NCL vs Carnival

We just booked our first NCL cruise, after cruising almost exclusively with Carnival, and I must say, after reading reviews and comments here, am really looking forward to it!

I am a curious person by nature, so I was wondering (for those of you who have cruised with both lines), which do you prefer, and why? Or is another cruise line your first choice? (NOT trying to start any arguments, just like to hear other peoples' opinions!)

I prefer NCL . Think Carnival and add 20% in all area's . ;)

Except the crew on NCL are the most pleasant of all lines ..

We just booked our first NCL cruise, after cruising almost exclusively with Carnival, and I must say, after reading reviews and comments here, am really looking forward to it!

 

I am a curious person by nature, so I was wondering (for those of you who have cruised with both lines), which do you prefer, and why? Or is another cruise line your first choice? (NOT trying to start any arguments, just like to hear other peoples' opinions!)

You will need to be realistic and objective.

You have just sailed on Carnival's newest and most innovative ship Breeze. The Sun class ships on Norwegian are their oldest and smallest and certainly will not be as innovative as the Breeze.

That said, the crew and many other features may appeal to you.

If one is trying to compare Carnival's newest ship The Breeze with an NCL ship...then it would be prudent to book the EPIC or the new Breakaway.

Just my opinion.:rolleyes:

First, I like a cruise line based on people (crew & officers) and the service they provide. I like a specific ship based on amenities and layout of that ship.

You can see in my signature, we cruise many lines. For a cruise line, we prefer NCL, and Celebrity would be our 2nd choice. However, we cruise during certain times of year and timing and itinerary are important (as well as cost), so we do cruise other lines. We've found the service to be more consistent and friendly on NCL. The officers are more visible on NCL - even coming to our CC meet & greets. They really want to hear about our experiences and correct any issues WHILE YOU'RE STILL ON THE SHIP (though we've not needed anything corrected). We also like that resort casual is perfectly acceptable in all venues.

Been on 50 cruises, most recently the Carnival Liberty because I was anxious to try the 2.0 upgrades. Disappointment. If it weren't for the group that was traveling with us, I don't know what I would have done.

Service, crew, food, entertainment - Everything is just better on NCL.

Carnival is nice but NCL is IMHO the best. Freestyle is terrific. We had anytime dining on our last Carnival cruise but we always had to go to the same dining room. You have a better choice on NCL.

The crew on NCL is always the best. Smiles-Smiles-Smiles

The buffet on NCL is terrific. The last Carnival ship we went on had dark drapes over most of the windows. NCL has beautiful windows and the area is very bright and cheerful.

Enjoy,

Jeanne

We just booked our first NCL cruise, after cruising almost exclusively with Carnival, and I must say, after reading reviews and comments here, am really looking forward to it!

 

I am a curious person by nature, so I was wondering (for those of you who have cruised with both lines), which do you prefer, and why? Or is another cruise line your first choice? (NOT trying to start any arguments, just like to hear other peoples' opinions!)

We have done both, having sailed NCL for the first time last year.

I believe you will find them more similar than different. Unless you are doing something really special like the Haven - because Carnival doesn't have anything that compares to that experience. ;)

As long as you dont sail in a suite I think they are similar and NCL customer service is what CCL use to be.

I think NCL realizes that repeat customers are important. The Loyalty program on NCL is better than CCL

Both times on NCL our room stewards wernt as effecient as CCL. My last room steward on Carnival was one of the best ever

The MDR freestyle service is hit or miss depending on who you get. I prefer CCL and getting same waiter everynight. I also think CCL mdr food is better

The buffet on the Epic is one of the best at sea. Carnival buffet has been slipping in quality.

I think NCL will take some of the market share from Carnival especially with Breakaway and Getaway coming soon

I would defiantly say book NCL and form your own opinions;)

You will need to be realistic and objective.

