Considering NCL -- would welcome your advice

[Quilting_Cruiser]

My DD and I have cruised about a dozen times but never on NCL. We've cruised once on Princess and are Platinum on Carnival. I'm considering booking the NCL Pearl to Alaska. Our previous Alaska cruises (three of them) have all been on the Carnival Spirit. I'd love to hear from anyone who's sailed both lines and specifically the NCL Pearl and Carnival Spirit. From what I've read, the major cruise lines have more in common than they have differences, but would love a comparison between the two lines/ships. We generally book balcony cabins--how do NCL balcony cabins compare to Carnival's?

 

Even if you haven't sailed on Carnival, I'd love your opinion of the Pearl. Do you recommend eating in specialty restaurants or do you find the MDR sufficient (DD and I usually eat at Carnival steakhouses a couple of times on a 7-night cruise)? Are there any must-visit places on the ship that new-to-NCL cruisers might miss? This is minor, but does NCL do towel animals? :) How's the entertainment--what types do they have?

 

That should be enough questions for now! Thanks in advance for your help!

[debnjoe1438]

My DD and I have cruised about a dozen times but never on NCL. We've cruised once on Princess and are Platinum on Carnival. I'm considering booking the NCL Pearl to Alaska. Our previous Alaska cruises (three of them) have all been on the Carnival Spirit. I'd love to hear from anyone who's sailed both lines and specifically the NCL Pearl and Carnival Spirit. From what I've read, the major cruise lines have more in common than they have differences, but would love a comparison between the two lines/ships. We generally book balcony cabins--how do NCL balcony cabins compare to Carnival's?

 

Even if you haven't sailed on Carnival, I'd love your opinion of the Pearl. Do you recommend eating in specialty restaurants or do you find the MDR sufficient (DD and I usually eat at Carnival steakhouses a couple of times on a 7-night cruise)? Are there any must-visit places on the ship that new-to-NCL cruisers might miss? This is minor, but does NCL do towel animals? :) How's the entertainment--what types do they have?

 

That should be enough questions for now! Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Yes NCL has towel animals. As far as what "type" I don't remember all, monkey, swan, mouse, some I couldn't make out:rolleyes:.

 

The only specialty restaurant DH and I have tried is Cagney's. It was great. Food in the MDR is fine.

 

I have only been on one Carnival cruise. IMHO between the two, NCL has the better buffet, food and entertainment.

 

The Pearl I have been on once however not a balcony. The Pearl does not have the open floor to top of the ship atrium. I suppose some folks miss that. If interested there is a couple of bowling lanes on the ship.

 

Overall the ship is beautiful, service, food and entertainment great. :D

 

Whatever you do, enjoy. :)

[Hikini]

I haven't been on Carnival but I have been on the Pearl twice. It is a very nice ship and yes they do towel animals.

 

We find the food in the MDR's to be just fine - very enjoyable in fact, but we do eat in the specialty restaurants about 50% of the time.

 

The entertainment varies from cruise to cruise but you'll find things like singing and dancing performances, magicians, vetriloquists, comedians, and other variety-type shows. We find the entertainment to be very good to excellent, most of the time.

 

On the Pearl there is a large lounge at the front of the ship up on deck 13 called the Spinnaker Lounge with lots of floor to ceiling windows and furnishings of many kinds. A comfortable and enjoyable place to be for some great shows like the Newlywed (not-so-newlywed) Dancing with the NCL stars, etc.

 

We love NCL, especially for their freestyle concept as well as the service and the suite perks.

[Hikini]

The Pearl does not have the open floor to top of the ship atrium. I suppose some folks miss that.

 

I do miss that! I love the atriums that are several stories high, and that was the first thing that struck me when we sailed on the Pearl that even though the Crystal Atrium is very pretty, it didn't have the grand elegant feel (to me) that the Star, Spirit, Sky, etc. have. The Jewel and the Pearl are sister ships and they have the same kind of atrium, which as I said, is pretty, but it's only 2 stories.

[Landl cruiser]

My DD and I have cruised about a dozen times but never on NCL. We've cruised once on Princess and are Platinum on Carnival. I'm considering booking the NCL Pearl to Alaska. Our previous Alaska cruises (three of them) have all been on the Carnival Spirit. I'd love to hear from anyone who's sailed both lines and specifically the NCL Pearl and Carnival Spirit. From what I've read, the major cruise lines have more in common than they have differences, but would love a comparison between the two lines/ships. We generally book balcony cabins--how do NCL balcony cabins compare to Carnival's?

 

Even if you haven't sailed on Carnival, I'd love your opinion of the Pearl. Do you recommend eating in specialty restaurants or do you find the MDR sufficient (DD and I usually eat at Carnival steakhouses a couple of times on a 7-night cruise)? Are there any must-visit places on the ship that new-to-NCL cruisers might miss? This is minor, but does NCL do towel animals? :) How's the entertainment--what types do they have?

 

That should be enough questions for now! Thanks in advance for your help!

