NCL vs. Princess

[Irina]

Have never cruised with NCL before, but am considering the Dawn for a New Year's cruise. How does NCL compare to Princess? How is the food in the main dining room? Do you have to pay extra for all of the alternative dining rooms? Any advice would be helpful! Thanks

[WonderMan3]

I have done NCL twice (on the Sun and the Dream) and Princess once (on Emerald), and I have to say that Princess outscores NCL on basically everything; service, food in both the dining rooms and buffets, casinos, cabins, ship amenities, etc. If you are a regular Princess cruiser then I expect that you will find disappointment with NCL. My advice is go for one of NCL's newest ships like the Jade, Gem, or Pearl (they have the most amenities) and hit up the paid dining rooms (excellent service and great food) to ensure a great experience. The only area NCL beats Princess on is price, and by that you will likely be able to get a suite for the price you would pay for a standard balcony on Princess. Go for it. The higher category you go on NCL the more VIP perks you'll get as well.

[lovelights]

HI... I've been on both ... Norwegian Dawn, and Caribbean Princess. Truthfully, I loved them both, however, I found the food on the Princess to be better. However, entertainment on Dawn I found to be better. All cruises have their good and bad, and either way, I think you're going to enjoy the Norwegian Dawn. She's a piece of art just in herself.

[onthelake]

I agree that Princess is superior. We were on the Jade in April with the 2.0 roll-out and were really disappointed - we were on a b2b that made our 9th and 10th NCL cruises. Everything is still available - just for additional $$ - and when there are three people, it adds up fast. My DH's great disappointment was that for 12 days, he would have to pay $150 to use the sauna. Instead of being free, it is now part of a package (of which he only wants to use the sauna). To go from free to $150 was quite a shock. Princess may charge more up front but the service, quality and amenities included are superior.

 

Just check the price per person per day that each cruise line spends for food and you will get a good feel for what to expect.

[CruisinEurope]

I've sailed Princess before, and will be sailing NCL in the winter.

 

The thing that I don't get about people doing these "reviews" and "comparisons" is their lack of basic economic understanding.

 

Food Economics

Yes, you get better food & service & experience in the "for a fee" dining room. If that better food/service/etc. is of importance to you - then add on $15 x number of nights to get your "upscale dining" surcharge. (most restaurants are less than $15, one is more... so it's an AVERAGE).

 

If this "price" added to your base price of the cruise is STILL acceptable to you - then you haven't "lost" anything.

 

And, if you find that you ENJOY the main dining room and other "free" dining rooms - then use that extra budgeted money elsewhere.

 

(and, while we're on the subject of food, I have to add my 2 cents...

Trying to ask this question and get a "consensus" is futile. Feed 1000 of us the same thing, and you're likely to get 999 different opinions. The "rule" is that there will ALWAYS be something edible on a cruise ship. You certainly won't starve, and you may just find that by trying things that you'd never ordinarily order "at home" - that you find a new favorite. The actual FOOD part of reviews is just... well ... useless unless you are that person writing that review. )

 

 

Cabin Economics

The newer ships of NCL (look to be, and are reviewed as being) way above their "price point". What I mean by that is - - for what you pay, you usually get MUCH more bang for your buck with NCL than with any other line where your accomodations are concerned.

 

Again, simple economics. If you are super happy with an inside cabin on Princess, you SURE can get an inside on NCL, add in your "premium dining surcharge" and probably a full spa pass too - and still pay less with NCL than most other lines out there.

 

 

 

In conclusion:

I like the "a la carte" feel of NCL. I pay for what I want - and don't for what I don't.

 

I have figured my cruise "budget" based on eating in the specialty restaurants each night, and getting a spa pass for the entire cruise.

 

Those "costs" plus the base price of the cruise was STILL A BARGAIN, so I am totally pleased with my vacation choice.

 

I think that is what it boils down to... book what you are happy with, don't pay for things you won't use ... and go with an open mind intent on HAVING FUN

 

 

Enjoy your cruise.. whichever line you sail.

