Socref124 Posted May 14, 2008 #26 Share Posted May 14, 2008 (that's why the NCL ship in Hawaii had to be registered in the US so that they could sail within Hawaii). Unfortunately for NCL, this venture was not as profitable as other ships because they had to pay these crewmembers more, plus the ship couldn't have a casino (which is a major source of onboard revenue on other cruise ships) This part is not exactly true, but you are real close. To get around the Jones act, NCL started cruising to Fanning Island. The problem with this is to many days at sea. To reduce the number of days at sea, NCL come up with NCL America. NCLA had the Pride of America, Pride of Hawaii and Pride of Aloha all as US flagged ships that cruise within the Hawaiian Islands. This is where your statement becomes absolutely true. When we cruised on the NCL Star, we had to go to Fanning Island. The Star did not have a Casino at that time either. I believe we were told it is because of a law in the state of Hawaii. Now to the op's question about Carnival v NCL. Our first cruise wasa on NCL Star. While the ship was beautiful and the food was better(The chocolate extravaganza was out of this world) and the shows were magnificent on NCL, Carnival has much better service and their shows aren't that bad. I have read a lot of negatives on NCLA also. We have been on six cruises, our first with NCL and the next 5 with Carnival and we have another booked with Carnival. The reason, price and service. I can put up with mediocre food and shows and rooms, but, I want good service and a good price. Carnival offers both, imho. By the way, next time we go to Hawaii we will sail with NCL if they are the only line that sails only in the islands like NCLA does now. The lack of service will be overlooked in able to spend more time on each island. I have to add one thing. Perhaps the crew of the Star was having a bad week when we sailed. If that is the case, then you will have a very good time on NCL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelsx4 Posted May 14, 2008 #27 Share Posted May 14, 2008 We went in Jan. 06 on the NCL Star with all of 4 of our children. At the time they were 8, 8, 10, and 13. They loved the kids program, especially my 10 yr. old who is painfully shy. It was fun to see him become the life of the party. I read one post about a stretch ship, I don't remember which one that is, but the Star(Dawn is it's sister ship) had a fantastic layout, I loved that they have the promenade go all the way around the ship too. We are going on the NCL Spirit next year and I can't wait. They are apples/oranges, but there are a lot of similarities too. Here's a review I posted, includes the kids program info. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=279663 Also, some dailies and kid programs: http://travel.webshots.com/album/546368115pHZSLQ (kids/teens) http://travel.webshots.com/album/543075774EJezdX I'll grab everything I can when we go on the Valor and scan it like I did the Star. We won't be taking the kids, but I'll grab the kids dailies as well. Who wins IMO: Food: Carnival (NCL's Teppanyaki's ROCKED though!) Entertainment: NCL (Carnival tends to have poles blocking the views, but I like their seating better, dh disagrees and likes the theaters on NCL, I have my reason in my review) Layout of ship: NCL (love that promenade that goes all the way around!) Wait Staff: Carnival (I think NCL lacked because of the Freestyle) A LOT of the activities are the same, the races by the pool, hairy chest contest, etc... None of those make or break our decisions on which line. Oh, if you're taking your family though, NCL does not have laundry rooms(maybe on the newest ships?), but that was a problem for us, so just another thing to consider. Where Carnival has laundry rooms on ech floor there are cabins. Apples & Oranges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelsx4 Posted May 14, 2008 #28 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Whoa! This thing posted my response 3 times, weird! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelsx4 Posted May 14, 2008 #29 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Hiccup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcs819 Posted May 15, 2008 #30 Share Posted May 15, 2008 i saw that Norwegian is running a kids sail free sail through september. anyone have any thoughts on this sale versus paying for kids on Carnival? aren't these two cruise lines fairly similar? no, they're not similar. We made the mistake of going on our first NCL cruise this past February, and it's the only vacation in my life where I literally couldn't wait for it to be over. One disappointment after another as far as food, service, entertainment - I wouldn't recommend an NCL cruise to anyone - well, maybe this b!tch I hate at work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sa_girl Posted May 15, 2008 #31 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Last December we sailed on NCL Pearl and then a week later on Carnival Victory. There was absolutely no comparison NCL was way better than the Victory. The only one thing better on the Victory was the size of the cabins which are bigger. We found the crew especially the higher ranked crew much nicer and more friendlier, some of the crew on the Victory were rude and quite obnoxious. We enjoyed the freestyle dining on NCL and we also enjoy set dining on Carnival but if you plan well the free style dining is great. 11 restaurants to choose from a few extra paying but not expensive $10 - $15 only. The demographics of the people were also very different. We had some dreadful days on the Victory with unruly children, but this might have been a one off because after that sailing there were many complaints about the children on the board. We also enjoyed the adults only pool on the Pearl which was strictly enforced which the Victory didn't have and there were always enough pool chairs for everyone. On the Victory pool hogs were everywhere and no pool chairs anyday even on the higher decks away from the pool. Having said all that we will try Carnival again as maybe we were just unlucky last year and are thinking about the Legend this December mainly for price and the ports of call but if it goes anything like the Victory last December we will in future pay more and get the cruise we expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted May 15, 2008 #32 Share Posted May 15, 2008 .........