A Carnival Cruiser Goes Norwegian

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your time to do a very good, quite fair, and thoughtful comparison.

Well worth reading! :)

LuLu

[travelerblue]

Thank you for the comparison. As you can see we are loyal NCL cruisers who are about to try Carnival. We have been on the Dawn both before and after the refurb. We never had a problem getting around the ship at all. The last time we sailed we had one of the new suites on deck 12 and it was the BEST cabin we have ever had!! I have read numerous reviews on the Sunshine where people are complaining about the layout. I have no worries that we will figure it out quickly. I think figuring out the ship is part of the fun of a new ship. I also have been reading that the cabin we have booked is extremely small with some layouts having you crawling over the bed to get into it. Hmmm, have never had that issue on NCL ever so I am hoping we don't get a cabin with that issue. I am looking forward to the great food mentioned in the MDR. I am extremely picky and always have enjoyed the food on NCL. It looks like the majority like CCL better so that will be a treat. I do agree that NCL does not have the greatest desserts but I am not a dessert person so it doesn't matter to me. But I will definitely try that chocolate melting cake! We enjoy Freestyle which is why we have stuck with NCL for so long. We don't care to bring fancy clothes for dinner but still want to enjoy eating in the dining room. Not that we wear jeans or shorts; we just prefer to be casual on vacation, so no suits or fancy dresses for us. So Freestyle works well for us. We have never waited more than 10 minutes to be seated and that was when we had a large group. I really can't wait to try Carnival. I have several friends who love Carnival so I am excited to try something new. I hope we have as good a time on CCL as you did on NCL. However, if the power goes out, my DH is going to freak! He is not looking forward to this cruise, other than we are going with awesome friends.

[SASA13]

I agree with you 100%. We came to the same conclusions about NCL vs CCL. Our cruise-line of choice is still CCL, as we have much more fun on CCL, but when the offer/price is right, we will cruise NCL.

 

Thanks for posting this.

[fergusonvt]

Glad you liked NCL. I haven't been on the Dawn but we cruised on her sister ship the Star in 2012. We love NCL but we also love CCL (only 1 cruise so far but another booked). I found them very much alike and the crowd about the same but this is probably because we cruise around the same time every year. We did RCI this year and DH loved the ship (Independence of the Seas) because of what was offered but I liked our NCL and CCL cruises just as much. I agree about the buffet being better on NCL but thought CCL's was good with lots of choices. Loved the pizza on CCL, in fact we had it for dinner at least 3 nights. Desserts are much better on CCL. NCL doesn't have anything that can touch the WCMC.

 

I agree, we haven't met a cruise line we didn't like either. We will always cruise the line that has the ship and itinerary we want.

[GrandmaHofmann]

We have sailed about 30 times on RCCL, NCL, Carnival, Disney, Princess, and a defunct line. RCCL used to be great. Not so great now. Disney is marvelous. Princess, my favorite. But there is little choice in lines in the Caribbean in July, so when we have not done Disney with our grandsons we have done Carnival. Ships with waterslides! We like the freestyle cruising, and eating at 6, have never waited more than 1-2 minutes. (And we have taken two month long cruises with them as well as shorter, so have some experience there. In november will take another month long on the Jade.) I think NCL has much better breakfast and especially lunch buffets but food on Carnival is better at night. I remember the good old days of big lobsters, thick steaks and great desserts before the pay for restaurants arrived to spoil things. I digress. Entertainment I find good on both lines generally. Personally, I hate Second City. I think their humor is sophomorish.

[cruizinator]

I think NCL has much better breakfast and especially lunch buffets but food on Carnival is better at night. I remember the good old days of big lobsters, thick steaks and great desserts before the pay for restaurants arrived to spoil things. I digress. Entertainment I find good on both lines generally. Personally, I hate Second City. I think their humor is sophomorish.

 

I 100% agree with the above....!!!

[pe4all]

What I am having an issue with is their giving away all these free cruises to people (I do so wish they'd stop coming to the boards to brag about it), while I continue to pay (often 200%) to cruise. If they keep this up, I'm bolting as soon as I reach my 25th Milestone cruise. I don't appreciate their lack of appreciation of my loyalty!

Anyway, thanks for the comparison!

Agree with the free cabin give-aways and lack of appreciation for loyalty. Have already started to "wander" to other lines, though still doing one CCL a year at this point. (#18 booked - 120 days at sea.)

Just got back from a cruise on NCL Getaway last week and went to Bermuda last year on NCL Breakaway. Loved them both. We have a "free" cruise certificate on Carnival from Trump Plaza casino. Its free so we are going to give it a try and I am concerned if I will like Carnival after cruising NCL. You're posts have been helpful. I think it will be fun to try something different since Breakaway and Getaway are almost identical. Still trying to make the final decision. We were awarded an inside cabin and were wondering if we should upgrade since the past two we had balcony cabins. Are inside cabins much smaller? What about oceanview? Any thoughts on CCL Breeze vs Sunshine vs Glory? I really appreciate any suggestions from those who have experienced any of them. Thanks!

We tried NCL after receiving a free inside cabin certificate from Foxwoods. We were shocked they would accept it for an August (2013) sailing on the brand new Breakaway, but they did! We upgraded to a large balcony cabin for an extra $450 pp, and added a third to the cabin. Ended up paying $1600 for the cruise to Bermuda for 3 of us - a steal! Plus we had no airfare or pre-cruise hotel to worry about, so it ended up being a great deal. Loved the Breakaway, after 16 in a row on CCL. I would take Breeze over Glory and Sunshine. (though I have not been on Sunshine since they re-did her - was on her when she was Destiny.) If you are used to a balcony, I would upgrade the inside to a balcony. The price will still be much less than you would have normally paid, anyway.

