Should I Dare to Try Norwegian?

[cpj]

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

 

After 20 cruises on Celebrity, Princess and RCCL I went on the Getaway last week and it was fantastic. I also liked the freestyle and don't know why I waited so long to try this line.

[Kkate]

After 16 cruises on Carnival I am taking my first NCL cruise on the Epic next month. Really excited...I was due for a change.

[AF-1]

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!

 

Thanks for your feedback

[AF-1]

After 20 cruises on Celebrity, Princess and RCCL I went on the Getaway last week and it was fantastic. I also liked the freestyle and don't know why I waited so long to try this line.

 

That ships looks awesome. Sort of like Allure and Oasis

[AF-1]

After 16 cruises on Carnival I am taking my first NCL cruise on the Epic next month. Really excited...I was due for a change.

 

Epic is going to been in Europe this summer and next. That ship is worth going on. Too bad I have been to all the ports they visit.

[sixesandeights]

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 will throw in my opinion. My wife and I just did our first NCL in over 10 years. We have been RCCL loyal for years. We LOVED our cruise on the Epic. The food was better, the staff was friendlier, and the shows were much better. We will pack much lighter as the more casual atmosphere was both refreshing and really made the vacation more relaxing (and we loved dressing up in the past). Royal for us had gotten pretty bad to the point where my wife was done cruising. NCL just save that for us and we are already planning another. I would highly recommend NCL as a former Royal loyal cruises.

 

As far as the seasickness...we have never done an Aft but I would recommend Sea Bands if she has not tried them. They simply WORK. I get sea sick very easily, but with the bands I never have problems. They have been life savers for me.

 

With whatever choice you make I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

6&8

[AF-1]

6&8. Thanks for your feedback. I believe you and others on this thread are correct. We would had never found out about other lines if we stayed only on Royal. Luckily Royal did not have a good med itinerary that we liked. As for seasickness my wife has both the prescription patch and wrist bands. Both help and she hasn't had a problem on the past two cruises.

[cruise2much]

Never been on RCC but Carnival Princess & NCL. I assume Carnival would be the closest to RCC. If you can, on the Jewel Class book a cabin in the Haven or access to the Haven and you will have a singular experience. I may ruin you. Its like moving from an inside cabin to a balcony for the 1st time but better. :D

 

NCL is sometimes stands for New Charges Likely... LOL but that's with most lines now with specialty restaurants. The suite amenities are unmatched and if in the Haven its as if your on your own cruise ship. Breakfast and lunch in Cagney's is a really nice perk!

 

Butler service... something you will miss if you experience it then go back to some other cruise line :) Overall Free Style means exactly that. Do what you want! if you want to dress up you can, if not then don't. To each his own but myself I love the jewel class ships with NCL... The new Mega Ships not so much but defiantly a fan of the Jewel Class!

[miataman19]

Haven't been on an NCL ship since 1999...SS Norway. That was before "Freestyle Cruising" was introduced. Sailing on Getaway in June. We've always been freestyle cruiser's while on a ship anyway, do what we want when we want so no big difference. Been on Oasis and had a great time. IMHO, change is good. Give NCL a shot. I think you'll have a wonderful cruise.:)

[pinkdiamond13]

I've only been on one RCCL cruise and that was years ago so I am not sure if they have changed since then. As stated, NCL is freestyle which is nice because you can wear whatever you want ( with the exception of usually one dining room that is considered more formal). Even more so than the dress code being lenient/non existent, you do not have a dining time. I remember having to sign up for a dinner time with RC and you can eat whenever you want with NCL as long as it isn't full ( I have never seen one of the dining rooms full to capacity) and they have screens set up that will show you how full certain timeslots are getting. Another thing is that the good restaurants are all paid so I would definitely be prepared to pay for some speciality restaurants at least a few nights because the main dining hall and the buffet get old fast and the room service menu is more limited than RCCL. The entertainment is also better on NCL. Definately give it a try! I think you will enjoy :)

[mypleasure]

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.

 

 

You have made an excellent choice. I am sure you will both have a fantastic trip. Ather good reason to look forward to retirement.

[DedeM]

I was a pretty devout RCCL cruiser, as you can see. I was perfectly happy on NCL in December too. My mom took me on HAL and Celebrity, I was pretty happy on those as well. In fact, I'm just pretty @%$ happy on any ship. :D

 

I found few differences between RCCL and NCL overall, except for the dining times. You will have a wonderful time!

[johnsak123]

I have sailed on both and prefer NCL

A lot of reasons but the main reason is the freestyle dining option.

I often travel alone and I like to eat by myself

When I was on RCCL the staff at MDR insisted on seating me with others

[jlat]

Its funny..we are doing the opposite. We are trying RCCL for the first time, next month for a Southern Caribbean cruise. I'm a big NCL fan, but wanted to try something different and the dates fell right for the kids spring break. I'm guessing that there isn't a ton of difference between the two lines, both seem to do a good job in providing service. I do enjoy the suite life on NCL though.

[sdmike]

Its funny..we are doing the opposite. We are trying RCCL for the first time, next month for a Southern Caribbean cruise. I'm a big NCL fan, but wanted to try something different and the dates fell right for the kids spring break. I'm guessing that there isn't a ton of difference between the two lines, both seem to do a good job in providing service. I do enjoy the suite life on NCL though.

