Differences between NCL cruise and, say, Carnival cruise?

[littlered1295]

I have to say that I am not a Carnival "hater" but I most definitely prefer NCL.

 

Yes, NCL has smaller rooms but the beds are so much more comfy and there is a ton of storage space.

 

Carnival did have a "party" crowd and atmosphere. NCL did too, just not everyone and everywhere.

 

NCL has all the "fun" activities during the day as well, hairy chest/legs, etc. NCL also has the port talks as does Carnival.

 

I have to say I preferred the food on NCL but Carnival does the sweets better.

 

I noticed a huge difference in staff between the 2 lines. Carnival's staff was friendly enough but NCL went above and beyond to make you feel like "family".

 

My last comparison will be the lines. We constantly had to wait in lines while on Carnival. From getting on the ship, to getting off at ports, always long lines. I have never once stood in line to wait for anything on NCL.

 

These are just MY opinions of course and not all people will agree. But I'm just sharing as requested. :)

[Barb Nahoumi]

I love dessert, but NCL's desserts are not worth waiting for

 

I usually order icecream for dessert. That's worth the wait.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Carnival and NCL are more alike than different.

 

Carnival has assigned dining in the MDR; NCL is freestyle. NCL has more specialty restaurants, all of which come with a surcharge. Carnival has "dancing waiters; NCL does not.

 

Carnival has a formal optional night and quite a few people will dress up; NCL has a 'night out' but I didn't see a single suit and only one long dress on our recent NCL cruise.

 

Carnival has lots of "fun" activities - hairy chest contests, etc., and all activities are announced throughout the day over the PA system. NCL has trivia games and Bingo as well, but they aren't announced. Both have trivia, arts & crafts on sea days, tournaments in the casino, bingo, etc. both have children's programs with dedicated space for them. Ships of similar sizes have similar pools, hot tubs, deck top games, etc.

 

Carnival has port talks - mostly pushing certain vendors - but maps and info about the ports. They also give some information about the ports you are visiting. NCL does not - at least not in my experience. I understand that Carnival has naturalists on board during Alaska cruises to provide information and NCL does not- but I don't know for sure.

 

Both are mass-market cruise lines catering to families, first-time cruisers and emphasize fun factors.

 

All aspects of cruising are subjective. I think Carnival has better food and better beds.

 

 

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There was a naturalist on our Alaskan cruise explaning the glaciers, Tracey Arm,etc. That was on the NCL Sky, back in 2002. In 2009, on the day prior to the Panama Canal transit, we viewed an historical documentary about the building of the canal. I think that the crossing was narrated, as we sat on our balcony. The Cabin TV was on.

 

NCL does have port information on TV.

[cemetery-man]

Correct me if I'm wrong but from what I am reading you may not have as much freedom to roam the ship on NCL than other lines. What I liked about RCCL was that you pretty much had the entire deck areas to you disposal and could go from one end of the ship to the other. It appears that with NCL the haven area consumes the front half of the upper open deck and is off-limits to anyone not booked in the haven so basically you are confined to the aft half of the top deck which I could see would become over crowded during peak times of the day.

[GrandBistro]

Barb - thanks for that clarification about naturalists and Alaska. I hope that is typically the case. But NCL did not have any of those things on the most recent Jewel voyage to Alaska, according to folks who were on that trip (we met them this past week on the repositioning cruise from Vancouver to LA - they were staying on the ship through Panama to NOLA). The only information on the TV this past week was a posting of the excursions. Maybe this particular voyage was different, but I am an experienced cruiser and I checked the TV frequently for more information. It simply wasn't available.

 

 

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[corkpopr]

I do not like dessert and never eat it so i do not know about that item. NCL is better overall but not by leaps and bounds. I do agree with the previous poster about the steakhouse on Carnival it is unbelievable and i really like the steakhouses on Celebrity and Holland. Those two lines are better than NCL and Princess steakhouses.

[halos]

I have to say that I am not a Carnival "hater" but I most definitely prefer NCL.

 

Yes, NCL has smaller rooms but the beds are so much more comfy and there is a ton of storage space.

 

Carnival did have a "party" crowd and atmosphere. NCL did too, just not everyone and everywhere.

 

NCL has all the "fun" activities during the day as well, hairy chest/legs, etc. NCL also has the port talks as does Carnival.

 

I have to say I preferred the food on NCL but Carnival does the sweets better.

 

I noticed a huge difference in staff between the 2 lines. Carnival's staff was friendly enough but NCL went above and beyond to make you feel like "family".

