Should I Dare to Try Norwegian?

[AF-1]

Hi my wife and I have only sailed Royal Caribbean. We have been looking at Eastern Med cruises for May 2015, as a retirement gift for my wife, The cruise that really looks great for us is Norwegian Jade 14 day out of Venice. So my question to all you NCL cruisers, what can we expect from NCL, what can we expect from the Jade, and is an aft cabin a good pick? I've read many posts where people book aft cabins years out. I know I have asked a lot of questions, but it doesn't seem Royal has any long trips that excite us. One more thing before I open it up to your feedback, my wife can get a little queasy or seasick from motion, so is aft cabin a good choice? On all our previous cruises we have been mid or a little off mid ship. We have been on deck 6-7-8-10-11 and 12. Again thanks for any feedback.

[sdmike]

The Jewel class ships are great

 

You know you're on a board filled with mostly NCL fans, right?

 

Now that the search is back, do a search on RCCL in this forum and you'll get a lot of threads of RCCL cruisers asking about how NCL is different

[AF-1]

Thanks for feedback I appreciate it

[Lucinarei]

Now that the search is back, do a search on RCCL in this forum and you'll get a lot of threads of RCCL cruisers asking about how NCL is different.

 

One of those posts will be mine… had the same question and after lots of help from the NCL board, I decided to go for it. :) I'm very excited to see Freestyle in action. :)

[Turtles06]

We haven't sailed with Royal Caribbean, so I can't compare that to NCL for you. But as for an aft cabin: cabins in the bow and the stern will feel more motion when the ship is pitching than will cabins in the middle of the ship. (Think of a fulcrum.) If your wife has problems with motion, a midship cabin might be best for her. Is there some particular reason you are asking about aft cabins?

 

We did a Med cruise on the Jade four years ago (in the middle of the winter!) and had a wonderful time. It's a comfortably sized ship. We were in a suite (our only suite to date), and I'm sure that contributed enormously to our enjoyment, but we've been in regular balconies on other NCL cruises and enjoyed them as well. We like Deck 10 on NCL's Jewel class ships (including the Jade), as it is fairly high but still has cabins above and below, and it's a quick trip up to the pool deck and the buffet.

 

Whatever you decide, have a great trip, and congratulations to your wife on her retirement! (And what a great gift!)

[True Texan]

Sure, try NCL we are. We are cruising on the Jewel in April going through the Panama Canal. It will be our first NCL cruise and we are looking so forward to it. We have a great roll call. Everything will be a little different from RCCL and CCL and that will make it a little adventurous. Life is too short to stay on the same cruiseline and do the same old stuff.

[Clem Kadiddlehopper]

If you do try NCL you may never go back to any other cruise line! :D

[AF-1]

We haven't sailed with Royal Caribbean, so I can't compare that to NCL for you. But as for an aft cabin: cabins in the bow and the stern will feel more motion when the ship is pitching than will cabins in the middle of the ship. (Think of a fulcrum.) If your wife has problems with motion, a midship cabin might be best for her. Is there some particular reason you are asking about aft cabins?

 

We did a Med cruise on the Jade four years ago (in the middle of the winter!) and had a wonderful time. It's a comfortably sized ship. We were in a suite (our only suite to date), and I'm sure that contributed enormously to our enjoyment, but we've been in regular balconies on other NCL cruises and enjoyed them as well. We like Deck 10 on NCL's Jewel class ships (including the Jade), as it is fairly high but still has cabins above and below, and it's a quick trip up to the pool deck and the

Whatever you decide, have a great trip, and congratulations to your wife on her retirement! (And what a great gift!)

 

I have read blogs about people raving over aft cabins. There are 8 suite cabins left on the cruise we like. Six are aft and two mid ship. So we will see

[AF-1]

If you do try NCL you may never go back to any other cruise line! :D

 

I hope you are correct. It's time we try another cruise line.

Edited March 10, 2014 by AF-1
Spelling

[DMH15]

I have read blogs about people raving over aft cabins. There are 8 suite cabins left on the cruise we like. Six are aft and two mid ship. So we will see

 

I adore the aft. Especially corner. I am not prone to seasickness but had one queasy morning. As luck would have it, it was the morning of our CC meet and greet, of which I was hosting. The butler came through with meds. It worked like a charm.

