HAL vs NCL

[esimon]

any loyal HAL fans ever done NCL - encore -   opinions please.   looking at 21 days in April

[crystalspin]

I have not sailed on a larger NCL ship but did the Panama Canal on the Star in 2013. At the time I had only sailed on one smaller HAL ship (twice), as well, but the differences were night and day. HAL had fresh flowers/orchids, NCL had plastic flowers crusted with dust. Every HAL employee is there to make you feel special; not one NCL staff member stood out at all, and our room steward was absolutely sullen. We sailed NCL over Thanksgiving and so were there for the putting up of Xmas decor, comprised of elementary school cutouts taped haphazardly to the walls.

 

People say that, well, the Star was old and the new ships are different and better. If a company can't maintain every ship they sail, I will not give them another chance. I am now 3-star on HAL and will be 4* after next cruise.

[vswan]

Took an NCL cruise in February and just got off a HAL cruise this morning. We were on the Escape. The ship was beautiful and we enjoyed the open bar, etc. But both of us said that if the ship had been full we would have been waiting for things  - elevators, hot tubs, etc.- we were lucky enough to be on a ship that had more crew than passengers. We did really like O'Sheehan's for anytime eating and The District Brewhouse was a fun place to try new beers. Shows are generally better on NCL, but we had some Covid cancellation issues and our schedule was very spotty. HAL seems to fit us better - we are not up late at night, generally barely drink enough to justify gratuities, enjoy a smaller ship and food is important to us - although I have to say I wasn't impressed with most of the dinner menus on this last HAL cruise.

 

We are not loyal to any cruiseline. We watch for a good itinerary at a good price when we want to go.

[Norseh2o]

We spent many days & nights on NCL ships (Platinum Plus members), we especially loved the gem class ships, we are not fans of large ships of any cruise line. We have a few HAL cruises. Our 35 days on HAL’s Zuiderdam in March, 2022 were great, the crew was the best of any cruise ever,  pre or post Covid pandemic. The food on HAL might be a bit better than NCL, big stage entertainment is similar, we prefer pianos and string intimate shows. When HAL or NCL have good itineraries from the west coast of the USA, we will definitely consider but we have found a better fit for our time & money and have reserved all of our future cruises  with a line with smaller ships & passenger count  (670-1250 people) cruise ships. 

[PROCRUISE]

14 hours ago, crystalspin said:

I have not sailed on a larger NCL ship but did the Panama Canal on the Star in 2013. At the time I had only sailed on one smaller HAL ship (twice), as well, but the differences were night and day. HAL had fresh flowers/orchids, NCL had plastic flowers crusted with dust. Every HAL employee is there to make you feel special; not one NCL staff member stood out at all, and our room steward was absolutely sullen. We sailed NCL over Thanksgiving and so were there for the putting up of Xmas decor, comprised of elementary school cutouts taped haphazardly to the walls.

 

People say that, well, the Star was old and the new ships are different and better. If a company can't maintain every ship they sail, I will not give them another chance. I am now 3-star on HAL and will be 4* after next cruise.

Wow, we might have been on the same vessel (The Star) and same itinerary (Panama Canal) and around the same year. The itinerary, of course, was phenomenal but the NCL Star was the worst cruise experience I have ever had on the 40 cruises I've taken so far. Staff had a "who cares attitude" and the food in the MDR was so poor, consistently, that we loved ports of call so we could get off the ship and eat! That being said, I must admit we gave NCL one more chance on the NCL Sun and it was very nice but not good enough to ever get me back on NCL. I'm a big fan of HAL and Celebrity. The atmospheres, service, food, and fellow passengers always seems like exactly what I enjoy most. However, to each his own.

