Carnival/NCL differences

[Butterfinger1954]

Not sure where I should post a question like this, so I'll try it here. DH and I have cruised on Carnival 3 times and love everything about it. However, we are hoping to do a 7-day cruise out of NYC in late October to Bermuda and I don't believe Carnival does a Bermuda cruise at that time so we are looking at NCL's Dawn. My queston is, other than the Free-style dining on NCL, what are the differences between Carnival and NCL?

[tampafish]

On NCL the cabins are smaller (at least the inside cabins and window cabins are).

There isn't as much night life as on Carnival (in my opinion)

I think the kids club is better on NCL - at least that's what my kids think.

No free sushi.

Otherwise I think they are about the same. I liked the freestyle cruising because you never have to worry what time it is unless you want to make a reservation for dinner.

 

I'm sure others will have more opinions. :)

[groo]

I've sailed on NCL twice. Once on the Dawn and once on the Jewel. I just got back from a Carnival cruise on the Fascination. Here is my take on a comparison...

 

We sailed inside cabin all three trips. Fascination had a shower curtain, NCL ships had shower doors. NCL rooms were a little smaller. Room stewards were great on both lines. NCL beds were far more comfortable.

 

We were only able to eat in the dining room first and last nights of a 4 day cruise with Carnival due to getting back to the ship past our 6pm dinner seating. We could have selected an 8pm seating but were traveling with small children who might be cranky at the later seating. NCL freestyle dining would have allowed more adjustable dining times. The dining room food was better on Carnival. The buffet on NCL is more diverse than Carnival. The buffet food choices were much more limited on Carnival. Both have decent buffet food though. I wouldn't give either buffet an edge over the other on quality.

 

The Dawn is a beautiful ship inside and out. The Fascination is an older ship, but still in good shape. I did see where the ship cleaning could be improved. I saw rags lying in corners of the ship and even a used condom beside a deck chair at 11am. The Dawn just seemed much more elegant to me.

 

Embark and debark were smooth on both lines.

 

This is just my opinion on a very limited experience. I was also cruising with my children and grand children so I didn't spend as much time exploring as I usually do.

 

I really enjoyed my cruise on Carnival and won't hesitate to cruise with them again. Hopefully soon. But I did enjoy my NCL cruises more.

 

 

Darry Howard

[dbogusch]

I've sailed both and here are my opinions:

 

*Rooms on NCL are definitely smaller than on Carnival

*I found the nightlife to be comparable

*Service was great onboard both ships but pre and post cruise customer service tended to be a bit better with NCL (more follow through)

*Food was great on both lines

*I found the beds on Carnival better

*On NCL I was allowed to stay in my cabin until we disembarked but on Carnival I had to wait in a lounge for HOURS. I preferred NCL's procedure better

*Both ships were nice

 

I'd book either again in a heartbeat. I usually choose based on price. I am sailing with Carnival in June but with NCL in November.

[Butterfinger1954]

These replies so far are awesome. I am thrilled to hear such good reports on NCL, as I was so afraid to deviate from Carnival.

 

Can someone tell me what types of activities are offered on NCL? On Carnival I really enjoyed the dance classes and the trivia games and the "It's in the Bag" game. I was also a contestant in the 'Survivor Game'. I have two Carnival medals and one 'ship on a stick'. We are the type to gad about to the different activities and shows rather than sleep late or lay by the pool.

 

Kathy in Maine

 

Are there chair HOGS on NCL too?

[dbogusch]

These replies so far are awesome. I am thrilled to hear such good reports on NCL, as I was so afraid to deviate from Carnival.

 

Can someone tell me what types of activities are offered on NCL? On Carnival I really enjoyed the dance classes and the trivia games and the "It's in the Bag" game. I was also a contestant in the 'Survivor Game'. I have two Carnival medals and one 'ship on a stick'. We are the type to gad about to the different activities and shows rather than sleep late or lay by the pool.

 

Kathy in Maine

 

Are there chair HOGS on NCL too?

 

 

Oh yea, I forgot to mention activities. Both are similar but I noticed NCL seemed to have more craft type activities than Carnival (which I enjoy). As with Carnival, as long as you don't have to be right by the pool, chair hogging shouldn't be a problem.

[Butterfinger1954]

Just curious, what type of craft activities are there on NCL? Do they have a scrapbook class by any chance?

