Carnival Cruiser Considering NCL - What Are The Biggest Differences?

[OnePsychLynne]

Hi everyone!

I'm a seasoned Carnival Cruiser but I'm seriously considering NCL for a British Isles cruise in 2023. If you've cruised Carnival before, can you please tell me what the biggest differences are between the two lines? (I remember other posters mentioning more pay dining venues on NCL, but I'm not sure how accurate that was). I appreciate your feedback! 

[Two Wheels Only]

What Carnival ships are your preference and which NCL ship are you considering?

[OnePsychLynne]

33 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

What Carnival ships are your preference and which NCL ship are you considering?

My favorite are the Spirit class ships but I've always liked the Fantasy class as well. I'm very sad to say I haven't been on the newer/ bigger ships. I'm looking at the Norwegian Dawn in September 2023.

[georgiafan]

CCL - Better / more fun CD, more included food,

 

NCLH - Less Nickle and diming (ex no lobster on formal night), better drink package options

[ProblemCruiser]

IMO, NCL is less of a "party" ship than Carnival is.  It's also a bit more refined in design and experience.  Cruise employees are great everywhere, of course.

 

 

 

 

[Seany527]

Carnival is more “fun” and louder music in a ‘go go go’ atmosphere. 
 

NCL has the potential to be on the louder side as well but you shouldn’t experience much of it on the Dawn. 
Food selections are pretty much the same but may be slightly higher quality.
Theater shows are more traditional with actual sets and props as oppose to Carnivals large flashy LCD screens. 

The crowd is slightly older than Carnival but not by much. Slightly less children as well. 
 

I really enjoyed my Carnival cruises but as I got older it was just too much energy for me. Even at dinner when I wanted to relax, I had waiters jumping on a table singing and dancing.

 

I don’t think you will be disappointed if you try NCL but for a while Carnival is going to feel like home to you.  

[kochleffel]

Opposite question for me: I'm considering a booking on Carnival. It's a TATL, so not likely to be a party cruise; most of the passengers will be retirement age or older.

 

[MoCruiseFan]

On 9/18/2021 at 9:55 PM, OnePsychLynne said:

Hi everyone!

I'm a seasoned Carnival Cruiser but I'm seriously considering NCL for a British Isles cruise in 2023. If you've cruised Carnival before, can you please tell me what the biggest differences are between the two lines? (I remember other posters mentioning more pay dining venues on NCL, but I'm not sure how accurate that was). I appreciate your feedback! 

Comparing CCL to NCL is like comparing a run down WalMart on Black Friday at 12:01 am to Bourdon House, Londona.  NCL ships are much cleaner, the food is far superior (especially late night if that is an issue), the crew is a lot friendlier, and the casino (again if it is an issue) is much much better.

[Oakman58]

For the most part the ships are similar but I think you'll like NCL.  The theater entertainment is much better on NCL.  O'Sheehan's is a 24/7 pub restaurant, one of my favorite place for lunch and late night food.  If you are a coffee drinker you will like that balcony and above cabins have a coffee maker in the room.  The coffee maker is the one thing I'm really going to miss when we cruise on the Glory next year.

[Sixtytwo]

We have been platinum on CCL for many years but have taken our most recent cruises on NCL. We totally enjoy NCL and are back on NCL again in April for a transatlantic. I think the two lines are pretty similar in ships, amenities, and food. Honestly, our complaint about CCL were the news stories about the garbage dumping and ships breaking down. Also, this will be our second TA which CCL does not offer on a regular basis, unless they have started since we were cruise searching.

 

My guess is that you will enjoy NCL. Ya never know until you try it! 😁

[Travelicious]

13 hours ago, kochleffel said:

Opposite question for me: I'm considering a booking on Carnival. It's a TATL, so not likely to be a party cruise; most of the passengers will be retirement age or older.

 

Same.  I'm an NCL regular thinking of trying Carnival.  Especially interested in one of their newer ships.

[cmecruise1962]

I was super Carnival loyal until I tried an NCL cruise in the Mediterranean...now I have been consistently cruising NCL.  I like the drink package and having more "upgrade' pay options for food and free style dining for the main dining room experience,  I do find the staff to be equally friendly...and I miss the martini bar on Carnival!  I also like not being limited to 15 alcoholic beverages!  I only hit the limit once...but it really pissed me off!

[Travelicious]

Just now, cmecruise1962 said:

I was super Carnival loyal until I tried an NCL cruise in the Mediterranean...now I have been consistently cruising NCL.  I like the drink package and having more "upgrade' pay options for food and free style dining for the main dining room experience,  I do find the staff to be equally friendly...and I miss the martini bar on Carnival!  I also like not being limited to 15 alcoholic beverages!  I only hit the limit once...but it really pissed me off!

