Mr. Luckytoo Posted September 20, 2010 #1 Share Posted September 20, 2010 There are really only 6 US-based mainstream cruiselines: Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Princess (at least for this question). Of those 6 why did you choose NCL rather than one of the others? Was it: 1. Cost 2. Itinery 3. Loyal to a particular Brand 4. Prefer a particular Ship 5. Don't like to be told "when to eat" like other lines - i.e., Freestyle 6. Prefer the more relaxed dress codes - I don't want to dress up on vacation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman2a Posted September 20, 2010 #2 Share Posted September 20, 2010 The thought of cruising as a vacation never really appealed to me until I was harassed into going on one by family members for my parents 50th aniv. I agreed only if I could pick the cruise. I wanted it short, didn’t know weather I would like it or not and didn’t want to be “stuck” on a boat for a week, so I found a 5 day western on the Pearl. The price was right and Freestyle sounded perfect for me. Needless to say I was hooked and had every intention on trying other cruise lines, but keep coming back to NCL. So the reasons are: 1) Freestyle 2) Price I was looking hard at the Oasis before I booked my upcoming Epic cruise, but for only 60% of what a balcony was on Oasis I could not pass up the Epic! May be next time I’ll try another line, but then again may be not!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timeforadaiquiri Posted September 20, 2010 #3 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I've sailed Carnival, RCI, and NCL. After cruising on NCL I don't think I would go back to RCI. I really don't like dining at a certain time. I didn't mind the assigned seating so much, but especially on vacation I really want to spend my time doing what I want. After having cruised with NCL, I really liked the way they treated me. No rush, no pushing, and a variety of places to be entertained and fed. I was tempted to try Carnival again for a cruise this upcoming March, because their itinerary seemed really good. But knowing the perks of a NCL suite against not really thinking Carnival had any - I chose NCL again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retired rascal Posted September 20, 2010 #4 Share Posted September 20, 2010 After years of working in the male and female equivalents of 3 piece suits and various 'events,' we HATE getting dressed up...if we can't wear docker type slacks and decent but not dressy top, we don't go....hence we like NCL. Dress code [or mode] on lines we might want to sail are a bit too stringent for our tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishbait17 Posted September 20, 2010 #5 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Freestyle plays a big part, but the number one reason we return over and over is the casino program (CAS). Why pay another line when CAS provides us with free cruises? Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaddyDex Posted September 20, 2010 #6 Share Posted September 20, 2010 You forgot one. Port of embarkation. That is it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biker@sea Posted September 20, 2010 #7 Share Posted September 20, 2010 You forgot one. Port of embarkation. That is it for me. Me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtwingcpa Posted September 20, 2010 #8 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I like the flexible dining arrangements, including the ability to sit by myself, and the generally casual atmosphere. But at this point the lack of ANY dress code enforcement has become a negative for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ENGINEER Posted September 20, 2010 #9 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Freestyle for me. I don't like coming back from a day in port and having to rush to make the 6:00 diner seating. I love being able to do what I want when I want.... engineer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooder Posted September 20, 2010 #10 Share Posted September 20, 2010 It began because of Freestyle - before I heard about freestyle, cruising was not appealing to me. Now, in addition to that, we feel comfortable (almost at home) on NCL and have found the itineraries, cost, dress code, etc to work for us. I'm not against trying another line, but so far there hasn't been the need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie2pies Posted September 20, 2010 #11 Share Posted September 20, 2010 It's cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman2a Posted September 20, 2010 #12 Share Posted September 20, 2010 It's cheap! I prefer to refer to it as "less expensive" :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted September 20, 2010 #13 Share Posted September 20, 2010 #1 (price) and #5 (Freestyle). But we also want to try at least a couple of the other lines too at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamisonke Posted September 20, 2010 #14 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I prefer to refer to it as "less expensive" :) LOL. Although it is mostly less expensive, it sometimes is also cheap! