Had a bad experience before, thinking about trying again

[seadancer]

Our first NCL cruise was on the Norway (steam/ancient) and the best thing we can say about it was that the show "Guys and Dolls" was outstanding. The customer service stank and "No" was a frequent answer to requests in the dining room.

 

We have sailed on Royal, Holland and Carnival in the last years and our preference is Holland. The Veendam had good food and good side "bar" entertainment. The dining room was good and our outside cabin was really nice.

 

My husband and I like a more adult crowd (we are in our late 30's) and felt the last cruise on Carnival was not one of the greatest due to the guests on board. The crew and ship were great - the guests were our turn off.

 

Here is the question: How does NCL compare to Royal, Holland or Carnival? We were thinking about the Dawn in the Carribean. Any feedback on food, customer service, ship, guests (what we can expect), cabin (outside), activities on board (other than Bingo, Spa, Excercise room), and dining would be really appreciated! :)

[salty dingo]

My take is that NCL and Carnival compare very closely. The crowd is pretty close on both, but Carnival may attract more younger people. Not sure what the turn-off was, exactly. If it was young party animals, then NCL may be better for you. If it was the "class" of passenger, then you will find the two lines have a lot in common there.

[deepnite10]

we ve found it has alot to do with the time of the yr..during the summer

and spring break s i would suspect there to be alot younger group of passenger s..

 

i ve found that the second week of jan is alway s been a good

cruising period if your looking for a bit older group..people are waiting

on their christmas credit card bill s to arrive, younger kid s are back in

school and the college croud are antsy to get back to class..

[petesweet]

My take is that NCL and Carnival compare very closely. The crowd is pretty close on both, but Carnival may attract more younger people. Not sure what the turn-off was, exactly. If it was young party animals, then NCL may be better for you. If it was the "class" of passenger, then you will find the two lines have a lot in common there.

 

You didn't like the Norway? I'm surprised. I didn't either, but people on this board seem to idolize her and mourn her passing. I guess I'll take a modern ship over a "grand old dame" any day.

 

Anyway, back to the question - what was it?:) Oh, yes. I'm an RCI fan, but I enjoy a good NCL cruise as well. I just don't prefer the freestyle dining at all. But don't stay away from NCL because of your experience on the Norway.

[salty dingo]

I did not cruise the Norway, but my parents did. They had a nice time and lots of good memories, but they don't idolize the ship. The fact that it is now on the scrap heap didn't elicit much interest when I told them.

[coka]

I agree that it depends on the time of year! I also find it helps to look at the ship photos and to ask more questions here. You will see the differences from the Norway. A travel agent told me I would either love or hate the Norway. I liked her but was also interested in sailing a variety of ships.

Coka

[Maraprince]

If you are looking for a less formal experience, then you would like NCL and freestyle dining. However, if you are looking for a traditional experience, NCL is not for you. NCL's dress code is "resort casual", while formal nights are optional -- not mandatory. Freestyle dining -- no assigned tables or assigned dining times.

 

However, Princess, HAL, and Celebrity all have variations of freestyle dining as well as the traditional assigned dining. So you do have a number of choices as far as cruise lines go.

 

You need to determine what your cruising style is and what you want from a cruise. Think about consulting a TA before you book with any line to see if it will be a good fit for you.

 

Age of passengers depends on the sailing on all cruise lines as well as the length of the cruise -- the longer the sailing, the older the passengers.

 

Good luck to you and good sailing.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[cmdchiefthom]

Seadancer,

 

If I want elegance, I book HAL, and as you can see in my signature, I'm booked for an "elegance" fix aboard the Eurodam for the 08-09 New Years cruise. IMHO, the food HAL serves in the main dining room is as good as NCL serves in the speciality venues. However, I don't cruise to eat, but rather to enjoy. NCL offers an enjoyable experience on some great ships, with great crews, and less traditional itineraries. I booked the Pearl again for April simply because I love the ship, and the nine day itinerary. HAL is very slow to change its itineraries, doing the typical seven day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, year in and year out.

 

There is one other attraction I have to HAL, however, and I think you alluded to it, and that is the relationships developed with the bar, and wait staffs. For some reason, the HAL staff make you feel like you've known them forever. Within hours of boarding, it seems they know your name, by heart. The dining-room staff knows what you like to drink, perhaps your choice of wine by the second night. Although I enjoy the NCL staff, there doesn't seem to be that same personal relationship.

 

My wife has done both Carnival and RCCL, and wasn't that impressed, and loves both HAL and NCL. She really likes having a butler for our suites aboard NCL, and considers not having one aboard HAL, a let-down. We also love all the activities offered aboard NCL, as compared to HAL. You can be as busy as you like. I really would give NCL a try.;)

[petesweet]

All of my opinions expressed on this board are for inside cabins only, so I can't get disappointed by not having a butler, or having obstructed views on a balcony, or whatever. My experiences are just the basic cruise details.

