Newbie Questions

[starstruck05]

I'm not new to cruising but will be new to NCL. We are planning the Spirt out of NOLA and I was wondering if anyone can give me some insight on how things work over at NCL. I knew its "freestyle" cruising and I saw they ships have alot of different resturants, so does that mean you can eat wherever you want included or is there a surcharge? Can anyone compare to Carnival for me? Also would NCL be a goos fit for me being 23? What is there to do onboard? Casino, Clubs? most of the info I find is on resturants really, but not distanct information. ANY info you can give will be a BIG help. Thanks!!!!!:D;)

[SuperTrooper00]

Basically, the restaurants on board work exactly like restaurants at home. You can make a reservation to some , or you can just walk in to some (and there might be a small wait). Just like at home, the smaller the group, the less the wait. We have always been a table for 2, so we have never waited...ever. Some of the restaurants have a surcharge, and some do not. You could just go to the NCL website to read more about those. NCL is known for its good service and excellent entertainment, amongst other positive things. I would say there are less people your age on board NCL than Carnival, but you will still have a great time.

[BIG_Steve]

The free restaurants would be the buffet, 2 main dining rooms, typically a bar that serves food in the wee hours, and 24 hour room service. After that, there are specialty restaurants which charge a fee. Some hate that idea, and some love it. I've eaten in 5 specialty restaurants on NCL ships. 2 were very good, 1 was just okay, and I thought the main dining rooms had better food then the other 2.

 

All NCL ships, except the Pride of America in Hawaii have Casinos. NCL seems to attract most any age group. I don't recall seeing a great deal of folks your age, but then, I don't think all that many your age are interested in cruising (??)

[travelnap]

Starstruck05, The NCL cruise will be different from the Carnival one for you. Carnival usually has more people your age although the NCL trip is not what you would call an old crowd as they do have young people aboard as well, just not as many as Carnival. As far as dining, NCL has more options than Carnival, and some will argue better quality food because of the added variety, but you will pay a surcharge that varies from $10 to $25 for dining in the specialty restaurants. I have always found them worth the money. The biggest difference is with NCL is that you can eat where you want, when you want. I see that Carnival along with a lot of the other cruise lines are also moving to open dining instead of a fixed dining time, but I don't think they have done that fleetwide yet. The free dining options will be the two main dining rooms, the buffet, the Blue Lagoon, and room service. NCL ships do have a casino and nightclubs except the POA which sails the Hawiian Islands as they are not allowed to have a casino. Some will argue that NCL entertainment is better than Carnival, but that will vary from person to person. Either line will be enjoyable, as its all about the trip and the itinerary. Everyone has different things they look for and like, so just go with the one that has the things that are most important to you and enjoy the voyage. Have a great trip.

[AF2010]

I'm not new to cruising but will be new to NCL. We are planning the Spirt out of NOLA and I was wondering if anyone can give me some insight on how things work over at NCL. I knew its "freestyle" cruising and I saw they ships have alot of different resturants, so does that mean you can eat wherever you want included or is there a surcharge? Can anyone compare to Carnival for me? Also would NCL be a goos fit for me being 23? What is there to do onboard? Casino, Clubs? most of the info I find is on resturants really, but not distanct information. ANY info you can give will be a BIG help. Thanks!!!!!:D;)

 

My boyfriend and I went on the Jewel last year and I was 23 and he was 24. Whenever we hung out at the pool there were several people our age. We had a really good time. I can't compare age to Carnival but NCL wasn't short on early 20 people. On board they also have the white hot party usually. I think It's every ship. Hope this helps!

 

-aimee-

[starstruck05]

thank you everyone for your help. We decided to book. Awesome Deal for New Years Day!

[crimmper]

I'm not new to cruising but will be new to NCL. We are planning the Spirt out of NOLA and I was wondering if anyone can give me some insight on how things work over at NCL. I knew its "freestyle" cruising and I saw they ships have alot of different resturants, so does that mean you can eat wherever you want included or is there a surcharge? Can anyone compare to Carnival for me? Also would NCL be a goos fit for me being 23? What is there to do onboard? Casino, Clubs? most of the info I find is on resturants really, but not distanct information. ANY info you can give will be a BIG help. Thanks!!!!!:D;)

 

If you would like an idea of what goes on aboard NCL ships ,check out my link below. It will take you to the Freestyle Dailies for the Jewel during the week of my cruise. You will also see the surcharges for the specialty restaurants.