[gknep]

I'm Platinum with NCL and only 2 Star with HAL. I've sailed on Oosterdam, Eurodam, and Koningsdam with HAL and Sky, Star, Pearl, Jewel, and Encore with NCL. The Encore is bigger than anything HAL has and is a very nice ship with more modern design elements vs the classic elements of HAL.  IT has lots of different venues and spaces. HAL makes better use of outside public space at the aft of the ship where that space is taken up by go carts and laster tag on the Encore.  At the forward part of the ship the  Encore Observation lounge is unbeatable. I've experienced good service on both lines but HAL does it a little better. HAL main dining room food and buffet food is a little better. NCL has more variety in food. On the  Encore the Indian food at the buffet is outstanding. NCL has far more specialty dining venues. Depending on how many passengers are aboard reservations become important for some of the dining venues.  A big difference between the lines is their approach to entertainment. NCL has better Broadway style shows while HAL has Music Row. There is also a lot more activities going on during the day on NCL. The Encore does not have a full promenade deck you can walk around but it does have the Waterfront where you can walk about 3/4 of the way around and encounter outdoor bars and restaurant seating. I'll be in the Encore again this fall and back on HAL next October. 

[CruiseMGM]

14 hours ago, vswan said:

<snip>

We are not loyal to any cruiseline. We watch for a good itinerary at a good price when we want to go.

 

This statement is a definite! I think the itineraries are the most important to us. That said, we've sailed (mostly) HAL, then Celebrity, NCL and RCCL. As far as NCL goes, we've sailed the Star, Dawn and Spirit, for (respectively) Panama Canal, Canada/NE and Mediterranean. We liked all 3 cruises, and someone mentioned O'Sheehan's, which we quite liked. Unfortunately, the buffet on NCL reminds me of a high school cafeteria and we weren't impressed. The rest of the dining on the cruise didn't stand out much. We didn't do shows much. I agree with another poster in that HAL staff always seem to be so nice and friendly .........and capable and efficient. But if there's a good itinerary on an NCL ship, I'd jump on it! Good luck with your choice!

[Mary229]

NCL was my first choice until they went to all large ships.  I enjoyed their nightlife much more and the food was pretty good also.  It was a bit more casual and more lively than HAL.  
 

when I could find the time to do longer voyages, over 2 weeks, HAL became my preference.  
 

if you don’t mind the larger ships and the itinerary suits you I think NCL is a great option for a tropical cruise 

[Aquahound]

On 4/26/2022 at 8:56 AM, esimon said:

any loyal HAL fans ever done NCL - encore -   opinions please.   looking at 21 days in April

 

The biggest problem with those ships is they are VERY crowded.  The main public areas are so crowded, they are borderline chaotic.  

 

That said, they are a ton of fun and the entertainment is excellent.  The Waterfront is really nice and I loved the outdoor specialty dining.  You gotta reserve everything early though.

 

The included drinks and specialty dining are nice.  Just be sure to read the fine print.  Those Free at Sea options come with gratuity charges that are added to your cruise fare.  Still a good deal, but not "free" as they advertise.

 

I say go for it.  Different is good and the ships are amazing.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

What has not been brought up is Suites. I am so close to being 5 star with HAL I can feel it lol but I am also only one cruise away from being Platinum Plus with NCL. I personally love the bigger ships with NCL. Been on the Encore sister ship Bliss two times. Most recently this past November. Crew I would rate  in most case equal except I would give the edge to NCL especially when it comes to Suites. My last cruise with HAL was last September in a Neptune Suite. There is night and day difference between the two Suite products with NCL Haven making HAL look like it never looked to the Future of Suites. Pricing is pretty much the same comparing NCL to HAL for Suites.

As many have said NCL's entertainment is far superior to HAL with far more activities going on. Often there are mroe things to do than you can do in a day. I find my self lazy on HAL and going to bed right after dinner. With NCL that has not been the case.

I also loved the various dining options. I know that food is very subjective but...One of the reasons we stayed cruising with HAL from when we took our first HAL cruise in 2003 was their food quality. There would be times over the years we found things different and not consistant from ship to ship but for the most part the next cruise it would improve once again. I will say that prior to the shut down we were seeing a decline in quality and were not thrilled. After the return in the two HAL cruises we took we fond the decline to be even more obvious. Which was dissappointing. But with with all our sailings on NCL food has always been very consistant, not at all like HAL. The interesting thing is this past November we found the food on NCL to be amazing and even better than before if that is even possible. But it could be because it was just a few weeks after getting off the Nieuw Amsterdam and the food was just so much better. I had a Lobster Thermidore in Le Bistro and every mouthful I just kept saying OMG this is amazing.

