Norwegian vs Celebrity

[Mississippian]

Celebrity is head and shoulders better than NCL. Costs more, too.

[cruiseny4life]

10 hours ago, Mississippian said:

Celebrity is head and shoulders better than NCL. Costs more, too.

Why is Celebrity so much better? I'm sure everyone here would love to know, so that we can compare to our NCL experiences. 

Thanks!

[cruiseny4life]

11 hours ago, Mississippian said:

Celebrity is head and shoulders better than NCL. Costs more, too.

Just saw that you posted your thoughts on your first NCL cruise. Thanks for doing that. It's a nice review. 

[graphicguy]

Celebrity head and shoulders better than NCL?   I don’t know about that.  Some things they’re better at, some things they aren’t.

 

Celebrity’s new ships are gorgeous.  Their entertainment, not bad, but nowhere near what NCL has.

 

Already did a compare and contrast, so won’t repeat myself.

 

As always, it depends on what you’re looking for.

[Mississippian]

6 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Celebrity head and shoulders better than NCL?   I don’t know about that.  Some things they’re better at, some things they aren’t.

 

Celebrity’s new ships are gorgeous.  Their entertainment, not bad, but nowhere near what NCL has.

 

Already did a compare and contrast, so won’t repeat myself.

 

As always, it depends on what you’re looking for.

You are right, everything is subjective. I thought the NCL food was pretty bad in the MDR and awful in the buffet. I didn't get to see much entertainment because everything was sold out or required long waits in lines. When I was a kid I thought the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta was the greatest thing ever, and the newer Celebrity ships have that same "Wow" factor.

[vswan]

Have cruised on nearly all of the standard cruise lines. At one time I would have put Celebrity as number 1, followed closely by HAL and Princess, with all of the others tied below those. We would generally book based on price, itinerary and the week we were looking at. Attended shows nightly and basically ate in the MDR.

 

Now, I'm not sure that anyone who hasn't cruised lately on both lines can answer your question. All of the cruise lines have needed to make cuts following covid to try and stay in business. What I remember liking about a certain cruise line may no longer be applicable. Add to that the variables from ship to ship.

 

I will say this about NCL which I have cruised (Escape) on since covid - the food was better than it was a number of years ago. The ship was very nice, the entertainment was good and even though not big drinkers it was nice to have the drink package - which was reasonable since the gratuities were like purchasing about 2-3 drinks per day. Really enjoyed District Brew House and H2O Spice, the specialty dinners included - gratuities minimal - gave a nice break from the MDR.

 

Only you can decide what cruise line will work for you - depends on what your priorities are. I am again going on NCL this summer. Traveling with my grandson and felt it was a better fit than Celebrity, HAL or Princess.

[rjrpar]

On 5/9/2023 at 9:38 AM, Liljo22 said:

I love NCL but just be aware that you are comparing a premium cruise line with a mass market one.  You can have a great time as long as you understand some of the services are going to be a step down from what you expect from Celebrity.  I don't think the step down is far but if you go in trying to compare Celebrity and NCL item by item, you might be disappointed.  

We’ve been on Celebrity 5 times, most recently in March ‘23 and  it is not a premium cruise line.  Same cruise experience as RCCL or Princess

[psuboater]

1 hour ago, rjrpar said:

We’ve been on Celebrity 5 times, most recently in March ‘23 and  it is not a premium cruise line.  Same cruise experience as RCCL or Princess

Agreed, and we've also been on Celebrity 5 times. Back in the late 00s-mid 10s? It was a noticeable difference (I remember the sushi station had so many different options of fresh fish!). Now- it's NCL/RCCL level. To get true premium, I think you have to look to the luxury brands these days. 

[BettyCruiser]

Since no one has mentioned yet, NCL has the highest daily service charge, gratuities, after the last increase and shortly after that increase has reduced stateroom service to once a day. Celebrity still services your stateroom twice a day for a lower daily gratuity. 

 

I prefer Celebrity, my next cruise is on Silhouette out of Southampton. My last cruise was NCL Joy and I enjoyed it after all my precruise purchases were finally honored after way too much time spent at guest services during the first 4 days of the cruise. 

[MSUjohn]

10 hours ago, Mississippian said:

I thought the NCL food was pretty bad in the MDR and awful in the buffet. ............When I was a kid I thought the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta was the greatest thing ever, and the newer Celebrity ships have that same "Wow" factor.

i have found NCL's main dining room to be very good with the buffet being ok (it is a buffet) but there are always one or two stellar dishes available.

 

i have seen tours of the new celebrity ships and if by wow you mean ostentatious, then yes.

 

 

[Mississippian]

46 minutes ago, MSUjohn said:

i have found NCL's main dining room to be very good with the buffet being ok (it is a buffet) but there are always one or two stellar dishes available.

 

i have seen tours of the new celebrity ships and if by wow you mean ostentatious, then yes.

 

 

There has reportedly been a huge decline in food quality on ALL of the mass-market cruise lines since Jan. 1, 2023. I never found the "stellar" dishes on the buffet; the four or five dishes I tried, other than bacon, sausage, and pizza were one-bite bad. I didn't starve, and there were things I liked about the cruise. It's hard for me not to have a good time. But my experience on other cruise lines has been better. If the price is right, I'll cruise NCL again, but at the same price point, my choice is Princess or Celebrity, without a doubt.

[graphicguy]

7 hours ago, MSUjohn said:

i have found NCL's main dining room to be very good with the buffet being ok (it is a buffet) but there are always one or two stellar dishes available.

 

i have seen tours of the new celebrity ships and if by wow you mean ostentatious, then yes.

 

 

Usually don’t dine in the MDR.  Did so On my Bliss cruise a few weeks ago, it was quite good.  

 

Would drop by Garden Cafe for a burger or hot dog..also very good.  Someone mentioned the Prime Rib in the buffet being good, too!

Edited May 13, 2023 by graphicguy

[MSUjohn]

8 hours ago, Mississippian said:

There has reportedly been a huge decline in food quality on ALL of the mass-market cruise lines since Jan. 1, 2023. I never found the "stellar" dishes on the buffet; the four or five dishes I tried, other than bacon, sausage, and pizza were one-bite bad. I didn't starve, and there were things I liked about the cruise. It's hard for me not to have a good time. But my experience on other cruise lines has been better. If the price is right, I'll cruise NCL again, but at the same price point, my choice is Princess or Celebrity, without a doubt.

NCL's mdr food has seen a noticeable decline pre vs post covid ; i have sailed royal twice post covid (never pre so no before and after) and their MDR food seems roughly comparable, but i must say i think NCL edges royal out slightly.

 

for the buffet; the Indian is usually VERY good,

 

i initially chose NCL because i took my father on his first cruise a month before his 80th birthday. i chose NCL due to their support of solo cruisers (i normally cruise solo, so i was future proofing if you will). We are now platinum and the benefits are (still) good so i will stay with them as my primary cruise line.

 

john