NCL Spirit or Carnival Glory? Please help me decide! ty!

[StarboardIndigo]

Hello everyone,

This is my husband and I's first time cruising. We are young professionals I am 28 and he is 32, from MD/DC area (but not really into the heavy drinking scene). We're looking to travel on February 13th for a 7 day trip and trying to decide between 1) Carnival Glory leaving from Miami to eastern caribbean with stops in nassau, san juan, turks. (7 days)

 

and 2) the NCL Spirit leaving from NOLA to Costa Maya Mexico, belize, honduras, consumel. (7 days)

 

We are looking for an elegant, lively ship with lots of good shows, entertainment and ofcourse good, abundant food. I'm a little worried over the bad reviews re: Carnival's food. Although I like the Glory's itinerary and destinations slightly better, if the food on NCL Spirit is way better, I'd definitely do the Spirit.

 

Pros of Glory: newer ship (recently upgraded in 2010), adults only pool area, movies under the stars, bigger ship, slightly bigger state rooms, itinerary and the option of spending an extra night in Miami. Water slide :)

 

Cons of Glory: possible college aged drunk fest (e.g, not so elegant as hoped), possible poor food, possible poor service, etc.

 

Pros of NCL Spirit: possible better food! possibly fewer rowdy/drunkeness?

 

Cons of NCL Spirit: Smaller ship, slightly older ship (recent refurb in 2008), fewer pools.

 

Again, food quality/variety is a strong factor for us (they both offer anytime so that's not an issue)...so please keep that in mind when helping me decide. In an ideal world I'd pick the Pearl or Jewel but alas no dates available. :(

 

Any advice, input is much appreciated. Thank you!!

[Ms belp]

If you are looking at itineraries Carnival sounds much better. Can't compare the food. The Spirit (and Jewel) and my favorite ships on NCL. I would recommend Le Bistro and Cagney's for a great dining experience in the evening. They are not free but well worth it in my opinion. I love the MDR's as well. We like to mix it up based on what we want for dinner.

[klingoncruiser]

If you are looking for a beach break... go with Carnival. If you want something else, go with the Spirit. We did B to B on her because we love those ports. Lots of Mayan history, unique sites and plenty of beaches to go around.

[newmexicoNita]

Hello everyone,

This is my husband and I's first time cruising. We are young professionals I am 28 and he is 32, from MD/DC area (but not really into the heavy drinking scene). We're looking to travel on February 13th for a 7 day trip and trying to decide between 1) Carnival Glory leaving from Miami to eastern caribbean with stops in nassau, san juan, turks. (7 days)

 

and 2) the NCL Spirit leaving from NOLA to Costa Maya Mexico, belize, honduras, consumel. (7 days)

 

We are looking for an elegant, lively ship with lots of good shows, entertainment and ofcourse good, abundant food. I'm a little worried over the bad reviews re: Carnival's food. Although I like the Glory's itinerary and destinations slightly better, if the food on NCL Spirit is way better, I'd definitely do the Spirit.

 

Pros of Glory: newer ship (recently upgraded in 2010), adults only pool area, movies under the stars, bigger ship, slightly bigger state rooms, itinerary and the option of spending an extra night in Miami. Water slide :)

 

Cons of Glory: possible college aged drunk fest (e.g, not so elegant as hoped), possible poor food, possible poor service, etc.

 

Pros of NCL Spirit: possible better food! possibly fewer rowdy/drunkeness?

 

Cons of NCL Spirit: Smaller ship, slightly older ship (recent refurb in 2008), fewer pools.

 

Again, food quality/variety is a strong factor for us (they both offer anytime so that's not an issue)...so please keep that in mind when helping me decide. In an ideal world I'd pick the Pearl or Jewel but alas no dates available. :(

 

Any advice, input is much appreciated. Thank you!!

 

well first off: you will not need to worry much about the college crowd as spring break will be about a month after your sailing so don't worry about those rowdy kids that behave like we used to....LOL

 

It boils down to what you are looking for. Never sailing probably the eastern Caribbean might be more fun and yes, the Glory is newer, but it is also (in my opinion) very gaudy. The Spirit is classy and elegant.

 

Food, this is so subjective, for some Carnival does a better job, others will tell you NCL does. NCL certainly has more choices if you want to spend a little extra and choose some sur charge dining rooms plus they have a wonderful buffet.

 

The Glory has larger cabins and probably a more active night life. This is not to say the Spirit is dead at 10pm but Carnival will be busier.

 

If you are into things like nice beaches and snorkeling take the Spirit for sure, if you are into shopping and more sight seeing I would go with the Glory. I am sure you will be happy regardless of which you choose.

 

Nita

[mizLORInj]

I prefer to try the lines and form my own opinions. And I've never had a bad cruise!

I'd go with the itinerary I preferred. Glory is a very nice ship and having just been refurbed in 2010, it is in very good condition. Fabulous waterslide too. I think both lines' food is very comparable and good for the most part. NCL has more restaurants, but you pay an upcharge for them.