As for the bigger ships, the interesting thing with Encore that is the exact same as Bliss is while it is bigger and looks huge from the outside, on the Inside it is very easy to navigate and and does not at all feel like it is huge. And Yes the Observation Deck forward is like the old days of the Crows Nest but on Steroids. It is amazing even at full capacity it never feels crowded. They even have a small buffet up there that is open all day. Many love to go up there for a light breakfast to watch coming into port in the morning. It is absoultely stunning up there. I am booked to sail on the Encore in February 2023 and very much looking forward to it. 

[albingirl]

16 minutes ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

What has not been brought up is Suites. I am so close to being 5 star with HAL I can feel it lol but I am also only one cruise away from being Platinum Plus with NCL. I personally love the bigger ships with NCL. Been on the Encore sister ship Bliss two times. Most recently this past November. Crew I would rate  in most case equal except I would give the edge to NCL especially when it comes to Suites. My last cruise with HAL was last September in a Neptune Suite. There is night and day difference between the two Suite products with NCL Haven making HAL look like it never looked to the Future of Suites. Pricing is pretty much the same comparing NCL to HAL for Suites.

As many have said NCL's entertainment is far superior to HAL with far more activities going on. Often there are mroe things to do than you can do in a day. I find my self lazy on HAL and going to bed right after dinner. With NCL that has not been the case.

I also loved the various dining options. I know that food is very subjective but...One of the reasons we stayed cruising with HAL from when we took our first HAL cruise in 2003 was their food quality. There would be times over the years we found things different and not consistant from ship to ship but for the most part the next cruise it would improve once again. I will say that prior to the shut down we were seeing a decline in quality and were not thrilled. After the return in the two HAL cruises we took we fond the decline to be even more obvious. Which was dissappointing. But with with all our sailings on NCL food has always been very consistant, not at all like HAL. The interesting thing is this past November we found the food on NCL to be amazing and even better than before if that is even possible. But it could be because it was just a few weeks after getting off the Nieuw Amsterdam and the food was just so much better. I had a Lobster Thermidore in Le Bistro and every mouthful I just kept saying OMG this is amazing.

As for the bigger ships, the interesting thing with Encore that is the exact same as Bliss is while it is bigger and looks huge from the outside, on the Inside it is very easy to navigate and and does not at all feel like it is huge. And Yes the Observation Deck forward is like the old days of the Crows Nest but on Steroids. It is amazing even at full capacity it never feels crowded. They even have a small buffet up there that is open all day. Many love to go up there for a light breakfast to watch coming into port in the morning. It is absoultely stunning up there. I am booked to sail on the Encore in February 2023 and very much looking forward to it. 

We like NCL for many of the same reasons you stated.  The entertainment is great, and the specialty dining is very good, as well.  I can't complain about HAL dining, particularly after our recent sailing on NS, but NCL does a wonderful job as well.  One thing we loved, was the poolside music on NCL.  Even if it was just motown, it got people up dancing mid day.  Alot of fun.

[misha227]

I've only been on NCL once, on one of their smaller ships, the Dawn. The crew were attentive and friendly and in this, they were almost as good as HAL. The ship was in good condition for her age. It was laid out tolerably well and we were able to find our way around easily for the most part (only ended up in the kids' club or arcade twice).

However, I felt the food in the MDR was subpar. There were some dishes that were very good, but there were more misses than hits and the quality ranged so widely that this became a big liability in my eyes. They want you to pay in order to eat in the specialty restaurants, so they purposely cut corners in the main dining rooms, is my conclusion. They do not have enough capacity to serve all pax in the main dining rooms plus the buffet if they all decided to eat there, at any rate. We did try several of the specialty restaurants because of the "free-pay-only-the-gratuities" promotion and they were quite good.

The buffet was also poor in my estimation, mainly because the food was hardly ever served at an appropriate temperature unless you had the cooked-to-order items like omelettes or pasta. They have a heated base and heat lamps, but they do not have steam tables; this does not keep the food at a proper temperature and it was usually cold by the time I made it back to my table and began to eat. (I do not walk THAT slowly!) I never observed any crew member conducting a temperature check on any buffet dishes, either.

