NCL newbie needs ship advice (compare to ccl)

[BENHANDEL]

I apologize, but I do not have time to thoroughly scan the board to get all my questions answered...I am not a new cruiser, first cruised disney and then 4 on carnival, all with hubby and kids over last 6 years.  I am a researcher, but have limited time do invest before my current "deal" expires (and I assume its like CCL and the next "deal" will be just as good, but still.) 

 

Looking at the Pearl March 2021. Our kids would be 19, 16, 13, balcony and interior,  9073 and 9074. Would get all 5 "freebies." And OBC. 2:1 deposits.

 

Compared to carnival (Horizon, breeze, imagination/top, medium, poor), what will surprise us?  What will we/the kids love, what will we miss? What should we know before deciding? What do we need to know about the "freebies?"

 

Thanks in advance for any info (and avoiding the "you should read everything here before asking" lectures. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ColeThornton]

To find information on NCL perks, click on the deal on the NCL home page.  On the next page scroll all the way down to "Terms and Conditions".  That will tell you what is included/not included and how much the "free" perks will cost you.

 

Also if you have not done so already read the NCL FAQ's.  Lots of good info for newbs.

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq

[brookie848]

I have not been on the Pearl and I'm sure someone will be able to give you details on the ship. Please note, however, that the Pearl is one of NCL''s older/smaller ships. It is NOT a megaship and may be missing some of the amenities your kids would enjoy (multiple waterslides, go-karts, ropes course, etc.).

 

If you are looking for those types of activities to keep your kids occupied, then you are going to want to consider ships built after (and including) the Epic. This means Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Encore, Bliss, and Joy. They have various "fun" features for kids (some free, some with an additional cost). The newer ships also have more restaurants/bars.

 

One pain with the newer ships is that you will need reservations for shows, which you won't need to do on the Pearl.

 

If your kids enjoy just being on a cruise and don't need/expect all the bells and whistles of big ships, then you should be fine. While we've mainly cruised on the larger ships, we have enjoyed our two trips on the Dawn and loved the different show every night.

 

One thing to note about the larger ships -- often the inside cabins are NOT right across the hall from the balcony cabins -- they only appear that way. The door to these cabins is actually within an interior hallway. So if you do look at the larger ships, take that into consideration.

Edited May 27, 2020 by brookie848

[BENHANDEL]

2 hours ago, brookie848 said:

I have not been on the Pearl and I'm sure someone will be able to give you details on the ship. Please note, however, that the Pearl is one of NCL''s older/smaller ships. It is NOT a megaship and may be missing some of the amenities your kids would enjoy (multiple waterslides, go-karts, ropes course, etc.).

 

If you are looking for those types of activities to keep your kids occupied, then you are going to want to consider ships built after (and including) the Epic. This means Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Encore, Bliss, and Joy. They have various "fun" features for kids (some free, some with an additional cost). The newer ships also have more restaurants/bars.

 

One pain with the newer ships is that you will need reservations for shows, which you won't need to do on the Pearl.

 

If your kids enjoy just being on a cruise and don't need/expect all the bells and whistles of big ships, then you should be fine. While we've mainly cruised on the larger ships, we have enjoyed our two trips on the Dawn and loved the different show every night.

 

One thing to note about the larger ships -- often the inside cabins are NOT right across the hall from the balcony cabins -- they only appear that way. The door to these cabins is actually within an interior hallway. So if you do look at the larger ships, take that into consideration.

 

Super helpful. Thank you. We did one "small ship" on ccl and we said "never again," but we already had the "top MN of the line" ship at a comparison. Sounds like we would not be getting a fair sense of NCL if that is where we started. 

[TeresaJ]

We've been on several Carnival cruises and 2 NCL (on bigger ships Epic and Escape). Haven't been on Pearl but it probably compares to a Carnival medium sized ship. With teenagers, you're probably going to like some of the bigger ships on NCL.

We like the perks on NCL better. But we did miss some of the lunch offerings that we liked on Carnival (Guys burger, cantina, etc).

