ncl freestyle vs princess personal dining

[annie m]

Princess is having a new ship sail out of New York next summer. We have only sailed NCL 1-because it sails out of New York and 2- Freestyle. Would we like Princess?

 

Thanks

[johnql]

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on Princess. But you need to keep in mind that Personal Choice dining only corresponds to the dining part of Freestyle. The daily dress guidelines on Princess apply to everybody for dinner (except those dining in the buffet). If Freestyle's "resort casual" dress code is a major factor for you, you might want to stick with NCL.

[pengu1n]

We cruised on Princess last year, & I don't think the dress code is that different, basically resort casual with 1 or 2 formal nights. Many people did not dress up more than resort casual on formal nights, I think, although we did. Most nights, women wore slacks or capris with nice top or sweater & men in khakis & polo shirts. I do think jeans were prohibited but I didn't try to challenge this. Shorts OK in dining rooms for breakfast & lunch, but never for dinner. Freestyle for NCL also refers to disembarking, on Princess we did have to leave our rooms & sit in a lounge, but we did not have a long wait time.

[johnql]

We cruised on Princess last year, & I don't think the dress code is that different, basically resort casual with 1 or 2 formal nights. Many people did not dress up more than resort casual on formal nights, I think, although we did.

The point is that the people who did not dress up more than resort casual were ignoring the ship's guidelines for the formal nights. This, of course, is the crux of why I love Freestyle. It is perfectly acceptable to dress casually. And yes, I know that on traditional ships, many people choose not to dress formally and they do so claiming that it's their right to dress as they choose. None of that comes into play with NCL's Freestyle. There is no philosophical argument to worry about.

[hotspur]

And yes, I know that on traditional ships, many people choose not to dress formally and they do so claiming that it's their right to dress as they choose. None of that comes into play with NCL's Freestyle. There is no philosophical argument to worry about.

Exactly right.

 

And, even though there may be "only" two or three formal nights on a seven-to-twelve night cruise, that means packing and schlepping a tux--with all the required accessories, special shoes, etc.--or a suit--with appropriate dress shirts and ties--in addition to what you'll really need for port excursions and ship or shore recreational activities. And for what? I've yet to see any event offered on a cruise ship that warranted the wearing of formal attire.

[gemini g]

Amen!!!!

[John L.]

I think you have to examine your preference to dining to make a decision. We were on the NCL Dawn out of NY 2 years ago and we dined by ourselves at a table of our choice and with waiters who were very good on the lst night and used them throughout the cruise. We prefer dining at a fixed table at an early time and with the same people for the entire cruise. If you have good tablemates, it adds to the enjoyment of the cruise. Therefore, we prefer Princess over NCL. I did like the many restaurants all over the Dawn which seemed to make the ship very cozy. We did dine in an extra pay restaurant on the Dawn and the meal and setting were excellent. Traditional dining is not guaranteed on Princess because the dinning room was smaller and in high demand. On the Grand, we were wait-listed around #225 but after coming on board and seeing the maitre'd, we were assigned a fixed table before the lst night's dining. I also feel that the quality of food is better on Princess.

 

John L.

[CRUZIN TOM]

We were on the Star Princess and they had only personal choice available to us. But we loved it, They offer a 24 hour buffet, one of the best I have ever seen.

[soohoo]

We sailed the Caribbean Princess and were waitlisted #356. Since we are use to NCL, Personal Choice was no big deal, I thought. Well, on day 2 when we went to eat, we were told a 45 minute wait at 6:00 since so many people went to the other dining rooms to make a reservation. IF they are going to do Personal choice in a dining room and the traditional in the other, then it should be that way. We did enjoy our cruise, but we had to make reservations in order to have a table when we wanted to eat. That then became a "scheduled" meal rather than personal choice - eat when you want kind of thing. We prefer NCL because we like being able to stay in our cabins late for debarkation!

[annie m]

Thank you all. I'll let my husband read the replies and let him choose. He won't do traditional (did it before and hated it). We always dressed neat casual for dinner - never formal. We get dressed everyday for work so.......... thanks again.