 

[Boat_Drinks]

Food Economics

Yes, you get better food & service & experience in the "for a fee" dining room. If that better food/service/etc. is of importance to you - then add on $15 x number of nights to get your "upscale dining" surcharge. (most restaurants are less than $15, one is more... so it's an AVERAGE).

 

My $0.02, the paid dining rooms are supposed to be for EXCEPTIONAL service and food quality. You shouldn't have to go to the paid dining rooms to get "good" service and food quality, which you already paid for in your base fare.

 

Anyhow, the $15 per person is a bit misleading for Le Bistro. Yes, you can get a table at Le Bistro for $15/pp - but you can ONLY order from the LEFT side of the menu. If you want the more desirable dishes (like Chateaubriand) on the RIGHT side of the menu, add $10/pp (and if you are a couple but only ONE of you wants to order from the RIGHT side of the menu, it'll still cost you $20 because all of these dishes are sized for 2).

 

I've been on 3 NCL and 1 Princess cruise. Setting aside the paid dining rooms, the service and food quality of the Princess "standard" dining rooms is far better than what I have experienced on NCL (Majesty, Sun and Dream).

[cynbar]

Here's a link to a thread I started a week or so ago about comparisons between the two lines:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=809097&highlight=cynbar.

 

We are usually Princess loyalists but we enjoyed our cruise on the Gem. In fairness, the newer NCL ships get better reviews than the older ones, which I can't comment on. We would definitely sail NCL again if the itinerary and price were right.

[Racegoer]

First we paid about a $1000 less for our NCL Vs Princess but we only got a balcony room on NCL and a mini-suite on Princess. Most of the restaurants do have a minimal cost and the food in them is excellent. Now the dining room on Princess was better than NCL. CruisinEurope has made some very good points and I will agree.Also Cruises today are more alike than they are different IMO. The last cruise was our first on NCL. I liked the freestyle and the fact that the Cigar lounge was open all day. The Cigar lounge on Princess was not as it was only open about 6PM.

 

Anyway we would either one again but feel that NCL was the best value going. You should have fun on about any major line today. I will say we prefer newer ships though. The one negative aspect was the totally open balconies on the Caribbean Princess it was the worst. The room was nice and large for a mini but the balcony was not private at all. I still call it the Zoo balcony. Some people like them for the full sun, but they are not for us. I still don't think people get it that the NCL is less costly going in so what if you pay extra for more things. If like buying a $50 steak dinner Vs a $35 one where the baked potato is $5 extra. We have been on 5 different lines and really can't understand people being so stuck on any one company. I still think cruises are more alike than different.

[LindaKE]

Before our NCL Jewel cruise I would have thought that I wouldn't find a cruise line I like better than Princess. We decided to try the Eastern Carribean on NCL because we had done Princess' Eastern Carribean the year before, and they did have Freestyle. We found that they are very similar. The decor on NCL is more "fun", but other than that, we really didn't see that many differences. The cabins were laid out the same, although I thought NCL manageed to better utilize the space. The service was equal. The food was about the same quality wise, although we liked some of Pricess' choices better. But I understand that that changes with the season or ship. We ate in a speciality restaurant once on each trip, so that was the same. While I read objections to the way people dress on NCL's board, I didn't actually see that much difference from our Princess cruise the year before (same itinerary). For us now, the price and itinerary are the basis for choosing between them.

[DAGVBSB]

I have never been on Princess, but my parents have and they prefer NCL. I have been on RCI and NCL and I too prefer NCL.

 

The advantages for NCL are the Freestyle Cruising concept.

 

1.) No set dining times. Just show up at the dinning room when you want to eat and be seated. Sometimes there can be a 20 mintue wait during peak times, but I have never waited for a table.

 

2.) No set table mates. You can dine with who you wish. Table for 2? no problem.

 

3.) Large selection of restaurants: 2 main dining rooms, buffet and several specialty restaurants (Italian, Steakhouse, Mexican, Asian) to choose from.

