NCL or Carnival? Help...Newbie here.

[ROBALIS]

Newbie here! We have a choice to make as first time cruisers. We plan to go with 2 kids ages 9 and 5. Which ship is the better of the two...the Norwegian Dawn or the Celebrity Miracle? We like the idea of the "freestyle" option on NCL, but want to make sure the kids will be happy too.

[cb at sea]

I think either will give you a good idea of what cruising is all about. If the freestyle thing is for you, do the NCL cruise. The kids will have a blast, no matter which line you choose.

[paul929207]

Are you trying to decide between NCL & Carnival (see title) or NCL & Celebrity (see text)?

[ce2000]

I would have to recommend Carnival over NCL. I believe that the food is better on Carnival and Carnival has more shipboard activities. The kids will love Camp Carnival, they are at the perfect age for this.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Carnival would be better for the children.

[world~citizen]

Given your choices and family configuration, I would say Disney. :D

 

Really.

 

Smooth sailing...

[cv322]

I believe you meant to write CARNIVAL Miracle. ;). I've cruised on both the Dawn and the Miracle...and they are both gorgeous ships. The freestyle and choice of specialty restaurants was very nice on NCL. But, sorry, I can't answer your question about the kids program...perhaps you'd get good feedback if you post on the family board. Good luck!

[Bruin Steve]

McDonald's or Burger King?

 

Seriously? With kids, I'd really look into Royal Caribbean...The amenities on their ships blow away Carnival and Norwegian (Rock Climbing, Ice Skating, Mini Golf, Surfing, etc.)...and the service and experience are much better as well...

 

The "Freestyle" thing really sounds great in marketing--especially to the newbies...But, I'd think about it carefully...

 

My next cruise is on Princess--and they offer BOTH--you can get a traditional dining assignment in one dining room...or "Anytime" dining in the other...There is a LONG waiting list on our sailing to get into the traditional dining...

 

Here's the basic deal...With traditional dining, you have a set dining time and set table every night...You get a two hour window to eat dinner at a leisurely pace...You get waiters who get to know you--they are the same every night...by night two, they know I like Iced Tea and frequent refills, they know one daughter is a vegetarian, they know I like plain iceberg lettuce wedge rather than the salads...

 

With "Anytime" or "Freestyle", it's like going to a restaurant...If more than the average number of people show up at, say, 7:00 or 7:30, you may have to wait for a table...If people are waiting for tables, they may rush you through dnner at a quicker pace...You will likely get different waiters each night--who all get pooled tips so the service doesn't quite matter as much.

 

Also know that on most ships, the entertainment and activities are pretty much scheduled to fit into those two traditional dining slots-For example, they'll have a show at 8:30 for the folks in the 6:00 pm seating and one at either 7:00 or at 11:00 for those in the 8:45 seating...Eating dinner at 7:30 makes it harder to fit the show into your schedule...

 

Kids program activities are also usually scheduled around the assumption that most families are in the 6:00 seating or are eating dinner around 6:00...

 

To my thinking, one of the things that makes a cruise really special...that maks it so much different than other vacations is the traditions--like the dining room seatings...

[momofmeg]

Are you trying to decide between NCL & Carnival (see title) or NCL & Celebrity (see text)?

 

The OP meant Carnival Miracle. I do not believe there is a Celebrity Miracle and Carnival was listed in the title.

 

To the OP, I did enjoy the Miracle, in fact if I do another Carnival cruise, it would be on a spirit class ship. As far as NCL, I will be on the Pearl in 4 weeks. I will post when I return and let you know what I thought.

[momofmeg]

McDonald's or Burger King?

 

Seriously? With kids, I'd really look into Royal Caribbean...The amenities on their ships blow away Carnival and Norwegian (Rock Climbing, Ice Skating, Mini Golf, Surfing, etc.)...and the service and experience are much better as well...

 

The "Freestyle" thing really sounds great in marketing--especially to the newbies...But, I'd think about it carefully...

 

My next cruise is on Princess--and they offer BOTH--you can get a traditional dining assignment in one dining room...or "Anytime" dining in the other...There is a LONG waiting list on our sailing to get into the traditional dining...

 

Here's the basic deal...With traditional dining, you have a set dining time and set table every night...You get a two hour window to eat dinner at a leisurely pace...You get waiters who get to know you--they are the same every night...by night two, they know I like Iced Tea and frequent refills, they know one daughter is a vegetarian, they know I like plain iceberg lettuce wedge rather than the salads...

 

With "Anytime" or "Freestyle", it's like going to a restaurant...If more than the average number of people show up at, say, 7:00 or 7:30, you may have to wait for a table...If people are waiting for tables, they may rush you through dnner at a quicker pace...You will likely get different waiters each night--who all get pooled tips so the service doesn't quite matter as much.

 

Also know that on most ships, the entertainment and activities are pretty much scheduled to fit into those two traditional dining slots-For example, they'll have a show at 8:30 for the folks in the 6:00 pm seating and one at either 7:00 or at 11:00 for those in the 8:45 seating...Eating dinner at 7:30 makes it harder to fit the show into your schedule...

 

Kids program activities are also usually scheduled around the assumption that most families are in the 6:00 seating or are eating dinner around 6:00...

 

To my thinking, one of the things that makes a cruise really special...that maks it so much different than other vacations is the traditions--like the dining room seatings...

 

The Pearl has rock climbing and a bowling alley. Not that either interest me.

[Lowie]

my kids preferred the club on NCL way better then on carnival. that being said the NCL club hours were more limited then on carnival and with freestyle we had a hard time scheduling dining, getting kids to and from the club and getting into a show on time. carnival is set up in such a way that it works like clockwork.

 

i felt (on ncl) that i kept having to leave an activity to get the kids from the club. i even missed my DH winning bingo because the club was closing. :(

 

we also liked the food better on carnival.

 

either way, you'll have a blast if you CHOOSE to have a blast. we pick a cruise just because it's there and we can afford it, hence the next NCL cruise we are going on.