- I wouldn't recommend an NCL cruise to anyone - well, maybe this b!tch I hate at work... :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipflops78 Posted May 15, 2008 #33 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I went on NCL once and thats all I will ever take. (well I will give those new swanky rooms a shot) It was the worst time of my life. The staff was like traveling with a bunch of Frat boys! The Director and crew were drinking in port. I have no problem with that really but when we were comming back to the ship they were DRUNK and then tried to entertain us after. You can tell they were still hung over/drunk. I did have problems with the Freestyle. I think it doesnt go as smoothly. Everyone gets hungry at the same time. So it gets crowded and we still had to wait like an hour for our table everynight. Yeah I will try the 2.0. but if it doesnt work this time.. Im done with them. Oh and the house keeping slacked by the end of the week. they didnt even make my bed. just tossed the covers back! (BTW, I was on the Star) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveysbydesign Posted May 15, 2008 #34 Share Posted May 15, 2008 It seems like the opinions vary so much because each ship from the cruise lines is different...either alot different or just a little. My kids really want to cruice on CCL's Inspiration or Imagination because of the Waterworks...however with 3 kids it's alot cheaper for us to cruise on the NCL Sky. $1200. for an ov vs. $1700 for an inside on CCL. Plus the Sky goes to their private island whereas CCL doesn't. We're booked on the Sky but if a cheaper rate for the CCL's Ins. or Ima. came up I might switch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalblue0610 Posted May 15, 2008 #35 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Wow this is the first time that I've heard this as I am still fairly new to the boards . . . why can't or don't cruiselines hire Americans? Isn't it something about the pay. Like they can pay non-Americans much less. If NCL doesn't hire Americans willing to take ship salaries, what's wrong with that. Is it a level of friendliness:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaBear67 Posted May 15, 2008 #36 Share Posted May 15, 2008 The main difference I can see between CCL and NCL is how they handle it if you disappear from the ship. If you fall into the ocean from your balcony on NCL, expect lots of coverage and a coast guard search. If you disappear from a Carnival ship, you get a brief mention on CNN and a shortened search (but at least you get lots of attention on the Cruise Critic boards!). I can see it now on Headline News - "Oops, another 'discount' cruiser disappeared. Back to you, Nancy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerchild Posted May 15, 2008 #37 Share Posted May 15, 2008 apples and oranges are both fruit but taste different and some like both and some dont. Iv personally heard lots of complaints on NCL enough that I backed off booking them. You are quoting me and then saying you believe the problem is folks dont understand how freestyle works. I did anytime dining on Princess twice. The first time I was with a group and paired off with a roomie who wanted it, no choice. Second time no choice again, thats all that was open. I think I do understand how it works, just dont care for it. I want to have the same tablemates every night to have a ongoing conversation of how their day went. I like traditional. I do understand when I said in what you quoted I prefer traditional. I asked the OP which ships they were considering and what the prices were so we could do a better comparison. You had mentioned only that you had heard about NCL...and you mention that you have tried Princess Anytime Dining...so am I to assume that you have not tried NCL? (Please correct me if I am wrong...) The OP is inquiring about NCL. I quoted you because you said you had "heard" but not experienced NCL. NCL and Princess are different. I understand what Princess offers in comparison to NCL with the Anytime Dining. With Princess, you either get traditional or anytime...NCL offers you both in the sense that you can make reservations at the same place, same time, same waiter, etc. so that in fact it does offer a similar "traditional" type setting, in the same dining room as the non-traditional diners.If you want to sit with other diners, you can request to be seated with others, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClevelandTNCruisers Posted May 15, 2008 #38 Share Posted May 15, 2008 We cruised on NCL in Nov. It was OK, but since we were on one of their oldest ships (Majesty), I'm not sure it was a fair comparison. The freestyle dining has it pluses and minuses in my opinion. That being said... we would probably try NCL again if the itinerary and price was right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethbeth428 Posted May 15, 2008 #39 Share Posted May 15, 2008 They can hire Americans but how many Americans do you know that will work 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6-8 months at a time for $50 a month, room and board, plus tips? I actually married my cruise waiter back in 1994, had a child with him 5 years later etc so I do know first hand that the waiters and room stewards do work VERY hard, 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 month contracts BUT they make close approx $4,000 CLEAR per month, no taxes, all their needs are met (food and a place to sleep). Not a bad deal in my opinion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halos Posted May 15, 2008 #40 Share Posted May 15, 2008 We went in Jan. 06 on the NCL Star with all of 4 of our children. At the time they were 8, 8, 10, and 13. They loved the kids program, especially my 10 yr. old who is painfully shy. It was fun to see him become the life of the party. I read one post about a stretch ship, I don't remember which one that is, but the Star(Dawn is it's sister ship) had a fantastic layout, I loved that they have the promenade go all the way around the ship too. We are going on the NCL Spirit next year and I can't wait. They are apples/oranges, but there are a lot of similarities too. Here's a review I posted, includes the kids program info. