Who Would You Cruise With if NCL Doesn't Pull Through

[CruiseMH]

In case NCL should really disappear then it depends on whether i cruise with a friend or family or solo.

With friends or family i am open to all cruise lines and will choose based on the most interesting itinerary.

If cruising solo, i have no idea. I`ve done solo cruising only on NCL so far(cause they do care the most for solo travellers) and would have to do a lot of research in advance.

 

 

[GA Dave]

Savannah Yacht.  😁

 

https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury-charter-yacht-47976/savannah.htm
 

[sverigecruiser]

42 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Why must we cruise one line only? 

 

Why not if they give you what you want? We had no need to try anything else until NCL raised the Havenprices to an, for us, unacceptable level.

 

Now we know that MSCs Yacht Club give a much better value for our money.

[warburg]

Greetings from South Beach. I am a recent widow who sailed with my husband on sixty or more cruises. In recent years, NCL, Oceania and Regent have been our favorites. If all three disappear, my next cruise would be on MSC because it also sails from Miami. My next NCL, cruise, if it sails, is in February with my sister on the Bliss. Although very interested in a positive outcome, it will take time to sort out all the unintended consequences of the current situation.

Mary

[Gershep]

MSC, I have heard many good things from family members that have sailed them.

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

I am currently Platinum (almost to +) on NCL.  I have future cruises booked and Next cruise vouchers, so I have my fingers crossed that they make it.  However, if they should fail, and cruising is still a relatively safe venture, I will go with MSC again (Yacht Club only; don't think I'd be too keen on a regular cabin with them), and with Royal again (first line we ever sailed).  I have a Celebrity cruise booked in 2022, but have never sailed with them before (just wanted to try them out).  We have sailed with Princess, but my DH was NOT happy with them on our last try, so probably not on them.  I did see where Viking was now looking at Mississippi River cruises in 2022.....so they may get a look-see, too!  Carnival turned me off a few years ago when the norovirus onboard was met with a "meh" response from its CEO.  HAL always seemed too sedate for my taste, but who knows?

[4774Papa]

16 hours ago, Barcode78 said:

First let me preface my comments by saying that I am a big fan of NCL.  I have had minor issues in the past on cruises but they were just minor like you have during every vacation land or sea.  Every cruise I have been on has been quite enjoyable.

 

Here is my history of cruising in just 5 years.

Norwegian Jewel - December 2015

Freedom of the Seas - August 2016

Norwegian Escape - December 2017

Norwegian Getaway - September 2019

Norwegian Epic - December 2018

Norwegian Breakaway - September 2018 (booked but cancelled by NCL due to Hurricane Dorian)

Norwegian Breakaway - October 2018 (replaced previous cruise)

Norwegian Joy - January 2020

Norwegian Bliss - May 2020 (booked but cancelled by NCL due to current Pandemic - will fill out refund form when its available in 2 days)

Norwegian Breakaway - November 2020 (cancelled before final payment in July due to uncertainty - still waiting for $100.00 deposit to be refunded)

 

I hope that NCL survives and I will gladly sail with them again.  Just not departing with any more cash until I see many voyages go without issues or buzz killing safety precautions.  I can book a cabin by a lake and have more fun than wearing a mask in the dining room or having NCL employees wearing them.  I am not against safety precautions but I think it would take away from the vacation.

 

So back to the original question.  

 

Who will you cruise with if NCL is liquidated?  It's a hypothetical so just assume for the sake of the question that they are not doing any sailings.

 

My answer is I want to try all the major cruise lines at least once.  I have already done a Royal Carribean and liked it.  I think I would check out MSC next, then Carnival.

 

 

What do you think?

 

We have 7 NCL cruises, 11 on Celebrity and 2 on Royal C.    I always compare these three and Princess prior to booking.  I book early and don't want any promos, so NCL has not been competitive in the past couple of years.

 

Celebrity is our favorite and Royal would be our favorites.   I know a few fellow cruisers that have done MSC and they said it was terrible, especially the food.   I would consider Princess, but probably not Carnival.

[All-ready2cruise]

I'm pretty sure that NCL will pull through this horrid C-19, however, if I had to choose another line, it would be MSC.  My late DH and I cruised over 2016/17 New Years on the beautiful Divina.  Sophia Loren was everywhere and I loved it. 

 

The food, well, I agree it was not American food, it was very much Italian... what would you expect when cruising on a family owned Italian cruise ship?  However, my only problem was that, I'm allergic to tomatoes... 

 

But, there was so much food, cheese and crackers every evening, a bottle of wine on the table... usually red, again, I'm allergic to the Tannin found in their most popular wines. But, those who served our table were wonderful; if I couldn't find anything on the menu to eat, they would offer something that would suit me, no problem. 

 

Just like those who cruise on NCL and find fault with pretty much everything... I know we've all read those reviews, there are those who do the same on MSC.  We weren't one of those.  We really loved our cruise and had the privilege of meeting so many officers and really enjoyed talking with them.  My DH was a radio expert (2-way radio) and was invited to visit with the communications officer to exchange information .... he was thrilled!

