Why do you cruise with NCL?

[DocJohnB]

When I shop for a cruise my priorities have become:

 

1) Itinerary

2) Cost (and this is always a per-diem cost for me)

3) Loyalty.

 

Three years ago the best (by far) price I got on a Canada/NE cruise was from NCL. Good cruise . . . wasn't overjoyed with freestyle dining though.

 

Our next three cruises as can be seen are on Celebrity.

 

Itineraries are pretty similar (although Gem is Venice to NYC, vice Rome to FL on both Navigator and Equinox) on this fall's transatlantic.

 

Celebrity wins the price with a per diem of 82 vs 96 on Gem and 110 on Navigator. In fact, Equinox was cheaper for 15 days vs 14 for the other two.

The 1229 is a military rate (not offered by either of the other 2)

 

The eastern Caribbean is a group cruise (with better prices), so other cruises were not considered.

 

Next years transatlantic actually favors the Epic price wise. However their itinerary is really terrible, IMO. Also, I have made it clear in this forum what my thoughts are on Epic, so, again, it shouldn't be even considered and my Loyalty to =X= comes into the decision. NCL has no other similar itinerary, so . . . . .

 

Were NCL to deploy another ship on a Med to east coast transatlantic and price it similarly to Epic's, I would seriously have to consider it.

[fergusonvt]

Since this will be our first cruise my major reason for booking with NCL was the recommendations from a good friend of mine that has taken many NCL cruises. Second was the freestyle experience. I am looking forward to dining when I want in a more casual atmosphere. Third would the the ports of call which include 2 that I have never been to.

[Hikini]

For our first cruise it was left up to our travel agent to choose for us, after we gave her some parameters. Date, idea of cost, likes/dislikes, etc.

 

Every time since it has been all about F-R-E-E-S-T-Y-L-E! :D

[johnql]

Love, love, love Freestyle cruising - both the dining flexibility and the resort casual dress code. Furthermore, the diversity and number of dining venues on NCL is a huge factor for me.

[ceejaykay]

I don't want to dress for dinner and I love freestyle dining choices. The fact that I can sit alone if I want, have tapas one night, have sushi another night or grab comfort food at the 24 hour diner is all very appealing to me.

 

Not to say that I wouldn't book a cruise on another line, as I have in the past. If I book another line it would be because of the ship only. I really want to try the Oasis and Celebrity's newest ship, but I know that I would miss the freestyle that NCL offers.

[camz]

Freestyle and no formal equals great vacation. I usually dress up once per cruise. However, on the Dawn, last month, I left the formal clothes home and that made for perfect strategic packing. Also, take a look at the NCL Fleet. All the ships look awesome, at first glance the bright paintings on the side of the vessels, just announces it's going to be a fun cruise! NCL really does keep the ships looking great. In addition, the Cruise Rewards Program. For $250, minus $100 (immediate onboard credit), so actually $150, you get a certificate to place down on another cruise. This program can't be beat! You can take advantage of EBR (early booking rates) and make payments on your future cruise. AWESOME Program. At this point, I would also say loyalty. I am loyal to NCL and the Lattitudes Program.

[CanadianTwosome]

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.

 

I think this has to be one of my biggest reasons, also. I was on a cruise with an 'unfortunate' table mate once, and it was before there were other dining options in a full dining room, so we didn't have the option of changing. I sat through seven days of meals with a man that was loud, boorish, and had horrid table manners, including the always enjoyable open-mouthed chewing - often talking at the same time with bits dropping out. Ick.

 

Really, though, with anytime dining and the like available on other lines, I would be willing to give another line a try if they offered an itinerary I wanted at a price I was willing to pay. I'm actually looking at the Carnival Magic for Jan 1, 2012 because it sails out of Galveston, where we can visit friends, and stops in some ports I've never been to, including Grand Cayman where one of my cousins has retired.

 

We LOVE Freestyle. I like to make my own choices, so even though we may sometimes find ourselves following a set schedule (such as planning around a reserved dining time at a specialty restaurant), it is a schedule that I set, not the cruise line. The relaxed dress code also works well for us, since I love to get dressed up but my husband doesn't, and we can both go to dinner in what is comfortable for us individually.

