How NCL compares to Carnival....need input

[Littlegoo75]

Hi all. I was hoping that you guys can help me here. I have been on 2 Carnival cruises, am booked for a European cruise w/ Carnival in OCtober, and am thinking of maybe trying something new in 2006, and trying NCL.

For those of you that have sailed on both Carnival and NCL can you tell me how the two compare? I do like the fun that Carnival offers, but there are some really neat itineraries offered through NCL.

ALso, how do you all like the Free-style dining? HOw is the entertainment?

If you could let me know all that there is to know, it would be a great help to me.

Also, are there a lot of people in the 25-35 age range??

Thanks!!!!

[jeannep]

We had a wonderful time on both Carnival and NCL. They do have some differences.

 

 

Carnival: Extra delicious food. NCL: Food very good

Carnival: OK shows NCL: Excellent shows

Carnival: OK activities NCL: Alot more activities than Carnival

Carnival: Assigned seating NCL; Eat when and where you want

 

Which ever one you choose, I am sure you are going to have a great time.

 

Enjoy!

Jeanne

[Littlegoo75]

Thanks! I know that NCL has a bunch of different restaurants, are most of them included in the price, or do most of them have an extra fee?

How much better are the on-board activities? SOme of the activities on Carnival, I don't really care for, such as the hairy chest contests, etc.

Also, does NCL have R-rated comedians? That's my favorite show on Carnival. The husband and I have never gone to the "vegas-style" shows, so we really don't care about that.

In your opinion, is NCL a good cruise line for a younger married couple ( no kids) who like to do active shore excursions? We're looking at doing a Western Caribbean cruise because we LOVE Belize and Roatan, and NCL seems to offer several cruises that call in Roatan. Carnival only has one itinerary that calls in Roatan, and we just did that one last month, so we don't want to do the same exact thing two years in a row.

[jeannep]

Littlegoo,

 

If you go on one of the new NCL ships that were built for freestyle cruising, they have about 10 different restaurants. 3 regular dining rooms which are come when you please. There are 3 extra cost restaurants which run about $20 per person. They include a French, Steakhouse, and Oriental restaurants. They start taking reservations the day before you want to eat. There are also speciality restaurants that you need reservations(also made the day before) but these are free. They include Italian and Mexican. To finish the 10 there is always the Garden Buffet and the Blue Lagoon which is light fare and opened 24 hours. At lunch they also have a barbeque on deck. At different times, some of the bars offer free food such as hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, fish and chips. And when you get extra hungry, order room service to get you through to the next meal. Don't forget the afternoon sandwiches in the Garden Buffet and the Midnight snacks in the casino. Oh I forgot the Chocolate Buffet usually on a sea day.

 

The 2 times I was on the Dawn, they had a late night comedy show "R" rated.

 

NCL is definately for all ages. There is always something going on. There is alot of energy on the ship. During the day they have bingo, trivia, martini clinics, arts and crafts, and the hairy chest contest. They also have cooking classes and alot more.

 

I am sure you would love a cruise on one of the newer NCL ships.

 

Enjoy!

Jeanne

[Littlegoo75]

Yeah, I think we will give it a try next year....I feel bad for "cheating" on Carnival, but you just have to try new things.

We always do the newer ships...we have never been on a ship older than 6 months. Well, I think the Sitmar Fairsea wasn't brand new when I sailed on her as a kid, but that doesn't count.

I think my husband would love the Free-style thing, I can go either way, but as long as we aren't sailing on a boring, stuffy cruise line where everything is scheduled, I think we would have a great time.

I have never used the gimmicky things such as the water slide, so I won't miss that, but I do need a good gym.

[lhall85917]

"I feel bad for "cheating" on Carnival, but you just have to try new things."

 

LOL- I feel the same way about my Valor cruise this summer - have only done NCL recently. We love the Freestyle on NCL and are a little leary of assigned dining, but I'm sure it will work out, any day on a cruise has to be a great day! :cool:

[coka]

haha, I "cheated" on Norwegian and went on Carnival Victory last month. I agree with the above comparisons but I found the food better on NCL. I love freestyle but it was somewhat nice to return to assigned seating since I sailed with a group of 13 and we were all seated together. I knew that NCL has better shows/entertainment but concluded that NCL provides more activities throughout the day/evening. Carnival promotes a Funship Theme and I was surprised at the limited variety of activities. In my opinion, NCL caters to every generation. I also think it is good to try different cruise lines. One develops a favorite over time and becomes more knowledgeable in selecting a cruise based on the needs at the time of booking! Have a great cruise!

Coka

[Vyhanek]

I've cruised on both. Carnival twice and NCL probably 8 or 9 times.

Me and dh are in our middle 30's.

 

I would choose NCL over Carnival absolutely. NCL draws a classier clientele, has better food, better entertainment and the Freestyle thing really is nice. You eat with whomever you want when you want.

 

I must note that there is a big difference in the Freestyle experience between the newer NCL ships like the Sun/Dawn class and the older ships like the Dream/Sea. The older ships were not built for Freestyle dining and they have the main dining rooms and then only a couple of other dining areas. The newer ships have several dining rooms and several dining choices and there is more than enough seating capacity and more choice in dining. On the Sea and Dream it would be very possible that you would have a wait to eat and less dining options.

