Celebrity or NCL

[mrclean1]

Hi all, my DW and I are Princess cruisers, we have friends who have never cruised and would like to try a short one as a test in Feb '08. In that Princess does not offer 5 day sailings, I post this here in the hopes of getting an objective answer from those of you who have cruised these lines before. We have narrowed it down to Celebrity Century (Grand Cayman & Ocho Rios) or NCL Jewel (Grand Cayman & Cozumel). Any comments or advice would be appreciated. No cruise is a bad cruise for us, but we want them to have the best experiance and hope to do a trans canal with them in the future.

 

Thanks, Steve

[Pia1913]

My choice would be NCL Jewel. New ship always wins.

 

Pia

[PescadoAmarillo]

Definitely Celebrity. The Century is an older ship, but was recently refurbished. The Celebrity ships are all elegant and classy looking, and the Century is supposed to be the best of all now that it has been redone. Plus the food is about 100 times better on Celebrity than it is on NCL.

[LARGIN]

Celebrity.. Have one planned for 2009

[awatt]

I'd pick NCL Jewel. Newer ship, and I like Cozumel better than Jamaica. Have sailed both NCL and Princess, and love them both. Also really enjoyed Celebrrty. But I think NCL and Princess have more in common, so if you like Princess you might prefer NCL.

[BrooklynGirl2]

I would chose Celebrity. It is much closer to the Princess cruising experience. Century is newly refurbished so that is not an issue. The food on Celebrity is fantastic and the service makes you feel pampered and special. I hear the Murano specialty restaurant is wonderful too.

 

If you enjoy a more traditional and formal cruising experience with fine food, I would chose Celebrity. If you prefer freestyle dining, making reservations at different times every night and food and service is not that important to you then perhaps NCL is a better fit.

 

It all depends on what makes you happy.

[Andy99]

Celebrity! would be my choice. Great food Great service Great way to cruise

[Wilcoam]

I've sailed on the Centruy twin, Galaxy, and sailing on the Jewel next Jan.

IMO...

 

If you prefer a smaller, older, more refined ship, classic traditional cruise, with enhanced service n food, X Century would be my choice.

 

If you prefer a larger, newer, more mass market ship, a non-traditonal modern cruise, with enhanced freedom of choice(s) and modern amenities, and way more casual atmosphere, NCL Jewel would be my choice.

 

This is without knowing price points, level of cabins, with kis, without, etc

 

jc

Toronto

[mrclean1]

Thanks all, appreciate the input, looking like Celebrity for us! Steve

[mii]

Also a Princess fan but have been on 3 Celebrity and enjoyed both cruiselines. Never have been on NCL so I can only compare Princess and Celebrity.

 

Marilyn

[judyjbest]

Wow, Celebrity Century was an amazing experience!

[fathercop]

Though, I have never been on Celebrity's ships, most people I know who have been on both vote for Celebrity. The most consistent positive comment I hear about Celebrity is their cuisine. People say it is exceptional. So, I would try Celebrity first.