Princess v. NCL

[Unca Pete]

Thought you said you were not coming back for the rest of the replies? :rolleyes:

 

 

A troll!

[rebeccalouise]

I have sailed Norwegian 4 times (Sun, Wind, Majesty and Spirit).

 

Here is the difference in my view between the cruise lines. Norwegian offers a fun, vibrant atmosphere. The kids program is more high octane on Norwegian. The crew is very good and there are a variety of eating venues, pubs and bars.

 

Princess ships are more sophisticated with nicer cabins, nicer upholstery and furnishings and higher quality materials. The staterooms are larger, public spaces have higher ceilings. The pool areas are lovely. Kids program is more sedate on Princess.

 

Both lines have their strong points and I do think that younger people will have more fun on Norwegian and that is the demographic they are trying to attract.

[cancruiseforever]

Never trust anyone that does not enjoy Veal Shrimp or Lobster.rebeccalouise;12126068]I have sailed Norwegian 4 times (Sun, Wind, Majesty and Spirit).

 

Here is the difference in my view between the cruise lines. Norwegian offers a fun, vibrant atmosphere. The kids program is more high octane on Norwegian. The crew is very good and there are a variety of eating venues, pubs and bars.

 

Princess ships are more sophisticated with nicer cabins, nicer upholstery and furnishings and higher quality materials. The staterooms are larger, public spaces have higher ceilings. The pool areas are lovely. Kids program is more sedate on Princess.

 

Both lines have their strong points and I do think that younger people will have more fun on Norwegian and that is the demographic they are trying to attract.

[jrw]

A troll!

 

Indeed! My question was a rhetorical one...

[BTfan]

I think they have some valid points...the beds are sub-par... I have the shellfish allergy as well, so I can relate to that...but didn't have a problem finding something to eat..I did notice the pizzeria and the grill shutting down around dinner time on the CB as well..another casual option every night wouldn't be a terrible idea

 

I'm curious on the length of the NCL cruise you're comparing Princess to. The clientelle being older is all part of the long itinerary..most working stiffs are hard pressed to get 2 or 3 weeks off at a time..especially if they have kids at home. All lines are like that. I'm sure they adjusted the activities to line up with the clientelle. I found the activities more interesting and fun on Princess than Carnival..but that was a 7 day Caribbean..a much different type of cruise from what I gather. The CB had a great representation of all ages..with the majority in the 40s to early 50s and fun loving

 

I haven't tried NCL yet..I'm a little hesitant after a couple of co-workers had bad experiences..but those were the infamous Hawaiian cruises..and from a couple years back. However, I hear there new ships are pretty nice and I do like the Anytime/Freestyle concept in dining

[ottergal]

I can see where the OP is coming from on this one. I've been on both the Pearl and the Golden and there were high points for each line.

 

I think NCL wins the onboard activities and food categories for us (the travelling group is late 20's-mid 30's) Although the steakhouse on the Golden was great, we really enjoyed having options like sushi, etc on the Pearl. We also felt that there were more "our age" type things to do on our cruise... which was to Alaska.

We did Mexico with Princess and often found ourselves looking for something to do during the day while we were at sea. Granted, we don't tend to be "sit in the sun" people (which is a big thing to do on that sort of itinerary) but in terms of inside type activities it seemed like our options were "planning for retirement" and bingo. Or the art auction.

 

I think that Princess has nicer and more spacious rooms and a bit of a nicer ship. It felt dressier and classy - more upscale. I really liked how the restaurants were laid out with the railings and breaks to make it feel a bit more private and not like a large mess hall. We were a bit disappointed that the decor of the Anytime dining restaurants were the same... we could live with the menu but the decor did detract a little bit. The storage in the rooms was really nice, but my bed was horrible. I don't remember NCL's being that bad, but it might have been (to be honest).

 

I think that they were both great in terms of service and staff. We all agreed that we thought the NCL cruise was more fun... which surprised us. You'd hardly think that it was more fun to be on a cold cruise to Alaska with our parents than a warm cruise to Mexico without the folks!

 

Would we sail Princess again? You bet! We had a great time! Would we sail NCL again? You bet! We had a really great time! I think it would all come down to the itinerary.