 

You have just sailed on Carnival's newest and most innovative ship Breeze. The Sun class ships on Norwegian are their oldest and smallest and certainly will not be as innovative as the Breeze.

 

That said, the crew and many other features may appeal to you.

 

If one is trying to compare Carnival's newest ship The Breeze with an NCL ship...then it would be prudent to book the EPIC or the new Breakaway.

 

Just my opinion.:rolleyes:

Not really trying to compare ships so much as service, food, entertainment, etc. We have sailed on older Carnival ships, and some of those I actually prefer over the Breeze. And I'm already looking at cruises on the Epic! We booked the Breeze trip because of the ship, and we booked the Sun cruise because of the destination!:)

Hmmm .. wonder which side will be favored more on the NCL board - LOL. I've been on both but only once on each. That said, it is very subjective and very dependent on the ship. I prefer NCL because of the freestyle nature, dress how I want. I was on the Pearl too which is newer/larger which was a wonderful (and often favored) ship. Carnival was a smaller older ship out of San Juan and was more about the ports but I hated everything about the ship. Buffet on that ship at any time of day was a nightmare and selection was really limited.

As others have said, they are more similar that different but it really depends on what you value most on a cruise that will sway you one way or another. Back on the NCL Sun in Novemenber and can't wait.

Not really trying to compare ships so much as service, food, entertainment, etc. We have sailed on older Carnival ships, and some of those I actually prefer over the Breeze. And I'm already looking at cruises on the Epic! We booked the Breeze trip because of the ship, and we booked the Sun cruise because of the destination!:)

That said you may find yourself pleased and surprised with NCL...as above stated,

crew, dining options,. entertainment and overall vibe of NCL has ben steadily improving and many of us believe has surpassed the Big C.

NCL really made me feel welcomed. Food is better and so is the entertainment. Cruised one time on the Pearl, liked it so much booked another Pearl for this November, could not believe the price of $299 for a 1X guarantee... Mostly cruise with CCL due to closer ports to my home in South Carolina...

They're both good. Note that your NCL cabin will be smaller than your Carnival cabin unless you're in a a suite. I think the food, service and entertainment is very comparable and you'll find many more similarities than differences.

I like variety so I sail both lines (and others), and I'm glad I've formed my own opinions.

have a great cruise!

I have sailed on both NCL and CCL. I preferred NCL's buffet, CCL's MDR food, NCL's entertainment (by miles) & the staff on NCL were generally friendlier. That being said, we would cruise carnival again, but we do often look for an NCL cruise first. We enjoy going to the upcharge restaurants and being able to eat when we want.

Dozens of threads on this exact topic (and usually the exact title) can be found using the search function in the NCL forum. Here are a few

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1764719

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1761681

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1751857

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1748572

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741635

Dozens of threads on this exact topic (and usually the exact title) can be found using the search function in the NCL forum. Here are a few

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1764719

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1761681

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1751857

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1748572

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741635

LOL...sorry, I'm new to CC and forgot about the search!! My bad!!!!

LOL...sorry, I'm new to CC and forgot about the search!! My bad!!!!

The search function hasnt been working all the time.......... lately

LOL...sorry, I'm new to CC and forgot about the search!! My bad!!!!

No worries. General etiquette for any forum is to search for answers before creating a new thread, but folks that don't use forums much generally are not aware of that. I'm not a moderator or anything...I just figured you would get a lot more info if you read responses in 15 threads instead of just one :)

Once you read those topics, feel free to post any outstanding questions in this thread. Folks here are always glad to help!

LOL...sorry, I'm new to CC and forgot about the search!! My bad!!!!

Don't worry about it, sometimes people will post in a newer thread than in a prior one so you still may get info you wouldn't have gotten in the other threads;).

To your question I found them to be more similar than different and the price will probably dicatate which one we go with, but if the price was equal or even a little bit higher we would probably choose NCL because we do enjoy Freestyle and the entertainment is better.