 

 

 

We have been on 2 Carnival cruises, and many NCL cruises. We prefer NCL because of the dining options. There are many choices, including Oriental, Italian, Steakhouse, Brazilian, for a fee. There are also two main dining rooms, the buffet, the Blue Lagoon (a 24 hour comfort food restaurant), and of course room service. If you eat at the steakhouses a couple of times on a 7 night cruise, you would really appreciate the variety of options. As Debbie stated the Pearl has a bowling center. It has four lanes, two on each side of the ship in the Bliss Lounge at the rear of the ship. Entertainment is great, similar to entertainment on other cruise lines (We have sailed on Carnival, NCL, Princess, Royal, and Celebrity) Yes they do have towel animals.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thank you all for jumping in so quickly and sharing your experiences. It sounds like the Peal is a great ship. I'll have to go search for some photos.

 

What are the suite perks? You don't get many on Carnival, but I've heard other lines have much better perks if you book a suite and Alaska is a destination I don't mind splurging on. :)

[VickiD59]

Prior to NCL Breakaway we'd only sailed on Carnival Miracle. OP, I see by the past cruises in your signature that you are familiar with the layout of that class of ship as you've sailed Pride and Spirit before. Lovely ship.. and it was nice to have that as our first cruise experience, and we liked it so much we sailed her twice.

But... Carnival out of our homeport of NY is lacking in itinerary choices, so we needed to "jump ship".. to get something new. And I guess we couldn't get anything newer than the Breakaway. We felt like we had the best of all worlds - nice, new, BIG ship, going somewhere we'd never been, Bermuda. It docked for three days.. AND it sails from NY.

Eventually we'll need to venture to FL for a real choice in itineraries, but for now we're very happy having sailed the two ships we have.

[Landl cruiser]

Thank you all for jumping in so quickly and sharing your experiences. It sounds like the Peal is a great ship. I'll have to go search for some photos.

 

What are the suite perks? You don't get many on Carnival, but I've heard other lines have much better perks if you book a suite and Alaska is a destination I don't mind splurging on. :)

 

 

We do not book suites, however I have seen promos for up to $300 OBC for booking in a suite. Check it out at ncl dot com.

[Landl cruiser]

Prior to NCL Breakaway we'd only sailed on Carnival Miracle. OP, I see by the past cruises in your signature that you are familiar with the layout of that class of ship as you've sailed Pride and Spirit before. Lovely ship.. and it was nice to have that as our first cruise experience, and we liked it so much we sailed her twice.

But... Carnival out of our homeport of NY is lacking in itinerary choices, so we needed to "jump ship".. to get something new. And I guess we couldn't get anything newer than the Breakaway. We felt like we had the best of all worlds - nice, new, BIG ship, going somewhere we'd never been, Bermuda. It docked for three days.. AND it sails from NY.

Eventually we'll need to venture to FL for a real choice in itineraries, but for now we're very happy having sailed the two ships we have.

 

 

 

We loved the Breakaway. We loved it so much, we are going on her sister ship the Getaway out of Miami next month.:D:D

[INDIANA JOE]

All of the above plus the Great Outdoors area at the back of the ship. So peaceful to sit and eat outside (weather permitting) and watch the scenery. The Pearl was our 1st cruise ever and the beauty of Alaska made it even better!

[luddite]

Sailing NCL isn't a step down from the Carnival experience.

[Landl cruiser]

All of the above plus the Great Outdoors area at the back of the ship. So peaceful to sit and eat outside (weather permitting) and watch the scenery. The Pearl was our 1st cruise ever and the beauty of Alaska made it even better!

 

 

 

You are so right. I forgot about the Great Outdoors. Great not only for breakfast and lunch, but also for sailaway. Get's you that last great view of that port in case you missed the perfect photo.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We do not book suites, however I have seen promos for up to $300 OBC for booking in a suite. Check it out at ncl dot com.

 

Will do. Thanks!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Prior to NCL Breakaway we'd only sailed on Carnival Miracle. OP, I see by the past cruises in your signature that you are familiar with the layout of that class of ship as you've sailed Pride and Spirit before. Lovely ship.. and it was nice to have that as our first cruise experience, and we liked it so much we sailed her twice.

But... Carnival out of our homeport of NY is lacking in itinerary choices, so we needed to "jump ship".. to get something new. And I guess we couldn't get anything newer than the Breakaway. We felt like we had the best of all worlds - nice, new, BIG ship, going somewhere we'd never been, Bermuda. It docked for three days.. AND it sails from NY.

Eventually we'll need to venture to FL for a real choice in itineraries, but for now we're very happy having sailed the two ships we have.

 

 

We love Spirit-class. :) We're even more limited here--Oregon doesn't have a lot of cruise ports. LOL.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

All of the above plus the Great Outdoors area at the back of the ship. So peaceful to sit and eat outside (weather permitting) and watch the scenery. The Pearl was our 1st cruise ever and the beauty of Alaska made it even better!

 

That sounds perfect. Alaska is our favorite cruise destination. We usually spend a great deal of time on our balcony but the Pearl's balconies look awfully small. But, that's a small trade-off to finally get to see Glacier Bay!

[Landl cruiser]

That sounds perfect. Alaska is our favorite cruise destination. We usually spend a great deal of time on our balcony but the Pearl's balconies look awfully small. But, that's a small trade-off to finally get to see Glacier Bay!