 

 

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[ttnc4me]

NCL is great, and the iinerary is the best! I think you could be in a dingy & enjoy the trip!!

We were on the Spirit in the Med. & although we thought the boat wasn't so great, the trip was fantastic! NCL is great as a line overall though.

[debshomespun]

We sail mostly RC. We have been on NCL and have enjoyed the cruises. We have been on Pearl, Jewel and Dawn. There are several things we like about NCL. The dress code is much more lenient on NCL. It is nice to not have to take the format wear. Also, we LOVE the Blue Lagoon. The wings, spinach artichoke dip and chocolate sundaes are really good! Also, It is nice to go to a few different places NCL sails to that RC may not. We have never yet eaten in a pay restaurant on NCL. The food, like on any other cruiseline, is very subjective. The desserts don't seem to be as good on NCL. We never went hungry on any of the NCL ships we have been on.

 

I would say, go ahead and try out NCL. No one can answer those questions about trying out a different cruiseline except you.

 

We enjoyed NCL, and are going again this November!

[graphicguy]

OP...sounds like a great cruise. I've sailed both RCCL and NCL. You're in lluck with NCL. You won't have to argue with anyone about whether to wear a tux in the MDR. Freestyle is the best.

 

Actually, I sailed NCL aftre I had been on RCCL's best (Allure of the Seas). I've never had a bad cruise, but my NCL cruises were consistently better for a variety of reasons than my RCCL cruises.

[AF-1]

We sail mostly RC. We have been on NCL and have enjoyed the cruises. We have been on Pearl, Jewel and Dawn. There are several things we like about NCL. The dress code is much more lenient on NCL. It is nice to not have to take the format wear. Also, we LOVE the Blue Lagoon. The wings, spinach artichoke dip and chocolate sundaes are really good! Also, It is nice to go to a few different places NCL sails to that RC may not. We have never yet eaten in a pay restaurant on NCL. The food, like on any other cruiseline, is very subjective. The desserts don't seem to be as good on NCL. We never went hungry on any of the NCL ships we have been on.

 

I would say, go ahead and try out NCL. No one can answer those questions about trying out a different cruiseline except you.

 

We enjoyed NCL, and are going again this November!

Thanks for the feedback. I like everything you said.

[AF-1]

OP...sounds like a great cruise. I've sailed both RCCL and NCL. You're in lluck with NCL. You won't have to argue with anyone about whether to wear a tux in the MDR. Freestyle is the best.

 

Actually, I sailed NCL aftre I had been on RCCL's best (Allure of the Seas). I've never had a bad cruise, but my NCL cruises were consistently better for a variety of reasons than my RCCL cruises.

 

Thanks for feedback. Freestyle is looking pretty good.

[AF-1]

NCL is great, and the iinerary is the best! I think you could be in a dingy & enjoy the trip!!

We were on the Spirit in the Med. & although we thought the boat wasn't so great, the trip was fantastic! NCL is great as a line overall though.

 

Thanks for the feedback

[SoCA6ft5]

I've enjoyed most any cruise line I've been on. Sometimes the ship is much of the "destination" like the Oasis, and other times the itinerary is more important like the eastern mediterranean. In our Med cruises we really haven't experienced much in the way of rough seas. We have been fortunate to get aft cabins a couple of times (Australia/NZ & Norway/Iceland), both with rough water crossings and didn't notice anything worse than we experienced mid-ship on other cruises.

[artist47]

I am looking at a similar itinerary for next year (RT from Rome). I have cruised RCI many times and I think the two are basically comparable with the exception that NCL Freestyle doesn't have traditional dining seating, and is a very lax dress code. Other than that, I really don't see that they are so different.

 

I have sailed on several lines and basically, I choose the itinerary rather than the cruiseline or the ship.

 

I think you will have a fabulous trip no matter which line you end up choosing. Life is too short to worry about the devil...(the details). Go, explore and have a wonderful time.

