NCL compared to Celebrity

[Bisous3]

We have done lots of Celebrity cruises and a few Princess cruises, now for the first time on 11/16 we are giving NCL a try on the Pearl.

 

Any day on a cruise is better than staying home and we are not at all a high maintenance family (me- 42 yr old dance teacher/dance studio owner, non smoker...not a big gambler but love to read, sunbathe and enjoy things like movies and lectures on cruises....dh is 45, smoker, black jack player....also big on reading and relaxing when cruising, from Paris France and EXTREMELY picky eater.....Dd is 7 and an absolute kids club addict! Loves those childrens programs and cannot wait to go!) We are trying to get an idea of what to expect.

 

Our 2 favorite things about Celebrity are the food :-) and the outstanding service....but their Caribbean itinerary didn't really interest us anymore. Been there , done that....Thats why we chose the Pearl this time- usually to get to do that itinerary you need to cruise out of San Juan and living in South Florida, we choose cruises for vacation BECAUSE we don't have to fly anywhere.

 

I'd really welcome some feedback from any of you out there who have cruised both lines and what your thoughts are.

 

I have a friend leaving today on the Pearl who has promised to give me a good trip report when she returns so I will most definitely share what she has to say.

 

Thanks in advance!

Suzanne

[Almagetty]

Hi Suzanne:

 

I have cruised on NCL too many times to count. I have also been on the Century and on the Galaxy in the last twelve months. The Pearl is an absolutely wonderful, beautiful and amazing ship. The restaurants are great. My family especially likes Le Bistro, Cagney's, La Cucina and Mambo's. I found the food on the Pearl to be equal to and in some cases better than the food we had on Celebrity. Make your dinner reservations early the day prior (Friday for Saturday, Saturday for Sunday, and so forth)and you should have no issues.

 

You will have a fabulous cruise if you keep in mind that NCL is not Celebrity. I do not say that in a bad way. NCL is by far my favorite of the two lines. They are just different. Freestyle is not traditional. You will not find a friendlier staff and crew than the one aboard the Pearl. On our last cruise on the Pearl, we were greeted with a smile by each and every crew member that crossed our path.

 

As you noted, the Pearl's 9 day itinerary is unique. My family is looking forward to visiting all of these islands, since we've never been to any of them.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[DaytonGirl]

You can't really compare the two lines - it's like comparing Ruth's Chris with TGI Fridays. They're both chain restaurants, both have good food but are still very different.

 

I haven't been on the Pearl but have been on the Dawn. I found the food to be adequate to pretty good. I did not feel, however, that even the food in the pay restaurants approached the quality you get in the main dining rooms on Celebrity. As far as the service goes - there were a few really excellent crew members but overall it was far and away the worst service ever.

 

That being said, I have freinds who were on the Dawn cruise with me and have since been on the Pearl a couple of times. They said the crew is much better so I'm giving NCL another try and will be on the Pearl in March. :)

 

I think you will have a great time as long as you don't expect gourmet food.

[Bisous3]

Thanks! The good news is we are really open minded and enjoy new experiences!! We are really looking forward to it.

[insidecabin]

They are very different, only done one celebrity(constellation 14n) and found the dinning room food a bit repetative, the other food locations were great specials at the grill, sushi at night, light bites in the thalaso etc.

 

With NCL you get a lot of choice and if you use the blue lagoon, tapas,mambos italian the buffet and the other restaurants you can do fine.

 

If you like the thalaso pool area then on NCL ships it is a pay extra area in the spa might be worth it if you like to read in relaxing suroundings.

 

As with any cruise ship/line it can take a while to find the things you like

 

Just got off the Gem and they did a great steak sandwich cooked to order at the grill above the pool area it was used by only a few people great.

[romy]

Hi Suzanne, I agree with the others and have sailed on the Century twice. Personally, I prefer the choices with NCL, but admittedly miss the "special attention" with Celebrity at times.

 

We just got back from the Pearl on the 9-day So. Caribbean and had a wonderful time. Here's my review if you find it helpful.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Happy Sails!

Romy:)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=34153

[lvz2cruz]

Suzanne,

We are much "in the same boat as you". We love everything about X but are tired of Cozumel and St. Thomas. We will be following you on the Pearl a few weeks later and cannot wait.

We have one experience on NCL and said never again. The food was a shock--many nights we checked the dining room menu and nothing was appealing. The crew never picked up trays, trash, or cups around the pool decks or cleaned the hallways the way you see daily on X. No 3 p.m. sorbet parade or frozen towels when you return from port. Some dining room waiters were as good as X, some nowhere near.

The pool band on NCL was our favorite ever and the activity staff did a great job.

We know different ships vary and are confident a newer, bigger ship will have the better employees.