 

My last comparison will be the lines. We constantly had to wait in lines while on Carnival. From getting on the ship, to getting off at ports, always long lines. I have never once stood in line to wait for anything on NCL.

 

These are just MY opinions of course and not all people will agree. But I'm just sharing as requested. :)

I'll second all of that.

I also would add that I disagree with people that say the lines are more alike than not....I don't think they are.

 

Another thing I prefer about NCL is the options for dining. Havign so many options to choose from along with the Freestyle concept of dining when, where and with whom you want is very nice.

 

I prefer NCL entertainment AND I prefer NCL service. This is not to say CCL service isn't great, because it is...but NCL steps it up a notch (or two)

[baffy]

Comparing NCL and Carnival the biggest differences are constant noise everywhere, lack of quiet spots and being herded around like cattle. You won't have these problems with NCL. Being on NCL after Carnival is like a breath of fresh air!

 

I will give the nod to Carnival for desserts.

 

 

JMO

 

I have never sailed Carnival, only RCL and just came off the Breakaway, my biggest complaint on the Ncl was the constant noise and crowds.

 

Rcl i felt had lots of quiete spots and places to get away from the crowds as did celebrity of course.

 

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[sdmike]

Here's my typical passive/aggressive post showing you that a quick search could uncover lots of posts on the same topic. This question has been asked, and answered, dozens of times. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1785574

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1768399

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1764719

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1761207

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1761681

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1756710

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1754579

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1752783

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741635

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1510099

 

 

Information on using search

 

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[Fydlstyx]

Forgot to say:

On Carnival, debarkation times are assigned to you by cabin class and location. On NCL, you pickup your own color-coded luggage tags based on the time you want to debark. Carnival asks you to be out of your cabin by 8am. On NCL, it's 9am. Both announce debarkation times/zones over the PA. On both you can have breakfast in either the MDR or the buffet.

 

I believe standard cabins are slightly smaller on NCL.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

It's interesting to see so many people say that the inside cabins are smaller on NCL. I felt that our inside cabin on the Sun was really spacious compared to the ones I saw on Carnival Valor. I had a balcony cabin on Carnival, which was large and comfortable, but in looking at the inside cabins as I passed by them, they just appeared smaller than the Sun cabins to me!

 

I liked NCL better because it felt less like a floating bachelorette party, as someone else compared Carnival to, and because I didn't feel nickel and dimed (there's that phrase people hate :)) on NCL the way I did on CCL. I hated the selling shots at dinner time, and thought that everywhere I turned someone was asking for money on Carnival! The hard sell was much more present in the spa on Carnival than NCL when I visited each, and I liked the layout of the spa on the Sun much better than Valor, where the "quiet" waiting area was smack in the center of the ladies locker room, where everyone entering the fitness center had to tromp through.

 

I had a wonderful time on the Valor, and the food was terrific, staff was great, etc., but I preferred the food in the MDR on the Sun, and thought the staff was much more personable, as well.

 

I don't have loyalty to any line, and would take a cruise on ANY line, any ship, any day, any time! :D That said, I have a cruise scheduled on the Pearl in January.

 

I always like to read the different perspectives people have and the reasons they have for favoring one cruise line over another, though.

[Fydlstyx]

I hate to tell you this, but if you weren't impressed with DCL or CCL's desserts, you're going to be highly disappointed in NCL's. One of the consistent opinions on these boards when comparing NCL with CCL has been that CCL desserts are definitely better than NCL's.

 

I must be in the minority. Or I just really love desserts. :D

[Medtech2]

I love dessert, but NCL's desserts are not worth waiting for

One word: CREPES

 

Only dessert worth anything on NCL and CCL does not have them :)

[Medtech2]

Carnival and NCL are more alike than different.

 

Carnival has assigned dining in the MDR; NCL is freestyle. NCL has more specialty restaurants, all of which come with a surcharge. Carnival has "dancing waiters; NCL does not.

 

Carnival has a formal optional night and quite a few people will dress up; NCL has a 'night out' but I didn't see a single suit and only one long dress on our recent NCL cruise.

 

Carnival has lots of "fun" activities - hairy chest contests, etc., and all activities are announced throughout the day over the PA system. NCL has trivia games and Bingo as well, but they aren't announced. Both have trivia, arts & crafts on sea days, tournaments in the casino, bingo, etc. both have children's programs with dedicated space for them. Ships of similar sizes have similar pools, hot tubs, deck top games, etc.

 

Carnival has port talks - mostly pushing certain vendors - but maps and info about the ports. They also give some information about the ports you are visiting. NCL does not - at least not in my experience. I understand that Carnival has naturalists on board during Alaska cruises to provide information and NCL does not- but I don't know for sure.

