Princess cruisers thinking about NCL....convince us

[salty dingo]

On 10/4/2019 at 5:53 PM, Qcruise said:

OK then.....don't convince us.......

Stay with Princess 😁

[bmct]

I'm Elite on Princess and Celebrity, Diamond on RCI, and have sailed several other cruise lines. 

 

Just returned for the 5 night Coastal Vancouver-Los Angeles on the Joy.  It was a mixed bag.  The ship was beautiful.  The food was very good, and I loved the Beatles tribute band and music.

 

On the other hand -- we had a mid-aft balcony stateroom, twin beds.  Not impressed with the layout or design.  No drawers to store your underwear or socks, just two small shelf areas in the desk/vanity, and the shelves in the small closet.  There is a small, 6 inch wide, unit between the couch and bed on one side, bed and sliding doors on the other.  2/3 was used by the room steward to stow the folded, decorative drape from the end of the bed, leaving only enough room to store a pair of shoes. 

 

The bathroom had a glass shower, so no fighting the shower curtain. 

 

The hallways seemed very narrow, only 4 feet wide.  Two of the MDR's, Taste and Savor, are across the walkway from each other, with Mixx bar in between.  While waiting for a table, it becomes very crowded with diners, drinkers, and people walking through the area.  The first time we went, they said it was a 30 minute wait.  On Princess, we would have had hand-held buzzers to let us know to come back for our table.  On the Joy, the hostess just called out your name, and it was hard to hear.

 

Garden Cafe ( buffet ) was a zoo during meal hours.  The worst I have ever seen on any ship.  Yes, they have stations for different foods so you don't have to go in a long line, and multiple stations for some things, like pastry, eggs and omelettes, hot food, cold food, salad bar, and beverages, but trying to find a table was not easy. 

 

Want to go to Guest Services and ask a question?  There is live music in the atrium area adjacent.  You have to shout to the agent to be heard. 

 

Shopping -- they have permanent counters in the hallways outside of the shops for daily sales, which makes the walkways very crowded.  And on that cruise, nothing to buy for children.  No t-shirts, toys, books, or anything else.  We asked at two different shops, but they said nothing for kids.  Two disappointed grandmas who had planned on Christmas shopping.

 

We had to clear Customs in San Francisco.  They divided people into groups, based on decks.  We were in group 2, out of 7.  They called the first group about 8:50, and by 9:00, had called four groups to the gangway on deck 7, via The Manhatten Room.  By the time we got there, the line snaked up both levels of the gangway, all along the promenade deck, thru the Manhatten Room in zig-zag lines, like at Disneyland, out the restaurant and through the casino, almost to the elevator banks.  It took us 90 minutes to get to Customs.

 

AND -- according to people we talked to later on, they never called groups 5, 6, and 7!  People waited until noon to be called.

 

Would I go on the Joy again?  Probably not.  Another NCL ship?  Maybe.  Yes, they have a lot more outdoorsy fun spots than Princess, such as water slides and go-karts, but the layout of the staterooms, crowded public areas, and other things I haven't mentioned, would make me think twice.

 

As for you, if it's only five nights, try it and see if you like it.

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

I’ve sailed NCL and Princess and have done live comparisons 

 

IMO the LARGER NCL ships have a lot to do onboard, especially if you are an older kid, but unless you are Haven (perhaps Concierge on Joy), the ship seems a bit crowded. The Royal never felt that way PLUS I LOVE the adult only pool and bar area on the Royal! Not to mention the Sanctuary. Cheaper too. I’d sail the Joy if I could be in the Haven. THAT is awesome! Prices are great right now for the Joy. It all depends upon what you want out of your cruise. Enjoy planning!!

 

[Cruising89143]

Why should anyone convince a person to try anything? The OP hasn’t been back since starting the thread. I think that they’re better off staying with what they know or are familiar with.

 

Interesting note. Last Sunday morning while sitting and waiting to debark the Bliss, two couples were openly discussing which cruise lines they had cruised. When it came to Princess both thought that the cruise line was “boring”. Both were very negative on their experiences. I haven’t cruised with Princess but all of their ships seem vanilla. Boring which keeps me from trying them. 

[mianmike]

2 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

Why should anyone convince a person to try anything?

 

My thought exactly.  A surefire way to dissuade me from contributing is to tell me we have to convince them. 

