Long time Princess cruiser just booked 1st NCL Cruise! Any suggestions?

[realtorlady42]

I have to say, this is the one aspect of Princess I can't stand: the passengers are anti any line but Princess much of the time and they are very defensive.

 

 

Not ALL of us ;):)

 

AND...the same can be said for many NCL folks..which is why I stated there are fans and ...non fans of both lines.

But that's people there are haters and there are lovers ;):D

[realtorlady42]

Realtorlady42 -

Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a comprehensive comparison between NCL and Princess. I am looking forward to our NCL cruise.

 

:) your welcome! Have a WONDERFUL time!

[SteveH2508]

Hi-

Wow! I am totally overwhelmed!

I just got home from work to see a great response to my question. I am so grateful for all of the information, hints and tips ya'all shared. That is quite a welcome!:)

 

I do want you to know, I am super open-minded about NCL AND I like a change now and again. I think this will be great fun.

 

We are staying in a suite, and I think NCL suite perks are awesome! On Princess, you get unlimited laundry. I am not sure about NCL.

 

I do like food. I may even be a bit of a foodie. With that said, food will not make or break a cruise for me. I can be just as happy with a banana and toast as I can be with Beef Wellington and a soufflé.

 

I am really excited for this adventure!

 

Keep the tips and ideas coming! I am so appreciative!:)

Tracie-Lynn

 

Sounds to me like you are going with exactly the right attitude. It will be great fun if you let it be great fun. Do try NOT to compare everything with other lines (difficult I know) - NCL do things a bit differently but if you go in informed you should have a blast.

[Bobug]

My pleasure :)

 

I find the secret to a great holiday is to have correct expectations. When we know what to expect there tends to be less disappointment.

 

Now you know the major differences and won't be surprised/disappointed as a result. :-)

 

We are sailing on the Jewel in January...we are doing just under a week in New Orleans before then our itinerary is Belize, Roatan Costa Maya and Cozumel.. REALLY looking forward to that cruise.

There is a thread that has the dailies (patter) for the Jewel this season for that itinerary. If that is the one you are doing you may enjoy looking at them.

If so let me know and I will post a link for you :)

 

That is the same itinerary we are doing in February & then we are hopping on the Carnival Sunshine to Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel. Do you know how I can find out the menus for the Jewel so I will know which nights to reserve the other restaurants?

[Clutterlady]

I have to say, this is the one aspect of Princess I can't stand: the passengers are anti any line but Princess much of the time and they are very defensive.

 

Wow Nita...pretty intelligent statement!:rolleyes: But wouldn't expect anything else from an NCL cheerleader;)

[roe2ship]

I recently returned from my first NCL cruise on their newest ship. I realized half way through the cruise that what many here on CC report regarding the quality of food in the MDR is quite true. For the most part, we thought the food was just okay and a few items were rather poor....no where near the same quality when comparing to other lines. I suggest going to the specialty restaurants. The service wasn't that great either. We thought quite a few of the staff members were not friendly and this was the first cruise that our MDR waiters/waitresses didn't introduced themselves....neither did the cabin steward. Not sure if this is across the fleet or what.

 

One thing that really stands out is that we had the best mix of passengers on the cruise. On the last night everyone was out and about still having fun...a way different atmoshere than Princess on the last night of the cruise where it seems like everyone went home already. We enjoyed that a lot.

 

Have a great cruise!:)

[realtorlady42]

That is the same itinerary we are doing in February & then we are hopping on the Carnival Sunshine to Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel. Do you know how I can find out the menus for the Jewel so I will know which nights to reserve the other restaurants?

 

 

Here is a link to a website with a lot off Jewel information. The dailies from the winter were posted, but there is also a thread for the dailies out of NOLA if you look for it ..it should only be a few pages back.

 

http://beyondships.com/NCLJewel.html

 

 

As far as the latest comment about the food...everything is subjective.

There is nothing wrong with the food...there may or may not be some things you prefer or not..but the food overall is fine, and if you order something you don't like you can always order something else. :)

[dexddd]

Hi-

Wow! I am totally overwhelmed!

I just got home from work to see a great response to my question. I am so grateful for all of the information, hints and tips ya'all shared. That is quite a welcome!:)

 

I do want you to know, I am super open-minded about NCL AND I like a change now and again. I think this will be great fun.

 

We are staying in a suite, and I think NCL suite perks are awesome! On Princess, you get unlimited laundry. I am not sure about NCL.