 

4.) No mandatory formal night. Resort Casual is acceptable in all dining venues on all nights. (polo shirt, kahki pants, tennis shoes or sandals.) Jeans are allowed in all but one of the two main dining rooms every night. (shorts, tank tops and t-shirts are not allowed in any dining room for dinner, but are allowed in the buffet.) There will be a "Dress up or Not Night." (optional formal) and about 50% of the passengers will dress up and that will range from tuxes down to shirt/tie. The other 50% will be in resort casual. That is the best part of Freestyle, the ability to dress as you want on a cruise. If you want to dress up, then you can and not be out of place. If you want to stay casual, you can and won't be out of place and won't be forced to go to the buffet for dinner.

 

5.) Freestyle Disembarkaton: You can stay in your stateroom UNTIL you are called to disembark. (it has been as late as 10:00-10:30 for me.) You won't be forced to vacate your cabin at some early hour and then be herded like cattle into public lounges to sit like homeless people with your belongings. I really don't understand why NCL can do that but the other lines can't. It just doesn't make sense.....

[newmexicoNita]

I have cruised all mass marketed lines and find them to be pretty similar in a lot of ways. For those who are having fun blasting NCL, remember we can all do the same with almost any line. It certainly depends on the ship you are sailing. There is no way to compare the NCL older ships with the newer ones. Now, to answer your question without the blasting, but honestly as possible.

 

NCL: yes, you will pay extra for most of the alternative dining venues, but not all. this is just like Princess.

 

Depending on the ship, NCL has a better flow for the buffet (we usually only eat breakfast at the buffet, lunch sometimes) Again, this depends on the ship. We also found the breakfast buffet better on NCL but again, this is opinion only. The dining room breakfast was 100% better on NCL. princess was the worst we have ever had. My eggs one morning were still clear in color and I got them about 5 minutes after everyone else got their breakfast. The other 2 times breakfast was similar, but not quite as bad. We also thought Freestyle flowed better than "Personal choice" with more personal attention, again opinion only.

 

Liked the entertainmnent better on NCL plus the showroom doesn't fill up as fast. We finally stopped even trying to go to shows on Princess. We wouldn't finish dinner in time to make it to the show as you had to be there about 1/2 early to get a decent seat. Princess does have the choice of 2 entertainment shows per night. By this I mean 2 different ones, in 2 different places. This is a plus for those who like shows.

 

We had better cabin service on NCL, again, this depends on the sailing and the luck of the draw. For us, there was a huge communication problem. We had ordered certain things to be in our cabin prior to sailing and they were not. From our steward to the pusher, to room service we got the run around for 2 days. I have had trouble over the years ordering gifts for clients who have sailed Princess. Mistakes do happen, things do fall between the cracks, but Princess is the line I have had the most problems with.

 

Princess: better entrees for sure and a better selection.

 

I liked the Princess casino much better than the NLC casinos. Again this depends on the ship, but we just had more fun on Princess (no we didn't win any money)

 

We preferred the pool on Princess to NCL.

 

The Princess ship was classy in style and decor.

 

The cabins on Princess, though about the same size are not layed out as well. We found to much wasted space (huge closet, dressing area) thus the actual living area was tiny and the bathrooms on the NCL newer ships are nicer.

 

Drinks were a little cheaper on Princess, but they do not have a bar set up plan that can be purchased prior to sailing.

 

Frequent guest party is a total joke on Princess. At least on NCL they have appitizers and give away door prizes. I would never judge a cruise by the return guest program but it is comparison.

 

I could list other things I am sure but this does give you an idea of the two lines I hope. We liked our Princess cruise. lots of nice people were on the ship, we just think NCL offers a little more of what is right for us.

[DAGVBSB]

 

I've been on 3 NCL and 1 Princess cruise. Setting aside the paid dining rooms, the service and food quality of the Princess "standard" dining rooms is far better than what I have experienced on NCL (Majesty, Sun and Dream).

 

 

You have also only sailed on 3 of the 4 smallest and lowest rated ships in the NCL fleet.

