reservation or just show up. However NCL does do it more efficiently. I’ve never had to share a table with anyone on Carnival or Royal. All you have to do is tell them what you want, either in advance before cruise or on day 1, and they’ll make it happen. Some people enjoy sitting with others and meeting new friends. Some don’t. The choice is yours.

 

I’ve never understood why some people think these flexible options are only available on NCL.

[All-ready2cruise]

28 minutes ago, CruisingNole said:

 

I’ve never understood why some people think these flexible options are only available on NCL.

I wonder if it's because NCL was the first and started the flexible option.  We were never forced to dine with others on our cruises on NCL. 

[CruisingNole]

4 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

I wonder if it's because NCL was the first and started the flexible option.  We were never forced to dine with others on our cruises on NCL. 

 

Maybe so. But I can think of a lot of other things that NCL wasn’t the “first” to do it...but I’m open minded enough to do a little research and not assume NCL doesn’t offer it. That’s what this forum is for.

[All-ready2cruise]

And that's ok with me honey, I'm pretty sure there are lots of NCL loyal customers who will agree that  freestyle dining is their favourite dining option. 

You just keep on keeping on though, sure you'll find plenty who'll agree with you. 

 

cheers. 

Edited July 9, 2019 by All-ready2cruise

[imacruiser99]

1 hour ago, CruisingNole said:

 

None of the “big 3” cruise lines actually requires assigned dining times, shared tables, or enforces “formal night” if there is one. Those requirements are a thing of the past. Are the available? Sure. Mandatory? No.

 

Royal Caribbean has my time dining, you can make a reservation or just show up. However NCL does do it more efficiently. I’ve never had to share a table with anyone on Carnival or Royal. All you have to do is tell them what you want, either in advance before cruise or on day 1, and they’ll make it happen. Some people enjoy sitting with others and meeting new friends. Some don’t. The choice is yours.

 

I’ve never understood why some people think these flexible options are only available on NCL.

Totally understand that other cruise lines have dining flexibility, but most recent non-NCL was on Carnival and they still had assigned dining times (along with flexible times),  but why only go half-way with the concept?  Totally understand that some cruisers still expect that out of their cruise experience,, but it is just not my personal cup of tea.  If I desired that type of cruise, I would select the cruise line which offered that level of "sophisticated" dining,

[bonvoyagie]

Been cruising since 02 NCL was the first to get away from first and second seating in the MDR as well as set seating arrangements and to have no requirements for suit and tie for dinner. I believe that Princess was next with opening one dining room for anytime dining. As time went on the cruise industry has changed to meet the requirements of the customers who asked for a more relaxed dining experience.

 

My daughter has cruised both Carnival and NCL and prefers NCL for  food, drinks, and entertainment. Carnival has a one drink/person every 15 min policy so if you want a shot and a beer  you have to wait 15min for the beer. NCL has no minimum time or maximum drink limits.

 

Frankly I think overall there are fewer differences between any of the mass market lines.

[smplybcause]

1 hour ago, CruisingNole said:

 

None of the “big 3” cruise lines actually requires assigned dining times, shared tables, or enforces “formal night” if there is one. Those requirements are a thing of the past. Are the available? Sure. Mandatory? No.

 

Royal Caribbean has my time dining, you can make a reservation or just show up. However NCL does do it more efficiently. I’ve never had to share a table with anyone on Carnival or Royal. All you have to do is tell them what you want, either in advance before cruise or on day 1, and they’ll make it happen. Some people enjoy sitting with others and meeting new friends. Some don’t. The choice is yours.

 

I’ve never understood why some people think these flexible options are only available on NCL.

 

Not sure about the others, but on Royal the my time dining is only offered for a fraction of the passengers and can fill up to where you can't select it. I believe it's around a third of passengers and maybe less that can select it based on the proportion of the dining room for it. So while it's an option there's a chance it's not available to choose when you book. 

[newmexicoNita]

Let  me say, all the 3 mass marketed lines are probably more alike than different. That being said, our experience with NCL has been, since they were the first to offer Anytime dining they have it down a little better. They also offer many dining choices and we think better entertainment, but that is just our opinion. For us, the feature that stands out has always been the outstanding service and pleasant  crew. Oh, we have had some not all so great and we have had some very good service on other lines but NCL seems to be the most consistently good. 

 

OP, you asked about hidden fees, no one has to spend a penny more than they are prepared to spend. Like Carnival and other lines, specialty dining will add to your final bill unless you use only the restaurants that might come with whatever perks you get. The cost isn't anymore than on any other line a less expensive than some. 

 

The one and only downside compared to Carnival might be the size of the cabins. Carnival does offer slightly larger cabins but certainly just slightly. 

[Peachypooh]

We have cruised on HomeLines, (now defunct) Celebrity, Royal and NCL. What makes NCL

stand out is the informality of it. My husband loves that. He says it is similar to a land

based vacation with none of the regimentation of some other lines.

[mugtech]

Found the loyalty perks of 2 dinners for 2 in specialty restaurants most rewarding, plus the free bag of laundry and the 60 minutes of WiFi time.  We don't drink alcohol, so the free wine is meaningless to us.  You need 80 points to reach platinum, but the equal travel on Royal gets you three free drinks during happy hour every day.  You do get $300 off on booking a balcony or higher category, but being insiders it also is meaningless.  We never intend to sail Carnival or Princess again, found them to be inferior to NCL and RCI in entertainment and about the same in food.  Service has always seemed best on NCL, but we have no complaints with the other lines. We pick either NCL or RCI based on itineraries, ship and price.