If I had 15 I probably would not be able to get out of the bed for the rest of the cruise.  Back in the day I could probably do 15 beers and only be laid up for one day after.

[firefly333]

I'm considering ncl myself. Some new ship, Priva or some such name is coming to Galveston for a year the news says. I had trouble with my sign in last 2 days, dont know how someone elses email was in my profile. 

 

Right now a inside balcony is cheaper on allure than a solo cabin on this new ship. I dont really care about the extras offered or airfare. Hopefully prices comes down. 

 

I'm close to being a ex carnival myself with their marketing random good deals to people, not me because I'm booked. Pushed to rcl but glad to read ncl will be a 2nd choice. I'm loyal to Galveston not to a cruiseline. 

 

Interested in the new ship moving to Galveston for a year. ..though I hope ncl considers a longer stay. I tried it out of houston and then ncl went poof. 

[AstoriaPreppy]

One thing I've never understood is the fawning about the food on NCL. Especially in the MDR, Carnival tends to be much more flavor-forward and thought out. NCL proteins are almost always lower quality with less creative preparations. NCL's MDR has a luncheon banquet at the airport Holiday Inn sort of vibe to the food; passable but not really up to any other cruise line MDR. Carnival also has great lido deck dining: Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana are fantastic in comparison to NCL's burgers and hot dogs poolside.

 

Specialty restaurants are a must when we sail on NCL... we'll take whatever "free dining" package we get and then buy an additional package to make up the difference in days, so we can avoid the MDR as much as possible. If you're paying out of pocket, the NCL specialty dining restaurants are ridiculously priced and you always pay a la carte. 

 

I still think the Carnival specialties are better. Jiji far exceeds almost any specialty restaurant on NCL, and is a fraction of the price. 

[ray985]

I think in this case, it's less about Norwegian and Carnival in general and more about this specific sailing because it'd be a different story if you're on a new ship of 14-day cruise.

 

You mention a comparison of the Carnival Spirit and Norwegian Dawn. These are both relatively older/smaller ships, so they're gonna be comparable in most things. Typically, as most people mentioned, Carnival does have more of a fun/party/excitement attitude than Norwegian. 

 

One thing I definitely don't like about Norwegian is all the pay/specialty restaurants. Being a long time Carnival cruiser, I was spoiled that most of the dining was included, especially on the Spirit/Fantasy class ships you mention. While Norwegian has plenty of included options, there's a lot more that you have to pay extra for, and personally, I feel left out by not going to those. 

 

That's really the biggest thing to me. That being said, it won't be THAT much of a difference. Just have to be prepared for the extra expense or just skip out on the specialty restaurants. 

 

The site shows the included dining on a Spirit-class ship vs the Dawn

https://cruisespotlight.com/compare/carnival-pride-vs-norwegian-dawn

[firefly333]

I've only done ncl twice it seems, and once was a promotional and didnt count for loyalty pts. But I liked the food and thought it was better. Perhaps it was just a nice change for me. I liked the lunches and dinners in the Mdr. 

 

Not sure enough to pay 1500 for a solo cabin out of Galveston but i did like the food. 

[trivimp]

Food is so subjective.  I like the MDR offerings on NCL better than that of Carnival, but it's a pretty close contest.

 

Alchemy is by far the better bar concept, but NCL's bartenders are friendlier.

 

I'm not a fan of the over-the-top dancing waiters & Joe Farkas décor.  If that's your jam, then NCL might be too sedate for you.

 

NCL has much better entertainment offerings, especially in the evenings.  The big ships have Broadway style shows; the smaller ships have more of a variety/musical revue vibe, plus a lot of lounge acts scattered around the ship.

[graphicguy]

My last sailing right before shutdown was on a Carnival ship (have since sailed Celebrity upon restart).  I’m Platinum Latitudes on NCL.

 

Food, both specialty and free, goes to NCL.  Only exception was the “Chef’s Table” on the Carnival Vista, which was the best meal I’ve had on any cruise line…on any cruise ship.

 

Entertainment goes to NCL.  At least on NCL’s “-Away ships and up”, the entertainment is Broadway worthy, and is often shows that are/were Broadway productions.

 

Ships……at least the newer ones for both lines, are all quite nice.

 

But, unless I got a really good deal on Carnival, I’d pick NCL.  Throw a deal at me like I’ve seen elsewhere on Carnival (less than $100/nite) and I’d scoop it up without hesitation, though!