 

The Spirit is larger than all three of those ships.

[Boat_Drinks]

For those who are having fun blasting NCL, remember we can all do the same with almost any line. It certainly depends on the ship you are sailing. There is no way to compare the NCL older ships with the newer ones. Now, to answer your question without the blasting, but honestly as possible.

 

Nobody is blasting NCL. The OP asked a legitimate question and asked for comparisons of the dining on NCL and Princess, I responded with my honest opinions, having cruised both lines. You are welcome to disagree, but please let's not start the name-calling (again).

 

The dining room breakfast was 100% better on NCL. princess was the worst we have ever had. My eggs one morning were still clear in color and I got them about 5 minutes after everyone else got their breakfast. The other 2 times breakfast was similar, but not quite as bad. We also thought Freestyle flowed better than "Personal choice" with more personal attention, again opinion only..

 

Totally different experience for me on Princess. The food quality and service were always good to excellent. Just goes to show two people can have entirely different experiences on the same ship. :)

 

My experience with breakfast on NCL Dream is best categorized in my report of the Le Bistro Brunch at Terraces here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=15419640&postcount=23

 

Summary: Walked out after waiting 30 minutes for waiter to take order and consuming ice-cold eggs from the buffet while waiting.

 

I have never been on Princess, but my parents have and they prefer NCL. I have been on RCI and NCL and I too prefer NCL.

 

The advantages for NCL are the Freestyle Cruising concept.

 

1.) No set dining times. Just show up at the dinning room when you want to eat and be seated. Sometimes there can be a 20 mintue wait during peak times, but I have never waited for a table.

 

2.) No set table mates. You can dine with who you wish. Table for 2? no problem.

 

3.) Large selection of restaurants: 2 main dining rooms, buffet and several specialty restaurants (Italian, Steakhouse, Mexican, Asian) to choose from.

 

 

This is true on both lines (although I can't recall what "specialty" cuisines were offered on Emerald Princess). On Prinicess they have "Anytime Dining", which worked very well for us, just show up at any dining room and specify the size of your dinner party - we typically waited less than 15-20 minutes with one exception, on Formal Night most passengers skip their assigned dining time/table and opt for Anytime Dining in one of the other dining rooms. This adds a higher load to the other dining rooms, and wait times were accordingly higher (I think we waited 30 minutes on Formal Night for a table).

 

Here is a fact that Princess really doesn't advertise fully (you'll find it in the Princess Patter, but it's something most people don't notice). You can actually make reservations for Anytime Dining and be assured of NO wait. Just call before I think it's 10am on the same day and you can reserve your table for that evening at the time of your choice. We discovered this late in the cruise, and wish we had known earlier on.

 

You have also only sailed on 3 of the 4 smallest and lowest rated ships in the NCL fleet.

 

True, but I've never been of the opinion that "size matters", at least not with regards to service and food quality. :)

 

There are some cruisers who believe that service and food quality is BETTER on smaller, more intimate ships.

[newmexicoNita]

Nobody is blasting NCL. The OP asked a legitimate question and asked for comparisons of the dining on NCL and Princess, I responded with my honest opinions, having cruised both lines. You are welcome to disagree, but please let's not start the name-calling (again).

 

 

 

Totally different experience for me on Princess. The food quality and service were always good to excellent. Just goes to show two people can have entirely different experiences on the same ship. :)

 

My experience with breakfast on NCL Dream is best categorized in my report of the Le Bistro Brunch at Terraces here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=15419640&postcount=23

 

Summary: Walked out after waiting 30 minutes for waiter to take order and consuming ice-cold eggs from the buffet while waiting.

 

 

 

This is true on both lines (although I can't recall what "specialty" cuisines were offered on Emerald Princess). On Prinicess they have "Anytime Dining", which worked very well for us, just show up at any dining room and specify the size of your dinner party - we typically waited less than 15-20 minutes with one exception, on Formal Night most passengers skip their assigned dining time/table and opt for Anytime Dining in one of the other dining rooms. This adds a higher load to the other dining rooms, and wait times were accordingly higher (I think we waited 30 minutes on Formal Night for a table).