 

NCL draws vacationers from all walks of life. Carnival draws lots of 20 something/ hard partier types. You'll see lots more tattoos on Carnival cruisers, lots more smokers, lots more younger overweight people squeezed into bathing suits that don't flatter their bodies. Lots more louder, harder partying vacationers. That's just my personal observation from cruising both lines.

 

I think the excursion choices should not have any bearing on your decision because you can always work out a special excursion from a private guide. Look up the specific port on this website for ideas.

[Littlegoo75]

Cool. I look forward to trying out NCL in 2006. It's interesting, on our last 2 cruises with Carnival, we noticed a lot older of a crowd than we expected on Carnival. We were hesitant to try Carnival at first because we heard negative things about the fellow passengers. We found everyone on the Pride to be very nice and a bit on the reserved side. The most obnoxious drunk people we saw were 60-somethings that were trying to get away with dressing like 20-somethings. It was actually pretty funny.

Then on the Valor last month, there were a lot of people over 60. Maybe it was the time of year we sailed, but it is nice to see all of the different ages aboard.

I think the "horror stories" about Carnival mostly pertain to the shorter cruises on the older ships. I don't think I will ever go on a cruise that is shorter than a week. After 7 days, I am never ready to get off of the ship. The short cruises would be too much of a tease for me.

We are really looking forward to the European cruise on the Carnival Liberty in October. It will be interesting to see what kind of crowd that cruise draws.

[Jeanniec]

IM glad that IM hearing some good things for the NCL line as we also have only been on Carnival lines and loved each one very much we are in the 60 bunch we are going on the NCL Dream I see that it is a old ship will it be as good or will we be sorry that we booked that one we all 6 of us want to see Belize been to Cancun and loved it there. Please say something good about the Dream.

Jeanniec 60+ and we still like to have fun

[2boyzmom]

I am booked on The Legend in May and plan on booking the Jewel for next February. One review about NCL that worried me was someone said they had to wait over an hour in line to eat even with reservations. Is that true? I hope not because I wnat to relax, not stress about lines like here at home!

Either way I plan to book anyway!

[lhall85917]

We've been on the Star twice and never had to wait for dinner. We always went early and went right in. I've heard of short waits during the busiest times, but nothing terrible.

[Littlegoo75]

We loved Belize, and have been there twice, but I HIGHLY recommend that you book a tour through the cruiseline. Belize City is very impoverished, and it is not recommended that you wander around on your own.

Once you get out of Belize City, the country is wonderful!

Yeah, we're planning on sailing the Jewel in April 2006. We will wait awhile to book since it's so far away, but we LOVE the brand new ships, so I am sure it will be a great time. It will be wierd not sailing with Carnival, but like I said earlier, you gotta try new things, and expand your horizons.

[ron46936]

We did Carnival once but that was 18 cruises ago. We probably were on their worst ship the Festivale so we would not consider going again unless it was a really great deal. The funny thing is that Carnival costs as much as NCL,HAL, and X which are considerably better. Of those three I think young people would prefer NCL.

 

I know you mentioned that you don't take in the Vegas style shows but NCL's are really something compared to the efforts of the other lines.

[Littlegoo75]

Wow. I think you would be pleasantly surprized if you tried Carnival now. From what I have heard, they have come a long way. When my husband and I were planning our delayed honeymoon cruise in 2002, we were against trying Carnival because of things I have heard...." low-life clientele, tacky ships, a lot of neon, etc." but there was a great itinerary out of Port Canaveral on a brand new ship ( The Pride), so we gave it a try, and fell in love with Carnival. From what I have heard from experienced cruisers, Carnival has worked very hard at improving their product, and have succeeded, while other cruise lines have been relying on their old reputations, and have been slipping in quality. I have heard from many that Carnival has better food than RCCL, larger cabins, and better entertainment, and Carnival is quite a bit cheaper.

The new ships are beautiful as well. Not too much neon, not as gaudy, it's more of a fun, festive decor now. I haven't been on any of their older ships, but from what I have seen on the Pride and the Valor, it has been very nice.

We just got back from another great Carnival cruise, and have a big European one planned for October.

For a change of pace we will probably give NCL a try in April 06 on the Jewel. I am sure we will like it, I think the Free-style thing will be a nice change of pace. The main reason we are going to try this ship is because of Roatan, we just love that little island.

Seriously, give Carnival another try, 18 cruises ago is a long time, I have heard about the Festivale, I wouldn't have wanted to sail on that ship, but give one of the newer ships a try, and you just may fall in love with the new Carnival.

[HLP]

Littlegoo75

 

Carnival almost made me never cruise again. Twenty years

ago I took the Holiday when it was new and had such a bad

experience that I thought I never wanted to cruise again.

Twenty years later now being married with kids I tried

NCL Wind and loved the cruising experience. I continued with NCL and loved every cruise with them. Last year I decided to give Carnival another try,on the Pride. I was pleasantly surprised how good they were. The ship was really modern and nice,although maybe alittle over decorated. I still perfer NCL because my family really enjoys freestyle so much. I would go on another carnival cruise if I would be guareeteed the early seating. Cruising with young children on the late seating would be terrible.

