Dedicated NCL Suite Cruisers Considering Princess?? Are We Nuts??

[marelind]

We are dedicated suite cruisers on NCL, primarily OS and Haven on Jewel or Dawn class ships. We like a cabin that has lots of space, separation between bedroom and living area, and a stall shower. We really like Freestyle dining and not having to dress up.

 

With that said, there aren't a lot of choices of itineraries from Los Angeles and we are looking at a Pacific Coastal on Princess. Please no flames :D but are we nuts to think about Princess??

[philatiger]

Not at all. We book the same suites on NCL. But nothing wrong with venturing out and trying something new. The only thing we miss is the anytime dining, nothing matches NCL in that regard (IMO), we really like to dress very casual. The grand suites on Princess look really nice.

[HMK8273]

You aren't nuts but you might be seriously disappointed. Princess suites on some of the ships are not like suites on NCL boats, nor is the level of service the same. On the Golden and the Coral Princess boats - suites were identical to each other just different sizes and NCL gives you so much more in terms of space and thought in design than Princess. We have done 2 Princess cruises in Suites - Coral and Golden Princess - both because of the itineraries. Both times we kept finding ourselves missing the NCL experience - no concierge on Princess, no Haven area on Princess, yes breakfast in the morning in the italian restaurant but no lunch on princess, no reserved seating in the theater on princess, yes you get the Suite lounge/happy hour on Princess, yes you get priority embark but no priority disembark on Princess, yes you get free laundry and internet on Princess - just isn't the same in my eyes. I think we paid a lot for the Princess suites and didn't get as much out of the fare as we would have done for NCL suites/owners suites. Only you can decide what is best for you but we have sworn off Princess for a while because we like being in a penthouse/owners suite/Haven.

[DCT61]

The decor in suites on Princess, is a bit more subtle...but the amenities are the closest to NCL we have found. We enjoy the free Internet and laundry service on Princess, although the breakfast in Sabbatinis isn't as good (IMO) as breakfast and lunch in Cagneys. We have enjoyed our cruises on both lines and plan to continue switching between the two.

[spirit rev]

We are dedicated suite cruisers on NCL, primarily OS and Haven on Jewel or Dawn class ships. We like a cabin that has lots of space, separation between bedroom and living area, and a stall shower. We really like Freestyle dining and not having to dress up.

 

With that said, there aren't a lot of choices of itineraries from Los Angeles and we are looking at a Pacific Coastal on Princess. Please no flames :D but are we nuts to think about Princess??

We have always sailed in an aft facing suite on NCL. We were a bit nervous about switching from NCL before we took our first Princess cruise this past January on the Coral in a VS suite. We throughly enjoyed the experience. We found that we didn't miss having a butler and concierge once we knew how the system worked. We had anytime dining and the head waiter was so accomodating every evening for the group we formed once on board. (Because we were in a suite, we never had to wait with a beeper for a table. We were always given the next available table for however many persons were with us that evening. When he knew about what time we would be arriving he usually had a table waiting with our favorite waiter.

The free internet and laundry were great on a 14 night cruise.

 

We had plenty of room in the VS suite. There was a curtain that separated the living area from the bedroom. Balcony had a dining size table with two chairs, two loungers and a side table.

[tweekster]

What about the suites in other lines like Celebrity or Crystal.

Has anyone switched from the Haven suites to one of these lines?

[palmyrafan]

We are dedicated suite cruisers on NCL, primarily OS and Haven on Jewel or Dawn class ships. We like a cabin that has lots of space, separation between bedroom and living area, and a stall shower. We really like Freestyle dining and not having to dress up.

 

With that said, there aren't a lot of choices of itineraries from Los Angeles and we are looking at a Pacific Coastal on Princess. Please no flames :D but are we nuts to think about Princess??

 

You can be a "dedicated" NCL cruiser at heart and get tired of the itineraries. DH and I certainly do. But NCL is the cruise line for us. It is hard to give up the Haven suites and all the perks that come with them. We would rather sail every couple of years to be able to afford a Haven suite, then sail 2-3 times a year in something else. Like you, we prefer some open space between the areas.

 

Perhaps the only way to know for sure is to take a cruise on another line (with an open mind :D ) and see for yourselves what you like and don't like about each ship and cruise line. Only then will you know for sure. Regardless, have a great cruise!

[mpk218]

We were in the exact same position a couple of years ago you find yourself in today.

All suites on NCL but decided to try an aft suite on Princess to Alaska. Its not the same but I say give it a try and you will love NCL even more when you return .. ;)

 

Nuts ? No . A little delusional maybe :D

 

please let us know your feelings upon returning..

[marelind]

Thank you, thank you for your thoughtful, understanding replies. I'm not ready to pull the trigger on booking yet, but I now have enough encouragement to go on researching this trip.