 

Both are mass-market cruise lines catering to families, first-time cruisers and emphasize fun factors.

 

All aspects of cruising are subjective. I think Carnival has better food and better beds.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

NCL does have port talks and while I have not been on an Alaska cruise I did read that they have a Park Ranger on board...

 

All activities are listed in the Freestyle Daily. They were also announced over the intercom but it was very unobtrusive.

[halos]

Here's my typical passive/aggressive post showing you that a quick search could uncover lots of posts on the same topic. This question has been asked, and answered, dozens of times. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1785574

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1768399

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1764719

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1761207

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1761681

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1756710

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1754579

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1752783

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741635

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1510099

 

 

Information on using search

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/faq.php?faq=searchlight_search#faq_basic

 

Sometimes, people's opinions change though. LOL and besides, you know darn well this question will be asked over and over no matter how passive-aggressive you get :p:D

 

It's interesting to see so many people say that the inside cabins are smaller on NCL. I felt that our inside cabin on the Sun was really spacious compared to the ones I saw on Carnival Valor. I had a balcony cabin on Carnival, which was large and comfortable, but in looking at the inside cabins as I passed by them, they just appeared smaller than the Sun cabins to me!

 

 

 

I liked NCL better because it felt less like a floating bachelorette party, as someone else compared Carnival to, and because I didn't feel nickel and dimed (there's that phrase people hate ) on NCL the way I did on CCL. I hated the selling shots at dinner time, and thought that everywhere I turned someone was asking for money on Carnival! The hard sell was much more present in the spa on Carnival than NCL when I visited each, and I liked the layout of the spa on the Sun much better than Valor, where the "quiet" waiting area was smack in the center of the ladies locker room, where everyone entering the fitness center had to tromp through.

 

 

 

I had a wonderful time on the Valor, and the food was terrific, staff was great, etc., but I preferred the food in the MDR on the Sun, and thought the staff was much more personable, as well.

 

 

 

I don't have loyalty to any line, and would take a cruise on ANY line, any ship, any day, any time! That said, I have a cruise scheduled on the Pearl in January.

 

 

 

I always like to read the different perspectives people have and the reasons they have for favoring one cruise line over another, though.

 

 

 

I have been on the Sun...my favorite NCL ship (going back on this Feb!!) The Sun's cabins are a bit larger than the cabins in the rest of NCL's fleet.

 

And for some reason, on our last 2 NCL cruises, the desserts did seem better to me...really a lot better. It was easier to say 'no thanks' when they sucked. :rolleyes: :D

[davy jones]

Carnival insides are typically 185 square feet. NCL insides are typically 141 square feet.

[sail2sea]

Correct me if I'm wrong but from what I am reading you may not have as much freedom to roam the ship on NCL than other lines. What I liked about RCCL was that you pretty much had the entire deck areas to you disposal and could go from one end of the ship to the other. It appears that with NCL the haven area consumes the front half of the upper open deck and is off-limits to anyone not booked in the haven so basically you are confined to the aft half of the top deck which I could see would become over crowded during peak times of the day.

 

It's very interesting you brought up this point. It has always been my opinion too.

 

Norwegian is known for its suite experience. And the suite area (haven) does take away a lot of the prime real estate on the ship. Especially true on newer ships. Some of the best areas on the ship are off limit unless you book a suite. In contrast, most Royal ships keep their highest category suites in midship, leave the entire top deck, from front to the aft open to the public, including the helipads. This is something I, a non-suite cruiser, dearly appreciate. Royal ships are a pleasure to walk around, from end to end.

 

However I do not think Carnival ships have any advantage on Norwegian ships in this regard. Many Carnival ships have what I call a shoe shape design. The front section are all cabins, taking away deck spaces. While Carnival doesn't offer the haven, their ships feel just as enclosed.

[Crusin6]

Best things about Ncl are that you don't have to eat with strangers and there are less singles partying than ccl. The entertainment on Ncl is also much better.

 

Last June I took a cruise with just my 22 yo dd and we opted for a 7 day on the gem versus a cheaper 8 day on the splendor. Dd is single and very attractive but wants nothing to do with cruise ship partying. She like me prefers a nice lounge comedian or band and a mor tamed atmosphere for a deck party. However when we did the ccl freedom in the med the crowd was wonderful and the deck parties to die for. Of course a med cruise always attracts a nice crowd looking for history and culture versus drinking and partying. I would do ccl in the med again except their med cruises are suited to newbie European travelers and we want something more these days.