 

 

Whatever your decision, Happy cruising.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Whatever your decision, Happy cruising.

 

Thank you!

[Landl cruiser]

Thank you!

 

 

You are very welcome. Hope to see you on an NCL cruise soon. Please join us on the Pearl in October 2015 for a roundtrip from Miami to the Panama canal.:)

[searoses]

The only carnival ship we've been on was the spirit to alaska....19 family members and the only thing on my mother's bucket list....we were the last to book only a couple of days out after being on a waiting list and got an aft cabin.....it was awesome! .I went kicking and screaming but was blown away by the aft and alaska..... views 180% until midnight!....so whatever you choose get the aft cabin!.... I thought food was overall better and much more of a selection on ncl.....the great outdoors is lovely.....but alaska is all about the scenery....so enjoy whichever you pick...

[Quilting_Cruiser]

The only carnival ship we've been on was the spirit to alaska....19 family members and the only thing on my mother's bucket list....we were the last to book only a couple of days out after being on a waiting list and got an aft cabin.....it was awesome! .I went kicking and screaming but was blown away by the aft and alaska..... views 180% until midnight!....so whatever you choose get the aft cabin!.... I thought food was overall better and much more of a selection on ncl.....the great outdoors is lovely.....but alaska is all about the scenery....so enjoy whichever you pick...

 

Thanks! We've had aft wrap-around before and loved it! Alaska is amazing--if we do this, it'll be our 4th Alaska cruise. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it--not possible. :)

[cruizinator]

We've been on the Carnival Spirit twice to Alaska, Went on our first NCL cruise this past May.....a 10 day Alaska from Vancouver on the Pearl.

The Pearl is a beautiful ship. The differences in my opinion....Carnival has larger balcony cabins, much better MDR food. NCL has better buffet food and friendlier crew.

I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on the Pearl again.

[kandagal1939]

We have sailed on Princess, HAL, Celebrity & NCL & the only one of those I would never sail with again is NCL. Didn't suit us. Found their dining experience a let down. We like to share a table with interesting people but found we were put on our own (even after many requests) & also the waiters didn't seem to have a level of expertise. We are not really fussy but we also found the food not so good. The buffet was, to us, too much like a workers' canteen & it was hard to find a seat to sit on. All that being said we had gorgeous weather on that Alaskan cruise so our port experiences were great.

[pe4all]

While never on the Pearl, we tried NCL after 17 cruises in a row on CCL. (including Spirit to Alaska.) We found NCL a nice change from CCL. The lines are very similar in many ways, but having different shows, food and entertainment made for a whole new experience. Alaska cruises are usually more "laid-back" than other cruises, as there is so much sightseeing and nature to watch. We actually enjoyed the different restaurants on NCL. We swore we would never pay for a restaurant on a cruise ship - but really liked the ability to book our preferred eating time, and where to eat each night. (do it 45 days in advance, so you have your choice of time slots.) We enjoyed NCL so much that we have 2 more cruises booked, and another on CCL. I would definitely give Pearl a try - especially if it has Glacier Bay on it's itinerary.

[sparks1093]

My DD and I have cruised about a dozen times but never on NCL. We've cruised once on Princess and are Platinum on Carnival. I'm considering booking the NCL Pearl to Alaska. Our previous Alaska cruises (three of them) have all been on the Carnival Spirit. I'd love to hear from anyone who's sailed both lines and specifically the NCL Pearl and Carnival Spirit. From what I've read, the major cruise lines have more in common than they have differences, but would love a comparison between the two lines/ships. We generally book balcony cabins--how do NCL balcony cabins compare to Carnival's?

 

Even if you haven't sailed on Carnival, I'd love your opinion of the Pearl. Do you recommend eating in specialty restaurants or do you find the MDR sufficient (DD and I usually eat at Carnival steakhouses a couple of times on a 7-night cruise)? Are there any must-visit places on the ship that new-to-NCL cruisers might miss? This is minor, but does NCL do towel animals? :) How's the entertainment--what types do they have?

 

That should be enough questions for now! Thanks in advance for your help!

 

I have sailed both lines (CCL Pride and NCL Gem) and if the price were close I would choose NCL (I have not yet decided how much of a price difference would make us choose CCL but it has gone up since we sailed on the Gem). We liked CCL but found the food on NCL to be a little bit better and the entertainment on NCL was much more robust. Yes, NCL does do towel animals (as I am sure many have pointed out).

[cynbar]

NCL does a really good job for its suite passengers, better than any of the other lines in my opinion. All suites have a butler and the services of a concierge, and all are large enough to eat your meals (delivered by your butler) if you are so inclined. All suite passengers on the Pearl will have access to a special breakfast and lunch menu, served in Cagney's --- better food, better service, and a quieter atmosphere than other places on the ship. No extra charge for any of the above, but you are expected to tip your butler and concierge at the end of the cruise. In addition, some of the higher suites are in the Haven or include Haven access, which is a nice relaxing courtyard with a small pool away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship. Suites on NCL are well worth the additional charge, at least for us.