Carnival's cabins are a bit larger, but NCL has better bathroom setup.

ENJOY--whichever you choose.

[bike1964]

Hello everyone,

This is my husband and I's first time cruising. We are young professionals I am 28 and he is 32, from MD/DC area (but not really into the heavy drinking scene). We're looking to travel on February 13th for a 7 day trip and trying to decide between 1) Carnival Glory leaving from Miami to eastern caribbean with stops in nassau, san juan, turks. (7 days)

 

and 2) the NCL Spirit leaving from NOLA to Costa Maya Mexico, belize, honduras, consumel. (7 days)

 

We are looking for an elegant, lively ship with lots of good shows, entertainment and ofcourse good, abundant food. I'm a little worried over the bad reviews re: Carnival's food. Although I like the Glory's itinerary and destinations slightly better, if the food on NCL Spirit is way better, I'd definitely do the Spirit.

 

Pros of Glory: newer ship (recently upgraded in 2010), adults only pool area, movies under the stars, bigger ship, slightly bigger state rooms, itinerary and the option of spending an extra night in Miami. Water slide :)

 

Cons of Glory: possible college aged drunk fest (e.g, not so elegant as hoped), possible poor food, possible poor service, etc.

 

Pros of NCL Spirit: possible better food! possibly fewer rowdy/drunkeness?

 

Cons of NCL Spirit: Smaller ship, slightly older ship (recent refurb in 2008), fewer pools.

 

Again, food quality/variety is a strong factor for us (they both offer anytime so that's not an issue)...so please keep that in mind when helping me decide. In an ideal world I'd pick the Pearl or Jewel but alas no dates available. :(

 

Any advice, input is much appreciated. Thank you!!

 

Glory. Hands down. I have sailed both. Newer ship. Better facilities. Bigger cabins. Better food/service. More entertainment. No brainer.;)

[StarboardIndigo]

Thank you everyone!!

[scuba214]

Carnival's food is way better than NCL's in my opinion.:D

[Nyc2tropics]

Carnival Glory

[zqvol]

Hello everyone,

This is my husband and I's first time cruising. We are young professionals I am 28 and he is 32, from MD/DC area (but not really into the heavy drinking scene). We're looking to travel on February 13th for a 7 day trip and trying to decide between 1) Carnival Glory leaving from Miami to eastern caribbean with stops in nassau, san juan, turks. (7 days)

 

and 2) the NCL Spirit leaving from NOLA to Costa Maya Mexico, belize, honduras, consumel. (7 days)

 

We are looking for an elegant, lively ship with lots of good shows, entertainment and ofcourse good, abundant food. I'm a little worried over the bad reviews re: Carnival's food. Although I like the Glory's itinerary and destinations slightly better, if the food on NCL Spirit is way better, I'd definitely do the Spirit.

 

Pros of Glory: newer ship (recently upgraded in 2010), adults only pool area, movies under the stars, bigger ship, slightly bigger state rooms, itinerary and the option of spending an extra night in Miami. Water slide :)

 

Cons of Glory: possible college aged drunk fest (e.g, not so elegant as hoped), possible poor food, possible poor service, etc.

 

Pros of NCL Spirit: possible better food! possibly fewer rowdy/drunkeness?

 

Cons of NCL Spirit: Smaller ship, slightly older ship (recent refurb in 2008), fewer pools.

 

Again, food quality/variety is a strong factor for us (they both offer anytime so that's not an issue)...so please keep that in mind when helping me decide. In an ideal world I'd pick the Pearl or Jewel but alas no dates available. :(

 

Any advice, input is much appreciated. Thank you!!

 

 

I cruise both Carnival and NCL and have been on both lines, though neither of your specific ships within the past year.

 

Carnival food quality is rapidly deteriorating. You only have three options, the MDR, the Lido buffet, and the Steakhouse which is an upcharge. I am not a real fan of NCL's main dining rooms, but the availability and minimal upcharge costs for the specialty restaurants on NCL make NCL's food much better overall.

 

Elegant? You are not going to have elegant on either line.

 

Carnival's entertainment is going down hill fast. Most of the shows have been replaced with comedians. NCL has the best production shows afloat.

 

Neither ship is old. If you think about it the ships are to a large extent floating hotels and you would never hesitate to stay in a 10 -15 year old hotel that had been maintained with a fine tooth comb.

 

While Carnival cabins are larger, they don't feel that way. I have no idea why. The other amenities, such as the water slide and movies under the stars are gimmicks. Carnival does not have an adults only area on the Glory.

 

While I prefer the Eastern Caribbean routes, I would book NCL.

[98Charlie]

We were on the Glory about 7 weeks ago and the Glory has a very nice Serenity area that is adults only. Loungers were very comfortable and the view is great from the Serenity hot tub.

 

Dianne