 

So... after going on a bit, the bottom line for me is really itinerary and price, with a strong emphasis on freedom of choice. So far cruising as a family, NCL has always had the best options for us all around, but as I noted above, I have no issues sailing with other lines if they can provide what I want, when I want it, at a price I'm willing to pay. :)

[sjbdtz]

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

 

 

1. We're treated like family, not customers

 

2. CAS.

 

3. Freestyle including food, and dress codes

[hawaiilvr]

1st cruise - it was NCL, and the reason we went was the price and we had a horrible time. We hated our dinnermates, the ship was old and dingy, couldn't wait to get off the ship.

2nd cruise - it was also NCL, the POA out of Honolulu. I had to talk long and fast to convince DW to go on another cruise, but they were the only game in town. We ended up liking it so much we bought a cruise reward.

3rd cruise - NCL, Spirit out of NYC. We took our 17-year-old DD to show her how cool cruising was - she was very seasick and not convinced of cruising's greatness. Bought another cruise reward.

4th cruise - NCL, Sky out of Miami. Great, short little vacation. Bought another cruise reward.

5th cruise - NCL, Gem out of NYC to Bermuda (May, 2011). Used cruise reward from last trip.

 

We are sold on freestyle dining, not dressing up, etc.

 

I guess they have trapped us with the cruise reward program. Maybe we won't buy one on the next trip and try another line, but I have a feeling that we will and we'll be taking another NCL cruise.

[STARFISH*4]

FREE~STYLE:D

Price-no cruiseline has come close to the last few cruises we have taken with NCL...they are our CRUISELINE of choice NOW and HOPEFULLY for a long time to come;)

[Mooder]

I guess they have trapped us with the cruise reward program.

 

What a wonderful prison to be in, eh? ;)

[dalgirl]

1. Freestyle; 2. price

 

I am very independent and DH is very cheap:D

[big green]

Why NCL---they have the best suite perks when booking in a suite--however,

 

I found the food to be getter in the main dining rooms and buffet on Carnival--so it is Carnival to Hawaii and Mexico since they leave from Socal and NCL is lacking there. The new menus on the several ships like the Pearl and Dawn are not appealing to us. in fact i will probably cancel our panama cruise on the Pearl because of this issue--to many other lines to chose from.

 

Itinerary has just became an issue because NCL Caribbean itineraries are getting old--to many of their ships going to the same caribbean ports. Also the pending elimination of a Mexico itineraries make cruising on other lines

the only way.

 

Price differences are no longer a factor with NCL being less costly with the change of TA discounting policy making them average in cost.

 

 

BG

[sottovoce]

-Value

-Choice of cuisines; food is comparable in quality to the other mass-market lines (HAL, Celebrity, Renaissance)we've cruised (and you won't convince me otherwise) but the choices on NCL put others to shame

-Friendly but professional service without the cloying bowing and scraping

-Comfortable staterooms (yes, even Epic...waves, sink and all:rolleyes:)

-Freestyle: no phony, overly pretentious dress codes; ability to meet new friends on the ship and dine with them rather than assigned tablemates; dine as a couple when desired; other mass-market cruise lines may offer "anytime" dining but some will not guarantee you will get it, and their dining rooms were built for traditional dining so are full of tables for six and eight

-Best entertainment afloat based on our experience

-Breadth of itineraries (although we'd like to see Norwegian coast and Black Sea return)

-Cruise rewards certificates

-Fellow passengers (despite the few chronic complainers)

-Chilled fruit soups (even if only in the buffet; I can stop there on the way to lunch or dinner)

-Stern balcony staterooms (sadly, not on Spirit)

-Overall informal atmosphere (it's vacation!)

[njhorseman]

-Value

-Choice of cuisines; food is comparable in quality to the other mass-market lines (HAL, Celebrity, Renaissance)we've cruised (and you won't convince me otherwise) but the choices on NCL put others to shame

-Friendly but professional service without the cloying bowing and scraping

-Comfortable staterooms (yes, even Epic...waves, sink and all:rolleyes:)

-Freestyle: no phony, overly pretentious dress codes; ability to meet new friends on the ship and dine with them rather than assigned tablemates; dine as a couple when desired; other mass-market cruise lines may offer "anytime" dining but some will not guarantee you will get it, and their dining rooms were built for traditional dining so are full of tables for six and eight

-Best entertainment afloat based on our experience

-Breadth of itineraries (although we'd like to see Norwegian coast and Black Sea return)

-Cruise rewards certificates

-Fellow passengers (despite the few chronic complainers)

-Chilled fruit soups (even if only in the buffet; I can stop there on the way to lunch or dinner)

-Stern balcony staterooms (sadly, not on Spirit)

-Overall informal atmosphere (it's vacation!)