[cruisecritiquer]

I really like NCL over Carnival but I totally agree that most of the desserts are this terrible gelatin-ish concoction that looks a lot more appetizing than it actually tastes. :rolleyes:

 

:rolleyes:

 

They've fooled my taste buds so many times, I've lost count.

 

I like most of their entrees though.

[radlad68]

One word: CREPES

 

Only dessert worth anything on NCL and CCL does not have them :)

 

My daughter just reminded me of those this morning. We can't wait to enjoy them again!

[Bostonjetset]

I just got off the Breakaway yesterday and must admit it was my favourite cruise of the 4 I have taken. This ship is absolutely stunning and the decor was tasteful and elegant...something that I rarely saw on any of my Carnival cruises. Of course the Breakaway is NCL's "flagship" so it may not be fair to compare with the older Carnival ships I've sailed on. That said, I would sail on either line again and never had a bad experience on CCL.

 

Some of the pros and cons of each line are listed below. They pretty much weigh each other out and thus I think either line can be enjoyable. They each have their strong points and are worthy of a try.

 

Carnival pros:

*Slightly better MDR food. Things like escargot and creme brulee are available in the MDR on CCL but NCL only has them in the surcharge restaurants like Le Bistro. NCL's food in the MDR was not bad but only one dish "wowed" me and that was the braised lamb shank in the Manhattan Room. Also, CCL provides a bit more formal service in the MDR...things like whipped butter in ramekins and cream served in china rather than plastic single-serve tubs like NCL. Overall, CCL provided a better MDR experience for me [perhaps set dining times make this easier to execute?]. NCL has a lot of surcharge restaurants. Whilst I don't object to this in principle [in fact we ate at two during our trip] I feel as if NCL lessens the quality of MDR food in order to get people into the speciality restaurants.

 

*Bathrobes in all staterooms. This was a feature that was sorely missed on NCL. Apparently, only suite guests on NCL get robes.

 

*Small basket of bathroom amenities like Breathright strips and toothpaste. NCL did not have this.

 

*Chocolates at turndown service. NCL lacked this as well. Not a huge deal but it is a nice touch.

 

*Service. Whilst I didn't receive bad service on NCL, I actually felt as though CCL's staff went out of their way a bit more. On our first CCL cruise [Fascination] I was not impressed with the service so much but on the Legend and the Glory just about every staff member we encountered was amazing. The Breakaway had a few who really wowed but overall I felt CCL's staff had more of a personal touch. Our steward on the Glory was the best of any cruise and our waiters on both the Legend and the Glory were out of this world. On NCL, MDR service was VERY slow with the exception of one waitress we had in the Manhattan Room one evening.

 

 

Norwegian pros:

*Much more subdued and elegant decor throughout the ship. Of course maybe this is due to the fact I was on the Breakaway but I was truely impressed. CCL has somewhat tacky and garish decor IMO; NCL was much more pleasing and had a more expensive look. The sofa in our stateroom was fabric rather than the pleather you find on CCL. Furnishings in general seemed to be of higher quality on Norwegian.

 

*Cold towels when returning from port. A nice touch that makes you feel a bit pampered. CCL doesn't do this. Also, there are cold towels in the gym as well which is great after a workout; CCL also doesn't offer this.

 

*Buffet on NCL is much better. We only ate the buffet for breakfast and lunch but found the food to be of much higher quality than CCL. For example, the melon was always perfectly ripe and never hard. Also, the selection was better and there was evidence of more expensive ingredients.

 

*Entertainment was better than CCL. Burn The Floor was Broadway quality. Live singers in the Manhattan room during dinner was a nice touch as well. CCL has made evident cutbacks in this dept over the years.

[travelingtriumphess]

Before our trip to Alaska, I had only been on Carnival ships (3). The few things I noticed was that things were more chill. You could sit anywhere and relax without someone asking you to buy a drink. We would often go in the observation deck, which is a bar, on the Sun and just sit there. No one bothered us. It was very nice.

Carnival definitely has better food, but I agree with the previous posts that the Norwegian buffet is better. I too especially like the crepes. The MDR is sub par, so we ate mostly at the buffet.

I really enjoyed the entertainment. My husband and I were very impressed by the talent on the ship. We rarely went to shows on the Carnival, but we went to them on the Norwegian. I would gladly get on either one if the price is right, but I prefer Norwegian :D

[graphicguy]

I actually like Carnival and have never been herded around like cattle, I've always found quiet spots and they weren't any noisier than any other 7 day cruise I've been on. Sounds like a Carnival hater. NCL cabins and beds are definitely smaller than Carnival and Celebrity, at least on the ships I've been on. NCL stewards are usually friendly and in sight. NCL makes sure you sanitize your hands when walking in the buffet (they actually spray for you). Some people have a "favorite" cruise line but if you go with the flow you'll survive.