I feel more comfortable on Norwegian ships and like the overall product as a whole. I was on the Carnival Fascination in Nov and it had a ventilation problem that caused passengers including myself to have mild dry itchy eyes and coughing/sneezing. When I looked into the vents in the atrium and I saw lots of caked on grey dust, and in the sunlight lots of floating dust. In general, i like the decor and layout of the lounges, public areas, and the entertainment better on Norwegian ships. The Carnival Fascination is an older ship on a short itinerary, but if I were to compare it to the older Norwegian Sky also an older ship on short itineraries... I like Norwegian Sky better. The Fascination's buffet lines were often long and sloppy/messy with no one monitoring. As a result, I have concerns over Carnival's ability to maintain the cleanliness of its ships which includes my Oct Princess cruise (owned by Carnival) that had a fruit fly problem in multiple venues (buffet, atrium, cabin hallway) with no one doing anything about it as well as Carnival/Princess winning the unofficial 2012 CDC Norovirus award.

The search function hasnt been working all the time.......... lately

Some of us have found that when the search is down or missing we can get it back by right clicking and then hitting refresh.:)

Some of us have found that when the search is down or missing we can get it back by right clicking and then hitting refresh.:)

I just tried that and it didnt work

This morning, search wasnt working than it was no its not again:confused:

Says it i disabled

Or it could be just me

I just tried that and it didnt work

This morning, search wasnt working than it was no its not again:confused:

Says it i disabled

 

Or it could be just me

...no, not just you. I hope they fix it soon.

OP, I think it's great that your branching out to try a new line. I once sailed CCL pretty much exclusively, but discovered that NCL fits us far better.

The reasons that we prefer NCL are as follows: (just the opinion of my dh and I)

CCL crew is fabulous, NCL crew is even BETTER (officers approachable and visible as well)

Entertainment: For us, we prefer what is available on NCL. There is more to do and more importantly to us, more live music. Even when you are docked at a port and your NCL ship is 'parked' ;) next to a CCL ship, you can 'hear' the difference.

NCL had fabulous deck parties and sailaways from ports tend to be a little more celebrated.

NCL has all those dining options....yes, some of those are surcharged but it makes dining less boring. My first experience with Freestyle felt a little odd as I was used to the same waiter every night and the familiarity that causes, but after the first couple days I decided that Freestyle is far better in that if we meet people on the ship that we click with, we can have them join us for dinner...or not. We can dine in a variety of venues any time we want. It really is nice and CCL does not in any way do Freestyle as well (Anytime Dining cannot compare)

NCL roll calls will usually organize the CC Meet & Greet and that is always a good thing. Crew and officers attend. With every one I have been to and/or organized for our roll call the captain. Hotel director, cruise director and food and beverage manager have attended as well as other crew/officers.

NCL buffet is better

NCL BBQ's on sea days are fabulous

NCL mdr food is equal to what CCL now offers

NCL steak house NOT quite as good as steak house on CCL, however, LeBistro is better than CCl's steakhouse.

I'd like to thank everyone for their input....I think DH and I are going to like NCL a lot! I just wish they still sailed out of Port Canaveral :(

We live about 30 miles from there, and it is so convenient! Ah well, Miami and Tampa aren't that far from us either!:)

Just like with anything, it's obviously a personal preference kind of thing :)

Carnival is better at:

- service (at least this has been my experience and primarily based on the pretty terrible service we received on our July Pearl cruise to Alaska)

- MDR food....BY FAR! I'm a vegetarian, so take that however you want. They definitely have better vegetarian food

- room size, storage...much bigger than on the NCL ships

NCL is better at:

- specialty restaurant options (although Carnival is vastly improving in this area)

- entertainment is leagues above Carnival

- decorating their ships!!! Carnival decor is stuck in the 70s and 80s on a lot of their ships...they are improving though and the Breeze looks beautiful

Anyway, that's my take on the difference. I would happily sail either one (or RCCL as well).