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton Line Posted September 20, 2010 #15 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I wanted to go out of NYC, Brooklyn or the City no NJ. I wanted to go Labor Day week. I liked the price (free upgrade ocean view to Balcony) and I loved the number of Sea Days. Freestyle sounded great for this vacation/anniversary so that is how after 10 years of not cruising I choose NCL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokenarrowhd Posted September 20, 2010 #16 Share Posted September 20, 2010 For me the cost is at the top of my list. Freestyle is a great concept that appeals to me also, which is great since I don't like being told when I have to do something!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLGHJG Posted September 20, 2010 #17 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Freestyle is my style! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srlafleur Posted September 20, 2010 #18 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I cruise any cruise line that will give me the right itinerary for the right price. I like Freestyle dining, but recently on the other cruises, we've had open seating dining as well, and we've dressed up even on NCL, so that's not a deal breaker either way for me. I AM looking forward to our next cruise with NCL because I'm going to leave out the formal wear entirely and see how light I can pack.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebabywulf Posted September 20, 2010 #19 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Itinerary was our first priority. Freestyle was the first priority of the party we traveled with. Cost was everyone's second priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejuliet Posted September 20, 2010 #20 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Cost was the first appealing thing to me. Also I am apprehensive about having to sit with someone else during meals. I had a bad experience at a poker table in Las Vegas when I outed myself as a Canadian then got verbally attacked by a dealer for my countries politics, (I didn't start the conversation). Then on our first cruise 2 years ago on NCL Star we went to the MDR for lunch and wait for our cabin to be ready, started some friendly chat with people at next table, then after about 15 min. of chatting out of the blue they asked our 6 year old if he "had been introduced to god yet?". What if I had to sit for a week of meals with either the Vegas dealer or the couple from the Star? I guess with assigned seating maybe you can ask to be reassigned, but why bother when NCL is out there? I don't mind dressing up during dinner, but my idea of dressing up and others may be 2 different things. I wouldn't be comfortable with the tuxedo wearing crowd, but I don't feel someone in a nice dining room should be wearing T-shirts, ball caps, and flip flops either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen2681 Posted September 20, 2010 #21 Share Posted September 20, 2010 NCL is a great compromise when you're traveling with someone who "doesn't like cruises". Especially, for someone who has had a bad experience with a traditional cruise. And, NCL is great for groups and families - everyone can do their own thing and still have a good time together. After a few NCL cruises, it would be hard to go back to another line with fewer options. I'm still kicking myself for not buying the future cruise deposit certificate last year. We weren't completely sure about another cruise and ended up booking another NCL cruise within weeks of getting home. Go figure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacepotatoes Posted September 20, 2010 #22 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Price and Freestyle. It's not so much about resenting "being told what to do" as it is about not wanting to worry about keeping to a schedule when we're on vacation. Or worrying about our tablemates' dinner schedules. Freestyle makes for a much more relaxing vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fi'fi Posted September 20, 2010 #23 Share Posted September 20, 2010 i have cruised carnival, rccl and ncl. this will be my 2nd cruise with ncl i loved the first one so much. i like the freestyle cruising. staff seemed more plesent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshagan Posted September 20, 2010 #24 Share Posted September 20, 2010 We have cruised Disney and Princess (several times for both lines). Had our first NCL cruise in March on the Sky out of Miami because we wanted to try a short cruise with them first. NCL is our new favorite because of Freestyle dining. They just do it so much better than Princess does their "anytime" dining (Disney doesn't have anything close). The lack of formal nights is a definite plus for us. We sail again in about a month for our first European cruise, and we chose NCL for that cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raventhebouv Posted September 20, 2010 #25 Share Posted September 20, 2010 There are really only 6 US-based mainstream cruiselines: Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Princess (at least for this question). Of those 6 why did you choose NCL rather than one of the others? Was it: 1. Cost 2. Itinery 3. Loyal to a particular Brand 4. Prefer a particular Ship 5. Don't like to be told "when to eat" like other lines - i.e., Freestyle 6. Prefer the more relaxed dress codes - I don't want to dress up on vacation yes to all of the above!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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