 

Here is a fact that Princess really doesn't advertise fully (you'll find it in the Princess Patter, but it's something most people don't notice). You can actually make reservations for Anytime Dining and be assured of NO wait. Just call before I think it's 10am on the same day and you can reserve your table for that evening at the time of your choice. We discovered this late in the cruise, and wish we had known earlier on.

 

 

 

True, but I've never been of the opinion that "size matters", at least not with regards to service and food quality. :)

 

There are some cruisers who believe that service and food quality is BETTER on smaller, more intimate ships.

you are correct about the "anytime dining reservations" but this is why we preferred NCL, Because of the reservations situation there were never tables available for less than 6 people because many were reserved early. Actually they can be reserved in advance. We know 2 couples who did this. You mention rarely waiting more than 15 or 20 minutes: 6 or 7 freestyle cruises and we have only waited more than 5 minutes: that was with our CC group and there were about 20 of us. Even with reservations we did wait about 20 minutes I would guess.

 

As for most of my comments, if you read them you will see, I posted them as "my opinion only" and gave examples as to why these may have been exceptions not the rule.

 

yes, older, smaller ships often do offer better service but your last experience was on a ship that is about to leave the fleet. As I have mentioned before: less than great service on ships leaving is very common, not just on NCL. Is it right? Of course not, but it is fact. Bad service on the Sun, is quite unusual btw. Very rarely do you see this. Of course, again anything can happen.

[OceanDreaming2]

I've been on the Grand and Diamond Princess and several NCL ships (Pearl x3, Jewel, Star, Dream). I felt the food on the NCL ships was better than what I experienced on the two Princess ships. The cabins on both lines are nice and the mini suite we had on the Diamond Princess was much larger than the mini on the Jewel. I also enjoyed the activities offered on the Diamond Princess - I liked the ceramics and the arts and crafts classes (but this was a cruise with 10 sea days).

 

What I didn't like on the Princess cruises was disembarkation. We all waited in lounges for what seemed like hours waiting for our colors to be called. NCL has this down pat and you can wait in your stateroom until it's time to go.

 

NCL also has Anytime Dining. While Princess has something similar, it doesn't compare. We have had no problem in ordering in any of the NCL dining rooms. Of course, we also enjoy LeBistro, Cagney's, Teppanyaki, etc. There are so many choices that the Princess ships didn't offer.

 

I think it all boils down to the price and itinerary. Of course, once you've sailed on NCL, you'll be hooked. The more cruises, the better the perks.

[WonderMan3]

You have also only sailed on 3 of the 4 smallest and lowest rated ships in the NCL fleet.

 

.

 

When he and I sailed on The Sun it was in 2003 when it was less than 2 years old.

 

And if you go by this board, The Dream is the greatest thing to hit the Seven Seas since The Titanic.

[WonderMan3]

you are correct about the "anytime dining reservations" but this is why we preferred NCL, Because of the reservations situation there were never tables available for less than 6 people because many were reserved early. Actually they can be reserved in advance. We know 2 couples who did this. You mention rarely waiting more than 15 or 20 minutes: 6 or 7 freestyle cruises and we have only waited more than 5 minutes: that was with our CC group and there were about 20 of us. Even with reservations we did wait about 20 minutes I would guess. .

 

I was told that reservations could be made for NCL dining as well, but only about a day in advance. Princess had the same restriction. Or is that only for certain categories on NCL? Princess also did not allow reservations during peak dining time 6:30-8:30 from what I can recall. As BD mentioned we only ever waited about 20 minutes max for a table and I believe those were on the two formal nights when people were dining later and people from the set dining skipped over to the anytime. We could have been sat immediately if we didn't mind sharing a table, but we wanted one for two.

 

As for most of my comments, if you read them you will see, I posted them as "my opinion only" and gave examples as to why these may have been exceptions not the rule. .