 

On Carnival we enjoyed sunbathing on the "F" Deck as it was not crowded up there at all. However we kept our tops on. LOL

 

Oh yea, I forgot to mention activities. Both are similar but I noticed NCL seemed to have more craft type activities than Carnival (which I enjoy). As with Carnival, as long as you don't have to be right by the pool, chair hogging shouldn't be a problem.

[dbogusch]

Just curious, what type of craft activities are there on NCL? Do they have a scrapbook class by any chance?

 

On Carnival we enjoyed sunbathing on the "F" Deck as it was not crowded up there at all. However we kept our tops on. LOL

I'm not sure about scrapbooking but we did thinks like making lizard keychains and decorating seashells. It was fun and we had a little something to take home.

[sunline2000]

NCL charges at their special resteraunts only buffet and room service has no extra charge beware of extra meal charges on freestyle.On 1 of their ships(NCL) bowling was an extra charge beware of the extras.Their ships are nice

[manmtnmike]

Not sure where I should post a question like this, so I'll try it here. DH and I have cruised on Carnival 3 times and love everything about it. However, we are hoping to do a 7-day cruise out of NYC in late October to Bermuda and I don't believe Carnival does a Bermuda cruise at that time so we are looking at NCL's Dawn. My queston is, other than the Free-style dining on NCL, what are the differences between Carnival and NCL?

 

Are you docking in Bermuda for 3 days? This is the best choice...There's nothing comparable!!

 

Mike

[*Luv2Cruz*]

If going to Bermuda where you'll be docked three days, FreeStyle is the only way to go!:D

[palmtre2]

After having done both, I am still partial to Carnival. I like the idea of assigned times for dinner and a waitstaff that gets to know you. The food in the dining room is definitely better on Carnival. Many of the restaurants on the Dawn involve an upcharge - some were well worth it (Teppanyaki) The nightlife is definitely NOT comparable. They roll up the sidewalks early for adults on NCL and there was even less for teens to do. The beds were better on the newer Carnival ships. I had a great trip on the Dawn I just happen to like some of the things on Carnival better. Either way you are on a cruise, how can you have a bad time?

[CanadaFour]

NCL charges at their special resteraunts only buffet and room service has no extra charge beware of extra meal charges on freestyle.On 1 of their ships(NCL) bowling was an extra charge beware of the extras.Their ships are nice

 

Two main dining rooms on each NCL ship are also non-charge. The specialty restaurants have varying charges from 10-25 pp.

[yst347]

The buffet on NCL is much much better that the buffet on carnival ships. The two dining rooms included in the cruise fare on NCL are vastly inferior to the Carnival dining rooms. The optional restaurants great on both lines.

 

The NCL casino table games have higher minimums than Carnival. On the Gem, the craps table was $10 minimum. The ship had only one $5 blackjack table and the rules were horrible. The dealer hit soft 16's and BJ only paid 6:5 :mad:. I refused to donate. :D

 

The cabins are much smaller on NCL but both lines have well equiped cabins.

 

While we prefer Carnival we had a great time on NCL. We would sail them again. Give the Dawn a try. Bermuda is such a beautiful island, I'm sure you will have a great time. :)

[LemurCat]

The buffet on NCL is much much better that the buffet on carnival ships. The two dining rooms included in the cruise fare on NCL are vastly inferior to the Carnival dining rooms. The optional restaurants great on both lines.

 

The NCL casino table games have higher minimums than Carnival. On the Gem, the craps table was $10 minimum. The ship had only one $5 blackjack table and the rules were horrible. The dealer hit soft 16's and BJ only paid 6:5 :mad:. I refused to donate. :D

 

The cabins are much smaller on NCL but both lines have well equiped cabins.

 

While we prefer Carnival we had a great time on NCL. We would sail them again. Give the Dawn a try. Bermuda is such a beautiful island, I'm sure you will have a great time. :)

 

And the slots sucked both times I took NCL -- their selection of penny and nickel slots was miserable on both the Gem and the Sea.

 

Where are they docking in Bermuda? I would think King's Wharf as it's the deep water port and the Dawn is a bigger ship. Not much to do there but catch a taxi to Hamilton or St. George's.

 

Oh, and I drank less but paid more for booze on NCL.

[David148]

My experience on Carnival and NCL. I have sailed both. Carnival 2wice and NCL 1 time.

 

The beds were by far more comfy on Carnival.

The food was way better on Carnival, Especially the buffet area.

Carnival had the more "FUN" feeling, that went on later in the night.