[ggTexasGal]

14 hours ago, travelling_txgal said:

I am considering booking the Norwegian Getaway for March 2020. My previous experiences have been with Carnival so I am looking for the pros and cons of Norwegian. Are there any priority boarding options? What are some dos and don'ts of booking with them? I am doing my research but also like to get first hand accounts. Any advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance. 

The most important suggestion is be sure to read the NCL Terms and Conditions for your selected booking.

Not all dates, not all stateroom categories, and not all ships are included in the headline promotions!

The SAIL AWAY rate is bare-bones pricing that does NOT get any promotions, nor are you going to be able to select your room.  IF you select your room with promotions, be sure to know what extra fees are going to be charged with those promos (generally, 20% for the first two guests(only), PER DAY, on the VALUE of the Dining and/or Drink packages.  And, many people fail to notice the Daily Service Charges.

The larger (newer ships) require reservations for restaurants and some shows ... again, do research on the procedures needed, as this may vary depending on individuals preferences.

[4774Papa]

We have never cruised on Carnival and doubt that we will.

 

We have cruised on NCL, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

 

NCL and Royal Caribbean have excellent entertainment.

Celebrity  has the best dining.

Royal seems to have the lowest prices for the cruises that we are looking at.   NCL and Celebrity price bundle promos that we don't want.

We dislike the NCL beverage package.  Its wine choices are not good and the ridiculous overvalue of $99 per person a day with 20% gratuity eliminates any reason for us to choose it as a promo.  We bring our own wine, pay the $15 corkage and spend less on alcohol than we would on JUST the darn 20% gratuity.

NCL has improved their itineraries in recent years, adding South America, Australia, but Royal and even Celebrity seem to have better itineraries.

NCL just raised its prices in its specialty restaurants.  Prior to this, the specialty restaurants were very reasonable in price and was a clear advantage over other lines.  NO MORE>

 

[pe4all]

We have sailed quite a few lines, but most recently have stayed with Carnival and NCL - Carnival mostly for the Caribbean, and NCL for European/Hawaii sailings.  We swore we would never pay for specialty restaurants, but found we really liked them on NCL. (especially Cagneys and LeBistro) We find the buffet is better on NCL, and we love O'Sheehans.  After so many sailings on CCL we found the entertainment a nice change on NCL - especially the "Broadway" productions, and Howl at the Moon.  Balcony cabins on CCL seem to be larger than NCL.  CCL has always been known as having "party ships" but we have definitely found that since NCL put in unlimited alcohol packages NCL has caught up with the amount of drunk people on each sailing as compared to CCL!  When NCL runs their "free at sea" promos it might be worthwhile looking into them, but just be aware of the extra charge they tack on as service charges - that can bump your price up quite a bit.

[graphicguy]

10 hours ago, smplybcause said:

 

Not sure about the others, but on Royal the my time dining is only offered for a fraction of the passengers and can fill up to where you can't select it. I believe it's around a third of passengers and maybe less that can select it based on the proportion of the dining room for it. So while it's an option there's a chance it's not available to choose when you book. 

Tried MY TIME dining on both the Anthem and Harmony the last two cruises I’ve taken on Royal.  Results were dismal....with very long wait times.  Royal just isn’t very good at “Freestyle”, which is one of the reasons I sail NCL (in addition to the great entertainment and service).

[Buckeye10640]

My biggest plus for NCL is the casual dress.  No formal nights, can go to MDR in jeans and a nice top.  I realize to some the casual dress is a downside, so all depends on personal preference.  

[4774Papa]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Tried MY TIME dining on both the Anthem and Harmony the last two cruises I’ve taken on Royal.  Results were dismal....with very long wait times.  Royal just isn’t very good at “Freestyle”, which is one of the reasons I sail NCL (in addition to the great entertainment and service).

We have done two Royal C. cruises, one on Explorer of the Seas and the other on Serenade of the Seas.  We had MY TIME dining on both and never had to wait more than 5 minutes.

 

ALSo, we find that in rating the dining Celebrity gets 4.5 stars, Royal 3.9 and NCL 3.7.  

 

As for the casual dress, on Celebrity and Royal, I didn't take a suit or even a blazer.  I wore my  leather jacket for the Formal/Chic nights.  There is not a huge difference between the three lines on dress.

[bkrickles1]

Like many here, my crew likes the casual dress, freestyle dining and the entertainment with NCL.

My last 3 cruises, which included the Escape, RCL Anthem and RCL Liberty of the Seas, I didn't bring any formal wear or even pants. So on the RCL ships I skipped any formal nights and dined elsewhere and every other night and every night on the Escape I wore shorts and either a button down or t-shirt. 

It makes packing so nice and simple and I love being comfortable all of the time (and I'm someone who wears a suit and tie most days for work).

On the Escape last July, we were a party of 6 and never waited more than a few minutes for a table and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We're now booked on Encore for this coming January.

[neilmae_ko]

18 hours ago, travelling_txgal said:

I am considering booking the Norwegian Getaway for March 2020. My previous experiences have been with Carnival so I am looking for the pros and cons of Norwegian. Are there any priority boarding options? What are some dos and don'ts of booking with them? I am doing my research but also like to get first hand accounts. Any advice is welcomed. Thanks in advance. 

 

NCL is way far better than Carnival.  In the cruise industry; Carnival is considered in the low/middle end market while NCL is in the middle end market.  With this assumption; generally - NCL is better than Carnival.  You can also see that NCL has more awards in Cruise Critic Choice Awards than Carnival.