Good luck!

[sanger727]

We haven't sailed the Pearl but we did sail the Jade. We have also sailed on the Carnival Glory for comparison purposes. They are not super different. NCL is completely "freestyle" so there's no traditional dining. You can dine when you want, where you want, but reservations are recommended for the specialty restaurants. If the Pearl is like the Jade there were two MDR's plus a chinese restaurant and a 24 hour pub included in the price. One of the MDR's is casual and one has a dress code similar to most cruise lines. There's one theater that plays a different show every night. We prefer the entertainment on Norwegian. There is also a much large variety of specialty restaurants so if you book with the perks you'll get a certain number of nights included based on how long your cruise is. It only includes the first two people in the room so you'll want to get the specialty dining package for the 3rd in the room. We really enjoy Norwegian. But agree that it doesn't have the amenities of the mega ships.

[BelowDeck4us]

We were on the Jewel many years ago, followed a couple years ago on the Bliss, then most recently the Panorama.  Agree with most of the prior posts.  The Jewel class ships won't have the amenities & activities of the larger mega ships, so it all comes down to what do your kids like to do aboard ship?  How active are they and do they enjoy their food options?  Mega ships have more of both.  That doesn't mean or the other is better, but rather what do your kids like to do and eat aboard ship?  Research what each ship you're considering has to offer, then compare it to what keeps your kids entertained.  Though I wouldn't describe our son as particularly active, he definitely would tell you he likes the mega ships better and had no issue with larger crowds, which can be a drawback for some adults.  

[barb65]

I've sailed on the Pearl to Panama Canal. Nice ship, but older and a little worn. For your family, I suggest the Escape. Sailed the Escape three times and loved her. Your children would love the Escape. More for them to do.

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 5/27/2020 at 6:09 PM, BENHANDEL said:

Compared to carnival (Horizon, breeze, imagination/top, medium, poor), what will surprise us?

 

We've taken three NCL cruises, all on the Jewel class (like Pearl). Here are my big takeaways: 

 

1. NCL staterooms on the Pearl will be *breathtakingly* smaller than what you're used to on Carnival. For example an inside on the Pearl is 138 sq ft, on the Breeze, it's 185. An Oceanview on the Breeze is 220 sq ft, on the Pearl is 161 sq ft. These are major size differences I wasn't mentally prepared for on my first NCL cruise. 
    
2. The lobby/atrium on the NCL ships are generally smaller and less the center of everything. There's no soaring glass elevators with skylights. 
    
3. To put it politely, the Main Dining Room food on NCL is... a mixed bag. You can certainly eat on NCL, but the food is serviceable at best. Carnival tends to be much more adventurous and creative with their food, with bigger, bolder flavors, seasoning, and unique choices. For example, the Sea day Brunch on Carnival has huevos rancheros, avocado toast, steak and eggs, etc etc etc. NCL is much safer with options like "eggs with a choice of sides." 
    
4. The better food on NCL is in the specialty dining restaurants. When we've sailed NCL, we'll usually get the included complimentary dining, and then add on an additional dining package to make up the missing nights so at least we have decent options. On our first NCL cruise we didn't anticipate this, and ended up paying out of pocket to eat at specialty restaurants all other nights of the cruise.
    
5. That said, the specialty dining on NCL can be hit or miss., i.e. on one cruise they kept serving the escargot in Le Bistro with sugar on top. The complimentary Asian restaurant should be avoided. O'Shehans is pretty good bar/comfort food. The sushi is actually kind of good. Sometimes a restaurant that you've enjoyed one time will be awful the next time, and vice versa. It's not very consistent. 
    
6. There is no lobster on NCL, including specialty restaurants. There may be lobster in the Haven restaurant for suite guests,  but I don't remember. 
    
7. The Garden Cafe buffet on the smaller NCL ships doesn't have enough seating. Depending on the passenger mix, it can be quite competitive. 
    
