1st-timers - Italy/Medit. 15-day Cruisetour, Norwegian Epic vs. Celebrity Silhouette

[Binty77]

Greetings CruiseCritics,

 

My partner and I are looking to nail down our honeymoon plans for next summer, and we're intrigued by the Cruisetours offered by NCL and Celebrity.

 

For reference, the Norwegian Epic 15-day Classic Italy Cruisetour and the similar tour on Celebrity Silhouette.

 

The tours differ slightly in Italy; NCL adds Pisa, Tuscany and Assisi, which appeals to us. They also differ on-board, as the Epic heads West (7 days) and the Silhouette heads East (11 days). That part's a wash, since we've never been to this part of the world, either of us, and all the ports of call will be new.

 

After reading so many reviews of both ships, we're leaning towards the Norwegian Epic because:

• Cost. NCL's tour would be several thousand dollars less.
  
• Freestyle Dining appeals. We don't want to get dressed up OR feel awkwardly underdressed. We're mostly casual people, my partner and I.
  
• Entertainment and activities. Many reviews make the Celebrity ships seem a bit too "....nearly dead" for our tastes, with not enough to do on-board unless you're drinking, eating, or at the spa. The Epic has tons of entertainment options, bowling lanes, movies, and more.
  
• Epic's mini-suite / balcony stateroom looks more inviting than the Veranda stateroom on Celebrity. More modern.
  
• Celebrity is known for high-quality service, and that's fine but we're not the pampered type. I want decent (read: prompt and polite) service in a restaurant and my bed made for me while I'm out, and maybe the occasional meal on our balcony. Not sure what paying more in cruise fare would get me in terms of service.
  

So, my questions to you folks:

1. We may be casual people, but we're still foodies. We love treating ourselves to Michelin-starred tasting menus every once in a while. This was what originally turned me on to Celebrity as a cruise option. However, the videos and reviews of Epic make the food look just fine... and I read some reviews that Celebrity's quality has dipped in recent years, especially in the MDRs and room service. How's the food on the Epic? The sheer number of choices appeal to us.
   
2. Are Cruisetours a bad idea? I've done tours of European countries (UK, Spain) with non-cruise organizations in big groups and loved them. The cost may be higher but the stress of research and planning is non-existent.
   

[jayjaycan]

Personally I would probably choose Celebrity because of previous experience.However,I suggest you opt for NCL because of the reasons you yourself list.You prefer a more relaxed "laid back " attitude,pricing and cabin size plus onboard activities.

 

In my opinion the NCL land tour is a bit more appealing and you said as much yourself.

As for the cruise portion,Celebrity offers Valletta,Ephesus and Santorini as ports of call and they are all great.Nevertheless,if you haven't been there Marseille and Barcelona are good

second choices.

[mw_1970]

Greetings CruiseCritics,

 

My partner and I are looking to nail down our honeymoon plans for next summer, and we're intrigued by the Cruisetours offered by NCL and Celebrity.

 

For reference, the Norwegian Epic 15-day Classic Italy Cruisetour and the similar tour on Celebrity Silhouette.

 

The tours differ slightly in Italy; NCL adds Pisa, Tuscany and Assisi, which appeals to us. They also differ on-board, as the Epic heads West (7 days) and the Silhouette heads East (11 days). That part's a wash, since we've never been to this part of the world, either of us, and all the ports of call will be new.

 

After reading so many reviews of both ships, we're leaning towards the Norwegian Epic because:

• Cost. NCL's tour would be several thousand dollars less.
  
• Freestyle Dining appeals. We don't want to get dressed up OR feel awkwardly underdressed. We're mostly casual people, my partner and I.
  
• Entertainment and activities. Many reviews make the Celebrity ships seem a bit too "....nearly dead" for our tastes, with not enough to do on-board unless you're drinking, eating, or at the spa. The Epic has tons of entertainment options, bowling lanes, movies, and more.
  
• Epic's mini-suite / balcony stateroom looks more inviting than the Veranda stateroom on Celebrity. More modern.
  
• Celebrity is known for high-quality service, and that's fine but we're not the pampered type. I want decent (read: prompt and polite) service in a restaurant and my bed made for me while I'm out, and maybe the occasional meal on our balcony. Not sure what paying more in cruise fare would get me in terms of service.
  

So, my questions to you folks:

1. We may be casual people, but we're still foodies. We love treating ourselves to Michelin-starred tasting menus every once in a while. This was what originally turned me on to Celebrity as a cruise option. However, the videos and reviews of Epic make the food look just fine... and I read some reviews that Celebrity's quality has dipped in recent years, especially in the MDRs and room service. How's the food on the Epic? The sheer number of choices appeal to us.
   
2. Are Cruisetours a bad idea? I've done tours of European countries (UK, Spain) with non-cruise organizations in big groups and loved them. The cost may be higher but the stress of research and planning is non-existent.
   

 

We are cruising with NCL again this coming week as to be honest it was affordable and just a break from the usual Christmas.

 

All I hear is wonderful first class comments about Celebrity and without doubt their Solstice class ships look amazing.

 

The food on EPIC (In MDR) was ok when we cruised but nothing like as good as say Royal Caribbean (In our opinion)

 

We found that the thing that was lacking on EPIC was the service in the utterly chaotic (In our opinion) MDR's Taste and Manhattan. Consequently we ate a lot at the speciality restaurants where the mood was far more tranquil and the service impeccable.

 

As you can see, the lack of service in EPIC's MDR's has not put us off NCL but on the other hand we plumped for exactly the same cruise you are considering on Celebrity Silohuette for next April. That will be our first Celebrity cruise and I am expecting a completely different type (perhaps more upscale) of cruise than what I am expecting on Spirit this coming Friday.

 

I think both lines probably have their advantages and disadvantages.

[Bocadude85]

My partner and I are big foodies and have never had a issue with the food on NCL. We have never been on the Epic but have been to most of the countries that both ships are visiting. Ports wise the Celebrity cruise would be more appealing to me. However my partner and I love the freestyle concept that NCL offers. Its a tough choice but I would most likely go with NCL.