This was almost the case on the Pride but luckily we were switched to the early seating.

This is where freestyle really shines.

But Carnival Pride had some really good Italian food in the

main rest. Maybe because of all the Italian crew.

 

HLP

[Littlegoo75]

HLP,

Good to hear that you gave Carnival another try and had a good experience. Like I said, I almost missed out on something great because of what I have heard others say, without giving it a try myself.

I too think we will like the Free-style experience. We have always done the late seating because we don't ever want to be rushed to get dressed and ready for dinner when we get back on the ship, but we are usually so hungry that we grab some pizza, and then aren't really that hungry for dinner.

It would be really nice to just dine when and where we please. I think it's a great concept, and I really haven't heard too many negative things about NCL, aside from comments from people who really don't care for the Free-style cruising, because they prefer the traditional experience.

It would be interesting to see if Carnival or RCCL adopt something similar in years to come. I think Princess has, at least on one of their ships.

[ron46936]

From what I've heard Carnival probably is a lot better, it certainly couldn't be any worse than it was. There just hasn't been any good reason to try them again. The prices are about the same as everyone else. For a regular 7 nighter NCL is hard to beat and HAL and Celebrity have lots of good deals on longer cruises.

[mikvie]

I would sugest that anyone over 35 try Celebrity. Great food and service without annoying pool games and constant ship announcements. I have sailed on both Carnival and N.C.L. more than once, but Celebrity is the one hands down.

[Littlegoo75]

I would also like to try Celebrity, as well as Princess, and RCCL one of these days...we might still be a little on the young and fun-seeking side to thoroughly enjoy Celebrity though.....tightly holding onto our 20's, which is slipping away, we both turn the big 3-0 next month!!!!

After Carnival, NCL seemed the most appealing, and offers more interesting itineraries. In a way, I hope Roatan stays as is, a rarely visited port. That's what adds to it's charm. It seems that only 1 Carnival ship calls there every other week, as well as some NCL ships, and maybe a couple other a week. It would be a shame to see it turn into another Cozumel, don't get me wrong, Cozumel is great, and a lot of fun, but there aren't that many unspoiled paradises left out there.

It seems like all the NCL folks on here are nice, so that's a plus. I am also Norwegian, ( well, my ancestors came from there way back when) so it would be fun to go on my cruise line!!!!

[ron46936]

Another point of comparison. We've often had Norwegian Captains on NCL. Our Carnival cruise had an Italian Captain. We know from history that the early Norwegians sailed and rowed everywhere including North America. The most famous Italian sailor is mostly known for stumbling into the New World after an error of several thousand miles.

[Littlegoo75]

whoo hooooo! Norwegians rule!

[newmexicoNita]

It's hard to compare the two lines: Carnival does have a more active night life and more party participation around the pools plus larger cabins. NCL has better food with the exception of the pizza, I think the service is much better on NCL and the entertainment similar. the specialty restaurants range in price from about $12.50 to about $20.00 depending on which ship you are on compared to Carnivals only alternative dining at $25.00. If you like lots of Glitter and mega sized ships you may want to stick with Carnival: I find their ships to boarder on gaudy. We toured the Legend not too long ago; way overdone for my tastes, but there is a reason for so many lines: everyone has his/her own ideas. Sometimes it's good to try something new as a comparison if for no other reason. We think every line has great things to offer and drawbacks. I would have to say Carnival isn't at the top of our list, but that doesn't mean, for the right price and itinerary we wouldn't cruise her. NMNita

[DEBNWIN]

I agree that the food is better on NCL, except for the pizza. The casino is also much better on NCL...and their slot program gives you immediate credit off your bar bill compared to credit off the NEXT cruise like Carnival does. However, Carnival's cabins are much bigger...(in comparison...our last two cruises...carnival was 185 sq. feet...ncl was 135) and Carnival's storage in their cabins is better too. However...loved the shower DOORS on the Dawn, rather than sticky curtains. I found the entertainment to be comparable. Drinks were better on Carnival. (On the Dawn they didn't even put the pina coladas in a "shapely" glass...merely a regular one...and seldom any fruit attached...one of the minor disappointments in life...haha). I think the activities were a little better on NCL. Or at least they had a few things I hadn't seen on 10 previous cruises...my teenager loved learning how to make the towel animals in a class they gave.

 

There...I probably confused you more. But I thoroughly enjoyed both Carnival and NCL. Like someone above said...there's good and bad about every cruise line, or even every ship. That's part of the fun, discovering the new stuff. Have fun!!! Deb

[Littlegoo75]

Well, I think you guys sold me. I just wanted to ensure that we wouldn't be bored, and it sounds as though we won't. The big musts for us on a ship = a newer ship, a decent fitness facility, a decent casino, good food, comedians, interesting ports of call, variety of dining choices, and fun people on board. It sounds like we will have a good time in April 06 on the Jewel !!!! I cannot wait to return to Roatan!