 

I like Carnival, and Royal, and NCL (not a fan of Celebrity or Hal, though).

 

I will say that if you're going on the Epic or Breakaway, you'll have the best entertainment of any cruise line available to you. Plus, NCL does Freestyle type dining and activities better than any other cruise company.

 

All of these cruise lines have their plusses and minusses, however.

 

You're going to find fans of any lines. Probably the most pronounced feud here on Cruise Critic is the one between Royal Caribbean lovers vs the Carnival lovers.

 

Regularly, you'll see posts of those loyal to one or the other stating they'll never cruise one or the other. It can get amusing.:D

[newbe dave]

I have been on multiple NCL cruises (Sun, Jewel, Star and Star again this year) and one CCL cruise (Breeze this year). The cruises are very similar and I enjoyed them all. Below are the differences I saw:

 

 

• Entertainment is the biggest difference by far. If you like the large shows, NCL still does them. CCL has LED screens with animated videos that they call entertainment. Also CCL has game shows instead of entertaining shows.
  
• Live entertainment (bands, singers, etc) options on the CCL Breeze were great. Nothing similar on any NCL cruise I have been on.
  
• On NCL, you see the ship's officers frequently. Not really seen on CCL.
  
• Food was very similar. Bars are great on both. All cruise ships have places to sit quietly to relax.
  
• Serenity deck on CCL is nice. But it is so full, it is tough to find a place and it ends up not being very serene.
  
• Slightly larger rooms on CCL. Otherwise, rooms were very similar.
  
• Dress up is more common on CCL than NCL. I don't dress up so I like NCL's approach. Dress code in MDR was the same.
  
• Set MDR times and dancing waiters on CCL. NCL lefts you dine when you want and have waiters that wait on you all of the time. I am a fan of Freestyle dining so I will leave this at that.
  
• Both are a cruise. If you cannot enjoy a cruise, I feel sorry for you.
  

[Eqty]

This is a very timely thread as we have been on 15 Carnival cruises, a couple of RCCL, a Holland America and yesterday booked our first cruise from Boston to Bermuda on the Norwegain Dawn.

The Carnival Cruises that we have been on have ranged from good (Fascination to Key West and Cozumel) to OMG PLEASE NEVER LET THIS END (Spirit to Alaska and Dream in Europe).

Although we like good food, we are not food snobs so if the food in the MDR is better on Carnival but the buffet is better on NCL that's fine with us. And while we might enjoy a production show, we prefer more intimate settings like a piano bar, comedy or jazz club. Carnival usually has these options. Would be curious to hear if the Dawn has them also.

What really is important to us is our fellow passengers and the vibe of the ship. We are a laid back, roll with the punches 50something couple who don't mind dressing for dinner if the cruiseline asks it or being casual if that is what's expected. We just like to be around nice, friendly people. As an example, we once shared a table with a couple of dyed in the wool Celebrity cruisers. They were absolutely miserable on their Carnival cruise and couldn't wait to give us a list every night at dinner why Carnival doesn't measure up to "Celebrity Standards." Not being judgemental ... but jeeeesh, who needs THAT on vacation?.

We're looking forward with an open mind to our cruise on the Dawn next May and wondering if any veteran NCL cruisers have any advice to a couple ofCCL stowaways.

-Bob & Gay

[kylenyc]

*snip* We're looking forward with an open mind to our cruise on the Dawn next May and wondering if any veteran NCL cruisers have any advice to a couple ofCCL stowaways. -Bob & Gay

"Have a great trip"

 

Been on Fascination. If you like Fascination, I think you'll enjoy Dawn/Star class of ships and Bermuda is a great destination. Across the fleet, NCL has very good musicians that play every night. On the Dawn, that's in the evenings in Gatsy's Champagne Bar/Lounge and often in the Atrium. I find the public spaces and decor on NCL ships more comfortable than the Fascination. NCL cabins are smaller but space efficient on storage. It's not an exact apples to apples comparison because Fascination is on a shorter itinerary which typically cuts back on amenities/activities/entertainment. My biggest complaint about Fascination was the condition of the ship at the time. Steward, crew, food, comparable in many respects. NCL has a better buffet. NCL has the edge in Freestyle dining where you can dine by yourselves. It's first come first served and you can ask the host to seat you with other people if you like. It's fun to meet such people are looking to socialize as well (and usually not cruise snobs :D).

 

Bon voyage.