 

Of course you are posting your opinions, we all are. Just because you chose to go into explicit detail on every single comment you made doesn't suddenly mean anyone who preferred Princess over NCL's comments and didn't elaborate was "bashing". This was a thread where people were asked which cruiseline was better. Of course some people are going to say Princess was better in some areas, and some like myself may feel they are better in pretty much every area.

 

This attitude towards anyone who says anything remotely negative about NCL is getting tiresome. If you can't stand the fact that some people may have differing opinions then you really shouldn't be posting on a public messageboard.

[newmexicoNita]

I was told that reservations could be made for NCL dining as well, but only about a day in advance. Princess had the same restriction. Or is that only for certain categories on NCL? Princess also did not allow reservations during peak dining time 6:30-8:30 from what I can recall. As BD mentioned we only ever waited about 20 minutes max for a table and I believe those were on the two formal nights when people were dining later and people from the set dining skipped over to the anytime. We could have been sat immediately if we didn't mind sharing a table, but we wanted one for two.

 

 

 

Of course you are posting your opinions, we all are. Just because you chose to go into explicit detail on every single comment you made doesn't suddenly mean anyone who preferred Princess over NCL's comments and didn't elaborate was "bashing". This was a thread where people were asked which cruiseline was better. Of course some people are going to say Princess was better in some areas, and some like myself may feel they are better in pretty much every area.

 

This attitude towards anyone who says anything remotely negative about NCL is getting tiresome. If you can't stand the fact that some people may have differing opinions then you really shouldn't be posting on a public messageboard.

I really don't know when you sailed Princess, but this past January our friends were allowed to make reservations in advance and yes, during peak times. In fact we saw them in the dining room on several different nights at 6:45.

 

As for detailed information: I would rather know why someone has a particular view, then just to have someone say "I like XXX line better than YYY line cause the food is better". Of maybe the cabins are bigger. That isn't telling me much.

 

and not accepting different opinions goes for you as well. I have no problem with those who don't always agree with me. That is why there are so many lines to choose from: what is best for one may not be best for someone else. I will always defend any cruiseline or anything else if I feel the bashing is uncalled for or over the hill. This doesn't refer to this particular thread as much as one last week. I think we can drop it at that.

[WonderMan3]

I really don't know when you sailed Princess, but this past January our friends were allowed to make reservations in advance and yes, during peak times. In fact we saw them in the dining room on several different nights at 6:45. .

 

We sailed last August on Emerald Princess and I mentioned an approximate range of times, it may have been 7-8:30, I can't recall. I only know that the restriction was there because we tend to like to eat around 7-8pm and were told that we could not ever make reservations during that period because it was peak dining time. Perhaps it was something they have changed on Princess or it was something restricted to that ship or that itinerary. Either way, it was never really a big deal for us as we still went to the dining room around our preferred time and didn't have issues being seated except for the formal nights.

 

and not accepting different opinions goes for you as well. I have no problem with those who don't always agree with me. That is why there are so many lines to choose from: what is best for one may not be best for someone else. I will always defend any cruiseline or anything else if I feel the bashing is uncalled for or over the hill. This doesn't refer to this particular thread as much as one last week. I think we can drop it at that.

 

Please point out where I have challenged your or anyone else's praise of NCL? I have only ever defended my own opinions when they were attacked by aggressive posters like yourself.

 

And the fact that you admit that your call-out of "bashing" has nothing to do with this thread shows how petty and antagonistic you are being.

[newmexicoNita]

We sailed last August on Emerald Princess and I mentioned an approximate range of times, it may have been 7-8:30, I can't recall. I only know that the restriction was there because we tend to like to eat around 7-8pm and were told that we could not ever make reservations during that period because it was peak dining time. Perhaps it was something they have changed on Princess or it was something restricted to that ship or that itinerary. Either way, it was never really a big deal for us as we still went to the dining room around our preferred time and didn't have issues being seated except for the formal nights.

 

 

 

Please point out where I have challenged your or anyone else's praise of NCL? I have only ever defended my own opinions when they were attacked by aggressive posters like yourself.