8. NCL's Jewel class features the Great Outdoors, which is a lovely aft seating/bar/buffet dining space, behind the Garden Cafe. It's easily one of the best features of these ships. 
    
9. NCL's Jewel class features the Spinnaker Lounge, a great smaller show venue/observation lounge.
    
10. If you like comedy, there will be one single comedian for your entire voyage on a Jewel class ship. This is unlike Carnival where they have a ton of comedians popping out of the woodwork working multiple sets a night. 
     
11. We've had more service issues on NCL than on any other line.
     
12. The service on NCL seems to be the most disconnected compared to other lines we've sailed. For example, on one of our Carnival cruises, the bartender at the lobby bar learned our names the first day, and ended up creating special cocktails for my husband and I that we could order off menu. On another one of our Carnival cruises, our room steward asked if he could give us a hug at the end of the voyage. We've had the same sort of encounters on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Princess. This sort of guest interaction doesn't seem to happen for us on NCL. It's not bad service, it just tends to be very functional and utilitarian in comparison to the other lines. There's not a lot of making you feel special, or going the extra mile on NCL. 
     
13. NCL doesn't generally have additional enrichment on their ships. In some cases, this is a major miss. For example, in Alaska NCL doesn't have naturalists on board for the voyage, which all other cruise lines do (including Carnival). On Carnival and Princess, we'd get an announcement from the naturalist on the bridge when whales were spotted, along with an explantation of what we were seeing, the behaviors, other things to look for, etc. On NCL, we'd get the captain going "I think we might have maybe seen something so keep your eyes out." 
     
14. Also for Alaska: NCL seems to have the worst dock space, that sometimes requires a shuttle ride or walk into town. This is especially true in Juneau and Sitka. 
     
15. The vibe on NCL is much more relaxed in the evening. Carnival guests (despite the bad rap) can get quite dressed up for dinner, especially on whatever formal nights are called. NCL is much more t-shirt and shorts everywhere. I think Le Bistro has the strongest dress code, but even there they don't really enforce it. Compare this to dining on other lines where I've been turned away for wearing shorts to dinner. It's much easier to pack for an NCL cruise, because you can toss a few random things in a bag and you're set... the other lines usually require some level of planning.
     
16. The Haven/Suite experience is much more luxe on NCL than Carnival. We've sailed in an NCL suite, and had a butler and concierge, a separate restaurant reserved for breakfast and lunch, private escorts when we went to tender, and a much more exclusive experience than the general NCL voyage (and anything you'd find on Carnival).

 

 

[RHilla619]

I've had several cruises on Carnival and 2 on Norwegian in 2019. Enjoyed both lines for sure, I think something you'll notice is the decor of the Norwegian ships is more upscale, even the stateroom decor. If I understood your Carnival ship ratings and you thought the Imagination was "poor" you will also find the Pearl "poor". Pearl is an older, but nicely renovated ship that does not have all the bells and whistles that the newer ships have, just like the Imagination didn't have the bells and whistles that Horizon had. The Pearl doesn't have a fun water park with multiple slides, and only has one pool, I could see you're teenagers getting bored easily. I would look into some of the newer ships. I sailed Getaway and Escape and loved both, Joy and Encore have even more fun stuff for the teens. 

[barb65]

I forgot to add in my above post that when we sailed on the Pearl my daughter, who was in her late 40's at the time, felt like she was the youngest one on the ship. An exaggeration, of course, but there were very few young people on the Pearl. I think your teens would be very bored. Not much for them to do.

[BENHANDEL]

Thanks, all. We are looking back at a carnival ship for spring break (dream, we have been on a sister ship so know it well). The price point made me think it was a good time to try out norwegian, but I should start with a top ship the way I did with carnival horizon to get the fairest comparison. Going from a new/big carnival ship to an older/small ncl ship would not be a fair comparison. I just need to wait for one of my kids to move on with their own lives to fit into one room ncl. Haha!