[RumpunchGirl]

This is a very interesting topic for me. I'm currently looking at 2 similar Itineraries, one on Carnival Dream, one on NCL Dawn. Both out of New Orleans and both go to Belize. We really want to sail from New Orleans so we can check out the city pre-cruise and Belize is on the list of place we want to see. I have sailed mostly on Carnival and had great experiences with them. I've only been on one NCL cruise, Pride of America in Hawaii, inside cabin the size of postage stamp! LOL!!! We did actually have to crawl into bed from the foot of the bed. There was no room on the sides of the bed to walk. We did not like the Freestyle dining very much. We experienced long waits in line. But the Steakhouse and the French restaurant (I forget the names) was a fabulous dining experience. We are considering the Penthouse Suite on Dawn vs. the Vista suite on Dream. I know it's like comparing apples to oranges but this is where we are stuck. We've had a Vista suite on Carnival Miracle and loved it! There are really no 'suite perks' to speak of on Carnival, but, the price is great. Dh and I think it might be fun to try out the NCL suite perks for ourselves. We have friends who have done the NCL "Suite Life" and shared their wonderful experience with us. The cost a lot more.

 

I love reading about what others have experienced from both lines. I how there's more opinions out there on this subject. :D

[Eqty]

This is a very interesting topic for me. I'm currently looking at 2 similar Itineraries, one on Carnival Dream, one on NCL Dawn. Both out of New Orleans and both go to Belize. <snip>

 

Nice problem to have! And you've already had sexperience with both cruise lines.

 

If it were us, price would certainly weigh in the decision of which line to go with. Dream is a newer ship so might have more updated amenities whereas Dawn had a major upgrade in 2011. Cabin selection would not be as important since the ship will be visiting more ports and you might be spending more time on land and less in the cabin.

 

After that I think it all comes down to personal preference. Entertainment goes to NCL. Deserts and dining room entertainment provided by the wait staff goes to CCL.

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my original comparison is the "Washy Washy Happy Happy" girls on the Dawn. It's been 2 years since our last Carnival cruise, but do they also now have "Washy Washy" girls?

[Jay Sam]

I have traveled on Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL and Royal Caribbean. In last place of these lines is NCL. When people ask me what is my favoriite line, I most often say, "anyone but NCL." I know a lot of folks like them, but for me, just doesn't measure up. The staff is not as pleasant as any of the others I have experienced; not even near. For the most part they are lacking in the customer service piece of the cruise experience. I have taken Epic and Star on NCL. The balcony cabin on Epic was tight, small in comparison to all of the other lines I have experienced, however the balcony itself was quite large. The design of Epic especially was very cluttered; with all of the obstacles in the way trying to get from forward to aft etc, and the design of the pool, I still haven't figured out. Huge ship with nice stability with some free and many pay as you go dining options, but just not my cup of tea. O' Shehan's was a plus for the shepherds pie. The outside cabin on Star was cramped and uncomfortable. Also on Star our keys failed twice on the same cruise. Twice, and we were among 100s of others with the same problem. Chaos at the customer service area trying to get key cards to let us into our cabin.

 

I know many people like to poke fun at Carnival, and I do not understand it. When on Carnival they always make me feel welcome; something I rarely have experienced on NCL. Our cabin steward on Epic, Julito was the rare exception. He was the best of any I have ever had. If all of NCL's staff was like him, I wouldn't be writing some of the things I have. Customer service is by far their weakest point.

 

I did enjoy the Epic buffet layout, with a lot of serving islands and a good quality of food. We never had to look for a place to sit even during the busy times. The quality of the evening dining room food was ok, and the same for the wait staff, nothing special.

 

I would try NCL again, on one of their new builds, or otherwise if the price was fantastic on one of their other ships, but don't have to experience the Epic again. Oh if the price were right, and a great itinerary, its possible. All in all, not a terrible experience, just not as good as the other lines I have taken. My friends who I was with on Epic very much liked it, so we all have our preferences. Glad I experienced this huge ship, and a cruise is always a nice way to spend a vacation. For me, Carnival and Royal Caribbean win for an overall great cruise experience.

[travelerblue]

We LOVE NCL mostly because we love freestyle. We don't want to bring suits and fancy dresses while on vacation but we do want to eat in the main dining rooms and be pampered every night. We also want to eat on our own schedule. I guess we have been lucky that we have never had more than a 10 minute wait and that was unusual. We have only had a suite twice and the perks are awesome!! We met our "Carnival" friends on the Star and then cruised together on the Dawn last year. They will only book a suite as they love the NCL perks. They don't bother booking suites on Carnival because they don't have the perks that NCL has. My son and his girlfriend loved being served in the suite. We ordered drinks and Blue Lagoon cheeseburgers at midnight and all hung out in the suite one night. We had so much fun. That butler sure comes in handy! The new suites on deck 12 are enormous. The four of us had plenty of room. I would love to book one of those again. My husband is one of those who definitely turns his nose up at Carnival and that is based purely on comments from co-workers who have cruised Carnival and not enjoyed it.I am hoping our Sunshine cruise will change his mind. I have heard mixed reviews so I am excited to finally try it ourselves and form opinions based on our own experience. I don't know how you can't have a great time on any cruise especially when travelling with friends that you only see maybe once a year on cruises. I am sure it will be a blast and I can't wait for a new experience. Our favorite NCL ships are any of the Jewel series (Gem, Pearl). We just did the Breakaway last October and the new set up of having to schedule shows before you are even on the ship totally goes against our idea of a freestyle vacation. It was a beautiful ship, but the pool deck was very small and things were very chopped up, small comedy club, smaller theater. We sure missed the old Spinnaker. So on to a new experience on Carnival. Here's hoping it's a good one!