tiger belle

thanks, everyone...the feedback has been very helpful..I am now leaning towards booking a cruise on the Dawn...it sounds like something I would like to try out...like others have said, a cruise is what you make it, and I've never had a "bad" cruise (knock on wood ha ha)

the benefit of sailing out of NOLA is that I am in Baton Rouge...short trip by car...N'awlins is a great place to visit, and the food is terrific, so I would also encourage anyone sailing out of NOLA to plan a couple of extra days in the city

and...Geaux Tigers indeed! it's baseball season now, and I think there is a game in Alex Box today : )

thanks for the feedback so far...it is very helpful

I had heard the Dawn was getting an update this summer--that is one reason I was considering it, so I'll have to follow up and see if that is true

also, if you book by the end of this month--which I was hoping to do--one of the offers is specialty dining free for 4 nights...the opportunity to choose fine dining and not have to pay the associated up charge is one factor influencing my decision

I am considering booking a cruise on NCL Dawn out of New Orleans in November. I have yet to cruise NCL and don't know a lot about that line or the ship Dawn. In the past I've cruised RCCL and Carnival. I tend to like the medium sized ships like Carnival Triumph or Conquest. What I'd like to know is what I can expect to be different on a Norwegian cruise as compared to Carnival and RCCL. I would be especially appreciative of any comments from fellow cruisers who've cruised all 3 lines in the past...thanks for any feedback y'all can give!

Tim, I am also late to this thread but enjoyed the review

I have a couple of questions...I was on Allure a couple of years ago, and I know they are sister ships...I am not sure but I thought there was a small indoor theatre which played current movies--maybe near the ice rink...am I not recalling correctly? also, I thought there was a donut shop in the Boardwalk area across from the hot dog place...is that still there?

That's horrible that someone can profit from someone else's death which was a suicide. Both the attorney and the husband should be ashamed of themselves.

agreed

Whenever a loss of life occurs in extreme circumstances such as this it's pretty standard to retain a lawyer.

 

nothing wrong with family retaining an attorney to protect their interests...however, I think what has riled many--including me--is that this attorney is exploiting the situation through the media and other distasteful tactics...a truly ethical attorney, in my opinion, at this early stage would be a silent counselor to the family, if for no other reason than to maintain the dignity of the deceased and allow his friends and family time to grieve during this highly emotional time...it is very easy for a distressed family to be unduly influenced by crass attorneys who are looking to profit from the family's tragic loss...right now, I have nothing but prayers for the family

great info...thanks all

thanks for all the great feedback

Alegeeter, I am curious about the NCL casino perks...I am not big into the casinos, but my mother is when she cruises with me...what can you tell me about the casino perks on NCL?

I've sailed all three, and liked NCL and Carnival best. NCL for freestyle, great showers and entertainment, and Carnival for food and cabins. NCL and Carnival are both very good for solo cruisers, but I thought NCL was a little better. I didn't like either of my RCI cruises, but I think it might have been more a matter of the class of ship than the line itself. I hope so, since my next cruise is on Explorer of the Seas!

thanks for the feedback...I see that you have made several cruises to New England/Canada...I have explored that option and am wondering what you have to say about those types of cruises...so far, the only destination I've cruised is the Caribbean

thanks for the tip about requesting to be seated with other diners...that is one of the things I enjoy on cruises; i.e., meeting other cruisers during meals

thanks for the additional feedback, sharon

all this is making me hungry...and I just ate!

thanks for the continued feedback

as for the "big" ships, I have sailed both Carnival Dream and RCI Allure...without a doubt to me, Allure overshadows Dream as far as food and entertainment options and overall experience...from what I am reading here I think that the NCL Escape and other NCL ships in that class sound more like the Allure/Oasis class...I think I would enjoy going on an Escape class ship

I also think I would enjoy a smaller class ship on NCL for a change, but it does seem like such a cruise/ship would be more alike than different when compared to a cruise on a similar class ship on Carnival or RCI...I do see there are some differences that are a matter of preference and personal style, but I don't see any difference that would be a deal breaker for me :cool:

I have yet to experience an RCI cruise (planning one next year), but my family has done 4 Carnival and 1 NCL so far, with our next NCL in 45 days! :) When comparing Carnival and NCL for us the price for a balcony room with a similar itinerary was close, so the unlimited drinks package perk from NCL won us over. We have the UBP again in December. :) We eat early so I actually made reservations for the earliest seating at the various complimentary restaurants, and we had our own table which was nice. Additionally, the 24 hour sit down restaurant for NCL ships is awesome- as is the late night buffet snacks. The varied bars and nightclubs, as well as the shows are in my opinion way better than Carnival.

I like the idea of a 24 hour sit down restaurant...for the complimentary dining, did you have to wait until you were on board to make the reservations or could you do it before sailing?

For a person traveling solo, NCL is fantastic. The tiny studio cabins are usually less than an inside on Carnival. The perks of the Studio Lounge and the free offers add to the value.

 

 

Entertainment on NCL just blows Carnival away - Blue Man Group, Cirque Dinner Theater,2nd City, and dueling pianos beats Hasbro and the Marriage Game no problem.