Edited September 25, 2021 by graphicguy

[zdcatc12]

20 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I'm considering ncl myself. Some new ship, Priva or some such name is coming to Galveston for a year the news says. I had trouble with my sign in last 2 days, dont know how someone elses email was in my profile. 

I'm close to being a ex carnival myself with their marketing random good deals to people, not me because I'm booked. Pushed to rcl but glad to read ncl will be a 2nd choice. I'm loyal to Galveston not to a cruiseline. 

Interested in the new ship moving to Galveston for a year. ..though I hope ncl considers a longer stay. I tried it out of houston and then ncl went poof. 

It is the Prima coming to Galveston. I am glad for them coming. We live in San Antonio and also enjoy going out of Galveston. Never been on RCCL, so we have only done Carnival from there.

 

 Interesting that you mention Houston, we were on the TA from Barcelona that ended up there. That was a nice cruise. I think they were there only two years. Not sure why they went there instead of Galveston at the time. The TA was in 2015.

[firefly333]

12 minutes ago, zdcatc12 said:

It is the Prima coming to Galveston. I am glad for them coming. We live in San Antonio and also enjoy going out of Galveston. Never been on RCCL, so we have only done Carnival from there.

 

 Interesting that you mention Houston, we were on the TA from Barcelona that ended up there. That was a nice cruise. I think they were there only two years. Not sure why they went there instead of Galveston at the time. The TA was in 2015.

I did ncl from houston once before it left. Houston port too isolated. Nothing fun to do. 

 

On allure they have inside city park balconies where you can touch the living wall of greenery. I got 2 of those booked, oasis I have one. The ones ending in 29 are double wide. I also wanted a boardwalk balcony and someone just posted pictures. It was on my bucket list and my TA booked the very end boardwalk balcony so I can see the dive shows and day shows sitting on my balcony. Allure is less obstructed because it isnt amped like oasis, but I have this very cabin booked for dec 2022. I had it feb 2023 but another cruise came up. Cant wait for this cabin. See the wake, the dive shows and the goings on in boardwalk. The title has wrong cabin no but fixed later in thread. I cant wait for allure and terminal 3 to get finished. If carnival doesnt want to treat me fair there are some awesome deals out there. Allure boardwalk for under $1300 solo, 1 tax included. To me so worth it for this view. Carnival can either offer me same as others or I will book rcl and ncl, their choice. I have some awesome cabins already booked. 

 

 

 

[zdcatc12]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

I did ncl from houston once before it left. Houston port too isolated. Nothing fun to do. 

 

On allure they have inside city park balconies where you can touch the living wall of greenery. I got 2 of those booked, oasis I have one. The ones ending in 29 are double wide. I also wanted a boardwalk balcony and someone just posted pictures. It was on my bucket list and my TA booked the very end boardwalk balcony so I can see the dive shows and day shows sitting on my balcony. Allure is less obstructed because it isnt amped like oasis, but I have this very cabin booked for dec 2022. I had it feb 2023 but another cruise came up. Cant wait for this cabin. See the wake, the dive shows and the goings on in boardwalk. The title has wrong cabin no but fixed later in thread. I cant wait for allure and terminal 3 to get finished. If carnival doesnt want to treat me fair there are some awesome deals out there. Allure boardwalk for under $1300 solo, 1 tax included. To me so worth it for this view. Carnival can either offer me same as others or I will book rcl and ncl, their choice. I have some awesome cabins already booked. 

 

 

 

Yeah, the Houston port was in the middle of nowhere. Now that our grandkids are getting older, we want to start taking them. I never been on Royal, may have to start, looks like they have some good deals out of Galveston. Thanks!!!

[Tail Gunner]

Beware of so called "Freebees" on Norwegian. The so called "free beverage" package has a daily gratuity added that you can not avoid.  

[Oakman58]

57 minutes ago, Tail Gunner said:

Beware of so called "Freebees" on Norwegian. The so called "free beverage" package has a daily gratuity added that you can not avoid.  

 

Yes you do have to pay the gratuity on the drink package but it is still a great deal.  On Carnival you would have to buy the Cheers package and also pay the additional 18% gratuity.

 

7 day cruise with the free beverage package on NCL costs $277.20 per couple.

7 day cruise with the Cheers package and gratuity is $858.20 per couple.  On the plus side it does include specialty coffee and bottled water.

 

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, Tail Gunner said:

Beware of so called "Freebees" on Norwegian. The so called "free beverage" package has a daily gratuity added that you can not avoid.  

Good to know as I'm not a drinker. I had cheers last week on vista and maybe had 5 or 6 drinks. If they charge grants on the whole pkg wouldnt be a deal at all for me. Thanks for the warning. I'll wait for the freebies to be removed.