 

Thanks for saving me the trouble of typing all that. I just want to add year round cruising from New York to the list. ;)

[jame_g]

Itinerary, cost, freestyle dining, and the great suites with the best perks for the price!

[runnerandme]

Most of my cruises have been chosen for the itinerary.

Second NCL cruise was because I wanted to sail in the Courtyard again, two villas so my daughter and her family could enjoy the area too. We are planning another trip on NCL, but only if I can have a Villa.

My two RCCL crusises were chosen to be with a group of cruising friends we met on Celebrity.

Our upcoming RCCL cruise is not a bargain by any means. BUt I do want to cruise with the group, so the cost is worth it to me.

 

SO #1 is itinerary

#2 accomodations on the ship

#3 to cruise with friends

 

BUT my DH

#1 is cost and don't ever want to wear tux

#2 is cost and don't ever want to weat a tie

#3 is cost and can't I just have the steak at Cagney's????

[coka]

Why do I continue to choose NCL? Let me count the ways!

 

1. They spoil me and make me feel like a goddess.

2. They surprise me.

3. They make me feel like I am their only concern onboard.

4. Each sailing with them is an adventure.

5. They remember you and loyalty is appreciated.

6. Their officers/staff/crew is the happiest and is the most sincere/genuine.

7. They appeal to age 2 through 102.

8. They are innovative yet know where to draw the lines.

9. They appear to take my post cruise online survey suggestions/feedback seriously. So much so that I am going to have fork out some cash to take a “how to put on make-up properly” seminar on a future sailing.

10. Freestyle darling!

 

Okay, okay, so they put my name on some plaque somewhere. Whatever! That does not supersede the above.

 

coka

[sparks1093]

Why do I continue to choose NCL? Let me count the ways!

 

1. They spoil me and make me feel like a goddess.

2. They surprise me.

3. They make me feel like I am their only concern onboard.

4. Each sailing with them is an adventure.

5. They remember you and loyalty is appreciated.

6. Their officers/staff/crew is the happiest and is the most sincere/genuine.

7. They appeal to age 2 through 102.

8. They are innovative yet know where to draw the lines.

9. They appear to take my post cruise online survey suggestions/feedback seriously. So much so that I am going to have fork out some cash to take a “how to put on make-up properly” seminar on a future sailing.

10. Freestyle darling!

 

Okay, okay, so they put my name on some plaque somewhere. Whatever! That does not supersede the above.

 

coka

 

Ah, that explains why I like NCL so much- DW is always saying I act like a two year old:eek:;).

 

(One of these days I am going to see that plaque.)

[prncsscruiser]

The main reason I cruise NCL is that so far...it is the least expensive line without having to give up quality! I was so impressed with this. When I booked my first cruise with them I had LOW expectations. I kept telling myself, it was the cheapest sailing for that date out of all of the lines, so don't expect too much. However I was blown away by the quality of service, food, and the ship. I am not one to cruise ONLY on one line, however I will now book NCL without hesitation! I am planning on buying cruise rewards on my cruise in March. Freestyle is actually last on my list of why I book with them. I like the freestyle concept, however I really like having the same waiter every night. We have gotten some really awesome waiters on our previous cruises...and were lucky enough to make some really good friends with our table mates on our Princess to Alaska cruise, we still talk with them to this day, and they were so much fun to hang out with while we were on board! I always book my cruises in this order.

 

1. Date (It usually has to be during a school holiday, I am a college student)

2.Cheapest Location: As of right now I need the cheapest cruise there is...I don't care where I am going, just get me on a ship to go somewhere. Typically Mexico is the cheapest for us, since we do not have to fly. However I love Alaska, and that is also pretty cheap since I live on the West coast.

3. After I have found my dates and locations, I look at ALL cruise lines to see who has the best price.

 

I would however be hesitant to book another carnival cruise...I hated my 3 day on the paradise...but at the right price and a newer ship, I may try it out again...