 

Oh, by the way, you might not enjoy the Majesty. The newer NCL ships are great.

[newmexicoNita]

Our first NCL cruise was on the Norway (steam/ancient) and the best thing we can say about it was that the show "Guys and Dolls" was outstanding. The customer service stank and "No" was a frequent answer to requests in the dining room.

 

We have sailed on Royal, Holland and Carnival in the last years and our preference is Holland. The Veendam had good food and good side "bar" entertainment. The dining room was good and our outside cabin was really nice.

 

My husband and I like a more adult crowd (we are in our late 30's) and felt the last cruise on Carnival was not one of the greatest due to the guests on board. The crew and ship were great - the guests were our turn off.

 

Here is the question: How does NCL compare to Royal, Holland or Carnival? We were thinking about the Dawn in the Carribean. Any feedback on food, customer service, ship, guests (what we can expect), cabin (outside), activities on board (other than Bingo, Spa, Excercise room), and dining would be really appreciated! :)

Just my opinion: even though the Norway was probably one of the greatest ships to ever sail, she wasn't anything like the newer, glitzier ones and many didn't find her all that enjoyable as years went by. That being said;

 

NCL is not as stuffy or subdued as HAL. HAL has better food and larger cabins. They don't offer the choices or the activities you will find on NCL>

 

NCL and RCI are generally rated by the experts as similar, mid range mass marketed lines. The big difference is size of ships and freestyle versus traditional dining. The entertainment and cabin size are very much the same. RCI may, at certain times have more children than NCl but both have their share. If you sail when kids are normally in school you will get a more adult atmosphere. Carnival ships are larger than NCL, cabins a little bigger and much more night life. This doesn't mean NCL does not offer late night activities, they do, but Carnival goes into the next morning, way into.

 

Nita

[sagiv666]

Our first NCL cruise was on the Norway (steam/ancient) and the best thing we can say about it was that the show "Guys and Dolls" was outstanding. The customer service stank and "No" was a frequent answer to requests in the dining room.

 

We have sailed on Royal, Holland and Carnival in the last years and our preference is Holland. The Veendam had good food and good side "bar" entertainment. The dining room was good and our outside cabin was really nice.

 

My husband and I like a more adult crowd (we are in our late 30's) and felt the last cruise on Carnival was not one of the greatest due to the guests on board. The crew and ship were great - the guests were our turn off.

 

Here is the question: How does NCL compare to Royal, Holland or Carnival? We were thinking about the Dawn in the Carribean. Any feedback on food, customer service, ship, guests (what we can expect), cabin (outside), activities on board (other than Bingo, Spa, Excercise room), and dining would be really appreciated! :)

 

First of all, my wife is 59 and I am 60 -- you are youngsters! Anyway, we too are experienced cruisers, having cruised on HAL, Royal Caribbean, and, most recently, NCL (prior to meeting each other, my wife had cruised on Princess). Having just completed our first cruise on NCL, and with our experience on other cruise lines, I'll give you my impression.

We cruised to Canada and New England aboard the Norwegian Spirit. The itinerary and the ports we visited were marvelous. We liked the ship, and we had a balcony cabin (we are hooked on balcony cabin after our cruise to Alaska in September aboard Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas) -- our cruises on Holland America were primarily to Bermuda as well as to the Caribbean.Cruising with NCL was a new experience for us, as for the first time we were exposed to more freestyle cruising. One could dine whenever and wherever one wanted (you needed reservations at certain specialty restaurants), and formal nights were not the same as we previously experienced on HAL or Royal Caribbean. Honestly, I missed fixed dining, the friends we made at our tables and the closeness we felt to our waiters who took good care of us on different durations of cruises (we have cruised 7 days, 10 days, and 15 days). Moreover, although there was a formal night on the Norwegian Spirit (NCL), it could not come close to what we enjoyed on Holland America or on Royal Caribbean.

We never cruised on Carnival, but between the three lines on which my wife and I have both cruised, I would rate as follows:

 

Service - Holland America

Royal Caribbean

NCL

 

Outside Cabins (incl Balconies) - Royal Caribbean

NCL

Holland America

 

Itinerary - Holland America, Royal Caribbean, NCL (same level - excellent)

 

Food - Holland America

Royal Caribbean

NCL

 

Freesyle Cruising - NCL

Holland America and Royal Caribbean

 

Shipboard Activities - Holland America

Royal Caribbean

NCL

 

Entertainment - Holland America

Royal Caribbean

NCL

 

Cabin Cleanliness - Holland America, Royal Caribbean, NCL (same level - very good)

 