 

My parents took us on a Crystal cruise, and DH really hated having to dress up on formal nights. They require you to wear dress of the evening if you are outside your cabin. He is happy to put on a collared Hawaiian style shirt with a light sport coat and slacks for dinner, but he does not want to wear a suit on vacation. Is Princess more relaxed than Crystal?

[mpk218]

Thank you, thank you for your thoughtful, understanding replies. I'm not ready to pull the trigger on booking yet, but I now have enough encouragement to go on researching this trip.

 

My parents took us on a Crystal cruise, and DH really hated having to dress up on formal nights. They require you to wear dress of the evening if you are outside your cabin. He is happy to put on a collared Hawaiian style shirt with a light sport coat and slacks for dinner, but he does not want to wear a suit on vacation. Is Princess more relaxed than Crystal?

 

Yes but not much . I did not wear a tie to dress up night , you'd have thought I walked in naked. One little suggestion , book the the set dining time . That seemed to be the way to go when we went. If you preferred that time you were guaranteed a table and if you chose another time you can go to anytime dining. The problem was getting into anytime was an hour wait every day while the fixed time dining room was half empty. They say you cant or should not do this but it was very obvious it was the way to go.If you choose the anytime dining on your booking you are stuck with that option..(They may have this corrected by now)

Other than that the ship was very nice , but go into it knowing the suite "service" is not what you have experienced on NCL . ;)

[spirit rev]

My parents took us on a Crystal cruise, and DH really hated having to dress up on formal nights. They require you to wear dress of the evening if you are outside your cabin. He is happy to put on a collared Hawaiian style shirt with a light sport coat and slacks for dinner, but he does not want to wear a suit on vacation. Is Princess more relaxed than Crystal?

Short answer - Yes, even on formal nights. You can be out of your cabin, not in a suit/sports coat on formal night. Buffet and speciality restaurants do not require formal wear even on formal nights. Even the main DRs have been showing some flexibility on formal nights.

 

I found the NCL and Princess are more similar than different. There are a lot of on board activities to do. Shows were very good. There were far fewer announcements during the day about what activities would be happening so a little less frenetic energy.

[DCT61]

Princess not as formal as Crystal or Celebrity. You can dine while dressed casually, in the buffet or any of the specialty restaurants. There is no requirement for any of the lounges. We dont "dress up" for vacation anymore, and we had no trouble with Princess.

[Cruise_More_Often]

We have been on two Princess Coastal cruises, for the same reason you are thinking of booking one. We did not book suites, only mini-suites. The one thing that stood out to us was that the cabin decor on both ships (Island and Coral) (blond wood, bland colors) is not nearly as nice as the cabin interiors on the NCL ships we've cruised. Also, the interiors and colors (salmon and teal) throughout the ships were identical.

 

That being said, you have very little choice if you want to do Coastal cruises, especially to Mexico. The Grand Princess cruises do look tempting, especially considering they are round-trip San Francisco. In fact, we are considering booking one that goes to La Paz and Loretto.

[toyotaford]

We are dedicated suite cruisers on NCL, primarily OS and Haven on Jewel or Dawn class ships. We like a cabin that has lots of space, separation between bedroom and living area, and a stall shower. We really like Freestyle dining and not having to dress up.

 

With that said, there aren't a lot of choices of itineraries from Los Angeles and we are looking at a Pacific Coastal on Princess. Please no flames :D but are we nuts to think about Princess??

Like you we are suite passengers on NCL. We had an opportunity to be the guest of one of our vendors on a Princess cruise earlier this year and weren't about to pass up a free cruise. We were in the category right above the balcony but I don't remember what it was called. We had a very nice time. The ship and beautiful and the food was good. I met with the cruise planner on board and ask if they had anything comparable to the NCL suite life. He went over their perks for suites but they were nothing like NCL. The only thing they did offer was free internet in their upper suites. Overall we had a great time but would not give up the suite experience on NCL.

[JGaleCPA]

Chocolate and vanilla.

 

What if you only ate vanilla, and never tried chocolate. How would you know if you like it or not.

 

Try it.

 

Next time, we will introduce strawberry.

[LoraJ]

We cruised in a suite on Princess and loved it. My only cruise suite experience so far. I loved the free laundry, would have loved the free Internet if it worked better. The suite was nice, large bathroom, huge balcony. We ended up ordering room service from the main dining room every night and eating on the balcony. Your room steward will leave the menus in your room every day.

 

We are sailing in an NCL suite this fall and looking forward to the comparisons. I will miss the free laundry though.

[marelind]

Thanks again for all the information. I think I will "float" the idea to my family. ;)

[hollon]

Can someone tell me wht you get in the haven suites. I'm thinking about booking the breakaway

[halos]

Chocolate and vanilla.

 

What if you only ate vanilla, and never tried chocolate. How would you know if you like it or not.

 

Try it.

 

Next time, we will introduce strawberry.

*like!* :)