We LOVE Carnival- Would we enjoy NCL?

[Beyondships]

In general, Carnival is somewhat more structured than NCL. As others have noted, this is most apparent in the dining.

 

Spirit was popular when she was operating out of New York and had a fun atmosphere. She was originally the Superstar Leo of Star Cruises but was transferred to NCL after about a year in service. The decor of the ship had a definite Asian theme. The cabins are smaller than average. NCl was planning on doing some changes to the public areas in a refit before the upcoming season.

[Jett456]

Bermuda is great!!! The three days in port lets you get lots of beach time in. There are many different beaches to choose from if that is your thing. There is lots to do and plenty of great shopping if you like that. There are buses and ferries that can take you everywhere or you can use cabs or rent scooters. I loved it there and am probably going back in May. If I was closer to Boston I'd do the Spirit since I've already been on the Dawn. I think Carnival's food was a bit better than NCL's. I am not a very picky person when it comes to food. The specialty restaurants were very good and we never had to wait to eat in the regular dining rooms. I really like Freestyle so it worked for me. The buffet was just ok. Some things looked pretty awful but I always did find stuff to eat. The desserts look better than they taste. I think you should try it!

[pascalburns]

you will enjoy your trip on ncl.

 

 

island princess 12/08

 

ncl pearl 2/08

 

grand princess 11/07

 

carnival holiday 9/06

 

grand princess 2/06

[soulja]

We went on NCL in october, and we said not again. There's no tipping on NCL, they charge you a fee upfront. Between that, and the open seating, we found that you never get the same people serving you, and since they don't have to worry about a tip, I found that the waiters, room service staff, and room stewards don't treat you as well as on carnival, since they are guaranteed the fees, and not working for a good tip. You don't get the nice little things, like your favorite drinks waiting for you at dinner and other things that you take for granted when you see the same workers all the time over the course of your cruise.

[H82seaUgo]

Just think of all that wasted public space to support RESTAURANT ROW at sea.

[travelbumsboston]

I have done the Boston to Bermuda cruise 4 times. Loved each and every one. As we live 5 miles from the port can't beat the convenience. My husband also loves the days at sea so having more on the Boston to Bermuda is enjoyable for him. I have always found the meals to be very good and in some cases better than Carnival. Enjoy the Freestyle Dining as when you're in Bermuda all day sometimes you don't want to feel rushed to get back for your assigned dinner. I think the size of the rooms in most cases have been larger than ones I've had on certain Carnival cruises. Having said that they have also been older/smaller ships overall and not the biggest in the fleet. Also liked the room service breakfast menus better than Carnival. Can get eggs, ham, bacon etc whereas on Carnival only cereal, muffins and bagel etc. Not doing one this year as we did it last year, but will surely do one in 2010.

[NeedATan]

I have been on four Carnival cruises and then went on the Spirit last year out of New Orleans. Overall, with the exception of freestyle dining, I thought Carnival and NCL were more similar than diffferent.

 

The Spirit is an absolutely beautiful ship and we thought the service was comparable to Carnival. The public areas on the Spirit were all great - my favorite place was sitting in a lounge chair on the promenade deck - you don't have that on Carnival.

 

Food - We went to four of the speciality restaurants on the Spirit and all our meals were REALLY good. However, I thought the regular dining room food was not as good as Carnival. It was all perfectly edible and the service was great, but I give Carnival the edge. I really liked Blue Lagoon on the Spirit - it was good for lunch and snacks. I did miss having regular dining companions with freestyle - it seems like this really decreased passenger interaction. On Carnival, I made new friends everyday. On NCL, not so much. However, I don't think freestyle lessened the service or overall dining experience.

 

Cabin - We had an inside cabin on the Spirit - it was teeny tiny compared to ones I've had on Carnival. However, I give NCL the edge on the bathrooms - they have real showers (no flimsy curtain, but a real door). Our room steward on the Spirit was fabulous.

 

Entertaniment - There were plenty of activities on the Spirit to keep us busy. I know you said you aren't a big drinker, but NCL offers martini and margarita tastings and I know Carnival doesn't. We did both and enjoyed them. I also thought the shows on the Spirit were comparable to Carnival.

 

I would not hesitate to sail on the Spirit. For me, it was fun to compare my Carnival experiences with another cruise line. As I said, they really are more alike than different. You will have a good time no matter what ship you are on!!

[bcs819]

we tried NCL. It was awful. My signature shows my cruise experience, and it was by far the WORST cruise I have eve been on.