 

I do like food. I may even be a bit of a foodie. With that said, food will not make or break a cruise for me. I can be just as happy with a banana and toast as I can be with Beef Wellington and a soufflé.

 

I am really excited for this adventure!

 

Keep the tips and ideas coming! I am so appreciative!:)

Tracie-Lynn

 

No free laundry in a suite unless you are Platinum. That is one area NCL could improve is to add free laundry for a suite. Since the Spirit doesn't have a ton of suites you should get pretty good treatment and most of those suites on the Spirit are unique in a special way.

[TracieABD]

No free laundry in a suite unless you are Platinum. That is one area NCL could improve is to add free laundry for a suite. Since the Spirit doesn't have a ton of suites you should get pretty good treatment and most of those suites on the Spirit are unique in a special way.

 

Do NCL ships have laundry rooms?

[realtorlady42]

Do NCL ships have laundry rooms?

no they don't. they have a cleaning service only. Many people bring the Tide soap for hand washing in the sink.

[RJ2002]

I like both lines, as well. For one, the food on Princess is very good, and some accustomed to Princess food are disappointed when they change lines. We avoid this by eating all of our dinners in the specialty restaurants. When eating at those, I find the food comparable to Princess. Some people claim to enjoy the main dining room on NCL, and I hope you do, but if not, the Specialties are generally pretty safe bets. The buffet is fine for grabbing something quick at breakfast or lunch, but you certainly won't be finding Alaskan king crab legs on the buffet on NCL, sailaway or not ;)

 

All that said, I far prefer the "suite life" on NCL, as do my parents who were long-time Princess suite cruisers. I'm not sure if this applies to you on this cruise or not, but good to know in general, I think.

 

Overall, we liked the Spirit- she's a unique ship for NCL.

 

As stated above, NCL is quite a bit more casual than Princess, but I think that pretty much goes without saying, by virtue of their "freestyle" branding, if by no other measure.

 

Echo these comments.

 

We've sailed on Princess many times, and have had two recent cruises on NCL, the last one being in a suite. I think the OP will enjoy the suite experience very much. We were not big fans of the MDR food quality either, but really enjoyed Le Bistro, Moderno and Cagney's (for breakfast and lunch, which is a suite perk).

[stormynow]

One thing to note, the Spirit was built for the Orient. All the chairs, tables and vanities are a bit lower. Something most would not notice. Wife is short and loved it. But even for a 6' plus no problem.

[SteveH2508]

One thing to note, the Spirit was built for the Orient. All the chairs, tables and vanities are a bit lower. Something most would not notice. Wife is short and loved it. But even for a 6' plus no problem.

 

My DW is going to love this little snippet of info! She is a shortie and gets quite annoyed when she can only see the top of her head in mirrors etc..

[newmexicoNita]

Not ALL of us ;):)

 

AND...the same can be said for many NCL folks..which is why I stated there are fans and ...non fans of both lines.

But that's people there are haters and there are lovers ;):D

 

oh, of course I was generalizing, but I have been on all of the mass marketed lines and really have never seen any that have passengers that are, overall, as loyal and defensive as those who sail Princess. Again, I am generalizing. Yes, you will find loyalists on every line. The other line I found about as bad, but not as obnoxious about it were the Celebrity cruisers. The rest of the lines, do have cruiser that prefer a certain line, which is just fine.

[newmexicoNita]

Wow Nita...pretty intelligent statement!:rolleyes: But wouldn't expect anything else from an NCL cheerleader;)

 

and yes, I am an NCL cheerleader, I have never said I wasn't but I try not to put down other lines or degrade people prefer another line, as long as they are respectful with their remarks. This is why we have so many wonderful choices, there is a cruise line for each of us. I do not think any one line is better than the next. I just think certain personalities fit with certain lines.

[stormynow]

Agree with Nita about Princess and Celebrity elitest, WOW!!!

[TracieABD]

Hey, I agree that Princess cruisers can be very loyal to PCL. Still the vast majority of the posters over on the Princess thread are nice and helpful. Sometimes (like anything else) you have to wade through the weeds to get to the flowers. :)

[realtorlady42]

[quote name='TracieABD']Hey, I agree that Princess cruisers can be very loyal to PCL. Still the vast majority of the posters over on the Princess thread are nice and helpful. Sometimes (like anything else) you have to wade through the weeds to get to the flowers. :)[/quote]
:) Very true...and I am a Princess fan...LOVE the cruise expereince with them...but ultimsately we cruise the itinerary not the line. The only line I won't cruise is Carnival. ...then again one never can say never ;)