 

The main difference will be freestyle versus non. There will be formal nights, and even with "anytime dining" it's not quite the same. Otherwise it's about the same demographic, etc. as NCL. I enjoyed my RCCL trips

[AF-1]

You have made an excellent choice. I am sure you will both have a fantastic trip. Ather good reason to look forward to retirement.

 

Thanks. My wife's retiring, I have another 2/12 years. So we will go somewhere when I retire

[AF-1]

I was a pretty devout RCCL cruiser, as you can see. I was perfectly happy on NCL in December too. My mom took me on HAL and Celebrity, I was pretty happy on those as well. In fact, I'm just pretty @%$ happy on any ship. :D

 

I found few differences between RCCL and NCL overall, except for the dining times. You will have a wonderful time!

 

Your funny and yes I see you have been on a few ships

[AF-1]

I have sailed on both and prefer NCL

A lot of reasons but the main reason is the freestyle dining option.

I often travel alone and I like to eat by myself

When I was on RCCL the staff at MDR insisted on seating me with others

 

Don't you hate it when all you want to do is eat in peace and quiet, but the staff insists you will be more happy sitting with other folks.

[AF-1]

Its funny..we are doing the opposite. We are trying RCCL for the first time, next month for a Southern Caribbean cruise. I'm a big NCL fan, but wanted to try something different and the dates fell right for the kids spring break. I'm guessing that there isn't a ton of difference between the two lines, both seem to do a good job in providing service. I do enjoy the suite life on NCL though.

 

Well you enjoy your RCI cruise. And when mine comes up next year we will enjoy it also.

[buckirj1]

Don't you hate it when all you want to do is eat in peace and quiet, but the staff insists you will be more happy sitting with other folks.

 

Yes, this. It happened on my last Royal Caribbean cruise, and I really had to stick to my guns to eat alone. On Open Dining, no less! On my other Royal Caribbean cruise, back in the old days when they only had fixed dining, they stuck me at a 2-top with another solo cruiser. Awkward! I never have to go through all that on NCL.

[newmexicoNita]

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.

 

My opinion and that is all it is: of course the best cabins for people who do get motion sickness are the mid cabins, but next are the aft and I prefer aft. There is much difference.

 

Now, what can you expect? Well it depends on which RCI ships you have sailed. Our experience: the cabins will be similar, the food is subjective but we like NCL a little better and happen to think NCL is a better value. The Jade is part of the Jewel class ships, which we really do enjoy. One thing we like about NCL is the itineraries are usually port intensive which suits us. The entertainment will be similar. The one thing to remember though: NCL has no assigned seating, so if you like setting with the same people and eating at the same time each night, NCL will be an adjustment. For the most part the lines are more similar than different.

[Travel R]

I started reading this thread because of the title - we have sailed RCI the last few years and I am looking to sail on NCL in June (specifically because the dates of one of their sailings out of NYC works perfectly with our schedule). I have heard a lot of good things about NCL, and would like to branch out.

 

However, and you can take this with a grain of salt - my family cruised the W. Med. last year. Although I did consider other cruise lines, one of the major factors that kept me on an RCI ship was the fact that I had always enjoyed RCI and I knew what I could expect from them. Because a European cruise is expensive when the cost of flying is added in (almost the same price as the cabin) - I stuck with the known quantity.

 

On the other hand - the reason you are looking at this cruise is because of the itinerary - and that is, IMO, the most important thing when considering a European cruise, which is very port-intensive and you will not be spending as much time on ship as you would on other cruises (e.g., Bahamas, Caribbean).

[8675309Jenny]

only dare to try ncl if you are willing to be hooked for life sailing with them. ncl is plain old amazing. :D

 

 

=======================

my getaway to do:

watch the fireworks

go to the magic show

play for free in the casino, win big

ride the water slides

[fergusonvt]

We just did our first RCI cruise last month after 2 NCL and 1 CCL. I have to say I found them all very similar. The RCI ship was larger and had more to do than the other cruises we have been on but we purposely mostly choose smaller ships. Go for it and have a great time. What a great retirement gift!

[AF-1]

Never been on RCC but Carnival Princess & NCL. I assume Carnival would be the closest to RCC. If you can, on the Jewel Class book a cabin in the Haven or access to the Haven and you will have a singular experience. I may ruin you. Its like moving from an inside cabin to a balcony for the 1st time but better. :D

 

NCL is sometimes stands for New Charges Likely... LOL but that's with most lines now with specialty restaurants. The suite amenities are unmatched and if in the Haven its as if your on your own cruise ship. Breakfast and lunch in Cagney's is a really nice perk!

 

Butler service... something you will miss if you experience it then go back to some other cruise line :) Overall Free Style means exactly that. Do what you want! if you want to dress up you can, if not then don't. To each his own but myself I love the jewel class ships with NCL... The new Mega Ships not so much but defiantly a fan of the Jewel Class!

 

We have booked an aft penthouse suite. Not in the Haven but wanted to try out aft thanks for the feedback