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=279663 Also, some dailies and kid programs: http://travel.webshots.com/album/546368115pHZSLQ (kids/teens) http://travel.webshots.com/album/543075774EJezdX I'll grab everything I can when we go on the Valor and scan it like I did the Star. We won't be taking the kids, but I'll grab the kids dailies as well. Who wins IMO: Food: Carnival (NCL's Teppanyaki's ROCKED though!) Entertainment: NCL (Carnival tends to have poles blocking the views, but I like their seating better, dh disagrees and likes the theaters on NCL, I have my reason in my review) Layout of ship: NCL (love that promenade that goes all the way around!) Wait Staff: Carnival (I think NCL lacked because of the Freestyle) A LOT of the activities are the same, the races by the pool, hairy chest contest, etc... None of those make or break our decisions on which line. Oh, if you're taking your family though, NCL does not have laundry rooms(maybe on the newest ships?), but that was a problem for us, so just another thing to consider. Where Carnival has laundry rooms on ech floor there are cabins. Apples & Oranges. You will LOVE the Spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.S.Oceanlover Posted May 15, 2008 #41 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I actually married my cruise waiter back in 1994, had a child with him 5 years later etc so I do know first hand that the waiters and room stewards do work VERY hard, 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 month contracts BUT they make close approx $4,000 CLEAR per month, no taxes, all their needs are met (food and a place to sleep). Not a bad deal in my opinion! obviously I wasn't including the tips. I'm sure he didn't make 4K in salary. God bless him. It may not be a bad deal but I still couldn't do it. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davy jones Posted May 15, 2008 #42 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Both cruise line are targeting the same market, so the products are similar except for freestyle. I like both lines. I have sailed NCL more, but probably like Carnival a little better. (I didn't sail CCL until after several NCL cruises.) Here is one person's opinion. Yours may differ. NCL Pros: Freestyle. - I like the flexible dining. However, I must say that I have only sailed on ships built for freestyle. I get the impression that it doesn't work as well on traditional ships retrofitted for freestyle. That said, I can live with dinner seatings. I just plan accordingly. Debark - You get room service and stay in your cabin until you are called. Then you leave. It beats being in crowded lounges. Entertainment - Review shows with Jean Ann Ryan company were a little better than Carnivals shows. CCL Pros: Food - I did prefer Carnival food over NCL. Especially in the dining room. Also, I like the late night pizza and deli on CCL better than the NCL option. Service - Cabin service and bar service is about equal on both. Dining room service is better on Carnival because the traditional seatings allow for a rappore with the wait staff and the routine of the seatings allows for better service. Cabins (standard) - CCL cabins are considerably larger than their NCL counterpart. I also found the Carinval bedding to be more comfortable. Activities - Carnival seems to have more daytime activities to my liking. That said, I would sail either because I usually decide on itinerary and price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpievelour Posted May 15, 2008 #43 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Go to the NCL reviews and read what people who have sailed lately have said about their cruise. We were thinking about booking NCL for an Eastern Carribbean, but even the people who enjoyed their cruise, complained about the bad service and the attitudes of the crews. I have not sailed them and this is why I probably won't. But read the reviews for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socref124 Posted May 15, 2008 #44 Share Posted May 15, 2008 no, they're not similar. We made the mistake of going on our first NCL cruise this past February, and it's the only vacation in my life where I literally couldn't wait for it to be over. One disappointment after another as far as food, service, entertainment - I wouldn't recommend an NCL cruise to anyone - well, maybe this b!tch I hate at work... This is exactly what happened to us:( . Glad we aren't the only ones it happened to, but sorry it had to happen to you. We booked our shore excursions through NCL three months in advance and every one of them was screwed up:mad: . Waiters spilling coffee on DW, waiters reaching over us, forgetting food, Massage for two(honeymoon special) was me waiting in a seperate room for her to get her massage then her waiting in a seperate room while I got my massage:mad: . Freestyle dinning was a joke too. Went into a restaurant that was half empty and they told me we had to have a reservation. Then they gave me a reservation for an hour later. Duh, they had 20 empty tables:confused: . Room steward never wiped down the balcony unless we asked him to wipe it down. Found this out when we spilled some coffee one morning, when we came back in the afternoon our room was clean, or so it looked clean, but the coffee stain was still on the table on the balcony:eek: . The ship was beautiful, the food was excellent and the shows were great, but the service was horrible. We will sail NCL again as long as they are the only line doing 7 day cruises in the Hawaiian Islands. We want to go back for our 10th anniversary and would prefer to spend more time on each island. I see you guys went to Punta Cana. How did you like it. We went to Riu Bambu in May of 04 and loved it. From then on I said the only way we will vacation is a cruise or an all inclusive. We would like to go back to Riu Bambu also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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