 

Anyway...I will quit rambling now...I am VERY happy with NCL

[cruise pup]

I usually sail solo so price is a very important consideration for me. NCL was actually the first cruise line I sailed (Norway 1997) and it was because the travel agent at the time got me the best deal. She had contacts at NCL and could get an upgrade if I booked the least expensive cabin. At the time NCL was very good for solos. Then, they changed their policy and no more gty singles. I stopped cruising them for quite a while until I went with a friend on the Star in Hawaii and loved it. I wanted to cruise NCL again but had to wait until the right bargain came along. The best was when the Spirit was launched at the last minute after one of the new ships caught fire in the shipyard. They pulled the Sky out of Alaska and the Spirit was brought over but not in time to have brochures published. There was an extra cruise in Alaska on Spirit that Sky wasn't doing and they gave away that cruise. I booked a single at the double rate (treated myself to a balcony). I became a huge fan of NCL after that cruise and have managed to find some bargains here and there, especially on the transatlantic sailings. I found a bargain on the Sun in January as they added a 5 day cruise before it goes into drydock.

 

I love the food, the entertainment, the spa, the friendly staff and not having to bring formal clothes.

[Azure Moon]

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 ✔ Not so much a particular ship, but all of the ships due to the interior and exterior decorating, wall murals, and hull art.

 

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 ✔

Our first cruise on NCL was for the itinerary and price (Hawaii).

 

During that cruise we found the crew to be very friendly and helpful (I had some read some negative reviews about the crew which made me slightly apprehensive before the sailing).

 

We really liked the ship - the public rooms, the hull art, the pool area, the cabin (an inside), the variety of dining venues.

 

Freestyle dining was interesting, though hubby and I had some trouble getting the hang of it :rolleyes::o:p. It seemed that while we'd be discussing where and when we'd like to eat, the board would change from green (easy to get in) to yellow (people are starting to file in) to red (harder to get in; possible wait required). I don't know if these are what the colors actually meant, but that's what we took them to mean. Hubby immediately took to the relaxed dress code. This had surprised me as he'd never balked over wearing a suit on previous cruises and because he had packed a suit coat for the trip.

 

Sometime before the end of the first cruise and during the second NCL cruise we got the hang of making reservations, choosing our dining times so we wouldn't get into the heavier dining time, and I stopped feeling "weird" for not dressing up more. Now hubby and I are on the same page :D

 

I loved the buffet!

 

I loved the piano playing in the open areas. If hubby wanted to relax in the cabin for a while, I would go sit in a window seat, listen to music, play a suduko puzzle, and people watch :).

 

I liked the absence of cigarette smoke inside and outside the ship. Soooo refreshing to not have to avoid numerous venues - and miss out on entertainment because of smoking. :cool:

 

Though we've continued to sail on Carnival (for certain food items, itineraries, prices, sailing with family), NCL has become my favorite cruise line for all the reasons above, and more. Big reasons continue to be the friendliness of crew, staff, and officers on each ship, the awesome entertainment: quality of musicians and singers, and the number of entertainers, the number and duration of performances, the magicians, comedians, and other acts. The beautiful ships (inside & out). Itineraries - Bermuda got us in June of this year. And I really do enjoy being able to move about the ships and frequent a higher number of public spaces, and enjoy more entertainment without being in clouds of smoke or smelling smoke that's drifted from another area.

 

We've purchased a future cruise certificate on a couple of NCL cruises, and am confident that we will purchase more in the future.

 

If only I could get my fave Carnival food items another way, I'd probably book more NCL cruises.

[exPATTI_tude]

So I am pretty sure NCL will be cruising by to see what we are saying!

 

1: Home port cruising - flying just suuuucks these days

2: Children love the Kids Club = happy parents

3: Cheap / value for money (much better than camping!)

4: Freestyle

5: Variety of entertainment - especially love live music & Second City comedy

6: Clean, attractive ships and super hard working staff who maintain this

 

There's lots more but I'm out of time.

[intrepid_guy]

I basically chose our first cruise (when I was 16) on the NORWAY. Back then, she was the best ship afloat. When I was able to cruise on my own, about 15 years later, I still could not get her out of my mind. We cruised her a total of 3 more times. Naturally, we never thought we could get used to Freestyle, but once the NORWAY was no longer an option we had to choose. We had always felt like family aboard NCL, we felt special... so, we continued to sail with them. Our one dalliance with each CCL and RCI were due to cruising with others that chose the cruise... and each cruise cemented our thoughts on NCL. We believe nothing compares to NCL. The feeling of being "home away from home", and our now favorite Freestyle Dining means we will probably never choose another line.

 

~Intrepid <-- I wanna eat now. Sushi!

[lbt43]

I like NCL ports, cost and itineraries. I think NCL has a niche going for cruisers like myself, younger type, unmarried, not as into kids as RCLL and not as into parties as Carnival. If NCL could find an AD scheme to portray this, they would be more of a hit.