 

it is not difficult to beat Carnival on entertainment...RCL also far exceeds what Carnival presents...I am curious about the studio rooms for single travelers...do all NCL ships offer these?

thanks for the feedback so far...one of the reasons I am attracted to NCL right now is the "pick one" offer now going on--I almost always book a balcony so the unlimited beverage package is quite tempting, as is the deal on shore excursion credits

I like set dining times for dinner in the MDR, but it is definitely not a deal-breaker

I agree that the comparison and experience would differ depending on the class of ship in each line; plus I also agree--at least for Carnival and RCI--that they are more alike than different; however there are some differences in style/format that are pervasive throughout each respective line of those 2 lines

here are some examples I perceive: for snacks on carnival ships--especially late night--you are limited to room service or the Lido Deck pizza/grill with Carnival; with RCI, they have the cafe promenade where you can get small bites, pizza and pastries as well as complimentary coffee (to get complimentary coffee on Carnival, you once again need to brave the Lido deck)

the layout of Carnival ships is fairly similar, for the biggest and smallest ships in the line...the hub is the promenade deck, and you pretty much must pass through that deck to get to shopping, lounges, casino, etc.; on RCI ships it seems like there is a more open concept, and you can avoid the casino if you desire, since it isn't right there in the heart of the shopping, lounges, etc

I think Carnival also focuses more than RCI on passenger interaction: games, trivia, audience participation in shows; also, photos are a big deal on Carnival, with multiple booths set up every night and photographers coming to your table at dinner and during sail-away...on RCI, I didn't notice many photo booths set up--you generally had to schedule a sitting or something, plus I didn't notice as many photographers in the main dining area and about the ship

I don't even compare things like food, atmosphere of fun or entertainment options, since definitely that is either a matter of personal taste or depends on the size of the ship and length of the cruise predominantly

I agree overall that it is wonderful to have so many options and elements to fit all people's styles and expectations

Most of my previous cruises have been on Carnival, but I've taken two on RCI...I know a lot of cruisers are very loyal to a particular cruise line, but I am not...I have enjoyed all the cruises and there are certain things I like about each of the cruise lines over the other

for a change, I am considering cruising next on Norwegian...I would like feedback from any cruisers who have cruised all three of these lines in the past to give me some opinions on what you did and didn't like about these three cruise lines when compared to the others

thanks for any info you care to share :)

 

Along with the new menu, the tablecloth's are gone and the bread and water are on your table for self service. Napkins are no longer folded in a fancy way, they are just on your table in a folded square. Not complaining, just saying.

 

:)

funny about the tablecloths...I didn't notice at all but one of the friends I was traveling with noticed it...I did notice the water carafes being on the table....bread was on table in a basket most nights but some nights they brought it around like they used to do...all that stuff with napkins and such is totally inconsequential to me...the food itself really didn't change much at all...and I am not complaining either...I just find it interesting/odd whatever that Carnival made such a big deal about the new menu/concept and really nothing much of consequence changed at all

this is good stuff to know just in case it applies to me in the future

Just off yesterday. Can confirm that the October 17 sailing was the first week with the new menu's. It was a bit chaotic for the kitchen and staff to switch "overnight".... wait staff was not very familiar with the items yet (understandably). The had lots of corporate chef personnel on the ship assisting with the transition. I think service and food suffered a bit during this transition week.

 

And yes... the menu is on the TV...

 

:)

Thanks for confirming. I do understand the challenge to the cooks and wait staff the first week of implementation. I have sailed Carnival many times in the past, and I didn't truly see any big difference in the menu as far as food choices. It was just a different way of displaying things IMO. The old "standards" were for the most part still there. The only big difference I saw was the addition of special appetizer and entree items specific to the port of the day.

What did you think?

Just did this but with an earlier flight. Our flight left at 10:10. Our port was port Everglades and we flew out of ft lauderdale. Self assist left the ship at 7:30 and we were in the airport just after 8:20 I believe. We would definitely do it again.

similar experience this morning when we disembarked...did self-assist disembark, which started around 7:00...got to the airport around 8:30--plenty of time before our 10:45 flight

I echo most of the other posts...a serenity deck would be nice...and they might as well not even have non-smoking slot machines, because the adjacent smoke is so prevalent, you can't avoid it

I have been on several different Carnival ships...the Conquest and Glory have been my two favorites, with the Triumph a close third...I have been on Dream twice but actually prefer the size, layout and atmosphere of the Conquest over it

the supposed new boarding rules would operate by assigning a time frame for boarding to passengers by groups and you could only board during that range...for example, on the cruise I just got off of today, I got an email the week before telling me that my assigned boarding time was I believe 1:30 to 2:30...everyone told me to ignore it, and I did...we got to the port around noon and boarded soon after...I saw no enforcement of the supposed assigned boarding times

just got off this morning from the Oct 17 sailing...absolutely, the new menu was implemented, and I am almost 100% certain our sailing was the first one on Conquest with the new menu...in fact, our head waiter said that this was what was causing the slow service we had many nights in the MDR

just got off the Conquest today...sailed on Dream last year...to address a few of the questions in this thread:

--I found the temperature throughout the ship varied--cool sometimes, warm in other places--even the temp in my cabin varied even though I never changed the thermostat...temperature in MDR was always OK to me

--the Lido deck was VERY crowded most days--not sure if that was because there wasn't a serenity area, but likely that contributed to the crowds

--we had a 10:45 flight this morning...we didn't want to risk unexpected delays, so we did self-assist disembark, which started about 7:00...got through Customs fairly quickly and caught a shuttle to the airport...got there around 8:30...security check line was minimal so we had plenty of time to enjoy breakfast at the airport before our flight

--I got the impression Wee Jimmy would be CD for at least the upcoming months, although I never asked to verify