[mugtech]

I would say the Horizon was a better structured ship with more choices than the Jewel class ships we have been on, and the lunch choices were a big plus.  The most disappointing aspect of the Horizon was the worst theatre we have been in on any ship plus the entertainment was inferior.  Having someone sing to recorded music in a bad theatre was not entertaining.  NCL entertainment, even on smaller ships, is much better than Horizon's TA choices.

[BENHANDEL]

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

I would say the Horizon was a better structured ship with more choices than the Jewel class ships we have been on, and the lunch choices were a big plus.  The most disappointing aspect of the Horizon was the worst theatre we have been in on any ship plus the entertainment was inferior.  Having someone sing to recorded music in a bad theatre was not entertaining.  NCL entertainment, even on smaller ships, is much better than Horizon's TA choices.

Thanks for that. I loved everything about horizon (especially how well they contained  the smoke from the casino!), but we knew to get to the theater early for good seats. The comedy club was lame compared to their other ships. 

 

[BENHANDEL]

On 5/30/2020 at 10:33 AM, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

We've taken three NCL cruises, all on the Jewel class (like Pearl). Here are my big takeaways: 

 

1. NCL staterooms on the Pearl will be *breathtakingly* smaller than what you're used to on Carnival. For example an inside on the Pearl is 138 sq ft, on the Breeze, it's 185. An Oceanview on the Breeze is 220 sq ft, on the Pearl is 161 sq ft. These are major size differences I wasn't mentally prepared for on my first NCL cruise. 
    
2. The lobby/atrium on the NCL ships are generally smaller and less the center of everything. There's no soaring glass elevators with skylights. 
    
3. To put it politely, the Main Dining Room food on NCL is... a mixed bag. You can certainly eat on NCL, but the food is serviceable at best. Carnival tends to be much more adventurous and creative with their food, with bigger, bolder flavors, seasoning, and unique choices. For example, the Sea day Brunch on Carnival has huevos rancheros, avocado toast, steak and eggs, etc etc etc. NCL is much safer with options like "eggs with a choice of sides." 
    
4. The better food on NCL is in the specialty dining restaurants. When we've sailed NCL, we'll usually get the included complimentary dining, and then add on an additional dining package to make up the missing nights so at least we have decent options. On our first NCL cruise we didn't anticipate this, and ended up paying out of pocket to eat at specialty restaurants all other nights of the cruise.
    
5. That said, the specialty dining on NCL can be hit or miss., i.e. on one cruise they kept serving the escargot in Le Bistro with sugar on top. The complimentary Asian restaurant should be avoided. O'Shehans is pretty good bar/comfort food. The sushi is actually kind of good. Sometimes a restaurant that you've enjoyed one time will be awful the next time, and vice versa. It's not very consistent. 
    
6. There is no lobster on NCL, including specialty restaurants. There may be lobster in the Haven restaurant for suite guests,  but I don't remember. 
    
7. The Garden Cafe buffet on the smaller NCL ships doesn't have enough seating. Depending on the passenger mix, it can be quite competitive. 
    
8. NCL's Jewel class features the Great Outdoors, which is a lovely aft seating/bar/buffet dining space, behind the Garden Cafe. It's easily one of the best features of these ships. 
    
9. NCL's Jewel class features the Spinnaker Lounge, a great smaller show venue/observation lounge.
    
10. If you like comedy, there will be one single comedian for your entire voyage on a Jewel class ship. This is unlike Carnival where they have a ton of comedians popping out of the woodwork working multiple sets a night. 
     
11. We've had more service issues on NCL than on any other line.
     
12. The service on NCL seems to be the most disconnected compared to other lines we've sailed. For example, on one of our Carnival cruises, the bartender at the lobby bar learned our names the first day, and ended up creating special cocktails for my husband and I that we could order off menu. On another one of our Carnival cruises, our room steward asked if he could give us a hug at the end of the voyage. We've had the same sort of encounters on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Princess. This sort of guest interaction doesn't seem to happen for us on NCL. It's not bad service, it just tends to be very functional and utilitarian in comparison to the other lines. There's not a lot of making you feel special, or going the extra mile on NCL. 
     