It is hard to rate ease of emarkation and disembarkation. When I cruised with Holland America, little was available on line for prior preparations. When we took our cruise on Royal Caribbean in September, I was introduced to pre-registering, choosing on-shore excursions, and obtaining all pertinent information (incl. insurance information) through the computer, and this was the same when we cruised with NCL. Now, I am sure all the lines have websites and give passengers the ability to make pre-cruise registering, etc. As for the embarkation and disembarkation processes, I feel a lot depended how far from your home did you have to go to meet your ship. All but one of my Holland America cruises and the NCL cruise embarked and disembarked at the port in New York, where we live; the ease to reach the terminals, the need or no need to fly to and from the cruise and perhaps stay at a hotel suggests the ease or lack of seems to be dependent on distance. The longer you have to go to meet your ship, the more difficut embarkation and disembarkation -- this includes flying before and after, staying at hotels, transit to the terminals, etc.

Remember, I have never traveled on Carnival. Some love it, some can do withiout it.

All in all, whatever cruise line you choose, according to the itinerary and your own expectations, you will enjoy your cruise -- we did.:D

[cruiser1990]

I also sailed on the SS Norway. My second cruise back in the middle 90's and the cabins were tiny. I would have to say since I cruise Carnival, HAL, RCCL (my fave) and others that the food on NCL has slipped since the days of the Norway. Dinner was a very fancy affair- long and very traditional. I have found since I book groups for my girlfriend's tour company that it depends on the ship and the time of year that you cruise. Overall, though the food just isn't the same as it was. I think HAL and RCCL actually are a step up in quality. I am pretty picky since I book people on cruises all the time and I don't want them to be disappointed. NCL is slowly correcting some of the issues with Freestyle cruising but the main complaint from most of my clients is the fact that most of ALL of the cruise lines are moving towards restaurants that carry a cover charge. My first Freestyle cruise was to Alaska back in 2004 and it was a little frustrating at that point. However, at that time it seemed like the food had not declined in quality....not what I have heard and experienced more recently though. I don't like having to pay to get a good meal, that was the premise that cruising built it's value on. I don't view NCL as formal as it once was- and it you liked that about it then you might want to lean towards HAL.

 

The crowd leans a little more towards middle age like me....44 but not nearly as stuffy as HAL though depending on the itinerary. Carnival can be fun but expect a little younger crowd year round- food can be average to great. I think a tad bit more consistent though.

[Maraprince]

The rapor with the wait staff is the missing element with Freestyle. It is wonderful to be greeted by name wherever your waiter or bus boy is assigned during the day time hours. Called me spoiled, but I like having someone who remembers how I want my tea/coffee, the fact that I do not like any dressing other than blue cheese, prefer to have most of my food sauce free (on the side), want to share the pasta dish of the day, etc.

 

I also like having someone find me a seat for breakfast and lunch in the buffet area and not having to carry a heavy tray with my food on it. I like someone coming around to refill my coffee/tea or bring me orange juice at breakfast at the buffet.

 

I love comparing notes with the others at my table at night as to what we did that day and the smiling faces of our wait staff when we arrive at our table.

 

I like the option of eating dinner in the buffet area one night if I wish knowing that I have an assigned table to return to the next night.

 

I like having dinner that doesn't take over 2 hrs. to serve so I have time to visit the restroom before the show starts. I like the fact that everyone has something to eat, even if they choose to skip a course, and is not staring at everyone else. I like that my waiter will tell me what the 1st sitting didn't like so I can make a dinner choice I will be happy with. I like being able to get shrimp cocktail, ceasar salad and a plate of extra veggies to share every night. I like that my wait staff has time to chat with me and tell me about their families and when they will return home. I like being treated like I matter and not just because of the tip I will leave. I like that Celebrity gives you slips to hand out the last night to the cabin stewart and assistant, the wait staff and the maitre'd that you took the prepaid gratuity program and that you get a nice "thank you" and acknowlegement in return from each of them.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[seadancer]

Thank you for the feedback. Our old TA used to say we are "old souls in young bodies" because we have always liked small ships, customer service and good food.

 

I didn't want to sound like a snob but the "class" of people during Thanksgiving break on the Carnival cruise is what turned us off. I guess we just expect a certain level of decency, manners and politeness. We are far from rich and we are not saying that money buys manners.

 

The activities we liked on board HAL were the kitchen demonstrations, kitchen classes and classical music (piano, bass, violin).

 

The last time we sailed with RCCL we weren't impressed with the food. That's the reason we have strayed from Royal.

 

I am a Spanish teacher and we can only sail on several weeks (the summer is WAY too expensive) of the year. It's kind of hard to find a substitute for a week for Spanish! :) We also don't have any children so I like being on ships where the kids have their own area and so do the adults.

 

Anyway, thanks for all your input! I'll keep looking at this thread for more advice.