 

NCL did have a better "Deck Party" sailing away from Mexico.

The Rooms were a bit smaller on NCL. Walking down the hall and looking at all of the rooms, it made me feel like i was walking in a doll house, the rooms looked so small. lol

 

I would sail NCL again. And Of course i'm sailing Carnival Again :D

[dbogusch]

And the slots sucked both times I took NCL -- their selection of penny and nickel slots was miserable on both the Gem and the Sea.

 

Where are they docking in Bermuda? I would think King's Wharf as it's the deep water port and the Dawn is a bigger ship. Not much to do there but catch a taxi to Hamilton or St. George's.

 

Oh, and I drank less but paid more for booze on NCL.

 

And see, I won in the NCL casino but not on the Carnival casino...that seems pretty much luck of the draw to me.

[tampafish]

On Carnival the library is hardly ever open. On NCL the library and the game room are almost always (if not always open). It's nice to go in and play a game whenever you want. Plus they had a better selection and there were actually people playing cards and such in the room.

 

On the NCL Pearl we really enjoyed the buffet - the layout, the food variety and the quality; not to mention the hand scooped ice cream. No other ship has matched it yet - NCL or Carnival.

[cherylatwork]

Ok, I’ve sailed them both……never had a bad cruise on either line, they have strengths and weaknesses. With that said, nothing compares to the feeling I get driving up to the pier and seeing that big funship “funnel” staring at me. For that reason alone, I prefer Carnival. :D

 

Cheryl

[groo]

Maybe I just got a bad bed on Carnival Fascination. My bed on both the Dawn and the Jewel were more comfy than my bed at home. On the Fascination I couldn't get comfortable no matter how hard I tried.

 

The Dawn has free room service, two free dining rooms, the buffet and the Blue Lagoon which serves diner type food 24 hours a day also free. The specialty (pay extra) restaurants are good. I've only tried Cagneys. The other restaurants kept me well fed for free.

 

We enjoyed the shows on the Dawn. Musicals and Comedy. Bernie Martini was playing in the piano bar and we stayed there for almost 4 hours one night. look him up on youtube sometime. I don't know how long he'll be on the ship. We cruised back in December.

 

Darry Howard

[Butterfinger1954]

Mike, yes, we are docking at King's Wharf in Bermuda for 3 days. I see you have also been to Bermuda. Could you share what you saw/did and what you enjoyed most about Bermuda?

 

Kathy in Maine

 

Are you docking in Bermuda for 3 days? This is the best choice...There's nothing comparable!!

 

Mike

[Socref124]

Kathy in Maine

 

Are there chair HOGS on NCL too?

 

Kathy, yes, there are chair hogs on NCL. :(

What part of Northern Maine? Ever here of Milo?

[KarenMF]

I have sailed both lines equally (see my sig line :) ) My NCL Majesty cruise was Boston to Bermuda. The Majesty is a smaller ship so I can't comment on the Dawn (which was docked next to use one or two nights). One thing NCL does for the Bermuda trips is they have the Dine Ashore (say that fast - Dinah Shore LOL) where for $5 you can get a $15 lunch voucher and for $10 you can get a $25 dinner voucher good at certain restaurants on land (I may have the exact dollar amounts wrong - sorry too lazy to go look on NCL's website :p ) You can only get one per person per cruise. We did ours for a dinner and went to a restaurant to have dinner and watch a Red Sox game!

 

Anyway - as a previous poster said, both lines have their pros and cons and they are based on personal preferences.

 

Give it try - Bermuda is a great place!

[Butterfinger1954]

Yes, I am familiar with Milo, Maine. It is closer to central Maine, like west or northwest of the city of Bangor--about 45 min. out, I believe. In fact I have friends who live there. How do you know Milo, Maine?

 

BTW, I live much further north in Maine. Presque Isle area.

 

Kathy, yes, there are chair hogs on NCL. :(

What part of Northern Maine? Ever here of Milo?

[retcwby]

On Carnival the library is hardly ever open. On NCL the library and the game room are almost always (if not always open). It's nice to go in and play a game whenever you want. Plus they had a better selection and there were actually people playing cards and such in the room.

 

On the NCL Pearl we really enjoyed the buffet - the layout, the food variety and the quality; not to mention the hand scooped ice cream. No other ship has matched it yet - NCL or Carnival.

 

READING!!....BOARD GAMES!!! HECK i CAN DO ALL THAT i WANT AT HOME