 

And the fact that you admit that your call-out of "bashing" has nothing to do with this thread shows how petty and antagonistic you are being.

 

you could be right about the timing: 7 to 8:30 is always the buiest time for dining. As for attacking you, actually I wasn't referring to your comments. I was addressing someone else and you answered inbetween. My argument was not about your comments. I was addressing someone totally different. Go back a few entrees ago. Anyway, this is going nowhere and only causing hard feelings. We do all have our own opinions. I like NCL better, you like Princess better. If it hadn't been for our horrible experience with our cabin steward and the pursers desk, I would probably put the 2 lines in the same catagory. I have just had too many problems with Princess over the past 10 years of being a travel agent.

 

Nita

[deepnite10]

it s sorta like that song that go s like this..

 

*if your not with the one you love, love the one

your with* :p

[WonderMan3]

Honestly as many have said I don't see drastic differences between most of the cruiselines at this point. Princess is currently at the top of my list because I had such a wonderful experience with them last year. I just felt like they put out a really great package and I just really felt "swept away", so to speak, on a wonderful vacation. NCL has just been a struggle so far as there have been so many service issues that it has made it difficult to enjoy the trips. While the destinations and shore excursions have been wonderful the time on the ship has been much less so. RCCL falls somewhere in between. But I reserve full judgment on them as I was on a charter cruise and there were so many special parties and the crew was all very relaxed in party mode too that I can't make an accurate review of their true service.

 

Again though, I want NCL to impress me which is why I'm giving them one more shot. I think you have to admit that I am being more than fair to them after two disappointing previous experiences. Some people take a cruise, don't like it and never cruise with that line again.

[BenCruisin']

We have been on 8 Princess cruises, including the final cruise of one ship before it was sent to P&O last August. We have been on the older ships (Sun, Dawn, & Sea) several times as well as the newer Golden and Grand. So we realize there are differences in the newer ships, even in the same line. In May, we took our first NCL cruise on the Majesty from Charleston to Bermuda.

 

I don't mind dressing for formal nights on Princess, but not having to dress saved us one bag. Even if this was the only cruise I have ever driven to.

 

At dinner, we prefer larger tables to share in the main dining rooms, whether 'Freestyle' dining or 'Anytime' dining, so we can meet different people. Getting seated (without reservations) seemed much longer and much more difficult on the Majesty. If it is 'Freestyle' or 'Anytime' dining, why would I need reservations?

 

On Princess, it seems like every night, between my wife and myself, there was at least one great dish. On NCL, nothing was bad but 'great' only happened once every 2 or 3 days. I admit I am cheap - I assume I have already paid for food with my cabin booking so I have never paid extra for the 'premium' restaurants on either line.

 

Rumor has it the Majesty is being sold next year or the year after. The public areas were equal to Princess but our cabin had some 'deferred maintenace' our cabin on the Princess ship's final cruise did not have.

 

Entertainment on board is just as subjective as the food. Neither was bad but some I liked better than others. Just as I would have expected if I went to the show at home.

 

One thing I did not like is that on NCL I felt like I was walking down a carnival midway with a ton of hawkers trying to sell me extra cost stuff, especially alcohol. I drink, and I realize alcohol is a very profitable item for any cruise line, but I feel Princess ships do it in a much more classy way than the Majesty. And that includes bingo and other stuff.

 

Getting off ship seemed MUCH easier on NCL than Princess. I don't know if it is just Charleston or everywhere.

 

We have booked another NCL cruise (trans-atlantic) in September on the Jewel. I would not have booked it except:

1) It was a good price

2) We liked the itinerary

3) The Jewel is a much newer ship, so maybe things will be different

[DAGVBSB]

When he and I sailed on The Sun it was in 2003 when it was less than 2 years old.

 

And if you go by this board, The Dream is the greatest thing to hit the Seven Seas since The Titanic.