If you compare staying at a Ramada near Disneyworld and eating Disney food with staying at an expensive all inclusive with their food, that would be a good contrast between NCL and X. Two very different vacations but both very enjoyable if you go in knowing what to expect.

I hope you have a great time.

[tomk3212]

Suzanne,

 

We sailed on the Horizon to Bermuda over six years ago & have sailed NCL 4 times since then. We prefer NCL over Celebrity for these reasons:

 

1) Traditional dining vs. Freestyle - we just did not care for the traditional cruise ship dining experience aboard Celebrity. We do not like being told where and when we have to eat and whom we have to eat with. On our first trip on an NCL ship we absolutely fell in love with the whole Freestyle Dining experience.

 

2) Food - we felt that NCL's food was just as good as Celebrity's; in both the regular restaurants and the specialty restaurants (which Celebrity did not have when we sailed). That said we also realize that opinions on food are EXTREMELY subjective .

 

3) Entertainment - we were very less than impressed with the shows on the Horizon while on NCL ships we feel the shows were GREAT (especially the Jean Ryan Company).

 

4) Things-to-do-during-the-day - both lines are about equal here

 

5) Tipping/Service Charge - we did not like how the whole tipping thing was done on the Horizon. Having to scramble to find cash on the last day/night was majorly annoying, then figuring out how MUCH to leave in the envelopes based on how many people were in our party... We very much prefer NCL's $10 per day/per person added directly to the bill.

 

We've only been on an X boat once so take our comparisons with a grain of salt. Also our cruise on the Horizon was several years ago & we've heard through other friends that a lot has changed on X ships in the past few years. We've never been on the Pearl but are about to sail on her new sister ship the Gem.

 

As you say, any day on ANY cruise ship is better than a day at home so we're sure you'll have a good time.

 

Tom & Eileen

[salty dingo]

it's like comparing Ruth's Chris with TGI Fridays.

 

No, it's like comparing Applebee's with TGI Fridays. Celebrity is nice, but it's no Ruth's Chris. But I understand the point was that all lines are different.

 

We have heard great things about the Pearl and are taking her to Alaska in August. Our last cruise was a Mexican Riviera cruise on Celebrity, and we had a good experience there.

[mafig]

You can't really compare the two lines - it's like comparing Ruth's Chris with TGI Fridays. They're both chain restaurants, both have good food but are still very different.

 

I haven't been on the Pearl but have been on the Dawn. I found the food to be adequate to pretty good. I did not feel, however, that even the food in the pay restaurants approached the quality you get in the main dining rooms on Celebrity. :)

 

I think you will have a great time as long as you don't expect gourmet food.

 

OK. I have an opinion I wish to share on this. It is my opinion and is not present as fact as :rolleyes: . The specialty restaurant (one) on Celebrity may be a tad better than the specialty restaurants (many) on NCL(it's also more expensiveon X). However, there's no way that the regular restaurant on Celebrity is as good as the pay restaurants on NCL. GO...you'll see...;)

[shamda]

I also will be on th Pearl 11/16. You should come over to the roll call pearl 11/16 thread and join the discussion.

 

Our last 2 cruises were on the NCL Star. We sailed the Star in 2005 and 2006. We sailed the X Century in 1998. I know the cruise industry has changed a great deal since 1998, but our experiences were completely different on the 2 lines. The Century was very elegant and the quality of the food and service were far superior than that on the Star. For example, at dinner coming into a beautiful dining room, the Century had a 4 piece string quartet playing. Everyone dressed nice and the food was excellent. On the Star it was more like feeding time at the zoo. Maybe it was the particular cruise we were on, but the main dining room was not impressive. The Specialty restaurants were nice, but still not up to par with X. Another example was when first walking on the ship, X showed us to our cabins greeting us with a glass of champagne and white gloves. On the Star we were on our own to find our cabin. Not a big deal, but a nice feature that NCL does not do. Also on X we were able to order room service through our tv in our cabin. Another feature that NCL has not caught on to with todays technology.

 

I am sure that since 1998 X has cut corners too. If X had the same 9 night cruise with the same ports I would have chosen it over the Pearl. I have heard many great things about the Pearl and hope that our experience will be better than it was on the Star. Not to say the Star was bad, but it was not close to the X Century in quality of food and service. It is just nice to be treated special when on a cruise. I felt that X accomplished that and NCL just made me feel like another number in the masses of Weeble City.

[mafig]

I think that 1998 is like 100 years ago in cruiseline years......

 

I also think I research cruiselines and cruiseships.....

 

I, personally, in 2007 would not select Century for a cruise. Too old. Not taken care of (even with her refurbishment.) Since you've sailed her she's the only major cruiseship I know of that's failed her CDC inspections, not once, but twice. Read her recent reviews.