[Big Chippy]

We have cruised three times on Royal Caribbean, once on Princess and once on NCL in the past 3 years. All being well we are back on NCL Spirit at the end of the month.

 

Whilst we enjoyed all the cruises we found that the freestyle approach suited us, not that we don't like dressing up, we do, but the less formal approach is great.

 

We found the food, cabins and many other aspects to be much the same. The entertainment on the Spirit was definitely better than the Caribbean Princess and as good as both RCCL ships.

 

Before cruising on NCL I thought the external decoration on the hull to be somewhat naff however having experienced it close up I am now a convert, it is great:)

 

Whilst we found the staff/crew on all ships to be excellent they are exceptional on the NCL Spirit, by far the happiest and most helpful we have come across to date.

[DinaS]

Hi my wife and I have only sailed Royal Caribbean. We have been looking at Eastern Med cruises for May 2015, as a retirement gift for my wife, The cruise that really looks great for us is Norwegian Jade 14 day out of Venice. So my question to all you NCL cruisers, what can we expect from NCL, what can we expect from the Jade, and is an aft cabin a good pick? I've read many posts where people book aft cabins years out. I know I have asked a lot of questions, but it doesn't seem Royal has any long trips that excite us. One more thing before I open it up to your feedback, my wife can get a little queasy or seasick from motion, so is aft cabin a good choice? On all our previous cruises we have been mid or a little off mid ship. We have been on deck 6-7-8-10-11 and 12. Again thanks for any feedback.

 

I've sailed Royal Caribbean, and I love NCL's freestyle concept SO MUCH MORE. I hated having to decide months in advance what time to have dinner every night. I also enjoy quiet tables for two when we don't want to have to chit-chat with strangers at dinner.

 

I also found the entertainment is better, with so much more choice on NCL.

 

However, I also get seasick (I use the patch every cruise), and being mid-ship makes a HUGE difference. I would not be able to sail in an aft cabin if the seas were anything less than perfectly calm.

 

I would suggest going with the mid-ship cabin :)

Edited March 10, 2014 by DinaS

[old nutter]

We did the Eastern Med last November on the Jade out of Rome, The Venice version is much better because the cruise terminal is quite close to both airport and town. We have also done aft suite out of Venice on Jade and it was superb both for the sailout from Venice and other ports.

 

The entertainment on Jade is excellent. There are good quality one hour long shows most nights. The crew on Jade are fantastic. Difficult to comment on the food because we have sailed on other lines, but not RCCL but it is certainly reasonable and the freestyle approach means you can eat when you want to. If you like your sweets, try the crepe station in the buffet - freshly cooked and great.

 

The decor on Jade is pretty bizarre because it was built for Hawaii and there are lots of very bright colours everywhere - either love or hate. The ship is well maintained and we never saw any real signs of wear.

 

Suite perks on NCL are well worth the extra if you want a special cruise and the Haven is amazing.

 

Hope that helps.

[NH Cruisers]

I am a Platinum RCCL cruiser and cruise I NCL too. I love cruising and NCL did not dissapoint. Actually with the massive number of specialty resturants availiable, I perfer NCL in that sense. For $240 total the wife and I can eat like kings and Queens nightly in much less crowded settings with great 4 star (IMO) food.

 

The afts cabins are sought after. The corner afts especially. The movement was more than mid ship, but it never bothered me. But I realize it does some folks. I see every now and again someone with that round seasick reducing patch behind thier ear.

Edited March 10, 2014 by NH Cruisers

[gelo7]

Go for it.

[AF-1]

Ok all you NCL fans; my wife and I have booked aft on Norwegian Jade. This is for May 2015; its her retirement present. We booked B2B out of Venice. Needless to say, we are both excited, we are looking forward to sailing both on NCL and on Jade. Happy times. We have sailed out of Venice in May and the weather is near perfect, and the waters are calm. Thank you all for all your personal feedback. I like no jacket required rules; and I like no dining reservations. Now 15 months of chatting it up on the boards.

[Clem Kadiddlehopper]

I think you will be happy. No matter the outcome, you won't know your feelings towards NCL until you cruise with them. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Very nice retirement gift. I wish you both an extremely happy cruise!