Finally, and I realize this is a risk we took traveling during COVID, but this was at the height of the Omicron surge and it was clear before we sailed that several stops were not going to allow us to stop there (San Juan and two Southern Caribbean ports). There were 6 stops on our itinerary, and we only made one of the original stops. Four were replaced with other stops, and one was replaced with a sea day. The sailing after ours, and after that, and after that, and then I stopped checking...all of those were cancelled. They should have cancelled ours, as well, as they knew before sailing that at least 3 of the 6 ports were not going to allow us to go ashore. (This was public knowledge, having been covered by major news outlets.) They would not allow us to cancel even though we had booked under their "COVID book with confidence" guarantee, or whatever it was called. We had planned exciting experiences on several of these stops--swimming with the dolphins, a zip-line over a forested canopy, and a horseback ride on land and into the Caribbean ocean--and yet the shore excursions that they were able to offer on short notice consisted only of drives around the island, beach breaks, and catamaran rides with snorkeling. While there's nothing inherently wrong with any of these, they were in no way comparable to what we had planned. Also, I do realize the captain can skip a port or replace one if necessary. I expect this to be limited, however, and not to happen for FIVE ports out of SIX on a single itinerary!

We were offered no compensation--I expected only a future cruise credit--and when I filed a complaint I was simply told the contract allows them to substitute ports for any reason they see fit. Technically true, but this was not the cruise I had signed up for nor paid a pretty penny for. I will not be sailing with NCL again, no matter how good their deals seem. In the end, it was not that great of a deal and the experience was not up to the expectations I have from my experiences with HAL.

If you enjoy NCL, that's great! Have fun!

 

[gelo7]

I really love the Haven experience on NCL.

[crystalspin]

The only reason I even tried NCL was the price. After all, for a Panama Canal cruise (when you've never done the region so all ports are new) -- one itinerary is as good as another. But we could get a balcony for the price of an inside on HAL! We set foot on the balcony exactly once, during the transit, and it was so hot and humid it drove us back inside for a nap! Also the room itself was shabby...

 

With COVID, a balcony is more desirable, but be advised it could be too hot or too cold to get much use from it! We have bitten the bullet and booked a verandah cabin on HAL.

[esimon]

On 4/30/2022 at 8:07 AM, gelo7 said:

I really love the Haven experience on NCL.

but you pay a lot more for that - correct?

[LAFFNVEGAS]

27 minutes ago, esimon said:

but you pay a lot more for that - correct?

No more than a Neptune Suite on HAL, often depends on the ship for pricing. But the Haven Suites and amenities are a World apart from HAL Neptune Suites. Pretty much the same can be said for Celebrity Cruises Retreat and MSC Yacht Club. For those that want to spend the money they get so much more with other lines than with what they pay for a Neptune Suite with HAL.

[Aquahound]

3 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

No more than a Neptune Suite on HAL, often depends on the ship for pricing. But the Haven Suites and amenities are a World apart from HAL Neptune Suites. Pretty much the same can be said for Celebrity Cruises Retreat and MSC Yacht Club. For those that want to spend the money they get so much more with other lines than with what they pay for a Neptune Suite with HAL.

 

Totally agree.  NCL and the Royal Caribbean brands do FAR better with their suites programs than HAL and the other mainstream Carnival brands.

[darstamp]

For various reasons I look for cruises sailing out of Vancouver.  I have Platinum Status on NCL but can't use it because they have moved their base to Seattle.  HAL and Princess offer me lots of choices and each cruise line has their strengths and weaknesses for me.  I loved NCL, found it upbeat, fun and reasonable.  I have done one cruise on Princess, lots of things to like but extremely overcrowded.  Am booked on a second in the fall.  I have done one cruise on HAL and found the ship beautiful, loved the musical choices, the Educational sessions were interesting, it's just a little more staid than NCL.  I am booked on another next month.  I have wonderful memories of my cruises on NCL and wish I could go again.  

[farjar]

We are platinum on Norwegian and loved everything about them until they changed their pricing. Before you could book a cruise then add the extras you wanted.  Now everything is "FREE" which is not the case.  As platinum level we get two specialty dining nights, $50 off excursions and wifi as part of our benefit.  We are not drinkers so the open bar is of no interest to us.  If we decline the "FREE" offers all we save are the added gratuities.  It does not change the price of the cruise. It makes no sense for us to pay for things we are already getting, do not need more of, or are not interested in.  As long as this policy is in place we will be sailing with HAL or Carnival.  