[shamda]

I don't think I would want to sail on the Century again either, but I would like to sail one of the newer X ships to see what it would be like. You are right, cruising has changed a great deal in the last 10 years and I mentioned that in my post. I am sure X has cut corners like NCL has. The first cruise I ever went on was the Carnival Celebration in 1988. Probably the best cruise I have ever been on. Cruising was certainly different 20 years ago than it is today. Back then the cruise lines did whatever they could to make a person feel special, today it's just a different week a different set of weebles. I am hoping that I will feel differetnly after 9 nights on the Pearl.

 

I think that 1998 is like 100 years ago in cruiseline years......

 

I also think I research cruiselines and cruiseships.....

 

I, personally, in 2007 would not select Century for a cruise. Too old. Not taken care of (even with her refurbishment.) Since you've sailed her she's the only major cruiseship I know of that's failed her CDC inspections, not once, but twice. Read her recent reviews.

[mafig]

Yup, there was a time when Century was special. When I first started cruising, I read all the reviews. Century was so loved. Couldn't wait to sail on her, but never got the chance.

 

Read the reviews now. Completely different.

 

Personally, I believe you should try to go on the newest ship on any cruiseline because it seems that the cruiseline puts their best people there.

 

I've been on Celebrity Summit (m-class).

 

I would not sail any Celebrity ship now. Waiting for their new class. I believe the current crop of X ships to be very overrated.

[Gangway]

I have been on 7 Celebrity and 5 NCL cruises and would have to say we prefer Celebrity, but enjoy both.

 

Celebrity seems to have a more formal dining experience, with far better food in the main dining room from my experience. Most people cruise Celebrity for the dining experience. Traditional seating only and two formal nights on a 7 day cruise.

 

NCL dining in the specialty (extra charge) comes up to Celebrity, but the main dining rooms on the Dream, Pride of Aloha, and Pride of America don't even come close to the quality of food and service provided by Century & Constellation. We are embarking on the Gem Nov 9th, so I can't give an opinon on the newer NCL ships.

 

I would have to give NCL a total thumbs up for entertaiment over Celebrity or any other cruiseline. The shows are always outstanding.

 

If would would like to get another group of feedback I would suggest putting the same question on the Celebrity board. You might get a strong bias toward Celebrity.

[Bisous3]

I had totally forgotten about Jean Ann Ryan's shows! Great! Something else to look forward to! They rehearse in a dance studio here in Lauderdale where I used to teach and always found their work to be very good.

 

With the exception of Cirque de Soleil I could never quite figure out why Celebrity's shows were always so bad. Its what I do for a living, so the entertainment portion of the cruise IS important to me- I realize there are people who never attend the shows and couldn't care less. X's shows are pathetic.

 

Also, I too never really liked having dinner with strangers and in all the cruises we never once sat with anyone who we really liked, to be quite honest. Dh is SO looking forward to not having to wear a tie to dinner as he needs to wear one for work every day. All he ever said was "why isn't there a cruise where I can wear jeans"? I on the other hand, as a dance teacher who walks around in yoga pants and t shirts all day, often welcome the opportunity to dress up.

 

Talk about a changing cruise industry-

I went on 2 Home Lines cruises back in the 80's after I graduated high school . All I can say is "wow".....I don't think I will experience anything like that ever again.

 

I DO believe 2 cruises can be compared, and when I return I will definitely post about my experience. I did so after my first Princess cruise here on CC.

[insidecabin]

I had totally forgotten about Jean Ann Ryan's shows! Great! .

 

The Gem(newest NCL ship) is not using them.

 

Not sure what the situation is fleetwide, could be getting phased, anyone know?

[honeydog714]

I think Celebrity was much nicer but to get a comparable suite you are paying a LOT more for X. We try to fit one in every other year but love to cruise as much as possible so fill the gaps with other lines. NCL is a good "fix"

[marylandcrab]

We have cruised NCL twice before and this will be our third curise with NCL on the Pearl 11/16/07. We have also cruised with X Summit, and we definitely prefer X. BUT we travel with our 24 year old son on NCL to Alaska and this time to the S. Caribbean and we know that he will definitely like the less formal atmosphere + the intinerary is interesting. NCL is cheaper for us as a family, but when we travel just the two of us we like Celebrity better. We were very lucky and had great dinner companions whom we keep in touch with and hope to join together on a cruise again.:D

[katiel53]

OP,

My first cruises were on Home Lines too. Gee I miss them.

 

We have sailed on Horizon, Galaxy, Century and Constellation. We love Celebrity. I think their food and service can't be beat. I do think though, even though we are retired, they are quite stuffy.

 

We sailed on Star to Alaska two years ago and are going on Pearl in 2008. I love the freestyle. My husband hates getting dressed up. A nice shirt and dress pants are ok with him, but a suit, tie etc. drive him nuts. At home he is a shorts/tee shirt person.