13. NCL doesn't generally have additional enrichment on their ships. In some cases, this is a major miss. For example, in Alaska NCL doesn't have naturalists on board for the voyage, which all other cruise lines do (including Carnival). On Carnival and Princess, we'd get an announcement from the naturalist on the bridge when whales were spotted, along with an explantation of what we were seeing, the behaviors, other things to look for, etc. On NCL, we'd get the captain going "I think we might have maybe seen something so keep your eyes out." 
     
14. Also for Alaska: NCL seems to have the worst dock space, that sometimes requires a shuttle ride or walk into town. This is especially true in Juneau and Sitka. 
     
15. The vibe on NCL is much more relaxed in the evening. Carnival guests (despite the bad rap) can get quite dressed up for dinner, especially on whatever formal nights are called. NCL is much more t-shirt and shorts everywhere. I think Le Bistro has the strongest dress code, but even there they don't really enforce it. Compare this to dining on other lines where I've been turned away for wearing shorts to dinner. It's much easier to pack for an NCL cruise, because you can toss a few random things in a bag and you're set... the other lines usually require some level of planning.
     
16. The Haven/Suite experience is much more luxe on NCL than Carnival. We've sailed in an NCL suite, and had a butler and concierge, a separate restaurant reserved for breakfast and lunch, private escorts when we went to tender, and a much more exclusive experience than the general NCL voyage (and anything you'd find on Carnival).

 

 

 

Thank you so much for that thorough compare an contrast! You really hit all the things we have liked about carnival! 

 

We have officially booked on carnival for spring break, on a ship I know and and known port stops. And the price for 2  balconies was still about $800 less than The norwegian pearl with one balcony and an interior. I still want to try norwegian someday but will wait until we can splurge on a flagship offering and/or haven. Thank you!

[brovol]

I have been on at least five cruises on each of those lines, and while they each have some pros and cons, I think they are close to equal, with NCL getting a slight nod from me, primarily because I like the freestyle approach with NCL.  If you are comparing full suites for each line, however, NCL dominates in a big way, especially with regard to Haven suites.  Carnival has nothing which matches the Haven; at least that I am aware of.

 

Very subjective, but my wife and I probably prefer Carnival's food and food options over NCL.  I also think, on average, Carnivals cabins tend to be perhaps a bit better.  NCL has some small balconies on some of its ships.

 

Both lines are very mainstream, and I think are a bit more crowded, and perhaps slightly less refined than Princess, for example.  I think NCL and Carnival have probably the youngest and most diverse passengers of the big cruise lines.

 

I wouldn't base your choice on the free at see promo, unless you are a huge drinker.  There are some pros and cons to the "value" of the FAS deal, and you are required to pay gratuities on top of everything else.  You may want to consider a "sailaway" rate, which is one that doesn't include the FAS, and is a lot cheaper, for the same cabin.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by brovol

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 6/3/2020 at 8:14 AM, brovol said:

I wouldn't base your choice on the free at see promo, unless you are a huge drinker. 

 

Re: beverage package differences between the lines.

 

• If you book under Free at Sea, NCL provides the beverage package for "free," however they charge gratuities on what you'd pay in cash for the package, which is around $100 a day. That means you're paying around $20 for the beverage package out of pocket, per day, using free at sea.
• I think NCL is the only cruise line that charges gratuities on their "free" inclusions... Celebrity tried for a while and there was a major backlash. 
• NCL+"free at sea" is often quite a bit more expensive than Carnival+"paying for the carnival beverage package out of pocket." 
• Carnival (and other carnival-owned brands) limits you to 15 alcoholic beverages a day, only one drink at a time, and they tend to enforce the no buying drinks for other people rule. 
• NCL is much *much* looser with their beverage package: you can order a beer and a shot simultaneously, there's no limit on drinks, and crew could care less if you're buying a round of drinks for a group using the beverage package.