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, farjar said:

We are platinum on Norwegian and loved everything about them until they changed their pricing. Before you could book a cruise then add the extras you wanted.  Now everything is "FREE" which is not the case.  As platinum level we get two specialty dining nights, $50 off excursions and wifi as part of our benefit.  We are not drinkers so the open bar is of no interest to us.  If we decline the "FREE" offers all we save are the added gratuities.  It does not change the price of the cruise. It makes no sense for us to pay for things we are already getting, do not need more of, or are not interested in.  As long as this policy is in place we will be sailing with HAL or Carnival.  

I wonder what the reaction would be if you posted this same post over on the NCL section of cruisecritic.

[esimon]

On 5/1/2022 at 1:09 PM, LAFFNVEGAS said:

No more than a Neptune Suite on HAL, often depends on the ship for pricing. But the Haven Suites and amenities are a World apart from HAL Neptune Suites. Pretty much the same can be said for Celebrity Cruises Retreat and MSC Yacht Club. For those that want to spend the money they get so much more with other lines than with what they pay for a Neptune Suite with HAL.

so true - i just don't pay for suites or special areas -   

[gelo7]

On 5/1/2022 at 4:53 PM, Aquahound said:

 

Totally agree.  NCL and the Royal Caribbean brands do FAR better with their suites programs than HAL and the other mainstream Carnival brands.

Without a doubt!!

[Kamfish642]

We are NCL Platinum Plus, now Sapphire, under loyalty program.  We always enjoyed NCL but after sailing on several of their larger vessels we found them too overcrowded and busy.  As mentioned by previous NCL veterans, we really enjoyed the medium-sized Jewel class ships (Jewel, Gem, Pearl and Jade).  Something changed with NCL when they formed NCL Holding Co. (NCL, Oceana and Regent).

 

We have recently sailed twice on HAL (Neiuw Amsterdam and Eurodam) and are scheduled to sail on the new Rotterdam in July.  While we do the atmosphere on HAL a little to sedate, as we have gotten older, we do enjoy more of the classic style cruising HAL offers.  However, everyone's tastes are different, and of course cost may be a factor.  So I would say go try NCL, possibly the Haven which will get you away from the hustle of the larger ships.

[dockman]

NCL newer ships have lots of extra charge dinning options....and not so many included dining options.  My experience was that this creates such a big demand for the "free" options that they are super crowded and a pain in the butt to deal with reservations long lines crowds etc to the point a lot of people just give up and go pay extra to eat.  NCL is moving more and more towards charging extra for most anything you want to include cover charges for some bars.  While some may like this ultimate "nickle and diming "to death (more like twenty and fortying"  I prefer a more traditional cruise where i don't have to deal with upcharges/ala carte, etc bills ...if i want that i can go to Vegas and pay ala carte for everything.

 

The original idea of upcharge dining like a pinnacle was that there are a lot of people celebrating anniversaries birthdays etc and it would be nice to offer an upcharge restaurants for those people to have an extra special evening....as it turns out a lot of people apparently don't mind spending another few hundred dollars a week on special dining so naturally if there is a demand a cruise line will figure a way to take the $$.  NCL has taken it to a new level.

[maxmtex]

My wife and I have sailed the six larger cruiselines mentioned by many. Carnival, Princess, Royal, Holland, NCL, and Celebrity have made up the majority of our cruises (63 to date).  We've enjoyed every one of them, often for different reasons (food, a special server, new "play" options onboard, layout), so I won't denigrate NCL or any of these companies.

 

What we are learning is that as we age (we are 64 and 60), is that we appreciate the more sedate atmosphere, and the more mature passengers, we see on Holland and Celebrity.  We like to dress up, so Holland gala nights are fun, and we like the Music corridor on many Holland ships.  

 

NCL has been fun when we go with our kids or large groups, but it is quite active, at times crowded, and the dining does need some pre-planning to get best value.

 

Any cruise is awesome, but Holland and Celebrity seem to be fitting us better now.  We utilize balcony rooms on most cruises, and have only done suites a few times on Royal (where we have Diamond Plus status).