 

We had the worst, absolutely the worst service in the regular dining room on Star. We ended up having one dinner and one breakfast there and all other meals either in specialty (some pay) restaurants or the Blue Lagoon etc.

 

The food in the specialty restaurants is good and it is about the same as what you would get on Celebrity. I expect to go to these restaurants when we are on Pearl next May. I'm sure we will try one night in the main dining room to see what it's like.

 

I like the entertainment on NCL far better than on Celebrity. NCL seems to be more fun than Celebrity also. We are looking forward to our trip on NCL next year. When Celebrity comes out with new ships, we may try them again. Right now though, we cruise mostly RCI which we love.

 

Enjoy your NCL cruise. A lot of it is what you make of it.

[insidecabin]

I think Celebrity was much nicer but to get a comparable suite you are paying a LOT more for X. We try to fit one in every other year but love to cruise as much as possible so fill the gaps with other lines. NCL is a good "fix"

 

At the lower end of cabins you can often find X at good rates not that much more than other lines, last year the best deal in the Baltic was X, and there are some Med trip late this year that are about the same price(~$100pppd) as others.

[ukbecky]

I have cruised with NCL several times and once with Celebrity (on Mercury).

 

- We missed the choice of restaurants

- We don't like set dining times

- Food seemed comparable but better presentation on Mercury

- We preferred Celebrity's dress code (even though it required much planning for our 15-day cruise)

- Celebrity's room service menu was better than NCL's. I got a tasty steak meal for lunch on my balcony quite a few times.

- the extra touches on Mercury made the trip a bit more 'special' - the champagne on boarding, the cold towels when boarding in ports, the sorbet by the pool and my favorite:

 

*Not spending the final two days of my cruise telling me how/when I will getting off*

 

It seems that NCL spends way too much time telling us how to leave - like they just can't wait to get rid of us. Every day of our Mercury cruise was the same as the one before it-no constant reminders of how it's almost over.

 

I would cruise Celebrity again without hesitation. We enjoyed the older ship but would probably prefer one with at least one pay restaurant. Our family of 4 had a (requested)table for 4, so sitting with strangers was not an issue on that cruise(eating with strangers is not my idea of fun).

 

That said, our next booked cruise is a 14-day on the Dream so I have not permanently switched cruiselines.

[newmexicoNita]

You can't really compare the two lines - it's like comparing Ruth's Chris with TGI Fridays. They're both chain restaurants, both have good food but are still very different.

 

I haven't been on the Pearl but have been on the Dawn. I found the food to be adequate to pretty good. I did not feel, however, that even the food in the pay restaurants approached the quality you get in the main dining rooms on Celebrity. As far as the service goes - there were a few really excellent crew members but overall it was far and away the worst service ever.

 

That being said, I have freinds who were on the Dawn cruise with me and have since been on the Pearl a couple of times. They said the crew is much better so I'm giving NCL another try and will be on the Pearl in March. :)

 

I think you will have a great time as long as you don't expect gourmet food.

love your comparison: Ruths Christ to tGIF. I don't totally agree, but it is a fair comparison. We have been on celebrity as well as many NCL cruises. The food in the main dining rooms on Celebrity are better than NCl, but I certainly think the food in the specialty restaurants on Ncl are much better than the main dining rooms on Celebrity. In fact our last Celebrity cruise we found the food had gone downhill like all lines. The entrees are better, the rest nothing special.

 

We feel Celebrity, although a half step up from other mass marketed lines is over rated. I think 5 or more years ago was a different story.

 

Anyway, still love your comparison. remember I like it, but do not agree with it. I do think both lines offer a good product but are very different.

 

Nita

[kr1st1nm]

NCL & Celebrity are our 2 favorite lines. I've found the service on Celebrity to be just a bit higher and the food a bit better. However, if you don't like getting dressed up and eating in the main dining room every night, the Freestyle dining is great.

 

I think Celebrity does a lot of little things that make it special - like champagne as you board, hot or cool face towels handed out at the pool, more non-alcoholic, free drink options at lunch and dinner (like fruit punch and lemonade). We just got off the Crown this morning and all they offered all week was water or iced tea!

 

Itineraries are the most important to me, so we will continue to sail with both. It's really personal preference - for example this time was our 1st cruise with our 1 year old so the Freestyle dining and the departure out of NY were ideal.

 

Cruising is great regardless... And we just came through a hurricane and still had a good time.

 

Kristin in NJ

[w99flash]

I agree with Marylandcrab. We cruised both the Pearl and Century this year, Pearl in Jan where we took our DS and GF we all had an AWESOME time the ports were to die for and lots to do all the time. In April just DH and I sailed the Century. We really enjoy the service and pampering of X. Both were wonderful vacations , although I don't think DS @ age 20 would have appreciated the total relaxation of X the way the "old folks" did. Whatever you choose you will have a GREAT TIME!!!