 

Am I rambling? Yes. Why, because I have read about second-hand reviews from someone's friend's uncle's brother saying that they had a horrible time on NCL too.

 

Nuff said.

 

Bottom line, I'd be very happy to cruise on any cruise line that I felt suited my particular needs.  A cruise is a cruise. 

Cheers🥂 ;) 

 

[spanishguy1970]

Celebrity or Royal. I am not interested in Carnival at all.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Celebrity tends to be my other go-to.  Also may consider giving MSC a try...maybe.  

 

But I don't think NCL will go under.  If anything, the will restructure under a Chapter 11.  Time will tell.

[sunny aurora]

Viking is also starting Great Lakes cruises.  The Wisconsin tourism board was very happy that they chose Milwaukee as one of their homeports.  The trips are expensive though.

[PhillyTravelBug]

I will go with Celebrity most likely. We have a Mediterranean cruise booked with them on their new Apex ship for next month, but are just waiting for them to cancel.  It’s so sad to read about NCL’s hardship.  The last three cruises I’ve done have been on NCL and I really wanted to sail on Celebrity to see how they were and loved their new Edge class ships, so thought we would try them out.

[hallux]

11 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

I am not interested in Carnival at all

 

Same here.  I've seen a couple of their ships while in port on the same day as them, just from the outside I have no interest.  In seeing some videos the cabins seem so dark (inside cabins anyway) and outdated.  Maybe they were older ships, but I just don't have any interest.

 

1 minute ago, sunny aurora said:

The trips are expensive though.

 

Look at the existing line running cruises on US rivers, American Queen Steamboat Company, they're not cheap.  I'm sure a bunch of that has to do with the taxes and costs associated with them being US-flagged.

[sunny aurora]

Just now, hallux said:

 

Look at the existing line running cruises on US rivers, American Queen Steamboat Company, they're not cheap.  I'm sure a bunch of that has to do with the taxes and costs associated with them being US-flagged.

 

The ships for Viking Great Lakes cruises will not be US flagged.  They will start/end from the US, mostly Milwaukee and than start/end in Canada, mix of Thunder Bay and Toronto.

 

Look at POA, it's US flagged, and it costs way more than the average 7 day NCL cruise.  Honolulu is more expensive than most US cities.  The extra cost also comes from having to obey US labor laws and no casino.

[MAtravelbug]

I will most likely stick with celebrity, although I'd like to try some smaller more upscale ships as I think (maybe naively) that their hygiene will be better due to smaller amount of people and crew.  but aside from my upcoming NCL cruise booked a year ago, which I do hope is cancelled, I doubt I'll get on a  ship anytime soon.

[joeyancho]

The Staten Island Ferry is a wonderful cruise experience.  I took my first cruise on it. Great views of Manhattan Island and the Statue of Liberty.  It was $.50 then, but now it is free. You can bring your own wine onboard without any corkage fee. Also it is the only cruise ship still sailing and there is no muster drill. They port at two islands. Staten and Manhattan.  Bon Voyage.  

Edited May 7, 2020 by joeyancho

[GlamorousGirl]

NCL is my favorite, followed by RCL. But I wouldn’t rule out Carnival if I could get a much better price. Hoping NCL is around a good long time though

[Mrdodgy]

Easy question HAL as most  of the dream team from NCL are now there. If not MSC YC.

 

NCL have alienated so many regular cruisers they are going to find life difficult into the future. BTW we are 50 points short of Ambassador level and it means nothing!

[njkate]

I'm confident NCL will pull through, but if they didn't I guess either Royal or Virgin depending on itinerary and price

[AdoraBelle]

Virgin, if they can pull through and actually launch. 

[davy jones]

I must say that I spread out my cruises among a number of cruise lines.  Before the virus, we started to check out the lines that are the "next level up" like HAL, Celebrity, and Princess.  If the first cruise is an indication, they may better suit our needs than the larger, more crowded ships.

[dcipjr]

NCL might go bankrupt, but I would imagine that some form of them will emerge from this crisis. They've got a decent brand, and some people are loyal to their cruise lines. We like the Freestyle cruising model, so we'll want to stick with that.

 

We do have Platinum status, so if NCL reorganizes after bankruptcy, or someone else buys them and status-matches the Latitudes levels for existing members, that would come into consideration.

[beerman2]

I'd probably try MSC. Have done NCL (3), Carnival (7/8) and RCI (1). Can't forget my first 42 years ago on the "Emerald Seas". 😂😂

[Travelling2Some]

We've been very happy with Royal and Celebrity but have usually leaned towards Norwegian because the price was right, good entertainment is a priority for us and the "free" perks were worthwhile.   We've been on Carnival a few times but would  only consider longer sailings on their newer ships going forward.  Have not tried Princess but it seems like we would like them.  Probably would not try Holland because their reputation for shows is weak.   Itinerary, entertainment and price are the most important draws for us.

[samiam0403]

I've been working on trying new lines in the last year (cruised on Oceania and Costa for the first time), and am looking forward to trying Celebrity and Princess. As long as the NCL family sticks around, I'll keep sailing Oceania (LOVED my Oceania cruise), and I'll try Regent in the next year or two.