 

 

Regardless of how old it was, the Sun is still a smaller ship. It does not have the same number of restaurants as the newer NCL ships. I was on the Pride of Aloha, sister ship of the Sun, and I was on the Dawn & Star. (larger ships.) The smaller NCL ships... Majesty, Dream, Sky & Sun do not give you a true sense of Freestyle. If you haven't been on the Star, Dawn, Pearl, Gem, Jewel or Jade, then you really have not experienced the best of Freestyle.

 

I think you have the Dream and the Dawn confused. The Dawn may be NCL's most popular ship. Very few people come off that ship with bad things to say. (I also believe that it is NCL's flagship operation.) The Dream on the other hand has had some well documented problems and is constantly the subject of negative reports on this board. Even those that love the Dream are having a hard time defending her these days. That is why she is leaving the fleet. So, you are wrong about the Dream getting good reports, even on this board.

 

I was told that reservations could be made for NCL dining as well, but only about a day in advance. Princess had the same restriction. Or is that only for certain categories on NCL?

 

This attitude towards anyone who says anything remotely negative about NCL is getting tiresome. If you can't stand the fact that some people may have differing opinions then you really shouldn't be posting on a public messageboard.

 

As far as reservations are concerned, NCL actually had three different policies in place:

1.) Specialty Restaurants require a reservation for all times and these can be made up to 36 hours in advance.

2.) The Main Restaurants on each ship (2), do not accept reservations except for the following exceptions:

a.) Those in the high end (AE and above) suites, who can make reservations for anytime through the Concierge.

b.) Those who have large groups of 8 or more. Group reservations are limited to before 6:15 p.m. or after 8:00 p.m.. (no group reservations between 6:15 & 8:00.)

3.) Suite Guests can make priority reservations through their conceirge for the specialty restaurants as early as the first day... no 36 hour window for them.

 

 

Finally, I have always found the Princess Board to be one of the most friendliest boards on CC. If you think we are bad, go visit the RCCL, HAL or Celebrity Boards. I asked a simple question on the RCCL board a few months back and because it had to do with other options for formal night, I was basically told to shut up and was treated rudely. In fact, I have been told by RCCL passengers to not sail that line. I guess the rudeness that I experienced on the Explorer is just normal for regular RCCL cruisers.

I don't think anyone was attacking your views, we were just trying to clear up where you were coming from and putting it all in perspective.

[DAGVBSB]

Getting seated (without reservations) seemed much longer and much more difficult on the Majesty. If it is 'Freestyle' or 'Anytime' dining' date=' why would I need reservations?

 

 

Rumor has it the Majesty is being sold next year or the year after. The public areas were equal to Princess but our cabin had some 'deferred maintenace' our cabin on the Princess ship's final cruise did not have..[/quote']

 

The poor Majesty has always had a problem adapting to Freestyle because of its size. The dining rooms were designed and built for Traditional cruising and as a result are smaller with more larger tables than smaller ones. That has always caused dining room waits on that ship.

 

NCL has long has a history of letting ships that they are getting rid of to run down and perform little maintainance on. Look at the reports from both the Dream and more recently, the Sky (which just came out of a 6 week dry dock!). The reports of run down areas and no maintainance were also reported on the Sea, Wind and Crown before they left the fleet.

 

 

One thing I did not like is that on NCL I felt like I was walking down a carnival midway with a ton of hawkers trying to sell me extra cost stuff' date=' especially alcohol. I drink, and I realize alcohol is a very profitable item for any cruise line, but I feel Princess ships do it in a much more classy way than the Majesty. And that includes bingo and other stuff.

 

Getting off ship seemed MUCH easier on NCL than Princess. I don't know if it is just Charleston or everywhere.[/quote']

 

NCL is always trying to sell you a drink! But try walking down the RCI Promenade... they have little tables set up out in the Promenade trying to sell everything that they already sell in the shops! It just clutters the walkways and makes it very hard to get through. The RCI Promenade reminded me of a flea market instead of a European street!

 

NCL's disembarkation is still their unique feature. Even as the other lines copy the other parts of Freestyle, no one has copied the Freestyle Embarkation. (and I don't understand why... if NCL can do it, why not the other lines?)