[alvin18]

I have done Princess only once, that was a 10 day from San Francisco to Alaska.  Lots of older people and many people in wheel chairs.  The overall cruise was fine but pretty quiet when it came to entertainment.  NCL has become our 1st choice due to freestyle cruising, lax atmosphere and a good mixture of different types of people.  I feel entertainment is one major reason we come back to NCL, there promo packages are also a plus.  We will be doing our 6th NCL this Thanksgiving week for 7day Mexican Riviera..been there 2x already, mainly wanted to tryout the Joy ship.  Never had a bad experience.  Any vacation is what you make of it.

We did a repositioning cruise on RCLL Ovation of the Seas 2 years ago from Singapore to Tianjin China (10 days).  First time on RCCL, not impressed with everything but maybe because it was a repositioning cruise.  We will try RCCL again if the itinerary is right.  Carnival we done 5 with, not bad but prefer NCL.

This December we will go out of the ordinary and go on the MSC Grandiosa leaving from Barcelona for 8 days around the Med.  We will see how that goes, 1st time on MSC but new ship, we will be the 4th group since the ship is launced in Nov.

**Bottom line is try different lines, you wont know if you like it or not if you never try.  Reading comments is a start but not the same as going on actual cruise with said line.

Edited October 20, 2019 by alvin18
spelling, grammar

[Aesop081]

Have done both lines, along with RCL, and Carnival.  All lines are different, all ships in a line are different.  We go out of our way to not go on the newest mega ships regardless of line.  I guess if I was in the correct tax bracket I'd sail Regent or some other "boutique" ships.   

But I'm not.  So Princess has/does/allows things that NCL doesn't which pleases me.  Bring soda on for cabin, bring wine on board, drink prices are reasonable compared to NCL (when you don't have package). That said NCL is good for access to shows, anytime dining (plus or negative, mostly plus)  NCL has for all intents and purposes (with a few fees) a built in drink package in their fare.  I like to sip on drinks through out the day/evening and saves me a lot of end of the cruise money on my sail account.  I find NCL rooms, again on the mid-size ships, bigger than the ones on Princess.  Food is hit and miss for who has the best, but NCL's buffets I found more varied. 

My experiences, not anyone elses, but mine.  Mid size ships.

 

Enjoy your trips, meet lots of people.  After all that is the best part of cruising, the social life if you choose it.  We have friends all over the world now.

 

 

[need2cruisesoon]

We've sailed Regal Princess and Bliss, not even close.....Bliss wins

[azdmelani]

Elite Princess cruiser just back from the Star.  My advice is to stick with Princess 🙂

[sprint180]

I am 50.  When I cruise with my husband it is Princess.  Relaxed and laid back.  When I cruise with my kids it is NCL.  More active.  I don't want to cruise Princess my husband does.  I like NCL.

[Oceansaway17]

On 10/4/2019 at 5:53 PM, Qcruise said:

OK then.....don't convince us.......

 

 

My take is that the Op did not get answers fast enough and felt hurt and thereby put out the 2nd comment. 

 

It's like saying Hello to a group of folks near by and then no one looks up at you.  So you say "Fine don't talk" and walk away.  That was my first thought

 

No one needs to flame this person because lots of folks on all the boards use the words "Convince us" all the time.

 

So having said this, let me offer a suggestion that HAL Koningsdam is doing a 7 day Vancouver to San Diego trip next Sept 2020 that also looks interesting and stops in San Fran and Monterey.

 

Princess is doing the same thing that NCL is doing.  They are both removing more and more deck space on their ships.

But at least NCL does have the waterfront.

If you like deck space, check out Disney and the NEWER Vista ClassCarnival ships as they still have deck space that is FREE.

 

In conclusion, never have loyalty to any one cruise line as all of them are striving to improve and make changes. Try new ships and expand your experiences.

Try NCL but I would suggest the Escape or Bliss for the THERMAL SPA which is worth it.  Joy does not have it.

 

best of luck and ignore the flamers.  I think CC is fine for asking advice beside complaining.  But try HAL and DCL too.

[dexddd]

On 10/5/2019 at 4:06 PM, NYcruzzer said:

Please add me to the list of people who do not feel it's our job to convince you to try NCL's product. That would certainly change if I was employed by NCL's marketing dept. 

That is what I think when I read these.  The community here already provides very useful and detailed info on many subjects that NCL agents would not be able to do, or at least do accurately.

 

If there are specific questions about a specific ship or questions for those that have done both and feel willing to add their thoughts, then fine.